Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If we can go deep into the forest, we will find different species such as trees, wild animals and mystical creatures, but if we look closely and perhaps a little below, we will find a supposedly quiet village, it was the troll village. Yes, this village is actually not quiet at all, there is always love, parties, hugs, glitter and much more, so it is a festive village, curiously today was a more festive day than all the others because after 20 years, the musical band Bronzone would have a presentation, all the trolls had been invited and that is why they were in the most central space of the village, there was a large stage with stunning reflectors that increased the excitement of the crowded crowd of anxious trolls.

There was a lot of noise, cheers, laughter and some encouraging applause could be heard casually among all the trolls who had gathered, there were all types of trolls, from the youngest, curious to meet the highly acclaimed band, to the oldest who with a happy nostalgia they looked impatiently at the platform. All the trolls in common shared a white-hot euphoria at the expense of witnessing the musical presentation of the Reyna's boyfriend, Branch and his brothers. There were only 20 minutes left and the noises only became more intense, their emotion was so strong especially for the departure of Brozone, a band that in its time was very famous and loved, had been in the lives of many of them, marking moments both cute as well as sad.

Then very recently their queen returned from a heroic adventure with Branch and they brought his brothers, thus bringing together the entire gang. That day a feast was held where each of the trolls were invited to commemorate this event. It was a total celebration, but not the best since the newly arrived trolls had a tired aura due to the recent event, especially the one they knew as Floyd.

However, it was not long before they announced the presentation of the concert where Brozone would appear on stage. This surprised many, some thought that perhaps they would not have suffered much damage and if that were not the case, surely the music would fill them with good vibes. would heal instantly, on the other hand some trolls doubted and the older ones took the courage to show their concerns by advising Poppy to consider whether she was going to allow this event for the well-being of Branch and his brothers because in their opinion they must still be facing consequences Of the situation, when they mentioned their concerns to the queen, she seemed very interested and that was more than enough to please them.

And yes, Poppy was very pleased by the advice, although this advice made her realize that she hadn't thought before accepting, since it was more of a "Yesssss!" in a fit of excitement when Branch made the request, in his defense Branch was very excited, well, maybe on the surface it was just a slight smile, but Poppy could swear he was dying of excitement at that moment.

Then she decided to look for Branch and his brothers. When she was able to gather them, she told them about the new doubts she had regarding Bronzone's sudden departure. It was very gratifying for her that the brothers (except Branch) told her that they were willing to follow her decision. In the end, however, his joy changed a little to curiosity when Branch didn't comment, he deduced that he thought the same thing. After talking a little with the boys, especially with John Dory who couldn't stop talking about her tender boyfriend's childhood, she was ready to leave, after having agreed with the entire band to let them know the decision made since she planned to consult him. with her father, she didn't expect to find Branch following her when she walked out the door and even less that he stopped her to tell her in almost a plea not to cancel the presentation, Poppy wanted to ask questions about the reason why she didn't say anything in front of her brothers, but The shine in her lover's eyes made an extra request that she not ask, she even forced a smile creating suspicions in Poppy, but she ended up trusting her boyfriend.

Now with only 15 minutes before his soulmate's appearance on the scene, he greatly regretted having given in. Branch was coughing like a beast and even stranger was the grimace of pain that crossed his face when he held his arm. He approached to see. Yes, he was okay and in the blink of an eye he regretted it more as he watched his boyfriend fall face first into the floor.

"Oh my glitters!" Poppy exclaimed, running to the aid of her so-called love. "Are you okay? What happened?" She assaulted him in questions as she helped him stand up, watching Branch's unfocused gaze with fear, fearing for a moment that her boyfriend had suddenly become blind.

"Eh?" Branch said, coming to his senses after a long minute, he shook his head and turned it to look at Poppy with a slightly nervous look. "If everything is perfect, why?" He says hesitantly, creating more doubts in the pink-haired girl.

"Are you serious?" he asks wryly. "Literally a second ago you were on the floor and I don't think it was your choice unless you want to count the ants downstairs," Poppy adds.

"Oh right, yes, the fall was because..." Branch still hesitates a little to say "A stumble, exactly, that's what it was" he ends up saying, but before Poppy's doubtful face he adds "It must have been the floor." "I'm sure it's uneven," said Branch. "Whoever was in charge of supervising the state of this estrad..." he was going to continue, but Poppy gave him a mocking look for a moment, making him see reason. "It was me, right?" He asked when he already knew the answer, his face falling, Poppy just nodded, letting out a light laugh. "Well, then I just tripped," he added in conclusion as he dusted off his suit.

"I don't think it's the uneven floor, nor a trip Branch," Poppy refuted while putting on the most worried face an energy troll could muster.

"So?" Branch asked, still with that tired and sick aura that Poppy perceived.

"I, well I don't know, but I'm worried it might be something else," Poppy replied as her chest tightened in worry as she saw Branch's face contort in pain and hold her arm.

"What was that? Does it hurt?" asked an excited Poppy, reaching out to take Branch's arm while she examined him carefully.

"It was nothing, just a cramp," he said as he took Poppy's hands in his, moving them away from his arm and distracting her in the process. "I'm fine, really."

"You're not hiding anything from me, right? We already talked about this, no more secrets between us," Poppy said, a little hurt when Branch let go of her hands, but almost instantly he caught her face, looking into her eyes.

"I love you Poppy and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you" Branch responded, instantly warming Poppy's heart, to which she just gave a small smile.

"I love you too" she said as she intertwined her fingers in her boyfriend's hand "but if you're not okay you can tell me and I'll cancel this in a minute and no one will have to mention it, you just have to ask me and that's how it will be" Poppy finished with her face most serious thing he could muster.

"Thank you, but I don't need it," said Branch, still with a tired look, and then sighed. "There's only a few minutes until we leave, calm down," he finished, barely convincing Poppy.

"Well, I believe you, then good luck and shine" she said, squeezing Branch's hand and giving him a kiss on the cheek, heading towards the public space where they saved a place for her next to her boyfriend's brothers, since first Branch would be out with his most recent band.

As Poppy walked away, Branch saw her with a slight blush, but it didn't last long when she let out a whimper, holding her arm as if her life depended on it. "Because you hurt so much," he said in solitude and then calmed his breathing, relaxing his features to leave behind her. the band that called him.

Poppy is very happy, as a queen it brings her happiness to see all her people enjoying the moment with songs and dances to the music sung by Bronzone, she could not be more fascinated, but above all delighted to see the coordination in Branch's steps. , she was completely in love with this troll, she is in love with Branch and she can't help but hide it when she makes up her mind and blows him a kiss in the air, leaving her boyfriend with rosy cheeks. Her history with Branch had been chaotic and if they asked her right now if she ever thought she would be like that, she would answer with a simple no, although she knows deep inside her the mistakes she made, how she was going to destroy her life if she had stayed with Creek. She was grateful to Branch because he made her see things in a different way, he saved her, he was like an angel, a little bitter, but he was still an angel to her. She is so absorbed in her thoughts that she loses sight of Branch for a few moments and returns to reality when she hears murmurings next to her from some troll girls.

"Have you seen Branch's appearance?" one of them asks in a whisper. "Oh yeah, he looks haggard," the other responded with the same tone, causing concern in Poppy. "Nah, it must be because he's the ugliest of his brothers" he added and Poppy frowned, this was starting to bother her "Honestly, he doesn't look anything like Floyd" said the first mentioned "Are you seriously comparing him to Floyd?" "He's nothing next to Floyd," the companion responded, letting out a mocking laugh.

These two trolls had done it, they exhausted Poppy's patience, a slight memory crossed her mind when she heard these trolls talking about Branch, when Branch was gray these types of comments were common for her, it always made her nauseous to see some trolls addressing her. like that from one of her own, but now no one messes with her boyfriend and best friend, she was ready to intervene when a hand stopped her, this made her turn around a little stressed instead of annoyed, to find her sister Viva, who told her she held one arm delicately and her gaze sent him a sign of encouragement while her light smile calmed his stress causing him to breathe to calm down, when he did so he sent his sister a thank you with his eyes and a smile crossed his face, receiving a "De nothing" from the eldest who was concentrating again on the concert, leaving Poppy to follow her example and so she did.

Then Branch invited her to join the band and her excitement increased, she could be with her boyfriend and all of Brozone in a presentation, and the best of all was that they would have a lot of fun, everything was going so well until she saw Floyd watching with concern to Branch, he didn't know at what point Floyd was already next to the youngest of the family and moved his lips probably saying something discreetly, then he got a little worried when Branch hissed in annoyance at the redhead, the second mentioned couldn't say anything in response since it was Branch's turn to sing the lines, so the attention was on him, he moved closer to the edge of the stage singing his line, Poppy was delighted with the well-pitched solo that Branch was singing and was surprised when Floyd broke the choreography by approaching his little brother with slow steps with curious concern. Poppy thought that perhaps Floyd was a typical overprotective older brother, but suddenly everything made sense when the black man flooded her senses when she saw the previously gray troll stagger slightly. and fall forward, falling from the stand with a loud boom! The entire stage was silent, some trolls were with their mouths open, others were murmuring and Poppy was left in shock for a moment, watching as Floyd was no longer slowly approaching if Not that he ran to the aid of the minor, while his brothers followed behind him with the same concern.

"Oh my God!" exalted the redhead as he went in search of his brother in a desperate action. When he had him in his arms, he took his pulse, releasing a sigh when he felt his brother's vibrations. His eyes radiated concern and concern when he saw his brother fainted. He began. to check him for physical damage, groaning when he saw him bleeding on the side of his head, probably from the fall from the stage. "Guys, Poppy, get help quickly, he's burning with fever," he said, noticing this new piece of information, putting it in priority as he approached. plus his brother's sleeping body on his lap, protecting him from the outside world.
Then Poppy took action and sent Viva to call the village doctors. The doctors always rested at this time, therefore, their delay was noticeable. All the trolls were still there, interfering in the situation and posing awkward glances. curious in the circle of brothers that surrounded Branch, she sighed and caught their attention with a somewhat severe look that caused the trolls to slowly retreat somewhat embarrassed, leaving the entire space empty at the end, then she preferred to take the opportunity to approach her boyfriend who was now cradled in Floyd's arms, surrounded by the other older brothers who had very worried faces and made their respective comments when they knew that their brother was not in any kind of danger.

"Floyd, float your back close to the spine, it helps de-stress the entire body, I have done it with my children to relieve them and it works perfectly" said Bruce pointing to the backrest of the youngest of the family who was far from his reach receiving the second minor a grateful look before obeying even with a strong grip on him.

"Good, this will help him not lose more blood" said the formerly funniest man as he pressed a bandage on the minor's head. Although Branch was unconscious and could not react to the touch, the yellow-haired man saw it differently, for him, the His baby brother's face contorted in pain at the pressure in a gesture and Clay cooed as if he were an infant. "I know it seems insignificant, but in his current situation we can't afford to lose even a little blood." He added, addressing the other brothers with the most serious face he could muster, instantly deflating to see the injured man again with eyes full of love. "Oh my poor baby," he said, moaning, crawling to Floyd's side to help him with the weight.

Poppy knew after about 5 minutes that John Dory was not going to comment anything, he couldn't be of help at this moment because he still couldn't believe what had happened in a few moments, the only thing he did in his state that Poppy thought was It was very tender to hold the youngest's hand while whispering reassuring words close to his hatred, he managed to hear "everything is going to be okay" and "your older brothers are here", he can even swear that the oldest gave a somewhat numbing coo. She wanted to get closer, perhaps a little jealous for having him in her arms like Floyd right now, but it was only because she wanted to see her boyfriend's situation, make sure of his well-being and try to calm all his anxieties even if he was not within her reach, He knew he was in good hands, that's why he didn't want to intervene, so Floyd spoke up and he had to do it.

"It's my fault," said the redhead, reflecting the reason why he was called sensitive as his eyes glazed over. "I realized that something wasn't right with him and I still let him continue, I should have forced him to stop, but I couldn't." he said, his voice breaking, clearly resisting the urge to burst into tears as he tried to hide his little brother further from the reality of the world, enveloping him in his embrace. "You can't guess everything that happens around Floyd, it's normal and you're not to blame for anything," Bruce intervened, changing places to support the redhead.

"Bruce is right, it's not your fault Floyd," Poppy said, receiving everyone's attention, with a particularly grateful gesture from Bruce. "Because it's my fault," she added bluntly, earning bewildered looks and a frown from the purple-haired man.

"It's no one's fault," Bruce stated confidently, sending an empathetic smile to Poppy to which she shook her head, lowering her ears with the same shame that a child can feel when caught doing things their age, she moved her tail slightly. from one side to the other showing that anguish also accompanied him. "Yes it is, I agreed to let them appear in their presentation knowing that we recently went through quite a problem, I saw the signs and I didn't do anything about it" Poppy argued at her point, leaving her tail completely faded as she sighed defeated.

"Poppy" JD intervened as he looked directly at her, but his tail wrapped around the youngest's in search of comfort "if it's your fault" he said to which the queen just looked down and the brothers looked at him in bewilderment. "I knew you didn't change," Clay added with an annoyed snort.

"Hey, give me the benefit of the doubt at least," JD responded indignantly, earning suspicious glances. "What I'm saying is that, if there's one thing you're to blame for, it's having a good heart, almost as good as our little brother, you didn't want to disappoint him and you thought about making him happy, that's the most important thing, I know that my brother made a great choice with you" the eldest showed

"But I should have guessed, I didn't take care of his health before, I didn't think I would do it again" said Poppy still feeling guilty.

"Well, he's my brother, but you said it yourself. He was hiding how he felt, no one could guess," JD stressed. "Now that you mention it, that worries me and I don't know what caused his decision, but don't doubt that we will talk to him." "he" JD finished saying to which everyone nodded. "Wow, that's the most mature thing I've ever heard you say," Bruce said, earning a snort from the older man. "Don't go too far," JD said with good humor, to which the others sent him a light smile.

Poppy didn't realize when she smiled, yes, her boyfriend was now sure, she loves him very much, but the love of family will always be a little more welcoming, she understood this when she saw how Floyd filled the youngest's cheeks with kisses, how Clay rubbed his arm gently, how Bruce prattled on about advice from an experienced father, and how JD tightened his grip around his lover's tail. These new characters were an important part of Branch's life, they were family and she was happy to be able to see her better half's circle of trust grow again, regardless of those people who only cause harm like the previous trolls, her sister intervened, and that is why she understands that now everything will be different, it is a new beginning.

Then Viva arrived with the medical trolls, who carefully loaded Ramon on a stretcher, casually receiving help from the brothers, then they advanced in the direction of where they would treat Ramon, in a medical capsule, but Poppy stopped them in time to say

"Take him to my capsule, it is much more spaced and you will be able to take care of him better" said Poppy to which the brothers looked at her with sympathy, she responded with a nod to the "thank you" that crossed their gazes.

Chapter Text

Hello!
This story has just been corrected and is already being published as "Now it's different (it doesn't necessarily have to be bad)"
Thanks for watching!