Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Branch it’s going to rain on us soon, I can smell it! I promise you, John Dory won’t be mad at us for not coming back with a full hunt”

Making sure that Copper saw him rolling his eyes he kept moving. He and Branch rarely foraged as there are specific people for it, but Flora had asked for a favor from Branch. Which then ended up with Cooper joining him when he heard her asking. 

They needed to grab extra fruit for their food stores. They had fixed the caved-in ceiling from the Bergen incident but some of the debris had crushed the crops and the crystals helping them grow. Along with one of the store houses being wrecked too. The crystals and plants had been an easy fix but the food storage had taken a minute to fill again. 

It had been months since everything had happened but Branch knew you could never be too sure about anything, meaning that it was okay to grab extra. It’s not like anyone would complain, it might be a little full of himself but they liked most things that he did. They had been a little annoyed with all of his contingencies but after the incident with Chef finding them, they had been praising him since.

As much as the praise was kind of nice, he never did it because he wanted their acceptance or acknowledgment. To some degree he felt like the village was somewhat of a responsibility of his. He had been semi-learning how to take care of it from his dad for most of his life. So seeing how the Bergen incident had affected his people was a little hard to see sometimes.

The trolls in the city had become more…clingy. Everyone checked up on everyone, no one troll was able to be by themselves. As a community their paranoia had already been a bit bad, so when someone had betrayed their own people, something had cracked. They would make sure it didn’t happen again. 

His family had been worried that everybody would end up distrusting their neighbors, but surprisingly it had the opposite effect. It seemed to make them hold on to those near them even more, like the loss of Creek physically hurt them. The new amount of attachment people were showing was a bit alarming but it was already becoming a new normal. Thankfully his dad was good at avoidance, so they had avoided the behavior from everyone but Fern.

Seeing a raspberry bush nearby, Branch felt himself pick up the pace. Grabbing one of the small empty bags he had in his bag he started to pick the fruit of the bush. When all of the sudden he heard a buzzing noise in the back of his mind. What was that?

It definitely wasn’t Rhonda or Timber coming, he knew their sounds well, especially after the first couple of weeks of Timber’s training. After the incident John had the bright idea of more security, Branch had the idea of starting more patrols focused only on checking the area but John had a “better” idea. And that had been to throw a lasso on a winkerwolf on their next patrol. If that hadn’t been heart stopping he had then found and befriended an armadillo bus on a later patrol. Luckily Rhonda hadn’t really needed any training, but Timber, oh boy, if anyone ever said that his dad didn’t know how to work his magic they were dead wrong. 

If it was either of the two of them they definitely would have known. Glancing at Cooper, he noticed that he was continuing to dance in place, their bags bouncing on his back. Rolling his eyes he turned from his friend and focused on the sound. Hearing the sound get louder, his instincts started to flare.

“Cooper, we need to run,” and within seconds they are both taking off.  Hearing the buzzing get louder they moved quickly running with all their speed. Nervous, Branch noticed Cooper falling behind a little bit, his speed not as fast as the average troll. Turning a corner they came face to face with a monstrous and dark beast. 

It had a large maw, leathery skin, teeth shaped like zippers and a tuft of hair on the top of its head. Its mouth seemed to almost be glowing red, as it stared at them with beady eyes. About to turn around and run they heard the buzzing loud as ever behind them. Not turning his back to the creature he tried to see what it was in the corner of his eye, but failed when he stiffened up at the sound of sudden footsteps. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t a pop troll. You two look a little weird but whatever.” 

Seeing red out of the corner of his eye, he was surprised when a troll came to stand in front of them. Everything about her was sharp in a way that he had never seen before. If her hair wasn’t bright red, he’d think that she was gray because of the muddy look of her skin. Even her teeth and ears were pointed and she had a wild and dark look to her face and clothes. And what did she mean by pop troll?

“So where’s the rest of you? To be specific I’m looking for a King Peppy or Queen Poppy” 

He didn’t know what she meant by her phrase earlier, or what she wanted with him and his people, but he knew just from the way she looked at him that it wasn’t good. Hearing Poppy’s name even coming from her mouth made him want to throttle her. Deciding to stay silent he glared at her, a growl rising in his throat. 

If she was asking for Peppy, she clearly knew nothing about their people. He would have to remember that she clearly knew nothing.

She snorted as she looked at him, “Feisty,” and then she turned to Cooper and his hackles raised even more. “Wow, and the funk trolls said they knew nothing about pop, little liars, probably sent one of their own to warn you guys. Psh, whatever.” 

Not understanding a lick of what she was saying, he side eyed Cooper and noticed him doing the same thing. Looking to the side they saw an opening and geared themselves up to take it.

“So, you gonna take me to see your leader pop troll?”

He actually let out a growl at that question. Aggression bled into him as he looked at her strongly. She was out of her mind if she thought he was going to take them to his home.  

“Whelp I tried,” and she looks at them with an annoyed look, “Take them away! And continue searching for the pop trolls, they’ve got to be near. We’re so close!”

Feeling a hand on his shoulder Branch let instinct take over and swung a clawed hand at the perpetrator. Feeling another set of hands, his background started to blur as he swung and kicked his way toward the out he saw earlier. He prayed Coop was following right behind him.

Feeling something wet on his hands he continued to swing and claw, when he suddenly heard the sound of a guitar and everything went dark. 

Branch felt a pain in his head as he fought to open his eyes, light flooding into them too quickly. His eyesight finally returning to normal, he looked around and noticed bars on a cage. Groaning he shook his head trying to bring about more of his coherency. All of sudden he froze, his breath catching in his throat. 

“Cooper”

“Right behind you B”

Feeling relief start to fill him, his body sagged down all the adrenaline leaving his body. His head was pounding and his body felt like he had just fought a hufflebear. 

“What happened Coop”

Hearing Cooper answer back in their surface language, Branch stiffened up. They used it for when they were up top and didn’t want to be too loud. It was a mixture of hums, clicks and caws, reminiscent to the birds in the forest. It wasn’t a full language and was primarily only used by those who had jobs up top, or children who had learned bits of it because they liked to play pretend. Flora and her husband Oak had been the ones to create and teach it to a select few. Branch had actually been the one too teach Cooper.

So he was colored surprised when he heard the clicks of “not alone.” Nobody had ever called Cooper the brightest of trolls but they didn’t think him incapable either. He had trained just as much as Branch and had the same buried paranoia they all had. He just pushed it deep down in the same way that Poppy did. The positivity and avoidance on those two could fill up the whole city.  

Looking around he was finally able to fully take in their surroundings. They were in a dark room with stage lights in the corner and red light shining on them from the corners and sitting in a large cage. With other trolls inside too. His body stiffening, he quickly got up and stood defensively in front of Cooper.

He sends back to two hums and a click. 

Safe?

Cooper quickly sends an answer back to him.  

Nonhostile.

It wasn't a guarantee that they were safe but it meant they weren’t being actively targeted either. Taking them in he scrunched his brow, they just looked so different compared to his people. One had scales and was floating, another on four legs, one with small wings on his back, and two of them looked similar to Cooper. Though they were all staring at them, the two of them were definitely focusing on Cooper more.

Noticing the tension, the floating one spoke up, “So are you guys really pop trolls?”

Not answering he just rumbled in his chest, the vibration soothing him. He had no idea what they were talking about, they kept calling him “pop” and not explaining anything, he was getting very close to hurting someone.

He heard the gold and feathered one whisper into the floating one’s ear, “Are we sure they’re pop trolls, they look different from the one we saw earlier, nevermind our history books”.

Growling again, he locked his eyes on the one who spoke, making sure to inch forward a little, hoping that the intimidation move worked. Listening to the squeak the flying one let out and noticing him fly backwards into the bars, Branch couldn’t help but feel some satisfaction. Hearing footsteps he noticed one of the Cooper look alikes closer in distance and looking at him softly. 

“We mean no harm towards the either of you, if it would help, we can swear on our music.”

Turning towards Cooper he looked at him and wondered if he should keep the aggression thing going, he had only really done this when trying to intimidate some of the creatures in their forest. The marks on Cooper's face crinkled as he gave a slight smile towards him and then the others. Groaning Branch just turned toward the lady, and huffed. 
 
“It’s fine, you don’t have to swear”

Moving back some steps, he leaned back against the bars, Cooper coming to sit next to him. He pointed at all of them and decided he was going to start with asking the most pertinent questions. 

“What the hell is going on?” Okay, so maybe one singular question instead.

The floating man clicked his tongue, “It’s Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Trolls. She wants to unite all trolls under one music, rock. She’s going to gather all the strings so that she can turn everyone into rock trolls, whether we want it or not.”

Seeing how willing they were at giving answers he decided to be honest. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. What is rock? Also what strings are you talking about?”

At those words, all of them look at him like he’s lost his mind, spat on the ground and called himself a Bergen. Did he really say something so crazy. 

“What is rock? Don’t you know about all the genres? You’re literally with a funk troll.”

Feeling annoyed, he shrugged his shoulders. Looking at all their faces he could tell they seemed just as confused as him, though the flying one seemed a bit annoyed that he nor Cooper seemed to know what they were talking about.

The one that had a troll like top and creature bottom spoke up after a moment of quiet. “There are six genres of music sugar,” she raises her hand, “I’ma country troll,” and then she points to the other’s respectively, “techno, classical and funk, and of course you met the rock trolls earlier. Those are the main ones, there are sub-genres though.” She’s looking at them neutrally as says everything, her tail gently swaying . “We're the leaders of our people.”

Begrudgingly he nodded and bowed his head a bit. “Your majesty”

“None of that now, I go by Sheriff or Deputy in my parts”

Nodding he looked at the rest of them, hoping they would introduce themselves next. 

“King Quincy and Queen Essence of the Funk Trolls.”

“King Trollex of the Techo”

And then the golden one is looking at them with narrowed eyes, “Wolfgang Amadeus Trollzart of the Classical Trolls. You may call me Maestro.” 

He definitely would not be doing that.

Branch wonders about how he should introduce himself, he’s not royalty, but he does have some status. He could make a decision for the trolls, and as long as he talked about it with his dad and Poppy, it was a go. But the thought of baring himself to any degree to these strangers in an unknown location, was making him itch. No matter how nice they were, it just felt too soon. 

“Branch” 

“Cooper”

And then it’s silent again and he’s just staring at all of them. It looks like they want to say something but are holding back, so he asks about the strings, needing clarification. 

Queen Essence moved forward again starting the story of their history. “Long ago, the ancestors of the six Tribes created the strings, six in total for each main genre. For a long while all the tribes lived in harmony, until the Pop Trolls' leader stole the entire genre harp. The pop trolls population grew and grew until they were the largest tribe. They took our music and removed every inch of uniqueness from it. One day after having enough, each tribe took a string and ran. And we never lived in harmony again.”

Well, at least he felt justified now for not wanting to give too much information. That story did not give him the warm fuzzies. Psh, the largest. He wondered if that was still true. He doubted it. But now he was even more confused, if rock was one of the ones who had been upset that their music was stolen from them, weren’t they being hypocritical by doing the same exact thing? He needed to learn more about the situation. 

“And we’re disliked because of all of this?” 

She looked surprised at the question and the nonchalant tone in his voice but she still answered smoothly, “Not by myself or husband, but by many others, yes. Even with the incident a century behind us, many have not forgotten the act, even when pop trolls were thought long gone.”

Looking up at her, he hummed, that must be why they were so curious but off put by them. They had basically become the boogeyman for many of the tribes. She hadn’t explicitly said it, but he could tell that she’d been one of the ones who thought they were gone. But if Barb had gone after them, she had clearly thought they were still alive and kicking, the question was why and how. He froze as he remembered the comments from earlier. Had they really met a pop troll? 

The bouts of silence are a little awkward but he could be as stubborn as it gets and he refused to talk first not while he was still trying to think.

King Quincy steps a little forward next looking at them both softly. 

“Cooper was it? Can I ask you a personal question?”

Cooper looked at him for a second only looking back at them when he gave a small shrug. He had no idea what they were going to ask. 

“Do you know what your egg looked like?”  

Branch thinks his brain stalls a little as he hears the question, so they meant super personal when they had said that. Why were they even asking about that? 

Giving his signature smile Cooper chuckled, “Nope, Branch probably does though.”

He scrunches up his face as he looks at Cooper, making sure that he could see his displeasure. Way to throw him under the bus and give information out.

“Was it gold with pink and purple waves on it”

Shocked, he slowly nodded. Seeing the queen tear up a bit, and start to walk closer, he made sure to not tense up as she stood in front of Cooper. 

“I think I’ve been looking for you for the last twenty years. My son, we've finally found you!” and then she was hugging him. “You look just like your brother”

Cooper being true to himself only had one thing to say. 

“Huh?” 

Branch watched as King Quincy came forward, wrapping around Cooper as well, only pulling away to look at him as he spoke. 

“Twenty years ago, we had twin eggs, but a predator swooped down and took your egg right out of your mothers hair. We’ve been looking for you ever since. We always believed that we’d find you one day.” 

Branch is a little skeptic, but when he looked in their eyes he started to believe them more. They had the parent-like look in their eyes. He’d seen it several times.

And then they’re hugging again, and this time he sees Cooper start to hug the queen and king back. It’s beautiful, truly, he’s glad that Cooper has found more family but aren’t the stares are a little bit awkward. Maybe it’s his awkwardness showing but he’s feeling second hand awkwardness right now.

Popping his head up, Cooper looks at his parents. “So I’m a funk troll?” And if he sounds oddly upset at the prospect no one comments.

“Yes and no. You can be multiple genres honey, music is forever growing and changing. Your brother isn’t a full funk troll either, he’s a hip-hop troll. Just as you’re a pop and funk troll. The influences of one’s life don’t just disappear after one revelation.” 

That’s when Branch fully notices the differences between Cooper and his parents. Cooper’s ears are more perkier than the funk trolls, along with the fact that Cooper seems smaller. Branch isn’t sure if it was just the fact that he was younger than them, but Cooper just seemed smaller. 

Cooper was super tall in Troll Hollow but maybe he was smaller than his biological tribe too. Branch didn’t know how to explain it but after years in the city, everyone had started to shrink just a bit. Not a crazy amount that it was super noticeable but enough that the doctors had noticed. 

The trolls that hatched now were smaller than before too. They didn’t know what caused it, but Dr. Moonbloom thought it was because of living underground for a long time now. She thought our bodies were trying to let us become smaller to fit in the tunnels better and move faster. Troll biology was just weird, and unexplainable half the time.

He wondered if the pop trolls were really different from the others. Focusing back into the conversation he was able to catch the tail end of it. 

“-kings on your face, do they have a specific meaning?”

“Um, well, it’s how we identify each other” 

Wow, maybe he should do the talking. That was so misleading that he almost wanted to groan out loud. That made it seem like their tribe was so big that they needed marks to identify who was who. Rolling his eyes, he figured it was better than saying the truth. 

Looking at the others he could see how curious they were about everything. Noticing King Trollex about to ask something, everyone froze when they heard the creak of a door. Looking towards the door he noticed a blue hand first and then pink hair. Something bubbles in his throat, words he’s longed to say but nothing comes out. 

He can hear Trollzart whispering to the others, “I can’t see anything, is it Barb?”

Cooper answers swiftly, “Nope, he looks like…like a pop troll! But he…” and then he’s looking confused turning to Branch for answers. 

“He's not ours,” and Branch internally flinches at the coldness in his voice. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he was conflicted. He missed his brother but seeing him again so suddenly, in leather pants and on the other side of the bars, he’s just a bit perturbed. 

“You two can see the door!” It had come from Trollex but he could tell that they were all a bit shocked. 

Cooper just looks at them befuddled, “Yes? You guys can’t? It’s not even that dark right now.” And it really isn’t, some of the corners of their city were so dark that even they avoided the area, their eyes not being able to take the high level of darkness. Only the main parts where everyone loved and worked were lit up with the crystals. 

Hearing the troll start to come closer into the room, he heard sighs of relief when the troll stepped into the light. 

“Floyd!” It was a chorus from everyone except for Delta Dawn who merely tilted her hat in his direction. 

“I’m sorry I’m so late, I meant to come back and see you guys earlier but Barb has been making us get the concert together. I’ve tried to get her to see sense but she’s not listening. She fully believes in this plan. A plus is that she’s having a hard time find-,” And their eyes finally meet. Branch wonders if the others can feel how heavy the silence is. 

Apparently, Trollzart decides the silence is an opportune moment to ask questions. 

“Floyd, are you a pop troll? And if so, where are your markings and why have you not said anything to Barb about their location?”

Floyd answers him but it’s eerie as he’s unable to tear himself away from Branch’s gaze. “Yes I am, and because it was too dangerous to go back to the tribe, so I told her I didn’t know where they were. Also I have no idea what markings you’re talking about.” Then there’s a pause as he stares into Branch intently, moving up to the bars of their cell so that he’s gripping them. 

“Branch, is that you?” The tremble in his voice makes something roll in his stomach. Emotions that he had pushed down so long ago are thick on his tongue. 

“Yeah,” and he’s lost as his voice trembles too. God, he’s already done with this whole situation. He just wants his dad and sister. Not a forced emotional confrontation. Floyd opened his mouth to speak but froze when the door bust open.

“Floyd, my main man, what are you doing here?”

Floyd looks nervous for a second but quickly turns around with a soft look on his face. “I heard that you brought some pop trolls in and wanted to see them. I know we talked about this before but we should really let-,” and he’s abruptly cut off.

“No can do, Floydster, they can’t leave the cage until I get what I want.” 

She walks briskly up to the cage and slams a hand on it. Branch internally chuckles, if she thought that would intimidate him or Cooper then she had another thing coming. 

“Where are the rest of the pop trolls hiding! Where’s your king!” 

Branch only answers by chuckling and turning away slightly. 

“You think this is funny? Well I hope your laughing when you see what we’ve done to your homes, we burnt those pods to the ground, now what-”

“Noooooo”

Looking at Cooper bewildered but also mildly concerned he stood up a bit to see what was wrong. Cooper knew that the pods were fake, as all hollow trolls did, so why was he yelling?

“I left my harmonica in a pod!” 

Snorting Branch leaned back again. They used the pods for refreshments and snacks during their parties up above. He told Cooper time and time again not to leave anything in the pods, but he had a bad habit.

“I’ll make you another one”

Hearing another slam on the bars, he looked at Barb, noticing the distance Floyd had put in between them and the furious look she had on her face. 

“You guys think this is a joke!” And then she turns to the funk trolls, “don’t think I didn’t notice how you guys were working together with pop, if you guys don’t want anything happening to your son, then you guys better speak up.”

The king and queen look at Barb furiously, “You touch a hair on his head, you’ll live to regret it”

“Doubt it”

Annoyed, he groaned out loud, bringing everyone's attention to himself. He could deal with threats at himself but he wasn’t going to let Cooper’s newfound family reap the consequences especially when they hadn’t even done anything. 

“King Peppy is dead and none of his line is leading us. We didn’t have any idea about the strings until now. Most pop trolls don’t even know there are other genres.” And then he points to Floyd, “Ask your Floydster over there how he found out about the strings and everything.” She turns to Floyd looking at him imperiously.

“Um, I didn’t know about the different genres until I ran into a country troll a long time ago, and then when I came here, I learned about the strings from you during one of your planning sessions.” He’s blushing as he says it but he’s looking at her earnestly. 

Branch has so many questions about their dynamic. How and why was Floyd even here? She clearly didn’t like pop trolls. Watching her ball up her fist, she looked at them hotly. 

“Your king is dead? And the knowledge of, oh I don’t know, everything, is gone?”

“Yup.”

She’s angry then, yelling, cursing and throwing things around. He’s honestly a little glad that they’re in the cage with the way she’s throwing things. Seeing how quick Floyd moved out of range this must be a typical thing. They all sat and watched, wondering when she would calm down. Finally, as she huffed and puffed, out of breath from her explosion, he decided to speak up again. 

“Can we all go now? The pop string is lost to time, if we really did have it once then it was lost with our king. Your plan won’t succeed, you need all the strings don’t you?”

Was he stoking the fire a bit? One hundred percent. But he was getting tired of only looking at their cage and the red lights in the room. 

“You’re lying to me, you have to be! I will succeed, and we’ll be happy and together under one roof.”

“I’m not lying” 

She’s yelling again but before she gets too far he decides to cut in. “Look, can you just open the cage and let us out. Honestly, I’m trying to help you, my dad is going to be furious.”

And he wasn’t lying on that point. Dad really was going to be furious, and an angry John Dory was not an easy troll to deal with. They both had bad impulsiveness sometimes but Branch’s was more verbal than his dad's. His dad tended to rush in and do things without fully thinking about them. An angry and not thinking JD would be disastrous. 

“You think I care about your fucking dad! Dude are you serious, what the hell can your dad do! Be serious!”

“Take it back! He’s a way more awesome leader than you, you should be worried! He battles and kills things all the time!” 

Ah, the Troll Hollow special, reverence for his dad. The Snack Pack was usually better about being normal around his dad, but they still had their moments. He really wishes this hadn’t been one of them. Everyone, but Barb is looking at them worriedly and horrified now, especially Floyd. Way to give away information and make his dad sound like a crazy murderer. Cooper had been doing so good earlier too.

“So daddy is the leader of the pop trolls, huh, so that means you definitely know where your tribe is! You little liars, you’re just saying these things so I’d let you go. You think I’m going to believe that a weak and pu-”

But then she stops and looks at Branch as if she had an epiphany. “You put four of my trolls in the hospital…” 

He’s not thrilled at the information, having not fought back with the pure intent to hurt somebody but he can’t help but preen just a bit at her words. He was skillful even when panicked. 

“You’re not like Floyd are you?”

“Nope.” He doesn’t think she had meant to say any of that out loud or even want an answer but he can’t help but answer with a smirk. Floyd hadn’t been with the pop trolls in almost twenty years. It sounded cold even to himself, but his brother was now an outsider of the community. Things were not the same as they’d been in the tree. 

“Queen Barb!” 

A troll burst through the door out of breath and looked panicked. 

“There’s a giant wolf trashing our city, and there’s-!” And he breathes in deeply still not having fully caught his breath. “There are weird glowing trolls taking some of the others and disappearing. About twenty trolls have been taken so far!” 

Branch is smiling when everyone turns to look at him and Cooper, but internally he’s wincing and groaning. That had to be his dad and some of the other trolls. What was he doing? He thought he was going to come in and sneak him out, not wage a war!

Chapter Text

“John, would you calm down, they’re fine. Branch and Cooper have gone up top by themselves several times already, nevermind that they’re just foraging.”

John could tell that his pacing was exasperating Fern, but he was worried! The boys were late and it was storming up top. He could smell the ozone in the air and it seemed like it might be a bit of a doozy. He always worried when Branch went up without him but today for some reason he felt even more disturbed. There’d been a pit in his stomach from even before they had left. 

Something just felt off.

He got where Fern was coming from though. He had a bad habit of being just a little too clingy to both of his children. He didn’t stifle or follow them around or anything of that nature, but they did still live with him even though they were grown, plus, he also almost always knew where they were. 

It was morbid to think about but he never wanted to be too late ever again. For every loss that he’s had, it has always felt like he was one step behind, not seeing the Bergen behind his parents, losing his grandmother, and getting to Viva and Peppy too late. Losing them would always haunt him in ways he could never escape.

So yeah, he didn’t give them crazy rules or watch their every move but he did his best to always be nearby, ready to jump to their defense. The only times he wasn’t always close by was when they went up top without him, which wasn’t actually that often. He was too scared that one day he’d be too slow to save his children, history repeating itself in a devastating way. 

Getting ready to whine to Fern again he froze when he heard a rumble up top. Both he and Fern stayed still, making sure to not move so they could hear everything clearly. 

There it was again.

Looking to the left, John saw the movie they had been playing cut off and their danger alert went off. It was eerie as they heard a mixture of the rumbles and booms above them and the tinkling bell sound coming out of the television. 

Only after about one minute though, they heard the howling of a wolf and the brisk stop of the unsettling noise up top. 

Something sick rolled in his stomach at the thought of the noise. He swayed in place almost losing his balance when he thought about Branch possibly being up there at the same time. Pulling out his talkie he tried to steady his hand as he pressed the button to speak. Calling out their code, he waited for his response. 

It must be broken. Calling out Poppy’s code he waited with baited breath, praying the talkie was having a malfunction. Not twelve seconds later he heard her response, clear as day. 

His nausea returns as he looks at the talkie, mocking him with the sound of static. Looking at Fern he can see the worry on his face. Quickly he turns and runs out the door, making sure to grab his machete. 

The sound had come from right above them,  meaning that he needed to take an exit that was not too close to the pods but also near enough that it wouldn’t take him long to get there. Running towards the east tunnel he runs quickly through it and makes his way to the venue.

Finally getting close, he takes to the trees and moves closer and closer, making sure to stay hidden, just in case the enemy is still there. Hovering above the venue he froze as he looked at the pods and surrounding area.

The false pods had been torn to shreds and the ground and plants were scorched. Timber was sitting in the middle of the wreckage chewing on something that looked beetle-like. Dropping down to the ground, he walked around the wreck, opening and closing his hand, trembling just a bit. They’d been attacked, and Branch still wasn’t home yet.

After surveying the area a bit, he noticed a piece of paper sticking to the biggest pod. Using his hair to pull himself up, he landed on the larger pod and grabbed the sheet, slowly climbing down. Lifting it up to his sight he felt goosebumps rise on his arms.

Barb, the Queen of Rock, announces her One Nation Under Rock World Tour. Bring your string to the biggest party the world has ever seen. We have two of yours already at the party, come and join them.

It’s as if everything has come to a standstill when John looks up. He can hear Timber chewing, the birds chirping and every breath that he takes. There is a simple serenity in the way his blood boils and trembles underneath his skin. He’s staring at the poster lost in time as he registers the words on the page. 

There’d only been two people on the surface today, he knew this explicitly, and he was always aware of who left. Clenching his fist, he clenched his teeth, acid building in his throat. What did they even want with them? The string? What even was rock? Were they people made out of rock or something?

What the hell would that do for them? Peppy had told him that it carried their music, what were they going to do with that?

Lost in thought he stiffened when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking behind him he saw Fern looking at him in the same way he had earlier. Turning his head away from the look he pulled his shoulder away, starting toward the exit he had taken. 

Grabbing his talkie as he walked forward, he pressed the call button, making sure to take a deep breath, “Poppy make your way to the broadcast station, now.” He’d make sure to apologize later for his tone, but the burning in his chest was making it difficult to sound normal. 

Swiftly moving through the tunnel he made his way to the station, his peripheral vision blurred. He saw someone raise a hand to wave, but his body was so stiff that he could only keep moving, his mouth not even lifting for a smile.

Entering the broadcast station he saw Poppy pacing in front of room one, which had a system for broadcasting through the speakers in the street lights. There’s no hesitation as he heads straight forward, pulling her into his space and tucking her head into the crook of his neck. The arms around him extinguished some of the flames, deflating him in a way he wasn’t expecting. 

“Dad where…where’s B?” 

And he's boiling again, her watery eyes and anxious smile fanning the fire inside him. He can feel glass being built on his back, melting and hardening over and over again, making him sweat and droop. 

“They took him”

“Who!”

And he wants to answer but the venom pooling in his stomach needs to be released, or he thinks he just might fall apart, the venom eating him from the inside. Pulling away he walked into the studio and looked back to Fern hoping he could see the message in his eyes. Getting a nod from Fern he opened the door to the vocal booth and sat at the table with the microphone. Taking a deep breath he felt the kiln in his stomach reach a new temperature. If these “rock trolls” wanted a show he’d make sure to give his best one yet. 

Tapping the mic John clears his throat. “Greetings Troll Hollow, I’m sure that everyone is shaken by the noises that you heard today. I am here to confirm that the pods above were attacked. Thankfully since we were down below, most of us are safe. Except…” And he takes a large pause, a viscousness in his eyes as he breathes into the mic. 
“They’ve taken Branch and Cooper. Two members of our family, have been stolen from us by the Queen of Rock,” and he’s spitting venom at this point, speaking in a tone no one in the city had heard from him before. He understands that he’s a hypocrite at this moment, but he also knows that the trolls in the city won’t see it that way, even if that thought makes him feel dirty. 

“This queen has no morals, to do something so…so despicable. They came into our forest, our home, our sanctuary, to snatch away two important parts of our future. This cannot, and will not, stand. We have always tried to live in peace, but peace means nothing without the safety of our loved ones.” 

He paused again, letting the silence stretch, feeding the tension in the air. His next words pool oil and vinegar on his tongue, a bitter and sickly taste as he dug into the minds of his people. He leans in closer to the microphone, his voice dropping to a low, almost menacing tone.

"Think about it," he said, his eyes narrowing. "If they can take Branch and Cooper, who's next? Your brother? Your sister? Your own child? They won't stop until they've taken everything we hold dear. Are you willing to let that happen? To stand by and do nothing while our enemies tear our families apart? They know where the false pods are what’s stopping them from watching the area and getting closer to finding us?" 

“I am nothing without the strength of my people, I love each and every one of you, and the loss of even one hurts me in a way I can’t even explain. That’s why I know that you all can do what’s needed. We’ve been running for so long and I refuse to allow us to take off again. My daughter has shown me that we are able to confront our issues. They think that we are weak and easy but I know differently.”

And now he’s borderline yelling as he gets closer to the microphone. “I call upon every able-bodied troll aged twenty to forty who is ready to show the strength of our people to come to the city center. We will be strong! We will be unmovable!”

“So gather your courage, arm yourselves, and join me. Together, we will bring our children home. Together, we will show them that the trolls of Troll Hollow are not to be underestimated. Together, we will win and get back our hearts.”

Taking his finger off the microphone’s on button, he sits back and looks at the ceiling. He’s feeling sick but he knows that he needs to move. The coercive words he’d used earlier bounce in his head and his nausea grows. He’s never wanted to use his power like that and yet what’s done is done. As much as he knows that he’ll end up with nightmares, he’d do it over and over again. He’d do anything for his family. Anything. 

Leaving the room he looked at Poppy and Fern, exhaustion settling on his shoulders. He was surprised when arms suddenly wrapped around his torso. Looking down he saw pink hair and trembling shoulders. 

“It’s ok dad.”

She didn’t clarify herself but it made him dizzy all the same, he knew what she was trying to tell him. Of course, his kid knew him well. Looking up at Fern he saw a fierceness in his eyes that he hadn't seen before. 

“We’ll get them back John. I’ll be by your side the whole time!”

Eyes burning, John looked away and nodded. Gently pulling away from Poppy he started walking out of the room, trying to get to the center as quick as he could.

Stepping into the city center, he climbed up a bench, making sure to look over the crowd that had gathered. The city was deadly silent as they all stared at him a collective tension rising in the air. Their faces displayed determination as they held various amount of weapons. Some had staffs and other’s blades with only a couple of trolls having unique choices. Fern also climbed the bench and stood next to him, close but not enough to touch. 

Clearing his throat he started to list his plan to them, starting with who was actually going. He knew that he had called for all able-bodied trolls but once he had calmed down a bit, he realized that would be difficult. They had no idea how far they needed to go, meaning they couldn’t travel by foot. Which meant their options were Rhonda and Timber. Timber could only hold four trolls on his back while Rhonda could carry about fifteen trolls if she pushed herself. This means only fourteen trolls could ride in Rhonda and three on Timber. 

Calling out for his stealthiest trolls, he counted who was going, noticing Sparkle, Flora, and Oak in the group. He and Flora had shared a look when she had volunteered to go, both of them feeling the loss of their children heavily. She and her husband missed Cooper just as much as he missed Branch. 

After figuring out their team they started to put the plan together. The first issue is that his people, him included, had yet to see the rock trolls or what exactly they could do, which is exactly why he wanted stealth for the mission. They needed to be able to move fast and still not be seen. Watching Poppy walk up he saw that she had the foraging hoods that he had asked for. Giving her a nod she passed them out making sure that everyone got one.

It had taken a minute to fully think about what exactly he was going to do but as soon as a small impulsive thought popped up, he knew what he was going to do. If Barb wanted to take hostages then they would just have to do the same. The first step was that the Fern, Poppy Flora, and Oak would stay by his side while the rest of the trolls would each grab a rock troll, making sure to not be seen. 

Once everyone grabbed at least one troll, John would let Timber use his best skill, destruction. While Timber and he would be at work, Poppy and Fern would go see if they could find where Branch and Cooper might be held and the other trolls would grab some more trolls in sight. He wasn’t sure how he’d confront the queen, but he knew one thing for sure. Branch and Cooper would be coming back no matter what. Checking his hair touched the string making sure to entangle it in one of his locks. He’d bring it only as a last resort. He’d do what needed to be done, out of pure spite if required.  

Finishing his plans he called for everyone to move towards the main city elevator. As they moved up he couldn’t help but feel a sense of love for his people. They really were his now. To this day he didn’t know what had started the adoration, but they were his as much as he was theirs. He was tangled in the love they had for him forever wrapped in their unconditional affection. He wasn’t perfect, he never would be, but he would always do his best to protect all of them, even if his hands needed to get dirty. 

*****

As they looked at the volcanic city, nerves filled all of the trolls. They hadn’t traveled this far from their home before, and it was getting to some of them. The only thing that bolstered their nerves was when Poppy raised a fist as she sat on the back of Timber, giving out one single click.

Strong 

Sucking in a breath they puffed out their chests and waited for the go-ahead from John Dory. 

“The ground should be fine to walk on but make sure that all limbs and hair stay out of the lava. It looks like the smoke is a bit strong in all the areas except for the concert venue in the middle so be sure to be as quick as you can, when grabbing a rock person. Now go!” 

Watching them leave from the edge of the hot city, John clenched his fist at the thought of the queen. Hearing Fern clear his throat he looked over. 

“I think me and Poppy should head to the concert venue. The amount of clear air over there is suspicious.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you guys there after I fuck a couple of things up, wait until about seventy-five percent of everyone comes back before you go though,” and then he’s whispering as he looks at Fern, “I’m trusting you.” Fern was the only one he was ok with Poppy going with, if not with himself. 

Waiting for everyone to get back is so nerve-wracking that his adrenaline is starting to rise. Seeing some trolls start to trickle back with cargo wrapped in rope he calms down and gives a grim smile. These were definitely trolls, different-looking ones, but trolls nonetheless. He pushes that thought to the back of his mind and focuses back on the rescue. This whole situation is confusing, and he’s starting to wonder if Peppy had forgotten to mention something.

The first two trolls that come back he asks them to sit in Rhonda with the captives to make sure that they stay put. Once the eleventh troll comes back, he gives the okay to Fern and Poppy, watching as they take off at top speeds.  

It takes a second but finally, every troll returns back having put the hostages in Rhonda to be watched. He turns to them with a serene smile and a spark in his eyes. 

“Let’s put on our best show yet and get our own back. Remember! You want to be seen this time!”

And then Timber is racing off and John is yelling something deep and guttural, loud even to his own ears. The wind muffles his scream, hiding its malice as he, Flora, and Oak ride into the volcanic city. There's a tunnel-like entrance to the city so they swiftly move through it, holding on to Timber’s fur as tight as they can.

Seeing a market square John whistles out one single command. 

Destroy

And Timber makes sure to do his best, crushing buildings with a swing of one paw, a single bite, and the swing of his tail. There’s some screaming but it starts to blend in, not too worried since his Timber had been trained not to hurt trolls. Most residents were technically innocent and he wasn’t the kind of troll to attack indiscriminately.

Watching food and regular wares like jewelry and tools fly into the air he gave another whistle to Timber reminding him to not focus on the food and to continue his destruction. He sees a city center as well and makes sure that it’s on Timber’s list. There’s something in the way the building crumbles, lava rock not strong enough in the wake of Timber, that itches something deep inside of him. Spite and hate are filling him so deeply that his jaw is starting to hurt from the pressure of reigning himself in.

Seeing the residential homes on the walls of the volcano he frowns, getting ready to direct Tiimber’s attention to them. But then he pauses briefly, shaking his head as he commands Timber to move away and continue his destruction elsewhere. He wouldn’t stoop as low as they had, they were better than them. He had to remind himself that he was going to go tit for tat with everything.

As they started to make their way to the concert arena he heard the telltale sound of static coming from his talkie. Worried that Poppy and Fern had run into trouble he quickly lifts the talkie to his ear. 

A shaky laughter falls out of him and he slumps back just a bit when he hears the voice coming through it. Branch was okay! He’s still angry, but he feels as if he had just gotten whiplash. Focusing in on what his son was saying he frowned. Whenever he dies later on in life he hopes that he’s able to see King Peppy, just so he could shake him just a bit. He had to have known some of this.

If this so-called queen hated pop so much, why was she cooking up the same plot just in a different flavor? 

Hearing Branch get cut off he moved faster toward the arena, whistling again to ask Timber to jump over the wall surrounding it. Landing on a stage he looked around the area seeing lava, a statue sticking out of lava, and a multitude of trolls in the audience. They must be the different trolls that Branch had talked about 

How was he going to get the queen to come here? Getting an idea he jumped off of Timber, helping Flora and Oak down as well. 

As he looks into the crowd, about to give his command to Timber, he sees a little girl looking up at him and Timber in awe, her neon smile reminding him of Viva’s. Sighing he took a deep breath and yelled out to the audience to cover their ears. Seeing most actually do it even with their confusion he shrugged his shoulders. If some of them didn’t want to listen, so be it. Looking at the trolling he noticed that she was smiling widely at him, hand over her ears. 

“Speak, Timber.”

The howl that he let out shook the ground and vibrated in his chest, reverberating through the entire concert arena of the rock trolls' city. The trolls in the audience winced and held onto their ears tighter. The powerful sound echoed off the volcano walls, a call that demanded attention, hoping that the queen was close enough to hear it.

He stepped forward, his voice strong and unwavering, amplified by the silence that followed Timber's call. "Queen of the Rock Trolls, hear me!" he bellowed, his voice filling the arena. "Today, your actions have gone too far. Bring me Branch and Cooper this instant, or live to regret this moment for the rest of your life. If you want your people back, then I want mine back as well."

There was silence until he heard clapping coming out from one of the stage entrances. Looking toward the area he saw a troll with bright red hair and sharp features. That has to be the queen. She narrows her eyes as she regards him, the tension in the air palpable. The audience, both captive and free, held their breath, waiting for her response.

"You’re a pretty cool dude for a pop troll," the queen finally said, her voice echoing through the arena. "But do you truly believe that a single howl and a few words can change my mind and make me give up?"

John met her gaze with unflinching resolve. "I have no clue about the motivations for what you’re doing, the only thing I know for sure is that you have some trolls that are important to me. Whatever your reasons for doing this are, I don’t care. Bring them."

“Motivations? Psh, it’s to make every troll under one nation, I’m sure you got the invitation!” She was still looking at him fiercely, but he noticed that as she had said that, she brushed over one of her ears. Looking closer he noticed that a chunk of the top of her ear was missing. There was clearly a story for why she wanted this but he didn’t want to hear a whisper of it until Branch and Cooper were back and standing next to him.

“I won’t ask again Queen Barb, bring them out.”

“Then I want the string.”

His face stays still as he looks at her, making sure that she can glean nothing from it. Even if she hadn’t taken Branch or Cooper he didn’t think that he would willingly give her the string anyway. What she was trying to do was get rid of a whole part of themselves. Even when they were stuck behind a cage or underground and nervous to come out, they still sang. He wouldn’t let her take it away from them.

“I have nothing for you”

She looks at him and starts to curse out loud and stomp her foot. “What? Are you going to tell me it was lost with your last king too? Are you going to lie to me, just like your son?” She’s yelling at this point, almost hysterical.

Hearing the yelling, John let out a breath, he knew exactly where this was going.

Clenching his fist, he let out a bird call as loud as he could, calling the rest of the pop trolls to the arena. He was only mildly surprised when they immediately popped up and dropped down onto the stage, their hair unraveling. Figures, of course, they wanted to watch the confrontation.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two guards trying to escort an elderly man in a wheelchair off the stage. Noticing how nervous they looked, he kept looking straight and pointed from Flora to the old man and him to Barb. Waiting a couple of seconds they took off to engage their targets. 

Pulling out his machete as he ran at Barb, he swung down his weapon near her face, being sure to hold his strength enough to just scare her and not injure her. Hearing a crunch he saw her using a guitar to try and block his machete. It didn’t break but he could feel it digging into the thin handlepiece. Jumping back he went to stand back in front of his people, looking at her intently. 

“Are you insane!”

Giving a short chuckle he shrugged his shoulders. “Nope, I was just distracting you.” And then he steps to the side and Barb can see her father surrounded on all sides by pop trolls. Looking to the side she saw the guards she had placed around her father either knocked out or clutching their leg.

“Dad!”

“Are these new friends Barbara?”

Raising an eyebrow at the old man, he motioned for Flora to watch over the man, knowing that she’d keep him safe. He felt some kind of way about doing this to any troll, but he wasn’t going to let his feelings deter him from his goal.

“So, Queen Barb, what are you going to do? I have your father and a good amount of your people, I mean… have you even checked to see who was actually gone? Are you missing someone special?” 

And then she’s yelling again and all he can hear is her talking about how pop trolls were terrible and their music was a sickness, blah blah blah. He’s getting tired of her spiels. Finally hearing the yelling come to a stop, he focused again and saw her baring her teeth at him in a foul glare. He wasn’t phased though, she didn’t get to be upset, not after she started all of this. 

He saw her pause, probably getting ready to yell again until she was cut off by the sound of his name.

“John Dory!”

Slinking past the guards, Poppy and Fern moved swiftly through the backstage area of the venue, looking for the room with the “special” prisoners. They passed the seating area and saw a multitude of different-looking trolls being guarded by some of the harsher-looking trolls and overheard some of them talking about the leaders and a weird pop troll who put somebody named Anthem in the hospital. 

They had immediately tried to find that room, moving as quickly as they could only letting their gazes linger a little bit on the trolls in the audience. Finally, they could see light and hear yelling coming out of a room, peaking in Poppy felt her heart stop. Hearing thudding footsteps, Poppy signaled to Fern and used her hair to pull herself up on a pipe and wrap around her body in a suit-like manner, she blended into the environment watching the panicked troll run into the room. 

“There’s a giant wolf trashing⎯and disappearing.⎯out twenty trolls have been taken so far!” 

Hearing the tell-end of what the troll yelled, she couldn’t help but chuckle, her dad was putting on a show.

“Ugh, I have to do everything myself! Were rock trolls, they might be a little strong but you guys should be able to hold your own!” 

And then they watch her stomp out of the room, grumbling the whole time, the troll who had run in, following at her tail. Looking to her right she saw Fern signal go and dropped down to the door opening still wearing her hair as camouflage. Taking in the scene she cautiously moved into the room, staying in the corner. 

There were five different trolls standing in a cage along with Branch and Cooper, and one troll standing in front of the cage talking to Branch. She squinted at the lone troll talking, seeing how familiar he looked, she’d even say he was from the hollow if he had the markings. 

“Branch what did you mean by your dad…we…what’s going on?”

Slowly she entered the room and noticed that Branch and Cooper immediately turned their heads toward her and Fern. Surprisingly the others in the room don’t notice their change of attention. Gently parting her hair she reached up and grabbed out the dagger her dad had gotten her for one of her birthdays. Creeping forward she got into position so that she could get her arm around the troll outside of the cage and hold him at knifepoint. It wasn’t a move she’d typically to, but this also wasn’t a typical situation. Getting ready to jump she paused when Branch yelled out to her.

“Poppy wait!”

Freezing where she was she looked to Branch and saw him holding the bars, looking worried with just a hint of amusement. Deciding to test him, she clicked her tongue, grinning when everyone else's looks of confusion turned into surprise. Hearing two hums and a click in return, she unravels her hair, delighting in how the other trolls gasped again.

“Oh my, no wonder why none of you have been found.” She’s not sure who said it but she can’t help but be a little tickled. That was definitely not why.

Running towards the bars, she smiled at Branch feeling so much relief that she sagged forward pressing her head into the bars, placing her dagger back into her air. Pushing her hands through the bars she reached for Branch and Cooper, waiting for them to grab or in Cooper’s case, bump her hand. Laughing wetly she turned behind her to look at Fern, seeing him smile softly, “They’re okay!”

Taking a deep breath she paused for a second and gave a short laugh cutting the touching moment short, her relief making her a little loopy “B, Dad is loosing his shit, he’s doing the tame version of frothing at the mouth.”  She hears him sigh as she pulls back, his face clearly unimpressed at her words.  

Laughing at his groan she looked around, eyeing every troll but in particular the troll with deep fuchsia hair as he was standing further back and looking shocked. Seeing that he was about to ask a question, she quieted down, curious about what he was going to ask. 

“Branch is that Princess Poppy? Did King Peppy adopt you? But you said…you said that Peppy passed away”

She can’t help the sting that fills her chest at the thought of her father, so she answers him before Branch can, a bit of coldness entering her voice. 

‘Don’t worry Branch didn’t lie, he’s definitely dead. Who are you anyway? You look…really familiar.”

Branch turns his head a bit, not looking her in the eye, “My brother, Floyd”. And then he’s steamrolling over the brain explosion that he had just given her. “Poppy what’s dad doing exactly? All you said was that he was loosing his shit.” Knowing her brother’s “I don’t want to talk about it” face she decides to push the brother's fact away for later and just scratches her head.

“So you know how he was super scared and mad after my…incident? Well imagine that but full of anger”

There’s a whistle and they both turn to Cooper, “Wow he must be really really mad, how are the rock trolls okay?” 

Fern walks up to the cage looking at them with an exasperated look, “Would you three stop getting distracted, Poppy you were supposed to look for a key,” and then he points at Cooper and Branch, “and I know that you two were trained enough to give reports.” Grabbing the lock he moved it between his fingers trying to see how strong it was. 

Branch and Cooper puff up and straighten their backs no longer joking around. She can see the two Cooper look-alikes looking at Coop worriedly. Knowing that Dad is on the move, she hopes it's not too much information and that he can shorten the amount he has to say. She digs in her pocket pulls out her talkie and passes it to to Branch through the bars. He presses the talk button and starts his report.

“There are six different types of trolls that represent different music, we’re pop trolls, but there are rock, country, classical, techno and funk trolls. There’s a magical string for each music tribe that holds all of one types music. Years ago pop tried to take over all music, and everyone split apart after that. And apparently Cooper is a lost funk troll prince. Also Barb wants to gather all the strings so that she can-,” and he’s cut off by a loud bang.

Looking to the side they all saw Fern holding the lock in pieces, his hair poised as if it had just struck something. She forgets sometimes how weirdly strong his hair is. Hearing the cage door quickly open she laughs when she’s smothered in hair and fur, Branch and Cooper wrapping around her tightly. Separating with a laugh she looks at Branch, “Come on everyone, let’s go see the damage. Dad’s going to meet us here, let’s try and get to the main stage, I saw trolls that look like you guys in the audience.” And then she takes out her dagger again and waves everyone out of the door.

Running down the hall the pop trolls moved quickly only stopping when they heard whispered calls asking them to wait. Turning around, they noticed the leaders a little ways back looking at them shocked. The only ones not as far behind are Floyd and the troll with horse legs, but even so, there’s still some distance between them.

Cooper looked at them, tilting his head just a bit, “You guys are kind of slow, how do you guys run from things that want to eat you?” 

Poppy sees Fern and Branch give a quick nod and turn to look at the other trolls. Wow, they look so disturbed. It’s deathly silent for a second as the troll leaders look at the pop trolls. The funk troll queen is the one who speaks up this time, looking at them intensely.

“Honey what are you talking about?”

Poppy is almost just as confused as Cooper is at the question, but Branch and Fern must understand because they suck in a breath and turn around.

“Come on guys, we don’t have time for this!” And they’re running again, following after Branch as he ran. 

Making it to the main stage area they abruptly stop, as they see her dad standing near Timber looking at a troll with bright red hair and harsh features. Hearing a gasp she turns to see Floyd looking at her dad as if he’d seen a ghost.

“John Dory!”

Ah, and now the wild-eyed troll with red hair is looking at them. Great.

“How did you guys get out? Floyd what the hell!’

Her dad looks just as surprised as Floyd for a second but quickly schools his expression, making sure to not even look him in the eye. Listening to him she can see that he’s at his wits end with the queen.  

“It’s over Queen Barb, now, let them pass.”

She’s fuming as they look at her, but seeing Fern briskly start walking over to the others, everyone starts to move as well, Branch only hesitating for a second. She figures that seeing them all walk past triggers the queen because all of a sudden Poppy hears the sound of a guitar and then someone crying out. 

“I know you have it! You have to have it!”

Whipping her her head around she sees Branch lying on top of Floyd not moving, the back of his vest ripped and his back bleeding. She thinks she hears someone screaming again, and slowly realizes it's her own voice. Looking at her dad she sees his eyes empty of everything and he reaches into his hair and pulls out a glowing string. He puts the tail end of it in his mouth, bites down, and pulls until she sees it snap. 

And then all she feels is an emptiness in her heart and mind.

Chapter Text

Time seems to slow as John Dory watches Barb pick up her guitar and aim it at all the trolls coming toward him. Watching the sound waves hit Branch’s back, fabric ripping and blood spewing from the wound, he felt his very mind freeze. He could see, but no sound or thoughts were crowding his mind. 

His breath was caught in his throat, heart pounding with a vigor he hadn’t had happen in a long time. The sight of Branch collapsing onto Floyd, pain etched across his face, would be seared into his mind years from now. John's legs felt rooted to the ground, unable to move or reach out to his son. It had only been a couple of seconds, but it felt as if days had just passed.

In those few seconds, his hair started to itch and his neck started to hurt. He felt as if he was carrying metal upon his head, feeling stiff as he stood still. Mindlessly running his hands through his hair, his hand halting when he felt the string tied around one of his strands. Visions of Branch and the string start to swirl in his mind, making him so dizzy that he feels nauseated. If she wanted the string so badly he’d give it to her. Quick as ever he pulled the string out of his hair and laid it between his teeth, biting down until he heard the sound of ripping. Rationality halted, he felt something inside him sink, and chose just to throw the pieces at the Queen of Rock. 

Feeling his stomach roll and clench he finally could hear the tail end of a scream. Shaking his head he shook his hand and stomped his feet, trying to get the feeling back into them as he stumbled toward Branch. Falling onto his knees he grunted with the force and reached over to press fingers to Branch’s neck. He let out a breath when he heard the pitter-patter of his pulse.

“Flora!”

Hearing her come and drop next to him swiftly, he watched her pull out gauze to staunch the bleeding. Running his hand through Branch’s hair he ignored the piercing silence, glancing at his gray hand. As he watched Branch get patched up his breathing finally settled. Sadly the sudden quiet in his mind gave him the time to acknowledge the pit he was feeling finally. It felt like something was missing from his very being. 

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind he got up and quicker than she could react, was in front of the queen of rock, his blood boiling and teeth grinding as he pressed his machete to her neck. Watching how the light glinted on the metal he spoke into the silence, his voice unknowingly projecting.

“You hate pop trolls for what they did, but you’re doing the same thing, except worse, Barb. That little dream of yours that you’ve been obsessing over, desiring for so long, will never come true. All that ambition and drive for nothing. And it’ll continue to be that way. Every bit of hope and want will be taken by me for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure of it.”

She spits out a hysterical laugh, as she stays still, making sure not to move her neck into the blade any more than it already was. “Do you even hear yourself? You just broke your own string! Your people don’t have music anymore, not even freaking color! Are you insane!”

And then he’s looking into her wide eyes, his gaze sharp and unreadable as he pushed the blade just a little more until he heard her hiss at the sting of his blade, and leaned into her face as he gripped his blade harder. “We don’t need it.” He says it with such force, that even he believes it. He hadn’t fully thought about what could have happened when he did it but he didn’t think he was wrong either. “We’ve endured much worse, we don’t need a string to be who we are.”

Seeing her whole body stiffen up he lightened his hold marginally, repeating himself again once more. “We don’t need it.” Hearing the hums and cries of agreeance coming from his people, he turned his head a bit to look around the arena, seeing the shock on everyone’s face. 

The leaders are looking at him as if he had lost his marbles, the thought of breaking their strings incomprehensible to them. John had just gotten rid of all pop trolls’ colors and music, an important part of what makes trolls who they are. No one knew the long-term consequences of what he had done. They were strong though, he knew that even if he regretted this later on and they were never able to sing again, they would be fine. They always were, even at their lowest.

“I’ll say this once, and only once. The only reason why you, A, are standing there okay, and B,  I haven’t brought down this whole city, is because I’m not a monster and were leaving immediately after Branch is patched up. He’ll be the one to decide what were going to do with you, so if he wants revenge, you’re doomed. If I ever see you or yours anywhere near my village again, you’re doomed. Overall, your likely to be doomed.”

“If you ever, and I mean ever, harm or touch anyone of my children…no, any pop troll again, I’ll make sure to be quick enough that you can’t even regret your actions. I’ll bring everything down.” 

Moving away from her suddenly, he watched her drop to her knees on the floor, looking at him as if she were lost and a little disturbed. Grabbing the guitar she had, he pulled the strings off of it and held them in the air looking at the other leaders. They looked at him a bit nervous, only the funk trolls moving toward John, with their heads held high. 

Finally reaching him, they gave a small bow to him with their heads, introducing themselves right after. King Quincy slowly reached over and grabbed their string and put it in his wife’s hair. Looking at John Dory, the king softly smiled as he spoke.

“Thank you for taking care of Cooper as one of your own.” 

“It’s no problem, he’s one of us, so of course I would” 

Queen Essence bites her lip at that, looking hesitant at the look in his eyes. Never mind the display that he put on during this whole event, she could already tell, just by looking in his eyes and hearing him speak, that their son wouldn’t be coming home with them today. 
 
“We’d like to stay in touch with the pop trolls. The kingdom of funk would like to extend their hand to you, John Dory, King of the Pop Trolls,” the queen declared, her voice carrying a mixture of sincerity and cautious optimism.

Not wanting to correct her on the specifics of his title, he nodded and reached into his hair and pulled out his walkie, handing it to them, and giving a short explanation on how to use it to the royal couple. Turning behind him to ask Poppy to hand her talkie to Cooper, he froze as he saw her kneeling next to Flora and Branch, gripping her brother’s hand tight like a lifeline. Turning back to the funk trolls he sighed.

“Keep that on you okay, Cooper will be the one handling most of the stuff between our kingdoms. He can act as a liaison by going back in forth… if he wants.” 

They looked relieved as he said that, thanking him again with watery eyes. He understood their worry, truly he did, but Cooper was just as much of Flora’s and Oaks' son as he was theirs. He was connected with them in a way he wasn’t to the queen and king. He wouldn’t stop Cooper from creating a relationship, but he wasn’t pushing him to leave either. Maybe he was projecting his personal problems though.

Feeling exhausted and emotionally drained he decided he was done with interactions. Throwing the rest of the strings down on the ground he turned and walked back over to his family, not paying any attention to those in the audience. 

“John I-”

“Are you coming with us Floyd?”

He felt a little bad about cutting his younger brother off, but he wasn’t in the mood for an emotional conversation on top of the already emotional situation. He didn’t even know how or why Floyd was even here. His adrenaline was still too high to really conversate with the remnants of anger clinging to him. Never mind that looking at his baby brother void of all his colors was disturbing him.

After receiving a nod and a hesitant look, John walks near Flora, watching her finish wrapping Branch’s back. Hearing a quiet voice, almost whisper-like they both turn to see Barb still kneeling on the ground staring at them with anger. 

He wasn’t Poppy or Cooper, so if she kept looking at him like that he was going to make good on all his promises, regardless of the circumstances. 

“Floyd you…you traitor”

At her words, something seemed to explode behind his brother's eyes. 

“Traitor? Me? Barb, I've been your friend for a while now and have helped you so much. But I begged you to stop all of this. I told you that it was wrong and that it wouldn’t work out well. You never listened! I won’t…I’m not coming back Barb. You hurt my baby brother, and that’s something I can’t-” 

“Your Grace!”

Tuning out his brother he whipped his head to the right to look at Flora and saw her gently holding Branch in her arms. Seeing that she was done patching him up, he whistled for Rhonda hoping that she moved quickly. He didn’t think that the unrest he was feeling would disappear until they were back in the city and Branch was wrapped so tightly in blankets that he overheated.

Moving towards Flora he ran his hand through Branch’s hair, starting to lightly hum their melody of grief. He couldn't help but grieve his lack of control and the consequences that followed. Hearing more humming he looked up and noticed the other pop trolls surrounding him, looking distraught at the injury of one of their lights.

Hearing the sound of a drum he looked up and saw Cooper’s chest glowing and synchronizing with their song. Slowly as they started humming more, their colors started to return. They were there but not as bright as before. That was until they heard Branch groan and saw him unconsciously press his head further into John’s fingers. Though he still wasn’t awake, the joy they felt at seeing him move was overpowering. So overpowering that they noticed their colors becoming brighter than ever.

Hearing Rhonda he saw her climbing over the walls surrounding the concert arena, coming closer she stopped in front of them whining when she sniffed Branch. Sprinkles, she was such an angel compared to Timber, such a good girl. Listening to the gasps in the audience, he gave a quick glimpse at the crowd and saw shocked looks and the classical troll leader hovering further back than before. Sticking his head in the door, he asked the two trolls in there to roll out the captives. As he watched the tied-up rock trolls roll out of Rhonda, he scoffed thinking about how lucky they had gotten. If Branch hadn’t been injured he had been contemplating letting Barb play hide and seek with her citizens.

As the final troll was rolled out of Rhonda, Flora gently carried Branch into her, the other following her in as well. Pointing at Floyd, Poppy, and Fern, he started to quickly make his way to Timber. At Floyd’s hesitant face, he internally chuckled. Don’t get him wrong, Floyd used to have his turns with fighting and courage, but in general, he preferred calm, simple, and non-hazardous situations. Jumping on he waited until he felt arms circle around him and the call of his trolls being ready to leave. Looking out at the trolls in the arena, he had one final thing to say. 

Extending his voice as loud as it could be, he started talking. “Though Rock is the only group that we have issues with right now, this is a warning to all of you. Whatever you thought you knew about us, is probably outdated. Best keep that in mind if you want to approach us.”

And then they were off, speeding away towards home.

When they came to a stop, it was in front of singed grass and fallen pods. Quickly getting off Timber he helped Floyd and Fern down as Poppy flipped off the giant wolf’s back. Floyd looked devastated at the damage, grasping John’s arm as if the sight physically hurt him. Ah, he probably thought this was the wreckage of their actual home. He’d find out in a minute. Patting his back he moved away to stand in front of Rhonda’s door, tapping his foot rapidly. 

Once the door was open he quickly went inside and saw Flora on the couch with Branch’s head in her lap. Gently scooping him up, he pressed his head to his shoulder, making sure not to jostle or press on his back too much. Hearing the grunt coming from Branch he winced, there was no way to do this without it hurting a little bit. 

Stepping out of Rhonda, he looked at everyone and took a deep breath. “You all are so awesome, I will always remember this night. Thank you everyone, for standing together as always. I’ll have a broadcast tomorrow morning about everything, please get some rest guys.” Looking at the smiles on their faces he couldn't help but care for all of them even more.

Feeling hands in his hair, he stiffened up and looked to the side seeing Fern pulling out treats he had for Rhonda and Timber. He didn’t know what he would do without Fern, he was just so in tune with him. Smiling softly he started to move toward the main elevator entrance, not wanting to carry Branch down a tunnel. Luckily, the others had already called it up, standing near it as they softly laughed and whispered to each other. 

In the corner of his eye, he could see Flora hugging Cooper, tears streaming down her face. Oak was just laughing heartily and patting Cooper on the back, smiling widely. Watching their reunion he felt his chest constrict a bit, he was glad they were okay. Speaking of reunions, he turned to his brother, seeing the inquisitive look on his face as he watched the trolls stand together off to the side of the venue. 

“John Dory?”

“We’ll talk when we get home, kay?”

Seeing the nod, he looked forward and smiled a bit when he heard Floyd gasp at the ground opening up and a platform rising to the top. Stepping onto the platform he saw everyone get on, hushed words being shared. 

Starting their descent down he looked over the city, looking at the clay homes and crystal lights, and couldn’t help a warm feeling rise in his chest as he looked at Troll Hollow. Feeling a hand on his arm he looked to the side and saw Floyd looking at the city with amazement, an awed gasp escaping him. He didn’t know why, but the pure amazement he was showing made him feel warm and tingly. Their city was really cool, huh? 

Looking at Fern he cleared his throat, “Hey could you go get Dr. Plum from the hospital? If she’s not there, get anyone but Moonbloom.” He didn’t mind her, but Branch hated her blunt way of saying things. He had made it his mission to not go back to her. Seeing Fern nod at his request, he felt something settle inside of him.

Bracing himself as the platform stopped at the bottom he quickly got down and started walking towards the house, Poppy and Floyd following him. Opening the door he felt himself sag a bit, only straightening himself back up when he heard Branch grunt in his sleep at the movement. Moving towards Branch’s room he gently moved the covers of his bed, and laid him on his stomach, turning B’s head so that he wasn't face down on the pillow. 

Running his fingers through his hair, he checked his pulse one more time and got off the bed, hearing a crack in his back. Going back to the den he saw Poppy biting her lip, arms wrapped around herself and Floyd looking awkward as he stood near the door. Ah, one thing at a time he guessed.

Walking up to Poppy he wrapped his arms around her, tightening them when she finally returned the gesture. Kissing her forehead he rubbed her arm and spoke to her softly. 

“Popstar it’s late and it’s been a long day, I think it’s bedtime”

She rolled her eyes and sniffed a bit as she gave him a slight smile. “I’m not a baby dad, I’m twenty years old.” They both knew that he wasn’t telling her what to do, but the familiar banter just felt like a balm on their nerves. Seeing her step away he ruffled her hair and watched her go to her room, the door shutting with a soft click. 

And then the silence was back, laying itself on his back almost as if it was trying to reach his neck and choke him. He was about to speak up when he heard rapid footsteps and felt arms wrapping around him. Slowly reciprocating the hug, he held on tighter feeling something clog his nose and throat. 

“I missed you Johnny”

And it’s those simple words that crack something inside him. He had always hoped that he’d see his brothers again and that they would all be happy to see each other. But there’d been a small part of him that had feared that they wouldn’t want to see him. That their broken bonds would be irreparable. 

Hearing the door open, John felt Floyd start to pull away, but stopped him from fully pulling apart by laying his arm around his shoulder in a half hug. Looking at Dr. Plum, he saw her smiling at them gently as she walked in, Fern giving a wave from the door as he dropped her off and kept going. Finally pulling apart he led her to Branch’s room, this time Floyd following behind him. 

Watching her meticulously check him over was almost trance-inducing. Legs, Arms, Pulse, Lungs, and his back. She was checking everything and being as gentle as always. The doctor pulled away from the bed, and pulled a jar of cream out and set it on the dresser nearby.

“This is for his back, make sure it’s being applied for the next week. Based on the deepness of the lacerations they should heal fully a couple of days after you finish the jar. The thing I’m worried about is how the skin near it was bruised, I think whatever struck him had more force than anything. He might need to ice it later but, if the pain gets to be too much, come to me for some pain medication.”

Nodding he walked her to the door, giving her a quick hug as she left. She was always quick and kind when treating any of them. Sometimes in the recess of his mind, he thought the older woman reminded him of his grandma.

Walking back to Branch’s room he saw Floyd sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Branch’s hand as if it was the only thing he could do. Sighing he whispered for Floyd to step out of the room, trying not to wake Branch. 

Waving him over towards the bathroom he went digging into the cabinets, pulling out a towel,  sponge, and spare toothbrush. There was soap and hair stuff in the shower, so the only thing he needed to do was go grab some pajamas that he could borrow. He didn’t know if Floyd had left a bunch of things when he had come, but the fact of the matter was that he had nothing other than what might be in his hair. 

Going to his room to find something clean for him to wear, he heard the sound of the shower and a light hum. Floyd must be feeling a little anxious if he’s humming in the shower, it was a tick of his to hum a certain tune when he felt nervous. He supposed that some things just didn’t change. 

Finding some cotton shorts and a long T-shirt, he cracked the door and placed them on the counter. Moving toward the kitchen, he grabbed a pot off the stove and filled it with water, putting it to boil. Usually, he would use the kettle they had, but he didn’t want the whistle to wake anyone up, especially since he could hear snores coming from Poppy’s room.

Going into the guest room, he started an internal checklist for hygiene. Changing the sheets and giving the nightstand and dresser a quick clean. He did a quick spin to see if anything else needed to be done, but saw nothing. The thought of sweeping crossed his mind, but the subtle ache in his body convinced him to go back to the kitchen.  

Seeing that the water had finally reached a boil he threw some fruit and sugar in the pot, stirring occasionally, trying to get the sugar to melt. Hearing the bathroom door open he continued his task, waiting until he heard quiet breathing in the doorframe. Pouring out two cups of the warm drink John made a quick decision and added a cinnamon stick in one of the cups. 

Ambling his way to the doorframe with the drinks, he motioned for Floyd to follow him, as he moved toward the guest room. Reaching the room, he let Floyd pass him, shutting the door with a gentle click and making his way to the bed, maneuvering himself slowly so nothing spilled. Passing the drink with cinnamon in it to Floyd, he sipped at his own, the heat of the drink trailing down his throat and curling in his chest. 

Watching his brother, he saw him sipping his drink with watery eyes, his grip on the cup firm, almost looking as if he’d crack the ceramic. He’s glad he likes it, he’d been worried that time had changed his taste and that he might not like cinnamon anymore. It was exactly like the way Dad used to make it for Floyd. Grasping on to nostalgia John gathered up his courage to speak.

“I missed you too Floyd” 

And the way that Floyd is looking at him is soft and fragile in a way that is oh so familiar. The double image of him, younger and more lively is almost too much for him. It reminds him of what he lost and the burning bridges he teeters on when he thinks of his brothers. Because as much as Floyd had been old enough to somewhat understand, he’d still been a child and a brother who had been abandoned. 

No matter how upsetting it was that he continued the cycle. 

“I’m sorry…for everything, but especially the perfect stuff”

John curses at himself internally, wanting to dig the heel of his hands into his eyes at the inarticulate apology. But he stays still, making sure that Floyd can see his sincerity in his face and body. John isn’t a wordsmith, he’s never been good at expressing exactly how he feels. Heck, some people would even say his social cues on top of his vocabulary left a lot to be desired. Most of the time when he’s giving a speech it’s been while he’s under the mask he wore, rigid and cracked. His most sincere emotion tended to actually be anger. 

What a joke. 

The words of regret seem to sit heavy on his tongue, sticking to the roof of his mouth and tasting of ash. Hearing an apology back he looked up in confusion, curious about why Floyd had apologized. Of course, John had his thoughts on his brothers leaving, but he had thought he was going to have to just push them down if he saw them again. Seeing his confusion, Floyd huffed a bit.

“Mom used to tell me that hearts were like buckets and that I felt things so strongly because mine would fill up too fast. But sometimes I used to think about you guys and what your buckets would look like. And when I thought of you sometimes I used to worry, because though your bucket may have filled up more slowly, it sure did tend to take in things it shouldn’t have. Instead of water I swore you had stones and mud in it. I…I noticed JD, always have, that’s why I think I was just…more hurt then mad.”

Putting both their mugs on the nightstand, Floyd moved closer and gently took John’s hands. Noticing him looking at the calluses on them John almost wanted to pull back and put them behind his back like a child. He doesn’t know if he’s relieved at the fact his brother wasn’t angry, or if the fact he had hurt him was even worse. 

“I saw how much you were struggling, but I was… I didn’t know how to help you. Yeah, you definitely pushed too hard in the end but nobody communicated how exactly everything was affecting them. I think that even if we never had the band, things would have probably gone bad some other way. The direction we were headed wasn’t good. A child raising other children, rarely goes well.” 

John sometimes wondered that too. As much as he missed his brothers, would things have been harder if they had been here?  It made him feel worse thinking things like that, but he couldn’t help but wonder if their separation had been a good thing. He didn’t think he’d ever voice these feelings, but every other blue moon he thought about it.

“Despite me feeling like that, sometimes I hope that things will go back to the way it was with mom and dad. That we’ll all be together and happy. But even if we do all find each other again, things will never be the same again, right?”

Grabbing Floyd in a hug, he felt his eyes sting and his throat clog. “Yeah bro, it won’t.” And then he pulls back a bit to get a good look at Floyd. “I’m too old and tired to pull the same mess. Plus, I really missed you…though to be honest, I miss all my brothers.” And then there’s a pause as they wade into the emotions in the room.

“So…Dad huh, when did Branch start calling you that?”

Rubbing the back of his head he let out a small chuckle. “Man I can’t even remember exactly when, I want to say…when Poppy was about one. That little gremlin, I’m not even sure if he really felt like I was his dad back then, I think he just felt left out since Poppy had started calling me it.”

Floyd lets out a chuckle, hitting his knee lightly. “And now? Do you think he means it now?”

It’s soft as he looks down, “Well it’s all he’s called me for years now, I’d hope so”

John can see that Floyd wants to add more but is cut off by a large yawn coming out of his own mouth. They’re both exhausted and barely staying awake, the emotional day and conversation definitely not helping. They’d talk about the other things later, but for now, it was bedtime.

Calling it a night he stood up and wished his little brother a goodnight, making sure that the door was shut quietly as he left. Opening his bedroom door he flopped down on his bed, looking up at the “stars” on his ceiling. For his hatchday, Branch had surprised him by painting the walls and ceiling to look like a night in the forest. Lost in thought as he looked up, his eyes started to lose their battle, the view quieting his mind and relaxing his body.

*****

Waking up slowly, he couldn’t help but groan, his muscles stiff and unmoving. Massaging his arms he gingerly sat up and made his way to the bathroom. Doing his daily routine, he felt better when the hot water in the shower pelted his back, taking away some of the aches and pains from the day before. 

Putting on some lounge clothes he moved towards the kitchen, his stomach growling after not really eating yesterday. Opening the fridge he grabbed some fruit and butter, thinking about making some pancakes. Grabbing the ingredients needed from the pantry, he started mixing everything in a bowl, letting the mindlessness of the task put him in a trance. 

Hearing a knock he looked up and saw Floyd with a fist on the door frame. Smiling he couldn’t help but chuckle at the exasperated face he was giving him. “I didn’t wake you did I?”

“Mhm, yes and no. I tend to sleep kind of badly on the first night at a new place, so I was only semi-sleeping when I heard bumping and stuff. Still, it’s super early John.”

“Psh, you're just not a morning person. Want some coffee?”

Seeing his nod, grabbing some coffee grinds he set up the coffee pot. Taking a glimpse at the clock in the den, he saw that it was six in the morning. Branch would be up soon if he woke up like he typically did, but Poppy would be at least another hour. They make small conversation, laughing and smiling as if he hadn’t just ruined half a city and threatened the Queen of Rock. 

Its energy isn’t the same as before, but something is calming in that thought, it's easier to recognize that he’s not the only one who’s changed. They’re just talking and he's cooking, it feels old but also new.

“I like the hair, very bro of you!”

“Psh, you’re hilarious Johnny, you can call it emo, you don’t have to strain yourself.”

The amount of times that he’s chuckled at Floyd’s sarcastic comments was starting to get up there. Floyd had called him out three times within the past fifteen minutes and John’s not going to lie, he’s loving it.

“You two sure look chummy.”

They both froze at the words not having heard anybody get close. Looking at the entrance they saw Branch stepping into the room. 

“Branch! You shouldn’t be up and standing right now!” 

Turning the stove off, he went towards Branch to look him over, checking his arms and the way he was slumped over. Grabbing his cheeks he squished them as he looked into his eyes. “Are you in a lot of pain?” Getting his hands gently knocked away, Branch huffed at him, smiling a little bit. 

“I’m fine. I took some pain medicine that we had in the cabinet”

“You shouldn’t be using our stuff B, what if they interact badly with the stuff Plum gave you!”

He didn’t receive a verbal response, just a shrug as Branch sat down at the island, two seats down from Floyd. Sighing, he went to plate the food, making sure to add strawberry slices to B’s plate and raspberries to Floyd’s. It was silent as he gave them their food, the energy in the room a bit more stifled. Not wanting to cause or endure one of Branch’s rants, he went to wake Poppy up, not wanting to poke at the newfound tension.

Walking into her room, he chuckled as heard her snoring and saw the drool coming down her cheek. Gently shaking her awake he smiled at her lackluster response, full out laughing when she only perked up a bit when he said he cooked. Making his way back to the kitchen he froze as he heard the tail end of the conversation.

“-is still one of my biggest regrets, I’ll say it as many times as you need me too, but I’m sorry”

“I accept your apology, I…don’t forgive you yet, but if you’re staying I think…we can get there. I want to get there, I…I’ve missed you.”

Smiling at the moment between the two brothers, he stepped heavily so that they heard him coming. Entering the kitchen he made a plate for Poppy and himself, smiling as he added raspberries to his own and cherries to hers. Hearing her come in he placed the plate at the seat between Floyd and Branch, giving a fake gag when she took a cherry and ate it whole. She only laughed and ate one more just to see everyone look at her crazy again.

“Um, Poppy, aren’t the seeds super hard?”

“Yup! Don’t worry Floyd, my teeth can chomp right through them!”

Laughing at the disturbed look on his face, John continued to eat his food. Looking at Branch he eyed him, trying to see if he was in any pain. Thinking back to what had happened earlier, he had a question for Branch. “So…What do you wanna do B”

“With?

“The Queen of Rock.”

“Hm, I want to say revenge, but I’m going to have to say nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m furious but I don’t want anybody, in particular you, to leave the city for a long while. I’m honestly done with the situation. Besides, from what I heard you tore up half their city I'm sure you did something.”

Looking to the side he gave a pout, he had been hoping that Branch would give him full reign on how they’d get back at her. Accepting Branch’s decision, he continued to eat his food, focusing on the conversation between Poppy and Floyd. Hearing a sudden clap, they all looked up toward Branch, seeing him staring dead at John’s. Feeling nervous John plopped some food in his mouth and side-eyed the counter.

“Now that we’ve got a lot of the emotional talk out of the way, all decisions have been made, and my injuries have been treated, I’d like to say something to you Dad…. what the hell?”

Drawing invisible lines on the counter he did his best to look innocent. “You’re going to have to be specific.” Seeing something come toward him, he swiftly moved out of the way, laughing when strawberry slices and cherries were thrown at his face. 

“You actually had the string, and then you decided to break it!”

“I can explain!” And then he pauses, grabbing a strawberry from his nose and eating it.

“I wasn’t really thinking at that moment to be honest.” John can’t help but smile at the looks he received from everyone at the counter. Well, it’s not like he would tell anyone other than these guys about it.

“Thinking? No, that was baby’s first rumination with a sprinkle, no, a shower of impulsiveness.” 

And as serious as Branch was being, they all couldn’t help but laugh at the dig, his sarcasm making everyone smile. Seeing all of the smiles around him, John couldn’t help but feel something warm in his chest.

He thinks he could sit like this for a long time.