Silent Moments

Notes: Quick warning: this chapter has some heavy make out.

Her eyes were closed, but Poppy wasn't asleep. Her nose was a mere whisper away from his and he was aware of her presence with every cell of his body. Each breath she took, he could feel the air being drawn from his own lungs. She wasn't pretending to be asleep to shut him out like he would have done to escape an embarrassing moment while laying down next to her. She was just enjoying his closeness and, for that, closed eyes worked better.

Branch still hadn't recovered from the fright of multiverse travel. It had been a week already and he woke up at least once in the middle of the night, trashing his arms around, trying to grab something that existed only in his nightmare.

After so many years of happy dreams, some frights were reawakened.

Of course, Poppy noticed that the dark circles under his eyes weren't going away and the excuse of Snow Day approaching was perfect to complain about the cold night and ask for a cuddle. One warm hug, a kiss on his cheek later, and Poppy was happily planted on his side, ready to protect him from the monstrosity of his own mind.

In understanding silence, the subject about the multiverse trip was put on hold until he was comfortable enough to come forward on his own. Poppy was considerate like that.

She would guard him through the night without having to say it. The Queen was there to protect him from the humiliation of having to explain himself. She just knew him that much.

If he wasn't getting the same mastery level of reading her like an open book, Branch would swear she had psychic powers. But he noticed that sometimes, when her lips quivered and her eyebrows had furrowed just a tick down, it meant she was choosing the words to speak. Then, he found himself understanding that when she closed her fingers on the hem of her dress, she was keeping herself from the impulse of hugging him in public.

He could see her moves before she made them purely by watching her.

Like now… his own observation powers noted that she was awake and the dim light of his bedroom illuminated a small smile that went slightly wider each time she breathed in, taking in his scent and proximity even with their lack of touch. He could feel that she wanted more. Twice her finger moved up towards him, unconsciously seeking to brush his own hand that was lazily spread on the mattress, but she wasn't fully moving, like she was fueling the energy between them.

So it was up to him to end the torture and close the gap. She was a little surprised when he moved his hand up and touched her shoulders, but she stirred with a content sigh and welcomed his warmth and the lightness of his caress.

Branch thought it was okay to explore the length of her skin. It was something he had wanted to do during the multiverse travel. He saw her in several scenarios, in all of them she looked marvelous. He had wanted to feel her in ways he had only watched through the screen.

And that was a dangerous territory because she knew nothing of what he had been through and she was lying right there, completely vulnerable and trusting him to be the gentletroll he had always been.

But Branch couldn't stop his hands. His palm went down her arm as he watched her smile growing in approval, loving to feel what he was doing to her. He dared to stop on her waist and the stillness of the moment made her hold her breath, waiting for what he was going to do next.

There was an advantage of being the one with open eyes, he could see when she parted her lips in anticipation.

Daring to continue, Branch slid his hand down even more, feeling the waistband of her shorts, the light fabric of her pajamas and found the warm skin of her thighs. Poppy didn't move and he didn't take his eyes from her face. She was laying on her side and stiffened a little when he found the back of her knee, touching the sensitive flesh and causing a flush on her cheeks.

With palms open, his hands almost completely covered her lower leg, Branch noticed in amusement. How could she feel so small and delicate when she was next to him? It surprised him that her breathing got short and labored when he moved his hand up again, making the way back to her hips, where he felt the hem of her strapped top.

Mimicking his moves when he literally had lent a hand during her period, Branch tugged her shirt slightly up, just enough to slip his palm inside and feel the softness of her skin. Poppy moved a little closer. It was a very discreet move and he would have missed it if he wasn't paying attention.

With his hands securely on each side of her hips he pulled her closer, sliding her over the bed sheet to firmly press her front against his. Her arms remained in front of her, but her hands turned to touch his chest. That way, Branch felt he had permission to caress the length of her back completely.

Moving up and down under her shirt, trailing her spine, he met no protest. The stiffness from before completely melted into his caress, like when she sunk into a bubble bath to take away the pains of a hard day.

Her face moved up and he turned to look at her. Her eyes were half open, her lips were parted in bliss. I wish you'd kiss me like that from now on. She had said when he was still a shaking mess from the trip. His lips softly hovered above hers, tingling with the hot puffs of air.

His mind swirled with the images he had seen: kissing her lying down, slightly on top of her, with her skin burning under his fingers. It was so close to the edge of another step of their relationship and he was reluctant to take that last jump. The Poppy in his arms wasn't like the alternative ones he had seen.

He shortened the distance between them, pressing their lips together a little awkwardly. He could tell relief washed over her the moment their months touched. Her shoulders went down and her hands raised to play with the hair on the back of his neck. She patiently waited. It was his kiss; he was the one to take lead and part her lips like she wanted.

Probing his tongue out, completely unaware if he was doing it right, Branch felt like an explorer who had to press the right buttons to open a treasure cave. Funnily enough, the combination wasn't that hard to figure, because immediately she opened up and he found himself changing angles to go in even further.

If rainbows had a flavor, they would taste just like Poppy. She had pressed herself even closer, if possible. He could barely believe his lack of self-control when he blissfully groaned against her lips, almost at the same time she moaned in delight.

There wasn't a manual to teach about kissing. He figured he was doing it right because Poppy had surrendered in his arms completely. He was just touching her tongue with his, dancing around her and teasing by retreating and closing his mouth before opening up and diving in again.

Something was stirring inside him. The familiar desire he had experienced inside the spaceship pooled down his stomach, threatening to drown them both if things continued. Poppy gave him no indication that she wanted to stop, instead, she moved and, instinctively, hooked her leg on his hip bone.

He broke their kiss, making a big effort not to gasp. It was too much. She certainly was feeling how much it affected him. They were glued together, not a sheet of paper would fit in between them.

She finally opened her eyes and looked at him sweetly like she always had.

Poppy made no sound or tried to move away from him. She only caressed his cheeks, keeping that content smile while his own blue eyes darkened with a passion that was very difficult to keep under control.

"Turn around." Branch didn't intend for his voice to come out husky in her ears. Her skin raised at his voice and she mindlessly obeyed, watching him intensely one last time before turning her back to him.

His arms slipped around her with his palm resting on her stomach under her top to feel her burning skin. His lips connected with her shoulder, making her shudder under his touch.

Moments like that were sweeter than the ones Branch had seen, but they were a version of the same blind obedience he had previously witnessed. It aroused her to have someone to follow. It only made him realize that he had to be the one in control of that relationship. She felt cared for when he wasn't just waiting for instructions, but leading her around.

He felt so gloriously honored.

"Hey," Poppy adjusted against his chest, pressing her back on his front. He heard her yawn. Of course, he had drifted off into his thoughts and she understood the make out was finished. "Can you move closer? I want to try spooning all night."

"Ah… you see…" Branch's chest was pressed against her, but his hips were at a safe distance away.

"I don't mind." She quietly said. If Branch hadn't stopped to take a breath, he wouldn't have heard her.

An eternity that could only be counted by inhaling and exhaling ticked his thoughts away, fading the alarmed protests into the background while his heart turned into a slave to her wishes.

"All right." He answered after a moment to consider the risks. Bringing her against him fully, he heard her happy sigh. Her warm back was perfectly molded against him. His knees were on the back of hers and, once again, he made a note that they were like two pieces of puzzles made by the heavens.

"See…?" He heard the glee in her voice and she moved against him as physically as possible, relaxing completely. "We fit."