Hello dear reader! Thank you for clicking on this second chapter, it really means a lot!
Now I did plan to have this all reviewed up and post it a few days ago, but alas that didn't happen just due to other scheduling items and binging "Jurassic Park: Chaos Theory." Not really into the JP franchise, but I did like "Camp Cretaceous" and wanted to see how things were going for the group ^.^ spoiler alert: nothing very pleasant ^.^"
Anywho, here's the next part for Spruce. Some new scenes just from him, and some from JD's part that I switched the POV with. I wanted each brother to kind of have their own thing going on while at the same time see how they work with each other as time goes. As I mentioned last chapter, Spruce going from baby of the family to middle child then to one of the oldest kids was probably a big transition for him. Whether I expressed that well enough or not here, eh guess we'll see.
Anywho, hope you enjoy the next chapter in this story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Trolls or anything dealing with its long history. DreamWorks own the franchise rights, and I'm just a simple writer who enjoys creating fanfiction.
Sitting next to John Dory on the floor, Spruce looked up with rapt attention at lilac hair as Aster and Reed sat on the couch.
The purple haired Troll was growing a bit antsy with anticipation but eventually, his mom's hair parted. The pair shouted in excitement as the egg energetically swayed back and forth on top of her head. Cracks spread across the egg and Spruce barely had a moment to blink before pieces were flung away from Aster's head.
A small, teal skinned Troll baby with bright blue eyes shared by the males in their family looked around him excitedly as he sat on the remains of his egg.
"Baby bro!" the older siblings called out, catching the little one's attention. Their new brother shifted his focus to them, cooed, and then hopped out of Aster's hair.
The boys were too ecstatic to realize their new brother shouldn't be jumping off anything just yet, and Reed's quick catch and "Whoa there, little guy!" caused the three to erupt into a fit of giggles. "Barely three seconds hatched and already you want to go jumping off of high places."
Spruce always found his parents' conversations with each other quite silly, and they were much sillier when they were directed toward him and JD. And now they would be directed toward his little brother now.
Of course his little brother was ready to go exploring! There was so much to see, so much to do, and not to mention all the singing, dancing, playing, eating, and everything else they would do together.
The newly titled middle child sat on his dad's lap as the other three chatted on, reaching out to hold his baby brother's tiny hand in his comparatively much larger one. Spruce considered himself a smart Trolling, and the stars and smiles on his papers supported that. But he could not come close to figuring out what sort of words he could use to describe the emotions washing over him.
Happy was a big understatement, excited didn't seem strong enough, eagerness was there, joy of course. All those nice and fuzzy things he had whenever he was around his parents and older brother, but different somehow. There was a bunch of positivity there, though there also seemed to be something else starting to develop inside his mind. Spruce somehow knew it wasn't going to develop into anything bad or anything. In fact, it seemed to be readying him for something that will be important for his new baby brother later.
Was this something only an older brother could experience?
"Yeah, it's a brother thing," John Dory stated as a matter of fact to something their mom said, snapping Spruce from his thoughts as he saw another arm reaching down to hold the baby's other hand. "So, what's his name going to be?"
"Your father named you, J.D., and I named Spruce," his mom's voice muses. "So, it's your father's turn again."
"Hm… let's see now…" Reed muttered, regarding the happy baby's face for several moments. Not to longer after, he proclaimed, "Clay, his name will be Clay."
The baby let out a shout, seeming to agree with the name. The noise elicited cheers from John Dory and Spruce as well, who quickly introduced themselves.
"My name's John Dory, your older brother! Like I told Spruce when he was little like you, we're gonna do a lot of fun stuff together, like singing, dancing, walking, climbi-"
"I'm Spruce, your other older brother!" It was mean to interrupt, Spruce knew, but he figured it was understandable in this moment. "And like J.D. said, we're all gonna have a great time together!"
The trio spent rest of the night under Aster and Reed's relaxed supervision, the two older children excitedly chatted with their new brother, who eagerly gurgled and cooed at them.
XXX
Spruce had often wondered why John Dory always seemed like such a positive trolling compared to others he knew, and he knew part of it definitely had to be related to being an older brother. Because Spruce himself loved watching over his little brother Clay!
The newest addition to the family was always smiling, laughing, and overly curious about what everyone was up to. Clay was a ball of energy that their parents could barely keep in their arms most days, giving up completely after a week because they didn't want to risk accidently dropping him whenever he wiggled in their grasp. There were only a handful of time frames they could actually hold their baby, mainly revolving around meals and when it was time for him to lay down.
Clay hung around his older brothers most of the time, and it wasn't uncommon to find the older two entertaining the baby with whatever they believed would make him happy. John Dory preferred pulling things out one at a time and sticking with that before moving on to something else, while Spruce preferred throwing a lot of options out and going from there. It wasn't uncommon for the toys and boxes to be completely mixed up at the end of playtime if John Dory didn't pick up everything right away.
The oldest brother often chastised Spruce for bringing so much stuff out, but the middle child didn't care what John Dory thought. Spruce could pick up pretty easily when Clay started growing bored with whatever activity they were doing and just wanted to get ahead of the curve before their youngest brother started fussing. Besides, most of John Dory's first picks were HIS first picks, so it was better for Spruce to present a variety of distractions for Clay to pick from.
It left John Dory annoyed at him, but those feelings mostly went away as Clay laughed and smiled at them during play time or when the three of them were laying around in the living room.
The older brothers' other favorite activity to do with their youngest brother was, of course, singing and dancing. Being a (barely) whole two years old, John Dory naturally took the lead role when it came to choosing the tune or establishing a new song he made easy enough for Spruce to follow along to. And follow along Spruce could do with hardly missing a beat. It was always a highlight to the brothers' day, John Dory and Spruce falling in sync with each other while little Clay either clapped along or trilled out his own notes via baby babble. The three had a natural harmony that impressed their music teacher at daycare and absolutely entertained their parents and grandma whenever she came over.
Given the energy he and John Dory presented, it didn't surprise Spruce when Clay started trying to stand and move around on his own. The crawling phase came around pretty quickly, and it became an unofficial game to Clay to see how far he could get before someone caught him. The brothers, still being small themselves, had trouble keeping up sometimes, which amused the yellow haired Troll greatly until he would be picked up by one of the adults should they sense he was in danger from something. Clay would huff and pout in their arms, eliciting chuckles from those around him at the adorable expression on his still chubby face.
It was one Spruce grew quite familiar with as he helped lift Clay up on his tiny legs and encourage him to practice standing on his own. Of course, the baby could barely last a second before flopping safely down on his bum, face twisting with all the annoyance a baby could muster as he huffed down at his feet.
Spruce often chuckled, brushing a hand through Clay's growing but still sparse hair as he commented, "You're still a baby, C. It's okay that you keep falling down."
The baby would huff again, frown lasting for a moment before it faded into his default smiley face. Clay would lift up his arms, not needing to say anything as Spruce lifted him up under his armpits and set the baby back on his unsteady feet. The pair often went back and forth like that for over an hour, with Spruce carefully getting Clay to put force on his legs and take an experimental step before withdrawing his arms to see how long Clay would last before falling back down and beginning the cycle over.
Once, Clay managed to last a full three seconds and Spruce congratulated him so loudly that Aster ran into the room, asking, "Did he walk already?" Spruce merely shook his head, happily setting Clay back on his feet and giving a little bounce when the baby started waving towards their mom.
"Nope, but I'm making sure he can soon!"
Mom and dad were more than happy to let Spruce take the lead in teaching Clay how to stand and walk. They would sweep in every now and then whenever the purple haired Trolling had something else he needed to do or when Clay had to dispel his extra energy, but for the most part it was Spruce who held little Clay and made sure he didn't fall in a way that could hurt him.
Now if John Dory would have kindly done the same, Spruce would be perfectly content with the arrangement. But alas, his older brother's bossy and worry wart personality butted in on Spruce's quality standing time with Clay.
"He's not ready yet!" John Dory whined as Spruce started slowly drawing his arms away from Clay. Timed and calculated to coincide with the baby's highest level of focus.
"He's fine," Spruce retorted with an absent-minded hand wave toward the hovering Trolling.
Less than a second later, Clay fell squarely on his bum and let out his usual huff. Spruce merely laughed as he bopped Clay gently on the nose, while John Dory whined, "See! I told you!"
"Relax, JD," Spruce stated, abiding with Clay's command to lift him back when he threw up his arms. Clay smiled as Spruce took a few seconds to swing him around a bit, telling him, "You're so tiny I bet you would float like a leaf if I threw you."
Clay's loud cries of excitement almost drowned out John Dory's "Don't you dare, Spruce!"
Rolling his eyes, Spruce settled Clay on his feet, grumbling, "I wasn't going to, JD. Lighten up a bit."
John Dory merely crossed his arms and huffed, prompting a round of giggles from Clay as he cheerfully mimicked the oldest brother. The older Trolling couldn't help but relax his stance at youngest's antics, which in turn switched the baby's face back to excitement. Spruce smiled and held Clay a bit longer as the baby calmed down and put his entire concentration on his legs.
When Spruce was sure he was stable enough, he let go and grinned wider when he saw that the wobbly Clay managed to remain up past his previous record.
Spruce's good mood instantly soured though when John Dory suddenly swooped in, startling Clay enough that the baby lost his balance and would have fallen as he usually did had John Dory not thrown his arms out and caught him an inch from the ground.
Clay blinked owlishly for a moment at the change in routine, but erupted into giggles as he probably thought John Dory was playing around.
John Dory, on the other hand, turned to Spruce with a frown and stated, "See! This is why you have to watch him more carefully, Spruce. He almost fell."
"He's been falling all day, JD. And he was doing just fine before you startled him," Spruce called back, flashing him a childish scowl. "It's not my fault you're such a worry wart."
"Just because he's used to falling doesn't mean he won't accidentally mess up and hurt himself. He's still a baby, Spruce. And you're also still pretty little yourself, so if something bad happens you may not be able to fix it."
Spruce couldn't hold back his eye roll, seeing Clay's extended arms and taking his younger brother out of John Dory's grasp. The other still kept his frown on, crossing his arms when he saw Spruce placing Clay's feet back on the ground. Not looking up from Clay, Spruce told his older brother. "You're only two, JD, which is not that much older than me. Mom and dad aren't worried so quit acting so bossy."
Clay innocently babbled something following Spruce's last statement, entirely unaware of the situation but wanting to be a part of the conversation. Spruce took the opportunity to tease, "See? Even Clay agrees with me."
With a final huff, John Dory stormed out of the room the best he could, and Spruce heard his angry footsteps enter into their bedroom before the door was pushed closed.
Spruce tisked in the other's direction, grinning back down at Clay and cooing, "Now that bossy JD isn't around, do you still want to learn how to stand or do you want me to swing you for a bit, C?"
The older one couldn't decide which choice Clay made when he squeaked, so Spruce ended up alternating between the standing exercises and carefully swinging the baby around. The pair's laughter was so loud that he was sure a pouting John Dory could hear them from the bedroom.
XXX
Spruce loved John Dory; he really did. The older Trolling was his best friend, could liven up Spruce's mood as easily as he could breathe, and was always there when Spruce needed something.
But he was getting frustrated with John Dory because he was always there!
It wasn't too bad in the beginning when Spruce himself couldn't do something and needed someone's help, nor was it bad when Clay hatched since they were all getting used to having someone new around. It also wasn't bad sharing a room with just John Dory since the pair had separate beds and had an unspoken agreement not to be too loud when the other was sleeping. And Spruce did like having company around like any Trolling his age would.
But not like this!
Ever since their little disagreement about Clay's standing exercises, John Dory seemed to have taken it upon himself to micromanage every little thing Spruce did when around the baby. He didn't openly interfere, thank hair, but Spruce found the constant presence and little comments here and there really annoying.
"Are you supporting Clay's head enough?" As if Spruce's hands weren't clearly cradling the mentioned body part right in front of John Dory's eyes.
"Did you move all the toys so Clay doesn't trip on anything?" Right after John Dory 'discretely' swept up most of the games and the closest objects were a few stuffed critters tucked in the corners and against the walls.
"You know Clay likes the animal sound effects when you try to feed him." Either the baby was too hungry to notice or he didn't care enough since Spruce's 'whooshing' effect ended with the spoon of mush in Clay's mouth.
"The footwork goes right, right, left, kick, left, right. Not right, right, left, left, kick, right!" Even though the movement was so quick that hardly anyone, much less an easily excitable Clay, would notice and it didn't affect the dance set at all.
"Spruce, you have to be careful how you lay down if you're going to nap with Clay. Otherwise, you could accidentally bump or knock against him." Spruce slept like a giant rock and it was often Baby Clay who bumped and knocked against his brother as he shifted around in his sleep. Sometimes curled up on Spruce's chest and one foot laid across the other's face, sometimes latched onto whatever limb was within his reach with a grip tight enough to cut off circulation.
Spruce had about had it with the whole thing and was a hair's width away from absolutely blowing up at John Dory.
That feeling was bubbling inside of him today as the three children settled in the living room while their parents finished cleaning up after supper. It wasn't a particularly bad day compared to any other day, but Spruce knew that one stray comment wouldn't be met with his usual silence this time.
He was entertaining Clay with a few stuffed critters, making funny noises and letting the baby grab and babble at them to his heart's content. John Dory was sitting next to him, smiling along and adding more noises and some hand gestures.
Baby Clay, of course, loved all the attention and didn't hesitate to rock around between Spruce and John Dory. For a while, Spruce forgot about his intense annoyance and had the passing thought of asking his older brother if the two of them could stay up and do something together after their parents put Baby Clay to sleep.
"Oh, careful!" John Dory stated calmly, tugging the stuffed butterfly plushie rudely from Spruce's outstretched hand. Baby Clay pouted for a moment before focusing on a stuffed crocodile in Spruce's other hand, miming an exaggerated chewing motion. "Don't want Clay accidentally biting off one of the antennas."
Spruce's eye twitched as the older one moved the stuffed toy away and pointed an accusing finger at the plush antennas. To make matters worse, John Dory casually tossed the item in the direction where the toy chest was, mumbling, "I'll put it back properly later so Clay doesn't mess with it."
Right as the purple haired Trolling opened his mouth to say something he knew would not be nice, Reed suddenly appeared above them.
All three boys looked up at their dad's gentle face. He crouched down, running a hand through Clay's hair and smiling as the baby chuckled at the mess it made. Looking between his two older sons, Reed stated, "Sorry to mess with your routine, boys. But it's a nice evening for a walk and I was thinking John Dory could join me this time around. Would that be alright?"
John Dory's eyes lit up at the request and Spruce could barely hold back a small sigh of relief. Anything to put some space between him and his older brother while he played with Baby Clay was a welcomed opportunity right now.
"That's okay with me," Spruce replied, nudging his brother with his shoulder. "We can always play later."
John Dory nudged him right back, quickly jumping to his feet. "Sounds like a plan to me. Lead the way, dad!"
Spruce watched as the pair walked out of the pod, catching a quick glimpse of Reed taking his brother's hand before his view was cut off by the closing door. He let out a loud sigh of relief, flopping on his back and only half registering Clay poking at his feet. So long as the baby didn't try chewing on them, again, Spruce didn't care as he wiggled his toes and smiled at his baby brother's laughter.
"Tired already?" Aster asked, appearing over Spruce with a smile that looked like a weird frown from his angle.
The boy groaned a bit before giving his mom a soft grin. "A little bit. Clay has way too much energy sometimes."
On cue, the boy lost interest in poking his brother and placed his hands on top of Spruce's legs. A second later, Clay lifted himself up and managed to let out a quick cheer at his attempted standing before falling on top of the legs. He huffed, grinned, got up, and repeated the action.
Spruce and Aster watched him for several moments, the former with a lazy smile and the later with a maternal fondness at the scene.
Slowly, Aster kneeled next to her middle child, carefully lifting and placing his head in her lap. The purple haired Trolling regarded her with a weird look, which instantly melted as she started brushing a hand through his hair. "He is still very little and has two awesome brothers he likes to follow around. Give it some time and he will mellow out."
A gentle weight pressed against Spruce's legs, slowly climbing up his body. Looking down, Spruce smiled as Clay continued crawling before settling on the older boy's chest. The baby giggled as the pair stared at each other, crossing his arms below him and putting his head down so Spruce could only see the top half of Clay's face. Spruce started petting Clay's hair like his mom was doing, watching his brother lean into the motion and hum in contentment.
"I give him five minutes before he uses my chest as a springboard and starts running around again," Spruce stated to his mom, eliciting a loud laugh from her.
"So long as he doesn't damage the walls or knock anything down, it should be fine. Hopefully that will tire him out enough that we'll be able to catch him for bedtime." Spruce hummed at the plan, breaking eye contact with his brother to stare upside down at Aster. She regarded his expression for a moment, face softening as she asked him, "Something on your mind, my little dreamer?"
Shrugging the best he could at his angle, Spruce answered, "I don't get it. You and dad don't panic or anything whenever the three of us do something really crazy. Well, except that time JD and I climbed up those mushrooms in the spot you told us not to go. But for some reason, JD gets really bossy and annoying when we do those same, and even less crazy, things with Clay. Why is JD like that?"
Aster stayed silent for a moment, reaching out with her other hand to steady Clay when she noticed him starting to slide off. Spruce was starting to get antsy waiting for a response when she finally replied, "Well, given what your father and I do-" Spruce instantly perked up, as his parents never talked in detail about what they did as Scouts and mainly stuck with general descriptions. "I guess I just don't see the point in worrying over stuff like that. A few scratches and bumps from falling off the couch seems minor in comparison to breaking an arm climbing up cliffs and severely spraining one's hair while evading a herd of Growl Beasts. And no, I am not telling you that story until you are much older." He frowned at her immediate rejection but let her continue.
"John Dory, however, doesn't have anything like that to compare things to so he's just being overly cautious for his little brothers' sake. He loves you and Clay very much, and he is set on doing what he thinks will make you two safe and happy. Whenever something bad happens, he wants to fix it because he doesn't want to see any of you get sad or hurt."
"But he's allllllways doing that," Spruce whined, Clay mimicking him with a long cry before snuggling back onto his arms.
She chuckled in sympathy at him, removing her hand from his hair and carefully picking up her youngest. Clay squirmed for a moment, a bit peeved at being plucked from his comfy spot, but instantly relaxed again as she cradled him in her arms. Spruce carefully rolled off her lap, slowly sitting back up and regarding the sight contently.
Being around his brothers and other Trollings close to his age, Spruce sometimes forgot how little he actually was sometimes. He was only a smidge bit shorter than John Dory and didn't necessarily tower over baby Clay either. However, his dad could easily pick him and John Dory up, sometimes both at the same time if the angle was just right, and march along with them in a firm grip over his shoulders that they looked more like sugar sacks than two active Trollings. His mom didn't have that same level of largeness to her, but her arms always seemed big and strong enough to support whatever little Trolling she felt like spoiling in that moment.
Spruce loved both of their hugs for that reason. The strength and protectiveness exerted by his dad, and the gentleness and warmth radiating from his mom.
"Then I guess that means he realllllly loves you both. Sometimes when you love someone very much, you focus too much on doing what you think will make them happy instead of letting them show what actually makes them happy," she commented, smile fading a bit as she stretched out an arm and rubbed Spruce's cheek with her thumb. "And sometimes, the world can seem so cruel that you latch onto whatever shred of happiness you can find and vow to protect it with every fiber of your being so the ones you love don't have to feel that cruelty."
A stray tear made its way down Spruce's face as he scooted closer and leaned further into her hand. The evening hadn't grown too dark yet, the weather was fine, nothing bigger than bugs got through to the Tree, and his dad always had a sixth sense on when Bergens were around. Spruce was here in the pod with his mom and baby brother, Grandma off visiting her friends in the more inner areas of the Troll Tree, and his dad was more than capable of keeping himself and John Dory out of danger.
All his precious loved ones as safe as they could be and enjoying the moment.
Aster absentmindedly wiped the liquid away, whispering, "I've seen a lot of things in my life, my little Spruce. Bad things, of course. Things that I hate thinking about, terrifying thoughts and images that I want to bundle into the smallest ball possible and toss into a volcano. But…" She carefully slid her hand under Spruce's chin, gently lifting up his head so their eyes met. "I've also learned that I can't live my life like that. I need to seize the good opportunities and let my mind overflow with those happy things. Maybe that's why I'm not so worried when I see you, John Dory, and now Clay getting into harmless mischief. It makes me happy to see you all so carefree, because I know it won't last forever and your father and I can fix things right now if something does happen. However, John Dory is still young, and he sees the world as both a wonderful and a terrifying place. He hasn't learned how to navigate around like your father and I have, so he's doing the best he can with what he knows he can do. And you know what he knows he can do?"
Spruce shook his head, stopped, thought for a moment, and then shyly nodded. "He knows he can try and be the best big brother ever."
She nodded much more enthusiastically. "Exactly. Give it some time, Spruce," she started, pulling her hand away and lifting Clay up when his arms made grabbing motions towards Spruce. The Trolling immediately stretched his arms out, grinning when the baby was placed in his arms and started pinching at his cheeks. "You'll understand what JD is feeling one day."
As Spruce looked down past the moving hands and gazed at the cheery face below them, his grin stretched further even as his face started being squished even more. "I think I already know what that feeling is."
XXX
If there was one stain in Spruce's otherwise great life, it was the fact that Trollstice existed. His worst memories from the first year of that terrifying holiday were purposefully bundled tightly in the recesses of his mind and he tried to never think about them ever again. Instead, he preferred remembering the feeling of safety in the arms of his brother and parents, their near inaudible whispers drowning out the cacophony of vile cheers right outside their tree.
This year, however, he knew he wouldn't have such a luxury. He was a bit older now and had developed a decent memory for a Trolling his age. Most likely from keeping up with all of the games he played with his brothers and the songs and dances they did together. Not that he would ever seriously complain about that, it was just an unfortunate connection his brain made as he sat huddled with his family in their little tree knot.
Before the sun was even close to rising, their parents had ushered them out of the pod. They stuck along a less used path with thicker foliage and thinner branches, which was normally an off-limits path for the brothers. However, their parents were adamant about not being visible on their way toward their hidden spot and kept a close eye on the three Trollings.
Reed stayed steps ahead to make sure the path was safe and stayed within sight of the others, Aster stayed behind the children to ensure no one got left behind and was ready to grab anyone if needed. John Dory stuck close to Spruce's side, interlocking their hands so neither got separated and could feel the other was still there. Spruce greatly appreciated the gesture and the closeness, especially since Clay had latched onto his neck earlier and no amount of bargaining or coaching from their parents could get him to release his grip. He didn't blame the younger for the sentiment, but Spruce's balance was a bit off because of the extra weight and it was only John Dory's proximity that kept the middle child from falling over.
Every now and then, the pair would have to separate their hands so their parents could carry them across trickier spots. The brothers would look at each other and their parents worriedly during those moments, relaxing only when they were all on the same side again and the Trollings' hands reconnected.
This made the journey a bit slow, but their early departure meant they were still able to reach the hidden tree knot just before the sun's rays peeked over the town. Reed and Aster ushered the three inside, took their places on either side, closed the door, and waited for the inevitable.
It was hard to gauge time inside the hideaway, but Spruce knew the exact second the Bergens began celebrating when the loud cheering of "Trolls! Trolls!" began outside and Chef's bone chilling cackles rang out. Somehow, that Bergen's voice always had a way of thundering over everyone else's, even the King and Queen of Bergentown.
Seconds after the screech of a metal gate range out, the Tree shook and shuddered as the footsteps from the giant creatures entered the enclosure. The excitement from the Bergens were hardly enough to drown out the screams and cries of Trolls being grabbed, plucked, and snatched.
Reed and Aster, forcing masks of calmness across their expressions, kept their arms wrapped around the three and muttered quiet assurances as the noises outside spiked in volume. The feeling of comfort was familiar to Spruce, though it was difficult to relax as well as he did last year.
In his arms, Clay was a quivering ball of nerves who seemed to understand the need to remain quiet, which Spruce found utterly depressing. The baby's arms remained latched around Spruce's neck, and it was a small miracle that the grip didn't cut off the older Trolling's breathing. However, the constant shaking took the forefront of Spruce's attention, as did the tiny, fast beating heartbeats pressing against his own increased pulse and the quiet whimpers Clay couldn't manage to hold in.
Hoping he wouldn't make things worse, Spruce carefully snaked one arm under Clay's clasped hands and managed to successfully break the baby's grip off his neck. Before Clay could react, Spruce set his younger brother against his chest and wrapped his hand around one of the tinier ones. Their eyes met and even though Spruce knew he didn't appear completely in control, he still flashed his best reassuring smile.
"I know it's scary, Clay," he muttered, pressing their shaky foreheads together. "You aren't alone. I'm here. I'll always be here."
That seemed to sooth Clay a bit, as the tremors did gradually vanish into occasional shudders. However, there was still an obvious face of fear staring up at him and Spruce could feel a bit of his own resolve crack under the gaze.
Suddenly, Spruce felt a familiar arm wrap around his shoulder and saw its pair place itself around Clay. The purple haired Trolling titled his head toward John Dory, and even though he could pick up specks of fear in his older brother's eyes, Spruce couldn't help a wave of relief that washed over him. Somehow everything was less overwhelming as he stared into John Dory's calm and collected expression that mimicked their parents'.
Spruce didn't say anything. Instead, he laid his head on John Dory's shoulder as the remaining tension released from his body. Staring up at the two, Baby Clay's chubby face and tiny body relaxed, and he reached out his empty hand.
Without hesitating, John Dory quickly pulled his arm away to grasp the small hand in his slightly larger one. The youngest smiled in content, snuggling closer against Spruce and not letting his eyes leave either of his brothers. Spruce caught the sound of a thankful hum rumble from John Dory's throat and hummed back. The mild tightening from the arm around his shoulder told him the message got through.
Even as the Tree kept trembling, the noises grew more chaotic, and the acknowledge this would not be his last time experiencing the terror of this holiday, Spruce couldn't help but be grateful he and his loved ones were safe and together.
XXX
With the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves and the general freshness of the air, their mom had happily complied with their request to spend the day outside so long as they stuck to the moss patch behind the pod. The area was well hidden, secure, and far from the edge so there was little danger if the two decided to wander around.
Their dad had gone down to the Troll Tree Market, letting John Dory tag along as he visited with old friends and to have an extra set of hands for whatever he needed to buy down there. The two younger brothers expressed their sadness that the oldest wouldn't be able to join them on such a lovely day, but the three just promised to make up for it later that evening.
After a few hours of playing, the two dug into the snack basket their mother gave them and happily relaxed. Clay was the first one to finish and when it became clear that Spruce was going to take his time to enjoy his food, he decided to toddle over to the nearby mushrooms growing in the shade. Spruce kept his eyes on him, chuckling to himself as he imagined John Dory's complaints should he happen to stumble upon the pair in that moment.
"Spruce, what if Clay accidently trips and swallows a mushroom? What if he chokes? Or is allergic? Or develops such a love of raw mushrooms that he wanders away and the fungi make him one of their own?" Okay, Spruce could admit that the last part was wild even by John Dory standards. But he would bet two slices of pie that one of the first three would be a probable complaint. Guarantee.
"Spruce?"
"Yeah, Clay," the Trolling in question replied, snapping out of his thoughts as the younger plopped down next to him.
The yellow haired Trolling stared down as he tapped his fingers against his knees, a thoughtful expression on his face. Spruce remained quiet, finishing off his snack in a few bites and neatly packing their trash away. They didn't want to attract too many critters in this area, otherwise there wouldn't be any room for them to play around in. Or as dad joked, the abundant bugs and critters may distract mom too much and she would wander off with them. Were all parents as weird as theirs?
Finally, Clay asked him, "How can I be a good big brother?"
"How do you be a good big brother?" echoed in Spruce's mind. Warm sunlight was replaced by gentle bug lights and the mossy ground knitted into a macramé carpet. A young Trolling looking to a less young Trolling for an answer to his similar question and finding himself pleased at the answer.
Blinking back to the present, Spruce grinned and leaned forward so he was more at eye level with Clay. "Well, before I answer that, I'm going to ask you a question first."
"Okay..." Clay started, confused but attentive all the same.
Chuckling mentally to himself, Spruce asked him, "What do you like about me as an older brother?"
The younger one tilted his head, putting a finger to his lips and tapping out a random beat as he thought the question over. Spruce patiently waited, enjoying a stray breeze as it brushed through his hair.
Moments later, Clay snapped his fingers and confidently stated, "I like that you're always around and make me smile. That you always want to play with me and often ask me what I want to do. That you're always around if I need any help. That when I feel scared, or frightened, or nervous, you always let me come to you and wrap me in a big hug." On the last part Clay wrapped his arms around himself with a giant smile, staring Spruce with bright eyes. "I also like that you let me hold your hand sometimes, and don't bring any attention to it. Oh, and I love singing and dancing with you because it's more fun to do things together than on my own. That's what I like about you as an older brother!"
Spruce laughed as Clay finished up, unable to help but ask, "What about John Dory? He does those same things with you, too. Do you like him for those same reasons?"
Clay dropped his arms and smiled shyly at Spruce, admitting, "Well… Yeah, I like him in kind of the same way. But also kind of not? Yeah, you and JD are both my older brothers, but you two are also kind of different. I'm not sure how to describe it cause both of you are great, but I like hanging around you more sometimes. Does that make me a bad younger brother for feeling differently about you two?"
Shaking his head with a grin, Spruce explained, "Naw, you don't have to feel bad about that. JD and I are different, which means we have our own way of doing things that may be more fun or appealing sometimes. And that's okay, because you are also different from us." He let his grin take on a more mischievous look, lowing his voice. "Want to know something, Clay?"
"Yeah!" the other shouted, quickly shutting his mouth and blushing at the other. "Yeah," he echoed back, much softer.
"When JD and I found out you were going to be our little brother, we had a conversation just like this."
"Really? Why?"
"Because, just like you, I hadn't had a younger brother before and John Dory was already an older brother. I asked him how I should be a good older brother and you want to know what he told me?"
"What?"
"He told me, 'You can't be exactly like me, Spruce, because you're Spruce and I'm John Dory. That will confuse our little brother if we both acted the same.' I figured that meant that while I could learn a few things from JD, I couldn't be exactly like him because then I wouldn't be exactly me anymore. So, we both agreed to be ourselves and look after our little brother the way we figured would be the best. But, there's one thing that we for sure have to be with our brothers…"
Spruce smiled as he held off the final comment and watched Clay frown in frustration. Finally, the Trolling asked in annoyance, "What? What do you have to be with your brother?"
"A best friend," Spruce simply stated.
Clay's eyes widened at the response, running the idea in his head and muttering quietly to himself. A few moments later, he brightened up. "Oh, that makes a lot of sense. But, how will that work with us? I think of you as you my best friend, but I don't want our new little brother to feel left out because I've already gave my 'best friend' spot to someone else before he has even hatched. That wouldn't be fair to him."
"Oh, don't worry, Clay," Spruce started. "JD and I figured that part out, too. You see, little brother, even though you are my best friend, JD and I already agreed that he is my best-est friend. That means that you and I can still be best friends, and you and the new brother can work on becoming best-est friends. Plus, there isn't a rule anywhere saying you can only have one best friend anyway. If we all become each other's best friends, then no one will feel left out. Make sense?"
"… Um, not really," Clay admitted with a shrug. "But, you are older than me so I'm gonna go with that anyway. Otherwise, I'm going to get confused and end up not being a good big brother because I'm distracting myself too much."
"Eh, I guess that works then. If you're still confused though, maybe you should ask JD the same question later. He does have more experience at this than I do."
"Oh, that's true. He's going to have three little brothers after this, so he must know a lot then!"
A bit of annoyance rippled through Spruce at the comment, recalling his recent feelings and frustrations with his older brother and his bossy attitude. However, the happy confidence Clay answered with had him pausing for a moment. Sure, John Dory could be a pain in the hair sometimes, but Spruce could not deny that he wouldn't trade his brother for anything.
When he looked past the faults, Spruce saw John Dory as a source of reassuring hugs, a hand always outstretched for any task, constant look backs to make sure no one was falling behind or feeling left out, double checking under the bed after their parents were settled into bed with Clay, and someone he could always rely on. Spruce wanted to be someone Clay could rely on in that way as well, and he liked to think he was doing a pretty fair job at it.
However, this past Trollstice showed Spruce that he still had some things to learn from John Dory, whose mere presence soothed both of his brothers' worries and fears even as the world outside was thrown into its annual chaos. Spruce tried his best and while he did manage to calm baby Clay a bit, he couldn't deny his own relief with the knowledge that John Dory was right there beside them. He didn't need to say a word or do anything spectacular to make them feel safe. Just being there gave Clay the final assurance he needed to know everything was going to be okay, and Spruce hoped he could do that for his little brothers as well.
With a smile, Spruce ended off with, "Yeah, he probably does. I know I still have some things I can learn from him, and if I do well enough, hopefully you'll have two big brothers to help you know how to be a good big brother."
Spruce held out his hand and Clay immediately met with a quick slap. They pulled their arms away, Clay reached out again, and Spruce carefully pinched the other's thumb with two of his fingers before sliding his hand down. With his brother's hand gently grasped in his, they ended off with a firm shake, laughing the whole time.
Not too long after, the pair resumed playing in the area under the warm sun and fresh leaves, tossing comments about what they will do when John Dory joins them next time. And all the things the three of them will do once their new baby brother joins them.
And that's a wrap for this second part! Thank you for reading this far!
Few notes: Like I mentioned with JD, I think this is when the oldest brother definitely started becoming a bit more assertive and domineering over his younger brothers. Not out of any malice or anything, just a strong desire to protect those he loves. With this change, Spruce would thus adopt a more counter personality by focusing more on what his younger brother(s) would want and not taking things so seriously. He's not one to rock the boat, but he also isn't going to just let someone walk all over him.
Also, my favorite phase when it comes to kids is when they start to crawl/walk! They get so excited when they find out they can start moving on their own, and they have the cutest little smiles when you cheer them on. Of course, then comes the "oh no! They're mobile now!" realization and the worrying about keeping things out of their grasp/reach. And I can clearly imagine Clay being such a little terror to JD because of that. Spruce wouldn't care one way or another and would totally move things along just to mess with JD in my head cannon.
Anywho, thank you once again for reading this and can't wait to post the next chapter!