Author's Note: Sorry that I haven't update any of my stories for a long time, but... I just haven't had that much in me to write lately. I would just write a little bit from time to time. However, I hope this one chapter may satisfy you.
Vacay Island was, like always, a center of relaxation and fun. All the ones there were just taking it easy, taking sunbaths from the perpetual perfect sunset, swimming, doing many activities or else inside taking a bite or a drink on Bruce's restaurant. However, at that moment, only Brandy was taking care of the clients, as her husband was rehearsing with his brothers.
BroZone was at one of the backrooms (made to be troll-sized), rehearsing one of their songs. Since they had been reunited, the five brothers have been rehearsing their old songs to keep their skills sharp, as they started to come up with new songs.
After they finished the one song they were rehearsing, JD exclaimed in an excited way:
"Yes! We still got it!"
"I am quite surprised we can still do those moves" Bruce said, as he went to grab the coconut he was drinking through a straw to refresh himself.
"Yeah, I bet that is especially true for you, Bruce" Floyd commented teasingly.
"Hey, I know it may not look like it, but this is still all muscle" Bruce replied, while gesturing to his round body.
"Yeah... and he keeps all that muscle with surfing and lying on the beach when he is not working" Clay whispered to Floyd, as the latter chuckled and the two fistbumped.
"And by raising thirteen kids" Bruce replied. "Trust me when I say raising kids is no bounce in a bouncing castle."
"I'm with Bruce on that one" John Dory said, approaching. "Kids are exhausting... All of you are great examples of that. And you were just four..."
"Thanks, JD!" Bruce thanked. "Finally someone realizes how hard being a father is."
"Come on, we were not that bad..." Clay said.
That caused JD, Bruce and Floyd to exchange some looks and then a laugh, much to Clay's confusion.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing..." Bruce said. "We're just remembering how you were not that bad."
As his brothers chuckled, Clay just rolled his eyes.
"Okay, moving on..." John Dory said. "I have to tell you that I have been working on some brand new songs and I think you are going to love them! They are still drafts with loose verses and they will not be ready for our next performance, but soon enough we will have something fresh for the fans."
"Please tell us that you just didn't recycle any of our old songs again..." Clay commented.
"Of course not!" John Dory replied, making a slightly insulted look. "Seriously... One troll reuses the same success for an absurd amount of times due to an exhausted creative streak because of elevated stress one time and then suddenly they keep on mentioning when he tries to bring something new."
"Good job, Clay, now we will have to hear him complaining for the next hours..." Floyd ironized.
It really seemed like that John Dory would continue his ramping, but then he just took a deep breath and said:
"No, I'm okay... It's not a big deal. It's totally understandable you would think that."
That response really surprised his brothers, with Bruce even saying:
"Wow, JD... I see you have been putting those breathing exercises I taught you to good use."
"Well, these last days have been great!" John Dory replied. "Especially when I get to spend it with my little bros... Right, Branch?"
They all turned to their youngest brother and then saw, to their surprise, that he was lying down on a beanbag, sleeping and snoring. The four older brothers approached him and Clay said:
"Oh... my... brotherhood... Isn't that... so adorable?! Man... how I missed watching our baby brother sleeping like this..."
"I thought we all agree we wouldn't call Branch a baby again" Floyd told.
"We did... but Clay is right" Bruce said. "Branch is adorable when he sleeps. Watching him like this really takes me back..."
"Yeah, I know the feeling..." John Dory said. "I tried to relive those memories when I went to live at the bunker. But let's all remember that our little brother is a grown-up troll and we should respect him as such..."
There was a pause and then the oldest brother said:
"...as soon he wakes up."
Hearing that, Bruce and Clay just traded a smile and then a fistbump, as they and John Dory continue to observe Branch sleeping. Floyd just rolled his eyes, while smiling, and then joined his older brothers.
"Oh, look at him..." Clay admired. "Do you guys remember how he would take his little blanket to take a nap after a rehearsal?"
"Yeah... and then you would try to draw a mustache on him with a marker" Bruce replied.
"Hey, he knew the rules about falling asleep without being sleep time" Clay told.
"He was a baby and sleep during the day is what babies do" John Dory replied.
"You know... Branch has been getting quite tired lately" Floyd noticed.
"Probably he's just still trying to get used to having us living with him" John Dory replied. "Maybe I shouldn't say this, but... you're not exactly easy to live with, little bro."
"Sure... I am the one that it's hard to live with" Floyd ironized. "Because you are the best roommate ever."
"I know, right?" John Dory replied, as Floyd rolled his eyes with a smile. "You know what... What about we take this chance for the four of us to take a picture with Branch while sleeping?"
"Uh... yeah!" Clay responded excitedly.
"That would be awesome!" Bruce exclaimed.
"You know he is going to get mad once he wakes up and finds out about that, right?" Floyd asked.
"Ah, he will get over it..." John Dory replied, as he tried to get his camera from his hair. "Where did I put that thing?"
"If you mean the camera, I think you left it in Rhonda" Floyd replied. "You do remember that you made us take some pictures on the way, right?"
"Oh, yeah..." JD remembered. "Well, I guess I better go get it. I don't want to miss any more great brotherly moments."
Having said that, he left the room with Floyd also going while saying:
"I better go with him. He may end up looking all over even if the camera is right under his nose."
After Floyd left, Bruce said:
"Man, I wished I can go visit them in Branch's bunker soon enough. I always think I am missing so much. And I bet they get a lot of fun there..."
"Maybe... but I don't know if that would be worth it if we had to endure living with JD" Clay replied. "If he is anything like when we were kids..."
"Come on, Clay, JD was not that bad..." Bruce replied. "Sure, he turned into a tyrant... but only on our late band days. And we were just kids to realize that... Kids that were too much upset to realize anything... But, for what I heard, the three of them are doing great."
"Of course he is doing great with them, we are talking about the babies of the family" Clay told. "You know how John Dory always dotted those two."
"Look, maybe what you need is to take a few days to visit them and see how things are" Bruce said, while putting an arm around his younger brother's shoulders. "Thanks to you, Brandy and I already have this place running much more smoothly, so we don't need your help as much. Not to mention you would get to visit Viva and all the other Putt Putt trolls."
"Maybe..." Clay admitted, thinking about his older brother's advice.
It was then that one of Branch's snores caught their attention and they approached him.
"He really is cute when he is sleeps" Bruce commented. "It almost looks like we are back in the old days."
"If so... then let's make it really like the old days" Clay said, as he went to get a marker.
"Really?" Bruce asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "I thought you grew out of pranks."
"Of course I did" Clay replied. "You're still smelling good and with nothing on your hair, right? I will just make one tiny innocent prank..."
When Clay was about to draw on Branch's face, he started to open his eyes, prompting Clay to quickly hide his marker.
"Uh... Wh... Where am I?!" Branch asked, as he sat up.
"Ah... at our band practice" Bruce replied. "You do remember we just finished a song, right?"
"And that is all that happened" Clay said, while making a slightly nervous laugh. "No other things involving any writing or drawing tool..."
While Bruce gave him an unamused look, Branch didn't quite notice that, as he was more concern in looking around.
"Where're... JD and Floyd?" he asked.
"They went to Rhonda" Bruce replied. "JD just got the idea of taking some brotherly pictures and forgot his camera there and Floyd went with him to help him find it."
"Oh... I see..." Branch sighed, with some relief, as he let himself lie on the beanbag. "That's good... I am too tire to move a muscle."
That confession caused Bruce and Clay to trade a look, with some concern, and the former asked Branch, while they approached him:
"Branch, are you okay? It's not like you to get this tired after practicing one song."
"Yeah, and Floyd even said that you have been quite like that lately" Clay added.
"Oh, it's nothing for you to get concern with" he replied, while raising his hand lazely for a moment. "I... have just been having a lot of fun with John and Clay, that's all..."
As if realizing what was happening, Bruce went to sit at the edge of the beanbag, right next to his youngest brother, and said:
"Really? Because they don't seem to be as tired as you."
Branch didn't reply to that, but then he noticed Bruce's look who looked like he was seeing through him. It was like he knew he was hiding something. After a few moments, he was unable to hold it anymore and exclaimed, while jumping off the beanbag:
"Fine, I will tell you! Just stop that!"
"Wow... that was impressive" Clay commented to Bruce. "How did you do that?"
"I have very mischievous kids, so of course I developed a way to know when they are hiding something from me" Bruce told.
Branch took a deep breath before talking:
"I... I have been... spending time with both John Dory and Floyd..."
"Wait... just that?" Clay asked. "Wow... I mean, if John Dory still likes to do those insane dares of his, I can understand..."
"Tell me about it..." Bruce said. "He sure does have too much energy. But I am not seeing Floyd participating on any of them..."
"Yeah... they have been doing different things on Trollstopia, when they are not at home" Branch told. "And that's... the problem."
Bruce and Clay traded some confused looks and the former asked:
"What do you mean, Branch?"
"It's just..." Branch started, trying to find the right words to express himself. "I just got reunited with you guys and... Well, I kind of want to have the same type of bond we used to have. And... I sorted my issues with John Dory, so..."
"So... you just got rid of a great headache" Clay joked, dropping his smile when Bruce gave him a slightly disapproving look.
"So... our little brother here is clearly jumping between bros so he can spend time with them... most likely with no time to rest" Bruce replied.
"What?! No..." Clay said, as he went to hug Branch and pat his hair. "Our baby brother is too much smart to do something like that."
"Clay, let me go..." Branch replied, annoyed, as he freed himself from his brother. "And... I am fine, Bruce. I can handle this. I already had a lot of fun with both JD and Floyd, so it's working."
"You literally just passed out after just one song" Bruce observed.
"Yeah, bro, you need to go easy" Clay said, going to put a hand on his brother's shoulder, realizing then he used the hand holding the marker for that and hasting to throw it out of the room. "Overtaxing yourself like that will only cause your body to fail and increase your anxiety levels... which is also deteriorative to your body, so you're hurting yourself twice as much."
But Branch just rolled his eyes and saying:
"Please, I don't need another troll telling me that I am going way over my head with this. I already have Poppy for that."
"Just another reason to listen" Clay say. "Like the old troll saying says: always listen to your elders, unless you want to shower in carob... Wait, maybe I am confusing it with something else..."
"Maybe... just try to take things a little... slower..." Bruce suggested. "Like... try spending a day with John Dory and then spend the next one with Floyd."
Branch could see that Bruce was actually making a good suggestion. However, he felt uncomfortable accepting it...
It was then that they heard someone approaching and Floyd entered, carrying a camera. Seeing Branch had awoken, he said:
"So, you finished your little nap, hein? Too bad, our big brothers were really counting in taking pictures with you while sleeping."
"Oh, were they?" Branch asked, turning to Bruce and Clay.
"What..., no!" Bruce exclaimed, trying to pretend an innocent look. "Floyd misunderstood it."
"Totally" Clay added. "We totally see you as the grown-up troll you are. And I clearly didn't try to draw on you with a marker for the photos..."
"You mean the marker I just saw Bruce Jr. with?" Floyd asked. "I really found it strange he would have a marker that is small for him..."
"What?!" Bruce asked. "Oh boy... That kid will totally mess up with his brothers and sister with that thing... Clay, come help me take the marker from Bruce Jr."
"Why me?" Clay asked.
"The marker is yours..." Bruce replied. "And you were the one to toss it out."
Clay was about to refute that, but then shrugged his shoulders.
"I have no argument against that..."
And they left the room.
"Clay may have changed, but he will never change completely..." Floyd commented.
"Hey... where is John?" Branch commented.
"He got distracted with Rhoda" Floyd replied. "I know he only had Rhonda for two decades as a company, but I think they are a little too close..."
"Yeah, a little too creepy, if you ask me..." Branch chuckled.
"You mean like you and Gary?" Floyd asked.
Feeling called out, Branch replied:
"Maybe..."
There was a pause and then the two brothers just shared a laugh.
"Hey, Branch, I just had this great idea" Floyd told. "I noticed that you are starting to get quite comfortable with performance poetry. So... I was thinking that maybe we could a performance together... like old times."
"That... sounds great!" Branch exclaimed. "We could even use our favorite poem. Do you still remember it? We could even make some improvements to it."
"Do trolls love puppy parades?" Floyd replied. "We can do it tomorrow afternoon at the next show. Hey, I will get something to drink, while Bruce and Clay deal with the marker thing, before we resume the rehearsal. Do you want me to bring you something?"
"No, I'm fine, thanks" Branch replied, as Floyd went to the exit.
After Floyd exited, Branch took a moment to take a deep breath, as he thought about what Bruce and Clay suggested to him. He could in fact do exactly that, but... the fear of losing the bond he was regaining with John Dory and Floyd was too big for him to ignore.
However, Floyd's suggestion for a double poetry presentation seemed like a great release. That could be moment he needed to completely rekindle their bond... and maybe make Creek less important to Floyd.
He heard movement and then John Dory appeared, soaking wet.
"Okay... I have some questions..." Branch commented, while trying to hold the laugh.
"Oh, this?" John Dory asked, gesturing to his soaking figure. "Well... Rhonda got very excited and, when she gets like that, there's nothing like a good run to get rid of all that energy. This is nothing, you should have seen this one time when we went through a bog... Hey, where're the rest of the bros?"
"They will be here soon enough" Branch told.
"I see..." John Dory said, as he squeezed his hair. "Oh, we can take this chance to talk about this great idea I have been working on."
"Really?" Branch asked. "A new idea? Please, don't tell me it's another update for the Big Squeeze... like make it spin or something like that..."
"Oh, that's a great idea..." John Dory said. "But maybe for another time... So, you know about this multiverse thing, right?"
"Of course..."
"Right... I have been thinking... maybe we could make this amazing and wild obstacle course through dimensions, jumping from portal to portal."
"Wow...!" Branch commented, quite surprised by his brother's idea. "That's... Wow!"
"Hey, if you don't want to..." John Dory started.
"No, no! I want to!" Branch hasted to say. "I'm totally in!"
"Bro-tastic!" John Dory exclaimed. "Once we get back to Trollstopia, I'm going to talk with R and B, so they can start picking up the best dimensions for a wild course. I think... we can go soon after lunch tomorrow."
"That sounds good..." Branch started, before realizing what John Dory just said. "Wait... when did you say we..."
"Soon after lunch" John Dory replied. "It's an obstacle course, we need all the energy we can get. Of course... we first wait two hours for digestion, but after that... it's go, go, go..."
Hearing that, Branch just froze, as the time John Dory asked him almost coincide exactly with the poetry performance he had just planned with Floyd.
Noticing his younger brother's look, John Dory asked:
"Are you okay, little bro? You look... a little green. If you don't want to do the obstacle course..."
"No, no, I'll do it..." Branch hasted to say, while making a nervous laugh. "There's no problem... No problem at all..."
"Cool!" John Dory replied, making his wide smile. "I'll just grab a quick drink, before we get to resume the rehearsal."
Having said that, he got out of the room. With him gone, Branch just let himself fall back, with his head spinning from the conflictive situation he just put himself in...