A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! Lots of Broppy in this one! We don't own Trolls. The song in this chapter is "Music of my Heart" by NSYNC and Gloria Estefan.
As soon as all of the trolls had gotten a piece of cake, the sky lit up with colorful fireworks, including a custom-made turquoise one that showed Branch holding a sword and standing on a bird's head, looking proud. His victory over the creature was evident from its face.
"What did Cooper need to make those ones?" Branch asked, momentarily forgetting that the troll in question was close by.
"Well, this time, he needed copper chloride," Cooper answered. "Not nearly as hard to get as barium chloride!" He stood there for a moment before, realization lighting up his face, he added, "Wait, I'm Cooper!" He laughed.
Branch sweat, feeling a little uncomfortable with the level of stupid he was dealing with. "Oh, yeah, you are standing right there..."
Poppy walked over to him then, holding some cake of her own. "So, Branch?" she asked with a smile. "What do you think?" She shoved a bite of cake into her mouth.
She had known that firework was coming. In fact, she'd helped design it. To her knowledge, her dad's work on this party was officially complete. They'd designed a ball that was more up to Branch's standards, brought him here and had him give a hero's speech, presented him with an honorific cake—a cake he'd better eat this time or he'd get an earful from her later—and given him the honor of cutting the first slice. Now there was a lovely display of fireworks going off. The rest of the party would be centered on everyone enjoying the ball, which would give her plenty of time to spend with her hero and tell him how much she loved him. What could be a better evening than this?
"About what?" he asked. "The cake's weird, the fireworks are..." He looked at the sky before closing his eyes halfway in a lame look. "...typical, and I'm not a fan of public speaking." He looked back at Poppy as he continued, "You're not going to do some oral retelling of everything in great detail using an inaccurate scrapbook again, are you?"
Poppy laughed, amused. Typical Branch. Even when you did things correctly, it made him uncomfortable. Talk about goofy. "Nah, Branch." She put her free hand on his shoulder as she gave him a reassuring smile. "This is your night. We just wanna make it as special as possible. And besides, Dad orchestrated everything this time, so—"
"Oh, would you look at that one!" Biggie said, pointing at the sky.
Neither Poppy nor Branch knew it, but this reaction was scripted. Peppy had given Biggie an assignment: get Poppy and Branch to look at one particular firework design. And it worked. Poppy turned to look, as did Branch, a bite of Branch Cake in his mouth.
"Huh?" Poppy asked. What was so special about the fireworks now? The only special design they'd planned had already been used, or was Biggie just thinking one was exceptionally pretty?
What Biggie was pointing to was a firework design that showed Branch in turquoise and Poppy in pink hugging each other. Both were smiling, their eyes closed, and a tiny pink heart-shaped firework went off right above this one to complete the image before it faded.
Stunned, Poppy stared with wide eyes. "Uuuuhhh..."
That image definitely did not belong at a Branch Appreciation Day celebration. Her hugging a grumpy Branch in a friendly manner was one thing, but that was just too much. They weren't even a couple yet, so why did everyone keep acting like they were? That was really embarrassing, and, from the look on Branch's face, he felt the same.
Branch slowly pulled the fork out of his mouth, his eyes still fixed on the sky. "...Oh, you definitely didn't make the fireworks..." And, as the shock of the image in the sky wore off, the taste of the cake and the blueberry cream filling finally reached his brain. And it was delicious. Also, this cake is not what I was expecting...at all, he thought as he chewed his first bite. Why would it need anything to make it taste better? Is it just because nobody wanted to eat it because it was meant to celebrate me?
Come to think of it, that made sense. Apparently, trolls would hate a good desert if it celebrated something they hated.
No, no, that was not going to stand. Branch was feeling uncomfortable enough already. The last thing Poppy needed was him thinking she really was a crazy stalker, and the way everyone was reacting to her friendship with him was likely to cause just that. She had to put a stop to it if she was to have a hope of having him receive her feelings. She wasn't an 11-year-old lunatic anymore, and she aimed to prove it!
"...Dad! That is not funny!" Poppy snapped, whirling on the orange troll in question.
Even better, the joke this time was coming from her dad. Since when did he start thinking that relationship would be okay? He'd just spent the last ten years trying to convince her that Branch wasn't any good for her.
Peppy stood right by them, chuckling, along with Biggie and Cooper. Apparently, they were all in on it. Poppy glared at her dad, embarrassed.
Peppy laughed a bit. "Sorry, sweetheart! Couldn't resist," he said with a grin.
Little did Poppy know that this was just the first step in his plans to make up for all the trouble he'd caused his daughter. Peppy knew full well how much she loved the now-blue troll, and, from the look of things, those feelings were returned. The former king had begun to suspect as much ten years ago, really, but his lack of sound judgment back then had caused him to forget that, as well. At the time, it looked like some crazy puppy love crush, but it was apparently much deeper than that. Peppy now had every intention of getting those two together, and what he had planned next was bound to help that. It was the least he could do for them, after all.
Poppy just kept glaring at him, annoyed now. She wouldn't be surprised to find she had frozen that way.
"Aw, don't worry about it, Poppy," Branch said, rolling his eyes. "Everyone's thinking it."
Poppy just sighed. Yeah, Branch. I know. I've known for ten years now, though I wish they'd all quit it. It isn't funny at all. Ugh...
Trolls had been teasing her about her feelings for Branch for years, usually not in a humorous manner. Normally they'd been mocking her for daring to love the village "traitor," but this was quickly becoming more friendly as they teased her about a crush she still hadn't confessed. Branch had no clue she felt that way for him—other than one insane holiday and a lot of relentless teasing. Neither of these painted a good image of her, making her look like some insane stalker who wouldn't take no for an answer. She couldn't tell him how she felt now! Why did everyone have to insist on teasing her about this when Branch was around?
Talk about tactless, guys! Really! Poppy thought.
Branch looked at the cake, intrigued. "...What flavor is this?"
"Ooh, well, it's not exactly a known flavor," Biggie answered with a smile. "You see, Poppy wanted to make sure everyone would like Branch Cake, so she invented a new flavor that we only use for Branch Appreciation Day. It took her all day—and many of Sky Toronto's resources—to create this spectacular dessert."
Great, Biggie. That was all Poppy needed right now. More reasons for Branch to call her a stalker. Making a brand new cake flavor that was purposely the best just to honor your beloved hero definitely wasn't a sign someone was insane! If they kept this up, Branch would be running for the hills to escape her.
Branch just stared at Biggie for a moment, taking that in. Not only had Poppy invented a holiday for him, but she'd invented a new kind of cake. And, surprisingly, it was perfect. That had to be an accident. "So it's Branch Cake flavored?"
"Basically, yes. Do you like it?"
"Actually, yeah. It kind of reminds me of my grandma's fluffleberry cake. Except it's sweeter." He took another bite.
Good news for Poppy. He liked the cake, so maybe he wouldn't view her too terribly for it. Oh, who was she kidding? That cake screamed "stalker" like nothing else. It was just a matter of time.
"Come on, Poppy! Let's party!" Cooper said, jumping in enthusiasm.
That couldn't have come at a better time. Branch couldn't possibly be thinking of all 110 reasons Poppy was just nuts if he was too busy having fun with friends! Either that or, if she dragged him onto the dance floor against his will, he'd start complaining and be distracted by that instead. Besides that, this was a party for Branch, not a time to be talking romance. He should get to enjoy it as much as he could.
"Yes, let's!" Biggie said.
"Okay! Come on!" she agreed. Poppy tossed her empty plate onto the nearby refreshment table aimlessly, grabbed Branch (who was still eating), and dragged him along.
She could talk to him about her feelings later, once all this madness had died down. She figured a couple of years would do it. Why did these guys have to make this so hard? Either way, she chose to push those distressing thoughts aside for now. There was a fun party going on, and she didn't want to miss it.
"Whoa!" Branch cried as he dropped his cake.
The party went on for a while longer. Now that her attention was fully on the fun with her friends, Poppy was enjoying this. To avoid further embarrassment, she danced with all of her friends and encouraged Branch to do the same. For the most part, he did, and he seemed to be having fun. Now and then they'd take a break from dancing and just talk.
Only Smidge wasn't involved, too focused on her date with Milton. This was a fact Guy did everything in his power to ignore. Biggie seemed to have bounced back more quickly, so he didn't need to fight as hard to ignore it. Despite their feelings, both enjoyed themselves as it sank in that Milton was better for Smidge, anyway.
As the evening wound down, Poppy started wondering if Branch would be okay with walking home with her. He'd been having such a nice evening that she hoped he'd be more willing to accept her confession if she could just get him alone. She hadn't done anything stalker-like all evening, despite what everyone else said or did.
But Peppy wasn't quite through with them yet. He stepped up on the stage again and took the microphone. "Attention, everyone. The time has finally come for the final dance of the evening. And what better way to wrap things up than a song picked out just for this occasion!?"
At that moment, DJ grinned knowingly and left the stage to join the party. She knew what was going on—the former king had already talked to her about it in private so as not to surprise the party's main musical talent. She had finished her last song and now went to join her friends, eager to see what was going to happen. Now that she wasn't on her wooferbug, people could see more easily the long, silver dress sparkling on her person, which matched the white headphones with yellow gems she'd been wearing.
Peppy had gathered his band, H.U.G.G., on the stage with him. Mags Gumdrop had her tambourine, Sky Toronto his saxophone, and Dr. Moonbloom was on the keyboard that had been set off to the side all evening.
As big a fan as Branch was of this band, he asked, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Poppy took his hand reassuringly. She'd seen Dr. Moonbloom setting up her keyboard earlier that afternoon and suspected that there was just some special guest performance from the recently retired band. Nobody had really told her what was going on, but she'd been expecting this band sooner. The party was almost over, and this was their first performance of the evening? She brushed it off, figuring they'd just saved the best for last.
"Alright, everyone! Find yourselves a partner! 'Cause, for this last one, we're slowing things down a bit, for all those lucky trolls out there!" Peppy said with a mischievous smile, effectively answering Branch's question.
Smidge and Milton took each other's hands, ready to dance. They both looked at each other romantically.
In a panic, Guy looked around frantically. What!? A dance for couples only!? But—I don't have a date! Oh, this is bad. I've gotta find a partner right away! I don't want to look like a loveless freak in front of everyone! He ran up to Satin, giving her a hopeful smile, and asked, "May I have this dance?"
"Well, Creek can't dance with two of us at the same time, so I suppose," she answered.
Oh, thank trollness! I was worried for a minute there!
So Guy and Satin set up to dance, with the twins being mindful to keep their hair stretched out enough to allow for this. Creek sighed and held one hand out for Chenille, looking resigned. Did it have to be the meaner one of the two? Why couldn't Guy have asked Chenille to dance with him instead? She took his hand, accepting the invitation. Fuzzbert grabbed DJ as a dance partner (since she wasn't playing the music for this one), and Biggie just chose Mr. Dinkles as his partner. Cooper asked Harper, more for the sake of having someone to dance with than because of any real interest. However, he still confused and surprised her a bit.
"Uh...sure, Cooper! I'd love to!" she answered, arms open wide.
"Great!" he said.
Poppy stared at the stage as if it might bite. "'Lucky trolls out there'... Arah! Dad! What's that gotta do with appreciating Branch!?" she cried, exasperated, as she pulled her hair in frustration.
This had to stop. She and Branch weren't even a couple yet, and the way everyone kept acting was bound to drive him off. Why couldn't they just back off and stop making her look bad? She could handle this better if she could just show Branch that side of her was long gone, but no one was giving her the chance!
Branch looked off to the side, feeling very awkward at the moment. Of course. That was why he had a bad feeling. It was going to be a love song, and he wasn't ready to confess anything crazy like that.
"I'm dedicating this one to those lucky trolls who just found new love," Peppy continued, a romantic look on his face to accompany the mischievous grin. "You know who you are!"
And the band started playing their song, with Peppy as the lead vocalist.
"You'll never know," Peppy sang, swaying gently to the music, "what you've done for me. What your faith in me has done for my soul..."
Poppy gaped as the song went on, her eyes widening in realization. That sounded like something Branch might be thinking right now. He was home, had friends, and was happy now because of her, after all.
Branch, meanwhile, was looking anywhere but at Poppy. That was exactly what he was thinking.
"And you'll never know the gift you've given me..."
Poppy kept listening, growing more amazed with each word.
"I'll carry it with me, yeah yeah... Through the days ahead, I'll think of days before."
The two ladies in the band hummed background.
By this point, Branch, the non-musical troll, was having an unnaturally hard time keeping his musical silence. This song was, after all, completely true for him, and every fiber of his being was screaming at him to sing it to Poppy as a confession. But he couldn't do it—what if she didn't feel the same?
Th-this song... Why's it have to be so accurate!? She's in love with Creek! Not me! There's no way I'm saying anything! Especially not through a song!
"You made me hope for something better."
"Yes, you did," the band echoed.
And that was it for Poppy. She'd done just about everything in this dumb song for Branch since they were trollings, so there was no way this wasn't directed at them! Did her dad think he was funny or was he still against the idea of her seeing Branch? She was old enough to make her own decisions, and she was queen now. There was no way she'd let him drive Branch off that way!
"...Okay. This has gone on long enough," she said, heading up to the stage with a determined look on her annoyed face. She was putting a stop to this nonsense right now.
"And made me reach for something more."
Branch bit his lip, his resolve wavering. Finally, eyes trained on Poppy, he sang along, "You taught me to run."
Poppy stopped suddenly, eyes widening again. "Huh? Who's..."
That voice was amazing, better than anyone she knew. Biggie was close, but...She turned and saw Branch, of all trolls, singing along.
"You taught me to fly."
She stared at him, mouth hanging open slightly in awe. She hadn't expected that to happen tonight. Even better, that amazing voice that even topped her and Biggie was coming from him.
"Helped me to free the me inside," Branch sang, slowly approaching Poppy. His eyes held nothing but sincerity.
Many trolls nearby stopped dancing and watched, listening, as Branch, the non-singing, non-dancing, non-hugging troll sang to their queen. Even the Snack Pack's various members had stopped to listen, Smidge and Milton included. All of them made their way over from various places on the dance floor.
Growing more and more curious, Poppy watched Branch's every move. This was looking an awful lot like a love confession, even though she looked like a crazed stalker. Sure, she'd noticed he'd felt something for her back in Bergen Town, but that was before the craziness of this evening. And wasn't Branch way too shy to be doing something like this, anyway? Even better, he was singing, something he'd sworn off after his grandmother's death! It was like something out of a dream, it was so strange. Had she somehow fallen asleep? This couldn't be real...could it?
"Helped me hear the music of my heart," Branch sang on. "Helped me hear the music of my heart."
H.U.G.G sang, "Ooh, yeah..." as Peppy gave the main lines over to Branch.
The older troll had hoped this song would coax Branch into a musical confession. That was the whole reason he'd picked it. What better way to make things up to his love-struck daughter than to play matchmaker with the love of her life? Peppy could tell from how this evening had gone that Poppy wasn't likely to make the first move. Why, he couldn't say. She was usually so open about her feelings—she'd told everyone she was in love with Creek. But, for some reason, that wasn't the case with Branch. Here Peppy could've sworn she'd be eager to show everyone why she hadn't given up on him and make them feel guilty for separating the two of them, but there was no helping it.
That was the whole reason for Plan B: If Poppy wouldn't speak, get Branch to do it. Given the right motivation, you could get that boy to do just about anything. Since Peppy had known how the boy felt about his daughter for a long time, he knew he could force those feelings out. Branch just made it too easy sometimes. Now it was Poppy's turn to make a move, and Peppy was all set for when she did. He'd have this whole thing cleared up by the end of the evening.
Oh, wow... He has the voice of an angel... Poppy thought, amazed. And...he's singing for me... She smiled slightly, thinking of that. Branch, who had sworn off singing over 20 years ago, had just broken his musical silence to confess his love to her, right here in front of everyone. So much for him being bothered by the whole "stalker" thing or his pure hatred of being the center of attention. None of it seemed to matter right now. That made Poppy feel special and deeply touched.
If this was a dream, it was an awesome one.
"You opened my eyes, you opened the door to something I've never known before."
"Ooo, hoo," sang H.U.G.G.
Poppy closed her eyes, rocking to the song a bit, a smile on her face. She didn't care if it was a dream—she was going to soak this moment in. A blush slowly crept over her content face.
"And your love," Branch sang, and H.U.G.G. echoed, "Love."
"Is the music of my heart."
"Music of my heart..."
Branch held out a hand, inviting Poppy to dance. She opened her eyes, feeling him standing close, and stared at his hand for a moment, then smiled and took his hand. Branch smiled back at her, and the two began to dance.
"You were the one, always on my side," Branch sang on as he spun around the dance floor with Poppy.
"Always on my side," the band echoed.
"Always standing by," Branch sang, echoed once more by the band. "Seeing me through..." He spun Poppy once as they made their way around the dance floor.
The Snack Pack watched on, each having different feelings about this. Guy smiled warmly as he leaned on the refreshment table, with Satin at his side.
He loved drama, and those two were a love story meant for the trollmance novels. They'd gone from tragic and forbidden love to a happy ending. Even though Guy hadn't expected it, he wasn't complaining. Those two were made for each other, like Romeo and Juliet—in more ways than one. The whole "my dad hates my choice of man" thing only heightened the resemblance. Fortunately, this tale had a happy ending.
"Will you listen to that voice?" Satin asked dreamily, leaning on the table with her head in her hands.
"He's a closet poet and an amazing singer?" Chenille said. She waved a hand through the air and said, "I take it back—Poppy can't do better than him."
Attractive, great dancer, wonderful singer, romantic, caring to the point of being self-sacrificing... Branch seemed to have it all.
"You were the song that always made me sing," Branch continued.
"Made me sing," echoed the band. "Made me sing."
"I'm singing this for you." He let go of her hand, and she spun around behind him.
"Singing this for you..."
"Baby..."
Reaching his other side, Poppy took Branch's hand again and looked warmly at him. She hadn't quite decided if this was okay yet—stalkers shouldn't be with the ones they stalked, should they? Branch returned her look with a loving one of his own, and the two of them continued dancing circles around the dance floor. Though they didn't seem aware of their audience, they were at least aware enough to avoid stepping on or bumping into anyone.
Creek glanced at the couple a moment, looking a bit unhappy. Then, realization sinking in, he sighed. I hate to admit it, but they're right. I can't compete with a voice like that. And I'm no born leader when it comes to real danger. Branch risked his neck out there many times for us all. I might as well admit defeat here and now and tell Poppy a proper goodbye.
Creek had come to realize something about himself from this whole mess: he was a coward. He wasn't brave, like Branch. He'd crack under threat of harm, causing him to do questionable things, like leave morals behind and impregnate several ladies at once or leave another troll in danger to save himself.
He'd gotten both Satin and Chenille with child (possibly) out of fear of what Chef might to do them all, including himself. He'd obeyed Branch's command to take Poppy and run when Bridget was trying to recapture them all. He'd run and hid with the twins while Poppy, Branch, Smidge, and Guy fought the kitty critter. He'd assigned Branch the most dangerous role in their plan, partly to help Branch, but also to avoid that role himself. He'd even tried to impregnated Poppy, not entirely out of concern for her—Chef had given an order, and he'd chosen to follow it for self-preservation.
A coward like him had no chance against someone as brave and heroic as Branch. If the tables had been turned, he wouldn't have risked life and limb to save anyone. He just didn't have the courage.
As Creek was having his epiphany, Branch sang on, "Everywhere I go, I'll think of where I've been." He shifted directions briefly, spinning them in the opposite direction, before shifting back again.
The band echoed, "Think of where I've been."
"And of the one who knew me better than anyone ever will again." He spun her once more, holding onto her with one hand.
Creek started to walk away from the twins and toward the dancing couple, but both twins grabbed his arms.
"Save it for later, Creek," Chenille said firmly. "They're having a moment."
"Besides, you're with us, remember?" Satin added, glaring slightly.
Chenille looked at her sister and teased, "Technically, you're with Guy Diamond right now."
"You taught me to run," the song continued, oblivious to the action on the side. "You taught me to fly."
The band echoed, "You...taught me to fly..."
"Helped me to free the me inside."
The couple spun right past the twins and Creek as they danced on. Several trolls stood between Creek and the couple, and he wanted to get to the front so he could more easily talk to them when they were done. Creek watched the couple's every move, anxious and uncomfortable. He knew better than to interrupt a couple's first dance, especially with an audience.
"Helped me hear the music of my heart. Helped me hear the music of my heart."
"Yes, well. I wasn't intending on doing anything too drastic," Creek defended himself. "I was only going to—" He started trying to pull away from the twins so he could push through the crowd.
Chenille jabbed a finger into his face and snapped, "You're not breaking up a new couple just because you're jealous! You've already fathered two children in the last week, Creek!"
He stopped, looking at her desperately. He wanted to get this over with quickly so he could move on with his life. He hadn't broken up with her properly—that "break-up" had been nothing but a jealous boyfriend's attempt to regain his girlfriend's interest. "Yes, but I—"
"Chenille, why don't you dance with Guy for awhile?" Satin said. "I'll keep Creek busy."
Being toward the back of the crowd, they did have room to dance, so Chenille let go of Creek and let her sister force him into a dance. She then walked over to Guy and stood by in case he decided he was done watching the couple and wanted to dance again, hair stretched out to allow this slight separation.
Creek sighed, giving in. Admittedly, his timing probably wasn't the best. Tonight seemed to be dedicated to Branch and Poppy's blooming relationship, after all. They needed their space to enjoy it, and they deserved it after everything they'd been through. I'll tell her tomorrow. After a quick trip to both Cybil's place and Dr. Moonbloom's, that is. With a little luck, this won't turn out as bad as I fear it will.
He really didn't want to marry these two, with the way they were acting. He hoped that the girls weren't actually going to be mothers. Neither had an egg yet, so he was cautiously optimistic. But, in the meantime, he danced with Satin.
The drama between their friends went completely unnoticed by the couple. "You opened my eyes, you opened the door," Branch sang as he spun them both in two circles, one clockwise and one counterclockwise.
"You opened the door..."
"To something I've never known before," Branch sang, picking Poppy up and spinning her around a few times before setting her back down and resuming their dance. The final word was echoed by Peppy and his band. "And your love..."
"Your love."
"...is the music of my heart."
DJ and Fuzzbert stepped back to give the couple more room as they twirled around the dance floor. They'd been standing a little too close when Branch spun Poppy around and nearly gotten hit.
"What you taught me, only your love could ever teach me."
Poppy smiled warmly at him, extremely touched by that. She closed her eyes, taking in the sincerity of his words. It felt so good to hear the village grump saying such sweet things about someone he used to view as "crazy" and "so annoying." And she wasn't going to let him forget it any time soon. They'd been such polar opposites as kids that seeing how they got along now was bizarre. It was like oil and water finally finding a way to mix well together, and she planned to savor this always.
"You got through where no one could reach me before."
The band echoed the final word.
Ain't that the truth, Poppy thought. You wouldn't let anyone but me in, after all. She smiled, slightly amused, as they danced on.
He'd been such a stubborn goof back then that it was both cute and satisfying to look back on it now. She'd gotten what no one else could out of him and been able to restore everything he'd ever lost because of it. It was obvious he liked her now, with that in mind.
Smidge sighed lovingly and looked at Milton, who was also smiling warmly. He looked at her, and the two gripped each other's hands tightly, getting lost in their own newfound romance.
"'Cause you always saw in me all the best that I could be," Branch sang, still oblivious to the fact that he and Poppy were the center of attention. "It was you who set me free."
Poppy smiled back in full agreement. His words all but canceled her fears that her insanity would drive him off. Crazy or not, who would run away from someone as special as that? Everything he was singing was true, after all.
As Poppy enjoyed this revelation, Branch took her by one hand and spun her around multiple times. If she'd thought he was fun to dance with back in Bergen Town, this was three times better. Creek and Guy didn't even dance like this, and they were the best dancers in town!
DJ smiled warmly as she watched them dance. She looked at Fuzzbert, who was just as happy for the new couple.
"You taught me to run. You taught me to fly. Helped me to free the me inside." Their dance settled down a bit, the two just swaying to the music now.
"Me inside," the band echoed.
And, as the song picked up again, the couple spun in three circles one way before shifting and spinning the other way. "Helped me hear the music of my heart. Helped me hear the music of my heart..."
Poppy smiled lovingly at Branch, really loving their couple's dance now. She had just convinced herself that it did make sense for him to feel this way about a stalker. This wasn't a dream after all. He was hers now, for real, and she couldn't be happier. That smile was all the encouragement he needed to finish the song and dance.
"You taught me to run," he continued. "You taught me to fly."
"Taught me to fly..."
"Helped me to free the me inside," Branch sang.
H.U.G.G. echoed, "Free the me inside..."
"Helped me hear the music of my heart."
Poppy, now getting into this, decided to spice things up a bit to make it a little more fun. She pulled away from Branch, looking at him expectantly and lovingly, and slid off to the side, bending her head toward him before letting go completely to spin into an upright position, spinning away from him a bit. She stayed close enough that she was still within arms reach, posing with one arm and one leg out to the side, looking back at him with a smile.
As she did this, Branch read her intentions perfectly and mirrored her, move for move.
"Music of my heart."
"Helped me hear the music of my heart."
The two spun back together then, taking hold of each other's hands and looking lovingly into their dance partners' eyes.
"He-he-he-hey..."
Biggie, standing near Cooper and Harper, said, "That's so sweet! I can't believe Branch is singing for her!" He wiped a tear from his eye, touched.
"Branch can sing?" Cooper asked. "Wait, who's Branch again?"
Biggie and Harper both sighed, and Harper put a hand to her head.
"You opened my eyes, you opened the door," Branch sang on, oblivious even to this idiocy.
"Opened the door," echoed the band.
"To something I've never known before."
"Never, never, never felt before..."
Branch stopped spinning, and the two started just stepping back and forth to the song. Branch dipped Poppy a bit. When he brought her back up, he paused to look into her eyes, his eyes filled with sincerity and love. Poppy returned the look, their hands intertwined.
"And your love is the music of my heart."
As the song neared its end, Branch and Poppy stopped dancing and stared at each other lovingly, still holding onto each other.
"Music of my heart," the band sand.
"The music of my heart," Branch continued. He spun her once, lifting her arm above her head to do it. "Is the music of..."
That last move did it for Poppy. She hugged Branch, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes with a content smile. This guy was too amazing for words, and she loved him so much.
The band joined Branch in singing, "...my heart..."
Branch wrapped his arms around Poppy, holding her close.
The final notes played out then, and Poppy could scarcely believe what had just happened. She let go of Branch, pulling back, and he let her go reluctantly. "Branch... That was amazing. And, here, I thought you weren't gonna sing again. You know, after what you told us happened the last time." She looked away, feeling a bit guilty for bringing it up.
"I didn't plan on singing again," he answered. "But...thanks to you, I remember what it feels like to be happy. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." He held both of her hands in his own and confessed, "I love you, Poppy."
"I love you, too, Branch. And, you know..." She pulled him into a warm hug again and continued, "I think I liked you way sooner than you did me...Hero."
Branch chuckled as he hugged her back. "Oh, really? Care to test that sometime?"
Poppy pulled back and stared at him like he'd just sprouted wings. "What?"
"Poppy, you were the only one who ever tried to include me in anything. Even though I never would have admitted it...I appreciated that," he confessed, smiling at her sincerely. "More than you'll ever know."
It had seemed a little creepy to him at the time, but he'd actually started crushing on her right about the time of that final camping trip before his banishment, just months earlier. She'd only been 10 at the time, and there was just something seriously wrong with a 15-year-old boy having feelings for a 10-year-old girl, no matter how you swing it, so he'd been highly disgusted about it. He'd tried his best to fight it off. He'd failed miserably, of course, because Poppy was the only troll who was ever that kind to him. How could anyone not love someone like her?
"Aw...Branch..." She smiled, touched. She started to lean in for a kiss, but she never quite made it.
No, her dad had other ideas.