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📚Broppy CollegeAU | "Campus Days"

Part 7: Picnic Lunch

Tuesday, Week 4 of 16

This was a particularly special day for the college. Once a semester, the students who had botany classes or were members of the gardening club hosted a nursery day on campus. In front of the school’s cafeteria was a large quad, accompanied by tall, lush trees that shaded the grass. The event took place on this quad, it was popular for all kinds of affairs, including festivals and college orientations. On this day, the quad held the botany students’ nurseries, where they sold flowers, vegetables, seeds, and fruits that were all grown in the campus garden. It buzzed with life, and of course, Poppy had to be a part of it.

At the beginning of class, the professor was in the process of giving his lecture when his phone rang. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket to mute when he noticed who was calling him.

“Oh- excuse me, everyone, I must take this call. It’s my wife.” He sheepishly said, quietly hushing everyone while he stepped outside the classroom. Immediately, Poppy turns to Branch.

“BRANCH” Her voice boomed, Branch was startled and held his chest to feel his heart race, “YES, Poppy??” His voice cracked; his eyes darted around to see if there was any danger.

“Okay so, outside there is an event and I really want to go. If we have any time after class, can we pleeaasee peek at the booths set up?” She pleaded. Poppy’s hands were clasped under her chin as she pouted, her eyes looked sad as she held her gaze at Branch. All he could do was stare into her eyes and blushed, he couldn’t resist and held eye contact with her. For a moment, Poppy felt butterflies in her stomach, something was aching for more when she kept her eyes on him, almost like she wanted to kiss him again.

Unexpectedly, the professor ran back into the classroom; he was gathering all his belongings when he spoke up again.

“I’m so sorry everyone, I have to dismiss class early, my wife is in labor, and I need to meet her at the hospital!” The professor was frantically resetting the office part of the class for the next professor. When he left, the class cheered for him and congratulated him on his newborn troll.

After the commotion calmed down, all the students gathered their supplies, high-fiving each other for the sudden dismissal. Branch and Poppy had broken their gaze in the beginning, they were startled by the sudden announcement from the professor. Slowly, the two turned back to each other and gave each other a smug smile.

When the pair left their belongings in their locker, they both made their way to the event. Poppy was humming a tune from the movie “In the Heights” and shimmied to the melody. Branch couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, she was swinging her hips in a rhythmic motion, her feet stepped to a familiar choreography. No one else around to see.

“Carnaval del barrio~” She was ahead of Branch, quietly singing the chorus of the song.

“Carnaval del barrio~” She turned around to stop Branch from walking any further, snaked her hands into his, and laced their fingers together. Her singing slowly escalated in volume and sang the acapella.

“Carnaval del barrio~” Poppy swayed her hips side to side with each step. This enticed Branch to join in.

“Carnaval del Barrio~!” Her voice went up a note, she felt him quickly move her left hand on his shoulder and held her by the waist. Branch joined in to sing.

“Alza la bandera la bandera Dominicana~” In unison they sang, Branch mirrored Poppy’s steps and swayed his hips with her, keeping her secure in his grasp.

“Alza la bandera, la bandera Puertorriquena~” He gently spun them both, their bodies were close in contact, and their hips connected.

“Alza la bandera, la bandera Mexicana~” As if the music was playing in real-time, they both continued to sing along. Branch brought Poppy closer to himself, her right leg in between his legs, swaying to the beat. They felt the music in the air.

“Alza la bandera, la bandera-” He dipped her with his right leg once.

“La bandera- “, He dipped her a second time.

“La bandera- “, He dipped her a third time.

“La bandera~”, He dipped her a fourth time, bringing her back up one last time.

“Alza la bandera!” Poppy held Branch’s right hand as she let him spin her, before he tugged her back into his arms, dipping her one last time.

“HEY!” They chanted the last lyric, and the couple stared at each other, out of breath. Poppy was enchanted by this, she never thought that he would join her in the song. Branch took this opportunity and kissed her on her cheek, overlapping the corner of her lips. “I love ‘In the Heights’, it’s one of my favorite musicals.” He grinned, bringing her back up on her feet, and walked away.

Poppy was stunned, Branch had kissed her on the cheek. She felt her cheeks deeply redden and held her hands on her face, feeling the heat radiate off her.

“Are you coming to the event or am I going by myself?” Branch shouted; he was 10 feet away when he realized that she wasn’t moving. This brought Poppy out of her trance, and she faced him.

She smiled and touched the spot he kissed; the feeling of his lips lingered on her skin. “I’m coming~!” In a sing-song voice, she responded, skipping her way next to his side and linked her arm with his, walking together to the quad.

Once they were at the quad, they both browsed the booths together. One row had vendors selling all kinds of flowers that ranged from decoration, food, herbs, and spices. On the next row was a lineup of vendors selling makeup and accessories made of dried flowers, one booth caught Poppy’s eyes and she made a B-line to them. When Branch caught up to her, he saw a tent filled with handmade baskets and blankets, they were made using materials on campus, even from the wool of the barn sheep.

Poppy was admiring all the different baskets they made, but Branch had his eyes on a large square blanket. It was a light pink and strawberry color checkered blanket, large enough to sprawl out on if he wished. The texture was dense enough to keep him warm but also keep water from seeping through, the blanket was only half an inch thick.

“I’ll buy this one please.” He waved to the vendor and pulled out his wallet to pay in cash, leaving the leftover to tip. Poppy walked up behind Branch to see what he had bought, only to feel him plop the blanket into her arms, neatly rolled up with a bow to secure it.

“Ohhhh~ This is nice! It feels soft and dense, this would be perfect for a picnic!” She giggled, she rubbed a corner of the blanket in between her fingers to admire the craftmanship.

“It’s for you.” Branch warmly said, he smiled and stuffed his wallet back into his pocket.

“Wait what? You bought this for me?” Poppy’s eyes widened at his statement, her heart skipped a beat, and she held the blanket closer to her chest. She seemed unsure and waited for his response.

Branch simply nodded, “Yup, it reminded me of you and your vibrant personality.” A blush crept up on him, his confidence was depleted after that kiss on the cheek he gave her.

Poppy felt butterflies in her stomach, she was flattered at the gift and now she knew exactly what to do to pay it forward.

She gave him a toothy smile, “Thank you Branch, I know exactly what we can do for lunch!” She excitedly danced in her spot, her feet quickly tapped on the grassy floor of the tent, and she quickly grabbed his hand.

“Thank you!” She beamed at the vendor before she dragged him outside.

Branch was tasked with setting up a spot away from the event. He found a nice, shaded area, it was secluded, and the music could still be heard faintly in the distance. After he laid out the blanket, he sat down in the middle with his shoes off. He listened to the breeze brush the trees and leaned on his hands behind him, he felt relaxed and closed his eyes.

Poppy came to their spot after 10 minutes. She brought chicken katsu bento boxes in a bag, hanging from her left arm, and two sodas in both of her hands. She stopped from a short distance to watch Branch, he was peacefully enjoying the moment, and this was a sight she cherished in her heart. Something about his resting face made her heart beat a bit harder, and the sudden urge to kiss him came up again. Poppy shook her head and mentally kicked herself for thinking of something ridiculous. To keep herself from imagining such scenarios again, she rustled the bag in her arm to bring Branch’s attention to her. Branch opened his eyes and made eye contact with Poppy, he scooted over and patted the spot to his left, it was free from any sun peeking through the leaves.

Quickly, Poppy carefully set down the bag of food and sodas. She sat down to his left, opened the bag to reveal their lunches, and passed his soda to Branch.

“Thank you for the food, you really didn’t have to buy me lunch.” He hummed, slowly opened his bento box, and slipped the chopsticks out of their paper wrapper. Poppy poured her katsu sauce over the meat and opened her canned soda.

“It’s a thank you for the gift, it really means a lot to me that you thought of me Branch.” She smiled and kept her eyes on her food, avoiding eye contact to suppress her urge to kiss the troll again, he just looked so sweet.

Branch looked at her, watching her prepare her food and stuffing the largest piece of chicken in her mouth which made him laugh.

Poppy reacted quickly and stared at Branch, “What’s so funny?” she said with her mouth full, still chewing the meat.

He laughed harder and held his mouth to stop himself. “It’s just- “ He chuckled, “You look like a hamster when they stuff all those seeds in their cheeks!” He stifled his giggle. Poppy rolled her eyes and pouted, she swallowed her food and began, “I do not look like a hamster!! Hmph!” She pouted again, turning her face away from Branch.

His laugh trailed off with a satisfied sigh before he reached over to cup her face. Slowly, Branch brought Poppy to face him again.

“Awe~ It’s just that you looked so cute with your cheeks stuffed with food!” He playfully teased her, squished her face, and smiled at her to cheer her up again. Poppy loosened up quickly and gave him a side smile, she softly pushed his face to hide her flustered cheeks.

Branch giggled and let go of her face, when he looked at her again, he noticed something.

“Hey, wait, you got some sauce on your chin.” Quickly, he used his thumb to wipe the sauce off her face and unintentionally brushed her bottom lip. Poppy froze in her spot, she let him wipe off the sauce and waited for him to turn back to his food. Internally, she was screaming and squealing like a fangirl who saw her bias on stage. She held back the urge to kick her feet and stuffed rice in her mouth again before she squealed externally.

Branch blissfully went back to eat and never saw her reaction.

After their lunch, Poppy felt energized and ready to get back to her adventures. On the other hand, Branch felt a food coma kicking in, he was never good at staying awake after a hearty meal. He began to nod off while Poppy went on a rant about the price of paint.

“Hey Poppy, I’m really sorry to cut you off during your rant but-“ He covered his mouth when he yawned, “ I think I’m being hit by a food coma.” Branch patted his stomach and lazily blinked at her. Immediately, Poppy had an idea. She moved further away from Branch and patted her thighs. “You can use me as a pillow if you’re sleepy, I can wake you up before your class starts.” She eagerly said she loved it when her friends slept on her, she felt useful and closer to them, perfect for bonding!

“Thanks, Poppy.” Branch didn’t hesitate and removed his cardigan. Carefully, he laid his head on Poppy’s legs and used his sweater as a blanket. Poppy gently brushed his hair with her fingers, she delicately gave him a head massage and instantly put Branch to sleep.

After 5 minutes, Poppy had gotten lost in thought. She couldn’t help but feel this flame in her heart, she knew that she was developing feelings for her friend. Normally, she would confess right away at the first feeling of affection, but she didn’t want to scare him away. Her fingers traced shapes on his forehead and earned herself a sleepy smile from him.

Her eyes trailed from his hair to his eyes, then to his ears, and finally to his lips. Branch’s mouth was slightly parted. Poppy wondered, ‘What did it feel like to kiss him?’ She remembered the kiss she gave him on the cheek, only she focused on the corner of his lips she ‘accidentally’ felt. She blushed and remembered how soft they felt, she touched her lips and reminisced. Slowly, she leaned down to inch closer to his lips. She hesitated and thought, ‘This is wrong’ Then she moved up to his forehead, gently kissing his temple, letting her lips linger to embrace the feeling.

He smelled amazing, this time he embodied a green apple-like scent, sweet and fresh. She sat back up to enjoy the moment. Time passed and it was finally time to wake up Branch for his next class.

She gently caressed his cheek and softly called his name. He slowly blinked awake and looked up at Poppy, the sunlight made her glow. Butterflies were a constant recurrence to Branch.

“It’s time to wake up sleepy head.”

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#broppy #trolls branch #trolls poppy #trolls band together #trolls world tour #art #fanfic #college au #fluff

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georgiedoodles · 5 hours

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📚Broppy CollegeAU | "Campus Days"

Part 6: My Safe Space

Thursday, Week 3 of 16.

"Do you play an instrument?" Poppy asked, she took a break from painting and sipped from her water bottle. It had been 2 hours since class started and it was almost time for their break. She looked over to Branch on her right. He was in deep thought, mumbled, and counted with his fingers.

"I play a few instruments, most of the ones that I have played are not the ones I'm skilled with. The ones I can say I am better playing with are Ukelele, Guitar, and uhh" He paused for a moment, he tried to recollect his experiences, "a Lyre." He hummed, he remembered his childhood when he messed with the string instruments, most of the time he was only goofing around recklessly strumming.

"Wait what's a Lyre?" Poppy curiously raised an eyebrow.

"It's a string instrument, think of it as a Harp but smaller and compact, if you played medieval-themed games you'll know which one I'm referring to." Branch finished up the last of his painting before the distant bell announced their break time. They both grabbed their wallets and made their way to the cafe.

Outside the cafe there was an unusually large crowd of students who walked around dozens of tents, it seemed like there was an event the college hosted. Poppy leaned over the rail, iced coffee in her left hand as she watched the bustling crowd take flyers and free swag from the staff members. Dozens of tents were set up with the college name on the top, and a couple of blank unassociated tents were set up farther away.

"We should go check it out, they have an info booth at the bottom of the steps!" Poppy bounced on her toes, she loved social events, and this was her zone. Branch seemed unsure and glanced at his phone, "I mean, we have 10 minutes left until we have to get back to class, I guess we can?" He shrugged, unsure of how to respond.

Poppy squealed as she slid her hand into Branch's and dragged him to the info booth. They both received a black and white flyer with large text at the top, "CLUB FAIR". They walked around and saw all the props and decorated tents the clubs dedicated to the event. Students signed up or talked with the members, most of the students were Freshmen looking for a club to join.

The two walked around heading in the direction of their class before Poppy stopped abruptly. Branch bumped into her nearly dropping his Iced coffee.

"Hey- watch how you walk Poppy, you can't just stop like that-" He paused when he noticed a purple troll. He stood directly in front of Poppy, only 2 feet of space between them. The stranger was towered over the both of them, he seemed familiar but Branch couldn't put a finger on it. His train of thought was interrupted when Poppy squeezed his hand tight.

"Well hello, Poppy." The troll finally spoke, his voice was predatory, a condescending smirk on his face as if he locked onto a target.

Poppy frowned, she held her chin up to stare at the purple troll directly into his eyes, it seemed like she did her best to act fearless. "Creek." She flatly stated. She pulled Branch a little closer to her body.

Creek's eyes slowly panned toward Branch, when he glanced down to see their linked hand, he sharpened his stare. His chin held high as he stared down at Branch, analyzing him. "who's your little friend?" he asked, his glare forced Branch to straighten his posture, his intimidation was working on him.

"That's none of your business Creek, leave us alone." Poppy squeezed Branch's hand, she did her best to suppress her anger as she gritted her teeth.

"But Poppy, I only want to chat, we can grab lunch and catch up. It's been a while since we spent time together don't you think?" Creek sounded condescending, he stood tall and held his hands together.

"No, I'm good."

"Are you sure? It's a nice warm day today-"

"No Creek, now leave us alone before I call campus security." Poppy snapped at the Purple troll.

"I only want us to-"

"We can't chat, we're busy and on our way back to class." Poppy quickly said, she pulled Branch along as she shoulder-checked Creek. He seemed unfazed by the gesture. Then quickly reached for Poppy's left hand that held her coffee, with a tight grip he squeezed and twisted her arm to force her closer to himself. Poppy winced and let out a pained gasp, she attempted to free herself by clawing his fingers.

"Now my love, that's no way to talk to your former fiancé now is it?" His grip tightened, he pulled her even closer to him and stared down at her. He was only a few inches from her nose. Before Branch could react, Poppy used her free hand to grab her coffee and tossed her drink into his eyes. This worked and he dropped her arm. Poppy saw the opportunity to grab Branch's hand again and sprint off into the distance back to their art building. Behind them was a commotion, a crowd surrounded Creek. Trolls were recording the incident, cursing could be heard from behind them, and it seemed like her coffee was successful in temporarily blinding him.

They both hid within the trees and shrubbery between the art buildings, Poppy let go of Branch while they caught their breath. She seemed shaken up, yet, proud of her escape. Then she looked over at Branch, he was disheveled and was leaning against the wall, he was trying to cover up his labored breathing. After a few minutes, Branch finally spoke up.

"Poppy what was that??" he huffed out, his chest rose and fell with each breath, he sipped his coffee to stabilize himself more. Poppy wiped beads of sweat from her forehead before she looked at him.

"That was Creek, my... my ex." She wheezed and stood up taller, it looked like her fight-or-flight mode was still active, and kept watch over Branch's shoulders. She needed to make sure Creek hadn't followed them to their building. "He was the one I was telling you about, the guy that… that..." She struggled to make out any more words, her throat felt tighter at every attempt. She massaged her wrist and realized it was red with Creek's handprint on it, it would bruise soon.

All Branch could see was how vulnerable she felt. Slowly, he moved closer to her, he didn't want to alarm her so he made no sudden movements.

Gently he spoke, "Poppy, are you okay?" He asked, his voice was a soft whisper. He set his coffee down in the shade. Then, his hands carefully hovered closer to hers, but he didn't dare touch her first. Branch patiently waited for her. After a moment, Poppy slowly reached for his hands, gently touching his palms with her fingertips, and slowly held his hands. She admired how soft they were and noticed that only his thumbs, index, and middle fingers were calloused at the tips. Curiously she studied them.

"Are your fingers calloused because you play instruments?" She finally spoke, she gently caressed his hand, and her fingers explored the history engraved in his palms. Branch felt relieved to see her mood improve and opened his hands, he wanted her to have full access to see everything.

Quietly, he happily sighed, "That and I like to study plants, so I have to dig and work with dirty tools most of the time." He watched her explore the scars he had on his hands. Poppy's eyes seemed a bit empty, she ran her fingers through his more and hummed.

Softly she stated, "You're a good person, y'know?" Her grip slightly loosened but never let go of him. She looked up at Branch and a twinkle of hope sparkled in her eyes. She gazed into his eyes, it seemed like she wanted to say or do something at that moment. So, with slow, careful, small steps, she closed the space between them. Branch was frozen in his spot, he wasn't sure what she planned but he didn't feel like stopping her. Poppy quickly glanced down to study his lips, then looked back into his eyes. With hesitation, she leaned in. Branch squeezed his eyes shut and anxiously waited for the contact, he wasn't sure why but his lips and mouth felt dry. Then... nothing happened, all he felt were a pair of arms that gently wrapped around his shoulders. Branch's eyes shot open when he realized that Poppy hugged him.

"Can you... hold me?" Her voice cracked as she asked, her voice muffled in his neck. Branch obliged and wrapped his arms around her waist gently squeezed her tighter, and felt her sigh with relief. They stayed in this position for a while, each moment accompanied by the sound of singing birds and the breeze brushing the trees above. Branch never let go, he knew she needed this hug. All he could do was bury his face into her neck and take a deep breath, her sweet citrus perfume comforted him.

They blissfully floated in their little bubble.

After a while, Poppy loosened her embrace. She slowly slid her arms off of Branch's shoulders and gently cupped Branch's cheeks with her hands. She playfully squished his face and attempted to manipulate his mouth into a smile. He gave her an unamused look, he was more than okay with her touchy antics. Branch still held her by the waist, she never protested or seemed bothered by it. He closed his eyes and waited for her to finish, at the same time, he quietly enjoyed the touch of her soft hands on his face, wishing for her to continue to her heart's content. He could fall asleep to this.

He felt a pause and expected her to pull away to say something goofy. Instead, he felt a quick kiss on his cheek. Branch's eyes shot open to see Poppy smiling, he felt flustered and stuttered. She kissed his cheek and some landed on the corner of his lips.

Before he could mutter anything, she giggled, moved away, and walked toward his drink. Poppy bent down to pick up his coffee and took a sip. When she looked back, she couldn't help but smirk at Branch, he hadn't moved.

Branch had short-circuited.

She walked over to him and waved her hand in front of him, he had a thousand-yard stare with his arms in the air, where her waist was. Suddenly, Branch's phone rang and it snapped him out of his trance. He quickly collected himself to decline the call. Slowly his eyes met Poppy's playful, yet smug smile, she was still taking small sips from his coffee.

"Oops, I got some of my lipstick on your uh-" She gestured to her lips and left cheek, "-your face." she giggled.

Branch felt flustered and used his sleeve to rub off the lipstick mark. He cleared his throat and took back his drink. "L-let's start heading back to c-class, we're very late and we still have work to do." His voice cracked and his cheeks deepened in color. Poppy hummed in agreement, she had both of her hands clasped behind her while she rocked on her heels. Then the two quietly walked back to class together.

Back in the classroom, none of the other students or the professor seemed to acknowledge their tardiness. The couple sat at their designated stations and picked up their work again. Branch turned to his left to add more paint to his pallet when his hand was grabbed by Poppy. She leaned in closer and whispered, "Thank you for being there for me, I usually break down or freeze when I'm alone but.." She bit her lip, adjusted her posture, and gazed into his eyes again, "but you were there, and I didn't feel alone or scared. You helped cheer me up, even if it meant that you put up with me pestering you." She giggled, gently rubbing her thumbs over his knuckles.

Branch set his paint bottle down and cupped her hand in his. With a swift motion, he pulled her hand up and kissed her knuckles.

"Only for you, Princess."

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#broppy #trolls branch #trolls poppy #trolls band together #trolls world tour #fanfic #college au #fluff

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georgiedoodles · 5 hours

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📚Broppy CollegeAU | "Campus Days"

Part 5: Locker #A340

Tuesday, week 3 of 16.

“BRANCH!!” arms quickly wrapped around his shoulders, it’s a pair of pink hands resting under his neck; a certain someone seems to be getting more comfortable with being touched. Branch turned to look over his shoulder and saw Poppy grinning ear to ear with excitement.

“How come you’re in line for the lockers already? Isn’t class about to start in a few minutes?” Poppy peeks over his shoulder to see a long line of students waiting for registration, Branch seemed to be the 20th person in the queue.

Branch faced forward again, “Well, last week the professor said we’re excused from the class to get our lockers, after all we’re doing independent work today, there won’t be a lecture to miss out on.” Branch patted her hands, holding her arms and gently swaying.

Poppy swayed along, it felt nice to be this close to him. Luckily, she left her portfolio and tote bag at their station, so she avoided another trip inside. Soon enough, the queue started to move, and students were getting their lockers. Branch and Poppy sign their names on a card which included the locker number [A340], the locker code [11-4-16] and the building it was at.

“Do you want to check out the locker or go back to class?” Poppy asked while holding the card, taking a photo of it with her phone. Branch gave it a moment and nodded, “No, let’s wait until after the class to drop off our stuff at the locker. I even brought a locker divider to help us utilize more space.” He smiled and walked along side Poppy back to class.

The classroom was quiet, the professor seemed to be late, and everyone was confused. A good 20 minutes after class had begun and there was still no sign of him, not even an email through their school app. Then a student got up, packed up his things and left the class. One by one, everyone followed his example and left, it looks like class is canceled today. Poppy and Branch looked at each other, waiting for one of them to pack up and leave.

“Hey Branch?”

“Yes Poppy?”

“What do we do now?” never breaking eye contact, she was hesitant, she never had this happen to her before. Branch reached under his cart and collected his belongings; Poppy mirrored his actions and they both left together. They made their way to their locker, dropping off some of their work and utensils before they walked toward the café, they had nothing else to do for the time being.

“I’m kinda hungry, did you want coffee and snacks, or did you want actual food to eat?” Poppy brushes out the knots at the end of her ponytail with her fingers, glancing over to Branch.

Branch hummed, thinking about his schedule, they had a few hours to burn, “Let’s get actual food, I have about 3 hours before I need to head to my next class” He adjusted his backpack, it was a lighter now that they offloaded their stuff earlier. Poppy nods and makes their way to the cafeteria, pulling out her wallet from her tote bag at the same time. In the cafeteria, Poppy orders a breakfast curry burrito with a bottle of orange juice, and Branch orders a grilled chicken sandwich with apple juice. Poppy paid for their food and sent Branch to find some seats for them, he carried both of their trays to a table.

“Thank you Branch~, it was super sweet of you to bring my tray aswell.” She patted his shoulder and sat down across from him. Branch smiled and happily took a bite from his sandwich. Halfway through their breakfast, Poppy’s mind started to wander, she was unknowingly staring at Branch when he ate a particularly saucier part of his sandwich, she watched him lick his bottom lip to clean from any sauce running down his chin. She wondered what his lips felt like. When branch reached for his juice, she watched him break open the seal of his apple juice, his jaw is very defined when he tilts his head back to take a sip.

Soon enough, Poppy started to wonder something about him, ‘Does he have a girlfriend? Has he ever had a girlfriend?’ She took another bite, chewing very slowly, thinking deeply about her friend’s personal life a bit more. ‘I wonder what kind of partner he is, maybe he’s soft and clingy? What if he’s the opposite of how he is now?? Like, what if he’s assertive and- ‘

“Poppy? Uhhh hello? Earth to Poppy?” Branch waved his hand in front of her face, trying to bring her back from whatever world she’s in.

“Huh? OH” Her cheeks burned up and quickly composed herself when she noticed Branch staring at her. “Don’t worry *cough* I’m fine, I just had some… homework on my mind.” She sipped her juice, trying to seem normal.

“Ookaay.” He brings his sandwich up to his mouth, taking a small bite and watching Poppy’s movements carefully. “What kind of homework is it? Did you need help doing it?”

“It’s uhm...” Poppy and Branch lock eyes, he continued to eat and wait for her response. “I can do it myself, don’t worry” She laughs awkwardly, imagining them kissing for an assignment. “What kind of class do you take after our art class?” She changed the subject, she wanted to think about other things instead of what Branch’s lips taste like.

Branch takes another sip of his juice to clear his throat, “Well it’s a prerequisite class that I need for my other history class, it’s just a lecture that I have to sit for twice a week.” He shrugged, taking the last bite. He organized the trash on their table onto his tray. Poppy felt a bit full, so she packed her burrito for later, and cleaned up the rest of their area.

They both stood up to leave “So what now? We have more than an hour before you leave” Poppy threw away their trash and left their tray on top of the bin. "We could always go to the library and finish some of our homework together, maybe some of the study group rooms are available for us to use." Branch thought about Poppy's assignment she was thinking about, this would be a good time for them to get stuff done together. Poppy nodded, and they both made their way to the library.

Inside the Library was cold and the air felt crisp, Branch walked to the kiosk in front of the librarian's desk to reserve a study group room. Fortunately, one room was open for an hour before the next group reservation. Inside the room, it muffled most noise, so the students using it could talk at a normal level without disturbing the ones studying outside of it. In the middle was a large round desk that Branch and Poppy sat at, and behind them was a large whiteboard that took up the entire wall. Branch set up his laptop and took out his textbook and notebook. Poppy pulled out her iPad and mounted it on her keyboard. They both sat in silence, to Branch it was peaceful and put him in a studious mood. On the other hand, Poppy felt like the silence was too loud, she could hear her heartbeat in her ears and her thoughts seemed louder, so she slipped in her earbuds and played some white noise.

Poppy was not used to being alone with Branch, she was used to a pair of carts putting some distance between them, but there were no carts, and he felt so far away from him. She stretched out her legs to feel closer to him, at the same time, Branch stretched his out to also feel closer to her. Their shoes touched and Branch apologized, when he was about to pull his legs back under him, Poppy quickly spoke up,

"Actually..." She blushed at the idea, "You can leave your legs out, it feels nice to know I'm not that far away from you." She felt shy and instantly regretted her words.

Branch smiled, reaching his legs out, and touched the noses of their shoes gently, a fuzzy feeling blazed through him. This felt very intimate for both of them. Poppy always held hands, hugged, cuddled, or took naps with her friends. Yet, this felt different, she could tell that they both had some desire buried under their friendship. Poppy and Branch wanted more, but they didn't know what that more was. All Poppy could do was use her legs to link their ankles together, it's as if they were holding hands.

It stopped feeling cold in the room, it felt warm and cozy. Butterflies were swarming in their stomachs. They were entranced by the other's touch, distracting them completely.

Before they knew it, the hour was up, and they were disrupted by the next group that needed the room. Branch and Poppy left the library, and neither got any work done.

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#broppy #trolls branch #trolls poppy #trolls band together #trolls world tour #college au #fanfic #fluff

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