There was a rumble up above and every troll in the bunker froze in position, afraid of what it may be.

After a few seconds, they all snapped out of it and Branch hurried over to the binoculars, peering through them but seeing the coast was clear up top.

Something about this didn't seem right.

"What do you see?" Poppy asked him quickly and he turned away from the binoculars, saying as calmly as he could.

"Nothing... there's no one up there from what I can see."

"Really?" His girlfriend asked again, mystified by this answer and Branch slowly nodded his head.

"So we can go back above!" Poppy then cheered but Viva placed her hand on her little sister's shoulder and shook her own head, saying with a deep protective voice.

"I don't think that would be a good idea..." Everyone looked at Viva as she spoke these worried words, "My gut is telling me that it's just not safe out there."

"I agree," Clay added in, nodding his head and suddenly pulled out three copies of a book as he said with eager quickness, "So why don't we all sit down and read a sad book for the sad book club?"

"Really..?" John Dory asked in disdain, his head dropping down a bit in sarcasm at Clay's offer.

"Yes, John Dory, why not?" Clay challenged him and tossed two copies on the nearest table before continuing, glaring at his older brother for a minute before back Viva's way, "Any takers?"

Viva gulped. She felt in her heart that she should support her oldest and best friend and reluctantly picked up a book, the two of them going into a different room to sit down and read.

Floyd's gaze twinkled down to the remaining book and he gave a soft smile, unseen from the world.

~x~

Poppy and Branch walked around the binoculars, the two of them in deep thought.

This, however, was interrupted when Bruce butted in between the two and said with a desperate worried voice.

"My kids... I can't be away from home for this long,"

"I know, Bruce," Branch said back to him quickly, trying to calm his brother as Bruce was trembling in fear, "We'll get you home as soon as we can-"

"I never even should have come." Bruce lamented and this hurt Branch, deep inside.

"To my birthday?" He snapped at Bruce, hurting deeply and went on even harsher as he leant over his brother in anger, Bruce moving back, "You shouldn't have come to MY BIRTHDAY?"

"Listen, Branch," Bruce said to him hesitantly and pushed the upset troll away, before saying, "Family is important, but that all changes when you have one of your own."

Branch's eyes quaked as he looked pained back at Bruce.

"You and Poppy will understand when you have kids."

"Woah! Woah!" Poppy immediately interjected, waving her pink hands about as if to diffuse the situation, "We are NOT having kids anytime soon!"

"Yeah!" Branch said, instinctively backing up his girlfriend, before he realized what she was saying and added back, "Wait, we're not?"

"Pff! No!" Poppy told him, smiling awkwardly Branch's way before continuing, "We're not even married yet or anything!"

"Oh," Branch replied, rubbing his upper arm with his opposite hand, "Of course... I mean, not yet... but soon, definitely."

Poppy's eyes widened when she heard her boyfriend say this and turned herself away, her hands holding one another as she wrapped them together nervously before saying, "Yeah... soon... one day... sure,"

Her words were so tepid and weak, Branch felt like his whole world was crashing in around him.

"Yeah... soon." He said, speaking her words back to her, "One day... sure."

"Branch," Poppy said back weakly, turning to face him again but he had already left the room.

Bruce and John Dory both turned their stare over to her and Poppy couldn't take the judgement, running out of the room as well and away from judging eyes.

~x~

Viva and Clay both put down their books, sitting around in a small circle and Clay rested his hand gently on his book cover, about to speak.

"This book was like an emotional roller-coaster," Tears were welling in his eyes, before escaping down his blue cheeks, "The bit where the boy had to give up his dog. Man, it hits me right in the feels!"

"Uh huh," Viva agreed back but sounded only half-hearted with her words, "It was... good-"

"Good?" Clay asked back quickly and Viva quickly added.

"SAD! I mean sad!"

"Well, I found it quite beautiful."

The two turned their gaze over to the left, seeing Floyd had joined them, a copy of the book in his hands as well.

"You read it too?" Clay asked, surprised but also suspicious.

"I did," Floyd said back warmly and placed himself in the spot between the two, "I love to read,"

"No, you don't," Clay said back and Floyd laughed gently at this as he leant his head a bit towards his brother and continued.

"Yeah, when I was like fifteen... but it's BEEN nearly fifteen years since we separated, and I got into the hobby of picking up a book whenever I had the chance."

"Oh... okay?" Clay said, clarifying Floyd's words, "But, how the heck can you find THIS story beautiful? It's about a dog being put down?"

"Don't be sad that it is over," Floyd replied back to his brother simply, closing his ruby eyes before continuing, "Just be happy that it was."

Woah, Viva thought to herself when she heard Floyd's beautiful words. Her grip on her book tightened just the slightest and she froze up when Floyd's eyes turned her direction.

"I find this book..." She began nervously, still holding it tightly, "To be bittersweet,"

"No." Clay finally said, his expression annoyed and harsh, "This book IS SAD."

"Everyone's own interpretation," Floyd said softly back, winking at Viva and she giggled just the littlest.

But Clay saw this.

"If you aren't going to be sad in this group, then YOU shouldn't BE reading these books with us."

"Oh, Clay." Floyd said back with a weak roll of his eyes, "Just try to see things from different troll's perspectives."

"Then see it from mine," Clay growled back and Floyd remained still. Viva glanced between the two, before catching Floyd's worried gaze and she didn't know if she should say something or not to dispel the tension.

"Right, Viva?" Clay then suddenly asked her and both sets of the brother's eyes landed their gaze on her, Viva feeling like a statue with how tense and scared she felt.

She finally swallowed a scared gulp and said, "Clay... everyone understands books differently."

"Right," Clay replied back coldly and got to his feet, storming out of the room.

Viva and Floyd only looked back at each other, so lost and confused, before Viva got up and hurriedly followed her oldest friend out.

"Clay! Clay!" She called his way, seeing him only turned to the corner, crying tears on his book, but closed the book up quickly when he felt Viva approach.

"What is it, Viva?"

She stayed a bit away from him before continuing on her words, "Floyd was only sharing his opinion? Why are you so mad at that?"

"Because he didn't do it for the book club."

Viva cocked up an eyebrow confused and Clay turned around to face her as he said.

"He did it for you."

"Huh?!" Viva said back in a sudden burst of laughter, looking awkwardly back at Clay, "He didn't do it for me!"

"Open your eyes, VIVA," Clay said harshly shoving past her and about to leave this room again to get away from the girl he had feelings for. Feelings he was only knowing now because Viva had caught the attention of someone else.

His brother...

Floyd.

Why had he never known how he felt before all this?

"My eyes are open, Clay," Viva said to him weakly, walking on after him as he went to the lift and she called at him upset as she yelled.

"WHY are you going ON THE LIFT?!"

"I just need some space."

"Clay!"

He looked ahead of Viva, seeing Branch had caught sight of this scene as well.

"You CAN'T go up there."

"I'm not going all the way up. Just to the next floor."

"Promise?" Branch demanded and Clay rolled his eyes angrily, snapping back to his youngest brother.

"YES."

Before he pulled the lever down and ascended to the next level of the bunker.

Viva felt her heart thudding hard at how her best friend had treated her.

She wiped the tears from her eyes as she went away to an empty room to be by herself.

But she didn't want to be by herself... she wanted to be with Clay.

He was mad at her, though, and she didn't know why? What had she done to deserve this reaction?

Or more so... what had Clay done?

"You okay?"

She tensed up that second, glancing behind her to see Floyd had entered the empty room and was standing there calmly next to her.

She wiped her tears away again with her hand and said back in a weak broken voice, "No... I made him mad."

"No you didn't," Floyd told her truthfully, "I did."

"But why was he mad at you?"

"Maybe because of how I feel for you."

Viva startled back once these words were said and she only uttered back, so lost.

So confused.

"Huh?"

"I like you, Viva," Is all Floyd said to her now, "And more than just a friend, more than what you think,"

"I-I," Viva stuttered out, not knowing what to say, "I love CLAY!"

Floyd looked at her quietly, before asking her, "Do you really? Because I think you feel trapped into liking him that way."

How was Floyd so sensitive and right?

She saw Clay as her best friend, like a brother... but after today, she knew she meant something more to him.

But did she REALLY feel something more herself?

"Floyd..." She finally said back to him, and he nodded his head gently, smiling weakly her way. She gulped, "I don't think we could ever be anything more... because I can't hurt Clay."

Floyd remained silent there for a moment before taking a few steps back from her and said before he turned away.

"Okay, Viva. Just don't let him hurt you either..."

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her pink cheeks as she nodded at him and he left her by herself.

But as he left, she felt her heart start beating hard... as she knew that even though Clay meant so much to her... she didn't love him the same way he loved her back.

She was just so unsure, just so confused.

~x~

"Branch?"

Poppy was saying this as she knocked heavily on her boyfriend's door, trying to get an answer out of him.

"What, Poppy?"

He finally growled these words to her and she stood up straight, demanding now to be heard.

"You can't just WALK away like that!"

The door swung open just then and he glared at her, so hurt.

"You don't want to marry me...?"

For the first time, Poppy was lost for words and he began to pull the door closed again but she stopped it by forcing her foot against the door and frame.

"Of course I do... just..."

"Just..?"

"Not... yet?"

Branch rolled his head back on his shoulders frustrated before finally saying back to her, "Poppy, we might DIE down here."

"We won't."

"And how do YOU know?"

"Because we have you," She told him with a truthful smile and Branch stared at her, not believing her words at all, "And you are the most prepared brave troll I have ever known."

Branch folded his arms, his fingers tapping against his upper arm as he said.

"Really? That's it?"

"AND." Poppy continued, nudging him with her elbow and he smirked at this gesture, "If we survive this plague... I will marry you."

Branch's eyes widened fast, his heart beating like mad as he said to her, losing all his composure.

"R-really?!"

She nodded and he ran back over to the binoculars, peering through them quickly as he said.

"There's still no trolls in sight."

He turned to Poppy and said.

"I think we should explore."

"WHA-?"

"YES!" Bruce suddenly yelled from out of nowhere, entering the room, "Cos' daddy needs to get home to his kids!"

"Branch, are you sure?" Poppy asked him, her eyes full of worry and she placed her hand on his upper arm.

"Poppy... I'm not sure," Branch told her truthfully, "But we have to check..."

She gazed at him silently, not knowing what else to say and he looked at her with as much hope he could give.

"I have to check."