Branch walked through the Enchanted Forest, his head low, and ears drooping. He couldn't stop thinking about Poppy. He liked her... no... he loved her... but what if that love only ended up hurting him. He couldn't stand to have his heart broken again. He had already lost his family, his colors, his happiness... he had lost everything... and yet... he hadn't lost Poppy...
He smiled slightly, thinking about how Poppy said she liked him. How they held hands while gazing up at the stars together. He had never been happier than in that moment. He couldn't give that up. He loved her...
'Snap!' a sound suddenly rung out from the forest.
Branch jumped at the sudden sound, beginning to look around defensively.
"Who... who's there!?" he called out into the darkness of the forest.
No answer...
His ear twitched as he listened in the silence of the night, hearing nothing but the soft chirping of Chorus Flies.
He gulped, slowly beginning to walk again, as he fiddled nervously with his fingers.
Footsteps... someone was following him...
Stealthily he peeked over his shoulder, seeing a small shadow bolt behind a tree.
Branch's eyes widened in fear, and he quickly took off running, back towards the village.
Panting heavily in fear, the little grey troll ran as fast as he could, trying to get back to Poppy. She would protect him. He knew she would. Just like he would protect her.
Suddenly, something grabbed Branch from behind, pulling him back, as he yelped out in fear.
The figure slammed the young troll into a tree, gripping his leaf vest tightly in it's hands.
"What do you think you're doing!?" a voice shouted at him.
He looked at the person holding him captive, recognizing the purple troll in front of him.
"Creek?" he questioned softly. "What are you..."
"Shut up!" Creek shouted, slapping Branch across the face, before grabbing hold of his vest again. "I'm asking the questions here!"
Branch looked at him, his eyes wide in fear as his heart raced out of his chest. What did Creek want from him?
"Now answered the question!" Creek demanded. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"I... I was just..." Branch stuttered nervously.
Suddenly, without warning, Creek slapped the little troll across the face again, harder than before.
"Ow!" Branch cried out, rubbing his cheek, which was now red from the slap.
"You stay away from Poppy!" Creek yelled, spit flying into Branch's face.
"P... Poppy?" Branch questioned softly. Is that what this was about? "Creek, I..." But before he could finish his sentence, Creek slapped him yet again.
"Stop that!" Branch demanded, his cheek burning slightly.
"Stay away from Poppy, freak!" Creek demanded. "I'm not going to let you hurt her!"
Branch blinked at that statement, not understanding what he meant.
"Wha... what?" he questioned softly. "W... why would I hurt her?"
"You hurt everyone you love!" Creek shouted angrily.
Branch's eyes widened at the word 'love'. How did Creek know how he felt about Poppy?
"L... love?" he said softly, pretending to have no idea what the purple troll was talking about. "Don't play dumb with me, stupid!" Creek yelled, pinning Branch harder against the tree. "I see how you look at her. How you two were holding hands earlier tonight. I won't let you hurt her!"
Branch gulped, his eyes wide, as his ears dropped in fear.
"I... I would never hurt Poppy..." he whimpered softly.
"You hurt everyone you get close to, Branch!" Creek shouted. "Your mom... dead! Your dad... dead! Your grandma..." Branch gasped, as all he could do was stand there, listening to Creek yell at him. "Dead!" he continued, punching Branch hard across the face, sending him flopping down to the ground. "All because of you!"
The little grey troll looked up at Creek from the ground, his eyes wide and filled with tears, but not because of the pain from Creek's punch. No... he was crying from the pain of Creek's words. Was what he was saying true? Did all those people die because he loved them?
"Your jinxed!" Creek continued, glaring down at the little troll. "If you love Poppy... she will die too! Just like everyone else you've loved!"
"B... but..." Branch stammered, trying and failing to hold back his tears.
"Stay away from Poppy..." Creek said firmly. "Or you'll be sorry..."
He stomped away, leaving Branch alone on the cold, hard ground.
Was it true? He... he killed all those trolls... just because he loved them...
He didn't want to believe it, but what if Creek was right? He didn't want to hurt Poppy, but... he loved her... he truly did... and these things... just don't go away...
Crying hard with all the awful thoughts swimming though his head, he hugged his legs close to his chest, burying his face into his knees.
"A broken heart is all that's left... I'm still fixing all the cracks..." he sang softly through his tears. "Lost a couple of pieces when... I carried it, carried it, carried it home..."
Let's just pretend Branch didn't stop singing after his grandma died, because I love this song and it fits perfectly here...
He just stopped singing around others. If there's no one around, there's no danger in singing 😁
He looked up at the sky with tear filled eyes, watching the stars twinkling above his head.
"I'm afraid of all I am... my mind feels like a foreign land..." he sang, slowly rising up to his feet, as he began to walk through the Enchanted Forest again. "Silence ringing inside my head... please, carry me, carry me, carry me home..."
As he walked, he looked up at the stars again, seeing them forming into the shape of Poppy.
"I've spent all of the love I saved... we were always a losing game. Small-town boy in a big arcade... I got addicted to a losing game," he sang sadly. "Oh, oh-oh-oh oh. Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh. All I know, all I know! Loving you is a losing game! Oh, oh-oh-oh oh. Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh. All I know, all I know..."
Slowly, the stars unformed the shape of Poppy, going back to normal as Branch finished his song.
"Loving you is a losing game..."
He sighed, lowering his head in sadness.
What was he gonna do... he loved Poppy... but he didn't want her getting hurt...
"No..." he whispered to himself. "It's not true..." He looked up, seeing he had arrived back at the Enchanted Forest village. "Creek is lying..." he told himself. "I love Poppy... and I'm gonna tell her..."