Floyd felt like he had to be dreaming, but it felt too real. His dreams were never so vivid, and he usually woke up the second he felt a glimmer of hope.
He was out. He was free. He was back in the bright, colorful world of the pop trolls. But it was so much better than that, because he wasn't alone.
Branch was here. Floyd got to see his baby brother again, and it was everything he'd dreamed it would be and more.
He had recognized Branch right away. His colors were so much fuller now, and Floyd would probably be concerned when his relief eased. For now though he was just happy to see his brother, and even though it was probably selfish of him to be glad that Branch was protecting him from the rock trolls.
Floyd was the big brother. He was supposed to take care of Branch. But he was so tired and scared, and for so long he'd wished that one of his brothers would show up, pull him into their arms, and save him.
Granted, he'd imagined it would be one of his older brothers, but he wasn't going to complain that it was Branch.
Floyd clung tightly to Branch's arm, occasionally running his hand over the leaf vest to remind himself that this was his brother. He was real, and he wasn't going anywhere.
Branch and Poppy led him away from the rock trolls, and Floyd felt like he could breathe easier with every step they took. They were talking to him with quiet, gentle voices, like how one might speak to a wounded wild animal. Maybe he should be insulted that they were talking to him like he was going to break or lash out at any second, but their tones were comforting. It reminded Floyd of when he was really young, when John Dory would hold him when he woke up crying in the middle of the night. It made him feel safe and loved.
That was a good memory of John Dory, but when Floyd tried to remember what his older brother had said, all he could hear was a chord on the electric guitar, so strong that he thought he could still feel it vibrating through his soul.
"See what happens when you (shove your music where it doesn't belong) don't follow my lead"
Floyd whimpered and clutched at his chest, wishing he could claw his heart right out of his chest. It still felt so wrong. He knew he was fine. His soul was normal, and his heart was beating to the sound of his own music. But he could still feel the echo of when it hadn't been. When everything had felt wrong.
He was supposed to be fine. There was nothing wrong. So why did he still feel so broken? Why did he still hear her voice? Why did he still hear him?
"Hey" Poppy grabbed the hand on his chest, pulling it away and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Don't do that. You're going to hurt yourself." Floyd just stared at her, baffled. He forgot what it was like to have someone not want him to hurt himself, even in just a small way.
"Is your chest hurting?" Poppy stepped in front of him, examining his bare chest carefully. "Do we need to take you to the doctor?"
"I mean, I think he should go to the doctor anyway." Branch said. He didn't sound happy. Floyd whined and drew closer to his brother. He didn't want Branch to be upset. Branch gave him a look he didn't understand as he patted Floyd's hand.
"He was with the rock trolls for a long time." Branch said. "Who knows what they did to him?"
Floyd knew. He knew all of it. But it wasn't that bad. He was fine. He didn't need Branch to worry about him. Though he did appreciate his care.
"Nothing seems immediately wrong though," Branch said hesitantly. "Maybe it'll be better to wait a few days. We don't want to overwhelm him."
"So…what do you want to do?" Poppy looked at Floyd. "We can show you around Pop Village. Or we can go straight to Branch's bunker." She was looking for his opinion, but he didn't know what to say. Floyd didn't know if he knew how to have an opinion anymore. A part of him wondered if he ever knew how in the first place.
Branch sighed and rubbed Floyd's arm. "We can just chill for a bit. There's a river around here. We can sit and just take in nature. I don't think that's something you got a lot of these past few years."
Floyd blinked, feeling tears come to his eyes. It was weird though. He didn't feel sad, scared, hurt, lonely, angry, or any other feeling that he associated with his tears. There was a lingering pain and heaviness in his chest that he didn't think would ever go away, but it wasn't bad enough to make him cry. His tears were because of something else.
He felt…safe. Hopeful. These weren't quite happy tears, but they were something along those lines. He knew that he was so sensitive that he cried when happy, but it had been so long since he'd been given reason to feel anything but negative emotions that he'd forgotten what it felt like.
Floyd hadn't realized how much he had missed nature. Pop trolls were creatures of the forest, just like rock trolls were beings of fire, and techno trolls were creatures of water. They could survive fine away from their element, but they were drawn to and thrived in the environments they were made for. Floyd hadn't appreciated nature as a child, but now he wanted nothing more than to just sit in the grass, put his feet in the water, and just let himself be part of nature.
Branch brought them to a nearby river. The sound of the water flowing and the wild creatures chirping out of sight was like music to Floyd's ears. There was a whole symphony of nature, and he loved it.
Floyd sat at the edge of the water, kicking his feet in the current. He sighed contently and laid back, closing his eyes and just taking everything felt Branch and Poppy settle next to him, and knowing he wasn't alone was the last thing he needed to feel content. He didn't think he could remember the last time he'd ever actually felt at peace.
Floyd could have laid there all day, but the longer he was there, basking in the sun, the more aware he was of the warmth covering his skin. It should feel really nice, but the more he felt the warmth the more his mind spiraled.
It was warm. It was hot. The heat made his skin crawl and itch. He growled and clenched his hands in the grass. He tried to focus on the soft blades of grass tickling his skin, and the water on his feet, but his mind kept going back to the heat on his skin. The warmth was all there was, and it was agonizing.
Floyd screamed so harshly that his throat cracked painfully, but that pain was nothing compared to the heat. He sat up, lunging towards the water. He was desperate for relief from the burning pain. He was so close to the water, but then he felt a firm and gentle hold wrap around his body, pulling him back and hugging him.
It should be a comforting touch. It was soft, and a nice reminder that he wasn't alone, but all his brain registered about the embrace was that it was surrounding him with more warmth, and he couldn't take any more of it.
Floyd growled and pushed at the warmth, forcing it away. He was free and able to move, but the burning sun was still on his skin. He couldn't make it leave. He growled and screamed as he scratched at his arms to make the burning itch go away, but that just made the heat worse. He couldn't make it stop.
A harsh force slammed into him, pushing him to the side and onto the ground. He growled and tried to get up, but cold hands gripped his arms and kept him down. Floyd bit his lip and just whimpered, closing his eyes tight as he waited for pain and punishment. As he waited and nothing happened he became aware of just how harsh his breathing was, but that wasn't all. He realized how cold and soothing the firm grip on his arms were. It was so much better than the heat.
Floyd sighed and he slowly started to relax. His breathing began to even out as he just laid there and embraced the cold hold.
"There you go." Branch's voice was the final thing to ground him. "You're okay. You're just fine."
Floyd whimpered and leaned into Branch's touch. He knew he was fine now, but he wasn't acting like it and he didn't know why. He hadn't acted like this when he was with the rock trolls, even though the heat had been so much worse. Why was the comforting warmth of the sun suddenly so unbearable?
"What happened?" Poppy asked. She was rubbing her arms. Floyd felt a rush of pain in his chest when he realized that the embrace of warmth had probably been her hugging him to keep him from hurting himself. He used to try to do the same thing with Clay and Spruce when they were younger, doing the only thing he could to calm them.
She had just been trying to help him, and Floyd had pushed her away. He could have hurt her, and for what? Because the sun was too warm? What was wrong with him?
"I don't know." Branch took Floyd's arm and helped him to sit up. "I'm not even sure if he knows what happened." There was a sad and serious look in Branch's eyes that Floyd didn't like. It made him feel like he'd done something wrong. He hated that he was responsible for upsetting Branch.
"I doubt this will be the last time something like this happens." Branch said. "It'll take some time to figure out what triggers things so we can try to avoid it in the future."
Branch let go of Floyd, and he missed the soothing chill of his brother's touch. Branch looked thoughtful. The gaze in his eyes reminded him of John Dory's when he was focusing on his plans.
"We need to come up with a plan." Branch said. "I don't want him to accidentally hurt someone." Floyd whimpered and curled his legs in. He didn't want to hurt anybody.
Poppy gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm more worried about Bud hurting himself."
Branch grimaced. "I'm worried about that too." He blinked and gave Poppy an odd look. "Bud?"
Poppy smiled. "Well, I know we don't know his name, but we can't just call him nothing, so I thought I'd come up with a new name we can use just for now."
"Why Bud?" Branch raised an eyebrow at her.
"It's like a buddy. A friend." Poppy said. She gave Floyd a gentle look. "And a bud is a flower that hasn't bloomed yet. It's still closed to protect itself, but someday, with the right care, that bud will open and bloom, thriving just as much as any other flower."
Floyd wanted that. He didn't know how he could ever get there, but Poppy had a hope and confidence that was hard to argue with. He wanted to trust her. He would much prefer to be called by his actual name, but he didn't know how he could tell them, and not just because he couldn't bring himself to talk.
Branch was helping him so much. Floyd knew he didn't know who he was, and that hurt a little bit, but he thought it was for the best. If Branch knew who he was, he was just going to get hurt. Whether that pain was because he'd been left behind, or because his brother had been hurt, Branch would still suffer, and Floyd didn't want that for him. He would suffer in silence if it meant that Branch thought that he was just caring for a stranger.
So Floyd nodded, accepting the nickname. It was more than he had thought he would ever get again. Branch sighed and shook his head.
"Okay, Bud it is." If Branch had sounded upset or unimpressed, Floyd would reject the new name. His brother sounded more amused than anything, and that was more relieving than Floyd thought it would be.
"I know I said we could wait to go to the doctor, but maybe we should go now, just in case." Branch said. "He was scratching his arm and clawing at his chest earlier. Maybe there's something wrong that we can't see."
Floyd whined and shook his head. He didn't want to see any other trolls. He didn't want the doctor to either take one look at him and declare just how broken and unfixable he was. And he definitely didn't want the doctor to examine every inch of him and say that there wasn't anything wrong, which would mean that everything going on with Floyd was all in his head. Both of those options would be more than he could take.
Branch gave him a sympathetic look. "I promise it's not going to hurt. The doctor can help you."
Floyd shook his head firmly. He didn't need it. He could be fine on his own. He could do better. He just needed one more chance. He could be good this time, he knew it.
Branch shook his head and Floyd was scared that he was going to drag him kicking and screaming to the doctor anyway. He felt unspeakably relieved when Branch sighed and said "fine." He was giving Floyd another chance. It was more than he deserved, and he couldn't be more grateful.
"Let's just go back to the bunker." Branch said. "Maybe a good night's sleep will be all you need." He didn't sound like he believed himself, but he was trying to be hopeful, and the effort was nice. Branch held a hand out to Floyd, and he quickly accepted it and let himself be pulled to his feet. He wanted to continue holding Branch's hand, but when his brother let go of him, he let him step away.
"Poppy, I gotta go…do something." He gave Floyd an odd look that he wished he understood. He hated that he couldn't read his brother anymore. "Can you take Bud here to my bunker? I'll meet you guys there."
Floyd's eyes widened. Branch was leaving? No, no, he couldn't do that. Floyd whined and reached a hand out to Branch, but Poppy took his hand and started pulling him along in the opposite direction to where Branch was walking. Floyd struggled against Poppy's hold, but she just rubbed his hand soothingly.
"He'll be right back. Branch is just a really busy guy, and he likes his space." Poppy said. "Half the time I don't understand what he's doing. I've learned to let him do his thing, and he'll explain it when he's ready."
Floyd didn't want to be away from his brother, but he realized that he didn't really know him anymore. Poppy did. She knew his baby brother better than he did, and that felt like a stab in the heart. Floyd needed Branch, but not so much so that he was going to drag him down. If Branch needed space, letting him have it for at least a few minutes was the least that Floyd could do. So even though he felt like he was falling apart, he let Poppy pull him away.
They walked to what just looked like an ordinary looking rock with a welcome mat placed in front of it. Poppy did something, and suddenly the welcome mat opened up like it was a secret passage. She pulled Floyd through it before he could even understand what had happened.
Suddenly they were underground, and in the back of Floyd's mind he felt claustrophobic and trapped all over again. That feeling increased when the welcome mat entrance closed and they were truly stuck. There were three things that kept him from freaking out.
First, the damp and slightly chilled air underground was vastly different from the oppressive heat in the rock troll's dungeon. It made it easy to remember that he wasn't there. He was out, and hopefully he wasn't going back.
Second, he had Poppy at his side. He wasn't alone. Floyd had company, and it was hard to feel unsafe when there was someone right there with him.
Most importantly though was that Poppy went to a draw and pulled out a paper. Unfolding it it showed a familiar looking map of sorts. It was slightly different from what he remembered, but he would know the layout anywhere. That was a drawing of the hideout that Baby Branch had said he was going to build for them. Branch had remade and updated the drawing. He still thought about them.
"Branch's bunker is weirdly massive." Poppy said. "I could never remember where everything was, so Branch made me this map. I'm sure he can make you a copy too."
Floyd smiled and made a sound that wasn't anywhere near a laugh, but it was the closest he'd come to it in twelve years. He looked at the map, running a fond hand over the drawing. Branch had actually done it. Not only had he remembered his promise, he'd followed through with it. He had built the hideout. Maybe he called it a bunker now, but it was still the hideout.
Except for the ten story waterslide, but Floyd could forgive that. They could find somewhere else to shower.
He sat on the ground and tilted his head from side to side, happily just admiring the drawing. Poppy was saying something about Branch giving him a proper tour when he got here, but Floyd didn't really pay attention. His head was too full of the overwhelming and unfamiliar feeling of happiness. He didn't notice when Poppy stopped talking and just stared at him.
It wasn't long before the welcome mat entrance opened and Branch came down. Floyd wanted to show him how happy and proud he was, but those feelings quickly dimmed when he saw how angry Branch looked. He was scowling so much that it looked like it hurt, and his ears were drooping more than before.
Floyd wanted to hug his little brother and make everything okay, but looking at Branch for a wild moment he felt like he was looking at John Dory on the night when everything went so wrong. Floyd felt a pain in his heart and he put a hand to his chest, instinctively leaning back.
"Branch, is everything okay?" Poppy stepped towards him and put a hand on his arm.
"Oh, yeah, everything's just perfect." Branch growled. He continued talking, but Floyd couldn't hear him over the ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart. He could feel his heartbeat in his head. Was that the rhythm it was supposed to be? What if the rhythm was off again?
Floyd whined and pushed himself back until he was leaning against the wall, and he tried to go more. Branch and Poppy talked to each other for a long minute before they turned their attention back to him. There was a look of regret in Branch's eyes.
"Hey, it's okay." Branch reached for him. Without meaning to, Floyd flinched and closed his eyes shut tight. He didn't know what he was expecting. He knew Branch wasn't going to hurt him. Even when he looked so much like John Dory, he should know that his brother wouldn't hurt him. He didn't know what he was doing.
Branch didn't touch him, and Floyd didn't know if he was upset or disappointed about it. "I'm not going to hurt you. Nobody's going to hurt you again." Floyd believed him, really he did, so why did he still feel like he couldn't breath?
Branch backed off with a reluctant sigh. He had a quick word with Poppy that Floyd couldn't hear, and then he activated an elevator to go deeper down. Poppy sat on the floor next to Floyd. "Are you okay?"
Floyd bit his lip and shook his head. He didn't know what was wrong, but he knew he wasn't okay.
"Well, that's okay too." Poppy said. "That's something that Branch taught me. That it's okay to not be okay sometimes."
That was the kind of thing that John Dory used to always tell him when he would cry without knowing what he was so upset about. But that was back before…before…
"So, I know Branch doesn't want to overwhelm you, but obviously you're getting overwhelmed anyway." Poppy said. "I was thinking about going to see the other clan of pop trolls. I think it would be good of you to come with me. We can find your brothers." Floyd already had Branch, but he genuinely wanted the others.
If there was even a chance of the others being in this other troll village, Floyd wanted to find them. At the very least he wanted to make sure they were okay. He knew what he'd been through in the past twelve years. He doubted the others had ended up in the kind of trouble that he'd found himself in, but if they had…he just had to know they were safe. That was all he wanted.
Floyd nodded eagerly. He wanted to find his brothers. Maybe when he had them back he would finally be able to be okay. He didn't know what else he could possibly need. If he had his brothers at his side, how could he ever be anything less than fine?
