Poppy stayed over at Branch's bunker and it's awkward for one of them. Early Groppy Vibes.
Poppy had wished for the morning sun to blot out the overwhelming sadness of last night, but she’s greeted with rain as soon as she opens her eyes. The bedroom is cool and the air is damp, and she pulls her frigid foot back toward her body with a shiver. When she tries to gather the blankets tighter around herself, she’s met with resistance, and her heart does a little flip of panic.
Oh.
Branch is there, still sleeping soundly, though he’s rolled himself into the blankets and created some sort of cocoon. When she pulls, Branch grunts softly and takes a deep breath.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep here,” The Pop Queen whispers, turning to climb out of bed. Before her feet hit the ground, Branch grabs her hand and squeezes, effectively holding her in place.
“Don’t go,” he says, and his eyes seem to plead louder than his voice. Poppy panics and laughs, a knee-jerk reaction to a situation where she feels a complete and utter lack of control. “Please. Stay with me.”
Her breath trembles as much as her hands, and when Branch unrolls himself from the blankets with a low groan of discomfort, Poppy shifts her position and lays a hand on his shoulder. “Are you in pain?”
Branch grimaces and nods subtly, but holds the blankets up for her. “A little. I– I’m cold,” he confesses, and his teal skin flushes a pretty pink.
With a sigh to calm her fluttering heart and frazzled nerves, Poppy accepts his invitation, sliding into position beside him; when she wraps a tentative arm around his waist, she’s shocked at the temperature of his body– or lack thereof, really. “You’re freezing!”
The teal troll coughs lightly, then buries his face in her hair. “I told you. The bunker is drafty even on a warm night,” he .
They lie together in silence while his body seems to absorb warmth from hers. They’re still, too. The only movement is the occasional wisp of hair that flutters in the wake of their gentle breathing. It’s peaceful, just the two of them. They won't admit it, but they like it that way.
The feelings The Pop Queen's been harboring for him have only grown stronger in the wake of their struggles. Poppy knows it’s foolish and reckless and probably the most ridiculous thing she’s ever felt, but she also knows that her heart doesn’t lie, and she’s always trusted her feelings over her terrible logic skills, anyway.
Poppy hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Not there. Not by listening to the sound of his heartbeat and feeling the tickle of his breath on her cheek.
“Branch ” The pink troll says softly, one hand cupping his cheek. “I want to tell you something.”
His beautiful blue-green eyes search her face, and she swears the light in them shines a little brighter. “What is it?”
Playful– maybe a little embarrassed and a lot uncertain– Poppy pulls the blanket over their heads and watches his face bloom into the first smile Poppy's seen him wear since they met just days ago. Up until now, she wasn’t sure she’d ever see it.
“Is it a secret?” Branch whispers. His heart begins to pound a little faster, and he sees in her eyes what she wants to say before she has a chance to form the words on her lips. And though he, too, knows that it’s reckless and foolish and dangerous for her to confess, he must admit that he’s craving for her to say it.
“I think I love you.”
The teal troll doesn’t breathe for a few seconds. Poppy watches his face, studies the way he shifts his eyes away from her and how his lips turn down in a tiny frown. Oh, no.
“I’m sorry,” Poppy says quickly. Too quickly. She turns away and tries to leave, but he catches her. Though Branch is still weak and feeble, his grip on her wrist begs her to stay.
“Wait.”
Poppy turns to him, ashamed of the tears that gather in her pretty eyes. “It’s dumb. Forget it,” she says.
“It’s not dumb,” Branch says, and she chokes on a sob, feeling more and more guilty for laying her heart out for him when he’s been suffering so much. “I want to say it back,” Branch admits. “I want to say it…but I want to be sure that I remember what love truly is before I do.” He’s already said too much and made it too complicated, and the teal troll sits up slowly, reaching for her other hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“If anyone should apologize, it’s me,” Poppy says on a broken, tearful laugh. “It’s a lot for you right now. I overwhelmed you.”
“You didn’t,” Branch insists. “And when the time is right, I’ll say it back. I promise you.” His smile is thin, but his eyes are alight with a tiny, flickering flame of hope. Hope for the promise of a love that feels true and real and good. That is healing and pure for him and for her.
