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Guy Diamond and Branch are playing a game of pool with Poppy and Dj Suki. Branch and Guy Diamond are obviously losing but Branch has a strategy that could get Poppy distracted.
The game room beneath DJ Suki’s music studio buzzed with laughter, flashing colored lights, and the steady rhythmic thump of bass drifting through the walls from the party upstairs. A neon disco ball spun lazily overhead, scattering glittering reflections across the polished pool table at the center of the room while stacks of vinyl records and speakers lined the walls. It was supposed to be a casual double-date game night — just friendly competition between friends.
Unfortunately for Poppy and DJ Suki, Branch and Guy Diamond had reached the stage of losing where dignity no longer mattered.
“Oh no,” Guy Diamond muttered dramatically as another one of Suki’s shots sent a striped ball cleanly into the corner pocket. “This is devastating. I’m too sparkly to lose this badly.”
DJ Suki twirled the cue stick in one hand with a grin. “Maybe you should spend less time admiring your glitter and more time aiming.”
Poppy laughed brightly beside her, leaning against the edge of the table. “We are absolutely crushing you guys.”
Branch narrowed his eyes at the table like it had personally offended him. “The game’s not over yet.”
Poppy smirked. “Branch, there are literally two balls left on our side.”
“And?”
“And you’ve sunk more of your own balls than ours.”
Guy Diamond gasped. “You didn’t have to say it out loud, Poppy.”
Poppy dissolved into giggles while Branch folded his arms, pretending to look offended despite the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Honestly, he barely cared about losing anymore. Not when Poppy looked like that.
She’d dressed casually for the night, but somehow that only made her prettier in his eyes. Her pink hair bounced in loose curls around her shoulders, and every time she laughed she leaned slightly against the pool table with this bright, carefree smile that completely wrecked his concentration.
Which gave him an idea.
A terrible idea.
A very effective idea.
Branch slowly glanced toward Guy Diamond, who immediately noticed the expression on his face.
“Oh no,” Guy whispered. “That’s your scheming face.”
Branch leaned closer. “I have a strategy.”
“You?” Guy Diamond blinked dramatically. “A strategy that isn’t just glaring at the table?”
“It’ll work.”
Guy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “How morally questionable is this strategy?”
Branch’s gaze flicked toward Poppy.
Guy Diamond followed the look.
Then his glittery face lit up instantly.
“Oh,” he whispered excitedly. “Oh, that’s evil.”
Branch smirked faintly. “You in?”
“I support chaos completely.”
Across the table, DJ Suki was lining up another shot while Poppy watched confidently beside her. “You two are being suspiciously quiet,” Poppy observed.
“Never,” Branch replied immediately.
“That was way too fast.”
Guy Diamond threw an arm dramatically around Branch’s shoulders. “We are simply two handsome athletes preparing for our comeback.”
DJ Suki snorted. “Athletes?”
“Pool is emotionally athletic.”
Poppy laughed again, and Branch’s attention immediately shifted toward her without meaning to. Guy Diamond noticed instantly and grinned knowingly.
“Oh yeah,” Guy whispered under his breath. “This plan is absolutely going to work.”
A few minutes later, it was finally Poppy’s turn.
She circled the table carefully, cue stick balanced against her shoulder while she studied the angles with adorable concentration. Branch watched her shamelessly from the opposite side of the table, arms folded casually while Guy Diamond vibrated beside him with excitement over their plan.
Poppy bent slightly to line up her shot.
And Branch struck immediately.
“You look really cute when you focus, Poppifer.”
Poppy froze.
The cue ball missed completely.
DJ Suki blinked. “Wow. That was… surprisingly bad.”
Poppy straightened up so fast she nearly dropped the cue stick. “Branch!”
Branch blinked innocently. “What?”
“You distracted me!”
“I complimented you.”
“At the exact moment I was shooting!”
Guy Diamond turned away quickly to hide his laughter.
Branch shrugged lazily. “Sounds like a skill issue.”
Poppy stared at him in complete disbelief while her cheeks rapidly turned pink.
And unfortunately for her…
The pet name absolutely did not help.
Poppifer.
It was ridiculous.
Embarrassingly affectionate.
Completely private.
And hearing Branch casually say it out loud in front of their friends made her heart short-circuit instantly every single time.
DJ Suki looked between them slowly.
Then she smirked.
“Oh,” she said knowingly. “That’s what we’re doing tonight.”
Poppy buried her face in her hands. “No, we are not.”
Branch looked entirely too pleased with himself.
Guy Diamond slapped the table dramatically. “Our comeback begins now!”
“You haven’t even taken a shot yet,” DJ Suki pointed out.
“Details.”
Branch stepped up for his turn and somehow managed to sink one of their remaining solids despite still looking annoyingly relaxed. Poppy narrowed her eyes suspiciously as he moved around the table.
“You planned this.”
“I have no idea what you mean, Poppifer.”
“There!” Poppy pointed accusingly. “You did it again!”
Guy Diamond nearly collapsed laughing.
DJ Suki leaned against her cue stick, thoroughly entertained now. “Oh, he’s definitely doing this on purpose.”
Branch casually walked past Poppy after his shot and brushed his fingers lightly against her waist.
Very quick.
Very subtle.
Completely intentional.
Poppy immediately looked up at him, flustered beyond belief.
Branch smirked softly. “Good luck, sweetheart.”
Poppy made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a groan.
“You are unbelievable.”
“And yet,” Branch replied smoothly, “you like me anyway.”
Poppy opened her mouth to argue.
Unfortunately, her face betrayed her immediately.
Because yes.
She liked him very much.
DJ Suki watched the entire interaction with increasing amusement. “Poppy,” she said carefully, “I need you to lock in.”
“I’m trying!”
“Are you?”
“Yes!”
Branch leaned casually against the table nearby. “I don’t think she is.”
Poppy glared at him while blushing harder.
“Stop looking at me like that!”
“Like what?”
“Like…” She gestured helplessly. “Like that!”
Guy Diamond wiped tears from his eyes. “This is the best game night ever.”
It only got worse from there.
Every single time it became Poppy’s turn, Branch found a new way to distract her.
Sometimes it was verbal.
“You’re adorable when you’re competitive, Poppifer.”
“Careful, pretty girl.”
“You know your hair’s glowing under the lights right now?”
Other times it was physical.
A hand brushing lightly against her back as he walked past.
Fingers briefly squeezing her shoulder.
Leaning close enough for his voice to soften directly near her ear.
And every single time, Poppy completely lost focus.
At one point she accidentally hit the cue ball backward.
DJ Suki stared in horror. “Poppy.”
“I KNOW.”
Branch nearly choked trying not to laugh.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” Poppy accused for maybe the twentieth time that night.
Branch tilted his head thoughtfully. “Maybe a little.”
“A little?!”
Guy Diamond wrapped himself dramatically around his cue stick. “I can literally feel the romance radiating off you two.”
DJ Suki pointed at Poppy. “Your boyfriend is sabotaging us.”
Poppy crossed her arms immediately. “I am aware.”
“And yet,” DJ Suki continued, “you keep falling for it.”
Poppy opened her mouth.
Paused.
“…That’s not the point.”
“It kind of is.”
Branch grinned triumphantly.
The room filled with laughter and playful trash talk as the game somehow started turning around in Branch and Guy Diamond’s favor. Mostly because Poppy had become completely incapable of concentrating whenever Branch looked at her for more than three seconds.
Which he knew.
And abused shamelessly.
Poppy lined up another shot with determined focus. “Okay,” she announced firmly. “No more distractions. I’m serious.”
Branch nodded solemnly. “Understood.”
Poppy narrowed her eyes suspiciously before aiming carefully.
Then Branch spoke softly from behind her.
“You’re so pretty, Poppifer.”
Poppy missed the easiest shot of the entire night.
Guy Diamond screamed victoriously.
DJ Suki dropped her cue stick onto the table. “OH MY GOSH.”
Poppy spun around in disbelief. “BRANCH!”
Branch looked unbearably smug now. “What? You said no distractions. That was a compliment.”
“That is the same thing!”
“It’s really not.”
“It absolutely is!”
Branch walked closer slowly, enjoying this far too much. “You’re blushing again.”
“I am not.”
“Your face matches your hair.”
Poppy covered her cheeks immediately while Guy Diamond cackled in the background.
“Down catastrophic,” Guy announced dramatically.
DJ Suki pointed at Poppy. “He’s right.”
Poppy groaned loudly. “Can everyone stop analyzing me?!”
“Not possible,” Branch said softly.
The teasing in his voice faded slightly as he reached up to gently tilt her chin toward him. The colorful disco lights reflected warmly in his eyes while his thumb brushed lightly across her cheek.
“You’re cute,” he murmured.
Poppy’s entire brain stopped functioning.
DJ Suki slowly looked toward the ceiling. “I have lost my teammate.”
“You lost her an hour ago,” Guy Diamond informed her.
Poppy finally recovered enough to shove Branch lightly backward while trying — and failing — not to smile.
“You are the worst.”
“Mhm.”
“The absolute worst.”
“And yet,” Branch added smugly, “you’re still looking at me like that.”
Poppy immediately looked away.
Which only made him laugh softly.
Eventually the game came down to the final shot.
Somehow — against all logic — Branch and Guy Diamond now had a chance to win.
Mostly because Poppy had spent the last thirty minutes being emotionally destroyed by compliments.
DJ Suki rubbed her temples dramatically. “Poppy. Please. For the love of funk music. Focus.”
“I am focused.”
“You just aimed at the wrong pocket.”
Poppy looked down.
“…Okay maybe not fully focused.”
Branch stepped closer again, clearly incapable of behaving himself. “Need encouragement, Poppifer?”
Poppy pointed the cue stick at him threateningly. “One more compliment and I’m throwing this at your head.”
Branch smiled slowly. “That’s hot.”
Guy Diamond collapsed onto the table laughing.
Even DJ Suki had to turn away to hide her grin.
Poppy made the mistake of looking directly at Branch again.
And that was it.
Completely over.
Because he was looking at her with that warm, affectionate expression that always made her stomach flutter — teasing around the edges, but underneath it all completely full of love.
It hit her all at once how obvious they probably were.
How Branch couldn’t stop touching her.
How he looked for her automatically in every room.
How she melted every time he smiled at her.
Poppy’s face turned bright pink again.
She missed the shot entirely.
The eight ball rolled perfectly into the opposite pocket.
Silence.
Then—
“WE WON?!” Guy Diamond screamed.
Branch blinked at the table in genuine surprise. “Huh. We actually won.”
DJ Suki slowly turned toward Poppy.
Poppy looked horrified.
“…I’m so sorry.”
DJ Suki burst out laughing immediately. “Girl, your boyfriend never stood a chance at losing.”
Branch walked over with a ridiculously pleased smile while Poppy pointed accusingly at him again.
“You cheated.”
“I adapted.”
“You flirted me into defeat!”
“And it worked.”
Poppy groaned while Branch wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.
“You’re impossible,” she mumbled.
“Still won, though.”
“You are never allowed to call me Poppifer during games again.”
Branch leaned down closer. “What about outside games?”
Poppy’s face immediately heated all over again.
Guy Diamond clutched his chest dramatically. “They’re disgustingly in love.”
“Tragically,” DJ Suki agreed.
Branch ignored them completely, focused only on Poppy now. He brushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” he murmured.
Poppy sighed dramatically against his shoulder. “I can’t believe I lost because my boyfriend is pretty.”
Branch blinked. “That’s actually the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Poppy immediately buried her face against his chest while everyone laughed around them, and Branch just held her closer with a smug grin, looking entirely too proud of himself for someone who had weaponized affection to win a pool game.