-O-

Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Scrapbook Smooches

When I stopped the bunker's lift at the main level, Poppy looked around, took a deep breath and let it out in a big, happy sigh. "Well, here we are. Home sweet home."

"'Home…'" I repeated thoughtfully. That reminded me of something. "You know, Poppy, part of me is really happy to hear you say that, but…you weren't really serious about wanting to live here, were you? With what you said about roommates earlier?"

"Well, maybe. I love my pod, but I know how important your bunker is to you, Branch. It's your whole world, after all; a cozy little world you created with your own hair and hands. Besides," she gave me a sheepish look, "I feel safe here, and a safe haven is something I really need right now."

"Aww." I was touched. "Well, you'll always be welcome here, Poppy. It means a lot to me, that you would try to think of this place as home." I gestured to the surrounding area, then held up a cautionary finger as I added, "Just as long as you don't get too dependent on the bunker to make you feel safe." I glanced away. "I don't want you to make the same mistake I did."

She nodded solemnly. "Okay. I won't."

I started to walk toward the couch, hesitated, then turned back. "But in all honesty, I'm tempted." I put a hand to my chest. "Poppy, I would love to keep you safe down here with me. But I know you wouldn't be happy, living away from everyone, and the last thing I would ever want to do is take your happiness away. Especially after you gave me back mine. So, I - I'd like to try living in a pod again."

"Branch…" Poppy looked completely awestruck.

So was I. I hadn't meant to say that, but at this moment, in this time and place, it seemed right. After all, the main reason my bunker even existed in the first place - our troubles with the bergens - was a thing of the past. The world was a different place now. There was no reason I couldn't fully rejoin troll society if I wanted to. And there were a lot of reasons to want to rejoin.

Like my friends, both new and old. Singing, dancing, and hugging (at least sometimes). There were games and sports and partying and other types of fun I now thoroughly enjoyed. And most of all, there was a brave, bubbly, beautiful pink troll with hair and eyes the color of sunrise and an earnestly persistent heart, no matter what obstacles I'd used to keep her at hair's length.

I gave her a big, happy smile, expecting to see incredulous joy on her face, but instead Poppy said something I thought she would never say. "That's great, Branch, but are you sure you want a pod?"

My smile faded as I pointed out what seemed obvious to me. "I need to be near you," I gestured between us, "and as queen, you need to be near your - our – people. If I'm truly going to be a part of your life, I might as well get used to that. Getting used to living in a pod again is a logical first step."

"I understand, Branch, but really, don't feel like you have to on my account. We can work something out," she said politely.

I stared at her. I would've thought she'd be thrilled about something like this. Maybe even ugly-cry. Why would she – wait. Does she think I couldn't handle it?

I frowned as I reminded her, "I grew up living in pods, remember? All my friends have their own pods. And hey, I might even enjoy having a pod of my own again. I did when I was twelve. You know, before…" I stopped talking, but it was too late. I saw her wince at the memory of my Incident. Oops. I probably shouldn't have brought that up.

Hastily I waved my palms in her direction. "But don't worry! I learned my lesson. If I ever decide to fill up another pod with supplies, I'll take the strength of the tree branch into account this time."

She gave me a troubled look, her forehead wrinkling worriedly.

I winked at her, but the only change was that she now looked confused as well as worried.

Apparently my social skills still needed work. Sighing, I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, shifting my weight onto one hip. "I was joking, Poppy."

"Oh." She looked relieved.

"As if a pod could ever come close to the storage capacity of my bunker. I'd keep a small emergency cache of basic supplies in it, of course, but nothing too over-the-top. You don't have to worry about me plummeting to my death."

"Plummeting to your death?" She covered her mouth in horror.

I clapped my hand to my forehead and groaned. "Sorry! That didn't come out right. But you know what I meant."

"Branch…" She sounded halfway between distressed and exasperated.

I felt a little exasperated myself. All I wanted was to have her be happy about my momentous choice, but for some reason it felt like we needed a translator. Why did it feel like she was digging in her heels?

I studied Poppy. Something about this felt awfully familiar. "Is this how you feel when you're trying to talk me into looking at the bright side? 'Cause I've gotta give you credit - this is a lot more frustrating than you make it look."

At that, Poppy finally laughed. "Thank you."

I grinned. "Well, since you're being Branch, I'll be Poppy."

I lifted my voice into a perky soprano. "Just think about it, Branch: one good thing about you having your own pod is that you'd probably never be lonely again."

Poppy's grin disappeared. I hadn't meant to remind her of something so sad, especially right now.To cover it up, I continued in my own voice, deadpan, "Oh, man, I can see it all now. I'll have more friends than I know what to do with. They'll be dropping in to bother – I meant visit – me all day long." At least my bunker will always be here if I need to get away from the craziness for a while.

"Parties and glitter galore. Sleepovers every night. What fun. I can hardly wait." I gave her a droll look, bouncing my eyebrows at her, and she shook her head at my sarcasm, smiling.

I took her hands in mine. "All joking aside, I don't know if I can do it, but I have to at least try. It'd be worth it, to be close to you."

"Oh, Branch." From the tenderness that spread across her face, I'd gotten it right this time. "If you really want to do this, I'll support you." She put a hand on my cheek, then drew me in for a brief kiss. "But it may not be necessary. I know it might be hard to believe, Branch, but I honestly do like your bunker now."

I watched in wonderment as she walked over to one of the walls and reached out to give it an affectionate pat. When she turned back to me, her face shone with sincerity. "I know I never really gave it a chance before, but once I looked closer, I realized it has a lot going for it. It's actually a pretty cool place to live."

My jaw dropped. "You really mean that?"

"I really do." She smiled warmly at me. "How about this - maybe we could try out both ideas and see what happens? There's no rule that says they couldn't both be 'home', right?"

"Oh, Poppy…" My heart caught fire. For her to try to love my home just because it's mine… I don't think I've ever loved her more.

"Sure. Why not?" At the telltale huskiness in my voice, I cleared my throat as I blinked away the wetness in my eyes. I managed to joke, "Never thought I'd see the day when I'd be happy to have no rules."

Poppy giggled.

-O-

As they moved into the living room, Branch glanced at his beautiful wooden guitar-shaped clock and made a noise of mild surprise.

"What is it?" Poppy followed his gaze to see that was a little past nine-thirty, which felt about right, according to her internal Hug Time sense. She missed having her Hug Time bracelet though, and reminded herself to pay a visit to Maddy's tomorrow as soon as she got the chance.

Apparently Branch's Hug Time sense wasn't yet as well-developed. "So much has happened today that it feels like it ought to be later."

"I know what you mean. Even for us, we've had a busy day." She grinned at him. "And I enjoyed every minute of the time we spent together."

"Me, too." Branch gave her a soft look. "Today was the best day of my life."

Glad as she was that he felt that way, it was also kind of awful in another sense, because it was very likely to be true.

Poppy was also glad he hadn't mentioned her accident, and she certainly wasn't going to. "Hey, we're just getting warmed up, Lover Boy."

From his soft grin, he seemed to like that name. Poppy added it to the mental roster she was creating as Branch glanced again at the clock. "So, did you decide? Would you rather hit the bath first, or finish the stuff we were working on earlier?"

Poppy considered. "I was just about done, but now…" She went to him and took his hands, smiling into his eyes. "Now there are so many more good things I want to record…" she gave him a flirty look, "while the magic is still fresh in my mind."

"Oh? And what magic is that?" he purred.

"This magic." Poppy leaned forward to press her lips against his, and felt him smile into the kiss. Mmm… Bliss. They were home, they were safe, and there was nothing stopping them from kissing the night away. For the first time in her life, Poppy was tempted to forget about scrapbooking.

But Branch had taken her at her word. "Okay. Me, too."

"Hm? What were we were talking about?" She'd already forgotten.

Still kissing her, he answered, "I'd like to…write in my journal for a little while. It might…make this 'magical dream'…feel a little more real."

"Oh, it's real, all right," she said playfully, but she knew what he meant.

Today had been like a dream, a dream of a life unlike anything she'd ever experienced, as if she'd never woken up from the dream she'd had yesterday morning. That beautiful, precious, eye-opening dream had ignited an unexpected craving in her that she'd never felt before. It had been sensual, yes, but the most important part to her was the sudden understanding of a different type of life. A life she had never quite been able to imagine for herself, but instantly recognized.

She'd yearned for that life, with someone who loved and admired her by her side, willing to support her even when she made mistakes, or when she wasn't feeling her best. Someone with whom she didn't have to be perfect. Someone she could also love, admire, and support, as well.

Of course she'd taken the first opportunity she'd had to make such a wonderful dream come true by reaching out to him - literally touching him - after he'd emerged from his first bubble bath. Now that she thought back on it, there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. She was so glad he'd felt the same way about her.

Speaking of bubble baths… Poppy was really looking forward to the chance for a new type of closeness between them, but as tempting as it was to get sudsy with her boyfriend right now, the familiar lure of her favorite hobby was overwhelmingly tantalizing. Her fingers itched to express exactly how her dream had come true, in all its glittery glory.

Besides, after their earlier conversation, she knew how important journaling was to him. So Poppy winked at her fellow dreamer and booped his soft nose. "Well then, Magic Man, let's work some magic."

Branch snorted at the nickname, but proffered his lips for one last kiss before he went to the couch and picked up his journal, opening it to the page he'd been working on.

Poppy noticed something distinctly un-Branchlike. "Hey, you stopped in the middle of a sentence. Doesn't that drive you crazy?"

"Well, yeah, a little, but I was more worried about you at the time. Besides, I discovered by accident years ago that stopping right in the middle of a sentence helps motivate me to finish it. And it's easier to jump back on the mental train of thought that I was riding, right where I got off."

Poppy was fascinated. "It is? I'll have to try that sometime."

They took up their previous positions, with Branch on the couch and Poppy securely snuggled down between his feet. She picked up her current scrapbook, and it fell open on a vast expanse of darkness.

Branch leaned down, pointing over her shoulder at the tiny representation of herself in the great black void, weeping big blue tears as she cowered in terror. "That's how I knew you were hiding a bigger problem."

"I guess I made it pretty obvious, huh?"

Branch nodded. "It was eerily familiar, in fact. I've been there, remember?"

The aquamarine troll got up and left the room and came back with one of his old journals. He sat down behind her again, paged through the journal, and handed it to her.

A gray troll sat curled up in the bottom level of Branch's bunker within a cocoon of black hair, with only his nose and fearful eyes showing at the top. He looked small and scared and alone. Far above him was a wild, frightening landscape, with dark, creepy forests full of ferocious, hungry-looking beasts. A violent storm raged above, ripping the black sky with jagged spears of lightning. Off in the far distance were the sunny lands of Troll Village, with dozens of brightly-colored trolls doing all the fun things that trolls did.

Poppy shivered. "Oh, Branch."

"For so long, I only saw the threats around me," Branch said sadly. His cadence changed, and Poppy settled back to listen sympathetically to her dear poet.

I didn't see the flowers

I didn't see the sun

I never heard the music

I couldn't feel the fun

Branch leaned over her to turn the page, showing the gray troll and his happy-go-lucky pink companion skipping together in the rain under a hairbrella, through a grassy field whose bright flowers had happy open mouths, drinking the sweet drops of liquid. Despite the dimness all around them, the very air surrounding the little pink troll seemed to be glowing. A hint of a smile could be seen on the face of the gray troll, who no longer looked afraid.

Into her ear, Branch murmured softly,

But then you came

With your bright spark

Your sunny smile

Lit up the dark

He kissed her cheek and added, "No matter how gloomy I got, you always had that effect on me, Sunshine."

"Awww…" She kissed his cheek in return. "I'm glad I was able to help you feel better." She put her hand up to turn his face so she could meet his mouth with her own. After a long, sweet kiss, she slowly let their lips part so she could say softly, "I love you so much."

Branch kissed her back. "I love you, too."

He pressed his forehead to hers for a moment, then sat up, and within moments his pen was dancing across the paper. She grinned to herself. I guess he wasn't kidding. It took him a lot longer to get started last time.

Poppy debated for a moment. She had two scrapbooks to complete. One was for the other trolls, showing the story of how she and Branch became sweethearts, and then there was her own personal, more complete version; the original two-day Ice Cream/Unofficial Date scrapbook. Since she didn't know how long it would take for Branch to finish his journaling, she went with the Sweethearts scrapbook. She wanted to make sure she had it ready so she could show their friends tomorrow.

Full of contentment, Poppy opened her scrapbook and the solid black page with the weeping pink troll hit her in the face. Her lip curled. Eww. It was accurate, but she didn't like it. It reminded her too much of how upset she'd been while she was putting it together.

And it didn't really fit with the rest of the story. The previous page showed two of them hugging after Branch had made the choice to stay in her pod and talk things out with her, after she'd finally caught on that he was in love with her. He'd risked being rejected for the chance to win her heart, and that risk had paid off delightfully well for both of them. It was a wonderful, happy moment she would treasure forever.

The page after the black one was of herself hugging Branch in the friendly-looking bunker, with the outside world looking dark, scary and awful. It didn't fit, either.

Suddenly she wanted to yank out both of those pages entirely and throw them away. She pouted. Come on, Branch, why can't I just focus on the romance?

The last thing she wanted to do was include how she had choked and been saved by Leafe, but Branch had asked her to. I don't really want to, but he's right. That lifesaving technique he taught Leafe is very important knowledge that needs to be passed on. And both of them deserve to be recognized for their roles in saving my life. Poppy wavered, biting her lip. …Maybe I should add a choking scene. But if I do that… I don't know…

Uncertainly she picked up her scissors and a piece of gray felt. Slowly she brought the scissors up and put the felt between the blades, but she couldn't make herself squeeze.

Why were her thoughts so muddled? She closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath to try to clear her head, and recognized that she was all tensed up. Oh, sugar. She was anxious again. It wasn't as scary as before, now that she knew what it was and that it was essentially harmless, but it was enough to make her doubtful. Should I tell about my anxiety, too? Oh, gosh, I don't know what to do.

It was a good thing she had a trusty touchstone now. "Hey, Branch?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, deep in thought.

She turned her head to gaze up at him. "I know you said I should scrapbook how I choked…" Branch quickly looked up from his journal at her. "And I know you said I had to talk about how I was feeling – and you were right – but I don't know if it's a good idea to tell everyone about how it kind of messed me up a little bit."

She dropped the things she was holding and slumped with her hands curled together in her lap. "Do I have to? I mean, counting you, four people already know I went gray today. You, Dad, Doctor Plum, and Nurse Acorn. That's enough, isn't it? You're all used to dealing with emergencies. But the rest of the trolls might freak out if they think I'm…"

"Incapacitated?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not inc-" She cut herself off, giving him a worried look. "Am I? You said this anxiety stuff messes with your head. I mean, I am going to get better, right?"

Branch set aside his pen and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly. Right away she began to feel calmer. She closed her eyes and let herself relax under his gentle ministrations, listening to the note of amusement in his tone as he reassured her confidently, "No, Poppy, you're not incapacitated. That was a poor choice of words on my part, sorry. And yes, you will get better. I am one hundred percent sure of that. You're Poppy, after all. In fact, for all we know, after a good night's sleep you'll wake up tomorrow completely back to your obnoxiously irrepressible self."

He grinned teasingly at her and she turned to smirk back at him. "Gee, thanks."

"Anytime, Poppy," he said breezily. "And hey, good use of sarcasm, by the way."

She chuckled, then took in a deeper breath and let it out, appreciating the relief after the strange tightness in her chest. She tilted her head down and let him rub her bare shoulders for a minute. What a gift he was.

"…So it's okay to keep this a secret?"

Branch paused, then said lightly, "For now, I'd say it's fine. If it becomes a problem later, well, we can always explain it to people then. Although…" he mused aloud, "I have to wonder if I might have gotten over my issues sooner if I'd talked about them, or if I'd read about them earlier…"

"Oh." She looked down at the awful black page. "Then maybe I should…"

"But I'm not the queen," he added. "Things are a little different for you. Tell me, Poppy; what do you think you should do?"

Talking to him had helped. Her mind was clearer. "I think this page isn't the right fit for this particular scrapbook. Instead, when I recreate your family's scrapbooks, I'll also make a separate scrapbook telling my story. I'll describe the Heimlich maneuver- Hey, you still need to teach me that, by the way."

"I will, when your bruise has healed," he promised.

"Oh, right." She'd actually forgotten all about it. "That's fine. I think I'll also tell about how trauma can cause problems with anxiety, and that it usually won't last forever. And that it's important that the anxious person gets lots of extra support from people they know and trust. Like lots of hugs - if they want them." She recalled how Branch had hated being hugged when he was little. He'd often been more agitated after a hug than before it.

She was so glad that was no longer the case, as Branch agreed, "Right. If this," he bent down to wrap his arms around her from behind, warming her with his love and approval, "is what they want. Sounds perfect."

"Mmm…" She snuggled back against him and put her hands on his arms. "Would you work on it with me?"

"Sure." He was quiet for a minute. "But if you're concerned that the other trolls will worry about your issues being as serious as mine were, why not make the main character just a generic troll? It doesn't have to be about you specifically. The important thing is to pass on the information."

Poppy recalled how Doctor Plum had worried that Branch's issues were still troubling him, and that too much stress might cause him to have a relapse. Or that his issues would prevent him from becoming a good partner to the queen. Instead he's become the troll I rely on more than anybody. If anything, having to deal with his own fears has made him more understanding. Fears… "You know what, Branch? Now that I think about it, it almost seems like Doctor Plum might have some anxiety issues of her own."

He leaned away to give her a look of startlement. "Really?"

"Well, maybe. I think I'll give her the first copy. It might do her some good to learn more about anxiety and how to manage it, for her patients, and maybe herself." Back in command mode, Poppy said decisively, "I'm going to take your advice and use a generic troll for now."

"Okay. And maybe once you're feeling better, you could make an updated version showing yourself in the stages of anxiety from initial trauma to recovery, if you want to."

"Ooo, great idea, Branch. And I'm going to move these two dark pages to the Ice Cream scrapbook. It's my personal 'journal' of our first day together as a couple, so it's okay to show myself as the character who nearly died."

"Is that the scrapbook you were working on while I was directing traffic?"

"Sure is."

"May I read it when you're done?"

Poppy was delighted. "Of course, Smoochie." She kissed his cheek playfully as he rolled his eyes and groaned lightly at yet another embarrassing nickname, but pressed his own lips to her forehead for a long moment before riffling her topknot. His pen resumed its swift travels as Poppy cheerfully went to work.

It didn't take her long to finish the Sweethearts scrapbook. She made a simple sequence of pages where Happy Poppy and Happy Branch cooked dinner, then took a walk under the stars. They hugged, their hair bloomed, and they kissed. Happily Ever After, The End.

Branch was still writing, so she had time to work on the Ice Cream scrapbook. This one had a lot more story to tell, but maybe she could finish it, if she hurried. She was the champion scrapbooker of the village, after all. Even Branch had acknowledged that. That reminds me… "Oh, by the way, Pookie, when I recreate your family's scrapbooks, do you mind if I make a second set of them to put in the village's library?"

There was a long pause, as if he was debating whether to object to the nickname, before Branch said noncommittally, "If you think anyone will be interested. It's mostly hard-science-based topics. Not something your average partygoer would enjoy."

From long experience Poppy recognized a pity party about to kick off. "Oh, come on, I'm sure there are some trolls who'd be interested." She twisted around to put her head in his lap, covering his journal and fluttering her eyelashes as she smiled winningly up at him.

He sighed and gave her an indulgent smile. "Well, maybe."

He did look a little bit more encouraged, and Poppy joyfully fed his tentative enthusiasm as she bounced upright. "Of course there are! How about Leafe? And Cherry Blossom? Or the Whizbangs?"

"Hm. I guess you're right." He still didn't sound entirely convinced, but his tone held a clear note of hope. "You know, it might be interesting to see if anyone besides my old friends actually checks them out."

"Come on, Branch," she said persuasively. "You can do better than that. Positive thoughts, remember?"

"Uh… Okay, then I'll guess that at least a few more trolls beside my old friends will want to read one, and…and anyone who checks them out would probably be someone I'd get along with. Maybe I'd even make a few new friends?"

"Aww." She patted his hand. "Good job, Branch. I'm proud of you!"

He scoffed, but his embarrassed smile as he looked to the side so touched her that she picked up his hand and kissed it.

His surprise melted into soft affection and he turned his hand to caress her cheek. "Thanks, Poppy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Same here, Branch," she whispered, her voice husky with emotion.

They settled down to their tasks. Poppy worked briskly on the Ice Cream/Unofficial Date scrapbook, but every once in a while she would pause in her snipping-stamping-glitter-gluing frenzy to smile at the scruff of his ink pen on paper, gratified that although the means differed, she and her boyfriend shared the same hobby.

With nimble fingers the pink troll attached the pages she'd taken from the Sweethearts scrapbook. Poppy studied the scene she'd created earlier, as the miniature version of herself knelt in the blackness with her hands over her face, weeping piteously. It was disconcerting to see herself like that, to remember how just bad she'd felt. She'd never sunk so low before, not even in the bergens' pot. But then, she'd just felt numb and heavy.

Anxiety felt totally different. It made her restless and yet tired at the same time. No wonder Branch was always so grumpy. It had made her do things she wasn't very proud of, like bashing that poor little spider when it tried to tickle her. Embarrassed and a little ashamed of her rough behavior, Poppy threw together a quick page showing their encounter with the fuzzy purple-and-neon-green tarantapuff. The page had a button to push to make the little creature pop out and cling to the felted Poppy's leg while her tiny voice yelled, "Ahh!" A second button made the little pink troll's leg swing up and arm shoot out to knock the poor spider aside.

Next came a dramatic, angsty page, full of jagged thought balloons filled with scrambled scribbles and encroaching grayness.

A blue-green hand reached out from the next page. The tiny pink figure reached out and took his hand. He lifted her to her feet and guided her to the next page, out of the gloom. Her dark, scrambled thoughts transformed into clear, colorful symbols; hearts and flowers and musical notes, as Branch gently but firmly confronted her, asking her to rely on him for support.

I should have known he wouldn't be fooled, or let me get away with pretending things were fine when they weren't. It was such a relief not to have to hide it anymore. I'm so lucky to have him.

Now into sweeter territory, she began to slow down and enjoy herself. Carefully she crafted his gentle, sympathetic face as he listened attentively to her pain when she finally gave vent to all the anguish, anxiety, and frustration she had tried to bury deep inside.

The young queen took great care in recreating how her sweetheart had understood and comforted her; holding her close, kissing her hands, and telling her how special she was to him. She took even greater care in recreating how they had kissed for the first time, and for all the wonderful events that followed…

Poppy lost herself in scrapbooking euphoria, gleefully creating several exquisite pages of nothing but romantic kissing scenes. She used an entire bottle of glitter to get the waves and curls of their matching hairbloom sparkles just so. She cut letters to include the words from the dreamy song he'd sung to her, with the two of them dancing amidst a skyborn flurry of delicate, iridescent sparkles.

Occasionally she would hear Branch let out a quiet laugh or a sentimental 'aww'as he gazed over her shoulder at the cute little scenes, but she was too in the zone to do much more than meet his eyes and give him quick, affectionate smiles.

The front cover already had a pink and aquamarine double-scoop ice cream cone on it. After a bit of thought, on the back cover, as a private little joke, she placed small handprint. It was caramel-colored, and was missing one finger. Branch chuckled as she held it up to show him.

Poppy left a few blank pages at the end in case she got inspired later, but essentially, she was done. She sat back with a satisfied sigh, only then becoming aware of a growing discomfort. Better make a quick bathroom run soon. She stretched her arms above her head, then put a hand up to rub her stiff shoulder muscles.

Warm hands covered her shoulders. She let go and groaned in pleasure as Branch began to massage them, pressing deep into kinked muscles, rolling them smooth and supple. "Ahh…Branch. Sooo good!" she praised him deliriously.

He laughed. "What's 'sooo good'? The massage, or me?"

"Yes."

He laughed again and leaned over to kiss her bare skin, and Poppy was suddenly exceedingly glad for the off-the-shoulder blouse the twins had given her. She leaned her head to the side, and her boyfriend responded to her wordless invitation, trailing a leisurely line of kisses from one shoulder to the other.

Thrilled at the attention, Poppy didn't dare move. She closed her eyes, eagerly anticipating every kiss. All she could focus on was him, so close behind her, his gentle lips spreading loving heat all throughout her body. Even the soles of her feet tingled. Craving ever more, she let herself melt back into him. "Oh, Branch," she sighed, and she felt him smile.

"Poppy," he murmured in between kisses. "Did I...ever tell you…what tempting shoulders you have?"

The sheer amorousness in his tone instantly delighted and flustered her. Her face went hot and she let out an embarrassing, deep-throated laugh. "I do?" Thank you, twins. I owe you one.

"Mm hmm…"

His breaths stirred the light flocking on her sensitized skin, creating a delicate feeling of connection that drew her even closer to him. Then his soft nose brushed the underside of her ear and suddenly her body kicked into overdrive. Ahh, I can't take it any more! She needed to kiss him – any part of him she could reach!

Before she could stop herself she spun around, and as they came face-to-face, Branch froze. He abruptly sat up, clearing his throat as he stared awkwardly off to the side. His face was bright lavender.

Cute as Branch was when he went all shy, Poppy winced at her bad timing. Aw, man, I made him self-conscious. Wanting to set him at ease so he wouldn't get anxious, she put a hand on his knee and smiled up at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He ran a hand through the hair at the back of his head. "Sorry. Got a little carried away there."

"Branch, it's okay," she said sincerely. "Never apologize for wanting to show me you love me."

Finally he looked at her, relaxing enough to put a big hand over hers. "Thanks."

At his touch, Poppy had to clamp down on the renewed desire to jump up and throw herself at him, knocking him back on the couch and covering his shoulders with kisses. And his face and neck and chest, and his belly…and just everywhere… Oh, man, I need to cool off a little before I freak him out.

Fortunately, she had a perfectly legitimate excuse. "Hey, Branch, I need to run to the little trolls' room. Be right back, okay?"

"Yeah." He looked a little confused as she got up and started toward the hallway. "Hey, Poppy?"

"Yes?"

"If it's all right with you, may I do a page for your scrapbook journal?"

She beamed at him. "Of course! Be my guest!" She was always happy to encourage Branch when it came to scrapbooking.

As she headed down the hall, she fanned herself with her hair, unable to hold back the thought, Now, what else can I do to 'encourage' him?

-O-

I wonder if she got bashful again. I smiled at the thought. She's so cute.

Down the far end of the hall, the heavy wooden door closed with a solid thud. Faintly, I heard the whirr of the bathroom's ventilator fan begin.

I slid off the couch to the floor and picked up Poppy's scrapbook, opening it to one of the blank pages at the back. I wanted to make it up to her for not joining her, but I couldn't concentrate. There was something building inside me that I needed to let out. I carefully set down the scrapbook, then leaped into the air, flinging myself into a triple spin in a burst of unrestrained joy.

"Whoo!"

My heart was pounding. My head spun giddily and I didn't even try to stop the giant lovesick grin from plastering itself all over my face as I threw myself backward on the couch. I felt a little silly that I'd gotten so bashful myself a minute ago, but I hadn't meant to let myself get so carried away. I'd only meant to place an affectionate kiss on the lovely pink skin literally under my nose, but once I started kissing her shoulders, I hadn't wanted to stop.

Why did I stop? I know Poppy was enjoying it, too. I touched my lips, savoring the memory of my love's soft, warm skin against them. I can't believe this is happening. Yesterday we were just best friends, and now we're kissing and-

My grin vanished as the icy splash of nerves I'd been half-expecting finally hit me. I dragged my hands down my face. "Ohhh my gosh. We did it. We kissed!"

We passed the point of no return. We can never go back to just being friends again! I ran stressed hands through my hair. "Oh, man, I've gotta do everything possible to make sure everything goes perfectly from now on. It's got to!"

I almost wished it hadn't happened. I'd really wanted to save our first kiss for the right time, thinking to use it to make myself look irresistibly romantic in Poppy's eyes, but things hadn't worked out like I planned. My head whirled. A day ago, all of this was just some hopeful fantasy. Even though I'd had the notion that someday I'd have the courage to speak up and tell Poppy how I felt about her, I'd never expected it to just happen out of the blue.Now that the ice had been broken, I was scrambling to find my footing.

Still, I was glad things had turned out the way they had. I was glad I'd been able to give her what she'd needed right then, with no awkwardness or hesitation.

Our first kiss had been special, but not like I'd imagined it would be. It hadn't been the natural result of a sweet serenade. We hadn't locked gazes and suddenly been taken over by two lusty strangers. It was just Poppy and me, being close, sharing a little more of ourselves with each other. Sharing our connection. In the end, my first kiss with the girl of my dreams had been perhaps the most fulfilling of all: a pure and simple expression of the deep devotion we felt for one another. A kiss of friendship, of comfort, of love and support and utter faith in each other.

Poppy could have had any troll she wanted, but she had chosen me. She had chosen to rely on me. She had seen positive qualities in me that, once she spelled them out to me, had made me like myself better.

Poppy wanted me. That hungry eagerness was unmistakable, even though I'd never seen anyone look at me that way before yesterday. I was still getting used to the idea, but I had to admit, it made me feel really good to know that someone wanted my kisses.

I'd really enjoyed kissing her. I hadn't been nervous at all. In fact, just the opposite. I'd felt great. Confident and sure. Sexy, even. A proud smile spread over my face. Imagine that. Grumpy old Branch, feeling sexy.

I'd loved her hands on me, stroking my back, even squeezing my butt. It had taken me off-guard earlier when she started playing with my ears and I'd started to sprout, but at the time I'd been so in the moment that I'd just moved my lower body away so she couldn't feel it. Then she'd asked if she was hurting me, and I'd had to confront her about her uncharacteristically fearful behavior. It was just as well I'd gotten distracted. I hadn't anticipated having such a strong response to her touch.

I hadn't meant to let myself get so carried away. This was the second time now that Poppy had touched me and I'd unintentionally reacted. I knew it was normal, but it still kind of threw me off-kilter, for some reason. I mean, it's not like she's the first troll who's ever touched my body. I get hugged all the time these days. The twins had their hands all over me earlier today and I didn't react like this. Hm. Maybe it was because we'd been kissing so much - it kind of primed my love-engine, so to speak.

I still wasn't sure how far I wanted us to go.. The physical side of things had always seemed pretty straightforward to me, in theory. I'd always assumed that after two trolls confessed their attraction for one another that they'd naturally fall into bed together, but in practice, it was a lot more confusing than that. At least if you were looking for a long-term relationship. Frolicking just for fun was supposed to be different.

Poppy didn't seem to have any more idea of what she wanted than I did. One minute she was touching me, giving me all the right signs that she was thinking about playing a certain game in the bedroom, and the next she was making excuses and backing off. I knew she wanted me, but this was new to her, too. It was natural for her to be a little shy. Or maybe she's worried I don't want her?

Well, I did, and not just because she was beautiful. My Sunshine was kind and smart and strong and compassionate. She was far too full of idealistic dreams to let her traumatic ordeal get the better of her. At least, not for long. And of course, I would do everything I could to help her recover. I recalled what she'd said earlier:

"'I need to feel you near me. Touching me, hugging me, kissing me. It distracts me, gives me something good to focus on when the bad feelings come.'"

Aww. A wash of tenderness flowed over me and I smiled sentimentally, putting a hand on my stomach, which fluttered like I'd eaten a jiggle-cake. The idea that Poppy wanted me to comfort her – me above everyone else - made me feel oddly happy. No one ever came to me for comfort. I would have thought it would make me feel uncomfortable or even irritated, but instead it made me feel important. Chosen. Special. I could see why Poppy had such a hard time saying 'no' to the other trolls, even when it wasn't an emergency, or disrupted her own plans. It felt good to be needed.

All I want is to do everything I can to comfort her. In fact, if being touched makes her feel better, does that mean… Maybe I should offer to take part in some bedroom games? What if she said yes?

I flushed deeply. One of my books had said that making love with a trusted partner could actually help someone heal from trauma, as long as the lovers shared a strong, caring bond. Leafe even told me once that frolicking is also good for relieving stress.

Now I wished I'd listened to him when he'd suggested that it might help me to get some experience. Hugging and even kissing was one thing, but was I ready to be someone's lover? What if I messed it up? What if I had another anxiety attack? With Poppy being so emotionally vulnerable right now, was it even a good idea for us to be doing any of this?

Still, in a way, I owed it to Poppy to help her recover in any way I could. If I'd been with her when she first choked, I could have saved her quickly before she came anywhere close to dying, and all this might have been just a minor blip in her day, easily forgotten.

But I hadn't been there for her. Guilt rolled over me, pressing me back against the couch cushions. My beloved girl had spent minutes slowly choking to death, and poor Leafe had had to save her in my stead, getting all traumatized himself in the process.

I need to remember to check up on him first thing tomorrow morning.

At least my old friend had Cherry Blossom and his daughters to comfort and support him. Right now, Poppy only had me. She didn't want to make the other trolls worry, but for some reason she had faith in my ability to handle this. Me, the troll who still had occasional freakouts in public. Not nearly as many as when I was gray, thankfully, now that I was more social and the bergen threat was minimized, but still.

That was one positive thing, anyway - that my own experience with anxiety had let me recognize that Poppy wasn't quite herself right now. She got upset over things that normally wouldn't bother her, like she had just now when we'd discussed me moving into a pod. She was kind of touchy earlier when I was talking about the accidents I've had in my bunker, too. She nearly broke down in tears. I didn't know for sure at the time that she was suffering from anxiety, but I'm glad she finally told me.

It occurred to me that even though Poppy had never been a literal hermit like me, there had still been parts of herself that she'd withheld from sharing with most trolls. Yet she had let me in.

With a little persuasion. It's a good thing I listened to my instincts and confronted her instead of listening to that whole 'I'm fine' stuff. If I hadn't, she'd probably still be living in denial, sitting here pretending to be happy while underneath she was all scared and upset and not understanding what was happening to her. At least I was always honest about my feelings.

Well, except for telling her I was in love with her. Suddenly I grinned to myself. I guess I'm not that different.

Feeling better now that I'd had some alone time to process everything, I lifted my arms up by my head and stretched luxuriously, noting for the first time a couple of sore spots where my back pressed against the couch cushions. Bruises from when I'd gotten knocked around the boingo fruit riding range, most likely. Nothing important, compared to some of the things we'd discussed today.

Self-forgiveness, anxiety, PTSD. Even stuff about my family's books. And you know, it wasn't anywhere near as painful as I might have expected. I wonder why?

I shifted to settle more comfortably on the couch, resting my head on my laced fingers and crossing my ankles. Maybe because I'm no longer solely dependent on my books for emotional support? I originally decided to read them because I was looking for a connection to someone. I felt so alone. I had no one to turn to for help and advice, or even just have someone to tell my problems to. But now I have real friends; people I love, who love and support me, not because they feel like it's their duty, but because they want to. Because they care about me.

I can feel the difference in me. I feel more secure than I ever have before. …Is that one of the real benefits of being close to others, of feeling accepted? Because it gives you a stable foundation, deep inside?

I wish I'd known that before. I wonder if the other trolls even realize it, or if it's something they just instinctively understand without words? Because I know nobody ever actually spelled that out to me before. I wish someone had. It might have made a difference. I might have tried harder to bond with the other trolls. I might have healed enough to get back my true colors years ago, and then Poppy and I could have been together.

I could have helped her deal with everything. Even the bergens.

I had no idea that she was putting so much pressure on herself. I mean, it's good to have ambition and high expectations, but holding yourself to impossible standards will drive you crazy. Literally. I should know. I felt the corner of my mouth quirk upward. I'm guilty of that, too. I guess we're a better match than I thought. We even have matching hairblooms.

At that mind-blowing thought, I caught my breath. Without even trying, I'd passed yet another milestone. "I had my first hairbloom today…and we matched," I said in a hushed tone.

Just the thought of it made me giddy. It made me want to sing. Oh, how I loved to sing and dance with my Sunshine. I loved to shower her with compliments and join my hair with hers, to pick her up and lift her into the air, twirling in circles, our feet as light and free as our hearts.

"I know your favorite song

I hear it every day

I see your perfect smile

And everything is okay…"

Still softly singing, I lazily rolled off the couch onto the floor. Poppy would be back any minute now. I'd promised her a new page for her - or should I say 'our' - scrapbook.

As I put together a scene I thought would please her, my voice gradually dwindled. It was easy to fall back into the habit of silence when I was in my bunker. It had always been silent here, until she came into my life.

In the absence of my girlfriend, the room felt smaller somehow. Less bright. Less alive, even. How did I live like this for so long and not notice?

I finished the page and looked at the mess on the floor all around me. I felt a mild urge to clean and/or organize it, but for some reason I just sat there contemplating the bright-colored scraps strewn across the floor, looking as if a confetti flower had sneezed. Suddenly in the back of my mind I heard a little troll's cheerful voice chatting in my ear, accompanied by the busy snippety-snip of safety scissors, as it had a thousand times in the past while we were growing up, and I felt my cheeks push upward in an affectionate smile. It felt good.

I loved my quiet home, but no matter how often I'd tried to convince myself that I had everything I needed here, it wasn't true. How many times had my loneliness driven me out of my empty bunker, desperate for some kind of contact with someone, craving a few kind words, or even just the cool spray of glitter in my face?

To be heard. To be noticed. To be hugged.

Well, no. I'd had all that because of Hug Time, but I hadn't wanted those kind of hugs. I'd wanted someone to want my hugs, more than anyone else's. But I'd never really thought it would happen.

Well, guess what? It did. And here's another positive thought: my bunker isn't empty anymore. And maybe if I'm careful, it will never be empty again.

I wanted everything the couples I'd stayed with as a trolling had shared with one another. I tried to imagine this silent room filled with laughter and kisses, shared projects, and games, and reading aloud to one another. Earnest talks. Silly private jokes. Passionate lovemaking. It was a little bewildering to me still, so new and different to actually want someone else's company so much. But I did, and I wanted her to want mine, too.

Seen in that light, the sea of scraps didn't seem like clutter so much as it was proof that I'd finally reached that once-unattainable dream.

So maybe our first kiss might not have been as extravagantly spectacular as I'd hoped, but then, Cherry Blossom still remembered her first quiet, intimate kiss with her husband Leafe after more than a decade of marriage. I was sure I'd remember mine with Poppy for the rest of my life, and I hoped she would, too.

I'm finally on the right track. I just have to keep moving forward, like Poppy said. I had my colors back, and I'd meant it when I said I wouldn't go gray again. She was the reason I could face the future with hope, not dread. It wasn't that I thought that nothing bad would ever happen from now on, but that between her and my friends, I knew we could deal with whatever problems came our way.

-O-

When Poppy returned a few minutes later, her sweetheart had created a lovely scene of the two of them hugging and kissing in the forest, with tall smiling flowers in the background, and playful bugs and animals all around them. She recognized the location as the same one from the journal picture he'd showed her earlier, but instead of a dark, scary forest scene, it was a beautiful, peaceful scene full of happiness, harmony, and love.

At the top of the page was a button. Poppy pressed it.

Glitter sprayed her face; two sparkling streams arcing in a glorious display from the tips of the characters' fluffy hair. Completely mind-blown, Poppy dropped the book on the floor. Branch never uses glitter! She had to shake the lofty pile off her nose to gape at him. Branch threw back his head and guffawed at the sheer astonishment on her face. His enthusiasm was catching. Poppy started laughing too, bending over to clutch her belly. "Oh, you got me good!" she hooted. "But you - but you – but you hate glitter!"

"Yeah, ha-ha-ha-ha, but you don't!" he answered merrily.

Her surprise gave way to delight. "Why, Branch… You big flirt!"

He gave her a wide, cheeky grin. Shedding glitter everywhere, she threw her arms around him and gave him an affectionate smooch on the cheek. It left behind a perfect, glittery kiss-print.

"Ooo! Hold still!"

Poppy whipped her camera out of her sparkly hair and snapped a quick picture of her adorably adorned boyfriend before he could wipe it off.

Just then Branch's musical clock began to release sweet, mellow panpipe trills.

"Hug Time!" Poppy cheered, snuggling up to her sweetheart and giving him an extra squeeze. He'd earned it.

As he put his own arms around her, the aquamarine troll commented, "Ten already? Man, it's getting late. We should get moving."

"Late? Late for what? More chores?"

"In a manner of speaking. We need to bathe and get ready for bed."

"Oh, right! Bath Time!" she said in the same tone as before.

After one last cuddle, Branch released her and headed out of the room. Poppy followed him, watching as he went to a closet in the hallway and pulled out two towels and a pair of washcloths. He turned to look her up and down – mostly down. Poppy followed his gaze, noting the trail of glitter behind her. It made the floor look pretty.

She thought he might complain about the mess, even though it was his own fault, but he only said, "So I know you weren't planning on spending the night here, but rather than mess up one of the nice outfits the twins gave you, I'll find you something else to sleep in, okay?"

"Thank you." She pictured herself in one of his leaf-vests and grinned.

He headed for the lift platform and Poppy began to follow him, still shedding glitter. "Hey, wait. Don't you want us to clean up your living room first?"

"It can wait."

"Braanch." She was impressed.

"What? I'm not that obsessive."

"You aren't?"

He looked away, and she caught the edge of a smile. "Come on, Branch, you totally are! What, are you gonna get up in the middle of the night and clean while I'm asleep? I thought getting a good night's rest was important to you."

"It is. It's just, I kinda like the room like this."

Poppy blinked. "Are you being…sarcastic?"

He laughed. "No. Seeing it like this reminds me that you're here. That you want to be here." His tone softened. "Because you love me."

"Aww…"

As the lift descended to the bottom level, Poppy took advantage of having to stand still to give her boyfriend a matching glitter-print on his other cheek. Considerately, she avoided his mouth, staring longingly at his tantalizing lips.

He eyed her glitter-covered face, then shrugged a shoulder and tilted his head invitingly. "Oh, what the hey. We're about to take a bath anyway."

"All right!" Poppy swiped the worst of the glitter off with the back of her arm and joyfully dove for his lips.

Author's Note:

I thought about having them automatically assume that Branch would move in with Poppy, but I decided that they would both instinctively know Branch would need his own pod. He is a very private troll, after all. Also, it's normal for most of the single trolls in the village have their own pod.

Thanks to Wildkat25 for her excellent advice 😊

Poppy wasn't being patronizing or insulting when she said she was proud of Branch for being positive. It was basically the same kind of training you receive in therapy, about learning how to change an automatic negative assumption to a more positive outlook.

Branch's "never go back to being friends again" and "everything has to go perfectly from now on or it's all over!" thoughts are examples of something called all-or-nothing (black-and-white) thinking, which can be problematic in the real world, where things are usually not so extreme (shades of gray). It's one of the characteristic negative, unproductive though patterns that you can watch for and correct. In reality, even if Branch and Poppy were to decide not to date, (don't worry, they don't break up in PBR 😉) after a period of awkwardness, most likely they'd miss each other's friendship, reconnect, and go back to old friendship-patterns, with an extra layer of fondness and a deeper understanding of one another added to their friendship.

Just a note: eventually I will have Mature-rated chapters. I will probably write a Teen-rated version for Fanfiction . net, and post the full version on the Archive Of Our Own site. I have the same username, Dreamsinger, on both sites.