The First Big Step
A few months had passed since Poppy and Branch discussed the idea of living together. After Poppy had made a full recovery, it took a little while to adjust to her busy routine again. It made it hard for the couple to discuss an actual plan to take the next steps. Despite no plan being in motion, Poppy was still excited by the idea. Branch on the other hand found that as time went by his initial excitement was turning into apprehension.
Then one night, they finally had a chance to talk and set on a date for the big move. They picked out a spot near the village but also provided a nice privacy setting. Branch had been the one to design the pod, which was a nice violet color. The outside was made from the plant typha's fur which made it soft and fuzzy. He designed it to be spacious for the both of them, so they had enough room to keep both of their stuff. It was decided that Viva would take Poppy's old pod which thrilled both sisters. As the date got closer, Branch would start to pack his stuff up, but then find he couldn't place them in the boxes. He was struggling to figure out why. He knew it was going to be hard to leave the place he had called home for 20 years, but he felt terrible for now feeling hesitant about it.
Poppy let herself into the bunker, it was one of their scheduled nights for their sleepover. Branch wasn't waiting for her at the bottom of the elevator like he normally did. Maybe he was packing some things up. As she looked around, Poppy was surprised to see no boxes or any empty rooms. Finally, Branch spotted her and greeted her properly.
"Oh, hey Poppy. I didn't hear the elevator."
"That's alright. Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I couldn't help but notice you don't have anything packed…"
Branch sighed and closed his eyes. "Yeah..I-I guess I'm just not sure where to start. I don't know what to take with me and what to leave here. This is a little harder than I thought."
"Branch, we could always live in the bun-"
"No!" Branch snapped.
Branch heard how he sounded and corrected it immediately. "I'm sorry! I don't want us to live in the bunker. I want to make this change not only for us but for myself."
She nodded, her eyes softening. "Why don't we figure out what things you want to bring and leave here?"
"That might take awhile."
"Well two heads are better than one right?"
He smirked at her and couldn't argue with her logic, it was one of the reasons why he felt overwhelmed but not all of them. The two of them were able to knock out a list and even managed to pack a few things up in the process. Poppy could still detect that Branch was still feeling anxious so she decided to break the ice.
"What are you most excited about?"
"That depends, you want a cheesy answer?"
"Absolutely!"
"Just…being with you all the time. Whenever you're happy, sad, or having a bad day. I want to be there for all of it."
Poppy smiled shyly. Branch always had a thing for words and it made her heart melt every time.
"Ok, your turn." Branch teased.
"Oh that's an easy one! Seeing your cute face everyday! Grumbles and all!" She playfully pinched one of his cheeks. "Andddd, I can kiss you anytime I want!" She planted a big kiss on his lips but teasingly pulled away quickly.
"Oh Poppy dear. You shouldn't have done that."
He pulled her back into a passionate kiss to which Poppy melted completely into. Poppy tried to stop him a few times to get back on task, but Branch was having none of it. Poppy eventually gave up and returned his affections. Neither of them remembered anything else after that, they just woke up the next morning happy as can be.
By the next day, Branch wasn't feeling so nervous anymore and started to pack some of his things up. He even found some things he hadn't seen in a long time like old pictures, clothes, and stuffed animals. He wasn't sure what to do with the invitations and poems that were still in the bunker. He reminisced in the memories of Poppy being so optimistic about inviting him to her parties and himself always making a big show about destroying her invitations. Since then, he had shown her that he kept them all these years and apologized for this behavior, but he never showed Poppy the poems. Maybe that's what he could do with it, give them to her. It would make a nice surprise. He heard the elevator and knew that it couldn't be Poppy. Oh boy, must be his brothers. He was right, he recognized Floyd and Clay's voices.
"Aye Branch! What's going on man?!" Clay exclaimed while fist bumping Branch.
"Just packing up," said Branch.
Clay and Floyd smirked at each other.
"Don't start." stated Branch.
"We came to help, it seems like you got a lot of stuff." said Floyd
"Yeah! We can start moving the boxes to your new pod!" said Clay.
"I appreciate that, but I want to make sure I'm keeping track of my things."
Floyd nodded. "Ok…then can we help you another way?"
"Um…well we can clean the empty rooms, that would be good."
The three of them cleaned in silence for a little bit. Until a rhythm started to form with the sound of the sweep from the broom. Then it matched with the sound of the sponge scrubbing. Lastly, with the sound of spray dispensing, it was all too perfect. The brothers couldn't resist singing a song together while they worked. Floyd started it off.
(Floyd)
You've got me wide open
Wide open
Now I'm yours
You found me heartbroken
Heartbroken
On the floor
(Clay)
Became my salvation
Salvation
Through the war, yeah
You got me wide open
Wide open
Now I'm sure
(Together)
In a world like this where some back down
I, I know we're gonna make it
In a time like this where love comes 'round
I, I know we gotta take it
In a world like this where people fall apart
In a time like this where nothing comes from the heart
In a world like this, I've got you
(Branch)
And now I'm free falling, free falling
In your eyes
You got me still calling, still calling
No surprise
(Clay)
I never knew I could love till the
End of time, yeah
(Floyd)
And now I'm free falling, free falling
By your side
(Together)
In a world like this where some back down
I, I know we're gonna make it
In a time like this where love comes 'round
I, I know we gotta take it
In a world like this where people fall apart
In a time like this where nothing comes from the heart
In a world like this, I've got you
(Floyd)
Ah, yeah
Ah, In a world like this
(Branch)
You got me wide open, wide open, yeah
And now I'm free falling, free falling
Hey, yeah, yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
In a world like, in a world like
'Cause I got you
In a world like this
(Together)
In a world like this where some back down
I, I know we're gonna make it (We're gonna make it)
In a time like this where love comes 'round
I, I know we gotta take it
In a world like this where people fall apart
In a time like this where nothing comes from the heart
In a world like this, I've got you
The three of them shared a heartfelt laugh after they finished their spontaneous number. They laughed so hard that they dropped their cleaning supplies.
"Look at us! We could've made it as a trio! We sounded great!" Clay exclaimed.
Floyd shook his head. "Better not let JD catch you saying that."
Clay rolled his eyes. "Pshhh JD. We were so in sync! It just felt nice to have our rhythm come naturally."
"Yeah that was pretty fun." Branch agreed. "We should stay on task though, or do you want to take a break?"
Clay chuckled. "Nah! Let's keep going, we're already on a roll."
After an hour with their hard work, not a speck of dust was in the empty rooms. Branch still insisted he didn't need any help with packing. Though it would be nice, he wasn't in the mood for questions about the stuff he had.
"Hey Branch, I was thinking of something." Clay started.
"Uh huh?" Branch responded, though not fully paying attention.
"Since your bunker is going to be empty, maybe it would be a good idea if someone stayed here and looked after it."
Branch turned his head quickly. "What?"
"Yeah! It would be great! It would be a nice boring place for me to stay, you know since I'm serious and all. It would be in great hands too! Viva's taking Poppy's pod, so wouldn't it be cool if I stayed here? I already made some remodel plans for it."
"No." Branch said dryly.
Clay blinked. "What?"
"I said no. I don't want you to stay in my bunker. For the record, it's not boring and what gives you the right to change it without even asking me?"
"Branch I didn't mean-"
"Do you know how long it took me to build this bunker?! I didn't build this for funsies you know! I dug in the dirt with my own hands! I built this to protect myself from the bergens and the other dangers in the world. Yeah, maybe I don't need it anymore, but this was 20 years of my life spent here! This was my home. This is not a trademark to show everyone you're not fun Clay anymore." He stopped for a second and the room was filled with silence. "Thanks for the help cleaning, but I want you guys to leave now."
"Branch, look I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"Please. Just leave."
Clay stood there with his mouth agape as Branch walked away. Floyd put a hand on Clay's shoulder implying it was a good idea to leave Branch alone. Once the elevator shaft reached the surface and the trapdoor shut, Branch started to pace around. He wasn't truly mad at Clay, his temper once again got the better of him. He was processing a lot of emotions because there were many changes happening. Not all were bad, two of his brothers living in the village was a great one. It was the uncertainty that scared him still. He tried to put it out of his mind by packing his stuff again, but it wasn't working. He decided maybe after a nice walk he would feel better.
Branch strolled through the village and tried his best not to look too agitated when trolls would say hi or ask how packing up the bunker was going. He managed to bear through it. His eyes were scanning for a familiar pink troll, if anyone could make him feel better it would be her. Branch found something else first, their new pod. It was clear as day on the tree. He used his hair to get up there and looked inside. It was still empty, looks like Poppy hadn't moved her stuff in yet either. It was great though, it allowed himself to imagine what the pod would look like when everything started coming together. Though he and Poppy would have to compromise on the right amount of girly/manly to be out in the open, this place would be filled with love, laughter, and happiness.
"Well hi there!" exclaimed a familiar voice.
Branch turned around and smiled when he saw Poppy in the doorway. "Hi yourself."
"What'd you doing here?"
"I was looking for you, but then I found the pod and couldn't help but steal another look at it."
"Oh I bet, after all you designed it! I'm so excited! Wait-You were looking for me? What for?"
"I wanted to talk to you about something that happened."
"I'm all ears Branch."
"Well um…I kinda lost my temper to Clay."
"What happened?"
"I..he…suggested that he could live in my bunker."
"Oh. I see. It sounds like you weren't fond of that idea."
"And I don't know why. I know he would take good care of it, but he made it seem like he only wanted to stay there to prove he was a serious troll. He doesn't understand how much the bunker means to me. It was a place I built for myself."
Poppy nodded and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's hard to let go of something that's been yours for 20 years. It will always be your bunker, so if you don't want to give it to someone else you have that right."
Branch shrugged. "I shouldn't have been so rude about it."
Her smile prevented him from feeling down. "Nothing an apology can't fix."
He nodded. "You're right. I hope I won't get on your nerves too much being in your presence all the time."
"I don't think that's possible." She snuggled against him.
He pulled her closer to him. "Thank you for listening."
"Thank you for opening up."
They shared some ideas of where they could place things in the pod before they heard some trolls calling out looking for Poppy. Branch was going to have to get used to that. They kissed each other quickly before she went on her way. Branch left their pod and headed for Floyd's. He swung his hair from the trees and landed in front of the pod and knocked.
"Come in!" Floyd called.
Branch let himself in. "Hi Floyd, is Clay here?"
"Speaking." Clay shouted from the couch.
"Oh um ok." Branch made his way over to the couch and sat across from his brother. "Clay, I'm sorry for being rude, that was wrong."
"Branch it's ok. I'm sorry for being insensitive about it. Sometimes I forget that it was more than just a hideout for you."
"I know you would take great care of it. I'm ready to not live in my bunker anymore, but not completely give it up."
Clay nodded. "I understand. It's almost like your baby, like my CPA. I had noticed you seemed to be apprehensive about the move and thought it would make you feel better if you knew someone would be there looking after it."
"Thank you for that, it was very thoughtful. That brings me to another thing I had wanted to ask you. You left Putt Putt, how did you deal with adjusting to living in a new land?"
"By remembering I would have my friends and family with me. It's still an adjustment, but I love being back in the village with you guys. So I do understand that this is a scary thing for you, but you got Poppy by your side. Your brothers and friends too."
Floyd came and joined the conversation. "I for one am excited for you guys!"
Clay nudged Branch. "We better get an invite to your housewarming party!"
Branch rolled his eyes. "Can we get settled in first?"
"Is that code for something?" Clay winked.
"Ugh, you sound like JD." Branch groaned.
Floyd and Clay started to laugh which Branch eventually joined in. They decided to finish what they started and helped Branch clean the rest of his bunker. Mostly everything was packed up now. All that remained in the bunker was his rations, weapons, and everything in his bedroom. He would wait until the very last day to pack those things up. It felt very surreal to see his bunker almost empty. However that surrealness didn't compare to when the big day finally came.
All of Branch's brothers came for this special occasion and helped move all of his things to the new pod. They all sang songs together, cracked jokes, and laughed. There was some cockiness among the brothers about who was the strongest when it came to lifting Branch's bed.
"Oh! My back!" exclaimed JD.
"See! I told you you couldn't lift that by yourself!" argued Bruce.
JD winced. "Fine, fine. All together."
The bed was the very last thing out of the bunker. It was done. Branch barely slept the night before, his brain still didn't process that it was his last night in the bunker. Poppy had offered to stay with him, but it was something he needed to do alone. The brothers were trying to move the bed when they noticed Branch wasn't moving. He knelt down to the hatch door, staring at the entrance of his bunker.
"Branch come-" JD started.
The other brothers stopped him. "Shhh!"
Branch slid his hand on the "go away, please" mat. He had debated if he wanted to take it with him, but in the end he decided to leave it there. The message would still be there to keep others out, the bunker was going to be used for emergencies only. He stood back up and felt a few stray tears falling down his face. Branch realized his brothers were watching him, he tried clearing his throat but the tears kept falling. His brothers gave him soft smiles free of judgment and went up to him. Each brother wrapped one arm around Branch, taking in this moment together.
"I'm so proud of you Branch. Your new adventure is waiting for you." said Floyd.
Branch sniffled and returned the embrace to his brothers. Poppy had arrived to see this beautiful sight and tried to hold back her own tears. His brothers noticed and decided to go on ahead and move the rest of Branch's things to allow the couple to have their own moment.
"This is really it, huh?" said Poppy.
"2nd time's the charm. This time though, I'm ready to start this new chapter of life. With you." said Branch.
Poppy smiled big and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for taking this step with me."
"I would take a million steps to be with you."
They shared a tender kiss and held each other a little longer. Memories came flooding in both of their heads. The numerous times Poppy knocked on the bunker door, the playful banter he and Poppy shared in there, when their friends would break in, when unexpected guests showed up. The bunker hadn't been just a home for Branch, it had started his relationship and many other friendships. If a stubborn pink troll had given up on him, they wouldn't have been where they were today. Ending the embrace, Branch locked the door for the last time.
"Goodbye old friend, and thank you." Branch said silently.
For a while, their feet felt glued to the ground until Poppy took Branch by the hand and led him away. They walked in silence until their new pod came into their view. Both of their eyes lit up and they shared a smile with each other. They hurried up to their new home and to their surprise, all the furniture was already in there. Mostly everything was set up except for their boxes with their personal things. They found a note from the brothers and Viva saying they wanted to make it a smooth transition for both of them by setting up their furniture. Both were impressed by this, this place already felt so homey. They could always fix some things up later, all that mattered in this moment was the two of them were now alone in their own place. Branch squeezed Poppy's hand and pulled her into another loving embrace.
"We're home." Branch said softly.
Tada! A little shorter than the recent firsts, but nothing wrong with short and sweet! Don't worry we will see plenty of fluff about their first night in the next first ;) I really wanted to explore Branch's feelings about leaving his bunker, originally I had it where Clay was going to stay in the bunker but I felt Branch wouldn't give it up too quickly. I know for sure Branch would also design a place for him and Poppy. And is it really a Trolls story without a musical number? Song is in a world like this by the backstreet boys, I don't own it. Stay tuned for the next First! It will be lighthearted and a little awkward. I think anyone who has lived with a partner will relate to it. Stay warm!
~Ash