Grown-Up Stuff

...Are You Ready for It?

A/N: Based on an Anonymous Ask I received on Tumblr

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This is it.

This was it. This was really, really it.

Branch paced around, thinking, rubbing his hands together anxiously. After a moment, he took yet another glance at the watch in his Hug Time bracelet.

She's coming soon.

Soon was right. Soon was in about ten minutes or so. And once she was here...

Branch gulped. Then he took a deep breath. Easy does it. There was no reason to panic... was there? No! his brain sternly reminded him. You've got everything ready. The blue Troll, however, didn't listen. He had to do one last check. Plus, the pacing back and forth was driving him nuts.

He hurriedly scrambled back into his room, only to find it as ideally arranged to the setup he wanted. But with the way he was feeling, rationality was thrown out the window. He needed a distraction, or surely, the waiting alone would only continue to make him restless. So out went perfectly lit candles only to be relit, stopped was the record he had on only to be replayed, sheets that were already smoothed out were attempted to be smoothed out even further and -

Wait, what's that?

Branch perked an ear, hearing the distinctive whirring of the elevator platform, and its light clang as it reached the bottom. Then -

"Branch?"

Trolly moly... she's here!

Branch abandoned his doings and quickly dashed back out, meeting the pink Troll.

"Oh, hey, Poppy!" He tried making his voice cheery, hoping she wasn't seeing through it and noting the undertone of unpreparedness he felt.

I'm SUPPOSED to be crazy-prepared.

"Hey, Branch," she cooed, almost shyly, hands behind her back and foot shuffling on the floor. "I, um... hope you don't mind me being early?"

Early? Branch peeked at his watch again. Oh. She was early. Six or seven minutes. "What? Of course, not, Poppy," he assured.

Oh my hair... does she want to get STARTED early??

"Oh good," she said, sounding relieved. Then, her expression changed to curiosity as the trail of red on the floor caught her eye. A trail, she realized of rosepetals.

Branch saw her looking, and, putting on his most suave voice, extended an arm out and asked, "Do you want to know where it leads?"

She looked even more curious with Branch's offer, and accepted. "Indeed." The Pop Queen smirked, following him to what turned out to be the bedroom....

... one flawlessly decorated to fit their needs.

"Wow," Poppy breathed, because, it sure was a breathtaking scene. She felt like she had walked onto the set of the most romantic movie being filmed. The natural earthen brown of the room was a lovely shade with the way that the glow of the various candles cast soft beams, the scent of warm lavender and vanilla wafting gently in the air from them. There was some music gently playing from the radio on the nightstand, the Classical station, playing a slow, serene tune. But the bed stood out the most, though, with its plethora of roses and rosepetals alike. Branch plucked one of the roses off the sleek, white comforter and popped it into his mouth. "So," he asked, "do you like what you see?" (Only, with the rose already in his mouth, it sounded more like "Sfo, fu you ike fut you fee?")

Branch slapped himself mentally. This is probably too much anyway! he scolded, the way Poppy was carefully considering everything she was seeing.

"Well... this is really nice," she finally commented, turning to him with a soft smile. "So... should we, um... just do it?"

Branch didn't know why the question surprised him so much. That was the whole purpose of why they'd set aside this specific time on this specific day. Why wouldn't they get on to doing it? He removed the rose and wrung it in his hands. "S-sure," he stuttered, scouring his brain to remember every detail of Spice Up Your Life: Tips and Tricks for Bedroom Beginners, and 1001 Ways to Pleasure Your Lady from which he'd borrowed from Clay.

So, as Poppy went over to sit atop his bed, he blurted out the first turn-on he could think of.

"So, ya like jazz?"

When Poppy gave him a baffled look, Branch realized his mistake. Oh, I'm so, so, so, so STUPID! What was he thinking?? Jazz was what almost had them done for on their journey touring to the other tribes!! Now his hand was really itching to slap himself in the face.

He tried correcting himself before she replied. "I-I-I mean... um, forget I said that," he tittered, pulling something out of his vest pocket.

Poppy raised a brow. "Is that soap?"

"It sure is," he said, placing the bars down on the counter. "Figured we'd need it, you know, with how down and dirty we're getting tonight..." Believing his props were cleverly used, Branch licked a finger, touched it to his bum and made a pssst sizzling sound, as if he was way too hot and bringing sexy back.

The pink troll was quite confused. Then, she burst out laughing. She laughed so much, tears formed at the corners of her eyes!

Branch pouted. Gosh, that was horrible. He already blew a corny pickup line, and now he gave her that cheesy display? If an award for the most mood-killing boyfriend existed, he was certain he would be the one to receive it!

"Oh, Branch," Poppy giggled. "You are so...so... "

"Dorky? Ridiculous? Unnecessarily-over-the-top?" he suggested. She may as well say it. It was true.

Poppy held onto his hands. "I was going to say precious," she said. "I appreciate it all. And... I don't know much about how exactly the build-up and stuff to this kind of thing is like, but something tells me that we just kinda let it happen. You know... naturally."

"Ah, right," Branch agreed. "I'm kinda guessing that too." Then he also had a good laugh.

After that, Poppy switched the classical station to play BroZone songs, made enough room for Branch to sit next to her, and talked and laughed all evening with her boyfriend. Neither engaged in the activities that they'd originally intended for that night, but Branch and Poppy still enjoyed themselves fully, simply for the company they found in having each other.

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A/N: Happy Valentines Day folks :)