Bruce had forgotten how exhausting dealing with his brothers was. He had thirteen kids. It should not be easier to handle bedtime with all of them all by himself than it was to just sit with his brothers. But it was.
Things were tense, and he didn't know how much of it was because of the situation and how much of it was because none of them knew how to interact with each other anymore.
Keeping Floyd calm as he waited to see the doctor had probably been the easiest part. He should not be taking this whole 'being turned into a child' thing better than any of the rest of them. Branch was angry, ready to bite the head off of anybody who didn't give him the answers he wanted to hear. Clay was confused, and going about getting answers in all the wrong ways.
John Dory was actually taking this all very well. He was stepping up and taking care of Floyd in a way that was somehow just like and nothing like what he'd done for them when they were younger. Bruce supposed that was what happened when you clung to the past, holding onto the thought of your younger brothers as they once were. And now that John Dory was an adult, and there was just one kid who relied on him, he was able to handle it. It made Bruce consider what they should do with Floyd should this visit to the doctor not pan out the way they wanted it to.
The doctor eventually came out to talk to them. They didn't look like they had good news. Branch and Clay were on them as soon as they came into the waiting room.
"Where's Floyd?" Branch almost sounded like he was accusing Dr. Veradin of doing something to him.
"Is he okay?" Clay asked. He barely sounded better. Bruce had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. They all thought that John Dory was too controlling, but here his little brothers were, doing the same thing.
"He's unharmed." Dr. Veradin said. It did nothing to calm the two of them. "He was a little upset after the check-up, so I left him with his guardian to calm down."
Bruce thought that sounded fair enough, but he could practically see Branch's hackles raise.
"John Dory's his brother." Branch growled. "Not his guardian."
Dr. Veradin didn't seem bothered by his temper. "Regardless of their relationship, Floyd is a child, and he's too young to make his own decisions on medical matters. John Dory can speak on his behalf." Dr. Veradin eyed all of them. "Unless one of you would rather claim that job."
Clay opened his mouth to speak up, but Bruce beat him to it.
"Nah, we're good." Bruce gave his brothers a pointed glare. "I think John Dory's got this handled." He had a tough relationship with his older brother, but he knew that John already had experience dealing with doctors on Floyd's behalf. Clay hadn't even known he had Stage Fright until just a few minutes ago. Clay could do a lot, but not if he didn't know what was needed.
Clay's mouth thinned, but he shrugged. Branch seethed, but he didn't argue.
"What kinds of medical decisions need to be made?" Branch asked. "Can you fix him or not?" Bruce cringed at the way that was said. He knew they all wanted to make sure that Floyd was okay. They wanted a cure. But Bruce didn't know if he would say that they were 'fixing' him. Floyd wasn't broken. He was just a kid.
"We don't know yet." Dr. Veradin said honestly. "This is unlike anything we've ever seen. We're going to do what we can to look for answers, but it will take time." Dr. Veradin frowned slightly, looking displeased. "I suggested the possibility of having Floyd stay at a medical facility with one of the other troll tribes, just so we can keep a close eye on him and make sure this isn't more dangerous than it seems on the surface. "But John Dory was adamantly against it."
Now Bruce saw why the doctor had asked if any of them wanted to speak for Floyd instead. They were looking for a different answer. One of the first doctors that he and Brandy had taken the kids to had tried to do the same thing with the two of them. They had immediately gone to another doctor. Bruce hadn't dealt with that nonsense years ago, and he wasn't going to deal with it now.
"If John Dory said no, then the answer is no." Bruce said sternly. Clay looked at him, frowning slightly. He didn't look upset, just confused. He nodded his agreement.
To their credit, Dr. Veradin didn't try to persuade them.
"If you change your mind, or if there are any other concerning symptoms, I want you to tell me immediately." Dr. Veradin said. "Or at least another medical professional." They looked between all of them. "Where will he be staying?"
Bruce's stomach dropped. "We, uh, haven't really talked about that yet." Clay had tried to bring it up, but Branch wouldn't hear it. The way that Branch was tensing now, it made it clear that he still didn't want to hear it.
"Oh, Floyd can stay at Pop Village." Poppy said excitedly. "Branch has a lot of room in his bunker, and-"
"No." Branch said stiffly and coldly. Bruce gave him a concerned look. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Something was clearly bothering him, and Bruce felt like this was something that needed to be talked about, but what was he supposed to say? He didn't know what was wrong.
Poppy gave him a concerned look. She touched his arm. "Branch?"
He took a deep breath. "Sorry, I just…look, I don't get why we have to talk about this."
"Floyd's just a kid." Clay said. "I know we want things to go back to normal, but we can't just leave him to fend for himself until then."
"Why not?" Branch scoffed, and Bruce really didn't like that tone of his. "Floyd's old enough to be on his own, so why not let him?"
Bruce let out a low growl. Clay looked at Branch like he'd never seen him before. Viva looked awkward, and Poppy just seemed sad. A long moment passed before Branch's eyes widened and he looked stricken.
"That's not…I didn't…" Branch sighed and turned away. "I'm going to wait outside." He quickly left the doctor's office before any of them could say anything. Poppy looked at all of them, looking like she wanted to say something, but she just turned and went after Branch.
"That was…" Clay looked at Bruce. "That wasn't normal, was it?"
"I hope not." Bruce said. He didn't like it at all. Branch was clearly going through a lot, and Bruce wanted to help, but he was also really not happy with what he'd heard. Why would Branch even think of implying that Floyd should be left to fend for himself? He wished he knew, but the truth was he really didn't know Branch much at all. He loved him, and he wanted to know him, but right now they were practically strangers.
Bruce thought about going after Branch himself and figuring out what that was all about, but before he could he saw John Dory come back into the waiting room, carrying Floyd in his arms. Bruce was glad to see them, but he was also shocked and slightly horrified about the state he saw them in.
Floyd's eyes were wet and he'd clearly just been crying. That wasn't too unusual, especially after a visit to the doctor's. What Bruce was more concerned about was the goggles he had around his forehead, and John Dory's lack of them.
Bruce doubted that any of the other bros remembered when John Dory had started wearing his goggles, let alone why. But Bruce remembered, and it scared him for multiple reasons.
He needed to talk to John Dory. He needed to know for sure if what he was terrified of was actually the case. And even if his fears weren't true, he still felt like John Dory needed to talk about this, because this was a big deal.
But he wasn't going to talk about this kind of thing in front of their little brothers. They didn't need to know about it.
"Hey, Floyd, I'm kinda hungry." Bruce said. "I'm sure there's some places to get food nearby. Why don't you and Clay go out and find something?"
"I can do it myself." Floyd said without a moment's hesitation. Bruce felt pained. First Branch, now Floyd. Had they really made Floyd feel like he had to be independent when he was a kid? He was only ten. Or was he eleven?
By the muses, what if he was nine? How could Bruce not know how old his brother was?
That was something that Bruce needed to worry about later. He had a lot more that he needed to focus on right now.
Clay probably didn't know why he wanted privacy to talk to John Dory, but he knew enough. "Come on. Bro time." Floyd didn't put up more of a fight. He let Clay take him from John Dory and set him down. The two of them and Viva left. Bruce stepped closer to John Dory.
"Dude, what happened?" Bruce asked quietly. With Floyd gone the doctor went back to work, though they would probably come back out to talk to them a bit more before they left. For now they had a little privacy.
John Dory gave him an odd look. "What are you talking about? Nothing happened."
Bruce gave his brother a stern look. "Do not do that. You know I know about your goggles."
John Dory had the decency to look a little sheepish. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not a big deal."
"Except it is." Bruce couldn't help but look at his brother's hair. His roots, the part always covered by his goggles, were gray, just like they'd been since he was about twelve or so. John Dory felt his gaze, and he shifted uncomfortably and put his hand to his hair.
"Are you sure you're fine without your goggles?" Bruce asked.
John Dory frowned. He didn't look completely comfortable. "I don't know." He said honestly, and Bruce appreciated it. "But Floyd needs them more."
That was what scared Bruce most. "Can I ask why?" He almost didn't want to know, but he needed to. It would be important to know how to continue going forward.
John Dory's mouth thinned. "Why do you think?"
It was practically confirmation of Bruce's worst fears, but he needed to know for sure. "I need you to tell me."
John Dory sighed. "He got upset and…and his hair started to go Gray."
That was exactly what Bruce didn't want to hear. He sighed and ran his hand through his own hair. It wasn't fair. Why did his brothers have to deal with this? First John, now Floyd. Clay had so many of his own issues. And though Branch hadn't talked to them about it, it was clear just by looking at him that he was at least a little Gray, and had been for a while.
"But he's doing better now?" Bruce asked.
"For now." John Dory muttered. "I caught it. I calmed him down before it got too far. But…well, you know how this goes. Once it starts, it's that much easier to start up again." And John Dory would know that better than anybody. He'd been putting on a happy face, trying so hard to convince himself and everybody around him that he had everything under control, because if he faltered then he started to go Gray.
"We'll keep an eye on him." Bruce swore. "We'll be right here to help."
"We'd better be." John Dory tapped his fingers against his leg. "I think that was what he was afraid of. That we would leave him alone." In that case, Bruce was never going to tell Floyd what Branch had implied. And he would definitely be having words with his brother about it.
"Does Floyd know?" Bruce asked.
"No." John Dory said. "And I don't want him to." Bruce wasn't sure how realistic that was. Whether John Dory liked it or not, this was a part of who Floyd was. Like he said, it wasn't going to just go away. But Bruce also knew how hard John Dory was on himself when he first saw his own Gray hairs. It made sense that he didn't want that for their brother.
Maybe it wasn't what Bruce would do, but he didn't think it was about what he wanted. Ultimately the one who would be taking care of Floyd would be the one who decided what was best for him. Bruce wouldn't mind taking care of his little brother, but he already had thirteen kids to care for. It was a lot to try to juggle. He handled it as best he could, but between his kids, his wife, and the restaurant, he wasn't able to give all of them the attention they all deserved.
His kids all understood, and they helped each other out when he couldn't. But it wouldn't be fair to drag Floyd into that. He needed someone's full attention, or else it would be far too easy for him to say 'I can do it myself', and that would completely defeat the purpose of him having a guardian.
"I know that taking care of the four of us when you were just a kid yourself wasn't fair." Bruce said slowly. There was still a fair amount of resentment towards his big brother about the ways he failed them, but that had been twenty years ago. John Dory wasn't the same troll he had once been. "I'd get it if you didn't want to, and you shouldn't feel like you have to, but-"
"I want to take care of Floyd." John Dory said quickly. "I-I won't mess him up again."
"I know you won't try to." Bruce said. Any decent parent or guardian didn't want to traumatize their children, but sometimes it still happened. "I think you could actually be great for Floyd." Not the least because he was handling this de-aging thing a lot better than any of the rest of them were. John Dory was calm and taking charge. The rest of them were basically flying by the seats of their pants.
"But John, I'm worried about this Gray thing." Bruce said. "I know that this has always been something you've hated about yourself, and it's probably really hard to see the same thing in Floyd."
John Dory looked a little wounded. "Do you think I'm going to take it out on him? Punish him for something he can't help?"
"I don't think you'd do it on purpose." Bruce said. "But you've punished yourself for it your whole life. You slipped up when we were younger and took it out on us. I know you wouldn't want to do the same thing to Floyd, but everybody does things that they don't want to do."
John Dory would probably look less pained if Bruce had punched him. "I wouldn't…I wouldn't!"
"I know, bro." Bruce said. "I'm just saying that maybe if you start to slip, even just a little, ask for help. We all want what's the best for Floyd. And you. Can you promise me that you'll at least try?"
John Dory took a deep breath and nodded. "If I need help, I'll talk to you." Bruce could hear the pain and sincerity in his tone. He meant it, at least as much as he could. Twenty years ago he would have doubted that John Dory could do any of this. But he wasn't a child anymore. In many ways he hadn't changed at all, but in the ways that really mattered he had matured, and Bruce really did think that he would be the best for Floyd.
"That's all I ask." Bruce gave John Dory a strong hug. "You're going to do great with him."
John Dory leaned against him. "At least one of us is confident."
"I've always believed in you." Bruce said. "I just felt like you didn't believe in us. And I knew you didn't believe in yourself."
He felt John Dory grow tense in his arms. "Well, maybe this is my chance to do better. To do things the right way."
Bruce didn't know how he felt about that. It was terrible that Floyd was stuck like this, but John Dory was treating it as a do-over. But maybe that was what Floyd needed. He didn't ask to be a little kid again, so maybe this was a chance for him to have the childhood they hadn't managed to give him the first time around.
They were still going to try to find a way to fix things, but until then John Dory was the only one of them who wouldn't accidentally make Floyd feel like there was something wrong with him because he wasn't the brother they expected him to be. He accepted Floyd for who he was now.
If he could accept him as a child, maybe he really could accept the underlying Gray. Bruce sure hoped so, because he knew all too well that you only got so many chances before a child was messed up in a way that they carried with them for the rest of their life.
They were all struggling with this situation, and there was no reason to take it out on Floyd. That was all of their responsibility, and Bruce hoped they were all up to the task. They couldn't afford to not be.