Branch's POV

Today, Poppy and I will be going to the gym because I would have training for my upcoming show. I was just going to my pod to change my clothes when Creek suddenly came in my sight, with his swollen, beat-up face making my heart pound in guilt. I quickly approached the purple Troll and apologized for what I have done last night.

"Hey, Creek." I said.

"Oh. Hi, Branch..." Creek said and smiled. I could see both shame and nervousness shining on his two violet eyes.

"I'm sorry about yesterday... It's just that-"

"No. It's okay, Branch. It's my fault." Creek answered and sighed.

"Are you sure? But you really look...battered-"

"I'm fine. Well, I should be going now. I still have yoga sessions today." Creek said and smiled. "Bye for now."

"Okay." I said and sighed. "Goodbye."

I suddenly felt relief as I watched Creek walk away. I took a deep breath, went straight into my pod and grabbed my gym clothes.

~~✨~~

I opened the door and went out of my pod, wearing my white sleeveless shirt and my blue shorts. Everyone-probably fangirls...and fangays-started to squeal and wanted to chase me. But good thing there were body guards guarding my pod.

"BRANCHIE!!!! AHHH!" Said one fangay.

Then another fangirl shouted, "YOU'RE SO HOT BRANCHIE!!"

I chuckled and was just going to Poppy's pod. But then the door opened and saw Poppy looking hot-I mean she was wearing a purple sleeveless shirt & blue boxer shorts and has her pink hair tied-up.

"W-whoa, Poppy..."

"How do I look?" Poppy said, looking awkward.

"You look great." I answered and gave her a smile.

"Thanks." She replied and smiled back.

"So, let's go now?" I asked and grabbed her arm"

"Ooh! I'm so excited to go to the gym..." Poppy squealed and we began to walk to Smidge's new gym.

~~✨~~

Here it is. We're right in front of the gym. I opened the glass door and saw a lot of people working out and exercising. At the other side of the gym was the little blue-haired Troll, who was pushing a 24kg barbell without any exhaustion marked on her face.

"Hey Smidge!" I greeted.

Smidge saw us and placed the barbell on the floor. She then stood up and smiled. "Hey guys! So, what's up?"

"Well, Branchie has a training for his show." Poppy said.

"And Aspen said that you were hired as my trainor." I added.

"Oh, yes." Smidge said. "Oh uh, wait for a second. I'll just go get something."

"Okay." I replied and placed my arm on Poppy's shoulders that made her blush.

"So, before we start, we need to have a warm up, of course."

Poppy's POV

Why do I keep on looking at Branchie? I mean, he's too hot in his outfit and it makes my eyes go steady to him! Eeek!

Oh um... Forget about that, peeps.

Branch sat down and started to do sit ups.

"O-one...Two...Three...Four..." Branchie said, counting each time he would pull himself up.

I kept on blushing and squeezing my red cheeks. Man, he really makes my eyes melt!

Because of that, I haven't realized that Smidge was actually calling me.

"Poppy? Poppy!!" Smidge shouted that made me turn to her.

I grinned. "Smidge! Uh... Sorry."

"Aren't you gonna exercise or somethin'?" Smidge asked and raised her eyebrow, like she knows why I didn't do anything but gaze at the seriously-hot-Branchie.

"Oh uh...Yeah!" I answered and quickly walked towards the threadmill and started jogging.

Smidge chuckled. "Seriously, Poppy?"

I kept dragging my eyeballs from being attracted to Branch. But the bad news is, my force isn't as strong as his charm-and that made me completely captivated to him.

And as I turn to him, he is now catching my gaze and is giving an alluring smile.

"You enjoying there?" Branch asked, crossing his arms.

"Uhh, yeah! Totally!" I exclaimed. I looked away and started to speed up, telling him that I'm focused on the threadmill.

"Uhh, okay. Better have fun there..." Branch said with a sad voice and went back on doing sit ups.

~~✨~~

"You guys wanna take a break?" Smidge asked, holding water bottles.

Branch and I stopped from working out and rested.

I grabbed one of the water bottles Smidge is holding and started to drink water.

Branch was sweltering and sweat kept on pouring from his head down to his body that made him remove his sweaty sleeveless shirt. My eyes quickly turned to him and spitted a swallow of water-after seeing his wonderful six-packs.

He looked at me immediately and said "Poppy?" after seeing me spitting the water I was just gonna swallow. It looks like he has no idea it was his fault that made me do that.

"I uh..." I didn't say anything, knowing that my eyes are still locked up on him.

"You okay?" Wow. You really don't know how hot you are, Branchie?

"Uhh yeah! I'm fine." I answered and gave him a big grin.

"Okay." he smiled. "I better go back now." he added and started to lay down to a chair-like thingy and used his hair to carry a 20kg barbell.

OMFG. Are you really trying to allure me, Munchkin? Seriously?

I went back to the threadmill and tried to forget about him. I started to jog and calm myself down. But still, it ended up on me gazing at Branch. What the heck, Poppy?!

I gulped and bit my lip as I started to stare at the blue Troll working out without his shirt. But wait, why is he moving in slow motion? Oh my gah, Branch. You're killing me. UGH, he's so hot!

"Hot, boi..." I said unconciously. I stopped from jogging and continued to gaze at his abs-I mean, at Branch. Sorry for that!

Branch's POV

"...twenty-eight...twenty-nine...thirty...." I said as I was carrying a barbell with my hair.

But as I turn my eyes to Poppy, she was looking unconscious and was not jogging-although she's on the threadmill. Oh no. What if she slips?

"Hot, boi..." Poppy said that made me realize that she was actually staring at me the whole time.

I stopped from carrying the barbell and said, "Poppy?"

Poppy immediately regained her consciousness and had her eyes widened. "Oh uh...Branch! I uhh..."

But then, she quickly slipped on the threadmill. My hair instantly catched Poppy and I quickly grasped her before she would completely fall down.

Poppy's POV

"AHHH!!" I screamed as I slipped from the threadmill. Good thing Branch caught me and quickly wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you okay?" Branch asked worriedly.

"I-I'm okay." I replied and widened my eyes, knowing that I almost fell down from the threadmill. But then I remembered that Branch has no shirt and has his packs exposed. Woah. It's indeed a small world between me and his abs.

"Um..." I bit my lip, knowing that his abs is too close to me. I could see sweat falling from his charming face down to his seductive body. I quickly grabbed my towel and started to wipe it to him. "Oh my, Branchie. You must be sweating too much already!"

Branch chuckled and smiled. He quickly grabbed my hand and wrapped it around his neck. He moved his head closer to mine, gave me a killing stare and said, "By the way, what do you mean hot boi, Cupcake?"

"Uhh..." I gulped and looked away. But then I began to blush and tried to stop myself from smiling.

"Okay...?" Branch raised his eyebrow and unraveled his arms from me.

I stared at his abs once again...

He placed his towel around his neck. "Hey Poppy? Can I borrow the towel you used to wipe my sweat?"

"Uhh wh-" I paused and gave him the towel. "Why?"

He saw Smidge opening an empty jar and immediately took it. "I'll borrow it Smidge."

"Hey!" Smidge yelled and crossed her arms.

Branch opened the jar and squeezed the towel until the sweat could get in the jar.

"Branch? Still collecting sweat?" I asked Branch and chuckled like I don't realize that he's always crazy prepared in anything.

"Uh yeah, of course! At least we have supplies when there's danger." He answered confidently.

"Duh, you even have gazillions of sweat jars stored in your pod!" I said. "By the way, how many jars have you stocked already?"

"Um... About eighty jars?"

What the heck? Still collecting even with those eighty jars? Oh Branchie...

Branch suddenly had a look, like he was planning to do something, and he began to smirk.

"Poppy, I dare you to drink my sweat!" Branch said and laughed.

"Oh my gah." Smidge covered her mouth and started to laugh as well.

"W-what?! Branch!" I frowned, but at the same time, I began to giggle and said, "Ugh, fine!"

I quickly grabbed the jar and drank it rapidly until not a single drop of sweat is left in it. "Ugh!"

Branch tittered and said, "Whoa, Poppy. I didn't even said that you should finish the whole jar!"

"Oh." I said and pouted. I suddenly heard Branch laughing again that made me frown. I punched his arm a little and said, "You crazy boy!"

Branch chuckled once again. Then I said, "Man, your sweat tastes really bad! I swear I wouldn't drink even a single drop of your sweat ever again." and rolled my eyes. "But at least it's your sweat. If it was GD's? Man... I really don't know!"

Smidge and Branch had their eyes widened and laughed again.

"Well, I guess I should work out again." Branch said. "And don't gaze at me, Poppy. I know that you're too enjoyed staring at me but you might slip again." he smirked and went back working out.

My eyes widened and at the same time, what he said brought a blush to my cheeks.

"Hug time!" Everyone shouted and hugged each other. I quickly grasped Branch and gave him a hug.

"Whoa. Uh, mind if I give you guys privacy?" Smidge said and walk backwards until she bumped another Troll. She looked and saw that it was Biggie.

"Oh, hey Biggie!" Smidge said and hugged him tight.

"Yay! Hug time!" Biggie exclaimed and hugged back.

I hugged Branchie tighter. He chuckled and then I felt his warm arms wrap around me.

Suddenly, I once again remembered that he's not wearing his shirt-and that made me blush again.

Hug time's indeed the best time!

Hey guys! Sorry if this is the first scene with a hug time... Actually, they continued this tradition of hugging each other every hour even though Poppy decreed that "hug time is all the time". Because I saw some books that said the Trolls discontinued this hugging-each-other-every-hour thingy after Poppy decreed that.

She doesn't really mean that they would stop hug time because of that. It's just that Trolls always ask if they could hug them even if it's not hug time. But with this rule she declared, they could now hug every time they wanted to! Well, this is just an opinion. Don't forget to vote, peeps!