A/N: Next chapter is the last one, but that's not to say this is finished! We do have a sequel, but it may take a little while before I start posting that. I'm talking a few weeks, maybe longer. It's the middle of the school year, I've got several other stories in progress, and a variety of other things to worry about. Rest assured, though, you'll get to see more from this Trolls AU in the future. In the meantime, enjoy!
Disclaimer: We don't own Trolls. The song in this chapter is "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis (specifically the Rockin' Radio Mix version).
Edit: Added some more of Branch's POV and revised some wording.
Peppy smiled, watching his daughter and her new boyfriend. So far, so good. Now, to give those kids a performance they won't ever forget!
He'd planned to have Poppy confess to Branch first, figuring that she'd be bolder than him. After that, he would have played "Music of my Heart" because it was fitting and made for a more romantic atmosphere than the song he'd picked for Poppy's confession. However, since Poppy had shown no signs that she would even consider confessing to Branch, Peppy had to do things in reverse.
So, whether Poppy and Branch liked it or not, he and his band were going to perform one final—and very fitting—song that would show Branch just how madly in love Poppy was.
Before the two could kiss, he smiled brightly and said, "Well, now! Wasn't that special? But it was also surprisingly short! So how about we go one more round!? This last song's a personal favorite of my lovely daughter Poppy's! Here comes some Bleeding Love!"
And the band started playing an upbeat, remixed version of the song. The lyrics were pretty close to correct, Peppy figured, and this song had become a running gag in the village ever since the banishment. They'd been using it to try to show Poppy how crazy she was, but, in light of recent events, it seemed the song was actually correct. The lyrics spoke for themselves, and the message they sent was clear: Poppy was right, and they were wrong.
It was high time Peppy admit it—and he could tease his daughter a bit in the process.
"Wait, he's got another one?" Branch said, startled, as his attention snapped to the band.
"Aw, Dad..." Poppy giggled, amused, looking lovingly at Branch.
That song was older than dirt by now, given how many times she'd heard it over the years. Trolls would hum or sing the refrain every time she started lecturing someone about Branch. On occasion, a deejay at a party would play the full version if, say, she started lecturing anybody at the party about Branch or if she'd done too much complaining about his banishment in the weeks leading up to Branch Appreciation Day. On those occasions, they always claimed it was an "important part of celebrating Branch." The joke was old by this point, but this time was actually kind of amusing.
Her dad was using this song for her newfound relationship with Branch, as if he actually approved. Whether this was true or not wasn't all that important. What was important was that everyone seemed to finally understand that Branch wasn't so bad after all. That was good enough for her.
"You cut me open..." Mags sang, echoed by the rest. "You cut me open..."
Poppy gave an amused grin. This wasn't the first time she'd heard that this song was supposed to be a favorite of hers, but it was the first time they'd used this version of it. And it's the remixed one, too. Thanks, Dad, for picking an upbeat song for me.
"You cut me open... You cut me open..." Mags sang, the band echoing each line.
Even though this song made no sense whatsoever concerning them, Smidge and Milton started singing it to each other as they dance.
Branch just stared for a moment longer. There had to be some kind of joke he was missing here. This wasn't the first time this song was being brought up, and Poppy's reaction made it clear that she'd heard this song in regards to her feelings for him before. For crying out loud, DJ had played it during their Branch Appreciation Ceremony back in Bergen Town! What was he missing?
Giving up on unraveling that mystery, he shrugged, turned to Poppy, and said, "Shall we?"
Poppy smiled, and they started up a new dance. This time, however, she decided it was her turn to sing. Favorite song or not, it was accurate to a degree. She slid up against Branch, holding a hand to his as he mirrored her every move.
"Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain," Poppy sang. She slid away a bit and shimmied, and Branch mimicked her. "Once or twice was enough, and it was all in vain." She bopped to the beat as she went along. Thanks to you, Dad, she thought. Her love life had been a bit complicated, thanks to that stupid banishment. "Time starts to pass. Before you know it, you're frozen."
Poppy spun herself into Branch's chest then, ending with her back against his chest. He happily caught her, holding her shoulders and swaying to the beat. Sure, the idea that she had been "closed off from love" was laughable, but he didn't care. He'd probably dance with her even if she was singing "Criminal," really. Admittedly, though, he thought that would be more accurate, given his history.
"Frozen, frozen, frozen," Mags echoed, doing as Peppy had done when Branch took over the previous song.
"Oohh..."
Branch smiled, enjoying the moment. Poppy pulled loose then, taking one of Branch's hands, and slid off to his left, smiling at him and spinning once as she reached her destination and let go, turning to face him. As she did this, he did the same, except he slid to the right a bit. They were perfectly in sync as they let go of each other and danced.
"But something happened for the very first time with you. My heart melted to the ground, found something true." She took Branch's hands again and started jumping back and forth to the beat, thinking about that.
Branch had acted like he only cared about himself when they were kids. When push came to shove, however, he'd risked his life for her and was even willing to give it up if necessary. How many trolls out there would do something like that?
"And everyone's looking round, thinking I'm going crazy," Poppy sang, looking around at the crowd as she raised an arm in a rather cocky manner. The grin on her face was a silent "I told you so." Literally. Had to see a doctor for three years after!
Branch hadn't really thought about it much before, but the lines actually kind of fit. He still doubted that the start of the song fit—he was pretty sure Poppy'd never been in a relationship before she was 11. At least, he hoped she hadn't. But there was no way people weren't thinking she was going crazy. He'd been thinking it. After all, who would fall in love with someone who was always so rude and hurtful toward them?
"Crazy, crazy, crazy," Mags echoed.
"Ohhh..."
Other than a few of the young troll couples, the village was watching their queen and her new boyfriend dance, enjoying the show. Some of these trolls were feeling rather embarrassed after that pointed look from their queen, but others just laughed in amusement, knowing she was right. Couples, like Smidge and Milton, were too wrapped up in each other to care about anyone else's love life.
Poppy jumped, turning toward Branch, and smiled brightly at him. She took his hands and hopped from one foot to the other to the beat of the song as she sang, "But I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you."
Singing or talking, Branch loved hearing her say those five words. Just days ago, that had seemed like a complete impossibility. It was amazing how quickly everything could change.
"They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth." Silently she added, 'Cause they knew nothing. Poppy sang on, "My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing."
She slid to the left and the right, taking Branch with her, then ended by spinning herself away from him a bit. To her surprise, he was letting her lead, and he kept mirroring her, even doing that spin. She would have thought he'd feel awkward being led in a dance, even if it was just one move, but he didn't seem to care.
"Closing, closing, closing."
Poppy took Branch's hands again and went back to bouncing from foot to foot. "You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love." She held her hands over her head, taking Branch's with her, and slid to his side and twisted to face him before she started bouncing some more.
As usual, Branch synced up with her perfectly.
"I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love." The two of them repeated their previous move, returning to their original positions, and went back to bouncing.
That was about the time Guy grew bored with the show. He smiled happily as his friend—friends?—danced. "Well, would you just look at those two? They look like they're having even more fun than I am!" He turned to his dance partner, saying, "Shall we, my—Chenille!?" His eyes widened as he looked around frantically for Satin, "W-when did—"
The last time Guy had checked, Chenille had been dancing with Creek. Why was she now standing with him?
Chenille put her hands on her hips and asked, "Where have you been? Satin took Creek to dance so he wouldn't bother the new couple over there." She pointed toward Poppy and Branch. "I'm your new partner if you want to dance."
Guy gaped, his mouth hanging open and arms dangling in front of him. How had he missed that? Shaking it off, he straightened up and shrugged. "Eh. Whatever. Care to dance the final dance of the eeeevening with me, then, so it doesn't go to waste?"
Chenille smiled and said, "Gladly."
So the two started up with a fun swing dance.
"Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love. You cut me open," Poppy sang.
Satin stopped dancing with Creek and looked back to Poppy and Branch, who were still tearing up the dance floor. "Oh, it's so beautiful!"
Creek stared, eyes wide in amazement. Branch was a much better dancer than he had expected.
"I know! I can't believe I thought they were bad for each other," Chenille said as she danced with Guy.
Guy smiled happily, fully agreeing with Satin. As the four danced and observed the couple, Biggie, Cooper, and Harper came over to join them.
"You didn't think they were bad for each other," Cooper corrected. "You thought he was bad for her."
Biggie smiled happily, holding Mr. Dinkles a bit closer. "They do look rather happy together, don't they? And Branch was actually singing."
They kept watching as the new couple got lost in the song.
"Ohh..." Poppy sang. "Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud." She added silently, Or screamed, in some cases, Smidge.
She thought of how many times that yellow troll had yelled at her to "quit crushing on the greatest scumbag Troll Village has ever seen." With those as Smidge's exact words every time, Poppy had forced her to celebrate Branch Appreciation Day every time she either went too far or went on too long—and Smidge backed off for at least two days after each such event.
She sang on, "Their piercing sounds fill my ears, try to fill me with doubt."
Thanks again, Dad, she thought, remembering all the arguments they'd had over the years.
She would have forced him to celebrate when he drove her too crazy about it if he hadn't been her father and king. It shut everyone else in the village up for a few weeks (or days, in one case). Nothing stopped a troll quite like forcing them to do something they hated, and it helped that she reminded them of why they were wrong.
"Yet I know that the goal is to keep me from falling." Poppy pulled away from Branch for a moment, spinning around twice.
That definitely made sense to Branch. Why would anyone want her to fall for a criminal? He'd been exiled until just this afternoon, and having your princess fall in love with a criminal wasn't a good thing. Still, he was glad she hadn't listened to them. He'd been afraid that she would listen to them, that she'd hate him as much as everyone else if given enough time. And who knew where he'd be right now if she had?
"Falling, falling, falling," Mags echoed.
"Hey... Oh." She twirled back into Branch's arms, closing her eyes and taking in the moment happily as he held her from behind, sliding side to side. He'd taken the lead now. "But nothing's greater than the rush that comes with your embrace—" she looked back into Branch's eyes, smiling lovingly at him as they side-stepped to the music, and he returned the look, "—and in this world of loneliness, I see your face. Yet everyone around me thinks that I'm going crazy."
"Crazy, crazy."
Oh, she was crazy, alright. Branch still believed that, and she wasn't about to convince him otherwise. You'd have to be crazy to love a guy who constantly belittled you. He definitely hadn't been the most charming guy around since his grandma died, yet she'd somehow come to love him anyway. He wasn't complaining, of course. He loved this crazy girl—her childish antics, her wild hijinks, her irritating forcefulness, all of it. He squeezed her slightly.
She closed her eyes again, grinning, feeling content. "Maybe. Maybe..." She turned around in Branch's arms and started bouncing again. "But I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you. They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing."
DJ and Fuzzbert looked at each other in awe.
"Dang...so not only are those two, like, super good together, they've been mirroring each other's dance moves without skipping a beat!" DJ said. She turned to Fuzzbert, looking curious, and asked, "What do you think? Have you ever seen anythin' as awesome as that?"
Fuzzbert shook his head and kept staring at the dancing couple.
DJ crossed her arms, still a bit stunned. All through their childhood, they'd told Poppy that Branch was no good for her, that he'd tried to kill her and only cared about himself. They said he wasn't any fun. He was crazy, mean, and paranoid. Yet here he was, proving everything wrong, one issue at a time.
He'd proven his bravery by going to Bergen Town and saving Poppy from some growlbeasts. Those two events, along with several others, showed he wasn't selfish. He'd tried to sacrifice himself twice for Poppy or them, once by fighting Bridget to distract her and give them time to escape, and the other when Chef wanted to put him and Poppy in aggressive troll cages.
Looking back on it, DJ felt kind of bad about the first time Branch tried to sacrifice himself. She'd been too scared at the time to really register what was happening. She shouldn't have been willing to leave anyone behind, but she just got caught up in the moment and followed the crowd. She'd flat out said they wouldn't abandon Poppy but she'd been willing to leave Branch? No wonder he'd felt unwanted. Even worse, she hadn't been rational before Poppy was in danger, or else she might have realized what Branch was doing.
As for that second one, since there wasn't any physical danger there, DJ was sure Branch wasn't selfish after that. A selfish person wouldn't care about mental suffering. If only Poppy had just let him have that one. He handled that isolation a lot better than she did!
Anyway, there was also the kindness Branch had shown to Poppy, at the least. He'd comforted her when Creek broke up with her, tried to calm her down when Bridget explained about aggressive troll cages, and soothed her after his story scared everyone. Branch could be nice if he actually liked you. As to the crazy and paranoid parts, yeah, he could be. He'd been complaining about the dangers of running in the dark as if the light from the moon, stars, campfire, and some glowing flowers nearby wasn't good enough.
But he had proven he could also be fun when he wanted to, which reminded DJ of their last camping trip together. He'd been "having fun" with them, probably just to calm them, she realized as she looked back on it. Now here he was, showing how fun he could be as a dance partner.
He was perfect for Poppy. DJ had no doubts.
"You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love. I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love," Poppy sang.
"Heh. Who knew?" She grinned, happy for the two of them.
"Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love. Ohh... You cut me open." She pulled Branch closer, holding his hands in a way that almost implied she wanted to waltz. She gave him a loving look as she slid to the side with him, one step at a time. "Oh... And it's draining all of me. Oh, they find it hard to believe."
Okay, impossible, really, but still!
"I'll be wearing these scars for—" she pulled one hand loose and waved in a wide arch toward the crowd, "—everyone to see."
Branch was in the "finding it hard to believe" category himself. She was acting like she was proud to have fallen for the village pariah, as if it was somehow a good thing to fall for someone everyone hated. How did he get lucky enough to have this girl in his life?
Eat your hearts out, guys! I was right! The scars were worth it! Poppy thought, trying to drill the point home with her dramatic display. Then she turned back to Branch and wrapped her arms around his neck as she looked lovingly into his eyes, swaying to the music. "I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you. They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing." She started bouncing more as the song picked up.
"Closing, closing," Mags echoed.
"Ooh, you cut me open and I..."
Poppy held that line and took Branch's hands again to resume her upbeat bouncing and spinning as Mags sang, "Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love. I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love. Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love."
Branch didn't think he deserved this girl, but he wasn't about to tell her that. She was the best thing to happen to him in his life. From the trap mishaps to the intentional searches, this girl always had a way of finding him, and she actually kept trying. If not for her, he'd be alone and miserable—in his bunker in Troll Village, sure, without ever having been banished. But he'd still be gray. He'd still be alone, even if he wasn't as hated as he'd been during his exile. It seemed too good to believe that she actually loved him, yet she was acting as if this entire song was true. He couldn't have asked for more than this girl right here with him now.
Meanwhile, Fuzzbert was coming to the same conclusion as DJ as he watched Poppy pull loose from Branch, who gestured at her as she danced solo for a bit. Watching them dance, it was almost like they had rehearsed this, they were so synchronized.
Fuzzbert, like the others, had grown up hearing horrible things about Branch—that he'd wanted Poppy dead because she annoyed him too much, that he hated fun, singing, and dancing. Yet here he was, singing and dancing and having fun with the very troll he was supposed to hate. He'd been nice to her and protected her from danger many times this trip, even trying to sacrifice himself to keep her safe and happy.
It was hard to believe anything he heard about Branch with that in mind. He'd always known Branch was tough, so the growlbeast story hadn't shocked him in the least. The only part about it that was at all surprising was that he would do it for Poppy. That had given him something to think about. Add on the fact that he'd risked his neck to save them, and it was clear why Fuzzbert had forgiven Branch the day of the Bergen Town Branch Appreciation Ceremony.
If Branch would protect those he cared for with his life and put himself in danger for trolls he hated, he was a good troll. And he clearly cared about Poppy as much as she did him. Who would ever believe he'd tried to kill her once they know that?
Fuzzbert watched on happily as Poppy's solo dance routine came to an end and Branch started dancing again as well.
"Ohh..." Poppy sang, spinning around on one foot. She turned to face Branch, gesturing for him to show off his moves now. She smiled eagerly, waiting to see what he had up his sleeve. "Oh, you cut me open and I..."
Branch was lost in the song by this point and happily obliged, seemingly oblivious to the audience they still had. He slid to the side, looking cool as a cucumber as he showed off his dance moves.
"Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love," Mags sang.
Branch slid to the other side and spun around once before turning back to Poppy and giving her an expectant look as he kept dancing.
"I keep bleeding, I keep, keep bleeding love."
"Oh, I keep bleeding love..." Poppy sang, eagerly reaching for Branch's hands again. They bounced some more, like before. "Keep bleeding, I keep..."
"Keep, keep bleeding love," Mags sang.
"Ooh, you cut me open and I—" Poppy stopped dancing, holding Branch's hands, and looked lovingly into his eyes as a song died out for the second time that night. "—keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love..." Poppy finished.
As the song came to an end, the watching trolls sighed happily. Some were looking away, trying not to be noticed. Guy and Chenille stopped dancing and watched as well—sort of. Smidge, Guy, Chenille, Cooper, Harper, and several others really didn't want to hear the words "I told you so" right now, so they avoided eye contact. The only reason Smidge even felt the need to do that was because the end of the song had snapped her back to reality, at which point she'd realized that Branch and Poppy were still dancing together.
Smidge knew she wouldn't be hearing the end of this any time soon. She'd tried harder to change Poppy's mind than even King Peppy.
Branch looked at Poppy lovingly, still oblivious to the fact that the entire village had just watched him and Poppy confess to each other and dance for two straight songs. "Poppy..."
She returned his look, saying, "For the record...every word fits." Privately she added, Even if it isn't really my favorite song. Really funny, Dad. You're on a roll tonight.
First, there were the fireworks with the unnecessary romantic image, then the song "Music of my Heart" that caused Branch to break his singing silence and confess to his crazed stalker, and finally "Bleeding Love" for the hundred millionth time or something like that. It was clear, given the context, that this song wasn't being used to ridicule her for once. Instead, it was being used as a sign of approval for their relationship, even though her dad had hated Branch just hours before! Was she missing something here, or was this just her dad finally doing the trolly thing and forgiving Branch?
Either way, her dad seemed to be doing everything in his power to hook her up with Branch tonight and show them off to the whole village. She knew Branch probably wouldn't be comfortable being put on display like this, but she wasn't complaining anymore—it was a good thing for everyone to change their minds about him, and she was glad they had. She'd waited for years for this moment, and she planned to enjoy it for years to come.
Branch squeezed her hands gently, happier than he'd ever been in his life. Poppy smiled lovingly and moved in for a kiss for the second time tonight. Branch leaned in as well, and this time they weren't cut off by another song. They wrapped their arms around each other in a lovers' embrace as they deepened the kiss slightly.
The other trolls watched as Poppy and Branch kissed. Smidge sighed, leaning on Milton's arm. She reached her hand across to take his opposite hand, and they held each other. Milton looked lovingly down at her.
By this point, Guy was sniffling slightly, eyes welling up with tears for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. This scene was beautiful, even if it wasn't as dramatic a kiss as those he'd read in trollmance novels. "I-It's n-no u-use..." he stammered.
He was trying not to cry. He knew how loud he could get when he did, and he didn't want to startle the paranoid blue troll, who somehow seemed unaware of the fact that everyone was watching him. (How love-struck was he if he was missing Poppy's pointed jabs at the crowd?) That would interrupt this beautiful moment. These two deserved to savor this, not be stopped by sudden wailing.
"D-does anyone h-have s-something I-I can c-cry into?" he asked, looking around frantically. He really didn't want to ruin this for those two.
Cooper handed him a pillow, which nobody even bothered asking about. Guy snatched it quickly, slammed his face into it, and started bawling loudly. Fortunately, the pillow muffled his cries.
"Oh, Poppy's going to be unbearable after this one!" Chenille moaned as realization hit her.
Resigned, Satin said, "Well, it's our fault, isn't it?"
Chenille glared at her. That may have been true, but it didn't mean she needed to hear it.
"I hate to say it, Chenille, but...Satin's right," Harper said, looking guilty. "Maybe next time, we all shouldn't be so quick to judge." She looked down, ashamed.
Chenille sighed. She couldn't argue with that one.
"Still, at least they're both happy," Biggie said.
"Yeah. I guess Poppy was right!" Cooper said, looking thrilled. "Happiness is inside all of us! Even Branch!"
Several trolls nearby nodded, Satin and Biggie included.
The newly formed couple pulled apart then, taking each others' hands again as they pulled out of the hug. Poppy looked at Branch, feeling happier than she ever had. "Branch. You kissed me back! And here I thought you didn't like this stuff," she teased.
"For you? I'll make an exception."
Poppy smiled affectionately and hugged him again. Branch hugged her back.
"Glad to hear it...boyfriend."
Oh, it felt good to actually get to say that to him. She'd only been wanting to since she was 11. All things considered, however, it was worth the wait. She might have driven him off if she'd been able to advance on him too soon.
That was a scary thought: the banishment might have saved her from embarrassing herself and ruining all chances at a relationship. She could just see her 11-year-old crazy stalker self pushing too hard on Branch, who was always resistant back then. That could have put a strain on their friendship, which would have left her with a broken heart. Sure, she'd had one for the last ten years without realizing it, but that was neither here nor there. The one good thing that seemed to have come out of this whole banishment fiasco was that Branch hadn't had to endure his crazed stalker's pursuits, which would have left him freaking out at the mere sight of her. Instead, he got to deal with her more mature version, the one who was embarrassed about the whole existence of Branch Appreciation Day.
As a child, she hadn't understood his boundaries. As a more mature adult, she knew that he didn't like displays of affection all that much and had a ton of healing to do, all things considered. Much as she wanted to go full force with this new relationship and cuddle on the couch and kiss him passionately, she could wait until he was ready. She'd take this slow, just a simple kiss here and there, an occasional hug. She'd watch Branch for any signs he wanted more than that, but she'd let him enjoy this and build up his comfort level while she savored the fact that he was finally hers. She'd waited ten years for this, and she wasn't about to blow it.
Branch squeezed her gently and said, "Just don't go getting any ideas. I still don't want the others touching me. Especially Cooper."
Poppy laughed, amused. It seemed her thought was correct—he still hated being touched. "Okay."
He could be so stubborn sometimes, and it was kind of cute. But he'd have to get over that. Trolls loved hugging, and her—their friends were no exception. He'd be hugged by them, like it or not. He couldn't exactly say he hated them anymore. He'd called them his friends during his speech.
Peppy stepped back up to the microphone, still smiling. "Well! I hope everyone enjoyed that! And let's hear it for our newest couple, my very own daughter, Queen Poppy, and her new boyfriend, the town's newest hero, Branch! Congratulations to you both! I'm very proud of the both of you!"
There. He'd finally finished with everything he'd planned to do tonight. Branch received the highest honor a troll could, and Poppy had the boyfriend she'd been dreaming of for years. Not to mention he'd shown them both his approval just now. If that didn't make things up to them, nothing would.
The surrounding troll started cheering in excitement, shouting their congratulations or thank yous.
Poppy looked around, grinning proudly. Oh, it felt so good to hear them all saying stuff like that! And not a single one of them would be forgetting it any time soon. Branch looked around, feeling uncomfortable. When did everyone even get here?
"Well, that just about does it for this one! Thank you all for coming out here, and have a pleasant night!" Peppy finished.
The band H.U.G.G. waved goodbye to the crowd as the lights went out on stage, and they started packing up their instruments. Everyone else started for home, other than most of the Snack Pack. No, they approached the couple. Most of them felt the need to say something. Only Smidge didn't come over, still too wrapped up in her own romance to care about the guest of honor at this party. She left with Milton instead. Fuzzbert and DJ hung back. Neither felt the need to apologize, but they wanted to see how things went between Branch and the others.
"Okay, before you start saying, 'I told you so,' let me save you the trouble," Chenille said, starting them off. "We were wrong. About a lot of things."
"Yes, Branch, you are a hero, for one," Biggie agreed. "And you didn't even need to be this time. Why, you had no reason to come for us! I'd like to apologize once again for the way I've been behaving." He gave his worm an expectant look and asked, "Mr. Dinkles?"
"Meep!" he said, apologizing. But he was still sticking to his earlier story involving his thoughts on this relationship.
Realizing Branch probably didn't speak worm, Biggie translated, "Mr. Dinkles apologizes, too...and says he thought you two were meant to be years ago." He looked at the worm, baffled, and asked, "What do you mean by that, exactly? How many years ago?"
"Meep!"
Apparently ten. The worm had just told Biggie that Poppy had fallen in love when she was 11. Biggie knew full well that his worm hadn't approved of that crush the entire time, but it just wasn't worth arguing over.
With fresh tears on his face and a pillow in his hand, Guy came over and said, "I'm sorry, too, Branch. I guess I should have knooown there was a reason for your unusual behavior. Bygones?" He held out his empty hand for a handshake.
Branch looked at Guy's extended hand, then smiled and shook it. "Bygones."
Cooper shuffled a foot uncertainly. He'd heard that comment about not being touched, particularly the part about not being touched by him. "Right... Uh, Branch... How many years is it gonna take for you to forgive me? 'Cause I'm really sorry, Branch. Like, really, really sorry! I didn't mean to get you in trouble! I just wanted to get help saving Poppy!"
Branch crossed his arms, thinking about that for a second. "...Yeah, that makes sense. You do tend to tell every detail when you're talking to someone, don't you? Can't keep a secret to save your life."
Several incidents in the past told Branch this fact. For example, the question "how did you hurt your leg" should never take two hours to answer.
Poppy gaped at Branch. He was way too calm at the moment, given who he was talking to. Did that mean he'd taken her advice last night and decided to let it go? Was he finally ready to forgive and move on?
Unsure, she stood by. This could go either way. The odds of him accepting this one were slim to none, though—he hated Cooper way too much to just forgive him without Cooper having to do something over the top to prove he was sincere. That was how it had gone down when she'd tried to apologize, after all, and Branch hated Cooper even more. Poppy seriously doubted this was going to end well.
Cooper braced himself, ducking his head down. He wasn't sure if this was going well. On the one hand, Branch didn't look or sound mad, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. The words coming out of his mouth seemed to imply a continuing dislike. Maybe he was wrong in thinking that Branch considered him a friend now? "...Want some cake?" he offered in an attempt to make peace, holding out a piece of Branch Cake.
Branch laughed. "No, Cooper, that won't be necessary. I believe you."
Cooper perked up, the cake still in hand. "You mean it!?"
"Really? You do?" Poppy asked, looking at him in concern. But you didn't believe me until I'd said it a dozen times and almost turned gray on you! You must be happy now!
It had been ridiculously difficult for Poppy to get Branch to forgive her after she'd appeared as an enemy in his eyes. He'd accused her of trying to lead a mob of trolls to kill him, gotten angry and hurt by her lecturing him about his fire tunnel trap and the growlbeasts he'd killed, and been extremely bitter with her the entire time. Even when she'd proven she wasn't his enemy or apologized for her actions, she'd still been subject to this treatment! It was almost like he'd been expecting her to secretly hate him that entire time.
Yet he was forgiving Cooper that easily? Cooper had hated him openly the entire time and was the one responsible for the banishment in the first place! If he was easily forgiven, something inside Branch must have changed. Poppy wasn't sure if it was his newfound happiness or him taking her advice, but, either way, it was good to see him letting go of the past and forgiving everyone. Now they could all hang out as friends without the awkwardness of having one member of the group hating the others.
There was no doubt: This was the best day ever, and Poppy doubted anything would ever be able to top it. This was a day filled with miracles, after all.
"Yeah. I forgive you, Cooper," Branch said with a smile.
Cooper tossed the cake and jumped around happily. "Whoo-hoo! Branch forgives me!" He stopped jumping and turned to the blue troll, asking, "Does that mean I can hug you now!?"
Branch crossed his arms and answered, "Nope. Let's take this one step at a time, okay? Just Poppy for now."
Forgiving them and calling them his friends didn't mean he wanted them all over him. He wasn't all that comfortable with hugging in the first place—he'd gone 20 years avoiding hugs, after all. He'd rather work his way up to it...assuming, of course, that he ever decided he wanted these guys hugging him.
Unfortunately, the Snack Pack didn't seem to hear him, too excited at being forgiven and accepted by Branch as his friends. Either that or they just didn't care that he said no. They moved in and grabbed him in a group hug, smiling brightly. Fuzzbert and DJ came and joined the hug as well. Creek debated what he should do for a bit before joining the group hug. He decided he'd talk to Poppy later since she and her new boyfriend might want to walk home together tonight. Even Poppy got involved, and Cooper, figuring there was no reason why he couldn't, joined the hug, being careful not to touch Branch himself at all.
"Hey! What did I just say!?" Branch complained.
"Aw, hush, Branch. You're one of us now. And, like it or not, this is what we do," Poppy said, squeezing him a bit. "Welcome to the club...Hero."
Branch rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face told everyone he wasn't seriously annoyed with them. "Just don't make a habit of it."
Happy as can be, the friends stayed that way for a bit longer as everyone else made their way home for the night.
Author's Note from Shadgirl2: I forgot to put this in last time, but we picked the song in chapter 28 specifically because it's NSYNC, of which Justin Timberlake (Branch's voice actor) was a member. So many of that band's songs fit Broppy that it's almost like Justin was destined to play Branch lol. We used two of them in this story. I also think that DreamWorks might have changed their story somewhere between the first and second movies, given some of the other things in media, like this scene from one of their YouTube videos where somebody asked for Branch riding a butterfly and got Branch saving Poppy while riding a butterfly and a heart popped up over the two. I know that's unrelated to the story, but still.
Also, sorry about the poor descriptions of the dancing. I'm not a dancer, and neither is Midna. If anybody is and wants to help out, you can message me (Shadgirl2). Midna doesn't usually write the dancing parts. She just cleans up what I do.