Chapter Text
Floyd and Clay.
Floyd's brothers are always fighting, sometimes for serious or silly reasons. Unfortunately, at the moment it is a serious struggle.
"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE THE LEADER!" Spruce shouted pointing at John Dory with an angry expression.
Clay quickly agrees with his brother, starts saying ugly words that he heard an adult say. John Dory kicked a chair in anger.
The three brothers shouted angrily, the grandmother was traveling to visit a friend. There were no adults to try to calm the fighting youths.
Floyd actually doesn't know why they're fighting, BroZone were just rehearsing for a show John Dory got them to do in front of a bunch of trolls. But the show is scheduled for next week, which has made his three older brothers quite anxious. Maybe that's why they're shouting and throwing some things on the floor.
He could only watch the brothers arguing with his eyes burning, an immense desire to cry.
He was always a sensitive child, this deeply irritated Floyd. He hated how anything made him emotional and sad.
“I am the oldest, so I have a duty to act as a leader!” John Dory said, moving his arms angrily, he seemed very tired of his brothers. "My life would be so much easier if I didn't have such annoying brothers!" Spruce and Clay just roll their eyes, not feeling offended by John Dory's nasty comments.
Unlike Floyd, he started crying the moment the words left his brother's mouth. He was sitting on the couch next to Branch who was watching the fight confused, the baby is only 2 years old and doesn't understand why his family is screaming so loud.
The three trolls saw the crying and sighed angrily.
The third brother walks up to Floyd with a serious expression, picks up Branch and takes him away from Floyd. "You need to stop being a crybaby, seriously." He puts the baby down and complains about his brother's childish attitude towards Spruce. "Stop squeezing Branch, it's not his fault you're so dramatic."
"Yeah, you only know how to cry." Spruce has his hands on his hips, looking annoyed with his brother. “Not even Branch, who is a baby, is crying.”
John Dory was going to say something too, but when he saw Floyd crying, his heart sank. Realizing that both brothers were taking out their anger on the second youngest.
He did it himself by accident, he hates it when that happens.
Sometimes, when John Dory is very angry, he ends up taking it out on his brothers, which leaves him with an immense feeling of guilt afterwards.
“Enough, apologize to Floyd.” He speaks in a serious voice, seeing that the brothers were about to say something, so he interrupted them before they said anything. "Then we'll talk alone." A dark expression on his face.
Spruce and Clay start to apologize, but it's obvious they don't want to say sorry.
"Floyd, get a cupcake to eat with Branch in the living room."
the last thing he hears before he runs into the kitchen to grab a tray full of cupcakes. Just seeing a small troll walking to the brothers' room, closing the door quickly so as not to hear any arguments.
He sets the tray down and hugs his legs, crying as he remembers what his older brothers said.
What makes him saddest is knowing that they are right.
Why does he have to be so sentimental and stupid?
Sometimes he wishes he was like John Dory and Spruce, strong and never crying about anything.
Only twice did he see his brothers crying.
Floyd is brought out of his thoughts when he feels two small, shaking hands touching his leg. Branch had big baby eyes looking at him with concern, not liking seeing his favorite brother crying.
"Why are you crying?" He asked with an expression of confusion and concern, the childish voice made Floyd's heart beat with happiness when he saw that the baby was worried about him.
"I-I'm stupid, that's why I'm crying." He spoke between sobs, shaking with anxiety. Remembering what the brothers said, everything they said running through his head.
"You're not stupid, don't say that ugly word." The baby frowned, not liking to hear his brother saying something like that.
"I'm an idiot, your older brother is a whining idiot!"
The baby tilts its head in confusion. "Why are you saying this?"
“Because I only know how to cry, I don’t know how to do anything other than cry, not even our brothers like me...” he bit his lips to the point of bleeding. "I should just disappear."
"Are you sad because you cry?" The question is confusing, in the child's head it doesn't make sense.
Crying is normal, grandma always says that crying is good for a person.
He even read it in a book about it!
"Yes, it's pathetic that I'm crying so much."
“I don’t think so, it means you are a person who understands emotions.” Branch says holding his brother's hand gently, a childish smile on his face. “Our brothers don’t know how to deal with emotions and they scream, but you know how to deal with them, you’d rather cry than shout unpleasant things.”
A small smile forms on Floyd's face, surprised at how kind his little brother is.
"Besides, crying is good for your health." He finishes speaking with pride, happy to say something interesting and intelligent to his older brother. “Well, you better cry. I'm happy to know that you're a person who cries a lot, it means you're a person who understands your feelings.”
"Ah, branch!" Floyd pulls the baby into a tight hug, tears streaming down his face. "Thanks!"
At that moment, while hugging little Branch. He realizes that it's not so bad to be a sensitive person, if his little brother says it's okay to cry, Floyd is happy to be a person who cries if it means he understands his own feelings.
Branch just laughed happily as he was hugged, feeling a surge of happiness for his older brother. They started eating some cupcakes, laughing and talking happily.
Fortunately, John Dory, Spruce and Clay came to apologize. The brothers hugged each other and kissed Floyd on the cheek.
•••
Clay is just seen as the funny one in the boy band.
This irritates him deeply. After all, he has several other incredible qualities that people seem to take for granted. Not even his brothers, they all treat him like he's just a joke or something to laugh at.
Like right now.
He was trying to talk to Spruce and Floyd about a difficult calculation he was doing. The troll always liked mathematics and chemistry, he found it so interesting that he wanted to share it with his brothers. Maybe make them realize how smart Clay is.
"This is so boring!" Clay's eyes widen when he hears Spruce complain, the second oldest was pulling his own hair out of boredom. "Can you talk about anything other than numbers and chemistry?" He questions with a bored expression.
"Yes, do robot dancing or a joke!" Floyd says smiling adorably, but Clay can't find it cute at the moment.
“I’m not a clown, I’m trying to talk to you about something I like.” Clay speaks in a sad and serious voice, wanting his brothers to hear him.
Most of the time, they are never interested in talking about things that Clay likes. Always busy talking about rehearsals and harmony, it seems like their lives revolve around BroZone. This is so boring.
Before, things were easier.
Every day they sang and danced, they did things as a family.
But after the death of his parents...
"I'm sorry if we don't like that nerdy stuff." Spruce said, yawning, obviously bored and sleepy.
Little Branch looked at Clay in amazement, he was in Floyd's lap. Playing with a chew toy.
Clay just rolls his eyes and mutters some nasty words, leaving the house. He passed John Dory sleeping on the couch, he was drooling. He left the house and sat down on the grass, holding the paper that contained a very difficult mathematical calculation.
He just wanted to have fun with his brothers, doing something he really enjoyed. But none of them are interested in that, they prefer when he's an idiot who makes jokes.
Is his true personality bad or boring?
He admits that he likes to make some jokes, but he simply isn't a person who just makes jokes.
Why can't his family see this?
Clay begins to do the calculations alone, feeling sad in his heart.
Until he feels a small hand touching his shoulder, he turns his head seeing the vision of an adorable baby. Branch stood in front of Clay, holding a pencil and eraser, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. His older brother just stares at him confused.
"Branch?"
"Let's study!" The troll shouts excitedly, clapping his hands with a beautiful smile.
I could only look at the confused baby, he tilted his head and stood there looking at Branch. He just can't understand why a baby would want to do something so boring. He starts touching his forehead to see if he has a fever.
The little one just laughed sweetly, making Clay smile slightly. "What are you doing?" Branch asks, laughing happily, loving spending time with his older brother.
“You know, it’s not normal for a child to want to study math or chemistry.” He speaks while ruffling Branch's hair, he just laughs when he sees his brother's messy hair. “In fact, it’s not normal for a child to want to study.” The younger troll just rolled his eyes.
"Please!" He takes Clay's hand and begins begging the older troll to teach him math. "Teach me math..." he made puppy dog eyes, his baby blue eyes shining beautifully.
Even without understanding, the yellow-haired troll agrees to teach. “But you have to pay attention, if you sleep I won’t teach you anymore, okay?”
So, Clay started teaching Branch math. Always checking to see if the baby was bored or something, but to his surprise, the baby was focused. Asking questions with a serious expression, trying to do a simple calculation. The two brothers laughed a lot when Branch got a simple math question wrong.
"You'll learn, don't worry." He said as he patted his brother's head.
Clay spent a few minutes looking at his distracted younger brother, he decided to ask something that was on his mind.
"Why are you doing this?"
Branch stops doing the math and looks at Clay with a small smile.
"Because you like math." He says looking directly at his brother. “I wanted to do something you like, what brothers do.”
Eyes wide, Clay looks at his younger brother in surprise. A smile forms on his face and he soon picks up the baby to hug.
"Thanks..."
The feeling of having someone who cares about doing something you like is incredible.
Before he can thank him any further, John Dory appears before the two younger brothers with a tired expression. "It's dinner in a bit, grandma is telling you two to take a shower."
Branch grumbles adorably, not wanting to take a shower.
“Then I’ll take you to the park, let’s do something fun to take your mind off things.” John Dory says as he picks Branch up to give him a bath.
Clay is happy to spend time with his family and be taken seriously by Branch.