-O-
PICTUREBOOK ROMANCE
A Trolls fanfic
By Dreamsinger
Chapter Four
Belly Laughs and Bedtime Cuddles
Branch gave her a smile of pure happiness, the care lines crinkling in the corners of his eyes. "There are times when this still feels like a dream," he confessed. "I should have said something sooner, but I was so happy to finally have you for a friend that I was afraid to do anything that might upset that."
Poppy brightened as the word "dream" made her remember her own, which had come true much faster than she had ever hoped for, and she realized that this was the perfect opportunity to get closer to him. "Branch, what would you do if this were all a dream?"
He mock-shuddered. "Don't even joke about that."
The aquamarine troll gazed into the distance, a slow smile growing on his lips. "I suppose I would say something like-" He reached for her hand and suddenly all she could see were his magnetic blue eyes.
"Your invisible corona shines so bright, I need only close my eyes to feel your radiance upon my skin." He placed his other hand over his heart. "Indeed, all I need to brighten my day is the mere mention of your name, a glimpse of pink, or the whisper of your voice in the distance."
"That was beautiful, Branch," she said admiringly. Then the pink troll raised an eyebrow at him. "You're quite the charmer."
She enjoyed the bashful way he let go of her hand and blushed, a silly smile on his face. "Thanks."
She leaned forward. "So tell me, have you ever dreamed about me?"
He blushed harder.
Poppy grinned. "So you have! What did you dream about? Tell me!"
He shuffled his feet and looked down.
"You don't want to tell me?"
"No, it's not that, it's just that…some of it is…embarrassing."
She grinned. "Now I'm really curious."
"And some of it I'd like to save, to be a surprise for our date." He spoke as if he were savoring the words. "Our first date."
"You were the same way in my dream," she told him. "You liked to surprise me."
"I did? Wait." He tilted his head as one corner of his mouth turned upward. "You dreamed about me?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, you did sing that you loved me, and then we became closer and I started to notice all the good things about you. Then just this morning I had a dream that-" suddenly she understood what Branch had meant by embarrassing, "-that made me realize…" She could feel her face turning red.
"That you wanted me?" he finished for her, his tone unexpectedly understanding.
"Yes!" She let out a pent-up breath in a rush. "That's why I touched you earlier. I didn't understand; I've never felt like that before, not even with…him."
"Really?" He blew out a relieved huff of air. "That's good to hear. I know I'm not exactly suave when it comes to good looks."
Her forehead wrinkled in incomprehension. "Branch, what are you talking about? You're very handsome," she contradicted him.
His shoulders dropped and he turned his face aside. "Poppy…"
Her eyes widened. "You mean you really don't know that?"
"How could I be handsome?" For the first time all evening, he scowled at her and gestured a scornful hand at himself. "I spent twenty years as gray as a rock!"
"Even when you were gray, I always thought you were handsome, Branch," she said quietly.
He blinked. The lines around his eyes eased a little as he saw that she honestly meant what she'd said, but now he looked baffled.
Poppy gave him a kind smile. "I may not have your talent for poetry, but maybe it'll help if I tell you how I see you."
Her smile turned dreamy as memories of a certain lonely gray troll rose up before her eyes. "I couldn't help but notice you, you know. Sometimes I'd see you contemplating a flower or gazing at a sunset, and for a little while, you'd let your guard down and look so peaceful. Sometimes you'd even smile a little, and I'd notice how much nicer you looked, and I'd think, 'That's someone I'd really like to get to know better.' I used to think you were so mysterious when I was younger." She giggled. "Also, I thought your black hair looked really cool."
"You…liked my black hair?"
"Yes, it was so unique and exotic; something no other troll had. A really strong, bold color. I even turned my own hair black once in a while, just to see how it felt."
The smile he gave her was both puzzled and appreciative. "Really?"
She nodded. "Believe me, Branch, you are really, really good-looking. Your eyes…" She winked at him. "…are like two blue pools, fascinating and…deep enough for me to dive into, to, um, to explore the mysteries of your soul. And your ears-"
The mellow look on his face went sour and he pressed his outward-tilted ears against the sides of his head as if he wanted to hide them. Poppy felt a twinge in her heart as her expression softened with compassion.
"Branch." Tenderly, she placed her fingers at the base of his ears and moved them back to where they should be. "I love your ears. They're so beautiful and unique."
He held still, moving only his eyes from side to side before meeting her gaze. "Seriously? I always thought they looked weird."
"Of course not. They're very elegant; so gracefully curved…" Poppy slid her fingers up the length of his ears, and felt him shiver. She paused to contemplate his reaction, noting how his eyes had closed as if he couldn't help himself. Got it. He likes his ears touched.
"And they have those cute little pointed tips." She ran her thumbs over the tips of his ears and let her fingers slowly glide back down along the undersides of his ears, enjoying how much pleasure he seemed to feel from such a simple act as he tilted his head up and leaned forward on his toes, a dreamy smile on his face. Now I want to kiss them. And him. And - I'd better stop now before I break my promise.
Reluctantly, she let go of them and watched as he slowly opened his eyes, turning his head and moving his ears as if to shake off the spell she had cast on him.
Poppy smiled, pleased by his reaction, and then it occurred to her to add, "Plus, you can actually move your ears."
Branch gave her a puzzled look. "Well, sure…can't everybody?"
"No," she replied, looking surprised. "No one I know can move their ears except you."
"Really? But it's not hard." He flicked his ears up and down a few times, and Poppy giggled at the sight. Branch looked startled for a moment, then did it again, and when she burst into laughter he began to chuckle himself.
Poppy couldn't stop herself, blurting out her words in between chortles. "Branch, that is - the cutest thing - I have ever seen!"
He looked pleased at her words, a playful twinkle coming into his eyes. As their laughter waned, he gave her a mischievous look and twitched his ears again. Poppy tried to catch her breath and ended up snorting, which set him off all over again. Helpless with mirth, Poppy laughed so hard her cheeks grew sore and her stomach ached, but the look of joy on his face was worth it.
Finally, worn out but happy, the young couple grew quiet. "Oh, that was a good laugh," Poppy said contentedly. "I used to think I'd never hear you laugh. Now it's one of my favorite sounds in the whole world."
"I haven't laughed like that since… I don't think I've ever laughed like that," Branch admitted. He rubbed a hand across his stomach. "It kinda hurts."
"Me, too. I didn't realize; with all my new responsibilities as queen, I've gotten out of the habit," Poppy admitted. "I guess we both need some more practice. And some more fun. Tell you what; in a few days when our muscles have recovered, let's have a tickle game."
He grinned. "Sounds good."
Suddenly her Hug Time bracelet went off, chiming three times to signal the end of the day. She glanced down at the bright pink glowing flower on her wrist in surprise. "Oh, is it that late already?"
Branch opened his arms wide, and she moved into them, enjoying his warm embrace as always, even as she began to realize how tired she was. She yawned, then released him and headed toward her bed to turn down the covers. Will he want to share my pillow, or should I find him his own? I have an extra one around here somewhere…
"Um, Poppy…"
"Yes, Branch?"
When she turned around she saw him staring at her bed. Then his eyes met hers and he looked flustered, a lavender blush blooming on his cheeks.
"Branch, what is it?"
He didn't quite meet her gaze, shuffling around as if embarrassed or uneasy. "I've heard that there are other…games we can play together that are good for exercising the stomach muscles, too."
"Oh?"
His oddly understated tone and the slightly nervous hitch in his speech hinted that it was more than a casual comment. For a moment she just stood there, puzzled, but then he looked up and gave her a little smile. His head tilted to the side and his eyes grew half-lidded as they moved down her body, before meeting hers again. His gaze seemed to deepen, drawing her in, the silent offer in his eyes nevertheless speaking volumes.
"Ohh," she repeated, catching on. Intrigued, she examined his body, noting his strong shoulders and the fine muscles that only enhanced the few places where he was gently rounded. He really is the perfect blend between strength and cuddliness...
He caught the contemplative look on her face and backtracked, holding up his hands. "Not tonight, of course," he said nervously, "I mean, we have to be up early tomorrow to prepare for the festival, plus we haven't even kissed yet, but, well, at some point in the future, maybe…"
She had an impulse to tease him, but one look at the panic on his face and his extreme reaction the last time she had touched him came back to her. "Not too long in the future, right?" she said instead, smiling at him with lowered lashes. "That's a game I'm definitely interested in learning."
As he blushed again, she had to stop herself from taking his face in her hands and kissing him right then and there, promise or no promise. "Okay, stop that."
"Stop what?"
"If you get any cuter I'm going to have a hard time keeping my promise to wait for our date."
His entire face went lavender, and she took a little satisfaction over watching him squirm. He is so adorable!
She turned to head back toward her bed, expecting him to follow her, but when she looked over her shoulder she saw him heading for the door. Curious, she watched as he retrieved his clothes bundle from the floor and brought it near her bed to where her many-layered carpet was thickest, then knelt and began to fold the clothes into a neat pile.
"Branch, what are you doing? Kind of an odd time to be doing laundry, isn't it?"
"I'm getting ready to go to sleep," he replied, as if it were obvious. "I don't have any bedding since I wasn't planning on staying overnight, so I'll just use my clothes as a pillow."
A flurry of thoughts flashed through her mind. Why do you always have to be so self-sufficient? Sharing is what trolls do! Ugh, you're so frustrating!
And yet, in a strange way it was somehow appealing, to know someone who didn't look to her to take the lead, someone who could think for himself. Someone who felt very much like her equal, even when they were on opposing sides of some issue.
She knew he wasn't trying to make her feel lonely or rejected, but she did, watching him calmly preparing for sleep as if she and a perfectly good bed weren't right there. She clenched her teeth, restraining the impulse to order him to join her. He's not used to thinking about how others feel, she reminded herself. Or he doesn't want us to share a bed so we won't be tempted to break our promise. Or he could just be scared. Intimacy is still so new to him. Maybe he just needs some alone time?
He looked up at her questioningly, and she realized she was still standing next to her bed with a somewhat tense look on her face. Reflexively she smiled and began going around the room, covering the lights until the only illumination was the diffuse, pink-tinted moonlight, filtered through the hair-dome above them. As she returned to her bed she saw an unfamiliar shadow on the carpet next to it.
"Good night, Poppy," he said, his quiet tone giving no hint as to what he was feeling.
She bit her lip. His needs or hers?
"I love you," he added sincerely, and some of her tension went away.
"Good night, Branch," she said softly. She got into bed and rolled on her side to face his resting form. "I love you, too."
Time passed but she did not sleep, mulling over everything that had happened between them this evening and how fast it had all seemed to happen, even if the events leading up to it had taken months. In a way, it was almost like the bergen attack; a single event that had shifted her life abruptly onto a new course. She had even become queen long before she otherwise might have.
Her optimistic decision to throw the monumental party that had been meant to celebrate freedom from the threat of the bergens had, in a roundabout way, accomplished exactly that – and so much more.
And now I have Branch, a Branch he might never have become, a sweet, sensitive Branch I might never have known was hiding beneath that grumpy exterior. Only, he's still hiding what he feels. Or is he? Am I just making a big deal out of nothing?
She tossed and turned, her thoughts shifting between worries and reassurances, unable to calm down enough to sleep. Poppy rolled over to the edge of the bed nearest him, looking down at his still form, almost close enough to touch. She pictured herself getting out of bed and laying down on the carpet next to him, just to be near him.
Finally she could stand it no more. "Branch, are you awake?" she whispered.
"Yes," he replied quietly. "Is something wrong? Do you get insomnia too?"
'Too'? He gets insomnia? Poor Branch; no wonder he was always so cranky. I know there are times when I've been too excited to sleep, but never like this, where I'm so conflicted I can barely think.
She sat up, looking down at his dim silhouette in the pale pink moonlight, her mind swirling with thoughts that she tried to distill into some semblance of order.
She wanted to sound polite; curious, but not demanding, but as she opened her mouth, the desolate memory of waking up this morning from her beautiful dream of their life together to find his place in her bed cold and empty engulfed her.
"Why don't you want to share my bed with me?" she whimpered.
"Poppy…" He sounded shaken. "I –" There was a nearly silent rustle, her bed shifted and suddenly his arms were around her, her face pressed into his solid chest. She held him tightly, grasping his tank top in her fists, feeling him rock her soothingly as he murmured into her hair, "I'm so sorry, Sunshine. I didn't mean to make you feel excluded. Believe me, I know how that feels. I guess I just thought it would make things less complicated."
"'Complicated?'"
"It's just-" He sounded as if he was struggling to find the words. "First I ask you to wait, and then I expect to sleep in your bed with you? Like that wouldn't be contradictory."
"I guess I hadn't thought of that." So he was thinking about my feelings. She felt herself relaxing against him, sliding her arms up his warm back. And I was worrying over nothing. Maybe he was as well. I should take my own advice and make sure he knows how I feel, too. "I was really looking forward to at least being able to cuddle with you," she explained, wondering how he would react.
She heard him draw in a quick breath, holding himself still, his heart beginning to beat rapidly under her ear. "Really?" he said finally. "Um, I'd like that. Very much."
She waited, but after a minute she realized he might be unsure what he ought to do. Aside from the demands of Hug Time, he'd spent many years isolating himself from the affection of other trolls. "Here," she said with a smile, folding back the covers and sliding to the side to give him more space.
He moved closer to her and she gently pressed on his chest until he lay down on his back, then pulled up the covers and snuggled down next to him. The pink troll nuzzled her face into his neck and slid an arm over his body, her hand resting in the center of his chest.
Poppy gave a sleepy, blissful sigh. Everything's all right now.
As she relaxed her body into his, she gradually became aware that something felt off. The former recluse lay stiffly next to her, and his breathing was odd, too. Too fast, too shallow. And his heart's pounding under my hand. She imagined his eyes darting rapidly back and forth, seeking escape. A panic attack? She felt a pang of remorse. Maybe I pushed things too fast.
"Branch," she murmured as softly as she could, but she still felt the jolt that passed through him. "Do you want me to let go? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
His breathing grew louder as his mouth opened, but he said nothing as she waited anxiously. "No," he finally answered. "I'm – I'll be all right in a minute."
His breathing changed. Her arm rose and fell as he began to draw in long, slow breaths, and then her elbow too was lifted as his belly filled. He held each breath for a while, then slowly released the air. Poppy held still, wondering if she should move away but afraid to in case she set him off again.
Finally after what felt like a long time but was probably only a couple of minutes she felt him grow more relaxed, and his heartbeat subsided until she could no longer feel it under her palm.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out," they said together, and Branch actually made an amused sound through his nose.
"Poppy, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. I'm really glad you want to cuddle with me. It's my fault. I didn't realize it would affect me so strongly or I would have warned you. It just…brought back a lot of old memories. Love and loss, you know?"
She couldn't speak at first through the lump in her throat. "Are you okay now?" she asked wistfully, her voice gone husky again. I feel so bad for him.
"Sure." He still sounded a little strained.
"Should I let go?" She started to pull her hand back from his chest, but stopped when he covered it with his.
"Don't go. Please." He pressed his cheek against the side of her head. "If it doesn't bother you too much, stay with me. I – I want to get used to it. To having someone close."
"Oh, Branch." She was so touched that she had to quell a sudden impulse to wrap her hair protectively around him. She wondered what else she could do to make this easier on him. "I'm so proud of you."
He didn't answer, but she felt him smile.
"It's okay to be nervous, you know," she added reassuringly.
"So, um, do you have sleepovers often?" he said abruptly, sounding as if he was asking questions to keep himself distracted.
Well, she could certainly oblige. "Oh yes, I've been to sleepovers all my life. Half the time we all end up in one big pile." She giggled. "One time, Smidge ended up on the bottom of the pile and the next thing we knew, we all woke up swinging from her hair in mid-air with her scolding us for picking on a poor defenseless little troll!"
"Defenseless?" She caught the note of humor in his tone. "Smidge?"
Encouraged, she continued, "I know, right? Biggie started thrashing around and howling that he was going to be sick and then the rest of us were yelling because we didn't want to him to barf all over us, and-"
She broke off as he started chuckling in earnest. "Ow, my stomach!" His hand lifted off hers as he used it to support his much-abused midsection. "Poppy, please don't make me laugh right now, okay?" he moaned in a long-suffering tone.
"Sorry," she said contritely, but inside she was singing as she felt his body relaxing against hers. Slowly she moved her hand from his chest to his stomach and thrilled inwardly as he let her thread her fingers through his, so happy she tingled all over.
Branch pulled in a deep breath and let it out as a long, contented sigh. "I love you, Sunshine," he murmured, his voice low and affectionate.
She pressed her arm against his soft belly in a one-armed hug. "You called me that earlier."
"That's how I think of you. You're my own personal sun, always bright and cheerful. Just the thought of you makes me happy."
"I thought you told Bridget my smile was brighter than the sun," she teased him.
"You remember that?"
"Of course." She squeezed his hand gently. "I didn't realize it at the time, but I think I might have fallen for you even then, even though I wasn't sure you were talking about me. I'd never seen anyone be so…romantic."
She thought back to that day. The gray-skinned, black-haired troll had shown a side of himself that she'd never seen before, as he knelt on Bridget's head inside the cloud of rainbow troll-hair, compassionately helping his former enemy, murmuring tender words of love within the private little world that had somehow felt as safe and secluded as…as his bunker did to him, maybe. Maybe he had finally begun to relax, just enough to be able to open up and show his true feelings. Poppy was enchanted all over again by the memory of the gentleness on his face as he turned to give her a soft, loving smile, looking at her in a way that no one else ever had.
"Your eyes really did pull me in… I could have gazed into them forever," she said dreamily, absently stroking a thumb across his belly, pleased that he did not tense up the way he had earlier. "And when Gristle talked about having a nice smile, I kept thinking, 'So do you, Branch. So do you.'"
"Thanks," he whispered, sounding a little choked up. "I love your smile, too. There's nothing I want more than to see you smile like that every day."
"Thank you," she whispered back. "I love you."
"Love you, too, Poppy."
-O-
The young troll queen beheld a vision. Softly muted hues of aquamarine and purple gradually resolved into the form of the one who made her smile with just his presence alone. There was something familiar about this scene, about gazing at the handsome sleeping troll who lay beside her in the pale morning light.
I think I've had this dream before…
In her dream, Branch was different than he acted in the real world, all smiles and laughter, silliness and contentment. True, he still retained his oddly wry, sarcastic sense of humor, but she couldn't imagine him any other way, even in a dream. In fact, her subconscious had managed to create a Branch-in-love who was totally believable. He'd even asked her what the rules were for dating, after all!
Still, it was a wonderful dream. A dream where she had finally found her lifelong companion, even if the idea of him accepting and returning her rather abrupt declaration of love was a little unrealistic. Dream-Branch was someone who cared deeply for her, someone who treasured her not just as his queen, but as his best friend. No, as his true love. And despite them being different on the surface, the troll in front of her shared her most important core values, which bound them together more strongly than a troll's hair.
The part where he had held back from kissing her had rung true, though. She sighed sadly. Would he ever fall in love with her in real life? Would he ever take her hand and look into her eyes, so lost in hers that he forgot to be cautious? Would he ever let her kiss him and touch him and love him, now that she'd realized how she felt about him? Now that she wanted him to be hers?
Come on, Poppy. Get it together. Well, now that she finally understood her own feelings, maybe it was time to share them. She'd never know what he might say in real life if she didn't try. She just had to make sure she remembered her dream when she woke up.
Feeling somewhat more content now that she had a positive course of action, the pink troll relaxed, letting her gaze drift fondly over the image of her beloved. He lay on his side facing her, giving her a nice view of his muscular shoulders and part of his chest where it showed above the covers. One hand was wedged securely under his chin, keeping his mouth neatly closed, and the other rested on the bed between them. She admired the strong, clean lines of his arms, down to his large, capable-looking hands, remembering their delicate touch on her chin as he turned her head so he could look into her eyes…
Her stomach fluttered, and she turned her attention to his face. The aquamarine troll looked sublimely at ease, in a way he so rarely did in the waking world. His smooth dark purple eyebrows were relaxed, the light care lines at the corners of his eyes finely etched into his skin in a way that only added to his handsomeness.
Some distance away, she heard a bird begin to sing, and Branch's ear twitched, reminding her of the previous night's hilarity. She chuckled quietly, feeling her sore stomach muscles pull enough to make her desist, still smiling.
Last night's hilarity? Sore stomach? Abruptly Poppy was fully awake, gaping at the troll in bed with her. He's really here? It wasn't a dream? Everything that happened – confessing our love to each other, scrapbooking with him, flirting with him… She swallowed. Touching him… All that was real?
Surprise gave way to wonder as the gentle morning light filtering through the dome of her pod softly illuminated his quiescent face. Branch loves me. Somehow, despite all his defenses, the one thing he let inside…was me.
Suddenly overcome by a burst of love so powerful she was trembling, she wrapped her arms around her body to keep from throwing herself onto him. Hold it together, Poppy. You promised him. You promised to wait until our date.
She opened her eyes, staring at him, so temptingly close. But it's two days from now! I'm sure he'll reconsider, now that he's had a chance to sleep on it and get used to the idea that we're dating.
Slowly, she began to lean toward him. Just a little peck, to say good morning? He won't mind. I bet he'll even be glad I made the first move. He was yesterday.
Just before her nose brushed his, she stopped, her eyes flicking back and forth between his peacefully sleeping face to his lips, half-buried against the back of his hand. Seriously, who sleeps like that? Was he trying to keep me from kissing him?
The pink troll tried to pretend she was annoyed with him, but she knew it was really herself she was upset with. She sighed and drew back. For whatever strange reason, he asked me to wait. I can't break his trust. Not now.
She slid off the bed and began to walk to the bathroom to get ready for the festival. Maybe he's testing me… Wait, what's that?
She stopped by the low table, where a single scrapbook page that she did not recognize had been laid out. He must have gotten up during the night to make this. She picked it up to study it. It was similar to the last picture in the scrapbook she had created just after their original adventure in Bergentown.
But in this version, instead of a hug, atop a lofty mushroom an aquamarine troll shared a kiss with a pink troll, their hair lovingly entwined. At the base of the mushroom were all their friends, including Bridget, Gristle and some other bergens, all surrounded by a crowd of happy trolls.
But what caught her eye and made her smile was the small group in the forefront: several tiny trollings whose colors were reminiscent of her own and those of a very special troll in her life. And she couldn't wait to see what the future would hold for them all.
-O-
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Quote from Branch in the Trolls: The Beat Goes On, episode "Sorry Not Sorry":
The last thing I want is for you to be upset with me.
I lost sight of what mattered.
And you are the morning sun bringing light to my eyes.
Each moment we're apart, I feel like I'm missing a piece of myself.
Even though he's actually giving these lines to Gristle to say to Bridget, I have the feeling he's imagining himself speaking to Poppy, just as he was in the movie when he recited one of his Poppy poems for Bridget to say to Gristle.
Now, this is the second time we've seen Branch compare the subject of his poem to the sun, which is why I thought he might call Poppy his "Sunshine".
Also, in "You're the Hug for Me" he says, "There are certain clouds [trolls] who actually make your day brighter and your step lighter, and that's what you do for me."
So it seems to be a running theme. Poppy is literally the light of his life. And he's such a sweetheart when he's wearing his heart on his sleeve!
