There wasn't a day that went by where John Dory didn't miss his brothers. He kept keepsakes and memorabilia of them, and not in the sad, pathetic way of somebody who was just desperate to relive the glory days that they'd never get back. He just clung to the memory of his brothers, because that was all he had of them.
He'd thought about finding his brothers and reuniting with them, but he pushed the idea away. He knew they wouldn't want him around. Spruce and Clay had made it clear that they hated him, and even if Floyd and Branch didn't feel that way, maybe they should. It had been John Dory's job to take care of them, and he'd failed. He'd left them behind because he just couldn't figure out how to be a good big brother.
He tried too hard and put impossible expectations on his brothers. He didn't try hard enough and he wasn't there for them when they needed him. John Dory didn't know how somebody could fail on both extremes, but he somehow managed it.
John Dory tried so hard to be the best older brother/guardian for his younger brothers, and it wasn't enough. He wasn't enough. So he left. He thought that maybe his brothers really would be better without him, and if they did need him, they would reach out to him and he would be there immediately without thinking twice about it. But he needed to put the ball in their court, or else he would ruin them even more than he already had.
In the past twenty years it had been so tempting for John Dory to keep tabs on his brothers. He resisted because he knew that if he knew where they were it would be all too easy to find them. He longed desperately for a reunion. He wanted his baby brothers in his life again. But none of them had reached out. The best he got was a postcard that he hoped was from Spruce, but honestly didn't know for sure.
John Dory was honestly surprised he hadn't gotten anything. He thought that Clay would have written him letters just to rant about how much he ruined his life. He would accept even that. And he thought that Floyd would have at least kept in contact. That kid had always hated when the brothers fought, and even when John Dory, Spruce, and Clay would give each other the silent treatment, Floyd would still talk to all of them. He never took sides in their arguments. All he wanted was for his brothers to get along.
Maybe things were just that much better since John Dory had left. The others weren't fighting anymore, and even Floyd had to admit that their family was better off without him. John Dory felt like he couldn't breathe whenever that thought crossed his mind. He really hoped that wasn't the case, even if it was the only reason he could think of why Floyd wouldn't reach out.
And Branch had been so young when he had left. John Dory wouldn't be surprised if he had completely forgotten about him. Spruce and Clay would probably be really jealous if he had.
He couldn't stop thinking about his brothers, but John Dory did his best to live his life. It didn't really amount to much, but he made do. Still, the second he got a letter from Floyd he didn't hesitate to drop everything and go after him.
He probably would have done the same thing for any of his brothers at the smallest sign that they might want him around, let alone need him. This was the kind of thing he'd been waiting for for twenty years. Now that Floyd had finally reached out to him he wished that he hadn't. He would rather never hear from any of his brothers if it meant they were safe.
But now that he knew that Floyd was being held captive he wasn't going to just sit here and pretend otherwise. His little brother had reached out and asked him for help. John couldn't even remember the last time any of them had done that. He'd failed his brothers so much, but he refused to fail now. He immediately made his way to Mount Rageous.
The letter had said that he should bring their brothers. John Dory didn't want to let Floyd down, but he couldn't do that. It would take time to find them, let alone convince them to work with him. Floyd needed help now and John wasn't going to put it off another minute. If after he saved Floyd he still wanted their brothers, John would absolutely take him to them. For now though he was all he had, and John just hoped that he could be enough.
Finding Floyd was a lot easier than John Dory thought it would be. Mount Rageous was just a quick hustle away, and then it was just a matter of getting into the vents and finding his brother. And there he was, trapped in what looked like a perfume bottle. John Dory felt protectiveness, fear, and fury at the sight. Floyd didn't deserve this.
John immediately started trying to break his brother out of his prison. He'd brought a number of things that he thought would work, and none of them did. He was starting to feel old desperation and fear that he'd gotten when he was younger and knew that he was failing his brothers.
Floyd, sweet, innocent, kind Floyd, was begging him to leave. John wouldn't hear a word of it. Floyd had asked him here to rescue him. He couldn't leave just because he'd failed. Not again.
"I'm not going anywhere." John Dory put his hand against the glass. Floyd grimaced and did the same. John finally took a good look at his brother and it wasn't a pretty sight. Floyd's hands were pale and looked like they had a crystal-like texture to them. Same with his feet. Floyd looked drained and exhausted, like it was taking everything he had to just stand there and talk. And then there was Floyd's hair.
About half of his hair was still pink. The roots were pure white, and John didn't think it was a style choice. His brother wasn't just being held captive, he was being hurt somehow, he just knew it.
"Please, John, forget about me." Floyd said desperately. "You can't get me out. I-it's diamond, and we both know the only thing that can break a diamond is a perfect family harmony." So that was why Floyd had asked for all of them. John Dory felt shame build up in his gut. He'd been asked to do one thing, and he couldn't even do that.
No. He couldn't focus on his failures right now. He'd been doing that for twenty years. He'd probably end up doing it for twenty more. Right now he needed to focus on Floyd. John may have messed up, but he wasn't going to let his little brother suffer for it. Not again.
"If I can't get you out of the cage, at least I can get you out of here." John Dory gestured around the room. Floyd didn't look convinced, but John wasn't going to let that stop him. He was getting his brother out of here, diamond prison or no diamond prison.
John took a few steps back and stretched his hair. He tried a few methods of wrapping it around the bottle before he found a grip that was secure. He pulled out his grappling hook, aiming it towards the vent that he'd come in from.
"John, wait!" Floyd said. John paused and looked at his brother. Floyd's eyes were wide and desperate. He looked scared and uncertain, but there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. John Dory would do anything to keep that hope there.
"If this doesn't work-" Floyd started, but John wouldn't hear it.
"It will." John Dory said.
"But if it doesn't." Floyd's voice cracked. John Dory gave him the brightest smile he could manage. He wished it could reassure Floyd as much as it had when he was a kid.
"We'll talk about that if we have to." John Dory said quietly. "But I'm not even going to think about leaving you behind before I even try to get you out. Can you trust me? Just for a few minutes?"
Floyd looked at him with his bright eyes that even through the diamond were clearly as vibrant and trusting as ever. At least his captors hadn't been able to take that from him.
"I never stopped trusting you." Floyd said. He nodded at John, and John Dory nodded back at him. He made sure his grip on the bottle was tight and fired his grappling hook. It gripped the vent and he started rising into the air, lifting Floyd up along with him. John Dory hit the opening to the vent a little roughly, but he made sure that Floyd didn't face that. He just pulled himself onto sturdy ground and gently lowered the diamond prison, resting it on its side instead of right side up.
"Do you think you can roll that thing?" John asked.
Floyd shook his head. "What if they hear us?"
"What if they don't?" John raised his arms. "These vents are a little tight for me to carry the bottle around with my hair. Just try. If it's too loud, we'll try something else."
Floyd took a deep breath and nodded. He leaned against the wall of the bottle, pushing at it as he walked forward. John had to get to the back of the bottle and give it a push to get the momentum going, but finally the bottle started rolling, and it wasn't as loud as either of them had feared.
It still clinked, and both of them were tense about it, but if they went slow enough they could keep it at a manageable volume.
"This is insane." Floyd muttered. "They're going to find us, and then you'll be stuck here too."
"Nobody's going to get us." John Dory said with a confidence he wasn't quite feeling. "Keep going. We're halfway there." He actually had no idea if that was true or not, because he didn't actually know where he was going. These vents were a maze.
By some miracle they eventually found themselves outside. John Dory really couldn't say how. He'd just been focused on pushing the bottle and keeping Floyd in his sights. Now that they were outside he felt like he could breathe again.
They weren't out of the woods left, but now that they were outside they were a lot closer to freedom than before. Rhonda was nearby for a quick getaway, and it should be easy enough to get to her. These giants were all too big and self-absorbed to realize what was going on under their noses. John hadn't been given a second look when he'd just walked into this place, he didn't think anybody would look twice if they just walked away.
They were almost to Rhonda when Floyd's feet gave out under him. He tumbled into the bottle, which just kept rolling. John's eyes widened in alarm and he ran in front of the diamond prison and pushed it to a stop before Floyd could be tossed around like a salad.
"Hey, hey, you okay?" John Dory put his hands on the bottle. He wished he could hold Floyd and make sure he was okay. He hated this diamond barrier between them. Floyd groaned and slowly lifted himself up. He was acting like he was far more hurt than the small tumble from the rolling bottle would have caused.
"I can't feel my legs, but yeah, I'm fine." Floyd said. John Dory hated that he couldn't tell if his brother was being sarcastic or dismissive of how serious the issue was. He could see Floyd doing both.
"Alright, we're moving on to plan B." John Dory said. He wrapped his hair around the bottle again and lifted it into the air. It wasn't realistic to carry something so large and heavy for a long period of time, but he could get his brother to Rhonda. They didn't have a choice.
On the bright side, carrying the bottle was actually faster than rolling it. In just a matter of minutes was running right up to Rhonda, who was ready to go. Unfortunately there was just another problem waiting for them. The diamond prison wouldn't fit through the door. They would have to ride on top of Rhonda rather than inside of her.
"Okay, okay, this is fine." John Dory climbed onto Rhonda, keeping a firm grip on Floyd's prison. He settled as much as he could on his girl's back. He gave her a pat. "We need to get out of here as quickly and gently as possible." He knew he was asking a lot of her. She'd worked so hard to bring him here so fast. But Rhonda didn't complain. She was such a good girl. She did what she was asked, and she did it well.
They were off, and John Dory tightened his hold on Rhonda's back and the bottle. She had always been a fairly smooth ride, but right now it was like no other time before. There was barely any rustling and bumps. She probably didn't understand what was going on, but she knew it was important, and she acted accordingly. She was the best armadillo bus he could ask for.
Rhonda moved much slower than she normally did. She had to. But it was still so much faster than they could walk. John Dory would take what he could get at this point, and just hope it was enough.
"Everything's going to be fine." John Dory muttered. "Just hold on tight."
"To what?" Floyd asked. John Dory didn't answer him. How could he explain that he was talking to himself? Needlessly reminding himself to not let go of Rhonda or the bottle. His grip on the two of them was the only thing keeping Floyd from falling off and getting seriously hurt.
And John Dory was also telling himself to hold on to Floyd in a much less literal way. He'd let go of his brothers before, because it was just too hard to fight for them, and hurt too much to fight with them. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Floyd had asked for him. Floyd needed him. John Dory was being given another chance to be with his brother, and he wasn't going to mess it up this time. Everything was going to be perfect. It had to be.