BROPPY ONE-SHOTS

The Joy of Life

Prompt; Branch and Poppy never talked about that day, neither having the courage to bring it up. They continued their normal routine: teasing each other, Branch rejecting her every invite, and so on.

About two months have gone by without any issue, so the consequences of their actions are pretty slim.. right?

✻ ✻ ✻

  THE fluorescent lights flickered above her, the nauseating scent of butter and coffee filling her nostrils. She pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping to resist the temptation to puke out her distaste. Her gaze remained on the lightly dimmed screen, fearful eyes intently watching.

"Congratulations! You are about five and half weeks pregnant." Dr. Plum announced with a sweet smile.

However, nothing was so sweet about this situation. Poppy's ears tuned out her voice completely, blankly staring at the uninteresting white wall. How had she mistaken her pregnancy for the flu?

The timing was truly coincidental.

  Winter, the season that damned most trolls. With the heavy inches of snow, and inhumane weather, the possibility of catching the flu was very, very high. And, she experienced most of the symptoms, a few that obviously didn't correlate to the seasonal sickness,

  But! After nearly three weeks since that day, Poppy didn't feel any different. Well, her shoes have been awfully uncomfortable, leaving her feet quite sore. She desperately needed to size up whenever she decided to hit the mall. Her chest became more noticeable: not much of a dramatic growth.

Yeah, nothing really out of the ordinary..

  "I, I think I need to go." Poppy choked out, weakly pushing herself off her seat. Dr. Plum nodded understandingly, quickly wrapping up any information that was necessary to be known, and gave her a pamphlet. For any upcoming questions or troubles.

With reluctance, the pink girl found herself aiming towards a familiar area, that only one person would know of.

  POPPY screamed at herself internally, attempting to regain control of her body to make a hasty escape. Of course, he would be here, admiring the clean flow of the river, dipping his fingers lightly to get a sense of the cool water. He looked beautiful, under the moon's grace, its light bouncing off his blue eyes, all while soaking in the late-winter breeze.

  No matter how much she wanted to escape, far away to a place no one could ever find her, and erase him from her memory—wipe him completely out of her life, she just couldn't. In her chubby stomach, grew a human being, that will resemble her father in many ways. That baby would remind her of his existence, and remind her of that very night.

  She placed a gentle hand on the small bump of her stomach, glossy eyes staring down. With a reluctant step, she started towards the peaceful man, fighting off the alarming noise going off in her head.

  Branch, suspicious as ever, quickly turned to look behind him. As his gaze fell on her, he quickly relaxed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, if it isn't the princess. What do I owe you for your time?" He droned, yet a small smile adorned his face. Since they were alone, he didn't feel the need to hide that side of him.

  Poppy didn't answer, only placing herself on the empty spot beside him. She watched the river stream, staring back at her clear mirrored reflection. Branch realized the need for a momentary silence, so, he allowed it to be. He scooted closer to her side, placing his hand over hers, and giving it a little squeeze.

  I'm here for you, the gesture seemed to say. And, that was all the clarification Poppy needed.

  He deserved to know; and whether he was going to take the role of a father was a heavy decision for him to make, not her.

"Branch, I need to tell you something."

___

woahhh, cliffhanger?? what !!!

.. probably will not do a pt.2 but we'll see