Floyd loved performing with his brothers. It was his favorite thing in the world. He considered himself lucky that he had the chance to be in a band with them, but he knew it wasn't perfect. John Dory made that very clear.

He didn't actually mind the hard work and hours of practice. Floyd wanted to do well too, and usually even the longer practices were fun, if tiring.

He had thought that his brothers all enjoyed the band just as much as he did, but lately he had been second guessing that thought. John Dory was getting stricter and more stressed every day. Spruce was always working out and he always seemed seconds away from either crying or screaming.

Clay didn't seem to want anything to do with the bros as soon as they weren't in practice. He stayed out of the house as long as he could, only coming home when John Dory or Grandma dragged him back. Even when he was home Clay would avoid playing with or talking to any of them. He would sit on his bed and read, glaring and snapping at anybody that interrupted him.

Floyd was really sad to see his brothers so upset. The only brother who seemed to genuinely like the band was Baby Branch, and he was not even a year old. He wasn't in the band yet, and wouldn't be joining them for a few more months. He was so excited, and Floyd was a little worried that he would be disappointed.

Things had been a lot more casual before. They would practice together for just a few hours every week, just to brush up on things. They only did more if they had a gig coming up, or were planning on recording a new album.

At the start they only had a gig every few weeks, and they only worked on a new song every six months or so. Now they had a performance of some sorts at least once a week, and they had a new song to learn almost every other month.

They were always preparing for a big thing, and it was exhausting. Floyd didn't mind it so much, but he knew his older brothers were getting burnt out and there wasn't much he could do about it.

"No, no, stop!" John Dory said in the middle of their song. They all cut off and looked at each other. Floyd's brothers were visibly frustrated, and it felt like just a matter of time before someone snapped.

Floyd wasn't frustrated that they'd been working on this song for an hour and hadn't yet done a full run-through. He was just worried about his brothers.

John Dory was pacing around, tense and frustrated. He felt a lot of pressure for the new album they were hoping to debut at their concert next month. He wanted everything to be just right, but because of all of their stress small things just kept going wrong.

He had stopped their run-through for a number of different reasons. Their balance was off. They were singing too fast or slow. They missed their cue. This time someone had sung off pitch.

Taking one look at Clay's face it was clear that it had been him, but John Dory was so wrapped up in the sound that he wasn't really paying attention to it. He was rambling on and on about getting the notes just right. The more he talked the more frustrated Clay got, and the more frustrated he was the more likely it was that he would sing a wrong note again.

Floyd was so busy looking at Clay and trying to figure out how to calm him down when he started yelling. He didn't even notice that they had started the song over again and he didn't come in at all.

"Floyd!" He jolted and looked at John Dory, who seemed to be using every bit of his patience to not yell. "You missed your entrance."

"I…sorry." Floyd said. "I was distracted."

John Dory made a sound that was a cross between a sigh and a groan. "We don't have time to be distracted. We don't have time for this. The show is so close, and there's still so much to do."

Floyd's eyes were starting to itch with tears. He hated seeing his brother so stressed. "Sorry."

John Dory's expression softened. He always had such a hard time with Floyd's tears. "H-hey, it's okay. It happens sometimes. We just gotta try harder. No more distractions. No more missed cues. No more weird notes. You got this, yeah?"

John Dory smiled encouragingly at him. Floyd just gaped at him. Did…did he think the off-key note was him? But it hadn't been. It had been Clay.

Floyd knew if he said as much then he would be believed, because he didn't lie to get out of trouble. He was always the one who ended up caving in and admitting to grandma when they broke something.

But would it be worth it to tell the truth?

John Dory would know that Clay had messed up, and he would accuse him of slacking off and letting Floyd take the fall for it. And Clay might be mad at Floyd for ratting him out. John Dory and Clay would probably fight again, and Floyd didn't want that, even if it meant that John thought he messed up.

Floyd swallowed thickly. "I'll do better." Floyd said. John Dory beamed at him, and Floyd's nervousness slipped away. They weren't fighting, and everybody was happy. That was all he wanted.

They started the song over again, and while he sang Floyd started making a plan. John Dory had been so gentle in correcting him, and that had always been the case. Floyd didn't know if it was because he was so sensitive and his oldest brother was worried about upsetting him, or if John recognized that Floyd was the only one of them who still followed his lead without question.

Spruce and Clay fought John Dory at every turn. He was too hard on them, it made them defensive, and that made him feel the need to be even more assertive. Floyd followed John Dory as their leader and older brother, so if Floyd messed up he knew it wasn't done on purpose to disrespect him.

John Dory was more patient with him than he was with the others. And Floyd knew by watching their numerous fights that John usually got hung up on one thing at a time. He couldn't really multi-task, preferring to give his all to what he was doing. If John Dory saw that multiple brothers had made a mistake he would either give very short criticisms to both of them, or ignore the lesser flaw and focus solely on a more detailed correction to the other.

Floyd wondered…if he messed up more than Clay or Spruce did, would John Dory go easier on them? And if he didn't get so bossy with them and they didn't fight so much, would they all be happier? Floyd thought they might be, and he wanted that. Seeing his brothers happy was all he wanted, even more than performing.

Their rehearsal went a little bit longer before Floyd saw a chance to try his idea. They were all getting tired, and it started to show in Spruce's voice. His words would start to slur a bit and he mumbled more often than not. John Dory's ears twitched. He could hear something was off and was trying to pin down what it was. He would soon identify Spruce as the problem, but not if Floyd gave him an even bigger issue to latch on to.

He started singing louder, purposefully stumbling over the occasional lyrics, or singing the words for a different line. It didn't take long for John Dory to put a stop to it and turn to look at all of them. His gaze fell on Floyd.

"You're singing too loud." John Dory said to Floyd, who had to keep himself from smiling. It had worked. John was focusing the lecture on him instead of getting on Spruce. That was just what he wanted. "We want our voices to blend, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." Floyd nodded. "Sorry."

John Dory sighed in irritation. "You know what? Let's call it for tonight. Rest our voices, read up on our lyrics," At this he gave Floyd a pointed look. "And we'll get a fresh start first thing."

Clay left the room quickly before John Dory could change his mind. Floyd would normally linger and talk for a minute with John Dory if he was in the mood for it. Floyd was fascinated with music production, and he wanted to know how John Dory was so good at writing their songs. He didn't stick around today because Spruce took his hand and pulled him out.

"You feeling okay, Floyd?" Spruce asked. "It's not like you to get so distracted."

"I was just thinking about other things." Floyd said.

"Maybe you should think about other things more often." Clay said in a tone that wasn't quite teasing and wasn't quite angry. He was sitting on the living room chair and pulling out his book. "John Dory's way softer on you than he is on us. It was a nice break." And with those words Floyd knew he had done the right thing. He could handle John's mild disappointment better than Clay could handle his frustration and bossiness.

Spruce didn't agree. "Dude." He glared at Clay until he put his hands defensively in the air.

"What? I'm right." Clay said. "Floyd can start singing someone else's part and he wouldn't even get a slap on the wrist." Spruce's glare didn't ease. Clay met his gaze for a minute before he slumped in his chair and opened his book.

"Stop looking at me like that." Clay grumbled. "I'm not saying I'm glad Floyd got in trouble." Floyd didn't think he had, but he thought that Clay saw it the same way that he did. Better Floyd than the others.

"A word, Clay." Spruce said tensely. "Now." Floyd flinched at that tone. Spruce frequently got frustrated, but it was usually a hot anger. This cold type of anger was unfamiliar, and it was a little scary. He'd only heard his tone aimed towards John Dory, and certainly never to his younger brothers.

Clay flinched too and slowly put his book down. Spruce let go of Floyd's hand and he and Clay stepped out of the pod to have a private conversation. Floyd just stood there, not knowing what he should do. Clay and Spruce were fighting. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. They were supposed to be happier because John Dory hadn't gotten too mad at them. They weren't supposed to just get mad at each other instead.

Floyd rubbed his arm, more than a little upset. He was confused. It always took him a long time to figure out what to do when there was tension between his brothers, and he hated it. He felt useless while his brothers fought. He was the sympathetic one. He was supposed to be the one to keep the peace. How could he do that when he shut down like this?

It was only a few minutes before Spruce and Clay came back in. Neither of them looked angry. Maybe they hadn't been fighting the way that Floyd thought they'd been. They both just looked tired and a little sad. Floyd tilted his head and gave them an odd look.

Spruce's hand was on Clay's back in a supportive and reassuring way. They exchanged a look that Floyd didn't quite understand. It was like they were talking to each other silently. Floyd hated when they did that.

Clay sighed and left Spruce's side. He walked up to Floyd and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tight. Floyd just blinked. He felt like he was missing something.

"Read with me?" Clay asked, and Floyd couldn't remember the last time he had made such an offer. Clay's books were almost sacred to him. He didn't even want to tell his brothers what he was reading, let alone let them read with them. The last time Clay had read to him had been when Spruce and John Dory were busy and Clay was the only one available to read Floyd and Branch a bedtime story. That had been a while ago, and Clay hadn't bothered to hide how much he hated it.

Floyd didn't want Clay to do anything that he didn't want to do, but he was looking at Floyd desperately. He wanted him to say yes, and Floyd couldn't resist the chance to spend some one-on-one time with him.

Floyd nodded and Clay looked ridiculously relieved. He took Floyd's hand and pulled him to the couch where his book was. They didn't just sit on the couch. Clay brought him to their bedroom. He sat on the bed and Floyd curled up close against him.

"Sorry. I don't know if I have any books you'll like." Clay said. He sounded genuinely apologetic. "I know you don't like my sad books."

Floyd shrugged. "I'm fine with anything." He'd cry, but he cried about everything.

Clay made a pained sound and Floyd stiffened. He hadn't meant to upset his brother. He turned to apologize, but Clay got a tight hold on him and didn't seem eager to let him go.

"Don't do that." Clay said almost weakly. "Don't just agree on doing things because you think it will make me or someone else happy."

"But…but your books are important to you." Floyd said.

"You're important to me." Clay said, and Floyd didn't doubt that, but he didn't really see what that had to do with anything.

Floyd didn't respond to Clay in any way, and that seemed to upset him. Clay adjusted Floyd's position so they were looking at each other. The look on Clay's face was intense.

"I need you to promise me something." Clay said intensely. "If someone, anyone, tries to make you change who you are, punch them in the face."

Floyd blinked. "What?"

"I'm serious." Clay said. "I don't care if it's your friends, or John Dory, or me. Nobody gets to try to change who you are."

"...Nobody's trying to change me." Floyd said. Clay sighed and hugged him again. Floyd was just confused. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Don't worry about it." Clay said. He sounded sad again. "I'm sorry." But he didn't say what he was sorry for. Was it about the fact that John Dory had thought that Floyd had messed up at practice and neither of them had corrected him?

Clay hugged him close and gave him a small nuzzle. It wasn't the kind of contact that Clay liked, but Floyd did. "Look, it's okay if you mess up at practice sometimes. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you, no matter what John Dory says."

Floyd frowned in confusion. "John Dory doesn't say that."

"Maybe not to you." Clay muttered, and Floyd was concerned now. He knew John Dory was harsher on the others. Did he actually say this kind of thing when Floyd wasn't listening? Or was that just what Clay heard when John Dory gave criticisms? Did Clay actually think that he was being personally attacked?

Clay sighed. "Sorry. Look, I know how much it sucks to be called out by John. To do your best, and have it not be good enough for him. Just because he said it nicer didn't mean that it had to be easy to hear. Especially since you're not used to it."

"But I'm fine." Floyd said. It would take some getting used to, but he wanted to do it anyway. He saw it the same way as he saw Clay's books. Yes, those books may make Floyd sad, and he might cry, but they brought Clay comfort and made him happy, and his happiness was more important than mild sadness. Floyd got sad about everything. He couldn't let that be the reason to keep his brothers from getting happiness wherever they could get it. He wasn't that selfish.

But he was selfish in other ways. Floyd realized what was happening now. Clay felt bad that Floyd had gotten in trouble, no matter how small it was, and he was trying to make up for it by coddling him. Floyd shouldn't accept this attention, but he still did. He was selfish and greedy for attention from his brothers.

If Floyd hadn't already made up his mind about what to do, this would seal the deal. His brothers had all been so distant from each other lately, and today was really good, relatively speaking. There had been minimal passive aggressive remarks, and despite a few close calls there hadn't been any fights.

And Floyd couldn't remember the last time he'd spent decent time with his brothers like this. He was cuddling with Clay. Spruce had taken the time to hold his hand and make sure he was okay. And John Dory had addressed him personally. Floyd hadn't realized until after it had happened how long it had been since John talked to just him. He was always so busy addressing the band as a whole or taking care of their family. He didn't have time to stop and chat. Floyd understood, but he missed it.

He wanted John Dory to talk to him, even if it was only with criticisms. Floyd liked music and he wanted to do his best. John Dory was just doing his best to get him there. His methods may be too harsh for Spruce and Clay, but Floyd could take it, and he would.

For his brother's sanity, and for the sake of his own loneliness, Floyd could handle being the one in the wrong. It was for the best for all of them.