-O-

Picturebook Romance

A Trolls fanfic

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Forty

Naked Honesty

*Just a note, in this chapter there is a bath scene with mild descriptions of certain private body parts. Eventually, I will have scenes where Poppy and Branch make love. The version of Picturebook Romance that is here on this site will be edited somewhat for readers who are underage or not comfortable with reading more mature material, but if you want to read the unedited version, it's on the Archive of Our Own website. It's under my same username, Dreamsinger.

-O-

"Hey, Poppy? Can I borrow your camera? You look so fabulous; I need a picture of your hair like this to put in my journal."

"Thanks, Branch! You look pretty fabulous, too. But I thought your journal was for writing, or drawing, not scrapbooking-stuff like photos."

I put hand over my heart and gestured toward her with the other. "Ah, but mere words fail to describe the breathtaking sight before my bedazzled eyes." I was flirting, but I totally meant it.

Even the glitter sparkling on her face couldn't hide her pleased blush. "Sure, you can borrow my camera, my silver-tongued sweetie," she flirted right back with a giggle. "But only if I get to take some of you, too."

We had fun for a few minutes. I let my black hair flare into a huge, riotous 'do, playing the cool rebel, until Poppy commented on how cute I looked with her matching glitter lip-prints on my cheeks and forehead. I got a little disgruntled at that, but I couldn't stay that way for long, not with her sunny smile and gorgeous pink-and-black-streaked hair swirling tempestuous good cheer all around me. So I switched gears and started doing silly, cutesy poses instead. Poppy loved it.

She insisted we take some head-shot couple-selfies before we let our hair revert to normal. "I want enough to make a scrapbook for each of us. Gosh, at this rate, we're gonna have a dozen sweet-love scrapbooks by the end of the week!" she exclaimed happily.

I chuckled. "Knowing you, I think you're underestimating that number. After all, you are the champion scrapbooker of Troll Village."

Poppy beamed at the compliment, and then, after a beat, raised an eyebrow. "What, no snarky comment about how glitter-obsessed I am?"

"No." My tone softened. "This is the start of a whole new chapter in our lives, Sunshine." I took her hands in mine and added sincerely, "I want to remember every single detail, forever."

She melted. "Oh, Branch," she whispered.

She leaned toward me and we exchanged a few glitter-coated kisses before I gave her a final peck on the nose and stepped back. "Okay, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you come up with, but for now, how about we go wash all this – ugh - glitter off," I stuck my arms out to the sides, scrunched up my nose and stuck out my tongue, making Poppy laugh, "so we can get a good night's sleep, all right? Remember what day it is tomorrow."

"Oh, right." Poppy trotted after me as I gladly made for the pool chamber.

Cleanup Day was one of the most important days of the year - whether or not my fellow trolls agreed with me. Although after what had happened to Poppy, I hoped that at least some of them would take it more seriously from now on. The last thing we needed after what had happened today was a leftover loose bead ending up in some poor troll's throat.

…But that could wait until tomorrow. Right now Poppy and I were going to take a niiice, hot, soothing bath to wind down and get ready for bed…

Yeah, right. The second we entered the pool chamber, my lively girlfriend let out an excited "Woo hoo!" and took a running leap face-first into the pool, gleefully splashing water everywhere.

Prudently I dodged the drops, but I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. I would never get tired of her love of life…

Poppy surfaced and I stopped to watch her floating gracefully on her back, her pink toes, rosy nose and little round belly sticking up above the water's surface while trailing a stream of wet magenta hair and glitter behind her. "Ahh… Hot baths are the best!" she said dreamily.

Then she bobbed upright in the water and gestured toward me. "Come on, Branch, take your clothes off and come join me already!"

…Or the way she seemed to love having my attention.

"Okay, okay, hold your horses. I just want to hang up my new vest. I've heard that silk can get permanently wrinkled or water-stained if you aren't careful. You want your hot-looking boyfriend to stay hot-looking, don't you?" I started undressing, carefully hanging my embroidered vest on the wall rack by the door and smoothing out the wrinkles I found as best I could. There were one or two slightly deeper creases on the back that worried me. Maybe I should get out my iron. It would only take a minute…

"Whoa-ho, listen to you. All the compliments you got today must be going to your head," she laughed. "I think I've created a monster."

I rolled my eyes and put a hand on my hip. "Oh, come on, I'm not that vain. I'm not Guy Diamond."

She grinned. "Hey, I'm not complaining. Not really. I think it's a good thing if you want to pay more attention to how you present yourself."

Something about that bothered me. "What's wrong with the way I present myself?"

"Well…let's just say that even though your leaf vest are super cute, they're definitely designed for function over form. And as for your shorts, they…don't exactly show off your excellent assets as well as they could," she said tactfully.

I raised an eyebrow. "So, basically, my regular clothes are unflattering?"

She didn't bat an eye. "You got it. I mean, I know it's your signature survivalist look and all, and that's cool, but… I don't know, maybe you could talk to the twins about restyling it so that it camouflages you in the forest and makes you look hot. I bet they'd love the challenge, and after the way you were showing off for the twins' camera, I bet you'd really enjoy it, too."

I smirked. "Oh, so you think I enjoyed being poked and prodded?"

She winked at me. "Come on, Branchifer, admit it. You loved the attention."

"I love your attention," I said honestly, making her blush. It occurred to me to add, "And I want us to look good together, uh, Poppifer."

She chuckled. "Good one. I love your attention, too."

"I know."

I was pretty sure I understood what she was hinting at. Poppy's the queen. She has to present herself well if she wants to have the other trolls' respect. And that means that as her boyfriend, I need to care about that, too.

Then it was a good thing I'd already made some headway in that area. I had several awesome new outfits, and I was showing the benefit of the new workout routine I'd recently developed - even though I hadn't changed my routine because of vanity. Of course not.

For the past six months, Poppy had been spending more time with me than she had in years. I'd soaked up her attention and loved it. I'd wanted to do whatever I could to get more of it. I hadn't known her attentiveness was probably at least partly because she'd been developing feelings for me. So I'd started working out a little harder than usual in the hopes that Poppy would truly notice me.

Well, that, and I want to be in great shape the next time Poppy gets me involved in some insanely dangerous adventure. With the bergen threat nullified, there's not as much reason for us trolls to stay quiet and hidden anymore. At some point, she's going to realize that, and then she'll probably want to head off on some momentous world tour someday. It's only a matter of time…

As I mused, I bent to slip off my white twill shorts, careful not to snag the pink-beaded heart on the hip. I grinned as I heard Poppy laugh when she caught sight of the boxer shorts I wore underneath. Satin had chosen whimsical pink boxers with tiny white hearts on them. I usually wore sensible, freshly ironed white briefs, but boxers weren't a bad second choice. Satin had at least made sure the colors went with my new outfit. Maybe I will pay the twins another visit.

When I went to toss my twill shorts in the hamper, I noticed that Poppy's clothes were actually inside, instead of all over the floor. It helped that I'd thought to put a hoop on the wall over it to encourage visiting trolls to make a game of it. I chuckled to myself. 'Make tasks fun.' Yes, I'm learning.

I put my hands to the waistband of my boxers. You know, now that I know the twins knew about me and Poppy the whole time, Satin probably chose these boxers on purpose, to brighten my colors and make me look good. She knew Poppy would be seeing me in them.

Sure enough, I looked up to see Poppy staring at me expectantly. A strange, hot apprehension swept through my body. It was my turn to be insecure.

Nakedness had never been a big deal for me before. I'd spent my life around naked trolls. Poppy had seen me naked plenty of times as we were growing up. She'd even seen me naked earlier today, in the twins' tent. And yet here I was, being held back by a type of shyness I'd rarely felt before.

What was it about having someone pay attention to you that made you question your appearance? Was it because it turned out that Poppy did care about how I looked? What if it's me, not my clothes? I mean, sure, Poppy told me I was handsome last night, before I got the new clothes, but still…

For the first time, I felt a desperate longing for the old days. When I was gray, I hadn't had to care what people though of my looks. Now, suddenly, I did. And even though I was in better shape than ever, even though Poppy and our friends and a bunch of random trolls had all told me I was good-looking today - after I got the new clothes - I was suddenly overcome with an irrational urge to apologize. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

I started to babble, my hands covering my bare chest. "I'm – I'm sorry my skin color is still so weak. I know you said you like bold colors, like black - although technically black is the absence of color - and I know bright colors are considered more attractive-"

"Branch-"

"-and I know I need to look good with you in public because you're the queen, and that's why I asked Satin to help me choose these clothes to make me seem brighter and it worked, but I can't wear them in the bath-"

"Branch, stop. You're spiraling." Poppy pushed herself out of the pool, sheets of water landing with sharp slaps on the stone floor as she hurried over to me.

My eyes locked on the floor, my face so stiff and strained I could feel a headache starting.

She stopped in front of me, not touching me. I didn't dare look at her.

-O-

Dripping, Poppy stood in front of her stricken boyfriend, who looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. Once again, she'd said or done something wrong, and hurt him. When am I going to learn that Branch is not as self-confident as he acts?

Maybe this was a mistake.

In Troll Village, bathing with other trolls was a perfectly normal, fun activity, but she hadto remember that when it came to Branch, 'normal' didn't always apply. His normal was bathing in complete isolation, so this was bound to feel weird to him.

Maybe being naked together is making him feel self-conscious. It's just, I didn't think it would bother him. He didn't freak out when the twins and I saw him naked earlier, although he was distracted by other stuff at the time. But he didn't even hesitate when I asked him to take a bath with me. Maybe he only agreed because it was the only way he could get me to go outside, so he could figure out what was wrong with me?

That's not right. I don't want to force him to do something he's not completely comfortable with!

Even though part of a good relationship was helping each other grow, she was still learning when to push, and when to be accommodating. What should I do?

At times like this, it helped to just ask him.

"Branch…" she asked delicately, "Where is all this coming from? Are you uncomfortable about us bathing together? Would you rather we took separate baths?"

"What? No." Confused, he finally looked up, and Poppy wilted inside. His care lines creased his face deeply, making him look years older. He grimaced as he read her concern, and then his expression changed, smoothing out as if he'd blocked off something inside him.

Poppy saw it happen; saw the moment he dismissed his own feelings as irrelevant.

"I'm sorry," he said calmly. "I didn't mean to make a big deal out of this. Listen, ignore what I just said. I'm just being Branch. Now come on, we've got a big day tomorrow, so let's just go wash up and-"

She put a finger to his lips. "Branch."

He winced and waited.

She was quiet for a moment, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say. "There's no such thing as being 'just Branch'. Especially not to me. Oh, sweetie, you are the most important person in my life. I won't ever ignore you. I always want to hear how you really feel." As she took her finger away, he still looked a little confused, as if he hadn't been expecting her to say that. "You can tell me anything, you know. I know you're used to pushing your feelings aside; burying them, invalidating them, instead of letting yourself feel them. I know they make you feel vulnerable. I get that. Believe it or not, I feel that way too sometimes."

He blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah, I do. But it's really not a good idea, Branch. It's not healthy. Those feelings can build up inside you until you explode."

He flinched. "Or get depressed," he whispered.

"Or hit an innocent tarantapuff." She nodded slowly, her smile ever so slightly melancholy as she saw the understanding in his eyes. He wasn't the only one who needed to be honest about their feelings. "Besides, the more open you are, the easier it gets. It's gotten a lot easier for me, actually, ever since we became so close. I tell you things I don't even tell my dad, Branch."

"Really? Wow," he whispered, his eyes wide. Suddenly his rigid stance opened up. Tensed ears relaxed and tight shoulders loosened as he gave her a sweet, sentimental smile. "That makes me feel better."

Poppy took his hands in hers. "So, please, Branch. Tell me what's going on. Why did you get so upset all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I – I just…thought…" He looked puzzled, as if he was having trouble figuring out exactly why he'd gotten so freaked out in the first place. "I was worried about what you though of my looks. I guess I didn't realize how much I was relying on my new clothes to make me feel better about myself. To make me feel bolder. But I know that's silly. I know you love me even if my colors aren't all that bright."

Her forehead wrinkled. "Oh, Branch, here's nothing wrong with the way you look! And I'm not just saying that because I love you. If this is because of what I said about your clothes, I'm really sorry." Shame bowed her ears and shoulders. "I didn't mean to be insensitive. It's just, you really seemed to love trying on those outfits today, and like I said, it's good that you're taking more care in your appearance now. That's a healthy sign. So I thought you might want a little honest feedback, that's all. I'm so sorry if I made you feel bad."

"That's okay." He squeezed her hands gently, looking much happier now. "I forgive you."

"Thank you!" She beamed at him and gave him a quick kiss. "And Branch. Let me make one thing clear: I love your colors," she gushed, bouncing enthusiastically. "Your true colors. They're beautiful. Aquamarine and midnight purple are so special. Nobody else in the village has your colors, Branch. Not many trolls have such a striking contrast, either – most are more like me, sort of mid-toned. I really like the way we look together. I think our colors complement each other beautifully."

She turned his hands over, gently stroking the light blue-green skin of his palms. "Although, in all honesty, until you said something, I wasn't even looking at your colors. I was looking at you, Branch." Her tone softened. "My best friend. My boyfriend." She bent down to tenderly kiss his palms, letting her lips linger. "Gray or colorful, Captain Dreamboat," she lowered her voice seductively and winked up at him, "you're still you. The man that I love."

She waited for a response, listening to the light patter of water from her hair dripping on the floor. Branch was quiet for so long that finally she stood upright, raised her eyebrows and asked, "Well…"

"…Is it weird that I actually really like being called 'captain'?"

Yes! Another winner! Buoyed that his sense of humor had returned, Poppy said laughingly, "All right then, 'captain', so are you sure you want to take a bath with me?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm okay now."

"A little nervous, maybe?"

He shrugged. "A little, I guess."

"You've never taken a bath with other trolls?" Poppy guessed.

"Oh no, I have, with most of my foster parents, when I was little. Jaunty, Courtley, and I even had a favorite spot downstream from the village. We'd race each other to see who would be the first one there. Whoever won got to use the diving leaf three times in a row before he had to take turns with the other two."

A note of fondness entered his voice. "I won a lot often more than I probably should have, especially that first year when I was still on the scrawny side, but I could never get them to admit anything."

"That's so sweet!" Poppy clasped her hands together. "And did you have fun with Leafe and Cherry Blossom like that? Ooo, let me guess, you had some kind of nerdy quiz contest to decide who won."

"No, I didn't bathe with them. I mean, yeah, Leafe and I had a few baths together after I first started living with him, but mostly I kind of just kept to myself. Especially after he and Cheery got together. At first I actually resented her being there, and later on, after I got to know and like her, I didn't want to get in their way."

"Aww. It's too bad that you missed out. Bathing together is a great bonding experience. It's really fun; you'll see."

Branch smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

He went to put his cute boxer shorts in the hamper, and then abruptly turned and dashed past her toward the water. "Race ya!"

"Hey!" She zipped after him, hitting the heated water a second after he did.

"I won!"

"No fair! That doesn't count. You took me by surprise! Braanch!"

He just laughed.

"I want a do-over! No special diving-board privileges without a do-over!"

His laughter faded. "Doesn't matter – I don't have a diving board. I took it down for now. Cooper managed to knock himself out on the ceiling – twice. On the same day. Eventually I had to ban him from the pool – it was that or keep having to rescue him, and reseed the garden plants he squashed. He hasn't tried to sneak in again, that I know of anyway, but I don't want there to be any accidents if I'm not here to be the lifeguard."

Poppy chuckled. "Well, that's just more of an incentive to swim outside with the rest of us. Ooo, and I can show you my favorite bathing site. It's got three diving leaves, waterslides - lots of cool stuff!"

"I know, Poppy. Who do you think built most of them?"

"Oh, right." They stared at one another, treading water, then laughed together.

Poppy leaned back and let the hot water support her, stretching luxuriously. "Mmm… I have to say, Branch, even without a diving board, this is pretty sweet."

He followed her lead, relaxing into the water to float on his back. "Thanks."

Poppy twirled a few times in the water, rubbing at her face to dislodge her coating of glitter. Most of it had come off already; that was one reason she had made sure to plunge in so hard earlier, besides that fact that it was fun. She watched the silver flecks flow gracefully away from her as the almost-unnoticeable current drew it toward the filtration system.

Branch commented, "I'm gonna have to change the filter material again soon, thanks to all the glitter around here these days." One side of his mouth turned up in a wry smile. "But it's worth it, to have the company."

"Aww…"

He reached through the water to touch her fingertips, and she slid her fingers between his.

As the two trolls drifted in slow, lazy circles around their linked hands, a tranquil atmosphere slowly grew between them. The hushed swish of the filtering system was a soothing white noise. Occasionally a drop of water would fall from somewhere into the pool, its tiny plop echoing in the mostly-stone chamber. Once in a while, when they drifted too close to the sides, one or the other would extend their hair, gently nudging them to drift back toward the center.

The pink troll found herself breathing deep and slow, taking in the soft, warm air. It carried a hint of lavender and other sweet scents, most likely from the exquisitely beautiful glow garden above her. Its pastel light reflecting off the water made pretty light-ripples on the pale blue-gray boulders surrounding the young couple, meeting and intersecting in a dreamy, hypnotic manner.

Poppy yawned.

"Getting sleepy?"

"Not yet, but between the hot water and the wonderful peace and quiet, it's doing a good job of helping me unwind. I'll be ready for bed by the time we get out."

"That's the idea."

With a sigh, Branch turned over to float facedown, stretching his body as if to work out a few knots. She closed her eyes and noticed that she could feel him moving as the water gently kneaded her skin. She loved the way it made her feel so connected to him. Almost as if it was his hands doing the kneading…

Testing that connection, she swept her hair through the water underneath him and he immediately lifted his head to look questioningly at her. She smiled and winked, and he grinned before putting his face in the water again. The hot water wouldn't bother his eyes, of course; the clear protective layer that kept a troll's eyes from being hurt while using their hair to swoop through trees worked just as well for water as it did for wind, dust, and debris, including glitter.

She wondered what he was looking at and ducked under the surface to take a quick look herself, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary other than that the water was so clean that the stone bottom of the pool was easy to see, thanks to the expansive glow garden above them. So much light. Great for ring-toss games. Just then Branch swam off a ways and then dived to pick up what looked like a fallen leaf. He moved past her toward the shallow end closest to the door and used his hair to drop the leaf into a bin marked 'For Compost Heap'. Oh. Of course. Poppy chuckled to herself. Great for keeping things clean, too.

She let herself loll backward, enjoying the hot, supportive comfort under her, almost like being carried by Bridget's gentle hand. "Ah… I've gotta hair it to you, Branch. Your bathing pool is beautiful, and planting a glow garden on the ceiling was genius. It's so bright, and such a lovely view – so much better than raw rock would be. You've got a good eye for design."

He gave her a proud smile. "Well, thanks. A lot of people don't realize how much thought I put into the aesthetics behind my design before I did the actual construction. Not many people appreciate that."

"Oh, believe me, I do. As a scrapbooker, I know how important it is to have an idea of what you want to make before you start gluing things to the page."

"Yeah, I guess you would. And I appreciate your work, too. Every page is a masterpiece." He smirked a little. "Even the ones with glitter." The aquamarine troll began to glide around the pool, using a slow, easy breaststroke, the swim-stroke Poppy liked to call the froggie-stroke. It sounded cuter.

He's unexpectedly graceful in the water, the same way he's unexpectedly graceful with words and other forms of self-expression - when he wants to be. Most people have never seen this side of him. It's a little sad. I'm so glad he's coming out of his shell more often on his own now. The more he shows his true colors, the more people will want to reach out to him, and get to know him, and the more he'll want to get to know them, too. It's like a positive feedback loop. Things will keep getting better and better for him from now on.

I just know it!

As Branch swam, Poppy watched his head and shoulders steadily dip and rise from the water, with his butt just below the surface. Every so often it peeked above, drawing her attention to its perfect roundness. Poppy bit her lip as the urge to run her hands over his sleek aquamarine form came over her again, just as it had last night, with Branch all fresh and clean and sweet-smelling after his first bubble bath.

He'd been singing a song she didn't know, trying out different words to perfect it, and even though she'd never heard it before, hadn't even known for sure that it was about her, it had been exactly what she'd needed to hear to take that first step. To reach out and touch his body, trying, however naively, to connect with the person who had come to mean so much to her.

It was a good thing he'd been ready for her advances. If she had tried something like that before his colors had returned, or even just after they'd come back, she might have overwhelmed him, or even made him suspicious of her. Back then, he was a lot more paranoid. So in a way, it was a good thing she'd been oblivious to her own growing feelings. They had needed the extra time to become closer as friends. To learn to truly trust one another, no matter the situation.

But she wasn't oblivious anymore. Poppy Rainbow was in love with Branch Timberlake, and he loved her back. He wanted to be with her so much that he was even thinking of living in a pod again. No matter what he said, she recognized that it would be a big sacrifice for him. Aside from spending more time in his bunker, she had wondered what else she could do for him.

Well, I can definitely make sure he knows I think he's attractive, and not just to me. Our friends were admiring him, too, especially the twins. I mean, I knew he was a little worried about this, but not to this extent. It just seems so out of character for him – like he said, he's no Guy Diamond.

Just then her boyfriend began to move faster, his ears pressed against his head and his arms at his sides to streamline his body as he used his hair like a fish tail, undulating smoothly through the clear water. Her eyes were drawn to the way his lower torso rhythmically bobbed up and down, and she swallowed back a sudden rise of desire. Hoo boy, how I want that man! He's so sexy – how could he possibly think I'm not attracted to him?

She wanted to slide her hands across his moist, downy skin, enjoying the pleasing curves under her hands. She wanted him to look at her in that special way of his that made her feel so excited inside. She wanted…

Poppy plunged under the water herself, its warmth paling in comparison to her own inner heat. Should I? Would he like it, or would it freak him out? He'd been in a playful mood when she'd squeezed his butt earlier, but that had been with clothes on.

I've been holding back because I didn't think he was ready, but if he's so worried about whether I think he's hot, maybe I need to start showing more interest in him, physically. From below the surface, she followed his smoothly flowing body with admiring eyes. That won't be a problem.

Poppy surfaced, smiling widely. "Hey, there, good lookin'!"

Branch didn't acknowledge her call, but his movements suddenly became stronger, more vigorous. He did a complete underwater circuit of the large pool, an impressive feat in itself, and then swooped downward. He bounced off the bottom, shot up and burst from the water into the air toward the garden shining high above. Water flew in every direction in a glorious, backlit corona.

At the height of his spectacular leap, time seemed to stop. Dark hair brushed the glowing foliage just above him. His arms and legs and hair spread wide, opening himself to her the same way he'd opened his heart. A thrill passed through her body and the young queen put her hands to her cheeks.

Branch was magnificent.

Even his descent was magical, as if he was falling in slow motion, spiraling gracefully as he turned in midair to meet the water cleanly without a splash.

As he came up, she clapped and whistled for her man. He looked pleased as he swam up to her, barely breathing hard. "You liked that?"

"Ohhh, yeah. You were seriously awesome, Branch." She tilted her head and let her eyes pass over him, glad the water was so clear. She could see every detail of his fine physique. "I definitely liked what I saw."

He grinned widely and then turned to head toward the shallow end of the pool, where the water only came to knee-level. When Poppy followed him, he showed her a hollow niche with a protective overhang, high up on the side of the biggest boulder that made up part of the thick stone wall surrounding the pool. Inside were various cakes of soap, with a drainage grate underneath so they wouldn't stay wet enough to dissolve into sludge. "Take your pick. I have vanilla, coconut, aloe vera, and rose-scented soaps. Also, an unscented variety. Here's matching shampoos and conditioners, too."

"Ooo. Nice." After a bit of thought, she picked the coconut-scented items. The scent would go with the arnica salve. The salve he's going to rub onto my body, after our bath. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, shivering a little in anticipation.

Branch chose the unscented soap and immediately began washing himself with his usual brisk efficiency. Poppy liked to wash her hair first, so she set her washcloth and soap on one of the boulders edging the pool and started to open the small ceramic bottle of coconut shampoo, but with a single glance at her nude boyfriend, promptly forgot what she was doing.

Thanks to years of heavy work and a naturally robust physique, Branch was indeed an outstandingly attractive troll. He had beautiful pale blue-green skin with a tinge of lavender on his cheeks, toes and ears. Against his light coloring, his few glitter freckles were modest and understated most of the time, although they often sparkled delightfully against the backdrop of deep lavender when he blushed. His gently pointed ears were like the spread wings of a butterfly, slightly translucent and utterly charming.

Poppy admired the visible flexing of his arms and chest as he scrubbed himself clean. Trolls had relatively thick skin and a layer of fine fuzz that was great for protection, but didn't do much to show off the excellent musculature beneath. But as he was in so many ways, Branch was an exception. Or rather, he was exceptional.

Fascinated, the pink troll indulged herself with a little tour, strolling in a leisurely circle around her handsome boyfriend. She was greeted by the same sight that had so intrigued her yesterday, a lightly-muscled upper torso where most trolls tended to be on the slender side. Because he always wore one of his leaf-vests or some other type of shirt, she hadn't seen his bare back in a while. I think the last time we went swimming was a few months ago. He's definitely been busy since then. Like last night, she wanted to put her hands on him, to trace the gentle peaks and valleys along his broad back, but for now, she kept on with her tour.

She noticed that his waistline was slightly trimmer than she remembered, although he still retained the familiar, beautiful trollic shape, comfortably huggable. His cute butt cheeks were touched with lavender and were nicely plush, perfect for squeezing.

Her eye was drawn to his gentle movements as he carefully washed his man-bits, which were very well-shaped and looked as if they would be soft and smooth, nice to touch. Some trolls had a mix of colors for the different bits, but his were all the same lavender color as his nose, or perhaps a few shades darker, so that he was appealingly color-coordinated. She grinned. Knowing him, he's probably happy about that. Of course, she would have loved them whatever color they were, because they were a part of him.

His legs and feet were thick and powerful, and she especially loved his impressively large hands; so strong, yet so gentle. He handled them with the same grace and precision as he did any other tool, something that had always fascinated her. Her beloved Branch was strong and vigorous, clever and kind. Truly, he was everything she'd ever wanted.

"Poppy, what are you doing?" His tone was a mix of affection and disapproval.

"Enjoying the view," she said casually.

She thought he might scold her for not hurrying up with her own washing so they could get to bed before it got too late, but he was quiet. She caught the satisfied smile on his face before he bent over to wash his feet, lifting each of them from the water in turn.

Again, the urge to touch him came over her. To run her hand along the beautiful curve of his spine, from the tempting nape of his strong, sturdy neck down to his perfectly rounded backside. Maybe he'll let me wash his back.

She moved closer. "Hey, Branch?"

"Yeah?"

Then Poppy noticed a couple of off-color spots on his skin. What are… Are those bruises?

"Oh, Branch, you're hurt!"

"I am? Where?" He spun around, trying and failing to see his own back. "I don't feel anything. How bad is it? Is there blood?" He gave her an anxious look over his shoulder.

"No." Her momentary flare of alarm faded. "You just have a couple of bruises. I guess they're not too bad if you can't really feel them. They're right…here." She pressed the spots, one pale bruise about an inch wide, high up on his shoulder blade, and another slightly darker one at the top of his right butt cheek.

He jumped. "Ow! Poppy, don't poke them!" he complained.

"Sorry." She studied them. "They don't look too serious. They're light-colored – almost pastel. Much prettier than mine." Unlike the blotchy muted-rainbow hues on her own belly, his bruises were mostly light lavender with pink and peach around the edges. "Want me to put some of your arnica salve on them? I won't poke them. I'll be really gentle, I promise."

"No, I don't need…" Both of them paused. Poppy was remembering the unexpectedly sensual experience from earlier, and from the thoughtful look in his eyes, he was, too. "…Sure."

-O-

After a final plunge in the deeper part of the pool to rinse off, I was done. As I waited for Poppy to finish, I wondered what it would feel like when she put the salve on me. Will it feel different from dressing my own wounds? She sure seemed to like it when I put it on her...

"How did you hurt yourself?" she asked me.

"Huh?" It took me a minute to shift gears. "Oh. I'm guessing it happened when I got knocked off the boingo fruit."

"Oh, right." She bent to wash her feet. "I'm glad you didn't get hurt any worse."

I didn't answer, too distracted by the perfect side view of my lovely queen, whose supple body was wonderfully curved in all the right places as she lifted each foot out of the water. Aside from the large bruise under her ribs, her only visible injury was the scratch on her left calf, the one she'd gotten from the prickle bush outside. I made a mental note to grab some antiseptic cream from the bathroom. Thankfully, the scratch was pretty small and didn't appear to trouble her.

I began to zone out, letting myself admire her small, perfect form. My Sunshine was dainty and light-footed, a bundle of squiggly energy with soft, pretty pink skin. She sparkled - in more ways than one.

"Okay, I'm finished."

"Already?" I blinked. "Wait, Poppy, you missed some glitter."

"Where?"

"On the back of your neck. And on your elbow, and your hip."

She swiped at the areas with the soapy cloth. "Did I get them?"

"No - still there."

She tried again. "How about now?"

"No, they're- Here, I'll get them. Hold still." I went up behind her. "This is one of the reasons I don't like glitter." Poppy didn't argue with me, standing quietly as I used my own washcloth to rub at the stubborn specks.

Gradually I became aware of just how close we were. Naked, and close. Looking down at our two bodies almost touching, I felt big and strong. I felt…masculine, in the same way I'd once perceived my foster dads as masculine. It was a good feeling.A warm, pleasurable rush of heat began to pool in my lower body. I had to move away soon, or distract myself, or I'd sprout.

But I didn't want to move away. I wanted to stay there and kiss her bare pink skin, run my hand over the curve of her hip, breathe in her sweet scent.

The glitter was gone, but I didn't stop touching her. My hand slowed, lightly running the washcloth in long, gentle strokes along her back. Caressing her the way she liked, the way I'd been doing all day. Caressing her the same way she had caressed me yesterday.

Thinking about yesterday, now that I knew things had turned out okay, I could enjoy the memory of Poppy's hands tentatively stroking my damp skin. Her first, adorably clumsy attempt at romance.

Actually, not her first. I grinned and quoted in a deep, throaty voice, "Hey, Poppy. 'I like your back'."

"Thank you…" She sounded pleased, and then paused and turned to give me a scolding look. "Braanch!"

I sputtered and started snickering. "Sorry! Couldn't resist!"

"But I didn't tell Bridget to say it like that!" she protested.

That only made me laugh harder.

Poppy started grinning, then laughing along with me. "Looking back, it was kind of funny, wasn't it?"

"It was a disaster!" I hooted. "I had no idea you'd be so bad at romance!"

"Hey, you should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?"

"Well, if I wasn't so 'bad at romance', you wouldn't have felt compelled to take over, right? And I would never have found out you wrote poetry." Her tone softened, taking on that husky sound I loved so much. "I would never have known how sweet and sensitive you could be."

Not to mention, we would all have been eaten by the bergens.

"Okay, thank you for being so bad at romance," I teased her, secretly half-sincere, "and I'm glad I got the chance to show you how to do it properly."

I expected her to tease me back, but instead she whispered, "So am I."

We looked into one another's eyes for a long moment before I cleared my throat and lifted my washcloth into the air. "Okay, now you're all clean. You look much better like this. All that glitter was hiding your beauty," I flirted.

I basked in her happy beam. "Okay, my turn. Let me wash your back now."

I started to tell her that I already had, but for some reason, I stopped myself. "Okay."

-O-

Poppy had loved having Branch wash her, standing so temptingly close she could feel the heat radiating from his large body. She had wanted to back into him, to have him to put his arms around her and draw her into his warmth, but she also hadn't wanted to make him uncomfortable. She'd just been reminded that Branch still had some issues to work through.

She'd been pleased when Branch had volunteered to touch her so readily, though. He surprised me. One minute he's flirting with me, the next he's having anxiety attacks, and then he's back to flirting again. He does seem to be bouncing back faster, though. He really is making progress. So maybe I should try giving him more chances to be close, and see how he reacts?

His nearness had made her aware of them both. He was only a little taller than she was, but he was much bigger. Compared to him, Poppy felt dainty and feminine. Despite bathing with other trolls all her life, she had never felt like that before, but she liked the feeling. She'd liked having his warm hands running across her skin even more.

Now it was her turn to make him feel good. As she gently ran her soapy washcloth over his broad back, Poppy made sure to give her sweetheart lots of compliments. "You're so strong, Branch. Look at these shoulders. I'm so impressed. And your back muscles – wow! Why, you must be one of the strongest trolls in the whole village!"

She wasn't a poet like Branch, but he stood a little straighter even so, soaking up the loving praise that no one had probably given him since…since before he'd hidden himself away in his bunker. Poppy couldn't imagine how he'd managed to live like that, all by himself, with no one to care about him or tell him he was lovable. Well, she had done her best to be his friend, but her best obviously hadn't kept him from thinking his colors were something to be ashamed of.

Poppy was happy to make up for that. "You're so handsome, too. I'm so attracted to you. I love your face and your belly and your arms and legs… I love your beautiful hair and your adorable feet. I love every single part of you."

He chuckled. "You do, huh? How about my hands?"

"Oh, I really love your hands. Like, a lot. They're sooo sexy. Here, let me give them some extra attention." She swooped around in front of him, took his hands in hers, and covered them in kisses. Her sweetie pie actually giggled in delight.

Oh, how she loved to lavish her affection on him, after having had to hold back for so long! The memory of her dream came back to her, of a Poppy who had spent many years loving her Branch. Poppy wanted to make her dream come true, and the best way to do that was to try. Maybe it was time to offer him a different kind of invitation. He could always refuse it, if he wanted or needed to, but she'd never know if she didn't at least offer.

"You know, Branch, you have very tempting…shoulders." The memory of his lips traveling along her own shoulders brought a rush of fire to her middle, her belly tingling in anticipation. She put her hands on his chest and leaned in a little, then looked up to check with him, tilting her head questioningly.

His sky blue eyes widened. He glanced at her lips, and his own mouth opened slightly. He met her eyes again, pressed his lips together, and nodded his answer.

He wasn't anxious. He wasn't holding back. He was ready.

He was waiting for her.

With a loving smile, Poppy leaned forward with lowered lashes, slowly bringing her lips toward his body.

-O-

A sudden heat and fullness down below caught me off guard. Desperately I stammered, "Poppy… Uh, wait. Poppy, wait, sorry, I - I just-" Blushing fiercely, I backed away from her reaching lips and quickly turned my back on her, clenching my fists at my sides and silently groaning. Of all the times to sprout! I had the overwhelming urge to run, to hide, to plunge myself into deeper water, but there was nowhere to hide something like this. Urgh, thwarted by my own super-clean water!

I wasn't used to reacting so fast. I wasn't a teenager any more.My stomach had been fluttering ever since Poppy started washing my back, but I guess I'd been too distracted by her sweet words in my ears to notice the other signs, like the warmth gathering below my stomach. Then she'd started kissing my hands, and I'd been mesmerized by the look in her eyes. The look that said she wanted to kiss more than just my hands. And I'd been ready to let her. But this…

Maybe it had been a futile wish, butI'd really hoped I could keep it from happening. It was one thing to sprout in the dark while I was wearing clothes and we were busy kissing. I could hide that. But right now it was a complication I really didn't need. I hope this doesn't make things weird between us. She might go all shy again. How am I going to explain this without making her think I'm rejecting her?

"Branch? Did I do something wrong?"

I slapped a hand to my face and groaned aloud. "No, no, it's not you. It's just my…" The bathwater was nothing compared to my blazing face. "I mean, I've just gotten a little…" I gestured helplessly at myself.

But I didn't have to explain, as the worry on Poppy's face gave way to comprehension. "Oh, you mean you're getting big?" Her face lit up with excitement. "Can I see?"

"What?" I asked, startled. I stared over my shoulder at her. Far from being shy, she seemed fascinated. I was the one who was stunned.

Then it dawned on me, and I rolled my eyes. "Right. Of course you've seen this kind of thing before."

"Once in a while," Poppy agreed. "During slumber parties, or when the gang gets together for a bathing-party. Not very often, though, because I know they're sort of sensitive when they're big, and so guys usually keep covered up for protection. That's what we learned in school, right?"

"That's right," I agreed, feeling better. I could handle this kind of friendly interest from her. "I didn't know they taught this in school."

She looked surprised. "What do you mean, you didn't know?"

"Well…" I rubbed the back of my head. "I don't know if you ever knew this, but I used to skip out on a lot of the relationship classes in school. I… I didn't want to hear about it."

"Oh, right. Hmm." She cupped her chin. "That explains a lot, actually."

I should have known better than to relax because it went right back to embarrassing as Poppy suddenly got a look of surprise on her face. She burst forth with a stream of excited but increasingly erroneous chatter.

"Wait - is this the first time it's ever happened to you? Oh my gosh; do you not know what to do? I mean, the way you grew up- Did anyone ever actually tell you what goes on during 'bedroom games'?"

"Poppy…"

"Of course!" She flailed her hands in the air. "No wonder you're so nervous!"

"Poppy!"

Suddenly she switched gears, speaking to me as if I was a very young trolling. "Well, it's perfectly normal, Branch; it happens to all boy trolls. See, when a boy troll finds another troll attractive, his-"

"I know what happens!" I yelped. With my face a flaming lavender out to the tips of my ears, I swung around to face her. "It's not the first time I've ever sprouted, okay?"

Her eyes went big as she looked down at me. Then she smiled a little and her ears fluttered. Something inside me fluttered, too. I'd never seen her do that before, but for some reason it was incredibly appealing.

My girlfriend happily clamped her teeth over her bottom lip. I couldn't help grinning at the gleeful anticipation in her eyes. She tilted her head to the side, her eyes half-lidded. "Oh, yeah. I definitely like what I see."

So we were back to flirting. I was good at this. "Thanks. Same here. When I look at your beautiful-"

"Wait a minute. 'Sprouted'?"

My dawning poem derailed, I spread my hands. "Well, yeah. That's what I call it."

"Oh, Branch, that's adorable!" she gushed, and gazed down at me in fascination. "So what do you call those?"

"Seed pods, of course."

She raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Accurate and adorable." She giggled. "I like that word, 'sprout'. Some people call them a 'little man', or a 'thingy'," she chuckled. "I know one family who calls them ding-a-lings."

I snorted out a laugh. "Really?"

Poppy laughed, too. "Yeah. Some people call them 'twig and berries'. Or even 'springs', because they spring up all by themselves. But I like your word better. 'Sprout', as in, the start of new life. It's very poetic. Just what I'd expect from my sweet poet."

I was pleased she'd caught the reference. "Thanks. So what do you usually call them?"

"Oh, I usually just call them man-bits. That's what they called them in school – man and lady bits. Sometimes Biggie calls his a 'stiffie'." She cracked a grin. "He's so funny. He talks to his."

"I – he what?"

"'Good morning, Mister Stiffie,'" she quoted through her giggles. "'I see you're feeling energetic this morning.'"

"…Okay, I literally do not know what to say to that."

Both of us looked at each other and burst out laughing. I was grateful for the release.

In the face of Poppy's easy acceptance, just like earlier when I was talking to Cherry Blossom, I found myself relaxing my guard, suddenly incredibly curious and full of questions. I wonder how I measure up to what Poppy has seen? I hope she's not disappointed.

"You know, I've never actually been to a slumber party, so haven't seen many other guys' sprouts before. I mean, during family baths I got to see some of my foster fathers' sprouts, but only the small version, of course. So, measurement-wise, how do I compare?"

"Compare? Branch, it's not a competition!" She crossed her arms, looking insulted on behalf of all of the male trolls. "Size is honestly not as important as you think." I wrinkled my nose, not sure about that, and she added, "No, really. We were all taught that it's far more important to do your best to give each other a good experience, to be caring and considerate, not to worry about things like size."

I avoided her eyes in embarrassment. "You're right. Sorry if I offended you."

She relented and touched my arm. "Well, if you really haven't seen many, I suppose it's natural for you to be curious. I can tell you that you're definitely on the bigger side." I caught her admiring smile before she added, "Not the biggest; that's Biggie, of course."

I nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. But am I…enough for you?"

"More than enough." Her sultry-eyed smile was all the proof I needed. "You're definitely… I mean…" Then her eyes traveled downward and her cheeks went bright red, her glitter-freckles standing out like tiny stars. She gave a foolish, embarrassed giggle. "I'm sure I'll be very happy." She giggled again as I puffed out my chest proudly.

I could tell she really was impressed with me. It did wonders for my confidence, to see the admiration in my girlfriend's eyes. To see her blush at the idea of being with me.

I wanted to see her blush even more. "Well, then, I promise to do my best to give you a good experience." I bounced my eyebrows and lowered my voice seductively. "You know how much I love making you happy."

I was not disappointed.

Flirting with her is so much fun!

Feeling better, I looked down at myself. I guess I am pretty big now. I know Poppy says size doesn't matter, but it's not about that. I just tend to think of myself the way I used to be, comparing myself to my foster dads. But I'm not a little trolling anymore. I'm a grown man now. And when we're ready, I'll be using my sprout to make love to my beautiful, sweet girlfriend.

From the corner of my eye I saw Poppy staring down at me, a sheen of eager fascination in her eyes. Her fingers twitched. "Hey, Branch, can I - I mean, may I touch you?"

I froze. What?

Still looking down at me, Poppy missed my reaction. "I've never had the chance to do it before."

Do it, do it, do it, do it… I froze, her words echoing in my brain. Now? She wants us to do it right now?

"Branch?"

I scrunched my eyes shut to close out Poppy's inquisitive face.

"Too far?" She sounded worried. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. It's too soon, I shouldn't have-"

"Wait." My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. "I'm good, just – just give me a minute."

She hesitated, then said soothingly, "Sure, Branch. Take your time."

My mouth was dry. I swallowed hard, my thoughts racing like Poppy on her third cup of coffee. Flirting's one thing, but- Oh, man. Oh, man, is this it? She really expects us to just do this right now?

What if I can't do it right? I – I haven't studied for this. I need a step by step schematic or something!

What if I freak out? Will she still want me?

When I heard myself panting, my old self-calming routine kicked in. I started doing my deep breathing exercises and focused on the muscles that wanted to lock up, consciously relaxing them, group by group. I was not going to allow myself to have a meltdown. Poppy had gone through enough today without dealing with a panic attack from the troll who was supposed to be helping her stay on a level emotional keel.

As my body calmed, my mind steadied.

Man up, 'Captain' Branch. She needs you. She almost died today and you weren't there and she was freaking out earlier and she flat out told you she needed you to touch her.

Poppy needs you.

You can't keep rejecting her every time she shows interest in you. Remember, she's new at this, too. When she gets up the courage to reach out to you, you've got to welcome her advances. Otherwise she'll get discouraged and lose interest, like she did when we were teenagers.

No! If she's gonna leave me, then at least I want to have a taste of the sweet love that everybody else in the world has had, before–

"Branch? Are you okay?"

This is it, Branch. It's now or never.

Author's Note:

Note that even though Poppy doesn't judge Branch based on his colors, she does notice them.

The texture of glitter in my version of the troll's universe is not as scratchy/itchy as in ours. It's basically soft little organic flakes that are on the large size, similar to powdered oatmeal or powdered potatoes. Branch isn't bothered by the texture so much as he's bothered by the mess it makes, and the fact that even soft flakes on his body interfere with being able to enjoy Poppy's kisses 😉

I gave Poppy the last name Rainbow because one of the official names for the trolls of Troll Village (before the second movie came out and it was established that they were then to be called 'Pop' trolls) was 'rainbow' trolls. I chose 'Timberlake' for Branch partly because his voice actor is Justin Timberlake in the movies and specials, and partly because the poetic, nature-themed name just fits so well with typical troll names. They're even both wood-related. When Branch eventually marries Poppy, he'll add her name to his, since he'll be becoming part of the royal family, and their trollings will have the choice of either name.

In the Picturebook Romance universe, the heir is the only one who is required to keep the name that represents the Rainbow Trolls. Branch and Poppy will have four trollings; their heir and one of the others will choose Rainbow, and the other two will choose Timberlake.

In having Branch thinking about himself in the role of a male, and comparing himself to other male role models in his life, I'm showing how Branch is undergoing a sort of awakening. Not physical puberty, but rather, the idea of himself as a sexual being. That's a good sign. It's an important and healthy step forward, and it's not as easy for some of us as it is for others. For some of us, it takes much longer to get to the stage Branch is at now.

Branch is very duty-oriented. He responds to calls to action, as long as it's something he believes is necessary. That's why he was able to refuse Poppy's invitations in the first movie, and her request to go rescue their friends from the bergens, because he disagreed with the need. He was convinced that their friends were already eaten, so going after them was a fool's errand in his eyes.

But this time, he believes Poppy is craving the comfort of making love with him, so he's caught in his own morality. In asking to touch him, she's given him a call to action that he can't ignore even though he's not ready. What he ought to do is just talk to her, but after a decade of keeping to himself, the habit of ignoring his own discomfort and doing whatever he believes needs to be done is still pretty strong. Poppy's main job here as his girlfriend is to get him communicating with her.