Taming Branch

By Dreamsinger

Chapter Fifteen

Long-Awaited Invitation

Her jaw dropped. Did he just ask me…

She checked his eyes, just in case she was only hearing what she'd wanted to hear for so very long. Branch's face was open and hopeful as he held his hand out to her, palm up. Seeing her astonishment, her friend gave her an almost sheepish smile and raised his eyebrows as if to say, Yes, I really mean it.

YESSS! The triumphant princess opened her mouth to let out a mighty cheer and then clamped it shut and held her breath, trying hard to compose herself. Branch is asking me to dance! All on his own! Oh, we did it, Daddy! Branch and I, we did it! In the back of her mind she could hear her father and Milton joyfully celebrating this major step forward. She could hear their songs of praise in her ears, see the glitter flying like snow.Even better, dancing surely meant touching each other, and touching might lead to hugging! Poppy was so ecstatic she had to hold perfectly still or she was going to flip out and squeal at the top of her lungs and Branch didn't like loud noise and OH MY GOSH HE ASKED ME TO DANCE WITH HIM!

"Poppy?"

When Branch waved a hand in front of her eyes in concern, she snapped out of it and sucked in a huge gulp of air. He jumped back with a "Geh!" sound that Poppy found adorably silly, making her giggle. Or maybe her sudden giddiness was from oxygen deprivation.

As she laughed, the singing in her ears went away. "Sorry," she chuckled, fanning her suddenly flushed face. "I was so excited I forgot to breathe!"

He blinked at her, looking half dubious, half amused. "O…kay…"

"Sorry for freaking out." She cleared her throat. "What I meant to say was…"

Feeling that this grand moment deserved a little more ceremony, the princessly part of Poppy composed herself. She fluffed out the poofy white lace frill around the bottom of her skirt, stood straighter and then curtseyed gracefully. "Yes, Branch." She found herself lowering her chin and tilting her head a little, smiling up at him from under her bangs as she added softly, "I would be honored to dance with you."

To her delight, she saw a little smile cross his face. His head tilted to the side, as if appreciating the pretty picture she made. Poppy appreciated his appreciation – she'd taken a class with her friends to learn how to curtsey just so. It was harder than it looked.

As she stood up straight again, his face went serious. Poppy's heart began beat rapidly in her chest as she stared at him, waiting for him to reach for her. But he, too, seemed to be waiting, gazing at her with an expectant look in his eyes.

Maybe he doesn't know how to start? Poppy hesitated. Though the young princess had much greater experience, she wasn't sure if she ought to offer it. Usually when they did something new, she let Branch set the pace. She waited, then waited for another few seconds. Finally she decided to say something before it got any more awkward. Just as she spoke, so did he.

"Just to be-"

"I almost wish-"

"Oh, sorry-"

"Sorry; you were saying?"

Each stopped, waiting for the other. Then Poppy smiled and Branch let out a note of amusement from his nose. "You first, Poppy."

"Okay. Just to be clear, we are talking about the kind of dancing where we touch one another, right?"

Branch nodded. "Yes. Otherwise, what's the point of all these exercises we've been doing together? Got to test their validity sometime, right? Might as well be now."

"Sure, why not?" Poppy shrugged, but she was smiling. Trust Branch to turn a momentous occasion like this into a science experiment. Still, I can tell he's trying to hide how nervous he is, so if this gets him into the right headspace to make progress, I'm all for it. "What were you saying a minute ago?"

"I was thinking…" He looked down as if unsure whether to continue. She watched his eyes move minutely, reflecting some kind of inner dilemma, then took a deep breath. "I was thinking that a little music might make this easier."

Her mouth dropped open, and then a huge grin spread over her face. "Really?" Music too? This day just keeps getting better and better!

Branch didn't share her elation, adding soberly, "The thing is, I honestly don't know if it'll help, or if…" He didn't finish, but he didn't need to.

If hearing music might freak him out. Catching his mood, she immediately calmed down. Singing still triggers him, and music relates strongly to singing. It's probably not a good idea to overwhelm him with too many new things at once, she decided.Poppy merely shrugged understandingly. "That's okay, Branch. We don't need music to dance."

He looked relieved. "Okay."

As the two young trolls stood facing one another, Poppy did nothing but watch him for a minute, trying to attune herself to his mood and needs. It was long enough for Branch to start getting twitchy. "What are you doing, Poppy? Is something wrong?"

"Nah, everything's groovy, Branch, my man," she said breezily, trying to project confidence and reassurance. "Just deciding where to start." Pick a dance and teach him step-by-step, or do some improv instead? Structure or freedom? Branch really needs to let loose, but with no music to help him let his hair down… Oh, well. He'd probably prefer something more systematic, anyway.

"Why don't we start with something simple, like a nice waltz? We'll go over the steps, and then once you've mastered them, we can put them all together, okay? Sound good?"

He shrugged as if to say he had no opinion. For Branch, that was a resounding "Yes!"

Smiling, she held up her hands and flexed her fingers. Recognizing what she wanted him to do, Branch came toward her and placed his big hands flat against hers with only a little tenseness. Their weeks of touch-training were paying off. She curled her hand around his and he copied her, wiggling his fingers to get comfortable. His eyes met hers, and he nodded. "Now what?"

"Since I'm leading, I put one of my hands on your side, like this…" She did so, noting that she could feel hard muscle even through his leaf-vest. Unless he was tensing his body out of nervousness? She kept her touch light and watched his eyes to see if he was getting that got-to-get-away look. Aside from a nervous flick of his ear and a quick glance at her hand out of the corners of his eyes, he didn't seem too freaked out.

"Now, your hand goes on my shoulder." She gestured her head toward the shoulder on the same side. "Okay?"

He swallowed and nodded. "Okay." His hand moved slowly toward her, hesitated, then made contact. A dreamy smile spread over her face before she could stop it. It felt like the start of a hug. His hand was so big it covered her whole shoulder and part of her arm. It was warm, too, so warm that she could feel herself relaxing, almost as if she were being hugged. She sighed dreamily. Oh, she'd been wanting something like this to happen for so long…

The sound of a throat clearing and a pair of blue eyes staring into hers made her blink and reorient herself. This was no time to get distracted. "Good, Branch, good." She lifted their linked hands into the air, up and out away from their bodies. "Okay, now. As I step forward, you step back. If I move to the side, you move with me. Match my steps. It's simple; you'll see. Ready?"

He nodded nervously.

"Okay, then. One, two, three, one, two, three… Good, Branch. And now this way… No, wait, this way-Wait! Ah!"

Whump!

Poppy lay for a moment, stunned. She hadn't fallen down while dancing in forever. Somehow, even with his head down watching her feet, Branch had managed to tangle their feet together and trip them both.

"Sorry, Poppy. Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." She shook off her daze. "That was only the first try. Let's begin again, shall we?"

Branch nodded and held out a hand to help her up. She took it and they got to their feet together.

Less than a minute later, down they went again.

And again.

And then a fourth time.

Five minutes later, as her body hit the hard wooden branch for the fifth time, Poppy thought in pain and awe, I had no idea it was even possible for a troll to be this clumsy.

Did he dance like this back in the village and that's why he left? If so, poor Branch. She rolled over and sat up, then looked at her prone companion and shook her head. No, I can't believe that. Usually he moves so lightly. So quick and vigorous, with something underneath; a sort of focused power… It's cool, whatever it is. He's not clumsy. I know he's not. It has to be nerves. He's all tense, and it's making him stiffen up. Oh, I wish I could play some high-energy, beat-boppin' music! That would help him loosen up.

As Poppy well knew, good music was magic. It was energy. It was passion. When you fell, it made you want to get back up again. When you failed, it gave you the drive to go on. And the best part for Branch was that by its very nature, music provided a natural structure that helped the listener figure out how and where to move their body. Without music, the normally agile forest troll moved like he was wearing sandbags instead of clothes.

Branch finally rolled over and sat up. Poppy took one look at his miserable face and bit her lip. I feel so bad for him. He was trying to make me happy, but look at him now. Her poor friend had spent the last several minutes apologizing with increasingly shorter sentences, then just groaning. Now he made no sound at all. Grim lines dragged at his face, making him look years older. He looked desperate.

She flattened her lips in determination. This isn't helping him. At this rate he'll hate dancing more than ever. Maybe we should work on getting him used to music first.

Poppy stood up and dusted herself off, then moved to where her friend was sitting. He stared off to the side, as if he didn't dare look up at her. She reached out a hand to help him up, saying regretfully,"Branch,I know this was your idea, but I think maybe we should-"

Just as her hand moved in front of his face, her Hug Time watch lit up and flowered open.

Ting!

Apparently that was the last hair for her poor little foxfluff. He yelped and involuntarily shoved himself backward, slamming into the small refreshment table and knocking it right off the branch. They stared at one another, wide-eyed, listening to thump – thump – skitter – Crack! Crack-crack-crack-crack … … … CRASH!

Poppy slapped her hands to her cheeks. "Oh, no!"

Branch scrambled to the edge to look down. He groaned. "Oh, man. My cabbages!"

Poppy moved next to him and looked down to see a scattering of brown and green fragments through the tree's foliage. After a long pause she commented, "Well. That happened."

Branch said nothing. Silently the two trolls swung down to the ground to survey the damage. As they landed on the grass, Poppy's heart sank. Her little table, smashed into pieces. The party food all over the ground, totally ruined. Broken branches and cabbages everywhere. And under it all, the remains of a wooden wheelbarrow.

The two trolls looked at it for a while before Branch sighed and said, "Oh, well. At least the inferno flower will have a nice meal."

Poppy gasped, then swung around to give him a wide-eyed look. "Branch…" she said, hearing the sheer wonder in her tone.

He gave her a dubious look. "What?"

"You looked on the bright side." A sunshiny smile spread from ear to ear. "You see? I knew you had it in you, Foxfluff," she praised him warmly. "I'm so proud of you."

His cheeks turned lavender as he blushed under her approving gaze. "Thanks."

With harmony between them restored by the fortunate accident, Poppy willingly helped Branch clean up. Since his wheelbarrow was destroyed, they had to tote all the debris by hand through the forest to visit the inferno flower Branch was most familiar with. "Don't get too close to it," he cautioned her. "It's not exactly my friend."

"It's not?"

"No, it just lets me gather what I need within its territory without attacking me as long as I regularly bring it things to eat that don't grow nearby. I figure it must be hungry for rare nutrients, like those found in fish and nuts."

"Well, since a lot of this food comes all the way from Troll Village, that should make it happy," she said cheerfully. "But won't it object to all the wood chips mixed in?"

"No, that won't matter. You'll see."

It was kind of satisfying, in a terrifying way, to see all the stuff they brought the purple-headed flower incinerated in seconds. Then it neatly sucked up the black, powdery ashes into its big round mouth. It even gave a long, impressive burp afterward.

On the way back, Poppy commented, "I'm glad that someone will get to enjoy all these tasty treats."

Walking slowly beside her, Branch turned to watch her, his mouth curving into a warm smile. "Thank you."

She gave him a puzzled look. "For what?"

"What you said earlier, about me being able to look on the bright side? That's all thanks to you, you know."

"Aww, you're sweet, Branch. But you deserve some recognition. You've worked hard to get to where you are now," she said sincerely. "I know friendship and trusting others doesn't come easy to you."

He didn't say anything, but as they walked he glanced at her, then held his hand out. Her eyes widened. She glanced down at his hand, looked up to see the tender, appreciative look on his face, and then slipped her hand inside his.

Her entire arm tingled with joy, and the brilliant smile on her face was brighter than the sun. As they strolled hand-in-hand back toward the meadow, Branch said, "I'm glad we're friends."

The pink princess was so happy she couldn't speak. Instead she squeezed his hand gently, and he squeezed back. Happiness sang through her entire body. If not for his hold on her hand, she could have flown up into the sky.

It took two hours to completely clear the meadow. It was hot, sweaty work, and the shards of wood were sharp and rough, but Poppy didn't regret the task in the slightest. Partly because, more often than not, Branch chose to hold her hand on the more level patches of ground on their way back. And partly because, in a roundabout way, what happened next was the key to what she'd been searching for ever since she'd met the reclusive, mysterious forest dwelling troll.

The invitation into his world.

-O-

On their last trip, something stung her.

"Ouch!" Poppy dropped the bundle of jagged debris she was carrying and jerked her hand in front of her face.

"Poppy!" Above her on the steep path, there was a series of crackles and thunks as Branch tossed his own bundle to the side and came bounding back down the hill toward her. "Are you okay?" he called out.

Even as she winced at the sharp sting in her palm, some part of her noticed how his shout had been more like a yelp, showing his fear and concern for her. "Yeah," she started to call back, but he was already there and taking her hand in his to examine it. Poppy added lamely, "It's just a splinter. Sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to yell so loud."

"It's okay," he said absently, brushing his finger gently over the end of a long, thin sliver of wood that had neatly sewn itself into the heel of her hand. It stung, but Poppy was too surprised to flinch. They were out in the forest. A month ago he would have been yelling at her about making noise and attracting predators, but now he barely seemed to notice. He even accepted her apology without making a big deal out of it.

Aww… Poppy felt a warm surge of affection in her belly. For all his gruffness, he cared more about her than about following his own rules.

Branch tried to pinch the end of the splinter between his big fingertips, to no avail. Poppy flinched at the accompanying sting and said, "Let me try. My fingers are smaller."

"No, wait." He tried again, making Poppy jump and wince.

"Branch, stop. Let me try."

"Wait. Wait, I got it." A thin tendril of black hair came down and tugged at the tip of the splinter – and it broke off, leaving the rest still embedded in her palm. "Oops."

"Braaanch," Poppy groaned.

He gave her a contrite look, the tips of his ears drooping. "Sorry."

As she ruefully looked at the teensy bit still sticking out, Branch commented, "We're going to need a set of tweezers."

"You're always weirdly overprepared for everything. Don't you have some?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course I do."

She brightened. "Great!"

"But not on me."

Her shoulders sagged. "Oh."

His teeth showed in an apologetic grimace. "I carry a first aid kit in my hair, of course, but I needed the tweezers yesterday for a project that I'm not done with yet, so they aren't in there right now. I'm sorry, Poppy." His arms curled inward and he lowered his head, looking like a puppy who'd just been scolded.

Despite her annoyance, Poppy couldn't help but smile at him. "That's okay. It's only a splinter. I'll survive."

"But it could get infected." His face creased with worry. "We need to take it out sooner rather than later."

Her forest friend bit his lip, gazing off into the distance. He looked troubled. Poppy waited a moment, then said, "Branch don't worry about, really. I'm fine. I barely feel it." That was true, as most of the stinging had already stopped. Troll skin was tough. "I'll take it out in a day or two. It'll get pushed out as I heal."

Branch didn't seem to be okay with that. His mouth flattened as he looked at her worriedly, then turned to look over his shoulder, up the hill toward his meadow. Poppy followed his gaze and saw nothing, aside from the big boulder they liked to sit on when they played board games.

What's he looking at?

-O-

Staring up at the boulder looming in the distance, Branch felt a surge of dread rise up inside him, knotting his guts and making the skin on the bottoms of his feet tingle weirdly. He closed his eyes and forced himself to slow his rapid breathing, deliberately pushing out his stomach muscles to relax them. This is it, Branch. You knew it would probably come to this. Plan A – dancing with Poppy - failed. Big time. The only way to keep this day from being an even worse disaster than your lame attempt at dancing is to do it. Take the leap.

Plan B.

-O-

The forest troll seemed to be deep in thought. Poppy waited, watching curiously as he grimaced and sighed and finally seemed to come to some kind of decision. "Poppy…" he said slowly. "Can you keep a secret? I mean, really keep one?"

Poppy immediately forgot about her splinter. Excitedly, she asked, "What kind of secret?"

"Well…" He put up a hand and rubbed the back of his head. "I know somewhere that's completely safe from anything. Predators, bad weather… Even bergens."

"Even bergens?" Poppy repeated, throwing her arms out to the sides, honestly impressed. "Wow."

Her awed reaction made a smug smile appear on his face. "Yeah. Even bergens. It's in a hidden location where no one can ever find it. So if I show you, you have to promise to keep it a secret, okay?"

Her eager face froze. "Um…"

"What?"

Poppy bit her lip. "Maybe you shouldn't show me, then. I… I'm not the best at keeping secrets," she confessed, recalling past times she'd "overshared" something she shouldn't have. "I try, but sometimes they slip out. I just get so excited, you know?" She bounced in place to emphasize her point.

He blinked. "Oh. Thanks for telling me."

Poppy winced. Why did I say that? He was going to show me his secret place! Now he won't trust me for sure.

Branch glanced at her with an unreadable expression on his face."Other than your dad and Milton, who else have you told about me?"

"Why…no one."

"Not once in all this time? Not even a hint?"

She shook her head. "No. I didn't think you'd want me to- Oh, I see!" She tilted her head to one side. "Huh. I guess I can keep a secret, if it's important enough. And you're sure important to me," she said sincerely.

A smile softened his solemn features. "You're important to me, too, Poppy," he said softly.

She put a hand on her heart. "Aww."

Her friend hesitated, then took a step toward her, making direct eye contact with her. Poppy was struck once again by the beautiful sky-blue color of his eyes, so warm and clear. There was barely a trace of the ice she had once seen in them when they first met. The wary, untrusting vigilance caused by his fear of, well, everything.

"Poppy. You've been a good friend to me, and I'm trying to trust you more," he said seriously. "So I'm asking you, as my friend, to please not tell anybody about my secret place. You have to promise on your hair, never to tell anybody where it is, or talk about it at all. You see, if word gets out, it would no longer be a secure location. I'd have to move away."

A lightning bolt shot up her spine, leaving her body fizzing. "No! I might never see you again!"

"I'm sorry, Poppy, but this is really, really important to me."

She waved her palms vehemently at him, her eyes wide. "Okay. Okay, Branch. I promise. No matter what, I won't tell anybody about your secret place. Not even my dad." She held up her hand, smallest finger extended.

Branch gasped. "A pinky promise?"

She nodded solemnly. After a moment, he wiped a hand on his new shorts and reached toward her, his big pinky reaching for her little one. Then he stopped. "Wait. Doesn't a pinky promise cause a huge commotion? Like, a giant blast of light and wind that alerts everyone for miles around?" He pulled his hand back and raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Kinda negates the whole 'secret' thing, doesn't it? Everyone in the entire forest will know something's up."

"Oops." She withdrew her pinky, laughing guiltily. "Sorry."

He looked at her for a second, then shook his head with a smile. Then the gray troll swept his magnificent black mane forward, proffering the tip toward her. "I'll settle for a hairshake."

Aww. Her heart melted. Deep down, he must really want this. He wants to let me in.

She reached for his hair with her own, and he met her with no hesitation. Midnight black twirled with bright magenta as they solemnly shook hair. Just like the first time they'd held hair, Branch's thick dark strands felt good against hers; strong and steady, yet unexpectedly soft. Just like him.

A tiny, flickering light emerged from their joined hair. Branch caught her eye, and she nodded slightly to show that she had seen it. Another silent sparkle appeared, and then another. Soon the air was filled with pretty, twinkling lights, as if the stars had come down from the sky to play. They swirled around the young trolls in shimmering, iridescent waves of rose and peach, lilac, lemon, and aquamarine.

The two friends watched the dreamlike display with quiet wonder. Poppy had never had anything quite like this happen to her before, and it was a safe bet that Branch hadn't, either. Troll hair was bioluminescent, true, but it usually didn't light up on its own, or release glowing sparkles into the air. The sight was utterly enchanting.

Still facing her friend, Poppy felt Branch take her hands in his. Surprised, she looked away from the floating lights to see him watching her with a sweet, affectionate look on his face; the same look that had made her want to touch his face the other day when they were lying together on the grass. Maybe he was feeling the same need to reach out to her, too.

Mostly because she wanted to talk to him, she whispered, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes," he agreed, gazing into her eyes. "Beautiful."

She expected his eyes to turn toward the dancing sparkles, but they remained on hers. She stared back wonderingly. Branch was gazing at her so softly, so kindly, that the young princess was having trouble focusing on the fascinating new phenomenon right above them. Why was it that the magical twinkling display was suddenly not as interesting as the light in his blue, blue eyes? She would never have thought he could look so…

For some reason she found herself blushing. She let go of his hands and moved back a few steps, forcing her gaze upward, away from Branch's fascinating contemplation of her. As their joined hair came apart, the sparkles stopped emerging. The two trolls watched quietly while the last of them faded away.

Poppy was grateful for the quiet time. The butterflies fluttering in her belly made her oddly reticent and a little confused. Today was not turning out like she thought it would. Gifts and dancing. Disaster and inferno plants. Branch acknowledging their friendship and yet talking about moving away. Promises. Trust. Hand-holding, hair-holding, magical sparkles, and Branch's deep gaze…

She almost jumped when Branch commented, "I didn't realize a hairshake could be like that. Do they usually light up?"

She shook her head to clear it, glad for once that he preferred to talk of practical things. "No, they don't," she replied. "I've never seen that happen before."

"You don't know what it means?"

"No," she said thoughtfully. "I could ask my dad about it, though, if you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind. Your dad already knows about me, right? And I have to admit, I'm curious. That didn't seem like an ordinary hairshake to me."

"Yeah," she agreed, then added honestly, "I'm glad that our promise turned out to be so special."

His face softened. "Me, too, Poppy."

At the warmth in his tone, she couldn't help but move a little closer to him. He'd been reaching out to her all on his own today, and it was just about Hug Time, after all. After the last one, she hoped that this one would turn out better.

And three, two, one.

Ting!

Branch started when her watch flowered, only then seeming to realize that she had placed herself within convenient hugging distance. As he stood there looking at her, she didn't reach for him, but she did let her eyes go all big and shimmery.

The forest troll looked into her hopeful eyes and hesitated just for a moment; long enough for her heart to go thump. Then he cleared his throat and said, "I mean, the display was a little bit showy, but it probably wasn't enough to attract any predators."

"Right," she agreed automatically, not really paying attention to the conversation anymore. She was paying far more attention to the fact that Branch hadn't actually moved away from her. She could feel his breath on her cheek, stirring her newly-trimmed bangs. She remembered then that Branch had said her new hairstyle looked cute.

Her watch closed. Branch stood in front of her for another few seconds, almost as if he was regretting the missed opportunity, then cleared his throat again and stepped back a little. She'd already forgotten the entire reason for the hairshake, but typically, Branch hadn't. "Okay, then. Let's go get that splinter out."

"Oh, right!" she said, excited all over again. Branch was going to show her his super-secret, super-safe place! His den, according to Milton. The place where he felt safest.

Branch walked, and she followed eagerly. He led her up the hill…back to the meadow. As they passed through the treeline, she looked around in confusion, trying not to seem disappointed. "Oh. I guess you meant your meadow…"

"No. Well, yes, but no. Just follow me. You'll see."

From his terse response, she understood that he was getting nervous. She followed quietly as he led her over to the giant boulder they often sat on, and then down through hidden the trap door at its base. Inside the dark little hidey-hole, she looked around in confusion. This can't be it. I've already seen this place. There's hardly anything in here. Not even a blanket, or a nest, or whatever he sleeps in…

"Okay, Poppy." Branch turned to face her and dramatically held out his hands. "What I'm about to show you is something I've never shown anybody before. It's the most important thing in the world to me."

Despite herself, she was drawn in. For once, he was channeling his inner troll and putting on a grand performance. Like a good audience member, she clasped her hands together, nodding eagerly. "What is it, Branch?"

"It's…this!" He gestured flamboyantly as he stepped aside to reveal…

She blinked at the familiar item, and the smile dropped off her face. "It's…a root." A thick, knobby-looking root, sticking straight up and ruining the perfect smoothness of the dirt floor. As persnickety as Branch was, she'd often wondered why he hadn't gotten rid of it.

"Yes, it's a root. But!" He held up a finger. "It's no ordinary root."

She tilted her head to the side, squinting at the twisted, lumpy-looking thing. It looked as if he'd attached some kind of round knob near the bottom, but what the root was for, she couldn't figure out. Maybe he used it as a hat rack?

At her bewildered look, a grin of pure smugness passed over his face. Casually, Branch sauntered – sauntered! - over to the root and rested his elbow on it. He gave a sudden push downward, and the floor beneath them shook slightly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as they began to sink into the ground. There was a hole in the floor! "We're going underground! I mean, we were already underground but now we're- Whoa…"

As they slowly moved downward, her head swiveled this way and that. Everywhere she looked she could see, well, everything. Food, mostly, but also jars and boxes and clothing and weight-lifting equipment and sticks and more food…

"You do have a den! Like a foxfluff!" she cried gleefully.

As they reached the bottom, Branch stopped the platform. He crossed his arms and tilted his weight on one hip, looking faintly insulted. "Uh, it's not a den. Dens are for critters. And despite the weird nickname you like so much, I'm not actually a foxfluff, you know."

"Maybe not, but you're as cute as one," she replied cheerfully.

At that, he blushed and looked away.She giggled, then said insistently, "But Branch, it's literally a hole in the ground. If it's not a den, what is it?"

To her delight, he let her see another glimpse of his playful side, giving her a sly grin. "It's a bunker."

Author's Note:

Testing is common in the early stages of a relationship. Generally, in a mature, healthy relationship, we stop feeling the need to test as long as the other person behaves in a trustworthy way. In an unhealthy relationship, there's a pattern of broken promises, lying, selfishness, disrespect. Sometimes even verbal or physical abuse. Poppy has proven herself worthy of Branch's trust so far, so he's reciprocating and offering to trust her even more. It's a good idea to let her know exactly what the consequences of breaking that trust will be. Even though, despite what he told Poppy, Branch doesn't actually want to move, not after all the work he's put into his bunker. It's his home, his safe space from the world. But it is a tremendous gesture of trust on his part, and he wants Poppy to recognize that.

By this point, Branch has recognized that he's as important to Poppy as she is to him. He understands that she'll do anything to keep him from vanishing from her life. Branch may be socially inexperienced, but he's learning how to influence others (from Poppy, whether she realizes that or not). It's the social dance we all learn from one another as we grow. It's helping him develop more confidence, to see that he can correctly predict how she'll react. Being more confident influences him to trust her more. All of this is helping him developing good judgement for social interactions, which will help him more than he realizes in the future when he meets other people.

The "My cabbages!" quote is a reference to the Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series. LOL I couldn't resist! 😉