(frick can't they just have a real relationship Francis you hesitant turd just do it) He watched her for a moment, then sighed. "Alright. I'll try to be careful. I just don't see why you're worrying about me."
She raised an eyebrow, her expression hard to read. "Well, why do you worry about me?" She shrugged, the movement smooth in her shoulders. "It's what you do when you care about someone." ('Francis you hesitant turd' - totally using that.)
She rolled her eyes, giving him a wry smile. "Of course I do, you dork," she said. "You don't really go through what you and I have gone through without developing some sort of affection."
He looked down at the floor. "Oh," was all he managed to say at the moment. "Y'know, that would have been the second time I've had to carry you on this journey."
"Mm," she murmured thoughtfully. "I'm surprised I didn't feel it, to be honest. I'm generally a pretty light sleeper."
"Oh, no it was fine. It didn't bother me at all, to be honest." He smiled. "I was just worried I would wake you up."
"Oh. Well, you didn't," she said. "Thank you for thinking of me, though." She glanced up at the ceiling, apparently in thought. "It was pretty nice up there," she said easily, her fingers absently rubbing the back of her neck. "Before everything else happened. Pretty surreal."
"Yeah. At least I finally saw a constellation other than the Big Dipper. That was new." (It's fine cause Francis kinda has a crush on her but doesn't realize it, and he's subconsciously trying to figure out his she likes him, but just can't see it.)
"It was a big evening for everyone involved," she said, nodding. "One that will go down in history books." (Awwww. I've actually considered this a lot. I think Poppy's pretty conflicted about her feelings towards him because she feels like they have a really genuine connection, but she also knows that he has a history of being a bit of a player, and that thought won't really leave her alone.)
"Hmm. Y'know, the only reason he managed to get a hit on me was because I got distracted after remembering you." (Yeah, I've thought of that as well. This probably means that if he makes any mistakes by accident it will be a bigger deal. Even then, once he feels ready to commit, then he'll do a lot of things to make anything up.)
Poppy was quiet for a moment, considering his words. A small blush threatened to overtake her cheeks, but she pushed it down, mentally chiding the impulse with a stern finger. "Oh?" she asked casually, slipping off her lab coat and folding it over her arm. "Had I done something funny?" (I think she'll get over it pretty quickly once she realizes that he means it, but it may cause some hesitancy at first. It's interesting to me how their dating pasts so completely contradict each other. Like, Poppy's mostly dated artsy boys who like talking about their feelings, which is like the opposite of Francis, and - correct me if I'm wrong - but he's mostly dated girls who aren't looking for anything serious, which is totally not the way Poppy thinks.)
He smirked. "No, I don't think you said anything funny at the time. Just that you were in the other room." (Yeah, that's about right. His ex-fiancee was probably the type of person who had a lot of secrets, but he didn't really question it because he was too busy with business. He told Poppy and Phos two different stories. For Poppy he told her that he didn't really care about her, but to Phos he told the truth. He actually did love her, except she was having an affair and never showed up to the reception, basically ghosting him afterwards.)
She laughed lightly, ducking her head with embarrassment. "Of course I distracted you," she teased, grinning at him. "You're madly in love with me, remember?" (Yeah, I noticed that he told the two different stories. Maybe Poppy and Phos will talk about it at some point; I think Poppy does think about the side of the story that she heard quite a bit.)
"Yeah. You can keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better." He crossed his arms and grinned. (Yeah. I'd like to see Poppy's reaction to the true story.)
"Deny all you want," she said smoothly. "But I'm not the one getting distracted by thoughts of you in the other room." (I'll get right on it! )
"Sorry for thinking of you while I was fighting you're crazy ex-boyfriend. It was an accident," he said in a joking voice. "I didn't mean to." (Wish granter!)
"I understand that your feelings for me are involuntary," she said, nodding. "But yes, next time you beat up one of my exes, I would advise that you don't get distracted by the mere thought of my existence. I know, it's very difficult." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and she raised an eyebrow at him, almost challenging him. ( )
