A/N: Alrighty guys! It is that time again...dropping in with this bad boy...I hope I got every one right. These sorts of chapters with a lot of people always take me forever cuz I wanna make sure I get the dialogue perfect...so I hope it looks good!
Check out my previous story Rainbow for the back story to this little Universe...
s/14316215/1/Rainbow
And I'm also going to ask you guys for ideas...I want cute, fluffy, short-chapter inspiration ideas if you would. I've got bigger ideas planned...but I'd like to put up smaller things in between working on those larger ones. They can be future, or even past ideas as well (wanna hear about Poppy and Branch's wedding? Finding out about Piper and Reed's eggs? etc.). Lay them all on me I wanna hear them all! X;DDD
Anyways...hope you guys enjoy this! Thank you all so much!
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything Trolls related, they belong to Dreamworks and that's where they will stay.
I do own my OCs, however, and would appreciate you asking before using any of them! Thankies!
Chapter 1: Meet The Family!
The next day found Branch seated at the desk in his and Poppy's living room, it was still a few hours before they were supposed to go meet up with their family to introduce them to Piper and Reed.
He was currently trying to keep his nerves at bay by going back over some of the documents Peppy had brought over and comparing them to the rather lengthy list he'd made the day before.
He tapped the edge of the eraser of his pencil on his lip as he thought for a moment before amending the list with a nod.
They'd do a pretty good job at getting things settled and were hoping to get invites out for the other Tribal Leaders in the next day or two.
Branch was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a commotion from the nursery, he cringed at the sounds of clattering and things being rearranged.
He let out a sigh as he pushed back from the desk and went to stand up, he had a feeling he was about to regret whatever he was about to find.
Branch wasn't disappointed when he arrived in the doorway of the nursery.
Poppy was rapidly digging through the closet and drawers, she was inspecting random articles of clothing before shaking her head and chunking them either back where they'd come from or over her shoulder.
The twins were giggling from their cribs as they watched the pink blur of their mother zipping around the room in her hurricane of destruction.
Branch blinked as a thankfully clean diaper smacked him dead in the face before it slid off his head and became stuck over one of his eyes.
"Poppy, may I ask what you are doing?" He asked in a deadpan as he scowled at her with one eye as the twins giggled harder at their father's plight.
His wife paused momentarily not looking at him as she continued to inspect the current piece of clothing she was holding.
"No, no...: She muttered as she shook her head and flung whatever she had in her hand to join the pile on the floor.
"POPPY!" Branch finally said raising his voice which finally got his wife's attention who whirled around to look at him.
Her eyes widened comically before she covered her mouth to keep from giggling at the sight of her husband who was less than amused at her currently.
"Ooopsie, well you always did look cute in a diaper." She said giving him an apologetic look as she snickered.
Branch groaned as he reached up yanked the diaper off his head and scowled again at her.
"What pray tell are you doing?" He asked again looking around the disaster that was now the nursery as he moved to start putting some of the mess away and to keep Piper and Reed from playing with any of the items they shouldn't have within their reach out of the way.
"Well...I just thought this would be the first time the family is meeting our kids...and how cute it would be if we all wore matching outfits...but then I started looking for just the right thing for them to wear...and then I realized we might not have anything to match...but then I thought even if we did what if it wasn't the right thing to wear...annnnd..." She rambled making motions with her hands as she spiraled further down the rabbit hole.
"I'm sorry I asked..." Branch said earning a glare from Poppy.
"It's their first time meeting Reed and Piper, Branch...we need to look cute!" Poppy stated as she pouted.
Branch rolled his eyes as he sat down the pile of items he'd picked up on the loveseat before walking over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders.
"They aren't going to care what we're wearing, we could show up naked as long as we have the babies with us and they'd be excited." Branch stated.
Both he and Poppy shared a mental image of that thought before they both grimaced.
"Blech!" They both said as they stuck out their tongues in unison and shuddered before laughing at their mirrored reactions.
"Moving along, trust me whatever you pick will be perfect," Branch said as he squeezed her shoulders,
"Thank you," Poppy said as she gave him a warm smile.
Branch knew she was just as nervous and excited as he was for the rest of the family to meet Piper and Reed and that this was just her way of getting out some of it. And much like him overthinking it as well.
"Why don't you pull your top favorites and we'll go from there?" Branch asked as he made his way to continue picking up the rest of the items that were scattered around the nursery.
Poppy's eyes lit up happily as she nodded before skipping over to start finding some of the items she'd been considering.
That certainly took longer than Branch had anticipated and all too soon it was time for them to head to the bunker.
In the end, it had been an easier problem to solve than even Poppy expected.
He was currently wearing a dark blue vest and brown patchless shorts. Poppy wore a lavender felt dress with yellow and pink trim and one of her normal felt flower crowns.
Piper had on a lavender dress much like her mother's with a pink and yellow flower crown, while Reed wore a diaper finished off with a lavender bow tie with a yellow center.
Branch had to admit he felt a bit overdressed for this sort of thing, but he knew it was important to Poppy so he hadn't much much more of a fuss over the whole thing.
Once again Branch led them all through the back ways to the bunker thankful that once again most Trolls didn't come this way or this far outside the village unless they needed to.
Both he and Poppy couldn't help but smile as they watched both Reed and Piper look around with curious eyes at their surroundings.
Sure Reed had been outside of their pod, but that had been at night and in Branch's hair. Now both were out during the day and they could both see the sights that welcomed them.
They soon arrived at the stone that marked the bunker, both amused when they noticed a new welcome mat had been placed over the old one. This one is done in white and pastel baby-themed colors.
Poppy shifted Piper onto her hip to look at her husband, seeing the look of confidence he'd been wearing slipping just a bit and the nerves causing his eyes to darken as he looked at the hatch to the lift.
"You okay?" She asked gently causing Branch to blink out of his thoughts and look at her.
"Y-yeah..." He said the waver in his voice saying otherwise as Poppy gave him a gentle smile.
"It's gonna be fine, I promise. Just take a deep breath..." Poppy said as she inhaled deeply, which Branch followed before they both let it out at the same time.
"See, we've got this! Nothing to worry about." Poppy said her typical bright grin spreading across her face as she gave Branch's hip a nudge with her own.
He chuckled a little his nerves at least slightly at bay now as he gave his wife a silent thank you look as he glanced down at Reed and Piper.
"Let's go meet you're Aunt and Uncles." He said nodding his head as he and Poppy made their way down the hatch and onto the lift.
At the bottom of the lift, the dim lights of the bunker were already lit for them. And as they excited they could hear a few hushed whispers coming from the main living area of the bunker.
Branch once again felt his nerves rising and for a brief second, he felt like he wanted to dart straight through the living area and right back to his old bedroom. Grab Poppy and the twins and just hide away from everything.
But he felt Poppy reach over and gently take his hand and he let out the breath he hadn't even been realizing he'd been holding. Seeing the small side eye and smile she gave him boosted his confidence as they walked through the door to the living area.
"SURPRISE!" Was the next thing he heard as he blinked to look around the living area.
The room had been decorated in all sorts of pastel baby-themed decorations, a cake, and food were proudly displayed.
Viva and his brothers standing in the middle of the room all with huge excited grins on their faces as they saw them walk in.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Look at you two!" It was Viva's loud squeals that dominated anything anyone else was saying as she bounced her way over to them looking at the twins in Branch and Poppy's arms.
Her pink eyes alight as she took in her niece and nephew for the first time.
"EEEE! You're both so teensy and weensy and cute as heck! Oh my gosh...I'm you're Auntie Viva! I'm an Auntie!" She rambled sounding a lot like Poppy did.
Both Piper and Reed only watched their Aunt with confused wide-eyed wonder as she zipped back over to Clay.
"I'm an Auntie! I'm a Tía! That means you're a Tío!" She said giving her husband a shake as she squealed yet again.
Clay could only laugh at his wife's enthusiasm as he grinned over at Branch and Poppy, though it faded a bit when he glanced up and realized his hair had been braided with varying multicolored yarn and glitter.
"Really, Viva?" He asked giving her a look that often mirrored one Branch would give Poppy.
Viva giggled before she shot him an apologetic look before she reached over and yanked him into a one-sided hug where she proceeded to pick him up and squeeze him.
Everyone laughed as they watched the scene.
Branch only had a moment to enjoy his sister-in-law and his brother's antics before the rest of the moment devolved into chaos.
Because the next thing he knew there were people everywhere and they were all talking at one time.
He vaguely recognized his brother's voices as they all tried talking over one another as they swarmed around both him and Poppy to get a good look at the twins.
He cast a nervous glance over at Poppy who too was trying to answer a million questions as well though she was handling it a million times better than he ever did, typical Poppy.
He felt Reed tensing in his arms as his uncles continued to crowd around them.
"Branch? You okay?" He vaguely heard Floyd's voice through all the chatter, he blinked focusing on his elder brother who was standing before him leaning on his walking stick looking concerned.
Before he could answer he felt an arm get thrown around him and knock him slightly off balance.
"See, told ya everything would go perfectly! And look at those two cuties you got!" Bruce stated grinning as he patted Branch's shoulder.
Reed was having none of the confusion, nor his father's mood as he began to wiggle and started to softly whine.
Branch heard him and was about to head off what he was sure was going to be a breakdown, but he was cut off by John Dory who'd been standing slightly further back from the others though he wore a grin just as big as the other brothers.
"Come on, let's take a closer look at the new band members." He said as he walked towards Branch and leaned himself down to eye level with Reed.
Which was the wrong thing to do...Reed took one look at his eldest uncle and the overstimulation and strangers surrounding him caused him to finally snap. He screwed up his little face and let out a wail loud enough to rival his Auntie Viva's squeal from earlier.
The wail caused everyone in the room to pause in both shock and surprise, all except Piper who at seeing her twin crying also began to cry with him.
"Way to go JD..." Clay stated as he gave his elder brother a half-lidded glare as he put a hand on his hip.
JD seemed to deflate as he realized what he'd done, his ears lowering slightly and his smile fading.
"I-I'm sorry...didn't mean to..." He said as he raised his hands in surrender as he backed away from Branch.
Branch shook his head as he gently bounced Reed in an attempt to get him to calm down but the little Trolling wasn't having any of it same with Piper whom Poppy was also trying to soothe.
"Why don't we all take a seat?" Poppy said motioning with her head to the couch giving Branch a look that said it'd be alright as he followed her.
The two sat on the couch, Reed quickly burying his head in Branch's chest and hiding his face. While Piper sat in her mother's lap and soon began to quiet herself down.
The rest of the family gathered around pulling up spare chairs or sitting in the other seats that littered the room.
"Sooo...I guess introductions are in order after all of that." Poppy said as she looked down at Piper who was starting to go back to her normal curiosity as she looked around the room at at her Aunt and Uncles.
"This is Piper Rosiepuff, our daughter," Poppy said smiling lovingly down at the little trolling who finally let out a giggle as Poppy wrapped her arms around her.
JD, Bruce, Clay, and Floyd all shared looks happy tears welling up in the brother's eyes at hearing their Grandmother's name being passed down to their niece. Even Viva smiled happily at hearing the name.
"And then this is Reed Peppy, our son...and currently being a little shy," Poppy said looking over at Reed who was still refusing to do anything beyond hide his face away in his father's chest.
She heard the awe that came from Viva at hearing their father's name had also been chosen to be passed down as well.
Branch was still trying to get Reed to calm down that he'd blocked out what Poppy was even saying. It was only when he felt her hand gently come to rest on his knee did he looked up at her. She was giving him a gentle smile that said he needed to say something.
He once again felt his nerves flair up, but as he did he could feel Reed's face pressed to his chest, and he knew letting the rest of the family know why was the right course of action.
"I'm sure you've been wondering why we haven't asked you all to come and visit until now, and why Peppy asked you all to help out with the village for the last few days." Branch started slowly his gaze finally shifting from Reed to his brothers and then Viva.
"Hey, it was no trouble...kids are a lot of work especially when they're newborns," Bruce stated chuckling at his brother and getting the rest to nod with him in agreement.
"Well, yes...but that's not exactly the case here," Poppy said biting her lip and going oddly quiet as she glanced over at Branch her gusto finally running out.
Now the rest of the family was growing concerned by the way the couple was acting, so they looked between Branch and Poppy for answers.
Branch heaved a sigh before he looked down at Reed and gently patted his back before taking a deep breath.
"On the day the twins hatched they had a health check with Dr. Plum...she noticed some abnormalities with Reed's ears." He said as he slowly raised his eyes to meet his Brother's and Sister In Laws.
They all glanced at each other worry and confusion taking over their faces.
"Abnormalities? Branch what does that mean?" Viva asked her voice shaking slightly as Clay placed a hand on her shoulder from where he was standing behind her, the taller of the brothers having a look in his eyes that he understood where this conversation was headed.
"She still needs to run some tests, which we have an appointment for in the next couple of days. But she said she's pretty confident he's either partially or totally deaf in both ears." Branch said dropping the words on the family like a bombshell.
Even Poppy looked like she wanted to cry as she reached over and gently rubbed Reed's back.
The silence in the room was deafening as the others took in the information about their nephew. The brothers all seemed to have deflated as they processed it all.
Viva's eyes had gone wide and a silent gasp had left her mouth as she stared at her little nephew who was still hidden away from everyone. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she vaguely felt Clay once again place his hand on her shoulder.
"So he can't..." She started but couldn't finish her sentence as she shook her head.
"It's a lot to take in, we're still processing things ourselves. But we've been talking and have some ideas for the future." Poppy said her forever optimism shining through as she looked at her son her eyes softening lovingly as she did.
Seeing the look on her sister's face seemed to cause Viva to brighten a little bit as she looked around at the others.
"It just means he'll be even more special to get to know." She said as a smile made its way onto her face as she looked up at Clay who gave her a warm smile and nod of agreement.
"Exactly, he'll need all of us to watch out for him..." John Dory stated from where he was standing a bit further back from the others.
"We got Little R's back, don't we bros?!" He asked with a smirk as he pumped his fist in the air and looked at his brothers.
Bruce, Clay, and Floyd all looked at him giving eye rolls before they all laughed and grinned before joining him in the fist bump.
Branch and Poppy couldn't help but exchange a look of pure happiness at their family's unification for their son. It warmed both of the new parent's hearts to see them like this.
Picking up on the vibe that was going down Viva darted around the back of the couch and pulled both Branch and Poppy in for a hug that the others quickly joined in.
Piper who at this point had realized the shift in the atmosphere of the room had gone back to being her normal adorable self as she giggled at the closeness of her family.
Once everyone had pulled back from the hug Viva wasted no time in pulling Poppy up from the couch with Piper and pulled her off to chatter and get a chance to hold her niece.
Poppy gave Branch an apologetic smile and wink as she was drug away.
Branch chuckled as he watched her go, looking back down at Reed who was still curled up against his chest. He wondered for a moment if the little guy had worn himself out and had fallen asleep.
He was brought out of his thoughts as he felt the couch on his one side shift and he looked up to see Bruce taking a seat next to him.
His older brother smiled at him and nodded his head before he looked down at Reed and chuckled.
"You know he's a chip off the old block, looks just like you and Poppy." He said his eyes softening as he looked at the Trolling.
Branch chuckled as he looked down at his son a warm smile coming to his face as he did.
"Thanks, Bruce, he's pretty special already," Branch said pride in his voice as he reached up to gently brush Reed's hair.
Bruce watched his youngest brother smiling at seeing him already taking to be a father he understood that pride and look all too well.
"Looks like you're another natural in the family at this, Branch." Came another voice as Floyd walked over to the couch and sat on the other side of Branch, he smiled at both of his brothers as he came to rest his hands on his walking stick.
"I dunno about that, but I'm trying," Branch said smiling appreciatively at Floyd who hummed softly at him as he looked at Reed his eyes softening as he did.
Both Floyd and Bruce exchanged looks as they watched their younger brother with pride.
"So how are you holding up?" Floyd asked gently as he looked back at Branch.
Typical for Floyd to have picked up on his mood.
Branch heaved a sigh as he considered what to say, opening up to Poppy was a lot easier than with his brothers. They'd all learned that after their adventure to save Floyd it hadn't been an easy road to reconciliation but they'd made it there...eventually.
And it was a known fact that Floyd could sense whenever something was up with any of his brothers and he'd be the one to drag it out of them.
"I think we're doing alright...all things considered." Branch stated after a moment as he nodded his head to affirm his thoughts.
"That's great to hear, but how are *You handling everything?" Bruce asked having picked up where Floyd was going with this train of thought.
Branch groaned a little at realizing he was had by both of his brothers, of course Bruce would pick up on what Floyd meant.
"Okay...I guess...it's all been a lot to take in." Branch said his voice growing quiet as he looked down at Reed with a sigh.
"I can imagine, I know how scary it is when you become a parent. Doesn't get any easier the more you have either." Bruce stated a wistful smile coming to his face as he too looked down at Reed.
"While it's not the same circumstances I sorta know how you feel." He said with a shake of his head as he looked back up at Branch and Floyd.
Both blinked in confusion as they looked at him, as far as they knew all of his children were perfectly fine.
"It's not something Brandi and I like to talk about, so it's not brought up very often. But before Bruce. Jr was born we lost a couple..." He said a frown setting across his face as his eyes creased in sadness.
Both Floyd and Branch blinked in surprise before what their elder brother said sank in and they both exchanged saddened looks before looking back at him.
"We're so sorry..." Floyd said quietly the thought of the nieces and nephews they'd never gotten to meet causing a pit in his stomach as he looked at Branch who had a similar look on his face.
"I mean it happens, especially in our case where our kids are the firsts of their sort. I mean we were amazed we could even have kids let alone..." He trailed off with a chuckle as he shook his head the look in his eyes still sad.
"And then Bruce Jr. came along and he was so sickly, we honestly weren't for sure if he was gonna make it there for a bit," Bruce said a bittersweet smile on his face as he looked back over at Branch.
"But he did, and we thanked all that he ended up healthy as time went on. And then the others came and we knew what to expect and things went easier." He said as he looked over at his brothers a proud smile taking over his face.
"My point is, I get how scary things can be when it involves your kids. I understand that feeling of being scared for them, thinking it may have been something you did, for hoping they'll be alright. And while our kids may not have anything permanent like Reed does...I can understand where you've been to some degree." He said as he put his hand on Branch's shoulder.
Branch blinked at his older brother feeling an odd sense of gratitude to him for telling him all of this. It was the same feeling that he got after he'd opened up and talked with Poppy about his earlier feelings.
"Thank you, Bruce...that means a lot. And makes me feel better about how I've been feeling about things." Branch said quietly a soft smile coming across his face.
Bruce smiled and nodded his head.
"I know we've all said our pieces about what happened in the past, and I know we've all moved on from it all. But I just want to say that I'm truly thankful to have all of my brothers back and that I'm so thankful to be able to get to be a part of both of your lives, and your children's. I know I missed out on so much from when we were younger and I'm so thankful that you both have allowed me to be back in your lives." Floyd said a smile spreading across his face as he blinked away a stray tear or two.
Branch smiled at his brothers, it had been a long road to this moment but he couldn't be more thankful for finally getting here.
"Come on, man...don't get all wishy-washy on us...I already poured out my heart don't make me cry now too." Bruce stated with a laugh, though it was clear he was trying to hide his tears.
Floyd chuckled as he dabbed at his eyes.
Branch chuckled and rolled his eyes at them feeling a lot better about everything, Poppy's prediction of getting their family involved once again proving to be correct. He was thankful she wasn't keeping track of how often she was right.
"Alright, now that that's outta the way...why don't we get started on whose gonna be this little guy's favorite uncle? Hmmmm?" Bruce said as he looked down at Reed and rubbed his hands together as if he were plotting.
"Who says he needs to pick a favorite?" Floyd asked raising an eyebrow as he looked at his older brother.
Bruce only gave him a deadpan expression.
"Come on, Floyd...you don't even need to compete. Just remember how you stole Bitty B away from us all when he was just a baby." Bruce stated as he gave his younger brother a half-lidded glare.
Floyd made a noise of not knowing what the older was talking about as he looked away.
"Come on guys, let's not compete. And I'm not a baby anymore...I have kids for hair's sake!" Branch stated rolling his eyes at his brother's antics.
"Oh come on, you know you're curious. And that's beside the point, you'll always be our baby brother." Bruce stated in a baby voice as he laughed causing Branch to groan at him the teasing used to get on his nerves and it still could, but the brothers had gotten better at knowing how far to take it.
"He's got a point, B. No matter how many you and Poppy end up having. I mean I guess you could try to beat out Bruce there if you want to." Floyd stated giving his younger brother a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
Branch's thoughts instantly went to the thought of him and Poppy having thirteen or more kids and he was fairly certain he felt himself age by thirty years.
"Oh, sprinkles...no...no...nope...we are moving on from that thought." He said vehemently shaking his head which caused both Floyd and Bruce to burst out laughing at his plight.
Bruce chuckled again as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye shaking his head at his youngest brother before he reached and pulled something out of his hair and held it up for his brothers to see.
"Bribery?" Branch deadpanned as he looked at the package of chocolate his brother was holding up like a trophy.
"Wha? It works on my kids all the time." Bruce stated with a shrug as he unwrapped the treat and held it towards the little Trolling who was still refusing to look at anyone.
Branch and Floyd both rolled their eyes at their elder brother and his methods.
Reed had fallen asleep after his little outburst from earlier, being snuggled up against his father's chest and hearing the gentle vibrations from him talking and lulled the little guy to sleep.
The sudden burst of movement from the laughter is what had awoken him, he narrowed his little blue eyes from where he was still tucked against Branch's chest.
He wasn't necessarily upset at being awoken but more surprised by the sudden motion, if anything he was hungry.
His little belly growled as he yawned and shifted slightly his little purple nose twitching when he picked up the scent of something sweet. It reminded him of the fluffy sweet stuff his Mommy had given him the other night.
He carefully peeked his face around to look at where the scent was coming from, eyeing the older purple-haired troll who was holding the sweet. He could see his dancing blue eyes and warm smile.
It wasn't that the other Trolls truly frightened him, it was more the chaos and movements from earlier that had set him off.
He could tell that these other trolls were friendly, most of them looked like his Daddy just with different hair colors. The female one looked and acted just like his Mommy but had different hair.
They intrigued him he just wasn't too sure how to approach any of them, and he wasn't sure if the sweet was tempting enough to go to this other troll.
He huffed a little as he turned his head back towards Branch's chest as he considered his options, he then turned his little head to the other side.
This time eyeing the other troll who sat on his father's other side. Again older than his Daddy, with unique white hair that faded to a bright magenta color at the tips.
He could make out kind magenta eyes that were focused on his father, something about this troll just made him feel warm and safe.
He couldn't pinpoint it, it wasn't like with his Daddy...but it was just the feeling he got from him.
He was caught off guard when the older troll's gaze flickered down to meet his, a surprised look crossing his face before he could see the smallest of smiles form on his face.
Reed quickly turned his head away from the older troll, feeling shy at being caught by him. But that quickly faded the older troll having sparked his curiosity.
He slowly peeked his face up again towards his uncle eyeing him with curiosity.
Floyd caught the look another smile coming to his eyes as he slowly waved his fingers at the little trolling from where they were still sitting atop his walking stick.
He chuckled as Reed quickly ducked his head back against his brother's chest. He was quick to join back in with Branch and Bruce's conversations not wanting to draw attention to his nephew's behavior just yet.
He glanced again, seeing little blue eyes once again looking up at him, this time he carefully stuck out his tongue at him.
He could see Reed's eyes light up a bit and he could see him trying to hide a smile as he quickly ducked his head back yet again.
This continued on for several minutes, it wasn't until he'd fully crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue in a ridiculous face did Branch and Bruce caught on to what he was doing.
"Floyd, what are you doing? Having a fit?" Bruce asked raising his eyebrows at his behavior Branch was too concerned as he looked at his older brother
Floyd quickly dropped the face and let out an embarrassed chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Oh, you know..." Floyd stated his face flushing a deeper blue as he blushed.
Branch and Bruce both exchanged looks, but before either could question further they were interrupted.
"Aha!" Came a little voice from Branch's lap causing all three of the brothers to look down in surprise.
Reed had fully pulled himself from Branch's chest and was looking straight at Floyd, a look of determination on his face as he reached out his little arms towards his uncle making grabby motions with his hands.
Bruce scowled at Floyd as he pieced together what had happened.
"See? I said you wouldn't even need to try!" He said as he pouted as Branch snicked before turning to hand Reed to Floyd.
Floyd was caught off guard for the briefest of moments as he took the little trolling from his brother and placed him on his lap.
Reed peered up at him with curious bright blue eyes, a smile coming across his face as soon as he was in his uncle's arms.
For just the briefest of moments, Floyd felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as he looked down at his nephew those blue eyes, and that blue hair. For just a moment he thought he was looking down at Branch as a baby.
He felt tears well up in his eyes as he let out a breathy chuckle of amazement, the feelings he'd had in the past of guilt washing over him at remembering what he'd missed out on for leaving his baby brother all those years ago.
But he quickly pushed those emotions down deciding now wasn't the best time for them.
"Hey there, little guy...aren't you just handsome?" He asked though he winced when he did remember that Reed couldn't hear him.
Branch noticed the wince and gave his brother a small smile.
"It's alright, we're still talking to him...we're hoping one day maybe he'll be able to read lips." He explained causing Floyd to nod in understanding.
He chuckled when Reed let out a happy giggle as he began to gently play with his bangs that hung down over his eye seemingly fascinated by the hairstyle.
Floyd spent quite a while holding his nephew the little trolling seeming to attach to him like glue.
However, after a bit he began to grow fussy, clearly getting hungry (hungrier) so Floyd passed him back to his father.
Branch chuckled at his son before he reached into his hair and pulled out a bottle before handing it to Bruce.
"Save your candy, and me a headache at bedtime. Come here, bud...let's say hi to Uncle Bruce." Branch said as he handed him Reed.
The little trolling blinked at finding himself looking up at his other uncle, and for a moment he was uncertain to what was going on. But as soon as he saw the bottle all his worries were gone.
Bruce beamed like the seasoned father he was as he fed Reed.
"Man, this is so much easier when they're small enough to hold." Bruce marveled as he laughed and looked at both of his brothers, who both shared a look and a laugh at that statement considering how much larger their brother's children were than any of them.
The brothers were suddenly interrupted by a series of giggles, they all looked up to see Clay, Viva, and Poppy approaching them.
Piper giggled her head off from where she was being carried by Clay who had a very unconvincing scowl plastered on his face.
"What's with the long face, Clay?" Floyd asked confused as he looked at him.
"She won't stop laughing at me, even though I told her this was the not-so-fun version of Peek-A-Boo!" Clay stated as he proceeded to demonstrate.
He looked down at Piper with his best stone-cold expression, proceeded to place his hand over his face, and then removed it...not blinking...not moving anything.
Which only caused Piper to laugh harder at his antics and the forced stiffness of his movements.
"I dunno...it still looks pretty funny from here," Poppy said causing all the other trolls in the room to try not to snicker at the lime-haired troll who only rolled his eyes at them and at his niece.
"Here, Clay...sit down and see if she'll take a bottle," Branch said as he made his way up from the couch allowing Clay to flop down on the couch with Piper, who instantly looked at both of her other uncles before abandoning him for Floyd's lap.
"See...favorite without even trying!" Both Bruce and Clay said at the same time as they both glared at Floyd who could only hold up his hands in surrender as Piper giggled at them all.
Branch only rolled his eyes at his brothers before handing Floyd the bottle which Piper happily took.
Reed had finished his off and after a quick burp, Bruce handed him over to Clay to take his turn holding his nephew.
The little trolling stared up at his uncle before he smiled and started batting at his wild hair, causing the "serious" troll to chuckle at his nephew as he started trying some of his not-so-fun games on him, though quickly finding much like his sister they were funner then he thought.
Poppy smiled as she watched her three brother-in-laws interacting with her children she glanced over at Branch noticing the look on his face and she couldn't help but feel a weight lift off her shoulders at seeing him happy after the last few days.
"So when are you guys going to have the twin's ceremony?" Viva asked turning from watching her husband and his brothers playing with the twins deciding to let them have their moment.
"We've got some plans made up back at home, we're gonna try to give the other tribal leaders time to come as well. We'd also really like to invite Brandy and the kids, as well as Bridget and Gristle. But with that many people and sizes, we'd possibly need to have it in Bergen Town at the Troll Tree. And that further complicates things..." Poppy rambled out as she tapped her chin, Viva nodding along with her sister's thoughts as Branch only raised his eyebrows at the sister.
"In other words, it's a work in progress..." Branch filled in causing Poppy to stick her tongue out at him which only made him roll his eyes and shake his head.
Viva giggled at her sister and brother-in-law.
"Well if you need help with anything Clay and I will be staying through till after the ceremony, we figured you might need the extra hands. And I know Clay wants to stay...get to know the twins, and to spend time with all of his brothers..." She said smiling over at him as he and the others were currently entertaining the two little ones who were giggling happily with their uncles.
"And we'll need a girl's day too while I'm here..." She said giving Poppy a wink which caused the sisters to clasp hands and squeal with each other.
Branch rolled his eyes at that as he shook his head, but he was glad to hear Viva and Clay were going to be staying for a bit. He knew Bruce had already said he'd be staying for a bit to help out after the twins had hatched. So it would be nice to have all his brothers in the same place for a while.
"Alright, I've gotta go get in on this cuteness...lemme see my niece and nephew!" Viva said as she bounced over to the brothers, finding no resistance as she was handed both of the trollings.
Reed seemed confused for a moment at being held by his Aunt, but after seeing Piper warm up to her he did as well. He seemed fascinated by her hair the same way he'd been with Clay's.
Branch watched them a smile forming on his lips before he felt a gentle bump against his hip and he looked over at Poppy who was grinning happily at him.
"So...how you feelin'?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
He sighed knowing she was once again right, he was thankful she wasn't keeping a score, though knowing Poppy she probably was somehow.
"Good...really good...happy?" He said as he watched her eyes soften at him.
"I told you it'd all work out, and I'm glad...we'll just take it one day at a time...together." She said as she pulled him into a one-sided hug and gave him a shake.
Branch chuckled as he looked at her, his gaze suddenly landing on a figure he'd missed until now.
John Dory was standing off to the side near the snacks, he was watching everyone but on occasion, he'd fidget nervously with his glove trying to not be noticed by the others.
"Hang on a sec..." He said as he gently removed himself from Poppy's grip, she blinked at him before looking to where he was heading.
She felt her eyes soften as she took notice of the mood of her eldest brother-in-law.
"So you just gonna stand over here the whole time?" Branch asked as he came up behind his eldest brother who whipped around with a start a grin plastering itself to his face as he nervously chuckled.
"Don't do that, B...give this old man a heart attack." He said as he patted his chest as if trying to get his heart to beat correctly.
"You aren't that old..." Branch countered as he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Debatable..." JD stated as he seemed to focus back on the drink he'd been holding in his hand trying to avoid his youngest brother's gaze.
"Soooo...looks like Floyd's gonna win for favorite uncle," Branch said as he leaned back against the wall of the bunker gazing over to where Poppy had joined the rest of the family and they were all laughing and playing with the twins.
"Hmm..." JD hummed as his head popped back up and he followed Branch's gaze.
The youngest brother could see that he was bothered by that statement, he knew that once they'd all reconnected and they'd gotten to know Bruce's kids he'd professed himself to be the favorite uncle among the brothers (whether the kids agreed to that statement themselves or not). So he knew there was no way he was going to let Floyd take that title without a fight. So seeing him not wanting to interact with the twins was worrying Branch.
"You know it wasn't your fault earlier for startling, Reed...you had no idea that he was deaf..." Branch finally said after considering what could be the reasoning for JD's strange behavior.
"I know...I just..." JD started but deflated as he looked away from his youngest brother his ears seemed to droop as well.
"I guess I just didn't think about how long it had been since I'd been around actual babies...I mean it was one thing taking care of you four when you were little. But I've been so out of practice and when he started crying..." John explained still not meeting Branch's gaze.
"Come on, I know you're good with kids. Look at Bruce's and Tiny...you've gotta give yourself some credit there." Branch said as he raised his eyebrows at him.
"Yeah, but they're older...they aren't little like you were when I left...they don't look at me like you did." John finally snapped as he looked at him his eyes shining with emotions as he sighed and looked back down.
Branch felt like he'd been punched as he looked at his eldest brother, he'd never thought about that reaction from John. Sure they'd worked out most of the kinks in their relationship over the years and he'd forgiven all of his brothers for the past. It hadn't been easy, and he still carried the scars they all did and John did as well, and seeing his son be upset with him earlier had brought some of those to the surface.
"Hey, listen to me...Piper and Reed are going to love you. They aren't going to care or judge what happened in the past...all they want to do is get to know their uncle." Branch said gently as he reached over and put a hand on his elder brother's shoulder.
John looked up at him a small smile forming on his lips as he took a deep breath and nodded at his youngest brother.
"Thanks, Branch..." He said as he reached up to pat his youngest brother's hand on his shoulder who smiled and nodded his head.
"So who said Floyd's gonna be the favorite uncle? I think I've got a piece of my mind to give them..." JD stated as he fluffed up the collar of his jacket and smirked which caused Branch to roll his eyes at his brother before the two started making their way over to the others.
"There you are, Johnny! We thought you'd snuck back off to Rhonda or something." Bruce stated as the two approached causing the others to look at them.
"Nah...just needed a bit of a kick in the pants from, B...but we're good now," John stated giving Branch a wink as the others looked between them and the youngest.
"I feel we missed something," Floyd stated raising an eyebrow at his brothers who all nodded.
John laughed nervously but was quickly cut off from further thought as he suddenly found Poppy standing before him a huge grin on her face as she shoved both of the twins into his arms.
"Whoa!" He said as he fumbled for a second before he got both in a good hold, he chuckled nervously as he looked down at Piper and Reed who peered up at their eldest uncle curiously.
"Well hello there, aren't you two just...perfect," JD said his voice sounding hoarse as he blinked away the tears he felt welling up in his eyes as the twins smiled and giggled up at him.
Branch and his brothers all shared a smile as they watched the eldest interact with his new niece and nephew.
However, the moment was quickly over as Reed then proceeded to climb his way up JD's chest and shoulder.
"Ouch...careful there..." JD said winching as he tugged on his coat and then his ear, eventually coming to set in his hair his little pink face sticking out the front.
Piper watched her brother giggling and clapping her hands as she did.
Reed looked down at his uncle his little blue eyes shining happily before he reached down and pulled on JD's goggles causing them to snap back against his head.
"Ouch, come on Little R...not the goggles already!" JD laughed at his nephew's antics as Reed clapped his hands and giggled at his uncle's reaction.
Piper followed along and laughed along with him.
"Not you too, Princess P...guess you two are gonna run this old man ragged, huh?" He asked as he laughed turning to look at the rest of the family who were also laughing along with the twins.
"Looks like Floyd got dethroned!" Clay stated as he elbowed his younger brother who pouted and rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile.
"Of all the trolls to lose to...I'd rather it be Floyd." Bruce stated as he huffed but couldn't help but hide the smile that was threatening to form on his face.
Branch rolled his eyes as he watched his brothers, but couldn't help but feel a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His heart swelled as he watched his brothers and children all finally together something that years ago he'd have never thought would ever happen.
"Oh! Oh! I know what we need! A family photograph!" Viva said excitedly as she tugged on Poppy's arm from where she was standing the two sisters nodded in agreement as Poppy pulled a camera and a tripod from her hair.
In two pink blurs, the sisters had set up the camera and rearranged the scene so that Branch and Poppy were seated on the couch with Piper and Reed in their laps, Floyd seated beside them, with JD and Bruce seated on the couch ends while Clay stood behind the couch with Viva hanging off his shoulder.
"Say cheese!" The sisters called in unison as the entire family looked at the camera and smiled.
"CHEESE!" Everyone said as the flash went off...
A perfect family picture printed out of the camera, and a perfect memory of the day for a future scrapbook.
And that's a wrap, guys! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter...man it took a lot to type! X;DD
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