Branch angst one-shots

Cloud guy?

"Hey, Branch? Come out, I have something for you!" Poppy said in a singsong voice, holding a present with her pink hair. "Uh...not now Poppy, maybe later." Poppy looked at Branch's bunker door in confusion. "What..? But Branch I told you I'd be coming today so.." She replied in confusion. Branch sighed, "Sorry Poppy but...I just...can't come out right now."

"Why? Are you sick? Hurt?!. . .Sad..? You can talk to me." Poppy said, setting the gift down and bending her knees to get closer to the bunker hatch. "Uh...FLOYD is sick! I just don't want you to catch anything!"

Floyd walked by just then holding a bag of groceries, "Hey, Poppy! Is he gonna let you in?" Poppy looked over at Floyd, standing fully again, even more confused than before, "He wouldn't let you in either?" Poppy asked. Floyd set down the groceries, popped his back, then nodded, "He'll keep making up bad excuses until you leave. If I were you, I'd just leave him alone, that's obviously what he wants."

Poppy bent back down to pick up the present and put it in her hair. "Got it...so what you're saying is I should keep trying to get in...to give him his present!" She whispered to him, jumping up at the last word. Floyd slapped his forehead. "Just don't push anything if you do get in." Floyd said picking the groceries back up and walking to his new pod.

"Well, looks like that means I can't come in then." Poppy said, attempting to make her voice sound sad. "Y-Yeah! Just come back tomorrow maybe..."

Poppy attempted to mimic the sound of walking away. She then heard Branch sigh from relief. Poppy then tiptoed to the secret pad that allowed access to his bunker. At first she tried his original password, 'fear the birds' but that was wrong. She then tried 'I heart Gary'. She was in.

Tiptoeing around Branch's bunker felt weird. She's done it before, but now that she thought something was wrong with Branch, it felt different. Like she was actually invading someone's home.

She made it to his kitchen before hearing a loud crash and a pair of feet coming toward her. She quickly looked around and opened a cabinet, climbing inside as quietly as possible.

Branch rounded the corner, sliding across the floor and falling into his couch that was outside of the kitchen arch. "AUGH!" Branch sighed from relief and attempted to sit up but fell on his back again. Poppy peeked out from the cabinet to see Branch with an angry expression on his face. That anger slowly turned into sadness as he held his head with both hands on the floor, a few tears flowing down his face.

"Come on, Branch, get up." Branch told himself. He went from his back to his elbows to his bottom as he began to get up. He grabbed the couch and finally lifted himself up and wiped his frustration tears away. He turned around and Poppy quickly closed the cabinet door.

Branch began to get anxious as he walked toward the cabinet. He grabbed the frying pan that used to be on the stovetop for protection. Then, he swung the cabinet door open with his hair to reveal it as empty as he left it.

He stared at it in confusion, then closed it again, setting the pan back on the stove.

Poppy sighed with relief. She slipped into the next cabinet over, she knew Branch's kitchen better than she knew her own pod. What was that about? Poppy contemplated. What startled him so bad?

"What does he even want?" Branch grumbled, grabbing his frying pan and two eggs. "Oh, Branch!" Someone said in a singsong voice that came from the other room. Branch became started again and opened the cabinet next to Poppy and climbed inside as he shut his eyes tight. He hugged his knees and hid his head in his lap.

Branch suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, hit his head on the counter, yelped and then said, "Poppy?! What are you doing here? How'd you even get in?!"

"One, I wanted to give you a present, two I know your password. And three, who is that?!" Poppy said pulling his present out of her hair. Branch shuddered and responded, "Cloud guy. He's been especially annoying and I haven't...really gotten much sleep. Like, at all. I know you've told me to, 'just ignore him', 'just pretend he isn't there' and Poppy I really have tried! I just can't..."

"Oh, Branch..." Poppy said putting the present away and pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm SO sorry. I'll talk to him." Branch's eyes glistened with tears as he nodded and hugged back tighter. "Wow...sorry Branch, totally off topic but your hug is getting better." Branch hugged tighter. "Right, sorry."

———
They left the cabinet together and walked toward the hallway. "He's in my room. Probably messing with my stuff and taking an unnecessary shower." Branch said grumbling.

Poppy knocked on Branch's bedroom door and said, "Cloud guy, I need to talk to you." Cloud guy opened the door in one of Branch's robes and said, "Poppy. Branch." Poppy glared at Cloud guy and said, "I know you enjoy teasing Branch but you do know you've made him cry quite a few times since I've seen him, right? Twenty minutes ago."

Cloud guy looked at Poppy then Branch then Poppy and lastly back to Branch. "Come on Branch, you know I'm just havin' some fun." Poppy stepped in front of Branch and said, "You're talking to me. Not him."

Poppy handed Branch the present from her hair and said, "I think you'll like your new present very much, Branch." Branch skeptically opened the present to find a VERY strong vacuum. His eyes shined in excitement as he picked it up and looked back at Cloud guy.

Cloud guy held his hands up in surrender and said, "Branch...Don't do anything rash now..." I'm sure you can imagine the direction Branch went from there.

———

Branch and Poppy sat on his couch, just relaxing. "Thank you, Poppy. It's kind of hard for me to say and I know I don't say it often but...I love you." He said turning his head to Poppy. She gave a startled expression then smiled warmly, 
"I love you too, Branch."