Archive of Our Own ^beta

The day had been peaceful, or as peaceful as it could get being outside the village until Branch caught something unexpected in his fishing net.

Sitting by the riverbank, Branch had been enjoying the rare quiet. Fishing was one of the few things that relaxed him, a chance to be alone without the constant noise of the world, more specifically Poppy and her friends But when he pulled up his net, expecting to see a wriggling fish, his breath caught.

Branch frowned. It was… glowing? Fish weren’t supposed to glow. And did it just blink at him?

“Uh,” he muttered, poking at it with a stick. The ‘fish’ groaned. Fish don’t groan.

“Dude, ow,” the thing mumbled, shifting in the net.

Branch dropped the stick.

It talked.

Panic surged in his chest, but his survival instincts took over. Whatever this thing was, it was alive, and if it could talk, then it could be dangerous.

“You okay?” he asked cautiously, muscles tensed, ready to run.

The creature—who, upon closer inspection, was definitely not a fish but some sort of troll—grinned at him. “I think so. I mean, being stuck in a net is not great, and being poked at isn't my idea of a good time, but I’ve had worse mornings.”

Branch wasn’t sure what to make of him yet. Keeping his distance, he knelt down and started undoing the knots, still on high alert.

“What are you?” he asked, voice wary.

The troll tilted his head. “You… don’t know?”

Branch scowled. “Would I be asking if I did?”

The troll chuckled. “I’m a techno troll. Name’s Synth. You really don’t know about other trolls?”

Branch shook his head. His whole life had been spent with pop trolls. The idea that there were other kinds of trolls out there had never crossed his mind.

Synth seemed intrigued but didn’t push. Instead, he just hummed idly as Branch worked on freeing him.

“You’re taking a while,” Synth teased, kicking his flippers idly in the shallow water. “You sure you’re good at this?”

Branch shot him a flat look. “You want me to leave you in there?”

Synth smirked. “Nah, I like you too much already.”

Branch’s hands fumbled slightly, and he scowled, looking away. Dangerous—that’s what this troll was. Not because he was a threat, but because he was making Branch feel things he didn’t want to acknowledge.

Finally, with one last tug, Synth was free.

Synth stretched, rolling his shoulders. “Thanks, dude. You’re actually kinda nice under all that brooding.”

Branch scoffed. “No, I’m not.”

Synth chuckled, then suddenly stiffened. “Oh, krill—I’ve been gone too long. King Trollex is gonna flip.”

Branch barely had time to process that before Synth turned to leave. On instinct, Branch reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Wait.”

Synth turned back, surprised. Branch hesitated, grip tightening slightly. “…Will I see you again?”

Synth blinked, caught off guard. For a split second, Branch looked like a lost guppy watching its owner swim away. The kind of expression that made Synth’s chest ached.

A soft smile curled at Synth’s lips. “Yeah. Meet me here tomorrow.”

Branch let go, nodding once. “Okay.” before he caught himself and turned away blushing, "Not that I care or whatever."

And they did meet. Again. And again. And again. Not intentionally—at first. But it just played out that way. Not that either one was bothered by it.

Two Years Later and They were still meeting at the river, though it was different now. The stolen glances, the quiet laughter, the way Branch had softened—just for him.

They had been dating for seven months now.

And at the moment, they were kissing.

It was soft, slow—careful in the way that neither of them were used to being treated. Branch’s hands rested on Synth’s shoulders, and Synth’s fingers traced gentle circles against Branch’s back. Neither of them noticed Poppy approaching until—

“BRANCH?!”

They broke apart immediately, Synth nearly falling into the water while Branch scrambled to act normal (which failed spectacularly).

Poppy stood there, eyes wide, staring between them. “…I was just looking for you to invite you to a party, but- A NEW FRIEND?!”

Branch groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Poppy.”

Synth, still grinning despite his flushed face, leaned toward Branch. “So… about that party?”

Branch was never going to live this down.