Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Part 9

After their argument and dropping the truthbomb on his older brother, Floyd felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Instead of fighting to be left alone, and dodging John Dory at every turn, he had taken the hint and stayed away from him. 

It was a huge relief, and it left him open to hang out more with his other two brothers without all the anxiety on his mind. He was really making amazing strides with them both, learning about them, their lives, and going to events or parties with them. It was tons of fun.

Not only that, but he suddenly found it so much easier to get a fuck buddy, since he told himself there was no reason to get hung up on anyone, and trolls in Pop Village very often practised free love, so there were no strings attached, just the way he preferred. Relationships always got messy, and he needed simple. He had had more fun with the few trolls he’s made a connection with, than he had in a very very long time. He had never been so glad to be rid of Chaz.

Though in his quiet moments alone.. That face John Dory had made would come up in his memory.

“Well, I wish you weren't!”

It had come out of his mouth in a fit of self hating rage, he had needed to get his brother to back off, especially after learning what he really thought of him. It all had been proof to him that he could never show his true self, never show how ugly he was inside, lest the rest of his brothers think similarly. 

But John Dory’s face… like his words had cut even deeper than he’d ever imagined, he couldn’t get it out of his head. 

And it was even worse, now that the four of them were loading Rhonda up, getting ready for the camping trip that he and his eldest brother had originally talked about together. He wasn’t even sure why they had all decided to go through with it, since both of his other brothers had tried to ask him about what was going on between him and JD.

They knew that they weren’t on speaking terms at the very least, and being shoved in a tiny space all together for three full days was a recipe for disaster, no way around it. He had even tried to make the excuse that he wasn’t really feeling up for it, but both Clay and Branch had looked so heartbroken, he had agreed anyway. 

Walking up to Rhonda with his new travel bag, Clay was standing next to the door, a clipboard in hand as he talked with Branch, who was loading items inside one by one as his neon brother checked each one off.

John Dory was over in his garage, stacking various boxes inside that Floyd assumed he still hadn’t been able to get through, but had taken the stuff out so that they’d have more room.

“Hey guys, almost ready?” he asked as he stepped up onto the door and headed inside to drop his bag on the couch. 

“Yeah, Floyd. Did you make sure to bring your toothbrush, shampoo, body wash?” Clay asked, not looking up from his list. 

“Yup yup, and yup.”

“What about a sweater, a raincoat, some boots, sunglasses, socks, and extra pants, and underwear?”

“Also yes.” Floyd laughed, poking his head out the door, to look at his brother. “I’ve been traveling a long time, Clay.”

“I’ve got the smores ingredients.” Branch said, squeezing by him to put those in the kitchenette.

Clay put a checkmark on his paper and then chewed on his pen for a few moments before looking up, smug. “I didn’t see you bring your blanket or pillows.”

Floyd blinked, and then laughed. Right. “I was gunna go get those next.” He said with a shake of his head, as he followed Branch back outside. 

“Uh huh..” Clay said disbelievingly, still smirking.

“I have the roasting sticks, hot dogs, buns and sauces.” Branch said, picking up the next items.

“Those need to go in the cooler.” Clay said. “Along with the burgers, veggies, and fruit.”

“Oh, yeah, I got it.” Branch said, putting all the items in the mentioned cooler. “I need to grab a bag of ice before we head out.” he added and Clay nodded.

“Noted.” he said, writing it down as Branch took the cooler inside.

Floyd ran and grabbed his bedding, and by about noon, after a quick lunch, they were off to Peekaboo Ridge.

Clay was up front talking with John Dory, holding the journal in his hand as the oldest drove, while Branch was sitting with Floyd in the back. They were leaning against each other as Branch read another one of John’s journals, specifically the entries about their destination, while Floyd doodled randomly in his new notebook. He had brought it to potentially write some songs, but since his fight with JD, he had lost that initial spark of inspiration, and was still unable to really get anything solid enough to put on paper.

Looking over at his brother he set his notebook on his lap. “Anything interesting..?” He asked, peaking at the page.

Branch glanced at him and gave a nod. “Yeah, apparently ‘Peekaboo Ridge’ is named that cause the fog makes the ridge kind of hard to see.” 

“Fog?” Floyd frowned. “That sounds cold.”

“Yeah.. it’s at a higher elevation too, so there might be a higher chance of bad weather.” he grumbled. 

“So then why did John choose it?” Floyd asked, trying to not sound annoyed.

“I dunno… Clay said something about getting ingredients for a recipe that you can only get there. So I guess this is more of a fetch mission rather than a carefree camping trip.” Branch also seemed to be a bit annoyed, as he flipped the page over, chewing his lip. 

“Course.” Floyd replied, looking up to the front where his other brothers were. “They could have just gone together…”

“Yeah, but I wanted to come. I haven’t ever camped with anyone else for fun. Only a few times with Poppy, and some Trollings, but that was out of necessity.” he kept his eyes on the page.

Floyd felt a bit guilty, so he put his legs under him to get a bit closer. “I’m sorry Branch, I can tell this is important to you.” He reached and put his hand on his little brother's jaw, guiding his face to look at him, wanting him to see how much he meant it. “I’ll try not to be a stick in the mud.” 

Branch stared at him for a few seconds, before glancing at their older brothers too. “Then… will you try to make up with JD..?”

“What?” Floyd asked, surprised at the sudden change of subject.

“You guys have been really avoiding each other.” he said sadly, “I know he can sometimes be an idiot and he practically lives with a foot in his mouth, but.. I think he really misses you…”

Floyd’s heart ached and he smiled sadly. “I… I know.. I miss him too.. But. I dunno, Branch, I don’t really think this is something that can just be.. W-worked out. You know?”

Branch shook his head. “I don’t actually.. Neither of you guys will talk with us. We can help, you know.” he offered.

Even the thought of his two brothers finding out what they had done sent a wave of nausea through his whole body. Absolutely not.

“N-no..” Floyd said, sounding unsure, as he pulled his hand away, putting it back in his lap. “It’s… really personal..” He didn’t have any other explanation for his baby brother, anything else might say too much.

“Personal like.. JD said something mean about you?” Branch asked, startling Floyd with his accuracy.

“Um.. I guess..?” He replied carefully, thinking about the hurtful words that had sent him over the edge. “I don't usually make a habit of remembering every sloppy slut who throws themselves at me.” It had stung so deep.. But only because it was true. JD had seen right through him, pathetic and desperate, and had called it out without any reservations. He never knew tact, and it had pissed Floyd off so much, he had hit him back right where he knew it would hurt the most.

It was low.. Even for him.

“You know he just says stuff without thinking.” Branch said, turning to face him more, putting his knee up on the cushion.

“I know…” Floyd now avoided his gaze as he pulled a bit on his bangs guiltily. “I.. I also said some stuff I shouldn’t have…” he admitted softly. “He just made me so mad I-..” He stopped, as he thought back, he was the one who had thrown himself at a stranger in the first place, he had kept it a secret from his oldest brother, he had alienated him from their family, and avoided him like a ‘predator’, and then got mad when John Dory did what John Dory does. Try to brute force a solution. “This.. this was all my fault…” he whispered, emotion now leaking into his voice.

Branch reached out and put a hand on his knee reassuringly. “You should talk to him..” he said gently. “He’s waiting for you to do it first..”

Floyd looked back up to his oldest brother, who was laughing loudly with Clay about something, the sunlight streamed through the front windows, bathing them both in a warm glow. He felt that familiar fond flipflopping in his belly as his eyes traced over his sturdy silhouette. 

He really had caught John Dory off guard, and was too selfishly absorbed to even consider how he might feel. He hadn’t even come back to the bunker that night, electing to stay alone in Rhonda, and when they had passed each other the next evening, he had reeked of alcohol and sadness. Floyd hadn’t said a single thing to him. That was so fucking shitty.. 

“I will..” Floyd finally said. “I’m sorry, Branch.. I’ll try to make it right, so we can have fun this weekend. He turned back to him and leaned over, wrapping his arms around his neck to pull him into a hug. Branch sighed softly and his strong arms slipped around the small of his back, pulling him even closer.

“Thank you.” he said softly, sounding relieved.

“No problem.. Sorry I’m kind of dumb when it comes to this stuff sometimes. It’s been a long time since, I had.. a f-family.” He pulled away, giving a slight forced laugh as he tried to blink the emotion away.

“It’s ok. We’re all still kind of figuring it out.” Branch said with a soft smile, before reaching out with his thumb, to swipe a stray tear from his cheek.

Floyd leaned into it, “Thank you Branch, for helping me get my head on straight.” He moved and snuggled up against him.

“Don’t worry about it.” He replied gently, snuggling in too, as he turned his attention back to the journal in his lap.

Picking up his notebook, Floyd tapped his pencil on the page thoughtfully. Now he just had to figure out how to approach his brother. He knew he needed to start with an apology, take responsibility for what he’d done.. Try to figure out how John Dory actually felt about the whole thing.. 

Feeling queasy at the possibilities, Floyd closed his eyes taking slow and deep breaths, doing his best to stay calm about it. The cuddle kitten was out of the bag, so the worst was over..

Probably.

Unless he really was disgusted with him.. Could he handle any more truth dropped on him like that from his oldest brother? Was he even stable enough to not freak out if he called him something degrading like that again? 

He didn’t know.. But he had to try. He really did miss him. He missed his laugh, and his wild stories.. He missed his gentle and loving touch, and the innocent intimacy. He craved it so badly.

Eventually he ended up falling asleep to the rhythmic rocking of Rhonda, awaking only when they arrived, to Branch gently shaking his shoulder.

“Feeling hungry?” he asked with a smile, and Floyd slowly stretched, nodding. 

“Definitely.” he affirmed, and got up.

“John Dory said he’s gunna build a fire.” Branch continued, grabbing his bag to pull a coat out. “Cause it is a bit cold.” 

Floyd shook his head, doing the same. “Of course it is.” He slipped on a fluffy black hoodie, before heading outside, the chill in the air was crisp, and the ground was hard under his feet. It wasn’t quite cold enough for frost, but by the time the sun went down, it definitely would be. They were parked in a grove of trees, the sun shining down through the space between them, though it did little for warmth. Rhonda was resting on a comfortable looking old pile of leaves and brush.. Glancing around Floyd could see the huge mountain they were on, stretching up into the sky, shrouded in fog and it was almost eerily quiet and calm, with no other sounds besides his brother.

The eldest hadn't put anything extra on, just electing for his usual outfit, and singular glove, but Clay was wearing his new jacket, which still was too big for him, so his fingers poked out from the ends of the sleeves.

John Dory was arranging some rocks around a small pit he’d just dug out of the ground, telling Clay the secret to building the best campfire. Floyd took a deep breath and walked up next to his fluorescent green brother, twiddling his fingers as he listened. This had all started because he had asked JD to teach him survival skills, so he might as well show he was still willing to learn.

Clay looked down at him with a slight smile, elbowing him gently, and then held out his hand. Floyd took it gratefully, and his brother gave it an encouraging squeeze. Branch must have filled him in on what they’d talked about.

“Now it’s a little wet out here this time of year.. Heh heh.” John Dory said.. “So I, of course, came prepared.” He made a funny little movement as he stood straight, noticing Floyd and faltered just a bit before continuing. “I uh, I brought some nice dry firewood, that's just inside the back door. Real easy to get to. He walked over and reached inside pulling out four smaller logs. “What we’re gunna do is build a l-little log cabin.” He bent down, setting two of them on each side of the pit, and then the other two across them, making a square. “So.. so that way, air can easily feed the fire.” 

His eyes kept sneaking little glances over at Floyd, his cheeks flushing a bit as he grew more flustered, likely thinking he was being discreet. Floyd did his best to stay mostly calm looking, in spite of the turmoil he was feeling about this.

“Now you can't just light a log on fire without kindling.” he said after taking a deep breath, seeming to refocus himself, as he reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette, setting it in his mouth, before turning to grab a stack of papers he had next to him in a box. He held them out to both of them, and Floyd and Clay took a small amount. “So crinkle these up and we’ll put em in the middle.” he crumpled the few that he had in his hand before tossing them into the pit, then turned looking along the ground as they did what they were told.

Floyd swallowed, and opened his mouth as he tossed another paper in. “Wh-” he cleared his throat. C’mon he could do this. “What are you looking for..?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound as shaky as he felt.

John Dory glanced back at him quickly, and then again refocused himself looking back to the ground. “Flint. I need two flint rocks, to be able to get a spark.” he said, sounding flat. His reaction was not surprising, but it still stung a bit.

“Don’t you have a lighter?” Clay asked, reaching into his hair. “I’ve got a matchbook if you need.”

“Nahh! I don’t need anything like that!” John Dory said loudly, waving his hand at him.

Branch walked over, tossing some dry leaves and little twigs into their kindling. “What is he doing?” He asked, folding his arms.

“Looking for fire starting rocks.” Clay sighed. “I have a matchbook, but nooooo.” he held out the item to Branch, who huffed, rolling his eyes as he took it.

“John Dory, we have limited daylight, do your primitive survival stuff tomorrow when we aren't hurting for time.” He struck a match, and Clay held out a paper, lighting it up pretty quickly, before he leaned down, slipping it down kind of in the middle.

“HEY! What did I just say!?” John Dory said, pulling his still unlit cigarette from his mouth indignantly, stomping back over to them, both Branch and Clay giving him an unimpressed look.

“I’m hungry dude.” Clay said, holding the matchbook out to him as a peace offering. “Let's roast some wieners before I go fuckin feral.”

Floyd forced a little laugh and looked up to his brother. “Yeah, me too.” He said. He knew he was being awkward and stiff.. but he wasn't sure how to fix it.

“Yeah, whatever..” John Dory grumbled, snatching the book from him and striking a match, puffing his cigarette to life, before handing it back over and stomping off towards Rhonda.

The three of them laughed a bit, while Clay put it back in his hair, while John Dory disappeared inside. “I think he wanted to show off..” Floyd said, looking after him with a forced normal amused look on his face. He was trying so hard here. 

“Yeah, well. He can do that tomorrow, when I’m not so fuckin hungry.” Clay said, shaking his head still chuckling, at least his other two bros were trying to help with the playful vibe he was trying to put up.

Branch blew on the fire as he used a stick to move some of the kindling around trying to get everything to light. “I think we need one more log.” He said thoughtfully, standing up to go grab one, as John Dory came back with the cooler and roasting sticks, holding them out to them.

“Thanks.” They said, and John Dory set the cooler down, opening it up. 

“Bon appetite.” he said, still looking a bit put off, putting the end of his stick into the fire.

“Aw c’mon JD. I thought you wanted enough time to set up some traps to catch something for tomorrow.” Clay said, also putting his roasting stick into the fire that was slowly shrinking.

Branch stepped in again, and set a much smaller log across the middle of the others so it was directly in the flames.

John Dory sighed in slight frustration, as he inhaled on his smoke deeply, before blowing it out. His whole demeanor had shifted a bit, and Floyd knew it was because of him. Guilt tumbled even more in his belly as Branch slowly stoked the fire to life.

“Kay, fine.” He mumbled and then looked up at them, using his finger to tap some ash off onto the ground. “Grab those camping chairs we put in the closet.”

Clay gave a nod. “Got it!” He said and turned leaving Floyd next to his eldest brother.

It was awkward, and Floyd rocked slightly on his feet. Branch seemed to notice and quickly turned, saying he would go help Clay and went back inside.

They sat with their roasting sticks in the fire silently, Floyd's heart beating out of his chest. He could do this. “JD..” he started, pulling his stick out. 

“Hm.” His brother didn't look at him, his cig now resting in his mouth. 

“W-we… Um…” he faltered, his fingers fiddling with the old handle. Maybe he couldn't do this. He looked down at his feet, that shaky feeling getting worse, as their fight tumbled around in his memory.

“Need to talk?” John Dory asked, turning his roasting stick over in his hand.

“Y-yeah..” Floyd felt relieved that he didn't have to bring it up himself.

“Why?” He puffed again and blew out more smoke.

“B-because…” Floyd turned to him. “This is affecting our brothers.”

John Dory clenched his jaw and gave a single nod. “Right.”

Floyd frowned and turned his attention back to the fire, as John Dory bent down to grab some hotdogs from the cooler. Putting it on his roasting stick he held the second one he grabbed out to Floyd.

“We can't do it here.” He said and Floyd bit his lip, as he reached out to grab the hotdog tentatively. 

“No…” he agreed quietly, his brother was still being understandably distant, but he was willing, that was enough for now.

“Tomorrow then. We'll go on a walk.” He kept his eyes on his hotdog, and Floyd nodded, spearing his, before putting it in the fire.

“Kay.”

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a minute before his older brother turned to look at Rhonda, pulling his cigarette from his mouth. “OY! What happened to those camping chairs!” He called, and the door fell open, both brothers poking their heads out tentatively. 

“We're coming..! Clay said as he stepped out, holding two chairs, and Branch followed, with the other two.

They came over and Clay set a chair up right behind Floyd, while Branch did the same for John Dory, then both set theirs straight across from them, before also grabbing roasting sticks and hotdogs.

Soon they were all sitting comfortably around the warm fire, cooking their food as Branch began to ask questions about what they were here for exactly.

“Ingredients,” Clay said. “We’re gunna synthesize a sleep aid for my insomnia.”

“A sleep aid?” Branch asked, seeming surprised. 

“Yeah, the main ingredient is Noxi Daisies, which you can only find here,” he continued. “They grow in the shade of the Vanishwood Tree” he gestured to the huge trees surrounding them. “They shouldn’t be difficult to spot though, since they kind of glow. We need at least ten flower heads.”

“And what else?” Branch asked. 

“Well we tapped that tree when we got here,” Clay said. “So the vanishwood sap should be ready to collect by tomorrow night, and we need to find a mourning pine, to get some pine needles and tree bark.” Clay listed off the ingredients while John Dory pulled his hotdog off his stick, reaching next to him to grab a bun, before slathering it with ketchup and mustard.

He had been unusually quiet as Branch and Clay chatted about the recipe, which Floyd figured was his doing. He wondered how their talk might go, there were so many horrible possibilities, that he had a hard time believing it would solve anything, but he knew he had to try. It was affecting his relationship with the rest of his family, and… it made him sad. So he was hoping against hope, that they could talk this all through and end up at least a bit more normal.

After they all ate their dinner, John Dory pulled a huge duffle bag from Rhonda and took them up the trail into the forest, with a second cigarette in his mouth now,  where he, acting mostly normal, but refusing to look at Floyd again, began to teach them the basics of trap setting.

To which, Branch was apparently incredibly knowledgeable about too. 

Unfortunately. 

They bickered near constantly about how best to snare prey. The main issue between them was that Branch thought that John Dory’s traps were overly complex for no reason, and John Dory said that they were near inescapable and that’s why they were so complex. They disagreed on what bait to use, and how tense to pull a snare, and even what type of knot worked best. Eventually Clay sighed loudly, and stepped up, putting his hand between them.

“Ok, ok! It’s almost sunset, guys. Why don’t we break into two groups and set our own traps? Then tomorrow, we’ll see which one actually catches something? Eh?”

“That. Is a great idea.” John Dory grinned, as he pulled his cig from his mouth, putting it out against a tree, before stuffing it back in his pocket.

“I already know I’ll win.” Branch put a hand on his hip. “My traps are simple and quick, I can set up twice as many in the same amount of time.”

“Okay… so. Your limit is three.” Clay said, looking over to him.

Branch rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He grumbled.

“C’mon, Floyd!” John Dory said, gesturing for him to follow, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. “We’re gunna show them!” 

“H-huh? Oh.. Ok.” He replied, giving the other two a shrug and a nervous smile as he turned, following his oldest brother through the trees. 

“See you guys back at camp!” Clay said, waving his hand. 

Floyd jogged a bit to catch up, and they walked in silence for a few minutes. He could feel the anxiety and dread filling his chest as he looked around. It was still so quiet, and he was alone with John Dory for the first time since their fight. He had not been prepared for this, but he supposed it was better than waiting till the next day.

“I’m… surprised you wanted to talk..” John Dory said carefully as they trekked.

“Well… Branch—”

“Yeah, I figured.” he interrupted, and it was quiet again.

Floyd fiddled with the sleeve of his hoodie, as he debated on what to say, his fingers already a bit too cold.

“How long have you known?” John Dory asked.

“Known?”

“About-! U-us.. at the crashers club.” he seemed like he was having a hard time saying it out loud.

“Oh…” Floyd took a deep calming breath, and pulled at a thread on the seam. “I.. remembered about it, back at the reunion concert… But I only realized for sure on our last day on the island.”

“So that’s why-…” 

“Y-yeah…” 

They carefully stepped over a root, and Floyd thought back to his brother catching him before he fell, many different times.. Even back then, he had prevented him hitting the ground.

“F-Floyd..” John Dory said softly. “I’m… I’m so fucking sorry…”

He stopped, looking over at his brother. “For.. what exactly?” He needed him to be clear.

“E-everything..” John Dory stopped too, just looking at his palms. “I’ve been a shitty brother, and I just kept pushing and pushing, thinking I could fix whatever had happened, but I… I can’t fix this..” His voice now held a bit more emotion as he tried to stay in control. 

Floyd felt the urge to apologize too, but waited, not wanting to make what his brother had to say any harder. 

“I don’t think you’re a sloppy s-slut.…” he pulled his bag from his shoulder to drop it on the ground, stepping towards Floyd, who stepped back quickly. John Dory paused, and then backed up again looking even more regretful. “I didn't mean to upset you..”

“I… was upset because, it’s true..” Floyd rubbed at his arm, tears of shame immediately welling up. John Dory had seen him at his worst, so, there wasn’t any use in hiding it anymore.

“No Floyd, even if it were true, I should have never said that.” He replied quickly. “It was the most braindead thing that could have possibly come out of my mouth! I shouldn’t have pushed you when we’d both been drinking…”

“Yeah.. I told you that.” Floyd replied, wiping at his eyes, more on the tip of his tongue just waiting to spill out. His anxiety was getting worse, and his hands were shaking again.

“I know… I’m sorry. I-I never listen..”

“No, you don’t..” he mumbled bitterly.

JD clenched his jaw before they looked away from one another, and could be heard letting out a heavy breath. He obviously didn't want this to spiral into another argument, didn't want them to avoid one another again.

It took a few moments, but Floyd willed the courage to speak. "I... I'm sorry too."

“Huh? For what?” Now his brother seemed confused.

“For.. for being crazy this past month.. for running off, and being reckless.. and.. saying I wish you weren't my brother...” Floyd admitted softly. “I.. don’t know why I said it. I just-!” He looked up suddenly. “I haven’t been able to get this out of my head! I tried to distract myself with Chaz or with the kiddos or with holidays and parties! But I keep thinking about it and thinking about it! And with you being so close all the time, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it!” he gripped at his sleeves, almost hugging himself, as he trembled.

“I…. y-yeah…” John Dory bit his lip, rubbing the back of his head. “M-me neither…”

“I never wanted you to know… I just can't believe you saw me like that..” Floyd’s voice wavered dangerously. “You weren’t ever s-supposed to..."

“I mean, that’s a given..” His brother responded.

“No, you don’t understand…! I-I’m.. A mess… I’ve always been a mess! A-a-a-and you had to witness it first hand!” He hugged himself tighter, more tears falling.

"So what if you were a mess, you're not the first troll who's done stupid shit and I doubt you'll be the last." He steps closer to him once again, reaching out before he stopped himself, hand clenching into a fist and going back to his side as he pressed his mouth into a thin line, before speaking. 

“But putting yourself in that situation was.. exceptionally stupid. What do you think would have happened if you hadn't run into me that night? That place wasn't exactly sparkles and rainbows Floyd!"

Feeling a sob of regret and embarrassment rise up, Floyd trembled in effort to keep it in. “I.. I just needed some fun…” he croaked shamefully. John Dory was right, just like he always was.

“So getting fucked up and throwing yourself at the first stranger you meet is fun?” He challenged.

“Yes!” Floyd said quickly, his voice hitching, looking back up at him. “That’s all I've ever done!” He shivered as the cold crept up his legs, that pained numbness slowly getting worse the longer he stood on this chilly dirt. He adjusted his feet to try to fix the problem, but it didn't do much to help.

“Floyd, you were barely conscious!” John Dory shot back, gesturing at him with his hand.

“And yet you still fucked me!” he snapped defensively, stepping forward as he clenched his fists, his temper rising, 

It was quiet for a few moments and his older brother looked away shamefully. “I… I hadn’t been planning on it..” He said quietly, his cheeks blooming with red at the memory. “I… I just.. It felt nice.. To be wanted so much..”

Floyd hiccuped and wiped some stray tears away. “Y-yeah.. Exactly..” he croaked, his nose was starting to get cold too. He rubbed it, and sniffled.

“I'm so sorry Floyd… I shouldn’t have-..” he continued.

“N-no!” Floyd interrupted suddenly. “If it hadn't been you..!” he trailed off, folding his arms protectively, worried he'd already said too much, as he looked up to the sky, a pout on his lips.

“You'd have..  found someone else.” John Dory finished softly.

“Y-Yeah…” he gave a single nod, a hand rubbing at his arm. “Y-you.. were right, John.. I was.. and I am.. l-lonely… I've always been lonely. I put myself in bad situations… and sleep with anyone who wants me. Because… I want to be wanted s-so badly..” His voice broke as he felt tears slip down his cheeks. “And you were the only one who…” he hiccuped. What was he saying? This sounded like a fucking confession! “Who… who cared…” he finished, shame again rising in his tone.

“I was… lonely too..” His brother began “you were just someone in a long line of one night stands.. but I thought about you for… months afterwards. I even went back to the tree hollow to find it empty.. and figured.. that was that. So I moved on..”

Floyd looked up at him in surprise at this admission. So it hadn't been just him that this had affected. They stared at each other for a few moments, Floyd blinking to try to dispel his tears. “You… looked for me?” He asked softly.

John Dory gave a nod. “I did…”

“Why?”

“Because..” He shrugged, “I l-liked you…. And I regretted leaving so soon. Thought I'd turn up and make you that dinner I mentioned..” He gave a small forced laugh. “Bet that would've been awkward..”

Floyd sniffed, a slight chuckle escaping his mouth too. “Y-yeah…” he had only been at the tree hollow for a few days after that night before moving on himself. He wondered how different things would be if he had stayed. He might have never gone back through the Hinterlands, or Volcano Rock City. Might have never met his last ex. Or Chaz for that matter. Him and John Dory might have had this conversation years ago…

“C-can..” John Dory started before stopping himself. He seemed to contemplate his words for a few moments. “Will.. you let me touch you?” He asked softly.

Floyd glanced at his brother's hands, then back up to his face. “Why…?” he asked carefully, as he very slightly began to shiver.

“B-because I want to…” he replied. “I won't.. if you don't want me to.. but.. I want to..”

He could feel it. The magnetic pull that he couldn't ignore, it was slowly becoming too much for him to resist. “B-but.. why…?” he asked again, his fingers pulling at the hems of his sleeves nervously. He wanted to, it was so tempting.. and his brother always had such a warmth to him.  

“Because I love you, Floyd.. and you're my brother.” He replied. “I've hurt you, and I want to help.”

“Hurt me?” Floyd asked.

A smile pulled at his lips, bitter and showing more teeth than it should. “Like I said.. you were barely conscious at the time. Even if we were the only trolls there… I probably should have made a different decision.” He puts his face into his hands, palms over his eyes and presses down before he looks back at him.

“It’s fucked up, I’m fucked up, Floyd. I’ve made too many mistakes to count, every time we're together I seem to hurt you! That night, and when we were at Bruce’s… even when we were back at the tree I kept hurting you. I'm your big brother!

“I hate that I hurt you as often as I do… but I… god Floyd I’m so selfish. As much as I regret that… I couldn’t regret spending as much time with you as we have, no matter what we did! I’ve-…” he trailed off for a moment, like he was searching for the right words. “I don’t click with really anyone, but I’ve always felt that connection with you. Something special just between us. I’ll always want you in my life, because I know what it's like to live without you… and… I wouldn't…” He turned away from him, not being able to look at him while trying to finish his thought.

“I care about you, you make me worry more than anyone else, and I’ve never wanted to rip out my hair more than when you start pulling shit again… but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I never want to lose you. I want you..! Even at your worst, or when you're stressed, or messy… and I just- …” again he trailed off, his hand rubbing at his face. 

“What.. are you saying, John?” Floyd asked, now stepping towards him curiously. 

“I want to be able to touch you… be there for you.. I want you.. and I have.. n-never wanted anyone more, than I want you.” His brother still kept his eyes off of him as he continued.  “It's fucked up. I know it is… but it's true.”

“You.. can't say that..” Floy said quietly, finding himself drawn forward again, heat rising to his face. 

“Why..?” John Dory asked, finally sliding his gaze to meet his, a subtle challenge.

“B-because.. I might let you…” he whispered, his heart beating out of control.

“Please let me…” John breathed, his fists shaking slightly with the effort to not move.

Floyd felt a sob suddenly force its way out of his chest, as more tears fell from his eyes, unable to trust his voice, he gave a tight and stiff nod and John Dory wasted no time in rushing forward, wrapping him up in a tight hug.

Floyd gasped and stood there wide eyed for a few moments, as his brother's hands clenched at the back of his hoodie, his scruffy cheek pressed against his. Blinking as a few more tears broke free, he carefully slid his hands around his shoulders, feeling a bit unsure at first, before tightening his hold and squeezing him back.

“I love you bro. I am so glad you're here. And I'm so fucking sorry about everything..” he mumbled softly.

With a hiccup, Floyd nodded. “Thank you John.. M-me too… are… are we ok now? Can we be normal? For Branch and Clay?” the warmth of his brother enveloped him, almost burning due to the rapidly dropping temperature.

John Dory pulled back to look into his eyes, hands moving up to cup his chilly face, swiping tears from his cheeks with his thumbs. “Do you forgive me?” He asked, searching his eyes.

“Of course, JD…” he breathed softly, giving him a watery smile.

John Dory looked so sincerely relieved as he closed his eyes, his lips trembling a bit before he leaned in, their noses touching lightly. The innocent intimacy he so easily showed to him, and only him, made Floyd's heart ache.

“I thought.. I lost you Floyd.. I thought I had ruined us.. F-forever…” he croaked quietly.

“Me too.. I…” he paused, feeling choked up all over again. “I missed you.. JD..” He responded, his ice cold hands sliding up to hold at his brother’s warm wrists. 

“Me too, bro..” John Dory pressed a bit tighter against him. 

“We should… get some traps set before the sun goes down…” Floyd reminded softly, glancing up to the sky, an array of oranges and pinks now beginning to create colored shadows around them.

“Oh shit.” John Dory pulled back gently, looking to the sky as well. “We've got maybe twenty minutes!” He moved over and grabbed his bag. “Hurry! I'll show you how to set the easiest one!” He gestured for him to follow. “Then we can get back to get warm..!”

They worked together to put up two different traps, in “record time” according to John Dory. They talked and teased and joked just like they always had, but there was a certain underlying warmth and understanding between them now. 

And though Floyd wondered exactly what his brother had meant by saying ‘I want you’, he was content with how this had turned out, for right now. He had him back, they had talked through a bit of what had been plaguing them, and they were ok. 

He could live with, ok.

Heading back to the campsite, the air was quickly becoming much, much colder. Their breath puffed out as little clouds of moisture as they walked, and noticing that Floyd had really started to shiver now, John Dory reached out to grab his hand. The heat emanating from their connection helped give him the drive to keep moving. 

When they arrived, both Branch and Clay were waiting for them. They raised their hands in greeting, lit by the glow of the fire, both in much more insulating sweatpants and shoes.

“Go change.” His older brother said, giving his hand a squeeze and Floyd nodded, heading inside.

He removed his usual jeans, and stepped into his own new pair of fuzzy sweatpants. He then put on socks and his boots as well. He felt much better, even though he was still shivering. He grabbed his blanket and draped it over his body before heading back out to the fire pit.

The chilly air hit him so much harder than he had expected. He rubbed at his arms through the blanket, coming to sit in his chair, leaning into the glowing heat. Branch and John Dory were already bickering lightheartedly about what traps would do better, and Floyd just rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

“Marshmallow?” Clay asked, holding the bag out to him.

“Thanks.” Floyd said as he put his roasting stick on the fire to clean it, his other hand grabbing the bag. He caught Branch’s eye for just a moment as he got his marshmallow ready, and they shared a small smile.

The warmth of happiness from having his family around him enveloped his body. Making real connections with real people was hard, but it was all worth it. His family was worth it.

They spent the next hour all chatting together, sharing stories, having small arguments, and eating smores. It was mostly completely normal, his oldest brother was interacting with him again, and multiple times, he caught his gaze lingering on him just a bit too long. It made Floyd’s stomach flip flop in uncertainty. But… this time he wasn’t as scared. John Dory had shown him at least part of who he really was. And he loved him in spite of the mess Floyd really was. It was more than he could have hoped for honestly.

Only once the moon was high in the sky above them, did they retire to bed, Floyd asked to take some muscle relaxers once again, to help with his giddy energy, and pain from shivering so much. Then he put on his pj’s and went to lay down, snuggled up on the couch with Clay like he had before. While Branch had a small cot set up on the floor, and John Dory slept in his bunk.

–

Getting up early to start the fire, John Dory got Rhonda some food, and started some breakfast for his little bros. It had been twenty years since he’d done this himself, and figured it was the perfect time to start again.

He pulled out his prepared bacon and eggs that he’d packed secretly, and ingredients to make his grandma's famous hotcakes, feeling nostalgic about doing this already.

He had been so relieved to be able to talk with Floyd about everything, and had tried his best to not be a total dumbass about what he was trying to get across. Though practicing what he’d wanted to say in his head for the last week or so had definitely helped. 

Thankfully it didn’t seem that Floyd was traumatized over what they’d done, which had been his main worry. He seemed to mostly be concerned about what John Dory had thought of him, now showing the parts of himself he'd tried so hard to keep hidden.

He wasn’t one hundred percent on where exactly they stood quite yet, but with the setting sun, and a contest to win, they were ok enough for now. Floyd had said he'd forgiven him at least, and that's what mattered.

Though John Dory had kind of let his feelings show a bit too much at the end there. It just bubbled up inside him, while he wanted so desperately to be able to touch him, comfort him, warm him. It was a weird mix of being unfortunately, kind of attracted to, but also fiercely protective over his little brother.

He wanted to just make it all better, and the frustration of not having the power to do that was constant, especially since Floyd was still so closed off. He'd broken through just the first wall, but there was so much more underneath that he pretty obviously didn’t want anyone to see.

At least Floyd had allowed him to hold him closely. He had given his permission for the intimacy reserved only for him, and it had been such a relief. John Dory had missed him so much, and he felt lost without that closeness that came so naturally to the both of them. It wasn't on purpose or anything either, it was mainly because the others for the most part wouldn't allow or even be comfortable with that kind of touchiness from him.

Floyd though.. he loved real intimacy. John could tell with the way he would lean into his touch, or press his hand against his, silently urging him to hold him tighter.

Knowing what he knew now about him, he could understand why. Floyd likely hadn't had too many people treat him gently, especially with the comment he'd made back then.

‘I've dealt with… much more aggressive people.’

The fact that John Dory had completely lost himself pounding into him, so aggressively that he had passed out, and Floyd had brushed it off, thanking him for being a gentleman.. It made him angry. And it made him sad…

John Dory bet that the assholes in his past had been just as shitty as some of the ones he'd dealt with. Floyd deserved to be treated with kindness.. his needs mattered, and he could use some gentle loving care.

He loved being there for his brothers. And was so glad to be there to offer support and physical reassurance. He had wanted to show him how good being cared for could be, and he was glad that Floyd had sort of seen for himself, enough that he'd missed him at least. And John Dory was happy to be there to give him what he'd needed as far as he allowed. 

With how unstable his little brother had been acting, he could tell that the trauma and cracks were beginning to show, in spite of how much he tried to hide. And he would do his best to keep trying to prove to him that in spite of anything he was ashamed or embarrassed about, he would be loved and supported regardless.

“Smells good.” Branch’s voice cut into his thoughts, coming up next to him as he fixed his coat on himself, giving a slight shiver.

John Dory turned and gave him a smile, “Good, cause I've been slaving away for hours!” he said dramatically.

Branch shook his head with his signature eyeroll, “No you haven’t, I heard you get up like half an hour ago. Do you need any help?” He looked down at the food on the roasting grate.

“Yeah, sure. Do you wanna mix the hotcake batter?” He asked, gesturing with his head to the small pile of items sitting on the cooler.

“Hotcakes?” Branch walked over to pick up the bowl and the little crumpled piece of paper that had been revealed under it. “Is this… Grandma’s recipe?” He asked in surprise.

“Sure is!” John Dory said happily, “Just follow the directions, and then we’ll get 'em cooking after the eggs are done!”

“Wow..” Branch mumbled simply, before getting to work, having an almost stiffness about him as he measured and mixed.

“Yeah, I found it when I was going through my stuff. Haven’t made em in forever.” He continued conversationally.

“Well, I haven’t had these since I was a baby so I'm glad you found it..” Branch replied, and JD could hear a slight waver in his voice.

John Dory glanced over to him, smiling softly. “Me too.” He flipped the bacon again, and stirred the eggs on the pan, as they sat quietly for a few moments. “Hey B?” He asked, after deciding on what to say.

“Yeah?” Branch turned, now mixing the batter in the bowl with a spoon as he waited for him to continue.

“Thanks for.. getting Floyd to talk to me.” He said softly. “It um… We talked it all out and I think we’re ok.”

“That’s good.” He nodded, coming over with a similar soft smile.  “Is this the right consistency?” 

John leaned over and took the spoon, giving it a swirl in the batter. “Fuckin perfect.” he affirmed, giving it back.

“What was the issue about anyways?” Branch asked curiously.

“I told ya, I said something shitty.” John Dory shrugged. “We’d been drinking and we got into an argument..”

Branch regarded him for a few moments and then gave a nod. “If that’s all it was…”

“It was.” he lied, that same smile on his face, as he put the roasting stick down, and picked up the pan. “Grab the tray, would ya?” He asked, and Branch did what he was told, bringing it over. John Dory dumped the eggs on it, and then put the pan back. “Now, I’m gunna teach ya how to make Grandma’s famous hotcakes!” 

For the next hour or so, they worked together to get the hotcakes made absolutely perfectly. Branch was apparently really good at cooking, which surprised JD, but it definitely made teaching him a lot easier. 

He told funny little stories of times back at the troll tree, about their grandma, and times they got in trouble. Branch was happy to listen and laugh along as they worked. He asked a few small questions, which John Dory answered happily, just having fun recounting some of the good times with him.

“So… What were mom an dad like?” He asked, as he flipped a hotcake over. 

“They were pretty cool.” John Dory said simply.

“You just knew them the longest, so..”

“Yeah, that’s true. They weren’t around all that much, though. Had a super important job with King Peppy. So we spent a lot of our time with Grandma, even while they were still alive.” John Dory scraped the edge of the bowl, gathering the last bit of the batter to one side.

“Important job?” Branch looked up at him, curiously.

“Yeah, they were a part of the secret team to dig out the roots of the troll tree.” John Dory said, sitting back in his spot. “We didn’t know, till after they died. But I think that’s pretty cool.” he gave a chuckle.

“Yeah.. it is. I didn’t know that..” Branch said, looking down at the cooking food.

“Not surprising. King Peppy’s memory isn’t that great.” he shrugged.

Branch nodded, seeming to agree as he slipped the spatula under the hotcake, pulling it off the heat. 

“They were a lot of fun when they were around though.” John continued, grabbing the tray so Branch could add more to the stack. “Mom and I liked to wrestle, and she'd pretend to lose until I gloated about it. Then she'd flip it around and pin me super easy. Dad always said I was a lot like her.” 

“Yeah, that's what Clay mentioned.. said you were a real mama's boy.” Branch used air quotes as JD leaned forward putting the last of the batter onto the pan.

“Haha! Yeah.. she was my best friend. As much as a mom could be.” he said, wistfully. “She taught me a lot…”

“And dad?” 

“He was kind of silly. Suuuuper tall for no fuckin reason. Kind of like Clay. But taller. And he was loud too. The whole damn tree could hear him when he laughed.” John Dory chuckled.

“Wow.. you remember a lot more than the others… Do you know what they looked like?” Branch asked curiously.

 “Course! Mom was short, like me. She had deep blue and purple hair an green eyes, and she wore these round goggles that kind of looked like your baby glasses B.” He gave him a half smile. “And dad had wild curly hair like Clay too, it was pink like Floyd, and he had blue eyes…” he trailed off before looking up at his brother. “But you know, I do have Grandma's photo album if you wanted to look for yourself.” he offered with a shrug.

“Wait, you do?” Branch asked, surprised, looking at him.

“Of course! There's only one, so I took it way back when I collected our BroZone memorabilia. I guess I didn't realize you had never seen it.” He gave a shrug.

“I don't think any of us have seen it, JD. Both Clay and Floyd barely remember what they looked like, and they didn't have any pictures of them.”

“Well, fuck. Guess we're gunna have to fix that!” He said jumping up, “I'll go grab it!” He turned to head inside before pausing looking down at his baby brother “…. Might want to flip it.” He pointed to the hotcake, and Branch turned quickly to flip it over.

“Oops.” He said, and they both chuckled as John Dory headed through Rhonda's door.

It was dark inside as he looked to his two sleeping brothers cuddling together on the couch. Striding over to them he reached to shake them awake before pausing. He thought back to how mad Clay had been the last time he'd startled them awake,  and decided a different tactic would be better. Though they looked so cute, sleeping like this.. Floyd laying on Clay's chest, their arms wrapped around each other, their two blankets over them both. 

They breathed almost in unison, and he realized just how pretty Floyd was. He'd never really been able to study him too closely, so in this quiet moment his eyes raked over his features. A small nose, long lashes, a cool soft look to his skin which looked so much more healthy than it had after he'd been rescued. His hair was a bit messy now too, having slept on it, and it had regained just a bit of its bright color in the past few months, though the white at the roots was still present.

He also had very slight worry lines at the corners of his eyes and between his eyebrows, showing his age in spite of his boyish youthful appearance. 

John Dory felt a familiar heat in his face that he now recognized as attraction. He had been having these little moments since they'd been reunited. He couldn't believe this whole time, his body had known something that he’d been completely oblivious to. The way that Floyd smiled at him, or teased him, or held his hand had always made his chest clench with happiness, but now it held a whole new meaning.

John Dory leaned in just a bit and gently slid the back of a finger against his cheek. He was soft and warm under his touch. Floyd crinkled his nose and John Dory smiled softly, so glad he was ok to touch him now..

“Hey…” he said quietly, “It's time for breakfast…” he then moved his hand to Floyd's shoulder, then Clay's, giving them just a squeeze and a sight jostle. “Who's hungry?”

“Ugh… What time even is it?” Clay grumbled,  turning his face from Floyd's hair, rubbing his eyes.

“Just after sunrise.”

“Absolutely not.” He grumbled, and turned back away, his arms pulling Floyd in closer, who made a soft noise of protest at being moved.

“Branch and I made Grandma's famous hotcakes~” 

Both of his brothers seemed to realize what he said, opening their eyes to look at him. “You have the recipe?” Floyd asked, his voice laden with sleep, as he attempted to push off his brother slowly. John Dory nodded.

“That sounds so good…” Clay groaned, rubbing at his face again. “but we stayed up way late dude…” he punctuated his complaint with a yawn. “I don't do good without enough sleep…” he pulled Floyd in closer, in spite of his younger brother's attempts to move.

“C-Clay…” Floyd protested, only resisting a bit, before falling against him with a huff. “I'm hungry….”

“I'm sleepy…” Clay mumbled, relaxing again.

“And I'm pulling out grandma's old picture album.” John Dory stood up straight, heading over to one of his cabinets, to push a few things aside, reaching deep into the back and grabbing the old book.

Floyd tried again, pushing off against Clay, who frowned and let him go, allowing him to move back and sit on his knees, as he stretched. “You have grandma's old album too?” he asked, rubbing his eyes while Clay pulled his blanket back around him, turning away with a sigh.

“Yup!” John Dory said a bit louder than be meant to, making both his brothers wince. “C'mon, I'll put the kettle on and make some coffee.” He moved past them to the small kitchenette grabbing the kettle, his mug, his bag of beans, and grinder. He filled up the kettle at the sink and then headed towards the door. “Bring your mug out, you've got ten minutes!” He said to the audible groan of Clay, before leaving Rhonda, heading back outside again.

Branch was putting the last hotcake on the tray and covering it as he set it off to the side. He turned as John Dory set the kettle over the fire.

“Here, take a look.” He said, handing the book over.

Branch opened it up, taking a seat in his chair as he looked at the pictures on the first page, while John Dory started to grind the coffee beans.

“She was short..” Branch mumbled, his hand sliding down a wedding day picture. His mom was wearing a lovely white dress with purple accents that complimented her cyan blue color, her hair was dark blue, like Branch's had been when he was a baby, and the tips were purple just like his older brother had said. She had green eyes and a slightly green nose. His dad was over a head and a half taller than she was, green in color, with fuchsia curly locks, his nose a slight blue. He was wearing a nice blue wedding suit, and looked absolutely smitten with his new wife.

Her smile was as wide as JD’s, taking up over half of her face, making her eyes scrunch in the same way his did… and she had the same elongated canine that all of them had too.

Her skin, her smile…they all seemed to take after her more than their father… no. Actually Floyd looked like their dad, he’s seen him look at them the way their dad did in his wedding photo, happy and full of love.

Going through each page, there were loads of pictures of them working together, decorating their pod, fixing clothes, and eventually caring for eggs. 

The first egg was obviously John Dory, they looked exhausted but happy with his arrival. Their colors were so bright, though their mom was now missing a canine. With each page, time kept moving forward. JD turned into a toddler, and a second egg was introduced, then a third and fourth. 

He could see his parents aging, through the years his eldest brother turning into a teenager, and the rest slowly following suit.

There were pictures of JD and their mom together, some of them looking like the two of them weren’t aware of the moment being captured. Their mom drinking a milkshake with two straws in it while pushing John away with a foot. Their mom and JD with their fingers interlocked, straining against one another, their too wide smiles identical.

There were pictures of birthdays, and games and holidays. Of little Floyd and their dad snuggling on the sofa, or Clay organizing his bookshelf with him. There were pictures of Bruce and their mom taking a selfie, a similar smirk on their faces, while John Dory and Clay seemed to be yelling at each other in the background.

Branch chuckled softly, since there were many of those pictures scattered throughout.

Then there was a page dedicated to John Dory, Bruce, and Clay for their first BroZone album. A spread of all the songs were glued in with pictures of them in the recording booth. They looked so proud and happy. Especially in the family photo that was on the corner, where mom was hugging all of them in her strong arms and dad was looking at the camera holding a little Floyd on his back.

Slowly the subject turned away from his parents and completely towards their growing family. Most of the entries were life events, or concerts. Then he came to a page that had a picture of the whole family minus Grandma Rosiepuff, who was likely the one behind the camera.

His mom was in a bed, hair messy, looking exhausted, cradling a cyan egg with a bright tuft of blue hair sticking out the top. Dad was sitting happily at the end of the bed, his hand resting on the shoulder of a small pre-teen Floyd who was looking over at the egg, while Clay sat cross legged next to her, his tongue out and making some sort of silly hand sign. Bruce was on her other side leaning on the bed, his arm around John Dory, both grinning at the camera.

Branch realized this was likely their only family photo in existence. He bit his bottom lip, feeling the loss so much deeper in his heart than he ever had before.

“That's my favorite one.” John Dory said, leaning over to see what he was looking at. “I remember when dad was making that shirt for her, making sure she had comfortable clothes to wear while she laid your egg… kept winding and unwinding the threads… ‘My Tiny deserves perfection,’ he was always saying…” He imitated their dad’s deep voice and gave a small laugh, eyes crinkling as his smile grew bigger. “He made her so many pieces like that, and she was always happy to show them off…”

“Tiny?” Branch asked, looking up at him.

“It's what he called mom. Since her name was Clementine, most trolls called her Clem, but he was the only one allowed to call her Tiny.” he laughed again "If anyone tried they'd get punched for sure.” 

A smile pulled at Branch's lips as he then looked closer at the garments they were all wearing. “And dad made clothes?”

“Yeah, grandma wasn’t the only one who was into the fiber arts.” he chuckled.

“Oh…” Branch said softly, fingers sliding down the picture. “Can we get a copy made?” He looked up at his older brother, who grinned happily, putting an arm around him. 

“For sure! We'll do it as soon as we get back!” He replied.

“Do what?” Floyd asked as he exited Rhonda coming down the door carefully, he fixed his hoodie over his pj's, and put his hand in his pocket, the other holding his new pink mug, and Branch’s blue one.

“Make a copy of this family photo.” Branch held out the photo album and Floyd put the mugs down next to John Dory’s then grabbed his chair, moving it to sit next to his baby brother.

“I’ve never seen this picture.” Floyd said leaning against Branch, still sounding tired, as Branch set the album on the armrests between them. 

“Yeah, there’s a bunch of good ones, look at this one.” Branch said, flipping back a few sections to show an early BroZone photo of the four of them when Floyd had joined.

“Wow… that really was a long time ago…” Floyd mumbled softly, nuzzling against his baby brother. “I still like the one with all of us though..” 

John Dory prepared their coffee as he listened to them talk about each picture, pointing out little things they noticed and where it could have happened. Filling each mug, he smiled softly, thinking again that he was just so lucky to have his brothers here with him.

Clay soon joined them and they all sat around the album, eating their breakfast, and drinking their coffee. They flipped back and forth, telling stories, and laughing together, as the sun rose a bit further into the sky. When they finished, John Dory took it back inside to put it away, while everyone else took the dishes to the sink, washing them together before putting on their hiking boots and warm clothes.

He pulled out a few of his journals next and his bros all sat on the couch as he briefed them on what they were looking for on their hike.

“The Mourning Pine is going to be harder to find.” he continued. “It needs to be healthy, and the needles need to be fresh off the tree, and perfectly mature, none of the new growth and none of the old dry stuff.”

“And the bark?” Clay asked, as he looked at the old journal. “It says you have to use the soft inner bark, not the hard outer stuff.”

“Inner bark?” Branch clarified. “Do we have a saw then?”

John Dory sighed. “Of course I have a saw Bitty B. What do ya take me for?” 

Branch rolled his eyes, folding his arms. “Kay, well, I didn’t realize we were going to be sawing trees till just now. Aren’t we supposed to go fishing?”

“We’re going fishing, don’t worry about that.” he said, waving his hand. “We’ll just keep our eye out.” he opened another one of his journals, flipping through the pages until he came to the right entry. “The Mourning Pine looks like this.” he turned the book to show him his drawing. “There’s a lot of imitation pines though, we want the one that has a purple sheen in the light.”

Clay closed his journal, and pushed himself to stand. “We brought gloves too. So keep a pair on you, most of the flora we’re looking for is toxic, and can cause skin irritation.” He grabbed a box of gloves, handing each person their own pair.

“You’re making a sleep aid out of toxic plants?” Floyd asked, taking the gloves and putting them in his hair.

“Most medicines are made from toxic or poisonous stuff.” Clay shrugged. “It’s pretty normal.”

“And… you know how to do this safely?” Floyd pressed more, eyes going to John Dory.

He waved his hand dismissively and nodded. “I’ve made almost all my own medicines most of my life. I only sometimes poison myself.” he laughed loudly and all his brothers looked at him with a mix of shock and frustration.

“That’s not..” Branch started.

“Dude.” Clay interrupted.

“What? I have a ridiculously high tolerance to this kind of stuff. That’s why, before I let anyone use it, I test it myself. I’d rather be puking for a day or two, than accidentally kill someone…” He gave another careless shrug, not noticing how concerned his family was for him.

Floyd twiddled his fingers for a second before piping up. “Wait, so you’ve poisoned yourself before then?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been poisoned multiple times! But it’s fine, like I said, I’ve built up an immunity.” John Dory took his pair of gloves, and shoved them in a pocket. “Anyways. Mourning Pine needles and bark, and also, look for the Noxi Daisies. They won't be very easy to spot in the daylight, and we can't harvest them until the sun goes down anyways, but just be aware.”

“Hold on.” Clay held up his hand. “I don’t think we’re done talking about how you have literally poisoned yourself multiple times?!”

“Bro, this is totally normal when you’re testing stuff and figuring it all out.” John Dory said. “You’ve seen how many times I’ve gotten sick in there.” he poked the journal a few times with his finger. “Hell I’ve even told you stories about it!”

Clay looked down at the journal. “Well, yeah b-but..” he seemed to be at a loss for words, like the possibility of making the Knockout oil incorrectly, and thus making it dangerous had never crossed his mind.

“Don’t worry bro.” John Dory said, slinging his arm over his shoulder. “I’ve got this. Got like seventeen ish years of “synthesizing” experience. I haven’t died yet!” He used air quotes as he spoke.

Branch sighed, “This was supposed to be a carefree camping trip.” He grumbled, and stood up too, starting to gather the necessary items for their hike.

Floyd got up and followed after him, speaking softly to him as John Dory climbed up onto the couch to get his two hand saws from behind it. He was glad he'd decided to keep them both. Clay shook his head and put the journal up on the counter before getting his own items ready.

Once they all had the correct collecting safety tools, John Dory snatched his two fishing poles and tackle box from his storage closet and handed each item to a brother. Floyd carried the smallest fishing pole, for obvious reasons, and then John grabbed his fishing bucket.

“I’m gunna teach you all the right way to fish!” He declared excitedly, as they wished Rhonda goodbye, leading the way away from camp, down the little trail. He had gone down this path before when he’d been here years ago, and was excited to make some new, better memories here.

His brothers all followed him, Branch had the camera that Poppy had lent him around his neck, and he was holding onto Floyd’s hand as they made their way down some of the steeper terrain. Both him and Clay chatted together about some of the plants around them, looking for the ingredients, while Floyd listened happily, and asked questions when pertinent.

Unfortunately they didn’t see either the Mourning Pine or the Noxi Daisies, and as they got closer to their destination, John Dory said that they would likely be further up the mountain rather than further down. 

When they finally came to the lake, it was mostly shrouded in fog. You could only see maybe twenty feet out into the water, and it was still eerily quiet. The water barely had any movement either, since there wasn't any wind. They set all the items down and John Dory flipped open his tackle box.

“The best way to catch a fish is to have the best lure.” He said proudly, grabbing his personal favorite. It was a bright orange and had some shiny bits on it. Holding it out to Clay, who took it and pulled the hook up to be able to attach it.

John Dory walked him through how, and the right way to tie the knot off, while his pink haired brother came over to watch and Branch snapped a quick picture.

“Grab a lure, Floyd.” He offered, gesturing back to his box. Floyd nodded and moved to pick one, choosing a green one with a spiked tail.

He carefully followed John’s directions, though his hands were trembling a bit as he tried to get the knot just right.

“I dunno why you choose to complicate things.” Branch said, looking at his eldest brother in teasing exasperation. 

“I do not!” John Dory said indignantly.

“Just use the basic uni knot, Floyd.” Branch continued, ignoring him. “It’s easier if you’ve never done this before.” He grabbed the spool of fishing line from the box and pulled out his knife, cutting a piece about as long as his arm, before making a loop, wrapping it around multiple times, and then threading it back through the bottom and pulling it tight. “Like this.” He held it out and Floyd nodded.

“Ok.. the loop..” He mumbled, and carefully imitated what he’d seen Branch do, as John Dory came a bit closer to watch too, ready to help at any point. 

“It isn’t too complicated.” Clay said, showing his hook and lure proudly. 

“Probably cause you know a bunch of knots already.” Branch folded his arms looking over at him.

“Alright that's true.” Clay laughed and walked over to the edge of the water, his boots sinking a bit in the wet rock and silt, “So do I just throw it out?” Clay asked.

Branch shrugged. “You can, or if you want I can show you.”

Clay looked at his pole for a moment and then held it out to Branch. “Yeah, I don’t want to accidentally hook anyone.. You go first.” he said nervously.

Branch gave a small chuckle, and pulled the camera from his neck and they swapped. “Sure. Watch how I do it.” He fixed his stance and put the pole up above him, glancing behind him to make sure the others were out of the way, and then whipped it back and threw it forward, the line whizzing out into the middle of the lake quickly, while Clay took a photo too.

Branch explained how he’d done it, giving clear and concise directions for him, who nodded along.

“Boooorrinnnggg!” John Dory said, putting an arm around Floyd to bring him closer to the water as well. “Let your big bro show you how it’s done.” He held out his hand, and Floyd smirked, putting the pole in it. 

“Here we go.” Clay said, shaking his head, though he was still smiling as Branch traded their items back.

John Dory moved a bit further from the shore, and swung it over his head, whipping it back and forth a few times before casting out, going much further than Branch’s. “HAHA!” he said triumphantly, giving Floyd a grin, handing the pole back.

Floyd took it and playfully rolled his eyes. “Ok Mr. Show Off.” he said and John Dory wiggled his eyebrows, Branch again taking a quick photo, before turning his attention to Clay.

“You’ll wanna reel it in a bit, try to give the fish something to chase.” he told him, before glancing to Floyd, who also followed his directions.

Coming up behind his pink haired brother, John Dory noticed he was trembling just slightly, either from the cold, or from the effort of holding the pole. 

“You can set it kind of on your stomach.” he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “That way you can use your body to hold it rather than just your arms.” 

“Oh.. thanks JD.” Floyd said, glancing up to him for a moment, lowering the pole to rest on his abdomen.

John Dory was again, struck by just how long his eyelashes were, and he stared probably a bit too long, but no one seemed to notice.

They reeled in the lines a few times and both Clay and Floyd attempted to throw it themselves, though Floyd couldn't get it very far. He ended up asking JD to do it for him so that it would take longer to reel it in, and to give him something to do. 

Floyd had gotten a few false alarms, and Clay hadn't gotten a whole lot until-

“I think I got a bite!” Clay said suddenly, being yanked forward more into the water and Branch immediately jumped to his side, grabbing the pole to pull Clay back to the shore.

“Fuck yeah! REEL IT IN!” John Dory said, pumping his fist.

They both struggled as Clay attempted to wind the line in. “I.. I don’t think I can!” He said, his arms trembling in effort. 

John Dory quickly took the other side and grabbed the pole too, his hand going over Clays to assist in the reel. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” he groaned as they moved back further up the shore, slowly but surely they brought the line in enough to see a splashing of a fish in the water.

“Yes! Great job you guys!” Floyd cheered from his spot, moving a bit further away to give them some space.

“Ugh! C’mon!” Branch groaned as they were yanked forward again.

“You guys are gunna have to hold it!” John Dory said. “I’ll grab it!” 

The other two nodded, their boots digging into the earth. “Ok… Three, two! One!” They counted down and John Dory let go, whipping his knife out and jumping into the water, very quickly stabbing the thrashing creature, but not before it had drenched him completely.

“HAHA!” he yelled in triumph, and reached down, pulling the huge fish up with him. It gave a few flips and wiggled a bit more before stilling. “GodDAMN Clay! Nice work!” he praised as he tossed it onto the rocky shore. It was nearly as tall as they were.

“That. Is way too big.” Branch said huffing, trying to catch his breath. “How are we supposed to get that back to Rhonda?”

“Well just tie it off and drag it.” John Dory shrugged. “No biggie.”

Clay was shaking a bit as he leaned on Branch for a bit of support. “I… feel a bit woozy..” He mumbled and turned his head away from the bloody fish.

Branch turned to pull Clay into his arms. “Don’t look at it.” he said and Clay hugged him back taking deep breaths.

“Clay, do you still have an issue with fresh blood?” Floyd asked as he backed up to be more near to them.

“M-maybe a little bit..” He mumbled, swaying slightly.

“Oh yeah.. Shit. Sorry Clay.” John Dory said, stepping in front of it, still dripping wet, looking a bit sheepish.

“I’m ok.. I’m ok..” he said as Branch rubbed his back gently. 

The sound of the reel on Floyd’s pole startled them all and he quickly grabbed the spinning crank. “Oh! I got one too!” he said excitedly and John moved next to him, looking out over the misty water. 

“How heavy is it?” he asked, his hands hovering, waiting to see if he needed help.

“I.. I dunno.. It’s strong though.”

“Let it swim for a sec, then reel it.” John Dory reminded, squinting as Floyd did what he was told. He let it swim and reeled, then let it swim, and reeled. 

“There you go!” John Dory nearly shouted and reached to hold just the pole to give him more stability.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” Floyd grunted, reeling it in further and further.

“Yes! Perfect!” He praised, and though it took longer for it to get to the shore, soon it was splashing in the shallow water.

John Dory walked in and picked it up, holding it out for them to see. “I’d say this was a success! Floyd and Clay’s first catch! And now we've got lunch!” He cheered loudly and Floyd laughed, reeling in the line the rest of the way, and allowing JD to unhook the fish. 

“Hold on. Don't move.” Branch said, holding up the camera again.

Both Floyd and John looked over to him and smiled, the pole in the younger's hands and the fish held up in the eldest's, showing it off proudly.

Branch snapped the picture and the fish flopped a bit before John Dory tossed it into his bucket with a wet slap.

Clay very obviously shuddered and Branch pat his shoulder. “When we get back, you should drink some water and lay down.” He said kindly, and Clay nodded. 

“I’ll.. I’ll um. I’ll take the tackle box and poles..” Clay offered. 

“Aww, we're done already?” John Dory asked, and Branch audibly groaned. 

“Yes. This is way more than we need JD.” He gestured to the huge fish. “And you're soaking wet.”

“Alright fine…” He responded and then walked over to wash his hands off in the water before grabbing all their things, putting his lures away and closing it up.

“That works!” Floyd handed over his pole, and Clay put them both on his shoulder, holding his hand out for the tackle box too before heading back up the trail.

“Floyd, you carry the bucket.” John said and Floyd nodded, taking it, and then the camera from Branch, following Clay back to the trail, leaving the other two to figure out how to get the larger fish back.

“We probably should have let this one go.” Branch said, walking over to him.

“Nah it’s fine. I’ll teach you all how to process the meat, and dry it over the fire so we can pack it up and take it home.” John Dory said, reaching into his vest to pull out a bundle of rope. “Help me tie this up, and we’ll drag it.”

After a good hour and a half, they came stumbling back into camp, dropping the fish off to the side, and John Dory immediately went inside to shower off, since he’d been working in the cold weather in wet clothes.

Both Floyd and Clay were snuggling on the couch, drinking something hot as they read a book Clay had brought.

“Did you get it handled?” Floyd asked, perking up.

“Oh, yeah. No sweat!” John Dory responded, pulling his jacket off, along with his shorts, dropping them on the floor next to the door before heading into the little bathroom. “I’m just fuckin freezing, so I’m gunna warm up.” he gave his bros a wink and Floyd looked away quickly, flushing pink.

“Do you want some hot chocolate?” Clay asked, barely even registering the action, as Floyd tried to look interested in the contents of the page they were reading.

“That would be incredible. Thanks! Maybe make Branch some too, he’s started the fire again outside, and is going to cook Floyd’s fish. An choose a veggie from the cooler to go with it.” He closed the door behind him, chuckling to himself thinking about Floyd's reaction. He hadn't been trying to be cheeky, but he supposed that it had likely come across that way.

He jumped into the hot water, wanting to hurry to get back to his bros, and not wanting to use too much of their limited supply.

He realized he probably needed to talk to Floyd again without the others around, get clarification on what exactly was allowed now that they had sort of come to an understanding. Though the guilt that was sitting in the pit of his stomach was giving him pause.. he didn't want to assume anything, especially since Floyd had been so scandalized about the whole situation.

He pushed his hands to his eyes trying to push the image of his pretty face from his mind, along with the memory of his body under him. Even though Floyd had clearly wanted his touch, that didn't mean that he was interested in anything else. He needed to make sure he didn't push his luck.

Coming out of the bathroom in his towel, he walked over to his closet and grabbed some pants, and an older jacket to wear. He slipped everything on, and then headed outside with his wet clothes, where all three of his brothers were sitting around the fire, Branch telling them about how they had gotten the fish back up the hill. And Clay stirring some veggies in the pan with the roasting stick.

Floyd noticed him first and jumped up, “John! I've got your cocoa.” he said, coming over with his teal mug, holding it out to him. “It’s hot so be careful.” He warned.

“One sec. I've got to hang these up to dry.” He moved over and put them on a branch closest to the fire, but far enough away that they wouldn't get singed. Then he came back to Floyd, grabbing his mug around the rim, lifting it to his lips to take a sip.

“That, is fuckin perfect.” he said happily. “Thanks.” He smiled and Floyd nodded.

“No prob.” he said, going to sit back down, and pulling his blanket back around him, before picking up his own mug. 

John Dory took a few gulps of his drink and made a loud sighing noise, putting it in his cup holder and then resting his hands on his hips. “Who wants to learn how to preserve fish?” he asked, and Clay shook his head covering his eyes. 

“No way. I might actually throw up.” he warned seriously.

“Aww c’mon! This is important survival stuff!” John Dory replied indignantly.

“We should have some lunch first.” Branch said with a sigh.

“Psh..!” John Dory moved around his chair, taking a seat, slouching. “You guys never wanna let me have fun.”

“I don’t think butchering is fun.” Clay frowned, rolling his eyes, as Branch put the cooked fish out on the tray.

“If you really want to slice things up, why don’t you slice up this, while I grab the plates?” Branch said, handing it over to his eldest brother.

John Dory immediately perked up and pulled his knife from his pocket. “You got it!” he said loudly with a smile. He flipped it over and pulled the skin from the filet and then cut it up into pieces. “Smells good!” he called after Branch, echoing his sentiment from this morning.

Floyd got up again, this time holding his blanket around him and walked over to see what John Dory was doing. He explained how to best slice a good thick piece of meat to retain as much flavor as possible, as well as stressed the importance of a really sharp knife. Clay leaned over to see just a bit, but kept his distance just in case.

After Branch came back with the plates, they all took their share, and ate happily, and John Dory again talked about how amazing it was that they got a fish so big on their very first try. He knew he was repeating himself a lot, but he couldn’t stop, he was just so excited about it, and happy to be here.

After lunch, they all roasted a few marshmallows since they were craving something sweet, and finally John Dory took his place with both Branch and Floyd across from him, walking them through how to separate the meat from everything else. Clay on the other hand took the plates and utensils inside to wash them, not wanting to have any part in what they were doing.

Branch took the knife first to start off with removing the stuff that wasn’t needed, as John Dory grabbed his popup drying rack from inside, and set it over the fire.

“Yeah… I dunno if I can do this.” Floyd said, covering his nose, as he watched Branch pull a few things from inside the fish, putting them in a bucket.

Branch gave a soft laugh. “Yeah it’s pretty gross.” he agreed. “It’s ok, I can do it.”

“Oh thank god.” Floyd said with a laugh, backing up a bit more, right into John Dory’s chest.

“Woah, careful.” he said, putting a hand on his arm, leaning around to look at him in the face. “Aren’t you the one who wanted to learn survival skills?” he asked.

Floyd flushed and stepped away in surprise. “Y-yeah, but I didn’t think about.. Butchering lake monsters when I said that.” he said, glancing over at the fish and then looking back at his older brother.

John Dory laughed loudly and patted his back, “Alright, alright. If we get something smaller another time, you can try.” he offered and Floyd nodded in relief.

“Thank you.” he breathed gratefully, and leaned down a bit with his hand on his jaw, to give his cheek a peck before walking away. “I’m going to check on Clay.” he said and headed inside Rhonda.

John Dory stood stunned, his hand going to his cheek absently.

“Must have been some apology.” Branch commented, grabbing John Dory’s attention.

He turned to him, knowing his face was warm as he gave a laugh. “Yeah.. I guess so.” he shrugged, and Branch studied him almost suspiciously for a few moments.

Clearing his throat he came over and Branch moved to the side to give him room. “Here, lemme see.” he asked, and his baby brother shook his head.

“No, I know how to do it.” he said, and John Dory sighed.

“But I'm thorough.” he said with a pout and Branch gave him a look. 

John Dory held up his hands, noticing that Branch didn't want to argue again and sighed. “Fine, fine..” Branch sliced the fish into thin pieces, and John Dory took each one, salting it and hanging it on his drying rack. He explained about all the different ways he's preserved meat, and Branch seemed to agree with most of it, which was a nice change of pace. Though to be fair, there really weren't too many ways to do it anyways. It took quite a while, but once they were done, they headed inside to wash their hands and utensils, seeing both Clay and Floyd curled up on the couch again.

“Who's ready to check our traps?” John Dory asked, coming out of the bathroom and shaking his wet hands off.

“Oh man. I forgot about those.” Clay groaned.

“Aww c'mon. It'll be fun!” he replied, grabbing two large sacks made of fabric out of one of his cabinets. “Plus we still have to find the Mourning Pine and Noxi Daisies.”

“You’ve got too much energy.” Floyd said, even though he was pushing himself to stand, fixing his hoodie on him and tying his boots.

“We’ve only got till tomorrow.” John Dory shrugged, as he grabbed his bag he’d brought yesterday, putting his saw inside it, along with one of the sacks.

“Uuuuughhh…” Clay threw his head back for a few moments, before he closed his book, and stood, grabbing his jacket to slip it on.

“Should we stick together to see all the traps?” Branch asked, while buttoning his jacket.

“We can cover more ground if we break into our teams.. Plus we’ll finish faster.” Clay mumbled doing up his buttons, and Floyd laughed. 

“I think Clay just wants to have some uninterrupted reading time.” He said, coming up to elbow him.

“Yeah, actually.” Clay said with a half smile, elbowing him back.

“Reading? When there’s all this beautiful nature around?” John Dory asked, tilting his head as he handed the other sack to Branch. “C’mon bro, you can read your little books any time! We’ve got limited time out here!”

Clay sighed dramatically. “This is supposed to be fun. And I don’t have fun slaughtering animals, dude.”

“We gotta eat.” John Dory shrugged, had he said something wrong? Clay’s attitude had suddenly shifted. “And it’s hangin’ with the bros that’s fun!” he grinned and Clay glared down at him.

“We literally brought burgers for that exact reason.” he gestured over to the cooler.

“No, we brought them just in case.” John Dory replied, stepping closer as he gripped the bags in his hand. “Cause we’re prepared.”

“We have plenty of food for the whole trip!” Clay threw his hands up in exasperation.

“Ok, hold on.” Floyd said, coming up to put a hand on John Dory’s arm to stop him from retorting. “We are almost done with our chores. And if we sit here and argue, we won't have time to relax later.” He shot Clay a smile. “When we’re done, why don’t you use JD’s bed to get some alone time?”

“What?” John Dory asked, surprised. “Why my bed?”

“Because it's the only place besides the bathroom that has any sort of privacy.” Floyd looked back over to him. “Clay just needs some quiet time, that's ok, right JD?” he asked with a tilt of his head, looking at him innocently, and John Dory blinked, his brain seeming to blank out for a moment.

“I.. uh.. yeah. Yeah sure.” He said dumbly, his neck feeling hot.

Clay seemed like he wanted to say something more, glancing between them, with that frown on his face, but decided against it. “Fine.. let's hurry then.” He said, fixing his collar, as he headed outside. “C'mon Branch.”

Branch gave them a wave before he followed, balling up his fabric sack to put in his pocket, leaving Floyd and John Dory alone in Rhonda.

“You gotta relax.” Floyd said, facing him as he adjusted his hoodie. “Clay gets overwhelmed. And he didn't get enough sleep last night.” 

John Dory looked back to him and sighed. “Yeah.. I know. Sorry. I get excited.” He rubbed his nose, his face still feeling hot.

Floyd huffed a laugh. “I know.” He patted his arm and then headed towards the door. “Let's go. I want to be cold for as little time as possible.” 

John Dory put his duffle bag on his shoulder, swinging it to sit behind him before he rushed after him, reaching to take his hand. “I'm warm.” He offered and Floyd turned his palm to his, giving it a squeeze.

“You are.” He affirmed, a soft smile just pulling at his lips, as they walked out into the chilly air and John Dory flipped the door closed.

“The fish smells good.” Floyd commented, glancing at the fire. “Is it ok to leave it out like that?” 

John Dory nodded. “Yeah, I mean if some hungry critter wants to snag some, it don’t matter to me. There’s plenty.”

“I guess that's fair.” 

“But most probably wouldn’t, not with Rhonda here. Huh girl??” He  turned to her and they both gave her a good scratch. She warbled happily, making the ground rumble beneath them.

After a few minutes of giving her love, they headed in the same direction they had the day before. 

“Hold on, we should check something.” JD said and pulled Floyd over to the tree tap, he leaned over to check the bucket, seeing that it was more than halfway full. “Good.” He mumbled and Floyd looked too.

“I didn't know this was how you harvested sap.” He said thoughtfully. “That's so much easier than what I was thinking.” He giggled a bit and John Dory shot him a smile. 

“Yeah, this ingredient is definitely the easiest.” He said as they started to walk again. “It just takes the longest. Need at least twentyfour hours to get enough. That's how we harvest syrup too.”

“Huh.” Floyd replied. “Don't you need a Maplewood for that?”

“Righty-o!” John Dory replied. 

“You really know a lot of random stuff..” Floyd mused.

“Well.. when you live off the land for as long as I have.. ya pick up a few things.” He shrugged.

Floyd looked back forward and gave a single nod. “Yeah..” his voice had an underlying heaviness to it that made John raise his brow curiously, but he didn’t mention it, not wanting to upset him.

They walked for a few minutes in silence, as JD absentmindedly rubbed his thumb back and forth on Floyd’s. He knew there was a whole lot he wanted to say and talk about, but now that he was here, he couldn't really think of anything. Thankfully, his little brother broke the silence first.

“John…” He started.

“Yeah?” John Dory wondered what he might say. Would he try to continue their talk from yesterday? Maybe tell him why he’d kissed his cheek earlier?

“Is.. that the flower?” Floyd stopped walking, pointing off to the distance.

John Dory stalled out for a moment, following his finger. “Oh fuck, Yeah it is!!” He said excitedly. “Damn, good eye! I missed those completely!” he praised, letting his hand go to reach into his pocket. “We can’t harvest them till the sun goes down, but I’m gunna leave a flag right here.” Pulling out an orange ribbon, he slipped it around a tree branch and tied it off. 

“Good idea.” Floyd said, his hands wringing together at the loss of heat. 

Noticing it, John Dory came closer again offering his hand to him, and Floyd took it gratefully. “I’m full of great ideas.” He replied slyly, and was rewarded by another smile lighting up his brother's face.

“Are you?” he teased and they started walking again.

“Absolutely!” he affirmed, his thumb continuing its previous movement. They took the first turn going deeper into the forest, the silence around them giving their conversation an intimate vibe.

“Should I recount all your bad ideas for you?” he asked, leaning into him a bit more for warmth.

“No.” he replied quickly, and Floyd actually laughed.

“Ok ok..” he said. “I'll spare you I suppose.” They worked together to check the first trap, it was completely empty, even though it seemed to have been sprung.

Cleaning it all up and packing it away in his bag, John Dory could feel his anxiety start to tumble around in his belly. It had to be a fluke. Right?

“It just doesn't make sense.” John Dory said, as they packed up the second trap. “My traps are inescapable. Even if nothing got caught, there's no reason for them to have been triggered.”

Floyd looked around almost nervously. “Do.. you think someone sabotaged them?” 

John Dory thought about it and then looked up at him as he stood, a few of his sticks carved with notches in his hand. “No, Branch and Clay went the opposite way…” he replied thoughtfully,  feeling troubled. His traps were very specific to him, and unless someone was seriously experienced in their construction, triggering them without having it sprung on them was highly unlikely.

“So… someone else?” Floyd asked, rocking a bit on his feet, seeming kind of distracted.

“It's.. it's impossible.” He replied, looking around them too, a frown pulling at his lips.

Floyd came closer and put a hand on his arm. “Should.. we go back to camp?” He asked. 

“No.. we should still find the Mourning Pine.” He said, pushing his worry down, as he pulled his bag around him to stuff the sticks inside. They were running out of time, and if they didn’t locate what they were actually here for, then choosing this cold place would be for no reason, and Clay would be pretty irritated about it too.

“Ok. “ Floyd held out his hand, and John Dory took it. “Lead the way then.”

They headed further up the trail, and walked in silence for a while. John Dory mulled over his traps in his head, trying to make sense of what had happened. Had he been distracted last night? Probably. But he swore he explained each trap to Floyd, as well as how it worked. If anything, he knew he did every single step.

“John Dory..” Floyd started, something else on his mind entirely, and his brother looked over to him. “Can I ask you kind of a weird question?”

“Shoot.” he glanced over at him, feeling his stomach flip at the uncertainty in his voice, thoughts about his traps vanishing almost immediately. 

“Why… are you not more freaked out…?” he asked carefully, now looking at the ground.

“What do you mean?” 

“About us.. Th-this.. whole situation...” he trailed off, embarrassed.

“Why..?” John Dory pressed gently, giving his hand a squeeze.

“B-because we’re brothers!” he said quickly. “What do you mean why?” he looked at him, like he couldn't believe he would even ask that question, and John Dory gave a shrug.

“I know that.. But-” he stopped suddenly, looking over to him in steady realization. “So… that's why you said it..” he mumbled, looking directly into his brother's eyes.

Floyd’s face immediately flushed, knowing exactly what he was referring to. He stuttered for a few moments, but was unable to really come up with anything, being caught red handed in the incest jar. He turned his face away quickly, as they came up to a small clearing of the Vanishwood Trees. 

John Dory huffed a soft laugh and smirked, as his eyes scanned around, looking at each one. “You don’t have to be so weird about it, Bro.”

“Why are you not being weird?” Floyd asked, still not looking at him. “We’re brothers,” he reminded again. 

He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that so he pointed to the pine he spotted in the distance. “That looks promising.” He didn’t want to freak him out, but the realization that Floyd was likely attracted to him too, was kind of a relief.

Floyd followed his finger and took a deep breath. “How do we tell again?” 

“It'll reflect purple when the light hits it.” John Dory said as they headed in that direction, the ground crunching beneath their feet. “There are worse things..” he finally said, bumping his shoulder against his brothers gently.

“Worse than risking our relationship? And our relationship with our brothers?” Floyd asked with a frown.

John Dory raised his eyebrow, a frown pulling at his lips too. “I.. guess not..” he mumbled, feeling a bit put off. “But-”

“Do we need gloves?” Floyd interrupted him, reaching into his hair already.

“Oh.. y-yeah, definitely.” John Dory said softly, fishing into his pocket, before a slight flash caught his eyes and he stopped, pulling Floyd back against him harshly.

He stumbled, falling into his chest. “Woah! JD! Don't yank on me.” Floyd said, looking to his face in irritation. 

“Stop.” John Dory said, “Look…” he let his hand go and pointed in front of them about eye level.

“What?” Floyd asked, turning to see.

“A trigger.” He said, his fingers moving up, very gently pressing on the thin clear line of what was probably spider silk. It indented his finger just a bit as it flashed in the sun.

“Holy shit… how did you see that?” Floyd asked, his hand going up to test it himself.

“Careful!” John Dory said, grabbing his wrist quickly, before looking around him. “Don't touch it.. it's a trap.” He could feel panic start to fill his veins as he fought to control himself. He shouldn't have ignored his gut feeling just to get more alone time with Floyd, they definitely should have gone back to camp.

“Yes, I can see that.. Could it be Branch?” He asked and John Dory shook his head.

“Branch doesn't set traps like this.” He mumbled softly, his stomach flipping almost in nausea. If this type of trap was here.. then who was here with them? Especially with the bastard long dead?

Looking down, his shaking bloody hands flashed through his memory and he could feel his breathing start to hitch a bit. It had been so long since then, there was no way he survived. 

Right?

No way he was here.

“Now, Dory… didn't I teach you better than this?” and John Dory flinched, whipping around to face him as Floyd jumped in surprise. Holding his arm to keep him behind him he crouched a bit. “You almost walked right into it.” The new troll gave a small giggle, staring him down.

Looking around John Dory realized what he’d missed, he counted one, two.. three triggers, that they had only just barely not activated by chance.

He'd been so preoccupied with his little brother, that he hadn't even realized. 

Goddamnit.

–

Floyd looked over at his older brother, whose color seemed to drain from him almost immediately, and then up at the new troll that had just appeared from the trees.

He was tall, and sturdy looking. His deep blue hair had orange at the tips, and a good healthy peppering of grey, showing how much older he was. He was wearing a dingy shirt and pants, with repair patches sewn all over and an old leather eye patch. His one orange eye, almost radioactive against his nearly purple blue skin. 

He barely spared Floyd a glance, as his aging face glowed with happiness. He either wasn’t noticing John’s reaction to him or he just didn’t care.

“T-Tern..” John Dory whispered, stepping back to put Floyd more behind him, shielding him with his body.

“JD, who is that?” Floyd asked, feeling an unfamiliar feeling of dread, seeing the way the troll was looking at his brother. Something was off about him.

“Ah so you do remember.” He said coolly, slowly taking a step forward, his voice had a certain almost drawl to it. “It has been so long I was starting to worry.”

“Don't come any closer.” He ordered, reaching into his pocket to whip out his knife, in warning.

Tern's eye flicked down to the blade, his smile growing wider. “And you kept the knife…? I knew you'd missed me..” He said touching his chest, sounding a bit choked up, before he pulled his own knife out, pointing it at them. It looked exactly the same.

John Dory teetered a bit, his arm pressing Floyd against his back as best as he could. “Why aren't you dead?” He demanded, the trembling in his body getting worse.

Tern looked him up and down and then pulled his blade back, tapping it with the tip of his finger pressing just a bit, not enough to break skin just yet. “Dory, Dory… didn't I teach you to double tap?” He asked, giving a disappointed pout. “You only took my perfect vision.” He gave a small laugh, using his knife to point at his eyepatch. “But don't worry.. I forgive you.”

“I didn't ask your fucking forgiveness!” John Dory snapped. “Why are you here?!” He sounded like he was trying to stay strong, but Floyd had never seen his brother so terrified. He could tell, with the tightness in his voice, and the way his arm was trembling, holding him closely.

“Well.. same reason as you I bet.” He then pointed his knife towards the purple pine tree behind them. “Low on Knockout Oil.. and I know how much you loved it Dory~”

John Dory cursed under his breath, and Floyd looked between them. “Wait, is… this who..?” He whispered, leaning over him a bit.

“I had to learn from someone didn't I?” John Dory's voice came to his memory.

His older brother gave a nod. 

“You said he.. he died..” Floyd added, slowly connecting the dots, as Tern's smile grew wider. 

“Did he also tell you that he was the one who murdered me with his own two hands?” He asked, tilting his head. 

Floyd looked at his brother in surprise. “Murdered..?”

“Shut the fuck up.” John Dory growled. “You're standing there aren't ya?!” He asked the older troll, his knife gesturing to him aggressively. 

“Alright, attempted to murder me.” He waved his hand dismissively. “It truly wasn’t that big of a deal, and it’s cute how bad you are at killing things… your hands were so unsteady but you were so determined.” He talks as if recounting a fond memory. 

“You attempted to murder me!” John Dory interrupted loudly. 

“And the warmth of your body on mine.” Tern continued, ignoring him, giving a breathy sigh. He licked over his lips before clearing his throat. “Could anything be more romantic?” He asked, staring John Dory down like he wanted to eat him. “And fate has brought us together again! How perfect, since I’ve been searching for you for so long–”

“Don't be disgusting.” John Dory said quickly. “It was anything but romantic! Nothing we did was ever romantic! Now, you are going to leave me and my brother alone. Or I will actually kill you, this time.” John Dory warned, Tern paused, looking down at him in amusement.

“Brother? Wow, and here I thought that your brothers had died in your absence.” He touched his chest sadly. “My poor sweet Dory. So guilty. The blood of his family on his hands…” he said as if he were reading the title of a newspaper story.

“Stop it!” Floyd snapped, feeling a fiery rage growing in his belly. “None of that is true!”

Tern looked to him in surprise, and then smirked, raising a brow. “Isn't it?”

“Floyd, don't talk to him.” John Dory said quickly, glancing back to him. His face was a much ashier blue, and his hair was a deeper green now. His pupils were slits, and he kept glancing back over at the troll in front of them. Unwilling to take his eyes off of him completely. Floyd bit his lip, and said nothing else.

“And what about you little brother?” He asked, pointing his knife to him. “Cowering behind my Dory, like you've got nothing to offer him?” He tilted his head.

“Shut up.” John Dory warned, “You leave him out of this!”

“In fact, you don't really have anything to offer anyone huh? Except maybe your pretty face.” He chuckled and John Dory growled, lunging towards him.

“I SAID SHUT UP!” His outstretched claws just missed him as Tern backed up quickly, looking almost like he was going to laugh at his outburst. This guy seemed to know exactly what to say to get his brother’s already wavering control to snap, and exactly how to get him to come closer.

He snatched John Dory's wrist, yanking him away from Floyd. Giving a growl, John Dory slashed downwards with his knife, trying to get him to release him.

Tern grunted and twisted his wrist enough to make him falter, and leaned down, giving him a good hit in the ribs, using his hair to hit the blade away. John Dory grunted in pain, almost falling but the grip on his wrist kept him up. “Just as predictable as ever.” Tern chuckled.

“John!” Floyd reached out for his brother instinctually but stumbled forward on unsteady feet, before falling to his knees with a pained gasp. The white-hot anger, making his skin feel prickly as the urge to act burned inside him.

“Floyd!” John Dory cried out to him, holding his side, trying to pull back to check on him but Tern tightened his grip, seeming to be slightly irritated about his concern.

“Oh, my pet, you really should work on that temper of yours… always so quick to lash out and so slow to offer apologies.. isn't that right Floyd?” His apathetic gaze flicked back down to him and Floyd sat frozen. His brother went still as the words registered, struggles stopping for a moment. It’s like this guy knew his weakest spots to poke and prod, with how JD reacted.. “It's unfortunate, since I had him trained so well before..” He held his knife out, positioned towards him, but far enough away so John Dory couldn’t snatch it.

“Don't fucking say that, you psycho.” John Dory pulled against his grip, growling. “You made me sick on purpose!” His hair extended, hitting Tern hard across the face, before he reaching for the knife in his hands. He wrapped his hair around his wrist to keep him from moving. “You made me think I was fucking crazy! And you withheld antidotes and fucking pain meds unless I fucking earned it!” he pulled his arm closer trying to get ahold of the blade.

“You still bark pretty loud.” Tern said, his hair wrapping around his tightly, and stepped forward, both trembling in the effort to gain the upper hand, before he twisted his knife down against his hold to slash at John Dory’s forearm before he could react. “That’s alright, I’ll have to re-teach you some manners.” He grit his teeth, even though the smug grin hadn’t left his face.

Pulling himself back at the sudden pain, John Dory stumbled a bit. “The fuck you will.” He growled, trying to twist from his hold. 

How strong was this guy? Floyd wondered. Even when they were teenagers, not a single person besides maybe Bruce could go toe to toe with his eldest brother, and he was so much stronger now with much more experience.

“How long do you think it will take for you to drive your brother away again, huh Dory?” He gave him a sympathetic look, holding his blade, now dripping in glittery blood at the ready. “With an attitude like that, I’m sure you’ve already started to..” he stepped closer suddenly, pushing him back a bit to tip him slightly off balance. “You could really avoid so much heart ache if you came back to me.” He leaned into him, their noses barely brushing.

“Don’t you miss having the security of knowing no matter how vicious and out of control you get that I would never leave you?” He cooed softly.

“Knock it off!” John Dory snapped, using gravity to finally be able to twist his wrist and pull it free, releasing his hair, before pushing Tern back, putting some space between them. There wasn’t a hint of color left on him, his skin was grey and his hair was black. It made the way he bared his teeth at Tern stand out that much more. “Floyd.” He said quickly. “I need you to run.”

“What? N-no!” Floyd said, trying to push himself to stand, his breathing coming out quicker.

“FLOYD.” He yelled, interrupting him, holding his bloody arm up between him and Tern. “Get the fuck out of here. Now!” He pointed in the direction they came from. “Follow the trail back to camp!”

Taking a few moments Floyd looked between them, if he ran what would happen? This troll seemed super fucking unstable.. Would he let him leave? If he could, maybe he could bring back Rhonda and his other brothers. With all four of them, they could drive this creep away!

He carefully scooted around them and took off, Tern not paying him any mind, as he brought his knife to his hand, running his finger up the wet blood. Running hard back down the trail, Floyd felt hiccuping sobs rock his chest as he tried to breathe. He jumped over rocks and roots, using his hands to push off some trees he came too close to. 

What in the fuck was going on!? Had that guy set a trap for them? How far away was he from camp anyways? They'd been out here for a good forty-five minutes at least.

Stumbling as he struck a rock with his boot, he fought to maintain his balance crashing over into a tree, his ice cold fingers digging into the rough bark as he panted, feeling his vision blur for a moment as he tried to not break down into hyperventilating.

Breathe. Take a minute and breathe. It’s not like he was being chased. He was going to have a panic attack if he didn’t get a hold of himself. 

He put his forehead against the tree, trying to count his inhale in seconds, wondering what sort of person could scare his big brother like that, what sort of person could cause his color to disappear so quickly. He shakily looked back up the trail, in that direction. 

“...you don't really have anything to offer anyone huh? Except maybe your pretty face…”

Feeling more tears spring to his eyes, he hit his fist against the bark, a sob breaking through, his shaking legs threatening to give out. Who the fuck did this asshole think he was? What had been their relationship? He kind of reminded Floyd of one of his rocker ex’s from way back, when he was so much younger. But.. Floyd hadn’t stayed with him for long. He was way unstable, and never followed through with anything, but.. He was nothing compared to this. 

The absolute confidence as he spoke, like he knew John Dory better than anyone, while completely ignoring his obviously triggered reaction. It pissed Floyd off. How dangerous was he? His brother had claimed that he had attempted to murder him. If that was true, would this be the last time he saw him alive? Was John Dory's life in danger?

The thought of that possibility made Floyd’s heart clench in despair. His brother was in trouble.. and if he ran back to Rhonda, there was a possibility of Branch and Clay not even being back yet. Not only that, but driving Rhonda through the trees while being unable to follow the foot path? There was no way he'd be able to find them again. 

He looked back in the direction he'd come. He wasn't fucking useless. And this asshole had no power over him!

Pushing himself away from the tree, feeling a renewed sense of probably misplaced confidence, he started back up the trail. His brother needed help. And he wasn’t going to let him deal with this on his own.

–

John Dory grit his teeth, as his face was pushed into the cold ground. Tern had him pinned, his arm twisted behind his back, and his hair wrapped around his tightly to hold his head down. He had discarded his coat in their scuffle, trying to keep Tern from grabbing him, but somehow, he had gotten him down anyway. 

“Fuck! G-get off you geezer!!” He grunted, trying to wiggle free. Tern had always been skilled enough to overpower him, but he'd thought after the fifteen-ish years since then, that he'd have more of an upper hand. 

“You need to watch your language, Dory Dear.” He tutted, leaning down on him harder as he put more pressure on his twisted arm. “You've really let yourself go haven't you? Always so feisty~ but never the strength to back it up.” He slowly slid the side of his bloody knife down against his cheek, smearing across his skin. “How I've missed you~” he breathed.

“S-stop it!” John Dory demanded. “I'm not your fucking plaything anymore!”

Tern giggled, pressing the blade into his skin just a bit. “Oh Dory… already lying to yourself?” He asked, as he glided it downwards, leaving a small shallow slice in its wake.

John Dory hissed with the familiar tingling pain, squeezing his eyes closed, Tern leaning in closely to watch. “Remember how good it was?” He asked huskily. “You at my side, us against the world?” He pulled his knife away and brought it up again, pushing it down, creating another slice parallel to the last one.

“Fuck off, Tern! You were a fucking psycho! Just like you still are!” John Dory said, again trying to yank himself free. The knife was still holding steady as he fought to move, falling right back into his younger self. Powerless. Weak. Alone.

“Remember how I used to mark you up? And you would beg me for more~?” His hot breath hit John Dory's ear making him recoil in disgust. 

“You're deluded!” he said, his cheeks flushing in anger, as he felt tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. “If you have to drug me up to get that kind of reaction from me, then it doesn't mean shit!” 

“Oh, Dory.. you just have a hard time being honest. I merely remove some of your walls so you can tell me how you really feel, and what you really want.”

“Bullshit!” He spat. “You’re the one who has a hard time being honest!” he wriggled again, pushing against the ground trying to tip him off balance, as Tern kept the blade up in his skin, the thrashing making the cut more messy. “Let me UP!” he blinked, trying to dispel the tears welling up, as their last altercation came back to him.

“You should know better than to leave yourself open like that~” 

Searing pain in his abdomen, red glittery blood pouring out, and over the meat skewer that had pierced his body, soaking his long term partner that was straddled under him. His hand around Tern’s throat, claws digging into the skin.

He could remember the white furious rage he’d felt at the triumphant shit-eating grin Tern had given him, and the sound of the knife driving into his face blindly.

He looked down to his shaking bloody hands.

The one and only time he’d gotten the upper hand, and it was in the midst of a full on mental break, brought on by the asshole himself, and likely the things he’d been dosing him with.

John Dory felt a sob shake his chest, that all too familiar feeling of helplessness overtaking his mind, as Tern pressed his strong body down harder against him. He could feel his interest digging into his back, and internally, he was grateful that Floyd had run back to camp. He didn’t want him to see him like this.

“Can’t you feel how badly I’ve missed you..?” Tern asked, grinding down on him. “No one ever came close to what we had, I’m so happy…” he slid his tongue up the outer shell of his ear and John Dory shuddered, his breath hitching as he fought his rising panic.

Suddenly a loud thwump was heard, and the knife clattered to the ground, right in front of his face. The splintering of wood crumbled over them both, and Tern slumped down against his back, completely boneless. 

“JD!” Floyd’s frantic voice was heard, and Tern was pushed off of him with an almost hysterical grunt, falling to the ground, his tongue was bleeding, a bite mark across the middle of it as it lolled out his mouth. He was completely unconscious.

John Dory pushed himself up quickly, kicking Tern away as he scooted himself back, crashing into Floyd almost immediately, as he hyperventilated. They both fell backwards against the ground with the force of how quickly he was making space between him and his abuser.

His vision blurred as he turned, grabbing his little brother’s shoulder and pulling him tightly to him, hugging him to his chest, burying his face in his neck, as another sob forced its way out of his throat. He could not get enough oxygen, as he sat, squeezing his precious little brother. “Thank you, thank you..!” he whimpered softly against his ear, his fists gripping at his hoodie.

“John..!” Floyd gasped, tapping his shoulder, trying to pull in air himself against the pressure of his arms. “I can’t, b-breathe!” 

John Dory loosened his grip, and Floyd inhaled quickly, before wrapping his arms around him, his hands going up into his hair, just trying to sooth him. “Th-thank you.. Now.. j-just breathe.. You’re safe… JD! Just breathe..!” He took a deep shaky inhale, through the tears dripping down his cheeks, trying his best to calm his older brother down, in spite of the panic he was feeling.

John Dory nodded, and tried to do what he was told, fighting through the hiccuping and sobs, as the tears flowed freely. He could barely think, all he could see was Tern's bloody face, knife sticking out of it, his own hands covered in his blood, his own mixing in. Tern’s weight up against him, reminding him of how he had carved his name into his inner thigh. The pain in his cheek, and the memory of the meat skewer embedded in his abdomen. He was going to die. He’ll be with them soon, he’ll see them again, he doesn’t have to wait much longer. It hurts. It hurts and he can’t breathe-but he’ll see his family again soon. His brothers, his grandmother, his parents.

His breathing was coming out heavier than before, and he was too aware of everything. Of the spit in his mouth, the coldness of his body, the way everything ached. It was too much. He hadn’t had a real breakdown like this in years! “Fuck-Fuck. I can’t believe he stabbed me-” His hand goes to the round scar on his belly. He doesn’t touch any of the open cuts that were just given to him. Doesn’t even seem to realize that they’re there.

“John!” Floyd said loudly, his voice a bit stronger than before, likely realizing that he wasn’t fully in reality at the moment. “It’s ok! He didn’t stab you! You're ok! You’re safe, I’m here… I’m not going anywhere..! Breathe with me! In!” He inhaled shakily, “and out!” He exhaled, pulling his brother to lay against his chest, since the hard ground was making his ass and hips ache.

Following him, and pressing his face to his neck, John Dory took deep breaths with Floyd as best he could, slowly feeling the buzzing in his brain quieting down, along with the uncontrollable flashbacks. He could feel his brother's small trembling body against him, the smell of his skin and shampoo through the blood and dirt. He could feel his heartbeat in his chest, his ribs expanding and contracting, and the ice cold of his fingers against his skin. Floyd was here, with him. He had come back for him, and had literally bludgeoned his attacker to save him.

“There you go..” Floyd said softly, his voice cracking, rubbing his hair gently in time with their breathing. “It's ok.. JD.. we’re ok.” They laid together for what felt like forever, before John was able to calm down enough to have control over himself again. 

He shook his head slowly and pulled away from him, looking down at the smears of glittery red that was now peppered into Floyd’s fluffy black hoodie along with the dirt and soil, on his arms and chest, a few smears on his cheek too. “No.. W-we… we have to…” He whispered, now slowly realizing he was straddling him, his hands on either side of his body, holding him up as he moved his gaze up to meet his.

Floyd was watching him, his brows pinching in the middle in concern, his cheeks flushed from the excitement, and wet with tears.

“We have to go..” he said, his voice hitching in urgency, as he looked behind them, eyes searching for their attacker.

“It’s ok!” Floyd repeated. “He’s out cold..” 

John Dory’s eyes rested on his unconscious body and he gulped down another few deep breaths, still visibly trembling.

“John…” Floyd whispered, grabbing his attention. He looked back down to his little brother as his hand reached up to touch his cheek ever so gently. “He cut you…” he said sadly, pulling his red stained fingers back.

The words hit him deep inside and the reality of what had just happened settled in his gut. He blinked as a new wave of fresh tears spilled over his face. “I-I’m sorry Floyd…” He croaked softly. 

“Shh…” Floyd said gently, as he put both his hands on his jaw cradling his face, while his older brother looked away. “This isn’t your fault..”

“I-I shouldn’t have brought us here…” He continued. “You… you shouldn’t have… you saw him… And now.. He knows...” he hiccuped and Floyd shook his head. 

“It’s ok.. We’re ok.” he gave him a soft smile and John Dory slowly was able to get a hold of himself as he carefully pushed off of him, looking around to make sense of where he was. His eyes fell to Tern, still unconscious and bleeding. 

Feeling that same sudden white-hot anger he scrambled to his feet and lunged at him, nails ripping into his shirt, as he swung him and threw him directly into the spider silk trigger as he roared angrily. The trap sprung and his unconscious body was lifted high into the air by a net, bouncing a few times until it stilled, he was stuck laying sideways, a hand sticking out the bottom.

“Good fucking riddance, you fucking piece of shit!!” He yelled, grabbing a piece of the splintered wood and throwing it at him with all his might, not even watching to see if it hit. “I hope you get fucking eaten!” He snatched his coat from the ground.

“John..” Floyd's soft voice made him jump and he turned, seeing his brother slowly come up to him. His face was eerily calm, though it showed concern, as he reached a hand to rest against John Dory’s arm, both a bit sticky with bits of blood and dirt on them.

“W-we should wash off..” John Dory said, looking down at the mess over his brother's skin.

“Wash off…?” Floyd seemed confused. “Aren’t we going back to camp?”

“There’s a stream up this way.” John Dory said, now feeling that familiar distance within himself. He couldn’t dwell on his feelings or his flashbacks. His brother had just been traumatized for the third time by his count, and was covered in his blood. He needed to wash him off, get him clean, get him far away from Tern.

“John Dory.” Floyd said loudly, getting his attention, very obviously shivering already.. “It is freezing. You want to wash off in a stream? It’ll be dark by the time we get back to camp. Hypothermia doesn’t sound fun to me. Branch n Clay-” 

John Dory frowned and interrupted. “We.. we can't tell them!” 

Floyd blinked. “What? John we have to-”

“We can't!" he snapped loudly. “They can never know about this! I-it’ll drive them away..! Look at you!” he gestured to him. “Th-they will never trust me again..!” He pressed his hands to his face, feeling another sob threaten to break through. “I wouldn’t trust me..”

Floyd stood for a few moments, his mouth pressed in a thin line, seeming to contemplate his words. He then took a few steps forward and gently pulled his hands away so he could see his eyes “John Dory…” he said firmly. “It would take a lot more to drive us all away than that. Clay and Branch would never blame you-.”

John looked up at his brother, feeling a rolling turmoil in his body. Fear, and concern.. Pain, and regret. “But I do! It was my stupid choice to take you guys out here because I needed to get the ingredients for the knockout oil!” he pulled away from Floyd's hands and rubbed at his head. 

“Needed?” Floyd pressed as he allowed his brother to move back, not wanting to overwhelm him even more.

“I haven’t been able to sleep without it! That, or I get so drunk that I can’t process whatever the fuck goes on in my head!” John Dory replied, getting louder.

“You haven't been sleeping?” Floyd asked, a frown of concern pulling at his lips. 

John Dory's color was still just as dull and grey, a literal shadow of himself. He didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from talking, with the stress of the situation taking over, mowing over Floyd's concern without a second thought. “I had the bright idea that I would be able to make some happy memories here without HIM! And what happened? What fucking happened?! I got you hurt again!” He gestured at him and then turned and walked in a small circle, almost pacing.

“I’m not hurt, JD!” Floyd interrupted quickly, but his brother didn’t seem to even notice as he continued.

“For fuck’s sake, he was right. And I hate that he was right-I already drove you away before, and this… this could be… I can't drive you away again! I don’t… Fuck!” He faced him again, though he wasn't looking directly at him, his hands going to his chest in pain. “You-… Just the thought- it fucking hurts Floyd- I can’t, I don’t want to–”  His eyes are darting around, like he’s looking for a threat, like he doesn’t want to look at him.

“John… John Dory!” Floyd interrupted loudly, coming towards him again. “I know that you’re stressed about this but you don’t get to put words in my mouth, you don’t get to decide how I feel about this, and you don’t have to blame yourself for my actions!” He put his fingers on his chest in emphasis, his voice wavered dangerously as he continued.

John Dory blinked as a few stray tears slipped from his eyes, looking at him in surprise. 

“It was all me, if you want to blame someone for me backing away while I was figuring things out then you should blame me! I did that! Listen closely. You did not drive me away. That was not your fault. And you need to not listen to what psychos like him tell you.” Floyd pointed to Tern, still unconscious in the net.

John Dory glanced to the net and then back to his brother “I… we can’t tell them about this… please. Y-you guys are all I have..”

Floyd stared at him a few moments, searching his face before he took a deep and calming breath. “We… don’t have to tell specifics.. W-we can just say we got attacked by an animal..” he offered, coming closer to him, reaching to cradle his jaw in his hands as he ran his thumb against his skin. John Dory nearly deflated in relief. “Does that work…?” he asked gently.

John Dory nodded and felt that familiar rush of affection growing in his chest, making his heart ache and his eyes feel misty. He shakily reached up with his cleaner hand and pressed it against the back of his brothers, his lips trembling.

“And.. I'm not going anywhere..” Floyd added. “I'm sorry I made you feel like you did something wrong, JD.. you didn't. You've been trying s-so hard this whole time… you've always had my back no matter what.”

Taking in an almost hiccuped breath John Dory leaned in and pulled Floyd against him, his little brother's arms slipping around his neck as they hugged tightly. He could feel him shivering under his touch, and the drying blood between them made this embrace less than comfortable.. but he needed to hold him. He needed him close.

“Let's.. get out of here.” Floyd said softly after a few moments. “Let's clean up back in Rhonda… hopefully Clay doesn't freak out too bad.” He attempted a smile.

John Dory nodded and pulled away a bit, looking up to the sky. “I… y-yeah.. We should head back.” he said softly. “We.. need to leave the area tonight.” 

Floyd looked relieved as he nodded. “Ok…” 

John Dory pulled his jacket from his arm and draped it over Floyd’s shoulders. “Wear that.. It’s less wet.” He said, and Floyd fixed it on himself. 

“Won’t you get cold..?” He asked and John Dory shrugged. 

“I think you need it more than me..” he replied, moving to grab his duffel bag he’d dropped, John Dory put it on his shoulder and then he took his knife from the ground, gripping it in his hand,  and holding his other out to Floyd. They headed back down the trail together, as the temperature got colder and colder, the sun dipping lower in the sky.

Floyd leaned into him a bit as his brother rubbed his thumb in slow circles, like he always did. “Do.. you want to talk about it?” he finally asked, as he tried his best to keep up with him. They were walking as fast as they could, putting as much distance between Tern and them as possible. He left his question open ended so that his brother could respond in any way he wanted.

John let out a sigh and cleared his throat, wiping at his nose before answering. “He…. wasn’t always like that…” he started. “When he rescued me in Division Canyon, he was knowledgeable, and cool… He saved my fuckin life more times than I could count..”

Floyd nodded, putting his other hand in the jacket pocket.

“He gave me a reason to live again.. After I thought-.. After I thought you all had died.” his voice wavered. “He helped teach me how to survive.. Make medicines and live off the land… t-take care of Rhonda. She loved him so much… he was always allowed in her, she never saw him as a threat, not even in the end. He.. had brought my color back.. He was like a father to me.” John Dory had almost never shared this story with anyone else, except for Bruce in his drunken state at the reunion concert. And as he spoke, some of the weight on his heart lessened.

“But he.. He was sick. In the head… I think maybe he had already started to go crazy before he took me in, but I made it s-so much worse..” Shame slowly overtook his tone as he looked at the ground to watch where they were stepping. “I knew something was off with him.. But I ignored the problem.. u-until it spun out of control…”

“What do you mean?” Floyd asked carefully, trying to keep his voice level and nonjudgmental.

“I started noticing.. Things. Like I would get sick a lot.. Or find marks or cuts on my skin… I found out later that he’d been poisoning me with all types of.. shit. Making me sick on purpose.. Just so he could be my hero and baby me..”

“To.. make you feel like you couldn’t survive without him..” Floyd finished softly, also looking at the ground. 

“Y-yeah…”John Dory squeezed Floyd’s hand as he gathered his thoughts again. “When I found out… It had been after.. Months of getting sick, over and over. It was fucking brutal. I could barely keep anything down, and he would just give me the Knockout Oil to help me sleep through it. I was weak and.. Fucking delirious, thinking I was going crazy. Thought maybe I’d been sleepwalking or I had gaps in my memory? I didn’t know.. But Tern.. he had been gaslighting me the whole time. I found him d-dripping Bluebell Cyanide into my dinner… and I just.. I lost it.” John Dory looked down to the knife in his hand. “I attacked him.. I left him for dead… I just… c-can’t believe he survived…”

“I’m.. I’m sorry JD..” Floyd said quietly. “That sounds… r-really scary…”

He nodded. “Yeah..” John Dory looked over to him, unable to fully see his face due to his bangs. “Floyd…”

“Hm?” 

“Why did you come back?” he asked carefully. “I.. told you to run..”

“Because you needed me…” Floyd looked at him, as if it were obvious. “You're my brother. And I love you.. so.. I couldn't just leave you there.” He slowly flushed and looked back ahead of them.

“Well, breaking a tree branch over his head was pretty genius,” he admitted.

Floyd shook his head, “I… didn’t even think. I just.. I saw him.. And what he was doing, so I grabbed the heaviest looking thing I could find…”

“Well it worked..” he forced a small pained laugh. “I’d never been able to get the jump on him like that.”

Floyd huffed a small laugh too. “I'm glad it did.. cause I have no idea what I would've done if it didn't…” 

“Yeah…” John Dory agreed. “Him being an old geezer probably helped too..”

“I'm sure. How old even is he?” Floyd asked, curiously. 

“I dunno.. maybe… 60?”

Floyd made a face. “He's even older than I thought.”

With another slight chuckle, John agreed, before continuing “Don't take this the wrong way… but I didn't think you had it in you… I thought you might.. freak out.”

“That's… fair. I haven't had the best track record lately…” Floyd's voice got smaller. “I did freak out for a sec.. but. I thought about how much you’ve always protected and been there for me.. And everyone else. I knew I had to do something.. And if I ran all the way back to Rhonda, I didn’t think I’d find you again.” He squeezed his hand. “And…” He paused, his ears going a bit red. “I w-was scared.. Scared of losing you..”

“I’m sorry Floyd… you were never supposed to have to deal with this..” he mumbled. 

“This isn’t your fault.” Floyd reminded again. “I’ve already dealt with my fair share of crazies and assholes… this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a fight.. N-not that this was much of a fight..”

John Dory nodded, with another half hearted chuckle… “True that.. Brother..” their conversation quieted down for a few minutes before they turned their attention to what exactly they would tell Branch and Clay when they arrived.

They went back and forth a bit, coming up with a cohesive story together, the sun slowly setting on them. By the time they made it to the orange flag that John Dory had set out, it was dark enough to harvest the Noxi Daisies.

John pulled out a black jar, slipping his gloves on, and carefully cut the heads free, taking only the ones that were faintly glowing white. He latched the cap on and they headed back into camp, where Branch was cooking some meat on the fire, Clay nowhere to be seen.

Branch looked up at them and raised his hand in greeting. “Hey guys.” he said, “Did your super complicated traps-” he stopped talking as they walked more into the light, standing up quickly. “Holy shit, what happened!?” he asked, dropping his roasting stick and rushed over to them.

“We were attacked..!” Floyd said quickly. 

“By who!?” He demanded as he leaned in to look closer at the slices up John Dory’s face.

“Not, who.” John Dory corrected, backing up, not wanting him to look too closely. “A huge wild fuckin animal. I’ve never seen anything like it! It had gigantic claws!”

“And sharp teeth!” Floyd added. “It got John a few times, but he saved our lives!”

“What?” Branch asked, looking behind them almost fearfully, then back at the cooking food, then back to them. “Did, did you kill it?!” 

“No, but it definitely likes the taste of troll, so we gotta go!” John Dory gestured back to the dark woods. “I do not want another run in!”

Branch nodded quickly, before looking to Floyd. “Are..! Are you hurt too?” he asked, his hand touching his cheek as he leaned in, looking him over. “There’s blood everywhere!”

“No, no, I’m fine..!” he replied quickly. “John protected me. He’s the only one hurt.”

Branch glanced over at his eldest brother, and nodded. “You guys go clean up, I’ll pack everything up real fast. We’ll head out in ten.”

John Dory nodded. “Good, hurry, then. Grab my clothes, but leave anything else non essential! And if you see anything or hear anything. Do not engage! This thing was vicious!” he warned before pulling Floyd to the door.

“Right.” Branch said, before he moved back to the fire, tossing some water on it.

Heading inside the warmth of Rhonda, John Dory looked around, seeing Clay’s hair on his bunk, hearing the sound of him snoring softly.

“Thank fuck.” he mumbled and Floyd seemed to agree as he moved to grab his first aid kit, and they both slipped into the back, shutting the bathroom door behind them.

“Jump in the shower. Warm up and wash off.” John Dory told Floyd as he set his kit on the toilet and flipped it open, grabbing some cotton rounds and soaked them in alcohol.

Floyd nodded, and stepped into the shower, pulling the door closed before he pulled off his hoodie, pants and boots, and turning the water on.

“Oh shit..” John Dory mumbled as he finally saw himself in the mirror, leaning in to touch his face and run his fingers through his hair. Floyd hadn’t mentioned it, but he was almost completely grey. His hair was a deeper green and his skin had lost its blue luster. How was he going to explain this to his brothers?

He washed his hands in the sink as he leaned in, looking closely at the cuts on his cheek, these wouldn’t be too hard to heal up, thankfully. He took the cotton round and dabbed over them, remembering the feel of Tern’s tongue up against his ear, making a wave of nausea roll through him.

“You should know better than to leave yourself open like that~” 

His voice echoed in his head again, his smug face flashing in his brain. The knife. The blood. The pain. The betrayal.

John Dory could feel his breath hitching as he tried to take in deep breaths, his vision blurring out for a second, his he put his hands on the edge of the sink, new drops of blood falling from his face leaving glittery red splatters on the white porcelain.

He had thought he was free of the bastard forever.. And now Tern knew he was alive. He could potentially track him anywhere given enough time. How long until he finds out he’s living in Pop Village? How long until he puts his brothers in jeopardy?

He closed his eyes, trying to will the tears threatening to well up, away. This whole thing was so fucking stupid! He was fifteen years older, wiser, stronger! And he had his family back. Tern would not take that away, just to drag him into his fucked up idea of a relationship.

His hands clenched angrily at the sink. How fucking dare he ruin his fun little trip with his bros! He repressed a growl, and pulled off his tank top, using it to wipe up any of the fresh blood and dirt from his body before throwing it to the ground. He then grabbed a hand towel and got it wet, using it to do a bit of a better job. How dare he mess with his traps to fuck with him! Play fucking mind games! Set a trap up for them to run into, and then gloat like he knew anything about him at all!

After a few swipes across his chest with his rag he rinsed it out before doing it again, mopping up most of the red that was on him, washing it down the drain. 

“John Dory?” Floyd's voice broke through his frustration. “If your hands are clean, can you grab me a towel?” 

Shaking his head to try to dispel his spiraling thoughts, he turned the water on again, washing down the blood. He gave his hands a good scrub too before turning and opening the small cabinet to pull out a towel. “Yeah. Here.” He said, holding it up to the shower door.

Floyd opened it and stuck his hand out to grab it, before pulling it inside and drying off. 

It was quiet for a few moments while John Dory grabbed more cotton rounds, and soaked those in alcohol too, again dabbing at the slices on his face.

His anger bubbled inside his chest, threatening to burst from him at any second. He knew he should be trying to calm down, but his thoughts would not stop bringing Tern up in his memory. Every little mistake John had ever made had led him to this fucking moment. 

“How long do you think it will take for you to drive your brother away again, huh Dory?”

The room lurched slightly as Rhonda started moving, and he looked at his grey face in the mirror, the urge to smash it rose up in him. He balled the wet cotton in his fist, clenching his teeth. But.. he didn't want to have an outburst like that in front of his brothers… taking another deep breath he closed his eyes trying to push it down. He reasoned with himself that it would just cause more problems and would solve literally nothing. Branch and Clay would know he lied about running into a wild animal, and he might even trigger Floyd. He needed to stay in control. He could not let Tern get under his skin, when he isn't even here.

A soft touch to his arm startled him, and he hit Floyd's hand away quickly as he backed into the wall with an almost growl. 

Floyd stood there wide eyed, bringing his hand back to his own chest to rub where he was struck.

“F-Floyd!” John Dory said in surprise. “Don't! Don't.. sneak up on me.” his face was feeling warm again. 

“You didn't hear the shower door open?” Floyd asked, gesturing behind him. He was now damp, and the towel was wrapped around his waist

John Dory stood there for a few moments trying to breathe deeply to dispel his rise in panic, his fists trembling. 

Seeming to notice, Floyd held up his hands. “I'm sorry John.. I didn't mean to startle you.” He closed some of the space between them and then glanced to the running water in the sink. He turned the faucet off before reaching down to gently take his brother's clenched fist into his hands.

“It's ok…” he said softly, carefully opening his fist to reveal the crushed cotton round. He took it, and put it on the sink, before he pulled up a part of his towel to dab his palm clean. John could feel his racing heart, slowly calming as he watched his sweet little brother treat him so gently. His face was slightly flushed from the heat of the water, his hair was a bit damp, and the moisture in the air was clinging to his skin, giving him a slight shine in the light.

Floyd pulled up his hand and set it on his cheek, leaning into it a bit as he looked over at his brother. “Just breathe.. I'm here.” He said softly.

His words made a lump in his throat form, as John Dory gave a single nod, using his hand to guide him closer. He smelt clean and fresh.. like his body wash. It overpowered the scent of blood and dirt in his nose. His fingers carefully felt his cheek, his thumb swiping slowly at his skin. He was warm.. soft. Pretty…

And he was so fucking close..

John Dory reached up with his other hand, touching his neck, cupping where the now healed bite mark had been, as he drew him up against his chest. He searched his eyes, all thoughts of Tern slowly melting away as he stared into Floyd’s light pink irises, their breath now intermingling. 

“I'm here..” Floyd said again, his voice barely above a whisper, his hand holding his wrist with a shaky grip.

“You are..” John responded softly, glancing down at his brother's soft lips for just a second.

Time seemed to slow as Floyd surged forward, connecting their mouths with heated desperation, his hands going to his waist to press harder into his body.

John Dory responded immediately, tilting his head to get at his lips more comfortably, the hand on the side of his neck tightening just a bit as the euphoria of their connection washed over his body. Relief flooded his brain as they breathed in unison, connecting and disconnecting over and over again. Floyd was here, against him. He wanted him. He loved him. He wasn't Tern.. 

The hand on Floyd's neck moved into his hair on the back of his head, just cradling him lovingly, as sparks of interest bloomed in his stomach. Floyd pressed against him harder, making John's back bump against the wall behind him, as he tilted his head the other way, opening his mouth a bit as an invitation, his wet muscle very gently prodding at his brother's. John parted his lips, their tongues meeting in the middle, curling and twisting around each other, making Floyd give a soft moan of pleasure.

The sound seemed to hit them back into reality and they separated, his little brother's hands going up to John's chest as their breathing intermingled again.

John Dory's heart was pounding, and he felt almost lightheaded as he licked his own lips, studying his brother's flushed face. He could feel that spark turning into a fiery flame of need inside him, he didn't want it to stop. 

Floyd looked away, his cheeks glowing pink as John Dory slipped his fingers from his hair and pushed his bangs from his eyes, his thumb again doing small soothing circles on his skin. “S-sorry.. John..” Floyd started, his voice wavering dangerously. “I.. um.. I didn't…”

“Floyd.. look at me.” John Dory replied softly, and his brother took a few moments to breathe before sliding his gaze to meet his. He could see the slight shine of tears welling up. His brows knitted together and his bottom lip, glossy with their kiss trembling ever so slightly.

John stared at him probably just a bit too long, his fingers sliding over his supple flushed skin, affectionately, just touching him.. feeling him.

“JD..” Floyd breathed, his voice cracking.

John looked over his expression and then back to his eyes as he felt just the smallest smile tug at his lips. “There… are worse things..” He said softly, his voice heavy, conveying so much more than just that.

Floyd blinked at him in surprise, seeming to realize what he'd meant, as he took another shaky breath, giving a slight watery smile along with a single nod of agreement.

Taking that as consent, John put a hand down around his waist and pulled him in again as he turned, pushing him back against the wall. Their lips connected and Floyd put his arms around his shoulders, his fingers moving into his hair as they slid their tongues back together.

John Dory could feel the pain in his body melt away with every lick and peck from Floyd's soft mouth. He was sugary and sweet, just like he remembered, the hand on his waist moving up to caress the small curve of his back, as his little brother arched, pressing their hips together.

“F-fuck…” Floyd huffed against his mouth, his voice tight and pinched, and JD shushed him, smiling softly as he pushed his bangs back again to look into his eyes before pressing his lips to his once again.

It was soft, sweet, gentle.. it had truly been so long since John Dory had anyone in his arms, he was worried a bit about being too much, but with every movement he made, Floyd seemed to reciprocate it needily, arching into his touch, pulling his tongue into his mouth expertly. He didn't seem to care that John Dory hadn't fully washed off, only wanting more of his body up against his.

Moving his hand down, going over the towel just barely holding onto his waist, John Dory slipped his fingers to lift at Floyd's leg, hiking it up a bit on his hip.  His little brother used this as leverage to press his body more firmly into him, making a soft desperate noise as his fingers tangled more into his hair. 

Then there was a sudden knock on the door, making them break apart with a gasp.

“Guys? Are you ok? Branch said you got attacked by an animal.” Clay asked, sounding tired, but concerned..

“Y-yeah.. we're ok!” Floyd called, as they pulled away from each other, both kind of giving soft awkward laughs.

“Just washing up and doing some first aid.” John Dory added, moving away from his little brother, the threat of almost being caught dousing the fire in his belly.

“We'll be out in five.” Floyd said, fixing his towel on his hips before checking himself in the mirror.

“Ok.. do you need anything?” Clay asked. 

“Nope! Thanks Clay!” Floyd answered, as John Dory stepped behind him, seeing his own reflection. 

He realized with surprise that his color had returned to his skin and hair. He touched his cheek almost in disbelief, and caught his little brother's eye through the mirror, now noticing his once clean skin was again smeared just a bit with red and brown. They said nothing as they both flushed a bit, smiling at each other. Floyd glanced over to the shower and John Dory nodded, backing up, and stepping inside, before pulling his goggles and shorts off and dropping them to the pile of dirty laundry on the floor.

He turned the water on and quickly washed himself off, most of the evidence of what had happened disappearing down the drain.

After a few moments the door opened a bit, and Floyd stepped in, keeping his face down as he moved up next to him, his hands testing the water.

“We showerin’ together now?” John Dory whispered, his voice husky, feeling a tentative smile tug at his lips, though he kept his eyes away from his brother to allow him some privacy. 

“I'm just washing off. Since you got me dirty again.” Floyd replied, splashing his chest with the water and then getting some more of his body wash to scrub himself down quickly.

“Right. Sorry..” John Dory replied, looking at the ceiling. He stepped back out of the water to allow Floyd more access, and it was quiet again between them.

“Did you wash this?” Floyd asked, his finger gently touching at John Dory's forearm.

“Not yet.” he looked down at it.

Gently taking his wrist, Floyd carefully spread some soap over the cut, and washed it thoroughly. His hands sliding up and down on it, getting any bits of earth or dried blood out of it.

“It's.. kind of deep. Does it hurt?” His voice was soft.. and sad.

“Nah.. I'll patch it up, and it'll be fine.” John Dory responded, moving it under the water, and rinsing it off. “Thank you…” he added.

“No problem.. JD..” Floyd replied softly, still looking at the ground, chewing his bottom lip.

John took a small step forward, and touched his jaw to tilt his face to his own. They met eyes, heated feelings simmering just behind them, as his fingers ran across his cheek gently. “We better get out there..” he reminded.

Floyd blinked and nodded, taking a step back from his touch and wordlessly opened the shower door, closing it behind him.

Soon John was left alone in the bathroom and he finished washing off, brushing his teeth, and stepping out himself. He dried off, and then spent the next few minutes putting the healing balm on all his injuries, taping them up, and covering them with gauze. Then he slapped his goggles on his forehead, and gave himself a smile in the mirror, hoping he looked mostly normal.

Exiting the bathroom, he moved to his closet to pull out a t-shirt and a clean pair of sweats. He could hear both Branch and Clay up in the front asking Floyd questions about their wild animal encounter. He was answering the best he could, going off of the story they had come up with together.

After making himself presentable, he stretched and cracked his neck a bit, putting on a relaxed expression, he walked up to their group.

“Alrighty, Branch move over.” He said with a smile.

“What? Why?” Branch asked.

“Cause we're gunna go to the next destination. The Glitter Glades!” He replied dramatically.

“What?” Clay asked. “Don't we still need to find the Noxi Daisies?”

“Negatory.” John Dory gestured back to his duffle bag. “Got em already. Did you get the inner tree bark and the pine needles?”

“Yeah, and the Vanishwood Sap.” Branch added.

“Well fuck yeah!!” John Dory gave his back a slap. “Teamwork!” 

“Ow.” Branch said in irritation.

“Now let's get out of this cold miserable place!” He spun Branch's chair taking his place in the driver's seat, his baby brother falling off into Clay who caught him with a bit of difficulty.

“John Dory!” Clay gasped, as he righted Branch on his feet. “What is your problem?!”

“I just want to put as much distance between us and this place as possible.” He replied, flipping the cover up on his hustle button.

“John, wait!” Branch said as he pressed it.