I found this thing in the woods and now we’re in love - John Dory x reader

by Anonymous_Writerr

Summary:

20 years ago, the pop trolls escaped the Bergens, leaving the troll tree behind.

20 years ago, the pop trolls escaped the Bergens, leaving you behind.

After years of isolation, becoming a Wild Troll with no music to define you, and living in a tree by yourself for 20 years, you finally meet someone new.

Someone who understands you.

Notes:

Just to note, trolls are a bit more beast-like in this, they have tails and some have fangs. Your tail is longer and your fangs and claws are sharper after years of being wild. They are also regular human heights and everything else is just huge. Reader is AFAB but gender neutral because this is totally self indulgent.

Chapter 1

Leaves crunched under your paws — or… your hands, you guessed. You barely used them as hands anymore. Your mouth was just as useful. — as you padded through the forest. You were searching for something to eat, maybe some berries or some bugs or even an unlucky mouse. You had been searching for a while, so when you finally noticed something, your heart pumped in your chest like the thrumming of the rain, fast and heavy.

The sounds of the forest swelled to its own kind of chorus around you and you savored it. The forest was your music, and you hummed along to the birdsong as you sunk lower to the ground. Your tail twitched with the beat as your target, a beetle the size of your head, scuttled along a few feet in front of you. You licked your lips and imagined the bug roasting on a spit, decorated with herbs for flavor.

You had finally gotten close enough to pounce. You crouched tightly, wiggled your hips, and leaped.

You just barely missed it.

You cursed to yourself as the beetle almost taunted you. It flew away, its metallic wings glinting in the sunlight and buzzing a beautiful song. You lifted a forearm to chase after it when something zipped tight around your wrist.

You hissed and looked down, seeing a thin wire attached to a stake buried deep in the ground. You pulled away as hard as you could, attempting to free yourself. The harder you strained at it, the tighter it fastened on your wrist. The stake had no give, it was big and thick and seemed to be intended for something much bigger than you. You whined when you began to feel your pulse in the tips of your fingers, the wire digging into your skin enough to cut it slightly.

You curled into yourself, your tail sweeping the ground around you in frustration. Your wrist hurt and it was getting worse by the second. You looked around, trying to find a stick or anything that could loosen the wire.

Your heart dropped as you realized, looking at your surroundings, that you had no idea where you were. You were so focused on trying to find food that you didn’t notice you were leaving the safe radius of your home. You whimpered and licked your wrist gently, attempted to soothe the pain as you tried to think of something, anything that would help you get free.

You were so lost in thought that you barely noticed the whistling ringing through the trees until the last moment. You whipped your head around when a stick snapped behind you, and you puffed your hair up and growled to seem more intimidating despite the fact you were the vulnerable one here, confined to the ground by a stupid little wire. The figure stopped in its — or his, you noted — tracks when he noticed you.

“Hey, are you okay?” The troll asked you. He was a lot larger than you, so you growled at him and tried to back away, quickly being reminded that you were still trapped by the pain in your wrist. You hissed again and clamped your jaws around the longer part of the wire, tugging at it and desperately trying to scramble away.

“Hey hey, calm down, let me help you.” The troll rushed towards you before pausing when you bared your fangs at him. “I have those too, we’re both trolls, kid. You’re hurt, let me help you.” He used a gloved hand to pull his lip to the side, revealing sharp white fangs. You closed your mouth but kept your free hand poised to strike. He held his palms out to you in a gesture that you assumed meant ‘I mean you no harm’ — although it had been a while since you were around other trolls that made gestures like that.

The last sentient creature you had seen was a disheveled Bergen wearing a chef’s hat that just barely grabbed you before you escaped. But this was not a Bergen, it was another troll, your kind. Maybe you could trust him, even though your kind was the reason you were so, so alone.

The other troll reached into the pocket of his puffy jacket and pulled out a camping knife. A growl rumbled in your throat as he got closer with the sharp tool, and he looked into your eyes gently, attempting to calm you with his gaze.

“Shh, shh, you’re okay…” he muttered as he hooked the knife under the wire and sawed it off. You started backwards instantly as soon as the wire fell from your wrist. You clutched your arm and fell back onto your hindquarters, clenching your eyes shut as the circulation flooded back into your fingers.

You felt a hand on your arm and your eyes snapped open, meeting the eyes of the stranger. You finally got to observe him up close. He had a wide set jaw and a big grin that reached the corners of his eyes. His tail behind him was long and dragged along the ground, and his claws were well manicured, almost clearly not by him. He had blue fur and dark turquoise hair that was shaved on the sides. He wore goggles around his forehead and a puffy jacket that fell open around his chest, showing darker blue hairs that sparsely decorated both his pecs and his chin. His green shorts reached his knees and his tummy slightly hung over it, although he didn’t look very overweight. He looked quite buff actually, you noted, as his biceps flexed when he put his hands on his knees to lift himself up. He was much larger than you, almost a foot taller than you.

He held his non-gloved hand out for you to take. You stared at him, untrusting.

“Oh come on, sweetheart, I just saved your life! At least let me help you up?” He flashed another toothy grin at you. You took his hand gingerly and he hauled you up to your feet, grunting slightly. “Let me take a look at that.” He reached for your injured hand before you pulled it close to your body, clutching it to your chest and smearing glittery blood all over your bust. He huffed, exasperated.

“Look, I know someone that can help you. Please, just follow me?” He began to walk in the direction he came, looking behind himself after a moment to see if you were following. You were not.

“Babes, that’s not gonna heal on its own. Just come with me so we can get you fixed up and back home. I’m not taking no for an answer.” He beckoned to you with a flick of his tail and your feet finally began to move, your ears twitching in contempt at the pet name. You stumbled slightly because you were so used to walking on all fours. He put a hand on your shoulder to steady you and led you along. Why were you following this guy? You don’t even know him. What if he was taking you to someone who would judge you and turn you away for looking so different? Your thoughts dissipated when he cleared his throat.

“So uh, while we walk, let me ask you a few questions. What’s your name?” You glanced at him and chewed the inside of your cheek.

“Um, y/n.” You muttered, your voice hoarse from barely being used over the years. He smiled gently and hummed to himself.

“I’m John Dory. You can call me JD if you want, though.” He told you, sounding a little smug for some reason. You furrowed your brows, the name sounded familiar to you but you couldn’t quite put a claw on it. You shook your head to clear your thoughts, your long ears flapping against your head. JD chuckled at you, rubbing his chin.

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you a Pop troll, or from somewhere else?” He asked you, seeming genuinely curious.

“Used to be a Pop troll, I guess. Haven’t seen anyone else since escaping troll tree.” You looked away, feeling a twinge of sadness in your chest. You heard a gasp and turned back to him.

“That was, what, 20 years ago? You’ve been on your own for 20 years? Oh I get you so much more now.” He crushed you in a sudden hug. You pushed him away with a snarl, wincing at the pain in your wrist.

“Not a hugger, huh? Sorry.” He looked apologetic but quickly moved on, whistling a tune you sort of recognized. No, it was the tune of… the forest? No, that wasn’t the forest you knew. The sound was coming from somewhere nearby.

JD glanced back at you, a small smile breaching his lips.

“You hear that? That’s where my friend lives. Well… can you consider your brother your friend? Hm. Anyway, follow me.” He brushed off his short moment of thought and pushed through the undergrowth. You followed him, shielding your wrist from the branches slapping back at you.

You broke out into the loudest space you have ever known. It felt as if the air was pumping with the beat. This was not the sound of the forest that you knew and loved. This was… pop music.

“Welcome to Pop Village!” JD shouted over the noise. “Follow me, my brother is a little out of the way.” He led you along the edge of the village, seeing how the bright colors of everything made your eyes hurt.

You observed everything from afar, noticing the glittery trolls using their own bodies as disco balls and the sea of bodies dancing to the music that seemed to emanate from everywhere. They must be having a party. You barely remembered parties, but you knew that they usually weren’t this loud. Or maybe you were hiding because you were still young.

“Ahem. So this is where my brother lives.” JD pulled your attention from your thoughts and motioned to a rock with a doormat. You tilted your head in confusion at the lack of the door. JD smiled and lifted up the welcome mat as if it were the hatch of a submarine, and you realized it was a door in the ground. You hummed to yourself, impressed.

He hopped in and beckoned for you to hop in as well. You dropped a little faster than you were expecting, and he caught you by your waist. You blushed slightly and you were glad your fur was so thick so no one could see. He put you down so effortlessly, as if you weighed nothing. You knew that wasn’t the case, as you have obliterated your prey after pouncing on it too hard many times.

JD tugged on a root that was growing out of the ground and you jumped as the ground below you shifted and started to descend. He giggled to himself and looked away nonchalantly when you shot him a nasty glare.

The ground below you continued to descend until it finally reached the floor JD wanted. He pulled on the root again and the platform stopped on some sort of living room level, where another troll was lounging on a couch and reading a book. The larger troll swept over to him and rustled his hair, grinding his fist into his skull.

“Noogie!!” John shouted, almost crushing the smaller troll beneath his weight.

“JD get OFF!” The smaller one grunted, pushing him off with a surprising show of strength. JD fell onto the cushions next to him, grinning his wide-ass grin. He looked over at you and waved you over.

You walked over carefully, still clutching your wrist to your chest. It was still bleeding, and the droplets of blood had begun to drip down your stomach. You felt a bit woozy, and before you could reach the couch you fell forward. JD rushed forward to catch you, and surprisingly so did the other one. You whimpered and leaned into him, feeling like your hand was going to fall off.

“Hurts.” You mumbled, before falling unconscious.

—————

“JD, who the hell is this?”

“Oh come on, Bitty B! Who else in this village is as good as you at first aid?”

“I guess you’re right. That doesn’t answer my question though.”

“She-“ You cut him off with a growl in your barely conscious state. The feeling began to rush back to your body and the darkness faded away, your eyes blinking open.

“Ah you’re finally awake!” Two faces peered over you, one smiling wide, and one very concerned.

“She told-“ you cut him off with a growl again.

“Not she.” You muttered.

“Oh, my bad. They told me their name is y/n.” JD informed this “Bitty B” person. The younger troll checked the bandages — oh, there were bandages now. That’s good. — on your wrist. He pulled them tighter and you winced and groaned, trying to pull away.

“Sit still.” He snapped. He clapped his hands in one of your ears to make sure you were truly conscious, and jolted away when you tried to bite him.

“Where exactly did you find this troll, John Dory?” He asked his brother.

“Oh, caught in some sort of trap out in the woods.” JD said absentmindedly, occupying himself with adjusting you to a seated position so you all could talk easier. You had been laying on the couch, and you felt lightheaded when your head was elevated.

“A trap? Oh shit, I thought I had gotten rid of all of those.” The darker haired troll bit at his fingernails for a moment before turning to you.

“How are you feeling? Delirious? Lightheaded? Bandages too tight?” You nodded your head to each suggestion.

“Great, that means you’re still alive. I’m gonna go get you some juice.” He stood up and started to walk away before JD stomped on the furry end of his tail. He yelped and went to punch JD but the larger troll just held him back.

“Come on little bro, not even gonna introduce yourself first?” He nodded over to you. The smaller troll’s ears perked up as he realized the mistake.

“Oh, right. Nice to meet you, y/n. My name is Branch.”

Chapter 2: What kind of troll doesn’t like music?

Summary:

John Dory and Branch finally discover the origins of this new troll.

Branch. You recognized that name. John Dory, a name you recognized too. Before everyone escaped the troll tree, a group of 5 brothers had started to gain popularity. They marketed themselves as a boy band and earned a significant following, before suddenly breaking up and never performing again due to some sort of dispute between the brothers.

“Bro… zone.” You said, half to yourself. John Dory’s face lit up and Branch raised his eyebrows. You raised your uninjured hand to point at them. “BroZone?”

“Yes! Well, not all of us are here, but yeah! We’re BroZone!” JD’s tail wagged excitedly, knocking an empty coffee mug off of the table behind him. “Branch, let’s perform a song for them!” He shook his brother by the shoulders, the smaller troll’s head flopping around.

The room burst into colorful light and music emanated from the walls, choking your senses. You looked around wildly in confusion as JD and Branch posed back to back, Branch taking a deep breath.

“Oh, let me take you to a better pla-ace, woohoo oo~”

Your chest heaved and you pulled your knees to your stomach. You clapped your hands over your ears. It was too much, too much happening.

“I’m gonna make you kiss the stars to- hey, are they alright?”

The music wound down when they noticed you panicking. Branch quickly rushed to your side and pet your hair in an attempt to calm you down. JD joined him, whispering something to him that you couldn’t hear over the roar of your heartbeat in your ears.

“Hey, kiddo. What’s going on? Are you okay?” JD patted your back gently. You shook your head and curled further into yourself.

“Loud. Too loud.” You said through your fur. You lowered your forearms enough to see their faces, looking at each other, concerned.

“Hey, y/n, when was the last time you were with other trolls?” Branch asked you.

“20 years. Got left behind at the troll tree. Seen no one since.” You answered. His face dropped and he glanced up at JD.

“Is that why we’ve never seen them before?” He asked him. JD shrugged.

“I guess so. Poppy would’ve introduced me to them already if they lived here. Although she did introduce me to every single troll, so maybe I missed them. That was a looong day.” He chuckled to himself.

“No. Alone. Long time alone.” You confirmed. They both looked at you with such pity in their eyes that you had to look away before you burst into tears.

“Well, you’re not alone anymore, sweetheart. We’ll help you learn how to love music again, hm? And make you a few friends too! You’ve got us already, so getting you a few more won’t be that hard.” JD clapped Branch on the shoulder, making you flinch. He stood up from the couch and offered you a hand.

“Friends?” You asked him, looking between the two trolls. He nodded.

“Why not? We already know your whole life story anyway.”

“Not all of it.” You took his hand. As you stood, Branch cleared his throat. You both turned to him and he looked at the two of you with an exasperated expression.

“John Dory, you and I both know that neither of us have the social and emotional capacity to teach a troll, whose LIFE BLOOD is music by the way, how to enjoy music again after being completely deprived of it their entire life. I would know, it took me an entire life threatening journey to get me to love singing again, and even in my case I was able to hear the music from the village! It’s surprising they still have their color. This is a whole new animal. We need the expert. We need Poppy.” He concluded, crossing his arms.

“You just want an excuse to see your giiiiirrrlllfrieeennnddd.” JD teased him in his typical older brother fashion.

“Poppy is her own woman and you know that. You’re just jealous I have one.” The last comment made JD frown. He crouched in some sort of battle stance and threw himself at Branch. They rolled around for a moment before he pinned Branch down on his back and held his wrists tight. He made a hocking sound, gathering spit in his mouth.

“Take it back!” JD exclaimed playfully. Branch shook his head furiously and attempted to no avail to escape the bigger troll’s grasp. “I’m gonna do it, you better take it back, Bitty B!” He continued to gather spit in his mouth. Branch began to growl to say something, when you said something that got their attention.

“I have music.” They both looked to you in confusion. JD swallowed and lifted himself off of his younger brother, helping him up in the process.

“What do you mean? You panicked when we barely even started to sing.” JD pointed out, Branch nodding along with him.

“That wasn’t music. I have music. The forest is music.” You stood up a bit taller.

“They’re starting to go crazy, aren’t they?” Branch said through his teeth to JD. He shook his head.

“No, no, they’re right. You’ve never taken a walk in those woods alone? The sounds of the forest are a type of music in itself. I heard a lot of it while I was alone on the Neverglade Trail. That’s why they have colors. They do still have music, just not any kind a normal troll can make. Do you sing with the forest sometimes, y/n?” You nodded, confirming JD’s point. He shook his finger at the other troll. “Shame, shame, Branch. So quick to assume.” Branch sighed, pushing past you two.

“We still need to bring them to Poppy, she’s gonna want to meet a potential new friend. Maybe we could find them a pod too.” He stepped onto the platform and waited for you..

“Pod?” You looked up at JD, looking for an explanation as you walked over to join Branch. He smiled down at you.

“Pods are where we live, our homes basically. Hey, maybe we could find one close to me?” He winked at you and motioned for Branch to start the platform. Your heart fluttered a bit. Nobody has ever talked to you like this before. So flirty. It made you feel like you were going to faint, only just a bit though. You frowned at a stray thought.

“But I have a home.” You muttered to yourself, too low for the either of them to hear.

Notes:

Short chapter tonight but it’s the only way I’m gonna get any content out to you guys sorry lol (hope u enjoy :])

Notes:

I hope you guys like this, Trolls is my new hyperfixation and I haven’t found much content with John Dory so I decided to make some myself. I promise I’m still alive I just have awful motivation issues and will stop writing for months for no reason. So uh, sorry about that. Also I just wanna quickly complain that my first draft of this chapter got deleted bc my stupid iPad froze and closed me out so uhhh a little frustrated lol. I’m gonna try to put out updates semi frequently but this chapter alone took me 3 hours to write so idk lol. There will be more though I promise.