Chapter Text
Tora narrowed his eyes at her, trying to read her expression. Normally it was easy, she was usually so damn open, reading her was child’s play. Right now though, she was guarded. She squinted back at him, her eyes serious, her mouth a flat line. “Ya got any…” he paused for a pregnant moment, trying to determine what to ask her for, “threes?”
Poppy grinned at him over her cards, “Nope! Go Fish!” she cackled, overjoyed that he had incorrectly guessed again. She was kicking his butt, she had five pairs already and he only had two. Tora rolled his eyes and picked up another card from the deck. He never played games, didn’t think he’d played a card game since he had been a boy and even then it had been poker, never something as juvenile as ‘Go Fish’. She had insisted though and he’d be damned if he could ever say no to her.
Poppy glanced over her cards, she had a King of clubs, a Queen of hearts, an eight of diamonds, and five of spades, “ok tough guy, you got any fives?” she inquired, turning her head slightly in inflection, her brow wagging at him.
He chuckled and tossed a five of diamonds at her, “how ya know all my cards kid? Ya got x-ray eyes or something?” he teased.
Poppy beamed at him, “something like that ya, but don’t be a sore loser Tora,” she chided, laughing. In truth, she was totally cheating. They were sitting on the floor and she could see the reflection of his cards in her patio door window. He didn’t need to know that though. Tora always seemed to have the upper hand in all their interactions; it was nice to feel dominant for once.
He grinned at her, flashing his dimples, “Sorry sweetheart, not used to losing,” he countered, winking at her. “Okay Bobby, ya got any kings?” he asked. Her face fell. He frowned at her, was she really that upset he had finally gotten another one right? Was this game that important to her?
Poppy gazed at her cards heartbreakingly, she couldn’t bear to separate them, “uh, I do but I already have a match for it so pick something else,” she retorted.
Tora shook his head confused, if she had a match why hadn’t she laid them down with the rest of her pairs? Wasn’t that how the game worked? “So put it down then.” He replied bluntly.
Poppy bit her lip, staring at her cards, “uh, I can’t. Not yet. They’re not ready. Need a little more time,” she sputtered.
Tora was flummoxed; why the fuck would cards need time? “what?”
She turned pleading eyes on him, “just, don’t separate them Tora, choose another card,” she begged, holding her cards against her chest.
He cocked a brow at her, “fine but I think you’re cheating, and I’m taking one of your cards.” He retorted, still confused by her behaviour. She leaned into him, holding out the cards, holding her breath as his hands moved over them, his thumb and forefinger hovering, ready to pick one of the three she held out for him.
“Ok Tora, choose,” she said, her voice trembling. He watched her carefully as he reached for the one on the far right, her head shaking almost imperceptibly from side to side, he may have missed it if he wasn’t studying her so closely, but it was there, warning him away from it. He moved to take the centre card when he saw the pained look in her eyes. His fingers finally coming to rest on the card to the far left, pulling it from her grasp. He looked at it, pleased with the eight of diamonds he’d taken from her.
He set the pair of eights down beside him as she gazed at the two cards she still had in her hands warmly, “Well, I lose eh?” he said, throwing down the mitt full of cards she’d made him pick up.
Her eyes shot up to him, “No Tora, you don’t lose right? You always win?” she clarified. Isn’t that what he said, that he was used to winning? They both needed to win this game. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if they lost.
He narrowed his eyes at her, “ya, usually, but you said ya had a pair, isn’t the game over now that you’re out of cards?” he asked, leaning back on his palms, unfolding his legs.
Poppy hesitated, before blurting, “ya but the one isn’t sure they belong as a pair,” she explained, “they aren’t the same suit, one’s a club and one’s a heart.”
Tora cocked his head to the side, “you said suits didn’t matter in this game? That they don’t apply, that anything could be with anything as long as the numbers match.”
She nodded, “they don’t but the club thinks it’s a bad fit for the heart, even though the heart doesn’t care,” she said sadly.
Tora sighed, deciding to play along with her game, “Well, makes sense, not only do they belong to different suits, one’s black and one’s red sweetheart, black drowns out red. They’re a bad pair.” He argued.
Poppy shook her head, “No Tora you’re wrong. They complement each other,” she reassured him, holding her pair over her heart.
Tora stared her in the eye, “You don’t have two kings do ya? Show me your cards Bobby,” he ordered, his tone firm but not aggressive.
She pulled them away from her chest and placed them down next to the rest of her pairs. He smirked at her, taking in the King and Queen she’d handled so tenderly. She was so damn adorable; he thought, finally clueing into what they were actually talking about, what he’d been adamant they wouldn’t discuss anymore after their last conversation about this. He wanted to laugh, of course his creative little Bobby had found a way around the foot he'd planted on the subject. He cocked a brow at her, “ya want them to be together that bad?” She nodded at him, her eyes carrying a soft plea. He exhaled in a huff, “well, if you say so, I guess they could try. I mean if suits and colours really don’t matter to the Queen?” He’d barely finished his sentence when Poppy launched herself at him, tackling him to the floor, her mouth on his.
“You mean it?” she mumbled around their liplock.
“Ya, you’re right. Fuck suits, fuck colours, they belong together,” he agreed before sealing his lips over hers.