Branch tensed his shoulders self-consciously as he lowered himself and his brothers down into the bunker, hoping he didn't look as nervous as he felt.
His brothers were thankfully quiet, keeping themselves occupied by looking around at the several different rooms stretching off from the main elevator shaft. Branch felt a slight relief that they didn't question him on how much food and supplies he had stocked away. That was a discussion he really didn't want to have just yet. He drew his gaze up to his oldest brother, JD's face stoic as he stared at the rooms flashing past. It was strange. If he didn't know any better, he would say his brother was just as nervous as he was.
Before Branch could say anything about it, the elevator grinded to a halt, and his brothers all filed off, looking around curiously. Bruce immediately gravitated over to the kitchen area with Floyd following slowly behind him. The pink-haired troll flopped down in one of the chairs, letting out an exhausted sigh. Branch felt a small surge of guilt at forcing Floyd to go on Poppy's intense tour around Pop Village. His brother was still recovering from his ordeal with Velvet and Veneer, and he typically tired a lot quicker than everyone else. Branch was about to offer him a comfier chair when he was interrupted by Clay.
"Bitty B, that elevator is SWEET," he said enthusiastically, peeking underneath the platform at the mechanics.
"It's Branch," Branch replied, slightly annoyed at being called his childhood nickname. But he quickly shook it off. "And yes, it is. Took me a while to install it, but it definitely beats the ladder I had before."
"And wow, this place!?" Clay scurried around, gently running his fingers on the packed dirt wall. His face turned serious as he looked back at Branch. "I'm assuming structural supports are in place?"
"Well duh," Branch replied, and Clay's face once again broke into a grin as he nodded in approval, turning back to continuing checking out the Bunker. Branch was unable to stop a small smile from forming on his face. He appreciated that the work he put into this place was being, well, appreciated.
Branch felt his smile waver a bit however as he turned to see John Dory had yet to leave the platform. The older troll was staring up at the shaft they'd just come down, his face still unreadable. His eyes flickered over to Branch, and he seemed to cough with embarrassment, his face splitting into a strained grin. "Long way down, heh," he said, his hands falling onto his hips.
"Yeah, yeah it is," Branch replied nervously, trying not to look uncomfortable. "It's just for protection."
"Protection from what?" Bruce chimed in curiously, turning around to lean up against Branch's counter.
Shoot…Branch thought, a brief moment of panic flickering across his mind. He quickly cleared his throat. "Y'know, like weather and stuff. You can never be too careful." He chuckled nervously, his brothers looks shifting from curiosity to confusion and even a little concern. His eyes flicked over to Clay, who was standing a little too close to the tarp he'd haphazardly nailed up for Branch's liking. "Would you like to see your rooms?" He asked quickly, hoping they could move on from this subject. He was going to tell them everything, he was. He just didn't want to right now. Not when everything had just gotten good again.
"Uh…" Bruce droned, shooting a look over at Clay.
"Of course," Floyd interrupted, pulling himself to his feet. He gave Bruce a look that Branch tried not to look too much into before walking over to his baby brother. "I for one am exhausted. We can save the questions for tomorrow, right? I mean, we got time."
For a moment Bruce looked like he was going to say something else, but then he sighed in defeat. "Yeah, ok, you're right Floyd. I'm also beat," he said, yawning slightly. "Can you give us the cursory tour, Bitty B? I don't think I can take another detailed one."
"And you know, maybe give us the detailed one tomorrow?" Clay added, his eyes dancing with excitement.
"Yeah, of course," Branch replied, relieved to have avoided an uncomfortable conversation. "Here, this way."
Branch began to lead them down one of the main halls towards the bedrooms when he heard Floyd speak up again.
"John Dory? You coming?"
Branch turned around to see JD still standing on the platform, his face turned back up towards the shaft. Branch's stomach churned uneasily. He was less upset by JD's hesitance now and more… curious? Apprehensive? It was weird; he'd never seen his older brother act like this before. Had he missed something?
"John," Bruce called, his voice a bit louder than Floyd's. JD jumped slightly, his eyes flicking over to his brothers. He rubbed his hands on his coat before perking up like he had earlier, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he drawled, finally making his way off the platform. "Can a man admire some architecture in peace?"
"Man, you must be out of it," Clay laughed as John Dory caught up to them. "I never thought I'd ever hear such a sophisticated word come out of your mouth."
"What, architecture?" JD replied, his eyes widening in feigned offense. "I like architecture. I'm sophisticated! Who says I'm not sophisticated?"
They all laughed, the mood seeming to have shifted back to something more pleasant. However, Branch couldn't help but notice how John Dory still looked just a little… off. Like his smile was a little too big, his laugh a little too forced. But he quickly had to move on to giving his brothers the briefest Bunker tour he could.
"Ok so, catch you all tomorrow?" he asked, having successfully managed to get all of his brothers to their respective rooms.
"You got it, Bitty B," Bruce said with a wink, and Branch resisted the urge to groan as he rolled his eyes. "Gotta rest up for the party tomorrow."
"Party?" Branch asked, trying not to let a note of exasperation travel into his voice.
"Yeah!" Clay replied. "Poppy said she's going to throw a huge party in honor of Viva and us being back!"
Branch felt a spark of irritating endearment for his girlfriend's party obsession. "Terrific," he grumbled, only to perk up in surprise as he heard the same line mumbled by someone else. He turned to see John Dory, who had a similar look of surprise on his face.
"Terrific… because we get to meet all these new friends!" John Dory reiterated. "And fans, if you know what I mean."
"Sure John, sure," Bruce said, huffing. "Now can we please all go to bed? Seriously, I need my beauty sleep!"
By the time each of his brothers were comfortably in their rooms, ready to turn in for the night, Branch also found himself teetering on the edge of exhaustion. He felt like so much had happened in so little time. He took about a five minute shower to wash all the dirt and grime off from earlier before flopping into his bed with a huff. Within minutes, he was out.
Branch dreamed that Pop Village was under attack.
He couldn't tell exactly who was attacking; it kept shifting back and forth. Sometimes it was Chef, her blood-shot eyes lighting up each time she grabbed a troll. Sometimes it was Velvet and Veneer, their melodic laughs echoing across the village as their eyes grew more and more red. And sometimes, it was just a giant shadow, reaching down and gouging the soft ground with its claws.
Branch tried to help. He tried to save people. But for every troll he saved, ten more were taken, and he could only watch helplessly as his home fell apart.
A familiar scream cut through the chaos, and Branch turned just in time to see Poppy's pod snatched up by Chef. He raced forward, letting out a desperate "Poppy!" but was much too late, the Bergen crushing the pod like it was nothing in her hands. The scream was cut off instantly.
Branch felt himself fall to his knees in despair, but he had no time to mourn before he was also picked up, this time by Veneer.
"Will this one do, Sis?" The green-haired doll asked in a malicious voice.
"Ew, no." Came the reply. "Look at it. That one's gone rotten."
Branch blinked in panicked confusion before looking down at his hands. They were no longer the muted blue he'd gotten so used to seeing. Instead, they were a dull gray. He might have screamed.
"C'mon, Brozone's under here," Velvet cooed, looking hungrily at the ground beneath her. Branch's bunker.
Veneer chuckled, tossing Branch behind him like he was nothing. As Branch fell through the air, he could hear a chorus of panicked screams as Velvet plunged her hand into the ground.
Branch awoke with a start, immediately looking at his hands as he tried to gulp air into his lungs. Blue. Maybe not the bluest it had ever been, but still blue. It was fine. He was fine.
He took a deep breath, sinking back down into his bed for a moment. He was used to nightmares. He just hadn't had one quite so… intense, in a while. And not with his brothers; that was an added horror.
Branch sighed, running his hands through his hair as his mind raced. He thought about how easily Velvet and Veneer had managed to capture his brother, and how open Pop Village was to any sort of attack. And Poppy, so willing to be friends with anyone… Branch shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. He clearly wasn't going to get any more sleep. He checked the time to see it was early morning, which worked perfectly for him. Might as well get the day started so he could avoid sitting here and spiraling.
He made his way out into the Bunker towards the kitchen, his body itching for a cup of hot chocolate. However, as he approached, he heard the shuffling sound of movement up ahead. He immediately dropped into stealth mode, slowly tip-toeing his way down the hall. As he turned the corner, he was surprised to see a figure standing on the elevator platform. And he was even more surprised when he realized it was John Dory.
"C'mon you stupid thing," JD cursed as he fiddled with the lever, clearly having not noticed Branch yet. "What is your issue?" Branch just stood there watching for a moment. Was John Dory… trying to leave? Branch felt his confusion outweigh his apprehension, and against his better judgment, he cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"Uh, John Dory?" he asked, jumping back as JD let out a frightened yelp.
"Holy… Bitty B?" JD said as he turned around. He let out a deep exhale, resting his hands on his knees. "Hoo, you scared the crap out of me, hah. You're a sneaky little bugger, aren't you?"
"Looks like I could say the same about you," Branch replied in an accusatory voice. "Where are you going? It's like, five a.m. And to be honest, I didn't really take you to be an 'up before noon' kind of guy."
"Heh, you're right. I'm usually an 'up after ten' type of dude," JD said with a laugh. "But no, I'm always up at this time. Just for a little while."
"Wha… why?" Branch asked, a million questions running through his head.
"Ehm, well…" JD picked at his glove, like he'd suddenly become very interested in it.
"Ugh…" Branch groaned. "If I make you hot chocolate, will you tell me?"
"Mmm, I might," John Dory replied, shooting one last look up the elevator shaft before walking over to Branch.
Branch turned around, heading into the kitchen and boiling some water. He quickly filled his own mug before turning back to JD. "You want cream or anything? Marshmallows?"
"Ha, no. Just plain, thank you very much," John Dory replied, coming over to stand next to Branch. Branch filled another mug and handed it over, turning so he could lean his back up against the counter. He breathed in the warm, rich scent of his drink before letting out a sigh. To his surprise, JD did the same. It was a little weird, how many habits he and his oldest brother had in common. Branch wasn't sure he liked it.
"So, why are you up?" Branch asked as JD took his first sip of hot chocolate.
"Not even going to let me enjoy this, are you?" the older troll replied, a sly, teasing look in his side eye. But he continued, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I just… I like sunrises, ok? So every morning, I get up, and I go watch the sunrise with Rhonda. Then I go back to bed."
Branch blinked in surprise. Out of all the things he thought JD might say, that was not one of them. "Wow, that's…" he started, trailing off.
"A secret that you'll take to your grave," John Dory finished for him, taking a swig of his drink. "I mean, I got a reputation to uphold here, Bitty B. Think of my carefully cultivated reputation."
"Well, I don't think you need any help messing that up," Branch pushed back, taking a sip of his own hot chocolate.
"Harsh…" John Dory droned. "Well anyways, I answered your question, and I got a hot chocolate. Can you show me how to get out of here now please?"
Branch tried not to feel hurt at his words. It was clear JD did not like his Bunker, and that was fine. He just wished he knew why. Without a word, Branch walked back over to the platform, John Dory in tow.
"You have to press the release," he said, pressing a small button on the side of the lever. "It's a safety thing."
"You and Clay and your safety," JD teased, ruffling Branch's hair. Branch immediately stepped back in irritation. JD just shrugged, stepping onto the platform.
It looked like he went to pull the lever, but paused for a moment, turning back to Branch with a more serious look. "You could uh, come with me. If you want. To see the sunrise that is," JD said, looking uncomfortable.
Branch felt his body deflate slightly. His brother was asking to do something with him. Together. It was almost like a dream come true, and Branch couldn't help but feel a deep yearning in his chest blossom to life. But John Dory was going to leave him again, just like his other brothers were. Best not to get too attached. That way, it'll hurt less when they go.
"Thanks, but I have some stuff I need to do this morning," Branch replied, unable to look at his brother. "I'll see you later, ok?"
There was a pause before JD let out a small "ok" and the platform began to rise, taking Branch's brother with it.
It's better this way, Branch thought, walking back over to the kitchen. It's just better this way.