In Between the Scenes

I'm Coming With You!

"I guess...I'm coming with you" Branch said with his arms crossed and a smile.
Poppy let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you!!" I REALLY didn't wanna go by myself"
Shelia called out from above as they took off "Road trip!" to which Poppy squealed back in excitement.
Road Trip...just the two of them. Branch saw this as an opportunity to express his feelings. Right now, it wasn't the time because Poppy's mind was not on love. The two of them got settled, Poppy lit up a lantern to organize her things. The balloon was moving at a good speed and the stars were lighting the way. If this was a different circumstance, this would be romantic. Branch snapped out of his sweet thoughts when Poppy asked a question.
"So how did you know where to find me? Do you just have those Branch instincts?"
Branch chuckled. He wished it was that simple. "No, I found your note".
"Note?" "But that means..." Poppy paused.
Branch just realized he let it slip that he went into Poppy's pod without her permission. "Yeah...I...um I didn't mean to intrude. I just couldn't sleep".
Poppy gave him a weird look. "So, you wanted to sleep in my bed?"
Ughhh real smooth Branch! "What?! No! I came to your pod because I wanted to talk to you about something. I couldn't sleep". Branch was surprised at the sight of Poppy's smile. 
"Aww Branch, I'm sorry you couldn't sleep! As you can see I couldn't either. I'm glad you thought of coming to see me, what are friends for, right?" There it was again, that F word. Branch groaned internally. He felt sick to his stomach hearing that again.
"So, what'd you want to talk about? Is everything ok?"
Branch thought about his next words carefully. He really wanted to tell her the real reason he came to see her. He was just afraid of her rejection. If she didn't return his feelings, it was going to be awkward trip.
"It was something I wanted to tell you earlier" was all Branch said. Poppy nodded and Branch started stuttering again. Poppy was giving him that awkward stare like earlier. This was already going bad, there was no way he could tell her now.
"I just really enjoyed our number from this morning, you were really great!"
"Aww thank you Branch! You were great too! I think that was the best we've done so far!"
If only she knew. Knew about the part he sang underground. Just need the guts to tell her that she's the one. Ha, he had no guts. Poppy started to yawn and get her blankets out.
"We should probably get some sleep. We're just going to be gliding through the night" Poppy said as she handed a blanket to him.
"Oh...I probably won't. I need to guide the balloon" Branch insisted but Poppy gave him a surprised look.
"Branch, you're crazy! You won't be able to guide the balloon if you're tired. We'll just put Shelia in auto pilot. Right Shelia?"
"You got it Queen Poppy!" Shelia shouted from above.
Branch stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Here she went with not listening. "It just doesn't seem safe, flying at night with no pilot".
"Branch just get some sleep. We're going to need it. As your queen I am not asking you" Poppy ordered.
She took her blanket and went to one side of the balloon. She took off her crown and took her hair out of her ponytail. The sight of her free-flowing hair made Branch's heart beat fast. It was so luscious and long. She started humming a tune as she started to lie down. This was déjà vu. Branch went to Poppy's side and sat by her.
"Do you remember when we slept out in the open when we went to Bergen town?"
Poppy chuckled. "Of course, that's why I brought blankets. It was freezing last time. I think we're much more protected in the air than on the ground"
Branch laughed at that. It had been cold even with the fire. "I'm really sorry I burned your mandolin".
"Oh yeah, you did do that. That was pretty savage" Poppy said as she playfully punched his shoulder.
Both of them laughed together as they reminisced in the memories. Branch loved the sound of Poppy's laugh. She was so cute. He felt butterflies in his stomach and his adrenaline running again.
"Poppy?" Branch started.
"Yes Branch?"
He starred at her. He just wanted to come out and say it. That he cared about her so much. That he wanted to be with her. He became so lost in her eyes, her majestic magenta eyes. He just couldn't find the right words. He failed again. He had no interruptions or distractions blocking him, yet he just couldn't tell Poppy how he felt. In the end he just offered her a smile and said goodnight. Poppy fell asleep quickly. Branch on the other hand was having trouble. He looked around the balloon and went through the things Poppy had packed. He found some flashy outfits, sunglasses, jewelry, a bunch of candy. What were these even for? Did she really think Barb was throwing a huge party? He found a couple of essentials such as a first aid kit, emergency supply of water with cups, more blankets, and matches. Ok so Poppy was a little prepared, but this wasn't enough. He looked some more to see if King Peppy had kept anything on board. He found a manual titled "You and Your Balloon". He flipped through it, it had to be at least 400 pages. He knew Poppy wasn't going to be reading this, so he decided he'd read it in the morning. On his continued search, he found some helium, a hot plate, tape, rope, flares, a flashlight, and a megaphone. No life jackets or parachutes, wait what was this? A captain's hat? This was definitely King Peppys. He was not satisfied with what he found. He needed to have something to protect themselves in case they ran into danger. He was the most prepared troll in the village, and he had nothing. He had a cutting knife in his hair, but what was that going to do? He had a pair of brass knuckles, he never used them, but wasn't afraid to. Even that couldn't protect them. He tried to think of what he could use onboard. Party supplies and candy did not look intimidating so that was out. He looked down below, they were high above the ground. He took the lantern and shined it all around. There had to be something down there he could use. He swallowed hard. If he wanted weapons, he was going to have to get them.
He took the rope and hung it over the basket. He was not sure how far down it was. It was starting to get cloudy. This was not safe. Not at all but having no protection on board wasn't either. He tied the rope to a secure part of the basket. He looked over and made sure Poppy was still asleep. Shelia Balloon was in sleep mode, so she was asleep, but the balloon remained steady and would not go off course. After confirming they were asleep, Branch took one of Poppy's headbands that she packed and tied the flashlight on it then slid it on his head so his hands could be free. He knew he looked ridiculous. He took one of the flares in case something went wrong. Finally, he tied the rope around his middle and gave the end of it a good tug to make sure it was secure. He gulped as he went to the edge. This was so dangerous. He would've had a fit if he had caught Poppy doing this. She was right, he was crazy.
He took a deep breath and climbed down the basket. He tugged the rope again to make sure it hadn't come loose. This was it. He could possibly be heading to his death. He secured the headband and repositioned the flashlight and started to lower himself down. As he moved down, the balloon started to fly lower. So far so good, he didn't tip anyone upside down. He looked around, even with the flashlight it was still very dark. He jerked as he saw he was heading towards some pointy rocks. His movement caused the balloon to jerk, he cringed. He didn't hear any screams, so he was in the clear for now. He groaned in pain as the rope started to dig in his side. This was so uncomfortable. They started to fly over a pond, he hoisted himself up to avoid the water. It was already cold, there was no way he could fall in the water now. He came across a pile of rocks...it wasn't much but they could cause harm. He lowered himself as far as he could and collected as many rocks as he could pick up and stuffed them in his hair. He saw some sticks and scooped them up as well. Ouch, he gave himself a splinter. He smiled. These sticks were perfect. He pulled himself back up at a safe distance and looked around some more, the ground was getting darker by the minute even with the flashlight. He decided the rocks and sticks would have to do. Sticks and stones could break bones after all.
With all of his upper body strength he pulled himself up back on the balloon. He breathed heavily and made a mental note that he needed to work out when all of this was over. Thank goodness Poppy was still asleep. Sleep. She had been right. They did need sleep. It would have to wait, he still had to store the weapons away without her noticing. He took everything out of his hair including the knife and the brass knuckles. He started to whittle the sticks to make them sharp on the edge. He didn't want to use these. He hoped they wouldn't have to, but he felt better. He had to find a place to hide them. He found one of King Peppy's baskets and put the rocks in. He mustered his final energy towards whittling the sticks, it took longer than he thought because he had forgotten his knife was dull from the lack of use. It must've been at least 2 hours before he sharpened the last one. Exhaustion washed over him like a wave. With the final stick put in the basket, he tied it shut with a vine. He hoped Poppy wouldn't snoop around and find it. He topped the basket with a purple flower with a yellow center. He had planned on giving her the flower when he went to her pod, but that didn't work out. He couldn't give it to her now, so he put it to use by making the basket look nice. A little habit that rubbed off from Poppy. She really had changed some things about him. What felt like an eternity, he laid down on his side of the balloon after turning the lantern off. The blanket Poppy had given him was so warm. Although his guard was still up about the balloon flying with no pilot, he was tired. He was just going to have to trust that if Poppy could sleep peacefully maybe he could too. That was his last thought of before his world was met with darkness.
​​​Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Poppy's eyes met the sunlight. She sat up and yawned. She grimaced a little. She was sore. The balloon was not as comfortable as her bed. She stretched and cracked her back and neck. Her arm reached over to grab her hairbrush. She combed through the tangles of her hair. She found her rubber band and tied her hair up again. She forced herself to stand up. She didn't think of bringing coffee with her, it had been too spur of the moment to plan that small detail. It was going to be a long day. She normally was able to run on her energy itself, but Branch got her started on the coffee habit. She smiled. She was so glad he came with her. She couldn't even remember why she didn't ask him in the first place. She thought about what he said last night. She didn't think the reason he came to her pod last night was to talk about their Cyndi Lauper number. It had to be something else. Maybe she could ask him about it later. She spotted Branch who was still sleeping. She giggled a little at the sight. He was wrapped up in the blanket, snoring softly. He was so cute like that. Her mind started to wander, something never sat right with her since they got back from the Bergen adventure. She remembered when they were all stuck in that pot. It was the first time she felt hopeless. She remembered the happiness she felt when he sang to her. It was a different type of happiness. His colors shined so bright. He had said he loved her, didn't he? She didn't know what he meant in that moment but had hoped to find out afterwards when they shared that hug. Unfortunately the subject was never brought up again. His colors shifted around a lot, she noticed they weren't as bright as they used to be. She started to think that maybe she didn't make him as happy as she thought. She was too shy to bring it up. She remembered her feelings increasing for Branch when he told Bridget the poem. He had a soft side to him. A side she got him to uncover. It seemed like he was only interested in being friends, so that's how she left it. If he wasn't hiding in his bunker anymore, she was happy. Why ruin something that was already great? She heard a yawn behind her. Branch was starting to wake up.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Poppy exclaimed cheerfully.
Branch groaned at her enthusiasm. It was too early for this. He hoped he wouldn't come across as too cranky, but he didn't sleep well.
"Morning" Branch grumbled.
"Sorry I didn't bring any coffee, I wasn't thinking"
"But you brought all this candy?"
"Hey, it's not only for me! I'm sharing it with the other tribes?"
"What makes you think they'll like it? They probably eat different things"
Poppy playfully scoffed. "Who wouldn't like cotton candy?!"
Ignoring her comment, Branch dug in his hair. "Lucky for me, I always keep some spare coffee beans with me".
Poppy made a face. "You're going to eat the coffee beans?"
"What? No! I'll use some of the water and your dad's hot plate. Can I borrow one of your cups?"
"If you share some of those beans"
"Alright fine"
They attempted to brew the beans. When it was done heating up, both of them deep down hid their disgust after taking a sip. It just wasn't the same. They chugged it down anyways, caffeine was caffeine.
Branch who coughed from the bitterness, mustered up strength to ask, "So what's the plan?"
Poppy eagerly pulled out the map. "It looks like Symphonyville is the first place we'll get to. I don't know exactly what we'll do when we get there"
"Great plan" Branch huffed. He didn't realize how harsh that sounded. He didn't want to start the trip like this.
"Sarcastic much?"
"Poppy, I'll ask again. Are you sure this is a good idea? These trolls don't know anything about us, and we don't know anything about them"
Poppy then remembered why she didn't ask him to go. "But we're going to learn! Different doesn't have to be bad you know Branch"
Branch didn't object. He wasn't going to win with her. She had a point. A small one, but he kept his points silent. "At least you packed a first aid kit"
"Anyways...I wanted to ask you something" Poppy twiddled with her thumbs. "Was Trolls wanna have fun really the reason you came by last night?"
"Um...no. Not really."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No! Of course not, in fact the opposite. I was just having one of those nights and I needed to see my best friend. I can't remember what I wanted to talk about specifically, but I just needed you there". The F word slipped out again. He groaned internally.
Poppy smiled at his words. She was hoping to have gotten more, but what he said was a lot. However, he wasn't done.
"Although I'm still iffy about this trip. I want to support you. I want to be by your side" He picked up Peppy's captains' hat and put it on, which made Poppy start laughing. "I will be your co-pilot, not only through this trip, but through life". It sounded a little flirtatious. He and Poppy starred at each other for a while. Was she finally getting the hint? He was going to reach for her hand when Shelia from up above called down to them.
"Rainbow shaped clouds ahead!"
Poppy couldn't resist! She ran to the edge and took in the view. Branch facepalmed. So close. He had time he kept telling himself. He admired her view of looking out into the horizon. It was beautiful. He had to think on the serious side now. They still didn't know where they were going. He didn't know how to fly Shelia. He was going to learn though. He took out the manual "You and Your Balloon" and set it on the main center.
"Alright, in a short 456 pages, I'm going to know to fly this thing" He cracked his knuckles and was about to open it when Poppy snatched it from him.
"Ugh Branch, we don't need a giant comprehension manual" She had some cockiness in her voice. He didn't like where this was headed. His apprehension was confirmed when she threw the manual out of the balloon. This was going to be a long trip.

Yayyy! Another gap filled! I wondered how in the world Branch got his weapons. Now mystery solved! I had a feeling Branch and Poppy had some moments onboard, so I wanted to include what Dreamworks didn't give us. I had to include Poppy's perspective of the are they/are they not a couple dilemma since we never see it!!! I wanted to include her perspective of Branch's color change, there are a lot of theories that suggest his colors change from his emotions which I agree with. I want to point one thing out. I didn't forget about the gap about how Biggie got in the balloon. To me I just couldn't figure how he did it without anyone noticing. So, I just assume he snuck in and crashed from a sugar rush. I hope you guys caught the adult humor as well! I hope everyone is enjoying! Thank you all for the messages and feedback! Until the next gap!
~Ash