Post- Fabirynth

"Sorry, Poppy but this is between my BFF Holly and me." Val said, winking at the Queen.

It was obvious what the rock girl was doing. Holly gave her a teasing smile to confirm their plans. Poppy was deliberately excluded from a Fabirynth post-party, so she'd be alone with Branch. Having best friends was a whole new level of friendship, but that also gave the girls the liberty to push her buttons.

"Well, they need to sort things out by themselves, anyway." Branch said, noticing Poppy had been a little offended by not even being given a chance to participate.

"You're right." Poppy watched as her friends waved goodbye between giggles in the distance and, after a defeated sigh, she turned to her boyfriend, finally fully looking at him.

Branch was smiling at her; that kind of carefree smile that broke when they felt complete at each other's company. Her heart swelled with love when she found his eyes. He was contemplating her, watching little details that changed with the sunset light.

He felt her hug coming before she even opened her arms. They were in a BFF Zone of their own.

They were connected so deeply that Branch noticed a small tingle of her arm when she wrapped it around his neck. He had closed his eyes to enjoy the hug, but opened them again when he noticed the different weight that was pushing down on his shoulders. Poppy was tired. Not just tired, she was exhausted.

"Are you okay?" He asked, shifting his arms so he was supporting her better. Her knees gave out for a second before she managed to clumsily hold herself up again.

"Sorry… It was a full day." She yawned, succumbing to the warmth of his body that enchanted her. So snugly and inviting… she could doze off right there.

"Here." Branch bent down, offering his back. "I'll carry you home."

Poppy's first thought was to say she could walk, she didn't want him to get tired by carrying her on his back, but her eyelids felt heavy and her legs felt like they didn't want to walk anymore. So, she didn't protest. Instead, she placed her hands on his shoulder as he stood up, hooking his own hands under her knees, making sure she was firmly supported.

"Thanks, Branch." She whispered, burying her nose in his leaf vest.

"Anytime."

He noticed she grew a little heavier and her head fell to the side. Her cheek was firmly pressed against his shoulder and her breath became long and quiet. He smiled when he realized she had really fallen asleep.

At least he was close to the bunker.

He had said he'd carry her home… and she didn't protest. They both knew he had meant the bunker. Was it possible that Poppy was starting to see his home as her own?

It would be like a dream coming true, right? It was what all couples wanted in the end… to share their lives under the same roof.

Branch laid the sleeping down on her bed and covered her with a blanket. Her lips were slightly parted, beautifully inviting with the cherry lip-gloss she was wearing…

He flicked the lights out and left the bedroom to allow her to rest.

His head was running wild, still having flashes of her lips and touch from other dimensions. Several weeks had passed since the trip and he wasn't successful silencing the memories to resume his ordinary life.

The best way to regain control was to work on the ration inventory. So, he gladly sat down on the familiar chair and opened a bottle of dried beans. According to his notes, he was up to date with the store room and he considered building an extra floor to keep all the jars. After finishing the Labyrinth, it could be a cool next project.

The train, the cuddle bear, the labyrinth… he needed more challenging projects to keep his mind busy. He needed to keep his rational side entertained so bubbling emotions wouldn't rise to the surface.

The clock ticked and three Hug Times passed while he counted down the beans and used a factor to calculate how many of them an average troll would need per meal to have a full nutrient supply. Each bottle would be enough for three snacks. He was proudly reaching his goal when he noticed timid steps approaching from the hall outside.

He lifted his eyes in time to see Poppy leaning against the doorframe, with her messy hair down, her eyes half opened like she could still nap for hours. A soft smile tugged her lips; the blanket was tightly wrapped over her shoulders, completely covering her.

Branch wondered if he had ever seen her looking so precious.

His mind took him to the first days of their relationship when he rejoiced on the fact that he would share dinner and breakfast with her when she spent the night the first time. Now, it had become something so regular that he overlooked those small radiant moments.

"I had the impression your ration room was growing smaller." Poppy contemplated the endless shelves from her spot on the door. "But I see I was mistaken."

"No, you're not mistaken." Branch gave her an inviting smile, which caused her to meekly approach. One pink finger touched the cool surface of the wooden table as she walked around it to stand by his side. Instinctively, his own hand touched her hips, bringing her closer. She leaned forward to look at his notes. "My rations are in the store room in the kitchen along with samples of anything edible I could find. Now this -" He tapped the notebook with his pen, "is a store room to keep everyone fed in case of, well…, in case we're attacked or if we have a catastrophic climate change. Everyone in Trollstopia can find shelter and have enough provisions for six months according to my last account."

Poppy's eyebrows arched in surprise and looked at her boyfriend, mesmerized. Branch blushed and quickly closed the notebook, not being able to read if her look was good or bad.

He couldn't help but keep old habits. He was a little ashamed he couldn't fully enjoy routine as an ordinary troll, being in the present and not caring about hazardous eventualities, however unlikely… wait… where did he hear that before…?

"You astound me, do you know that?" Poppy said, bringing his attention back to her. From her smile, maybe he should take his inventory as something good? "When I first came down to the bunker you were worried about sharing any bottle of sweat with anyone else and now… you're keeping a storeroom to save everyone."

Branch blushed hearing her words. He hadn't realized he had changed his way of seeing things. It was just a mechanical chore for him: to pick up a bean, to put it in a jar, to close the jar and place it on a labeled shelf.

"I guess… I did change a little…" He felt her hand squeezing his shoulder. He leaned his cheek against her side for a quick snuggle. He felt the bone on her hip and frowned. "You lost weight."

"Did I?" Poppy blushed, stepping away.

"I'm surprised you don't notice these things." Branch said, standing up and taking her hand. "Let's have dinner, shall we?"

Indeed, Poppy only realized she was hungry when he mentioned food. She was usually so wrapped up in games, fun and concentrating on taking care of her friends that sometimes she would skip meals without realizing.

The devotion of her boyfriend made her stop at the kitchen's door. She was welcomed by the smell of pizza and her mouth watered. Branch opened the oven to take a full homemade margherita with perfectly melted cheese.

Juice, plates and silverware was quickly placed on the table while Poppy felt something growing inside her. It wasn't just an overwhelming happiness, but it was a joy so deep that she couldn't hold it inside her heart. It spread through her body, running its bliss from her toes and the top of her hair.

Branch was cutting a slice to place it on a plate for her when he felt her blanket covered arms wrapping around his body. Her forehead was firmly pressed against his shoulder and a shaky breath was felt through his leaf vest.

"Poppy…?"

"I love you so much."

Her words echoed in his head through dinner. They ate in silence and from time to time he'd see her drying her eyes as happy tears insisted on running down her cheeks. Usually, it would make him panic, but he could feel she was overflowing with delight, even though he couldn't spot the precise reason for it.

"Thank you, by the way." Branch said, after he finished the last slice of pizza.

"For what?" Poppy asked, not being able to stop smiling.

"For taking me out of the labyrinth." He picked up one last olive and popped it in mouth. "I forgot to thank you."

"Anytime." Poppy replied just before she realized something. "You mentioned stuccos, but the walls were carved in wood, weren't they?"

It was Branch's turn to stare at her. Her little misbehaving grin couldn't be mistaken.

"So, you were listening to me!"

"I listen to you all the time." Poppy giggled, "Sometimes it takes a while - and some research - to process what you mean, but I always listen."

They fell into a comfortable silence again. Branch noticed the air was growing colder and Poppy adjusted the blankets once more while she finished her meal.

"Are you staying tonight?" Branch asked, but already knew the answer.

"I need to finish the preparations for Snow Day, but I'll be back tomorrow, so we can have our weekend like we planned."

"Snow Day?" The survivalist quickly looked at the calendar on the wall to check the date. "But it's not due for weeks."

"Oh, right. I didn't tell you." Poppy unwrapped herself and stood up, taking the dishes to the sink. "Last night I found Sky Toronto's letter among all the others and he mentioned we're having a climate adversity this year. We're having a Snow Weekend, with two days to be filled with winter games. I'm sort of in a hurry because I'll be down here with you the whole time so I need to make sure the gang will know how to lead the routine." She started doing the dishes before he could tell her to leave it for later.

"Oh…" Branch wondered how come he hadn't checked his own weather station to get that information. "If you want to participate…"

"No." She firmly cut him off before he continued. "I'm looking forward to our weekend together. I want to be here. Just the two of us."

Poppy wanted to be snowed in with him. She had no idea how cold the bunker could get during Snow Day and from what he remembered the queen didn't even wear a winter outfit last time. Did she even have proper clothes for that kind of weather?

Branch had an idea.