Slight warning everybody. This may not be totally necessary, as it's not specifically mentioned, but this chapter does hint at Bruce having an eating disorder.
The next morning, Willow found herself in a meeting with Poppy. Branch and the older brothers insisted on walking her to the meeting. And while she appreciated the protectiveness they were showing, it felt a bit much to have them all there. At least they were going on a tour of TrollsTopia instead of waiting outside of Poppy's pod.
"Thanks for meeting with me, Willow," Poppy smiled. "I know the past few days have been a challenge."
"Of course, Poppy," Willow grinned. She pulled a folder out of her hair. "Now I'm sure this is about the tribal meeting we're holding in a few days. We need to discuss what happened at Mt. Rageous. Floyd was in danger and we never knew. Something has to be done to keep track of where our people are so this doesn't happen again."
"I mean, sure, we can talk about that too," Poppy's brow furrowed. "But I called you to this meeting to talk about what happened yesterday. With Creek?" Willow frowned in confusion. "What happened between him and Floyd? Floyd looked mad. Doctor Moonbloom said you needed to be left alone for the day, so we let it be, but this is serious. Your brother attacked another Troll and since he's Pop, I have to handle it."
Willow shrugged. "Creek said something that upset him." She grinned sheepishly. "You know my family has a temper."
Poppy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Willow. I know he's your family, but unless you give me a good reason for this, I have to do something. Creek's furious, and is demanding retribution. As Pop Queen, my hands are tied."
Willow nodded in understanding. "He called me a trollop, and Floyd lost his mind." She shook her head. "That's not a good enough reason to attack someone, but please understand. He's still recovering from what happened on Mt. Rageous." She explained to Poppy what a trollop was when she looked at her confused.
Poppy sighed and crossed her arms at the end of the explanation. "Actually, that's a pretty good reason. Defending family is perfectly understandable. While I can't sweep this under the rug, I can let him off with a warning. Just make sure he knows we can't be using violence to solve these kinds of things. If he hears something like that again, he should come let me know so I can take care of it."
Poppy looked at her friend, sorrow on her face. "I wish you had told me when it happened. I could have taken care of it. Nobody should be called things like that."
"It's not worth it, Poppy," Willow frowned. "There are much more important things for you to worry about besides a Troll calling me nasty names."
"You're not just the Pop ambassador, you're my friend, Willow," Poppy insisted. "And defending my friends will always be worth it. You are worth it. You know that, right?" She frowned at Willow's silence. "Willow, you're worth it. I need you to realize that."
Willow sighed. "Yeah, I think I'm starting to understand that." She crossed her arms, feeling self-conscious. "Can we talk about something else?"
"Sure," Poppy smiled in understanding. She then frowned in concern. "Did you say something about a tribal meeting coming up this weekend?" When Willow nodded, her face fell. "I completely forgot! We're not ready for a meeting!" She stood up and started pacing the floor. "We're not ready to host the other leaders. I was going to have rooms made up for them. And with all the excitement around Viva and your brothers coming home, we've been so busy. She groaned, frustrated. "This is a nightmare."
Willow smiled at the stressed-out Pop Queen. "Don't worry, Poppy. This is actually pretty good timing. Val said you were planning a party to celebrate Viva's return. We could have it on Saturday as a 'Welcome to TrollsTopia' thing for the leaders as well. And we can host another potluck so all the tribes can contribute to the food while having some of the comforts of their homes." She grinned. "That way, I don't have to worry about making enough food for everyone."
Poppy slowed her pacing and nodded thoughtfully. "That does sound like a good idea." She grinned and took a deep breath. "Alright, we can do this." She sat down in front of Willow again. "Now, about this idea you had earlier. The one where we can keep track of where all our citizens are? Tell me more so we can have a plan when we talk to the other leaders."
Willow nodded and opened the folder she was still holding. "Okay, so I was thinking about this before, but with recent events, I think this will be a good idea."
The duo spent the next few hours reviewing the plan for the meeting in a couple of days. By the time they finished, it was dark, and Branch was waiting by the door. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Branchifer," Poppy smiled sheepishly as she hugged her boyfriend. We needed to get this proposal completely ironed out."
Branch chuckled and pulled away from his girlfriend. "Don't worry, Poppifer. I know how you two get." He looked at his sister. "Floyd said something about soup for dinner. How does that sound?"
Willow smiled. "Sounds like I better get started." She looked at Poppy. "I'll work on some deserts and a menu idea with the ambassadors tomorrow so we'll be ready this weekend for when the leaders show up."
Poppy nodded. "Sounds good." She yawned. "Remind me we need to talk to Viva and Clay about whether they plan on moving the Putt Putt Trolls to TrollsTopia. "We'll need to build them a place if they are."
Willow nodded and waved goodnight to the Queen as she and her brother made their way out of the tree and headed towards the bunker. "So I take it you had a productive meeting?" Branch guessed with a smile.
"It went well," Willow nodded and looked at her brother. "I think this meeting is going to be a good one. How was showing our brothers around TrollsTopia?"
"They love TrollsTopia," Branch grinned as they walked. "Clay was fascinated by Vibe Town. He spent a lot of time with R&B talking about their inventions. JD would not stop talking about Country Corral. I'm pretty sure he's going to try to ride an adorabull later, so we may need to stop him. Bruce made us hang out at Techno Lagoon longer than the others wanted to. He wanted to go to a rave, so the Technos made it happen." He laughed. "Floyd fell in love with Rock Hollow. He insists it's the ambiance, but JD thinks it's because a certain drummer was showing us around."
"That's great," Willow smiled softly. "I'm glad they're enjoying themselves. Have you been able to fix the elevator yet?"
"Yeah," Branch nodded. "Fixed it before I came to get you. Even managed to get our brothers in the system so they don't have to stay in the bunker all day." He looked at his sister. "So you're making desserts tomorrow?"
"Yeah. As soon as I help the other ambassadors with the menu for the party." Willow crossed her arms in thought. "I'll probably take over the kitchen when we finish that."
"So we need to find lunch outside the bunker," Branch deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "Great."
Willow rolled her eyes and nudged her brother. "You'll get over it." The duo walked in silence as they made their way to the bunker. When they got there, Willow looked at her brother. "How have you been? I'm sure it's been a little jarring, having all the brothers around again."
Branch gave his sister a soft smile. "I've been okay. It's been great having my whole family together again. And yeah, it's been a little hard, getting to know everybody again. Everyone is so different from how they used to be when I was little. But I've been enjoying my time with them."
"I'm happy for you, Branch." Willow smiled and embraced her brother. The elevator descended to the living room. "I'm glad you've been able to spend time with them." The two rode in silence until the elevator stopped. They found the older brothers working on a puzzle in the living room.
"Hey, guys," Clay looked up from the puzzle and smiled. "What kept you?"
"Meeting ran a little long," Willow smiled at the brothers. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I should have some dinner ready in about an hour. You wanted some soup tonight, right Floyd?"
Without looking away from the puzzle, Floyd nodded. "That would be great. Thank you, Willow." Willow merely smiled at her brothers again and walked into the kitchen to get started.
Bruce watched curiously as Branch walked over to the brothers to help with the puzzle they were working on while Willow went into the kitchen. "Does she do all the cooking by herself?"
"For the most part, yeah," Branch nodded and sat down. "Don't worry, she likes cooking alone."
Bruce frowned and looked towards the kitchen before nodding, determined. "I'm gonna go help her."
"That's a bad idea," Branch warned. His warning went ignored however as Bruce made his way to the kitchen.
John Dory looked at his youngest brother, confused. "Why is that a bad idea? I'm sure she'd appreciate the help."
Branch shook his head and held up his hand, three fingers in the air. "Three..two..one.." A surprised yelp filled the bunker. "That's why," Branch smirked at the startled looks on his brothers' faces. "She doesn't like anyone in the kitchen when she's cooking."
Floyd nodded, a concerned look on his face. "Should we go check on them?"
"They're fine," Branch dismissed with a wave. "She only scared him a little." He smiled and placed a puzzle piece in its spot. "Found it!"
"How many times do I have to tell you not to come in here while I'm cooking?" Willow turned away from the vegetables she was cutting, irritated. She looked surprised when she saw Bruce against the kitchen door, a panicked look on his face as he stared at the knife embedded into the door frame. "Bruce?"
Willow laughed sheepishly and walked over to the door frame to pull the knife out. "I am so sorry, Bruce. I thought you were Branch."
"Do you usually throw knives at our brother?" Bruce asked, incredulous. He looked at his little sister. She had gone back to chopping vegetables with the knife she had just thrown. "You could end up killing him! Why would you risk that?"
Willow scoffed. "Puh-lease." She gestured to the door frame. "Take a look at that frame. How many stab marks do you see in it?" Bruce ran his hands along the door frame, cautiously. "Only one stab mark, right? I have impeccable aim. The only time I have ever hit Branch with anything I've ever tossed was with a spoon." She put the veggies into a pot to start cooking and looked at her brother, curious. "What are you doing in here, anyway? Did you need something?"
Bruce stepped away from the door and looked back at his little sister. "I came to see if you needed any help."
Willow narrowed her eyes in suspicion before shrugging. "Sure, why not?" She gestured to the fridge. "We still need to cook the chicken. If you want to get that cut into some bite-sized pieces and season it, that would be a big help. I'll get the pan you're going to cook it in heated up in a bit so you can get it cooked. Seasonings are in the cabinet up there."
Bruce nodded and got to work. "You wanna tell me why you throw things at our brother?"
"He's not allowed in the kitchen while I'm busy in it," Willow shrugged. "It's safer for everyone if I do all the cooking."
"So why am I allowed to help?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow as he grabbed the seasonings.
"Because you can cook?" Willow raised an eyebrow and looked at her brother. "No offense to Branch, but I trust him to make three things. Sandwiches, pasta, and pizza. And the only reason I trust him to make those things is all the ingredients are made already. He just has to put it together."
"I get it," Bruce chuckled. "So Branch is good at construction, but not food, and you're good at food, but not construction."
Willow nodded with a smile. "Yep. Sometimes he forgets though, so I have to remind him with a knife flying by his head."
Bruce nodded and started cooking the chicken. "Word of advice? Don't let the other brothers in the kitchen either." He snorted. "I don't know how much of this has changed, but they couldn't cook to save their lives. Pretty sure Johnny used to burn water. And Floyd almost set the pod on fire trying to make oatmeal."
Willow laughed and grabbed some noodles from the pantry. "And how did you end up being the cook?"
"I always liked cooking," Bruce shrugged and added the cooked chicken to the pot. "But it wasn't until I ended up on Vacay Island that I got to explore with food and flavors." He smiled softly when Willow put some veggie stock into the soup pot with the noodles. "It was thanks to Brandy that I started to love cooking. That I started to love food again."
Willow frowned and started cleaning up her mess. "Is that why you never came back?" She asked, curious. "Because you thought you wouldn't be able to love food like you did there?"
"What?" Bruce raised an eyebrow. "No, of course not! I left because I was tired of someone else being in control of my life." He sighed and helped his little sister clean up. "I stayed away because I was a coward," he admitted. "Staying away was easier than admitting I failed as a big brother." He smiled. "Then I got married and we had Bruce Jr."
"I tried so many times to convince myself to go out there and find you all." Bruce crossed his arms and sighed. "Then we opened the restaurant and had a couple more kids. The more things that happened, the easier it was to make excuses to not leave." He chuckled and sat down at a kitchen chair. "And then you showed up and Vacay Island with the Tribe leaders and everything changed. I was even going to ask you about my brothers. I thought Floyd was there too," he admitted. "But I was too afraid of the answer. It was better, thinking they were safe and happy without me in their lives."
Willow sighed and nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, it's probably best that you didn't ask," she admitted. "I was always a little resentful at you all for leaving Branch the way you did. I don't think I would have told you anything good if you had asked." She raised an eyebrow, amused at his grimace. "I don't know if you noticed, but I can be a little violent."
Willow sat down on the other side of the kitchen table. "I get why you didn't ask," she added, crossing her arms. "If I'm being honest, I could have found you months ago if I wanted to."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember when I mentioned me and Branch being friends with bounty hunters?" Willow asked, staring at her brother. When Bruce nodded, she continued. "I could have asked them to find you. Even with your name change, I have no doubt they could have." She snorted. "I almost did, too."
"So why didn't you?" Bruce asked, curious. "Why didn't you send them off to find us?"
"You didn't ask me about your brothers because you thought it was better thinking they were safe and happy without you in their lives," She said, looking at the floor. "For me, it was easier thinking you all had died than have the chance of you being around, but not caring enough to come back." She risked a glance at her older brother. "It was easier, not knowing."
Bruce sighed, his head in his hands. "I am so sorry, Willow." He looked at his little sister. "I should have never left for so long. You were just a little egg when we left and it wasn't fair to leave you and Branch alone with Grandma. It's even less fair knowing you didn't even have Grandma for very long. And from the way Branch talks about it, you were both alone after that." He sighed. "I should have sucked it up and come home to see you all sooner."
Willow shook her head. "No, it's probably for the best that you stayed away," she admitted reluctantly. "As much as I would have wanted you to come home, to give Branch the big brother he so desperately needed, I understand you needed to heal." She gestured to her brother. "You mentioned you started to love food again?" She shook her head. "I'm not going to pry, but it sounds like you had your own issues to deal with. I understand not wanting to burden your family with that. I'm glad you were able to heal." She smiled at him. "You have a wonderful family, and I am so happy I've been getting to know them, even if I didn't know they were family when I started."
"I did have some issues," Bruce admitted. "My band days left me with some pretty serious problems with food and exercise. And it took years of therapy to deal with it all. I'm better now, though, and while it isn't perfect, Brandy helps me through it on my worst days." He sighed and looked at Willow. "I need you to know that I never stopped thinking about you, Branch, and Floyd," He said. "Even though you were just an egg when we left, you guys were never far from my mind. I am so sorry I wasn't here to watch you two grow up to be the amazing Trolls you are now. I wish I could turn back time and change things, but I can't." He smiled. "I am so proud of how you turned out, though. And I can't wait to see what you all do next."
Willow sighed and stood up. "The soup's done," she muttered. She grabbed some bowls and a ladle to make her brothers' bowls. Bruce sighed and stood up to help, realizing she wasn't going to acknowledge what he said. The two stood in silence while they made the soup bowls.
"Hey, Bruce?" Willow asked before she could pick up the soup bowls. Bruce looked up, curious to see what she would say. "Tomorrow, I'm going to be making desserts for this weekend's meeting/party thing Poppy is planning. Would you like to help?"
Bruce smiled. It was probably the closest thing to forgiveness he was going to get at the moment. "Sure, sis. I'd be happy to."
Willow smiled and grabbed the bowls of soup. "Great. I should be done planning the menu with the other ambassadors around noon. We'll get started baking and dessert making at two. Sound good?"
"Sounds like a plan," Bruce nodded. He handed out the bowls of soup to his brothers, the smaller bowl going to Floyd.
Floyd smiled in thanks and breathed in the smell of the soup. "This smells amazing, guys. Thank you."
"How come Bruce got to help you?" Branch asked, upset. "I usually get a knife tossed at my head."
"Because Bruce runs a restaurant," Willow snorted, ignoring the appalled looks on the other's faces. Bruce laughed nervously, thinking about the knife that flew in his direction earlier. "He can cook, unlike somebody I know."
"Hey!" Branch pouted before taking a bite of the chicken noodle soup in front of him. He sighed. "This is really good."
The group ate in relative silence, the brothers making an occasional comment about their day in TrollsTopia while Willow smiled and asked questions. When they finished, Willow stood up and started gathering the dishes, to wash them.
John Dory stood up. "Let us do the dishes," he said, grabbing the bowl from Willow's hands. "You and Bruce cooked, it's only right that we clean."
"Let them do the dishes," Bruce nodded in agreement. "We can hang out in the living room."
"If you're sure," Willow said, uncertain. She nodded and smiled. "Thanks, guys." She moved herself to the living room with Bruce.
"So," Bruce started as he sat down on the couch. "Have you decided if you're going to keep using Vacay Island as a date spot? I know the kids'll be disappointed if you stop showing up."
"That's playing dirty," Willow narrowed her eyes playfully. "Using the niblings like that." She grinned. "And that entirely depends. Am I going to get a 'friends and family' discount?"
"Am I going to get to use those 'secret family recipes' you claim to have?" Bruce asked teasingly. "Because it's going to be awkward claiming we're family and I still don't get to use family recipes in my restaurant."
"You drive a hard bargain," Willow joked. She sighed and leaned against her brother. "I think I can swing that." She nodded. "Alright, we'll keep using Vacay Island. Now I have an excuse to see you when you decide to go back home."
Willow relaxed and closed her eyes, tired from the day she had. "Hey, Bruce?" She murmured sleepily as he lazily started playing with her hair. "I'm glad you're doing okay. I love you, bro."
Bruce smiled as she fell asleep, tears forming at her sleepy words. "Love you too, baby sis."
I love the idea of these two bonding over cooking. It makes my soul happy. Hope you all liked this chapter! Thanks for reading!