Hello, dear readers!
Thank you for clicking on this story and reading this 'little' author's note.
To get the obvious out of the way, I have seen Trolls: Band Together and really enjoyed it! Saw it with my friend and we both had a blast. Not even five minutes into the movie and I was already head cannoning all sorts of storylines, plot bunnies, character explorations, etc. Mainly for Branch and his brothers of course, but I'm also interested in developing on Poppy and Viva's relationship. Ugh, what is up with this silly little franchise that makes me love it so much!
Anywho, one of the first things I wanted to explore what the other four brothers were like around each other when they were little and each new member was introduced. Obviously, John Dory would start this all off since he's the eldest, and then it will go down the order. For John Dory, I picture him as being excited at being an older brother and would take the job very seriously, especially since they all still live in the Troll Tree and he would feel the need to make sure the younger brothers don't worry too much.
For now, the focus will be on them when they're all still young and navigating everything. From what I could gather online, John Dory and Floyd are only about 3-ish years apart, which has benefits and drawbacks in terms of the brothers' relationships with each other. I'm not sure how I want to set up everything quite yet, but I will have separate stories for each brother eventually. Not sure how long each will be, but John Dory's part I ended up splitting in two because of the word count. I'm hoping to be just as invested and detailed for the others, but we'll see how much time and energy I'll have between work and school. I also haven't seen TrollsTopia or 'Trolls: Holiday in Harmony' yet, so whatever I come up with at this time will be based on the movies, Trolls: The Beat Goes On, and/or the first holiday special.
Until then, hope you enjoy this little story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Trolls or anything dealing with its long history. DreamWorks own the franchise rights, and I'm just a simple writer who enjoys creating fanfiction.
The first time his parents, Reed and Aster, told him he was going to be a big brother, John Dory nearly knocked the pictures off the walls from jumping around in pure excitement.
Reed and Aster had cheerfully watched him display his excitement at the news, merely straightening everything out as he flew by as they waited for him to tire himself out. Once that happened, he was tucked into bed, read a story, and fell asleep to a lullaby duet.
The pod he and his parents called home was nice, but it felt a bit too big for just the three of them. Not helping was that his parents were often off and around the Troll Tree helping the tribe with whatever task was needed. That left him under the watchful eyes of Grandma Rosiepuff, who looked after him and a group of other Trollings while the other adults were off doing their grown-up tasks.
Playing, crafting, dancing, and singing the day away with other young Trolls often filled John Dory's days. And those sounds still echoed in his ears when he and Grandma Rosiepuff waited in her pod until his parents came to get him. Once they did, the four of them would spend a few hours together until Reed and Aster took John Dory back to their own pod a few branches up from the older Troll's home.
John Dory's parents were wonderful Trolls and always showered their child with immense love and affection, but he was so used to being around Trolls his own age that while he didn't feel lonely per se, the quiet around the pods made him a bit antsy. Not helping was the fact his family lived further up and away from the other Trolls. It made cloud watching and exploring easy, at least, though it would have been much more fun if he had a companion accompanying him.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the day came when Aster's hair parted and in sight of her beaming husband and ecstatic oldest, the egg that had been carefully hidden and nourished cracked. A pair of vibrant blue eyes peeked out between the shell halves followed by the sounds of laughter. When it caught sight of the other two looking at them, they crinkled with the sound of giggling and disappeared as the egg halves came together again.
Letting out his own laugh, Reed reached forward, teasing, "Hey now, what's all of this about? Don't you know how long we have been waiting to meet ya?"
Gently, Reed lifted the whole egg out of Aster's hair, taking a seat next to her on the couch and gesturing John Dory over with a tilt of his head.
In a burst of excitement, the now second youngest Troll of the family practically jumped next to his father and stood next to his elbow on the couch. Inside, they could hear more giggling from the egg's inhabitant who lifted the top shell up just enough to show a flash of teal skin before moving back down.
Aster shook her head fondly, laying her hand on top of her husband's as she felt the warmth of the egg. "I bet there's a handsome little Troll in there, but I'll never know because they won't come out. And it would break my heart not to see such a cutie!"
John Dory, excited but impatient, leaned forward until his nose was a finger's width above the eggshell and stated with as much authority as a one-something-year-old could muster, "Hey, baby brother, get out of there! All the fun stuff is out here! You're gonna miss it if you stay in there!"
The egg gave a little shake and the older brother barely had time to back away before the egg's inhabitant popped up and tossed the top egg half to the floor. A teal skinned Troll merely giggled once again, looking between all three members of their family.
"Ah, I knew you would be handsome!" Aster squealed, reaching her arms out to the new baby boy Troll.
The newest member of the family reached his arms out as well and cooed as Aster cradled him in her arms.
Reed carefully set the remaining eggshell away before wrapping an arm behind John Dory and coaxing his other son into his lap. Not wasting a second, the young one instantly complied, eyes never straying from his baby brother.
"He's so small! Smaller than me!" John Dory commented with a laugh, reaching his hand out toward his mom and sibling. Seeing the movement, the baby laughed and didn't hesitate to grab the other's hand, his little hand barely able to wrap around one of John Dory's fingers. "Aww, he loves me already!"
Both parents glowed at the sight, carefully scooting closer together.
Aster was the first to say, "That's wonderful, sweetie. I'm sure the two of you will get along just great."
"Having a sibling is an awesome thing, John Dory," Reed started, expression dampening so minutely that only Aster noticed. "You two will always have each other to fall back on. As the oldest, he'll look up to you a lot, so make sure you watch him and set a good example."
"I promise!" John Dory shouted, taking his other hand and grabbing the baby's other arm as he started moving both limbs up and down. "So, what's his name going to be?"
"Well, I named you," Reed started, looking into Aster's eyes. "So, it's your mother's turn to name him."
"Hm…" Aster hummer, withdrawing her gaze and staring at the smiling face in her arms. The baby Troll sensed the attention from above but unwilling to let go of the other small Troll's arms, simply moved his head back and stared up at his mother with a closed smile and twinkling eyes. "Oh, I know: Spruce. His name will be Spruce!"
"That's a lovely name, darling," Reed acknowledged.
"Alright then, Spruce," John Dory called out, regaining the recently named baby's attention. "I'm John Dory, you're older brother. From here on out, we're going to do a lot of stuff together! Like singing, dancing, walking, climbing, bug catching, star gazing, running, sliding-"
On and on John Dory listed out all the activities he and Spruce would do. In response, Spruce smiled and nodded along, still swinging his brother's arms with all the not strength a new baby Troll could muster (which admittedly was almost none at all so John Dory absentmindedly made sure to move his in arms in time with the swings).
Above their heads, Reed and Aster smiled at each other as the sound of Trolling laughter filled their pod.
XXXXXXXX
As Aster walked into the pod with a small bag and pair of scissors in each hand, she couldn't help but smile softly as the sight in front of her.
Sitting on the couch was her husband with an open scrapbook in his lap, baby Spruce cradled in the crook of one arm with John Dory's head poking out of the older Troll's light brown hair as he followed along to what their dad was saying.
"-and once the Troll Gem finishes growing, it's given to the Troll it belongs to in a huge ceremony where everyone celebrates the young Troll becoming a full member of the tribe. The honored Troll starts singing to make their Troll Gem glow, and then everyone else joins in."
John Dory's wide eyes looked between the scrapbook image in his father's lap and the thin strands of purple hair standing brightly on Spruce's otherwise bald head. He then glanced up at his own green hair, smiling wider. "So, will Spruce's hair be planted next to mine? Cause that would be totally awesome if we both got our Troll Gems together! Then during the ceremony, we could bust out in an awesome duet!"
Reed chuckled as he carefully closed the book, making a face down at Spruce that caused the baby to giggle. "When your mother and I go out on the next patrol, we'll make sure they are planted next to each other. As for if they'll finish at the same time, it's happened though not frequently. Mainly among twins. But if your Troll Gems do finish at different times, that means we can celebrate TWICE."
"That would be totally awesome-er!" John Dory proclaimed as he jumped out of his father's hair, did a -double flip, and landed on the floor. Spruce happily clapped at the display. "As the older brother, I'll make sure to do ALL the fun, happy, and Troll-y things so Spruce knows what is and isn't so good. Then he won't have to take as long getting his Troll Gem!"
"Well," Aster finally interrupted, smiling larger as the three males turned their attention to her as she walked over. Holding the pair of scissors up, she stated in mock solemnity, "First thing's first, we have to cut his hair. Even though I'm gonna miss seeing that beautiful shade of purple for a bit."
"Can I cut it, mama?! Can I? Can I?"
Chuckling, Aster shook her lilac hued head, "Sorry, J.D., but this is a task for bigger Trolls." John Dory frowned at the answer, looking down at the floor. "But…" He lifted his face back up. Extending her other arm so the bag was in John Dory's vision. "If you can hold the bag open for me, that would be super helpful."
"Okay!" the green haired Trolling carefully took the bag, watching his parents with rapt attention.
"Thank you, J.D.," Aster said as Reed carefully shifted Spruce and gently wrapped his hands around the tiny body, green skin managing to cover all of the teal.
Bobbing her baby on the nose, Aster commanded in a soft voice. "Now hold still for a minute, little one."
Whether it was the tone or the words themselves, Spruce did still himself for a moment, though his eyes still shown with absolute mirth as he watched his mother's hand move over his head.
On the ground, John Dory watched as his mother carefully and quickly snipped off the lone strands of his brother's hair. Without being told, he lifted the opened bag up to the blue troll's reach and closed it as she dropped their prize into it.
"Great job, John Dory!" Reed congratulated, making sure Aster's scissors disappeared into her hair before drawing his hands back from Spruce's body.
"You helped out so perfectly!" Aster echoed as she stuck her hand out and accepted the bag John Dory gave her. "By tonight, Spruce's hair will be planted, and then it's simply waiting until the Gem finishes growing."
The older brother lifted up his arms in victory and looked back at this brother. "Don't worry, baby bro. I'll make sure your Troll Gem grows. I promise we'll do all the coolest, funniest, things ever, together!"
XXX
It didn't take long for John Dory's life to adjust into a new routine, one he found himself enjoying more than he ever thought he would. As he had envisioned, having a younger sibling around really did liven the place up.
When baby Spruce wasn't being held and cared for by their parents and Grandma Rosiepuff, he was constantly hanging around and on John Dory like the older boy was a jungle gym. Very rarely were the two away from each other, mainly when it was nap time for Spruce and John Dory was off playing with the other Trollings at daycare. Most afternoons after Grandma Rosiepuff finished watching the other children and it was time to go home, it would be John Dory who Spruce wanted to hold him or hide in his hair.
The first time it happened, John Dory wasn't expecting a sudden weight crawling on top of his head, so the pair fell with a thump on the branch walkway. Grandma Rosiepuff's hair nearly turned white as she thought the two were rolling out of the tree and onto the ground.
Fortunately, the pair fell in the middle of the wide branch so there was no chance of them falling down. They also couldn't hold back laughing for a solid minute as John Dory pulled his hair back enough for Spruce to drill down through the strands and make himself comfy.
Grandma Rosiepuff helped her grandson back to his feet and let out a round of laughter of her own when Spruce's teal face poked out of John Dory's green mane. With the older boy not being too much bigger than the younger, the small head by the adults' standards took up almost half of the hair space. After a couple experimental steps, eventually John Dory got used to the strange weight on top of him and the trio merrily went on their way.
In the evenings, Reed and Aster led the family in their nightly rituals consisting of songs, bath time, Trollytales, and goodnight kisses. Since both of their sons were still so small, the parents let them sleep between their arms on the bed. Every morning, without fail, one of the boys somehow ended up sleeping upside down on the bed board above their heads, quietly snoring without a care in the world.
Under the supervision of some Troll adult, the children would play together. Or rather, John Dory would pull out as many toys as his little arms could handle and showed Spruce how to handle each item and what games each toy was meant to be for. Most of the time, Spruce would come up with his own ideas and John Dory just happily followed along.
However, John Dory's favorite activity to do with his little brother was sing and dance for him. Any and every song the boy knew (which was actually quite a lot) was performed with all the energy and movement a year and a half-ish Trolling could muster. His dance moves were still chaotic, often looking more like a flash of waving streamers than anything resembling moves, but everyone enjoyed the performance. Especially Spruce, who eventually picked up enough of the rhythm to hum and clap along with the beat John Dory established.
All in all, John Dory considered himself the luckiest Trolling in the whole Troll Tree and couldn't imagine how things could get any better.
XXXX
John Dory had vague memories of his first Trollstice, mainly his parents' panicked eyes set against calm faces while maneuvering him out of the pod and into the tidy, secret hole carved from a tree near their pod. They spent hours in there together, listening to the stomping and cheers of Bergens that were not always loud enough to drown out the sound of Trolls crying out in terror.
He tried to hum at first to calm himself, but his father quickly 'shushed' him while his mother nervously ran her fingers through his hair. "It's too dangerous to sing right now," Reed whispered, looking the saddest John Dory had ever seen as he gathered his son up and wrapped an arm around his wife so the three were pressed closely together.
John Dory felt overheated from the enclosed space, but he bit his lip because that touch was the only thing keeping him from fully crying at the scary situation. Hours later, his father peeked outside, let out a sigh of relief, carefully led them all back to their pods, and they all spent the next few days adjusting back to normal.
Not wanting to worry his parents any more than they already were, John Dory made sure not to let on how much he remembered of that event. He knew it would just make his parents feel bad, so like a good Troll he pushed the scary event far back into his mind and went back to carefree times of singing and dancing. It only took a couple more days after that for the whole experience to seem more like a distant nightmare and he didn't have to pretend he was fine at all.
This second time around, he truly believed he grasped the sheer terror his parents probably had for him that first time. Crouching down in the hidden tree knot, once again squashed uncomfortably between his parents, his mind rapidly flashed at the images of what would happen to his poor, tiny baby brother if a Bergen managed to find them. The thoughts were absolutely unpleasant to say the least, and John Dory felt himself spiraling further down when a tiny voice whispered, "Scary."
Above him, his parents began whispering quick assurances, pouring as much comfort and love as they could to calm him down. It seemed to work as the smallest Troll slowly relaxed a bit, though his eyes never left his brother's.
As pure panic still coursed through his veins and mustering all of his might not to start shaking, John Dory smiled the softest smile he could and in a serene tone, whispered, "Yeah, I know. But don't worry. None of those mean old Bergens are gonna get ya. I promise."
A genuine look of peace spread across Spruce's face as he cuddled further into the trio's embrace as they all waited for the day to pass.
Hours later, Reed conducted his usual check and didn't hesitate to guide his family back into the pod where Grandma Rosiepuff was already waiting for them, arms loaded with dinner stuff and prepared for hugging. Reed and Aster made sure everything was truly safe and offered more comfort to a teary-eyed Spruce, and then looked at the other two with guilty expressions.
"Some of the Trolls who normally check up on things after Trollstice are still out scouting," Aster started, gazing down at her boys. "And some in the Tree may need help right now."
"I know we're asking a lot," Reed added on, kneeling so he was eyelevel with John Dory. "But stay here and watch over your brother until we get back, please. I promise, we won't be long."
It was so easy to say 'no,' to start crying and begging the couple to stay. All it would take was to simply deny their request and there was no doubt they would follow the boy's wishes. The five of them could hole up in their pod tonight, eating and singing comforting songs to each other for hours until they were all merry and calm once again.
Mind made up, John Dory answered, "We'll be alright, dad. Just make sure mom doesn't get distracted by lighting bugs on your way back."
Reed burst out laughing at the comment and Aster tried and failed to hold back her own smile, teasing, "That was one time, John Dory!"
Both Trolls leaned down, wrapped everyone in a group hug, and then headed out the door as they called out another round of reassurances that they would be back before they all knew it. The remaining trio watched until the pair of figures disappeared from view before heading back inside. Grandma Rosiepuff quickly Troll ushered the two in the middle of the room, closed all the blinds and windows, and started baking to sooth her nerves.
As the sun set on John Dory's second Trollstice, he congratulated Spruce as the sibling matched another set of shapes and colors from the toy blocks he had brought out a couple of hours ago. Normally the older sibling would try and stack the blocks so it towered over the younger sibling, but as Spruce started his matching game, the stress and tension faded away. Not wanting to ruin anything, John Dory simply encouraged the other with praise and (indoor volume) singing.
With Spruce doing the most work out in the task of entertaining himself, John Dory didn't have a lot of distractions to hold back the range of emotions threatening to overtake him. He was a bit shy of two years old and still trying to understand why the mean Bergens wanted to eat him and his family. Even though they hadn't done anything mean to them, ever! Well, maybe sing past someone's bedtime, but that was not a valid reason in the young Troll's book to go around eating others.
Last year had been super scary and he had suffered from nightmares for about a week before the sense of fear and danger faded enough to not bother him anymore.
However, this year was absolutely way more terrifying. Not so much from concern about what the Bergens would do to him should he have been caught, but if it ended up being Spruce who was snatched away instead. The mere thought of his little sibling getting eaten was enough to make John Dory almost sweat right then and there. John Dory was confident he could outrun a Bergen if needed, and being smaller than the perpetually unhappy creatures meant there were tons of ways he could hide and escape them. He could probably even lay out some traps to slow them down if he had the right materials and enough time. All of that and a quick mind would definitely be enough to make the Bergens second guess trying to eat him.
The little Troll in front of him, in contrast, had yet to really start singing on his own and was nowhere near able to bust a move on the fly. He had just started talking (single and simple words) and toddling (which ranged from a minute or two depending on how motivated he was). No, it for sure wouldn't do for his brother to get snatched as there was no way he would be able to help himself.
As her grandsons kept playing in the living room, Grandma Rosiepuff added the final touches to her freshly made desserts, keeping a strained smile on her face as she looked between the stove, her grandsons, and peeking out the window to look for the forms of her daughter and son-in-law.
Under the moonlight two familiar silhouettes walked up, causing the purple Troll to let out an excited, "They're back!"
At the call, both boys' ears turned toward the approaching footsteps and they let out happy shouts when Reed and Aster walked into the pod.
The couple barely managed to close the door before John Dory rocketed over and Spruce toddled toward them. John Dory threw his arms around Reed's leg and clung to the brown-haired Troll like a lifeline while Aster grabbed Spruce as soon as he was within arm's length.
Reed carefully crouched down and maneuvered his oldest son into his arms so the boy could bury his face into his father's shoulders. "It's okay now, John Dory," Reed muttered, hugging him and gently swaying as he stood up and patted the boy's back. "They didn't need us as much as we thought, and your mom successfully managed to avoid stopping to stare at the lighting bugs. Well," he lowered his voice, smiling as he teased, "Except this really pretty one."
"Hey!" Aster complained, chuckling. "It was you who pointed that one out on the way back. And it was actually ME who had to drag you back."
Holding one arm up in mock surrender, Reed conceded. "You're right, dear. I confess, the holdup was my fault this time around."
Both boys laughed at their parents, the last traces of fear melting away like butter on a slice of freshly toasted toast.
Once their laughter subsided, Aster announced, "We know this year was really scary for you two, and the scouts are expected to return in the morning. So, we asked King Poppy and Queen Vita if we could take a few days off, and they happily said yes."
"That's awesome of them," John Dory stated, smile lighting up in pure joy. "We should send them a BIG thank you card!"
Aster leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, ruffling his hair with her own. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, sweetie. We can make it tomorrow morning."
"After that," Reed added on, a mischief glint in his eyes. "We'll all go to the Tree Market Center. There's some Trolls your mother and I need to catch up with, and I want to show you and Spruce some cool knit knacks."
"That sounds awesome!" John Dory degreed, Spruce following along with his own small shout.
Neither noticed the knowing glance Reed and Aster sent each other, nor the bemused smile Grandma Rosiepuff flashed them as she took a cooled tray of cookies and walked over.
XXX
"I did not!"
"You did to!"
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
"Did not!"
"Did to!"
"What are you two disagreeing about?" Reed asked as he walked into the living room to see his sons adorably glaring at each other. If they didn't look so serious by Trolling standards, the older Troll would have quickly taken a picture for their scrapbooks.
Hearing the only other being currently in the pod, the pair spun around in perfect step with each other and pouted with all the might of a Cuddlepuff napping in the meadow on a warm, sunny day.
John Dory was the first to point his finger at Spruce and whine, "Spruce thinks I'm lying!"
In response, Spruce pointed is own finger at John Dory and whined, "John Dory is being a meanie!"
Doing his best to avoid bursting out laughing at whatever had the normally agreeable Trollings in such an uproar with each other, Reed covered his mouth with a closed fist to hide his amusement and commanded neutrally, "Both of you sit on the couch and when I call on you, tell me what happened."
With twin sighs of annoyance (and a cough to cover the little chuckle that slipped out of Reed's lips), the two did as their father commanded. The older Troll took a seat between the cross armed youths, who seemed to now be stuck in a staring contest with each other.
Clearing his throat, Reed went back and forth for a bit before landing on Spruce, asking, "Alright, Spruce, tell me what happened from your side, and John Dory will tell me his. And neither of you-" Reed made sure each one had their attention on him. "Will say anything until I call on you."
Receiving a pair of accepting nods, the dad went back to Spruce and nodded for him to start.
Uncrossing his arms, Spruce straightened up a bit (which didn't do much to increase his height at all) and said, "J.D. was telling me about the day I hatched and said I was too scared to come out, and that you had to take my egg out of mom's hair and hit it with a hammer to finish cracking it."
A quick look from Reed managed to silence whatever words were about to leave John Dory's mouth, and the older son turned his glare toward his feet. Looking back, the father asked, "Did he say anything else?"
Nodding, Spruce continued, "He also said that momma said I got my heart broken somehow, so you had to hold me while she took a pair of scissors and cut something off me. And J.D. says he even held the bag that had the thing you cut. I told him that there's no way you cracked my egg with a hammer and that my heart isn't broken. But he kept saying that's what happened, and I kept saying that he was lying. Then he said I wouldn't know because I was too little, but I don't think that matters anyway cause that story is silly and stupid!"
By the end, Spruce's face was red as he glared back at John Dory who glared right on back.
Putting the jigsaw puzzle together, Reed hummed in acknowledgement. "Alright, thank you for telling me. Now, since John Dory was nice enough to be quiet as you talked, it's your turn to be quiet as he tells me his side of the story."
Spruce's face pouted as John Dory's brightened as he waited for his dad to let him start.
Receiving the confirming nod, he quickly related his side. "Spruce wanted to know what his hatching was like. So, I told him that he wouldn't come out at first when he hatched even though his egg was all cracked. Mom complained he broke her heart, which I said broke is like that time we accidently broke Grandma Rosiepuff's plate with a hammer. I didn't SAY we broke his egg with a hammer. When he did actually come out, we later had to take a part of his heart away with a special pair of scissors and put it in a bag so he could get better.'
"He said that I was lying about all of that and being mean, so I yelled that I wasn't a liar. But then he kept saying I way lying, so I said he was just a baby so he wouldn't know what happened anyway. Then he kept calling me a liar even though I told him that is all the stuff we did!"
John Dory's face was the same shade of red Spruce's was at the end, and now both could go back to glaring at each other on either side of their dad.
For his part, Reed closed his eyes and went through all the techniques and exercises he knew to calm himself before he started truly laughing out loud. It was too bad Aster wasn't here, she probably would have laughed at the situation as well. He for sure had to scrapbook this later for her.
Once he was sure his voice wouldn't crack, he cleared his throat once again and moved his head back so he could see both Trollings at once.
"Well, first off. Good job you two for being quiet as the other stated their case. That's a very nice and polite thing to do.'
"Now for the main issue. Spruce, John Dory was right in saying that you didn't want to come out of your shell right away and there was no hammer involved at all in the process." John Dory did a silent fist pump while Spruce looked away with a frown. "But John Dory is wrong that we took a bit of your heart away in a little bag. It was actually your first hair strands and we put them in a bag for safe keeping until your mother and I could plant them that night." Now it was Spruce's turn to silently fist pump while John Dory frowned away.
Letting warmth enter his tone, he told them, "The way it happened was that Spruce's egg hatched and he did peek out at us but didn't come out right away because he was probably feeling a bit silly." Curious about the true story, John Dory and Spruce relaxed and leaned closer to Reed, not caring that it brought them closer together. "I took him out of your mom's hair, and we all said something to encourage you to come out." He gave Spruce a playful hair tussle, eliciting a chuckle. "Your mom hadn't seen you at all yet, but she was sure you were a handsome little Troll and complained she was going to be super sad if you never came out. Hence the mention of breaking hearts. John Dory said there were more fun things to do outside of your egg, which is when you finally popped out.'
"A few days later when your first hair grew, the three of us sat down and cut your hair. I held you, a bit like this!-"
Spruce fully erupted into laughs as Reed brought him into his lap and wrapped his hands around the still small body. Beside them, John Dory laughed along as he slid off the couch to stand on the floor in front of them.
"-And then your mom took her scissors and snipped the strands." Reed mimed the action, running his hands through Spruce's rapidly growing purple hair. "Then, John Dory held out the bag we brought, and she put the stands inside. A bit like this if John Dory would kindly play along."
Understanding the que, John Dory lifted his arms and mimed opening a bag, watched his dad 'drop' something inside, and then closed it with a proud grin.
"That night, your mom and I went out with the other Trolls out to the special meadow and planted your hair strands next to John Dory's, Spruce. And that's where they currently are. Growing in a good place as you two give your strands all the happiness and joy they need to sprout your Troll Gems."
"Oh! That's right!" John Dory interrupted, lightly smacking his forehead. "Dad had just told me about Troll Gems and that's when mom walked in with her stuff. I guess I got mixed up between Gem and heart somehow."
Chuckling, Reed withdrew his hands around Spruce, saying, "I guess so. Now that you two have the whole story, anything you want to say to each other."
Spruce turned around and kicked his small legs against his dad's while John Dory rung his hands together. Neither made a move for a minute, but Reed simply watched them with a patient smile.
Finally, John Dory made the first move, "I'm sorry I didn't tell the story right at first, Spruce. I didn't mean to lie to you, and I hope you don't think I was trying to be mean. Because I seriously wasn't trying to be!"
Spruce offered a small smile, saying, "I'm sorry I got super mad at you. I know you never want to be a big meanie, and you weren't really lying to me. You just got your stories all mixed up. I guess I just didn't like them, but that still doesn't mean I should have been so mad at you."
Smiling back, John Dory extended his arms in invitation. Without wasting a second, Spruce extended his own and slid off Reed's knees. No sooner had he gotten his footing that the two wrapped each other in a big hug, genuine smiles on their faces.
"That's my boys," Reed commented above them.
That was the sight Aster saw as she opened the door and walked in, smiling at the sweet sight in front of her.
"What's this all about, boys?" she asked. The brothers broke away, threw an arm over each other's shoulders, and smiled back at her.
"We had a major disagreement with each other," John Dory started.
"And we said some mean things to each other," Spruce added.
"-And then dad came in to figure out what was wrong-"
"-Which meant we had to sit down and tell him what was on our minds-"
"-And once that was done, we realized both we didn't have to be mad at each other-"
"-So we talked and hugged-"
"And now we are okay again!" they stated together, faces beaming.
"Oh, I'm glad you two resolved your issues with each other," Aster commented as she made her way over and sat down next to Reed. "It's never fun to fight with someone, especially family."
"You're telling me," John Dory whined, retracting his arm and sighing in a dramatic fashion. "All the bad emotions and mean words made me very tired!"
"Same here!" Spruce echoed, mimicking his brother.
"Aww, you two can't get too tired now," Reed admonished, slinging his arm over Aster's shoulder as she leaned into his side. "Who will play with your new brother or sister then?"
At the reminder of their new family member coming along, both boys straightened up and seemed refueled with energy.
"Don't worry, dad, we'll make sure to play, and sing, and dance, and laugh, and jump, and eat with him whenever he wants!" John Dory proclaimed.
"I'm excited to be a big brother!" Spruce remarked, staring up at his mom's hair. "He's gonna have two awesome brothers to look up to!"
"And how are you both so sure it will be a boy, hm?" Aster playfully asked. "You two may end up with a little sister instead."
The two boys looked at each other, considered the idea, then stuck their tongues out, saying, "Naw, it's got to be a brother!"
"Why is that?" Reed teased.
Spruce started with, "Because it's a feeling we have. Plus, w-"
"We!" John Dory interrupted with a flourish, "are all gonna be in an awesome band together! And it's gonna be called BroZone! And everyone knows you can't be called a band of brothers if there's a sister!"
Both parents shook their heads at the simple logic, gazes softening when John Dory turned to Spruce and they started talking about all the brother things they would do when the third Trolling joined them.
And that wraps up this first part! Thank you for making it this far.
Few notes: I had wondered how it worked that Chef managed to take Grandma Rosiepuff, but none of the older Trolls seemed to know or put two and two together when seeing Branch's gray coloring. Especially since he was a kid. Not to mention the now revealed fact he had four older brothers. So, I thought it would make sense Branch's family lived on the outskirts of the Troll Tree and made them Scouts to excuse why they wouldn't interact with the other Trolls as much. Plus, they would teach the four brothers all the tricks and ways to leave the Troll Tree, explaining why most of them weren't there for the last Trollstice.
All of BroZone has nature related names in some fashion, so I wanted to keep that naming convention with their parents. I settled on Reed because I really like that name and John Dory, Clay, Floyd are associated with water in some capacity, and Aster since Spruce/Bruce and Branch relate to plants and why I settled that Grandma Rosiepuff would be related to Branch maternally. Honestly I hadn't planned to really develop or have much for the parents since there's not much to go on, but you know how plot bunnies go.
Troll Gems are based on the episode "Gem Day" from Trolls: TBGO and just makes me more confused about Troll growth rates and how that worked when they were captured. Hence why I wanted to further develop the idea of Troll Scouts and that the Pop Trolls were actually around before the Bergens and the Bergens had developed their society around the Trolls. As for ages, I figured it wouldn't take long for Troll hair to grow as in the movies and shows have small Trollings with their full hair already.
Well, I'll wrap up the notes for now. Thank you again for ready and please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought!