A/N: Requested by happyqueenandgrumpydork on Tumblr :)

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It was only after the exciting hype of the evening had fizzled down into something more cool and collected that Branch and Poppy found the opportune moment to do as any couple would when they had a lovely sunset and each other - take a romantic stroll along the beach.

His larger blue hand gently entwined with her delicate pink one, Branch followed alongside his girlfriend's light, energetic steps as she merrily skipped, swinging their conjoined arms back and forth, and guiding them to and fro from the white, foamy surf as it washed up against the shore.

Branch shook his head at her antics. "Don't you ever get tired?" he questioned.

"Nope!" she chirped, not a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Well," Branch began to reply, "I know I'd be after all that dancing."

"Come on, Branch, it was fun!" Poppy chided. "What's the use of being in a band if you can't bust out a move, huh?"

"Singing," the blue Troll replied easily. "Isn't that the most important thing of being in a band?"

"The most important thing about being in a band is having fun with your bandmates and your music," Poppy stated matter-of-factly, "and I should know since" - she paused to giggle - "I'm in a band now!" She gave a delighted squeal and stopped them in their tracks so that she could give him a big hug. "Oh thank you, so, so much, Branch!!"

"Poppy, you don't have to thank me," Branch wheezed, nearly out of breath from the tightness of her embrace, "I mean, you knew it was gonna happen eventually, right?"

"NO!" she exclaimed with a flail of her arms. "I was SO not expecting that. Do you know how BIG this is for me?!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him right in the eyes. "I've been wanting to dance with BroZone since I was a little girl! Oh, and it was BETTER than I could've ever hoped for!"

Branch chuckled when her fangirl-mode kicked in hard, the Pop Queen fanning herself and rapidly pacing back and forth on the sand. "Oh my gosh, I STILL can't believe it! Me onstage with The Leader! And The Heartthrob! And The Fun Boy and The Sensitive One!..."

The blue Troll rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're prooobably gonna have to think up new nicknames to give 'em..."

She turned on him with a sparkle in her eyes. "Aw, and we definitely can't forget about you, Bitty B the Baby!" She squished his cheeks in a loving manner, giggling, though Branch didn't quite share in the amusement she had.

"... and we're starting with mine," he finished, continuing off of his earlier statement. He gently removed her hands from his face and held onto them firmly, speaking to her slowly so she could hear him very clearly. "Poppy, you do know that I am NOT a baby anymore, right?"

"Yeah, of course I know," Poppy laughed. "I mean, a baby wouldn't be able to do this, would he?" Batting her lashes, she leaned in closer to his face, eyes fluttering shut and lips puckering slightly. Branch felt his heart race. Poppy was getting far more comfortable exchanging kisses more frequently with him, and he was certainly not going to be one to deny her whenever she wanted one.

"No, he wouldn't," Branch whispered, right before he closed the gap and pressed his mouth to hers. Her lips were warm and soft, perfectly smooth against his like they always were, nearly able to take him away completely from the world around him - if it wasn't for the rambunctious cheering that sounded.

"All right, YEAH! Now that's how a man gets things done!"

Branch groaned, breaking apart from the sweet smooch earlier than he would have liked to shoot a glare at the only brother who probably would interrupt such a moment without seeing anything wrong with it (and, who always seemed to pop in out of nowhere at just the wrong moments!).

When John Dory caught his intense gaze, he became sheepish and stammered an apology. "Whoops! Oh, sorry... I guess I probably shoulda waited till afterwards to start cheerin' then, huh?"

"Yeah," Branch answered tersely, crossing his arms.

"Heh, my bad! Um, see you later, I guess?" JD said, not waiting for a reply and scampering off to wherever he had so suddenly come from.

Branch rolled his eyes and met Poppy's gaze. "I think we should make his new nickname 'The Blockhead.'"

Poppy gasped and shoved him in the shoulder. "Branch! That's mean!"

He laughed. "It's just a joke, Poppy, I'm kidding."

"Good," she huffed. Grabbing his hand, she leaned in close to him again. "Now, where were we?"

Branch smirked and met her halfway, never one to be tired of displaying his affection to her.