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Saturday night was a big party night for Troll Village. Raves, discos, dance parties...any celebration imaginable, it would rock the forest all night long. The trolls loved to have a great time, and Saturday was just the perfect night to get down. The vibe was just right, y'know? The week was done, it was the first day of the weekend, and you still had tomorrow to goof around. The trolls loved their Saturdays as much as the parties it held.
However, this Saturday in particular had been dampened (both figuratively and literally) by a thunderstorm.
Not about to let this ruin her plans to have a great Saturday night, Poppy decided to invite her friends to a sleepover at her pod. They’d all hurried over before the rain could really start coming down, carting snacks, drinks, pillows, and sleeping bags with them. Now, thunder booming and lightning flashing, they were all gathered up together in her cozy pod, enjoying each other’s company.
Poppy was particularly pleased by Branch’s presence. He was a little nervous, still adjusting to the social life, but had been making noticeable improvement in his attitude and demeanor. He smiled, laughed, and chattered with their friends here and there, gradually coming out of his shell as time went on. She watched him with a grin spread across her face, lying on her stomach on her bed, feet kicking lazily in the air.
Engrossed in the bag of salt and vinegar chips he had in his lap, Branch didn’t notice the queen staring at him for quite some time. He sat between Guy Diamond and DJ Suki, not paying too close to what they were all saying, lost a bit in his own thoughts as he shoved another handful of chips in his mouth. He never really imagined himself participating in something like this before. Sitting with who he guessed at this point were his friends, in Poppy’s pod, enjoying junk food and small talk. Wild what one adventure with a pink princess (now queen) could do to a guy.
DJ Suki gave him a small nudge in his side. “You playing, dude?”
“Hm?” He grunted, mouth full.
“Truth or Dare!”
He shifted his eyes to the rest of the group, who were all staring at him with eager expressions. He must’ve missed the conversation they’d all had about starting up party games.
“Mm...” He swallowed his mouthful with a twinge of apprehension. “...Sure, I guess?”
The Snack Pack giggled. Poppy grinned and laughed along with them, while Branch raised an eyebrow. They were up to something, he could tell. Guy Diamond spoke up before Branch could start any kind of investigation.
“Smidge! Truth or Dare?”
“Dare!” Smidge said without hesitation.
“I dare you...” He tapped his chin. “...to chug a two liter of stout berry juice!”
“Ha!” She barked. “Jokes on you! I do that daily!”
She whipped out a two liter of her famous stout berry juice from her hair and drank it in a flash. Guy Diamond crossed his arms as everyone else cheered. Smidge threw the empty container on the ground, whooping triumphantly.
“Biggie! Truth or Dare!” She pointed at the large blue troll, who jumped a bit at her volume.
“Hmm...truth!”
“If you had to choose someone in this room to be your model for the rest of your photography career, who would it be?”
He glanced around the room, obviously anxious at this very difficult decision. “Oh, Smidge, that’s too hard! You’d all be such lovely models!”
“You gotta pick!” Cooper urged, stomping his front feet.
“And Mr. Dinkles doesn’t count!” Smidge added.
“Oh, goodness...um...ah...” Biggie bit his finger. “...Fuzzbert!”
Fuzzbert chattered excitedly and struck a pose. Everyone murmured in agreement and approval at the decision.
“Poppy!”
Poppy squealed enthusiastically, kicking her feet more vigorously. “Hit me, big guy!”
“Truth...or Dare!”
She smooshed her hands to her cheeks, brow furrowing in thought. “Umm...truth! No, dare! No, truth! Final answer!”
Biggie stuck his tongue out mischievously. “Have you ever kissed another troll?”
A chorus of ooooh’s almost drowned out the sound of Branch choking on the stout berry juice he’d been drinking.
Poppy hummed in thought, rolling onto her back. “Do kisses on the cheek count?”
“No! We’re talking lip lock here, girl!”
“Otherwise, I think everyone in this room has been kissed by you!” DJ Suki added matter-of-factly.
The other trolls nodded, save for Branch, who ducked his head slightly.
Poppy hummed some more, her cheeks turning pink, bringing out her freckles. “Well then, I guess not!”
“You guess not?” Branch asked gruffly before he could catch himself.
The Snack Pack exchanged looks, not missing the hint of insecurity in his tone.
Poppy shrugged back at him. “I mean, no good kisses. Do those count?”
“Well, yeah!” Biggie laughed. “They’re still kisses!”
“Oh, alright...well, yes, then!” She stated firmly.
Another round of oooh’s and giggles.
Branch was staring at her, frowning, trying to hide his jealousy. “Who?”
“One truth per turn, mister!” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“DJ! Truth or Dare!” Poppy said, wiggling her fingers in the red troll’s direction.
“Dare!”
Branch had stopped listening. Poppy had kissed a troll before? Who? Creek? He scrunched up his face in disgust just at the thought. Honestly, if it had been any other troll, he probably wouldn’t have cared nearly as much. But the thought of that purple sell-out kissing Poppy...he couldn’t explain the anger that surged through his body. Creek the Creep didn’t deserve that kind of privilege. Then again, did that mean that he did? Branch, the awkward ex-village-grump who had no romantic experience outside of reading his gushy novels and writing his sappy poetry? He glanced over at the queen, who was back to lying on her front, chin perched on her small hands. He found himself studying her hands, mentally connecting the small dark spots she had here and there from being out in the sun. His eyes traveled to her mouth, which was curled up in a usual smile. He loved that smile. So bright and warm. He wanted to make her smile forever, make her laugh, make her never feel the need to frown ever again. He wondered if she smiled when she kissed that one lucky troll. Would she smile if she kissed him?
He startled himself with that thought and dragged his eyes away from her, purple creeping across his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Why did he keep thinking about this kind of thing? He thought it was fairly obvious that Poppy wanted to keep things platonic between them. She’d never outwardly stated it, but she just always seemed to treat him like he thought she’d treat the rest of her friends. Spending time with him, giving him hugs, presenting him with handmade gifts, telling him good morning and goodnight almost every day, inviting him to have meals with her, and just generally sticking close to his side. Nothing in that list seemed to stick out as particularly romantic to him.
“BRANCH!”
The light teal troll gave a small yelp, startled out of his thoughts by Satin and Chenille shouting to get his attention. “What, what? Jeez!”
“Are you okay? We said your name like five times!”
He rolled his shoulders, setting his face into a defensive scowl. “Yeah, I’m fine, just kinda tired. What is it?”
“Truth...” Satin started.
“...or Dare!” Chenille finished, leaning into her sister.
Branch crossed his arms, weighing his options. He was not one to go about sharing his secrets to large groups. Especially when many of them were rather embarrassing. “...Dare.”
Chenille grinned almost wickedly, the rest of the Snack Pack (excluding an oblivious Poppy) matching her expression. Branch immediately regretted his choice.
“We dare you...”
“...to do Seven Minutes in Heaven...”
The twins leaned forward for emphasis. “With Poppy!”
The Snack Pack erupted in cackles and squeals. Poppy’s ears folded back and her eyes went wide, cheeks flushing.
Branch sat still, confused. “What’s that?”
Guy Diamond poked him in the chest with a glittery elbow, wiggling his eyebrows. “The best seven minutes of your li-i-ife!”
Puzzled still, he looked over at Poppy, who was giving him a smile, despite the look of shy self-consciousness she wore.
“Well, c’mon! The closet awaits!” Chenille and Satin both grabbed Branch and Poppy’s wrists, respectively, and started pulling them towards the queen’s closet.
“Closet?” Branch repeated.
Poppy giggled. “You guys! This is-”
“Exactly what you two need,” DJ interjected smugly from behind, pushing the two along.
The rest of the group agreed enthusiastically. Poppy glanced back over at Branch, who looked more fearful than anything. She had mixed feelings about the situation, but before she could protest any further, she was yanked into the closet. Branch followed, and the door was slammed shut behind them, leaving them in the dimly lit, rather cramped space. A click from the knob let them know that they were definitely not going anywhere.
“Your seven minutes starts now! Enjoy, lovebirds!” Biggie called, voiced muffled from behind the door.
“Lovebirds?” Branch spluttered, whipping around to face the queen. “Poppy, what’s going on?”
She snickered, hands clasped behind her back. “You really have no clue?”
He shook his head in frustration. Poppy took in a deep breath, steadying herself.
“Seven Minutes in Heaven means seven minutes locked in a closet together, kissing.”
Branch went completely stiff, eyes bugging out. Poppy snorted at his reaction, his exaggerated features visible even in the low light.
“What are you laughing about? This isn’t funny!”
She shrugged, rolling her eyes playfully. “I think it’s pretty funny!”
“That’s because you’re crazy.” He jimmied the handle furiously. “This is a fire hazard!”
“Why, getting a little hot in here for you?” Poppy said, slyly poking him in the back.
He flinched away from her, glad that the darkness of the closet was probably hiding the dark blush on his face. Deciding not to answer, he wrapped a second hand around the locked door handle, twisting it more frantically.
Poppy scowled at him, taking a step closer, putting her directly behind him. “What, do you find me repulsive or something?”
“What?” He whipped around, his nose almost smacking into her’s. “No! Of course I don’t! I-I’m just...!”
“Just what, Branch?”
He slapped his hands over his face, covering his eyes in embarrassment and mumbling something that Poppy didn’t quite catch.
“What? Speak up, mumbly.”
His mumble turned into a slightly louder grumble.
“Branch! Just spit it out!”
“I’m just!” He flailed his arms desperately. “Not...sure!”
“Not sure about what? Not sure that you like me?”
“No! I’m not sure that you like me!”
She spluttered incredulously, waving her hands around as well. “Of course I like you! What are you-?”
“No, I mean...!” His hands went to his hair this time, tugging anxiously. “...y'know...!”
“Are they fighting in there?” Guy Diamond whispered, looking up from the game of Uno he was playing with the rest of the group. Muffled shouts from the closet had caught his attention.
“You gotta let them work it out, man.” DJ Suki waved her hand towards the closet nonchalantly. “Seven minutes to yell about their feelings, first. I have faith in Poppy.”
“You knucklehead!” Poppy yelled, stomping her feet. “What do you think I’ve been doing for the last month!”
“I’m a knucklehead?”
“Yes! An oblivious one at that!” She poked his chest roughly.
He didn’t budge, baring his teeth in anger. “Well then spell it out for me, then!”
Poppy, having absolutely enough of their petty back and forth, grabbed Branch by the vest and yanked him forward, closing the gap between them in a split second. She planted her lips on his, firmly and aggressively.
Not prepared for this in the slightest, Branch froze up. Wide eyed, straight-backed, hands shaking at his sides, he didn’t even return the kiss. Poppy noticed and pulled back, keeping his vest locked tightly in her fingers.
“...How’s that, then? Clear enough for you?” She huffed.
He blinked and nodded slowly. “Um...uh...um...”
Seeing him completely flustered made her frustration melt into amusement. Laughter burst out of her and she leaned into him, shoulders bouncing.
“Wh-What’s so funny?” He stammered, giving her an odd look.
“You!”
An anxious chuckle escaped from his own mouth. “You’re the funny one.”
“Well then you’re cute!”
“...You’re sweet.”
“You’re handsome!”
“You’re gorgeous.”
“You’re very attractive.”
“...Back at you.”
She gave his vest a rough tug. “Do something about it, then.”
He inhaled sharply and took her face in his hands, pressing his lips against her’s in a kiss full of feigned confidence. His legs shook, his shoulders were tensely raised, and his eyes were shut too tight, but Poppy didn’t notice. She smiled into the kiss, leaning forward. She felt him smile too, brushing a thumb against her cheek.
Not knowing where to go from there, Branch drew back quickly, clearing his throat nervously and tucking his hands behind his back. “Um...sorry, I...I’ve never kissed anyone before, so...”
Poppy raised an eyebrow. “Bit unprepared, huh?” He shrugged sheepishly. “Well, no worries! Just follow my lead.”
His face was in her hands this time, kissing him with more authority. His hands hovered in mid air, not quite sure what to do with them. Luckily, Poppy was ready to lead, grabbing his right wrist and bringing his large hand to her waist before returning her hand to his jawline. He quickly brought his other hand to her vacant hip, taking the hint. She smiled into the kiss again and he relaxed just a bit, inching closer to her.
Her response was to quickly step forward, forcing him to back up until he was pressed against the door. He was startled, not just by the sudden rough handling, but also by how much he liked it.
A pink hand scooted from his cheek to the base of his ear, fingers pressing into it to the rhythm of their making out. She felt him shudder. Ah, his sweet spot. Nothing amused her more than getting the usually reserved teal troll worked up and flustered, and she knew exactly how to do it. She decided to push him further, dragging her teeth against his bottom lip teasingly. Another shudder, this time joined by a low groan that he did his best to cut short. She did her best to bite back a chuckle, deciding to give him a definite bite as well. His fingers dug into the fabric of her dress.
Poppy’s dominance in the situation caught Branch off guard, but he was grateful at the same time. Lack of experience made him petrified that he was going to screw up, but she seemed to be eager to show him exactly what to do. Hesitantly, he nipped back at her. She hummed, obviously pleased, and encouraged him with a more aggressive stroke of his ear. He faltered a bit and she pulled him back in, gently glancing her tongue against his mouth. Branch, not quite knowing what to make of that, mimicked her, although a bit sloppily. She took advantage of this and started frenching him with gusto, Branch doing his best to keep up.
After about a minute, she pulled back from him, needing a moment to catch her breath. Figured he could use a break too, with how much he was trembling.
“You okay?” She asked, panting just a bit.
He nodded vigorously. “Are you?”
“Better than okay,” she purred, planting her hands on his chest. “I’m in heaven!”
His chuckle caught in his throat as Poppy pounced forward again, shoving him back up against the door as she started kissing his neck. Almost automatically his hands went to her upper back and her hair, digging his fingers in just a bit. She snaked her hands under his vest, one hand firmly on his chest, the other dragging down his back, scratching his skin along the way. He bit his lip, self conscious about making any more noise. He didn’t know how much the trolls outside the closet could hear. They could all be gathered right outside the door, for all he knew. But Poppy seemed quite determined to weasel more reactions out of him, moving to give his ear a solid bite. He tensed noticeably and slapped a sweaty hand over his mouth.
She snorted a bit at his actions. “Relax, Branch,” she whispered in his ear, punctuating with a teasing opened-mouthed kiss over the teeth marks she’d left. “I like hearing you.”
He squirmed against her, torn between his own insecurities and his want to just let go with her. A moan was stifled into his palm as Poppy started grinding her hip into his. She was going to be the death of him if she kept this up.
Fully enjoying watching Branch turn to putty in her hands with every move she made, Poppy decided to test the boundaries a bit further. The hand that had been working over the skin of his back snuck into his back pocket, grabbing firmly.
He jumped, letting out a squawk of shock at the bold move. “P-Poppy!”
“Too much?” She giggled, hand retreating just a bit.
“Give a guy a little warning before getting all handsy!” He huffed, blushing so hard it looked as though he was more purple than teal.
“Sorry!” She gazed at him with half lidded eyes. “...You liked it though, didn’t you?”
Too embarrassed to meet her eyes, he stared at the top of the closet instead, keeping his mouth shut. The way she unabashedly teased him drove him absolutely mad, but he couldn’t tell if it was in a bad way or not.
She placed a finger on the tip of his nose, pushing down gently until their eyes met. “Hey, it’s just me. No need to get all freaked.”
“In case you’ve forgotten,” he grumbled, mouth dry, “...you’re the queen of all trolls. I’d say it’s kinda a big deal.”
She looked to the side in fake thoughtfulness, shrugging. “You’re right, I am the queen. Your queen. And as your queen, I order you to keep your hand off your mouth.”
He frowned and opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off with another passionate kiss. She pulled away with a smirk, seeing that Branch had apparently completely forgotten what he was about to say to her. Seizing the opportunity of him being momentarily distracted, she ran a hand up his leg, hooking a thumb in the leg of his shorts. She could feel him shiver and saw his hand start to move towards his face before it was flattened against the door he was leaning against. A smirk came over her face. This guy was wrapped around her little finger tighter than she’d thought.
“How long have Poppy and Branch been in there?” Biggie asked, suddenly remembering the couple they’d locked away.
“Like 20 minutes, probably. Uno!” Cooper cheered, slapping a card down on the pile.
“Oh, goodness, Cooper, you’re so good at this game,” he mumbled. “Well, should we let them out soon? It’s been kinda quiet for a while.”
“They got a lot of pent up stuff to let out.” Satin placed a draw four card down with a grin.
Her sister gave her a wrathful look, briskly snatching four more cards from the deck. “Yeah...we’ll get back to them after this round ends.”
Branch had his nose buried in Poppy’s now messy hair, arms wrapped back around her waist tightly. Her hair worked great at muffling any noise she was provoking out of him, and it also smelled quite nice. Strawberries. He couldn’t say he was surprised. She was back to grinding up against him, switching between giving him passionate kisses on the lips and biting into his neck like some vampire. All the while she had one hand tugging at his hair, the other firmly grasping his upper thigh. His fingers were wound through her hair as well (gosh was it soft), but not pulling nearly as hard as Poppy was. She wasn’t hurting him by any means, but she also wasn’t even close to being gentle with him. He was honestly astonished at himself for loving it as much as he was.
Poppy paused suddenly, drawing back with a puzzled look. “How long has it been?”
“Wh...Huh?” Branch slurred, brain rather fuzzy.
“I feel like it’s been a bit longer than seven minutes. What’s keeping them?” She caught the slight disappointment in Branch’s features. “N-Not that I’m not having fun! It’s just getting kinda...stuffy.”
It was getting pretty hot and heavy in that tight space. Branch dragged his fist across his forehead to get rid of the sweat that had collected there. “Yeah, you’re right. Should we...like, knock?”
Poppy stepped back a bit, stretching her arms above her head. “Yeah, before they all fall asleep and leave us in here all night!”
“Yeah, what a tragedy that would be,” Branch said sarcastically, bending backwards to get the kink out of his back.
Poppy snorted, sticking her tongue out. “Just the worst!”
Branch rapped his knuckles against the door. “Hellooo...Anyone out there?”
Poppy pounded her fist impatiently. “Hey, guys! We’re roasting in here!”
Smidge let out a roar of frustration as Cooper won the seventh round of Uno in a row. “No fair! I had Uno, and my last card is a wild one! I had that in the bag!”
“Better luck next time, amigo!” Cooper whooped.
Smidge’s retort and possible attack on the giraffe troll was put on ice as loud banging came from the closet. “Oh, my Guh. How long did we leave them in there?”
DJ Suki glanced at the bright pink clock on the wall. “Woah, over half an hour. Let’s bust them out!”
The group huddled around the closet, giggling and gossiping about what had went on.
“I bet Branch didn’t let her lay a finger on him, let alone a kiss!” Guy whispered to Fuzzbert.
Fuzzbert chattered a reply, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
Guy gasped, his blush just barely visible beneath his glitter. “Don’t be raunchy!”
Biggie twisted the handle and the lock popped, the door swinging open to reveal to very flushed, disheveled trolls. Branch’s ears immediately flattened back in embarrassment, while Poppy strode out, chest puffed out and a toothy smile flashing.
“Sooooo?” Satin cooed, following the pair back to the center of the room. “How was heaven?”
“Or was it quite the opposite?” Chenille added.
Poppy flopped onto her bed, arms hanging off the edge. Branch settled on the floor a bit to her left. They both shot each other looks, Poppy’s smile widening and the corners of Branch’s mouth finally upturning into a cheeky grin.
“It was cool,” Poppy sighed nonchalantly.
Branch nodded, picking his abandoned bag of chips back up. “Not bad.”
“Give us the deets, girl!” Guy insisted, giving Poppy's arm a shake.
“Pfft.” She brushed her frazzled bangs back. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Same,” Branch muttered through a mouthful of chips. “You guys playing Uno?”
“You two are no fun,” Chenille complained. “It’s obvious something happened, two trolls don’t just go in a closet for almost 45 minutes and just twiddle their thumbs!”
Poppy yawned loudly. “I guess you’ll just have to wait, ‘cause I’m beat! It’s super late, and we gotta catch up on parties tomorrow!”
The group groaned, knowing that she was right. They wouldn't be getting anything out of the stubborn queen, and definitely nothing out of the aloof Branch. Sleeping bags were rolled out, pillows were fluffed, and the lights were flicked off.
Branch rested on his side, tucked into is sleeping bag, as the Snack Pack began calling out goodnight to each other. His replies were absentminded, as he was busy thinking about Poppy. His first kiss was not at all what he had expected it to be. Poppy was always full of surprises, her unpredictability drawing him in in ways he really just did not understand. Her incredibly confident, almost domineering attitude in the closet had taken him on a wild ride, physically and emotionally.
His eyes drifted over to the pink queen. Her hair was still quite messy, but she didn’t seem to care. A content expression adorned her face, eyes closed, pillow snuggled up to her cheek. A warm tingle spread through his chest. He had had no clue how strongly she felt about him. How long had she pined after him? Was he really that oblivious to the moves she had made? Guilt, just a tiny bit, wrestled with the warm feeling in his chest. But it was quickly banished as Poppy peeked her magenta eyes open, meeting his blue ones. He gave her a shy half grin.
Carefully, as to not disturb the other trolls around her, she shuffled her sleeping bag closer to Branch’s. “Hey.”
“Hey...” he breathed. “...How are you?”
“Pretty goooood.” She made small circles with her finger in the rug. “You?”
“Me too.” He inched a bit closer to her. “Um...did you...enjoy heaven?”
Poppy gave him a little smirk. “What do you think?”
He hummed a bit, his smile widening. “How’s my neck?”
She peered a bit closer as he twisted to expose his neck, his skin littered with blueish-purple hickies.
Poppy raised her eyebrows. “Um...I’d recommend wearing a scarf for the next week or two.”
“A scarf? In summer? That won’t raise suspicion at all.”
She raised her shoulders sheepishly, mouth open in an awkward, blocky grin. “My bad.”
“Ah, whatever, I guess.” He rolled back over to face her. “I’d say it was worth it.”
They both chuckled quietly before laying still for a few moments, enjoying the sleepy, comfortable silence.
"First kiss, huh?"
Branch pressed his lips together to form a flat smile, nodding curtly. "Wasn't exactly considered a catch, these last 25 years."
A short tut. "Well, we'll agree to disagree on that. Worth the wait, at least?"
He tapped his chin sarcastically. "I guess so."
She stuck her tongue out, giving his arm a playful smack. He stuck his tongue out back, crinkling his nose. They both settled back down, feeling sleepiness starting to creep over them. Branch yawned widely.
Poppy mimicked him and scooted closer. “...Wanna snuggle?”
He nodded drowsily. Poppy eagerly opened her sleeping bag, inviting him to join her. He was cuddled up against her in no time, Poppy’s arms around his chest and her front pressed against his back.
She placed a warm kiss on the back of his ear. “Good night, Branch.”
He closed his eyes and took one of her hands, bringing it to his lips carefully. “Good night, Poppy.”