The idea came to me from a rp with ShyShy :D ShinyPink01
(Before Trolls 1, so Branch is gray)
--------
It was very late at night, almost midnight. Poppy, princess of the trolls' village, was still sitting in the living room, scrapbooking.
The pretty pink troll had light up a firefly lamp, and under the blue light of the creature, she cut and collared the different pieces of colored papers on the pages of an album covered with glitters; The Branch's scrapbook.
Poppy had a scrapbooking for all the trolls that meant a lot to her... Branch's was, however, different from the others; it was much less thick, due to the very few photos she had of him... So there was a lot of text, which had a little turn this scrapbook into a book of anectdotes and research to make him happy... The last point was that he had no idea that this scrapbook existed, so she could imagine lots of surprises for him inside, and write her positive thoughts about the cute grumpy troll.
Her eyelids began to be heavy; she looked up at the clock, it was 1:19.
- W-Woah, guess it is very late... She murmured, should go in the shower...
She quietly stood up from her seat to get clean pajamas, and went to the bathroom to take a well deserved shower... But she suddenly remembers; she hadn't writed down the most important thing in the scrapbook yet!
She finishes washing her body, and coming out of the shower, dry herself with a cozy towel before getting dressed in her favorite pyjamas and returning to the living room; the album was still open on the small table.
The wind had started blow harder outside as she quickly turned some pages... Then found the one she was searching for.
On this page, she had writed down EVERY SINGLE hug she had with him... Next to each of them was th way he had reacted to it, hoping someday she could find the one that will make him feel happy. She smiled sadly while looking at some of them;
Hug #4904 ; Pushed me away, screaming at me.
Hug #9967 ; He tried struggle to get free.
Hug #10682; He somehow used a battle defense to get away from my arms, which was kinda hot.
But as she started write it down three hugs more today... The door of her pod suddendly opened.
Panicked, The pink troll hid the scrapbooking at full speed; who could show up at her pod ain the middle of the night?? She was initially slightly upset, believing that it would be Smidge who was still spying on her to ensure her safety... But she frozed on the spot.
The wind had tangled his crow feathers like-black hair, his whole body trembled violently, his blue eyes staring at the void. His jaw was tense, his clothes soaked and covered with dirt and mud, surely caused by the storm.
Branch was here... And he looked completly broken.
- Branch?! She exclaimed, immediately getting worried, running to him, but not daring touch him, Oh my gosh, what happend?? Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!
He did not answer at all, staring at the void as if his mind were, in this moment, traped in a night terror... Frightened, Poppy had the simple and pure reflex to put a hand on his cheek so he looked at her, suddenly feeling the tears flowing against her fingers... Oh gosh.
She hadn't the time to understand what was happening, a strange squeak was heard... And then she realized.
This sound was a sob, a cry.
Branch was crying.
- W-Wha– Poppy murmured, shocked as she notice his clenching teeth, his shaking shoulders, Branch, what's going on?? Are you okay?? what hap–
He then broked down into sobs.
Into sobs, Branch, right in front of her.
She couldn't talk, looking at him in shock. His cries were getting lourder, he couldnt breathe, the sorrow and emotions painfully getting out of his throat as he hadn't even the energy to hide his face in his hands.
Her heart broked into a thousand pieces.
Most of the time, she saw him mad, grumpy, in a bad mood... But never she had saw him... So much vulnerable, so much torn apart... broken.
- H-Hey... She whispered, now calming down at this reavealed fragile soul of gold, Hey it's okay....
She strocked his cheek again, chasing tears, not knowing what else she could do.
- Are you h-hurt... physically ? She asked quietly.
It took a moment... But Branch shaked his head left to right; he wasn't hurt.
- Okay... Follow me, it's al-alright... She gently pulled him inside, safe from the storm.
He still wasn't saying a single word, crying, shaking, sobbing, letting out hurtful sounds that pierced her heart like knives.
- Here, what about I get y-you a glass of water? She asked him when he sat down on the couch.
He shaked his head again; no, not glass of water.
She sat down next to him, he was still sobbing. Quietly, she put her hand on his, rubbing her thumb against the back of his hand... She heard a quiet whimper from Branch, and then he squeezed her hand in his... The feeling was not unpleasant, the warmth of their hands together reassured her in a way.
- Do you... Wanna talk about it?
- ...
Still no answers, she sighed nervously... And then did the only thing that came to her mind.
She leaned against him, not caring about the fact he would surely push her away... Her head found her place on his shaking shoulder, and her hand was still in his.
He then started sob even more...
... Before he suddendly wrapped his arms around her.
Poppy stopped moving, feeling it, couldn't believe it... It actually happend,
Branch was hugging her.
Hug #34891
It was night, he came in my pod out of nowhere, crying. I had never saw him so sad before... He was broken, he looked so much broken.
... But then he hugged me first, for the first time ever he hugged me so tight.
But somehow, I was happy,
Happy cause I was feeling like i was important to him, happy cause he stayed there for ten minutes, crying in my arms, my arms... I was feeling like I was helping him for once.
And... I think he was happy too, happy to have someone to hold on to.
... Happy that someone cared for him.
