That's Why I Love You Chapter 38
I do not own Trolls or any of its characters or the title
*This is a genderbent fanfic of Trolls
Cucumber and mint soup. It sounded reasonable enough. It was a cold based soup that was good for consummation during hot weather. And it was full of Vitamin B,C, iron and zinc. These were important elements for a pregnant mother. They would keep Branch strong and healthy. And that would make him happy too.
And so, he gathered the proper ingredients. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about Branch coming across his little cooking session. The gray Troll had gone out to collect some more supplies for her home. The Cloud Twins decided to accompany her, much to his annoyance. But he decided that her going with someone was better than her going alone.
The glow bugs were playing with the hummingbirds. Pinky and Bluey joined in on the fun, not that he could blame them. He was happy to see that his friends were making friends of their own. And speaking of which, he realized that Branch had yet to tell him the story of how she met the glow bugs and hummingbirds. But he would ask later, right now he needed to concentrate.
A cucumber, a garlic clove, cream, mint leaves, coriander, salt and pepper. He had memorized what each ingredient looked like thanks to the pictures provided in the book. Poppy didn't know how he managed to collect them all, but he did. He was surprised to see how much of this stuff could be found at the Rainbow Meadow. It seemed to house a variety of ingredients, it was no wonder Branch was able to survive out here for this long.
The Rainbow Meadow was certainly a good place to start a home.
It was that thought that saddened Poppy. He didn't want this place to be Branch's home, it was beautiful and all, but he wanted Troll Village to be Branch's home. The two of them had grown up together, they were practically childhood friends. He had watched Branch blossom into a beautiful Troll over the years. She started off as a stubborn child, but then she became something more.
She became an alluring being.
Poppy blushed at such a realization. Shame and guilt filled his very soul as he shook his head. He couldn't believe he allowed himself to think in such a way! He knew better than that… didn't he? That's when a sudden headache came over the pink Troll. Yet another hazy memory played his mind.
He positioned himself over something… or someone. It had to be someone, they were warm and they were moving too! For some reason, he had to do this correctly. But he didn't have any experience in the matter. He was so new to this, but his body somehow managed to make up for that. It's almost as if nature was taking its course.
Whatever was going to happen, it was supposed to happen. At least, that's what it felt like.
And so, he moved his body some more. He felt legs wrap around his torso, almost as if they were welcoming him. Who was he to deny such an invitation? He moved some more, until he found the right position. That's when he felt a burning sensation arise from his lower regions. The feeling made him blush and moan with excitement.
He felt the blood rushing to areas he didn't know he possessed!
He had to do this! He wanted to do this! And so, he let his body have its way with the being beneath him! Moans of excitement… and pleasure filled the air. Only they weren't coming from just him anymore! They belonged to another as well!
But who?
Poppy shook his head several more times, the blush on his face didn't leave as he did so. He was sure there was something wrong with him if he was actually thinking about things such as this.
"Get it together Poppy," he scolded. "Just because you're an adult, doesn't mean you can just think of such impurities."
Honestly, he didn't know why such visions were plaguing his mind lately. And they seemed to get more and more physical with each and every one. Not to mention that the sensations were getting stronger as well. Poppy could feel his body reacting with excitement to the pleasure that was being stimulated by his mind. Once again, he had to shake his head, and he even slapped his face for good measure.
"I need to busy myself!" he declared.
That's what he needed to do, he had to distract himself from those strange, and realistic, visions. And so, he picked up the supplies and got to work. Branch had made breakfast that morning, so she left some bowls and the pot outside, along with some utensils. Which worked in his favor since he could use them for his cooking.
One good thing about the recipe was that he didn't require too much work. All he had to do was mash everything into a pureed consistency, then he had to mix them all together. But despite that, he still felt a little uneasy about cooking. It was no secret that the Prince of Trolls was practically useless in the kitchen. He had always relied on his mother to do the cooking. And whenever there was a party, he instructed Trolls on what to bring.
But he never did any cooking or baking. He was an eater, not a culinary genius. Unlike Branch, she seemed to have a talent for the both of them. That thought put him to shame. What kind of a prince was he if he couldn't perform the simplest of tasks?
The pink Troll just stared at the ingredients and the cooking ware. He fiddled with his fingers nervously, and he took several deep breaths as well.
"Okay," he said. "Just calm down and concrete Poppy, you can do this."
He reached for the ingredients and placed them on the wooden plate. He then picked up the knife and hesitantly brought it over the food. He started to cut, but they were a little sloppy. Needless to say that he ended up with a lot of mismatched and uneven pieces. He hoped that the soup wouldn't taste too terrible because of that. Then he started to mash them using a spoon, and a little with the knife as well.
Once everything was mashed and chopped up, albeit a little messy, he slid them into the pot. For the finishing touch he reached for a familiar looking plant, a milk weed. He used the plant for the cream portion of the soup. Poppy peeled a piece of it away and squeezed it until the milk poured into the pot. He did the same thing with another milk weed plant. Once that was done, he started to stir everything together. He was fortunate that this was a cold base soup, otherwise he would've thought he was doing this wrong.
After minutes of stirring, and adding an occasional ingredient, he believed it was done. And it was right on time too. Just as he was about to pour the soup into the bowls, Branch arrived with the Cloud Twins. Their journey was successful because they returned with some sticks, leaves and flowers. Knowing Branch, she was probably planning on using them for something important later. They seemed to be talking about something when they caught sight of him. The gray Troll especially seemed to be surprised because her expression was filled with confusion. She walked over to him and gestured to the soup.
"What's all this?" she asked.
Poppy smiled at her before sheepishly laughing a little.
"I decided to make some lunch," he stated. "Cucumber and mint soup."
Branch looked even more confused than before, but then her cloud friends walked over to them as well. The male cloud just waved his hand before walking around the two Trolls.
"Wow, the prince can cook," Cloud Guy remarked. "And here I thought you were just some naïve child who didn't know anything about the world."
Poppy frowned at the accusation, but before he could scold the cloud, his sister beat him to the punch. Literally, she punched his arm, making him winch. She then shook her head in disapproval.
"Like you're one to talk Cloud Guy," she stated. "How long was it before you decided to leave our parents care? And even now you're still under someone's care. My care little brother."
But instead of being upset or angry, Cloud Guy just smiled and hugged his twin sister.
"Aw, but your my other half sis. My twin, we're supposed to be inseparable," he whined.
Cloud Gal just rolled her eyes, but she didn't push him away. She then looked to Poppy and Branch, the two Trolls were amused by the twins' actions.
"See what I have to deal with on a daily basis?" she questioned.
"Yes," Branch and Poppy agreed in unison.
That's when the gray Troll turned her attention back to Poppy and his cooking.
"I must say though, maybe you have changed a little bit during my absence Poppy," she remarked. "If I remember correctly, you're more of an eater than a cook."
Poppy couldn't help but laugh a little at Branch's assumption.
"Yeah, well if I'm going to be a guest here I might as well pitch in," he said. "Especially when you're pregnant. You need to relax and not work too hard, it's not good for the baby."
Once again, Branch was caught off guard. Something was wrong here. Why was Poppy acting so… responsible? And mature? She didn't think Poppy was capable of such a thing, past experience taught her that. One of the reasons she didn't tell Poppy about the baby was because of his childish demeanor. A child raising a child, it sounded too crazy to be true. And that influenced her decision to leave without telling him.
It was no secret that Poppy was too naïve and innocent for this world, or at least for the world she lived in. She was too tainted for him to enter into her boundaries. That's why she always tried to warn him to keep away from her. But Poppy, being the stubborn one that he is, never listened. And maybe that's why she felt the need to scold him so much when they were children.
But still, Poppy being naïve and innocent influenced the way he lived his life. Even at this age he was so used to people doing things for him. However, maybe that wasn't entirely Poppy's fault either. It took a village to raise a child, especially the prince of all Trolls. But the coddling definitely made Poppy the Troll he is today. Even if he didn't realize it. At least Queen Peppy had enough common sense to teach him so basic knowledge of the world.
The Trolls back at Troll Village catered to his every whim, even when he didn't ask for anything. They spoiled him as much as his mother spoiled him. Queen Peppy was a good mother, but even she was guilty of it to some degree. Granted, it was mostly because he was her only child, and a child that her husband never got to see. However, it was still somewhat problematic.
Whatever the reason, it was a lifestyle Branch didn't want their child to have. While she would be overprotective, she would at least teach her child the survival techniques she learned. That way if anything were to happen to her, they would be independent enough to make it on their own.
However, Branch had a feeling that she didn't have to worry about her child being alone. She had made unexpected allies during her journey away from Troll Village. The glow bugs, the hummingbirds and the Cloud Twins.
In fact, that was something she had brought up to them just now. When they left to go collect some more supplies, when she causally brought it up. Needless to say, that Cloud Guy was more than ecstatic with the idea. Even Cloud Gal couldn't help but voice her approval of the action. They had promised that they would look after her child if anything were to happen to her. But they also said that wouldn't happen, they would do everything in their power to protect both her child and her. And while the promise that made her happy, at the same time it made her proud to know that she had allies such as them.
That's when she was interrupted from her thoughts once Poppy held something out to her. It was a bowl of soup with a spoon sticking in it. It was a creamy green substance that had some cucumber slices and mint leaves on top. Immediately, Branch could see that the cucumber slices were a little uneven, and the mint leaves looked crumbled. Then there was the soup itself, it looked somewhat lumpy and disheveled. Overall, it looked like an amateur made it.
"I'm sorry," he commented "It's a little messier than I intended it to be."
Poppy wasn't too proud with the way the soup turned out. In the end, it didn't look anything like the picture in the book. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed for not knowing the basics of survival. He had been catered to his entire life, why didn't he bother to ask anyone to teach him these kinds of things? Maybe Branch had a point when she said that he was too busy with partying, hugging, singing and dancing to know anything about the real life. As a result, he never took the time to learn actual important things like Branch. He let out a sad sigh as he bowed his head in shame.
"Sorry, you probably don't want to eat it."
But surprisingly, she stopped him from taking it back. She quickly took the bowl and settled down on the log seat next to him. She stared at the soup for a little bit before picking up the spoon. Poppy watched in amazement as she scooped some of the contents into the spoon.
"No," she responded. "You made it with good intentions and you put a lot of hard work into it, therefore I will eat it."
She then lifted the spoon to her mouth and ate it. Immediately, she could taste the inconsistency. The soup hadn't been mixed properly, and Poppy didn't cut the ingredients too well. It was the work of an amateur cook. But despite that, it didn't taste too bad. It wasn't too strong, rather very mellow and refreshing. And so, she swallowed the contents before scooping up another spoonful. She took another bite, then another, then another. All the while Poppy and the Cloud Twins watched on. The gray Troll then looked to the pink prince.
"Amateurish," she commented. "But acceptable."
A smile immediately brightened Poppy's face, he felt a sense of pride wash over him. He got closer to Branch, his eyes filled with stars. He looked like a child in a candy store.
"Really?" he asked. "You like it?"
Branch just rolled her eyes before taking another bite of the soup.
"Yes you annoying prince," she stated. "Now can it and eat, we're not wasting food here."
Poppy just nodded before pouring himself a bowl, and he was nice enough to give Cloud Gal and Cloud Guy a portion as well. Poppy then quickly sat down next to Branch, he wasn't going to give the male cloud a chance to make advances towards her. Luckily, the Cloud Twins just sat down on the log opposite of them.
They then started to eat their own meal. Poppy couldn't help but be somewhat embarrassed over how weird his concoction tasted. It wasn't horrible, or bad enough for him to spit out, but it did have a strange taste. However, Branch and the Cloud Twins didn't seem to be bothered by the fact. Instead, they just kept eating and enjoyed the atmosphere around them. Poppy couldn't help but get swept up in it as well.
"Never thought I live to see the day where Prince Poppy actually made something that didn't involve a scrapbook," Branch commented as she took another bite.
Poppy chuckled a little at the assumption, he couldn't blame her for thinking such a thing. He couldn't believe it either. But then again, that was Branch for you. She had a way with motivation, even without saying anything. At least, that was the effect she had on him. She motivated him to do something new and different. That was the whole reason he was here to begin with. He started this adventure all for her.
"Scrapbook?" Cloud Gal questioned. "Oh yeah, Branch has told us all about your silly little hobby."
That caught Poppy's attention, as he turned his attention to the female cloud.
"Branch told you?" he asked.
He supposed that he shouldn't have been too surprised. After all, Branch had proved that she was comfortable around these two. It only made sense that she talked to them about matter such as that. But if that was the case, he wondered just how much she talked about with them. He got his answer when the male cloud interrupted their conversation.
"Yeah, she went on and on about how you guys only scrapbook, dance, sing and party," Cloud Guy added. "Man, sounds like you Trolls have a predictable lifestyle."
Now Poppy was angry. This cloud seemed to have a talent for rubbing him the wrong way, but he wasn't done yet. Cloud Guy then pointed to the female Troll and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Well, except for this lovely lady here. She on the other hand is absolutely stunning and captivating, in so many ways."
Poppy growled but Branch didn't bother to correct him. The pink Troll couldn't believe Branch would allow for someone to refer to her in such a manner. She was so intolerable of the Trolls back at their home, why was this cloud any different?
"Branch," he whined. "Why do you let this guy talk to you like that?"
Cloud Guy couldn't help but gloat as he gave him a smug smile, while Cloud Gal just rolled her eyes. Branch, on the other hand, just gave him a shrug.
"Hey, I've been called worse," she remarked. "Trust me."
She then went by to eating like nothing ever happened, much to his dismay. He just couldn't understand why Branch was so nonchalant about the matter. Why wasn't she reacting? And what did she mean by that?
But then the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
His expression softened once he recalled how Branch had been shunned by the Troll community. As such, they referred to her by many names. The gray Troll, the outcast, the killjoy, the party pooper. And those were the nicer labels among them. While he could understand why the Trolls didn't understand Branch, at the same time he didn't approve of such names. She had a name and that was Branch, she shouldn't be referred to as anything else.
And then there was this cloud. In the short time he had known him, all the cloud had were praises for Branch. He hadn't spoken a bad word about her. Him yes, but her, no. If didn't know what exactly he felt for Branch, but it did seem genuine and kind. And maybe that's why she had no problem with it. For once in her life, Branch was receiving something other than disdain.
But he had never been one to speak ill about Branch either. No matter what the Trolls said about her, he always was sure to defend the gray Troll.
However, he felt so guilty. He had said so many good things about Branch to others, but he never said them to her directly. Mostly because he didn't think she would want to hear it, she voiced her opinions on herself time and time again. That's why he remained silent, he feared that she would turn his positive opinions into negative ones.
Looking back on it now, maybe that fear was irrational. Maybe he should've offered her more praises. There was so much he saw in her, that she either refused to see or didn't believe in. Had he done so, maybe she would've felt comfortable enough to tell him the truth about her pregnancy. Maybe they would still be back in Troll Village at the moment.
And maybe she would be more opened to him about the secrets she kept hidden inside her. The very same ones that seemed to control her life.
"I'm sorry about that," he stated.
Branch's ears perked up a little at the sound of those words. She then turned to him and gave him a confused look.
"What?" she asked.
The pink Troll looked at her, his eyes full of regret and sorrow.
"I said that I'm sorry," Poppy corrected. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you better from those hurtful words."
The gray Troll looked even more confused, she clearly hadn't been expecting that. She had finished her bowl of soup at this point, she maneuvered it to the ground and stared straight ahead. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, but it was obvious that she didn't want to look at Poppy.
The Cloud Twins could only watch on in silence. It didn't take a genius to see the tension in the air. During their visits to the Rainbow Meadow, the gray Troll had opened up to them about her life at Troll Village. She didn't miss a single detail, and they listened. Not once did they interrupt her and they didn't criticize her.
In the end, they came to a clear understanding of why Branch was the why she was. From the things she told them, it was obvious that the gray Troll had experienced too much heartache in her life. There were times were they wanted to cry for her, they did several times. Cloud Guy was guilty of hysterically breaking down, while Cloud Gal remained calm and collected as tears ran down her face. They hugged the daylights out of the gray Troll and did their best to comfort her along with the glow bugs and hummingbirds.
She mattered, that was something they had to remind her time and time again. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it was hard. But the pink Troll didn't seem to be aware of the war raging within Branch. At least, not to the extent they did. He obviously had no clear understanding of why she was so isolated from the world.
Then Branch spoke.
"That's not your fault," she stated. "It's not your duty to protect me Poppy, I can take care of myself."
But Poppy didn't look convinced.
"It is my duty Branch," he argued. "I'm the Prince of Trolls, soon to be king. A king is supposed to look after his people, take care of them… protect them. I failed you when it came to those responsibilities… and so many more."
The gray Troll let out a small sigh, but it wasn't out of frustration. She couldn't believe that Poppy was taking all of those things into stride. While he was naïve, his heart was always in the right place. She couldn't fault him for that. Everyone always said that she was different from all the other Trolls, but that applied to Poppy as well. While all Trolls were naturally giving and giddy, Poppy was on a whole new level of those attributes.
He was by far the kindest and most caring Troll she ever encountered. He had a heart of gold and a personality crafted by the heavens themselves. That was the whole she reason she felt attracted to him. He was different in his own right… like her. But unlike her, he was different for the right reasons.
"Oh Poppy, you may have good intentions," she commented. "But the world isn't all cupcakes and rainbows."
That was something she had been trying to teach him for years now, ever since they were children. Clearly her teachings had no effect on the pink Troll because he insisted on living his life so carelessly. And the others followed his example without question.
"Bad things happen," she added. "And there's nothing you can do about it."
She knew this all too well. She couldn't count the times where she wished she could turn back time. Go back to the day that made her world become gray, and stopped the bad things from happening. That was a lesson she learned the hard way, and it was the reason she felt the need to warn the Trolls so much. But they never listened to her, they never did.
The Cloud Twins looked at each other, a silent conversation was occurring between the two. They didn't know how to respond to that, especially when they knew the truth and Poppy didn't. Plus, they knew that Branch wouldn't have wanted them to say anything on the matter. She made it perfectly clear that she didn't want Poppy to know of her secrets. And she seemed to have many of them.
Poppy, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a little insulted. However, he wasn't angry at Branch for saying such a thing. Her statement was true to a certain degree. But still, he felt the need to defend himself a little.
"Hey, I know it's not all cupcakes and rainbows," he argued. "But I rather go through life thinking that it mostly is instead of being like you. You don't sing, you don't dance. So gray all the time. What happened to you?"
It was at that statement that Branch flinched. She still didn't look at him, but Poppy could see her eyes widen a little. And then they became filled with what Poppy could only describe as heartache. The Cloud Twins clearly noticed this as well as they murmured something to each other. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he paid them no mind as he stared at Branch. His attention was on her, despite her attention being elsewhere.
She looked tensed now, and her eyes seemed to be staring into oblivion. Not only that, but her body was shaking a little as well. Poppy could practically see the gears turning in her heads as his words sunk into her. She was experiencing something, or reliving something. But what he couldn't guess what it was. And it was then that he felt terrible for saying such a thing. He quickly backed down and fiddled with his fingers.
"Never mind," he responded. "You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry for acting like that."
Branch seemed to be brought back into reality in that moment, because she relaxed. However, she still refused to meet his gaze. Poppy's guilt only worsened at that fact. He wanted to kick himself for making Branch react in such a manner. He was here to help her, not to hurt her! What kind of a Troll was he? But Branch didn't seem to hold it against him as she gave him a simple answer.
"No, it's okay. You're only being honest, as you always are."
She then finally looked at him, and a small smile graced her lips as she did so. The sight of it made his heart flutter with joy. He smiled back, and then his eyes narrowed with thought. He knew why he was reacting in such an immature way, it all stemmed from his feelings for Branch. She didn't seem to realize or understand just how important she was to him. But now that he was here alone with her, he was determined to help her see that.
"I just missed you Branch," he stated. "The village didn't feel the same without you, I only regret not discovering your disappearance sooner."
"Poppy-"
"No really," he interrupted. "There are so many things I regret when it comes to you Branch. I know that we've never seen eye to eye on anything, but I thought that maybe we were closer than that. At least, you never gave me a reason to think otherwise… until now I guess."
That caught Branch's attention as she titled her head in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Poppy rubbed the back of his neck before reaching into his hair. He then pulled out a scrapbook, one he was personally proud of. He then scooted over to Branch, and showed her the title. The gray Troll read the letters stitched into the fabric cover. Pink and blue threading were sewed together to create the title.
Poppy and Branch's Memories
She looked even more confused, but that all changed when Poppy opened the scrapbook. Immediately, the pages popped out, literally. Two small figures were in the center of the first page. And Branch immediately recognized them. How could she not? It was Poppy and her when they were children. Poppy then started to flip through the pages, each of them popping out with the same two characters. And each page presented a different scenario between the two. That was when she put the title of the book together with the contents, she realized what this was.
"These are our memories," she stated. "When we were children."
Poppy simply nodding as he smiled with each passing page. He loved reliving these moments, they always made him so happy. Even the moments where Branch would just scoff at him were enough to do so. He scrapbooked every encounter and memory he had with her. From the time they were children until the day she disappeared. He had yet to make any more pages, but he planned on doing so the moment he had the chance. He just hoped that this scrapbook would have a happy ending.
"Yeah, I worked really hard on this," he admitted. "It took a while but it was worth it."
Branch carefully observed the scrapbook as Poppy continued to flip through the pages. There were some small items taped into the book as well. Reminders from their encounters no doubt. Even the Cloud Twins couldn't help but be a little impressed at the attention to detail.
"I can't believe you actually made this," she stated. "Is that the cupcake wrapper from the cupcake I gave you for your birthday? And the box?"
Poppy simply nodded, he even blushed a little as well. But his expression was a mixture of happiness and pride.
"It was just too cute not to scrapbook that," he commented. "I really wasn't expecting that gesture from you."
A bright red blush broke out on Branch's face, she turned away from him. She muttered some things to herself, and Poppy couldn't help but smile because he heard them. She was berating herself for doing such a thing to begin with. She was embarrassed because he made such a big deal out a simple gesture. And she was mortified that he actually kept things such as this. Poppy laughed as he continued to flip through the pages.
He lived the good times… but then their earlier conversation dawned upon him. He realized why he held such a treasure so close to his heart. These weren't just memories, they were proof of their close bond. At least that's what he always thought. But now he wasn't sure. For every step he took forward, ten more steps were added.
In the end he had to accept that there were things about Branch he didn't know about. His eyes became filled with sadness as they narrowed, he let out a small sigh.
"These memories mean so much to me Branch," he said. "I thought they were proof of how much I knew about you, of how close I had gotten to you over the years."
By this point Branch had stopped muttering to herself and slowly turned to face him. She noticed the sad look on his face as he scanned through the scrapbook. His fingers carefully traces the details of the pages.
"But maybe I really don't know anything about you Branch. I thought I did, but I guess I'm just as oblivious as the other Trolls," he stated. "That's why I wanted to get close to you, so I could understand you better. I thought that if we were close, then maybe you would let me into your world. Then I could help you find a way to be happy."
He then turned to face her, a small smile adorned his face as he did so. His gaze softened once he looked at her. The small gesture made her heart flutter.
"After all, happiness is inside everyone. Sometimes you just need someone to help you find it," he said. "I wanted to be that someone for you. I wanted to make you happy, even though you wanted to push everyone away."
Branch couldn't believe what she was hearing. She then placed a hand over her face and sighed into it. Why did Poppy make such a big deal about their bond? Why was it so important him? Why did he feel the need to tear her down, only to rebuild her back up? He was a walking contradiction in her eyes. He could do make her feel so conflicted. She rubbed her face before looking back at him.
"I didn't mean to make you feel this way with my departure Poppy," she stated. "At the time I felt like it was the only course of action I could take. And I thought I was doing the village a favor by leaving."
Poppy just shook his face and gave her a desperate look, pleading for her to understand that wasn't the case.
"That's not true!" he exclaimed. "You leaving didn't make anything better! I fell apart over it. I couldn't stop thinking you, whether I was awake or asleep. Eventually staying awake was the easiest option because at least I was trying to do something about it. I did everything I could think of to find you Branch."
He clutched his arms tightly, the scrapbook on his lap as he did so. He relieved the painful memories of Branch's absence.
"I was worried about you. I kept thinking that something bad happened to you. What if it did? I would have to live with that thought for the rest of my life, knowing that I was useless to help you. What if I never got to see you again? I would never have the chance see your baby blue eyes or hear your sarcastic tone."
He shook his head yet again and closed his eyes.
"I can't deal with that, I don't even want to think about that."
Poppy bowed his head. He had to keep himself from crying at the moment. Everything he had been feeling in Branch's absence had been poured out to her. A part of him felt embarrassed, but another part of him felt relieved as well. It felt good to admit those things. He couldn't share them with the other Trolls, because they wouldn't have understood.
But he was hoping that Branch understood. And in the end, that's all the mattered to him.
Branch, on the other hand, couldn't begin to describe what she was feeling at the moment. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Poppy had always been an open book but this was just unpredictable. Never in her wildest dreams did she think Poppy was capable of expressing his emotions in such a way. But apparently she was wrong.
Maybe there were some things about Poppy she didn't know about either.
Branch stared at the pink Troll before turning to look the Cloud Twins. They seemed to be at a loss for words as well, and given Cloud Guy's personality, that was saying something. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't good at situations like this, especially when it concerned Poppy. But still, she wanted to comfort him. She wanted do to something.
This must have been how Poppy felt when she left. This was the feeling he had just described.
And it was then that Branch slowly reached out to the Prince of Trolls. She was hesitant to do so, but she strode forward. She placed her hand on his head and gently patted it. Needless to say that Poppy felt the action and slowly looked up to face her. She continued to pat him, and even gave him a reassuring smile.
"You really are too good for this world," she stated. "What did I ever do to deserve such affection from you?"
Poppy's ears perked up as he straightened himself, all the while, his eyes never left Branch. The simple gesture was enough to make all his negative feelings melt away. Branch seemed to have that kind of effect on him, and he didn't want it to end. She kept patting him until she moved down to the ground and picked up the bowl and spoon. She then held it out to him, the smile never leaving her face as she did so.
"May I please have another bowl of your soup?" she questioned.
Those simple words were enough for Poppy. Branch didn't have to tell him what she was actually saying, he knew what she meant. He smiled at her and gently took the cookware, he nodded his head.
"Sure."
He wasted no time in filling her bowl and giving it back to her. Branch ate peacefully, the smile still on her face as she did so. And the look made him incredibly happy, that was what he lived for. Within minutes she finished the meal and turned to look at him one last time. And the words that escaped her lips were enough to make his world go black.
"Thank you, that was most wonderful."
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