A.N. Hey guys! I'd like to thank all of you who consoled and stood up for me when I announced I got my first flame. It really means I lot to me that people like my writing. Anyway, here I am with a new chapter! It took so long mostly because I was having trouble getting inspiration for it. Luckily it came to me, and here we are again! Hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: TROLLS BELONGS TO DREAMWORKS!
Now that Plum had gone, Branch really decided to put his heart on his sleeve.
Branch softly padded over to his soulmate, his heart feeling as if it had broken into a million shards.
He sunk to his knees, similar to how Poppy did back in the Chef's pot, and reached out a trembling hand, not even caring if it was gray or teal.
With the utmost of care, Branch began to stroke the bright pink troll hair, his head bowed in concern and sadness and his eyes closed.
"Oh, Poppy..." he murmured.
Tears ran down his cheeks, and, at the slowest pace possible...the very tips of his indigo hair began to turn black.
The Snack Pack gasped.
Suki had disbelief in her eyes.
"Guys...can me and Branch have some alone time?" she asked softly, turning to her friends.
The pack exchanged looks.
"Are you...sure about this, Suki? Branch may not want-" Biggie tried to say, but was cut off when the hot pink troll glared at him.
"True, Branch may not WANT alone time, but he NEEDS a friend right now. I don't care if you're speaking from past experience with him, but we need to focus on the teal Branch. And if I don't act now, the teal Branch will be gone for who knows how long!" she burst out.
"Careful, Suki!" started Satin.
"You know Dr. Plum said to-" continued Chenille.
"-watch your heart rate!" they warned together.
The DJ took a deep breath.
"If I promise to calm down, will you give me and Branch ALONE time?" she asked calmly.
The Snack Pack nodded vigorously, anything to protect their friend.
They all went to the kitchen, with one last warning from Guy Diamond: "Remember, stay in the chair!"
Once she was sure they were gone, Suki inhaled and exhaled slowly.
"I know I shouldn't do this...but Branch needs me..."
She got out of her chair, and, with a blanket around her, knelt next to Branch.
The going-gray troll's hair was currently at the quarter mark.
Suki put a hand on the survivalist's shoulder.
"Branch?"
He looked up, ready to yell at whoever was disturbing him.
As soon as he laid eyes on Suki, however, his anger was forgotten and the teal started to drain a bit faster.
"Suki? How...why are you over here? You know what the doctor said!"
The hot pink troll put a finger to his lips to silence him.
"I know...but you're turning gray...and-"
That drew Branch's attention to his hair, which was half black and half indigo.
He looked at her.
"What does it matter?"
"It matters because I care about you. "
"Well, POPPY cared about me, and now she's going to die!" he spat out, and turned to his unresponsive love.
"How do you know that? She's always been a fighter, and she won't let pneumonia take her away from you. She's going to get better," Suki tried to console the other troll.
"And what if she doesn't? The world isn't all cupcakes and rainbows, Suki! Bad things happen...and there's NOTHING you can do about it." Branch echoed his words from the journey with Poppy.
His hair was completely black.
Not one to give up, Suki continued.
"I know that. We all realized it the minute the horrible Chef crashed the craziest party ever. But you don't have to look at the glass half-empty all the time."
"Well, I do! ...I bet you don't even know what it's like to lose a loved one," Branch growled at her.
Silence reigned for a few minutes, all the time it took for Branch's head to turn completely gray.
"...Actually, I do."
The survivalist's ear pricked up, showing he was listening.
"My grandparents died before I hatched out of my pod, so I never got to meet them. When I was five, my best friend was my dad. He's the one who convinced me to be a DJ," Suki explained.
"Well, that happiness wasn't to last. Soon after he taught me how to needle-scratch...I learned he got eaten by a Bergen. And just five years later, my mom got terminally ill and died," her voice said forlornly.
"My colors dimmed significantly, but not enough for me to go completely gray. Seeing as I was still young, Peppy decided to take me in until I could get a pod of my own. That's how I first met Poppy. She helped me get my colors back, and also helped me deal with the pain so I could become a DJ," finished Suki.
Branch was speechless.
Suki looked up, a few tears running down her cheeks.
"You just got your colors back a month ago, and Poppy wouldn't want you to go gray because of her. Please...don't give up all hope..."
By now, the last bit of color was about to vanish from Branch's toes...but it stopped...and started growing.
After a few seconds, the teal color had returned.
Branch looked at his friend and smiled softly.
"I won't. I promise you that right now."
But then he started, just realizing something.
"You need to get back to your chair! The last thing I want is for you to develop complications!"
Suki laughed, and allowed the teal troll to help her get settled again.
Once he was sure she was seated, Branch turned back to Poppy and put a hand on her forehead.
His eyes grew wide in disbelief, and he felt her cheeks.
"Is her fever...lower?" he murmured, his eyes lighting up.