Work Text:
It was just the three younger brothers. Bruce and JD had gone into the bunker to fetch snacks and blankets so they could comfortably camp under the stars. They were in the bunker’s clearing, just a bit away from the main entrance’s boulder, and the newly made pod for Rhonda. It was a warm spring night, even then Branch was lying between his two older brothers, Clay on his left and Floyd on his right, staring up at the constellations.
It was silent between the three, Branch even dozing slightly, as Clay told Floyd about getting his CPA license. Branch wasn’t 100% sure Floyd was interested in the little details but the second youngest brother was humming along to the explanation either way. It was nice. Settling something warm and fuzzy in his chest. Knowing the two oldest would be out any minute, having Floyd and Clay so close their shoulders were practically touching. He had dreams of this.
It's Floyd that ruins it.
He turns on his side when Clay’s ramble begin to fade.
“Branch?”
He hums, blinking back sleep, turning his head to meet purple eyes.
“Can I ask you… about.” he pauses like he doesn’t know what to say, “It’s just, I know what JD, Bruce, and Clay did after we left…”
A shiver went down his spine and every hair on his body stood up with a bristle. He wants to hiss and jump up, wants to run and hide in one of his many hidy-holes that dotted the forest. He’d be able to hide out for days before someone found him. He sat up, intending to run away. Clay must have felt him tense and his arm shot out, grabbing his wrist in a vice like grip.
Branch scowled.
“You don’t have to answer. Not if you really don’t want to.” Clay settled on, tugging his arm closer to him.
They sat like that for a few minutes. Sitting up with his legs drawn up, tucking his face down and to his lap, his arm awkwardly held out because Clay’s hand was still around his wrist holding him in place. Floyd stared at him, still curled on his side, his face titled to study his own. His ear twitched and he heard the sound of JD’s laughter dying out when he and Bruce caught sight of them. Their footsteps sounded heavy in the silence. But Branch refused to look up at them, keeping his head tucked away, squeezing his eyes shut against his tears, against his brothers’ concerned looks, against the world.
He licked his lips. Peaking out just enough to see JD and Bruce settling in the grass, facing him. He sat like that for a few more minutes, watching JD as he shot confused looks at their brothers trying to find out what happened without making a noise, like if the silence was broken someone would explode.
Taking a deep breath, Branch lifted his head and stared straight ahead, where the Pop Village was he knew.
“I was three.” he started, hating how small it came out. How broken.
“It was seven and a half months after you left. No, It was exactly two hundred and thirty two days after you left exactly. I had kept count… back then.”
He slipped his wrist from Clay’s grasp, sliding his hand up to meet his and squeeze it, wanting to have something, anything to ground him.
“I was three and my entire family was gone.” he waved his free hand, throwing his fingers out to mimic an explosion, “Poof.”
“I was three, and gray, and depressed. No one wanted a sad, crying baby. Not the other trolls, not our aunt or uncle… not y-” he took a deep breath cutting himself off.
His ear twitched with a bubbling sob that broke past Floyd’s mouth. Out of the corner of his eye he saw him sit up, scooting closer and throwing an arm around his back. He breathed through his nose, trying to push down the bubbling anger and resentment that always seemed to swallow him when he thought of his childhood.
“There really isn’t more to say. No one wanted me, so I left. I found this clearing and started digging.”
“There’s more than that.” Clay said, mildly hysterical, “There has to be, you haven’t been sitting in a hole for two decades.”
Grimacing at the shift in tone, the shrill squeak as he mentioned the bunker, he offered a shrug.
“I mean, I did stuff. I built the bunker and made a whole book about the critters and plants in the forest. Most of the doctors wanted copies of my notes so now like I’m published.”
Bruce snorted softly, his voice coming out gruff and choked with forced lightness, nudging his back and making him and Floyd sway, “You did that by accident, you told me yourself.”
“I mean technically yes.”
Floyd shook his head, nuzzling his shoulder with a sniffle.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I left, I’m sorry I didn't keep my promise. I’m sorry you were alone. You must have been so scared.”
Branch hummed at that, letting go of Clay’s hand to grip at Floyd’s arm around his neck.
“Yeah…” he trailed off, letting the silence speak for him, an unmistakable whisper of something almost cruel, not forgiveness but understanding and acknowledgment.
“Made JD my favorite though.” he added lightly after Floyd finally dried his tears.
“WHAT?!” the brothers yelled, scrambling to step back and look at him.
John Dory had a confused smile on his face, a hand over his chest as if to ask ‘who me?’
Clay spluttered, waving his arms around wildly. Floyd was pouting, like he wasn’t in his thirties, his eyes still red from his earlier crying.
It was Bruce who rocked forward, arms crossed, “Explain.” he prompted.
Branch shrugged, “Not sure what there is to explain.” he argued along, turning to meet John Dory’s eyes, “One of you came back for me, didn’t find me, but” he shrugged, “still came back.”
Clay froze at the words, looking between them with a strange expression on his face.
Bruce nodded, “Makes sense.” he agreed, his eyes turning to the oldest and studying the small smile that sat on his lips.
Branch took the moment to stand up, scrunching his nose and glancing at the others to make sure they wouldn’t have time to move after they processed. He held his hands out, the universal sign for a hug. John beamed, scrambling to stand and all but throwing himself at the youngest. Signing into his oldest brother’s shoulder he wiggled until his mouth was freed.
“Thank you Johnny.” he whispered, for his ears only.
“I never found you though.” he argued back, pulling away and bringing his hands up to cup his cheeks.
He tried not to feel embarrassed, it was just his brothers, but this felt like it should be a private moment between him and John and not something on display for the others. He brought his hands up to rest on John’s arms and stared into the same pair of blue eyes that looked at him in the mirror. He really did look the most like John didn’t he? What a strange thought.
“You did.” he disagreed, “A bit late, but you eventually found me.”
Floyd sniffled, blowing his nose into Bruce’s sleeve much to his disgust, completely ruining the moment.
“BRO GROSS!” Bruce shrieked, scrambling to back away from the teary eyed redhead.
“No, I just found out I’m not Branch’s favorite and our brothers just had a beautiful bonding moment and Branch’s childhood was sad. Be a good brother and comfort me.”
“No! Get off, stop trying to hug me! John! JOHN HELP!” Bruce shrieked as Floyd threw himself on top of the bigger troll trying to hug him.
Branch and John stared silently, John’s hands still on his cheeks. For a second they watched the shrieking mass of limbs before they looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Pursing his lips out, Branch shrugged with an eye roll. Having to fight off a smile when John whooped before letting go of him and jumping into the mess of wrestling.
“Children please.” Clay said dryly, standing up and crossing his arms with a haughty tut.
“Mhm maybe, but you know… I never got any of these wrestling matches growing up.”
Before Clay could think about the sentence, Branch had reached over to his tallest but thinnest brother, nearly flipping him over his shoulder to get him in the middle of the fight. The three stopped for a moment in surprise, looking from Clay flat on his back to a smug Branch.
“Might not have had brothers to fight, but I did protect the village.”
“We are going to unpack what that means later.” Floyd said after a second, looking up at Branch, before he reached out and grabbed his ankles, yanking him onto the ground with an oomph.
“Prepare to meet your match!” Bruce yelled.
The night ended in a tangle of limbs and forming bruises, breathless giggles and declarations of winners under the night sky. They dozed off in a tangled heap under the stars, using each other as pillows and giggling softly.