The First Sleepover
Branch looked up at the clock. It was 3 o clock. Already? It still felt like morning. Branch had been working hard all day tidying up his bunker. Poppy was coming over in a few hours. She had come over many times, but this time was going to be more special because she was spending the night. It would be their first sleepover together. They agreed to have it at his bunker for more privacy. He was so glad she was agreeable to the sleepover being at his place. He would like to think he would feel comfortable staying at her place eventually, but he tried not to think so far ahead yet. He was hoping this one would go well first. He spent the last few days coming up with a plan of festivities for their evening. First, he would start by making a nice dinner for her. After that, he thought about either making cookies or toasting marshmallows. They could finish up the night with a late movie or play some type of game. There was one thing that was eating at Branch. The actual sleeping part. Like gift giving, this could be a relationship death sentence. If he came off as eager then he might scare her off, but if he was too passive she might think he doesn't want her. The truth was he wasn't even sure what he wanted for sleeping arrangements as well. True, he could talk to Poppy about it but he didn't want her to think that he wasn't confident in this relationship. Ok enough of this! He had work to do! A half hour passed before he heard a knock from the outside.
Huh? That couldn't be Poppy already. She was known to be early sometimes, but he recalled her saying she had a busy day today. He looked through the telescope and was both relieved and a little disappointed when he saw it wasn't her. It was JD and Floyd. Since the brothers reunited, Floyd had stayed in the village. JD would stay occasionally, but he still preferred living out in the forest. Clay and Bruce stayed in Putt Putt and Vacay island respectively, but they came at least twice a month to visit. Sometimes more if they were able to. It was something they agreed on after JD, Clay, and Bruce had hurt Branch's feelings when they originally said they would be done with each other again after their mission. Branch opened the trap door for them to come in. He greeted them when they made it to the bottom.
"Hi guys, what do I owe the pleasure?" Branch asked.
"We were just in the neighborhood, I took Floyd hunting but he well you know-"
"How is hunting fun to you? Capturing innocent forest creatures?"
"All we did was just watch and wait, I wasn't gonna capture anything!"
"Sure John sure." Floyd looked around and noticed how nice the place looked. "Wow Branch, what's all this for?"
JD chuckled. "You didn't have to clean up for us."
"I didn't. Poppy's staying over tonight." Floyds and JD's mouths dropped upon hearing him say that. Branch was confused by their reaction. "What?" He asked.
JD put his hands together. "Branch, I think we need to have the talk."
Branch groaned. "Stop it! I know how that works, and it's not like that. We're just having a sleepover."
Floyd threw his hands up in response. "You're right, that's not our business, but I think that's really cute. Making your place look nice for your girl."
"It's not a big deal." Branch hoped if he shrugged it off they would leave it alone. He was wrong. JD thought very differently.
"NOT A BIG DEAL, THIS IS A HUGE DEAL! Is this the first time she's staying over?"
"Well yeah, we've only been together for a few months. We just decided to give it a try."
"Are you nervous?" asked Floyd.
"No, not really. Well, except for one thing." Branch admitted.
"You mean you're going to…" JD asked while making a suggestive motion.
Branch's face palmed himself and grunted. "I just said no! Forget it!"
Floyd shot JD a look. "Sorry Branch, JD must have left his manners in the woods. What were you saying before?"
"Well I'm excited for tonight, this is a new thing in our relationship. I think we will have a great time, but I don't know how to go about our sleeping arrangement for later."
Floyd nodded. "Oh I see, well given that this relationship is still fairly new I would…"
Floyd and JD responded at the same time.
"Be a gentleman!"
"Be assertive!"
JD and Floyd looked at each other.
"Floyd, our Branchie has been a gentleman since he's known Poppy so if he wants to be intimate…"
"With that attitude, it's no wonder you haven't dated anyone."
"Hey you don't know what I've been up to! What about you? I don't see you dating anyone either."
They started to get into an argument, but Branch immediately shut them down. He wasn't in the mood for this.
"Guys! Please! I appreciate your input, but…this isn't helping."
"You're right, we got a little carried away. We're just excited for you. This isn't our relationship so, at the end of the day, you should do what feels right."
"But…I don't know what to do." Branch hung his head and he felt Floyd's hand on his shoulder.
"Trust me, you'll know. You've proven yourself to be wise beyond your years."
"But in the event you decide to..you know..wear your-"
"John!" Floyd exclaimed.
"Sorry! Sorry! You're right, not our business!"
"Come on, let's let Branch get back to making the place look nice. Poppy will probably be here soon."
"Alright, good luck little bro and have fun!". They started to make their way back to the lever. The two started a new conversation, which made Branch laugh a little overhearing it.
"Are you making anything good tonight for dinner Floyd? Because I am HUN-GRY."
"John, if you just let me teach you-"
"But I'm your guest!".
"You know I'm starting to regret telling you that you were welcome at my pod anytime. You've been eating me out of house and home since you got here".
"Oh come on, you know you love my company".
The conversation became more quiet as they went back up. Then with a loud thud, it was silent again. It was 4:15. Poppy will be here soon. He had hoped his brothers could have provided some advice to his dilemma, but he was still as confused as he was an hour ago. He started on making dinner so he could have it ready for Poppy when she arrived. He was making his special dish, Eggplant Parmigiana. He grew the eggplants himself. Then that reminded him of JD's comment. Ughhhh, he needed to cut these up fast!
5 o clock. It was almost time. Dinner was in the oven. The place was all clean and looked presentable. Now all that was missing was his special guest. He twiddled his thumbs, what else could he do while he waited? He decided to open a good book, let his mind be trapped in another world for a second. He tried to read a few chapters, but his mind was drifting elsewhere. It was causing him to have to read the pages over again. He managed to get in one more chapter before he heard the knock he had been waiting for all day. He double checked to make sure it wasn't his brothers or one of their friends. Nope. It was his girlfriend, clear as day. This is it! All systems go! He did a quick sweep of his home to make sure his underwear wasn't laying out anywhere or if he left the toilet seat up. Whew. Everything was good. He opened the trapped door and was eagerly waiting for her to get down to the bottom.
"Hi!" Poppy exclaimed as she hopped off the elevator. He chuckled. She could have a busy day and still have all the energy in the world.
"Hi Pops." She greeted him with a kiss. He would never get tired of it. "How was your day?"
"Oh super busy! Which was great because so many people needed my help! A Queen's work is never done you know!". She continued on and then stopped. Something had her attention. "Something smells good, are you making something?"
"I am. Eggplant Parmigiana."
"No way! You've told me all about it and now I get to try it! I'm so excited!" She handed him her bag and ran into the kitchen. He set it down in the living room and joined her.
She started to squeal. "Is it ready yet?"
He chuckled. "Not quite, but soon."
"Thank you for doing this. This is nice." She gave him such a loving look he thought he would die right there. Sometimes he wasn't sure how he was living his life he always dreamed of, but he was so grateful.
"Would you like something to drink while we wait?" He asked.
"You got any strawberry wine?"
"Only for you." He found what he was looking for in the fridge and poured them both a glass. He handed her glass to her.
"Just what I needed! What should we toast to?"
"To love?" He suggested with a smirk. She smiled. She loved his response. Branch showed his poetic side on special occasions and she was there for it! They clinked their glasses and sipped. The timer dinged, perfect timing!
Poppy gasped."Ooooo it's ready!" She went over to the oven, patiently waiting for Branch to take his masterpiece out.
"Here Poppy, sit down and relax. I'll take care of this."
"Are you sure? I can help!"
"No way, you're my guest and you've been working all day."
"Hmm..drinking wine while my boyfriend does a nice gesture for me, eh I guess i'll take it."
She went over to the living room and sat down with her feet up. This gave her a chance to admire how clean the place was. Not that it was never clean, but it felt like it wasn't just a man who lived here. He added some touches for her to enjoy here including the area rug she had made for him.
She heard Branch calling her from the kitchen. "It's ready!" She didn't need to be told twice as she hurried along to join him. He had set the table and everything. He pulled the chair out for her and she happily sat down.
"Wow Branch, you're really spoiling me tonight aren't you?"
"I mean I could stop if you want me to."
"No no! This is great!"
"I hope you'll enjoy dinner as well as this evening."
"I'll enjoy anything as long as it's with you."
"Wow, that might've been cheesier than the parmigiana."
She playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to match the romance, but I can keep my compliments to myself."
"Hmm…that's a thought. I'm joking. Bon Appetit my Queen."
They dove into their dinner. Poppy remarked about how delicious it was every minute. He was delighted to hear it. They engaged in some interesting conversations while they ate. Before they knew it they cleaned their plates. Shutting down her offer for help once more, Branch did the dishes. Poppy found herself in the living room again. She was debating if she should change into her pajamas to feel more comfortable. She decided in the end to wait because it was still early. She started to giggle in her thoughts of imagining Branch wearing pajamas. If he was the kind of troll to wear them. She was still giggling until she felt Branch hugging her from behind.
"What are you laughing about?"
"Oh nothing". She spun around to give him a proper hug. It would be nice to just stay like this forever.
"Thank you again for this evening."
Branch smirked. "You say it like it's over."
"I'll be sad when it is."
"Or…we could just live in the moment. Come on, I have an idea."
He took her by the hand to the elevator. They rode up to the very top. Once off, Branch made sure the trap door was locked. The last thing he wanted was an unwanted creature in his bunker when he returned or an unwanted Troll. Branch was already taking a chance of their evening being interrupted by one of their friends by going out in the open. It was a risk he was willing to take though. They walked through the meadow as the sun was starting to set. Poppy was feeling a little confused about this. Branch wasn't the type to come up with a spontaneous idea. She wanted to ask where they were going since it was going to be dark soon, but she resisted. She just had to trust that if Branch brought her out here, there was a good reason. She was glad she didn't ask because she felt her breath being taken away when they reached their destination.
Standing on top of the hill, the sun was setting at just the right time, the pink and the purple colors in the sky looked so majestic. Poppy had seen many sunsets before, but not from a view like this. She also hadn't seen one in awhile. Between being the Queen and the adventures she had been on, she never had time to just slow down and enjoy life's precious moments. Branch had to have planned this! To remind her. The look on Poppy's face made Branch's heart soar. This had been a good idea. He put his arm around her and looked on at the sunset with her. He fought the urge to listen out for predators. Breathe, he reminded himself. We're safe. I can keep Poppy and I safe.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked.
She smiled. "This is really beautiful, did you plan this?"
"No. Actually, I just decided to do this at the spur of the moment, we got lucky with how the sunset looks though."
"Wow, spontaneous are we? Are you sure you're my boyfriend?" She giggled.
"I did however plan this." He pulled out some sticks and some marshmallows from his hair. "I thought we could have a small fire and toast some marshmallows." This was met with approval from Poppy.
"Marshmallows?! My favorite!"
Branch started on the fire, not using too much wood since they wouldn't be out here too long. Pretty soon a small fire started crackling and it started feeling warm. He looked over and noticed Poppy seemed lost in thought. She seemed content, but a little distracted. He handed her a marshmallow and her own stick.
"You look like you're thinking really hard."
"I'm just reminiscing about memories. The fire reminded me of when we went to Bergen Town together. It's crazy how things have changed."
"We've been through a lot this year, that's for sure."
"It's nice not to be on a mission for once, you know".
"I couldn't agree more. Hopefully we're done with those for a while."
"Never say never. Things seem to have a way of finding us."
"Our only mission tonight is to have a good time."
"I'm having a great time."
"Me too."
Butterflies fluttered inside both of them. A different type of warmth than the fire. They both smiled shyly at each other. Though they were out in the woods, Branch didn't care. He wanted his Queen. He pulled her closer to him which surprised her. Caressing her cheek gently, he pulled her in for a kiss. She threw his arms around his neck, one of her hands caressing his hair. This was more than just a kiss. This was turning into a make out session, both of them were inexperienced with this but their motions were proving otherwise. It was only when Branch found himself with Poppy sitting in his lap that he realized this was getting heavy. He pulled away to catch a breather and she followed suit. They both were thinking the same thing, to stop before things went too far. Poppy got off his lap, but sat right next to him to stay close. Branch put his arm back around Poppy and the two toasted their marshmallows. Engaging in some small talks about the critter noises they heard. Once they had gotten about 3 marshmallows each, they decided to head back to the bunker. Poppy happily skipped, while Branch trailed behind her. Once they made it back inside, Branch did a quick perimeter check. It probably wasn't necessary, but it would allow him to enjoy the rest of the evening.
"There's my boyfriend!"
After he shook his head playfully at her comment. They resumed their evening with baking cookies, doing puzzles, and playing checkers. Branch didn't know why he was so nervous earlier, things were going great. That was until…Poppy changed into her pajamas. She wanted to feel more comfortable and Branch wasn't going to deny her that. She came out from his bathroom in a pink satin night gown decorated with cupcakes. Branch had never seen Poppy in pajamas before, but he was not expecting to feel flush in his face. His hands started to sweat and his mouth became dry. Now he remembered why he was nervous earlier. It wasn't bedtime yet, but what was he going to do when it was? Oh my god, had he been gawking at her this long?! He probably looked like a deer in headlights. He was trying to speak, but no words were coming out! Poppy recognized this and came over and sat next to him.
"Branch. Hey. Talk to me. What's going on?"
Branch didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to embrace her all night long and wake up to see her face in the morning. What if she didn't want that though? Was this too early in their relationship? Would she see him as less if he wasn't assertive that he wanted her? Come on Branch, speak. Finally all his feelings surfaced, he was prepared to take whatever response she gave.
"I guess I'm feeling really nervous about when we go to sleep. I mean what do we do? What are the rules? Do we sleep in the same bed? Do I be a gentleman and take the couch? I just-I want-." He sighed. It's so silly, I'm prepared for a lot of things but…nothing like this. I'm sure other trolls don't overthink this stuff like me."
Branch's breathing started to get a little fast. He was hoping Poppy couldn't tell how fast his heart was beating. She must've been able to anyways with the way she placed her hand on his knee.
"It's not silly Branch, this is a new experience for both of us. It's ok to feel nervous. The best part of being in a relationship with you is getting to share these new moments together..Nerves and all."
Branch turned to look at Poppy who was just smiling at him, giving him reassurance. Since the events of Barb's world tour, she became a much better listener. It really showed. A few years ago, Poppy would've made some comment about him overanalyzing a situation like this. But here she was being warm towards him and helping be part of the solution. He felt some strange sensation on his chest, oh god. Wait. It felt like his chest was 10 pounds lighter. Was this what it felt like when he was more open and honest? Whatever it was, he wasn't so nervous anymore. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. He almost started to tear up. He didn't know what he did to deserve her. Seeing that Branch looked more relaxed, Poppy held back a smart remark about the wonders opening up could do and instead squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.
"I don't think there are rules for things like this. It's just…about how comfortable we feel with it. We can just let things happen naturally."
Branch let out a happy sigh. "You're right, I guess I got a little over my head."
"Maybe I shouldn't have put my pajamas on so quickly".
"No, I like them. They look really good on you."
She blushed at his response. "Do you wear pajamas?"
"I do, but I don't usually sleep with a shirt on. Is…that ok?"
"Of course it is. It's your place, you should do whatever makes you feel at home."
He used his other free hand and started to stroke her hair. Man all these nerves could've been avoided if he just had talked to her in the first place. He would make sure to remember that next time.
"I love you, Poppy."
"I love you too, Branch." On that cue, Poppy found herself back in Branch's lap planting a firm one on him. He happily returned it, he also found himself stroking Poppy's nightgown. It was so smooth it drove him crazy. He continued to stroke her soft skin from her arms to her back, giving them a light massage while the two continued to make out. Poppy gave some satisfying moans, which gave Branch the go on stroking one of her thighs. He knew he hit a sweet spot after hearing her moan louder. He picked her up and carried her over to the couch. From there she was laying on top of him, they continued to kiss while she was lightly touching his chest. He let out a satisfying hum. They continued for a little while longer, but respected each other's boundaries and pulled away from each other. Both in a satisfied daze. Wow! They both thought to themselves.
Branch slowly stirred. He felt the light coming in from his window. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He saw a flash of pink. When his eyes adjusted he saw Poppy sleeping on his right side, he smiled when he remembered. He recalled they watched a movie before going to bed. When it came time to sleep, it felt natural for the both of them to stay together, so he welcomed her into his room. They hadn't done what JD assumed, no no. They just cuddled and shared more kisses before they drifted off to sleep. Branch felt so happy that he didn't let his mind get the better of him because this is what he wanted. To wake up with Poppy by his side. Poppy rolled over facing towards him, he giggled silently. She was so gorgeous even with messy hair. She took her ponytail out before they went to sleep, so her hair was naturally flowing. She didn't keep it that way often so it was always a sight to see when she did. Branch pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. Her eyes started to flutter until she woke up greeting him with a smile.
"Good morning, sunshine."
"Hi." She said tiredly.
"You slept well I presume?"
She nodded. "Maybe the best sleep I've had."
"That might be overstretching it a bit."
She shrugged. "You might be right, but I still think so anyway. Thank you for the best sleepover ever."
"I can't wait to do it again."
"Really? You want to do it again."
He nodded, which made Poppy squeal. He couldn't help but chuckle. All the excitement from her at an early hour, he expected nothing less. "You know…if you wanted to, you could keep some things at my place, so you wouldn't have to pack a bag."
"That's a great idea. Hey, maybe you can do that too! At my place."
"One step at a time Hon. One step at a time". He teased. "I can't wait to see how you host a sleepover."
She teased back. "I'd say I have a good reputation."
They enjoyed each other's cuddles for a little longer before Branch got up to make them breakfast. Poppy watched as he put on his moss bathrobe, covering his bare chest. She hung back a minute as she absorbed all her feelings. They both could get used to this.
WHEW! I didn't expect this chapter to be as long as it was, but I had so many ideas pop into my head for this one. First and for most, please if you haven't seen Band Together go see it! I mean my god can we please talk about we finally saw our stars kiss? And Poppy's character development! I think it's canon that Floyd stuck around after to make up for lost time with Branch so you'll probably see him give some brotherly advice in the next few stories! I have also decided to change the rating on my story to T since this story and others going forward might be more mature. Hope everyone enjoys, stay tuned for more!