Chapter Text
The trip back to pop Topia was awkward to say the least every time one of her brothers tried to start up a conversation with her it was quickly rebutted with an annoyed "no I don't want to talk about how my life has been for the past few years if you had stayed, you'd know more about me." followed by an awkward silence the only one of her brothers she wanted to even talk with was Floyd but he was mostly in and out of consciousness do to what veneer and velvet had done to him.
So, the major concern was making sure he was able to rest without discomfort but so far it seemed he was doing okay with leaning against his little sister branch on the other hand was talking to viva about the putt putt trolls and asking how they had managed to defend themselves with just the old golf attractions and even giving her tips on how to improve the defense of her home poppy was talking with clay and Bruce and John where talking about Ronda and Bruce's kids. After a few days and a few stops they finally returned to pop village "WE'RE BACKKKKK" poppy screamed with a smile as she jumped out of Ronda with Viva behind her whom ran over to peppy to hug him and cry about how she had missed him, and he had started to cry and hug viva as tightly as he could as if viva would disappear if he let go as branch got out of Ronda talking to her siblings.
"you can stay with me in the bunker while you get better I don't mind I have more than enough room it's no problem for me, I wouldn't of offered if it was " she says. "BRANCH! THERE YOU ARE DARLIN!" she quickly spun around to see hickory running as fast as he could to her, and she ran to meet him with a laugh. "Hey poppy?" Bruce says.
"yah?" she turns from her reunited family to answer, "who's that troll hugging our sister?"
"OH! that's hickory he's a good friend of mine!" she says.
"ah" was the collective answer until "he's also branches husband."
"HER WHAT!?" was roared out by her brothers ignored by branch as Hickory scooped her up and spun her around.
"I was so worried about ya! I almost went after ya'll once I found your note!" he scolds as he looks his love over checking for injuries and sighing in relief when he found none but when he heard the loud roar of her what his ear flicked as he moved the straw in his mouth to the other side and looking up "those ya kin?" he asks the slow drawl of his voice as he adjusted his hat to be more forward made branch shake her head as her country/yodeler hybrid husband looked angrily at her siblings.
Hickory had issues with her brothers he remembered the first nightmare she had in years after losing her grandmother to chef her waking up screaming for her grandma and sobbing into his arms begging him not to leave her like her brothers had dickory had actually broken down the door of branches room upon hearing her screaming and had joined him in hugging her as he reassured her he wouldn't leave her dickory promised as well swearing up and down he'd never abandon his family telling her she was his family now as well. That night found her smooshed between the brothers as she had cried herself back to sleep holding tightly to both of their sleep clothing was it weird for hickory and dickory yes. But it didn't stop them from trying to comfort her.
Dickory the next day had shown her a little black notebook with names in its Creek was at the top with a skull next to his name followed by all her brothers that had made her laugh. Hickory took a deep breath and let it out shaking himself out of the memory of that night and glared at the brothers who had approached while branch blocked him, and he shook himself out his tail flicking with annoyance.
"So, your branches husband?" John dory says the words tasting bitter in his mouth the idea that he and his siblings had missed so much in their baby sister's life felt bitter she had fallen in love with a troll and gotten married and they had missed that they had missed all of her life because of a fight. And by the looks of it her husband did not like them "yah that goanna be a problem partner?" hickory snaps back a hove stomping "no no!" Floyd says "it's nice to meet you I'm Floyd and this is clay, Bruce and John dory" he says as branch spins to talk to hickory "i left you a note honey" "I know that's the only reason i didn't follow ya" he grunts out "I'm Hickory" he says tipping his hat "ya'll be glad ya haven met my brotha yet." hickory says with a closed mouth smile before looking at branch "you sure your okay thou hun?" he asks as branch groans and dramatically slumps "I'm fineee!" she says with a smile as her siblings watch on
" BABE!" A female voice yells out and they spin just in time to see poppy get tackled by a red troll "SUKI!!!" poppy yells with a smile as she nuzzles her girlfriend with a laugh suki turns "branch! cooper said he took care of your bunker with hickory while you where gone girl!"
"i'll have to bake him something to say thank you" branch muses as she starts to walk away.