Find Shelter: Part Two (The Perfect Pod)

Author's Note: Thank you for bearing with me as I get this started! I've been a little stressed about it ngl, but I'm hoping you guys are liking it so far! Anyways, enjoy this next chapter!

John Dory stood in front of the shelter the trolls had built for Rhonda, rubbing his hands together as he looked it over.

It was a good sized log, carved out on one side so Rhonda had plenty of room to relax. The inside was large and spacious, with intricate designs chiseled into the soft wood and pastel colored paint nestled in the grooves. Rhonda absolutely loved it. She made her way inside, stretching out and flopping over as John Dory picked his brain for ideas. He figured the best plan for him was to build a shelter off the side of the log. That way, he could still feel connected to his best girl, but also have a living space that wasn't, well, moving. He held his hands up, framing the area where he figured he could build his new home.

"What do you think, girl?" he called towards the large critter, who just tilted her head with interest. "We can be neighbors!"

Rhonda churred softly, before her face grew sour. She hacked a couple of times before spitting up a large, glitter and saliva covered stick. She looked at it for a moment, then gazed proudly back up towards John Dory, panting happily.

"Loving that attitude, Rhonda!" he said, adjusting his goggles as he looked around, determined. "Let's gather some sticks."

It took a while, but eventually John Dory had collected a pretty large pile of sticks, all of varying sizes. He immediately set to work building a lean-to on the side of the log, covering it with bits of bark and leaves. He practically worked from muscle memory, and while collecting the sticks he needed had taken what felt like hours, building the actual shelter took only minutes. After he checked that it was secure, with no drafts coming in, he took a step back, scrutinizing his work. Rhonda stood next to him, looking as well. They both tilted their heads to the side at the same time.

It was definitely a shelter. A very… small shelter. It was just barely tall enough for John Dory to stand in, turn around, and that was it. It was what he typically built if he was camping out somewhere for a few days, but…

"It's kinda lacking a certain, je ne sais quoi, isn't it?" he said finally, not even really sure what that phrase meant, but thinking it sounded right. Rhonda rumbled in agreement, and John Dory let out an annoyed huff. No, this wouldn't do at all. This couldn't be his home. It needed to be bigger, much bigger. How else would he have his brothers over to visit him? He marched over, kicking the sticks firmly and watching as they clattered to the ground in another pile.

"Ok, we'll run it back," he said, spinning around and walking back off into the woods. He was going to need more sticks.

This time, John Dory tried to build a shack-like shelter, with an actual roof. He used larger sticks to build the frame, tying them together with vines, then set to work on building the walls and roof. He'd never built a structure like this before, and he found it to be much harder than he thought it'd be. By the time he thought it might be finished, he already knew it wasn't going to work. It was unstable, drafty, and still much too small. He let out a frustrated hiss, glaring at his shoddy craftsmanship as he massaged his gloved hand, which was beginning to ache from overuse.

"What a waste of time," he grumbled, kicking one of the support beams and watching the whole structure collapse to the ground. He scowled, his shoulders tense. The first step. This was the first step on his list, and he was already failing. So much for routine.

John Dory shook his head, slapping his cheeks a few times to try and get the scowl off his face. He wasn't supposed to be thinking like this. He'd just try again. Do better this time. Maybe even more sticks…

He turned around, ready to head back off into the woods, and found himself face to face with a confused looking troll, his dark indigo hair half damp. JD let out a startled yelp, leaping backwards and landing clumsily on his pile of sticks. Branch. Of course it was Branch. His youngest brother was one of the only trolls that could sneak up on him like that, and sometimes, it was truly terrifying.

"Holy…" he breathed, laying a hand across his chest. "We've got to put a bell or something on you, man."

"Sorry," Branch replied, not looking sorry at all. Instead, he was looking past John Dory, towards the giant pile of sticks he was now laying on. "Uh, what are you doing?"

John Dory stood up, brushing the leaves and bark from his arms. "I thought you were out with your friends," he said, plucking a stick from his hair and flicking it away.

"I was. And now I'm back," Branch replied bluntly, his eyes boring into John Dory's skull. "What are you doing?" he repeated, and John Dory sighed. His little brother was not going to let this go.

"Just, y'know…" he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Building. Stuff."

Branch blinked, looking down at the pile then back up at John Dory. "With… sticks?" he asked, and JD felt his face flush ever so slightly.

"Yes," he said, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. His brother seemed to be waiting for him to elaborate, so after a moment, he did. "I'm just… If I'm going to be hanging around here for a while, I thought it might be nice to have a place to stay, y'know? Besides Rhonda. Like a home. Of sorts."

"You're… building a home? Here?" John Dory didn't miss the way Branch's ears perked up a bit as his eyes sparkled with excitement, despite the obvious efforts on his brother's part to try and look nonchalant. John Dory felt a smile spread across his face, happy to see his brother so excited.

"Yeah!" he replied, setting his hands on his hips. "Been working on it all morning!" His smile fell slightly as he looked back at the pile of sticks, vines, and leaves behind him. "Unsuccessfully," he added before shrugging. "But I'm going to keep working on it. I'm sure it'll turn into something eventually."

"Sure it will," Branch said, unconvinced, crossing his arms over his chest. "You should have just told me. I could've helped."

"You were going to hang out with your friends," John Dory replied, beginning to pick up a few sticks from the pile. "That's way more fun than hanging around here with me, collecting stupid sticks." He held up one of said sticks as if it would cement his point. "And anyways, I've got it handled. I'm just… finding my flow."

"Why are you building it out of sticks anyways?" Branch asked, picking up one of the stragglers near his feet and tossing it back onto the pile. "We could just build you a pod."

John Dory paused, nearly dropping the sticks from his arms. "A… pod?" he replied questioningly, looking out at the distant Pop Village, where multicolored pods hung decoratively from the trees. He felt his chest flutter excitedly. The thought had never really occurred to him… "My own pod?"

"Sure," Branch replied, walking over to stand by John Dory. "It'd be way better than some old stick shack."

John Dory felt his heart ache with longing, but he quickly drew himself back to reality. "Heh, it would be nice," he admitted, clutching tighter to the sticks in his arms. "But I'm not exactly making money these days, Bitty B. I can't afford some fancy pod."

"You won't have to," Branch replied, an enthusiastic smile beginning to stretch across his face. "Poppy doesn't believe in the whole 'you have to pay to live here' kinda deal. I could have the construction trolls drop off the supplies, and you and I could have this built by sundown!"

"Branch, I…" JD stuttered out, unsure of what to say. This was too much. He couldn't… could he?

"Please, John," Branch said, an almost desperate edge to his voice. He quickly shook his head, regaining his composure. "Just, let me do this for you, ok?"

John Dory looked between the sticks in his arms, to the pods swaying ever so slightly in the trees, to his younger brother's pleading look. If it meant that much to him… He let out a sigh, giving in to his own excitement as he tossed the sticks in his arms off to the side. "Alright, Bitty B, alright," he said with a grin that was quickly mirrored on his brother's face. "How do we do this?"

Branch led him into Pop Village to where the construction trolls worked, walking off to talk to a small, female troll. He seemed to explain the situation to her, and she nodded enthusiastically. Branch quickly waved John Dory over. "Smidge says she can get the supplies together in less than an hour. What colors were you thinking for the outside?"

"I get to pick?" John Dory replied, still in shock that this was all happening. He was getting his very own pod. He felt like he had whiplash.

"Of course," the small troll, Smidge, replied. "If you're looking for colors that pop, I recommend either a yellow or orange, and maybe even pink! Then no one will be able to look away from your dazzling pod!"

"Aha, yes," John Dory laughed nervously. "What about blue, green, and uh, brown?"

Smidge huffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh my guh, what are you, camouflaging?" she asked, pressing her hands on her hips. But she turned around, letting out a shrill whistle. "Alright people, blue, green, and brown, let's move!"

"Heh, thanks?" John Dory called after her, even though she was long gone. His ears perked up as he heard someone laughing, and turned to see Branch smiling at him. "What?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"Sorry, it's just funny," Branch replied, a knowing look in his eyes. "Not many trolls would choose colors for their pod to 'blend in'."

John Dory scoffed. "C'mon. Yellow on a pod? That's like putting a sign out front that says 'Eat me'."

Branch chuckled, shaking his head. "I know. I would have picked the same." He let out a sigh, gesturing for JD to follow him. "C'mon. Let's go get the area ready for your new pod."

My new pod… John Dory smiled as he eagerly walked after Branch.

They spent the next hour cleaning up the area next to Rhonda's log for the pod. John Dory lugged all those stupid sticks back out into the woods, keeping a few to use as firewood, while Branch measured the area, making sure the dimensions would work. They decided against hanging it in a tree, instead planning on building it right next to Rhonda's log, like JD had originally planned. They leveled the ground best they could, and by the time the construction trolls dropped off the supplies via hot air balloon, they were ready to build.

John Dory grabbed a record player from inside Rhonda and started playing old BroZone music, practically serenading his youngest brother as he purposely exaggerated every note and dance move to get a rise out of him. Eventually, Branch gave in to JD's wild energy, letting his voice join his brother's as they worked their way through building the pod. Their voices melded together with their younger selves, the music bringing a smile to JD's face.

Building a pod was WAY easier than trying to build some stick shelter, and building with his brother by his side made it hardly feel like work. They finished the outside in no time and immediately started working on the inside. A floor, a kitchen, a loft, it was all coming together. Finally, Branch lugged the bed he had built for John Dory so long ago from his Bunker, the both of them working together to nestle it up in the loft. And then just like that, they were done. They both stood panting on the doorstep, covered with bits of wood dust and colored fibers, lit up ever so slightly by the setting sun.

"Well?" Branch said, gesturing towards the door they'd just finished installing, his eyes glimmering with anticipation. "You want to do the honors?"

John Dory looked at the door, his heart racing. "Yeah," he said quietly, grabbing the doorknob. And with a twist, he let himself into his new home.

It wasn't like he was seeing it for the first time. He'd just spent hours building it. But now, it was done. And it felt different. John Dory stepped inside, taking it all in.

The place was still, with bits of dust in the air being illuminated by the rays of sunlight pouring in through the windows. It smelled of fresh wood, the scent almost familiar as John Dory walked over the newly laid floor, letting his fingers trail gently on the kitchen counter they'd installed. He looked up at the loft, where the bed Branch had built for him stood next to another window, facing out towards where the sun would rise. It was beautiful.

"What do you think?" Branch asked, walking in next to him.

"Heh, what do I think?" John Dory repeated, letting out a laugh. "It's amazing, B. It's just amazing, it's… uh…" He trailed off, a sinking feeling in his chest. It was amazing, perfect even. But it didn't feel… right. Something felt off; something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"What's wrong?" Branch asked immediately, and JD cursed his younger brother's intuitive nature.

"Nothing, nothing, it's great!" John Dory reassured him quickly. "Truly, it's great. I love it."

Branch's ears drooped slightly, his jaw clenching as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought we were going to start being more honest with each other," he said coolly, not breaking eye contact. "If something's wrong, we can fix it."

Dang, he's really pulling out the honesty card, John Dory thought, letting out a sigh. "Really, Branch. It's amazing. It just…" He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It just doesn't feel like home yet."

Branch blinked, looking bewildered. "Well duh," he said, rolling his eyes. "Of course it doesn't. It's just an empty husk right now. It's not a home yet. You have to make it your home."

"Oh, I see," John Dory replied, his face growing flush as he fiddled with the glove on his hand.

"You should start by moving some of your things in here. Make it yours," Branch continued. "I can help you. Let's go grab some stuff from Rhonda. Trust me, this place will be feeling like home in no time." Branch spun around, heading out into the fading light.

John Dory looked around, his face curled into a tight grimace. Maybe Branch had a point. It wouldn't feel like home until he made it his home. But… John Dory gazed at the perfect pod, drawing his hand back from where it rested on the counter. His fingers had left a dark smudge.

The pod was perfect. And John Dory ruined perfect things. This place… it was just too good for him. That heavy feeling settled in his gut again, feeling as if icy tendrils were reaching out into his veins.

"John? You coming?"

For the second time that day, Branch's voice snapped JD out of his head, and he quickly turned tail, heading out of the pod. What is wrong with me? he thought, trying to chase the dark thoughts from his head. Branch was right; he could make this place his home. He just had to try harder. He could do this. He could totally do this. John Dory plastered on a smile, trying to ignore the still aching feeling in his chest as he joined Branch inside Rhonda.

He had to do this.