#started with floyd and branch. then it moved to him and bruce. then him and jd. its only a matter of time before clay gets thrown in

[yippee-optimistically]

broppy 😿 trolls 3 was sooo good i spent like 5 hours watching all the movies back to back and you should too

bonus bruce ↓

[fabuloustrash05]

[After coming home from his date with Poppy]

Branch: Poppy kissed me!

John Dory: No way!

Floyd: Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!

Branch: It was unbelievable...

Floyd: Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!

John Dory: Okay, alright, we wanna hear everything! Bruce, unplug the phone. Branch, does this end well or is Floyd going to need tissues?

Branch: Oh it ended very well.

Clay: Do not start without me! Do not start without me!!

Bruce: Alright, let's hear about the kiss. Was it like a soft brush against your lips or was it like a "I gotta have you now" kinda thing?

Branch: Well, at first it was really intense and then... we just sorta sunk into it...

Floyd: So were you holding her or were her hands like on your back?

Branch: No, actually first she pulled me close to her by grabbing my vest... and then I moved my hands up to hold hers...

Brozone: Awww...

[cut to Poppy eating cupcakes with Viva]

Poppy: And then I kissed him.

Viva: Tongue?

Poppy: Yeah.

Viva: Cool.

[missescalientee]

You think there's a universe where jd also took Branch with jade and the egg

Most likely!!

He knows he's Lief's Uncle but I think due to their ages being so close he'd act and feel more like a big brother

Some personality and design notes plus bonus beneath the cut

Post Jade disappearance Branch becomes extra protective of Lief since he's promised Jade he'd take care of him when he was a baby and he takes those kind of promises seriously!

I think his personality would be a mix of canon and what I like to call his bitty B persona which allows him to be a bit more laid back, he's still p sarcastic but in a more charismatic and charming way rather than biting with his words. He does have a few paranoid and obsessive traits due to growing up in the woods with two people who are barely adults that are learning to live on their own and raise two kids plus again he also feels like he has to be Lief's caretaker.

Also while obsessive traits can manifest due to circumstances there is a hereditary aspect which I feel runs in their family.

Since Branch never got the chance to have his heart to heart with Floyd he never got Floyd's vest. Branch occasionally wears Floyd's old pink vest but his default is the puffy jacket JD had made for him in his signature color! His signature glasses have become goggles and he wears cargo shorts with matching fingerless gloves! Plus bitty B bangs!

Bonus!!

This reminded me of an ai me and @spjs had where it was an if Lost Opportunity and Not the only one were the same au

So basically JD and Jade are actually Branch's parents, but due to being so young they told everyone Branch was their brother ( so only Jade, JD, and Rosiepuff know Branch is their kid)

Fast forward and now Jade has Lief's egg but is too afraid to say anything, she confides in Rosiepuff who ends up revealing the secret during the big fight at the start of TBT in an effort to keep them all from leaving. Bruce still leaves cuz that's not his problem and Floyd still leaves to start his solo career but Clay stays behind.

I'm p sure management of the band moved to Clay and they still had a few performances under a new name!

Here's some old doodles I found from it!

I think Clay still ends up at the hole n fun and because n2 au is in there Floyd does come back post grandma death to live with them! Thats as much as we got with the whole thing! Branch was still very protective of Lief and Lief even moreso of Branch cuz that's his big brother and no one is going to tell him otherwise

[imasoftieforbarb]

reactions and headcanons of brozone about: how would they fell about y/n having an egg?(once married ofc) sorry if too much

John Dory

Definitely hubby material

Van life with you and him?

Chef kiss

Ok

He definitely gives malewife vibes

Because he’s so used to being the responsible one

But he also deserves a break so you split all the chores in half

You surprise him with your pregnancy announcement by giving him a cup that says “worlds greatest Dad”

He’s shocked

Like he goes still and you worry- what if he doesn’t want children? It wasn’t a planned thing

And then he just scoops you up in arms and twirls you around

So many happy tears

Instantly tells everyone possible he’s gonna be a dad

That might is now his favorite mug- but he refuses to use it until the baby is born

Those chores that you split? He is now taking on all of them so you can focus on the baby

Likes to speak to the egg, honestly he’s so sweet with it

Definitely plays brozone through headphones around the egg (“John what are you doing?” “I want them to have good taste”)

Clay

He gave up his admin house for you

Y’all still live in Putt Putt village (because I say so)

Viva moves to Pop village so he goes from co runner to leader

So y’all get her room/house

Being married to Clay is so chill

He’s so sweet and literally talks about you non stop even though more often that not you’re with him whilst he’s working

He found out about the pregnancy when you gave him a mini matching green sweater romper

He was like

“Thanks! Not sure if it’ll fit me but I love it anyway!”

It takes him a moment

He leaves the room then runs back in pointing at you like he’s in law and order

“YOURE PREGNANT?!?”

You are now on permanent bed rest

Likes to baby talk to the egg and sing it songs

Buys the new furniture immediately and then starts baby proofing the house

He’s determined to give this kid the best childhood

Bruce

When he marries you, that’s when he decides to change his name to Bruce

Y’all still open the restaurant on Vaycay island

You become the cutest couple on the island so fast

BEACH WEDDING

He definitely tears up whilst reading his vows

“Oh I’m crying…” *you pass him a q-tip* “what’s a q-tip gonna do?!”

Treats you like a queen

Another malewife vibe haver

But it’s not as strong

Y’all were already planning on having a big family

So when you tell him you’re having twins by making dinner, but putting two lil high chairs by the door

He sees them

And goes WILD

“What- is that? Does that mean? TWINS?!?!”

He’s so happy, so many happy tears whilst y’all hug

“Uh- honey? Who’s watching the stove?” “Oh shit…”

Floyd

Dedicated husband fr fR

Has photos of you everywhere

Gets drunk and gets so happy when you tell him you’re his wife not his girlfriend

“THis IS myY WiFE”

Everyone knows don’t worry

Always talked about having kids but didn’t plan for it

Well he did (but only in his lil dreams)

Then one day you made his dreams come true

He got home from hanging out with Branch

(Who you’d asked to keep him distracted)

And he comes home to a really big home cooked meal

And a decorated boiled egg

He goes to eat said egg- but you tell him to break it open

“Why?” “It’s a surprise hun- I’m not supposed to tell you”

Inside is a lil parenting book called ‘daddy and I’

Silence, smile on his face

Tears rolling down his face before he stands up and walked over to you putting the book down on the table

Wraps you up in a such a soft hug that you start crying too

Peppers kisses all over your face

“You really do make my dreams come true”

Doesn’t tell his brothers immediately- wants you to himself

Makes sure you’re careful with doing everything

Just likes to lie down on the bed with you and the egg and put his hand softly on the surface (he cries a lil bit everytime)

When he eventually tells people- it’s completely by accident

[storyteller-trollfan]

Little something expanding on this idea.

One by one they started to notice.

A flinch here, a step away there.

Branch avoided touch as frequently as he could get away with.

The first to notice was Floyd.

While Floyd was recovering from the Mount Rageous fiasco he found himself reminiscing about the past.

Branch had been the cuddliest baby the brothers had ever met, always taking any opportunity to be cuddled or held by one of them. And Floyd had been his favorite to cuddle with.

Reminiscing gave way to longing and in his still tired and hurting self he found himself making Branch a request.

A cuddle, just like old times.

Had he been a bit more awake he would've noticed how Branch looked startled, insecure. But he wasn't, and with eyes half closed he watched Branch give a hesitant nod.

They laid in Branch's nest together for 5 minutes tops before Floyd took notice of how stiff Branch was, like he was ready to bold at a moments notice, his eyes were screwed shut and he almost looked in pain.

But before Floyd could ask if Branch was okay, JD's voice came from the hall, something about needing help to clean the critter he caught for dinner.

Branch muttered an apology and bolted to the door, leaving Floyd with more questions than answers.

Then Clay noticed.

One late afternoon after the Puff-puff trolls settled down in Pop village.

Clay had moved in with Branch, after so many years of hiding he felt more secure in the bunker than in a pod out in the open.

Plus, Branch had a wonderful selection of books in his personal library.

He has been browsing it while Branch sat at his desk pondering over a set of blueprints, he had told Clay that he was planning on expanding his food storage now that the bunker was housing more than one troll.

It hasn't been intentional, but Clay got curious about the project and tried to look over Branch's shoulder, putting a hand on the opposite side to keep his balance.

Branch shot up into the desk the moment Clay's hand made contact with his shoulder, hair tightly graphed around Clay's wrist.

For a second, Clay could see something wild in his brother's eyes, something he had only seen in trapped critters.

And the next Branch was falling over himself with apologies, hands gingerly holding his wrist up to see if there was any damage.

What had just happened?

Bruce was next.

Bruce always gave the best hugs. That was a fact of life and something all the brothers could agree on.

Baby Branch was the one who loved his hugs the most, loving to be in Bruce's arms as much as he was allowed.

And Bruce had loved it too, the baby's happy giggles often being the highlight of his day.

Now, on his most recent visit, he and Branch had been laying on the floor, browsing some old photo albums with the intention of chosing some to take back to Vacay Island for his family to see.

It was really a trip down memory lane, from pictures from his own days as an egg to those of the year he left. Each one giving him a new wave of nostalgia and longing.

One particular picture tugging extra hard on his heartstrings.

Freshly hatched Branch clinging to Bruce's neck as a smiling Bruce held him close.

It was titled "Baby Branch's first hug".

Bruce turned to comment about the memory to Branch when he noticed a small, fond smile in Branch's face and he found himself filled with an overwhelming urge to remind his baby brother of how much he loved him.

His arms were quicker than his mouth and they were around his brother before he could say a word.

And while his mouth was busy with a retelling of that first day of Branch's life his mind couldn't help but take notice of the tense shoulders and the rigid body in his arms.

He's tempted to ask, to use his dad voice to hopefully get an answer out of the clamped up troll beside him. But instead he drops the hug and takes to distracting and redirecting Branch with more stories.

The questions could wait.

And John Dory was last, but not really.

He had noticed from the beginning, but he refused to believe it.

Refused to believe that his littlest baby brother had gone through enough to be weary of touch.

Because John knew what it took to get like that.

But he couldn't refuse the truth any longer, not after his own scripted movements and touches still made Branch jump.

He made sure to keep his touch as quick and non invasive as possible but even those made Branch flinch most of the time.

It was time for them all to really talk.

To learn what those 20 years had made of all of them, and how could they help each other to heal from the damage.

It was time for JD to be their big brother again.

Time for then to be a family again.

[jessoloslemons]

Haha guys what if one of Brozone's parents is actually alive? And so when the brothers were performing at Pop village one evening (Poppy prepped a huge party for them), both Bruce and John noticed the familiar face in the audience. Since they were the only ones who actually knew and met their parents, their younger brothers were unfazed, still singing and dancing their hearts out.

Bruce immediately sets his eyes on John, terrified and worried, not knowing what to do, and John's eyes are not there to meet his, his gaze locked on their parent, an unreadable expression on his face.

the world around them slows, the cheers of the crowd muffled out, the music sounding garbled.

Soon, Floyd starts to notice his older brothers' steps turn sloppy and out of time.

And when John almost trips while doing a move he could usually do with ease, and Bruce forgets a few lyrics to a song they know he knows by heart, Branch and Clay also start to realize that something was wrong, both of them sharing glances at each other, and then seeing Floyd also sharing the same concerned and confused look they wore.

When the number finally ends, they call for an intermission [Branch wordlessly asking one from Poppy with a look only she would understand], and leave the stage.

Almost not even hearing the questions the younger three had, John trips over himself as he scampers through the backstage, hurriedly running outside, and Bruce right behind him, an anxious look in his face, could only tell them to stay put before disappearing out the door himself.

The remaining brothers (clearly worried and not planning on listening) eventually run after them, wanting to get to the bottom of this. Branch becomes the last to run, first telling Poppy to find someone else to perform for the meanwhile.

--

Thoughts?

[draco-after-dark]

Feral! JD au

Info dump time weeeeeeeee

HATES music (Mainly his old Brozone songs)

If he hears the song "Perfect" start playing anywhere he beelines for the speaker and yeets that shit into tomorrow (rip that one kid's b-day party)

Talking is difficult since he hasn't used his voice in years but secretly practices by himself

Gruff voice

Hissing, grumbling, rumbling, scoffing, huffing and growling are his main ways of communicating until he relearns to start talking

Branch and Clay are the main ones to reteach him but Bruce and Floyd also help. Poppy and Viva too

He cannot read, like at all (Clay figured this one out pretty quickly)

Tends to stand and stare alot (at first this kinda creeped all the brothers out but then they all collectively realized it was his way of spending time with them)

Has a sixth-sense of when one of his brothers is having a bad day

Big sharp claws

Floyd once watched JD pick a lock with his claws and doesn't know whether to be impressed or concerned

Runs on all four but can still walk and everything (its just faster for him on all him on all four)

gets the zoomies

Parkor

will bite as a warning

s t r o n k

perching on high objects/things

will smack shit

cat behavor zero table top items are safe

His goggles got shattered because he headbutted one of those spiders from the first movie once to scare it off. He was sad about breaking them but still has them

Fur cape because he may be feral but still has style (caveman royalty fit)

Master at hid and seek, tag or any game that involes moving quickly

Became grey when he relized that Branch (and mostly likely the rest of the family) were all dead or eaten after the events when he returned to the tolls tree

Keeps memorabilia in his hair from each brother

When he first got captured by Velvent and Veneer they were thrilled but then imediatly scared of him so they shoved him in a bottle and put him in the closet cause he was to loud

Veneer had to get a Rabies shot because JD bit him (multiple times)

Veneer "Does this look infected to you???"

Velvect couldn't use him in the sholder pads because he was too loud and they couldn't get him to be quiet so he was left behind

Claustraphobia go brrrrrrrrr

He did not have a good time in the diamond prison

Oh god I didn't realized how long this would be and its not even everthing oop. any gonna do crawl back into my grave byeeeee

[lixxen]

Idk how well text posts do on Trolls Tumblr, but I have so many thoughts rn and want to talk about feral Branch details.

Feral Branch HC:

Branch has fur, claws on both his feet and hands, his ears move like a cat, and he can see better in the dark

"Feral Trolls" are gray trolls who have adapted from being away from others. Trolls have a built in instinct that recognizes strength in numbers. You see this with rainbow trolls being able to change their colors/auras, and all trolls being able to manipulate their hair. Gray trolls cannot change their aura, but they are around others so they can stay normal

But isolated gray trolls biologically change due to them not being around others. This happens over years, and not automatic. Once a troll changes like this, they cannot undo it. So this is why Branch cannot go back to "normal" physically, even tho he isn't gray and around others

(there's also a psychological/self actualization part. Gray trolls tend to see themselves as the problem and rainbow trolls end up more likely to becoming "feral" looking due to their ability to change their aspects.)

All genres have feral trolls, all presenting differently. Rock and pop are the most similar since they are the two physically closest looks wise

Normal trolls are omnivores, but eat more plants since their digestive systems and body needs focus more on plants. Feral trolls need more meat, but are still omnivorses

If I can get psychological, a lot of their "feral tendencies" are actually just trauma responses and bad socialization issues due to isolation. A lot of responses are stemmed from fear and anger, so lashing out/growling/swiping at others is normally out of fear or response. Plus having to survive in the wild, y'know?

Okay. Done with that part, let's get into Branch!

Branch likes to be in trees and high ground. It comes from living in a pod in the troll tree, but he lives in the bunker because it's safer. So you'll find him in trees normally because he likes being high

Branch normally hibernates during the winter, but ever since he met Poppy he stopped hibernating. This makes him horribly grumpy during the snow season

Not shown: Branch loving his ears to be scratched. Her more sensitive than normal and he loves them being pet. He also loves to lay on top of people. It comes from the need of warmth and him thinking that others need warmth.

He wouldn't lick others, since they don't have fur. But if he's around other feral trolls he'd definitely lick them.

His parents were both half rock and half pop trolls. They both looked like rainbow pop trolls, and the rock parent (dad) did not live in the troll tree. Grandma Rosiepuff was the maternal grandmother and a pop troll

The parents names were Briar and Melody

Branch has the need to burrow all the time. It comes from years in the bunker and from hiding from danger in the earlier years. You will see him burried in someone's bed probably.

Branch is really good at math and science once he starts learning and back into the village. It comes naturally to him. He wants to be a pod architect because it comes naturally to him

Clay and Bruce follow the same thing, where Clay really likes accounting and Bruce loves to run business.

Floyd is the best at performing, with JD behind him. JD though is actually really good at taking care of others and survival. Surprisingly JD can garden and keep a ton of plants alive to feed himself.

Branch and Clay are autistic with different levels of support needed. Branch needs less support while Clay needs more. Thought I'd mention this.

Clay and Viva were best friends before the Troll Tree attack. The others did not know this. Viva and JD are the ones that helped Clay learn better coping mechanisms when the band started to sour

Branch is more sensitive to sound and light. He hates fireworks and doesn't like to be touched unless he knows the person

Ablaze is the one who mainly is teaching Branch coping mechanisms for his PTSD. Poppy is his support throughout everything, but she doesn't know how to help someone heal.

Branch mandates Kismet group cuddles. This dude it touched starved and they’re the only ones he is comfortable like that other than Poppy

Even after Branch is able to speak again, as he was nonverbal when he met Poppy and by Trolls 2 he is speaking again, he prefers to be quiet and doesn't talk as much. It is simply preference at this point

Branch likes to interlock his tail with Poppy's when they're not touching, but close enough :)

I might do more later, but I am about to go into work :)

[misscinnamonroll16]

You want more headcanons? No? Well that's too damn bad. Some of these are from a fanfic I'm writing (I'll post it once it's done)

Floyd can tell when his brothers are upset and will pester them until they talk about

Jd has so much pent up emotions. It started when he basically took over taking care of his brothers. He felt he needed to be happy so they could be happy.

Bruce may not have cooked when they were young but he watched how their grandma cooked and kind of memorized.

John Dory is constantly tense, his muscles are so tightly wound that he feels like solid muscle. The other bros think it's just bc he's been so active all these years until he finally relaxes a little.

Once back together, branch falls into the annoying little brother role. Taking embarrassing pictures and showing them to anyone (bonus points if it's a potential partner), and telling embarrassing secrets

Branch will never let them live down leaving him (if you know, you know 😂)

Clay and Floyd scare the crap out of the others. Clay because he's been silently walking around for the past two decades and Floyd because hes just a light stepper.

Bruce is a light sleeper, having kids made that worse (or better depending on how you view it)

Floyd sleeps V quietly. The type of sleep where you think they've died bc they haven't moved and you can't tell if you're imagining them breathing

JD snores. Like super loudly. But sleeps similar to Bruce, where he could wake up at the drop of a hat. He developed that tactic when they were kids and he heard one of his bros wake up in the middle of the night.

Floyd's voice is soft and comforting, the type to talk kidnappers about their childhood and how it lead them down this path.

John Dory will use his goggles to hide his eyes when he's been crying or hasn't slept in a long time. Did this when he'd stay up all night writing one of their songs or to hide the fact that he had been crying

John is painfully independent. Will refuse help despite the fact that he needs it most.

John Dory constantly uses the excuse that he's the oldest so he "doesn't need help" and "can take care of himself" and it infuriates his brothers to no end now that they're adults and realize that it's happening

It gets to a point where they practically have to tie JD down and force him to relax

Clay walks into walls while reading bc he walks while reading. The others find it funny until it happens several times in a row. Sometimes they "redirect" him before he walks into a wall, like a roomba

Floyd and Clay are little shits.

Clay got his head stuck in one of these at one of their first concerts. Him and Floyd (and technically Branch but he was being carried) were walking along when Clay got the "bright" idea to sit his head through, convinced he wouldn't get stuck. Clay sent Floyd to get help from spruce, who had to be the mature one and not laugh at him. Spruce just pushes his ears in and he pops right out. Once they turn to walk away Clay does it again, after getting him out again Spruce just picks him up like a sleeping bag under his arm.

Clay constantly made bets he couldn't keep. "Bet you five bucks I can do this or that." Mainly with Floyd bc Floyd wouldn't hold him to it

[lemony-and-zesty]

Your au has hit me with the hyper-fixation stick. If I became annoying, I’m sorry.

How does everyone react/feel about JD being a hitman and him being so different from the brother they knew

And how does JD feel about himself being so different

I am sorry for taking a while to get to this but man I am so devastated by this question - especially the last part. And I wanna do right by it so I’ve been thinkin about it really hard.

I’m putting it under the read more, not just cause it got long, but it also got kinda,,, sad haha.

I’m thinkin they all have that initial reaction of “You’re a WHAT” ofc but it’s what comes directly before and after that that i really wanna nail down right.

Honestly I don’t even know which brother to start with 😭,,

I guess Floyd.

He’s shocked, of course, when he sees JD for the first time. Why’s he covered in so many scars? What could’ve possibly happened to him?

Why does Floyd feel like he’s seen him like this before

The main thing is trying to speak with him beyond just hellos. JD always seems to find some excuse to run off when Floyd’s involved.

It’s almost like he has to treat his oldest brother like a scared animal that’ll flee if he moves too quickly.

Floyd doesn’t know how he feels about that.

Once he finds out about it, he’s horrified. Both of and for John Dory. They’ve all been through so much, but this feels like something else entirely. He can see how affected he is and he’s devastated.

—

Next up is Clay.

He’d be the most,, angry,, about it all I think.

When he first sees John he’s quick to brush him off (like in canon) and that’s about the extent of it for a while. He honestly barely notices cause he’s too focused on his other brothers - especially Floyd.

It takes a long while for him to warm up to JD, and it doesn’t help that a lot of that bossiness JD had is still there. But he can tell he’s trying. Hell, they’re both trying. But Clay can’t help this feeling of unease that he gets around JD.

When he finds out,, god I can’t imagine anything but him getting furious and screaming at him. I feel like he’d storm off before even hearing JD out. He’d probably only be able to be calmed by one of his other brothers or Viva.

—

Bruce is mostly shocked at how quiet his older brother is. JD was a lot of things, but quiet was never one of them.

Honestly, much like Clay, a lot of things fly over Bruce’s head cause JD tends to just,, fade into the background when they’re all together.

And, y’know, it’s not easy to talk it out when he deflects and runs away from anything that gets anywhere close to what he got up to the past 20 years.

Bruce doesn’t want to pry, but he’s worried. The man before him is so unlike his older brother and it makes him nervous.

Once he finds out he’s devastated for his brother. Especially once JD explains the situation with the boss. And though it sounds kind of awful, Bruce can’t help but feel happy when JD finally cracks and explains it all to them, cause that’s the most like himself he’s seemed in a long time.

—

Branch is a bit of a tough one. Especially since she finds out well before the others,, what with JD being hired to target Poppy and all.

She’s furious when he first shows up, and even more so when she finds out who he is. Cause how could he do this? How could he leave her for twenty years only to come back and threaten to take away the one person she cared for most?

But, she needs him to help save Floyd, so she buries it and moves on. Still never letting herself be comfortable around him.

During the journey she finds herself noticing little things about John Dory. The way he carries himself, the way he tends to get lost in his thoughts. How he always seemed to be on guard.

She can’t help but feel a twinge of,, something.

He seems so much like she did back before she got her colors back.

She really doesn’t know how to feel about that.

When the truth comes out she’s horrified, but she can’t find it in her to blame JD too much. Not with how he describes the boss.

—

Overall, they’re just,, worried about him.

As for the target of all their worries? How does he feel about it all? Honestly, it’s pretty simple.

John Dory hates himself.

He hates every single thing about himself.

He tore his family apart, and almost like that wasn’t enough he just had to tear everyone else’s families apart too.

That’s the worst part, he thinks.

Every target, every hit, every kill. They had families. And all because of John’s mistakes, those families are ripped to shreds.

He can’t even stand to look at his own reflection cause every part of him just serves to remind him of everything he’s done.

Sometimes, especially after fleeing his boss and saving Floyd, he considers running again.

He considers just,, leaving and going back to the Neverglades and just letting the beasts tear him to pieces. At least like that he couldn’t hurt anyone else.

—

But yeah. That’s the gist of it :]

It’s a rough situation but I like to think they manage to navigate it.

Eventually,,

[starrayblogs]

Not So Rock-Hearted || Floyd (Trolls) x Reader

a/n: hey! another one :3 lots of playful stuff in this chapter, i feel like i kinda wrote floyd out of character? but honestly if you really think about it, i don't think he was ever a shy guy so hm... well, have a fun read! likes and reblogs are appreciated as always

✩ previous chapter

ii. The Music's On

It’s the first day of the weekend. Barb agreed to let you ride to Pop Village every weekend to catch up with Viva, but that you’d need to be back by the morning of the weekday. Now you’re on your way to Pop Village with the sun high in the sky.

The sun was starting to set by the time you saw a pod. You pick up the speed on your motorcycle and start to see more pods. You’ve arrived back in Pop Village. Now, you have to look for Branch’s bunker. Poppy suggested having a party there to catch up quietly with just a small group.

You receive a few whispers and pointing fingers as you ride through the place, and you pick up the pace. You park your bike by a big stone, a bit further away from the pods, that has a rug that says ‘Go Away’. You chuckle at it.

“Now, where is Branch’s bunker?" You talk to yourself, stepping away from your bike to head to the village. Until you see a familiar troll with pink hair, not forgetting the white fade too. You raise your hand and give a small wave, which he returns with a smile. “Floyd, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. I just have a small question, do you know where Branch’s bunker is?” You ask.

“Oh, it’s… It’s right behind you.” He chuckles, pointing behind you.

You turn behind you and look at the rock up and down. “Pretty hardcore…” You give a nod of approval. “You got invited to the party too?” You turn back to him.

“Of course, I wanna catch up with my brothers.” Floyd walks past you to walk to the bunker. You follow behind him. You watch as he knocks on the rock, which produces a hollow sound like a door.

“Okay, this rock can’t bring me any more surprises.” You wave your arms away from you. A section of the rug slides open to reveal a set of eyes, causing a startled ‘what the!?’ to come out of you. Floyd hides his chuckle behind his hand.

“The rug had a surprise for you.” He comments.

“Real funny, Cotton Candy.” You roll your eyes at him while smirking before meeting the eyes under the rug.

“You two finally made it.” The entire rug slides away and reveals Branch, who motions for you two to hop down. You look to Floyd to see if he’d go first, but seeing as he doesn’t take the opportunity to jump right ahead, you jump in.

“You think you can follow that?” You cross your arms as you look up at him.

He lets out a snicker before jumping down like you. You give him a nod before turning to Branch. You watch him place the rug back in place before pulling a lever. The floor beneath you starts to move downward. “Man, you just get cooler.” You direct your eyes to Branch, leaning on the lever.

“Thank you.” Branch says, grateful, even giving a little bow. You chuckle. 

The platform stops, and you notice that you’re back on the ground, in front of a small group. There’s JD, Bruce, and Clay all together and poking around the stuff on the walls. Viva and Poppy are sitting on the floor, talking and giggling with each other.

The three of you catch the attention of the rest, who cheer at your arrival. Viva hops from the floor and rushes to hug you. “You’re finally here! We can get this party started!” She moves her arm around your side, walking you with her to Poppy.

“Welcome! We brought snacks, oh- and there’s a karaoke machine if we want!” Poppy pats the floor next to her before pointing to the mentioned karaoke machine at the side. You hum, removing your guitar strap and propping the instrument against a nearby wall.

“Snacks? You guys should’ve told me, I would’ve brought something.” You chuckle, taking a seat next to Viva.

“Please, it’s okay! Here, have some menudo from Bruce’s cantina.” Poppy gets up as quickly as she returns with a bowl for you. You nod your head as a thanks, blowing away the steam.

“Oh my gosh, I have so many questions! First of all, hello? You’re a rock troll! How’s that work?” Viva asks, sitting cross-legged and leaning forward to you.

“Oh, me too. I would’ve never thought you were one of us.” Poppy adds, lying on her stomach with her face in her hands.

“Well, I don’t know either,” you shrug. “Since I got to Volcano Rock City, I never really sang or did pop anymore? Kinda left it behind me…” You take a bite of menudo, nodding your head in approval at its deliciousness.

“Why did you go to Volcano Rock City?” Viva asks.

“I didn’t. At first, I left Pop Village to look for you…” You look quietly at Viva for a while before clearing your throat. “I lost hope after a while, but I didn’t want to go back to Pop Village. I didn’t want to see King Peppy after he lied about no troll being left behind. Next thing I know, I'd get left behind if there was another attack.” You scoff until you notice both of their connections to the man. “No offense, by the way.”

“None taken!” Poppy and Viva say in unison. “I get it.”

You nod your head. “So, after a few days wandering about in the wild, Barb found me. Took me back to her place, and I learned all about the different kinds of trolls.” You take another bite. “Then, I got a sick makeover.” You motion to yourself with a smile.

“You know, I haven’t really heard the other kinds of music…” Viva purses her lips, making eye contact with you.

“Viva, no.” You laugh, pointing the spoon at her. “I doubt there’s even a rock song in that karaoke machine.” You scoop up some menudo into your mouth.

“But you have your guitar!” Viva protests, and you raise a brow at her while you chew.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve actually heard a full rock song either.” Poppy encourages Viva’s prompt, which causes you to facepalm. Both of them begin to place their hands together in a pleading motion.

“What’s all this about?” Clay approaches your little circle.

“They’re trying to get me to sing a song.” You roll your head back to meet his eyes, before lazily facing the two girls again. “Still not happening, by the way.”

“Aww, amiga, please! It’s been a while since I’ve heard you sing too!” Viva shakes her conjoined hands at you, and you laugh a little.

“My voice is gonna be completely different from what you remember.” You prolong the last vowel with a playful smirk. “You might not like it.”

“What’s this I hear about singing?” JD joins in, along with the other Brozone bros next to him. You let out a mix of a groan and a laugh.

Poppy giggles, sitting up properly. “You’ve got an audience now, come on! You can’t keep us away from that rock’n’roll!” She says, raising her fist in the air.

“Mhm, mhm, yeah.” You set your finished bowl of menudo to the side. Eventually, almost all of them start to encourage you to play a song, and you keep nodding your head in amusement until you make eye contact with Floyd.

There’s a small smile on his face that pulls at you. 

You clear your throat and look away as the group quiets down for you to hear him speak. “You can’t follow up your stunt earlier?” He says with a teasing, but encouraging tone.

“Ha, of course, I can.” You send him a quick smile before rising from the floor, ruffling up your hair more as you make your way to pick up your guitar.

“Yes!” Viva cheers, even jumping from the ground a bit. “Wait, what stunt?” She turns to Floyd, who looks away and shrugs his shoulders.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you about my voice.” You point at Viva as you wear your guitar strap, adjusting the strings to make sure they’re good to play. You watch as Brozone sits down next to the girls, forming a little audience in front of you.

“This is exciting.” Bruce comments, and you chuckle. “I wonder what rock sounds like.”

“It sounds like this.” You start to play the notes of the opening on your guitar, breaking eye contact with them to focus on the music. Your foot taps to the rhythm, and your body rocks a bit.

Here I am Rock you like a hurricane

You can hear the ‘oh’s and ‘wow’s from the trolls in front of you, making you smile a bit.

Here I am  Rock you like a hurricane

You raise your head and exaggerate your expressions to the lyrics, leaning forward to interact with them.

My body is burning, it starts to shout Desire is coming, it breaks out loud Lust is in cages ‘til storm breaks loose

You smirk, pointing the headstock at a certain troll on the floor while you play the strings. You tilt your head to the side as you sing the following lyrics.

Just have to make it with someone I choose

You don’t look away when Floyd’s eyes noticeably widen, his posture straightening at the sudden pin of attention. You quickly pull the headstock away from him and focus back on performing the song, occasionally picking him out of the crowd again more often than the others.

You finish the riff and raise your head with a smirk, breathing heavily as you receive applause. “I hope you all enjoyed your premiere dose of rock’n’roll.” You pose the signature rock sign, before placing your guitar away again. 

“That was…!” Viva starts, but she stammers to find a word, before letting a hand out to you. “What is it you say!?”

“Sick?” You smirk, placing a hand on your hip.

“That was sick!” Viva’s arms raise to the sky again, a grin on her face. “Your voice is so booming, I would’ve never thought you could sing like that back then!” She waves her hands happily.

Your smirk turns to a soft smile at her words. “Thanks, Veev.”

“I was totally not expecting that.” Clay comments. “That was awesome!”

You tilt your head toward him and cross your arms. “I think I get to encourage a performance now.” You smirk, which makes the troll’s eyes widen in surprise. “Brozone, right? I’ve never heard a single thing from you guys.” You remark, setting your guitar up on a wall.

You watch as the brothers look amongst each other, considering if they should perform or not. Your eyes drift from Clay to Floyd, who immediately meets your eye. You smirk.

“You think you can follow after me?” You ask, and he gives a sided smile with a tilted head, before turning to his brothers again.

“I mean, why not? It’s only fair.” He encourages them, receiving an affirming response.

“While the night’s young.” You spread your arms to the side as if handing them the stage, walking forward to sit with Poppy and Viva as the audience. “You too, you know?” You tell the girls.

“Oh psh, that’s easy.” Poppy giggles. You watch as the karaoke machine is messed with by JD, who is finding one of their old songs to sing.

Eventually, they conclude and position themselves for the song. As the karaoke is set to go, their harmony surprises you as it overpowers even the set instrumental of the machine.

You watch them perform with a relaxed smile, your hands leaning behind you as your head slightly bops to the beat.

Did anybody notice?

You watch as Floyd dances in the center, making eye contact with you. He extends his arm in your direction with a smile and a glint in his eye.

The energy just shifted When we dropped in, ooh Let it drop in

You let out a small laugh to yourself as your shoulders rise to your neck. Your smile only widens when you subconsciously find your eyes focused on him throughout the entire performance.

Viva purses her lips when she looks at you, who doesn’t even notice her gaze. She turns to her sister, nudging her side and glancing at you again. Poppy follows her eyes, looking at you and where you’re looking. 

Poppy lets out a soft gasp, and Viva grins. Unknown to you, they gossip with each other while the music plays for the night.

✩ next chapter

[trollsbywhirl]

A photo of the day Magma told the oldest four brothers that they were going to have another little sibling.

It takes a while but Magma does eventually (slowly) regain her colors. About a year later something extraordinary happens: she has an egg. By this point it's been almost 4 years since Lilypad's death. If you read my post about troll babies, you'll know that trolls can reproduce by themselves, which is what happened here. Branch's egg isn't something she actively wished for or expected to happen, but he's here now and she couldn't be happier!

However, it's a little different for the brothers. John Dory is worried that he's going to have to take care of his little sibling on mom's bad days and that it'll add to his responsibility. Bruce is upset that branch's egg is here at all, not wanting their mom to feel like she can "start again" and move past Lilypad's death. Clay is anxious as hell about how this will change the family's already established routines and dynamics. The oldest 3 all agree that its not really responsible of her to have an egg she might not be able to care for every day, which is a very fair point. The only one who isn't conflicted is Floyd, who is just happy to not be the baby anymore.

Branch never gets to meet Magma, though. She dies defending his egg on Trollstice, and he hatches parentless a few days later.

It's extremely difficult on all of them , and they all end up very grateful that branch wasn't cognitively developed enough to remember the days where they had mixed feelings or outright resentment towards him. Sure, they loved him from the start, but it's hard to remember that sometimes when you've just lost your only remaining parent and now you have to help raise your baby sibling that she left behind.

[vanillablankcanvas]

You have a headcanon/idea for broppy proposal (they both proposed at the same time and it's cute)

But what about other brothers. Did they propose? Were they proposed to? Any ideas?

TROLLS PROPOSING

I keep changing my mind how I picture the Broppy proposal. My post planned out what basically everyone else is doing during, but not really the whole set up for the actual proposal.

Branch and Poppy Proposal

Poppy is hard to surprise.

If he steps one TOE into a jewelry store, the whole village would immediately know what's coming, so he makes the ring himself.

All those invitations he kept? He used them to spell out 'Will You Marry Me?'

And you know as he was actually speaking the words she also pulled out a ring and asked him.

Clay and Viva Proposal

With the Bergens help they moved a bunch of the Hole n Funs buildings to Pop Village.

It left the Hole n Fun practically empty.

Viva knew this was a good plan but it was still a sad sight to see her former home stripped bare.

Clay had a plan.

Clay appreciated the symbolism of 'starting a new chapter'

He organized a campout with all of the PuttPutt Trolls on the last night there.

When Viva wasn't looking, Clay had the PuttPutts take turns leaving the group and arranging the leftover fairy lights.

Later in the evening, the lights were switched on and they formed a path.

Viva followed them to the highest spot on the course, where Clay was waiting for her.

Right at sunset.

He had a very long, carefully worded speech written ready to go but when the time came he was tongue tied.

So Viva asked him. 😏

And boy does Clay love a good plot twist.

And he cried.

All the PuttPutts were like "FINALLY!"

In celebration the PuttPutts threw the biggest, the loudest and the craziest party ever.

John Dory and Sable Proposal

Everyone was joking about it for months.

Clay and Bruce telling Sable to go for the bouquet at Branch and Poppy's wedding and she's like "Awww you guys want to be related to me so badly huh?" "We like you more than John Dory." 😆

Her elderly mother and father are the kind to make jokes about how she's 'not getting any younger' 😑

They were in the middle of an argument when Sable sarcastically said something like "OH, I GUESS WE SHOULD JUST GET MARRIED THEN?!" And JD is like "YEAH WE SHOULD!"

...

JD "Was that an...actual-?"

Sable "I ugh... maybe now's not the best time to be talking about that. John, we're in the middle of an argument."

"I think that makes this the best time."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if you know this but Trolls like to argue with me a lot."

😑 "You don't say?"

"But for some reason I love when you argue with me the most!"

🥹

JD "I've spend a lot of time alone, waiting for things to happen and I don't wanna do that anymore. No more wasting time."

"When I'm here, with you, I'm not a former pop star or the Kings brother or nothing. I'm just... John Dory and you make me feel like I'm enough."

🥹

"So Sable, wanna maybe go get married?"

"You've rehearsed this haven't you?" 🥹

"I'll tell you when you answer the question." 😏

"You are such a moron but you are my moron. Yes, John Dory I would very much like to marry you."

*Pumps fist* "YES!"

"This does not mean you won our earlier argument."

"Yeah it does! I win! Woo!"

John Dory made their bands out of pieces of her old wooden leg and his leather glove.

Floyd and Boom Proposal

Boom asks Floyd.❤️

He visits Dom's grave to ask permission. 💔

By this point, Branch is officially King of Pop so Boom asks him as well.

He proposed after the last show of a tour, he invited a confused Floyd on stage.

The huge screen on the stage played photos and videos of the two of them.

His brothers were in the front row.

There were a lot of tears. (Floyd)

[secretpostsposts]

What if Branch went to one of his brothers after having a nightmare (maybe a side effect of the drug) Like he’s full blown sobbing and shaking just trying to look for anyone. He’ll like wake them up and just be standing by a room entrance trembling (maybe the nightmare was of his brothers leaving or Rosipuff’s death maybe both) How would they react?

floyd The first time it happened to him, he was sleeping next to Branch, so it was easy for Floyd to realize that Branch was having a nightmare, Branch was already awake, just looking at Floyd with the biggest eyes Floyd had ever seen, Branch was terrified, he was shaking like a leaf in the wind, so Floyd hugged him when he saw that Branch wouldn't move, he held him until he heard him crying harder, shaking more and snuggling against Floyd; begging him not to abandon him again.

Bruce He has been through this many times, so he has a sixth sense to know when someone is watching him sleep, one of his sons is like a ninja and he just stands there waiting in the dark, Branch is the same, he is alone there. sitting at the entrance to Bruce's room watching him sleep, debating whether to wake him up or not, Bruce just sits up and uncovers part of his bed so that Branch can lie down next to him, Branch does it slowly and becomes a little closer to his side, Bruce surrounds him like a shield, and lets Branch cry himself to sleep, he won't force him to talk about the nightmare afterwards, he just wants him to feel safe.

Clay When it happens to him, he usually does many different things, although one of the most common is to get up, because he hears his door opening, so he gets up and sometimes he scares Branch when he does that, he takes Branch's hand and takes him to the kitchen. , prepares some hot milk for both of them and they stay there on the couch, Branch lays his head on Clay's shoulder and Clay reads him one of the children's stories, one of Branch's favorites, and they usually fall asleep there himself. the couch.

John Dory

The first time he happened to him, he almost had a heart attack, Branch was standing next to his bed, well more like he was sitting next to his bed, curled up just watching John sleep.

John gave him away because he was scared, but then as if nothing had happened, he picked up Branch on his lap and started rocking him. He had done this hundreds of times before, maybe Branch wouldn't like it once he was less scared, but for now, it's been a while. The only thing he knows to squid is his baby brother.

so he lays Branch on his lap and rocks him like a baby and sings to him, they stay like that for what is 1 or 2 hours, he has sung him many lullabies at this point, John is tired and his back is killing him , but now Branch is asleep, just like a baby, in fact he can see Branch sucking his finger, curled up like a little bean against him, so he lies down with his little brother against his chest and spends the rest of the night catching up on sleep.

[empressgeekt]

Okay hear me out, what would a FoF and Caught In The Middle AU mashup look like combined with Branch getting captured (Crystal Knight)? I’d imagine a lot of arguing between the inside and outside of the bottle 😂

Oh boy, strap in for the chaos people!

Alright according to my previous au posts, by the time that Clay got the letter Branch was already kidnapped and joined Floyd in the bottle. Meaning that when Clay travels to mount rageous with the others puttputts in his team, he's greeted by Floyd and a weirdly armored troll. Branch is impressed with Clay's team's efficiency, however he doesn't enjoy Clay constantly trying to reassure him like he's a child, nor the fact that his middle brother ignores any summery of the situation he gives. Floyd tries to act as peacemaker, but Branch is picking fights and winning them. Once back at the puttputt course, he tries to spell out that he knows exactly where the other pop trolls are and how to find them, and that the PFH isn't their only option to get out of the diamond, but NO one listens! Viva's too paranoid, Clay keeps talking down to him, and Floyd is trying to calm him down, despite being rightfully frustrated. So, Clay and Viva go off to search for John, stumbling onto Bruce and the other pop trolls along to way, despite Branch's pleads to check the forests north of bergentown.

Meanwhile, Poppy is putting on a brave face for Keith, and is in Bergentown for a Wedding planning meeting with Bridget. Since Branch's kidnapping, Smidge as the SIC was temporarily put in charge of the guard and she upped the security around Poppy and Keith since the incident, meaning the bounty hunters (plus Tresillo despite not being fully cleared for active duty due to his freshly mended injuries), have been following the queen and trolling almost everywhere for their protection. So, while discussing seating set up around the troll tree for the ceremony, a leash of blonde curls latches onto Poppy suddenly and yanks her away from her guards and trolling. Viva isn't paying attention to Poppy's screaming and trashing and demands to be let go, she's running on a mission. She will save her sister. Clay is right with her, while John and Bruce are concerned about the group of trolls they just left to die...What they aren't expecting is a group of armored trolls to surround them.

Tresillo takes an arrow shot at Viva, forcing her to let go of Poppy, and Clay tries to grab her in turn, certainly he has to protect Viva's sister from these crazed trolls. Poppy however is not having it, Barb has been teaching her some wrestling as part of a cultural exchange (she's teaching the Rock queen baking), and she has been taking her bow with her everywhere since Branch was kidnapped. She quickly had Clay pinned to the ground, with a drawn shot pointing right at his face.

"Alright! No one move! Listen I don't know who you trolls are, but you are risking several peace treaty violations and crimes against the pop tribe crown, so you better have a good excuse for all this!" - Poppy.

John and Bruce are shocked into silence, clearly the queen is not pleased with the impulsive actions of their brother, nor of her sister. Clay has and Arrow in his face, he's not doing anything. Viva starts to panic ramble, after all her baby sister is in a town of bergens! they need to get out of there. However, Poppy doesn't remember her, and that only sends her into a harder spiral, causing her to flee, with one of the K-pop trolls drugging her with a blow dart before she gets off the roof. Poppy gives the order to arrest the group, and the brother's are too scared to object. While being tied up, Keith is brought onto the roof, and all three of them recognize the leaf vest the trolling was wearing. The Vest along with the fact that Keith's hair and eye color match that of baby branch, leads to Clay, Bruce and John wrongfully believing the trolling is Branch's son.

While in custody...

Clay: Branch wanted me to go north of bergentown, he said there was a village, I didn't realize why he was so insistent...

John: If you knew there was a village why didn't you try to find it!

Clay: He didn't mention either of you being there! It would've been a waste of time!

John: Waste of time?! Branch's son was there, his family was there! That poor trolling have been missing his dad for who knows how long!

Clay: Well he didn't mention a kid!

Bruce: Branch was probably trying to protect him.

Clay: Protect him from what? us!? His family?!

Bruce: Well, we kind of nearly kidnapped his mom right in front of him after likely losing his dad...

JOhn: ....right....

Viva: *still drugged*

Poppy makes sure Keith is okay, and everything with Bridget is settled before going to check on her prisoners. She wants answers for obvious reasons. These trolls put her people in a compromising position, she knows Bridget and Gristle are trust worthy, but peace treaties have gotten a lot more complicated since the introduction of the other tribes and now more then ever keeping trouble form happening. Viva's still a little out of it, but she is coherent. Poppy initially wants to be in denial, but after everything that happened with the world tour, she's just tired of her father keeping secrets. As much as she wants to have a happy family reunion with her long lost sister, she needs an explanation for their actions. John goes into a speech about the whole situation and Poppy is fully invested the moment Branch is brought up, though she does correct them when they ask when their wedding was.

Poppy calls in the Funk trolls for help, she's not taking a risk when it comes to Branch, knowing that they would have a way to cut diamonds. She, Keith along with Wani and Tresillo (the other bounty hunters were sent back to the village to start coordination with the other leaders about the mount rageous issues), are brought back to the golf course. The brothers try to bond with their "nephew", however Keith only says one chilling line, "I know what you did."

Branch meanwhile has been spending his time at the golf course, being frustrated with Floyd, and having the puttputts do all sorts of things to jerry rig the bottle lid. Unlike in the og Crystal knight au, Floyd doesn't crystalize, meaning no feeling bad for Floyd to soften Branch. So while, Floyd has complete faith in their family, Branch does not. Makes being trapped in a bottle a very hostile environment. Leading to some gems of a line like, "I killed the Chef, what do you think I could do to you."

The other brothers, along with Poppy and Keith arrive just before the Funk trolls do. While Floyd is excited to see everyone, Branch only has eyes for poppy and Keith, though his lieutenants are also given a warm welcome. Funk shows up the spaceship scaring everyone. John tries to interject, saying they got this and didn't need their help, however...

Poppy: Forgive me Johnathan Dorian, but I'm not willing to take that chance.

John: Look Poppyseed, this isn't a problem...

Branch: John Shut up! She doesn't trust you and frankly I don't either.'

Floyd: Branch...

Branch: Shut it, you are in the same boat. Get us out of here before i strangle this lair.

Funk trolls successfully get them out, Keith running to cling to Branch while the bros help Floyd. Then the Twins show up and attack the golf course. Veneer wants to stop as soon as he sees there are trollings around however, Velvet only sees their careers sky rocketing with this many trolls. They were not ready for the Funk trolls defense force, nor were they ready for Branch. Once pinned to the ground, Branch uses his sword to cut Velvet's throat, not killing her, but severing her vocal chords, redering her silent. It scares Veneer into confessing unless he wants something even worse to happen to him.

Brozone is left stunned as Branch leaves the golf course without a second thought. They didn't know who their baby brother was anymore.

[toon-tales]

Thanks for @blorbopostingtime for this idea!

FERAL BRANCH!

LET OUR BOY UNLEASH HIS INNER MONSTERS!

Anyway, I suck at writing angst so you can TOTALLY feel free to add or say anything about this. I accept and appreciate criticism

Enjoyyy!

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, an apology isn't going to fix everything…" Branch muttered, taking a step back.

"We know, but-"

"But what?" the youngest stammered, anger slowly replacing his initial fear. "But what?!"

"Branch, calm down-"

"Calm down? Calm down?!" he yelled, not caring if it was Floyd he had interrupted this time. "Do you even have any idea what I've been through?!"

Clay took a deep breath, trying to speak in a gentler tone than his brothers, if that was even possible. "We know we messed up, but we're here now, and we want to make things better."

Branch scoffed. "Now? Now when what? Now when I've managed to battle my own demons? Now when I've found happiness? When I've moved on from Grandma's death? Where were you during all that?"

They froze, racking their brains for a logical justification.

But there was none.

Seeing no response, he went on. "Where were you when I was having a panic attack every single day, blaming myself for Grandma's death?! Where were you, when I was living alone in the wilderness, huh?!" He stomped his foot in frustration, his hands unknowingly clenching and unclenching in fists. "Do you even know what it feels like to be rejected by your OWN people, just because you're different, because you're sad?! Instead of them actually helping you?!"

Poppy hesitated, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to move towards her boyfriend, to hug him, to comfort him, but something inside her screamed at her to stop. He needed this moment to let it out, and they needed to hear it.

He glared at them with tears in his eyes, feeling a surge of resentment and betrayal. "You abandoned me! You left me alone and I was only a freaking five-year old baby! And now you come back, acting like nothing happened, like you care about me?!" he shouted.

"Branch, we're sorry, we're so sorry-" Clay said, his voice cracking.

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it!" Branch snapped. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you? How many days have I woke up hoping against hope that you were back?!"

They took a step back, unsure of what to do or say, if there was even something to be said. They messed up, big time.

Floyd's eyes were starting to water, and he managed to mutter, "Branch, we don't want forgiveness, we just want to talk about it-" before his brother stopped him with his sarcastic tone.

"Oh, that's so great, let's talk about why we abandoned our baby brother and never came back, even though we promised, didn't we, Floyd?" he spat. "Was I even on your mind? Because if I was, I'm sure this whole talk wouldn't be happening right now!"

"That's not true, Branch, that's not true!" Floyd protested. "We love you, we've always loved you!"

"Then why did you leave me?" Branch asked, his voice breaking. "Why did you leave me when we could've talked it out? When we could've been a family?!"

They lowered their heads, unable to answer. They had their reasons, but they knew they were not good enough. They had made a mistake, a terrible mistake. And now, it was their turn to handle its consequences.

"Branch, please, listen to us-" Floyd tried again, reaching out his hand.

However, his brother flinched and slapped his hand away, shaking his head. "Don't touch me!"

"Alright, no touching, no touching!" the red-haired troll retreated, holding his hands up. "Just listen to us, please."

"Alright." Branch took a deep breath, letting it out as a frustrated sigh as he pretended to zip his lips. He gave them a sarcastic smile, silently allowing them to stand up for themselves.

Bruce began, seeing no attempt from the others. "We messed up, okay? We know we did. But we love you, we love you so much."

"Yeah, bro, and nothing will change that," John added, his voice shaking slightly as he expected another interruption. But to his surprise, their youngest brother stayed silent.

"We just want a second chance," Floyd chimed, "And we promise, this time, we'll do better."

But Branch had stopped listening long ago. What was the point? He'll trust them, get attached, then bam, they'll leave again. Same old story. Even Floyd, the one who's never broken a promise in his life, broke one promise - his and Branch's promise, and Branch didn't know if he'll ever be able to forget this one.

Everything hurt. His head hurt, his chest tightened, and his limbs were starting to shake. He closed his eyes, trying to pull himself together, but the dull troll was greeted with the room swirling around him in a dizzying manner as soon as he opened his eyes, and his brothers' intertwined voices weren't helping, if anything, they were adding to his headache. He put a hand on his forehead, desperately trying to regain his balance, but the more anyone talked, the more the room swirled. All he wanted was some quiet.

Which was the opposite of what he got when he collapsed to his knees in a heap.

"Branch! Are you okay?"

His girlfriend, as always, he thought, was the first to be by his side, and he felt her hand gently lifting his chin, locking their gazes.

"You okay?"

He nodded, deciding it'd be better if he didn't try to get up in his current state.

"Do you want water, anything?"

He shook his head, and instantly regretted the small gesture as the dizziness that was starting to subside persisted.

"Sure?" He felt her hand squeezing his, as if trying to convey as little reassurance as she could provide at the moment.

He blinked, just now realizing that his brothers were surrounding him, each putting a hand on either his shoulders or back. He took a deep breath, finally managing to his voice, and without thinking, he choked a weak, "Leave…"

"But-"

"Leave!" Branch yelled. He stood up abruptly, and quickly reached out for the nearest piece of furniture to steady himself. Great, now the room was spinning again.

"Branch, you're not okay, at least lie down-"

Branch cut off the pink troll, softer than he did with his brothers as he slurred, "Fine… fine…" His head was pounding, but he didn't care. He turned to the remaining audience with a feeble wave of his hand. "Get out…"

But their bodies wouldn't listen.

"GET OUT!"

They gasped, unconsciously taking steps back but not fully comprehending their youngest brother's words.

Till they hardly dodged the shreds of his wooden table.

"Get out! Leave me alone!"

At this point, Branch was crashing anything that came his way as he paced back and forth, moans and screams escaping his lips and palms pulling at his hair, taking out dark hairs on their way back.

"Leave! Now!" he shouted, not even looking up to face his brothers. "What part of NOW don't you understand?!"

They tried to move, but they couldn't. What happened to the baby of the family?

"Get out of my bunker! Now! Or I'll show you CRAZY!" He screamed, flipping his entire bookshelf and maniacally tearing at his books, a sight that left Clay in a trance-like state.

Poppy was the first one to recover, eyes darting between the shattered furniture and the blood on her boyfriend's hands.

When she said she wanted him to let it out, this was not what she meant, not at all.

Slightly panicking, the Queen took her sister's hand and quickly led her to the elevator, before doing the same with Branch's brothers. Each was holding another one's hand in an attempt to drag him along, though Poppy was already on that mission.

And in a blink, they were gone.

He was alone.

—------------

He was alone.

So why wasn't he calming down? Why was he still screaming?

The bunker, once tidy and organized, was now messy and dusty, debris crumbling down the walls and onto the ground. Why was he doing this? Branch didn't know for sure, all he knew was that his hands were itching.

He wanted to crash something.

He needed to crash something.

He wanted to let it out, but on what, when he's destroyed his own home?

The troll felt a surge of rage as he smashed his belongings. He had spent years building this bunker, treating it like home, like his safe place. But now it felt like a prison. He was alone, just like he had always been, so why did it hurt this time? They didn't really think that after leaving him for over two decades, and then come back, that he would want to join their party with open arms, did they? He didn't need them. He didn't need any of them.

He stormed in and out different rooms through his bunker, looking for something else to break.

But there was nothing. He'd crashed everything.

And that's when he collapsed to the floor, his chest heaving.