She dimpled, her free hand cupping the back of his neck. "I love you," she told him sincerely. "I really, really love you."
Her forehead rested against the side of his neck. James gurgled, reaching up and tugging on Poppy's hair. "I do have to go, though..."
When he arrived at the lab, he would see Poppy at her table, talking to a colleague. She looked annoyed, drumming her fingers on her lab book with a slight tilt to her head that would be very familiar to Francis. She replied hotly to the other scientist, who had a smug look on his face as he tilted his head slightly, raising one eyebrow with arrogance. He reached out and patted the top of Poppy's head with his hand and Poppy reached up, lightning quick, and grabbed his wrist, twisting it in a position that Francis would recognize as being a combat move: if he advanced, his wrist would snap. The guy's eyes widened and Poppy raised one eyebrow, calculated fury in her eyes. She hissed something to him between her teeth before dropping his wrist and the man backed away, his smug look gone and as Francis watched, he turned and hurried away.
She looked up, her goggles making indents in her skin. Her expression brightened when she saw him. "Francis! Hi!"
Her scowl returned and she sniffed delicately. "You'd think that after 10 years of working in labs, my opinion would be taken seriously, but the interns seem to believe that I don't know what I'm talking about. Did you see him pat my head? Like a damn dog."
