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Chapter Text

Ever since his older brothers moved into his bunker, both permanently and occasionally, things had been a bit of a mess for Branch.

A real mess. It wasn’t that he minded, he was happy his brothers were back in his life after twenty two years, but something needed to be done about it. 

It was still a real mess that quickly told Branch that there needed to be some ground rules in place.

Ground rules that Branch knew full well he had to set. If he was going to let his brothers stay, there were rules that they needed to follow. 

And so, on the morning of the third full day of his brothers staying, Branch elected to stay in his bedroom and write said rules down before finding his brothers and joining them in the kitchen for that morning’s breakfast. 

If one of his brothers didn’t find him first.

“What are you writing, Branch?” he all of a sudden heard Floyd ask from his doorway, startling him and causing him to turn his head and look up. 

“Nothing important,” Branch grumbled out, turning his attention back down towards the paper that he held in his hands. “Could you leave me alone so that I can concentrate, Floyd?”

But his fourth older brother didn’t seem to listen, entering his bedroom and electing to sit beside him when he made his way over towards his bed with a curious look. 

“What do you want, Floyd?” Branch asked, stopping writing briefly.

“John had a question he said only you could answer.”

“It can be answered later, Floyd.” Branch turned away a little when Floyd leaned over to look at what was on his paper, starting up with his writing again. He didn’t bother to want to know why John Dory wouldn’t come ask it himself.

“Not if he said it was important,” Floyd said.

“No question from John Dory is important.”

“I get it,” Floyd said, putting a hand on Branch’s shoulder. ‘When John Dory has an important question he wants answered, it’s usually some ridiculous one. But this one isn’t ridiculous. I promise you that.”

Branch folded his paper up and tucked it inside his hair. He stood up, Floyd doing the same thing a few moments later. “Fine,” he uttered. “What’s John asking about?”

“He wants to know about the bunker’s rules.”

Oh. “I’m glad that he’s asking then, Floyd,” Branch said, exiting his room. 

Floyd followed a few moments later, managing to catch up with Branch a few seconds after. He noted Branch wasn’t bothered with the fact that it was their oldest brother was the one who was asking about the rules in the first place. It was more of a Bruce or Clay thing to ask about rules to be completely honest.

When they finally got to the kitchen, their older brothers were in the middle of a random, intense game of cards. They all only looked up when Branch cleared his throat, a silence quickly making itself known.

“So you came to talk to us about the rules?” Bruce asked, breaking it.

“Yes.” Branch took his paper out of his hair. “Though I’m surprised it wasn’t either of you who asked about the bunker’s rules,” he said. “Why John Dory of all Trolls?”

“We were the ones who were wondering, dude,” Clay said. “We just asked John to ask Floyd to ask you.”

“What?”

“How else were we supposed to know, bro?” Bruce asked.

Branch held one of his fingers up. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe you should’ve sent John to ask. Or come ask me about them yourselves. Why didn’t you?”

Clay put his cards down. “One, you’d just assume that John was going to ask one of his ridiculous questions and two, why wouldn’t we ask Floyd to ask you?”

“Just read the rules!” Clay shouted out of stress, looking between Branch and Floyd. “Either of you!”

Branch took a deep breath and opened his paper, passing it to Floyd.

____________________________________

1. No pets allowed in the bunker

2. No breaking things 

3. No messing with the bunker system 

4. Keep the bunker clean and organized 

5. No reading sad books past midnight (I’m looking at you, Clay)

6. Bruce is the only one who’s allowed to cook besides me

____________________________________

“Those are the rules, dude?” Clay spoke.

Branch took the paper from Floyd. “Yes, and you need to follow them or you won’t be allowed to stay here.”

“Bro, that is extremely difficult,” Bruce stated.

John nodded. “Everyone knows rules are made to be broken.”

“No, they’re not, dude,” Clay argued back.

“Yes, they are, Clay.”

“No they’re not.”

“Yes they are.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.” 

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Yes,” Bruce slyly spoke, very clearly wanting to turn things around as a joke.

“No…” John Dory stopped when he realized what the oldest of his younger brothers had said. Had done. “Hey! No fair!”

“What? Did you expect Clay to turn things around and trick you?”

“No!”

Floyd chose now to step in before the argument that was occurring could get any worse than it already was. “Guys, guys, please. Let’s stop arguing and at least try to follow Branch’s rules.”

Chapter Text

John, Bruce and Clay relaxed on the grass, their hands resting behind their heads and eyes focused on the sky and clouds above them as a part of their agreement with each other to sky watch for the rest of the day. They had asked their younger brothers if they wanted to join them but Branch said that he had plans to spend the day with Poppy and Floyd had a planned solo day trip to Volcano Rock City that he would be back from early that afternoon (John had allowed him to borrow Rhonda because there was no way he was going to be back that afternoon if he traveled on foot).

So they were on their own, it seemed.

And they went from sky watching to guessing cloud shapes by mid morning.

Even with John Dory’s decision to try and convince his younger brothers that the clouds all had ridiculous shapes. Ranging from Troll hair to rocks to fire to name some. Bruce had been correcting him every opportunity he got, even if he was jokingly convincing his older brother that the clouds were all cloud shaped. Clay was providing them with more serious answers, ranging from one cloud being shaped like a Troll to another shaped like an upside down ice cream cone.

When they felt they had enough of cloud watching, by mid afternoon, all three brothers sat up and turned their attention towards the scenery surrounding them in the hopes of finding some things to look at.

Floyd passing by with a dragon in his hands was not one of those things.

Clay stood up and was quick enough to stop his younger brother short before Floyd had a chance to head down into the bunker. “Does Branch know that you’re taking that into his bunker?” he found himself asking after what seemed like a long moment of silence shared between all four Trolls.

Floyd shook his head. “No, because I want you all to keep him from finding her.”

“Keep him from finding her?” John repeated. “Floyd, he’s going to find out.”

“Not if you keep him distracted,” Floyd said, freeing a hand to stroke Emo’s scales.

“Where’d you even get her, bro?” Bruce asked him, changing the subject but keeping it focused on Emo at the same time.

“Volcano Rock City,” Floyd said. “When I found her, she was lonely and I couldn’t resist bringing her back with me.”

With that, he started toward the bunker again. Only for John Dory, Bruce and Clay to all stand in front of him as a way to block him from entering. Floyd stopped short and let his dragon curl up on his shoulders.

“Brothers?” he spoke, glancing from John to Bruce to Clay and back.

“I really think you should leave her outside, dude,” Clay was the first to say.

“But she’s cute.”

And, with that, before his older brothers could say anything and stop him, Floyd entered the bunker and closed the hatch door behind him.

“We……all know that Branch isn’t going to be happy about that when and if he does find out, don’t we?” Bruce said as he, John and Clay watched on nervously, the latter two nodding in agreement as they headed out towards the Village in order to start distracting their youngest brother. 

Floyd carefully laid out the dirty towel he had found on the floor of his room and gently set Emo down onto it, the little purple and black creature moving around before eventually finding a rather comfortable spot right in the middle of it. Scooting closer to her, Floyd waited around five minutes before he let Emo climb up onto his lap, curl up, and relax.

He began to stroke her gently, over and over, and watched her close her eyes and go straight to sleep, her little wings flapping every now and again. She looked so adorable in that position and Floyd felt a smile cross his face as he watched her.

He couldn’t imagine his day trip to Volcano Rock City via Rhonda would end with him bringing home an unexpected pet. One that was lonely and didn’t want him to leave without her. So of course he was given no choice but to pick her up, carry her into Rhonda, and head straight on back to Pop Village, his trip forgotten.

His younger brother was never going to find out.

If only Floyd knew how wrong he was going to be.

Branch headed down the hallway where all the bedrooms were, looking for Floyd. The rest of his older brothers distracting him and refusing to tell him where Floyd was no matter how many times he tried to ask them was really starting to frustrate him and he had to get away from them momentarily.

“Floyd?!” he called out, worriedly. There was no answer, then…

“Emo, you can’t mess up my room.”

Branch stopped just outside of Floyd’s room, entering. "Floyd, who is that?"

Floyd startled and looked up at Branch. "My pet dragon, Emo,” he said. “I found her in Volcano Rock City."

Branch felt his left eye start to twitch repeatedly as anger started to make itself apparent on his face. That was rule 1 broken. And by Floyd of all Trolls. Floyd. “Pet dragon?!” he found himself repeating. Now he knew why his other brothers were distracting him. Why they were refusing to tell him where Floyd was.

Floyd nodded, only to not be given a chance to say anything. 

“Floyd, you remember rule 1? Don’t you?”

“No pets allowed in the bunker,” Floyd said sadly, looking down as he continued to stroke Emo.

“Then why did you bring a pet dragon into the bunker?”

“Isn’t she cute?” Floyd asked, holding the small creature up and completely ignoring his younger brother’s question.

“Yes, but it would be nice if she wasn’t in my bunker.”

“Emo wants to stay,” Floyd said.

"She can't stay,” Branch was quick to point out. “She needs to go outside."

"She doesn't want to go outside, Branch."

Branch found himself face palming. "Emo isn't staying here, Floyd."

“Please, Branch?” Floyd pleaded.

But Branch just shook his head in response. “No.”

“Please, Branch?” Floyd tried again.

“No, Floyd. And that’s final.”

“I’ll make sure she behaves…?” Floyd said in one last ditch attempt at asking Branch if he could keep Emo. 

Branch rubbed at his forehead. "Fine. Emo can stay, Floyd," he sighed.

Later…

“I can’t believe Branch let you keep her in here, dude,” Clay uttered out of clear disbelief as he watched Floyd play with Emo and Branch add ‘except Emo because I can’t admit it, but I like her’ in parentheses to the ‘no pets allowed in the bunker’ rule on his list.

Chapter Text

When the loud sound of cries echoed through the bunker, at around 1 in the morning the night of the day his brothers moved into his bunker, Branch sat up and climbed out of his bed. Knowing full well it was Clay, Branch immediately opened his bedroom door and headed straight to Clay’s own room with what could automatically be considered an agitated look on his face. 

Branch slammed Clay’s door open, startling him and causing him to look up as a small bout of silence made itself known. One that Branch immediately broke. “Remember rule 5, Clay,” he grunted. “No reading—”

“This book was too sad, dude. I couldn’t put it down,” Clay said, not giving Branch much of a chance to finish his own sentence.

Branch folded his arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Read one that’s less sad.”

“There’s none that fit that description.” Clay held his book against his chest. “A sad book is a sad book.”

“A sad book is something you should read during the day. Not overnight.”

“You know I can’t help it. If you could change—”

“I’m not changing that rule. You need to sleep, not pull all nighters by reading.”

“Dude.”

“Go to sleep, Clay.” And, with that, Branch exited Clay’s bedroom, slamming its door.

On night 2, it was around after midnight when Branch woke up to Clay starting to cry in an uncontrollable manner. It had even woken up their other brothers. Each one of them came straight out of their bedrooms, tired, looking towards Clay’s bedroom to find its door open and the light on. Branch motioned for the others to enter their rooms before he stormed over to Clay’s bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him and causing him to look up with a similar look to the one he sported just two nights prior.

“Why are you reading the same sad book as last night?” he found himself growling out of fury.

“Dude, this is a different sad book. I have 29 of those.”

“TWENTY NINE SAD BOOKS!” Branch shouted out, once again waking up their other brothers. John Dory, Bruce and Floyd tiredly entered the room as soon as John opened its door.

“Branch, what’s going on?”

Branch turned his attention to them furiously. “This is between me and Clay, guys,” he snapped. “Go back to sleep. All of you.”

John Dory, Bruce and Floyd nodded before exiting the room and closing its door behind them. A beat of silence, then Branch turned back towards Clay, who had gone right back to reading his sad book with tears starting to stream down his face as sniffles started.

Branch held a hand out. “Clay, give me that book and go to sleep,” he warned.

“I’m just going to get another one out, dude,” Clay pointed out.

“I don’t care if you’re going to get another one out. You need to put it in the bookcase I put in here for you.”

“No. Let me stay up a little longer and finish this.”

“My bunker, my rules,” Branch responded. “Put it away and go to sleep.”

Clay was about to open his mouth to respond when Floyd reentered the room in a tired manner. He rubbed at his eyes. “Guys, guys, what’s going on in here?”

“Can you tell Clay to put his book away?”

“Can you tell Branch to let me keep reading?”

“You can read it in the morning!” Branch snapped.

“I can finish reading it now.”

“Branch, please just let Clay finish his reading,” Floyd said, as he grabbed hold of his younger brother’s hand and began to lead him out of Clay’s bedroom toward his own one. “He looks like he’s almost done.”

“Fine! But he better actually get some sleep.”

Night 3, Clay’s crying had woken Branch up at 3 am. He clambered out of bed and stormed over like the previous two nights.

“Clay! Put that book down! This is the third night in a row that I’ve had to get out of bed to ask you to stop.”

Clay put his book on his bed face down. “Can I help my decision to read?”

“Yes.”

“Then let me finish reading, then I’ll put it away and grab another one.”

“You mean get two hours of sleep?”

“I don’t wake up at 5:00.”

“Then, who else would wake up at 5:00 who isn’t me?”

“Bruce,” Clay said. “His bedroom is right next to mine and I can hear him get up every morning at 5:00 exactly.”

“Except for when he won’t be here.”

Clay picked his book up again. “True, dude. Now let me finish my book.”

“Put it back down and go to sleep!” Branch snapped as he backed up and exited Clay’s bedroom.

All he could hear, as he did so, was “why the hell did I lose my place?”

“GO TO SLEEP, CLAY!” Branch shouted to him just before slamming his bedroom door closed.

Night 4, it was once again around the middle of the night when Clay’s crying had woken up Branch. He growled as he got out of bed, storming over to 

“Okay, I’m taking this.” Branch grabbed Clay’s book out of his hands. “You can finish it in the morning.”

“And you can give me another one, dude,” Clay said as he pointed at his bookcase.

Branch grabbed a blanket and threw it over the bookcase with perfect aim, it frustrating Clay and causing him to glare at him 

“Guys, guys, what’s going on?” they heard Floyd tiredly ask, like he had done two nights prior, turning towards him with startled looks.

Branch tilted his head. “Floyd, what are you doing up?”

“Wondering why you’re up again and yelling.”

Branch understood quickly. “Clay is still at his nightly sad book reading.”

“Clay can finish reading if he wants to, Branch.”

“Rule 5: Clay is not allowed to read sad books after midnight,” Branch uttered out as a quick reminder.

Clay flipped the page of his book. “It’s the loud crying isn’t it, dude?” he asked.

“Yes,” Branch hissed out.

Floyd began to gently lead younger brother out of Clay’s bedroom. “Branch, you need to go back to bed.”

Night 5, it was yet again 1 in the morning. Clay’s crying was louder and caused Branch to once again stomp his way out of his bedroom and

“Clay! That’s enough! Put the book down and go to sleep.”

“It’s almost finished, then I’ll sleep with it on my face.”

Branch became dumbfounded. “On your face?”

“Happens when I get too engrossed in one of my books. Viva finds it adorable.”

“Well, Viva isn’t here. She’s with Poppy and their dad.”

It seemed Clay had ignored him, since he finished his book and put it on his face like he said he was going to do, the snores immediately starting afterward. Branch said nothing as he went to exit Clay’s bedroom and go back to his own.

Night 6, it was again 2 am when Clay’s crying had angered Branch into waking up.

By now, he’d had enough of it. Having to climb out of bed for the sixth night in a row to storm over to Clay’s bedroom to demand he stop with his crying and reading sad books and go to sleep was not making him happy and he wouldn’t hesitate to emphasize it.

“Clay, can you please just sleep the same way you did last night?” he snapped.

Clay said nothing as he finished the last chapter of his book and rested it on his face.

It was night 7 that really angered Branch, when Clay’s crying had intensified. At 1 in the morning.

This time, he’d asked John and Floyd to join him in Clay’s bedroom so they could have a small chat with him. 

One that quickly proved itself difficult.

“You know Branch is right when he says you need to not read your sad books.”

“Yes, I need to read my sad books. I’m right in the middle of one.”

“You’ve essentially been breaking the one rule Branch has specifically put in place for you every night,” John said.

Clay picked up the other sad book that he was going to read and threw it in John Dory’s direction. Branch and Floyd caught it before anything could happen.

A silence hit, then Floyd elected to break it, “Clay, you don’t need to get angry over a simple request to not read your books every night.”

“John Dory still frustrates me and he should know that,” Clay snapped.

“It was a request!” John stressed out. 

“A stupid request!” Clay responded, glaring at his oldest brother.

“Clay, be nice to John,” Floyd spoke.

“Fine!” Clay snapped, scowling. “What are we going to do about my nightly reading?”

“Compromise: we do weekly book club meetings from 8 to 11!”

“Am or pm?”

“You know what he means!” Floyd and John shouted simultaneously.

Chapter Text

The stupid elevator had decided not to work at all that afternoon.

Bruce had become frustrated, trying everything he could to try and get it to work again, to unjam, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Where’s Branch when you need him?” he growled out, frowning. He was about to try again when a familiar voice sounded.

“Yo, Bruce!” 

The aforementioned looked up to find his older brother leaned up against one of the walls of the hallway leading to the elevator, his arms were folded and a grin was apparent on his face as he looked at him. A silence hit. One that Bruce broke relatively quickly.

“You haven’t seen Branch at all today, have you, bro?”

“With Poppy. They’re on a date right now, remember. Why?”

“Elevator’s busted,” Bruce sighed.

John held a finger up. “You’re in luck because I know what to do.”

Bruce barely had a chance to even say anything in response when John Dory joined him on the elevator as an idea popped in his mind. An idea that Bruce automatically knew, if the determined look on John Dory’s face and the way his older brother looked down at the elevator was of any indication.

“Do not jump, John,” Bruce spoke sternly. “I’m warning you. Branch won’t be happy and you and I both know it.”

John Dory held his hands up. “Relax, brother,” he said, grinning at him. “I know what I’m doing. I’ll unjam the elevator in no time.”

“No, you don’t,” Bruce grumbled. “Jumping is a bad idea.”

John shrugged with one arm. “It’s the only way.”

With that, before Bruce could protest things one more time, his big brother jumped once on the elevator like he said he was going to do. Of course unjamming the elevator and causing it to move very quickly to the bottom.

“Big brothers,” Bruce growled as soon as the elevator came to a crash like stop the moment it hit the bottom floor of the bunker. “I can’t believe you did that, John. What were you thinking? What do you think Branch’s reaction is going to be?”

“I think he’ll be thankful I unjammed the elevator for you, brother.”

With that, John walked off the elevator to his bedroom, leaving Bruce just standing there with an unreadable look on his face as he watched him. 

What would Branch think?

An hour later…

“No, the elevator’s still going to work,” Branch said, kneeling next to Bruce as they inspected it. A pause, then they looked at one another. “It just does that sometimes.”

“Does that sometimes? John jumped on it to unjam it, bro.”

“I’ve done that before,” Branch said. “It’s a bad idea, but still helpful.”

“Helpful?” Bruce said. “What about rule three? It’s John Dory’s fault this all happened. He’s the one that broke it.”

Branch rubbed at his forehead. “Both of you broke rule three.”

“Yet you’re allowed to break your own rules?” Bruce questioned.

Branch shook his head. “They don’t apply to me.”

“Bro, rules apply even to the ones who set them,” Bruce said. “Even Brandy has to follow the rules I set that are related to my size. Not just our kids.”

“You have a set of rules that are related to your size?” John Dory chuckled from behind them. His younger brothers stopped and turned around to look at him.

Bruce nodded, letting out a huff. “How else is my family supposed to know not to accidentally injure me?” he asked.

John tilted his head. “When did you set those rules?”

“After Brandy and I got married.”

“We are getting off topic here, guys.” Branch frowned. “Can we talk about you breaking rule three further?”

“Me, him or both of us?” John queried.

“Both of you.”

Chapter Text

Floyd stared at his reflection in a mirror that was sitting against the wall just outside of Branch’s room. His bang honestly looked like a pretty bad mess and he’d spent the last 10 minutes brushing through before he got it back to how it usually was. Now to decide whether his bang should cover his eye or not. 

He swiped a hand through his bang to push it off to the side before looking at himself in the mirror again.

“No, that’s not right. Maybe it should cover my eye,” he muttered to himself as he did so.

That wasn’t right either.

“Partially cover my eye?”

That felt right. Momentarily. Floyd stared at his reflection in the mirror again and frowned at what he saw. He pushed his bang a little more off to the side and looked at his reflection again.

Now, that. That was right.

Satisfied, Floyd took a step forward to turn and tripped over his feet, ending up crashing face first into the mirror.

Then the mirror, causing a loud crash and smash, ended up upside down on the floor, shattering into who knew how many pieces. Stepping towards it out of concern and unexpectedly onto one of the many shattered shards of glass, a large one, Floyd could only stand there in complete silence as he stared at the mess in front of him, shaking his head out of panic so that his bang now covered his eye.

“Shit!” Floyd spoke, unsure of how to explain it to his younger brother.

He sat himself down, elevating his foot. He couldn’t see the glass that had become embedded in his foot, but it was painful to say the least.

The crashing and smashing noises had apparently ricocheted around the bunker, as he heard racing footsteps and the familiar voices of his brothers calling out to him in what sounded like matching amounts of worry. Floyd grew relieved when they rounded a corner and crowded around him. The worry evident on each of their faces had become more apparent, from what he could see.

“Are you okay?” Branch asked.

“Yeah, dude,” Clay agreed, John and Bruce nodding. “That was loud.”

Floyd shook his head and pointed at his foot.

“Hang on, Floyd,” Branch stated as he stood up, glancing worriedly at his fourth older brother, whose attention was focused on the glass embedded in his foot. “Let me go get my first aid kit.” To his other brothers, he sternly warned, “Don’t pull it out. I’ll handle it myself.”

John, Bruce and Clay nodded and Branch hurried over to find it out and bring it back five minutes later. His brothers had since laid Floyd down on the ground and away from the glass out of his request and his injured foot was out so Branch could very easily see the glass embedded in it.

“It’s not too deep, luckily,” Branch observed quietly as he opened his first aid kit to grab the tweezers out and moved back towards Floyd to pull it out as gently as he could. 

Floyd squeezed his eyes shut tight, letting out a quiet breath of relief when Branch finally got the glass out. 

“There’s still blood. Not much, but there’s still blood.” Branch turned his attention back towards his open first aid kit and pulled a roll of bandages out. 

Not even a minute had barely passed before Branch started to gently wrap the bandages around Floyd’s foot. He didn’t help Floyd up to his feet out of fear, watching on as Clay very carefully cleaned up the shattered glass.

“There. Now who wants to help carry Floyd to—”

“I don’t need carrying, brothers,” Floyd spoke, still wincing at the pain in his bandaged foot. 

When the two oldest insisted, with a quick reminder that he couldn’t walk for the time being, he relented with a sigh as he allowed all of his brothers to carry him straight to his bedroom.

“I’m just going to feel boredom over the next week!” Floyd stated in a rather  dramatic voice when he was set on his bed. His brothers all looked at one another before focusing their attention back on him. 

“Not if we spend as much time with you,” Branch said.

Floyd shook his head. “You’re dating Poppy, Clay’s dating Viva, John Dory spends time whenever he can with Rhonda and, Bruce, don’t you need to go home soon? None of you really have time.”

“Dude, we’re still going to be around,” Clay was quick to say.

“And I could take you out to Rhonda for the next week,” John said before he turned to his youngest brother. “Is that okay, Branch?”

“No, I’d rather that he stay in here,” Branch said, looking at John. “I’ll be the first of us to stay with him.”

Floyd tilted his head, looking confused but still in pain. “But Poppy?” 

“I’ll be in here for the next hour. Then I’ll go and ask if she and Viva wanted to join all of us for dinner,” Branch said, watching their other brothers leave before looking back at Floyd. Branch quickly left and hurried back with a soup.

“Can we talk about the mirror, brother?” Floyd asked as he took a sip of the soup that Branch had made for him.

“Yes. You still broke rule two,” Branch grumble-sighed.

“The mirror breaking was an accident, Branch.”

Chapter Text

“Floyd, can I borrow Emo? It’s important.”

Floyd stopped playing with his beloved pet dragon, looking up at his oldest brother out of stunned silence. “John, are you sure?” 

John nodded, adding, “You can help…”

Floyd sighed as he let Emo curl up around his shoulders, not bothering to ask what John needed Emo for, following John Dory down a hallway before the pair entered the kitchen.

Floyd stopped, looking around. “John, didn’t Branch say that…”

“Relax, it’s my lunch that I want to cook,” John said as he held his hands out. “I just need Emo’s Fire to light one of the hobs.”

Floyd grew confused. “You can’t light it yourself?” he asked him. “With a lighter?”

“Branch took his lighter with him.”

Oh, right. Floyd let out a soft sigh, handing John Emo. “Fair, brother. But I guess I’m going to have to stay in here with you.”

John freed a hand to pat his third younger brother on the shoulder. “It’s not like I’m going to set the kitchen on fire or make a big mess of it trying to find things out.”

Before Floyd could have a chance to open his mouth to respond, John had turned his attention over toward the stove and had Emo at the ready to light it. Floyd had backed up a little, hands held out so he could take Emo back from John Dory once he was done. Panic, however, set in when Emo’s fire accidentally ignited the entire stove instead of just the one hob.

John and Floyd could only stare in shock, a silence making itself known.

“Where’s the fire extinguisher!” John Dory panicked, very quickly breaking it. “Floyd, could you help me find the fire extinguisher?”

Floyd nodded and hurried around the kitchen, digging through every single one of the cupboards and getting various things out of them until he found it. By now, the fire had spread and John Dory was actively trying to put it out himself to no avail. He wound up with burns on both hands that he was now washing with soap and cold water. Floyd turned towards him, before focusing on his dragon, who was curled up on the counter beside the stove and looking at both Trolls sadly. 

Apologetically.

But Floyd couldn’t bring himself to scold Emo, passing the fire extinguisher to John as soon as he was done washing his hands before going to his sad dragon and stroking her scales.

“I know you didn’t mean to do that,” he told her in a calm voice.

Emo let out a soft whine, and Floyd let her rest on his shoulders.

“Guys, what the hell happened here?!” the sudden, familiar voice of Branch sounded from the hallway leading to the kitchen.

Floyd and John paused, looking up to find their other brothers all standing there in silence as they all looked around at the messy kitchen and the half burned stove.

“You broke rules 4 and 6!” Branch continued, face palming.

“What happened?” Bruce asked them, noting to calm the mood.

“I let John borrow Emo to help him cook.” Floyd looked down sadly.

Branch folded his arms. “Don’t make me change my mind about adding to rule 1,” he spoke in a serious tone.

“I’m sorry, Branch,” Floyd said, shuffling his feet. “I should’ve warned John that Emo’s fire was going to do that.”

Branch growled, immediately changing the subject. “Sometimes I question why I let you all live here.”