Branch likes to spend his nights memorizing the features of Poppy's face.
It was coming upon Branch's favorite time, when the late hours of the night started to blend with the early hours of the morning. When the world outside was still and quiet and it felt like he was the only person in the whole entire world. And Branch's ideal way to spend that time was to look at you.
His comforter was kicked down to the foot of the bed sometime in the middle of the night, the hot summer nights rendering the thick blanket useless. There Poppy laid beside him, curled up in a thin white sheet. In her sleep, Poppy had taken up most of it, leaving Branch with a very small corner to cover over himself. He didn’t mind though, as long as she was sleeping comfortably, he wouldn’t care. The teal troll would give Poppy the clothes off his own back to make sure she felt at ease.
Leaning on his elbow, Branch stared down at Poppy's sleeping form. He brushed a few stray hairs from her face. As the pads of his fingers dragged over her cheeks, Poppy shook her head sleepily, as if his touch was tickling her. Branch breathed out a chuckle at Poppy's reaction, finding it insanely adorable. Lowing his head, he pressed his lips to her cheek.
The teal troll didn’t pull away just yet, Branch hovered over Poppy for another few seconds, simply wanting to take in every single detail of her. The curve of her lips, the soft roundness of your cheeks, the delicate way her eyes lay shut. Branch wished he could stay in that moment forever. But alas he couldn’t. Time kept ticking away, as noted by the small alarm clock hidden somewhere in the darkness of the room.
Resting his head back down on the pillow, Branch wrapped his arm around Poppy's waist, pulling her closer to him. The Pop Queen let out a small noise of protest in her sleep, but didn’t wake up. Once she'd felt Branch's arm draped over her, Poppy relaxed into his touch. Smiling again, Branch kissed the back of her head before nuzzling his face into her hair. The scent of Poppy's shampoo consumed his senses as his eyes fell shut.
As Branch drifted back off into the heaviness of sleep, he muttered out into the quiet and still room, “I love you.” it was unlikely she heard him, as she was fast asleep. But Branch knew that somewhere in Poppy's dreams she did.
