#nova*writes

he still remembers the first time you did it to him

"See you tomorrow." Leo bows his head down shortly, before he meets your eye again. He turns his back around to make his jump down the fire exit to your apartment, but he feels you tap on his shell.

When he turns around, he's surprised at how swift you are to plant a kiss on his cheek. It was soft, and he wished it lasted longer.

"Goodnight, Leo." you grin, holding your chin up on your palm as you wave the turtle goodbye.

you know he enjoys the gesture, and you enjoy doing it too him as well. so, it's a win-win situation

until, one night, leo decided to turn the tables around you

You just finished brewing two cups of tea for you and Leo. You held the mugs and carefully made your way back to the dojo, where Leo was sitting and having trouble meditating. You offered to make him a cup of tea, and decided to make yourself one too.

"Here," you offer him his mug, "is your tea. I made sure to brew your favorite pack." You smile at him as he takes his cup from you.

"Thank you." He returns the smile. You hum, taking a seat next to him and blowing the steam away from your tea.

You didn't notice that Leo hadn't stopped looking at you.

You were so focused on drinking your tea, you didn't register that Leo had gently pulled your head towards him.

Then, you felt him kiss the top of your head.

Out of surprise, you spit your tea back in the cup abruptly. This backfires on you, because the hot liquid splashes you in the face and you shriek.

"Oh my mutagen, are you okay!?"

you were flustered that night. when leo usually gives you affection, it's in return of what you gave him

however, that day, he did it without you initiating it first- which is what caught you off guard

leo jokes and laughs about that night as much as he can, making your cheeks red from embarrassment

there is one more thing, however

"I still can't believe you actually spat back the tea over that." Leo finishes his sentence after a while of laughing, while you were busy covering your face and groaning into your hands.

"Leo, pleaaaaase. I beg you to forget about it." You whine, albeit muffled.

And since you were covering your face, you had fallen for the tricks of the mighty leader. Which is using this moment to press a kiss on your head again while pulling you close to him.

"Oh my gosh– Leo!" You uncover your red face to look up at him. He just smiles back before kissing you on the lips this time.

Raphael

i like to think that raphael loves callsigns. however, there are different types to these nicknames

there's obviously the nicknames he uses on the bad guys to demean them

then there's the nicknames he uses on his brothers to annoy them

then there's the nicknames he uses with you (yet)

you see, when you first met, you were already calling raph different things

"Hey, hotshot, could you grab me a slice?" You ask Raph from the couch, turning yourself around to give him a pretty smile.

or...

"Raphie, have you seen my history notebook?" You come up to his room where he was doing reps. He nearly dropped the weights on his feet, had you not exclaimed in time for him to jump away.

it came natural to you to call him special nicknames

and it made raph soft. it made him feel special, because you never called his brothers the things you called him: hotshot, big guy, raphie, and, his favorite, handsome

but raph never showed how soft it made him, of course, it would ruin his tough guy reputation!

he thinks about the names you call him at the end of the day when he's laying in his bed

and, one day, he wakes up with the same confidence as you

You were pissed from school today. Your partner for the project the teacher gave for the period wasn't helping you at all and, somehow, they got all the credit.

You were heading down the ladder to the lair and when you turn your head around, you see Raph lounging by the table and watching the tv from afar.

You hurriedly get down the ladder and start stomping your way to the turtle, ranting about your day. You were standing next to him and obviously fuming, until...

"Slow down, gorgeous/handsome. Grab a slice, won't ya?" He smirks, throwing one hand behind the seat.

Your rant comes to a stammer as you feel your cheeks heat up. You slowly turn your head to the turtle, pointing a finger at him.

"E-Excuse me?" You stutter.

"I said... Relax and grab a slice, sweetheart." Raph chuckles, standing up from his seat and helping you into tour own.

He even had to help you eat, because somehow you were messing up eating a pizza from how flustered you were. He also waited until you could properly function again.

Only to call you with another nickname.

Donatello

personally, i don't see donnie as verbally or physically affectionate as his brothers

however, he is a sucker for acts of services

and it just so happens that you enjoy doing stuff for donnie. handing him beakers, writing down notes when his hands are too occupied, and bringing over food and telling him to take a break

"Hey, the guys ordered pizza." You step back in his makeshift lab with a plate full of pizza for you two to share.

You take your seat next to Donnie, who was soldering wires together for a new machine he was making. You hum, tapping on the table gently to break him from his focus.

You learned to not tap on his shell from the last time. You nearly got spilled with deadly chemicals...

Eventually, he pushes up his goggles and meets your eyes. His face softens into a smile and you could feel your heart swell with joy.

"Time to take a break, Donnie." You tell him, watching him set aside his project before you place down the plate of food to share.

"Thanks," he says, "I really would miss more meals if you weren't around." He adds, grabbing a slice. You click your tongue while shaking your head.

and once you're out of the lair, the rest of his brothers (without missing) collectively turn their heads to the lab to hear the squeal that echoes through the entire sewer

he goes to bed at night thinking of all the things you did for him that day

sometimes, he wishes he had the confidence you had to treat you just as fair

however, it's as natural to him as it is to you

You squirm uncomfortably on your chair because it was wobbling. That's unusual, considering Donnie does his best to make his workspace as comfy as can be to enhance his focus.

Donnie seemed to notice how uncomfortable you were and paused on his work. "Here," he stands up from his seat and guides you onto it. "Sit on my chair for now." He smiles at you before facing his work again. "I have a big suspicion that Mikey broke my chair bouncing on it earlier." He clicks his tongue as he rolls his eyes.

"Uh-Uh huh..." You reply softly, cheeks turning red and body turning stiff. You were so in your head, screaming about what just happened, you didn't notice Donnie glancing at you when he asked you to reach for his solder.

He chuckles and taps on the table space in front of you to break you out of your daze. You do, but there is still blush on your cheeks. "Did I do something wrong?" He asks softly and you quickly shake your head.

Michelangelo

this one is a bit difficult to write, considering mikey is the most affectionate of his brothers- but i realized something

other than april, vern, and casey, you're the only other human he's ever interacted with! what makes you different is that, you're more affectionate compared to the other three

he's not used to it! you're so sweet that he ends up freezing on the spot whenever you run up and give him a hug, which he returns ofcourse! after some stammering...

"Oh, hey Mikey!!!" You spot him at the bottom of the ladder as you make your way down and call for his attention. He looks up and grins, waving at you.

"What's up, my favorite human!?" He greets you back with just as much enthusiasm.

"Come on, catch me!" You yell and jump off from the ladder with the widest smile.

Mikey panics and quickly stretches out his arms to catch you. When you land in his arms with no effort, aside from a small 'umph!' from you once you landed, you're giggling and wrapping your arms around his neck.

"Nice catch!" You tell him, giving him a pat on his shell before asking him to put you down. You walked away to greet the other turtles, leaving the orange masked turtle in shock.

because you're the first human to ever be affectionate to him, he isn't as confident as he thought he would be when it came to this type of situation!

he likes you, definitely. so when his brothers find out, they all just laugh it up by saying its just his nerves.

mikey 'psh's them and says he doesn't get nervous around you

but sometimes he gets caught in the moment

You recently bought a new game and wanted to play it with the turtles! You got down to the lair and immediately invited the first turtle you saw, which so happens to be your favorite turtle.

"Mikey-angelo, my guy!" You grin and jump your way over to the couch, where he was. He greets you with the same enthusiasm and you two share a high five.

You mention the game and the two of you don't waste a second in getting it set up and handing each other the controllers. It was a multiplayer game and you two had to work with each other to reach the set goals.

You two played for a while and after an hour or two, you finally defeated a boss for the mission. You cheer from your spot on the couch and turn to high five the turtle, but...

He cheers louder and gets up from his seat, grabs you by the sides, and lifts you up. He spins you around in joy, and you would join him in cheering, but there was one problem.

You're so surprised by this that your face turns red as you admire the turtle's face. He had the widest smile, and you can tell how relieved he is to have defeated that boss. He looked so happy.

When he opens his eyes, he stops spinning you when he realizes what he's done. He begins to stutter as he awkwardly sets you down, and you turn your head in hopes to calm your blush by not looking at him.

Then he brings back your attention by asking, "let's order pizza?" You quickly turn your head back and nod frantically. You go for your pocket to pull out your phone, but it slips from your hand.

Mikey watches as you comically keep trying to catch your phone, but it keeps slipping until it falls on the floor.

You two stare at each other for a while, but it ends with the two of you eventually laughing.

"Who knew you to be the touchy turtle, Mikey." You comment between chuckles.

i. a sweet surprise The oven is set to... meeting your soulmate!

ii. a cup of sugar The oven is set to… getting tracked by dogs!?

iii. a dash of snow The oven is set to… snowing?

iv. a box of goods The oven is set to... sharing the gyftmas joy!

v. preparing the ingredients The oven is set to... starting this story~

You were beginning to wish he hadn't.

He was lecturing you in his room, telling you all the things you should've done, should've avoided, and he just kept going on and on with this and that. You tried to defend yourself too.

However, it just became a pointless argument. You were heated and, then, you said something you didn't mean to...

Leonardo

"What did you expect, Leo!? I'm just a human with regular human abilities! You're a freak!" You yelled, standing up from his bed and pointing a finger at him.

You gasp. Your hands quickly cover your mouth as your face paints with guilt.

Leo blinks his eyes at you for a bit before dipping his head down. "Please, leave," he turns his back to you before pointing to the direction of his door. "Leave right now." He orders quietly.

when you finally leave the room, he rushes to the door and slides down with his shell against it. this way, you can't push his door open. not when he's pushing up against it

leo is the type to dwell on situations until it's been resolved. from what you yelled at him that night, this would never resolve

he makes sure to keep himself hidden as much as possible when you're down in the sewer after that. which is mostly locking himself in his room to meditate instead of the dojo.

if he does happen to bump into you, he does everything to hide his face at least before slipping back in the shadows. like freaks are used to do

he doesn't have the confidence to confront you either. he's fully convinced that when you don't try to talk to him again, that you really think he's a freak. that you don't want him in your life

every time that he meditates, all he can think about was the time you called him a freak. every time that he spars, all he can think of was that. it occupies his thoughts so badly

it makes him act irrational on patrols; he would yell at his brothers at the slightest slip up or beat up a kraangdroid longer than he should, and then he sees it-

his reflection in the metal. eyes white, teeth bared, and mask furrowed. he blinks and stumbles back as a cry locks itself in the middle of his throat. you were right, he is a freak

Raphael

"I'm injured, Raph! I'm clearly not in the mood to be scolded right now! What kind of monster do you have to be!?" You scream at him, jabbing a finger to his chest momentarily.

"Wha- monster!?" He growls.

"Yeah, yeah you are! You're a big, big, horrible, and rude monster!!!" You blow up in his face. He releases a sharp 'ha!' and grabs you by your shoulders, to which you grab him by the wrists.

It's no use pushing him back, considering he's much stronger. So the argument ends with you overlapping each other as Raph pushes you outside his room.

Only then do you realize what you said to him when he releases your shoulders. You were so blinded by your own anger than you didn't see the small shine in his eyes. Tears.

"Raph-" The door slams in your face.

he listens for your footsteps to tell if you've left or not. once you're gone, he tears up his room.

the entire sewer city of new york could probably hear him break his punching dummy, ripping comics, and screaming his lungs out. they hear everything but one thing, which is him crying

he spends his days going through different sewer pipes because his family got tired of him breaking things in the lair. he spends his day blaming you; telling himself that you were the one in the wrong

but at night, when he's tired himself out from wrecking and crying, he takes it all back. you were right, he is a monster

raph is the type to beat his sadness out to pass it off as anger until his tired and admits himself that he is sad. he's sad that you see him that way, and that you were correct

when he hears you're in the lair at night, he goes silent. he's the type to not want to be seen or heard by you again, because he's afraid that he'll just show you just how much of a monster he is again

Donatello

"Why don't you just go bug off, Donnie?! I'm sure an animal like yourself can do that!" In your outburst, you accidentally knock over a beaker. When it shatters on the ground, you realize what you've said.

You look to the turtle. He looked so sad. His mask was slightly furrowed, his mouth just a tad open, and his eyes glossy. He didn't look just sad, no– he looked hurt. You open your mouth to explain yourself, but he speaks first.

"Excuse me..." Donnie leaves the room with his head down.

donnie's obviously the type to drown himself in work to try and think about anything but the problem

however, he drowns himself in work for you. he tries to make trinkets, machines, and other sorts of gifts in hopes that you would forgive him when he gives it

but every time, without fail, he works on these projects, he hears you calling him an animal

he can't possibly do anything by himself, like an animal. he can only be reckless and thoughtless, like an animal.

animal, animal, animal- he didn't notice how loud his thoughts were and how it overtook his actions. he broke the gift he was making in the middle of it.

he cries about it for hours. and that's the cycle everyday. he tries to make a gift but he ends up breaking it because he gets in over his head, and he cries until he's tired

when he hears you down at the lair, he slides his bo in between the lab's doors. he cages himself inside that room, because, just like you said, he's an animal

Michelangelo

"You don't stop talking, do you, Mikey? Blah blah blah, ugh– you big-mouthed mutant!" You yell at him. You're panting heavily as he stared at you from the other side of the room. Silence.

Oh no.

"Mutant?" Mikey echoes your words, shakily. He had tears in his eyes but he closes them. He shakes his head and grabs a comic book, throwing it in your direction.

"Mikey, wai-"

"No! Get out my room!" His voice cracks in the middle of begging. He keeps throwing the nearest object near him at you, in an effort to push you out the room without touching you. "Get out!" His final cry has you dashing out the lair.

mikey loses all color in his personality after that. he would spend hours and hours at a time on his bed, curling himself up in a ball while crying

he never thought you saw him like that. he thought you were the pepperoni on his pizza, that you paired perfectly together. that's why you got along so well

his brothers try to get him back on his feet by inviting him back into his hobbies, but every time he would try- he'd start crying in the middle of it

because he'd think of how you two would do that activity together, but now all he can think of was that you saw him as a mutant. he's not human, so why is he doing these activities like he was?

whenever you two bump into each other at the lair, he tucks into his shell. he can hear you calling his name, but he doesn't pop out. that would show you more just how inhuman he is, how he's a mutant

mikey is the type to shut you out and refuse to interact with you. after all he's a mutant, and you're a human

“You don’t want to?” He raises a brow and gives a sided smile. 

“Sly pop troll.” You comment, smirking a bit and squinting your eyes. “What do I get?” You lean back.

“Hmm… Let’s play a game. For every song that we play, we get to ask each other a question.” Floyd smiles, and you hum. You position your fingers on the strings of a song you’re already thinking of.

You look back up to him, meeting his eyes with a relaxed smirk, your eyes half-lidded as you let out a short laugh. “I hope you have a lot of songs ready, Cotton Candy.” You don’t catch his eyes widening and blinking at your comment. You play the opening riff to one of your favorite rock songs for a bit before ending and looking at him again.

He claps for a bit, and you playfully bow your head. “Ask away.” He leans back, his body supported by his bed behind him. 

“Hmm…” You tap the body of your guitar gently as you think before a question comes up. “Oh, what was your role in the band?” You ask, adjusting so that you're leaning your elbows on the side of your guitar.

“Oh, that’s…” He chuckles, bashfully scratching the back of his head as his eyes avert you. “I was the sensitive one in the band.” He looks back at you with a shy smile, the curve reaching his eyes slightly.

“Shut up…” You snicker, leaning a bit forward. “You were the emo one?”

“Hey, one song, one question.” Floyd points, laughing lightly as you raise your hands in surrender.

“You’re right.” You say, but one of your raised hands twists at the wrist to face him. “Then, I believe it’s your turn.” You watch as he sits up straight as your hands return to your guitar, his hands on his as well.

When his hands are in position, he glances up at you briefly before smiling and beginning to play a song. When he sings lyrics, it takes you back a bit, but it physically brings you forward in hopes of hearing him as clearly as possible (you’re psyching yourself, come on).

His voice is soft, and the song he sings is different from the ones you’ve heard from Brozone. You can tell he’s only singing the chorus because of how short his performance is, but it excites you for more later.

“I didn’t know we were supposed to be singing.” You mumble, your chest light when your eyes meet again.

“I just prefer to, but you don’t have to.” He replies, chuckling softly.

“Is that a Brozone song?” You ask, tilting your head slightly but he shakes his head as he chuckles again.

“You don’t play fair, huh?” He smirks slightly and your eyes widen a bit, your cheeks tinting embarrassingly. “It’s my turn to ask a question.”

“Yeah, yeah…” You wave a dismissive hand, clearing your throat with a fist.

“Are rock trolls really as edgy as they appear?” You snort at his question, quickly shaking your head with a sided grin.

“Maybe, maybe not.” You reply, not directly answering the question.

“Come on, that’s not an answer.” Floyd pries. You hum, your face softening when you meet his eyes, and you see how they were waiting for you to speak.

“No, not really. If anything, we’re actually pretty lazy.” You run a hand through your hair. “To you, it looks cool, edgy,” you explain. “But we feel the same things as every other troll, we’re just a little more rough up front.” You shrug your shoulders, preparing your fingers to play another song.

“Hm…” Floyd hums. “It’s a good thing that you’re the first rock troll I know. You don’t seem too rough around the edges.” Your head looks up from the guitar at his comment, raising a brow.

“Am I not cool to you, Cotton Candy?” You tilt your head.

“You are cool. I’m just saying that…” He pauses as he tries to properly form his thoughts. “I think that you’re less rough side, is just as interesting as the rest of you.”

You blink, shying your eyes away from him to the guitar. You can feel your cheeks slightly warm up as you reply, “Thanks…” You reply softly. “You’re interesting too.” You return the compliment before beginning to play a new song.

When you finish and lock eyes with his again, he nods his head as a gesture to you to ask your question. “That song you sang… Did you write that?” You ask, smiling a bit. 

He chuckles. “It’s one of my many, yes.”

“I liked it. Your voice suits the song.” You say, watching him subtly place a hand on his throat for a moment as he chuckles.

“Thank you… I wrote a lot when I went on a solo career.” He follows, and your ears perk up. Now you know what to ask next. “My turn,” he says, playing another one of his songs on the guitar, his voice calm. 

You clap similarly to how he clapped for you earlier once he was finished, chuckling.

“You said you liked my song. Do you really not enjoy pop songs anymore?” Your smile falters as your eyes flutter a bit, turning your eyes to the floor. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel like it.” He quickly reassures, and you glance at him with a weak, sided smile before closing yor eyes.

You take a breath in. “It’s fine, I was just surprised by your question.” You explain, running a thumb over a string on your electric guitar. “To answer, I don’t sing pop anymore. I’m not saying I can’t, maybe I still can, but you know…” You shrug a shoulder. “It’s easier for me to express myself with rock music now, but I’m not against other genres. I still enjoy some pop songs, actually.” You chuckle.

“Really?” Floyd tilts his head and you tut him.

“One song, one question.” You remind him of his rules and he blinks. He chuckles and watches you position your hands to play another song. “Can’t seem to follow your own rules, hm?” You smirk before glancing down to focus on the song you’re playing.

“I like that one.” Floyd comments when you finish the riff.

You smile before relaxing your grip on your guitar to ask your question. “So, you mentioned having a solo career? What happened to being in a band?” You tilt your head and Floyd’s face noticeably darkens.

His brows furrow, and his lip bites itself. He hides his eye underneath his bang again, tightly gripping the guitar. Your face softens in worry.

“Floyd? Sorry, did I..? You don’t have to answer that one if you don’t want to…” Your voice is unsure as your hand comes toward him to comfort him, but it stops mid air. You flinch it back when he inhales deeply and his face softens, raising a hand.

“It’s fine. You didn’t know… but I don’t think I can answer that yet. Maybe next time.” Floyd gives you a smile, relaxing his grip on the guitar. You frown, and he notices it. “It’s okay, really.”

“Sorry, I… I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.” You murmur, shifting to get ready to stand up. “I can go if-”

“No, please.” Floyd reaches out to you and you stiffen. “Stay.” He tells you, placing a hand on the side of your guitar to keep you where you were. “Really, it’s okay. You didn’t mean it, don’t be sorry.” He says softly, moving his bangs to show the sincerity in his eyes. There’s light in them—light that hopes you'll take his word.

You meet his eyes, but avert them to his hand on your guitar. You blink, taking a moment to think. When you look up again, his eyes never waver with that glint. “Okay…” You murmur, and his face brightens until it reaches his eyes.

“You can ask me another question.” Floyd pulls his hand away from your guitar, nudging his head gently as he leans back with a smile. 

You blink as you try to think about another question. “What do you think of your brothers?” You ask, what you think is, a safe question. 

“They’re the best brothers anyone could ask for.” Floyd chuckles. “We’ve had our bumpy moments, but I’m glad to finally be with them again.” He taps on his guitar lightly, and the way he answers leaves you more curious.

Your face relaxes at his smile while he thinks of his brothers. “Do you still want to play?” You ask softly.

“I’m okay if you’re okay.” You nod your head at his reply and he smiles a bit wider as he gets ready for another song. He plays a quick chorus, but his voice helps you further relax again. You stare at each other for a bit before Floyd asks his question, “Do…” He hesitates a moment. “Do you want to-”

“Floyd, are you in there?” Poppy interrupts him, asking if he’s seen you around. “It’s getting late and Barb wants to say goodbye before she goes back!” 

You both turn to the direction of her voice before lowly getting up, Floyd opening the door to his pod to reveal the both of you inside. Outside were Poppy, Viva, Barb, and Floyd’s brothers on a branch right outside the pod.

“There you are! I was worried you got glitter bombed somewhere.” Barb is the first one to speak up, and you snicker, stepping out of Floyd’s pod to walk to her. “So..?” She smirks, crossing her arms and tilting her head. 

You squint your eyes and cock your head to the side. “Not tonight, Barb.” She raises her hands in surrender, and you shake your head with a short laugh.

“Enjoy your weekend, alright? I’ll see you soon.” Barb holds out her fist, and you bump it with yours. “Don’t rock too hard without me.” She winks, nudging you with her elbow which makes you groan, and her laugh.

“You make me not want to go back after the weekend.” You sarcastically remark, crossing your arms.

“I’m sure you’d enjoy that extended time, huh?” She teases, and you’re blushing now. 

“Get home safe, Barb.” You grit through a smile, waving her goodbye. She laughs one last time as she walks away, waving at you. When she jumps down the tree, you stop waving and keep an eye on her until she’s out of sight.

“Yay, another slumber party!” Viva exclaims, rushing to pick you up in a hug. You smile, trying to hug her back as best you can. “We’ll make peppermint candy necklaces tonight.” She whispers as she sets you down.

“That sounds great, Veev.” You smile. 

“Were you guys just in here the whole time?” Bruce tilts his head and raises a brow.

You turn your head away; your blush hasn’t yet faded from Barb’s teasing. “We were just getting to know each other more.” Floyd answers for the both of you, stepping forward with a smile.

“Woah, is that a new guitar?” Clay points out his guitar, your gift, with a surprised grin. “Flexin’ that talent, I see, I see.” He nods approvingly, pursing his lips.

“It was a gift.” He glances to you, and you catch his gaze for a moment. The rest of them look amongst each other and connect the dots, Poppy and Viva giggling amongst themselves.

“Well, we better get some shut eye so we can wake up early and get straight to the fun tomorrow!” Poppy announces, receiving agreements from all over the group. 

“You sleepin’ with us in the bunker tonight, Floyd?” Clay asks, catching his younger brother’s attention. The rest of his brothers had begun walking in the direction of Branch’s bunker.

“Oh, yeah, I’ll catch up in a bit.” Floyd replies, waving his hand to indicate that Clay and the rest of his brothers can go on ahead. Clay nods, making his way down the tree to catch up with his brothers.

“Wanna start our sleepover?” Viva turns to you with a grin. When your arms unfurl with a smile to answer, but Floyd speaks up again, rather hurriedly.

“Actually, I just need to ask a question if it’s okay.” He says, stepping next to you. The sisters’ eyes widen at his actions.

“Oh, that’s totally okay!” Viva replies, smiling and slipping her hand around Poppy’s arm as she looks at you. “We’ll be waiting at the pod, okay?”

“Oh…” You blink repeatedly, confused. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you guys there.” You wave each other goodbye before looking to Floyd. You remember that he didn’t finish his question earlier. “Oh, you got interrupted by Poppy, right?”

“Yeah.” 

“What is it that you were gonna ask?” You turn to face him, curious.

You watch as he breathes in deeply, looking down at his feet before looking back to you. “Remember how I said that you’re less rough side is interesting?” You nod your head slowly, and he continues. “I think that everything about you is interesting, and I was hoping to get to know you better.”

You feel your cheeks heat up again, your hand coming up to hold your arm.

“I was gonna ask…” He takes another deep breath. “Do you want to spend tomorrow together?”

You blink as your eyes widen. “What? Like… just the two of us?” You ask, and he nods with a nervous look in his eye.

“If it’s okay with you.” He smiles softly, but there’s still a nervous glint in his eyes.

You take a moment to think, your heart racing in your chest. Your blush has reached to the tips of your ears at the thought of spending the weekend with Floyd. You want to, but there’s a part inside of you that’s saying this is dangerous, that this good thing will be taken away from you. But you remember Barb’s words, and let that fear subside and hope emerge. You want this. So…

“Ugh, I know- It’s just that it’s gonna feel like forever until we see each other again.” She turns away, pulling her hands away to cross them. You lean your body to put yourself in her field of vision, smiling. She makes eye contact with you, and her frown eases, a giggle bubbling from her throat.

“We’ll see each other next week.” You lean back, before your entire body jumps a bit from Poppy surprising you from behind.

“And we’ll be doing the second Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap!” She says, fists to her face with a wide grin. 

“What’s that?” Viva and Branch’s brothers collectively ask.

“Oh, I’m so excited! Okay, so, basically, I send an invitation to all the Troll tribes with the name of someone inside the letter. Then, whoever you got is the troll you have to give a gift to!” Poppy exclaims, proceeding to grab Branch after the explanation.

“And we’ll be delivering the letters three days prior.” He says, looking to everyone else before back to Poppy.

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Poppy. And telling Barb about it so we don’t get flooded again.” You follow up the last part with a chuckle.

“You’ve gift swapped before?” Floyd speaks up, and you let out an exaggerated ‘phew’.

“Yeah, it happened… a few days after the World Tour, actually.” You look to Poppy for confirmation, who nods her head. “And I’ve never even met the troll I got, so I was kind of panicking until Poppy pitched in an idea.”

“You’re welcome!” She says, and you chuckle. “I’m so excited to see who you’ll get this time.”

“Please let it be Barb, that way I know what to give this time.” You joke, leaning onto your motorcycle behind you.

“Well, we’ll just have to see whose name lands in your hands!” Poppy sings with a cheeky grin.

“Right…” You smile back, getting a weird feeling in your gut about her grin.

“Well, I’m so pumped for this gift swap thing!” Clay quite literally pumps a fist in the air. “But we better get going before it gets too late.” He says, rolling his hands before reeling it behind him.

“Right! Well, it’s been a fun weekend, you guys. I can’t wait to see you for the holiday!” Viva waves bye to everyone as JD calls Rhonda, who is a sentient car (to your surprise). 

Your head tilts as you feel yourself already starting to miss Viva, even after spending almost your entire weekend by her side. She meets your eyes and runs up to give you a tight hug, which you return just as tight. “See you again, Veev.” You tell her softly when she pulls away.

“I can’t wait to spend holidays together again, amiga.” She says quietly to you, and you giggle.

“Get home safely, okay?” You let go of each other and watch as she walks away.

“Of course, get back safe too!” Viva replies, waving by the car door before making her way inside.

You watch Branch and Floyd huddle around the car door to say goodbye to the rest of their brothers. The sun is setting when Rhonda drives them away, JD saying a quick ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can!’ to Floyd and Branch.

You hum, turning your back and getting on your bike. “Are you sure it’s safe to drive back at night all alone?” A gentle voice approaches you, making you look up just as you are about to turn the key.

You turn to Floyd, who looks at you with furrowed brows. You smirk, leaning on top of your fuel tank. “Worried about me, Cotton Candy?”

His eyes flutter for a moment before stammering a reply. “Well, yes, I am. What if you get hurt? I wouldn’t want that to happen.” He says.

You perk up a little from the tank, your eyes widening as your smirk is wiped away. “Ah, well… You don’t- you don’t have to worry, I’ll travel safely.” You reply, stuttering over your words a bit. 

He lets out a smile as he sighs. “Good…”

His relief about you getting back safely makes your chest feel light.

“Make sure to have your lights on when it gets dark, alright?” He walks closer to you, holding one of the handles on your bike and causing you to sit up straight. Your cheeks are warm again. “I wanna see you for that gift swap, you know?” He looks at you with that gaze again—that gaze he held with you when he performed with his brothers.

There’s so much care in his eye, accompanied by that sweet smile on his lips. He doesn’t break contact as he waits for your reply.

“Right… I… I wanna see you too, so I’ll be sure to get home in one piece…” You utter softly, not even sure if you are loud enough for him to hear. He chuckles, pulling his hand away from the handle.

He says goodbye, following with your name leaving his lips in a way that makes you melt a bit inside. “Have a goodnight.”

“You too, Cotton Candy…” You manage to give him a reply, before watching him give a small wave and turn his back as he walks back further in Pop Village.

When he’s further away, you feel a smile spread across your face as you laugh to yourself quietly. You catch yourself and quickly cough, turning the key to turn on the bike. “Okay, cool.” You tell yourself, beginning to turn the vehicle around. “Stay cool! He’s just…” You shrug your shoulders as you begin to drive outside Pop Village.

He’s just a regular troll! Sure, he’s cute, and his voice is as pleasant as whatever those classical trolls play, and- You groan, picking up the speed as you ride through the night.

“Oh my gosh, Barb is going to tease the hell out of me.” You realize. You throw your head back quickly and groan louder before quickly facing the road again. “This is not cool.” You glance at yourself in the mirror. “This isn’t ‘rock’.” You tell yourself, glancing back up again.

You inhale deeply and lean closer to the bike, kicking up the speed again. You can’t let yourself get attached, not this easily. You’re not risking it with a world as cruel as this, taking things away no matter how much they mean to you. Keep it cool. You look at yourself one last time in the mirror. “Hard as rock.” You tell yourself, before looking ahead with a frown.

You woke up the next day. You came back home quietly, heading straight to your home while everyone was already in theirs. You slap your hands to your eyes as you collectively cringe and smile about your thoughts last night. 

When you bring yourself to a stop with a long exhale, you sit up from bed. You get ready for the day before riding your bike to Barb’s Fortress, calling out to her to show that you’re back.

You hear her voice exclaim your name and feel her hand ruffle your hair from behind you. “What’s up!? How was your little vacay in Pop Village?” She says, leading you to the lounge area.

“It was great.” You reply, chuckling as you think back to it briefly. “Thank you for letting me spend time with Viva.” You follow up, taking a seat with her on the (rather roughed up) couch.

“Hey, no problem.” Barb reassures. “That’s what best friends are for, right?” She smiles softly, her hand on your shoulder. You huff out a laugh and nod your head.

“Yeah…” You say, patting her hand on your shoulder before she pulls away. Then you remember what Poppy said. “Oh, yeah, we should be expecting invitations from Poppy for the Holiday Gift Swap in a few days. So, we probably shouldn’t get flooded like last time.” 

“Oh my gosh, again?” Barb says in a breathy voice. “I hope I get someone I know this time.”

“Honestly, I hoped I would get you.” You chuckle, punching her in the shoulder.

“Ohoho, that would be awesome.” She laughs, nodding her head in agreement. “Anyway, what happened on your trip back to Pop Village? Anything interesting?” She asks, turning herself on the couch to face you with crossed legs.

“Oh, you know. Poppy decided to hold a small get-together reunion type-of-thing,” you explain, rotating your wrist. “Actually, it wasn’t just me and Viva catching up. You remember those trolls on stage when we arrived at Vacay Island?”

“Oh yeah, the dark green one-”

“JD.”

“And the other green one-”

“Clay.”

“And there was the purple one-”

“Bruce.”

“And the pink o-”

“Floyd.” You say his name faster than you said the name of the other brothers, catching Barb off guard and widening her eyes a bit.

“Alright, they were there too?” Barb follows up slowly.

“Yeah, and they’re Branch’s brothers. Then we kinda all got to hang out together. But when we left the party, me and Viva caught up a bit more by ourselves.” Barb hums.

“What happened at the party? Were there nachos? If there were, please tell me you brought back some.”

“No, there was menudo- which you should still totally try.” You chuckle. “Anyway, they convinced me to perform a rock song for them.” You recall, smirking a little.

“Aw yeah, rock rep!” Barb pumps a fist in the air before turning back to you. “And then?”

“Then Brozone, that’s the band of Branch and his bros, did a song too. Floyd’s a real performer, you know.”

“Oh?” 

You let that compliment slip out a little too nonchalantly. Your smile turns to a laugh, which turns to a cough, which turns to a forced smirk. “Y-yeah! He caught my eye, ya know? Just with how, you know… he kinda looks like us, but less rugged, yeah…” You try to explain coolly.

Barb squints her eyes, raises her brow, and leans forward toward you, quietly staring for close to a minute. “You think he’s cute, don’t you?” She blurts.

You begin to cough violently, feeling your cheeks warm up as you try to cover up your violent reaction with a laugh. “Wha- ha, Of course not! I think he’s interesting!” You correct her.

“Right… You think he’s cute.” Barb leans back, raising her hand with a smirk. “No judgment, by the way.” She says before crossing her arms.

You hide your face in your hands and groan, dragging them down your face. You glare at her smug face with your flushed face before sighing, shoulders slumping too. “Okay, maybe I think he’s cute.”

“Knew it.”

“But! I don’t… I…” Barb’s smirk falls as her face shows concern, her hand unfurling to reach out to you.

“What? What’s wrong?” She asks.

“I don’t want to get too close. What if something happens?” You say quietly, hugging your arms.

“Like what? Nothing’s going to happen, I mean- those bergen things don’t eat you anymore, and all trolls are united. What’s got you scared?” She places a hand on yours. “Doesn’t mean that we’re hard rock doesn't mean you gotta act that way.” She says, chuckling a bit. “I mean, you’ve seen my dad.”

You sigh. “I know, it’s just… It’s what I’m used to. You know that.” You look up to her slowly, meeting her eyes with your furrowed brows. 

Barb nods her head slightly. “I know… But I’m telling you that it’s okay now. You’ve got this, there’s nothing to worry about.”

You hum, inhaling deeply as you fix your posture and feel her hand pull away. “Okay… Okay.” You reply to her, but say it to reassure yourself at the same time. You two sit in comfortable silence before Barb speaks up again.

“You know, I think you two would actually look cute together.” 

“Barb!” You groan, slapping your hands back on your face and sinking into the couch. You were right when you said Barb would tease you about him.

The sun was starting to set by the time you saw a pod. You pick up the speed on your motorcycle and start to see more pods. You’ve arrived back in Pop Village. Now, you have to look for Branch’s bunker. Poppy suggested having a party there to catch up quietly with just a small group.

You receive a few whispers and pointing fingers as you ride through the place, and you pick up the pace. You park your bike by a big stone, a bit further away from the pods, that has a rug that says ‘Go Away’. You chuckle at it.

“Now, where is Branch’s bunker?" You talk to yourself, stepping away from your bike to head to the village. Until you see a familiar troll with pink hair, not forgetting the white fade too. You raise your hand and give a small wave, which he returns with a smile. “Floyd, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. I just have a small question, do you know where Branch’s bunker is?” You ask.

“Oh, it’s… It’s right behind you.” He chuckles, pointing behind you.

You turn behind you and look at the rock up and down. “Pretty hardcore…” You give a nod of approval. “You got invited to the party too?” You turn back to him.

“Of course, I wanna catch up with my brothers.” Floyd walks past you to walk to the bunker. You follow behind him. You watch as he knocks on the rock, which produces a hollow sound like a door.

“Okay, this rock can’t bring me any more surprises.” You wave your arms away from you. A section of the rug slides open to reveal a set of eyes, causing a startled ‘what the!?’ to come out of you. Floyd hides his chuckle behind his hand.

“The rug had a surprise for you.” He comments.

“Real funny, Cotton Candy.” You roll your eyes at him while smirking before meeting the eyes under the rug.

“You two finally made it.” The entire rug slides away and reveals Branch, who motions for you two to hop down. You look to Floyd to see if he’d go first, but seeing as he doesn’t take the opportunity to jump right ahead, you jump in.

“You think you can follow that?” You cross your arms as you look up at him.

He lets out a snicker before jumping down like you. You give him a nod before turning to Branch. You watch him place the rug back in place before pulling a lever. The floor beneath you starts to move downward. “Man, you just get cooler.” You direct your eyes to Branch, leaning on the lever.

“Thank you.” Branch says, grateful, even giving a little bow. You chuckle. 

The platform stops, and you notice that you’re back on the ground, in front of a small group. There’s JD, Bruce, and Clay all together and poking around the stuff on the walls. Viva and Poppy are sitting on the floor, talking and giggling with each other.

The three of you catch the attention of the rest, who cheer at your arrival. Viva hops from the floor and rushes to hug you. “You’re finally here! We can get this party started!” She moves her arm around your side, walking you with her to Poppy.

“Welcome! We brought snacks, oh- and there’s a karaoke machine if we want!” Poppy pats the floor next to her before pointing to the mentioned karaoke machine at the side. You hum, removing your guitar strap and propping the instrument against a nearby wall.

“Snacks? You guys should’ve told me, I would’ve brought something.” You chuckle, taking a seat next to Viva.

“Please, it’s okay! Here, have some menudo from Bruce’s cantina.” Poppy gets up as quickly as she returns with a bowl for you. You nod your head as a thanks, blowing away the steam.

“Oh my gosh, I have so many questions! First of all, hello? You’re a rock troll! How’s that work?” Viva asks, sitting cross-legged and leaning forward to you.

“Oh, me too. I would’ve never thought you were one of us.” Poppy adds, lying on her stomach with her face in her hands.

“Well, I don’t know either,” you shrug. “Since I got to Volcano Rock City, I never really sang or did pop anymore? Kinda left it behind me…” You take a bite of menudo, nodding your head in approval at its deliciousness.

“Why did you go to Volcano Rock City?” Viva asks.

“I didn’t. At first, I left Pop Village to look for you…” You look quietly at Viva for a while before clearing your throat. “I lost hope after a while, but I didn’t want to go back to Pop Village. I didn’t want to see King Peppy after he lied about no troll being left behind. Next thing I know, I'd get left behind if there was another attack.” You scoff until you notice both of their connections to the man. “No offense, by the way.”

“None taken!” Poppy and Viva say in unison. “I get it.”

You nod your head. “So, after a few days wandering about in the wild, Barb found me. Took me back to her place, and I learned all about the different kinds of trolls.” You take another bite. “Then, I got a sick makeover.” You motion to yourself with a smile.

“You know, I haven’t really heard the other kinds of music…” Viva purses her lips, making eye contact with you.

“Viva, no.” You laugh, pointing the spoon at her. “I doubt there’s even a rock song in that karaoke machine.” You scoop up some menudo into your mouth.

“But you have your guitar!” Viva protests, and you raise a brow at her while you chew.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve actually heard a full rock song either.” Poppy encourages Viva’s prompt, which causes you to facepalm. Both of them begin to place their hands together in a pleading motion.

“What’s all this about?” Clay approaches your little circle.

“They’re trying to get me to sing a song.” You roll your head back to meet his eyes, before lazily facing the two girls again. “Still not happening, by the way.”

“Aww, amiga, please! It’s been a while since I’ve heard you sing too!” Viva shakes her conjoined hands at you, and you laugh a little.

“My voice is gonna be completely different from what you remember.” You prolong the last vowel with a playful smirk. “You might not like it.”

“What’s this I hear about singing?” JD joins in, along with the other Brozone bros next to him. You let out a mix of a groan and a laugh.

Poppy giggles, sitting up properly. “You’ve got an audience now, come on! You can’t keep us away from that rock’n’roll!” She says, raising her fist in the air.

“Mhm, mhm, yeah.” You set your finished bowl of menudo to the side. Eventually, almost all of them start to encourage you to play a song, and you keep nodding your head in amusement until you make eye contact with Floyd.

There’s a small smile on his face that pulls at you. 

You clear your throat and look away as the group quiets down for you to hear him speak. “You can’t follow up your stunt earlier?” He says with a teasing, but encouraging tone.

“Ha, of course, I can.” You send him a quick smile before rising from the floor, ruffling up your hair more as you make your way to pick up your guitar.

“Yes!” Viva cheers, even jumping from the ground a bit. “Wait, what stunt?” She turns to Floyd, who looks away and shrugs his shoulders.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you about my voice.” You point at Viva as you wear your guitar strap, adjusting the strings to make sure they’re good to play. You watch as Brozone sits down next to the girls, forming a little audience in front of you.

“This is exciting.” Bruce comments, and you chuckle. “I wonder what rock sounds like.”

“It sounds like this.” You start to play the notes of the opening on your guitar, breaking eye contact with them to focus on the music. Your foot taps to the rhythm, and your body rocks a bit.

Here I am Rock you like a hurricane

You can hear the ‘oh’s and ‘wow’s from the trolls in front of you, making you smile a bit.

Here I am  Rock you like a hurricane

You raise your head and exaggerate your expressions to the lyrics, leaning forward to interact with them.

My body is burning, it starts to shout Desire is coming, it breaks out loud Lust is in cages ‘til storm breaks loose

You smirk, pointing the headstock at a certain troll on the floor while you play the strings. You tilt your head to the side as you sing the following lyrics.

Just have to make it with someone I choose

You don’t look away when Floyd’s eyes noticeably widen, his posture straightening at the sudden pin of attention. You quickly pull the headstock away from him and focus back on performing the song, occasionally picking him out of the crowd again more often than the others.

You finish the riff and raise your head with a smirk, breathing heavily as you receive applause. “I hope you all enjoyed your premiere dose of rock’n’roll.” You pose the signature rock sign, before placing your guitar away again. 

“That was…!” Viva starts, but she stammers to find a word, before letting a hand out to you. “What is it you say!?”

“Sick?” You smirk, placing a hand on your hip.

“That was sick!” Viva’s arms raise to the sky again, a grin on her face. “Your voice is so booming, I would’ve never thought you could sing like that back then!” She waves her hands happily.

Your smirk turns to a soft smile at her words. “Thanks, Veev.”

“I was totally not expecting that.” Clay comments. “That was awesome!”

You tilt your head toward him and cross your arms. “I think I get to encourage a performance now.” You smirk, which makes the troll’s eyes widen in surprise. “Brozone, right? I’ve never heard a single thing from you guys.” You remark, setting your guitar up on a wall.

You watch as the brothers look amongst each other, considering if they should perform or not. Your eyes drift from Clay to Floyd, who immediately meets your eye. You smirk.

“You think you can follow after me?” You ask, and he gives a sided smile with a tilted head, before turning to his brothers again.

“I mean, why not? It’s only fair.” He encourages them, receiving an affirming response.

“While the night’s young.” You spread your arms to the side as if handing them the stage, walking forward to sit with Poppy and Viva as the audience. “You too, you know?” You tell the girls.

“Oh psh, that’s easy.” Poppy giggles. You watch as the karaoke machine is messed with by JD, who is finding one of their old songs to sing.

Eventually, they conclude and position themselves for the song. As the karaoke is set to go, their harmony surprises you as it overpowers even the set instrumental of the machine.

You watch them perform with a relaxed smile, your hands leaning behind you as your head slightly bops to the beat.

Did anybody notice?

You watch as Floyd dances in the center, making eye contact with you. He extends his arm in your direction with a smile and a glint in his eye.

The energy just shifted When we dropped in, ooh Let it drop in

You let out a small laugh to yourself as your shoulders rise to your neck. Your smile only widens when you subconsciously find your eyes focused on him throughout the entire performance.

Viva purses her lips when she looks at you, who doesn’t even notice her gaze. She turns to her sister, nudging her side and glancing at you again. Poppy follows her eyes, looking at you and where you’re looking. 

Poppy lets out a soft gasp, and Viva grins. Unknown to you, they gossip with each other while the music plays for the night.

You wandered away from Pop Village, venturing outside with all the dangers. Eventually, after a few days and still no sign of Viva, you lost hope. You survived the next few days, trying to hide from the predators and find a new place to stay.

Along the way, you encountered a different kind of troll, a rock troll. Her name was Barb, and she took you to Volcano Rock City, which eventually became your new home. You also, eventually, got around to rock music. You enjoyed it more, and it naturally became a part of you, the pop fading away.

During the World Tour, you didn’t expect to see King Peppy again. It frustrated you to see him casually be carried by a sea of trolls, so by the time he reached your arms, you gripped him tight and set him down in front of you.

“King Peppy.” You said his name through gritted teeth. “It’s good to see you again.” You follow up as calmly as possible.

“Oh, I- I’m sorry, do I know you?” He replied nervously, taking a step back and raising his hands. You scoffed, adjusting your guitar strap so your instrument could hang by your back. You reminded him of your name. He echoed it, confused, before gasping.

“Where’s Viva?” You cocked your head to the side and folded your arms. He gulped and looked down. Your mouth opened a bit in disappointment, your brows furrowing. “You still haven’t found her?” You asked. Disbelief, sadness, and there’s that frustration again.

“I…”

“What happened to no troll left behind?”

“When I went back to get them, the tunnels had already collapsed!” King Peppy defended himself. “I’m guilty, every day, for leaving those trolls behind. I’m even guilty that I let you go away… I kept thinking that a Bergen would get you too!”

“So why didn’t you stop me?” You asked, shaking your head a little.

“Because I was a coward!” You inhaled sharply at his reply. He breathed heavily before clearing his throat. “I can never go back in time and make sure that Viva got out of the tunnels with the others, or make sure that you never left and made it up to you.”

“...” You said nothing, watching him step forward and grab your hand in his.

“I’m happy to see that you’re doing well, however. And… that I’m also sorry.” He said softly. Your eyes softened, and you sighed, placing your other hand on his.

“King Peppy, I… I don’t think I’ll forgive you, but I think I’ll learn to accept what’s happened. I’ve got Queen Barb, and she’s proven to me that she won’t leave me behind.” You glanced at him before looking at your savior on stage. “She’s given me a new friendship that I never thought I’d make again after Viva.” You smiled gently before meeting his eye again, pulling your hands away.

King Peppy smiles slightly and nods his head. “That’s… good to hear.” You nod your head before you start to walk away. “I just have one favor…”

“What is it?” You stop, turning back to him.

“Don’t tell Poppy about Viva... She’s not ready.”

You look at him quietly before shaking your head and continuing to walk away. “Whatever you want, King Peppy.” You say loud enough for him to hear before walking to the stage for Barb.

You didn’t talk to him after the World Tour. You didn’t return to the pop trolls when Poppy invited you back either; you simply told her that you had your place here with the rock trolls.