Chapter Text
The camera was unfocused when turned on, audio crackling for a moment. Once focused, it showed Floyd shoving a tooth towards the recorder. Spruce was off to the side, a mischievous grin on his face. “My tooth fell!” Floyd stated, blinking. “What’s gonna happen?” Was his next question, tail flicking nervously back and forth.
Feigning a sigh from behind the camera, Clay began speaking. “I’m sorry Floyd..” He started, Spruce’s smirk widened as he continued for Clay. “It’s not gonna grow back.” Floyd’s eyes widened, spinning around on his heels to stare at Spruce. “Huh? No, right?” He stared back at the recorder, eyes watery. The smile could be heard in Clay’s voice as he spoke. “Yup.”
Floyd screwed his eyes shut, shaking his head rapidly. “Nuh-uh!” He said, tail curling when Clay replied with, “yuh-huh.” His lip quivered before he began wailing, in the middle of it crying out, “JD!” Almost immediately, Spruce froze up and made eye contact with the camera's holder. Clay dropped said recorder and the two dashed off, hissing some light insults that the camera was unable to pick up.
The recorder was focused on Floyd’s lower half, the youngest ignoring the camera as the front door opened loudly. John Dory came into frame, picking up Floyd. “What happened?” He asked anxiously, tail flicking in concern. “Is my tooth g’nna grow back?” He whined, John Dory’s response instant. “You lost a tooth? And, yeah, it will. But that's great, Floyd!”
John Dory sat on the floor, Floyd sat comfortably in his lap. “Losing a tooth is good luck, your tooth will grow back better.” He stated simply, rubbing the youngest’s back. Floyd nodded, quiet. “Spruce said it won’t,” was what he said with a few quick blinks. “Oh, really.” He stated, unimpressed. His eyes landed on the recorder, “that explains the camera..” He murmured.
“Spruce, Clay!” The eldest called, tone expectant. He rose to his feet, upper body out of frame. He set Floyd down gently as the two other trolls slowly entered the room. “Yeah, JD?” Clay questioned innocently, off screen alongside Spruce. “What did I say about tricking Floyd.” Quietly, he whispered, “you know he’s not good with teasing.”
There was no response for a moment from Spruce and Clay, John Dory tapping his foot impatiently. They both sighed, then in unison started, “to cut it out.” The eldest didn't say anything however judging by the duo’s continuation, he was egging them on. “And to apologize.” They grumbled, then adding, “sorry Floyd.” The youngest replied with “it’s okay!”
John Dory began to say something before another pair of, rather slow, footsteps were picked up on the recorder. Purple legs walked into frame, an old voice speaking. “I thought I heard Floyd crying.” She commented, an edge to her voice. “I just wanted JD-” Floyd started immediately being interrupted by the eldest. “No, I just made a bad joke Grandma, got Floyd all sad.” John Dory grabbed Floyd’s hand as he spoke.
“But we’re good now, right?” He asked, Floyd mumbling the affirmative. Rosiepuff huffed, her hands now on her hips. In frame, it was still just the lower-halves of the eldest and youngest brothers, along with Rosiepuff. Judging by the shuffling of steps, Spruce and Clay were moving away from the scene.
“I’ve told you countless times to stop, John. I should ground you for this!” She said, John Dory’s tail curling in on himself. The ushered Floyd away, who in turn grabbed the camera as he left. Rosiepuff continued to scold John Dory, who didn’t reply. The youngest wound up in the shared bedroom with Spruce and Clay.
Floyd heaved the camera up over his head, his hair helping to support it. While blurry, the recorder showed Spruce, who was flopped face-first in his bed on his top bunk, and Clay, who was curled up reading on his bottom bunk. Spruce groaned, muttering something about “grandma and JD… Fights..” Clay’s tail twitched, making eye contact with the camera when he looked up from his book.
“Oh, Floyd. Wanna turn that off?” From the recorder roughly shaking from side-to-side, it was clear that it was a no. “Fort.” He stated simply. Spruce lifted his head up, glancing down from his bed to question, “now, really?” Floyd nodded again, the camera bobbing up and down. “I’ll call JD if you say no.” Floyd threatened causally, his older brothers shooting up and coming up to him. “Sure, let’s go!” Clay said, an uneasy glint in his eyes.
“Yay!” Floyd cheered to himself, taking a few steps back. “Start! Please.” He continued, Spruce and Clay sharing a look. They complied, grabbing the pillows off of their beds to make a big nest of sorts, using blankets as a roof. “Almost done?” Floyd asked, Spruce speaking up with a “yep!” Floyd swayed, facing the bedroom door. “JD! Made a fort!” He called brightly, turning the recorder back to his brothers, which finally focused.
He walked over to the fort, glancing at his brothers. “Me first?” Floyd asked, the older duo nodding with a smile and opened the fort for him to crawl into. He did so, Spruce and Clay following suit. It was dark, the camera hardly able to focus on anything in it.. Soon enough, John Dory was walking over and sticking his head into the fort. “Can I come in?” He asked, beaming when Floyd giggled and nodded yes.
“What? No way, this fort is for cool trolls only. Only the best bros can be in here!” Spruce demanded. John Dory groaned playfully. “Alright, what if I.. Read to you guys?” One could practically hear Clay brighten, instantly saying “yeah!” He then grunted as Spruce promptly lightly elbowed him in the dark. John Dory backed out of the fort, shuffling around to find a good book to read.
Not long after, John Dory was crawling into the fort, picking Floyd up and setting him on his lap and squishing himself between Spruce and Clay. John Dory placed the book in Floyd’s lap, being able to read it over his shoulder. “Turn the camera around,” Clay started, the youngest obliging right after. The eldest opened the book, Spruce intervening that instant. “Can you do the voices?”
John Dory huffed affectionately, stating a “yes.” Then adding, “time to turn the camera off, Floyd.” The youngest fiddled around for a second in the dark with it, unable to properly see. Clay was in the middle of asking for the recorder to try and turn it off, however as Floyd was actively handing it over, the screen quickly cut to black.