Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

John Dory was acutely aware of how flawed he was.

It wasn’t some sort of mind-blowing revelation he had in the middle of the night nor was it a spontaneous thought. No, it was more like he’d been aware from the start.

John Dory was more flawed than the other trolls his age. And he was aware of that.

When he was younger, John Dory noticed that he wasn’t really much like the kids his age, no matter Grandma Rosiepuff’s insistence that he was. If he was like the kids his age, then why was he constantly stuck with responsibilities? If he was like the kids his age, then why did John Dory have chores and things stacked up to the brim? If he was like the kids his age, then why did he turn gray so easily?

None of these questions were answered unfortunately, but from very early on, John Dory was aware just how flawed he was, but he never dwelled on it. What use was it when he had 4 little brothers to take care of? 4 little brothers that he’d walked out on the day of the argument.

For a long while, John Dory had pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, with the intention of never dwelling on them ever. And for a while, it worked.

But, living in the wilderness by yourself for so long, thoughts tend to spiral and your mind becomes a wandering cesspool of lingering thoughts that build up and compile into one another. Lingering thoughts that no longer lingered, but rather hovered over John Dory, reminding him of whom he was and his imperfections. When he was alone, these lingering voices became louder and no sooner than later, he wasn’t alone again.

Few days go by, then weeks, then months and eventually into years. John Dory was never truly alone during that duration of time, often accompanied by the ghosts of his brothers in his memory, the ghosts of the children that he’s lost and eventually, he’d acquired the company in the form of an armadillo van and a Techno king. He wasn’t truly alone, but in his heart, there were the empty spaces where his brothers should be - but they weren’t.

He keeps moving on regardless, with a heart with so many holes, yet feels so heavy in his chest. A heart yearning for the ones he loved, yet abandoned. John Dory wishes he could just cease to exist.

Then, the egg came.

It wasn’t that much of a surprise to John Dory if he was being honest - he had two other eggs before this one, but they’d broken and took away a piece of his heart when they did. It wasn’t a surprise when this egg had begun to form in his hair - John Dory was much too used to carrying an egg because of his brothers.

It was, however, a surprise when the egg ended up surviving. The egg didn’t crack nor were there any problems with the hatching and soon, a little baby trolling writhed in his arms in place of the egg. And oh, what a beautiful baby trolling she was.

John Dory had proudly named her Finn (receiving a giggle from Trollex as he remarked about how ironic the name was) and she was the perfect little baby he could ask for. 

He cared and nurtured for her, cooing sweet affections as she giggled and squealed. He gave her kisses and hugs until the baby was wriggling to get away from her father’s affection. He poured his heart out for Finn as the thoughts and voices in his head quieted - as Finn’s presence quelled them all into nothing but airy whispers, barely heard.

Finn was very active for the most part - always crawling, babbling, grabbing onto things that she could reach and standing up to her feet almost scarily easy. Trollex said that it might have something to do with his species’ genes, saying that Techno baby trolls learnt to get control of their motorskills very early on.

(“She’s a fast learner,” John Dory looks up from his book, glancing over to see Trollex helping Finn walk. Her little feet were placed on his fins as she was guided to follow his movements.

“Wonder where she got that from,” the Pop troll remarks in return, chuckling when Trollex gives an eyeroll to the other.

“You know what I mean, John,” he huffs. Trollex stops before scooping up the baby - receiving an excited squeal - before walking over. He sits down on the bed next to John Dory, letting Finn crawl her way over to him with a fond smile on his face.

“She’s just like you,” Trollex says softly.

John Dory hopes he doesn’t see the grimace on his face.)

Much to Trollex’s words, Finn learnt how to do things very early on. And boy was she quick. Often, John Dory and Trollex had to scramble to catch up with her, because one moment, Finn could be on one side of the room and then the next, she’s somehow on the dining table. But they made it work and John Dory couldn’t be happier for it.

Then years passed by and Finn turned 1, then 2, then 3. She grew up fast, learning how to walk at a whopping 1 and a half months old and learning how to talk just a week after that. She babbled and yapped, calling out for her fathers’ attention (“Dada!!” she’d squeal for John Dory. “Papa!” she’d exclaim when she wanted Trollex’s attention.) and demanding. Finn grew tall, having inherited some of Trollex’s height genes, though she only grew to be the same height around John Dory’s elbow. She became energetic and adventurous, begging her Dad to let her go on his hikes.

“Come on, you’re slow!!” she exclaims, rushing up the path and jumping up and down excitedly. Finn was like a blur in the distance and if it weren’t for her bright yellow dress, she would’ve blended in completely with the background.

John Dory chuckles, trudging up a hiking path as fast as his aging body could. There was only so much he could do at the age of 40.

“I’m going as fast as I can, starlight!” he yells back, hoping Finn could hear him from where she was. He laughs when the young girl stamps her foot impatiently.

“You’re so slow, Dad!” Finn huffs, but she nonetheless stays in place. John Dory was always adamant that Finn stay within his eyesight at all times to prevent any accidents from happening and it was the only rule he had if Finn wanted to hike with him. So she stays in place, tail whipping in energetic frenzies and her hair - which was a lot less tamed than John Dory’s - frizzled up with excitement.

John Dory smiles and laughs.

He manages to catch up to where Finn was, the girl practically vibrating with energy that was begging to be released. When John Dory approaches where she was standing, she bounces around on her feet, a wide smile on her chubby face.

Today was Finn’s birthday and as per request, they were both climbing up a mountain that John Dory had climbed before. It was a nice experience, especially when Finn was so excited about the trip. She hadn’t slept the night before, much too excited to go hiking with her Dad - and even more excited when she found out that she could plant her first flag!

“Come on, come on, come on!!” She practically squeals, enthusiastic as her energy and excitement hit an all-time high. They were close to the top, making Finn very,  excited to plant her first ever flag. She had even designed it herself, drawing herself and her Dads with a generous amount of glitter and colour on it.

John Dory chuckles, ruffling her hair before nodding. At his nod, Finn bounds up the path once more, leaving John Dory in the dust to reach the top first. The older troll wistfully keeps an eye on Finn, noting the way she skips and races up the path as fast as her little legs could guarantee.

It felt nice having someone be so into hiking and adventuring like John Dory. It felt even nicer to have that someone be related to him and be his kid, nonetheless. His brothers never really took an interest in adventuring or anything remotely related to it, so John Dory was super glad to know that Finn was just as enthusiastic as he was.

They managed to plant the flag and Finn was so happy the entire time, cheering as her laughter and singing echoed off into the distance. However, it would seem that her not sleeping the night before catches up to her, as she easily begins to tire out, yawning and leaning against her Dad for support.

“‘M sleepy…” she mumbles, tugging on his vest as they were walking down the path back to Rhonda. Her eyes were droopy as were her ears that began to hang low on her head.

John Dory smiles and remarks about something along the lines of that she should’ve slept the night before. Finn gives a sleepy grumble and it prompts the older troll to scoop her up into his arms.

Finn curls up, murmuring as she buries her face into his shoulders, pawing at John Dory’s vest to bring her father in closer.

The trek back to Rhonda was quick and when John Dory enters, he notices a lump curled up on his bed. Trollex was dozing off, sleeping peacefully as his chest rises and falls. It has the Pop troll smiling fondly ever so slightly as he places Finn down onto the bed. His smile widens when Finn mumbles sleepily and snuggles up against Trollex, who opens his arms and lets the younger curl up against him.

He makes quick work of putting away things in their proper places before he too climbs into bed. The movement and jostling prompts the Techno king to open his eyes, yawning as he watches John Dory get under the covers.

“Fun day?” He asks, blinking slowly at John Dory in a sleepy manner.

“Definitely. Tired out Finn enough for her to be sleeping,” the Pop troll chuckles, shuffling closer. Trollex hums, moving around until he is tucked against John Dory’s chest with Finn held close to him.

“Night, John,” Trollex yawns, dozing off quickly as soon as he says it. John Dory smiles and chuckles once more, wrapping his arms around his partner.

“Night, Trollex,” he murmurs.

The voices were quiet and so were his thoughts. And what a blessed little moment this was…

Until it wasn’t.

Chapter Text

John Dory hadn’t meant for it to happen, honest.

He didn’t mean for anything to happen to them on this little trip around the map with Finn. He didn’t mean for anything to happen, not when he’d promised Trollex that he’d keep their little starlight safe. That he’d keep an eye on her when they went on this father-daughter trip.

(“You have everything?” Trollex asks, watching as John Dory packs up two bags for both of them. While they’d spend most of their time in Rhonda during the trip, he did plan to hike some trails with Finn if the time ever came.

“Yep,” John Dory says, popping the ‘p’ as he stood up and stretched his back. “I think all we have to do now is get in Rhonda and be on the move. Might as well, Finn’s getting too excited.”

As if to emphasize his point, the dads hear their daughter scream, joyful and excited. When they turn to look, they see Finn running circles around Rhonda, making the Armadillo bus chase her excitedly as she giggles and laughs, squealing as she ducked away from Rhonda’s attempts to lick her with her glitter tongue. John Dory and Trollex both chuckle fondly when Finn is eventually caught, screaming and laughing as Rhonda tackles her.

“You’ll be safe, right?” The king of Techno can’t help but ask. He has faith in John Dory, he does. Trollex is aware that his partner has the skills of an adventurer and has the scars to prove it. Though, now, they had Finn to think about.

John Dory gives a soft smile, taking Trollex’s hands into his. “We’ll be so safe. I promise.”

He gives a chaste kiss on Trollex’s cheek, making the Techno troll giggle bashfully, his ear fins wiggling back and forth.

“Alright, if you say so.”

“Say so? Darling, I know so.”)

Yet despite his promise, he had walked himself right into danger. And that danger was Mount Rageous.

In all honesty, John Dory didn’t want to go to Mount Rageous. He didn’t.

It was an island in the sky where teenagers partied, sang and danced to their hearts’ content. Popular songs that featured on the radio were made there as superstars and popstars alike rose up the ranks in competitive grounds.

But John Dory didn’t like Mount Rageous. It was too loud, too bright for his old aching body. Too much for him to process all at once, too much that he’d have to slap his hands over his ears to quell the headache.

He didn’t want to go to Mount Rageous. But Finn did.

She was captivated by their lights, their music and their vibe. She was a big fan of the show ‘Bop on Top’ from Mount Rageous, demanding that they put it on whenever the program went live on air. When asked where she’d wanted to go on the trip, Finn had happily pointed at the little island marking on the map, beamed at John Dory and said, ‘I wanna go to Mount Rageous, Dad!’. Her eyes sparkled, her mouth in a wide grin as her tail waggled behind her in excited movements. Practically begging for John Dory to say yes, that they will go to Mount Rageous.

John Dory was tempted to say no.

…He said yes when Finn asked politely once more, his self-will crumbling.

They went and at once, John Dory was just so aware of how loud everything was. The music, the chattering, the sounds. It was sensory overload hell for him, but John Dory stomached through it when he saw Finn squeal and cheer during performances with the biggest smile on her face.

Right now, they were in some sort of establishment, that could’ve been a mix of a restaurant and a performance auditorium. Lights flashed from the ceilings as waiters moved between the crowds to place orders. John Dory had taken the liberty to get them as high as they could to both avoid being squished and be able to see the performances that were going on. Though, he periodically had to stop and make sure that Finn wasn’t leaning too far on the railings else she’d fall into the sea of Rageons.

“Finn, sweetie, please don’t lean too far,” John Dory pulls Finn back onto her feet by her collar, sighing as the younger troll wriggles in his grip.

“I won’t, I won’t!” Finn insists, wriggling and wriggling until John Dory lets her go. She flashes him a smile, toothy and full before she proceeds to almost throw herself over the railing.

The amount of heart attacks she was determined to give John Dory could’ve won her an award.

Though, he doesn’t really need to worry about Finn falling down into the crowd. If need be, she could simply just float above it all, but according to Trollex, Finn was still too small to be able to properly control it. Which was just another reason as to why John Dory should still be worried and concerned nonetheless. Well, that and the fact that he’s sure he might just keel over if Finn just tumbled down.

The rest of the night, however, none of that happens and it’s spent in relative excitement and contentment. John Dory was more than glad to sit back and watch the shows and keep an eye on Finn as his daughter cheered and screamed from where they were perched. By the time everything was finished (though the party was still going on), Finn was still buzzing with energy, but it was slightly muted. 

She was rambling, talking her mouth off about what she found fun at the event and how Finn wished she could attend more.

“I’ll come back,” she says determinedly. “When I’m older! And I have my own Rhonda!”

John Dory chuckles, holding both of their bags in one hand whilst the other held onto Finn’s. “Your own Rhonda?”

“Yeah!” Finn nods her head enthusiastically.

“What do you mean by your own Rhonda? Do you not like Rhonda right now, starlight?” John Dory can’t help but raise an eyebrow, finding Finn’s wording to be amusing.

“No, I like Rhonda! I love her!” Finn gasps, as if offended that her dad would even suggest such a thing. “I just mean having my own Rhonda! Y’know, since Rhonda is yours. And you’d be sad if I took Rhonda away from you.”

“Would I now?”

“Mhm!” More enthusiastic nods. “Pops said that you love Rhonda very much. Not more than me, of course, but you really, really love her. So I thinks that you’d be sad if I took her away, so I won’t! I’ll get my own Rhonda!!”

John Dory smiles, fond and he ruffles Finn’s hair. “Alright, sweetheart. I appreciate your concern. Maybe you’ll get your own Rhonda for your birthday.”

Finn gasps once more, though this time excited. “Really? Can I?!”

“We’ll have to ask your Pops. He is the king.”

“Yeah, but he’s not the boss of you.”

“Oh, I think he is, starlight.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-uh.”

They were walking back to Rhonda, hand in hand as they laughed and bantered. Peaceful and content with one another as they made their way back to the Armadillo bus who was waiting just outside of the venue.

It was quieter outside and John Dory could chalk that up as to why he was feeling so safe, so content as he watched his daughter with fond eyes and a soft smile as she talked and talked about stuff. Her chatter filled the silence and it was his kid who was talking.

Which is why he didn’t realize the hand that was reaching down for him before it was too late.

Immediately, John Dory is snatched off his feet, yelling out in surprise as he lets go of the bags and Finn before he accidentally drags her up with him. Finn yelps, surprised and scared at once as she tumbles into the ground.

“Dad!” She yells, panicked as she tries to scramble to her feet.

“Finn!” John Dory almost screams as a tight pressure wraps around his body, close to crushing his lungs entirely. He’s tossed into something - a bag, he realizes - and a dreading feeling washes over him as he knows what’s happening now.

“Finn, get out of here!!” He yells, hoping that Finn could hear him through the fabric, no matter how muffled.

“What?!” She sputters.

“Go! Go get Rhonda! Get away!!”

“Grab the small one, we can’t leave any loose strands.” An unfamiliar voice says and John Dory feels his heart seize.

“RUN, FINN!”

John Dory can only hope that his daughter gets away and from the way these new unfamiliar voices cry out in frustration, he knows that she will. Haphazardly, he’s being tossed back and forth and at some point, John Dory hits a solid wall, the impact making his head ring.

His vision swims, his head pounds and his ears ring.

He can’t stay awake for long.

John Dory passes out.

Bruce was asleep when the note came in.

It’d been a slow week that week and he had closed up his restaurant early that night to turn in. It was a good decision because it meant that he could finally catch up on the sleep that he needed and that he’d been missing out due to skipping more than mere minutes of the night.

He was in bed, curled up on his side as Brandy was already fast asleep beside him. He was in bed, about to finally doze off when he heard a knock.

Bruce, at first, wanted to dismiss it, thinking that it was his imagination. No one was supposed to be coming over so late and they were closed as well, so there’d be no point.

A second knock echoes in the house.

This time, Bruce sits up with a frown. Okay, he definitely heard that. And it was definitely coming from the door. But just who on Earth was it? Bruce glances at the clock and watches as it strucks midnight, indicating that it was the absolute dead of the night and that no one had any reason to be coming at his doorstep.

A third knock.

Bruce gets up to answer it, trudging through the empty hallways of the house as he makes his way to the front door. All the while, he wonders just who was knocking in the first place. Perhaps it was one of the patrons, maybe they left something behind on accident? Or maybe it was some sort of critter who was scratching at their door?

He arrives at the door and opens the smaller one, more fit for someone of Bruce’s small size.

What he expects on the other side was to be another Vacationer. Adult or kid, it didn’t matter, they were bigger than Bruce, who was just a small little Pop troll. Instead, big bright green eyes blink back at Bruce - smaller and shorter than him - and instantly, he yelps out of surprise.

A troll - who looked fairly young from how short they were - stood in front of his door. And Bruce almost has a heart attack because he was spooked with the way the kid’s eyes were practically glowing in the dark.

“Are you Spruce?” The troll asks and Bruce almost has whiplash at the fact that someone had just used his deadname.

“I’m sorry- what?” He blinks, shaking his head.

“Spruce,” the kid repeats. They hold up a poster - an old BroZone poster - and point at Bruce from when he was younger. “Is this you?”

“Uhm… yes?” Bruce hesitantly replies. He has no idea where this conversation is going to go.

The troll falls silent and scans Bruce for a hot second. Then, they proceed to declare, “I need your help.”

Bruce frowns. “My help? What, why??”

The kid seems to pause before they reach into their hair. They rummage around for a hot second before pulling out a neatly folded note and holding it in front of them. Bruce raises an eyebrow. The troll simply shakes the note.

He sighs, taking the note and unfolding it. The sooner he does this, the sooner he can go back to sleep.

Except, as Bruce unfolds the note, he pauses as soon as he gets a glimpse of what the writing said.

I’m being held against my will at Mt. Rageous by superstars, Velvet and Veneer.

Come free me and bring our brothers.

Love, John Dory.

The name echoes in Bruce’s head. The same name that’s been haunting his past. The same name who Bruce was desperately trying to forget. The same name who had single-handedly ruined the one thing that was good for them.

The troll juts out a hand in front of them, as if offering Bruce a handshake.

“I’m Finn. JD is my Dad,” the troll says almost confidently. “And I need your help.”

What the fuck.

Some fanart of Finn, y'all :3 (I was struggling to figure out how to make it work-)

Chapter Text

Finn is currently 3 years old and she would say that she was a big girl.

She was a big girl because Finn could do almost everything on her own. She was a big girl because her auntie Marina and her uncle Synth told her she was. She was a big girl because Finn believed herself to be a big girl.

Of course, her Dad often countered that statement. He’d coo at her, hug her and lift her up like she was 1 years old and barely able to hike the long trails of the Neverglades. Every time, Finn would squeal and laugh, demanding to be put down as she was not so little anymore to be treated like a baby. Her Dad would laugh in response, claiming that no matter how big Finn got, she was still his little girl, his baby starlight. While she did find his tendency to baby her annoying, she loved it all the same and sometimes, would let her Dad indulge himself.

Luckily, her Pops didn’t share that same sentiment, treating Finn with just as much fondness though he did allow her to make big decisions on her own. Like the time Finn was allowed to choose what she wanted to eat or where she wanted to go. Her Pops would let her do things her Dad would probably have heart attacks over, like floating in the air without a care in the world. At the end of the day, however, her Pops would gather her in her arms, stroke her hair and whisper that Finn was his princess, his baby trolling. Trollex was more subdued with his affection and Finn didn’t mind. She liked hugging her Pops and sometimes riding on his back.

Overall though, Finn believed herself to be a big girl. Her decisions, mindset and her Pops’ agreement definitely set that in stone.

Finn is sure, however, that being in a strange place by herself with this presumed uncle of hers wasn’t something that her Pops probably had in mind when he allowed her the freedom of decision making.

She currently scarfs down a sandwich, starved as she’s been living off of canned food for the past 2 months. 

Ever since her Dad had been taken, she’s been forced to live by herself in Rhonda and with no knowledge as to where her home was, she’s been wandering around. That is, until she finds Vacay Island.

It’s an entire mistake when she does, because she was perusing around the land when she saw this large creature. It looked like a mop that was alive with purple glasses and an anxious demeanor. Finn had followed them all the way to the island, where she had found out that one of her uncles - Spruce, though he told her to call him Bruce - lived there.

At first, Finn was hesitant to approach this strange man. She'd never met any family from her Dad's side, only getting pictures and stories of their youth. Finn loved the stories and loved her Dad even more. The way he looked so fond and so happy recounting the memories made Finn happy and fond as well.

But now that she was here, sitting at a table in a kitchen and dining room way too big for a troll like her, Finn was beginning to have second thoughts. Second thoughts that were easily drowned out by the delicious sandwich she was eating.

“Wow, you are eating that down,” uncle Bruce comments, frowning with concern as Finn eats the sandwich in record time. When she finishes and offers the plate to Bruce, he takes it and gets up to make another sandwich.

“I like sandwiches,” she says calmly, her tail shifting back and forth. “And I was running out of food.”

Bruce looks at Finn with that same frown. “You were running out of food?”

Finn nods. “I don't know how to hunt yet. Dad said he'd teach me when I turn 5.”

“And… you're how old now?”

“I'm 3.”

Bruce falls quiet at Finn's answer, eyeing her with concern as she seems entirely unbothered. Vaguely, he wonders just what his brother has been up to to end up with a kid. Then he wondered what happened to have her end up here.

He goes back to making the sandwich and returns to the table, handing Finn the plate. She thanks him, ever so polite and kind before going to town with the sandwich, albeit a little slower now.

Finn takes a bite out of the sandwich and chews when Bruce speaks up.

“So… you’re JD’s kid?” He asks slowly and Finn nods. “His only kid? Or does he have any other children?”

“Only,” Finn swallows. “Dad said that if I behave well, then he might consider getting me a baby sibling. Pops agreed.”

Bruce raises an eyebrow. “Pops? He’s married?”

“Yeah! Dad and Pops said they were dating when they had me, then they got married just last year. It was really cool, I got to cut the cake.”

“I see.”

Finn continues to eat the sandwich as Bruce takes a moment to process the information.

His oldest brother was married. And he had a kid. A kid who came to Bruce for help because John Dory was captured.

In all honesty, Bruce had never thought of John Dory to be one to settle down. He was always too fidgety, too antsy to ever truly settle. John Dory was always the more adventurous one out of all of the brothers, taking them out on camping trips when he could or even sometimes stayed out late just to see the stars before coming back home. To think that he had a kid and apparently settled down somewhere, long enough to both date and get married to someone (whoever it was, Bruce couldn’t help but be intrigued) was admittedly making the former heartthrob wonder just what his brother had been up to.

Perhaps he’ll find out when he goes on this presumed rescue mission.

The thought makes Bruce suddenly halt as his train of thought comes crashing into a wall.

‘When he goes’? Just when had he decided that he would take up Finn’s offer to go on a rescue mission for John Dory??

Truthfully, Bruce didn’t resent John Dory. Far from it, actually. John Dory was the only other person closer to age with him than the rest of his brothers and they actually had a good bond before the boyband. Now, years later, Bruce was determined to leave behind the past and with it, the remains of what was once an unbroken bond. However, was his determination to leave stronger than the idea of rescuing John Dory with his presumed child?

Finn is done with the sandwich faster than what Bruce expected, but she doesn’t ask for another one as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Now both of them are silent, save for the clock that ticks in the background and the occasional shuffle of their tails against the ground.

“I… don’t know how else to say this, but I need your help,” she eventually says, fiddling with the hems of her yellow dress.

Bruce can’t help but frown. He knows ultimately why Finn needed his help. She was a child, a trolling who was way too young to be trying to deal with this all on her own. Yet he can’t help but hesitate.

“Why do you need my help, exactly?” Bruce decides to ask. He needs to see if he can pry more answers from Finn.

“Because I don’t know what to do,” came the reply and Bruce felt his heart seize in that darn parental protection urge. “Dad’s been missing for weeks now. Since he got captured. And I don’t know how to get home. Or where he is.”

So Finn was lost, essentially. All in a sense that she didn’t know where to go, how to get there, what to do and that she didn’t know where John Dory went or where he had been taken to essentially.

“Pops said that if I ever got lost then I should ask for help. And you’re the only other person I could reach.”

Bruce wants to say no. He has a responsibility here at Vacay Island. He has his wife and his own kids to think about. What would they think if he suddenly just up and left in the middle of the night to go on a rescue mission for an older brother he’s grown to resent?

“It’s okay if you don’t want to, but I just need to know where I’m going.”

Bruce stares at Finn and Finn looks at Bruce.

“Please.”

The string of self-will snaps.

Bruce ends up agreeing to help, telling Finn that it’ll be only until John Dory has been freed. Finn didn’t care enough to listen to the rest of the statement, instead smiling widely as she nodded enthusiastically.

She promised that the trip would be quick and that Bruce can go back to his own life the moment this was said and done.

“I promise! It’ll be like it never even happened!!” She brightly said, bringing Bruce outside once he had informed Brandy of the situation. Ever the loving wife she was, she understood and encouraged him even to go rescue John Dory. Under the promise of taking the whole shift for a month as she went on a girls’ trip, of course, but when has Bruce ever said no to his lovely wife?

Bruce is promptly then introduced to his brother’s armadillo van - Rhonda, who was energetic and fun-loving as Finn seemed to be as the creature pounced on the young troll and licked her silly with what seemed to be a glitter tongue. When Rhonda then turns, looking as if she was about to pounce on Bruce, Finn firmly tells her to stay down.

“No jumping uncle Bruce,” she huffs, crossing her arms as she looks at the armadillo van with a firm look. Bruce almost laughs at how similar she looked to John Dory when they were kids. When the armadillo van stays down, Finn rewards her with a nice soft pat on the cheek before turning to Bruce with a smile.

“This is Rhonda!” She says brightly, gesturing to the armadillo van. “She’s Dad’s special pet. We like to live inside her when we go on trips.”

Something about the way Finn introduces the animal makes Bruce himself smile rather fondly. “Well, it’s nice to meet Rhonda.”

Finn giggles just as Rhonda barks. “Rhonda thinks it’s nice to meet you too! She likes to meet new people. She likes to lick them a lot, but she has a glitter tongue so if she licks you, you’ll get glitter in your fur.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The sun was rising by the time they had hit the road and Finn seemed a little too determined in finding the other brothers for someone who had admitted that they were lost.

“I found you!” Finn rebutts when Bruce questions just how exactly they were going to find the others when she brought up the idea. “I just need to wish really really hard and it’ll happen!”

Bruce doesn’t really want to shatter her belief in wishes actually happening, so he settles with a sigh and watches as she continues to scribble on paper. “If you could just wish really hard for your other uncles to come, why don’t you just wish for your dad to be free?”

“Pops says that if I wish really hard for the same thing over and over again, it’ll come true,” Finn replies nonchalantly, not looking up. “So, wishing to meet my other uncles should be real because I met you! And that’s proof it works.”

Bruce decides to not question what Finn meant in her explanation.

Much to Bruce’s surprise and Finn’s excitement, they find Branch first.

It’s completely by accident as well, which further proved and solidified Finn’s belief and statement about wishes coming true.

They find him at a wedding for Bergens - the king of Bergens marrying some pink-haired Bergen girl. Finn, having no idea who the Bergens were, suggested that they crash the wedding in hopes that they’ll know where they could find Branch. Bruce had vehemently vetoed the idea, dreading and fearing the consequences of what would happen if they crashed the wedding. Though he knows that there isn’t anything to be afraid of by this point (the Bergens looked happier, somehow), he doesn’t want to be potentially wrong and steer this mission into a ditch before it even begins.

Finn, of course being John Dory’s kid, doesn’t listen and instead goes barreling head-first into the wedding. She gives Bruce a heart attack and a thought wondering how exactly John Dory managed to raise Finn.

By the time Bruce catches up (he was not about to dive from a fucking rooftop when he had put on way too much fat since his heartthrob phase), he had to intervene Finn from nearly pouncing on some poor guy.

“Finn, please calm down,” Bruce wheezes, his chest throbbing and back aching. He’s bent forward slightly, resting his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. He doesn’t see the way the guy Finn was about to jump looks at Bruce with a look of recognition and dread.

Finn beams at Bruce when he manages to come over and excitedly yells. “Uncle Bruce!! I found uncle Bitty B!”

Bruce damn near snaps his neck when he looks up.

It turned out, Finn had been completely right when she suggested that they simply crash the wedding to find one of his brothers. Because apparently, Branch - Bruce’s little baby brother - was the best man of the wedding, which was honestly a whole loop for Bruce.

Branch was rightfully confused, demanding answers and barking questions faster than what Bruce could comprehend and what Finn could understand. A bright pink troll intervenes (Bruce later learns that she was Poppy, Queen of Pop and Branch’s girlfriend) and instead of giving Bruce and Finn answers, she instead squeals and fangirls. It leads to a series of confused conversations and way too much squealing, giggling and loud voices chattering, courtesy of Finn and Poppy.

“I’m Finn! JD’s awesome kid, and I’m your niece!” Finn - ever the bold gal she was - introduces herself without missing a beat, flashing that blinding smile of hers at Branch and Poppy. 

Safe to say, Bruce was sure he was going to get gray hairs from this rescue mission.

It doesn’t take long before Branch is on board - much to Poppy’s insistence and nagging. Initially, he’d been hesitant the moment John Dory had been mentioned - especially when Finn had told him that he was the one in need of rescuing. Which Bruce could understand - this was John Dory they were talking about.

The eldest brother had always been a sore topic for many of them for many different reasons. Though, really it all just circled back to the fact that John Dory had been the first to leave as well as the final push to crack the family into pieces. There was understandable resentment or grudge against John Dory, especially because of the older’s obsession with perfection, but at the end of the day, he was still their brother.

So, reluctantly and with Poppy’s nagging that family was important, Branch had agreed to come along. To which excited Finn.

She had smiled and cheered, jumping about in joy that she had acquired another one of her uncles. The amount of excitement that radiated off of the young girl made Bruce wonder how Finn wasn’t vibrating with energy. To quell her excitement, Bruce had told Finn to go call for Rhonda and when the little girl was gone, Branch took it as an opportunity to be able to properly talk to his brother as Poppy bounded off to inform her dad and friends.

“Is this really about JD?” Branch had immediately asked, his expression set hard and stern. But Bruce knew his brothers, even if he hadn’t seen them in years. And he could see the cracks in Branch’s expression.

“Apparently so,” Bruce replies in response, expressing that he was as confused as Branch was. John Dory, the leader, their oldest brother, needed help? It was almost laughable as it was unheard of.

Branch falls quiet as he doesn’t say anything else. Finn comes back with Rhonda (rather loudly, Bruce would like to add) just as Poppy comes back in a completely different outfit and a bag in hand.

When the two girls hopped into Rhonda, chattering equally loudly and excitedly, Bruce noted the way Branch seemed to linger behind, eyes trailing the young 3 year old trolling.

“She’s just like him,” the youngest brother murmurs under his breath. Bruce doesn’t reply to that observation. He’d made the connection as well.

Chapter Text

Finding Branch had fuelled Finn's belief in wishes coming true as the excitement of meeting her uncles was making her jittery and excited as the minutes passed. The little girl occasionally stamped her feet, scurrying back and forth across the armadillo van just to make her legs do something lest she vibrated through the ground.

Bruce could see the slight concern in Poppy and Branch’s eyes as they both watched the young girl pace back and forth, occasionally stopping to stomp her feet in a frenzy of excitement before resuming her pacing. He himself would be concerned too, but ultimately he was just used to Finn’s energy at this point. That, and Finn’s behaviour was a lot like John Dory’s when they were kids - restless, excited and energetic in one.

He seriously cannot stress how similar the two were.

Eventually, Bruce manages to get Finn to at least explain the rest of the plan, prompting the question of how they were going to find the others now. It’d been a complete miracle that they found Branch in the first place, how exactly were they supposed to find Clay and Floyd?

“Oh, that’s easy!” She simply exclaimed, looking at the trio like the answer was obvious.

Branch frowns, the one most incredulous of the girl’s determination. “Easy how?”

“Well, for one, I found you, so it means my wish is coming true,” Finn states plainly, earning a look from Branch before she continues. “For another, I just remembered how we can find uncle Floyd!”

At the mention of their pink-haired brother, Bruce and Branch perk up.

“How?” Both of them ask, wanting to know how exactly Finn was going to find him.

“This!” Finn grins at them, reaching into a nearby cabinet and pulling out something - an album cover. Not just an album cover, but one with Floyd’s face on it. “Uncle Floyd has a solo career with tons of music. Dad has all of his songs.”

Bruce and Branch both blink at Finn, as Poppy gasps and gets up to grab the album and have a better look at it. Finn lets her, just as Bruce speaks up.

“JD has all of Floyd’s songs?” He asks, wanting to confirm what he just heard. Finn nods.

“Mhm! Uncle Floyd doesn’t have any new songs right now, I think he’s retired at the moment, but Dad told me that he went to all of his concerts and bought all of his songs,” she says in a matter of factly manner, like it was the obvious thing. “I don’t have all of them with me, Dad saves most of them at home. But I have some of the CDs here, since Dad likes to listen to music while he drives.”

The thought to ask Finn if maybe, just maybe, John Dory had saved some of their albums from their BroZone days crosses Bruce’s mind, but he ultimately chooses not to ask. Partially because he doesn’t want to unpack his feelings at the moment, mainly because Finn had wandered off to go find the other albums she presumably had.

It didn't take very long before she had spread out all of the merch and albums she could find of Floyd’s presumed solo career. They were spread across the table and everyone took a look at everything presented.

There were photo cards, LED light sticks, several albums, vinyls - everything that they could think of.

“Whoa,” Bruce could hear Branch say. “And.. you said he collected all of this?”

“Yep!” Finn nods. “It took a lot of money, but Dad said it was worth it.”

The trolling skipped off then, presumably to the front where she could keep track of where Rhonda was currently headed. Without much of a solid place to go, she was simply wandering to get her legs to move and stretch.

Bruce, Branch and Poppy were left in what was supposedly dubbed as the ‘living room’ of the armadillo. The two brothers were still staring at the merchandise presented to them, various photos and products with Floyd’s face plastered all over them. Bruce could see Branch hesitantly reaching out to touch the edge of a vinyl, before retracting his hand back like he’d been burnt.

Poppy wanders the interior of the armadillo. She’s curious about a lot of things; mainly about Branch and his family.

How could he not have told her that he used to be a part of her all-time favourite band? Did he simply not trust her with the information? Had he planned to keep it a secret for their entire relationship? The thoughts gnawed at her and simultaneously, at her insecurities too. She felt herself fidget, anxious about what else could be kept from her, secrets that were hidden.

Poppy shakes her head.

Branch would never do that. And even if he did, he certainly had to have a good reason. The man was rational and she couldn’t see him keeping secrets from her without a motive or a real reason behind it. She’s… probably overthinking. Yeah, that’s it.

She’s about to turn back, having wandered into what looked to be the kitchenette of the armadillo van, when she stops.

“Hey, Branch?” She calls out, training her eyes on the thing that caught her attention.

Branch glances away from where he’s left standing, staring at the table. Bruce does too.

“Yeah?” He calls back, immediately walking towards where Poppy was. His first instinct is to start acting concerned, protective, worried. But he stamps out those overbearing feelings.

Branch follows Poppy’s voice into the kitchenette, looking worried as he sees her just standing there. “Poppy, what-?”

“Is that your brother?”

Branch frowns, turns his head and gapes at the thing Poppy was staring at.

It was a small photo frame - pretty casual, nothing too extravagant with its dull green frame. There were stickers slapped onto the frame hastily (likely the work of Finn judging from the sticker choices), but it wasn’t the picture frame itself that caught Poppy’s attention. It was the photo within it.

The photo featured two people, the setting in some mountainous area. One looked both different and yet hauntingly different.

John Dory looked… old. That’s the first thing that stuck out to Branch.

It’d been a decade and some since he had last seen his oldest brother. And it was clear that as the years passed by, he had changed. He isn’t sure if he’s looking at the same person; with the open fur-collared vest, the leaves in his hair, the goggles on his head. It felt jarring to Branch to look at this troll and immediately know that this troll was his brother. Long gone was the pestering older brother whom he had mixed feelings about (back then and still now), replaced with a troll who looked like him and yet, Branch knew he wasn’t the same person.

What made them even more surprised (and perhaps the most shocking thing of all) was the troll accompanying John Dory.

“Is that…?”

“King Trollex.”

They looked at the photo. Then looked at each other.

Oh, they definitely needed some answers.

~---------~

“Oh, Dad’s honeymoon!”

Finn seemed unbothered as Branch rushed up to the little trolling, holding the picture frame in hand. He didn’t say anything, just held out the photo frame and watched as the recognition bloomed on the girl’s face.

“Where did you find this? Pops was looking everywhere for the photo,” she asked, taking the picture frame and holding it up. Compared to Finn, the photo frame was slightly bigger, but nothing too heavy to topple the girl over. She held it up to be slightly eye-level with her before looking at Branch. The troll is just looking at her, a perplexing expression on his face.

Finn is only slightly confused, but she doesn’t dwell on it for long.

She turns and tucks the picture safely into a nearby drawer, making a mental note to show it to Pops when they get home eventually.

“Hey, uhm,” she hears and Finn turns around to look at Branch. “Sorry if this sounds intrusive but, is… is John Dory married?”

Finn nods in response to this, but is a little confused. “Uh-huh! He got married when I was 1 year old. It was cool, I got to cut the cake for them.”

Branch feels… conflicted. On one hand, he wants to demand answers; ask the little trolling why - after all these years - he hadn’t made the incentive to come back. If John Dory had the time to date and get married, then he could’ve had the fucking time to turn back and come home. He could’ve, some bitter part of Branch thought. He could’ve come back. He could’ve made things right.

They could’ve been a family again.

On the other hand, he feels, surprisingly, happy for John Dory. He wasn’t oblivious to the stress and weight of being the leader of a boy band. As young as he was, despite his bitterness about the band (and his family as a result breaking up), Branch had understood parts of John Dory’s reasoning. Doesn’t make it right, but now that he was older, now that he looked at Poppy and saw the same signs, he understood. The whole thing had been demanding of his older brother, causing him to slowly snap. He’s happy. It should be the only thing that matters.

“He actually sent you invites,” Finn chimes and Branch promptly pulls himself back to reality.

“What?” He croaks, in disbelief.

“He sent you invites,” the trolling repeats, shining glowing eyes boring into his dark ones. “He told me that he didn’t expect any of you to show up, but it would’ve been a really nice wedding gift if you had.”

Obviously that never happened, judging from where they are and what’s happening. Branch just stood there, quiet. Any and all grudge he might’ve had that could’ve made him apprehensive about this mission completely drained out of him.

“Oh,” he numbly said. “I… Sorry I couldn’t make it.”

Finn just smiles at him, her fish tail swishing behind her. “Don’t be. This’ll be a great surprise for Dad! I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”

Thoughts swirled in Branch’s head; more frantic than the last. His tail agitatedly flicks behind him and he finds himself floundering for something - anything - to say to the little girl that is his niece (as he hauntingly realizes, that he has a three year old trolling niece).

“Finn! There’s sandwiches!” Bruce calls out, deceptively calm and perfectly timed. The trolling beams.

“Sandwiches!!” She practically shrieks in excitement and scampers - actually scampers on all fours - off, leaving the monotone troll alone.

Branch is left standing there, his head suddenly dizzy. There’s a hand on his shoulder and he doesn’t need to turn to know that it’s his second eldest brother.

“Do you…” he starts and wets his lips. They’re cracked and dry. “Do you think he’ll want to see us? After all this time?”

Bruce gives a small squeeze. He doesn’t offer an answer. He can’t respond on behalf of John Dory - and they both know that. That talk would have to come later, when they’re all together, when they last long enough to talk about it.

“Want some sandwiches?” The purple-haired troll only offers.

Branch nods. By the time they get there, Finn had already ravaged her share and was talking animatedly with Poppy. And when she turns and smiles at them - all sharp teeth and glowing eyes - the ache in his chest doesn’t hurt any less.

It takes them about two days to find Floyd.

Some of his scent lingered on the signed merch they had, preserved with careful and utmost care from the eldest brother. Rhonda took a while to piece the scent together, but she managed her best.

“Good girl,” Finn giggles, petting the armadillo bus affectionately as everyone else stepped out.

The group looked around, though only Poppy and Branch recognized the place.

“Isn’t this where the country trolls live?” Poppy piped up. Branch nods in response.

“Country trolls?” Bruce says, looking around at the rather mundane, yet peaceful village that went about their business, milling about.

“Trolls who sing country songs,” Branch explains. “It’s a nice genre.”

“They’re always so sad,” Poppy laments in response.

The group walk through the village, with Finn bounding in every which direction. She’s at one shop, then at another. At one stall, then at some stable in the distance. It’s a miracle that she has this much energy for such a small tiny body. Truly, Branch never thought he would see the day that someone would beat Poppy.

Fortunately, none of the villagers were annoyed by the young girl. If anything, they seem to be acquainted with her.

They greet Finn, give her little snacks and treats, and give her updates on various whatnot. It garners raised eyebrows from Bruce, Branch and Poppy, but they don’t question it. Not that they need to, they get their answer pretty quickly.

“Why, if it ain’t my favourite god-daughter!” A booming female voice, thick in a cowgirl accent, pitches up.

Finn, who was in a conversation with one of the village elders, perks up. A grin splits across her face and she quite literally becomes a blur, zipping past the group with a squeal as she bounds towards a centaur-troll in the distance.

“Auntie Delta!!”

Branch and Poppy watch in complete surprise as the leader of the country trolls - Delta Dawn - throw Finn high into the air, the trolling bursting into fits of high-pitched squeals and giggles, catch her and then smother her in a tight hug. They exchange looks at each other, before walking up to the pair.

By the time they reach them, Finn is climbing all over Delta, giggling uncontrollably.

“I missed you!” She exclaims, popping from the woman’s hair.

“I missed ya too, suga’ cube!” Delta responds, laughing with the little girl. “Yer father has the nerve to stop writing to me ‘bout yer li’l adventures! Mountain hikin’ for ya birthday? He’s spoiling ya.”

Finn giggles and goes back to climbing all over the leader.

“Hey Delta,” Poppy beams as she waves to her. It’s not often she gets to meet the other leaders of the six tribes very often, so she’s always eager to make every interaction a good one.

“Poppy,” Delta greets in similar fashion, a kind smile gracing her face. “And what brings ya to my part of town?”

“Actually, we’re here with Finn,” Bruce pipes up, pointing to the little girl currently playing with the leader’s tail.

“Are ya?” Delta said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah!” Finn exclaims, immediately zipping to Bruce and Branch’s side, tugging on their arms suddenly. “These are my uncles, Auntie Delta! The ones Dad kept talking about!!”

Delta seemed surprised, both her eyebrows raising and disappearing beneath the frizzy curly bangs. Her eyes flicker between Bruce, Branch and Finn, as if contemplating something. Then it seemed to click for her.

“Ohh,” she said slowly. She turns to Branch. “So tha’s why. I could’a sworn I saw ya somewhere before. Couldn’ put it together for the life of me.”

Branch now seemed surprised this time, Poppy too. “You do?”

Delta nods. “Yeah. Johnny would not stop gushin’ to me about his adorable baby brother when we were datin’. Had photos and everythin’.”

“Dating??” Poppy, Branch and Bruce echoed.

Unfortunately, Finn intervenes, practically buzzing off her feet.

“Auntie Delta!” She exclaims. “I need your help, Dad’s in trouble and I need to know where Uncle Floyd is!!”

Delta looks down at the little girl, her brow furrowing. She looks worried and puts her hands on her hips. “Trouble? What did that blubbering fool get himself into this time?”

“He got kidnapped! Some big meanies took him and I need help!!” Finn responds, using animated hand gestures to get her point across. She clasps her hands together and looks up pleadingly at Delta. “Do you know where Uncle Floyd is, please tell me!”

It’s obvious that the leader of the country trolls is conflicted.

On one hand, she definitely knew where Floyd was - hell, she even knew who he was, though she didn’t outright say anything to him. And as Finn’s godmother and John Dory’s good friend, she wants to help. But on the other hand, she had promised to keep it a secret.

Finn whines, getting on her knees and looking up pleadingly at her godmother. Delta sighs.

“Yer gettin’ way too good at that,” she grumbles, though her irritation is only mild. “He lives near Huckleberry’s stall. The nice-lookin’ house with plants. Can’t be hard to miss.”

Finn beams, jumping up to her feet and nearly knocking Delta off-kilter as she hugs the woman tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

Delta gives a sigh again, but she’s smiling and still pats the girl’s back. “Yer welcome, ya firecracker. Tell yer father I expect a full length explanation in a very nice letter and gift for me later, capische?”

Finn nods. Delta ruffles her hair.

“Now get going you ruffians. I’m runnin’ a town here.”

~---------~

The group all depart to go find the nice-looking house with plants in the small town. It’s not hard to find it all things considered, but Bruce, Branch and Poppy are all left with too many questions and too little answers, swirling obsessively in their heads.

So much was unraveling in front of them, and yet they had no time to unpack any of them at all.

They’re already standing at the steps of the front porch, watching with vacant minds and blank stares as Finn bounds up the steps and knocks on the door.

“Hello!!” She calls out. “I’d like to speak to Mr. Floyd, please!”

There’s a moment of silence. Then someone answers the door.

Standing in the doorway was a troll so jarringly familiar, though obviously grown up. Branch and Bruce both stared as Floyd stared right back at his brothers.

He’s taller, just ever so slightly, a slight curl to his flaming pink hair. There’s a streak of black cutting through the bright locks, two braids hanging off of each side of his face, framing it nicely. A pair of silk pants and slippers is enough to indicate that he was likely doing something idle before getting the knock.

But the one thing that stood out the most? The trolling in his arms.

“Bitty B?” Floyd says, darting his eyes between Bruce and Branch. “Spruce?”

“Hey Floyd,” Bruce responds. Branch just stands there, unsure what to do.

It’s obvious that the second youngest brother is completely caught off-guard. He’s clearly not expecting visitors, much less seeing his own family showing up on his front porch.

The pink-haired troll opens his mouth, then closes, as if trying to think his next words.

Fortunately, Finn takes this as the perfect time to chime in.

“Hello!” She said, waving to get the pink-haired troll’s attention. When Floyd looks down at her, she beams up at him with a smile, juts out her hand and introduces herself like she had done the previous times. “I’m Finn, JD’s daughter. I’m your niece!”

There’s a look of surprise on Floyd’s face. Perhaps it was shock too, but it was always a little hard to tell what exactly he was feeling. Sometimes he felt everything and nothing.

Still, regardless, he puts on a smile and shakes the trolling’s hand, adjusting his hold on the trolling in his own arms.

“Nice to meet you, Finn,” he said warmly. “I didn’t know JD had a kid.”

Floyd’s gaze briefly flickers to Bruce and Branch again, both who shrugged and shook their heads. It seemed like none of them knew what was going on in the other’s lives - considering their separation and the rift between them all.

“Well, now you know!” The girl chirps in response. Her gaze then trails to the trolling. She gives a wave. “Is this my cousin? Dad never told me I had cousins!”

Floyd, ever the charmer he was, keeps his composure. “This is Wisp. He’s one year old.”

“Hello, Wisp!” Finn says excitedly. The trolling - Wisp - simply blinks back at her.

“He’s not much of a talker,” Floyd told Finn patiently. The girl nods.

“That’s okay,” she says. “Pops says I talk enough for a whole group of people! Dad told me it might have something to do with… with… uh.. Ayy- AD-”

“ADHD?” Floyd fills in. Finn nods again.

“Yeah! ADHD!!”

“I see,” Floyd chuckles warmly.

Eventually though, the attention shifts and it’s noticeably a little bit more tense.

“Why are you visiting?” The pink-haired troll then asks, his voice deceptively calm and friendly, though Finn doesn’t know the difference.

“Dad’s in trouble,” the girl merely responds. “I need your help.”

Floyd, this time, raises his eyebrow in question. He’s quiet, eyes flickering between Finn and his brothers. Subconsciously, he shifts his grip on Wisp.

Finn clasps her paws together and looks up pitifully pleadingly at him.

“Please,” she says, with that child-like whine to her voice. “I know you haven’t spoken to him in years, but I really need help. You can go back and pretend none of this happened afterwards, promise!”

So she’s using the same trick she had used on Bruce. The second eldest brother is almost amused by his older brother’s daughter’s shenanigans. Truly the spitting impersonation of him.

And clearly, it works on Floyd, who seems to flounder on his words. He opens his mouth, closes it and then sighs.

“For John,” he says with a slight nod of his head. Finn beams and cheers, ecstatic that she has acquired yet another one of her uncles. Just one more and the rescue crew is done!

“One more! Now we need to find Uncle Clay!” She exclaims, waving her arms up and down excitedly. Finn immediately bolts off the porch, though she’s quickly stopped by Bruce.

“I think we should let Floyd change outfits, Finn,” he says, as the trolling squirms about. Finn relents, giving a rather sheepish smile.

“Sorry,” she apologizes.

Floyd smiles and chuckles.

“I won’t be long,” he promises. He takes a step back into the house, disappearing though he leaves the door open. “Hickory! I need you to take care of Wisp!”

Bruce and Finn are completely unsure as to why Branch and Poppy immediately started choking up at the name.