#trolls fanfic

[simplydannie]

TRIGGER WARNING ‼️ MENTION OF SLIGHT SA/GUNSH*T

@skydiverdrawings @meadow-hearthfire @grinnworld You guys really had me on my toes! Lol I hope I did okay with it. This is inspired by and written for all of you. Based on @meadow-hearthfire ask here! Also introducing two new characters to you all!

Veneer can’t take it anymore… the abuse is too much… and now even from his own sister. He has the chance to leave, to runaway. He extends his hand to her to come with him… but is she too far gone to now think for herself?

Veneer landed with a loud bang against the wall… his whole body aching in pain.

“Please…. Stop.” He begged. Gruff looked at the Mistress, her green eyes glinting with a desire for pain. She snapped her fingers; the Bergen grasped Veneer by his neck and began pounding away.

“Stop! Please! Velvet!” He cried and begged, he looked to his sister… But Velvet had a distant look in

her eyes mixed with anger….

“Wait.” She finally called out. The Bergen stopped, Mistress turned her head to eye the girl. Velvet walked up to the Bergen, hovering over her brother.

“Why did you do it?… Why did you let him go?” She asked, tears of rage filling her eyes.

“It’s…. It’s not right what we’re doing Vels… We’re frauds. This isn’t right- AH!” He was silenced as Velvet struck him across the face.

“Why do you have to ruin everything!” She struck him again. “That little Troll was working! Working!” Again she struck.

“Velvet, stop, please. You’re hurting me.” Veneer coward into a corner, blocking his face and hugging his knees. Looking up at his sister, he was afraid… who was this, this wasn’t her. She stared at him with a pink glow in her eyes, dark circles appearing underneath.

Velvets breathing began to slow down… she looked down at her brother and saw the same fear when he was a child, when she would protect him from their aunt. But now… he was afraid of her… who was going to protect him from his own sister?

“Idiot.” She walked out the door. Mistress watched the whole thing with a smirk across her face.

“Well look at that. The one person who promised to protect you. Tsk tsk. Poor Vennie. All alone in this big, big world. You let that stupid Troll out.” She knelt down in front him… a little to close for comfort… it brought back horrid memories. “Getting hot and bothered are we.” She placed a hand on his leg, slowly creeping up, “You know this would be fair. You owe me after so much trouble of continually trying to letting that damn Troll out…” Her hand crept to his thigh… he shivered. Mistress leaned her face obviously close, “You’re a very handsome.” Her hand crept farther up, her lips brushing his ear. “I think I know how you’re going to repay me for this mess you caused.” But she pushed him away.

“After your performance, when you’re all dolled up. Then I can have fun with my toy, you owe me and you’re my property. Now, I need to see how I can go about getting another damn Troll. For today, Gruff, Ruff, a few beatings shall do. Enough to hurt him but not kill him. Carry on.” She snapped and walked out the door, leaving Veneer at the mercy of her Bergens…

Floyd had the chance to leave, to runaway, finally go home…. But he came back. There two reasons that he did: Velvet and Veneer. He denied them once, he wasn’t going to do that again. Floyd crept his way back into the vents from which he came. But he had to be careful, getting caught meant loosing a chance to freedom…And possibly loosing the twins. He had to find one of them, and right now, his best bet was finding Veneer first. Something was wrong with Velvet, something had changed her. She wasn’t the same fiery spirit he came to care for, a darkness loomed over her, like she was under the effect of some drug. Veneer, he still had some sensibility, and he was the only one Velvet would listen to right now.

Floyd ran and ran. He had to be quick. He knew the Bergens would pick up his scent, then it all go downhill from there. The little Troll looked through every vent into every room until he fell upon the right one…

“Veneer!” He called out. When he looked in, he found the Rageon lying on the floor, hugging his knees, his shoulders shaking from crying intensely. He made his way out of the vent and down to the boy. Floyd slowly crept up to him. “Veneer?”

He slowly moved his head up to get a good look at the Troll, “Floyd? You’re back? Why didn’t you leave?” A worry crossed his voice, it was then Floyd saw the bruising on his face, the cuts and gashes the Bergens had left him.

“Vennie… what…. What did they do to you?” Floyd said as he placed a gentle hand on the Rageons cheek.

Veneer buried his face again, “…. I can’t take it anymore Floyd…. I can’t…. I hate it …. I hate my life… I hate here. I want to go home.” He cried.

“Back to Under Rageous?”

“At least we were free… we can’t do anything here or make any mistakes. I’m done Floyd!” Veneer cried and cried. Floyd just stood there, holding him as much as he could…

“Then let’s go…” The Troll finally said.

“What?” Veneer looked up with tear stained cheeks.

“I came back for you and your sister. Let’s go. Let’s run and run till we can’t anymore.” Floyd said with a glint of hope in his voice. “Let’s go be a family again. Just us three.”

Veneer stopped trembling for a moment, his face still buried within his hands…he grew silent, terribly silent…. A worry crossed the Trolls face.

“Ven?”

“…Family…Now….Now we’re a family?” Veneer looked up Floyd…his eyes glowing pink again. Oh no, Floyd thought. He had the same look in him when he was trapped, when Veneer trapped Floyd in that damn diamond bottle. Floyd began to slowly step away…

“You were willing to leave us! And NOW were family? After all she’s put us through! You’re kidding me Floyd! You thought me and Velvet were in her thing about using Trolls! You didn’t believe us!” Veneer looked at him, glowing pink eyes, stained in tears. “You told us we were never family! Those were your words!” Veneer ran his hands through hair, pratically pulling pieces off…mad…he was going mad. Floyd was continuing to back away..but then…he stopped. This is what started it, him running away is what drove him mad in the first place. So he stood his ground.

“Ven….I’m sorry….I am SO sorry for ever even doing that to both of you.” Floyd said creeping closer now.

“Saying sorry is going to fix it? Fix what you told us! If I hadnt trapped you’d be gone. We’d be alone!” Veneer began scratching at his skin, “These bugs, get them off me please!”…. There was nothing there. That woman, what was this essence doing to them?

“I know, I know. Trapping me was probably the best thing you did. I deserved it for even thinking of betraying you two, for betraying and leaving my own little brother all those years ago. I am not a good person Ven…” Veneer continue scratching at his skin as Floyd talked, but he was silent…he was listening. “You two…You two brought the color back in me. Do you understand what that means to a Troll? It means you brought me happiness. For so long I was alone…and that was my fault. I don’t know where my family is or if they’re even alive…but I found you two…You two became my family. I deserve all the punishment for even saying those things to you…It had to take me for me to see both of you tortured and manipulated to even see that you didn’t know…that SHE was the one changing you, grooming you…I let that happen…” Tears began forming in the little Trolls eyes as he got near to the Rageon. Veneer had stopped scratching himself, the pink fading from his eyes… “I want to make it up to you…please, please come with me now. That’s why I came back.”

“…What if I don’t want to come with you…” Veneer replied, a calmness finally coming over him.

“…Then I’m staying.. I’ll hide, I’ll get caught again…but I am not leaving you guys ever again.” Floyd replied.

Veneer had calmed down. Floyd could see he was back to himself. He hugged himself, “I can’t take here anymore Floyd….I physically can’t. The beatings. Her taking advan-…” He stopped himself. Floyd didn’t need to know what Mistress would do him sometimes…he didn’t need to know. “I want my sister to be happy, but not like this...I just can’t anymore!”

“Then let’s go to Velvet…and get the hell out of here.”

Night had fallen around the mansion. Veneer waited till the dead of night, before opening his door. There was nothing of value he needed to take, just the clothes on his back, Floyd, and hopefully, his sister. Veneer had saved his oversized red hoodie from the under-city, along with his black skinny jeans and combat boots….of course he HAD to save his dad’s old purple beanie. With Floyd on his shoulder, Veneer made his way out of his room and headed quietly towards his sisters.

“So far…no Bergens.” Floyd said.

“They normally guard her. She doesn’t think we’ll do anything…well…anything like I’m doing now.” He said.

“Point taken.”

Veneer opened the door to Velvet’s room and peeked in. She was sound asleep on her bed, her hair falling loosely around her face. Veneer quietly walked up next to her. He placed a gentle hand on her arm, “Vels?” He said in a whisper. She moaned a little in her sleep, hardly sturring. “Velly?”

“Five minutes.” She muttered…This was the Velvet he knew.

“Vels, it’s me.” He said. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked up at him.

“Ven? What the hell, bro?” She rubbed her eyes and blinked twice when she saw the Troll on his shoulder. “Floyd?”

“Hey, Vels.” He smiled softly, but a scowl came over her face.

“What the hell do you want? I thought you’d be long gone by now.”

“You have every right to be bad. But I couldn’t leave again…I came back, for both of you. We have to leae now.” Floyd warned.

“Leave? Like leave for good?” She repeated looking at her brother and how he was dressed. “You’re serious Ven? You’re really up for this?”

“I can’t take it anymore Vels! What she does to me, what those Bergens do…How you get when your under her, her, her, POISON! I’m loosing you little by little. I can’t have that. We need to leave. We need to leave now.” He said.

Velvet’s mouth hung open…she couldn’t believe it. After all they went through, after all they accomplished…he wanted to leave it behind. “Ven, we’re finally somebody! How do you want to just, LEAVE?”

“We’re stll nobodies! This isn’t us! This show we’re putting on? It’s all her idea! Think about it Vels.”

“We want this Ven! We deserve this!”

“But not like this! Sis, come on! Open your eyes.” He looked at her…a distant look began crossing her face…Her eyes were fading from blue, to pink. No, no, no, he was starting to loose her again. “Vels. Please just hear me.”

“We deserve this.”

“Those are lies. We were somebodies before this. Vels please I’m begging you. Do this….for me.” He held out his hand in hopes she’d take it.

The pink began taking over her eyes entirely, “…..No…..No I’m not sacrificing this…I sacrificed to much for you already…Not anymore…We’re not kids anymore!”

“Please Velvet, “ Tears began to fall down his face, “…I can’t do this anymore. I’m just tired, really tired.”

“….Then you’re not cut out for this…”

“Don’t make me leave you Velvet. Please don’t make me leave you here.”

“Go. I don’t need you. You’ve been nothing but a damn burden Veneer. The more for me, the merrier.”

Floyd looked between both twins. Veneer wiped away the tears in his eyes, he withdrew his hand and slowly backed away…She wasn’t coming…She wasnt going to leave….

“I’m sorry Vels…I can’t….I can’t do this anymore…I’m sorry…I love you…You know that. I really love you.” More tears fell as he turned away and walked out the door. Velvet still sat on her bed, the pink glow around her eyes, her mind couldn’t distringuish between reality or not. She just stared as he left her…

“Ven. What are you doing?” Floyd asked looking back towards her door. Did he really just leave his sister? Veneer would never do that…but then again…that wasn’t his sister…something overcame her that Veneer thought HE couldn’t even save. “Velvet?”

“Don’t Floyd please.” He cried as he continued heading towards the exit….they were almost there….they were almost there…Why didn’t she come with him? Why? His steps began to slow…He couldn’t leave her…He couldn’t…

“And where do you think you are heading too?” A deep voice came from behind. Veneer spun around to see Gruff standing in the hallway…Shoot, they found out. A voice behind Veneer caused him to turn back, Ruff was right behind him…The Bergen extended his arm and wrapped his giant hands around his neck. Veneer began gasping for air.

“I smell Troll.” Ruff replied as he squeezed Veneer’s neck tighter, “Mistress is not going to be happy.”

“Hey! Pea brain!” A voice called from above, standing on a light over head was Floyd, “Leave me kid alone!” Wrapping his hair near a fixture, he whipped himself straight into the Bergens eyes. Ruff cried in pain and let go of Veneer. He fell to the ground gasping for air. Gruff roared and started charging behind him.

“Ven!” Floyd cried. Though the Bergens were strong, they were not quick. Veneer moved within the last second, allowing for Gruff to collide with his Bergen brother…but that wasn’t enough, they began to growl and stir standing on their feet again.

“Run!” Floyd cried as he began running towards the exit.

Veneer ran, scooping Floyd up in his hand as he ran past. He slammed against the exit door, bursting it open. The smells of the outside world hit Veneer, his eyes adjusting to the lights. They were outside, but not free yet. Veneer took off running towards the gates that surrounded the mansion. He could here the Bergens finally coming out behind him.

“I have to make it to the fence..” He said. Floyd was on his shoulder again. He turned around to see the Bergens running like angry bulls.

“Hurry!” The little Troll yelled.

Veneer hadn’t ran like this since his time in the under-city, but muscle memory was catching up to him. He pace quickened. The roars and growls of the Bergens behind were still heard, but they sounded farther. Veneer neared the fence, in a leap, he mounted it and jumped over.

THUD!

He landed on the other side. One quick look at the Bergens and he took off again…off into Mount Rageous. Gruff and Ruff finally reached the gates…but the boy was already far off…

“She’s going to be angry.” Gruff said.

Crowds of Rageons began to appear, that’s when Veneer finally decided to slow down. There was a bench in front of a record store…he sat down and caught his breath. Floyd hopped off his shoulder and on to his lap.

“You okay?” Veneer didn’t respond, he only gave him a thumbs up. “That was pure adrenline right there. We can take it slow. We got to make it out of Mount Rageous and onto the highway that leads out. Pull your hoodie up, hide that green hair as much as you can.” Veneer nodded as he pulled his red hood over his hair and beanie. Floyd hopped back on his shoulder, “Let’s go.”

Hardly anyone really payed him any attention. Of course, no one really saw him out of his glamourous outfits. To them, he was just another Rageon…and for a moment, Veneer enjoyed that. He passed some revenues he knew he and Velvet would have enjoyed…especially the roller rink and pizza parlor. A sadness crept into his heart…He had really left her behind…She could have been here with him. Veneer didn’t know how long he had been wlaking when he suddenly stopped.


“Hey. What’s going on?” Floyd asked.

“…Vels…I left her….”

Floyd sighed with a heavy heart, “You…you did what you had too..”

“…What if she hurts her…”

“She won’t Ven….That woman favored your sister. She’s her pride, her muse…That’s one good thing. She won’t hurt her while we get out of here and figure out how we can come back and get her out.”

Veneer knew if he would go back now…She’d kill him. But he had no choice…Velvet wasn’t going to leave with him…Her heart was now set on something different…He took in a deep breath.

“We have to make it to the highway before they find us.” He said. Veneer continued making his way through the crowds of Mount Rageous undetected…..for now.

Velvet sat on a diamond chair next to Mistress as she went through her files. The Bergens had just reported Veneers escape.

“This brother of yours really is a trouble maker.” She said not even looking up, “Decided to run off without you.”

“I didn’t want to leave with him any way.” She replied dryly. Mistress smirked as she saw the girl was under her control…Total loss of any free will. It all had worked.

“You know it won’t be pretty when my boyfriend get’s his hands on him.”

“Vennie, brought it upon himself.”

“Good. So we’re in agreement….To bad. He was a fun little pleasurable toy to play with every now and then.”

Those words stung Velvet’s heart. Something snapped and clicked inside her, as if the shackles were finally broken, the curtain was finally drawn back. What the hell did she just say? The memory of what their aunt did to her brother was released…Vvelt grew angry, but unlike Veneer, Velvet was cunning, just like Mistress, she knew how to play her game.

“We out grow toys.” Velvet simply replied.

“We sure do. Too bad. He would’ve made me money in other ways. Now. To plan for what we tell the public. You and Veneer broke up, you both decided to go seperate ways. This is your solo debut now…” As the Mistress kept talking, Velvet began planning. She should have ran away with her brother, she should’ve gone up and left…but she was here for one purpose now…to finally get rid of this evil woman once and for all.

It seemed like hours….but they had finally made it…The highway leading away from Mount Rageous. It was build mainly for those to visits Rageous….No one really went out into the rest of the world anymore. Why would they? Rageous had everything, everything they ever wanted…or so that’s what they would make the people think…That’s what Veneer had thought at one point, but it was all just an illusion. He continued slow and steady…his mind and heart stilling thinking about Velvet. He walked in silence as he began to cry…he fell to his knees.

“Ven?”

“…..I miss her….” He cried, balling his fists on his knees. Floyd hopped off his shoulder and onto the ground, placing a small hand on the boy’s thumb.

“I know…I do too. But we need to figure out a plan before going back in there. It won’t be pretty…She won’t be herself.”

“I should’ve tried harder…Maybe I didn’t try hard enough…but I just couldn’t take it anymore…she’d beat me…She would never hit me.” Veneer said.

“Ven, we…” Floyd’s words were cut off as the sound of a car approached. Scooping Floyd up, he placed him in this pocket this time. Veneer didn’t know what to do, he froze. The car came to a screeching halt a few feet in front of him.

“Hello, Vincent.” A familair voice sounded as a hooded, cloaked figure stepped out of the vehicle. The figure pulled back his hood, reveavling a pale Rageon with dark, blue stringy hair pulled back into dreadlocks. Scars were patterened all over his body, he had a sharp toothy grin…Shank. He was one of the few to call the twins by their middle names.

“Where’s you’re hot sister?” He asked.

“Not here.” Veneer scowled…Shank had caused them trouble in the under-city. He was the one who would potentially sell them to the Mistress…his lover.

“Obviously. Got a call from my girl. You’ve been causing her trouble. Now she’s really had enough of you. You know how much money I have to refund her now because of this mess. Lucky she’s hot.” Shank reached into his belt and pulled out a gun…Veneer’s heart sank, he wrapped a protective hand around Floyd.

“What’s going on?” The Troll asked trying to peek out from his pockets.

“She really doesn’t care for you. Your sister was the one with all the potential. You were a fail safe. You’ve actually made it easier on her Vincent. Orginally she planned to stage your death, leaving Velvet with the solo career. But this makes it so much better…Running out on your own sister. Priceless.” His sharp teeth shined as he smiled. Floyd was able to poke his head out, he saw the glint of the gun in the other Rageons hand.

“Just…just let me go…please.” Veneer tried to beg.

“This is a business we run. And no one…I repeat, no one, runs out on us. You’re done, when we say we’re done.” He loaded the gun, pointing it at Veneer. “…And Vincent, we’re done.”

BANG!

“NO!” Floyd tugged on Veneer’s sleeve. What little force he had caused Veneer to move…and with that little move, those few little inches, allowed the bullet to barely miss Veneer’s heart. He cried in pain, pressing his hand where the bullet went through. He staggered, his breathing heavied, his vision began to blur. Veneer got closer to the edge of the highway. His eyes rolled behind his head as he fell off the edge of into whatever waited in the depths below. Shank looked down and spat.

“Good night Vincent.”

As the day passed, Velvet could only think of her brother. Where did he go? How far had he gone? She stood a her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror. What had she become? What made her delusional to not leave with Veneer? She gripped the side of her vanity hard….Velvet finally had enough. She turned and walked out her door.

Mistress had full trust in her. She had to keep it that way…for now. No Bergens followed her around like they did her brother, and she had access to wherever she liked. Mistress had gone off to some meetings in which Velvet wasn’t invited, so she took this opportunity and snuck into her office. Velvet knew it would be locked, but she also knew how to pick locks herself. Within no time, she was in the office of The Mistress. She closed the door behind her and began to dig around.

It began to seem like it was all for nothing. Everywhere she searched was coming out empty… until she came across a locked segment on her desk. Velvet picked the locked and opened it… Files. What good were files? She began peering through them one boy one.

“Trolls?” She flipped through it… the memory of what Floyd told her came to her mind. “Non effective. Dead. Deceased….What the hell? Pop Troll… effective…..Floyd.” Everything he said was true. No wonder he thought they were part of it… What the hell were they using trolls to make?

“The whole damn agency is doing this?” Velvet and Veneer were just the muses of music for them, their pawns in one small act. Whatever Rageons that were part of this agency, were victims of the same thing her and her brother were. But then she figured, many weren’t really victims, some knew, and didn’t care. They wanted the fame and glory, it’s what Velvet had wanted too… but something was more important to her… family. She looked further inside the cabinet for anything else, that’s when she found the vile. A small vile with pink-like liquid inside. There was no label, no names, just a small cursive E imprinted on the lid….Velvet had had enough… Time to cut the head off at least one snake…

Veneer extended his arms… he felt something soft underneath them. Blankets? He moved his head. A pillow? His sense started coming back as he opened his eyes. He found himself in a room. He knew it wasn’t Rageous, the decor was much different. Where was he?

“Ven!” A small familiar voice called out. He turned to see Floyd standing on the drawer next to his bed side. The little Troll hopped on, ran to his face, and hugged him. “You’re awake! And alive!” Relief passing through his body.

“Where… What happened?”

“The highway. That Rageon shot you. Thankfully he missed your heart by inches. We fell, but there was water below. I was afraid you were going to bleed to death.”

“How did we end up here? Where are we?”

“Well, turns out someone was looking for me and happened to find us washed up on the banks.” Floyd turned as a group of smaller Trolls entered the room, “Ven, these are my brothers. Guys, this is Veneer.”

Veneer stared wide-eyed at the group Trolls. He kept of himself from going a little over board… they were just the cutest thing.

“Well our plan was to save our brother from you, but good old Rhonda picked up his scent a mile away and lead us to you two in the nick of time!” John Dory exclaimed.

“You guys moved me all the way over here!?” Veneer exclaimed. The Trolls laughed in unison.

“Well we’re flattered, but Trolls have a limit, even with an armadillo bus helping us. We called for back up.” Clay smiled. He saw the look of confusion on the Rageons face when he mentioned the armadillo bus, “Yeah we’ll explain all that later.”

“Where exactly are we?” Veneer asked.

“BergenTown.” Branch crossed his arms. At the mention of the Bergens Veneer jumped. He only knew the Bergens of Under Rageous, and they were brutal. He panicked and tried to quickly rush out of the bed. “Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy! Man, you’re more frantic than I was when someone mentioned a Bergen.”

“He…. He doesn’t have good experiences with Bergens either.” Floyd said. Branch glanced at his brother then the Rageon. Veneer looked embarrassed.

“Yeah. They’re not as bad as I thought either. You’ll see.” Branch offered a small smile. Veneer glanced at Floyd.

“Vels?”

“You were out a couple of days… I went back and forth. There was no sign of her. I don’t think she followed us Ven.” Floyd replied, a sad look in his eyes. Veneer nodded looking down at his hands…. She made her choice, and he had made his. Did he plan for their choices to pull them away? No. But it did…and he had to live with it for the rest of his life.

“Come on. Let’s introduce you to the rest of BergenTown.”

Months had passed since she last saw her brother. Who knew where in the world he was. She wanted to go after him, and find him. But this plan had taken time, she needed to earn her trust, to make sure Mistress didn’t suspect anything…. Then the day finally came when Velvet just couldn’t take it any longer.

Her and two other young Rageons sat opposite of Mistress. They were her other muses in the music industry, another brother-sister duo a few years older than the twins: Cashmere and Luster. They were more ruthless, more ambitious, unlike the twins, they weren’t under any control, they were doing this for their sick twisted pleasure. They weren’t twins, a year apart. They were also Under Rageons: pale skin, their hair was eggplant purple, they’re were stunning in their own way.

“So dear old Vincent couldn’t take the fame life.” Luster grinned, “Once a loser, always a loser.” He laughed looking at Velvet. “Don’t worry cousin, maybe he died a quick death, somewhat painless death.” Hector smirked.

“Hm.” Was all Velvet replied. Cashmere was quiet… she still hated that her and her brother were below the twins, that Velvet managed to keep her title at the top without Veneer…. That they were still the better cousins.

“We’re done here.” Mistress said walking back into the room. “You two may leave now. You have your batch to last you the month. I except that new music to deliver and bring in the money.” She said to Cashmere and Luster.

“Don’t we always.” Cashmere casted Velvet a devious look before leaving.

“Enjoy your time at the top dear cousin.” Luster spat as he followed his sister.

Velvet was now alone with Mistress. She eyed the woman as she worked through her files. “May I ask why the hell you’re wearing THAT?” She looked at Velvets attire. She had her old dark pink vest from the under-city, tight black crop top, black mini skirt and combat boots.

“I’m not performing. Can’t I wear what I want?” She stated.

“Around me, no.”

Mistress stood up to pour herself her coffee. “I recommend you go change.” She turned to take a sip. Velvet only eyed her, a devious look in her eyes. A smirk started coming across Velvets face.

“….Do many know about the Trolls? About what you do?” Velvet asked.

“What do you think? But who cares. They’re Trolls. Resources for superior beings like us. Under Rageous knows this. Mount Rageous already has the perfect form of Rageons, we just need the talent, the enhancement.” Mistress said as she sipped her coffee.

Velvet smiled, “The perfect form of Rageon. Is that what we’re aiming for?”

“It’s what we’ve achieved. Look at you, look at your cousins. Look at anyone comining out of this agency on top! Look at you. You’re different, beautiful. Basically a goddess amongst them, now think of just making you more than perfect. That’s where the Trolls come in.” She sipped her coffee again. Velvet listened… is this what she had sounded to Veneer at one point? Mad? Velvet continued to smile, but it wasn’t for the reason Mistress thought. The Mistresses face churned as a bitter after taste stained her lips. “What the hell? Who made this?” She began spitting it out. She suddenly grasped her stomach wailing in pain.

“Velvet call an ambulance now!” She yelled as she fell on the floor holding her abdomen. Velvet stared with a gleeful expression as Mistress began to suffer. “VELVET!…. AAHHH…. GRUFF! RUFF!”

“They won’t answer you. I don’t think they will ever again. See, they decided to eat some “troll” chocolate . Idiots. I just wrapped Floyd’s old left over clothes in chocolate and those big idiots ate it up. Funny what kind of poisons you can make with this.” Velvet held up the vile she found that had contained the pink liquid. “I really have you to thank for the idea though.”

Mistress cried and wailed as her stomach burned. “WHAT DID YOU DO!!!”

“Just made sure you wouldn’t see the light of day again…. Or torture my brother.” Velvet kneeled on the Mistresses stomach, putting more pain than what she was already feeling. “How dare you touch him! How dare you take advantage of him! He’s not a freaking toy! And how dare you abuse either one of us for your own game. I know who I am… and I am NOT your pawn.”

White foam began to appear around the Mistresses mouth. She began to gag and choke. “You……vile…….girl……”

“If that means out smarting you, then yes, I’m very vile.” Velvet watched as the life left her eyes, as she took her last breath. Velvet stood up and screamed, she kicked the woman’s lifeless body…. She was gone… The Bergens were gone… and she had to disappear too. Velvet ran back towards the cabinets and collected the evidence she had found. She stuffed them into her backpack she collected….. and she ran….she ran out of building, out of her prison…. She was finally free..

Veneer. She had to go find him…. She hoped he was still alive. Velvet didn’t where to look, she didn’t even know where to start. She must’ve looked like a crazy Rageon running as fast as she did through the city…. Where? Where could she start? The world was big, and it had been months. If Veneer was alive… he could be anywhere.

She saw the glint of the highway. She could somewhat still feel his presence… he was alive, she knew it, she felt it… and she was going to find him.

[paleon-todd-ogy]

John Dory from @matmiraculous fanfic ‘The Eldest and the Youngest.’ He’s so bbygurl in this fic 💖

[vivianthepigeon]

Something I really liked in TBT was that they didn’t make Branch and Poppy have random relationship issues out of nowhere just for drama and entertainment, their relationship was actually the cutest and really healthy

[rootsbe4branches-trolls]

“I said Hey, girl with one eye”

Part 4 is here!

Previous part.

Next part(not yet)

I’ll go run and hide now, don’t kill me for this chapter please✨✨

If you though those two would go down without a fight you are wrong and if you thought that Viva was going to tell him about the googles I’m sorry but you were also wrong, even though Viva and Willow were super close, her and Branch are just brother ans sister in law they are not close enough and it’s not Viv’as place to tell him, at least not yet.

We are seeing a lot of Willow lately because the past flashbacks circle around Rowan so he’s going to have a lot of comics centered on him on the near future, the past timeline is the one that informs the most about the AU and the snackpack etc but it’s a really complicated and long one to tell so it’s going to take me sometime😅😅

I love that this comics started as the lamest jokes ever and now I have no way to explain what happened

Hope you liked it or maybe scream at me in the comments or something!

[felsicveins]

Art for this lovely fic 💚 💙

[1elouise]

Sexy man was too stunned to speak

[riciart]

[veneerslipstick]

˚୨୧⋆yes, & i love you｡˚ ⋆

velvet x FEM!reader

• one shot

• fluff/slight angst

velvet, the pop star every girl strived to be, had met you at a meet-and-greet, recognized you from highschool and instantly made you her #2 — not necessarily her assistant but accompanied her on every shopping trip, dress rehearsal and personal meetings to discuss her opportunities for her career.

but you were quite more than just her dresser. from the heart melting tension to the pain you felt each time you were away from eachother turns more and more intense as time goes by.

you knew what you wanted, and by her longing gaze before fleeting to a show, you knew she knew too, but was she committed to her feelings as much as you?

˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° .

“what do you mean my cards been declined?”

“ma’am, i-“

“try it again!” velvet protested, waving her credit

card in the air and her other hand balling into a fist.

you stood there , holding shopping bags all up your

arms and smiling nervously at the cashier.

awkwardly, you walked over to velvet and put your

hand out, her hesitating for a second but placing the

card on your palm and crossing her arms ignorantly.

you inserted the card into the machine, waited

patiently and it beeped.

“perfect!” the cashier exclaimed, looking relieved

whilst looking at you , mouthing ‘thank you’. you

nodded at her and looked to velvet. she rolled her

eyes and picked up a few bags.

“yeah yeah, don’t look at me like that. let’s go.”

both of you headed out of Ralph Lauren and into the

parking lot, where you loaded the bags into the back

of the limo, and getting into the car. you sat next to

velvet , a couple inches away, and she melted into

the seat.

“UGH, that was exhausting.” velvet whined, her eyes

falling closed. you admired the purple, sparkly

eyeshadow she had on, which you yourself put on

her that morning. you suddenly remembered how

close she was to you and how you could smell her

strawberry cream perfume. you blinked and looked

down, giggling.

“girl, i don’t think you could last a REAL full day of

shopping. you’d collapse.” you joked. velvet opened

her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows with a small smile.

“what do you mean a REAL day of shopping?”

you smiled and crossed your legs.

“nine to five, shopping alllll day without stopping and

coming home with blisters and your makeup ruined.”

velvet scoffed and kicked you gently with her boot.

“i could so do that, don’t test me y/n.” she shot back,

leaning in slightly to intimidate you. you stuck your

tongue out at her.

“game on , 30$ says you’ll give up within the half

hour.”

velvet rolled her eyes and laid down on the seat,

crossing her legs.

“don’t even with that.” she murmured, leaving you

giggling to yourself.

after the car ride from one of vels assistant, you both

escorted and velvet was snappy with getting other

assistants to bring the bags inside. you felt awkward

whenever she did that, like you were useless in the

situation, and it was even worse when you weren’t

even the celebrity , so you had no right to be

standing there with nothing in your hands. but,

whatever velvet says goes, so you carried on.

entering her and veneers mansion, you took a

glimpse to the chandelier over head of you. no matter

how many times you’ve walked into this room, you’re

still taken aback by the beauty of the shining crystals

and the cream light that poured over it.

“do you want one? i can easily get one. everytime i

see you you’re eye eating that thing.” velvet intrudes,

pulling out her phone.”

“NO, no. i don’t want one, this one is just specifically

pretty. it’s nice to be able to walk into the room with

it glowing.” you continued to gaze over it, your eyes

shining like beads and your lips pulled into a soft

smile.

velvet watched you, staring at your eyes as she bit

the inside of her cheek. she felt a pang in her chest,

but couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. clearing her

throat, she turned around and headed for her

staircase.

“come, we can find places for the clothes then finally

pick out a nail colour for tomorrow.” she stated, you

weren’t slow to catch up to her.

now in her room of many rewards on shelves and

carpet flooring, velvet groaned when she saw all the

shopping bags on the floor.

“they could have AT LEAST put them down neatly.”

she grumbled. you noticed overtime that she was the

picky type, and not just rich picky, but things had to

be exactly right in her eyes or everything would go to

hell. you walked to the bags and started going

through the clothes, sorting between color , fabrics,

tops and bottoms. after sorting, you began putting

away everything, and velvet was right at your side.

“for the polish, i was thinking arctic blue that’s

marble with light blue, and maybe light glitter? no

wait that’s stupid..” she speaks as you fold and hang

clothing on hangers in her walk in closet, right at

your hip and throwing her hands in your face.

sometimes you think she forgets how comfortable

she is around you.

“what’s your favourite color again?” she asks out of

the blue.

“f/c.” you mumble.

she stares at you for a moment,

not saying anything and then groaning, swatting

clothes out of your hands and pulling you by the

wrist out of the closet. “it’s like talking to a wall.” she

mumbles, acting all pissy, but in reality she just

wanted your attention.

you both sit on her king sized bed, her laying down

on the bed on her back, crossing her legs (she does

this a lot, you never knew why) and looking at her

nails. she continues to ramble about polish and how

it’ll match her performance outfit, then how she

hated the outfit, and how she hated the smell of

detergent, then.. you got a little lost. you you look

down at her, one leg tucked under you and your hand

down on the mattress holding yourself up.

“vel,” you started and she stopped. “what?”

“take a second girl. you’ve been pent up about

this nonstop , just breathe.” you grinned and her

expression softened slightly. her shoulders loosened

up and you noticed her jaw stopped flexing. she

opened her mouth to say something, closed it, then

opened again; “if i asked you to do something

stupid , what would you say?”

you scanned her eyes. “yes. i would say yes

everytime.”

your expression was so serious it

frightened her for a moment. you remembered to

relax and smiled a little. “well, cause, it’s hard to say

no to a celebrity. or whatever.” you bettered , velvet

rolling her eyes in exaggeration.

“i’m being serious, y/n.”

“oh are you? that’s shocking.”

“hm, yeah, jackass.”

“you adore me though.”

silence. she stared at you with her beady , deep blue

eyes. they were similar to spears, threatening to

attack and not being able to look away. she laid on

the bed , her green curls and locks spread on the

satin sheets like a painting. if only it were a painting,

she couldn’t have looked more beautiful.

“y/n,” she whispered , a smile pulling at the corner of

her mouth. you hummed in response, her legs falling

to the side that brushed your arm. her eyelids hung

low as she looked at you. a magnet in your stomach

pulled you closer to her,

and you let it.

you leaned down to her, hearing her breath hitch in

her throat and her lips parting the further you leaned

down. but her headed to started to shake, her eyes

fell closed and her breathing got shaky.

“no.. no, no no” she whispered , sitting up and

backing away. you panicked for a moment and

leaned away from her , raising your hands.

“h-hey, i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to make you

uncomfortable,” you spat out and she still shook her

head.

“this.., this can’t happen. get out please.” she

murmured.

you froze, your expression completely falling. “what?”

“i said get out.” she snapped , pointing to the door,

her eyes red and hot and you wondered what her

tears looked like oh you wondered how her tears felt ,

“okay.” you whispered with a voice crack, feeling a

lump in your throat and getting up from her bed. you

turned and headed out her door, closing it slowly and

feeling your stomach twist and churn as you heard

the door click.

everything had felt right, why had she acted like it

was so out of the blue? did you misunderstand? no,

you couldn’t have. that look in her eye. the contact,

the way she seemed to have pulled your soul from

your throat.

ohhh, she had you. had you by the strings.

eyes watering, you found your way out of the house

and went somewhere. you didn’t really know where.

anywhere was nowhere without her.

┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊ ┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊ ┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊

the next day…

yes, you had eventually made it home. after a long

night of contemplating and trying to tear the pit out

of your stomach, you fell asleep on your couch at

4am. you decided to head to velvet and veneers

dressing room early. usually you went with velvet, but

you decided there was no point. there you prepped

their makeup and hair products , anything to keep

yourself busy. it wasn’t your job, it was crimps, but

you couldn’t care less. sometimes you felt like you

did more than her.

as you were laying out makeup brushes, eyes half

open from exhaustion, you heard the door knob

rattling. you had locked the door without realizing it,

so you went to open it. you were then face to face

with a messy up-do velvet with her casual gold mini

skirt and gold top that was paired with pearl earrings

and a white pendant. you felt that churn in your

stomach that came as a familiar feeling. you forced a

smile and opened the door wide open for her.

“good morning vel,” you murmured, her walking in

and scanning the room.

“you didn’t have to.. do any of that. you aren’t

supposed to.” she says almost defensively, putting

her purse down and avoiding eye contact. leaning

against the wall with your hands in your pockets, you

gazed at her. “i didn’t think it mattered.” you replied

with a tone you didn’t recognize.

she didn’t respond, only cleared her throat and

pulled the elastic out of her hair, her loose, flowing

hair falling over her shoulders. you noticed her nails,

but didn’t catch a glimpse of what she did with them.

“what uh…” you started, feeling a lump forming in

your throat. you tried to gulp it down and she looked

at you.

“what color did you do your nails?” you asked. she

looked down at them, seeing her face freeze.

“f/c. the marble.. i was talking about.”

you felt like she kicked you in the stomach. you

shook your head and stood straight.

“velvet. what…what is this? cmon, please.” you

looked her in the eye as your voice broke. you could

tell she was trying to hide an emotion, by the way her

eyebrows twitched and her eyes darted from wall to

wall.

“i don’t know what you’re talking about. stop, y/n.”

she said monotonously, sitting down in her vanity

chair and easing a brush through her hair.

“wanna pass me a claw clip?” her tone changed, like

she was completely over it.

you watched her through the mirror, hating how you

felt like a neglected dog. you didn’t bite.

“fine. then i’ll.. i’ll go. crimp will be here soon.” you

picked up your jacket and opened the door.

“no.. no y/n don’t go, don’t go,” she looked panicked

and got up rushing to you , grabbing onto the sleeve

of your jacket. she let go almost instantly. you stood

there, looking at her with your head turned, and you

closed the door, not looking away from her.

“then talk to me.”

“i-i don’t, this isn’t.. good. for my image. for all of

them. i can’t have this, it would cause a wreck in the

media. it won’t work..” she stood so close to you, her

breathing shaky. you furrowed your eyebrows

slightly. it started to click, or so you thought.

“oh. oh, what because your fame is more important

than your feelings? is that it? velvet. you’re better

than this. don’t choose people who love you by first

impression over someone who would walk to the

ends of the earth for—“ she shook her head which

cut you off.

“no, that’s not..” her eyes began to glisten, trying to

fight her worst fear.

“i wish you were a boy.”

your blood ran cold. as if things couldn’t get any

worse, she pulls that card. you stood there like an

idiot; when you should’ve walked away there and

then. you couldn’t get yourself to.

“oh.” you couldn’t tell if you genuinely spoke or if it

was in your head. she batted her eyelashes at you

and it was similar to knives being plummeted in your

throat.

“this is just how it’s supposed to be. you’re supposed

to help me with clothes and makeup and be my

fashion designer , i just do what im—“

“i could make you feel more than any man ever

could. you know that.” you became slightly

aggravated. you knew she ddint actually want this,

and hell if you did. she turned around and you took

her wrist gently, stepping towards her.

“don’t run from this.”

“y/n, please,”

“we’re meant to be girls together, just try—“

“don’t push this, y/n, y/n i cant —“

“i wasn’t lying.” you said disconnectedly. she looked

back at you.

“if you ever asked me to do something crazy. i’d say

yes. if you asked me to climb mount Everest in a

dress, i’d say yes. if you asked me to be with you,”

you glided your hand down her arm and took her

hand.

“i’d say yes, and i love you.” you could feel the

magnet again, threatening to collapse out of

exhaustion.

“…don’t, don’t…” velvet found herself leaning towards

you with tears smudged at her waterline. and she

kissed you. and she kissed you with a sigh, with a

broken promise. a single tear from her fell to your

cheek, and somehow that pulled you closer together.

you broke apart, looking into eachother eyes, and

didn’t notice your hands squeezing with intertwined

fingers. you rose her hand up and pushed it against

her chest.

“figure yourself out first. you can’t rip my heart out

then eat it.” your own words hurt to say, but you

knew if things would work out, both of you needed

this.

she looked hurt, keeping her hand to her chest even

when you pulled yours away. velvet wiped her face

and cleared her throat. “okay.”

the door swung open.

“god damn janitors, jesus chr.. i just fell on my ass,

vel. no one knows how to dry floors apparently.”

veneer burger in whining , crimp following behind

him. you looked at him, then back at velvet.

who was staring at her nails.

┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　° ┊ ➶ ｡˚ 　　

holy poop that took longer than it should’ve to write.. i’m sorry friends school and work is stressful and i’m trying to find time to work on this stuff 😞 anyway i loved writing this sm i think i captured velvets crudeness and soft side pretty well lolz, i’ll rewrite a happy ending if a lot of u want one bc i have so much tooth rotting fluff ideas for her 💗💗 anywayyyy im getting a couple of requests so ill make sure to get to them <3 TYSM FOR TJE SUPPORT AHAIN ILY ALL

[purple-eyesgreydragon]

Trolls World Tour vs Trolls Band Together

I had the idea of an au fanfiction. If Barb had won, taken over the world, the troll leaders including Poppy turned into rock zombies. But enough of each tribe escaped with the help of sympathetic rock trolls to start a rebellion. Floyd never got captured. But BroZone still gets back together, to save Branch. Is blood thicker and their bond stronger than the power of 6 strings? I mean the powerchord is of hard rock, and the family harmony can shatter diamond. What’s a harder rock than diamond?

Please Reblog after voting.

[hey-hey-j]

The final chapter of Whether You're a Brother is up! It's been a fun ride ♥️

(★my Ko-fi)

[simplydannie]

Previous “The Meeting”

Based on @zephyrmars ask here!

Upon looking for his family, Floyd finds himself in the most unlikely places…and at the hands of two teens he didn’t know were set to change his life forever.

“Gone…. They’re gone…” Floyd stood at the center of the Troll tree… It now lay empty, not a single soul in sight… the Trolls were gone, all gone. Floyd fell to his knees. Did they all get eaten? Did they escape? His heart sank.

Branch… little Branch.

“I just left him… I thought… I didnt….” His colors began to fade. He looked around, he peeked inside the tiny homes…Everything was still here, nothing was taken, nothing was broken… they saw the opportunity and ran for it, they had too. Hopping down to the base of the tree he saw holes, giant ones. It seems in their attempt to retrieve them, the Bergens dug, and dug. Yes, they did escape.

“They have to be alive… I have to find where they went.” He said to himself. Getting up he ran out of the Troll tree before any Bergens saw.

For nearly 20 years he had roamed in isolation looking for his family, for any sight of Pop Trolls.. Floyds colors were completely gone, wasted, not a single dose of happiness left in him. He sat on top of a tree branch curled into a ball…the way he spent most nights…If 20 years of searching led him nowhere, then he was completely hopeless. Tears began filling his eyes like they did every night. That’s when heard the voice. Peeping down below he saw hooded figures, giant hooded figures…he’d never really seen anything like them before. They weren’t Bergens, their features were almost doll-like…

“You find any?”

“Nope. Seems like we’re all dry on this end.”

“Dammit. We’ll search another location tomorrow. These Trolls only have so much to where they can hide now.”

Floyd’s ears had perked up at the mention of Trolls. He had grown desperate by now, any mention of them was a hopeful one since all the villages he had run into didn’t have his family….Maybe, just maybe…

In the blink of an eye, Floyd flung himself from the top of the tree into their vehicle below. He hid from view of these giant creatures.

“Please, please, take me to my family.” He whispered to himself as the vehicle began to move…

That’s how he found his way in Under Rageous, that’s how he found himself trapped by two greened haired teens. Floyd had no idea where he was being carried too. All he could hear were the voices of the two figures…

“He doesn’t look so good Vels.”

“Doesn’t matter. A Troll is a Troll and a Troll means bitz.” He heard the female voice say.

Floyd stretched out his tiny arms to reach for the cloth that covered the trap he was in, but not luck… he pulled the tiny bars surrounding him, banging them hoping they’d budge, nothing, he was trapped…

“Are you sure about this?” He heard the male voice speak again.

“Stop it Ven. We’re doing this. Stay here.” Floyd heard her footsteps fade away. The Troll was curled into a corner when the cover was lifted. His eyes adjusted to the dim lights. Floyd was able to get a good look at the kid this time: stringy green hair under a purple beanie, pale, pale porcelain like skin. A doll like face, but covered in scars, a tired look in his giant eyes…He looked at Floyd with a sad expression…There were no words between them for a moment, just silence as they looked at each other.

“I’ve never met a REAL Troll.” The boy said. Floyd remained silent. “Why are you gray? They said Trolls have the prettiest colors, but you don’t have any.” A look of concern crossed his face. “Are you sick? Do Trolls get sick?……Do Trolls even talk? Do you even understand me?” He blabbed. Floyd couldn’t help but let a small smile cross his face….in some form or another, his curiosity reminded him of Branch.

“I understand you.” Floyd responded.

“Oh thank God! I thought I was talking to my own for a minute there.” The boy had moved himself into a corner far from view. “What’s your name?”

“…..Floyd. What’s yours?”

“Veneer! And the girl you saw with me is my sister, Velvet. She’s moody, but she’s nice enough.”

Silence passed between them again when Veneer finally asked, “Why are you all gray?”

“I….” It took a moment for the Troll to respond, to find the right words… “I just lost my colors…”

“You can do that?”

“When a Troll looses all sense of hope and happiness…Yes, it happens.” Floyd curled himself into tighter ball.

“Why are you not happy?”

“My family…I can’t find them.” The Troll buried his face into his knees. Veneer’s heart sank…He had a family. Trolls. They all had families. And here were Under Rageons taking them and selling them for their own personal gain. He glanced around, he was far from eyes, far from view. Opening his trap, Veneer reached inside and gently scooped the Troll up in his hands and placed him in the pockets of his red vest.

“What are you-“

“Shhh.” Veneer hushed him. He tore apart a section of the trap, making it seem as if the Troll had escaped. Veneer draped the cloth back over it. “Stay quiet.”

Within moments his sister appeared with a male Rageon beside her, a few years older than they were. “There it is.” She pointed to the trap Veneer still held in his hands.

“Nice one, Ven. Seems you have slowly proven yourself to our group.” The male Rageon responded. Veneer swallowed the lump that was in his throat, trying his best to hide the fear behind a smile. “Give it here.”

Hesitantly, Veneer reached over and gave the trap to the Rageon, “Those bitz are all ours! You know how much money this little Troll is going to- What the hell!” Upon uncovering the trap, he saw that it was empty, the little metal bars broken and bent, “Where is it! What the heck happened!”

“VEN?” Velvet glanced at him wide-eyed.

“He was there. He was there I swear! We…we both saw it.” Veneer replied.

“WELL IT’S NOT HERE NOW IS IT!” The male Rageon tossed the trap straight into Veneer’s face causing him to stagger back, his body began trembling in fear.

“It escaped. We’ll go find another one.” Velvet tried to intervene.

“DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO CATCH ONE ROAMING AROUND IN UNDER RAGEOUS! THEY’RE DAMN GONE AROUND OUTSIDE TOO! THIS WAS OUR CHANCE! YOUR STUPID BROTHER RUINED IT WITH HIS STUPID TRAP!” He shoved Velvet out of the way and made his way to Veneer, grasping him by the collar of his shirt. “YOU SAID TO TRUST YOU! THAT YOUR TRAP WOULD WORK! AND WE DID! YOU FREAKING IDIOT!”

SMACK.

He hit Veneer clear across the face.

SMACK.

He hit him again.

SMACK.

And again.

“Stop it!” Velvet jumped in just as he was about to hit another blow, hitting her instead. She held her face and winced at the pain it left her.

“Your brother has caused us enough trouble, he has lost us enough bitz. We’re done. You’re no longer part of this group. You work and fend for yourselves now! One thousand bitz! That’s how much you need to pay us back. If you don’t, we will find you.” With his boot he kicked dirt in both their faces. Veneer spat out blood as he felt a loose tooth somewhere inside.

“Vels! Vels are you okay?” He went over to his sister, checking her face.

“Me? You’re the one he let hell on!” She grabbed his face looking at him up and down. “God, it’s going to swell. We better get home and ice it now.” She grabbed his hand and began to walk away.

“Um, Vels…” Veneer attempted to speak as she dragged him down the streets of Under Rageous. They passed by various Rageons and Bergens alike. They scoffed and laughed as they saw his condition.

“Mind your business! Giant apes.” Velvet yelled.

“Vels…I have something I need to tell you…”

“Not now Ven. I just want to get home.”

“Vels you have to listen, and you can’t get mad….”

She stopped, she turned and looked at him, “Mad at what?”

Veneer pulled her into a dark, empty alleyway. He pulled her behind dumpsters away from any eyes, “Please, don’t get mad.”

“What the hell Ven, spit it out!”

He reached into his pocket in hopes he was still there…He was. Veneer wrapped his hand gently around Floyd, bringing him out he showed him to Velvet. Her mouth dropped. Her eyes moved rapidly between the Troll and her brother.

“You….YOU LIED!” She yelled.

“I had too. It didn’t feel right. He doesn’t look good. Just look at him Vels. And he has a family!”

“BITZ VENEER! WE LOST ON BITZ!”

“You know we would only see not even half of what we would’ve gotten for him. You know that!”

“WE OWE THEM BITZ NOW BECAUSE OF THIS VENEER!”

“Don’t worry about that…I have some saved up. Vel’s we need to make sure he get’s out of here. What if his family is here? We could help him find them?”

Floyd looked back and forth at the arguing siblings. They reminded him a lot of his own…He looked at Veneer. His face was bruised, his mouth bleeding, all because he wanted to save him. Protect him..

“Can I say something?” Floyd called up to them. Both Rageons glanced down at him, “Thank you. You, you didn’t have to do that.”

Veneer smiled, while Velvet scowled.

“Why do you always have to be like this Veneer?” She said.

“I can’t help it…He needs his family.”

Floyd smiled, but a sudden wave of nausea hit him. He fainted at the palm of Veneer’s hand. All he remembered hearing was the sound of the Rageon boy screaming his name.

The smell of warm food is what awoke Floyd. He opened his tiny eyes and found himself wrapped in a small cloth, a sock was made into a pillow for him. He find himself in a small home that reminded him a little bit of the single roomed Troll homes. Floyd heard bickering. He turned towards the small kitchen and saw both twins hovering over the stove.

“Garlic powder. Mom said garlic is good for the immune system.” Velvet said.

“Wasn’t it onion?”

“No garlic.”

“I swear it was onion.”

“Oh my gosh, it’s garlic Veneer!”

“…..it’s onion….”

Velvet threw a wooden spoon hitting the top of his head. Floyd found himself smiling a lot this day…something about these two just clicked with him. Perhaps it was just the feeling of being surrounded by a family like this for the first time in a long while, a family that reminded him of his own. He looked around and saw there was not sign of their parents or anyone else. Were they on their own? This young? He’d guess they were only about sixteen, maybe even fifteen.

The twins turned around to see he had woken up, “Oh you’re awake!” Veneer beamed.

“…Joy…” Velvet rolled her eyes and went to sit on a small couch they had. Veneer had found the smallest bowl and spoon they had.

“..Yeah that’s still kind of big.” He said placing the bowl in front of Floyd.

“It’s fine. Trolls can have a big appetite. It smells good.”

“Our mom would make this when we were sick, and you looked kind of sick. OH! Vels agreed you could stay as long as you needed too.”

“Don’t make me change my mind.” The girl had laid herself on the couch and closed her eyes.

Floyd smiled, “Thank you. I think this is the most rest I’ve had in the longest time.” He began taking sips of the soup when he saw Veneer eyeing him curiously. “What?”

“I don’t know if it’s just me, maybe it’s the lighting? But…You’re not looking as gray as you did when I first saw you. Is your color coming back?”

[vilevenom]

This bad boy is dedicated to @em-doods, because her adorable sketches of Hickory and John Dory meandering through the woods 100% are the reason I wrote this. (She also helped push me through a rather rough patch I had while writing the first bit, so a super extra special thank you there!!)

If given the chance I will write Hickory and John Dory getting together in every conceivable fashion. In this fic, they go camping.

Enjoy!!

"I've never been campin'."

"What?!" John stared wide eyed at Hickory, who looked somewhat bashful at his admittance.

"Well, I mean…I've been campin', but not, y'know, camping," Hickory unhelpfully tried to clarify while John Dory continued to stare at him in disbelief. He sighed, scratching at his cheek as he tried to think of a way to better explain himself. "Dickory an' I would need to camp out once in a blue moon, y'know, when we were out on a hunt. But it was never the kinda campin' where you get to roast marshtatoes or go swimmin'. It was just basic survival."

"Well, I can't let that stand," John said, smacking the table they were sat at with gusto, making Hickory jump. "No way. Camping, proper camping, is one of the best experiences in the world! I don't think I can let you go another second without experiencing the wonders of camping."

And that was how Hickory found himself staring out Rhonda's front window as John drove her into wilderness unlike any he'd seen before. The troll kingdoms were beautiful and unique in their own ways, but this place was truly something else. Rhonda ducked under gnarled branches and crawled through twisting vines, with John confidently at her helm, a broad smile on his face as he described to Hickory where he was taking them. The Neverglade trail, apparently, had all of the best camping spots, and he knew just the one that Hickory would enjoy.

Hickory felt like he was going to be sick, though he plastered a pleasant smile onto his face and nodded along every time John glanced at him while he excitedly spoke about where they were headed. It wasn't that Hickory didn't want to go camping with John. Oh, no. It was the exact opposite, really. He'd been looking forward to this trip since John had declared they were going a few days prior. It was the fact that it was just the two of them. Alone. Together. It made Hickory's heart jump into his throat and his palms sweat.

Thinking back on it, Hickory came to realize that he and John Dory had only really known each other for a handful of months. They'd met when Hickory had gone to Pop Village with the intention of visiting Poppy and Branch, only to find the royal couple surrounded by a group of trolls quickly revealed to be their siblings. Swiftly, Hickory had been introduced to all of Branch's brothers, and Poppy's sister, all while beginning to feel a touch overwhelmed by the new mix of personalities. Not quite sure what to say or how to act, Hickory began to flounder, when one of Branch's brothers had tugged him aside with an easy smile.

"We're a lot, huh?"

"I mean, I dunno if I'd say that, exactly," Hickory had started to demure, only to grunt in surprise as John Dory slapped a hand to his back with a guffaw.

"You don't need to be shy, man. We all know we're a lot. Big personalities," John had reassured, sliding his hand up to rest on Hickory's shoulder. "I know you're here to visit with Branch, but how about we get out of here? I happen to know that everyone else will be buggering off here pretty soon, so you'll have a chance for some one on one time with him and Poppy, but probably not for a couple hours. You can show me around town? I assume you've been here before. I've been here for a whopping three days, so I have no idea where anything is."

Hickory hadn't even realized his shoulders had been tense until they began to relax as John spoke to him. He let a slight smile curl his lips and gave a little nod. "Yeah. I can do that," he easily agreed, tucking his thumbs into his belt loops as they began to walk away from the cluster of trolls.

They'd spent the next couple of hours getting to know each other, and, quite frankly, Hickory couldn't help but to be charmed. John Dory was brash and confident in a way that made him laugh, but was also, somehow surprisingly, incredibly kindhearted.

As they were walking through town, a couple of young trollings had dashed in front of them, only for one to trip and fall directly in front of John Dory. Hickory had fully expected John to, perhaps, help the trolling up and for them to continue on their way, but instead he'd crouched down to the child's level to make sure they were okay. When it was revealed that the trolling had a scrape on their knee, John dug into his hair, pulled out a band-aid, and applied it to the injury without batting an eye. Hickory then watched in amusement as John scooped the kid up into his arms and spun around while theatrically wondering where the trolling's friend could have gone. They, of course, had been right behind John, giggling manically as the teal troll continued to spin and pretend he couldn't see them. Finally, he placed the injured child down, and the two all but begged John to go play with them.

"Sorry, I can't. See this guy behind me," John thrust his thumb over his shoulder towards Hickory, who gave them a little wave "He's my tour guide. And I can't just let him go on touring by himself."

The children whined at him while Hickory chuckled at their antics, but John ultimately encouraged them to continue on with their game, which they reluctantly did when it became obvious that John was just this side of too stubborn for them to persuade.

"That was mighty kind of you," Hickory hummed as they began to walk through the village again.

"Hm? Was it? I dunno," John said with a self depreciating little laugh and a shrug of his shoulders, "Just seemed natural to me. But, that probably comes from being the oldest of five. Lots of bumps and scrapes to take care of when they come running to you for comfort."

Hickory decided to side-step the comment about John's brothers going to him, rather than their parents. He was sure there was a story there, but it sounded like one for another time. "So…Yer the oldest brother, huh?"

John snorted, shoving Hickory playfully with an sheepish grin. "Yes. What's it to ya?"

"Not much. Just didn't much figure Branch havin' a silver fox for a siblin'."

"Silver-?! I am NOT that old. Do you see any grey hair here?!" John huffed, puffing out his chest and pulled his goggles up to show off his very teal roots, earning a laugh from Hickory. "If you must know, Branch is about fourteen years younger than me. The rest are all in between."

"Ah, can't remember with yer ancient brain? Ya need help rememberin', old man? I can always go find one of yer brothers, if ya need assistance."

"That is just uncalled for," John sniffed, looking affronted. Hickory worried for a moment that he'd taken a step too far in his teasing, when John snorted and deflated a bit. "I am getting old, aren't I?"

Hickory clicked his tongue, quickly realizing he had hit a nerve, but not the one he'd thought. "John, if I may, an' if my math is right, yer only thirty-eight. That ain't that old," Hickory reassured, offering a warm smile to the teal troll, "Yer only a few years older than I am, an' I certainly ain't old."

"Oh, yeah? And how old is the whipper snapper?" John joked, obviously lightened a bit by Hickory's reassurance.

"Thirty-two."

"Ah, you're between Clay and Floyd," John hummed, though the comment was obviously directed more towards himself.

Their conversation ebbed and flowed easily as they continued to walk through the village, Hickory occasionally pointing out landmarks or buildings he knew, while John Dory made comments here and there about how different the village was from the tree he's grown up in. He also made a point to let Hickory know that he'd obviously need to get another tour through town, what with his poor old memory not being quite what it used to be. Hickory was fairly certain he'd never had such entertaining conversation with another troll.

Eventually, they wandered back to Branch's bunker, where John bid Hickory adieu with a rather ridiculous and dramatic bow before going on his way, while Hickory descended into the bunker to have his intended visit with Branch and Poppy.

Their catching up truthfully didn't get very far before the topic of the royal couple's recent adventure and estranged siblings came up, and Hickory mindlessly blurted out, "So…what's yer brother like?"

"…which one?" Branch said with a snort, arching an eyebrow at the ex-bounty hunter.

"John Dory."

Branch seemed to think for a moment, while Poppy gave Hickory an awkward smile. "He's an obnoxious, self-centered know-it-all."

Hickory blinked, quite taken aback by Branch's opinion of his brother. "Really? I never woulda guessed that by the way he was actin' today…"

"Well, to be honest, he may be my brother, but I don't really know him that well. We haven't seen each other in twenty years, but that's the impression I've gotten of him so far," Branch said with a quiet sigh. "He'll be staying in Pop Village for a while, since Floyd is recovering. Maybe if I give him some time, my opinion will change? But, that's what I've got for now."

Hickory hummed thoughtfully, and decided he would give it some time, as well. He bounced back and forth between Lonesome Flats and Pop Village over the next few months, and never once did John Dory give Hickory the impression of being self-centered, nor did he ever become obnoxious. In fact, he continued to prove the exact opposite. Nearly every time Hickory visited, John was with Branch, Floyd, or both, supporting his younger brothers in whatever they might need. And whenever Hickory made himself known, John offered to make himself scarce so Hickory could visit with Branch unimpeded. Eventually, however, Hickory had to reveal that he'd been intending to visit John the entire time, and that had been something of an awkward chat in and of itself. The sheer surprise that had shown on John's face when Hickory admitted that he wanted to spend more time with John had certainly made his heart twist in an unexpected way.

In the end, the longer Hickory spent with John Dory, the more he seemed to develop a rather inconvenient crush on the teal troll. Especially when he did things as sweet and thoughtful as remembering Hickory had casually mentioned once that he had a soft spot for a particular cupcake made by one particular stand in the market, but he was never early enough to get one. John had presented one to Hickory with a proud little grin on his face the next time the country troll visited. Or the way he obviously thought about Hickory even when they weren't together, as on one occasion when he'd trotted up to Hickory and presented him with a rather fancy looking silver belt buckle emblazoned with intricate little flower patterns. He'd said he'd picked it up in his travels and was going to toss it away, but perhaps Hickory would like it, instead?

Now, most trolls would probably consider such actions to be relatively basic indications of friendship. However, Hickory had had so few friends, or trolls who cared for him (and not a character he and his brother created) that he couldn't help but feel special when John gave him his undivided attention. And he had a sneaking suspicion that John Dory was much the same.

He mentioned the incidents to Poppy and Branch the next time he sat down with them to chat, the former of whom cooed happily at the revelation, while the later gagged quietly.

"I…I think he's got my heart all a flutter. What do I do?" Hickory asked, head in his hands where he sat at Branch's kitchen table. He felt like a little kid, telling his friends about a crush he had on some troll well out of his league. He felt especially foolish that said friend was his crushes younger brother, who was watching him with a wrinkled nose.

"Why are you asking me? At this point, I'm pretty convinced that you know JD better than I do," Branch said with a slight grimace.

"Oh, that's so cute," Poppy gushed, waving her hands at Hickory as he glanced up at her with a long suffering sigh. "Don't give me that look. It is! I've seen you two walking around town together."

"We certainly get along like a house on fire, but I don't know what to do. I haven't done this in a while. Least, not properly," Hickory sighed, slumping onto the table they were sat around.

"I don't know, man. Talk to him about camping? That seems to be one of his favorite things," Branch offered with a shrug. "Maybe that'll help lead the conversation into something?"

And Hickory had, which did indeed lead to this whole escapade in the first place. Perhaps it would allow him the opportunity to talk to the teal troll about his feelings. If he could work up the courage to do so, that is. Especially with the discouraging little voice in the back of his head that kept telling him that if the conversation went south, he was either going to be left in the wilderness on his own, or have a very awkward trip back to Pop Village.

"How much further are we gonna haveta go to get to this mysterious campin' spot a' yers?" Hickory asked, arching an eyebrow as John turned Rhonda down yet another trail.

"Oh, not too much further, I don't think," John hummed with a smile, shooting Hickory a wink that made the ex-bounty hunter need to immediately step away to try and hide the blush that bloomed across his cheeks.

They drove in relative silence for a few more minutes, before John finally pulled Rhonda over, and Hickory managed to calm himself down enough that his cheeks were no longer enflamed.

"Here we are!" John declared, as he spun the drivers seat around to grin widely at Hickory, who offered a slightly mollified one of his own. "Now, grab your gear, we've got a bit of a hike."

"Wait, this isn't where we're campin'?" Hickory asked, watching John pull an overstuffed backpack with a sleeping roll tied to it from atop his loft bed.

"What? No, of course not. You can't get a full and proper camping experience if we're staying in Rhonda. That's, like…'glamping', or whatever. No, if you want a proper camping trip, we gotta hike a bit further in and set up tents!" John exclaimed excitedly, pulling the straps of his bag over his shoulders.

"If ya say so," Hickory said with an awkward chuckle, grabbing his much smaller bag and sleeping roll from where he'd stashed them and following John out of Rhonda.

"Now, you be a good girl," John cooed at Rhonda as Hickory stepped up behind him, "There are lots of berry bushes here, so there's loads to eat. You make sure you're back here in a couple of days, okay?" Hickory watched in amusement as John half wrapped himself around the armadillo bus's face in the closest approximation of a hug as he could get as she churred at him happily.

"Y'sure it's okay t' just leave her here?" Hickory asked as they began to walk away, the ex-bounty hunter shooting Rhonda furtive glances the further away from her they got.

"Oh, yeah. She's a good girl. Even if she's not there when we get back, she usually comes when I call, or we'll just need to wait a day or two when we get back," John reassured, as Hickory watched the energetic bus dart off into some bushes.

"…right."

And so on they went, Hickory diligently following along behind John, until he inevitably got distracted by the massive trees and flora they were hiking past. To the rather unfortunate point where John disappeared beyond a bend before Hickory had even realized he'd been left behind.

"Hey, John, have ya ever-" he'd begun as he turned from staring at a large, drooping orange flower, only to find himself completely alone. "…John?" Hickory tentatively took a few steps forward, glancing this way and that to see if he could spot the teal troll, without luck. "Sugar," he grumbled to himself, unsure if he should proceed forward, or wait to see if John would notice his absence and turn back around to find him.

Just as he turned to sit himself beneath the flower he'd gotten distracted by, a rustling in the bush startled him into pulling a knife from his pocket and brandishing it with a snarl on his face. John had warned him, at one point on their drive here, that wild critters of all shapes and sizes roamed the Neverglades, and that he should be wary of being snuck up on, lest he be eaten. John had said it like it was a joke, but Hickory had noticed the scars John's fur hadn't quite fully grown over. He had no doubt there were plenty of critters who would like nothing more than to get a taste of troll out here, and he was not eager to give them said taste.

So, he stood his ground and waited, until finally John Dory came stumbling out of the brush, leg half tangled in a bramble.

"There you are!" John laughed, shaking the bramble off his leg as Hickory quickly tucked his knife back away, "I turned around to point out some funky looking moss and you were gone."

"Sorry 'bout that. Got caught up admirin' this here flower," Hickory admitted abashedly, gesturing vaguely over his shoulder.

"No worries, man! Just gotta make sure I keep a better eye on you," John chuckled, reaching out and unexpectedly taking Hickory's hand. The country troll felt his cheeks heat up, but luckily John had turned to start tugging him along down the trail, and so missed it entirely. "Don't want you getting lost on me!"

"No, no. Don't wanna get lost," Hickory muttered mostly to himself, his gaze stuck pretty strictly on their clasped hands now, rather than the gorgeous scenery they were walking past. Occasionally John would point something out to Hickory, which would pull the country trolls gaze up for a short period of time, before inevitably trailing back down to their hands.

John didn't let go until they reached a rocky path that lead up what most creatures would probably consider a small foot hill, but was nearly the equivalent of a mountain to the two trolls. The path wound up along the side of the hill, and was only just wide enough for them to walk up one at a time. Hickory did his best to hide his disappointment as John let him go and began to trek up the hillside.

"C'mon! If we're where I think we are, there's a great spot at the top of the hill where we can stop and have lunch," John said, glancing back at Hickory with a bright grin.

"Alright, I'mma comin'," Hickory chuckled, shifting the pack on his shoulders and following along after John.

The two managed to make it about halfway up the hill when they came across a slightly wider spot on the trail, overlooking a rather picturesque little area of the Neverglades.

"Too bad there's not more of a plateau here," John lamented as Hickory stopped next to him, "This would be a great spot to stop for lunch."

"Yeah. S'real pretty," Hickory hummed, turning to look out at the view.

"Wish I'd brought my camera," John added with a despondent sigh, "But I left it in Rhonda."

"Well, ain't that just lucky for you, then," Hickory said with a smile, reaching over his shoulder into his pack, "Because I just so happen to have brought one along." He pulled a little instant camera out of his bag and handed it to John, who snatched it eagerly.

"Awesome! Say cheese," John said with a grin, holding the camera out in front of the two and snapping a photo. Hickory blinked at the flash that went off, trying to get rid of the little flare in his vision.

"Some warnin' woulda been nice," he groused quietly, rubbing at his eyes.

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't have gotten such a great candid shot," John hummed, pulling the photo free of the camera and waving it slightly. He snorted once the image developed, holding it out to Hickory. "See? Perfect moment."

Hickory wrinkled his nose at the photo, which showed a happily grinning John and Hickory looking like he was, perhaps, about to sneeze. "Yeah. Real flatterin'," he muttered, reaching for the photo.

"Hey now, nuh-uh," John said quickly, pulling the photo back to hold against his chest, before quickly stuffing it into his hair, "This one's mine."

"Aw, come on, now," Hickory grumped, reaching for John's hair, "We can take a better one. You don't need t' keep that."

"No," John quickly took a step back, while shoving the camera into his hair as well, "I like it. It's mine, and you can't have it."

"Don't be childish, John," Hickory sighed, reaching for the teal trolls hair again as John quickly took another step back and snorted.

"Have you met me? I'm the least childish troll out there."

"Mhmm, you keep tellin' yerself that," Hickory chuckled, taking another step after John, only for both of them to freeze at a rather ominous cracking sound that emanated around them. "What was-" Hickory barely managed to get the words out, before he felt his foot beginning to sink as the path beneath him began to give way, and the sound of tumbling rocks hit his ears.

"Hickory!"

The ex-bounty hunter gasped as his footing slipped, quickly scrambling for John's reaching hands. The teal troll had his hair wrapped around some roots that were sticking out of the side of the hill, anchoring him as he grabbed for Hickory as he began to fall.

"I gotcha, I gotcha," John chanted as Hickory managed to grab hold of him, using his hair to pull them both away from the crumbling section of path. Once they were both on a more stable spot, Hickory opened his eyes, which he hadn't even realized he'd clenched shut, to find himself practically nose to nose with John Dory, both of them panting like they'd just run a mile.

"You okay?" John quietly asked after a beat, grip still tight on Hickory as he stared up at him.

"Bit shaken up, but I think I'll be right as rain here right quick," Hickory murmured back, glad that the adrenaline of his near death experience and lack of breath were more than enough excuse for how dark his cheeks must be from their proximity. If he just moved his head ever so slightly, he could kiss John Dory right then and there.

"Good," John's voice shattered Hickory's momentary daydream, a short pat on his shoulder telling Hickory to move away. Which he did, taking a quick step back to give John space. "I think we're close to the top now. I'd definitely say we earned our lunch."

Hickory let out a little laugh, hoping it didn't come off as nervous or anxious. "Well, you certainly did," he said, following after John, "All I did was nearly fall down the hill."

"Yeah, but you didn't," John said, glancing briefly back at Hickory, "Doesn't that also deserve celebration?"

Hickory smiled to himself as he followed after John, mentally telling his heart to shut up as it did a little summersault in his chest at John's words.

They reached the summit of the hill rather quickly after that, not stopping until they knew they were on completely stable ground, neither wanting to risk a repeat incident.

"Here we go," John sighed as they reached the top, swinging his bag off his back, "This looks like a great spot to stop for a bit."

Hickory let out a little whistle as he also set his bag on the ground, turning in a small circle to take in the views. "It's a mighty nice spot, that's for certain," he hummed, only turning back to John when he heard the tell-tale click of his camera. He snorted a quiet laugh, arching an eyebrow at John as he pulled the photo from the camera and began to wave it in the air. "Whatcha got there?"

"Memories," John stated, a little smile curling his lips as the photo developed.

Hickory felt his heart skip a beat at the look on John's face, before he cleared his throat and stepped over to take a look at the snap shot. It was a bit of an odd angle, obviously taken hastily while Hickory had his back turned, but it was a nice photo all the same. The rolling hills and vast trails stretching out into the distance could be easily seen just past Hickory's shoulder.

"S'not a bad shot," the ex-bounty hunter hummed, reaching for the photo, only to find it disappearing into John's hair to join the previous one.

"Sure is," John said with a cheeky grin, before turning to start pulling a blanket and some food from his bag.

"Cheeky," Hickory laughed, joining John on the blanket once he had it all rolled out.

They ate in relative silence for a bit, simply enjoying each others company and the view, until the camera came back out of John's hair.

"I regret givin' that thing to ya," Hickory snorted after John snapped a photo of him while he was about to take a bite of his sandwich.

"You can't blame me for wanting to document your first camping trip," John said, sticking his tongue out at Hickory, who simply rolled his eyes and continued to eat, "It's a big deal, y'know. You're trying to start fresh, try new things, be a different troll from who you once were. Taking these baby steps, even just going on a camping trip for fun, it's a lot. You said it's something you've never done before, right? You should have something to remember it by."

Hickory stared at John for a long moment, a slow smile working its way across his face. "Why, that's real sweet of you, Johnny." His smile widened into a cheshire grin as as he watched John's cheeks darken at his comment.

"Shut up," John grunted, a smile betraying his grumpy tone as he flicked a small rock at Hickory, who easily dodged it with a laugh.

They finished up their meal while chatting amicably about the trail thus far, with John animatedly regaling Hickory with stories about the first time he came up this way, long before he'd had Rhonda. He admitted it was part of the reason he'd wanted to bring Hickory to this particular spot, as it held a certain amount of nostalgia for him, since it'd been one of the first spots he'd stopped while exploring the trails.

"Ya certainly do got a lot of good memories out here, dontcha?" Hickory hummed as they packed up their bags, a soft little smile on his face as he listened to John hum to himself while retying his bag shut.

"Sure do," John chirped, before pulling the camera from his hair again and walking over to Hickory.

"Aw, what now?" Hickory snorted, somewhat wary of the camera, now that he knew John was going to take every opportunity he could to snap unflattering photos of him.

"Nothing. Come here," John said, turning Hickory so his back was to the view. He opened his mouth to protest as John stole his cowboy hat and set it aside, only to snap it closed as John wrapped an arm around his shoulder and tugged him down into his shoulder. "There. Plenty of warning this time," John chuckled, cheek practically pressed to Hickory's, "Say 'cheese'!" He held the camera up and the flash went off. Hickory blinked to get ride of the afterimage, rubbing at his eye in mild irritation as John pulled the photo from the camera. "Nice," the teal troll hummed, a warm smile curling his lips. After a moment he offered it to Hickory. "You can have this one, if you want."

Hickory took the photo with mild suspicion, knowing full well the caliber of photo John had been taking thus far, only to be pleasantly surprised by what he saw. John was grinning widely in the photo, his arm blocking the lower left corner of the frame, while Hickory looked a little dazed, with a slightly crooked smile on his own face, and his cheek squished against John's. In the background over John's shoulder the spectacular view from the top of the hill could be seen, with the sunlight speckled across the trees at just the right angle.

Hickory was pulled from his admiration of the photo by John chuckling practically in his ear, just over his shoulder, pack already strapped to his back and bouncing on his toes. "You struck speechless by my excellent photography skills?"

"Somethin' like that," Hickory said with a quiet laugh, carefully tucking the photo into the inside pocket of his vest before scooping his hat up from where John had set it and slinging his pack over his shoulder. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

The trek down from the hilltop was far less perilous than the trip up had been. To Hickory's great disappointment, John did not take his hand again once they'd reached the bottom, and in what felt like no time at all, John lead them to what he declared would be their camp site. It was a rather sizeable clearing, with bushes and tall grass most of the way around it, with only two trails leading away from it, aside from the one they'd come down to reach it. John explained that one lead to a little lake they could go swimming in, while the other lead further into the Neverglades.

"Alright," John declared, dropping his pack onto the ground with a thump, "Did you bring a tent?"

Hickory flushed, setting his own bag down more gingerly. "'Fraid not. Not gonna lie, I thought we'd be stayin' with Rhonda," the country troll admitted, with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "But, it wouldn't be the first time I've slept under the stars, so I'll be just fine."

John scoffed, rolling his eyes as he began to unpack his bag, tossing tent pegs and ropes onto the ground in front of him. "Don't be ridiculous. My tent is plenty big enough for two. Besides, you never know what critter might come across camp in the middle of the night. A tent gives us at least a bit of cover."

"Ah," Hickory's brain froze for a moment, the idea of being tucked up close to John in a tent sending a little shiver down his spine. "Uh, yeah," he cleared his throat, ducking his head so the brim of his hat would hopefully hide the blush that was yet again creeping across his cheeks, "Yeah, that'd be right as rain."

"Good," John grunted, pulling folded up tent poles from his bag, "Well, since that's settled, how about you start setting up a spot for the fire while I put up the tent?"

"Sure thing," Hickory said with a quick nod, turning to wander around the camp site to pick up some stones to mark a space for a small fire pit. He paused and glanced up when he heard the soft, tell-tale sound of a pile of fabric hitting the ground, fully expecting John to have tossed the tent from his bag, ready to offer his help once again, only to bite his tongue at the realization that it was his jacket that John had tossed aside. The teal troll was busy setting up the tent poles, a little frown of concentration on his face while he worked, completely unaware of Hickory staring at him from across the clearing. "Sugar," Hickory breathed, jerking into motion quickly as John glanced at him from where he was working.

"Hey, how about, after this, we go for a swim."

"A swim?" Hickory echoed, tucking a rock into the small collection in his arm while turning to arch an eyebrow at John, only to nearly drop them all at being presented with John leaning against one of the erected tent poles, a little smirk on his face and sweat beading on his brow.

"Yeah! It's kinda humid today, and setting up this tent is making me sweaty. I think a pre-dinner swim would be nice, don't you?" John said with a little laugh, shoving himself off the pole to start gathering the fabric of the tent up from the ground. "Work up a bit of an appetite before we eat."

Hickory swallowed thickly as John tossed the fabric over the tent frame he'd set up, his brain taking a moment to catch up to what was being said to him. "Oh! Yeah! Yeah, that'd be a right fine idea," he agreed, shaking his head quickly to try and get his mind off of the sweaty, half naked troll across from him. "C'mon, Hickory. Get yer act together," he grumbled to himself, walking to a spot he thought would be good for the fire and dropping his collection of rocks.

"I think you might be too close to the tents."

"Sugar, honey an' iced tea!" Hickory exclaimed, whipping his head in John Dory's direction, who grinned sheepishly at him.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to catch you off guard. What's got your head in the clouds, anyway?" John asked, propping his hands on his hips and tilting his head at Hickory, reminding the country troll of a particularly adorable cuddle pup.

"Ah, y'know, just , uh, doin' a mental checklist. Tryin' to remember if I brought my swim gear," Hickory offered with an awkward little laugh. "Sorry. What were ya sayin'?"

"Even if you forgot yours, you can always borrow mine. I don't mind swimming in my regular shorts," John offered with an easy smile, "And I was just saying that I think where you're setting up the fire might be too close to the tents."

Hickory looked between where John had most of the tent set up, barring the tent pegs being hammered into the ground, and the pile of rocks he'd dropped on the ground to find that he was, indeed, just a bit too close. One good breeze in the wrong direction could carry embers onto the fabric. "Oh. Beggin' yer pardon," the country troll apologized quickly, bending to pick the rocks back up, "I really was too lost in my own head just then, wasn't I?"

"Hey, happens to the best of us," John laughed, shrugging a bit. "Just move it a bit over there," he gestured vaguely away from the tent, "And it should be fine. I think I saw a decently sized stick over there, too. We can move it into the clearing to sit on later, by the fire."

Hickory nodded, dropping his rocks where John had gestured. "This whole campin' for fun thing is turnin' out to be a lot like campin' for survival," he noted, arching an amused eyebrow at John who snorted and trotted back over to the tent.

"Set up is always a pain. Same with take down. But all of the in between is great," John shot Hickory a charming smile, completely unaware of how it made the ex-bunty hunters heart flutter, before crouching down to hammer in the tent pegs. "Just you wait!"

"Sounds like a plan," Hickory muttered, though he very much doubted he was heard over the sound of the hammer. Which was probably for the best, as he had to shake himself out of staring after the teal troll once again.

In relative short order, Hickory set up his little circle of rocks while John finished up with the tent pegs. He then shoved his way through the brush surrounding the clearing to see about gathering up some wood for the fire they would be building when they got back from swimming. He deposited his selection of twigs, sticks and bark next to his rock circle once he figured he had enough for the night, just as John finished tying off a large tarp above where he'd finished setting up the tent.

"Y'all set?" Hickory asked, trotting up to John as the teal troll wiped his brow with the back of his hand, dislodging his goggles so they sat askew on his head.

"I think so. We're looking pretty good!" John chirped, grinning up at Hickory.

"I'd say so," Hickory agreed easily with a quiet little laugh, reaching out to fix John's crooked goggles. John looked startled by the gesture, Hickory barely catching a glimpse of a dark flush creeping over John's cheeks before the teal troll turned away from him once his hands dropped away. He took a quick step back, watching as John swiftly moved across the campsite to dig into his bag. Intrigued by the reaction, Hickory made a mental note about it for later.

"Did you bring your trunks?" John's voice snapped Hickory back to reality.

"Pretty sure," Hickory hummed, shuffling over to his bag to dig into it and pull out his swim shorts.

"Great! Then get changed, and we'll head down to the water," John said, staring at Hickory expectantly.

Hickory stared right back, slowly arching an eyebrow at the teal troll. "You gonna stare at me the whole time I'm changin', or just for the first little bit?" He snorted quietly as John's face lit up as he turned on his heel to face away from Hickory. The ex-bounty hunter shook his head with a quiet laugh, setting his hat aside and quickly changing into his swim trunks. He then dug into his bag and pulled out the beach towel he'd packed, draping it over his shoulders as he cleared his throat. "All set. You gonna change, too?"

"Nah," John hummed, glancing at Hickory over his shoulder, though he did pull off his goggles and glove to toss them into the tent. "I'm just gonna go as is. These shorts are already sweaty and dirty, may as well sorta wash 'em by swimming with them on."

"All right," Hickory chuckled, stepping up next to John, "Lead the way, then."

And so John did, after grabbing his own towel from his belongings. The path down to the lake was relatively short and straight forward, but John seemed to take pride in leading Hickory around, so he diligently followed along with an indulgent smile on his face. The lake itself was relatively small, as John had already mentioned, but that didn't make it any less picturesque than the rest of the Neverglades had been thus far. The shores were soft slopes of jutting rock and densely packed dirt, surrounded by drooping trees with their branches and leaves barely grazing the water, causing little ripples every time the wind blew. Early evening sunlight was dappled across the surface of the lake, making it sparkle.

"My," Hickory breathed, almost feeling like he shouldn't be there. Like he was intruding on sacred ground.

"It's real pretty, isn't it?" John hummed quietly next to him, "Almost makes you not want to swim."

Hickory opened his mouth to agree with the sentiment, only to jump slightly as John let out a whoop of a shout while tossing his towel aside, before running towards the water. Hickory couldn't contain his laughter as John jumped from the shore as he reached the waters edge, canon balling into the lake with a large splash.

"Well, that's one way to do it, I s'pose," Hickory chuckled to himself, tossing his towel next to John's. He let out a shout of his own once John surfaced further out into the lake, running and tossing himself into the water with gusto. He surfaced to the sound of John's laughter, followed shortly by a splash of water to the face. "Hey now," he laughed, returning the splash blindly, figuring he'd hit his target based on the sound of John sputtering. He wiped water from his face and grinned at finding John coughing and blinking water from his eyes. "That's what ya get for tryin' a sneak attack," Hickory stated, self satisfied smirk on his face.

"I'll show you sneak attack," John grumbled to himself, before launching himself through the water at Hickory with a yell. Hickory let out a startled shout in response, flailing rather uselessly in the water before John tackled him around the chest and dragged him under the surface.

The two tussled in the water like that for some time, with John using any means necessary to try and catch Hickory off guard as they swam back and forth across the lake, waging war with sweeping splashes. Hickory finally called it quits when John tried to use a handful of slimy lake weeds to retaliate against Hickory for managing to dunk him underwater.

"All right, I'm think I'm done," the country troll sighed, pulling an especially long piece of weed from his hair and tossing it aside.

"Aww, but we haven't even been out here that long," John practically pouted, earning a fond smile form Hickory.

"Never said we had to go back. Just that I think the war is over," Hickory hummed, kicking his feet off the bottom of the lake to float on his back. He watched John continue to pout for a minute out of the corner of his eye, before the teal troll began to swim towards the shore. "Where are ya goin'?" he called, turning to tread water with a small frown on his face.

"If you're done," John called back, walking up onto the shore, running fingers through his water logged locks, "I'm gonna work on my canon balls."

Hickory was quite certain that John had no idea the kind of sight he made as he trotted along the lakeside, looking for a good spot to use as a pseudo-diving board. He kept absently running his fingers though his hair, which supplied a steady supply of water droplets that cascaded down over his torso, which Hickory had to fight with every fiber of his being not to watch as they made their way down to the ground. The country troll had never been so happy to be submerged in water as he was just then, letting himself sink so his nose was barely above the surface as he watched John Dory pause at a particularly large rock and nod to himself. The teal troll climbed up onto it and shot Hickory a winning grin once he was at the top, waving enthusiastically, before letting out a bellow and tossing himself into the water. He was completely, stupidly endearing and Hickory knew that if he didn't say something by the end of this trip, he might just go insane.

John continued his cycle of climbing out of the water and jumping enthusiastically back in for some time, Hickory not even noticing that the sun had began to set with how enraptured he was with watching. That was, until the teal troll finally scooped his towel up from the ground instead of running off to his chosen diving rock.

"Hey, it's getting late," John called out to him, gesturing that he should swim to shore, "We should probably go get started on the fire and make some dinner."

"Oh! Right. Dinner," Hickory muttered to himself, before he began to swim back to shore, shivering as he climbed out of the water and a cool breeze swept across the lake.

"C'mon. We'll get a nice big fire going, and get you toasty warm," John said with an easy smile, handing Hickory his towel.

Hickory bit his tongue to keep himself from saying something stupid like 'Or you could warm me up', and instead murmured a quiet thanks as he took his towel and rubbed at his sopping hair.

"I brought some classic camping food," John hummed as he began to lead the way back up to their campsite, Hickory hot on his heels, "Hotdogs to roast over the fire, and marshtatoes for later!"

"Sounds swell," Hickory said with a little nod, draping his towel over his shoulders as they reached the campsite. "By the by, where did ya say that stick was? The one we could use as a bench near the fire?"

"Right! We should move that first," John said as he snapped his fingers, and pointed towards a patch of grass near the tent.

Moving the stick was only a small struggle when they discovered it was actually much larger than they had anticipated, as part of it was buried in the dirt. Luckily, what Hickory lacked in tenting supplies, he made up for in random assorted other items that John, apparently, neglected to bring along. Such as a hatchet. He made rather quick work of hacking into the stick and cutting off the portion John had indicated would make good seating, and if he happened to flex a bit more than he normally would because he caught John watching out of the corner of his eye, well, who could blame him?

The two of them managed to drag the end of the stick over to the little circle of rocks without much trouble after that, and Hickory promptly dropped himself onto it once it was settled where John thought would be the best spot.

"Gonna need to go for another swim, after that," the ex-bounty hunter joked, kicking his feet out in front of himself as John crouched next to the rocks and began to set up the bits of bark Hickory had gathered.

"If there are enough glow flies in the area we can go for a night swim, if you want," John muttered, half distracted as he struck a match and lit the kindling he'd set up. Gently, he blew into the small pile of bark and twigs until the flames began to grow, a proud little smile on his face as he slowly fed twigs into it until it was large enough that he could put a couple of the larger sticks on. Once it seemed like he thought the fire wouldn't need to be babied further he stood with a pop of his knees and a crack of his back, a low groan leaving him as Hickory winced in sympathy.

"That sounded like it hurt," Hickory commented idly as John dropped onto the stick next to him with a grunt.

"Don't get old," John joked, laughing as Hickory shoved him lightly.

"I'll remind ya, since yer memory's apparently goin', that I'm only a few years younger than ya. Yer knees ain't the only ones that make noise when ya stand up," Hickory said as he rolled his eyes. "Anyhow, d'ya really reckon we could go swimmin' at night? Y'don't think that'd be dangerous, with all the critters roamin' around?"

John shrugged, watching the flames as their fire slowly grew. "I mean, I don't see why not. Like I said, there just needs to be enough glow flies so we can see. The stars out here are pretty bright, but it's better if there are glow flies. They're a really good, obvious, first alert system if something is close by."

"Cause they'll fly away," Hickory hummed with a nod, "Smart."

"Yeah. It's something my dad taught me, a long time ago," John sighed wistfully, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees, his gaze distant. Hickory took that as his queue to go and fetch the hotdogs from John's bag, as well as grabbing a couple of sticks from their little stash to spear the hotdogs with.

"Here," Hickory gently nudged John in the shoulder with his own, offering the teal troll one of the sharpened sticks as John visibly blinked himself back into reality.

"Oh! Thanks," John chuckled, gingerly taking the stick from Hickory, "Sorry. Sort of zoned out there. Didn't mean to get so lost in thought."

"It's alright," Hickory said with a small shrug, cutting open the package of hotdogs to spear one on the end of his stick, "Happens to the best of us. Mind if I ask what ya were thinkin' 'about?"

"Just family junk," John offered with a little shrug of his shoulders, taking a hotdog of his own and stabbing it a bit more violently than strictly necessary.

"I assume 'bout yer dad?"

John clicked his tongue, a wry little smile turning the corner of his lips. "Yeah. A bit. More about my brothers, though, I guess. I never did this with any of them," he gestured vaguely at their campsite. "I got to go camping once with my dad, and he taught me loads. But none of my brothers got to. And then things just sort of got crazy out of hand, and I never got to take any of them." He paused, sitting up and shooting Hickory an apologetic smile. "Sorry. This is supposed to be a fun trip, you don't need me babbling about family drama."

"I don't mind," Hickory reassured, gently resting his free hand on John's elbow, "Don't got much family, myself, aside from my older brother, an' that's a whole can a' worms on it's own…But, I don't mind hearin' 'bout other folks family. If ya need someone with a willin' ear, I'm always here."

John turned his head to look at Hickory, his gaze almost searching as his brow furrowed slightly. "That means a lot," he murmured, shifting so he could take the hand on his elbow into his own, entwining their fingers together. "I really…I really like talking to you, Hickory. I know we haven't known each other that long, but you mean a lot to me."

"You mean a lot to me, too, Johnny."

John seemed to think for a moment, watching Hickory intently, before he leaned down to prop his stick between two of the rocks around their fire. He then took Hickory's and did the same with it, before turning sideways on their make-shift bench and taking Hickory's hands in his own. He visibly swallowed, thumbs brushing the backs of Hickory's hands, which sent little shivers up the country's trolls spine.

"You okay, John?" Hickory asked, leaning forward slightly with a concerned frown.

"Can I kiss you?"

It was said so quietly Hickory thought, perhaps, he was hearing things. "Pardon?"

John flushed, his ears drooping slightly as he gave Hickory's hands a little squeeze. "Can I kiss you?" he repeated a little louder, gaze fixed on their hands. "I might've been reading you wrong, but I think…I think you want to kiss me, too? It's okay, if you don't. I won't be offended, and we can pretend this never happened, I just…" He lifted his gaze, letting out a little breath, "I really want to kiss you."

"John Dory," Hickory stated, tugging John's hands closer so the teal troll was forced to lean further towards him, "If ya don't kiss me right this instant, I will be madder than a wet hen."

"Can't have that," John chuckled, before tilting his head and pressing his lips to Hickory's.

It was like pop rocks were poured down Hickory's spine, little tingles igniting what felt like every nerve ending as John shifted closer on their little bench so he could kiss the country troll more deeply. Their hands parted from each other, only to slide into hair and cling to shoulders, earning little shivers and soft sighs each time their lips parted for a moment for air.

"C'mon," John breathed after a time that Hickory's mind could hardly fathom, though the world was distinctly darker than it was before he got lost in John's lips. John stood, a hand outstretched towards Hickory in offering.

Hickory took it without hesitation, letting John lead him to their tent, anticipation twisting in his gut, their dinner and plans of swimming long forgotten.

~

When Hickory woke the next morning, it was to a tent distinctly devoid of John Dory. Groggily, he rubbed at his face as he sat up and looked around, finding what he assumed was John's silhouette on the outside of the tent, puttering around their campsite. He grunted as he shoved away the blankets he'd gotten tangled up in during the night and somehow managed to locate his pants and belt, tugging them on quickly before he stumbled into the morning light.

"Good morning!" John's voice was chipper and loud, making Hickory cringe slightly as he finger combed his hair.

"Mornin'," the country troll drawled, squinting against the sun until he found his hat and tugged it on, letting out a contented little sigh. He turned to find John Dory hovering over the fire, poking at what appeared to be eggs cooking on top of a flat stone. "Yer up mighty early."

"Habit," John said with a shrug, "Once the sun is up, I'm up."

"Disgusting," Hickory snorted, earning a light laugh from John.

"Yeah, well, can't be helped," John hummed, grabbed a large leaf and scooping one of the eggs from the stone onto it with a knife. "Forgot to bring plates, so you're going to have to deal with eating off a leaf with your fingers."

Hickory took the leaf happily, trotting over to their stick bench and sitting down. "I think I can live with that."

"Good, 'cause there wasn't much in terms of other options," John snorted, taking up his own leaf and egg before knocking the flat rock off the fire and walking over to the stick to sit as well.

They ate their breakfast quietly, John staring off into the fire, while Hickory let his eyes drift shut, smiling slightly to himself as he let the early morning sounds of the forest wash over him. He felt peaceful and calm, a warm little ember in his chest growing steadily at the knowledge that the troll his heart chose to beat wildly for was sat next to him and felt the same. Or, so he assumed.

"Hickory," John's quiet but serious tone shattered the tranquility of the forest, and drew Hickory from his revere. He blinked and turned his gaze towards John, who was still staring intently into the fire.

"What is it?"

"About last night…"

Hickory frowned, his posture stiffening at the words John spoke. He had to force his fingers to not tremble around the leaf he held. "What about it?"

"It doesn't-…Look, I know I dragged you all the way out here, and I'm your only way home, so just in case," John rambled, speaking without taking a breath, "It doesn't have to mean anything. We don't…If you felt obligated, I'm sorry. We can pretend nothing happened and go home right now, if you want."

Hickory stared John down, absentmindedly crushing the leaf in his hands. "Ya think I'd feel obligated to sleep with ya, just because we're out in the woods?"

"I mean," John flushed, looking up at Hickory, anxiety clear as day on his face, "…maybe?"

"I would sooner stab any troll that tried somethin' that I didn't want, then go willingly off to their tent," Hickory practically growled, before taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. He closed his eyes and counted to ten, listening as John shifted and squirmed on the stick next to him. "I ain't mad," he said after a beat, letting out another breath.

"You sound like it."

"Only 'cause you implied I was easy."

"Sorry."

Hickory opened his eyes, taking one last deep breath in, before turning his gaze to John once again, arching an eyebrow at finding the teal troll practically curled in on himself in his seat. "This been buggin' ya for a while?"

"I couldn't sleep," John admitted, and upon closer inspection Hickory could see the bags under John's eyes.

Hickory sighed quietly, letting his irritation slowly seep out of him. He reached out, his heart twisting as John flinched slightly at the movement. "I ain't gonna hurt you," he reassured, gently taking one of John's hands in his own, "I'd never hurt ya. John…I was so happy, last night, when ya said ya wanted to kiss me. I've been wantin' to do that for quite a while. Just didn't quite know how to go about sayin' anythin'. I like you, John Dory. A whole lot."

John's posture loosened as Hickory spoke, his hunched position straightening as he unconsciously leaned in towards the country troll. "Really?" he breathed, and Hickory could almost describe his expression as being starstruck.

"I don't have a tendency to say things I don't mean."

Hickory let a crooked little smile settle on his face as John slowly shifted closer to him, turning slightly so he could wrap both of his hands around Hickory's. "I'm so sorry. For thinking I'd taken advantage of you. For implying you would do anything you didn't feel comfortable with. I just thought that, if you didn't want it, or felt bad for me or something-"

Hickory cut him off with a snort of a laugh, shaking his head slightly. "Why on this green earth do you think I would feel bad for ya?"

John blinked, tilting his head slightly. "Uh…'cause I'm a washed up ex-boyband member with a laundry list of family trauma issues and no friends?"

"Who's also mighty handsome, talented, a skilled survivalist, and who seems to be completely blind to the admirers that watch 'im every time he goes to the market?"

"…You think I'm handsome?"

"Not the take away ya should be focusing on here, Johnny," Hickory snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry. Go on."

Hickory chuckled, cupping John's cheek in his free hand. "You think pretty little of yerself, an' that's a real shame. I wish ya could see yerself the way I do."

"And how's that?"

"Like a shootin' star in the night sky. So beautiful an' bright, but burnin' out so fast most folks can't appreciate ya for yer true magnificence," Hickory hummed, enjoying the way John's cheeks darkened, just before he gently tugged the teal troll into a kiss.

They parted with a quiet gasp between the two of them, John looking a bit dazed.

"So…you're my boyfriend now, right?" John asked bluntly after a beat, earning a surprised burst of laughter from Hickory.

"You bet yer bottom dollar, playboy."

[vivianthepigeon]

Poppy: “I made this friendship bracelet for you!”

Branch: “ah, you know, I’m not really a jewelry person.”

Poppy: “You don’t have to wear it-“

Branch: “No I’m gonna wear it forever. Back off.”

[rootsbe4branches-trolls]

“Forever fiances”

WHO PUT ALL THIS ANGST NEXT TO MY SILLY COMICS?!

Viva and Willow comic2

Okay to whoever said that Willow never had a daughter is totally wrong because Viva is totally adopted in her mind (she’s actually Willow’s goddaughter but she will fight Peppy for her in a second).In this comic Floyd is still an egg that’s why Viva said 4 kids instead of 5. I actually made this comics with totally different characters on a different scenario (I was going to introduce a new parent character) but I didn’t like how it turned out so I made it from the beginning but with Viva. ( i found Viva’s obsession for planning Poppy’s wedding so funny for no reason and that gave me the idea)

I’m still deciding If I should show more of Rowan and Willow when they met or wait a little longer and show it after showing how they got taken??? I don’t know Maybe a comic about the present? I’m still deciding, comics are taking longer because I’m also on other projects so I don’t have a lot of time.

(Me after posting this)

[metalheads-trash-bin]

Out of context clip of my fanfic that i will not be giving the lore of teehee

Just you mfs wait

Theres gonna be some REAL BAD sexual tension

Heres the fic btw!!

[sansxfuckyou]

karma's the judge

Summary: Clay learns that Viva is pink down to her very core- well, more of a magenta color right under her skin, the deeper into her flesh the more purple it gets.

Warnings: gore, near death, hospitals, agony, i cannot stress enough that this is not romantic, check Ao3 port for full tags

Authors Note: me and @ohposhers got talking, I'm legally not allowed to say anything else about the convo aside from the fact it inspired this fic. title from FØØL, specifically the INHUMAN remix. hope ya'll enjoy and if ya do consider dropping a like or reblog, or checkin' the Ao3 port.

It's only a mildly horrific sight for Clay to see.

He's lying actually.

The sound of the predator running off into the underbrush is still heavy in the air with cracking branches and rustling leaves. It echoes in his ears; that and the sound of Viva's laboured breathing. Her breath stutters as she wheezes, paw hovering over the bright blue shards in her chest and stomach. She's shredded in every sense including literal.

"C-Clay," Viva barely manages to get out, fat tears rolling down her face as agony surges through her. Neon magenta oozes out of rended flesh and seeps into fabric and slides down from her nose. Ears downturned and claws detracted, she's still in fight mode even though she should've ran with the rest of them.

Words are failing to form for Clay as he takes hasty, yet tentative, steps closer to his companion. Then she coughs, she sounds like death incarnate. Wet and shaky; phlegmy blood spills past her teeth and the gouges in her torso bubble up with her blood, the glass sinks deeper into her flesh. She's curling in on herself as she shudders and shakes and loose flesh trails on the dirt in stringy tendons. She grips for the shards to pull them out but even with adrenaline she's still fading fast. Her eyes flutter shut as the sharp edges slice her hands open to match the rest of her torn up body.

Viva falls limp and Clay is just frozen as he stares at their leader. Her chest rises and falls impossibly slow, she should be dead but she isn't and that gives just enough kick to get Clay to move and save her. Try to at least.

Clay drops down beside her and runs a paw across her wounds, checking the depth and the intensity aside from looking so bad it makes him feel nauseated. She shudders in her passed out state, tensing and flexing her claws against the unknown. The blood on his paws contrasts his own fur so much it makes him gag, the slimy texture of coalescing and cooling Pop Troll blood; it's lukewarm and drips but it's thick with bits of flesh. He wants to hurl as he shuffles Viva around a bit, she curls and shifts and hisses in her restless and forced state of sleep as he tries to help her.

Her cape is slowly wrapped around her body and her blood clings to the tufts of fur on the bottom and collar of the cape. The capes exterior doesn't hold in the blood, at all. Instead the magenta substance just slides off it, seeping through the fabric interior and slowly dripping down pieces of faux grass. Her breath heaves and her body is near entirely limp as it's restricted, Clay has to keep her head from hanging awkwardly and further straining her body as he carries her.

-/-/-/-

Viva jolts awake, body tingling with anesthetic that hasn't fully worn off. And as fast as she's shocked herself upright she's buckling in half due to an agonizing pain shooting up from her abdomen to her sternum. She clutches desperately only to find a similar pain resting heavy in her arm. Only then does she let her vision register as a train of thought in her head instead of bouncing from reflex to reflex.

White bandages wrap her arm and she isn't wearing a shirt, her entire torso is wound up in gauze that's a blend of magenta and almost purple with the darkness. She uses her other paw to touch it, and it's almost damp, that makes her stomach turn. She presses a bit more, higher up, and then she hits stitches left uncovered almost at her clavicles.

She glances down further and finds her leg covered in a thick layer of gauze, she can barely move her toes with how tight it is. And the magenta. She feels ill as the scent of drying and gelatinizing blood really sets in as hers instead of some other Troll in the medical ward.

Viva tries to move again, get off the bed and walk purely to spite the agony ripping through every wound on her (some unstitched but she can't tell with how much gauze she's wearing). Her paws rest shakily on the cot and so little effort leaves her winded, struggling to breath instead of cry out in pain. She's the leader. She has to be strong.

The second her toes hit the floor she swears she can hear something snap and she screams. Every torn tendon and string of muscle in her leg tries to fire all at once, preemptively activating to hold her weight, and the rush of blood darkens her gauze. It hurts enough to push her to tears as she falls back on the bed and clutches her leg. The agony in her arms and torso doesn't do much to deter her from holding the wound even as the sheets below her start to turn pink.

"Viva!"

Clay, it's Clay whose coming and closing the door behind him and rushing over. She bites back sniffles and pathetic little sounds as she lets go of her leg and relaxes just a bit. Her body lays prone on the cot, arms at her side and legs loose as Clay comes to her side.

"You were supposed to be out cold for fifteen more minutes," Clay said quietly. Then he laughs a little bit, awkward and forced, "I should've known you'd fight through the anesthetic though."

Viva laughs too even though there's nothing funny, "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Horror rests heavy on Clay's voice as he speaks.

Viva rephrases, "How am I still alive?"

"Look, all I can't find any logical reason as to why considering how wrecked you were. But let's just take it and run." Clay's eyes linger on the darkness of Viva's terribly done excuse of a cast. He should've added more layers of gauze, or made actual casting materials.

"Did anyone else get hurt?" Viva asked, trying to sit up but pushed back down by Clay. She reluctantly stays still.

"No one else got hurt, the tribes really, really worried though," Clay said quietly, "But I have everything under control, just stay in bed till you're healed up."

Viva's blood goes cold at the notions of being bedridden for music knows how long. Her eyes widen a little bit and she stares at Clay, "What are you planning, Clay?"

Clay laughs nervously, "Nothing much, ya know, just taking reign until you're better."

"What."

"For your own health! It'll be fine!"

Viva gives a long sigh as she closes her eyes, "Don't mess it up, Clay."

"I won't! Besides, I've been doing the legal stuff, it'll be fine."

"Have fun socializing and being the funboy again."

Clay swallows hard. Right. Funboy. He'll have to be the funboy again. It makes hims stomach knot but he nods along because he knows. Being the funboy, he's pretty sure the notions alone make his mind flood with dysphoria.

But for Viva's sake?

He'll manage.