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Oh no, not now
Please not now
I've just settled into the glass half empty, made myself at home
And so why now?
Oh, please not now
I just stopped believing in happy endings, harbors of my own
Branch wasn’t expecting this. What was he even expecting with Poppy in his life? She gave him something he hadn’t had in so long. She gave him hope. She gave him joy. She gave him his true colors back.
Was it too good to be true? What if Poppy just left like everyone else had in his life. He stopped believing in happiness a long time ago when Grandma got eaten. Lost joy when Brozone broke up. Had no hope since birth of being free from Bergens.
But Poppy’s energy was annoyingly amazing to be around. It was like a whirlwind. Catching him out of breath every time.
But you had to come along, didn't you?
Tear down the doors
Throw open windows
Oh, if you knew just what a fool you have made me
So, what do I do with this?
She broke down his walls. She made him allow himself to leave the bunker. Let him have fun and enjoy the life around him as much as one could. He has caught himself smiling to himself more and more when he was with Poppy. Poppy’s nicknames for him, he caught himself using them back at her.
Who was he now?
He was known in the village for being the paranoid grey one. But now he was (slightly ) less paranoid and while yes it was hard to take the grey away from him , less grey again.
He wasn’t sure how to handle these emotions. What did he do with these emotions? He knew he couldn't keep them to himself but he also knew that he had no one to talk to about these feelings.
So he did what he did best when it came to his emotions.
He wrote letters to his brothers about how he was feeling. He never sent any of them out. Not like he would ever see them again.
But he poured out his heart onto pages and pages of letters. One to Floyd about his conflicting emotions. One to Clay about logically deciphering the emotions. One to Spruce asking for dating or love advice. One to John Dory asking him what he would do in his place.
This stray Italian greyhound
These inconvenient fireworks
This ice-cream-covered screaming hyperactive thought
God, I just want to lay down
These colors make my eyes hurt
This feeling calls for everything that I am not
Branch didn’t know the world could be so vibrant. He didn’t know how much this world had to offer. He was overwhelmed by Poppy. She overwhelmed him in the best way possible.
She was bright and lovely and just such a positive troll.
He was dark and gloomy and just a super negative troll.
But the first holiday they spent together after saving Floyd.. Made him realize he couldn’t go back to who he was anymore. He could be similar but nothing was ever going to be the same anymore.
Every hand holding, every small glance , every small kiss. Fireworks would go off in Branch’s head.
What do I do, do I do with a love that won't sit still?
Won't do what it's told
What do I do, do I do with a love that won't sit still?
He was always whisked away on adventures with Poppy. The last one being the adventure to find his brother.
Not the first time or the last, he was grateful for his girlfriend. Without her, he would have missed this. Would have missed all this.
He looked around the restaurant that Bruce was running. He fondly watched his brothers interacting. Yes they had rough patches, but they were stronger now then before.
Branch’s paranoia was still there, nagging at him that he would lose all this in a blink of an eye. But with Poppy, he could handle it. He could talk about his feelings now. No longer did he need letters to his brothers. He had them back. He had Poppy.
He was glad Poppy would beat at her own drum. He wouldn’t change this for the world. He loved Poppy.
No matter what happens, he would always love her.