That's Why I Love You Chapter 4

I do not own Trolls or any of its characters or the title

*This is a genderbent fanfic of Trolls

Poppy couldn't concentrate right now. The party was going on right now and yet he couldn't find himself enjoying it. He just couldn't Branch off his mind, he didn't know why it was bothering him so much. He forced himself to dance amongst the crowd of Trolls; he did enjoy the bright lights that were emitting from DJ Suki's equipment though. It had all the colors of the rainbow and yet the only color he was thinking about was gray. He found himself hoping the party would end soon just so he could go check on Branch. He thought that dancing with Creek would help ease his worries but it did nothing, still he forced himself to go along with the festivities.

Finally it was over, he was thankful for the fact that DJ Suki's music equipment was made out of bugs and that even they needed their rest. He was also thankful that everyone had their fill for one day and decided to go to sleep as soon as it was over. Once he was out of sight the Prince of the Trolls ran towards Branch's bunker. He ran as fast as he could and he reached it within minutes. His eyes widen at what he saw.

To his horror the invitation was still there with the rock still on top of it.

Was Branch really ignoring him? The fact that the invitation was still in its place meant that Branch didn't come out of her bunker, he guessed that she wasn't out in the forest after all. Maybe she just stayed in her bunker for the entire time, he recalled that it wasn't the first time she had done so. She would sometimes go days without stepping out of her bunker and that was when she was usually adding something to it. He never seen the inside of it but he was sure that it was bigger than it seemed. If Branch hadn't gone to the forest during the time he was here then maybe she was still inside just adding more to her bunker, at least that's why he hoped. He remembered that she had done something like that recently, she stayed a full day inside her bunker and she wouldn't even talk to him for a while during that time. But if that was the case then why not take the invitation? She had always done so before even when she was in her bunker for days. Did she not hear him the first time? Or was it something else?

"Did I do something to make her angry?" he asked himself. "Do you think she's had enough of me?"

He admitted that he could be a little headstrong and stubborn when it came to not giving up; it was his goal to get Branch to be happy even if she insisted that was not her thing. Maybe that was it? He had been that way for years when it came to trying to get her to be a part of Troll Village. He scratched his head in a nervous manner and he knocked on the rock next to Branch's bunker.

"Hey Branch!" he exclaimed. "Branch can you hear me?"

Just like earlier there was no answer.

"Branch?" he called out. "Are… are you ignoring me?"

Still no answer.

"Are you mad at me?"

No words were spoken.

"If you are I'm sorry… I know that I can be a little headstrong and I know that you don't like it when I come over here to see you but I don't do it to make you angry."

Nothing.

"I do it because I want you to be happy," Poppy explained. "I think everyone deserves to be happy… even you."

Silence.

"I know you have happiness in inside you, you just need help to find it," Poppy stated. "And I would like to be the one that helps you find it… even if you don't like me too much."

Quiet. He was getting nowhere and he let out a sigh.

"Well… I guess I'll be going now. I hope you're not upset with me and I whatever I did I'm sorry," Poppy said. "Have a good night."

With that Poppy took his leave, he was almost tempted to take the invitation with him but he decided against it. He hoped that Branch would take it after he was gone, he wanted to so her just how much he had faith in her by giving her that invitation. Maybe she really did need her space, if so he would respect that but that didn't mean he would stop giving her invitations. He let out another sigh as he walked to his pod that housed his mother; as soon as he entered he saw that his mother looked like she was ready to go to bed. She had on her night clothes and a tired expression was on her face. Queen Peppy saw her son enter their home and she smiled at him.

"Oh Poppy I was just about to go to sleep," she said and that's when she noticed the look on Poppy's face. "Poppy, is something wrong?"

Poppy didn't even realize that he was making a face until she asked that, he quickly changed it into smile and shook his head.

"No Mom, I'm fine," he assured.

However, Queen Peppy was buying it. She had known her son long enough to know when something was bothering him. And today was one of those times. Honestly rarely anything bothered and some would argue that nothing bothered him… nothing expect for one thing. Or should she say one person, Branch. She smiled gently as she approached her son and took his hands into hers. She then led him to the living room of the pod. Poppy followed his mother and she sat him down on a chair while she sat next to him. She looked deep into his pink eyes and in her motherly tone she spoke

"Is it Branch?" she asked.

Poppy looked at his mother and he couldn't help but smile, his mother could always tell what he was thinking. He looked downward; he didn't know how to put what he was thinking into words. But he supposed he could try.

"I think Branch is ignoring me," he stated bluntly.

Queen Peppy's eyes widen as she heard what her son said but she smiled internally due to the fact that she was right about it being Branch. She titled her head in confusion though when Poppy said that Branch was ignoring him, she found that very strange. Branch was not the most social troll but she never did anything like that to Poppy. Poppy was the only Troll in the village that really wanted to socialize with the gray Troll. She knew that the Trolls found her son strange due to this reason but she was proud of him. As future king of the Trolls it was his duty to look out for all of his people and not just the ones he selected. No one was more important than the other when it came to ruling over people, if Poppy wanted to succeed as a king then he would have to learn that. However, Queen Peppy felt that she didn't have to worry about something like that happening to her son. Poppy cared about every Troll, even Branch.

"Now what makes you say that?" she questioned.

"Because when I went to deliver her an invitation for DJ Suki's party she didn't answer my call when I knocked. So after a while I just left it there hoping that maybe she was just out in the forest collecting some supplies like she always does… but then when I came back after the party I saw that it was still there in the exact place. That's means that Branch wasn't in the forest after all, I mean she has gone days being in her bunker but still. Something just felt off about it," Poppy explained. "I think she's ignoring me now but I don't know why. Creek and the others say that it might be because she needs her space but I can't help but feel like there's more to it than that. But if she's not talking to me then I can't find out for sure."

Queen Peppy listened to her son's thoughts and she couldn't help but feel like something was off as well even for Branch. It wasn't like Branch at all, even if she did go days without being anywhere near the village. Was there something truly wrong? Was Branch really ignoring her son now?

"That is strange indeed," Queen Peppy agreed. "I'm sure Branch is not ignoring you dear, maybe she's doing something important in her bunker that she doesn't want anyone to see."

Poppy looked at her with unconvinced eyes and truthfully Queen Peppy didn't believe what she was saying either. She was only saying it to give Poppy a peace of mind, in reality she was just as concerned as him but she didn't want her son to worry about it too much. She knew that Branch had a habit of staying in her bunker whenever she had to do something important, that part was true but she had a feeling that wasn't true in this situation. She didn't know how she knew, she just did.

"I'm sure Branch will come out when she's good and ready, after all she's had a hard life Poppy. It's not easy being her especially when she probably feels so alone in this world," Queen Peppy said.

Queen Peppy knew this to be true, she knew Branch didn't like to talk about her past too much especially not with the other Trolls. Only the older Trolls knew about her past and even then Queen Peppy told them not to speak of it for Branch's sake. Branch also made it clear that she didn't want the queen herself to tell anyone else of it, Queen Peppy was happy to oblige and kept her promise. She never even told Poppy. However, by doing so the queen feared that Branch isolated herself even more.

"Branch is a strong girl," Queen Peppy stated. "I can say that she's probably the strongest Troll I've ever seen."

Poppy looked at his mother with wide eyes, he had never heard his mother's thoughts about Branch before or at least not to this extent. He wondered why his mother thought that and what did she mean by a hard life? Branch had a hard life? He supposed that had to be true because of the way Branch acted and because of her status as the only gray Troll in their village. He never really thought that Branch was alone though, he always assumed that she liked being alone. However, he would be lying if he said that the rest of the Trolls didn't play a role in making Branch feel alone as well. He knew how the Trolls would talk about her behind her back and how they did their best not to be around her. Everyone just considered her a bad influence especially when she was literally the exact opposite of them.

"I guess so," Poppy said. "I just wish that she would open up, if not to everyone then to me at least. After all I'm going to be King one day and I would like to make sure that all of my subjects are happy."

Queen Peppy smiled at her son's statement; sometimes he was just too kind. Most Trolls would have just given up on Branch at this point but he didn't and he wouldn't… not now or ever. She wished that there would come a time where Branch would open up to Poppy; she hoped to see that one day.

"Just give her time Poppy… she'll come around," Queen Peppy said. "After all when you're King she can't ignore you forever."

Poppy smiled and chuckled a little.

"Yeah… you're right Mom," Poppy replied. "Well I guess we should be going to bed then."

"Yes, after all a Troll needs all the energy they can get for a new day," she added.

Poppy nodded in agreement and he hugged and kissed his mother before getting ready to go to bed. As Queen Peppy walked to her room she thought about what she was going to tell her son tomorrow, she would have to tell Poppy her intentions about giving him the crown. She hoped that he would accept the responsibility and she also hoped they would have his coronation soon. With those thoughts in mind she went to sleep.

Poppy walked to his room and put on his night clothes; once he was done he went to his bed and laid down. He wondered if he was going to dream about those again, he honestly would have welcomed it at this point. He needed something to get his mind off Branch… the gray Troll that had a strange hold on him. He closed his eyes and his breathing softened, he let sleep take him and soon the words followed.

"Thank you, that was most wonderful."

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