Can't Keep It A Secret Forever (Part 4)

Can't Keep It a Secret Forever (Part 4)

Branch sat by the edge of Techno Lake and kicked his feet around in it.

He looked up at the starry night sky and sighed.

“I miss you,” He whispered quietly.

“Sup, Dubstep?” Synth jumped out of the lake like a dolphin.

Branch jumped up in surprise, and laughed a little. Then he looked back down at the ground again.

Synth’s usual smile faded away. He hopped up onto land and sat himself next to Branch.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Branch looked at him and then looked away, “Nothing,” he muttered.

“Hey,” Synth turned Branch’s face to him, “I can see something’s wrong,”

Branch looked at him, but stayed silent.

“You can tell me anything, Dubs. Even the serious stuff! I can be serious,” He said as a glowstick fell out of this hair, “Uh, I can be serious SOMETIMES,”

Branch chuckled and sighed, “I sorta said it in that little speech,” He looked away from him, “I lost my colors when I was about 3 or 4,”

Synth’s eyes widened, “Really?”

“Yeah. I felt responsible for my grandma’s death. Even though I knew she made the choice herself, she wouldn’t have had to make that choice if it hadn’t been for me. I was just so sad and angry, that it just kind of…took over.”

Branch looked up at Synth who had an understanding look in his eyes, though Branch didn’t understand why.

“I stayed that way for 20 years. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I regained them,”

Synth’s jaw dropped, “WHAT? That’s so long!” He wrapped his arms around his tail, “When the strings broke and we all lost our colors it was terrible. I felt so… empty and broken, “He looked at Branch with watery eyes, “You were like that for 20 years?”

Branch nodded sadly and looked down at the ground, "The sadness still comes back sometimes. And today is one of those days," He looked up at the sky, "Today was her birthday…"

Synth wrapped his arms around Branch, “I’m sorry,” he said pulling away, “I… I know what it’s like to lose a family member,” Synth whispered.

Branch looked up surprised, “You do?”

Synth nodded, “I had a twin sister. Her name was Wave. We partied together. Laughed together. We spent so much time together, that instead of calling us our separate names, people just mashed them together. We became Synthwave,”

“Sounds like you two were really close,”

“We were. Then one day, I was so lost in the beat, I didn’t see that glittershark coming, or hear Wave warning me. And she,” Synth’s voice broke. He wiped the tears that were flowing from his eyes, swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, “She pushed me out of the way,” Synth’s eyes went wide and he shivered, “I can still hear her screams…”

Branch sat stunned. Another troll, who had lost a loved one almost the same way as him.

He had thought of Synth as this party animal who didn’t have a care in the world, when really, he was using his beats and raves to keep his sadness at bay.

Branch grabbed Synth’s face, just as Synth had done with his, and turned it towards him.

“Hey, I’m here for you,” He pulled Synth closer, so close that their noses nearly touched, "I'll always be here for you,"

Then he pressed his lips to Synth's.

Synth's eyes widened in surprise, and Branch broke away from him.

"I-I'm sorry. It was too soon wasn't it?" Branch laid his head in his hands, "Dangit Branch, you ruin everything,"

Synth pulled Branch's head up and gave him a smirk, "Dubs? I've been hoping for that since the flavorberry patch. You had perfect timing," then he pulled Branch into a deeper kiss.

OoOooOOOooo, I hope you enjoyed this! I'm probably going to revisit this 'Lost Twin Sister' thing, it's pretty interesting. (Notice how I said LOST not dead? 🤔) I know Synth's story is basically the same as Branch's, but… eh.