Branch angst one-shots

Hair hurt

Clay knocked on Branch's bunker door. Branch opened the hatch, "Hey, Clay! I'm glad you're here, I have something to show you." Branch said, nearly hopping up and down. Clay looked at him, curious, "What is it?" "Just come on!" Branch said, grabbing Clay's hand and pulling him onto the elevator.

The elevator began to descend into the bunker. "You seem really excited about this, Branch." Branch nodded, "Yeah! I don't know how no other troll had thought of this!"

They finally made it to the ground and Branch Grabbed Clay's hand, pulling him into the room over. "Hey, Clay, whats something you would have liked to use your hair for, but didn't want to dirty it?" Branch asked. Clay thought for a moment, then said, "Unclogging a toilet..I guess? The toilets back at the golf course don't work very well."

Branch stretched out his hair and created a plunger. "Please don't tell me you're going to...unclog my toilet with that..." Clay said. Branch smirked and pulled scissors out from his hair. "Wait, Branch, I don't think you should-" Branch cut off the hair plunger and it dropped to the ground.

His hair stretched back to normal length. "How did you figure this out?" Clay asked. "Not important." Branch responded, picking up the plunger and handing it to Clay. Clay hesitantly grabbed it and said, "Why not just buy a plunger?" Branch made a 'pftt' sound and said, "Why waste money when you can just make your own things?"

Clay nodded hesitantly, "I guess...is this the only reason you had me come over?" Clay asked. Branch nodded. Clay left the room and shouted, just before leaving, "That's really cool Branch, but I gotta go!"

———
"Hey, JD I'm worried Branch is too...into this weird cutting of hair thing. There's just something about it that makes me worry." JD looked up from making his sandwich, "What do you mean? Cutting his hair?" Clay nodded. "He makes something with his hair then cuts it off. He made me a plunger...and a hat, and a blanket, and a pillow, and a...for some reason he made me nunchucks..?"

JD looked over to Clay and said, "He made...all that with his hair..? He cut off chunks of hair to make things..?" Clay nodded, "Yeah...wh-why? Is something wrong?" JD set down his sandwich and looked over at Clay with a worried expression. "Yes! Our hair is supernatural! I'm surprised he hasn't bled out yet!"

Clay looked back at JD, worried. "What do you mean?" JD sighed, "I was and still am the oldest, I got worried I wouldn't be able to help if one of you got hurt so I studied injuries and- health 'n stuff." JD said. "You can't cut your hair all that much, you have to let it grow! It's like- like cutting your arm hair down to skin, you'll bleed."

"We should get to Branch before that happens, huh..?" JD nodded, "Obviously!"

———
Branch began to feel lightheaded. He had just made a wrench to fix his pipes and couldn't help but notice small pools of blood forming below his face. "Blood..? What..?" He then heard knocking coming from his bunker door.

Branch used a button to open the door rather than getting up to go open it. His head hurt and for some reason he couldn't figure out why. "Branch?" He heard Clay say. "Over- here." Branch went from his knees to his bottom and rested his head on the wall.

Clay rounded the corner and gasped, covered his mouth and looked away. "Clay?" Bruce walked around the corner as well and looked over at Branch. Clay closed his eyes and shook his head. "What..? What is it?" Branch asked. JD quickly went to Branch's side and said, "You're bleeding...excessively."

"What?! Where I-I don't-" JD lifted Branch's hand to his hair and back down in front of his eyes. "My hair- what..?" "Clay! You need to calm down, go get bandages." Clay removed his hands from his mouth and started back around the corner.

"Branch, you need to stay awake." JD said, lifting Branch's head from the wall. "I'm fine. I don't need you to tell me not to 'fall asleep'...or whatever..."

Clay came back with bandages and ran toward JD. John Dory grabbed the bandages and quickly began to wrap Branch's hair in them. While still wrapping his hair said, "Clay, call Poppy." Branch slapped John Dory in the face with his bloody hand and said, "No! Don't..."

JD sighed and gave Branch a suspicious look, "Why not?" Branch looked away anxiously. "Like I'd tell you nothin'." Clay walked out of the room to go call Poppy. JD finished up and looked at Branch once again. He then sighed and said, "I know you're not stupid, little B. You knew, didn't you..?"

"No. Not-Not at first..." Branch responded, hesitantly. "I didn't even realize when I was bleeding that that's what it was..." JD looked at him pitifully. "I'm sorry you felt this way, Branch...I-..." He sighed again as Poppy and Clay rounded the corner quickly. "Poppy! Hey!" Branch said, sitting up straighter.

"Branch! What happened to your hair?!" Poppy asked, worried. "I-" "He hurt himself." Branch looked over at JD then back to Poppy. "No- No. That's not what happened..." Poppy looked at Branch, even more worried than before.

She ran toward Branch and skid on her knees to hug him. Branch's eyes glistened with tears. "Branch, it's ok. Did you really hurt yourself..?" Poppy asked. Branch looked away, blinked his tears away then nodded, "I didn't mean to at first but..." Poppy hugged tighter. "It's fine, Branch. It's ok."