Sulit

A/N: Man, it's been a while since I've written a chapter for this story. But I guess with all of the advertisements for the new "Trolls" movie, which I am super excited for, I've been getting back into the "Trolls" vibe.

Brief warning: there is some pretty heated stuff in this chapter. I had to do some research about it, and honestly, I think I wanted to curl up in embarrassment. My face was red, for sure.

What did you expect? Unfortunately, I had to learn some of this stuff, both for the chapter and for possibly later on in life when I'm married and expecting my own child. Probably would use this information in the future.

Anyway, I've kept you guys waiting long enough. Let's get on with Chapter 5! Roll it!

Chapter 5

Desires and Wants

It had been at least another couple of weeks since Poppy had first felt the baby move. After she had left Branch's bunker that night, she had kept her word and visited him the following afternoon with a few different design ideas in hand. Since the bunker walls were dirt, it really limited the color choices, but she still managed to find some ideas and show them to the father of her child.

As much as Branch sort of liked the blue and baby pink scheme, he pushed them aside, reminding Poppy again that they won't know the gender of the baby until it hatches from its egg. Sheepishly, Poppy put them away.

She then almost laughed when Branch gave her an annoyed look when he next saw the sparkly indigo and glittery silver color scheme next. She had to admit that she was only teasing him with those colors, to which he simply rolled his eyes with a scoff.

Finally, the last color scheme was a pretty spring green color along with a warm, sunny yellow. Surprisingly, Branch liked the colors, and so did Poppy. They were nice, pretty and neutral for any nursery, even one underground. It was perfect for the baby.

For the next couple of days, Poppy secretly sent paint cans and other baby furniture supplies to Branch's bunker for him to assemble. At sunset, she would visit him to see and check his progress, even help out a little with what she could do. Each time, it was like a masterpiece was being created, making Poppy more excited to see the finished product.

Finally, one sunset, Poppy had just reached Branch's bunker. Since her bump was starting to show a little bit more, she had changed from her usual blue dresses to something a little more loose. The dress she was wearing currently was a sunny yellow sundress with a pleated orange skirt that hid her baby bump. The headband on her head also matched her dress.

The pink princess knocked on the large boulder. "Hey, Branch!" She called out, holding her maternity book under her arm. "It's me!"

Strangely, there was no answer coming from inside. The past couple of times that she knocked at his door, he came right away. She tried again, rapping her knuckles twice.

"Branch!" Poppy called again. Still, there was no answer. Now the pink Troll was starting to get a little anxious, and not in a good way.

"Branch, answer me!" The princess all but shouted as she knocked repeatedly on the rock, her mind flashing back to the previous times before the incident when she would force him outside by banging on the boulder over and over until he answered.

Suddenly, the trap door opened up behind her, the platform reaching the very top. "Geez, Poppy!" Branch chided her. "You wanna let the whole forest hear you?!"

Poppy was about to retort back to his question, but when she turned around, all words died in her throat. Branch wasn't wearing his vest.

Suddenly, like there was a haze lifted from her mind, many past memories of a vestless Branch came back to the forefront of her brain. Her cheeks turned bright red as she forced her gaze back up to Branch's sky blue eyes.

The gray Troll lost his annoyed expression when he saw the deep coloring in Poppy's face. "Hey. You okay?" He asked.

Poppy felt her body growing hot, and her fingers twitched, wanting to run them up and down that chest. She can now recall how strong his stomach muscles rippled and clenched under her palms, along with his pectorals. How his large hands were holding her possessively, gripping her waist and pushing the whole of her back to his front. How warm and responding his lips were on hers as they eagerly kissed.

Branch recognized the doe-like look in Poppy's eyes the longer she stared at him, not saying a word. Then, it was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on his head. Despite how his body was beginning to shake with nervousness, he took a tiny step forward and then waved his hand a couple of times in front of her face.

"Uh, reality calling out to Poppy." After a few seconds, Poppy blinked a couple of times, snapping out of her daze.

"Everything okay?" Branch asked her.

Poppy visibly gulped, feeling the heat inside her starting to itch. She wanted; no, she needed to do something about it. But when she saw the concerned look in Branch's eyes, as well as the nervousness and fear, she bit her lip.

"Could you… give me a minute?" She asked quietly, almost sounding timid. "Just… wait out here."

Seeing that Poppy might be doing through the same relapse that he was, and she too was trying to keep in control, Branch nodded. "I'll give you two minutes." He said.

Poppy nodded, and slowly went around to the other side of the boulder, out of Branch's sight. Once she was there, she gasped breathily and collapsed onto her knees, her whole body trembling. All of the memories of that night and the thoughts that were resurfacing upon seeing him without his vest made her feel like she needed him. In more ways than one.

But that was the reason why they were in this whole situation in the first place! It was because of what happened that now they were trying to keep their baby a secret! Why is she feeling like this?! Why is she wanting to relive a night that never should've happened in the first place?! All of those thoughts of denial swirling in her head started to make Poppy cry.

Maybe she shouldn't have come to the bunker when she was feeling like this. After all, these kinds of feelings for the gray hermit shouldn't be there in the first place.

I mean, I'm not blind. Poppy thought to herself. I know that Branch is actually very attractive. Especially when he has those soft moments that come and go faster than I can blink. And he is definitely full of surprises. Maybe not the fun, party-type surprises, but the kind of surprises that show a whole other side to him that I didn't know.

He is just starting to let me back in after so long. I can't cross that line again. Even though every fiber of my being is wanting his closeness in every way. And what about the baby? Even if we both wanted it, would the baby get hurt because of it? Or what if another one pops in there while the first one hasn't even started getting their egg shell?! Branch and I already have enough going on with trying to keep one baby a secret!

Poppy gulped as she wiped away beads of sweat off her brow. The heat inside her itching body was now starting to drive her crazy. Plus, she had so many other questions. And she knew that there was no way that she was going to ask Branch them; otherwise, they would relapse back to where they were before Poppy told him of her pregnancy.

Just then, Poppy remembered that she still had the maternity book with her. Maybe there could be some answers in there! She pulled out the soft yellow book from under her arm and began flipping through the pages.

Branch was starting to get a little anxious as he waited for Poppy to come back. As he waited, he took slow, deep breaths through his nose, his ears twitching around to see if someone or something was coming in his direction. Two minutes seemed like forever.

Just then, he heard the quiet footsteps of something small coming towards him. He whirled around and saw Poppy slowly come up to him, her head down and the maternity book in her hands.

"Hey. Everything alright?" He asked. He really hoped it wasn't like last time, when Poppy got so frightened because she thought she couldn't feel the baby.

Poppy slowly looked up at him. He could see that she still had the wanting doe-like eyes, but there was something different about them this time. There was not a sense of curiosity or lust or eagerness or even fear; but rather, sadness.

"Is it about…?" He trailed off, looking down at her stomach. Even with the new clothes that were hiding her bump, somehow he could always see it; maybe it's a father thing.

"Yes, and no." Poppy answered softly. "Um… can we talk inside?"

Despite his apprehension about Poppy's behavior, and of her big magenta eyes, Branch nodded, and they headed inside the bunker.

Minutes later, they were in the living room, sitting together on the couch. Poppy stared at the book that was in her lap before taking a deep breath, hyper-aware of Branch's lack of proximity to her; something that she didn't want as she felt cold.

"I started having some questions about all these sudden urges I had." She began to explain slowly. "So, I went to the book and… I did get my answers."

"...Which were?" Branch quietly asked.

Poppy took another deep breath, trying to compose herself and not throw herself onto him just to feel him. "It's actually… normal to feel this way towards the partner." She answered, slowly looking over at him, a red blush painting her cheeks. She bit back the urge to smile when she saw a fierce lavender color flush Branch's own face; this was meant for full serious mode.

"It's normal to want to be…. intimate or want intimacy, and it wouldn't hurt the baby." Poppy continued. "And I'm actually… grateful that I would only feel like this towards you. It would be really bad if I tried that with anyone else. Plus… it would feel like… I was being… unfaithful… towards you."

Branch remained silent, the blush still on his face. It was kind of flattering to think that Poppy would only feel like this towards him and not someone else. Even if it was just her pregnancy hormones.

"But I won't push you." Poppy added. "After all, the last time that I sort of pressured you into this after we both got drunk…" She stopped to look down at her stomach, and Branch watched as she lightly rubbed her baby bump, now much more visible under the orange fabric since she was outlining the shape.

"This happened." She finished.

Poppy then looked over at Branch, seeing that his blush had faded, and his eyes were glued to her bump. She had noticed that his hand was twitching, as if he wanted to reach out and touch it. But he was fighting every urge.

She met his eyes, feeling her hormonal attraction to him suddenly spike again. Whether or not it was her hormones empowering whatever feelings she might have for him, she knew that pretty soon, she wouldn't control her emotions any longer. But she knew that he longed for a family again as he averted his eyes back to her bump.

She knew that he had been without one for so long. She wasn't sure how old he was when he became an orphan, but she had a thought that it might've been ever since he was very young. As far back as she could remember, he had always been gray, and he was at most a couple of years older than her.

She remembered that the book said that when it was getting closer to when the egg would be laid, the baby could sometimes hear what's going on outside and respond to it, like hugs or music. In turn, another can feel the baby kicking; not just her.

He needed to know that this kid, this child that she was carrying, was also his. And even though they weren't together and only trying to keep the baby's parentage a secret, she needed him to see that, just by feeling that tiny unseen foot in there, that baby will love him unconditionally. They wouldn't care about his colors, or his grumpiness, or anything like that. They would just know that he is their father, and that they love him. They will see in him what she knew was there all along.

Poppy took Branch's hand in hers, forcing him to look her in the eye. "But right now, I don't regret any of it." Her bold declaration caught Branch off guard.

"While having a kid isn't what either of us had planned, I know that this baby has every right to live." She continued. "We gave them this chance to live. Also, this isn't just my baby. It's yours as well. And I know that they will want to know their father."

She then brought Branch's hand over to her stomach, placing it over her bump. Branch just froze, not knowing what to think about him actually touching her bump.

"Go on." Poppy gently urged him. "Say something to them. I've read that around this time, they can hear a little more of what's going on outside. And I know that they want to hear you."

Branch stayed silent as he stared at his hand that was covering Poppy's baby bump. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just looked up at the pink Troll. She gave him a little nod, encouraging him to speak to the little being she was carrying. He then took a deep breath and scooted a little closer to her.

"...Hello in there." He said.

Immediately, there was a little tapping sensation under his palm, like something was kicking from the inside. Both Poppy and Branch gasped in amazement, and the male Troll's eyes started to well up with tears, chuckling breathlessly.

"H-Hi, little one." He said, getting closer to the baby bump, placing both of his hands on it.

He swallowed thickly to keep back the lump in his throat before continuing to speak to the baby. "I, I'm your dad."

Poppy let out a giggle mixed with a joyful sob as she felt the baby kick again, letting their father know that they were hearing him. Then, she met Branch's eyes again.

The blue hue in them looked like the clearest sky, and the sight of them almost took her breath away. She even swore that there was a brief flicker of a similar blue color flashing across his skin. Seeing the breathless little smile on his face seemed to make her world even brighter.

She felt another pang of heat coursing through her body when she realized that Branch was even more handsome when he really smiled. But this time, the heavy heat was mixed in with her joy, which only made her crave him even more.

Without a second thought, or rather any thought, she quickly moved forward and planted a little kiss on his lips. Suddenly, it was like the memories of the last time she kissed him were back in the front of her mind, as if they only happened the day before. His lips tasted just as she had remembered, like blueberries and chocolate, but this time without the berry mead.

Branch turned as stiff as a board when Poppy kissed him. Instantly, it was like déjà vu hitting him right in the head with a sledgehammer, and his instinctive warning bells were blaring loudly in his brain. But he didn't remove his hands from Poppy's baby bump.

Then he remembered what Poppy had just learned about her hormones after she felt them spike inside her body and mind. This was a normal thing during pregnancy, and he was somewhat satisfied that she would only want to be intimate towards him and not anyone else, since he is the father. And the baby would be perfectly fine if they did do it again. Additionally, there was not a chance that they would be expecting another one. After all, Branch had a feeling that Poppy would be panicking about it, even though it was impossible to conceive again when the first baby is this far along.

He felt the baby kick again underneath his palm as Poppy ended the kiss, having felt it as well. It was a little softer than the last time, and he gently felt around the bump, his touch to Poppy feeling like warm trails of fire. She bit her lip to keep herself from moaning.

When he felt nothing after a good couple of minutes, he suspected that the baby might be going off to sleep, giving their parents some sense of privacy. Even babies before they're born needed their rest. When he looked back up at the mother of his child, he saw her intense gaze on his face, particularly on his mouth.

As much as he really, really wanted to be close to Poppy again, Branch wanted to be sure that she would be okay with it. There was no alcoholic buzz clouding their brains this time. Both of them are completely aware of the tension rising in between them. But neither made any move, although Poppy was still staring intently at Branch.

He lightly gulped with nervousness, and looked down at the bump under his hand. When he shifted it ever so slightly, Poppy let out a little gasp. He immediately looked back up at her, and the sight of her flushed face and wanting gaze made something primal inside him turn on again. He bit the corner of his mouth to restrain himself.

"...Are you really sure…. you want to do this?" He asked quietly, bravely looking back up her.

Immediately, Poppy nodded. Honestly, if either of them didn't do something to help relieve herself from those hormones, she felt like she was going to explode from the inside out.

"I want this." She gasped. "And I want to make sure that we won't have regrets." Despite her need for his touch, she wasn't going to force him.

Branch remained silent for a few more seconds, deep in thought. Seeing Poppy like this wasn't really helping his erratic heartbeat. And even though she really wanted it, she wasn't going to force herself on him.

Finally, he slowly came up to Poppy's face and waited a few more moments, waiting for any signs of either Poppy changing her mind or with him aborting. As he lost himself in her big magenta eyes with no sign of her moving away, he knew that for the second time, he was about to give into his secret selfish desires, as well as Poppy's.

Without another thought that could cause him to doubt his already crazy decision, Branch surged forward and placed his lips on Poppy's, tasting her strawberry and cotton candy natural flavor. He had another pulse of heat in his core when he heard her moan with pure relief and immediately wrap her arms around him, one hand in his hair and the other on his shoulder. In response, he slid his hands from her baby bump to her waist, pulling her towards him, his back hitting the arm of the couch.

Poppy took a quick breath before diving back in, relishing in the taste of Branch's mouth as she pulled herself closer to him, practically straddling him as she remained aware of her baby bump. She didn't want to squeeze her and Branch's little one too tight. Tongues were battling, hands were gripping hips, shoulders, or hair.

When one of Branch's hands wandered further down her legs and towards her center, Poppy groaned and broke away. Blushing profusely, she stared into Branch's glazed eyes.

"B-Bedroom." She gasped.

Branch nodded and took Poppy in his arms, carrying her bridal style. Poppy immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his lips back down to hers, her tongue already invading his mouth. The male Troll returned her kiss, walking over towards his bedroom. He then lightly kicked open the door and brought them inside, closing the door behind him with his foot before he placed the female on the ground again. She gave him one more passionate kiss before grabbing the hem of her dress and pulling it off her body, leaving her in her undergarments.

The male gray Troll eyes wandered all over the form of the pink female, particularly on her hips and her baby bump. He walked over to her with some sort of primal grace before grabbing her waist and bringing him back to him, mindful of the little bump in her stomach.

She hummed needily as she hugged her partner, her tongue once more happily dancing with his. As they began to move backwards towards the bed, she reluctantly moved away from him before climbing onto the bed. He quickly followed her, diving back to greedily kiss her lips as he carefully hovered above her. Then, once more, everything faded into a daze of heated kisses and wandering hands before the heat turned into searing pleasure.

A couple of hours later, Poppy was lightly panting as she carefully laid on her side, sweating heavily. She then looked up to see Branch looking at her, also lying on his side. Their eyes met, slowly processing what had just happened between them.

They once again had crossed the line, but this time, there seemed to be no regrets between the both of them. Poppy shyly smiled at him, blushing a pretty red. Branch returned the smile, his cheeks turning a nice shade of lavender. Then, he bravely placed his hand on Poppy's baby bump.

Seconds later, they both felt their baby kick under Branch's palm. They both chuckled and then looked up at each other. For the first time, they truly felt like they were in this together. Yes, they may have agreed to work together to keep the baby's origin a secret because it was them taking responsibility for their actions, but now, it really felt like they were part of something extraordinary: getting ready to welcome a new chapter in both of their lives.

Poppy lightly scooted herself closer into Branch's embrace, humming contently as she snuggled into his naked chest. Branch just wrapped his free arm around her in a protective hold; which wasn't really a hug; his other hand gently caressing her baby bump, his thumb lightly tapping a static rhythm as he settled into the crook of her neck. He once more felt the baby kick underneath his hand before he fell into one of the most comfortable sleeps he had in a very long time.

A/N: I guess this technically could be a "friends with benefit" scenario, but it is more complicated than you would think. Poppy is high on hormones, which only added to her "somewhat" attraction to Branch, while Branch was once more rendered vulnerable by his darkest desires. In a way, they still weren't quite thinking straight, but at least there wasn't any alcohol this time.

Embarrassingly so, like I said before, I did do some research on this. At first, I was just looking up hormonal symptoms during pregnancy besides morning sickness and cravings; and then I came across some other information. Based solely off of that research, I came up with the plausible theory that pregnant females will often go to the males that they've mated with for some form of sexual release if they want it, and I suppose that theory can also apply to humans in general; when a pregnant woman wants that kind of release, of course the first person they go to is their husband or partner. Only if both sides want it, though.

Anyway, moving away from that kind of talk. What did you think of the chapter? Please leave a review about what you think. And remember to stay healthy. It's starting to get colder where I am.

Oh, one more thing before I sign off for now. The next chapter, it will be worth the wait, no matter how long it might take. I still want to hear your thoughts, though; about what you think the baby might be. Remember, I've already decided, but I want to hear your guesses. A few more chapters, and we'll see how many of you were right.

Got to fly! ;)