Poppy forgot something before leaving. But it's not what Branch thought she did.
“Poppy. Wake up. You should be getting ready.”
Poppy stirred, ocean-colored eyes slowly coming into focus. The first thing she saw was a casually dressed Branch looking down on her.
The pop queen slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily as Branch handed her a glass of water. She downed the drink, before smiling at her boyfriend. “Good morning, Branch.”
Branch hummed assent as he gently pulled the blanket from her, neatly folding it.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“7 A.M.” her boyfriend replied.
Any sleepiness Poppy had left instantly vanished. Her eyes widened, before she jumped out of bed, practically stumbling to open the closet.
Branch was surprised at her actions, only watching, mouth agape.
He quickly regained his composure and narrowed his eyes at her.
“The hell do you think you’re doing? Why are you running around? What’ll you do if you fall and get hurt?” The survivalist called out to her, visibly upset by her actions.
“I only have 30 minutes left to get ready, Branch. I can’t be late for Sky Toronto's important meeting!” she told him.
The Pop Queen paused to look at the clock in the shared bedroom. Maybe…
“Don’t you even think of skipping breakfast.” Branch chided from across the room, all while making their bed.
The male troll sighed after he finished, making his way to Poppy, who was still getting dressed.
“I’ll whip up a protein bar for you. Eat it when you get the chance, just don’t skip breakfast.” Branch told her.
“You got home half-asleep last night. So I thought I’d let you sleep longer than usual. I got some protein bars ready just in case you panicked like this.”
His nose crinkled, and he flicked her forehead, earning him a surprised yelp from the female troll.
Branch sighed again, rubbing soothing circles where he had flicked her using the pad of his thumb. He clicked his tongue and looked at her with narrowed eyes.
“Honestly, I’ve been telling you to not overwork yourself, you could always take time off for a while. And yet here you are, a few years later, doing the exact opposite of what your boyfriend has been telling you to do. Stupid Poppy. So~ annoying.”
Poppy's ears were tinted red, as she muttered an apology.
Branch clicked his tongue again before brushing her bangs away and pressing a firm kiss to her forehead. “Finish getting dressed. I’ll get your food ready.”
“Sorry for making you worry like this on.” Poppy said in a quiet voice.
A sigh from Branch can be heard. “With your work habits, you always make me worry no matter what, sweetheart.”
The door clicked shut, and Poppy shuffled around the bedroom, getting ready to leave for the day.
After making herself look presentable, Poppy stared at her reflection in the mirror once more. She looks good enough.
She pushed open the bedroom door, just as Branch placed the protein bars in her bag .
Poppy walked over to the kitchen counter, watching as Branch put the box back in the cabinet. She smiled slightly at the thought of how much her boyfriend really cared about her well-being.
Branch handed her the fabric-wrapped box, his usual look of annoyance painted of his face. “Here. Eat it as soon as you get the chance. I don’t want you running around on an empty stomach.”
She took it, saying a ‘thank you’ before walking around the Pod to get the things she needed for her meeting.
Poppy took a stack of papers, her binder, her folder as well, and Branch only watched as she packed for work.
As she was checking if she looked good, Branch noticed she hadn’t brought her wallet with her.
He took it in one hand, approaching the female’s figure.
“uh, Poppy. Aren’t you forgetting something?”
The pop queen blinked at him, running her checklist of things she needed to bring in her mind. She thought she had everything. Oh! Maybe he wanted that.
Poppy leaned forward, to Branch's confusion, and pressed her lips to his. She thought Branch must’ve wanted a thank you for all the things he’s done for her this morning, so she tried her best to pour all her love for him into one kiss.
The kiss lasted for a while, before Poppy finally pulled away, only to find a furiously blushing Branch.
He cleared his throat as he handed her the wallet he picked up. “I meant this, Poppy.”
A soft ‘eh?’ slipped past Poppy’s lips, before she turned just as red as Branch was.
She took her wallet from him graciously, putting it in her pocket. “T-thanks, Branch. I’ll be off now!” she said hurriedly.
She left the Pod as fast as she could, mentally scolding herself for not remembering to bring her wallet as she jogged on her way to Sky Toronto's Factory, face flushed.
Branch brought his hand to cover his eyes, he was red all the way to his neck. He was repeating the same two words in his mind.
Branch doesn't know why he was just standing in one place but he knows Poppy puts him in a Daze. And that blush of his wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
