25 DAYS

"Ha! I win!" Branch splashed Poppy, having reached the end of the third lap around his private hot springs before she did.

"Okay, fair and square." Poppy laughed, trying to catch her breath. Branch was a better swimmer than she was, there was no point trying to defeat him the fifth time… or was there…?

"Is it just me, or…?" Branch helped her to sit down on a rock and quickly followed, taking a place next to her to watch as she cluelessly dried her hair.

"...or what?" The queen questioned, indeed, completely lost at what he was trying to say.

"The competition between us is back." Branch revealed and Poppy blinked blankly at him. "... milder… healthier… but we are back challenging each other like the old days."

"I guess you're right." Poppy answered, remembering that it started when he chased her for the gloup du jour. "And it is fun, isn't it?"

She stood up, wrapping herself in a towel so she wouldn't wet the whole bunker. Branch wasn't so careful, but quickly followed her.

"Yes, it is." Branch replied. He had been thinking about that vibe the last few days and he wanted to pitch her a fun game. Poppy stood by her bedroom's door, waiting for him to finish. "While you change, I'll get us something to drink."

He quickly undressed his wet swim shorts and put his leaf vest and brown pants on. Filling two cups, one of coffee and other of tea, Branch was already standing in front of the door when Poppy opened it to allow him inside; she was wearing her usual blue dress.

"What do you have in mind?" Poppy asked. She chose to sit on the bed, crossing her ankles in front of her and giving room for her boyfriend to join her.

It was a delicious and calm moment they shared on Saturday afternoons. After a quick swim, they would drink tea in each other's company and talk about their week. They especially had a lot of subjects to talk about when they had busy days and didn't meet as often as they liked.

Poppy noticed Branch stole a quick glance at her nightstand where two brand new scrapbooks were on display.

"They were gifts from Val," She squealed, causing Branch to suspiciously question what she had just said. Thundershock? Giving gifts? "She's soooo into our friendship that she saw the scrapbook and thought of me. It was such a tender moment! Oh!" Poppy quickly grabbed a thank you note from Gust and showed it to him. "And I beat Gust in his observation techniques and managed to throw him a surprise party!"

"You sure love a challenge." Branch chuckled, taking the note from her hands and seeing how grateful Gust was for having the first surprise party of his life. "… which brings me back to the idea I had."

"Uh! Tell me!" Poppy inched closer, paying full attention to what her boyfriend was going to say.

"I want to challenge you to a Contagious Hide and Seek game." Branch's eyes shone in a playful sparkle and Poppy bit her lower lip with enthusiasm.

"You mean… you want me to try to break the hiding record?!"

"If you want to hide, I can be it." Branch replied, already seeing how the game proposal made her wheels turn. "How long was the last record? I may have missed a couple of games."

"Twenty-Five days!" Once again, squealing like a little girl, Poppy put her cup aside and threw herself in his arms for a tight hug. "It's going to be epic!"

"Twenty… five… days?!" Branch was suddenly thinking the game was a bad idea. Could he go that long without coming close to his girlfriend? The thought alone made him regret the suggestion.

"I'll go up and see who wants to play and then we can start first thing tomorrow!"

"No, wait!" Branch quickly took her hand when she tried to stand up. "I didn't know it was going to take that long."

"Oh… I see…" Poppy sat down again and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Let's keep it simple. I'll mail you every day and if you miss me… well…" she bent down and playfully boop-ed his nose, "you better hurry to find me."

*** 25 days later ***

Branch felt Poppy's hand on his shoulder. He was staring at the picture of Tiny Diamond, realizing how the little trolling had become a big part of his plan, but also grew to be loved and appreciated in so little time.

Pink fingers slowly grazed the skin of his arm. Not being in danger of being tagged anymore, Poppy intertwined their fingers, joining hands gracefully, like a couple who had done it a million times.

"I missed you." Poppy whispered in his ear, finally causing him to look at her. Her cheeks were a little tanned, which made him wonder if she had hidden somewhere in the arid area of the Country Corral for long. He also had the impression she was a bit thinner. She hadn't had a decent meal while hiding, he just knew it.

Extreme games were fun, and Poppy took them seriously. She wouldn't have remembered to eat properly to break the hiding record, that was for sure.

"I missed you, too." Branch replied, wisely keeping his thoughts to himself. Poppy grinned at him, looking close to those lines in his eyes, that small curve that pushed his cheeks up when he smiled. She was taking her time to watch every single detail she had missed for twenty-five days. "You're amazing at these games."

"You almost caught me a lot of times. You made it very difficult for me to break this record." Poppy replied, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Trolls started paying good night to each other. It was late and Tiny returned to his dad's hair to sleep. They all needed to rest for a while, after all, it had been the kind of game that made everyone fully alert, taking turns to rest like they were in a real battle.

"Ugh… my pod must be a mess." Poppy groaned, remembering that she hadn't touched her queen calendar all that time. She had to go through the next Holidays and see if anything serious went on while she was playing.

"Piles and piles of letters, from the last time I checked." Branch chuckled, pulling her gently, so they started walking down towards their homes.

"I should start reading them tonight then." Poppy said quietly, a little disappointed that she would have to go straight to work.

"I really wanted to have some time with you." The Survivalist couldn't help but complain. It had been such a long game and he missed her. He wanted to talk all night long. He wanted to know how she beat his skills.

Her eyes sparkled when she heard him sighing in defeat. Branch recognized that kind of look. She was going to do something mischievous. Looking right, then left, to make sure they were alone on the road, Poppy grabbed the front of his leaf vest, pulling him quickly against a tree, with a surprising strength.

She pressed herself against him and he saw her lips coming up towards his, but she didn't touch them. She, strategically, waited until he moved the last inch, making it his kiss, his lead. Eyelids instinctively closed before he touched her mouth. His knees tingled and his body heated up. His arms wrapped around her, bringing her as close as possible. For a moment, he didn't care if they were exposed, if a troll could walk down the road and spot them. When her lips parted, he immediately followed, missing her taste like a starving troll.

"I'll finish those letters as soon as I can." Poppy said, breaking contact, but still completely pressed against him. "And I promise you, we'll have the whole weekend for ourselves."

Branch smiled and gave her another quick peck before letting her go.

"Okay, it will give me time to organize the bunker." They resumed the walk, still holding hands. "I sort of turned it into a taggers' headquarters. The team was crazily waiting to get you."

"I bet you have plans and maps everywhere." Oh, Poppy was so proud of winning. Even when Branch could practically read her mind now, knowing her like no one else in the world, she still managed to win against the most intelligent troll she knew.

"And waffles. Lots and lots of waffles."