Build a Fire: Part Five (Epilogue)

Author's Note: Whoo, strap in gang, this is a LONG one. I didn't want to split it into two chapters so… here it is! I hope you guys enjoy as we get into the third part of this story! I'm hyped, are you?! Anyways, enjoy this long chapter, and I'll see you in the next part!

John Dory did not rest like Bruce told him to. His mind was too alight with swirling thoughts, anxiety making his skin crawl as he paced around Rhonda.

As soon as he'd climbed inside, he checked himself out in a small, hand-held mirror he had tucked away. Sure enough, although it was nearly an imperceptible difference, he appeared to have become just the slightest bit more gray. He resisted the urge to slam the mirror down on the counter, instead setting it back gently before turning to lean against the hard surface, his brows knitting together with frustration.

This wasn't good. This really wasn't good. He was hoping visiting Bruce and Floyd would help 'brighten him up a bit,' both literally and metaphorically. But it seemed to have done the opposite, and now he was worse off than before.

"What is wrong with me…" he muttered to himself, gripping the counter tight, his hand starting to twinge slightly. He just didn't understand. His father went gray because he lost the love of his life. Branch went gray because he'd lost his entire family and anyone who had ever looked out for him. But him? He didn't suffer some horrifically tragic loss. He didn't lose anything. Everything was perfect. So why was this happening?

Maybe you're just broken, a mocking voice seemed to hiss in his head, as much as he tried to ignore it. And no amount of ill-timed jokes and forced laughs are going to fix that.

John Dory growled, his eyes narrowing. And that's when he began to pace, falling into his usual step as he walked back and forth. He didn't know what else to do. Part of him wanted to put some old BroZone records on to calm him down, but for some reason, the thought of hearing some of those songs made his hair stand on end.

Eventually, after pacing around enough he was starting to get dizzy, so he just made himself hot chocolate. At this point, the night was already coming to an end, and all he wanted was a warm drink in his hands. Plus, it was at least a little distraction from the spiral his thoughts seemed to be trapped in. Once he was done making it, he plopped himself down onto the floor, grumbling in annoyance at his missing couch, which was still sitting untouched in his new pod. He hadn't forgotten about that whole mess either.

He breathed in the scent, the warmth somewhat soothing. But as he looked down at the dulled hands wrapped around his mug, he could feel a chill crawl up the back of his neck. What was he going to do now? He'd tried to follow a routine. He'd tried to make a fresh start for himself, and he tried to talk things out with Bruce. But neither of those seemed to help. He was still turning gray.

What if I can't stop it? The thought shot through his mind, causing his heart to skip a beat. He tightened his grip on the mug, lifting it to his lips and taking a swig, the hot chocolate almost burning as it went down his throat. Just stop thinking about it, he told his stupid brain, trying to shift his focus to anything else. But his brain was stubbornly refusing to move on.

He let out another irritated growl, climbing to his feet and setting the hot chocolate down. If his brain refused to listen, he would just force it to think about something else. He began to tidy up inside Rhonda, organizing things he hadn't touched in months. Clothes, tools, old BroZone memorabilia. He just needed something to do, something other than just letting his brain wander towards… unhelpful thoughts. So he took to meticulously cleaning everything he laid his eyes on, pausing every so often to take a sip from his hot chocolate, which was quickly going cold.

By the time it started to grow lighter outside, he'd nearly reorganized and cleaned everything inside poor Rhonda. He'd have to give her an extra treat for being so tolerant of him.

He stepped out of the now spotless space, greeted by the humid morning air of the island. He scanned around, looking for a good place he might go and watch the sunrise. That was one thing he couldn't miss. Eventually, his eyes settled on the roof of Bruce's resort, where he typically gravitated to in the mornings when visiting his brother.

He fed Rhonda, giving her a few treats and extra love to make up for the annoyance he probably caused with his pacing and frantic reorganization last night, before heading off towards the resort, his steps heavy. He let out a yawn, rubbing the side of his face.

John Dory was no stranger to sleepless nights. He could usually handle one every now and then, but now he was looking at almost two nights in a row he'd hardly got any sleep, and it was starting to show. He slapped his cheeks, trying to perk up a bit. Maybe he'd have to make some more hot chocolate.

He slowly made his way up to the roof of the resort, climbing up the side of one of the sandy towers and onto the castle-designed blocky half wall encircling the top. Eventually, he found a nice spot facing towards where the sun was rising, letting his feet dangle over the edge as he leaned back, resting his hands against the hardened sand. As light started to peek over the edge of the horizon, he felt himself relax a bit. It wasn't as nice, watching the sunrise by himself, but at least it was still pretty.

He watched it for a few minutes, feeling the rays begin to warm his skin, when he heard a slight shuffling noise behind him. It sounded like footsteps. He turned around, curious, and was surprised when he spotted Floyd climbing over the crest of the stairs made for creatures much larger than him, his younger brother looking around the surface of the tower. John Dory felt a smile stretch across his face, and he quickly hopped down off of the wall he was sitting on, landing heavily on the hardened sand floor.

"Floyd!" he exclaimed loudly, causing his brother to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Holy crap…" Floyd gasped, setting a hand on his chest. Before the younger troll could say anything else, John Dory rushed forward without even really meaning too, wrapping his brother in a tight hug. He felt himself relax as Floyd hugged him back, letting out a soft, shaky sigh. He didn't know he needed this. Finally, he pulled away, a confused smile on his brother's face.

"You scared me," Floyd laughed, setting a hand on his hip. "How'd you even know I was there?"

"Heard your footsteps," John Dory said with a shrug, tapping at his ears. "Your big bro's got ears like a hawk."

"I'm pretty sure it's 'eyes like a hawk'," Floyd replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Hawks have ears," JD scoffed, shaking his head. "Anyways, what are you doing up? It's barely dawn."

"Bruce has been waking me up to go surfing, remember?" Floyd said, and indeed, John Dory could see the slight dampness to his hair and smell a hint of salt. "But I snuck away when I saw you climbing up the tower. We have stairs, y'know."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" John Dory replied, his smile growing wider as Floyd chuckled.

"Anyways, I thought I'd join you," Floyd continued. "Bruce treats surfing as a sort of meditation, so it doesn't really matter if I'm there or not. Plus…" He gave John Dory a knowing grin. "I wanted to see what these sunrises were all about."

John Dory blinked, feeling his face flush slightly. "You…" he started, but the words seemed to die on his tongue.

"Branch told me about it," Floyd admitted, before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Or more so I asked where you two took off to every morning and basically made him tell me." He turned his gaze back towards John Dory, his eyes glinting mischievously. "He made me swear not to tell anyone else though. Something about your reputation being on the line?"

John Dory let out a chuckle, puffing himself up a bit. "Yeah, well, you know. Wouldn't fit in too well with my rugged image, now would it?" He raised his eyebrows in a cartoonish matter, causing Floyd to snicker.

JD turned around, using his hair to pull himself back up onto the ledge, Floyd doing the same. He wished he had blankets or something other to sit on besides the packed sand, but it would just have to do for now. He flopped down, letting his legs fall back into place over the edge of the wall while Floyd sat with his legs crossed, facing his eyes out towards the horizon. The sun had risen about halfway, and the sky was dancing with a mixture of yellow, orange, and pink. After a few minutes, Floyd pulled out a bottle of pink liquid from his hair, taking a sip from it as he gazed out towards the sunrise, transfixed.

"What 'cha got there?" John Dory asked curiously.

Floyd looked over at JD, then down at the bottle in his hand. "Oh, this? It's a smoothie. I've been trying to drink less caffeine in the morning, so this is what I landed on instead. Want to try?"

John Dory nodded, taking the bottle from his brother and giving it a sniff. "Huh. Snuggle-berry?" he asked, the familiar smell bringing up memories of rushed mornings and bagged lunches.

Floyd blinked with surprise. "Yeah, actually. How'd you know?"

"Eh, some things never change," John Dory replied with a smirk, taking a sip. Immediately his mouth puckered at the mix of sweet and sour that coated his tongue, his eyes watering slightly. "Gosh that's very sweet." He coughed slightly, handing the bottle back to Floyd. "I think I'll stick with my hot chocolate, thanks."

Floyd just laughed, taking another sip and turning back out towards the horizon. He was quiet for a few moments before he finally spoke up again, his voice having grown a bit softer. "Bruce said you guys talked last night."

John Dory felt a jolt of fear zip through him, but he tried to ignore it, setting his jaw as he kept his eyes locked on the pastel sky. "Mhm…" he hummed, hoping his body didn't look as tight as it felt.

"He said it got a little… intense," Floyd continued, shifting his gaze to John Dory.

"Yeah, I guess," JD replied, shrugging. He was trying to appear nonchalant, but could feel his heart beginning to quicken in his chest. He didn't want to talk about this, not when they were having such a good time. Plus, he couldn't afford to have anymore "deep talks." They seemed to serve only to make him become more gray.

As he quickly thought of a way to shift the conversation, a sudden thought popped into his head. He turned to Floyd, half to change the subject and half because he was genuinely curious. "Hey, how come you haven't gone to the doctor yet? Wasn't that the whole reason you came here?"

Floyd seemed to tense, a hint of fear flickering across his eyes, before he turned away, his ears drooping slightly. "I don't know," he mumbled, bringing the bottle in his hands up closer to his face. "Doctors just kind of freak me out a bit."

"Did something happen?" John Dory asked, worry starting to bubble up inside his chest.

"No no, it's not that. I just… I don't know." Floyd trailed off, his mouth curling into a grimace. "I guess I just don't want to go."

"Why?" JD tilted his head to the side, confused. "Don't you want a clean bill of health? Then you won't have to worry about it anymore."

"Of course I do," Floyd replied, his voice slightly strained. He turned to look at John Dory, an anxious look on his face. "But what if it's not a 'clean bill of health?' What if it's bad news? What if I go there, and they tell me I'll never be the same again? That those, those… monsters took something away from me that I can never get back?" His voice had risen slightly, and John Dory could see the slight tremor in his shoulders as he spoke.

"Well, you'll never know if you never go, right?" John Dory said, turning so he was facing his brother head on. "Wouldn't knowing be a lot better than just worrying about it all the time?"

Floyd's hands tighten around the bottle. "I don't know," he repeated, looking off to the side.

"C'mon, Floyd," John Dory coaxed, summoning up as much bravado as he could from his tired body. "What are the odds it's going to be bad news? I mean, we've all seen how much you've improved these past two months! You hardly ever get dizzy anymore, and sure, you're still tired a lot, but I think you deserve some rest after everything that happened right?" He set a hand on Floyd's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'm sure it's going to be good news. And if in some crazy universe it's not, you'll still be ok. You've got us! And we're going to be there for you, no matter what." He leaned forward, forcing Floyd to look into his eyes. "So just go. You'll be fine! I promise."

Floyd scanned his face, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. He let out a sigh, looking back at the ground. "I'm supposed to have an appointment tomorrow," he said, looking troubled. "But Bruce has stuff going on at the resort and can't come, so I think I'm just going to push it back a few weeks. I'll go, but… I just don't want to be alone."

John Dory thought about this for a moment before coming to a decision. "Well, I can go with you!" he offered, punching Floyd's shoulder lightly. "It's not like I've got anything better to do."

Floyd blinked in surprise. "You're… going to come with?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe it.

"Sure!" John Dory replied, a grin splitting across his face. "That way, you won't be alone!" Floyd seemed hesitant, so JD continued, putting on his best puppy-dog eyes. "C'mon, Floyd, let me help! We can do this together, and then you won't have to worry about it anymore!"

Floyd looked him up and down, face unreadable. Suddenly, as if a lightbulb flicked on above his head, he perked up, a soft smile climbing onto his face. "Ok, John Dory," he said, a strange tone to his voice that JD couldn't decipher. "I'll go to the appointment. On two conditions."

"You drive a hard bargain, but sure," John Dory replied, gesturing towards himself. "Lay 'em on me."

"First, you come with."

John Dory nodded. "Can do, can do."

"And second…" Floyd seemed to look down for a moment before looking back up at JD. "You let the doctor take a look at your hand."

John Dory froze, icy fear shooting through his body. "I… What?" he stuttered, incredulous.

"You're hand," Floyd repeated, gesturing down to the gloved hand resting on John Dory's lap. "You said it hurt yesterday."

"Well, that's just because I overworked it," John Dory sputtered, still reeling. He resisted the urge to pull his hand into his chest and hide it from his brother's view. "It's fine."

"Does it hurt all the time?" Floyd asked, concerned.

"No no," JD assured him, shaking his head. "Only when I use it too much. Or move it the wrong way. Or bump it or something; it's not that big a deal." He absently began to open and close his hand, feeling as if it were starting to ache.

"Uh huh…" Floyd replied, unconvinced. "You blew it up, John. Have you ever even let a doctor take a peek at it?"

"Uh, no…" John Dory replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Don't you think maybe you should?" Floyd pressed, and JD felt irritation spark to light in his chest.

"I'm telling you, it's fine," he said, his voice tight. Floyd seemed to flinch at the change in his tone, so John Dory quickly backtracked, forcing his voice to become lighter. "Sorry, it's just… kinda a sore subject. Heh heh, literally, amiright?"

Floyd didn't join in his dry laughter, his face grim. "Look, I won't make you do it," he said slowly, his ears drooping back down. "I just think it would be a good idea. If there's a chance they can help…"

John Dory frowned, glancing down at his hand. The thought of letting some doctor examine and scrutinize it sent shivers of horror up his spine. But he also didn't like the distraught look on his brother's face. If this would make him happy… John Dory let out a sigh, mustering up what little confidence he had left.

"Ok, fine," he said, causing Floyd to look up at him with a start. "I will go with you to your appointment, and I will let the doctor PEEK at my hand. Deal?" He stretched out his good hand for a handshake.

A smile broke across Floyd's face, and he reached forward, shaking John Dory's hand firmly. "Deal," he said, setting his jaw in determination. "We can totally do this, right?"

John Dory nodded, mussing up Floyd's hair. "Right," he agreed, chuckling as the pink-haired troll waved him off.

Floyd quickly smoothed down his hair, still smiling. "So, are you sticking around till then? Or are you heading back to Pop Village?"

John Dory thought about this for a moment. He could probably hang out here until Floyd's appointment. However, that risked more late night chats with either of his brothers, which clearly wasn't going to help him with his whole… situation. And plus, now that he'd messed up in his restaurant duties last night, it was likely his brother wouldn't want him helping out anymore, and John Dory needed the distraction. Without it, he was sure things were only going to get worse.

He also couldn't help but think back to the Vacationers last night, and how he was apparently "bumming off of his brother." Especially now that he couldn't help out around the resort, he would hate to outstay his welcome. So ultimately, he shook his head, climbing to his feet.

"Probably going to head back to Pop Village," he said, stretching out his back. "Got some stuff I got to take care of; you know how it goes."

Floyd seemed slightly disappointed, but quickly played it off. "Well, at least join us for breakfast. I'm sure the family will want to say goodbye."

"Pft, miss Brandy's cooking? Please, I wouldn't dream of it," John Dory replied with a slightly strained smile. He really wasn't all that hungry. But he would at least go along to say goodbye.

They both hopped off of the wall, heading down the stairs this time and into the restaurant, where Brandy was indeed handing out plates of food to her many kids.

"Smells amazing, Brandy!" John Dory called, the incredibly tall woman turning towards him with a smile.

"I should hope so," she replied, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Otherwise I am definitely in the wrong profession."

"Uncle D! Come sit by me!" One of Bruce's kids yelled, starting up a chorus of everyone asking him to come sit with them.

"Easy kiddos, I can't stay for long," JD said, hopping up onto the counter. "I gotta get back home."

"You're leaving already?" John Dory perked up as he heard Bruce's voice from behind him, spinning around to see the purple haired troll setting down a large plate of giant pancakes. "You just got here!"

"I know, but I'll be back!" John Dory replied, wrapping an arm around Floyd's shoulders. "I'm coming back for Floyd's doctor appointment tomorrow."

Bruce blinked, surprised, before his mouth broke into a grin. "You're going to the appointment?" he asked excitedly.

"We came to an agreement," Floyd replied, his ears turning a slightly deeper shade of blue. Bruce walked up to him, wrapping the smaller troll in a hug.

"About time!" He laughed, shooting a grateful look over at John Dory and giving him a thumbs up. John Dory gave him the same gesture back, a matching grin on his face. Bruce finally pulled away, gesturing invitingly. "Well come on, come sit. We've got plenty to go around."

John Dory felt his smile grow tight, shaking his head slightly. "Thanks, but I should probably be getting back," he said quickly, hoping his voice didn't sound too strained. "Just wanted to pop in and say goodbye."

"Oh, right…" Bruce said, looking disappointed. "Well, at least take some for the road."

"Way ahead of you," Brandy leaned down, handing a small box of food over to John Dory. "Make sure you eat, ok John?" she said, a worried glint in her eyes.

John Dory saluted her, nodding his head. "Yes ma'am," he replied, sticking the box of food up in his hair.

Bruce shuffled his feet awkwardly, his mouth curled into a frown. "Look, John…" he started, and JD could already feel his skin start to prickle nervously. "I'm sorry if I came off a little too intense last night. I was just worried, y'know?"

John Dory patted his brother's shoulder, attempting to appear casual. "I know. But you don't have to worry about me, I'm good! You shouldn't worry yourself over such trivial things."

Bruce's eyes seemed to narrow for a moment, but he shook his head, letting out a sigh. He reached up into his hair, pulling out what looked like a small photo. "Here, I uh, I want you to have this," he said softly, a smile on his face as he looked at it. "It's one of my favorite pictures from back then. And I know you like photos, so… here."

John Dory took it from him, gazing at the image. It looked like Grandma had taken a picture of them all sleeping in John Dory's bed. JD was sleeping in the middle, mouth open and snoring, as Clay and Floyd lay nestled in his arms, Floyd holding onto one of John Dory's ears comfortingly. Bruce lay with his head resting on John Dory's stomach, Clay's legs kicked up onto his chest, and baby Branch was curled up in John Dory's hair, sucking on his thumb.

"Aw, Bruce…" he said, gratitude welling up in his chest as he stroked the image softly with his fingers. "I don't know what to say."

"I just wanted you to know I remember the good times too," Bruce said quickly, looking as if he wanted to say more, but chose not to. He shook his head, placing his hands on his hips and looking up at Brandy before he turned back. "And just so you know, our door is always open. If you ever need anything, we're here, ok?"

John Dory smiled, tucking the photo in his pocket for safe keeping. "Roger that, Brucie," he replied, setting his hands on his hips as well. "Well, I'm off then. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Bye Uncle D!" The kids chorused, and he gave them all a wave.

"See you later," Floyd said, giving John Dory one last hug. Bruce patted him on the back, hugging him tightly from the side, and Brandy gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. And then he was off, once again alone in Rhonda as she raced across Troll kingdom.

John Dory set her on auto-drive, leaning back in his chair as he watched the landscape fly past. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do now. But what he did know is he needed some sort of distraction. Something to get his mind off things. As he sat, he started to feel that creeping feeling of unease again, settling like a lump in his gut. He shook his head, deciding that he wasn't going to let himself spiral on the way home.

He hit the hustle button, and let Rhonda take off towards Pop Village.