Rainbow
This is a series of one-shots based on each color of the rainbow.
For the first story, the theme is related to Valentine's Day since it is fast approaching. I ship Branch x Poppy so much after I watched the Trolls movie so these stories would be based on this couple (and perhaps hints of other pairings).
Disclaimer: I own nothing… Absolutely nothing… I will never, ever, ever own Dreamworks Trolls…
Chapter 1: Red
Branch had a lot of things running in his mind that evening. He had been pacing the floor in his study for quite some time, trying to figure something out.
"Ugh… Why is it so hard to think what I should give her!?" The once gray troll had grabbed a fistful of hair in frustration.
He wouldn't be so problematic if he wasn't reminded what the following day would be.
"So Branch… What will you give to our Queen tomorrow?" Biggie asked the survivalist troll when they crossed paths earlier that day.
"Huh?" Branch started. "What are you talking about? It isn't Poppy's birthday yet."
The big blue troll chuckled.
"You don't know what tomorrow is?"
The once gray troll shook his head.
"Tomorrow is Hearts' day. And you know what that means, right?" Biggie responded.
Branch's eyes widened at the realization.
'Shoot!' He thought. 'I forgot about Hearts' Day! I have no idea what to give to Poppy!'
The other troll noticed Branch's panicked look and he knew what was running in the turquoise troll's head.
"If you want my advice…" Biggie began, "…You can give her anything as long as it's heartfelt. I'm pretty sure she'll be happy with anything you'll give her."
Mr. Dinkles just mewed in agreement.
Branch sighed at the memory.
"Yeah, right… I don't even have a clue what I'll get for Poppy."
He just got back a bit late from his expedition for the past few days in the forest to look for medicinal herbs and map a safe route to and from the Troll Tree. He had completely forgotten what will be happening the next day so he wasn't able to prepare ahead. But even though he just returned, he wouldn't want to use it as an excuse and upset that special pink troll in his life just because he didn't have anything to give to her.
He looked around the room to get an idea what he can give to the Queen. He noticed an old photo he had with his grandmother; it was taken on the last Hearts' day they celebrated before she was taken by a Bergen. He walked closer to the picture frame and picked it up, gently touching the photo. A bittersweet smile slowly crept on his face. He recalled that during those times before they befriended the Bergens, each Hearts' day was treated as if it was the last, thus they had celebrated it to the fullest with their loved ones.
During that last Hearts' day he celebrated with his grandmother, he surprised her in the morning before she woke up by preparing her favorite tea and leaving it on her nightstand with a miniature red rose he crafted himself. He also included a card in which it said, "Happy Hearts' day Grandma! I love you! From, Branch". He remembered the smile he saw on his grandmother's face that day; it was radiant and full of love. That same smile was perfectly captured in the photo he was holding; it made him teary eyed and caused his heart to ache, missing his beloved grandmother. It was a good thing that Biggie's father took that photo; at least he had something to remember that moment with. He recalled that ever since that day she was taken by a Bergen and he lost his colors, he stopped celebrating Heart's day and any other joyous occasions with the other trolls. It was only recently that he started to open up and take part in the celebrations after he got his colors back and started dating Poppy.
'Poppy...'
A mere thought of her was enough to lift Branch's spirits, making him smile and his heart beat faster. It was no use denying how smitten he was with the Queen of the Trolls. He had never thought that one day this pretty pink troll, to whom he had a secret crush on all this time, would end up being together with him.
His focus went back to the photo in his hand when inspiration struck. He suddenly knew what he was going to give to Poppy. He carefully placed back the picture frame on the shelf it was on and hurriedly took out his craft materials from his cabinets. All those years fixing up the invitations he destroyed made him better at crafting. He was just hoping that the Queen would be happy with his gift.
Another thought came to him, 'Hmm... Maybe the Snack Pack can help me with this too...'
The following day was pretty much busy for everyone in the Troll Tree, including the rest of Bergen town. Everyone was bustling about, meeting up with their loved ones to give them their Hearts' day gifts. There were even some trolls giving gifts to their Bergen friends. It was the first year that the Bergens will be celebrating the occasion. After King Gristle heard about it from Queen Poppy, he decided to declare it as a holiday in Bergen town. It was also a good reason for him to spend an extra special day with his girlfriend, Bridget.
Back in the Troll Tree, the queen had been busy sending out Hearts' day greeting cards and attending to her fellow trolls as they had been coming over to her pod to give her their gifts. As much as she appreciated all the visits and the presents she received, she was a bit disheartened that none of them came from her special lad.
'Oh well, I'll go visit and give him my gift instead.' Poppy thought.
She went to her room to get her gift and was preparing to leave when she heard a knock on her door. She hurriedly opened it, hoping it was Branch, but was slightly disappointed that it was Biggie who came over. She was still happy to see her friend though so she quickly masked her disappointment with a smile.
"Hey Biggie! Happy Hearts' day!" Poppy greeted the big blue troll. She opened her arms to give him a short hug, in which he happily returned. As she pulled away from him, she also greeted Mr. Dinkles that was perched on his shoulder. The worm mewed as he greeted back.
"Happy Hearts' day to you too, Poppy! Here, I got something for you." Biggie reached into his basket and gave her a small box. Poppy opened it and saw a cupcake inside. She smiled.
"Oh wow, it looks yummy! Thanks, Biggie! Hold on just a second; let me give you something too. Won't you come in?"
"It's okay, Poppy, I won't stay too long." Her friend replied.
She nodded, went back inside for a bit, and then quickly stepped out to hand him a small pouch of Hearts' day candies. She was planning to give similar candies to her closest friends.
The big troll smiled.
"Thanks, Poppy! And I hope you enjoy the cupcake. I better get going though; I'll still hand out the other cupcakes to the rest of the Snack Pack. See you later!"
He was about to turn and take his leave when he remembered something.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Poppy, make sure to check for something in the box later, okay? Bye!"
As the big blue troll left, the queen wondered about what her friend said and she went back inside her pod to properly check the box. She opened it and took out the cupcake. That was when she noticed there was some sort of card inside. She pulled it out and her eyes widened in surprise as she read it.
'Dear Poppy,
I know you wouldn't be expecting this, but I came up with something like a game, similar to a scavenger hunt. I left certain notes to the rest of the Snack Pack, so each one will contain the name of the troll (or trolls) you'll be getting the next note from. The last note will direct you where you can find me (And no, I'm not talking about my bunker).
Good luck and be careful, okay?
Love, Branch'
She looked at the bottom of the note and saw DJ Suki's name there. Poppy beamed. She suddenly got excited and hurriedly stored away Biggie's cupcake, made sure her gifts for Branch and the rest of the Snack Pack was with her, and left her pod to look for her next friend.
The first thing she had to check was if DJ Suki was in her pod. As she got closer, she can hear music mixes that the troll was playing. Poppy hurried to the pod door and knocked. The red skinned troll then appeared and smiled to the troll queen when she saw her.
"Hey Poppy! Happy Hearts' day!" DJ immediately hugged her friend. The queen greeted and hugged back.
"I got you something here, DJ." Poppy gave her gift and the other troll smiled at her.
"Thanks, Poppy! I have something for you too. Wait just a sec..." She handed out a record album with a folded note lightly taped on its cover.
"I made a mix of love songs for you and Branch. I hope you'll like them!" DJ happily exclaimed. The queen was touched and she embraced her friend again.
"Thank you so much! I'm pretty sure we'd love listening to your music."
When the two pulled away, Poppy went ahead and carefully removed the note from the record. She opened it to scan its contents and let out a light gasp.
"What is it?" DJ asked with concern.
"It looks like that this is a part of a poem." Poppy responded.
"Really…? What does it say?"
Poppy started reading aloud the contents of the note.
"In all these years I've shut myself
Only you had held the key
To open my eyes and my heart
With all your love for me..."
"Aww... That's so sweet... But is that it?" DJ probed when the troll queen didn't continue.
"Yep, that's why I said it looks like this is a part of a poem. I'm guessing the next notes would have the rest of it."
"Ooh, that's very interesting. I think you better go get the other notes to know what comes afterwards. Who are you going to visit next?"
Poppy looked back at the note, she saw Satin and Chenille's names there. She smiled.
"Looks like I'll be meeting up with the twins."
The queen had followed a sequence of meeting with Satin and Chenille, Fuzzbert and Smidge, and then with Cooper and Guy Diamond. The notes she gathered from them contained the rest of the poem:
"...I never would have imagined
After knowing someone like you
That you would bring my colors back
And make my dreams come true
Your voice, your eyes, your smile
All of them mesmerize me
You saved me from my darkest woes
You're the reason why I'm happy
I know I am not perfect
And I've hurt you a lot before
But I swear to make it right
And love you even more..."
Poppy was starting to get teary eyed with what Branch had already written and was looking forward to meeting up with him. He had written on the back of the last note where he was and she swiftly took off to find him.
'You will find me in the place
Where our root tunnels end
The place we met that Cloud Guy
Who then became our friend…'
As she arrived at the place, she was amazed at how different everything looked since the last time she passed through there. The area was much cleaner and there were beautiful flowers growing all around the place. She got distracted at the sight until she felt someone tap on her shoulder. When she turned, she immediately saw Branch who was smiling at her. With no hesitation, she launched herself to him, giving him a tight hug. The other troll laughed and hugged back.
"Good job in finding me, Poppy." Branch whispered.
The pink troll pulled away and gave him a very beautiful smile. The same type of smile that made him fall all over again for her.
"You were pretty creative in coming up with something like that." Poppy replied.
"I hope it wasn't troublesome for you..." The turquoise colored troll spoke.
The troll queen shook her head.
"No, not at all. I actually enjoyed it. It was a good thing too; I did plan to visit everyone from the Snack Pack to give them their Hearts' day gifts. It was kinda like hitting two birds with one stone, not that we're hitting any birds anyway..."
Branch laughed. It warmed Poppy's heart seeing him happy considering the number of years he remained isolated and glum before.
"Speaking of Hearts' day gifts, I need to give one to you. Come with me." The survivalist troll took Poppy's hand and guided her to one side of the clearing. She noticed that he prepared a picnic, with a blanket already laid out and a food basket placed on one corner.
"Oh wow, you prepared all of this for me?" The pink troll was deeply touched. Branch knelt and took one of his lass' hands and kissed it.
"Anything for my queen..." He responded. Poppy blushed at this.
They both then sat on the blanket while Branch was taking out the food for their picnic from the basket.
"You weren't kidding you were passionate about romance. And you even said it sarcastically when it was actually the truth!" The troll queen remarked as she recalled the time they were helping Bridget with her date with King Gristle.
"I had to be sarcastic about it. I didn't want you guys to think that the village grump was actually a romantic. I'd never hear the end of it!"
Poppy laughed.
"Well, everyone would understand now since we're dating; though they do still tease us sometimes."
"Pfft... I get pissed off when they do. Sure, they meant well, but it's just getting annoying." Branch responded.
Poppy giggled at this. Some things just never change for him.
"So, everything's set, let's dig in!" Branch told Poppy after he finished arranging the food and utensils on the blanket.
The queen picked up a sandwich and happily ate it. While they both were eating, Poppy was looking at the array of food and things spread out on the blanket when she noticed something sticking out from behind the basket. She asked Branch what it was.
"Oh, it's a record player that DJ Suki lent me. I'm not sure why she gave it to me, but she said that it will come in handy later on."
That was when Poppy realized DJ's reason for her gift. She took out the record and showed it to Branch.
"This is the gift DJ gave me earlier. She said it's a mix of songs for us both. Maybe we can play it here?"
The other troll smiled and nodded. He went ahead and set the player up, placed the record there, and then let it play the music.
The picnic date became much more enjoyable when they were listening to the music. At one point, Branch offered out a hand to Poppy, inviting her to dance. She accepted it and they were slow dancing to some of the mellow songs. They were all smiles and had been singing along with the other songs played on the record. When Branch heard one particular song, he stopped dancing but kept Poppy's hands in his. The pink troll was a bit puzzled by his actions, but her eyes widened when he started singing to her.
"I never felt alone
I was happy on my own
And who would ever know
There was something missing…"
The troll queen smiled and sang along with him.
"I guess I didn't see the possibility
It was waiting all the time
But it never crossed my mind
Till you opened up my eyes
Now, all I think about is…"
The couple started singing together.
"You, in my life, in my dreams
In my heart, I know it's true
That I belong to you…
Because of you in my world
In my arms, I have everything and now
I can't imagine what I'd do
Without you..."
The two looked at each other tenderly as they sang along the rest of the song. When it ended, Poppy decided then it was the perfect time to give her gift.
"Hey Branch? I know this isn't much but I hope you'll like it." She handed over to him a small box. He smiled gratefully towards her and opened the package. In it were two handmade bracelets.
"Those are promise bracelets." Poppy spoke up. "I made it as a reminder for the both of us that no matter what, we'll be there for each other. The red cord 'ties' us together."
She picked up the bracelet with the blue and red cords then put it around Branch's wrist. He did likewise to Poppy with the red and pink one.
Branch took the queen's hands in his and looked at her. He gave her an earnest smile and kissed both her hands. A blush appeared across Poppy's cheeks.
"I don't know what I did to deserve you, Poppy." He asked seriously.
"Well, you did help save the whole Troll kingdom from getting eaten... And you brought my colors back when I lost all hope. I think that's enough reason, don't you think?"
Branch smiled at this.
The pink troll pulled away one of her hands and brought it to caress his cheek. "You're a wonderful troll to be with, Branch. I am very lucky to have you."
The survivalist troll placed his hand over hers that was on his cheek and looked at her lovingly.
"And I'm lucky to have you too..."
Branch slowly pulled her hand away from his face and held it, looking down on the bracelets that they were both wearing. He then looked back up to Poppy.
"You know, the picnic isn't the only surprise I have for you." He said.
This puzzled the queen and sat still while observing Branch pull out something from his hair. It was a little blue box tied with a lovely pink ribbon. He handed it over to the pink troll. Poppy looked at the gift then back at Branch, her eyes questioning. He gave a short nod, urging her to open her present. The troll queen then proceeded to untie the bow and opened the box. She was surprised when it "exploded" with glitter, earning a chuckle from Branch. She frowned at him.
"Sorry, Poppy. That look of yours was just priceless. Besides, you enjoyed spraying my face with glitter from your scrapbooks and invitations, remember?"
Poppy simply rolled her eyes but she was wearing a small smile and then dusted the glitter off herself. She went back to the gift and noticed that the box had spread itself out, and each side of the box contained smaller panels popping up. She noticed that each panel had the first 4 parts of the poem from the notes she got earlier written out. In the middle was a handcrafted version of a beautiful red rose with a small card propped against it. She reached to get that card and read its contents.
"I love you my dear Poppy
You are the Queen of my Heart
Forever I promise you
That we'll never be apart…"
The pink troll looked up at her companion; Branch had recited the last part of the poem written on the card in her hand. He looked away shyly, scratching the back of his head.
"I'm sorry if it sounded a bit cheesy. But I hope you would still like it."
Poppy set down the box and reached out to her troll lad, embracing him tightly.
"I love you too, Branch. And I love your gift, your poem, the picnic date, everything. It was just perfect. Thank you." She whispered to him.
The turquoise colored troll hugged her back.
As they pulled away, their gazes locked onto each other. Slowly, the distance between the two had gotten shorter as their faces drew closer. Their eyes closed as they can feel the warmth of their breaths on their lips, anticipating the contact. And with just the slightest of touches, they felt their lips meet but then they heard a sound of a shutter from a distance. Both opened their eyes and looked to the source of the sound, noticing Biggie there who was holding a camera. Just a little farther from him stood the Snack Pack. The couple's faces became flustered upon knowing there was an audience.
"Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted the moment. I really tried my best to be discreet about it, but I had to catch that special moment on camera." Biggie spoke.
"Aww… That was such a let-down. You could have waited a bit, Biggie. No matter, can we get an encore?" DJ Suki teased the two.
"Yeah, do it again!" The twins cheered.
"Do it! Do it! Do it!" The rest of the Snack pack chanted.
Branch had to clear his throat to interrupt their teasing and catch their attention.
"All right guys… That's enough. I believe we still have enough food here, maybe you wanna join us and eat?"
"Yey! Thanks Branch!" The Snack Pack eagerly dug in to the food prepared while Branch and Poppy laughed among themselves as they watched the group. Guy Diamond noticed the record album cover on the side and picked it up to check the list of songs included.
"Ooh, this is a nice list, it's got: Your Love, Can't Help Falling in Love, This I Promise You, Just the Way You Are, My Love will Never Fail You, and many others. You compiled this DJ Suki?"
She nodded.
The rest were complimenting her choice of music and even replayed the whole track list. This time, the trolls from the Snack Pack were the ones singing and dancing to the songs played on the record.
Branch was so focused at watching the group that he didn't notice the troll queen getting closer to him until he felt her lips on his cheek. As she pulled back, she saw the shocked look on his face.
"Po-Poppy?!"
Some of their friends witnessed the act and teased the two incessantly. The troll couple just ignored them though and focused on each other.
The queen giggled.
"You look so cute looking all surprised, Branch. But what I did was just to show my thanks for everything today."
Branch smiled.
"No… Thank you. Because of you, today became my best Heart's day celebration ever."
"Hmm… Guess we'll have to top that next year." Poppy replied.
"And the year after that..." The troll lad took his partner's hands.
"And all the years for the rest of our lives…" The queen leaned her head until their foreheads were touching.
Both knew that no matter what happens, they will be together… for the rest of their days.
-End-
Author's Notes: Just in case you're wondering, the poem I wrote here is entirely mine. The songs however are not so please give credit where credit is due.
Here are the lists of songs included or mentioned in the story:
You by Jim Brickman and Tara MacLean
Your Love by Jim Brickman
Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
This I Promise You by NSync (you should get why I included this)
Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
My Love will Never Fail You by Marie Hines