As Branch was slowly lowered down into the Bunker, he was greeted by the sweet smell of something cooking and sounds of lively conversation. He made his way over to the kitchen to see Bruce at the stove, flipping a pancake as Floyd set out plates on the table. When Floyd noticed him, the pink-haired troll visibly perked up, his face breaking into a smile.

"Branch! There you are!" Floyd said cheerily, setting down the last plate. "I was looking for you!"

"Oh, sorry," Branch replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I usually get up pretty early…"

"No worries, Bitty B," Bruce drawled, flipping another pancake onto the growing pile next to him. "We just thought it'd be nice to have breakfast together. I made a crap ton of pancakes." Branch looked at the slightly charred pile of what appeared to be some kind of berry pancakes before turning his gaze back up to Bruce. "Look, the first ones are better, alright?" Bruce said, his ears turning a slightly darker shade of blue. "We're honestly lucky I didn't start anything on fire. I'm not a kitchen guy."

"It looks fine, Bruce, stop stressing," Floyd reassured him, and Branch nodded in agreement.

"They look good, really. Thank you," Branch added, moving next to the table. This felt… weird. Not a bad kind of weird, but just different. He had a vague memory of all his brothers sitting to eat together when they were kids, but that was about it. But now, as he watched Bruce carry over the stack of pancakes and Floyd set five spots on his usually mostly empty table, he couldn't help but wonder, Is this what it would have been like? If they'd never left?

"Hey, Branch?"

Branch was pulled from his thoughts as he looked up at Bruce, the older troll's voice having shifted to a more serious tone.

"Uh, yeah? What's up?" Branch replied, a nervous smile crawling onto his face. He didn't like this sudden shift in the mood.

Bruce flicked his eyes over to Floyd, who seemed to nod encouragingly before he looked back at Branch. "So, totally not a big deal or anything, but…" Bruce leaned down to grab something from under the table, hoisting it into the air. "...I found this under my bed this morning?"

Branch felt his chest seize up as he realized what Bruce was holding. It was a large, metal snap trap, its serrated silver teeth glinting in the dull Bunker light as it hung from the chain clasped in Bruce's hand. Branch let out a surprised yelp, rushing forward and yanking the trap from his brother.

"Ah! What was that doing there?" He laughed, his voice an octave higher than it usually was. He scampered over to a nearby storage room, trying to keep the trap out of his brothers' sight. He practically threw the door open before shoving the trap inside with all his other hidden traps and weapons. He quickly spun around, slamming the door shut behind him. There was a loud crash, and Branch winced slightly. It was probably a good idea to keep this door shut for a while.

Bruce and Floyd were staring at him, mixed looks of shock and surprise on their faces. Branch immediately cleared his throat, trying to lean up against the door casually. "Get some crazy critters down here in the Bunker, heh," he lied, hoping his smile didn't look too forced. "Sorry about that, Bruce."

Bruce blinked a few times before looking over at Floyd. The pink-haired troll just tensed his jaw, his eyebrows creased with worry.

"It's fine, Branch," Bruce said finally, breaking the awkward silence. "I just… didn't know what it was. That's all."

Branch felt the briefest sense of relief that his brothers weren't going to push it. He practically pried himself from the doorway, stiffly walking back over to the table and keeping his eyes trained on the floor.

"Branch?"

Crap.

He drew his gaze upwards to see Floyd looking at him, his hands clasped in front of him. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything…" his brother started, and Branch could already feel his shoulders beginning to tense. "...but I was just wondering, how long have you been living down here exactly?"

Branch tried not to shiver as a jolt of fear shot through him. He forced himself to act nonchalant, crossing his arms over his chest. "Uh, y'know, since after Grandma died so… At least a little while."

"How long is 'a little while'?" Bruce pressed, and Branch felt his heart leap with nervousness.

"Look, Bruce, the food's getting cold," Branch deflected, unable to cope with his brothers' undivided attention any longer. "We should talk about this later, when we're all together."

"But, Branch–" Floyd started, but was interrupted by the sound of the platform lowering into the Bunker. Branch let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for excellent timing.

"Let's just enjoy our breakfast, ok?" Branch said, hoping his brothers would take the hint that he did not want to discuss this topic any further.

Bruce and Floyd exchange looks. They seemed to do that a lot. But after a moment, Floyd nodded despite the concern still prevalent in his eyes. "Ok Branch. Later."

There was the sound of footsteps approaching, and Branch turned to see Clay and John Dory, each with matching looks of irritation on their faces.

"Sorry I'm late," Clay said, shooting a glare over at JD. "Someone took forever to leave Rhonda and then dragged his feet the whole way to the Bunker."

"I was not 'dragging my feet'," John Dory retorted, making dramatic air quotes. "You just walk like someone set your hair on fire."

"You took five minutes to get on to the platform because you said your goggles were foggy! You don't even wear them inside!"

"They were! And it's too dark in here to clean them properly!" JD shot back before sniffing the air, all signs of argument forgotten. "Ooo, are those pancakes?"

The breakfast went surprisingly smooth. Branch stayed pretty much silent, just listening to his brothers talk. This morning had already been a lot, and the day wasn't even close to over. And they still had that party Poppy was throwing tonight. Branch just wanted to curl up and fall back asleep.

Speaking of the party, it seemed that the topic was on everyone's minds.

"It's going to be great!" Bruce exclaimed, shoving a chunk of pancake in his mouth. "It's been forever since I had a good party, let alone with a bunch of Pop Trolls."

"We had a few rages at the golf course, but it'll be nice to let loose without the fear of Bergens finding us," Clay added.

"And it's kinda nice to celebrate all of us being back together," Floyd said, his eyes sparkling with joy. "Even if we had to go through hell to get here."

John Dory leaned over the table dramatically. "I just hope these Pop Trolls can handle this party animal," he boasted, jabbing a thumb into his chest before throwing a fist into the air. "BroZone Bash! Whoop whoop!" His brothers all cheered.

Branch let out a small courtesy cheer, but his eyes were focused on something else. The way John Dory's hand gripped the table, with such force that the older troll's hand was shaking slightly. He gazed up at his brother, as if just looking at him would reveal all of the older troll's secrets. What is your deal, John Dory? What are you hiding?

They cleaned up the breakfast and went their separate ways, seemingly all needing a bit of rest before the party. Branch spent most of his time double checking the Bunker for any other traps he might have missed. The whole awkward situation this morning could have been avoided if he'd just been better about hiding his stuff.

By the time he finished, he had just enough time to clean up a bit before he and his brothers headed over to the party in their honor.

It was definitely easy to find. When Pop Trolls threw a party, they really went all out. However, Branch was pleasantly surprised when he noticed the party was a little less extravagant than he thought it would be.

His brothers looked on in awe, faces lit up by the array of flashing lights. John Dory peeked over to the dance floor, letting out a low whistle. "Wow, heh, that is… a lot of trolls."

"I'll say," Bruce replied, eyes glittering with excitement. "The whole village must be here!"

Poppy stood at the entrance with Viva, reaching forward on one foot as she waved them down.

"You guys made it!" she cheered. "Argh, this is so exciting!" She ran over to Floyd, grabbing his arm. "Floyd, I have something for you!" She turned to the side and whistled, and within seconds, a winged critter appeared, hovering lazily above the ground. "I thought you could ride this at the party tonight, so you don't get too tired!"

Floyd's eyes widened with gratitude, even becoming slightly misty as he gently pet the purring critter. "I don't know what to say… Thank you, Poppy."

"Of course!" she replied, smiling so wide Branch wondered how her face didn't cramp. "Now come on! Everyone's waiting for you! Let's party!"

His brothers let out a cheer, and even Branch felt himself join in, swept up by the music and fun of the party. The Pop Trolls greeted his brothers like royalty, swarming around them for pictures and autographs. Branch was glad many of these trolls already knew him personally; he wasn't sure how many pictures he would be able to handle.

Within the first few minutes, Poppy introduced them all, including her sister, to which the Pop Trolls nearly fainted with excitement. Viva was accepted with open arms, the lost princess crying tears of joy as trolls both young and old welcomed her back. Then Poppy led them all in a song, and Branch couldn't help but sing along as she pulled him into the dance, swinging him around like he weighed nothing. By the time the song was over, she left him dizzy and bewildered, standing in the middle of the dance floor. He carefully stumbled over to a nearby table, sitting down for a moment until the world stopped spinning.

Branch looked around for his brothers in the crowd. Floyd was surrounded by male and female trolls alike, each seemingly enraptured by him as he spoke. Clay seemed to be lecturing to a large group of glitter trolls, and by the looks on their faces, it couldn't have been the most interesting topic. However, what Clay didn't know was that his hair was sneakily being filled with more and more glitter by two glitter trolls behind him, causing the others to laugh. He'd be finding glitter in his shower for weeks.

Branch chuckled lightly, leaning back in his chair. He perked up a bit as he saw Bruce heading over to him, a glass of pink lemonade in his hand.

"Hoo, Bitty B, your girlfriend sure knows how to throw a party," Bruce said breathily, plopping down next to Branch. "And this place… it's amazing. Everyone's so nice and welcoming. You got a nice thing going here, B."

"Yeah, I do," Branch said with a smile. His eyes fell on Poppy, who was currently laughing to a few trolls with Viva. He then turned his attention back to Bruce as he gestured over to Floyd. "I think Floyd's coming for your 'Heartthrob' title," he joked teasingly.

The older troll laughed, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah well, the young whippersnapper can have it. This heartthrob's heart is already deeply and thoroughly taken." Bruce got a far off look on his face, and Branch knew he was thinking about his family. There was a small pang of sadness in Branch's heart as he looked at his brother. Bruce would have to get back to his real family soon. He couldn't just stay here forever. It was just another blunt reminder that these good times weren't going to last.

Bruce suddenly shook his head before pushing himself to his feet, his eyes focused mischievously on Floyd. "Buuuut there's a lot of responsibility with becoming the heartthrob. I'd better go knock him down a few pegs. Hey!" Bruce called, jogging over to the group surrounding Floyd. "You guys wanna hear about the time Floyd blew up our kitchen?"

"Bruce, no!"

Branch's face turned up in a slight smile, but his mood had soured. However, he felt slightly better when he noticed Poppy start walking over to him, her face bright with exhilaration.

"Branch!" she called, sitting down next to him. "How do you like the party? Is it ok? I tried to keep it kind of low key 'cause I know Floyd is still recovering and we're all pretty tired, but I think it turned out alright, didn't it?"

Branch grabbed her hands, nodding vehemently. "It's perfect," he assured her. "You did a wonderful job. I think everyone's having a good time."

"Whoo, good, I was worried," Poppy admitted with a laugh. "When I saw John Dory leave, I thought I had done something wrong. But I'm glad you're all having a good time!"

Branch felt a chill travel up his spine. He looked over Poppy's shoulder, scanning the crowd for any sign of his oldest brother. Nothing.

"Uh, yeah," he said distractedly, standing up. "Speaking of John Dory, I think I'm going to go find him."

"Oh, uh, ok!" Poppy said, still smiling, albeit slightly confused. "I think I saw him head off that way." She pointed off towards the edge of the party. "I'll see you in a bit then, ok?"

Branch nodded, already walking in the direction she pointed. "Yeah, I'll be right back," he said, giving a quick wave.

Ok John Dory, just what are you up to?