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Setting the Mood (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: Branch and Poppy have a talk while the gang takes a short break from their road trip

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Branch didn’t need to be told twice.

As soon as a “Take five!” was called out by Tiny Diamond in order to run a check on the caterbus before they went any further, the blue Troll was off, scaling the nearest tree and settling himself on the highest branch. Up there, above everything, he could see far out. From behind him was all the land that they’d covered on their journey so far, and in front of him, all the land that they had yet to cover in order to complete their mission.

Branch was unable to suppress the groan that escaped him as he rubbed at his eyes. The trip itself was not anything too crazy. They didn’t have to be as weary as they had been when he Poppy and the Snack Pack had to hide from Troll-hungry Bergens atop Bridget’s hair. And they did not have any bounty hunters after them, at the ready to steal their music or turn them into Rock zombies. But somehow, the trip was far more exhausting than those combined. Everything just felt like it was happening too fast. He hadn’t seen his brothers in years and now, all of a sudden, they were coming back into his life in the blink of an eye, not even allowing his brain to catch up with it all. The best analogy he could describe it as would be being unwillingly thrown right into a cold pool versus being able to dip a toe and slowly get accustomed to the temperature of the water. Some Trolls could tolerate it, sure, but Branch? He was not one of them.

Definitely not one of them.

What Branch needed was hours upon hours, like he had in his grey days alone in the bunker, so that he could properly ponder this conundrum he found himself in. But this, unfortunately, was time that Branch did not have. All he had to work with was a measly five minutes before he was thrust back into his reality. Well, at least it was something. And so long as those five minutes were not interrupted…

CRACK!

Branch sighed. Too late for that, he supposed.

He turned begrudgingly at the sound of the twig snapping, wondering which hair color he was going to see and the brother attached to it. He was taken off his guard though when that color turned out to be the pink of his girlfriend. Poppy smiled, a little sheepishly he noted, and began to hesitate in approaching him, likely noting how tense he had been.

“Hey,” she said softly. “I’m sorry if I intruded or anything…”

Branch gave her a small smile and shook his head. “No, no, Poppy! You’re good.” To further ensure her, he waved his hand for her to come, patting the place next to him. This time, Poppy did not hesitate, and she quickly made her way over, sidling up next to her boyfriend. Her company instantly eased him some, and he let out a small breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.

“You okay?” Poppy asked, looking at him.

Branch glanced at her, eyebrow raised. “Do you want a gray-Branch answer, or a blue-Branch answer?”

“Neither,” she said. “Just whatever is your honest answer.”

Branch shrugged. “Okay then. In that case… no.”

Poppy sighed. She expected this, given the eyerolls and scoffs he’d done so far each time he’d reunited with a brother again. Poppy allowed a little silence between them before she spoke again. “I know it’s been hard,” she started, tentatively, “but you know… they’re not all that bad.”

Branch laughed dryly. “Yeah, well, you didn’t live with them.”

Poppy considered this, and after a moment, grinned a little. “You’re right. I didn’t live with them.” She scooted a little closer and nudged him. “So why don’t you tell me something about them, hmm? What’s one thing that you remember?... A good thing?” She added the last part in when he gave her a look, that indicated the obvious they-walked-out-on-me-and-never-came-back grudge he held.

Branch scoffed and crossed his arms, the beginnings of a pout making his way onto his features. “Nothing,” he mumbled despondently.

“Come on, Branch," Poppy urged. "One memory has to be good. You don't have to tell me everything. Just one thing.” Poppy glanced pleadingly at him, her eyes big, her hands tucked under her chin.

Branch sighed. How could he resist? “There was this… one time…”

The Troll had to stifle a chuckle at how immediately his girlfriend’s face brightened, eager to listen to him. “Yeah? What happened?” she asked, barely looking as though she could keep still. She vouched to instead expend her energy in swinging her legs back and forth from their perch.

Branch went on with his story, a little monotonous. “Clay went into Floyd’s things and switched out his black eyeliner with neon green. Floyd got so mad, he started crying. His tears were all green, looked like someone drew with a highlighter on his face.” Branch shrugged. “I guess it was kinda funny.”

“Kind of?” Poppy exclaimed. “That sounds hilarious!” She giggled a little, the sound turning into full laughter when she pictured the scene playing out.

Branch raised an eyebrow at her, wondering how she was able to find the story amusing despite his lack of enthusiasm in telling it, but he couldn’t help giving his own small chuckle, recalling the incident and how it had happened. “Yeah… Floyd got back at him, though. With my help. We took the dye from the liner and put it into Clay’s shampoo. He had green hair for a week before he was able to finally have it wash out.”

Poppy laughed some more, prompting Branch to laugh along with her. “Clay rolled with it, but he did learn that ‘a prankster never reveals his tricks.’” The Troll shrugged. “Guess he doesn’t mind the green ‘do now, though.” His gaze trailed down below them to where Clay, Spruce, and John Dory were all involved in conversation. They seemed to be hitting it off quite well, smiles and laughs on their faces. Branch’s expression changed the longer he watched, from a lighthearted smirk to a darkened grimace, almost wistful in its appearance. “Nothing changes what they did,” he muttered bitterly, more to himself than to Poppy.

Poppy felt her heart ache for her boyfriend, and she gently took his hand, weaving their fingers together. “It doesn’t have to,” she whispered, “but that doesn’t mean there can’t be better future for you guys.”

Branch snorted. “That’s easy for you to say. You didn’t actually go through what I went through.”

“I know,” Poppy said, peering down. There was a limit to how much she could understand the experiences he underwent. Her life had been nearly a polar opposite of his. But, when she looked back up at him, though, there was a hint of a sparkle in her eye. “But I’m here to help you through it all now.”

She shifted so that she could take his other free hand with hers, holding both and rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.

Branch felt warmth spread through him, amazed once again at his girlfriend and the sincerity that she exemplified. How did he get so lucky to get someone who cared so deeply about him? He sighed, more in relief this time. “Thanks, Poppy,” he whispered back, his voice quivering slightly with the emotion that overcame him. “I, uh – Thank you.” He wanted to say more, wanted to tell her how wonderful she was, but found that he couldn’t formulate the words.

Branch anticipated a simple, chirpy “you’re welcome!” or “not a problem!” from her, but was further pleased when she smiled sweetly at him and batted her lashes. “I love you, Branchifer,” she said softly, blushing as she did and using that silly little nickname she’d come up with once.

“I love you too, Poppifer,” he replied playfully, also feeling his cheeks grow hot. They started to fall into a comfortable silence, until…

“Ohhh, hmmm, mmm…

You're all I ever wanted,

You're all I ever needed, yeah,

So tell me what to do now,

'Cause I, I, I, I, I, I want you back…”

Branch blinked. “What the…?” He peered around, trying to find the source of the sudden romantic singing and was baffled to find that his brothers had made their way up the tree and were now sitting together on a branch not too far away from them. Clay smirked at him. Spruce gave him a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. John Dory flashed him a smile and gave a thumbs up.

“We gotcha covered, little bro!” he assured.

Branch frowned. He didn’t know whose idea this was, but it was NOT faring well with him. He didn’t need help in his relationship! “You’ve GOT to be KIDDING M – “

“Branch.”

The Troll turned back to Poppy when she called for him. The Pop Queen didn’t seem bothered. She in fact didn’t seem to mind the music at all. Her focus was not centered on it, but, on him. Her beautiful, fuchsia eyes glimmered with affection, flicking with implication from his eyes to his lips. He could feel himself leaning forward involuntarily towards her, trapped under the spell of the moment. Pretty soon, Branch himself started to not even care about the background music. If anything, should he admit it to himself, it was helping set the mood. And while he would’ve preferred not to kiss Poppy in front of his brothers – the Trolls not needing to be privy to such matters – he would not skip out on the opportunity. The serenading continued, and the space between them started closing ever so slowly.

“You're the one I want,

You're the one I need,

Girl, what can I do?

You're the one I want,

You're the one I need,

Tell me what can I do…

You're all I ever wanted,

You're all I ever needed,

So tell me what to do now,

When I want you b – “

BEEEEEEEEEP!!

A loud, long, rather unexpected and ill-timed honk blared from down below, having come from the caterbus. Tiny Diamond, who had remained unaware of the happenings in the tree above him, called out cheerily from the driver’s seat and spoke into the amplifier.

“Branch, Poppy, and the three random dudes, get yourself over back over here! We’ve gotta get our Hustle back on!”

As soon as the sound of the horn had resounded, the brothers’ song had cut off with a yelping cry from each. Poppy and Branch, who were merely less than a fraction away from allowing their lips to even just timidly brush against each other’s, jolted back in surprise, a gasp escaping the pair, soon followed by a mild embarrassment. Another kiss foiled once again, leaving room for awkwardness to creep into the atmosphere.

“W-we, umm…” Branch started, fumbling for words.

“… Should probably head back,” Poppy finished, avoiding looking at him completely and instead fixing her attention anywhere else. The two Trolls then proceeded to scramble back down the tree and beelined it right for the caterbus.

But while Poppy and Branch were feeling awkward, it was an entirely different combination of feelings from the brothers. John Dory, Spruce, and Clay made their way down the tree as well, hanging back for a second as they watched the pink and blue Trolls.

Clay frowned. “Hey, what’s the name that little guy that’s been driving us around?”

“Tiny Diamond,” John Dory answered.

“Tiny Diamond,” Clay repeated to himself, “Yeah, remind me to prank him later. He just ruined everything!”

“Well, we didn’t exactly tell him what we were up to,” JD reasoned, recalling how they had simply made their plan on the fly.

“A kiss woulda been an added bonus,” Spruce said, “but, honestly, I was waitin’ for Branch to pop the rock on her finger!”

Clay gasped. “It’s too soon for that though, isn’t it? What about baby steps?”

Spruce blew a raspberry. “Um, who’s the romance expert here, guys? Hmm?” He gestured to himself in an obvious manner. “ME. Branch took his ‘baby steps’ about two decades ago… when he was in diapers. Now isn’t the time to delay anything. It’s time for the real deal.”

JD nodded, considering this. “You’re right, bro. We all know Branch wants this, and so does his girl!”

Clay shrugged. “I guess it is what it is for now,” he said, knowing that there would at some point be another chance to give their brother the push he so needed. But first…

A sly smile grew on the lime green-haired Troll’s face as his gaze honed in on the small glittered Trolling at the driver’s seat of the caterbus. “Now, about that prank,” he said, rubbing his hands together in a mischievous way…

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A/N: I'm thinking there will be several Broppy almost-kisses scattered throughout the movie ;)

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