Controlled Chaos

Meltdowns Pt. 2

Smidge and Guy ran to Branch's bunker and knocked vigorously on the rock. "Branch, come out! Poppy needs help!" Guy yelled.

In the bunker, Branch was laying in bed, staring at the blank pages in his diary. He had a bad feeling about Poppy.

His ears perked up a bit as he heard pounding on the bunkers entrance. He heard voices call out to him. They were muffled, but he heard one thing that made him jump out of bed.

Poppy needs help

Branch ran out of his bunker to meet Smidge and Guy's nervous faces. "Poppy. What's wrong with her?" he asked the two sternly.

"She's... She's crying and screaming, and she needs your help," Smidge said, and he started running to Poppy's pod.
Branch ran faster and faster until he reached her home.
He didn't care if he got wet or if he tripped, Poppy needed help.

She needed him.

"Poppy? Please, Poppy where are you?" he asked as he desperately looked around her pod. Branch's ear twitched as he heard a small whimper.

"Br-Branchie?" he heard her voice tremble and crack.

Poppy was crumpled up in a small ball, hiding in the closet.

He hated seeing her like that; so broken. What had happened while he was away? He was only gone for about twenty minutes.

Then it hit him.

I swear if Barb did something... he clenched his fist in a ball just thinking about it.

"Pops, hey, it's okay...I'm here now," Branch said, bending down and scooping her up in his arms. She cuddled into his vest and sobbed, while Guy and Smidge were watching.

"What happened? Did.." he gulped a bit, "Did Barb do something to you?" Poppy looked up at him and shook her head 'no'.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked with a tone of worry in his voice. Her face darkened. Poppy got up, off of his lap and shut herself back in the closet.

"Pops, cupcake.. Please come out?"

Poppy screamed. "Leave me alone, please!" she hissed. Branch was shocked by her sudden outburst. But, before he could respond, he heard her mumbling a word over and over again. And then another. And then another one.

Don't

Cry

Don't

Cry

"Poppy, it's okay. You can cry... but, please come out, I need to talk to you," he whispered against the door. He felt a bump against the door and Poppy winced.

The door squeaked open and she fell into Branch's arms. I think they both forgot that there were people watching, because they started kissing each other, with quite a bit of... intensity.

Guy and Smidge gawked at the two. After a minute, Guy cleared his throat.

"Uhm...ahem."

Branch and Poppy looked at them, their eyes wide with embarrassment. Poppy buried herself in his chest, humiliated.

"Sorry, I kinda got carried away," Branch said, rubbing the back of his neck. He then bent down and whispered something in Poppy's ear.

I love you, Cupcake

Poppy smiled weakly at him and her hand drifted up towards her head. "My head kind of hurts.." she pouted, and he took his hand and stroked her hair.

Guy and Smidge came over to the couple. Guy took a breath and started to gently talk. "So, Poppy, I think we're all pretty much thinking the same thing so..."

"What's wrong?"

Branch and Poppy exchanged nervous glances. And then their eyes flicked back to Guy and Smidge. After the trolls spent close to five minutes just staring at each other, confusingly and awkwardly, Poppy broke the silence.

"We'll tell you... but, first, could you go get some people for me?" Poppy asked, with a small tone of desperateness in her voice.

Smidge nodded. "Who do you want us to get?" Guy quickly took out a notepad to write all of the names down.

"Well.. my friends need to know. So bring the rest of the gang," Poppy started, and watched as Guy jotted the names of all of the trolls in the Snackpack down.

"And, the TrollsTopian leaders need to know..." she said, her voice trailing off. "Maybe we shouldn't tell the tribal leaders, right now, though," she thought aloud.

Branch arched an eyebrow. "Why not, Pops?" he asked, realizing the hint of concern rising in her voice. Poppy sunk down off of her bed and onto the floor.

"Well... I don't know. It's just a lot of people, and I kinda want to tell everyone else after I've actually greeted them.." she whispered, looking pretty uncomfortable.

"Alright. Then go get the TrollsTopia delegates and the rest of Poppy's friends, and we will stay here and wait. Now, go," Branch ordered sternly.

Guy and Smidge walked out of the pod, leaving the couple alone together. They stayed in silence before Branch sat down beside Poppy with a plop.

"What happened?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

Poppy hugged her knees and buried herself in his shoulder. "I..I don't know, Branchie.. I just kind of broke down," she mumbled, barely understandable.

"Are you sure? Please, tell me.." he started, hesitantly continuing, "Did Barb hurt you?" Poppy raised her head and looked at him.

"You've already asked-"

"Answer the question, Poppy."

Poppy took a long, shaky breath, knowing that Branch wasn't going to stop until he got a proper answer.
"No, Barb didn't really hurt me... we just kind of got carried away with some teasing, that's all," she whispered.

"What'd she say?" he asked. He firmly rested his hands on her shoulders so that she was facing him. "Uhm.. well, she asked if I.. if we'd..." her voice trailed off and she buried her face in her hands.

It took a moment for Branch to understand what she meant. "Ohh. Alright, go on," he said, gently cupping her cheeks and lifting up her head. Poppy's face was a dark pink, but she went on anyways.

"She also asked me if I was..." Poppy tried to avoid his gaze, but it seemed impossible, "She jokingly asked if I was pregnant.. and I took it kinda hard."

His eyes widened a bit and he looked angry. She didn't understand why he looked mad, but she bit her lip and prepared for the worse. Poppy awaited for him to yell at her or smack her across the face, but nothing happened.

"Poppy, look at me, please."

She looked at him and gulped quietly. But she realized that his expression softened and he only stared at her with a loving gaze.

"Poppy, you are beautiful. I don't every want you to feel like you're ugly or fat, because you aren't. You're not just pretty, you're beautiful, stunning, gorgeous! And we both know I suck at lying, so you might as well believe me," he said, chuckling the end part.

She smiled at him, and they spent the rest of the time waiting in silence, cuddling and pampering each other with kisses

That ending wasn't the best, and, again, I apologize.