Chapter Text
It was astoundingly busy in the market, but Branch wasn’t about to waste his time wondering about why because it was always the main hub of activity in the village and so was prone to have unassuming busy days. He was just hoping that even with this crowd that Smidge had plenty of his favorite Stoutberry juice, the kind infused with sweet mint and apricot, in stock. It wasn’t a particularly popular flavor because of the odd, off-kilter sweetness it had, but Trolls were always up for trying new things and therefore muscle in on Branch’s signature flavor preference.
It was taking forever to muscle his way through the market, even with his overabundance of hot-headedness, Branch found it monumentously hard to exist in crowds, and so lost most of his vigor and ability to push people out of the way. He truly hated himself for it; turning into some sheepish child as soon as he was presented that kind of situation, it only caused him more anxiety as he was bowled over and mowed down by taller and bigger Trolls that didn’t seem to mind.
He let out a relieved sigh as he broke through a bustling intersection of the market and came out to a much less busy area where the food and drink vendors were. He spotted Smidge’s stand, unfortunately it was surrounded by other Trolls scrambling for her much-loved juice cocktails. Hesitantly, he began his trek to the booth, his hands nervously clutching the strap of his bag as he had to fight his instinct to not purposefully include himself in the rowdy mess. He wasn’t given much of a chance to get close though as he was met with a tangle of pushy elbows and a wall of Trolls, most of which were taller than him if only by a head or so.
After a few minutes of fruitlessly trying to get through, he huffed angrily and agreed with himself to just wait until the rush cleared, knowing full well that might take hours, but being too jittery to really do anything else about it. He fixed himself on a mossy rock a few feet back from the stand and began thumbing through his shopping haul for the day: some electronic gizmos Cooper was pawning that Branch knew he could repurpose, a sample of some new fertilizer from Milton Moss for his garden, and the rest of his bag was mostly filled with fresh veggies.
He was going to try and stay in his bunker for the next couple weeks so today was what he hoped would be his last shopping day until afterwards: as it was about to be Spring and courting season was upon the village and soon he wouldn’t be able to breath without smelling roses and hearing overly tooth-rotting love songs. He didn’t care if the others enjoyed it, he just preferred to stay isolated during that time due to personal preference and past experience.
The crowd at Smidge’s stand was only becoming more erratic as the morning rose into the afternoon and Branch was getting annoyed, which helped him muscle through his anxiety to try again at getting to the front of the mob. First, he tried to walk around the sides, then he tried to shoulder-jam his way through the huddle, he even attempted crawling at one point to void the wildly swinging elbows, but none of it worked and he was shoved unceremoniously onto his ass behind the crowd, cursing his smaller-than-average stature and the unpredictable nature of his fellow Trolls.
“Branch, dear, are you alright?” Branch, from his place lying on the ground, craned his neck back to look up to where the voice was coming from. Creek kneeled down by his head, a confused but kind smile on his face as he offered a hand to the fallen Troll.
Branch grumbled and swatted his hand away, briskly righting himself and dusting off his shorts. “M’fine,” He mumbled, the slightest bit embarrassed he had been caught in such a silly position amongst the market.
Creek nodded slowly, his smile not faltering, his soft indigo eyes drifting over to the crowded juice stand and then back to Branch, who had resorted to pouting with his back turned. It was fairly common knowledge to anyone who paid attention that Branch both loved Stoutberry juice and hated crowds and all the loud noise that came with it; just looking at him in the moment it was obvious, his shoulders twitched when someone was especially loud, he was constantly gripping his bag strap for dear life- being out at the market on such a busy day was self-induced torture for the poor Troll and Creek could read it all over his face. He was an anxious mess.
After a few minutes of brooding and letting his nerves calm, Branch decided he should probably try again if he was ever going to escape the world for the day. He flipped back towards Smidge’s stand, only to be once again greeted by Creek, this time holding out a six pack of Stoutberry juice. It took a minute for Branch to realize he was offering them to him, “What’s this?” He asked skeptically, eyeing the juices while wondering how on earth the taller Troll had made it through that crowd.
“For you, silly.” Creek chuckled, quite accustomed to Branch’s overt distrustfulness, “I see you here all the time. And Smidge actually talks quite fondly of you since you’re here so often.” He put down the six pack, seeing as though Branch wasn’t making any moves to take it, and pulled out a single bottle of juice from his bag, “I wasn’t sure if you had any specific flavor in mind, but I picked out my favorite flavor in hopes you may enjoy it as well.” He handed the loose bottle out, and Branch took it carefully.
He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of being stuck with a flavor that wasn’t his favorite, but he was very flustered by the act, he would have never guessed Creek of all Trolls would go out of his way to do something as trivial as getting juice for him. “Give it a try, love, I think it’s got a beautiful flavor.” Creek proclaimed jovially.
Branch bristled at the pet name but popped open the bottle and took a shallow sip. The flavor that greeted him was welcome and familiar and made his taste buds tingle, and he knew immediately that it was sweet mint and apricot infused Stoutberry juice; his flavor! He almost choked on it but managed to swallow his small mouthful. Never would he have expected Creek to have the same tastes as him; Branch always assumed Creek would have a more refined, natural preference in flavors. Then again; he supposed that most Trolls probably wouldn’t peg him as a super-sweet-juice kinda guy either.
Branch must have been making a face because Creek’s smile faltered, “Oh, of course you don’t like it. It’s a bit of a strange preference of mine, very sweet but with that minty bite, not exactly what most Trolls would prefer.” Creek began reaching for the six pack that lay at their feet.
He didn’t know if it was the kind gesture or the surprise of having something in common with the lavender Troll, but Branch sputtered out an awkward fumbling noise that made Creek stop and look up worriedly. Color dusted Branch’s cheeks at the realization of what a fool he must have sounded like and he quickly cleared his throat, “No, I liked it.” He muscled out, not quite wanting to explain how that was also his favorite flavor, but also wanting to let the other Troll know that his gift was appreciated. He was getting used to it but the whole ’being nice’ practice still didn’t come very naturally for Branch. “Thank you.” He added huffily, picking up the six pack and casting his eyes away nervously.
Now looking much happier, Creek folded his hands together in front of him and did a small bow, “I’m so glad I could help. I know how much you dislike it here,” He glanced around calmly, and Branch marveled at anyone able to keep such a gentle composure in all the surround chaos. “It is dreadfully awful most days.” He admitted under his breath. Branch raised his dark brows in shock, ever since Creek properly returned to life-as-usual in the village, he hadn’t heard the guru say one negative thing, let alone about Troll village and her people. It felt like an oddly intimate exchange to hear Creek’s unbiased thoughts on the bustling nature of their home, and Branch tried not to think too hard about it.
Creek straightened himself out and folded his arms behind his back and cast a lazy stare at the crowd again, “Yeah I much prefer working on my zen garden or sitting at home reading my meditation journals.” He mused offhandedly, not quite wanting to leave Branch’s company yet.
Branch felt an anxiety grip his chest. Reading! He had forgotten to pick up his new books from the library. “Dammit.” Branch groaned, grinding his teeth. He supposed it wasn’t the end of the world, but reading was one of the only things that helped him get to sleep at night, and he had already read everything in his library and would be rightfully too pissed to get sleepy to a story he already knew the plot and ending to.
“What’s wrong?” Creek asked, clasping his hands in front of his chest, worried he may have done something wrong.
Branch sighed, “I forgot to grab my new books from the library yesterday, and Tome already went out of town with her wife.” His hands fell limply to his sides, “Sorry,” He hummed, moving a hand up to rub the back of his neck, knowing full well nobody cared about his mundane rambling, “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Just needed some new reading material for the next couple weeks.”
Creek’s ears twitched up and he grinned, “Well if books are all you need, I can help!” He said pointedly, “If you’d like you could come stop by my pod and see if I have anything that tickles your fancy. I have plenty of books, and don’t worry, they’re not all my whacky enlightenment books.” He chuckled nervously, constantly worried his meditative lifestyle would drive people away with how strange it was.
For a moment Branch just stared at the ground, more than unsure and uncomfortable with going into someone’s personal pod, but also intrigued with the promise of something to fill his endless time while he’s stuck below ground. He and Creek hadn’t always been on the best terms, but the last year or so was one of practiced comfort and mutual respect and so Branch decided to go against his flight instinct, and reached his conclusion and gave a hesitant nod in response. Creek reached a hand out, seemingly with the intent to take Branch’s in his own, but he stopped and merely motioned for the shorter Troll to follow, not knowing just how thankful Branch was for the lack of contact.
/////////
Creek’s pod smelled like incense and rain and Branch couldn’t help but feel a calming wave roll over him as he breathed it in. He looked around and was completely enthralled by all the diagrams and charts that were arranged over parts of the walls, some were guides to chakra points, some were proper posture positions, and some had full body meditation instructions for different practicing levels.
While Creek busied himself with tidying up around his bookshelf, Branch made a circle around the room, admiring the décor and all the things Creek had lying around. He was quite enthralled with the many hanging, leafy plants by the window that he didn’t recognize from this area, he gently ran his hand under the massive leaves and traced his fingers down the tailing vines. Then he eagerly popped over to a table that was covered in different minerals and gems and began carefully inspecting some of them- picking them up and holding them up to the light and admiring their color and shine and complete uniqueness. He had come across some quartz while he was digging his bunker but nothing quite as stunning as these specimens.
Creek’s heart beat a rhythm against his chest, he had been trying not to stare but found it hard as he could feel the excited aura radiating off Branch, and watching the normally grumpy Troll lose himself in the moment made his chest warm up pleasantly. He couldn’t help the adoring smile that curled the corners of his mouth up; he was truly appreciating the bright, child-like expression on Branch’s face, it was adorable.
He looked back towards his bookshelf, worried he might scare the other away by staring, “You’re welcome to look through everything I have.” Creek explained, keeping his gaze focused on his collection to not off-put Branch.
The blue Troll quickly replaced the gems to their spots and stole his expression back to its usual visage before making his way over. He was surprised as he began scanning the book bindings that he found many familiar titles; “The Legend of Glitter Hollow”, “The Troll King’s new Clothes”, “A Party Artist”- stories he had read many times to the point of nearly being able to recite them from memory, and Creek’s copies appeared to be just as worn out.
“If I may,” Creek cuts in, and Branch straightens himself out for the other Troll to step in. He pulls out a couple slimmer looking books, “These aren’t exactly what most Trolls would prefer reading, but they are quite thrilling and by one of my most favorite authors!” He explained with a smile.
Branch took the books and palmed through them. “Strawberry Spring”, “The Troll in the Black Suit”, and “Trollings of the Corn” were what they read, all accompanied by surprisingly dark illustrations on the front, quite the contrast to most Troll literature. “I thought if anyone else would appreciate them it would be you, Branch.” Creek added matter-of-fact.
Branch gave him a distrusting look, still more than shell-shocked as to why Creek of all Trolls was showing such care and interest and consideration. Creek had never exactly been one of the Trolls to make fun of Branch in the past, but he had never exactly come to his rescue either, that and his initial betrayal with the Bergens still left a sour taste in his mouth when it came to the guru. There had been times over the last year or two where Creek would occasionally try to get close, but Branch was very good at driving people away, and almost always did, so why he wasn’t feeling that same urge now confused and angered him. “Okay,” He hummed, “Sounds good, but why are you doing this?” He muscled out, unable to blindly accept such attention.
Creek seemed surprised, “Just wanted to help you out, you had a problem and I had an easy fix.” He explained with a small smile. But then he paused, his expression falling and eyes cast down, “I feel like I have a lot to make up for, Branch. To the village... to you.” Branch was surprised by the sincerity in his voice and the sadness in his eyes, having been under the assumption that Creek wasn’t really at all torn up about what he did.
Again, Branch made a face, “To me? Specifically?” He wondered skeptically, crossing his arms.
Creek nodded, “Of course, you were the most hurt by it, enough so that it wasn’t all that easy to help convince you I was sorry. The others,” He chuckled dryly, “The others didn’t give it a second thought, and believe me I felt guilty as hell about that for weeks, but you,” He breathed, forcing a soft smile, “You weren’t so readily forgiving and I respect that.” Branch was shocked silent yet again, so he silently stood there and studied the other Troll for any signs of dishonesty.
“It takes a lot of self-respect and strength to admit you have a problem with something or someone,” Creek looked to Branch and couldn’t help but keep smiling at his pouty expression, “And it takes even more strength to forgive but not forget; to forgive but not disregard what someone did... or the pain they caused. And I thank you for doing just that.” He took the books from Branch’s hands and slipped them into a bag for him, “You remind me to be a better person, Branch.” Creek admitted with a grin, handing the blue Troll the bag.
Branch’s cheeks flushed a soft pink at the suddenly soft sincerity of Creek’s tone and the dreamy expression on his face, he nervously took the bag and looked away, unsure of what to do with all this attention. “Well, I’m glad you at least know what you did was wrong.” He mumbled, kicking himself for his instinctual gruffness. He wanted to say something nicer, because truth be told, he believed Creek; he wasn’t sure why he did, but there was a tightness in his belly that he could only assume was there because he wasn’t sure how to properly thank him. “And... thank you.” Branch muscled out quickly and quietly, turning his head, embarrassed.
Creek was quickly learning to love when Branch put up this pouty front when he was flustered.
The door to Creek’s pod flew open and Poppy welcomed herself in, “Creek! Harper was wondering if you could go over yoga poses with her later today!” She stopped when she saw Branch, and looked at him incredulously, “Branch? Are you getting yoga lessons from Creek too?”
Branch scoffed, “Of course not!” He spat, “I’m borrowing some of his books so I’ll be able to stay occupied the next couple weeks.” He explained, taking his things and stepping towards the door.
Poppy stepped in his way. “Don’t tell me you’re locking yourself in for the whole of Love Fest again!” When Branch said nothing she groaned, “Come on Branch! This year will be better! Besides, I know someone who was hoping to ask you to the parties~” She sang, as if that would somehow sway the blue Troll.
Branch huffed and rolled his eyes, “Even if I wanted to go, I just can’t Poppy and you know that.” He spat, his shoulders visibly tensing up as his voice rose in anger. Creek looked his way worriedly, hearing the underlying fear and apprehension in his voice in place of the typical venom and annoyance, and couldn’t help but wonder what about such an innocent time of year warranted the reaction.
“Can’t you just come for a day? I don’t want you to feel excluded during this time of year again.” Poppy admitted sadly.
But Branch just huffed again, “It’s fine, I have no problem being excluded from the uncomfortably grand romanticisms.”
Creek stepped in between the two, sensing Poppy’s persistence and Branch’s agitation getting the better of them, “Queen Poppy, if I may, I was actually just talking with Branch about the subject, and we concluded instead of diving into the festivities, Branch would be much more suited to dedicating this season of love to some personal growth and meditation and perhaps feel more comfortable to attend the closing day and ceremonies with the Troll of his choice if he deems it so.” He lied through his teeth, smiling calmly the whole time.
Branch stared at him dumbstruck while Poppy squealed, “Oh that’s wonderful Branch!” She turned and pulled him into an unwilling hug. “I for sure know I would prefer if you came every day, but spending some one-on-one time with Creek will definitely help you relax into the idea!”
Both Creek and Branch looked at her surprised, both knowing that’s not exactly what Creek had meant, “What?” They spat in unison.
Unfazed by the other Trolls Poppy continued to ramble, “This will be so good for you Branch! Okay, where will you guys be staying? Oh, probably Branch’s bunker-”
“My bun-! Hang on, Poppy-!”
“That way you won’t have to worry yourselves about coming out into the festivities for anything!” She began pacing as she talked, “I can make sure to get anything you guys might need to help Branch’s lessons, and I’ll see to it you aren’t bothered!”
“My dear I think you’ve mistunder-”
“C’mon Branch we’re going to figure out the details!” Poppy grabbed Branch and began pulling him out the door.
“Poppy I don’t want to do this!” he clamored.
The pink Troll laughed, “Of course you don’t, but I think it’s a great idea, and just be happy I’m not forcing you to go to the parties.” She explained, using a scary amount of strength to physically push Branch out the door.
Creek could only offer a few stuttered words and an apologetic look to Branch as they retreated and he was left alone.
/////////
Creek was waiting outside of Branch’s bunker a couple days later, he was holding a box with some of his essentials and other stuff in it. His chest was tight with anxiety and he knew he’d have to do some serious meditating to be rid of it. Poppy had decided that Creek was going to stay with Branch for the weeks of courting season and help him find inner peace (Poppy had actually said “help him learn how to love again” but Creek found that concept a little much and didn’t want Branch to get the wrong idea) So he was nervously waiting for Poppy and Branch to arrive so they could start this mess.
He didn’t know what to make of it, he felt stupid for even starting this lie in the first place; his initial cause was to hopefully bail Branch out of the situation he was in, and to make a good excuse so Poppy wouldn’t push him out of his comfort zone. Something about romance and courting season obviously put him off but Poppy, bless her heart for wanting to include her friends, didn’t seem to acknowledge that and he knew she would keep pushing until Branch couldn’t handle it. But it hadn’t worked; he had lied to his friend, and it didn’t even work, and now Creek was quite sure Branch was going to be furious at him the entire time they were stuck together. It could not have gone any worse and he wishes he had kept his mouth shut.
Poppy and Branch appeared in the next few minutes toting some extra groceries and things in bags. Creek tried to offer an apologetic look to Branch but the shorter Troll looked away.
It was terse and awkward for Creek as they all trailed into Branch’s home and Poppy ran over her own personal checklist as to what she wanted Branch to work on. Branch, on his part, kept his typical demeanor in place as his friend ranted, rolling his eyes and probably ignoring most of what she was saying.
“This is just going to be so great for you Branch! I can’t wait to see you guys at the festival!” Poppy concluded, jerking the lever for the lift and riding it back up. Once the motors for the lift stopped, the bunker was left with a deafening silence that had Branch’s pulse beating loudly in his ears.
Standing awkwardly a few feet away, Creek tried to think of the best way to open the conversation, considering he hadn’t even been able to get past Poppy to talk to Branch in the last couple of days. He sighed and nervously folded his hands together, “I can’t say this is what I had in mind.” He chuckled.
Branch turned and started putting away the groceries and produce, silently tucking each thing to its rightful place, and noticeably straining to get things on the taller shelves. In his head, Branch’s thoughts were racing and he wanted to tear into Creek for causing this: why had he lied? Why did he try to cover for him? But more importantly why was he not angrier at him for this? He hesitated while putting something in the cupboard; he really wasn’t angry at Creek, just the situation and the awkward anxiety he felt towards it.
“It doesn’t matter what you had in mind,” Branch started gruffly, but paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and remind himself this circumstance was 90% Poppy’s doing, “It happened, and it is what it is but hey; at least we don’t have to kid ourselves now that we’re alone, right?” He chuckled dryly, “I know you don’t want to be stuck here with me as much as I wish I was alone.” Which wasn’t all the way true, Branch did feel terribly lonely most days but refused to admit it to himself and certainly not anyone else.
Creek was taken aback for a moment; of course Branch wanted to be left alone, that’s the kind of Troll he’s always been- but did he truly think Creek didn’t want to be around him? True they had never been partners in crime, and Creek had a lot of proving himself to do before Branch would consider him a friend, but Creek had just spilled his heart out to Branch about how he felt the other day, so he figured Branch would know he intended to be a better person to him.
Creek took a careful step towards Branch, careful not to get too into his personal space, “Branch I don’t mind being around you,” He bit his lip and smiled, “In fact even if this isn’t the most ideal of circumstances; I’m quite happy to spend some time with you.” He explained, hoping he wouldn’t overwhelm the other with his enthusiasm.
Branch turned from what he was doing and just stared at Creek for a moment, confusion and turmoil set in his features. After a while though he seemed to grow anxious and turned back to putting everything away. Feeling bad for being an intrusion, Creek stepped closer and began helping put the groceries away. It was pretty simple to see how Branch was doing it; greens went into the crisper, potatoes and onions on the lowest shelf out of the light, carrots and tomatoes and most of the rest of the veggies and fruits went in the refrigerator. They both actually found a comfortable rhythm in the action and worked in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
Amongst the quiet shuffling of their chore Branch spoke up, “I’m sorry you’re missing Courting Season and Poppy’s ‘Love Festival’ just because you were trying to cover for me.”
Creek smiled softly, his chest fluttering happily knowing his initial intent hadn’t gone unnoticed, “Oh no problem,” He hummed, “Truth be told I don’t have anyone to enjoy it with, nor has anyone in the village thus far stricken my fancy, so I was planning on spending the next couple weeks alone anyway.” He cast a glance over to Branch who was looking at his a little befuddled, “At least I have a bit of company now, yeah?”
Branch closed the cabinet he was sorting and turned towards the taller Troll, “You? You don’t have a mate? A partner? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Nothing?” He chuckled, finding the joke sort of funny in a dull way. But Creek gave him a gentle nod and Branch realized it wasn’t a joke. “I’m... sorry.” He said awkwardly.
Creek shook his head, “Don’t be! I’m quite content with my life. I have everything I need.” He smiled and went to the box he had brought down with him and pulled out a six pack of Stoutberry juice like the one he had bought Branch earlier that week, “I brought more juice since we’ll be here a while.” He pulled out a few other, unmarked bottles and stored them in the refrigerator, “You’re welcome to any of the stuff I’ve brought with me. I figure it’s the least I can offer since I’ll be imposing for so long.” He gave a small bow.
Branch rubbed his arm, “That’s unnecessary but... thanks, I appreciate it.” He allowed himself a small smile.
Creek turned back to his things, trying to ignore the thrum in his chest and how good it felt to see Branch smile. “Where would you like me to store this stuff so it won’t be in the way?” He asked with a cough.
Perking up a bit, Branch stepped out into the hall, “C’mon I’ll show you.” So down the hall they walked, passing a couple other rooms including one that looked like a living room with a TV, a library, some sort of junk room, and what was probably a bathroom, until they reached a spruce wood door and Branch nudged it open and motioned Creek inside.
The interior was the same rock walls that the whole bunker was carved out of, but the furniture was all a seafoam stained wood and was adorned with different plants and some other Knick knacks like an hour glass, hand carved book ends, an incense holder and so-on. The plants even had special lamps to simulate sunlight. Creek was astounded at how much it resembled his pod, “Branch, did you make all this?”
From behind him Branch flushed pink and crossed his arms, “Yeah I, uh, took the inspiration from your pod when I visited the other day, and thought it might make you feel at home.” He muttered, “I dun’know I’m sorry if it’s weird. It’s just something I threw together, I understand if you don’t like it but it’s all I got for ya’ now so-”
“Branch!” Creek cut in and took the shorter Troll’s hands, “I love it, just relax, my dear, you don’t need to stress so much around me, okay?” He explained kindly, releasing Branch’s hands and stepping further into the room to explore.
Branch felt heat flush to his face and for once it wasn’t from anger, he rubbed his palms together, his mind stuck on how soft Creek’s hands were. Creek turned back to look at him, “Thank you Branch, it’s perfect.” he admitted happily. Then a determined look crossed his face, “I insist on cooking you dinner tonight.” He stated matter-of-fact.
Chuckling, Branch waved a hand at him, “That’s really not necessary-”
“I insist, really! It won’t be super exciting, I’d just love to do something nice for you to show my appreciation for you allowing me to stay here, and in such comfort.” Creek explained.
Branch scoffed lightheartedly, “Poppy is making you stay here, I can’t really say I’m ‘letting you’.”
Creek laughed good-naturedly, “You and I both know if you really wanted me gone, I would be gone already.” There was a playfulness in his tone that had Branch’s face heating up again, but he couldn’t deny the truth to that statement and so conceded with a shrug, and stepped out of the room to allow Creek to settle.
He stalked down the hallway to his own room and quickly shut the door, unsure of what that had been and why seemingly every other word out of Creek’s mouth was twisting him up inside. Even though he was alone, Branch put a hand over his mouth and stared at the ground contemplatively, his mind racing over that spirited jab and the brief contact they made and trying to deduce what was happening; quite sure he must have been getting sick.
And alone down the hall Creek had his back pressed against his door worrying that last comment had been a little too much.
/////////
Branch looked up from where he was scribbling in his journal when a warm, delicious smell wafted into his room, he eagerly sniffed at the air and hummed happily to himself as his belly grumbled in appreciation. He meandered out and into the kitchen where he saw Creek standing at the stove, going back and forth between something on the skillet and chopping vegetables on the cutting board. He was singing something softly, under his breath, and Branch recognized it as a gentle melody that would sometimes play on the speakers at the library.
Between the song and the smell, Branch felt himself relax, and he went to the cabinet to grab glasses for water. Creek glanced his way when he heard shuffling but continued his food prep, quite happy with how everything was turning out; he had decided on black bean and veggie burgers and garden salad as a simple, but still delicious first meal. The patties were just finishing simmering on the skillet and they smelled perfect and spicy, so he quickly plated them and the salads, and picked up both plates and turned to Branch. “And where would you prefer us to enjoy dinner tonight?” He wondered lightly.
Branch gave him a crooked, confused smile, “Uhm, right here?” He gestured to the small dining table against the other wall of the kitchen. He found the question quite odd, but he took a moment to think about it, reminding himself to be kinder, “Is there another place you normally eat?” He wondered hesitantly.
Creek perked up a bit, “Well I always find it a little better on the soul to switch up routine, so I only use a table maybe once a week.” He explained, “Other days I like to maybe sit on the couch, or my bed, or just the floor, wherever I feel the best experience may be.” He said wistfully.
Still a bit put-off by the spirituality of the other Troll, Branch nodded, trying to understand whatever mumbo-jumbo he was saying, and looked around; he had never eaten anywhere other than at the table, he supposed maybe eating elsewhere would be an interesting experience. “Do you think maybe bean bag chairs would be a good ’experience’ for dinner?” He said with a light chuckle.
“That sounds delightful.” Creek nodded, actually somewhat excited.
Branch led them to his library, which was really just a small room that was spectacularly cozy feeling: there were two big bookshelves packed full of books, a very puffy couch against one wall with every blanket imaginable on it, and three massive bean bag chairs in the middle of the floor on a beautiful warm-toned throw rug. The room was lit with soft yellow string-lights that traced the walls of the room but weren’t too bright.
“I love the energy in here.” Creek hummed as he stepped in, taking a good look around and breathing deeply to fully experience the paper and linen smell of the room. “So peaceful, I could fall asleep right now.” He joked, inspecting one of the bean bag chairs and patting it with his free hand before carefully sitting down.
Branch followed suit and sat in the one next to him, “Yeah that’s kind of the point.” He said fondly, poking at his salad, “I...uh,” He faltered, not used to sharing with anyone, not knowing if Creek would care to listen, and nervous he might make himself seem weak. “Uhm, I have trouble sleeping-” He blurted out a bit awkwardly, “So at night I come in here and read... and it helps me fall asleep.” He was intent on staring at his food and not looking at Creek, afraid of the look he might get. After a few quiet minutes he added, “That’s why it’s so cozy in here.” His face went red with embarrassment and he suddenly wished he hadn’t said anything.
“That’s lovely, Branch.” Creek said quietly, smiling kindly when the anxious little Troll turned to look at him. He gingerly reached out and made gentle contact with Branch’s arm, “Thank you for sharing with me.” He said pointedly and retracted his hand after Branch started to flinch away from it. “I also have problems sleeping most days. Because I spend so many hours in a meditative state...” He looked at Branch and shrugged with a smile, “My sleep schedule goes to hell.” He laughed.
Again, it felt very strange to be around this version of Creek, the version that curses and talks negatively about things, but it was also oddly refreshing and helped Branch not be a constantly wound-up, nervous mess. “Tell me about it. I accidentally pull all-nighters all the time working and then I accidentally sleep through an entire day, and that just fucks up my whole week.” Branch admitted, and both he and Creek laughed at the relatability and truthfulness of the statement.
They continued eating dinner together, occasionally able to take moments in between bites of food to compare experiences; they both found out that more than one Troll in the village thoroughly annoyed them both on a regular basis, and despite Creek’s patience of a saint, even he would find himself avoiding the likes of Cooper and Poppy if he just couldn’t handle their energy that day. Creek explained one instance where he pretended to be ‘in a meditative trance’ for 3 hours to avoid a “Pie-in-you-face" party that Smidge was throwing. Branch laughed so hard at that one he all but spit out a mouthful of water, and Creek tried really hard not to love his laugh, although he definitely wanted to hear it more.
Their dinners were long since eaten but they hadn’t stopped talking, one eagerly taking the story telling reigns as soon as the other finished. Creek was incredibly content with his head on his hand and fondly watched Branch open up and tell his stories, having never known the blue Troll to be so full of this fun energy. He took great pride in guessing this was a side of Branch no one got to see anymore, and he was ready to protect it by any means.
“Wow, Creek, I never thought in a million years you’d be this freakin' petty!” Branch exclaimed, setting his empty plate aside.
Creek put a hand on his chest in mock-offense, “Excuse me if I need a bit of time to myself mister ‘I live in a hole but still pretend I sprained my ankle to get out of basic social events.’!” He laughed in response.
With a flourish, Branch raised a finger at him, “Hey, that time I was getting out of a Potluck. You know what Trolls bring to potlucks? Baked goods and candy, and that’s it! It’s not healthy!” He was trying really hard to sound angry but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face or the laugh that followed.
Creek rose and collected his and Branch’s empty plates and strode across the hall to the kitchen to place them in the sink, he took a moment to shake off his giggles and take a deep breath before returning. He found Branch re-settling into his bean bag chair with one of the books he had given him. The initial impulse was to ask him which one it was and tell him what was so wonderful about it, but Creek reeled himself back, realizing Branch probably wouldn’t appreciate that, and after how well the evening was going, he didn’t want to disturb the friendly aura of their shared space.
He quietly padded up and sat himself a couple feet away on the rug, folding his legs together in front of him and resting his elbows on his knees. He began silently meditating to start bringing his core back into alignment, quite content listening to Branch’s soft breaths and gentle page-flips.
“Dinner was really good... thank you.” Branch muttered tersely after some time, seeming to have somewhat retreated into his shell again. Creek didn’t mind, and he knew one nice conversation wasn’t going to completely change Branch’s demeanor around him, but it was a good step, and he could feel contentedness coming off of Branch. He peaked open an eye at the smaller Troll, smiling and biting his lip after he saw the adorable little ball Branch was curled up into on his bean bag.
“You’re quite welcome.” Creek replied softly, and left it at that, also sensing Branch had become a little too overwhelmed during dinner and was coming down from it. They remained that way in peaceful, comfortable silence until Branch explained he was thoroughly tired and left for bed, leaving the book on the chair to come back to, Creek wasn’t far behind him in going to bed.