All Good Things

Chapter 18 - Explosive Emotions

Victoria

Tori sipped her morning coffee, the hot, dark liquid settling soothingly into her stomach. She had woken fairly early, opting to let Poppy sleep in. The small brunette had completely passed out on top of her the night before, presumably knackered from the mental strain of their earlier conversation, coupled with the physical exertion from their extracurricular activity later that evening. Tori had ended up having to carry her upstairs to their bed, and upon settling in beside her, Poppy had become far more interested in snuggling than she had been in weeks, burying herself in Tori's embrace. It had been almost impossible to even get her to let her arms loose just enough for Tori to slip out of bed in the morning, but she hadn't seemed to stir since.

This left Tori to her thoughts as she drank the caffeinated drink she had taken to preparing routinely in the mornings, her hip pressed against the counter as she gazed outside. Her mind kept replaying the night's events, lingering on Poppy's final question. The simple fact that Poppy had even felt the need to ask her that made her heart ache. She should never have felt the need to question her own beauty, and yet she did. Tori silently wished Eliza would dare show her face, just so she could deck her. She'd never see it coming, assuming she was completely wizard-born, something Tori didn't have in common with even the small woman asleep upstairs.

Her mind continued to wander, her heart picking up speed in her chest as she thought about Poppy. The way her smile lit up her entire being, the way her laugh could brighten even the darkest moments, the passion behind her eyes when she spoke of something she enjoyed, the love in her chocolate brown eyes when she looked at the taller witch. She enjoyed waking up wrapped in the tiny woman's arms, the late night talks and the soft touches. Despite their short time together, Tori knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her days with Poppy.

She turned her head to the hallway when she heard footsteps, watching as Poppy came down in a flurry of yellows and browns as she took the stairs two at a time. She made sure to flick her wand, preparing a fresh cup of coffee for the small whirlwind of colors.

"Good morning." Poppy smiled brightly, her small hands coming up around the hot mug. Tori could almost swear she was glowing, a look of absolute contentment in her eyes. She leaned up on the balls of her feet, pressing a soft kiss to Tori's lips.

"Morning, love. Sleep well?" She placed one hand on the small of Poppy's back, rubbing small circles as the shorter woman leaned back into her.

"Amazingly." Poppy sipped from her coffee, moaning softly against the rim of the cup. "I haven't felt this rested in a good long while." Tori just raised her eyebrows, smirking with her lower lip between her teeth. "What?"

"Nothing, darling. Nothing at all." Tori turned back to her coffee, taking another sip before setting the mug down on the counter. "I was thinking, after we're done at the sanctuary, we can go do some shopping."

"Oh." Poppy looked up from her drink, her eyebrows rising into her hairline. "I don't really have any funds saved up, but-"

"Don't worry about money." Tori slid her hand from Poppy's back to her waist, pulling her so that they were facing each other. "There's something I want to look at today, and I was thinking we could get you a nice, new outfit."

"If you're absolutely certain. I don't want you to feel obligated to get me something just because we're going out." Poppy was looking up at her with those big, brown doe eyes, and Tori swore her heart was going to break out of her ribcage.

"Obligated? I never feel obligated to do anything, love. I run on impulse and instinct, remember?" She had Poppy laughing, and it felt like the world was just a little bit brighter by the sound of it.