Ah, Valentine's Day. The holiday Branch dreaded for years. He remembered never emerging from his bunker on that said day because he couldn't handle it. The cheesy cards, the decorative hearts, the overwhelming amount of chocolate and flowers in the village. It was so sickening. Although he still thought all of that stuff was nauseating, he was excited to share this day with Poppy! They both agreed not to exchange gifts, they learned after their last holiday they didn't need gifts to express how much they meant to each other. Branch was faced with a dilemma though, what would he and Poppy do for Valentine's Day? What did trolls do on this special occasion? He never had a chance to see what it was all about. He wanted to make this a special day for Poppy since it was their first one as a couple. He would need some advice. Meanwhile, Poppy felt she would explode with excitement! It was almost Valentine's Day! It was her favorite holiday because it was full of love! Her friends always made her the most thoughtful cards, she got so many hugs from the trolls, and she could eat as much chocolate as she wanted. She was especially excited to spend it with Branch! There was one problem though, she drew a blank when she tried to think of how they could celebrate. Branch never came into the light when the day came around and Poppy never celebrated with a significant other before. She wanted to do something special, but what?
"Me and Grissy are going out for a nice romantic evening. Dinner, walk on the beach, rose petals." Bridget melted.
Branch was flabbergasted by the last thing. "Um…Those sound nice, but a little predictable. I want to do something different."
"I think it's so sweet you're doing this for Poppy but I have to say, why did you come to us?"
"I don't know how trolls celebrate, plus I don't know many couples besides you two. I figured you'd have some great ideas."
"Our ideas might not be suitable for trolls." Gristle pointed out.
"Ok scratch that for a second, I know bergens are still getting used to all these new things as well. Do you guys do the cards, flowers, and chocolate?"
"Oh yes! Sometimes pizza!"
"Is that special enough though?" Branch asked. "It seems like that's something that can be done everyday."
Bridget paused and turned to Gristle. "You mean you could be doing this stuff for me everyday and you're only doing these sweet things because it's valentines day?!
"What do you mean? We do romantic stuff all the time!" Gristle argued back.
"Like when? Give me one example!"
When Gristle and Bridget continued to bicker, Branch knew he had to make an escape. This was getting very awkward, but Bridget had a point. Why was it only this one day people expressed their love? Couldn't this be done everyday? Poppy wasn't having much luck either. She was feeling a little pressured that she didn't have a plan. All eyes would be on her and Branch since they were the most known couple in the village. She always had parties planned for special occasions and had great ideas for fun things to do. She had nothing. It was like the gift swap all over again! Valentine's Day was two days away, what was she going to do? Branch was deep in thought when he heard the thud of the elevator. Since Poppy has stayed over at his bunker many times now, she now just let herself in. Tonight was their day to sleep at Branch's place. They both beamed at the sight of each other when she got off the elevator.
"Have a good day today?" Branch asked.
"Not too bad, busy."
Branch nodded.
"The village is getting ready for Valentine's Day. A lot of preparation to do. We're planning a party for that afternoon."
"You guys have parties for that? I thought it was just a couples holiday."
"We've evolved past that! No need for our single trolls to be left out. It doesn't matter if you're single or in a relationship. It's just about showing love to those you care about."
"Oh wow. I had no idea. I only know what I read in books."
"I know I'll be busy with that party during the day…" She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But then I can't wait to spend the rest of it with you."
The softness in Poppy's voice was melting Branch's heart. It's like she was trying to kill him.
Branch kindly returned the softness in his voice."I'm excited for that too, but I'm also happy you're here now." He gave her a small squeeze as the last word came out, and kissed the base of neck. He took advantage of how flushed she looked.
"What's the matter my dear? Cat got your tongue?" He said with a smirk.
"You're such a tease."
"And you let me get away with it."
She crashed her mouth onto his, slowly moving her lips. She then playfully bit his bottom lip, then she pulled away. Branch opened his eyes slowly looking confused. That familiar smirk returned on her face.
"Now we're even." She said happily skipping away.
Branch shook his head. He started feeling flushed and pulsations were running through him. Alright maybe he did ask for it. He couldn't lie though, it was a great distraction before he started thinking about his dilemma again. Maybe after a goodnight's sleep, he would be able to think better tomorrow. He pushed it out of his mind for now and happily joined Poppy on his couch. After a while, the two of them started getting ready for bed. Branch was on his usual side of his bed reading a book. He took it upon himself to brush up more about Valentine's Day. He looked up when he heard his bathroom door close. Poppy came into his room with her pink and purple moss robe he had made for her to match his. She took it off revealing her satin pajamas, this time the top was a green spaghetti strap tank top decorated with lace at the bottom of it. Her pajama bottoms were matching shorts.. She took out her ponytail and brushed her hair in front of his mirror. The similar pulsations that Branch felt earlier returned. This sight was driving him crazy! He looked away and tried to settle himself. It didn't last long before he felt the bed shift when Poppy settled in next to him.
"Whatcha reading there?" She asked.
He was so distracted by Poppy's beauty he forgot about the book he'd been reading! "Oh nothing, just some techniques on building." He didn't dare close the book to reveal the title. He hoped it was boring enough for Poppy to move on from the subject. Wrong.
"For building what?"
"Um…" His lavender blush was giving him away.
"Branch, there's no shame in admitting that you're reading a romance novel!"
Yes, a way out! He thought. "Alright you caught me, I guess you're starting to make me more sensitive in my reading material."
"Sooo what is this book? Have I read it?"
Uh oh. "Um..it's called, Fools in Love. It's about two trolls who…couldn't admit their love to each other because…they're fools." He was going to start sweating if she didn't buy this. He breathed an internal sigh of relief when she seemed convinced.
"That sounds great! I'd love to read it when you're done! I haven't had much time to read anything as of late."
He closed the book and hid it under his bed. He moved closer to his Queen. "Maybe when all the craziness dies down. I hope you know that you're doing an amazing job."
"Thank you Branchifer." She kissed his cheek.
"Shall we get some sleep? Sounds like you have a lot to do tomorrow."
"Sleep sounds great, but what about cuddling?"
"I mean that is our ritual before sleeping right? I'm not one to break a routine."
He pulled her over to him. Her head lay on his chest. He wished they could do this every night, but he knew they weren't at that stage yet. 4 nights a week was a good balance, 2 being at his place and the other 2 being at hers. He was grateful for it because of her busy schedule. The two shared a goodnight kiss before drifting off to sleep. Well attempted anyways, they were pretending to be asleep when in reality they were wide awake by their thoughts. Poppy was still holding on to hope that a last minute idea would come just like it did at their last holiday. Branch was laying there thinking how he could make this day more special than any other day. A few hours had passed and neither of them were asleep yet. Poppy was debating on waking him to tell him what was on her mind, she decided not to at first, but then she couldn't take it.
She lightly tapped him. "Branch?" He wasn't really asleep so he woke up right away.
"Huh? Poppy? Is something wrong?"
"No, I mean well…"
He sat up and turned on his lamp. Brightness filled the room, he turned towards his girlfriend and knew something was troubling her. He got up right away and went into the kitchen to grab her a glass of water. She still looked troubled when he returned. She took the glass from him and took a few sips. He took it from her and put it to the side. He took her hands and gazed into her eyes.
"What's wrong sweetheart?" His soft voice was music to her ears. Branch was never one to use pet names, but it made the rare occasions a lot more special. She felt more at ease after seeing Branch like this, so calm and ready to help.
She started talking at 90 miles per hour. "I-you know how I'm so good at planning parties? All these things pop into my head and I want to make every one of them is better than the last. I have so many ideas about so many things and everyone looks at me for inspiration-". She stopped when she felt his hand caressing her cheek. He didn't have to say anything, she realized she was rambling. His touch calmed her and she took a deep breath and tried again.
"I feel a little defeated. I was so excited to come up with a fun idea for us to do this Valentine's Day, but I'm ashamed to admit that I don't have one. It's like the gift swap again. It's our first one together as a couple and I wanted to make this special. I don't want to disappoint you."
Branch absorbed her words. He was relieved to know nothing life threatening was wrong. He was also relieved she had been feeling the same way too. However, he hated seeing that she was putting so much pressure on herself. She turned away from him, like she was afraid to see his reaction. He turned her head back towards him.
"Poppy, you could never disappoint me."
Her eyes were still not meeting his, but he continued. "You didn't disappoint me at the gift swap and you are not now. Let me show you something." He reached under his bed and pulled out the book he was reading earlier. "I've never been familiar with how trolls celebrate this day, I tried to get advice, but all I could think about was how could I make this day more special for you than everyday I spend with you. When advice from the trolls and bergens didn't work, I turned to these books, but I couldn't find the answer there either". She perked up a little and looked at the book. "Valentine's Day for Dummies" it said. She started to laugh and he joined her. They laughed so hard that they couldn't breath and their sides hurt. Once they recovered, they revisited the conversation.
"So you mean you don't read romance novels?" She teased.
"Maybe one day I'll get around to it, but I'm afraid Fools in Love doesn't exist."
She sighed. "We're not very good with holidays, are we?"
"I wouldn't say we're not good, we just overthink it. Two times in a row now, we're setting a record."
That made her laugh some more. "I think it was sweet you were trying to go above for me, but you're right. We don't need this one special day to show our love for each other."
"I would be completely happy if we just spent some quiet time together."
"I'd love that too."
"Then I think we have a great plan."
After another shared kiss, they both snuggled back up against each other. There were no more intrusive thoughts that entered their brains. Nothing but sweet dreams after. When Branch woke up the next morning, he saw an empty side in his bed. Poppy had already left for the morning. He knew she always had to leave early, but he still felt a little disappointment in his heart. He longed for another sleepover where they woke up in the morning together. He got up and put his robe on and headed to his kitchen to make his morning coffee. He went in to find it was already made and there was a note. It read "Even though I couldn't wake up with you this morning, I hope this sweet gesture will make it seem like I'm here with you. Love, Poppy." Branch smiled. Sometimes when she slept over at his bunker he would grumble about how long the coffee took to make and wished he could have an automatic machine. She listened to him. While she didn't provide the machine Branch was talking about, the fact that she did this gave him one less thing to do in the morning. All of a sudden the answer hit him! He realized he had been looking at this all wrong! Sure, he could plan romantic things for Poppy everyday of the week, but what was something she needed more than anything? To relax. Poppy never had time to relax because she was taking care of the village full time. When did she ever have time to unwind? He had a bold idea, but he was determined! This would be a great Valentine's Day after all!
Finally, Valentine's Day had arrived! Everyone came dressed in red, pink, or covered in hearts. Branch himself even dressed for the occasion. He wore his usual leaf vest and had purple shorts on with red hearts sewn in them. It was more subtle than what the rest of the trolls were wearing, but that was Branch. The place was decorated in all colors and shapes of hearts. Almost similar to Bridget and Gristle's wedding. There were cakes, chocolate hearts, candy hearts, and a huge chocolate fountain! If that wasn't enough, there were all sorts of red and pink punches, each with a different flavor: Strawberry, Cherry, Pink lemonade, Watermelon, Raspberry…He thought he was going to lose count with how many options there were! After admiring some more, he noticed all of his brothers and Poppy's sister were here too!
"Hey guys! What'd you doing here?" Branch exclaimed.
"Branch!" They exclaimed back.
"We wouldn't miss a party that Poppy Seed throws!" JD said.
"I live here so…" Floyd added.
"Me and Brandi are on our way for a get away, but we wanted to stop by first. Your girl sure knows how to throw a party!" said Bruce.
Branch agreed."She does indeed."
"Sooo…do you two have special plans tonight?" Viva asked.
"Vivs! Don't be so nosy!" Clay exclaimed.
Branch chuckled. "I do have something planned, but that's between Poppy and I."
"Your secrets are safe with us! We can help!" Bruce offered.
"Thanks, but I think I have it handled."
Floyd nodded approvingly. "I have no doubt Poppy will love whatever you do for her."
JD whispered to the other brothers. "Or do to her, am I right?"
The other brothers and Viva looked at him in disapproval and threw out comments such as "Really bro?" "Have some respect!" "You know nothing about romance!"
Branch shrugged off JD's comment. Just classic JD. They all continued to boast about his behavior until Poppy made her appearance on the stage. Just when he thought she couldn't be more beautiful. She wore a purple dress with red hearts sewn into it and a headband with hearts on it. They were almost matching! Poppy started a speech about the true meaning of Valentine's day, but all Branch could focus on was her. The only thing he caught was for everyone to enjoy the food and have a great time. He mingled with some trolls for a little bit and helped himself to some of the chocolate and punch. He almost dropped it when he was tackled from behind.
"Branch! You're here!"
Branch chuckled. "Of course I'm here, why wouldn't I be?"
"Well I happen to recall a troll who hid in his bunker on this day to escape the nauseating site of hearts, flowers, and chocolate."
"It's still a little overwhelming, but…I can suck it up. Oh, speaking of which." He reached into his hair and pulled out a bouquet of roses. "I got these for you."
"For me?! Oh Branch, this is so sweet! And I'm not allergic!" She admired them and sniffed them before putting them in her hair.
"According to the Valentine's for Dummies book, flowers are a great gift for this special occasion."
"And look at you with your festive pants! Did you match me intentionally?"
"No, I had no idea what you'd be wearing. So I guess we're that matching couple today."
They shared a gaze and joined hands. Then right on cue, their moment was interrupted by a familiar voice on the microphone. It started with JD but then the rest of his brothers started to join him up there.
"Excuse me…hi sorry, just wanted to dedicate this song to a very special couple! My little brother and Queen Poppy!"
All the trolls started to clap and cheer. Branch was a little nervous to see what they were up to. The brothers started to sing a melody.
"Maybe it's intuition
But some things you just don't question
Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant
And there it goes
I think I found my best friend
I know that it might sound
More than a little crazy but I believe
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life"
He wasn't familiar with this song, then he noticed some of the other trolls started to back up to give Branch and Poppy space. What were they doing? Then it became clear when they were all watching, waiting for something. He looked back at Poppy who was beaming at the song they were singing. When she turned her attention back to him, he held his hand out to her which she happily accepted. He brought her out to the middle of the area and they started to dance.
"There's just no rhyme or reason
Only the sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces I'm searching for
I think I've found my way home
I know that it might sound
More than a little crazy but I believe"
It started very slow. Just some swaying at first with them holding each other. Branch had every thought about how he was going to kill his brothers later. Once he started getting into the song and the nerves let up, he didn't hold back anymore. He led her into a waltz, dipping and lifting her up as the verses were blaring through. Both felt like they were in a trance, Branch never thought in a million years he would do this, not in front of all these people. Was this foreshadowing their future? Whatever this was, Poppy was very content! All the trolls were staring in awe, the happy couple looked so in love.
"I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
Ooh, ooh, ooh
A thousand angels dance around you
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I am complete now that I've found you
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life"
When the song entered it's last verse, Branch picked Poppy again and spun her around which made her laugh gleefully. They swayed a little more when the song ended, never leaving each other's eyes. The trolls started to cheer and he could hear some commentary coming from his brothers, but all the two trolls could focus on were each other. He knew he preferred these moments with Poppy to be private, but right now he didn't care. In an instant, Branch dipped Poppy down once more and kissed her passionately. This caused an uproar in the crowd! The cheering never seemed to die down. That was until JD made another announcement.
"Now grab someone you love and get close!"
The brothers started singing some more love songs. Poppy encouraged Branch to go up there, only to have her heart melt again when he told her he was happy with where he was at. They continued to dance for a while. When all the slow songs were gone, the music started to become more upbeat. It gave Poppy a chance to do her queenly duties and check in with everyone, Viva joined with Poppy. When they left Branch was met with teasing from his brothers.
"So Branch, when are you popping the question?" Bruce asked.
Branch felt mortified."Huh?"
Bruce smirked. "Oh don't deny it, I see it in your eyes. You love Poppy dearly."
"Wait, is that what you're doing later? You're proposing?!" Clay exclaimed.
Branch joined in on the fun. "I will be proposing…"
The brothers gasped with excitement! They tried to list off different ideas for how he could do it, but Branch wasn't done yet.
"But not tonight."
That brought disappointment to them, but Branch shrugged and assured them that when it was the right time he would. He wouldn't inform them of when that would be either because of this very reason. Though they were disappointed, they supported their brother's decision. Then they started to tease Clay about when he'd confess his feelings for Viva, which Clay denied of course. After much bantering, eating, and drinking punch, the party was wrapping up and everyone started to say goodbye to each other. Branch noticed Poppy looked exhausted, he couldn't wait for her to see what was in store for later. Once Poppy had finished up what she needed to do, she went over to Branch who had been patiently waiting for her.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked.
"Oh yes, I'm a little partied out."
"Did I hear that right? You, Poppy, are partied out?"
"The chocolate can't keep the energy up for too long."
"No it can't. Well, you'll be happy to know we'll have a nice relaxing evening."
"That sounds great, Branch."
Once they made it inside the Bunker, Branch did his usual perimeter check first. He chuckled when he found Poppy plopped on the couch. She sighed.
"Finally, alone at last." She noticed that Branch was on the other side of the room. "Aren't you going to join me?"
"Actually, I have something better in mind. Wait here, don't go anywhere!"
Branch disappeared for a few minutes and Poppy's curiosity was getting the better of her. Luckily she didn't have to wait too long. He held out his hand and once she took it he led her down the hallway. She saw the hallway was filled with rose petals on the ground. What was this? He eventually led her to the bathroom door. She was very confused until he opened it. She saw the bathtub was filled with water and bubbles! There was also a stand table in the tub with a bottle of strawberry wine and a book.
"Branch, what is this?"
"You my dear are the hardest working troll I know. You told me you haven't had much time to read as well as just relax. I recall you saying that you used to take bubble baths after a long day, it doesn't seem like you've had time for that either. So tonight, I wanted to give you that."
Poppy was in awe of the sight. No one had ever done anything like this for her before! She was overwhelmed with emotions, one of them being guilt.
"Branch…this is so sweet, but-I didn't-"
He knew what she was going to say and stopped her before she could finish her tangent."Poppy, the greatest thing you've done for me was be in my life. Everyday is Valentine's day whenever I'm with you."
He knew he convinced her when she smiled so big he thought she would explode. "I'll give you some privacy, so please just enjoy yourself! I'll be out there if you need anything. Oh and that book there, it turns out Fools in Love is a real book."
Before she could say anything, Branch closed the door. She didn't hesitate to undress and allow herself to be absorbed by the warm water and bubbles. She was the luckiest troll in the whole world. She sipped the wine while reading the book. Then just like she predicted, an idea came to her at the last minute. It was perfect, it goes to show how much listening could do. She wasn't in a hurry to get out of the bath though. Branch intended for her to relax as long as possible so she'd be damned if she didn't. Only when she finished half the book and almost half the wine, she decided to get out of the tub. Her skin was starting to prune as well. This was much needed though! She was so grateful for Branch and his caring heart. When she got out of the tub, she gathered her clothes and put on her robe. She went out to find Branch and found him organizing the kitchen. It was very quiet.
"Boo!" She shouted.
Branch jumped out of his skin, letting out a small shriek! He turned around quickly and saw Poppy standing there.
"Poppy!"
She thought she would fall to the floor from laughing. She imitated his scream which made her laugh harder. Branch stood there pretending to be unamused, but her laugh was too cute for him to be mad. Once she recovered, she apologized, but her fit of giggles started again. That gave Branch an open door.
"I'll give you something to laugh about!" He picked her up and carried her over his shoulder before he plopped her on the couch, pinning her arms down to tickle her. He was smirking in pure delight to see her squirm and laugh. After he felt like she had enough, he released her. She took a second to catch her breath.
"Ok, we're even." She admitted.
"Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Well the tickle attack not so much, but scaring you was very satisfying." Realizing that wasn't what he was talking about, she continued on. "Ohhh, the bath. It was amazing. Thank you so much for doing that for me. The rose petals were a nice touch."
"I was happy to do it." He paused. "I had fun at the party today."
"It was so much fun!" She started daydreaming about when they danced together. "You…have a way of sweeping me off my feet. You've been holding out on me."
"I guess I was caught up in the moment."
"I hope we can have more of those moments."
"Of course we will."
"Happy Valentine's Day babe."
Branch blushed at the pet name. "Happy Valentine's Day my love." He softly kissed her cheek.
"If it's ok, could I stay here tonight? I know it's not part of the routine, but.."
"Of course you can, Poppy. I know I'm weird about routines, but I'm learning to be flexible."
As promised, they spent a quiet evening together. Branch started a fire in the fireplace and they snuggled on the couch. Poppy was finishing up the rest of Fools in Love while Branch was reading one of his own books. Not a romance novel yet, but maybe one day. It wasn't long before they started to yawn and got ready for bed. Due to the fact they had a busy day and they didn't sleep well the night before, they fell asleep almost immediately after laying down. When Branch felt the light in his eyes, he fought against it. There was no point in waking up yet, but then he noticed something was different. The bed felt the same as it had when they went to sleep. He opened one of his eyes and saw Poppy was still there! He looked at the clock and it was almost 8! Poppy was going to be late! He lightly shook her and she was resisting until she gave in and opened her eyes.
"Hi sleepyhead." She whispered softly.
"Poppy! It's almost 8! You're going to be late!"
"No I'm not. I canceled the morning song today."
Was he still waking up and not hearing things correctly? "What do you mean?"
"I know I've had to leave early in the mornings whenever we stay together. I know how much you've wanted to spend mornings with me, so today I canceled the morning song so we could do that."
Branch was speechless! Ohhh that's why she wanted to stay over last night, she must've thought of this idea when she had her bubble bath. He realized though it didn't matter when she thought of it, it was very thoughtful in his eyes! He pulled her closer and they slept for a little while longer. He was savoring this as much as he could because he knew it would be rare to share this again soon. After snuggling a little more, Branch made the move to get up.
"Come on Pops, I'll make the coffee."
"That's going to take awhile."
He winked. "I know. I'll be back."
While she stretched out in the bed and he walked down the hallway, they shared the same thought. This was a success!
As promised, this story is more uplifting! I apologize for the late update, I had a stressful week at work. So getting to sit down and write about my favorite couple made me so happy! This story went in a completely different direction than originally. At first I had them both admit at the end of the story of their internal dilemma. Then I thought that was too similar to Holiday in Harmony and it would defer from their character development about opening up to each other as we see in TBT, so I'm happy about making the switch. I wanted Poppy to live by her words about opening up. And yes I know there's some teasing about proposing again. I hope I wasn't the only one that was frustrated that they teased us like that! Anyways I hope everyone enjoys, I love when my stories turn out longer than originally thought!
~Ash