Work Text:
Poppy and Branch have extremely private and intimate pet names for each other that no one knows about. Whenever Poppy and Branch interact, Branch calls her by her pet name within earshot of Viva and King Peppy.
Spring cleaning in King Peppy’s pod had started as a simple family project.
At least, that was how it had been advertised.
In reality, the entire place looked like a glitter explosion mixed with decades of forgotten memories, abandoned decorations, old party supplies, mismatched furniture, and boxes stacked so high they nearly touched the ceiling. Dust sparkled through the warm afternoon sunlight pouring in from the giant flower-shaped windows while upbeat music echoed softly throughout the pod. Every few seconds another forgotten trinket would tumble out of a box somewhere, followed immediately by Viva’s delighted gasp or King Peppy’s nostalgic storytelling.
Poppy stood near the center of the room with her sleeves rolled up and her hair tied into a messy high ponytail, laughing as Viva dramatically held up an ancient disco ball covered in glitter feathers.
“Oh my gosh,” Viva said excitedly, spinning it around. “Dad, what even is this?”
King Peppy squinted at it thoughtfully. “Hmm. I believe that was from the Funky Frosting Festival.”
Poppy blinked. “The what?”
“The Funky Frosting Festival!” Peppy repeated proudly. “Very important event. Lasted three days. Entire village smelled like cupcakes for a month.”
Branch, meanwhile, sat cross-legged beside three carefully labeled boxes that read KEEP, DONATE, and ABSOLUTELY NOT. Unlike the others, he was actually trying to keep things organized instead of getting distracted every six seconds by old memories and random decorations.
Although admittedly…
He was getting distracted by one specific thing.
Poppy.
She had been moving around the pod all afternoon helping Viva sort through shelves, and every time she laughed or smiled or brushed past him carrying another box, Branch found himself watching her instead of whatever object he was supposed to be evaluating.
Which naturally meant he was in the mood to tease her.
Especially because he knew exactly how easy it was.
Poppy knelt beside him holding up a strange lamp shaped like a pineapple. “Keep or donate?”
Branch looked at the lamp very seriously.
Then his eyes slid toward her instead.
“Keep,” he answered calmly. “Also, careful with that, Moonbeam.”
Poppy nearly dropped the lamp.
Her entire face immediately turned pink.
Across the room, Viva remained completely oblivious as she dug through another box. “Ooo, Poppy! Look at these tiny hats!”
Poppy cleared her throat quickly while avoiding Branch’s eyes. “R-right! Tiny hats!”
Branch bit back a smile.
Moonbeam.
That particular pet name was supposed to be private.
Very private.
It had started one late night when Poppy couldn’t sleep and had dragged Branch outside the bunker to watch the stars with her. She’d spent nearly an hour rambling excitedly about constellations while moonlight made her pink hair glow silver, and Branch had quietly called her Moonbeam without thinking.
Poppy had melted instantly.
Ever since then, the name had belonged only to them.
Or at least…
It had until today.
Poppy shot Branch a warning look while carrying the pineapple lamp toward the KEEP pile. Branch merely shrugged innocently and returned to sorting old records.
A few minutes later, King Peppy emerged from behind a stack of boxes carrying a glitter-covered lava lamp.
“Should I keep this?”
Branch glanced up. “Absolutely not.”
“But it still works!”
“That’s honestly more concerning.”
Poppy snorted with laughter nearby, and Branch looked over automatically, smiling softly at the sound.
“There’s my Sunshine,” he said casually.
Poppy froze mid-step.
This time she nearly walked directly into a pile of boxes.
“Wh— Branch!”
Viva looked up curiously. “What?”
“N-nothing!” Poppy squeaked quickly.
Branch rested his chin on his hand, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “You okay there, Sunshine?”
Poppy stared at him in disbelief while Viva went right back to sorting decorations without the slightest suspicion.
How she wasn’t noticing this was beyond Poppy’s understanding.
Because Branch was being ridiculous.
He wasn’t usually shy about affection anymore — far from it, honestly — but using their private nicknames in front of other people was entirely new territory. And the worst part was the calm confidence he kept doing it with, like he enjoyed watching her get flustered.
Which he absolutely did.
Poppy marched over and crouched beside him, lowering her voice. “Branch.”
“Yes, Sunshine?”
“You are impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
“You can’t just say those in front of everyone!”
Branch blinked innocently. “Say what?”
Poppy’s cheeks burned hotter. “You know exactly what.”
Before she could continue, Branch reached up and brushed a bit of dust off her cheek with his thumb, his expression softening immediately.
“You had glitter on your face,” he murmured quietly.
Poppy’s breath caught slightly.
Even after all this time, Branch could still completely derail her thoughts with one gentle touch.
And he knew it.
His lips twitched knowingly as her expression melted from exasperation into flustered affection within seconds.
“You’re teasing me,” she accused softly.
“Maybe a little.”
“A little?”
Branch leaned closer. “You’re cute when you blush.”
Poppy immediately looked away, which only made him grin wider.
From across the room, Viva called out cheerfully, “Hey Branch! Where should this giant cardboard cutout go?”
Branch didn’t even glance away from Poppy. “Donate.”
“It’s literally you,” Viva informed him.
“Especially donate.”
Poppy burst into laughter again, and Branch’s eyes immediately flicked back toward her with unmistakable fondness.
There it is, Poppy thought helplessly.
That look.
The one that made it painfully obvious how much he loved her.
Sometimes she still couldn’t believe this was the same Branch who used to struggle just saying nice things out loud. Now he looked at her openly, warmly, constantly reaching for her whenever she was nearby like affection had become second nature to him.
And honestly?
Poppy loved it far too much.
The afternoon continued in a blur of chaos and clutter. King Peppy kept getting distracted by sentimental stories attached to every single object they found, Viva continuously discovered random decorations she wanted to try on, and Branch somehow remained the only person accomplishing actual cleaning.
Mostly.
Though he also continued tormenting Poppy at every possible opportunity.
“Can you hand me that box, Honeybug?”
Poppy nearly tripped over a rug.
“Thanks, Starlight.”
Poppy accidentally tossed a stack of papers into the wrong pile.
“Careful there, Sweetheart.”
Poppy walked directly into Branch’s shoulder because she’d been too distracted staring at him in disbelief.
“Wow,” Branch teased as he steadied her easily by the waist. “You’re really struggling today.”
“You are sabotaging me!”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
His hands lingered comfortably on her waist while he smiled down at her, completely unbothered by how flustered she looked.
Poppy lowered her voice again. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Definitely.”
“You’re evil.”
“Mhm.”
“And smug.”
“You like smug.”
Poppy opened her mouth to deny it.
Then paused.
Because unfortunately…
He wasn’t wrong.
Branch’s grin widened immediately. “Thought so.”
Poppy lightly shoved his shoulder while trying not to smile. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“You think I’m cute?”
“Don’t make it weird.”
“Too late, Moonbeam.”
Poppy buried her face in her hands while Branch laughed quietly under his breath.
Meanwhile, Viva wandered by wearing approximately seven feather boas and a sparkling hat. “Hey, Poppy, can you help me untangle this?”
Poppy immediately escaped toward her sister with visible relief while Branch watched her go, thoroughly amused.
King Peppy eventually noticed him smiling.
“You seem happy today,” Peppy observed warmly.
Branch glanced toward Poppy again as she laughed with Viva across the room.
“Yeah,” he answered softly. “I am.”
By early evening, the pod finally looked significantly cleaner. Most of the clutter had been sorted into organized piles, old decorations were boxed neatly away, and the floors were visible again for the first time in years.
Viva collapsed dramatically onto a couch. “I’m exhausted.”
“You mostly tried on hats,” Branch pointed out.
“That is emotionally exhausting.”
King Peppy laughed while carrying the final donation box toward the door. “Thank you all for helping.”
Poppy smiled brightly. “Of course!”
As she turned back toward the room, Branch casually slipped an arm around her waist from behind and tugged her gently against his side.
Poppy immediately looked around nervously.
Viva was busy examining another disco ball.
King Peppy was humming to himself while organizing boxes.
Neither of them noticed a thing.
Still, Poppy’s heart fluttered as Branch pressed a quick kiss against her temple.
“You did good today, Sunshine.”
Poppy glanced up at him helplessly. “You seriously are not stopping.”
“Nope.”
“Not even a little?”
“Absolutely not.”
His fingers traced lightly along her side, affectionate and absentminded, and Poppy felt warmth spread all the way to her cheeks again.
“You know,” Branch added thoughtfully, “I think you secretly like it.”
Poppy scoffed weakly. “I do not.”
Branch raised one eyebrow.
Poppy folded immediately.
“…Maybe a little.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Before she could respond, Branch leaned down and kissed her softly.
It wasn’t dramatic or rushed — just warm and sweet and full of quiet affection that made Poppy melt against him instantly. His hand rested gently against her cheek while her fingers curled against the front of his vest, and for a moment the entire noisy world around them faded away.
“Aww,” Viva said suddenly nearby.
Poppy jumped about three feet backward.
Viva blinked innocently. “What? That was cute.”
Poppy stared at her in horror. “You saw that?!”
“The kiss? Yeah.”
Poppy’s face turned scarlet.
Viva tilted her head. “Why are you acting weird?”
Branch immediately looked suspiciously innocent. “No reason.”
Poppy narrowed her eyes at him while he fought back a smile.
Eventually, after several more minutes of cleanup and goodbyes, Poppy and Branch finally headed back toward the bunker together beneath the glowing evening sky.
The walk home felt peaceful compared to the chaos of the afternoon. Soft lantern lights twinkled throughout Pop Village while distant music drifted through the air. Poppy walked beside Branch with her arms folded tightly, still flustered from the entire day.
Branch, unfortunately, looked completely relaxed.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he remarked casually.
Poppy glanced at him. “You embarrassed me all day.”
“I complimented you all day.”
“You used the nicknames!”
“Mhm.”
“In front of my dad and sister!”
“They didn’t seem traumatized.”
Poppy groaned while Branch laughed softly beside her.
“You’re impossible,” she repeated for probably the tenth time that day.
“And yet,” Branch said smugly, “you still kissed me.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
Poppy opened her mouth.
Paused.
“…I don’t know.”
“Exactly.”
By the time they reached the bunker, Poppy was still blushing every time she remembered one of the names he’d used. The second the door closed behind them, she spun toward him accusingly.
“You planned this.”
Branch leaned casually against the wall. “Planned what?”
“All of it!”
“I think you’re imagining things, Moonbeam.”
“There!” Poppy pointed dramatically. “You did it again!”
Branch finally laughed properly, warm and affectionate, before crossing the room toward her.
“Okay,” he admitted. “Maybe I enjoyed teasing you a little.”
“A little?”
“You’re adorable when you get flustered.”
Poppy tried to stay annoyed.
Failed immediately when Branch wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her close.
“Besides,” he murmured softly, brushing his nose against hers, “I like calling you pretty things.”
Poppy’s expression melted at once.
“…Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
His voice had lost all teasing now, replaced with the quiet sincerity that always made her heart ache in the best way.
“You deserve pretty things,” Branch said gently. “Especially from me.”
Poppy stared at him for half a second before kissing him immediately.
Branch smiled against her lips as he kissed her back, one hand sliding up into her hair while the other stayed secure around her waist. The kiss quickly turned warm and lingering, full of all the affection they’d spent the entire day dancing around through teasing and banter.
When they finally pulled apart, Poppy rested her forehead against his with a soft happy sigh.
“You’re still a menace,” she informed him quietly.
“Mhm.”
“But you’re my menace.”
Branch grinned instantly. “Definitely keeping that one.”
Poppy laughed helplessly as he covered her face in quick affectionate kisses all over again, and somewhere between the teasing, the laughter, and the way Branch looked at her like she was the best thing in his entire world, she completely forgot she’d ever planned on staying annoyed in the first place.