Clay
Clay adjusted his wristbands, taking in a deep breath as he and his brothers lined up at the back of the stage, facing the wall and waiting for the music to start.
Focus. Do the song, stay in-sync. That's all that mattered right now.
Viva bounced across the stage in excitement, acting as the announcer introducing them, miming a microphone in her hand. "Alright, everyone! Put your hands together forrrr…BroZone!"
The backing track started, a shiver running up his spine. Slowly, they turned around, the Putt Putt's cheering and clapping in anticipation.
Focus. Focus.
Bruce was the first to sing, sliding into the front for his first lines, his clear voice carrying out to the audience. "Sun kissed my face, wishing for the real thing. Lonely and out of place, when I don't have you with me. Does your heart stay the same? On all these nights alone? Yeah. Or is it just me, hoping you'll come home?"
"'Cause I don't know if I can make you happy, no matter what the odds, I'm gonna try. A million miles away, I feel you with me. For now our love will live inside my mind," Floyd sang, bringing emotion into his lines as he projected.
When it was time for Clay's solo, he slid into the spotlight, John flashing him a wink as he sang. "So, don't wake me up in the middle of the night, 'cause I finally found you. I feel your love every time I close my eyes, 'causе I finally found you."
Clay could hear Viva whooping in the crowd and felt his cheeks heat up, but then his brothers were brushing beside him, pulling him back into the dance as they all joined in on the lines that were meant for Branch to sing. "When the times are hardеst, I find you in the darkness, you're a dream and that is enough (Bruce: that is enough), yeah."
As they broke into the chorus, their harmonies shone. Clay could feel his heartbeat matching the beat of the song, the vibration stretching out from his chest to his arms and down his legs as they sang the chorus together. "Don't wake me up in the middle of the night, 'cause I finally found you. Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh. Finally found you. Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh. Finally found you (John: found you)."
No one broke from their formation. There was no ill-fated stack, just their clear voices ringing through the golf course. All four of them were in sync. Despite having not had practiced beforehand, they easily found themselves falling into their old rhythms, letting the music and their dance carry them through the performance, their lyrics sweeping over them and the energized crowd below. Their voices were strong. Their moves were tight. The audience was small but enthusiastic.
Every time he got near one of his brothers, he felt more alive, their eyes alight with energy, their voices melding together and projecting loudly through the golf course even without the use of microphones.
The corner of Clay's mouth curled upwards as John slid past for his solo, voice bright and clear and his excitement contagious. "Summer days, so far away. Only see 'em in the rearview, yeah (Clay: rearview, yeah). How will I hold you again, to make you feel at home?"
Clay exchanged excited looks with his brothers as Floyd once again took the spotlight, the rest of them jumping in to back him up at different points. "'Cause I don't know if I can make you happy, no matter what the odds, I'm gonna try. A million miles away, I feel you with me. For now our love will live inside my mind."
Clay found himself beginning to weave in and amongst his brothers while they sang their solos, John pulling it all together with the main backup vocals for the others to jump in and out of.
The Putt Putt's were having the time of their lives, dancing along to the music. Clay saw Viva dancing energetically, laughing in joy. The few trollings they had who were born in the golf course, who had never experienced any kind of performance like this, were absolutely losing their minds, jumping up and down or running around the crowd. When everyone moved to Pop Village, they'd be able to experience this again. Not with BroZone specifically, but other bands. Other singers.
Focus. Stay focused.
It was easy to slip back into the rhythm, leaning into the connection with his brothers.
"So, don't wake me up in the middle of the night, 'cause I finally found you (Floyd: found you). I feel your love every time I close my eyes, 'causе I finally found you," Clay sang, feeling himself grinning after each line. They could do this. They could actually do this. Here they were, performing together after twenty years, and no one was out of sync.
John was in his element, oozing confidence in a completely different way to how he had twenty years ago. Back then, it had been him trying to take the lead. But now, he was letting his brothers shine in their solos, stepping back and supporting them with his back-up vocals.
Clay felt as if he could do these moves in his sleep, gliding effortlessly from one to another. All of them were. John hadn't stopped grinning the whole song, Floyd was beaming with joy, and Bruce was completely caught up in the moment. Everyone was in sync. In harmony.
Once again, all the brothers stood together in the front of the stage, their voices mixing together in perfect harmony as they sang Branch's lines. "When the times are hardеst, I find you in the darkness, you're a dream and that is enough (Bruce: that is enough), yeah."
"Final chorus!" John whispered from somewhere else on stage, his voice dripping with overjoyed excitement, but it echoed in Clay's head. Final chorus. Nearly there. Just stay focused. Don't think about what comes next.
The audience couldn't be happier. His village had always deserved better than the golf course as a home. They would be so happy once they were at Pop Village.
Muscle memory guided him as his thoughts raced, causing him to momentarily slip out of the rhythm.
Stay focused. Stay focused.
But how could he? These were his final moments before everything would change. Glancing at Viva dancing along in the crowd, Clay imagined Poppy there, dancing alongside her. Viva deserved it, she always had. She'd always dreamed of getting her sister back, of having that perfect confidant. The position that he'd filled in Poppy's absence, even before he started dating Viva. When the song was over, they'd be getting ready to leave for Pop Village, making this performance his final moment before everything he'd done for the Putt Putt's and the village was no longer needed.
His brothers started moving toward their final positions on stage. Clay was a fraction of a second out of time. He found himself looking at John. The reason their band and brotherly bonds had all gone wrong in the first place. Not when he had improvised the choreo at their last show together, not when he had left for the Neverglades, and not when he had made Clay the 'fun one.' It was when he had decided that the Perfect Family Harmony was the only thing that mattered. His brother had always spoken about it with stars in his eyes. Clay saw those stars now. He could imagine John's thoughts; his excitement at performing as BroZone again. They were finally doing it, just like he'd always wanted. This and the Perfect Family Harmony were everything he'd ever wanted. After this song, John would have the band back. Floyd would no longer be alone. Bruce had a whole family, a life to go back to. Branch would be getting his brothers back. Clay was the only one losing something after this.
"Don't wake me up in the middle of the night, 'cause I finally found you. Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh. Finally found you (John: yeah, I finally found)."
His heart skipped a beat. His brother's voices soared, but Clay's didn't come in on time. No. Wait-
"Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh. Finally found you-"
In the final moments of the melody, as they reached for those final poses and before Bruce could close the song with the final solo, just when his brothers realized something wasn't quite right, something happened that had never happened to Clay in a performance before (not counting his last one).
His feet slipped.
Clay didn't trip or fall, there was no dramatic crash. But he stumbled. His voice wavered. The rush of adrenaline he had been feeling before was now completely gone.
The song ended. Instead of multiple heartbeats all in harmony, he only heard his own, blood rushing in his ears. The only thing he could feel was his heavy breathing as he realized what had happened. He let his selfish thoughts get the better of him…he messed up the song…
The Putt Putts were cheering and clapping, and it seemed as if they hadn't noticed Clay's small mistake. But his brothers had.
"What happened?"
"Clay?"
At John's voice, Clay turned to see his oldest brother looking at him, expression confused and…disappointed? "What happened, dude?"
"I…" Words dried up in his throat, and Clay looked at each of his brothers. They'd been in sync. They were performing together without mistake. It had been perfect. They'd been so close to finally finishing a song together after twenty years.
"You missed a step," John continued, and Clay could've sworn there was an accusation in there somewhere. Or maybe it was concern? He couldn't hear the difference over the pounding in his ears.
"Is something wrong?" Bruce asked, stepping forward in the corner of his vision.
Clay's entire face felt hot. Nothing should be wrong. Everything was going right. "No, I'm fine-"
"No, something's wrong. You've never missed a step," John insisted.
"It's been twenty years, John," Clay said in frustration.
"Everything was going perfect," John said, Clay barely managing to stop himself from flinching at his words. "But something happened at the end. Clay, what happened?"
"Nothing happened." He just couldn't stay focused on the song. Instead, he had been too busy dwelling on his own fears and doubts when he should have kept his eyes on what was really important, the responsible thing to do: leading his village back to where they belonged. How was he supposed to admit that? "I-I messed up a step, you've all messed up steps before."
"That's why none of us are the choreographer," John countered. He was starting to get irritated. No wonder, they'd been so close. Everything had been going perfectly and once again Clay was in the way of John's perfect performance.
In a way, Clay could understand John's growing frustration. If they weren't even able to finish a song with just the four of them, how were they expected to do it with Branch? But Clay knew John was also thinking about hitting the Perfect Family Harmony once they got Branch, which only made Clay's face heat up in irritation. Despite all that had been said and seen during the movies, John still wanted to hit the harmony…
"JD's right," Bruce said, looking worriedly at Clay and knowing something was bothering him. "You've never messed up the steps in a performance before. Why did it happen this time?"
"I don't know, mistakes happen sometimes!" The truth was stuck in his throat and it was obvious his brother's weren't going to let it go. Why couldn't they let it go? Why couldn't they just let any of it go?
Why couldn't he let it go? What was it anyway?
"Clay, we just want to know what's wrong-" Floyd began before getting cut-off.
"I made a mistake, can we just drop it?!" Clay stiffened his shoulders, his eyes flickering to the audience who were mostly quiet by now, watching in worried confusion. They knew now that something had gone wrong, and could probably figure out that he was the cause by the way his brother's were surrounding him. He locked eyes with Viva, who was making her way to the stage until pausing as they made brief eye contact before he glanced at the Putt Putts.
Viva looked over her shoulder, then back at Clay as she understood what he was trying to say. Turning back around, she began directing the trolls away from the stage. A few questioned her, but they listened, leaving to give the brothers a moment.
Clay felt his throat clear ever so slightly as the trolls' stares left, allowing him to breathe again. The only problem was that Viva left with them. He wished she were here. He knew how to talk to her more than his brothers, and knew she'd listen and that he could trust her.
"We can't just drop it, Clay, something's obviously going on," Bruce said, his voice calm and steady as he tried to reason with his brothers.
"Nothing's going on. Everything's…great," Clay said, trying but failing to convince his brothers. And himself. Just this week alone he had reunited with three of his brothers and learned that Branch and the other trolls were out there and alive. The Putt Putts were finally able to be safe for good, they were getting everything they wanted. So…why wasn't he delighted? Thrilled?
"So why did you mess up?" John asked.
"It was an accident!" Now that the Putt Putts were gone, now that they didn't have an audience, Clay felt his emotions and voice beginning to rise.
"Did I do something again?" John asked, trying to remain calm but found his voice beginning to rise as well.
Clay scoffed. "Not everything is about you, John."
"Well the problem last time was that I messed with your choreo, and I didn't do that this time!" John exclaimed, a note of pleading to his words.
"That wasn't the problem!"
John just stared at him. "What? What do you mean that wasn't the problem?"
"Guys, stop," Bruce pleaded, coming to step in between them. "Come on, we can't do this again."
"No, I want to know what I actually did wrong, according to Clay. Because I thought I was doing good this time!"
Clay groaned into his hands. His chest was burning and his ears were buzzing. He'd ruined everything, hadn't he? It was clear that their relationship was still based solely on their band and performances, and now that he'd messed up, they were beginning to spiral downhill. This was just like before…He's gotten so far in making-up with his brothers, why was he only failing now…
"You know…I really began to think things have changed between us. But it looks like I was wrong. Nothing's changed," Floyd said, his tone taking the brothers by surprise. He was speaking at a regular volume when John and Clay had gotten louder, but the words stung nonetheless, echoing in Clay's head.
He and John protested and denied it. Things had changed. Things had changed so much.
And yet here they were. Arguing over one of their stupid performances and not being perfect. He felt like he was going to lose his brothers again. He was going to lose them, his tribe…everything, and it was the most selfish feeling he'd ever had in his life.
"We can still fix this," Bruce said, desperately trying to put a stop to his brother's bickering. "Clay, just talk to us, we can help fix-"
They weren't getting it! They just weren't getting it! "There's nothing to fix, Bruce!" Clay felt as if he were backed into a corner, their current situation painfully familiar, and all he knew how to do in this situation was push back or let himself get crushed.
"Hey, don't get mad at me! I'm just trying to solve the problem!" Bruce said, offended at how Clay was now turning his anger on him.
"What problem! I still don't know what the problem is!" John exclaimed, throwing up his hands in exasperation and frustration.
"Because you're not listening!" Clay shouted. "You never listen!"
"I can't believe you guys," Floyd said, and for once he sounded angry. Floyd had never gotten angry in the arguments before. Upset, sad, disappointed, sure. But never angry. Really, that should've been enough to shock them all into silence, to get them to stop and think things over. "It's been twenty years and you guys can't get over yourselves for one song!"
"I tried!" Clay shouted, and all of a sudden all his bottled up emotions he's been holding in the past twenty years were finally released. "I messed up! But John's the one who can't just let it go! He can't just leave me alone! And as soon as he can't handle something he just leaves!"
"I left after the both of you quit!" John scowled, pointing a finger at Bruce and Clay. Suddenly, they weren't talking about the performance they'd just done anymore. "I'm not the one who gave up first! That was you!"
"We quit because you were making us miserable!"
"HOW! Just tell me how! What was I doing wrong! Everything I did was for us-"
"We told you! So many times! You didn't care! You only cared about the band, about being perfect! You made me the choreographer and then you would just improvise anyway! You made me change my hair, wear the stupid uniform, labeled me as the 'fun one' and pushed aside everything else about me. Every time I told you I didn't want it anymore you just said it was for the branding!"
"You never told me that! You just ignored me and complained behind my back and to my face. You just argued about every single tiny detail-"
"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't write out a formal complaint letter! I told you! You didn't listen! I wasn't a child anymore but you only acted like all I was good for was the dumb dance moves and jokes-"
"Well I may not have been a child, but I also wasn't an adult! I was a teen when our parents died and I had to step up and take care of you all!"
Clay flinched, his breath catching in his throat. Now everyone had gone still, staring at John. Floyd had never gotten angry in a fight before. John had never brought up their parents.
After a few moments of heavy silence, John took a step back, inhaling sharply. "I don't-"
What were they doing?
Clay felt like he couldn't breathe.
"You guys still don't get it. The band was keeping us together," John whispered, his anger burned away. "When our parents left, I didn't know what to do, but I knew how to do the band. We all knew how to do the band. If we could do the band, if we could hit the Harmony-" he cut himself off, before letting his shoulders fall and finishing anyway. "If we could hit the Harmony, it meant we'd be okay."
"John…" Bruce trailed off, looking utterly defeated.
"We were already together," Floyd said, still sounding upset but not having the same level of fury that had been there for just a moment. "We're so stupid. We were all already together."
"Well, now we've screwed up two performances in a row, despite the years of separation between us," Clay found himself saying. "So what does that say about us?"
None of the others said anything. It wasn't until he began backing away they finally talked again.
"Clay, wait. We need to fix this-"
"Clay!"
Ignoring his brother's calls, Clay used his hair to swing himself away from them, their voices now only echoes behind him, calling and begging for him to come back.
Floyd
As soon as Clay swung away, John Dory had run after him, leaving Floyd alone with Bruce on the stage.
He was furious. But even more than that, he was devastated. He really thought they were done with the arguments and fighting, that after those twenty years and all they'd been through together the past week would have changed things. But it seemed it wasn't enough.
There were still lingering feelings and grudges from their past, and now the idea of repairing their relationships seemed even more difficult to accomplish than it had been before their reunion.
Floyd growled, trying his hardest to rein it in, because someone had to put in that effort. Someone had to try to hold the family together even if his older brothers were tearing it apart.
The feeling of his fist hitting the wall hurt just as much as he thought, but wasn't nearly as satisfying as he hoped.
"Floyd!" Bruce gasped in shock, walking toward his brother who took a step back, causing Bruce to stop in his tracks. "You're gonna hurt yourself-"
"Stop! Just stop!" Floyd shouted, before crumpling to his knees in defeat and bowing his head in despair, his next words coming out in a whisper. "What's wrong with us? Why can't we just be a family?"
"I-" Bruce faltered, not knowing what to say.
"How do we keep managing to make things worse? Why did we leave? We could've stayed, we could've worked things out!" The words seemed to flow out of him, Floyd feeling as if he was losing control of his emotions.
He was usually good at not blurting out the first thing that came to mind, unlike his brothers. He paused and he thought, because he had to make sure he said the right thing. He had to make sure he made things better, not worse. Someone had to make that effort. But now…he felt as if he'd had enough…
"I don't know if we could've, Floyd. Not then, at least," Bruce finally said, kneeling down next to Floyd while still giving his brother space.
"Sure. Easy for you to say. You quit first." Maybe he was more like his brothers than he thought, because that accusation sounded very familiar. "If you hadn't quit, maybe we'd still be together and never would have separated in the first place."
Bruce flinched back as if he'd been hit, pressing his lips together and averting Floyd's gaze.
A part of Floyd felt immediately guilty. Look at him now, making things worse just like the others had done. As if that would help anything. The rest of him was struggling to care. He was angry, and though he's always tried to bury that emotion, it felt as if there was now too much buried for him to hold it in any longer.
"You and Clay and John just gave up. You gave up on our family, you gave up on us-" tears were blurring his vision. "And then I gave up too and we all left."
"We were kids," Bruce quietly said, not sure who he was trying to assure/comfort more, Floyd or himself. "We didn't know what we were doing."
"You guys were older. You were supposed to be responsible and set an example."
"John was-"
"It's not all JD's fault!" Floyd spat. "Yeah, part of it is, a big part, but not all of it. You quit first. You did that. I made a promise to Branch and I broke it. I did that. The only one who didn't do anything wrong was Branch, and he was a baby. We left him alone…"
"He had Grandma-" Bruce began out of habit, before catching himself. Before watching the movies, that had been what he told himself every time he thought of Branch and regretted leaving him.
"Not for long," Floyd mumbled, burying his head in his hands. "He had Grandma. And then he didn't. And we left him with nothing. No backup, and no brothers."
"It wasn't fair. For any of us," Bruce said. He wasn't trying to make excuses, Floyd could tell. Just stating the facts. "It's not fair that John had to take care of us and manage the band, it's not fair that he gave us our jobs and didn't let us change, it's not fair that you always tried to get us to just-just let it go when we were upset."
"It's not fair that you all just argued all the time."
"And us trying to let it go didn't solve the problem. It just buried everything only for it to come back later."
Floyd looked up from his hands, finally seeing that Bruce was kneeling down as well.
"We were kids and our parents were gone. We didn't know what we were supposed to do. We messed it up. And now we've messed it up again. I'm sorry, Floyd. We-we were supposed to be yours and Branch's big brothers, and we…we've done a terrible job. And you both have suffered because of us."
Slowly, Floyd shuffled over to his brother, leaning against him as tears fell down his face, Bruce wrapping his arms around him.
"I want to have brothers again," Floyd half-sobbed. "I missed you all, so much. I don't want the stupid things we did as kids to ruin that forever."
"Me neither," Bruce whispered, the two falling into silence as they embraced each other on the floor of the stage, silent tears falling down their faces.
Clay
Idiot. Now he'd really ruined everything.
Walking along the outer wall until he couldn't see the stage from where he stood, he sat down facing away from inside the golf course and hugged his knees to his chest, chin resting on top. It was exactly what he'd done twenty years ago. He got mad, picked a fight, and then left. Left his brothers behind. But last time, his brothers hadn't come after him.
"Clay."
He knew it was John from the voice, so he didn't bother lifting his head to look at him. "Just leave me alone. Please."
John didn't say anything, but Clay heard the rustling of him sitting down, his heart sinking. He couldn't deal with any more yelling, any more fighting. It was his own fault, and he knew it, but he just…
"I'm sorry I got it so wrong," John finally said. "I thought I finally understood after watching the movies…I thought we were getting somewhere."
Clay tightened his arms around himself, because he'd thought so too.
"I don't want to lose you again," John continued, almost whispering. "I don't want to lose any of you again. I lost the others after our last show, but…I'd lost you long before it, hadn't I?"
His vision was starting to blur, tears forming in his eyes against his will. "You don't get it."
"So tell me, please," John begged. "If I wasn't listening before, I'm listening now. I want to fix this. Please, Clay."
"I'm losing them," Clay suddenly said, the words spilling out before he could stop himself.
"Losing what?"
"Everything!" Clay could feel hot, wet tears spilling from his eyes now, every single stress and emotion welling up inside him, every single regret and resentment resurfacing as if it had always been simmering just below. "They don't need me anymore! They're going to move and they won't-"
"What? Clay…are you talking about the Putt Putts? What makes you think-"
"It's safe at Pop Village! It's bright, it's happy, it's perfect!" Clay squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling but failing. "They don't need me anymore. They don't need the safety plans I've made. They won't need my guidance or leadership…and as soon as we leave and come back to help them move it's going to be over."
"You-" John said, in shock. "You missed the step because you don't want everyone to move?"
"Of course I want them to move! It's what they want and deserve, it's all we've ever wanted - I can't - I can't deprive them of that…" He wasn't making sense. Nothing made sense, because he was being foolish and selfish. But there had to be a way to make John understand. He didn't mean for this to happen. This isn't what he wanted. "I'm going to lose them," he finally sobbed. "They're the ones who accepted me; gave me a purpose and a home. They were my family when I didn't have anyone."
A few moments later, he felt John's hand on his shoulder. Although hesitant, he accepted the gesture and opened his eyes to see John looking at him with tears spilling out over his own eyes.
"It's my fault. Twenty years ago. That was me," John said in a steady voice, despite his tears.
Clay choked out a stuttering breath, and before he registered what he was doing, he unfolded himself from his position and let himself fall into his brother's chest. "I was such a brat," he sobbed, feeling John's arms wrap around him. "I hated you."
"I think I deserved it," John sounded like he was crying too now, which only made it worse. "I left you all behind. What kind of big brother does that?"
"You kept-you kept changing my dances. I couldn't-why did I have to be fun all the time? Why wasn't I good enough?"
"No, no, that's not what I…" John said, his voice taking on a more desperate tone. "That's not what it was for, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did it mean? Why did I have to be the fun one all the time? Why did I have to be a joke?" Clay pulled back from his brother to look him in the eye, and saw his brother staring at him with so much pain and regret in his eyes.
"I never thought you were a joke," John whispered. "Never."
Surprise filled Clay at those words. The old anger and resentment he had felt was still there, somewhere, mixed in amongst the guilt and the hurt. But now, those feelings seemed to dim as Clay only sought to understand what John was saying.
"I…I never explained why I made you the fun one, did I?" John continued. "I guess I was never good at explaining anything…"
"You made me the fun one because I was wild," Clay whispered.
"No. No. I made you the fun one because you were just a kid. Bruce and I, we…we shared more of the responsibility back then. But you were so little when you joined, we didn't think…I didn't think you needed to worry about all the other stuff. I just…I wanted you to have fun. You were so goofy; climbing things, always being silly. I wanted you to be able to keep doing that."
Fresh tears were making their way down Clay's cheeks, and he stared upwards where he could now see the moon and the stars shining lightly down upon him and his brother.
"If you were the fun one, you didn't have to worry about always having the best answers to questions from fans or our interviews. You didn't have to worry about the pressures and stress that came with the band. You had an excuse to just…goof off and play around when you wanted. You didn't have to be serious, you could just enjoy yourself."
"What about Floyd? You didn't make him the new fun one when he joined," Clay said, trying to wipe his face dry with his hand.
"Floyd was different. He had such bad stage fright when he first started, even though he still wanted to be in the band. If he was the sensitive one, he had an excuse to be shy. We could take questions for him, he could leave the set early…if he messed up, people were nicer to him."
The explanation swirled around Clay's head. He didn't understand. When John said it like that, it sounded kind and thoughtful. But that…that hadn't been what it felt like. The label had always felt like a prison, not a freedom.
"But…why'd you make me dye my hair? Why did I…why did you try to control me and nitpick me so much more than the others?"
John was quiet for a long, long moment before he finally responded. "After we lost mom and dad, I was so scared. Scared I'd lose one of you, or let you down. I thought…if I could at least make sure BroZone was successful, then that meant I was doing something right. It was something we all loved, so…so surely we'd be okay if the band was doing well. If we were perfect. If we could hit the Perfect Family Harmony."
He sensed John shift and tilted his head to see his brother had turned to face him, both of them making eye contact.
"I thought being the leader and the big brother were the same thing. That the band and our family were the same thing. I thought making you the fun one was me doing you a favor." John paused, taking a breath. When he spoke again, he sounded more regretful than anything. "You outgrew it so much quicker than I was ready for."
Clay bit the inside of his cheek, still managing to look his brother in the eye rather than turn away like a part of him desperately wanted to. He wanted to know what else John had to say.
"So I kept forcing that title on you, and you kept fighting back. Bruce started taking your side more than mine, and I pushed even harder when I should've…I should've let you figure yourself out. I'm so sorry, Clay."
An apology was all his younger self would've ever wanted. For his older, prideful brother to admit he was wrong, that he had been wrong all along. For Clay to be able to say 'I told you so' and hold it over him forever. But now…now the apology pierced his heart, cutting straight through his past attitude and younger self. He didn't want to say 'I told you so' anymore.
"I'm scared," he whispered. "I missed the step because I'm scared of what happens next. So much has happened and changed within the past week and it's…it's too much."
"Hey…I know what it's like to be scared. Scared of losing the people that are depending on you. But, Clay…the Putt Putts care and look up to you. I've only been here for a few hours, and I can see that. You and Viva took care of them all this time. You worked so hard thinking of every possible way to keep them safe over the years. You're their leader. You're exactly what I wanted to be for you guys. Whatever happens next, nothing can change what you've done for them. They won't need you forever, but they'll never forget what you gave them."
Clay's lower lip trembled, and he wiped at his eyes for a few seconds before giving up and throwing his arms around John, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry, John. I'm sorry I was so selfish."
Immediately, his brother was hugging him back, one hand cradling the back of his head while the other wrapped around his shoulders. "No, no, it was all my fault. You were just a kid and I was so obsessed with…"
"But you had to take care of us," Clay interrupted. "And I never appreciated that. I never knew how hard it was for you."
"It's okay. You guys were my responsibility, but I left you anyway. I gave you all up, and doing so was the biggest mistake of my whole life."
For a few minutes they just held each other tightly, apologies fading into muffled sobs. Their apologies and explanations may have been twenty years late, but they now had a better understanding of each other with their past miscommunications and mistakes finally laid out for each other to see.
Clay didn't want to let go. He thought of Bruce and Floyd and how he'd disappointed and left them again, leaving them behind when he stormed off. He wanted to believe what John had told him, he wanted to believe him so badly. And after a few seconds of reflection, he found that he did believe him, a feeling of closure wrapping around him as he and John had finally expressed themselves and their past feelings to each other.
His conversation with John had been emotional in a way he'd avoided being for a long time, burying and ignoring the feelings of hurt that had been there since he was a kid. It left him feeling drained, but…lighter. Clay found himself now leaning against John, his head on his shoulder while his arms wrapped around his knees once more.
Just a week ago, he would've bet anything that he wouldn't be where he was today, sitting alongside John with the two of them finally having an understanding of each other and their past. Now, the warmth of his brother was comforting, the way it had been when he was just a little kid.
"Do you think Branch will forgive me?" John asked, breaking the silence between them and taking Clay by surprise.
He didn't answer right away, as he really wasn't sure. From what they saw in the movies, Branch had, but that was under a completely different circumstance. Then, the only reason Branch reunited with them was to save Floyd, not because he forgave or wanted them back in his life.
"Hopefully. It'll probably just take a long time before he fully forgives us," Clay finally responded, his thoughts drifting to his youngest brother and trying to imagine what their reunion would be like. Clay knew he had harbored feelings of hate and anger toward his brothers for years now, and could only guess Branch was the same way, if not more so. But how could he blame him?
Sighing heavily, John stood up and stretched, causing Clay to straighten up as his head was previously resting on his brother's shoulder.
"We should probably head back to the others," John said, holding out a hand to help Clay up.
Looking from his brother's outstretched hand to his face, it took Clay a few seconds to accept the offer, John smiling in relief as he took his hand, allowing him to help his brother up.
As they silently made their way back towards the stage, Clay felt a strange mixture of nervousness and relief. While the weight of the past seemed to have lifted, he was now filled with uncertainty of what would come next. But now, instead of his worries being focused on the Putt Putts, they were centered on his brothers and if they would be able to finally forgive each other.
Approaching the stage, Clay could see Floyd and Bruce sitting close together, their postures indicating they had been through an emotional exchange as well. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for leaving them behind, and hoped they would understand how sorry he truly was.
"Floyd, Bruce…" Clay's voice broke the silence, causing both of them to look up. "I'm sorry."
The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of years of misunderstanding and pain. Clay watched as Floyd's expression softened and Bruce nodded in acknowledgment.
"We're sorry too," Bruce said quietly, his gaze shifting between his brothers. "We've all made mistakes, haven't we?"
Clay could feel the tension easing, replaced by a sense of reconciliation.
"I think we need to talk," John said, his voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside him.
And so, not feeling like they wanted to move, the four brothers gathered on the stage and faced each other. There were wounds to heal, bridges to rebuild, but they were no longer alone in their struggles. It wouldn't be easy, but they had each other, and that was enough for Clay to face whatever came next.
The next hour or so was spent discussing and talking about what had happened, not just during the performance but also in the past. As they talked, Clay felt a strong sense of peace settle over him, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time, and he knew his brothers felt the same way.
When they finally decided it was time for them to head to bed, they all got up and headed toward Viva's and Clay's home, finding comfort in each other's presence.
Opening the door, Clay saw a flash of blonde hair before getting tackled in a hug.
"There you are, I've been worried about you!" Viva said, hugging him tightly as he hugged her back, pressing his face in the crook of her shoulder. Pulling away, she looked into his tired and wet face. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Clay softly said, turning to give his brothers a happy smile which they returned.
Smiling in relief, Viva took his hand and led the brothers to the living room, where she had set up a sleeping space for them, a sleeping bag laid out for each brother.
"I wasn't sure when you'd be back, but I set up a place for you all to sleep. I know it's not much, but…"
"It's great, thank you, Viva," Floyd said in gratitude, John and Bruce nodding in agreement as they headed toward their sleeping bags, slipping inside the covers in exhaustion.
"I'll see you in the morning. And don't worry about packing, I did that while you were with your brothers," Viva told Clay, giving him a gentle kiss.
"Thanks Viva. You're amazing," Clay said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before she left for her bed while Clay went to join his brothers, John and Floyd already fast asleep by the time he finally closed his eyes.
Author's Note: Okay, okay, a lot to say on this chapter :)) First, I want to say how much I love writing about Clay and John's relationship growth and character development! Based on the movies, their relationship with each other seemed the most strained and affected by their years of separation, and while I had them bond and fix a few things as they watched the movies, there was really no way they could fix and resolve everything only after one day (as they basically binge watched the movies in a day). So, I really wanted to give the brothers a few chapters to deal with their 'hidden scars' and work on their forgiveness and acceptance of each other before they reunited with Branch, as more problems and hurt feelings will obviously arise with that whole reunion. So basically, they're resolving their conflicts here rather than with Branch around, as that would just damage their relationship more than it did here. If that makes sense :)) I also tried to really portray the brother's feelings from the past and how hard it must be for Clay to leave the golf course. After all, that is his home, whereas John didn't have any roots to settle down, and Floyd…well, obvious reasons as to why he's not exactly missing Mount Rageous. And then there's Bruce, who's still going to live at Vacay Island.
Another thing: I had them argue because they had a habit of arguing in the movies, and it's hard for habits to suddenly go away. It takes time for things like this to heal and habits to change. However, I promise there will be hardly any more arguments between the four oldest going forward. However, some may still arise once Branch sees them…
Also, I chose to only do Clay and Floyd's P.O.V. in this chapter because I feel like (apart from Branch) they were the most affected by their separation and I wanted to really dive into their viewpoints, but mostly Clay's.
As for the song the brothers performed, it is called 'Don't Wake Me Up' by Why Don't We. I love this song, you should listen to it :)) And during their performance, I want to say how important I think the progression of the song is in this chapter, and how the placement of some of the lines goes along with Clay's thoughts, especially toward the end.
Credit to Awesome_Sauce432 for giving me inspiration for this chapter!
Next chapter will focus more on their bonding as they head for Pop Village! (No arguing whoop-whoop!) Disclaimer: They stop at Lonesome Flats first…
