Chapter Twenty-Five

Falling water roared endlessly. It was a white noise in a white setting. Grey clouds moved in over the forest and shielded the sun while it set on the other side of the world. Branch blinked slowly, his breath light and transparent as he continued to watch the water travel down and splash into its basin. Snowflakes falling from a gentle coming storm landed into Branch' stocky strands of hair, which had receded into its natural, upward position. The floating snow crystals faded into the backdrop of his surroundings and he admired it. However, there was no more strength to find within himself. His heart and soul were freezing over, just like the water in winter.

Still in awe of everything, the troll sat unmoved by the river. His fingers and ears twitched every so often, but he couldn't feel them anymore. Branch had sat for so long in the snow that it was started to pile around his legs and up his back. His eyelids hooded heavily but he clung to consciousness. Sleep beckoned like an ocean siren, coaxing and singing everything he wanted to hear until it could lock him in its jaws with no return.

"C-Cr –..." Branch try to say aloud, though no sound of his voice could be heard over his chattering teeth. Creek, I thought I could do it, he thought to himself, his blurred vision giving way to a black halo closing over his sights. I wanted to save you, but now I wish that you would save me instead. Why did I end up like this?

The day's light shifted and twisted the sky, drawing sunset colors through the clouds that stretched as far as you could see. It moved over Branch's clearing and reflected into the waterfall. His eyes flickered when the water color changed. What once was grey and colorless, much like himself, now revealed a shade that could only be described as a stone of amethyst more valuable than anything that could be held. The water dazzled before Branch's eyes as liquid quartz, all different values and shades of purple waltzing through every droplet. The dark troll managed to open his eyes a little wider to take in the spectacle, enthralled by a wondrous feeling that crept under his numbed skin. Its beauty reminded him so much of Creek.

Everything was purple. The color bled from the waterfall to the snow, to the bark of the trees and into the sky. He was surrounded by nothing but purple and it was like the essence of Creek had been born into nature itself. He didn't know what it meant, if it was good or bad for Creek, or for himself, but he let the violet hues crawl over him. He welcomed the soothing color and sighed inwardly. Maybe this is what death looked like when you knocked on its door. People always feared leaving the material world, but if this is what Branch could see for the rest of his eternity then it wouldn't be so bad.

The ground crunched around him and something large stepped in front of his view, taking his shoulders tightly. Branch slowly blinked again and tried to adjust his eyes on the new object but it was still just the same, deep expanse of purple color.

"Branch," his name was called urgently and his shoulders were shaken gently. "Branch? Can you hear me? Darling, look at me. Look!"

He raised his head slightly and tried to look, his thoughts slow and confused. His blurred vision adjusted to reveal Creek looking down on him with tears in his eyes. They were searching his face and the handsome, purple troll swallowed slightly, a white puff of breath clouding his parted lips. Branch's heart clenched and he dragged his consciousness back to the surface, unwillingly to fall asleep when his mirage had returned. The nerves in his hand twitched, wanting to raise it to grab on to the purple troll so he wouldn't fade away again. Wait, he thought desperately. "W – Wh –" his teeth chattered again uncontrollably.

"Shh, I've got you. You don't have to speak." Creek shrugged off his dark jacket quickly and tossed it around Branch, pulling it tight over his shoulders and arms. He moved in close and touched the grey troll's frozen cheek, caressing it. "I'm here now," he said, trying to keep his jumbled, fearful emotions at bay. "I knew you'd be here… I don't know how I knew, but I did. I felt it. I'm sorry it took so long, my love."

Branch didn't react at first, but when he felt the warmth from Creek's hand his eyes widened and his arms shot up in a quick burst of energy. He grabbed at his forearms and squeezed them, the solid mass making his pulse race. Clumps of snow fell from his hair and off his nose and Branch panted like he hadn't taken a full breath in a millennia. His mirage wasn't a mirage. He could feel him. He was solid, knelt in front of him and blocking his view of the falls.

"Are you real," he croaked, fingers digging into Creek's hot skin in an effort to keep the dream alive. Don't fade away. Don't leave. His thoughts were tumbling sporadically in different directions. He honestly didn't know what to think.

"I am real, I swear to you. Come with me, let's get out of here before you freeze solid." Creek quickly rose from the ground, pulling Branch up with him. The grey troll groaned while he was hoisted against Creek's chest and dragged out of his sitting position. Branch's legs were numb and he couldn't stand. He clung to Creek however he could and squinted his eyes shut, feeling the other troll's heart beat, feeling his sweet heat radiate into his own body.

Impossible. It was absolutely impossible that this was happening. "I'm... I'm dead," Branch wheezed a bittersweet chuckle, unconvinced. Creek lifted him completely off the ground like a precious package and carried him away from the river. "Am I dead?" he asked again.

"You are not dead, I won't allow it," Creek responded roughly. He cradled Branch's head back to his chest while walking to the beetlebike that was waiting on the other side of the sanctuary, putting most of the weight into his good leg so not to drop or stumble on accident. He was lucky enough that Branch had lost considerable weight since the last time he saw him, but it also worried him to no end.

The unexpected rescue became too much to handle emotionally. Secured tightly in Creek's hold, Branch let a few tears of relief fall from the corners of his eyes and then allowed the gaping jaws of sleep snatch him up, dropping the troll into a black lagoon of nothing.

- - - -

His life was an awful, yet wonderful dream. Branch felt himself rousing awake, stretching his legs and toes while he laid in bed. The muscles in his calves and thighs were sore from all his running outside so he curled back into the hot cocoon of pillows and blankets crowding around his body. Eyes still closed, Branch noticed that the smell of the bed was different. It wasn't what he was used to; it had a fresh, new scent and the textures themselves were unfamiliar.

Suddenly confused on his whereabouts, the grey troll lifted his head groggily and breathed a sleepy sigh while adjusting his eyes to the shadows. He looked around, trying to figure out exactly where he'd ended up. Slowly pulling himself into a sitting position in a strange bed that was too large, nothing looked familiar at all but the curves and colorful adornments along the walls could only belong to a troll pod. He definitely wasn't back home in his bunker and a brief chill raged over his skin. The troll pulled the thick cover back up to his chin so not to let out his accumulated heat. He still felt incredibly cold but at least not so much as before. His limbs burned as they adjusted to the temperature change. He couldn't have been in bed for longer than a couple of hours.

A light switched on in another room and it spilled through the doorway at the side, followed by a soft clinking of ceramic that made his pointed ears twitch and turn. He looked over in time to see Creek step over the landing with a tea cup and saucer in hand. They locked eyes and Branch's breath caught, his heart skyrocketing into a flurry of beats that could have broken his rib cage. He was freshly showered, wearing a plain creamy, long sleeved shirt and matching pajama bottoms. The length of his hair was combed straight and the two-tone strands flowed in a gentle arch while twisting softly towards the tip, an angular jagged cut at the end making itself noticeable.

"You're finally awake, I'm so glad," Creek said, looking relieved with an incredibly bright smile. The purple troll went to Branch's beside quickly and sat down on the edge of it, offering him the tea cup that had steam trailing from its contents.

Branch's stare hadn't left Creek's face. His eyes darted over his flawless skin and landed on a fading blemish of a scar that marked his temple. Branch shakily took the cup and set it away on the bedside table, then he tossed the blanket off and grabbed the troll roughly, yanking him in for a fierce, crushing hug. Creek couldn't contain himself then. He broke into a sudden sob and tried to sniff back his overflowing happiness while he hugged Branch just as tight. They sat there in silence, squeezing each other as if the one of them would float away. The room stayed shadowed and quiet apart from the soft shakes and whimpers coming from Creek. He desperately tried to regain composure but managed to lose it every time he felt Branch's arms squeeze him tighter.

"Are you sure I'm not dreaming," Branch asked in a whisper against his ear. "How… How, even? What happened to you?"

"It's a very long, exhausting story," Creek whispered in return.

"I want to hear it. I don't care how long it takes." Branch pressed his face into the junction of Creek's neck and shoulder and a squirming of happiness twisted a tight knot through his stomach when he felt the other troll's hands rub up his back.

Branch was glad he didn't leave out any details. The two reunited trolls stayed sitting in bed while Creek unraveled the miracle of his survival, filled with the things he saw and the people he met, all the way up to the point of Creek carrying him into the new pod that the fuzzlings made to replace the old one destroyed by fire damage. Everything in the home was brand new and almost exactly as Creek had kept it, minus all of his personal belongings. The bed, the furniture, and all of the painted colors were like walking through an old memory. Branch had never been inside of Creek's home but while the tale was being told, his cheeks flushed slightly and he looked around the bedroom curiously, wanting to see the rest of the pod; An accurate replica of how Creek used to live his day to day life before they had ever come together. There were suddenly so many things that Branch didn't know about him and he ached to find out.

"I tried to take you back to your bunker, first," Creek continued, looking rather displeased about that whole ordeal. "But since you decided to destroy the upper room, it wouldn't have been easy to get you in here so this was the only other place I could think of."

Branch rubbed the back of his neck in guilt and sighed, giving him an uneasy smile. "Well, it's not just the top room," he said. "My whole bunker is down for the count. It'll take days to clean up the mess in there."

"I'd like to ask why, but I feel like I already know," Creek returned the sigh. "You don't have to explain yourself." He then reached over for the drink that he'd brought and took Branch's hand to get him to hold it, bringing his attention back. "Please," he said, a small furrow in his brow. "You are still very unwell. Drink this for me."

Branch didn't feel nearly as awful as before, in fact he felt better every moment that passed the longer he sat here with Creek. Obliging finally, he had a careful sip of the warmed tea, then tilted his head back and gulped it down until the entire cup was empty. "Phew," he said with a chuckle. "That actually tasted better than expected... I needed that." Creek smiled and was about to say something, but then blinked in surprise when Branch set the cup down and scooted towards him, brushing the thick covers out of his way so that he was almost on his knees, hovering incredibly close over Creek's lap. The purple troll looked awkward now and his cheeks filled with a darker violet hue, leaning backwards only a single degree from Branch's advance.

The tingling sensation that flowed through Branch's blood was enough to give him daring hopes and thoughts. He gazed over Creek's features while their faces were only inches apart. Creek's silvery freckles were starting to glow and his lips parted. Branch felt so incredibly happy… He felt like all of his wonderful imaginations were coming true and nothing else bad could happen. His fears, anxieties, and the utter madness that he'd experienced the last month were lifting away, leaving only traces of a scar. Seeing Creek and being this close to him, knowing that he was alive and well and finally back home where he belonged; is this was true happiness really felt like?

"Can I kiss you?" Branch asked him hopefully.

The purple troll nodded fast and swallowed, the blush on his face growing exponentially. Branch chuckled again and the feeling of a hundred butterflies caressed over his heart. He was noticing how attractive and cute this troll could be in all of his nervous jittering... and the way his eyes were shining behind fluttering, long eyelashes. He moved his palm to the back of Creek's hand and held it. He felt him tremble under the touch and glanced back to meet those brightened eyes. Creek lifted his other hand towards Branch's cheek and thread his finger tips through soft black strands of hair near his ear, causing both of their smiles to drop away.

Caught fast in a whirlwind of desire, Branch closed in and captured his mate's mouth with a kiss that ignited fireworks through his soul. Creek melted underneath him, grabbing hold of his upper arms and kissing him back with a passion so strong Branch swore he could taste it. Their mouths opened easily to deepen the sweet contact and a small, happy noise came up from Creek's throat.

Any amount of cold lingering within Branch's body vanished. Creek's sudden torrential scent of fresh mint and spiced herbs were penetrating him, farther than he ever imagined possible. He felt the essence slip through the air and effortlessly drift into his body from all directions, concentrating at his center. The refreshing feeling warmed him from the inside, out. Chains and shackles that held down his soul were exposed to that warmth, withering and driving away with only beams of sunshine left in their wake. Their kiss broke apart briefly so Branch could gasp for a breath. Their lips were still brushing gently and they shared air through their soft panting, Branch's eyes remaining closed while the ethereal sensations rooted into every bit of nerve he owned.

"I love you, Branch," Creek mumbled against his lips.

Branch took in another trembling breath, his hands going around and squeezing Creek's waist. "I love you, too," he said. "I love you so much, I love you more than anything. I've always loved you, since we were small," Branch confessed wholeheartedly to him. He pecked Creek's lips in multiple kisses then, eyes beginning to water from all of the incredible feelings enveloping him like a protective shield. They blocked out every bit of negative and unwanted thought that tried to poke and prod its way back in. He backed up and swiped his hands at his eyes quickly.

He was so happy. He'd never felt this happy before in his life. It couldn't be compared to any memory he owned and he never wanted it to leave. He wouldn't let it, he'd never let it go. Not again.

"Don't cry, love," Creek said gently, moving the pad of his thumb underneath Branch's eye to brush away the escaping tears. "It's going to be alright now. It's all over."

"I know," Branch said with a hard sniff, smiling and letting out a short laugh, "I know, Creek. I really do." He laughed again, putting his hand to his forehead because of so many epiphanies and realizations flooding through his brain. He couldn't stop the string of happy giggles that followed.

Creek was concerned at first, wondering if the grey troll had finally lost his sanity, but then laughed in return when he found everything genuine. "Now, this here. This is what I love to see," he exclaimed, "You have the most beautiful smile in the world, Branch!" The darker troll was about to refuse his compliment so Creek playfully tackled him before he could speak, both of them falling backwards on the mattress with a bounce.

"Ack! Alright! Seriously though; damn you to hell, Creek," Branch grunted with a splitting grin. He dug his hand under Creek's shirt and mercilessly groped his fingers into the side of his ribs, tickling the purple troll in a surprise assault. "I've been missing you forever, it took you long enough to come back home!"

"Oh my God – Agh, stop!" Creek cackled uncontrollably and tried to roll away from him, curling up on the other side of the bed but Branch didn't let off so easily. He dragged him back and attacked the other side, fighting through the wave of arms and kicking knees to explore all of his tickle spots.

"I thought you were dead," Branch continued to say, huffing and almost letting out some of his frustrations in his tickling. "I felt like I killed you with my own two hands. I wanted to die myself!" His fingers stopped and Creek panted for air, exhausted from laughing. Branch didn't remove his hands just yet, letting them lay against Creek's skin just to feel him and his breathing.

Creek took the moment to bolt upwards and grab the sides of Branch's face, forcing him to look at him. "You," he said between breaths. "You did not kill me, nor was anything your fault to begin with. Nothing, Branch!" Creek almost yelled at him, his serious tone a startling change. "You're innocent. Perfect. You did everything you could do, don't regret anything… Because the only thing you are guilty of is stealing my heart."

Branch blushed deeply and tried to avert his gaze, pulling his face out of Creek's hands. "Really, Creek – do you have to be so bold?"

"Of course, one of us has to," Creek said with a smirk.

The familiar dialogue had Branch's blush traveling down his neck and up to the tips of his ears. "I can be bold when I want to be," he replied.

"I know you can." Creek took his hand and lifted it, watching his reactions intensely while he brought the fingers to his lips, kissing each of the tips ever so lovingly.

A pelt of fire drove through Branch's system and he stumbled over his tongue, "Y-Yeah…?" His blush came three shades darker and he shivered, though not from cold this time. He suddenly didn't know what to say or what to do, wrapped up and bound like a slave to his will.

Creek smiled seductively but gave him a bit of mercy, letting Branch go and guiding the troll to lay back down on the bed. "Let's not get too caught up in anything else," he said. "You should rest a little longer." Branch was all too thankful for the diversion and weakly accepted the request, sinking back into the plush bedding.

Following after he settled down his back, Creek stretched out along the mattress and scooted in close at the side. He didn't tease any more but slipped into the crevice of Branch's arm and shoulder, laying his hand on Branch's chest and his head on his bicep. The comfortable, yet intimate positioning gave Branch another influx of happy feelings. He relaxed with a sigh, drowsiness catching up again. Things just couldn't get any better, he was in heaven.

"They will be here soon," Creek said quietly, reaching over him for the discarded cover and pulling it over the both of them. "Sleep while you can."

"They?" Branch asked with a small yawn.

"Poppy… and Peppy. They're bringing a doctor. It's just precautionary."

"Mm." Branch nodded in agreement, his breath becoming slow and heavy. He felt a natural nervousness at the mention of Poppy and her father, but he wasn't the least bit upset about seeing them again. They just wanted the best for him and Branch had been incredibly stubborn to this point, pushing his friends away and making things worse for everyone. Right now, however, Branch felt there wasn't a thing in the world that could kill his good mood. He got exactly what he wanted, latched onto his side. Branch moved his hand to Creek's and they threaded their fingers loosely together atop his torso.

A couple of minutes went buy and Creek peeked up at the grey troll, noticing that he'd already fallen right back to sleep. He sighed contently, taking a deep breath of the scents that emanated from the stalk of black hair laying over the pillows. It reminded him of spring showers and his favorite wild berries. They were fresh and pure, just like Branch. He felt so lucky to share a part of the same soul with this troll and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

- - - -

In a bright, white dream world, surrounded by a never ending expanse of open sky and sunlight, Branch and Creek stood facing one another, their hands clasped to their chests. In unison, they lifted their palms slowly, revealing the festering darkness that had delved into their hearts – into their single soul. Branch looked at the sporadic, black object that wriggled fast and unkempt in his grip. This evil… this shared pain that they possessed, had been born from Branch's depression from the very beginning. It grew and spread as an indomitable disease, difficult to keep at bay; impossible to fight.

"Let it go," Creek's voice echoed gently through the dream. The shining, purple troll smiled at him, his own darkness clasped tight in his fist. Branch nodded and let out a slow, deliberate sigh. He opened his hand slowly, letting the light of the world enter the squirming void. Creek mirrored the movement and they looked up at one another, their eyes meeting.

Through a sudden, burning flash, the darkness they held withered and dissipated into the air. Creek took a step forward and took Branch's empty hand, threading their fingers together tightly. He leaned close and kissed Branch's forehead. Happiness flourished between them, the two trolls glowing brighter and brighter until nothing else could be seen.

The chain of their soul rumbled with energy, each segment and link coming together until every broken piece was mended and restored. It was tighter than the bond from their childhood, matured and strengthened to never break again.

- - - -

Feeling positively refreshed and content, Branch yawned wide and rubbed his eyes when he woke up to hushed voices coming from the other side of the pod. As much as the group of trolls wanted to be quiet, they weren't really, and Poppy's voice boomed over the others while she told her father to stop touching things and to keep quiet. Branch couldn't help but smile at how comedic it was. Turning over in bed, he looked over Creek who'd also fallen asleep. The purple troll was clutching Branch's borrowed pajama shirt in one hand and a pillow in the other. A soft snore vented past his lips and Branch grinned, biting his lower lip.

"Creek," Branch called to him quietly. "It's time to get up. Good morning sunshine, the Earth says hello."

Creek's eyebrows knit together and his snores stopped, "Mnh… I never cared much for that show," he mumbled in his light doze. His rounded ears perked up to the rustlings in the pod and Creek sat up from the bed and casually flipped his side of the blanket onto Branch's head.

"Hey, watch it," Branch laughed. Between the darkness of the room and being blocked by the covers he couldn't see anything at all now and he tumbled with the fabrics.

"Stay here," Creek commanded him, stretching slightly then carefully padding across the bedroom to greet their guests.

Branch tugged the blanket off his head and felt around the dark bed to grip the edge of the mattress, swinging his legs over the side to adjust his shirt that had twisted from napping. He sighed and swung his feet idly, trying to listen in to the muttering voices across the house. Seeing a doctor seemed to be normal enough, he did almost freeze like a popsicle out there, but Branch hoped that they'd listen to him when he said he felt fine. He felt better than fine; he felt amazing. Branch smiled to himself and chewed on his lower lip nervously, rubbing his palms on his thighs.

Poppy's voice became louder while they came closer to the bedroom, "and another thing, I'm not done scolding you for running out on me to go on this search and rescue mission!" She sounded upset and Branch inwardly winced as she nailed guilt into the purple troll. "You could have taken me with you, especially with your injured leg."

"Yes I know, Poppy dear, I'm sorry," Creek said solemnly when they came to the door. He reached at the wall and flicked on the light switch.

Branch squinted his eyes shut at the harsh change of lighting then peeked at the door, only to see Poppy, Creek, King Peppy, and Dr. Moonbloom with the most shocked faces he'd ever seen them make. The four of them stared at him for a few seconds then came a flurry of different reactions that he had a hard time processing all at once. Creek covered his mouth with both hands as he was suddenly on the verge of crying. Poppy squealed and ran up to Branch, grabbing his hands with an excitement level that he'd never even seen from her before in his life.

"BRANCH," she screamed happily. "HOW DID YOU – WHAT DID YOU – ?!" She tumbled over her words and King Peppy followed right behind her, clapping Branch on the back hard enough to make him jerk forward.

"Branch, my boy! I knew you had it in you!" he cried out, beaming at the troll with a giant smile. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to pull through."

Dr. Moonbloom adjusted her glasses with a cocked brow, filing into the room with the other two and observed Branch's form from a closer perspective. "I've seen better," she concluded. "But you're not bad at all. Still, a little checkup won't hurt just to make sure everything's in working order."

Eyes darting back and forth between the three trolls crowding around him, Branch's confusion knew no bounds and he looked worriedly over at Creek, who still stood by the doorway. The purple troll couldn't stop staring at him until finally, he came to join the group hovering around the bed and picked up a hand mirror that laid on the nightstand.

"You've… changed," Creek said, handing Branch the mirror.

"Changed?" Branch took the mirror and looked at his reflection.

Cyan.

He touched over his face, eyes wide. Branch's hands trembled and he dropped the mirror on the bed, looking at his arms and chest and lifting up his leg quickly to inspect it, checking every bit of skin he could see. He grabbed his hair and pulled it down as well. The strands were a beautiful, deep royal purple that complimented the aquamarine tones of his newly found skin color. The texture had even changed, going from stringy and coarse to soft and silky.

"I'm… My color..." Branch let go of his hair and stared at his unfamiliar palms again, then looked up quickly to Creek. His mate had started to cry again and was rubbing at his eyes secretly behind Poppy's ecstatic bouncing. The princess could hardly contain her happiness and she grabbed her father's arm as an anchor.

"Your color is amazing, Branch!" Poppy said to him. "I've never seen it before now and I've gotta say, I'm a little jealous."

"It really is looking through a window to the past," King Peppy confirmed with a solid nod. He stroked his frizzy beard and was now analyzing Branch a bit closer with squinted eyes. "You are not quite the same hue from when you were a trolling, but it's there all the same. Trolls are known to having color changes when they mature, of course."

Branch bolted up from the bed and pushed past Poppy and Peppy, going straight to Creek and taking him in a tight, unrelenting hug. The other troll ducked his head down to hide his face in Branch's chest, twisting his fingers into his night shirt.

"You're beautiful," Creek whimpered at him. "I thought that… I thought I'd never see it again."

His shoulders shook from a sudden sob and he rattled his head from the utter shock. Then suddenly Poppy grabbed the two of them and gave her own hug, followed by Peppy and even Dr. Moonbloom. The group hug with suffocating and Branch felt awkward and crushed, but instead of feeling disgusted he just grinned and laughed at the happiness of it all.