Branch's wretched backstory

The unwanted invite

Timeskip!!! 11 years😊

Poppy's cute little pig tails bobbed up and down as she skipped around Troll village. She was busy handing out invites for her birthday party and the snackpack was helping her.  Her parties were usually jam packed with trolls of all ages and everybody loved her parties. Well , all except for one troll. " Okay , you guys stay here while I give Branch his invitation!" Poppy chirped. DJ gave her an are-you-kidding-me look. They could never understand why she was so persistent. " Poppy , you do realize he'll just reject the invitation right?" DJ said matter-of-factly. Poppy shrugged " One day he will accept my card and I think that day is today! " Poppy replied cheerfully. DJ rolled her eyes at her.  Even though they were best friends ,  there were times when they  had disagreements . These were one of those times. 

" There is no WAY he'd agree to go to your party, he hates parties. " Smidge huffed. " He WILL come , I just know it!"  Poppy replied cheerfully.   The snackpack watched Poppy sprinted off in the direction of his bunker. The bunker was DEEP in the forest and anyone could get lost in there.  Poppy found the bunker by accident a couple of years ago and she's been coming there ever since. Branch was busy writing some poems when he heard loud banging on his bunker door. He grumbled to himself and went to go see who it was. He opened the eye slot and glared at the princess. " What do you want ?" Branch hissed. " I have something for you!" Poppy sang.  Branch closed the eye slot and opened the trap door.  Poppy took that as a sign to enter and she followed him into the darkness of his home.  When Branch turned around to face Poppy , their noses were practically touching. 

He stared at her intently. Her beautiful magenta eyes staring back at him. Branch didn't know what to say so he just stood there like an idiot..... Finally she broke the silence. "Here," she handed him the card." I was hoping you'd like to come to my party." Branch stared at the card like he's never seen one before. " What are you waiting for ? Open it!" Poppy gestured at the card. " No." Branch said hastily. " Fine , I'll open it for you!" Poppy reached out to open it , " WAIT , DON'T !!!" Branch tried to stop her but it was too late. Glitter squirted out  and covered his face. Poppy burst out into uncontrollable laughter as Branch glared at her. He wiped all of the glitter off and gave her a dirty look. " Get out!" He pointed in the direction of his door. " Are you still coming to my party?" Poppy gave him puppy dog eyes. 

She was so adorable that he ALMOST said yes. But then he thought about the bergens. " There is no WAY I'm going to that stupid party!"  And without any warning he ripped the sparkly card in half and dropped it on the floor. Poppy stared at the broken card and she couldn't help but feel a little stunned . Even though this ISN'T the first time he's broken one of her precious cards. " Get out!" Branch shot her an agitated look. " Make me!" Poppy challenged. She sat down on the couch and crossed her arms. Branch couldn't help but roll his eyes at her childish antics. He simply picked her up as she squirmed around in his arms. " Put me down!" She ordered. But He didn't listen  , instead he just brought her outside and left her there. He quickly slammed the trap door in hopes that she would just go home. Instead she sat right in front of the rock and waited for him to come out. 

Branch looked out of his window to see Poppy sitting right outside. She wasn't going to stay there all day was she? It was only a matter of time before someone reported that the princess had gone missing. Branch decided to ignore her and go on with his day. He had chose to stay outside because if he went outside , Poppy would start bothering him again. He tried to finish the poem that he was working about before he was rudely interrupted by Poppy. But he couldn't stop thinking about her . She was so cute that Branch could never take her seriously. He face palmed for letting his mind wander somewhere else. He still wanted to finish writing some poetry. Finally he gave up and decided to make some lunch. He started to make some berry soup when his sensitive ears picked up on a faint sound. 

He then recognized the sound as CRYING . He didn't mean to make the princess cry, although he was very rude to her. When the trap door opened , Poppy looked up to see Branch standing there. She quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. " Poppy...."  Branch began. She glanced at him for a split second before looking away. Branch hesitantly sat down next to her. Neither of them knew what to say , so they sat in awkward silence for a couple of minutes.  Ding!   Poppy's hug time bracelet went off. She smiled through her tears and embraced him in a hug. Branch tensed up when she dug her face in the crook of his neck. He cleared his throat to get her attention . And  He could feel the blood rushing to his face when she pulled away from him. Poppy giggled at his flustered state . He was so cute when he blushed. 

She wanted to tell him something but she didn't know where to start. " I know you don't like parties , but I really want you to be there. " Poppy said softly. "That doesn't explain why you were crying ." Branch pointed out. " I was crying because I feel bad for you Branch! I care about you!" Poppy said wistfully. " I wish you would open up to me , just once." Her voice cracked on the last word.  Branch was sick and TIRED of other trolls feeling pity for him. He didn't want pity, especially not from the princess. " Your friends don't even like me." Branch tried to sound nonchalant but instead he just sounded angry. " They are not my friends , they're OUR friends. " Poppy corrected. " Why don't you just go home already ? I bet YOUR friends are looking for you." Branch walked back inside of his bunker , leaving the princess alone. 

Poppy took one last look at the bunker before walking away. It was almost sundown and everybody was frantically looking for her.  The snackpack spotted her from afar and they all had a group hug. Even though , it wasn't even hug time. " Poppy where have you been? The king was worried sick!" DJ questioned. " Don't worry about me you guys, I was with Branch." Poppy reassured them. " Oh no! Did he hurt you?" Chenille gave her a concerned look. " Of course not , I was just trying to give him the card remember?" She pointed out. " There you are!" Everybody turned around to look at Creek. " I was worried about you love." He playfully bopped Poppy on the nose , causing her to giggle. " I was with Branch." Poppy explained. Creek frowned when she said his name. 

But he quickly replaced his frown with a small smile. " You need to stay away from him , or he might hurt you." Creek warned. Poppy's smile faded. " He would never hurt ANYBODY , so stop saying that he will!" Poppy said defensively. She stomped away angrily , leaving the snackpack behind. It was getting late , so she carefully snuck back into her pod. When she entered the living room , the king was waiting for her. He looked up from the book that he was reading , and closed it. " Where have you been?" He questioned. Poppy nervously played with her fingers , " I was only trying to give Branch his card." Poppy squeaked. The king's face softened. " Is  he coming?"  He asked softly.  Poppy slowly nodded her head," Daddy?How do trolls become grey?" She asked innocently. 

The question caught him off guard. He didn't know where to start . His mind was a jumbled mess. " Well , a troll becomes grey when they become really sad. " The king explained. " Maybe  If I can cheer up Branch , he'll get his colors back!" Poppy suggested. King Peppy smiled , " I think that should do the trick." And from that day on , Poppy swore that she would help Branch get his colors back. 

Author's note: Phew! I've been working on this chapter for 3 DAYS now! I am so relieved I finally updated . Yay😑