Waking up with each other is always perfect.
Poppy wakes slowly as she typically does in the mornings. She’s a morning person but she still does find it difficult to get out of bed. They have an off day today though so she can take all the time she likes.
Her hand is laid hazardously over Branch's waist, he’s curled just a few inches away from her. They tend to fall asleep in each other’s arms then move around in their sleep. There’s always a point of contact though. A hand on a waist. A sock clad foot between a calf. A pinky linked with another.
The Pop Queen peers over Branch's messy head and reads the 06:04 on the clock. She sighs as her head falls back into her pillow. Tentatively she pulls herself closer to Branch and lays her hand on his chest. She’s cautious to not wake him but buries her face in his neck anyways.
The pink girl breathes him in as she always does. As she does, Poppy feels him stir. A hand covers her own and he gently squeezes to let her know he’s awake. She presses a soft kiss to his shoulder in response.
After a few moments Branch's turning in her arms. His eyes are still closed and his hair is mussed. He’s cute. Poppy sleepily smiles at her man and then leans over to kiss his brow. A coy smile forms on his lips and he brings a hand up to hold her waist. In turn Poppy brings a hand to cradle his cheek. Gently she strokes his cheek with the pad of her thumb until his eyes flutter open. His lips twitch just a tad and his eyes briefly close then open again, adjusting to the morning light.
“G’morning, handsome”, Poppy murmurs. The hand on his cheek doesn’t still.
The teal troll leans into it and mumbles “G’mornin’, beautiful”.
The morning rays seep in as they hold one another’s gaze. Poppy eyes wash over him, admiring the way his five o’clock shadow has made an appearance. The way his hair is falling so delicately over his forehead. The way Branch's eyes are lighter in the morning sun. The way his thumb is ever so softly brushing her waist. The way he’s content to be there with her the way she is with him.
Poppy cracks a sleepy smile at her musings.
“What’re you thinking about?”, Branch croaks in his morning voice. Something Poppy will never get over.
“You”, The Pop Queen replies plainly. She brings her hand down to his bicep and manoeuvres them so she’s laying on top of him. Poppy places her hands on his chest to lift herself up a little bit so she can look at him. Branch is undeterred by this, content to do whatever Poppy feels like. So he smiles sappily up at her and she returns it.
“I love you”, The teal troll tells her, tangling their legs together below.
Poppy moves and places a kiss on his nose. “I love you”.
Her hands go to cradle his face and Branch stills as he tends to do when she does this. Poppy holds him like he’s something fragile. He feels delicate.
“I love everything about you”.
She says it so earnestly that Branch tries to hide, ducking his head. He’s still not used to her unabashed affection, even after how long they’ve been together.
Poppy knowing him as she does brings a finger and lifts his chin up. “You are so handsome, Branchifer”.
The teal troll blushes at his nickname. It always sends a fluttery feeling in his stomach and she knows this.
The pink girl moves so she’s straddling him, they move in tandem in ways they know how they fit one another. Her legs sit just over his crotch and Branch brings his hands up to hold her waist. It's for vain when she brings herself back down to his face level. His arms choosing to run themselves up and down her back then settle there instead.
Poppy's looking at him with so much love Branch feels his heart constricting. All he can do is smile up at her and hope he’s conveying on his face as much as what he’s feeling inside.
Poppy brings her hand up to his face and brushes back his messy hair. She lets her hand stay there and gently scratch in the way that soothes him. His eyes fall close and Branch sighs. Poppy continues lazily scratching his head then decides to move impossibly closer to him. Her hand cups his cheek and her mouth falls to his other. She begins by peppering his jawline with soft kisses. Branch moves just a little so she has more to work with.
Her kisses slowly move down to his collarbone, never changing from what they are. Soft kisses. Her pattern does change though, he notices it. He’s about to ask what she’s doing when she says. “M’kissing your freckles”.
Poppy presses a kiss to each freckle on his neck and collarbone then moves back up to his face. She holds his gazfor a moment then purposefully kisses each freckle Branch has on his nose. There’s not many but Poppy knows where each and every one is. There have been many occasions where Poppy has mapped his body out. Found every tiny detail about him, things Branch never thought anybody would notice. But she did.
The pop queen moves back from his face to look at him. “I love your freckles”.
Poppy looks stunning in the sunlight. Her hair is flowing down her face, framing it beautifully. She’s in a blue lace bra and matching underwear and although Branch himself is only in his boxers he feels no urge to do anything. The survivalist feels at ease letting her love him in the way she wants to.
In the beginning Branch found it difficult, to let Poppy do anything to him without him returning it, but he’s learnt that being loved or loving someone isn’t a transaction its a bond.
“I know”, Branch whispers, a smile stretching across his face.
Poppy's eyes light up at that, her hand shooting to his face. “And I love this dimple”. Her hands brush over it and he cannot stop smiling. The Pop Queen quickly kisses him there as if she’s afraid it’ll go away. It doesn’t until she moves back again and looks at him.
“I love your hair”, Poppy says. Her hand brushes it back again. “I love how mused it is in the mornings. I love how you style it every morning and yet there’s always that one piece that flies away”. Branch chuckles at that, reverberating off her. His hands are on her waist and he squeezes her gently.
“I love being the one to brush it back into place for you. I love playing with your hair too”. Poppy scratches his head a little more to emphasise her point. Her hand slows a little and she says, an octave lower than usual “and I love your hair after you’ve been thoroughly fucked”.
Branch grins then. She shrugs. “I love knowing that I made you look like that”.
“Like I’ve been thoroughly fucked?”, Branch quips. Poppy laughs in the way she does whenever Branch's curse words catch her off guard.
“Yeah”, she breathes out. “You look devilishly handsome”.
“And I don’t right now?”, Branch quirks his eyebrow.
She swats his chest teasingly then moves to capture his lips. They're both smiling into it so she pulls away just a tad, mumbling against his lips. “You know you do”. Branch grunts and kisses her again, this time with more fever but still soft and languid. They’re in no rush.
As they kiss Poppy moves off him and settles just beside him. Her head finds home on his pillow and they continue to explore each other. Branch pulls her closer and settles his hand on her back whilst Poppy's hand goes to his hair. They pull apart for a moment but Poppy is back with a quick kiss. Then another. And another. She kisses his nose next. Then cheek. Then forehead. Each kiss holds so much affection Branch feels overwhelmed.
In a good way though. Always a good way.
The pink girl rests her forehead against his and they breathe each other in. She nudges her nose against his and Branch can’t help but smile.
“Should we go back to sleep?”, Poppy mumbles against him.
“Okay”, The teal troll whispers back.
Branch moves his arm around so Poppy can lay her head on his chest. They fit together and find comfort in one another and soon they’re drifting off back to sleep.
