Branch discovered it by accident.

He and Poppy were lying in bed together, drifting in that odd, hazy realm between wakefulness and sleep. The teal troll was, as always, holding Poppy to his chest, his arm wrapped around her midsection. Branch liked holding Poppy like this. He got to touch her. He could feel every inch of her body along every inch of his own, and something about that pleased him. Or comforted him. When he held her like this, Branch knew exactly where she was, and he knew that Poppy was safe. The teal troll could bury his nose in Poppy's hair and breathe in the sweet smell of her, could move his hand to caress her belly. What was it about Poppy that made him feel like he couldn't get enough of her? How had he managed to get her to love him?

In any case, Branch knew that Poppy liked lying here like this too. The Pop Queen always wriggled against him, pressed yourself even more firmly against his body like perhaps she was trying to climb inside him. It made him laugh. Sometimes—all too often, in fact—Poppy would often grind her bottom against him until his body responded appropriately. And it always did. Sometimes Branch would dig his fingers into her side until the pink troll was squirming with laughter. Sometimes he would take hold of her hip and press himself more firmly against her, so she could feel just what she did to him. It wasn't much of a punishment, Branch knew, because Poppy always seemed to enjoy it, but it offered a bit of relief from the ache that she brought to the surface.

Tonight, they had exhausted themselves together. When Branch felt Poppy moving against him, the teal troll knew that Poppy was mostly doing it in her sleep. Maddening little thing, trying to rile him up when Poppy was barely even conscious. Branch wasn't sure she could take another round with him tonight, but he also didn't want to rouse her by tickling her, so he just tightened his grip around Poppy's waist and kissed her neck. Branch felt a shiver travel all the way through Poppy's body, and then a delicate sigh, almost like a whimper, escaped her kiss-swollen lips.

Oh.

Very nice.

Branch took a moment to metaphorically kick himself for not noticing that response sooner. He loved Poppy's neck. The teal troll often closed his lips around her pulse point in the middle of...things, relishing the way her heartbeat thrummed just below the surface. Branch had a tendency of sinking his teeth into the tender flesh here, just on the edge of too hard, so that Poppy would whimper beneath him before giving in. The Pop Queen's throat was so soft, so vulnerable. Poppy needed it to breathe, to speak, to sing, and yet she had no qualms about letting him do with it as he pleased. Poppy trusted him, and that fact was like a drug for him, sometimes.

Had he truly never kissed Poppy's neck before?

Eyes wide in the darkness, Branch lowered his mouth to try it again. The feeling of Poppy's warm skin against his lips was familiar, but he couldn't quite tell whether that was because he had, in fact, kissed her neck before or simply because his mouth had been on pretty much every other inch of her skin. Branch scattered a trail of kisses along her neck, moving up to the spot just behind her earlobe. As expected, Poppy shivered again and pressed herself against him as though seeking shelter from his attention. The Pop Queen murmured something, some sweet nonsense in a plaintive tone that told him she was pleading with him to stop. Branch grinned against Poppy and filed this discovery away for later use.

Branch awoke to an empty bed, and sighed. Poppy was often the first one awake, and this was a common occurrence. Sometimes he woke up before her got out of bed, and he could almost always persuade Poppy to stay with him a little longer. Sometimes when he woke up alone, he could hear the peppy song of some musicians coming from her radio in the living room. Branch liked those mornings, as it meant he could sneak in a bit of leering before Poppy realized he was watching. Today, he heard quiet noises coming from the kitchen. He rolled out of bed and went to join her.

Poppy was dressed rather comfortably, which made happiness surge within him. The Pop Queen didn't dress like that if she intended to spend the day working—and therefore ignoring him in favor of her radio. Poppy pushed one of her too-long sleeves up to her elbow, which drew his attention to the fact that she was currently wearing his oversized shirt. The way his heart thudded against his breastbone might have been embarrassing, if anyone else could have heard it.

Branch crept closer, moving silently across the linoleum floor, and slipped his arms around Poppy from behind. The Pop Queen flinched, of course, and then gave a self-conscious laugh and gently smacked one of his hands before finally relaxing against him. "You should wear a bell! You're going to give me a heart attack!"

Branch held Poppy tighter and pressed his face to her neck. She felt so warm, so soft. The scent of her skin mingled with his scent from his shirt, and it was a heady perfume. Did she know what she did to him? Surely not. Surely, if she did, Poppy would be a blushing, stuttery mess more often. Branch smiled at the thought. "Your heart is safe with me, my love." He kept his voice low, almost purring, the way he knew she liked it. Then Branch rubbed his nose against that same spot there behind her ear and kissed her neck.

Just like the night before, he felt Poppy shiver. This time when she sighed, there was the slightest trace of nervous laughter, and Poppy reached up to tug gently on his hair. "Careful now," The Pop Queen warned. But she didn't try to get away from him. Branch let himself growl against her, and then kissed Poppy again. Poppy did laugh this time, and pulled a little harder on his hair. "Branchifer, I'm trying to make you breakfast."

Branch rested his chin on her shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you ticklish?" He kept his voice very innocent.

"You know I am." The pink troll laughed. He loved that sound. He couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips to Poppy's neck again, though this time he tempered his kisses with soft little nips. When Poppy sighed again, he did not miss that delicious hungry edge that slipped into the sound. "Are you not hungry, then?"

The teal troll felt himself chuckle even as he reached forward to turn off the burner. As he did, The Pop Queen turned around in his arms so she could look at him. Poppy's eyes were dark. It thrilled him a little. He let his lips curl back into a sly smile and held her face in his hands. "I am ravenous, precious thing."

Poppy was wearing his clothes and he had just discovered a brand-new way to make her whimper. Breakfast could wait.

And it did.