Chapter Text
When John Dory thinks back to his brothers, he always remembers them fighting.
Actually, scratch that. He remembers them fighting with Branch.
So many of John Dory’s memories of his early childhood are marked by his brothers’ voices, yelling. Pleading. Branch’s scolding. His brothers’ frustration.
John remembers the night they left. The night they decided they’d had enough, they needed to go. He remembers Branch shouting, begging. He remembers Floyd hugging him. He remembers a vest.
He remembers….
He remembers the part of Branch that cares.
It takes a few days to get from Mount Rageous to Vacay Island, and in those days John Dory’s family is the happiest he can remember them being. Sure, they’re all crammed inside Rhonda and there’s the typical family annoyance that comes with that but they’re talking with each other, catching up, telling jokes, laughing together. Looking after Floyd together. Fussing over him until he’s shooing them away insisting that he’s fine, but he’s smiling as he does it because above all they’re all just so happy to be together again.
And Branch….
Well, Branch is trying. It’s awkward when he insists on helping them with every little task and micro-manages John’s driving and slips up on Bruce’s name but he’s trying. He listens to them when they tell him how their lives have been going without him. He says he’s happy for them. And, what do you know—they believe him.
Back on Vacay Island. They’re planning to stay here a few days to rest up before heading back to Troll Village. All of them except Bruce, of course, he lives here. But he’s more than happy to let them stay with his family in the meantime.
John Dory sits at the bar inside the resort, his legs dangling over the edge. At the other end of the bar he can hear Bruce’s excited voice as he recounts the story of Floyd’s rescue to his eager children, who ooh and aah at their father’s heroics. Brandy makes a big show of fawning over her husband, fanning herself with an exaggerated eyelash flutter. It makes Bruce blush something fierce, and John chuckles amusedly to himself at the sight.
If things had been different, John is certain he would’ve had a blast teasing Bruce about his crush with the rest of their brothers. Little experiences like that he never got to have…. John can’t help but miss them.
His thoughts are interrupted by someone excitedly wrapping their arms around him. He’s pulled backwards, lifted up slightly. “Whoah!” He grips the edge of the counter for balance. “Hey, Viva!”
“Hey, JD!” Viva squeezes John tight for a few more seconds before she lets him go again. John chuckles again, looking up to face Viva as he adjusts his visor.
“Having a good morning, I take it?”
“Eh, I’m still feeling it out.” But Viva’s tone is cheerful, relaxed. After the week she’s had, John is glad to see her slowly getting back to her usual pep. “Me an’ Poppy are going out to the beach for a bit.”
Viva’s smile softens, just a little bit. She clasps her hands behind her back, rocks idly on her heels. “I think she wants to talk,” she says, quiet. “You know, about…. what happened.”
John sucks in a breath. He knows that feeling. “Do you want to talk?”
Viva’s quiet for a moment as she mulls over her thoughts.
“....I don’t want to be mad at her forever.”
John reaches up to give Viva’s calf a reassuring pat. “It’s gonna be okay, Viv.” Adding, softer: “I’m right here if you need me.”
Viva smiles down at him, grateful. “Thanks, JD.”
John looks sharply away before she can see the flush in his cheeks. “Ahem, well, anyway, I was thinking if you’re free for lunch later—”
Viva gives him a kiss on the cheek.
John splutters, completely off his guard. “I—ah, uh—” He swivels back towards Viva, face completely flushed now. Viva’s still bending down next to him and all she offers him is another wide smile, a small chuckle.
“Lunch sounds great.” She raises herself back up, arms still clasped all innocent-like behind her. “See you then!”
John watches frozen as Viva hops off the counter, walks away across the restaurant. At some point she turns to wave at him before leaving, and John feels his own hand come up on autopilot to wave back.
Viva laughs again, turns around. It isn’t until she’s starting to slip out of sight that John regains enough composure to mutter a small “Good luck” her way.
His heart is racing. Gingerly he touches a palm to the spot Viva kissed, feels himself grinning like a doofus.
A sharp whistle cuts through the air. “YEAH, way to go, Baby J!”
He startles so badly he almost falls off the counter. Clay lets out a smug laugh as he walks up beside John, followed closely by a boyish little giggle from Floyd, coming up behind Clay. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist!” Clay flaps his hands up in surrender, still chuckling.
Clay and Floyd take a seat on either side of John, letting their own legs dangle over the edge. Clay goes on, “Queen of Troll Village, huh? Good for you, J, I knew you had it in you.” He tousles John’s hair.
John is still trying to recover from the two back-to-back heart attacks. He shoves Clay’s hand away. “I’ll have you know that Viva and I are strictly professional.” Half a tease—he’s still smiling as he says it.
“Whoops, my bad, didn’t mean to assume!” Clay pats at his shoulder amiably, and his tone is playful but there’s something in the stiff way he grips John’s shoulder that says some part of him is genuinely apologetic. Regardless, the three brothers share a chuckle before slowly lapsing into silence, all of them looking out across the restaurant. The sunlight streaming in bouncing off the water in the pools, the seaglass decorations hanging from the ceiling.
“....Seriously, though, J….” Clay speaks up again after a few moments, and this time his tone is much more subdued. His smile is gone, but his face is soft, open. He takes a deep breath.
“I wanted to apologize to you.” He turns to John. “I should’ve gone back to look for you, but I let my own hurt feelings get in the way.” He drops his eyes again, his ears drooping guiltily. “It wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too.” Floyd speaking up from John’s other side, John and Clay both turning their attention on him. “I never came back because….” Floyd hesitates, looking for the right words. “I was afraid that if I did come back, I’d never be able to leave again.” He turns to John with an apologetic wince. “I’m sorry I broke my promise to you.”
“I should apologize, too.” Everyone jumps slightly when they hear Bruce’s voice behind them. He doesn’t take a seat, just stands behind his brothers with his hands clasped nervously in front of him. He takes a breath before continuing, “I told myself that the reason I never went back was because of my family here, but….” Another sigh. “In all honesty I just didn’t want to go back. Even knowing I’d left you behind, I didn’t….” At that he locks eyes briefly with John. Not holding back, he finishes, “I didn’t want to face Branch. But I just ended up neglecting you at the same time. I’m sorry, John.”
Overwhelmed by his brothers’ honesty, John doesn’t know where to go from here. “Guys….” He stops himself. Suddenly, looking at them all is making him feel like there’s a boulder pressing down on his ribs. So he looks down at the ground instead, several feet below him. He thinks….
For twenty years, he held onto the idea of his brothers. He was a child when they left and he thought of them the way a child would, as his big brothers who could do no wrong. Not the real people they actually turned out to be. But that wasn’t their fault. And John isn’t that child anymore. He sighs.
“I’m not going to say it’s okay, but….” He lifts his head, still not turning back to his brothers. “I do understand.” He thinks back to the day he left Branch. Remembers Branch shouting, begging. Remembers promising to himself that he would never go back to that miserable bunker.
“....I guess I owe you guys an apology, too. Especially you two.” He finally looks up towards Clay, towards Bruce, who both look back at him in confused surprised. “Back at Mount Rageous, I was angry at you guys, and…. I wanted to resent you for leaving.”
Viva’s words echo in his mind. Shy, he says, “But…. I don’t want to be angry at you.” He looks to all of his brothers in turn, sees the guilt and the understanding in their faces and knows they’re feeling the same thing he is. “I want us to fix things. I want us to be a family again, even—” He drops the last sentence, aware of the way his voice is starting to shake. “....Even if it takes us forever to get there.”
“We can try.” Clay says, trying and failing to hide the tears springing into his voice. “We can’t promise you everything will be perfect from now on, but we can promise to try our damndest.”
“We’ll do it together this time.” Floyd adds, starting to smile again. He takes John’s hand and holds it, reassuring. “No more hurt feelings between us.”
John smiles back, gently squeezes Floyd’s hand. With his other hand he takes one of Clay’s, and Bruce reaches down to wrap his arms around all three of them, binding the four of them together.
Together.
But, speaking of hurt feelings….
“....Guys.”
They all turn around at the same time.
Branch stands at the opposite edge of the counter like he’s too scared to come any closer. That frightened animal anxiety is back, though he’s clearly doing his best to hold himself together. He hesitates before he speaks again. “I…. I need to talk to you. All of you.” Subtly he nods to indicate a spot away from the bar, a less open space somewhere down on the ground. Privacy.
John, Clay, Bruce, and Floyd all look to each other in matching uncertainty. They did just promise each other no more resentment, didn’t they?
They stand up.
The ocean waves crashing against the shore is a sound Viva never thought she’d get to experience.
She stands on the shoreline, letting the water wash over her feet, taking in the scent of salt and sun. A cool breeze ruffles her curls. For a brief moment she laments never knowing this calm if she’d never worked up the courage to leave her secluded little village.
But Viva is the queen. And it’s time she went back to her people.
“Is it nice?”
Viva opens her eyes at the sound of Poppy’s voice. Poppy stands beside her on the sand, her own head thrown back to better appreciate the breeze. “The village? I bet it’s nice.”
“Oh, yeah. It is.” Viva digs a heel into the sand without really noticing. “I was just telling Clay about our community book club, he seemed really interested in that.” Clay had said he’d wanted to stay in the village for a bit after they brought Floyd back. He hadn’t said anything about Poppy’s thoughts on the matter.
“Ooh!” Poppy hums her intrigue, turning to look down at Viva. Her smile is timid. “I think I’d like to see it for myself.”
“You could if you wanted to.” Viva immediately recoils at the bitter tone in her words. She hadn’t meant for it to come out sounding so…. angry. She winces. “Agh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Please don’t apologize!” Now it’s Poppy’s turn to wince at her own words. That came out sounding more desperate than she wanted it to. “Ah, I mean….”
Poppy sighs. “You have a right to be angry with me. I convinced myself I was doing the right thing by staying away from you, but….”
The sound of the waves filling the space between Poppy’s words.
“....The truth is that I stayed away because I was scared. I lost everything to the Bergens that day, I was terrified that if I left the ones I saved then I would lose them, too, and….”
Poppy pauses to take a deep, calming breath. Viva looks up from the sand to see Poppy wrapping her arms tight around herself, trying to snap herself out of it.
“....And I was scared to…. to see you again. Like you’d be too good to be true.” Poppy’s words come out quiet, frightened. “It’s…. I know it sounds stupid—”
“No it doesn’t.”
Poppy and Viva glance up, share a look. Soft surprise from Poppy. Viva fidgets, not uncomfortable, just not used to this kind of intimacy. She starts, “It’s—it’s complicated. Being a leader, wanting things….” She breathes in deep, thinks back to the night she met and lost Poppy all in one go. “Letting your hurt feelings get the better of you….”
She hesitates to step closer to Poppy. Waves lapping over their ankles.
“Can we just…. try again?” Viva holds her arms out, a shy invitation. “Maybe?”
Poppy’s already nodding, smiling again, reaching up to swipe at her eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” She opens her own arms.
Viva and Poppy fall into a hug. A clumsy, awkward hug, but it’s warm. Sincere.
“I’m sorry, Viva.” Poppy whispers it into the misty air.
“I’m sorry, too,” Viva answers, a sniffle.
They stay like this for a while, holding each other, listening to the waves, until Poppy finally breaks away with a breathy little “Oh!” She pulls her hands away carefully, moves them up towards her hair. Viva blinks her curiosity. “Speaking of trying again….”
Poppy pulls out the scrapbook. And a little extra.
She holds the felted blue book out to Viva. The pink hug time bracelet sits on the cover like an offering. Viva gasps a little when she sees it.
“I still want you to have these.” She adds on quickly, like she’s scared of what will happen if she doesn’t: “If—if you still want—”
She’s cut off by Viva throwing her arms around her once again, pulling her in close and squeezing her like she never wants to let her go. Poppy is almost too stunned to hug her back.
“I’d love to.”
When they break away again, Viva finally slips the bracelet back on. It feels right, having it there. Poppy says as much. “It suits you.” A smile.
Viva smiles down at the little pink bud. “We can get you a new one when we get to the village.” She tucks the scrapbook under her arm as she realizes what she just said. We. “Dad’s going to freak out when he sees you.”
Poppy laughs affectionately at the memory of her father. “Oh gosh, dad!” She slaps a hand to her forehead. “Wait ‘til he hears what I’ve been doing all this time!”
It sparks a new idea in Viva. “You know…. if you and the Putt Putts ever need a place to stay, there’s always room in the village.” She tints her voice playful as she repeats Poppy’s own words back to her: “‘All trolls are welcome with us.’”
Poppy sneers back, an exaggerated, playful expression. It quickly melts back into a smile, genuine gratitude. “I think we might just take you up on that offer.”
The sun slips higher in the peach pink sky. Poppy wraps an arm around Viva’s shoulder and brings her in close.
Together, the sisters watch the sun rise over the vast horizon.
Branch takes his brothers to a quiet corner of the resort, not far from the empty karaoke stage. He can see the way they’re all looking at him with mild suspicion but he pushes past it, needing to get this out. He takes a deep breath.
“I…. I wanted to tell you I’m sorry.”
Their faces soften, tension giving way to shock. Clearly not the outcome they were expecting.
Before they can interject, Branch goes on, “I thought that by sheltering you I was keeping you safe, but I only ended up hurting you.”
His eyes shift downwards. Hands clenching uneasily.
“I have no excuse. I’m sorry.”
It’s quick and to the point. Nothing to follow it up with. Branch’s brothers don’t say anything. They just look at him, at each other. Flashing each other quick glances like they’re not sure what to do and are waiting for one of them to make the next move.
If Branch is unnerved by their silence, he’s not letting them see it. He holds himself still. Silent.
It’s Bruce who finally makes the next move: abruptly he’s stepping forward, away from the others and towards Branch. Branch’s first instinct is to back away with his hands up, like he’s expecting an attack. “I—I understand if you’re still upse—”
Bruce envelopes Branch in a hug so tight it lifts Branch clean off the ground. Branch stammers, tries in vain to fidget himself free. Not upset, just caught completely by surprise.
“Losing grandma was hard on all of us.” Bruce sets Branch gently back down, but he doesn’t pull away from him. Keeps holding onto Branch until Branch finally starts to calm down. “You shouldn’t have shut me out. Or any of us.”
“Promise us you’ll let us help you from now on.” Clay steps in, placing his own firm hand on Branch’s shoulder. “It won’t change what you’ve already done, but we can move on.”
Still stunned, Branch nods—then he’s answering out loud, his voice shaky, “I promise. To all of you, I promise.”
“And no more hiding in that bunker.”
Looking over Bruce’s shoulder, Branch sees John Dory staring him down, not unkindly. It’s a look Branch recognizes because he’s seen it on himself, time and again. Something between determination and certainty. John says again, “We are getting you out of that shithole, no complaining!” John casts his eyes down and clenches his fist, little nervous gestures so similar to Branch. He finishes, quiet, “You have to promise that, too. To the both of us.”
Despite the pang of guilt and the tears threatening to fall, Branch can feel himself starting to smile. It’s not relief and it’s not pride but it’s something. His youngest brother all grown up.
“I promise.”
With that, John lets himself crack.
He goes in to wrap his own arms around Branch and oh it feels awkward but for once it’s a good kind of awkward, and soon enough the rest of his brothers are joining in, too, a long overdue group hug built on time, on tears, on the first steps to forgiveness.
They’ll get there some day. They just have to keep trying.
It takes them longer than they’d like to admit to get all the crying out of their system, but they’re all smiling by the time it’s over. Call it catharsis. And maybe it’s a little emboldening, too, because through sniffles Branch says, tone playful as he can make it, “Can I still complain a little bit?”
They all laugh, John especially. He swipes at his face as he pulls away from Branch—and gasps. “Whoah!”
Everyone turns to him. “Dory? You okay?” Floyd asks, alarmed. John is staring wide-eyed down at Branch’s arms.
That’s when the rest of them see it. Well, all of them except for Branch, of course. They gasp, too, breaking out into shocked grins.
“What? What is it?” Branch bristles in terror before he finally looks down at himself.
And gasps.
Branch is blue again. A pale, faded blue that’s nowhere near as vibrant as it might have been once but it’s getting there. Will get there, eventually. Branch’s eyes go wide—no longer dull but a light, shining blue. He gapes as he takes himself in, doesn’t know what to think. “I….”
Floyd claps an excited hand down on Branch’s shoulder, laughing. “Welcome back to the land of the living, B!”
They all celebrate it, more laughing and cheering and hugging. It’s as John is pulling away from Branch again that he spots something new over their shoulders: it’s Viva and Poppy coming back inside the restaurant, trailing beaded seawater, laughing at something as they swing each other’s hands.
Looks like John and his brothers aren’t the only ones who had a productive morning.
And, speaking of Viva: seeing her strikes John with an idea. A ridiculous idea, maybe, but hey, life is ridiculous. Why not embrace it? “Come on, guys!” John calls out without warning or explanation, gesturing for his brothers to follow him as he runs over to, of all places, the karaoke stage.
“Everyone!” John shouts to the entire restaurant—curious vacationers turn towards the stage, Poppy and Viva stopping where they are and gasping their surprise when they see John up there. “Listen up! There’s something I want to say!”
To his entire family’s surprise, John Dory breaks into song.
The only rule is
Get on your feet
I don’t want to see nobody heatin’ up their seat!
John gestures again—towards Viva as she and Poppy approach the stage in excited awe. Waving the both of them up, hitting them with his best teasing imitation of Viva’s eyebrow waggle that has her cackling as she and her sister hop onstage, into the next verse.
And if you believe it
If you ‘bout it
No matter where you’re from, the apple don’t fall far from it!
Bruce, Clay, and Floyd watch the performance and exchange a proud, ecstatic smile. They don’t even wait for John to signal them again—they’re already jumping into the song.
Now people wanna know when they see us dancing
Wanna know how we got those moves
People wanna bottle it up, up, up, up, up
But no can do!
They’re thirsty for the juice!
Branch watches on from below as John takes center stage, smiling up with all the pride and admiration in the world at the man his brother has become. And still a little bit guilty, too, but they’ll work on that. They have all the time in the world.
All of that quickly shifts to panic when Branch notices that John is now pointing directly at him.
But Imma tell you the truth….!
John smiles down at Branch, hopeful. His hand outstretched in a silent invitation. He’s not the only one: everyone on stage is asking him the same question, brothers and friends all. Branch hesitates for a single, shining moment….
It runs in the family!
Taking John’s hand so that he can pull Branch up onto the stage, right beside John. The brothers share a warm look, both of them grateful for their own reasons.
Reasons that, as they’ll come to find out, aren’t all that different.
Ooh-ooh-ooh
It runs in the family!
It’s all about you and me!
A long time ago, a family used to sing like this together all the time.
This is their chance to start again.