TrollsTopia

Secrets Day

leaf and rosie ran in circles around branch, knowing exactly what today was without even needing to be told.

they had been waiting for this day all year. it was their favorite holiday!

"secrets day!! secrets day!!" they chanted, squealing as they jumped around branch and poppy's pod.

secrets day was a day when you made a secret note for one special person. in that note, you wrote to them about how special they are to you, what they mean to you, why they are important to you, anything!

poppy giggled, picking up her daughter. "okay, kids. you wants to go say good morning to queen barb?"

leaf and rosie nodded happily in agreement as they left their pod, branch holding leaf's hand.

"daddy?" leaf asked as the girls walked ahead of them.

"yes?" branch answered, looking down at his son.

"can you...can you help me write a note to a girl?" leaf asked shyly, putting his hands in his pockets.

branch chuckled. leaf was only 3 and was already interested in a girlfriend. "kid's got game," he mumbled to himself. "of course i can. who is it?"

"tessie, from preschool choir. she's really pretty."

branch smiled happily at the gentleman leaf was being. "poppy would love this."

"no, you can't tell her!" leaf screeched. "i don't want mommy knowing i have girl friends."

"branch! poppy!!" barb shouted, interrupting them. "i don't know who to write to for secrets day!"

"how about your dad?" rosie suggested. "or carol?"

carol was barb's best friend.

"i think you should write to your dad," poppy agreed, placing rosie in barb's arms. "as a thank you for everything he's done for you." whispering, she said, "that's what i'm doing."

barb nodded. if poppy thought she should do it, then she should. poppy always had the best ideas!

"thanks, popsqueak!!" she gave her a quick, tight hug and handed her rosie back before dashing back to her pod to write her letter.

"i'm going to take leaf for a walk," branch told poppy. "meet at the pod at 8?"

"8? that's awfully late," poppy said, questionably. "it'll take that long for a walk?"

"well, i know you'll be busy helping everyone write their letters, and leaf and i need to write our letters." technically, that wasn't a lie.

poppy nodded. "you're right." kissing branch and leaf's cheeks, she smiled. "see you two tonight!"

"see you, mommy!" leaf shouted before practically dragging branch away, back to their pod.

he showed his father all of the art supplies he had put together that morning. "i was thinking i could draw her a nice picture along with my letter."

"that sounds great," branch agreed. "i'm going to write my letter in here, too."

taking out a piece of paper from leaf's art supply, branch began writing, solely from his heart.

dear poppy,

i am so greatful for you. for our marriage, our kids, the lifetime we will spend together. i love that you're always so upbeat all the time, even when it annoys me. ;) you make my darkest days light again. every moment we spend together is special. from saving our friends from the bergens to our wedding, i cherish every single moment i spend with you. i love you.

branch ♡

folding up his heartfelt letter, branch shoved it into his pocket before looking over to leaf. "how is your letting coming?"

"it's..not. i don't know where to start." leaf frowned.

"what about tessie makes you want to be her friend?"

"she's funny, she's pretty, and she's smart," leaf told him proudly.

"so, write that."

doing as told, the rest of his letter came to leaf within a snap. he practically wrote an entire book to tessie before announcing, "all done!"

"honey?" i knock hit the door and the boys quickly hid their craft supplies.

branch opened the door to see poppy and rosie standing there. it was already dark outside!

did it really take me that long to write a letter? branch asked himself.

poppy giggled and let rosie go so she could hug leaf. "it's 8. why do you look so surprised?"

branch snapped back into reality and shook his head. "i'm not. just...tired. that's all."

"hmm."

after moments of silence, branch took his wife and their children outside on a leaf attached to their pod. he let leaf go and find his crush and put rosie to sleep.

pulling out his note from his pocket, branch handed it to poppy. "happy secrets day."

poppy's face lit up, brightly. "for me?"

branch nodded.

she read it, smiling all the way through. "branch," she finally said. "i love it. i love you. thank you."

"i love you too."

hugging poppy, branch looked down at leaf to find him hugging tessie.

"looks like our 3 year old found a girlfriend." branch laughed.

poppy gasped playfully. "kids got game!"

leaf and tessie laughed, in sync with branch and poppy laughing, before the screen slowly faded away.