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They're here in his- their?- his bunker. Well they’ve been there for a few days now. The first night didn’t count, he didn’t even given them. Tour, they just came in and crashed, John Dory didn’t even make it to the bed instead sleeping on the floor in front of his bed. But things are calmer now, less stressful. Floyd and the rest of them have gone to the doctors of both Pop and Funk trolls giving them strict instructions to rest and take it easy. He had to stock up on some of his herbs to help make the medical tea all the brothers were stuck on while their bodies still shivered and would be racked with mind numbing pain for their limited- and not limited - time as talent batteries.
So, it’s been days. After the first, Branch had given them a brief tour, mumbling as he pointed out the rooms with their stuff trying to avoid his brothers sad - piting- eyes. They had apologized a time and a half, Bruce especially for his comment on the bus. Don’t be a baby. Still made his chest tight. His brothers were being good about it, announcing if they were leaving the bunker and letting him know they’d be back- it didn’t change anything- it was a start.
“Hey B,” Bruce called out, his bedroom door wide open, “I was going through my stuff you got from grandma’s pod, do you know where my favorite record is? I can’t seem to find it?” He was standing in the hall now, an armful of albums in his arms as he flipped through them with a frown.
Branch tried to keep a straight face, trying to hide the sinking feeling in his stomach.
“My favorite book is missing too!” Clay called as he stopped in the hallway to look at them.
“Nope,” he said, trying to push past the subject, his voice coming out harsher then what he was going for. “Must have left it at the pod.”
“Mhmmm, maybe we could take a trip there then.” Floyd asked, giving a soft apology when Branch jumped at his sudden appearance.
Floyd was light on his feet and had scared Branch a dozen times in the last three days alone. It always got their brothers to laugh and giggle, but it made his chest ache with how fast his heart beat at the unintentional scare.
“Maybe.” He shrugged, praying they would just drop it.
He was so focused on leaving the room as fast as he could he didn’t notice his brothers exchanging looks, a tilted head of question, a shrug, a thoughtful look.
He didn’t know that before dinner they would find their oldest brother and ask if his favorite thing was missing, humming and ha-ing as their investigation continued.
Viva and Poppy joined them for dinner. Sitting comfortably in the living room. John Dory sat with his back against the couch, letting Floyd use his side to help steady himself as they ate. Bruce was in a chair hunched over the table eating the soup he had helped prepare. Clay and Viva had their legs tangled, easily talking and moving wildly as they spoke, telling a story about one of the putt putt machines going haywire. Poppy was leaning forward, eyes bright and ears forward, food forgotten on the table as she listened to Clay and Viva talk over each other weaving the story like a skilled craftsman.
Branch was leaning over the back of the couch, using the head rest to hold his bowl as he watched the trolls before him. His face relaxed, and sharing a soft smile with Floyd.
“Oh! Poppyseed!” JD exclaimed when the story ended, “The bros and I were talking and wanted to make the trip to the tree, see about grabbing some stuff that was left behind.”
Poppy shot him a puzzled look, before turning her attention to JD.
“Branch has everything that was in the Pod, it was one of the first things we did when he went back to get all our family things.” She told them. “Nothing is left there.”
“Oh?” Floyd's voice came out soothing, cutting through the confusions and the looks being shot around, “we have a few things missing, so it shouldn’t hurt to look.”
Poppy opened her mouth ready to tell him again how Branch had gone a little…. Crazy making sure all his family’s things had been packed up and brought straight to the bunker. She had been there, and yeah at the time she didn’t understand why he was so frazzled and why the pod had three bedrooms with so many beds, but that was different.
Branch groaned, breaking the conversation up and getting all the attention on him. He was glaring at the wall opposite of him, his shoulders tenser then they were the last three adventures they had been on.
“Ugh, no I know where your stuff is.” He admitted.
“I though-“ Clay tried to say but was interrupted by an unimpressed and dry, “I lied.”
The room was silent at that, the older brothers sharing heavy looks.
“It’s okay if you have them for yourself Branch,” Floyd said gently, thinking maybe he had taken comfort in the familiar iteams the older boys had loved, keepsakes and memories.
“Just after dinner I’ll show you okay?”
“Show us?”
“After. Dinner.” He said with gritted tears.
After dinner he dumped all their plates into the sink and headed towards the elevator. Pausing at the doorway to look back at them, “Well? Are you coming?”
They scrambled to follow. Poppy pushing past the brothers and her sister to grab Branch’s hand. She walked while studying his face, trusting he wouldn’t let her fall or run into anything while she tried to work out what was going on and where he was bringing them.
It wasn’t a long walk, not even a full minute, when he pulled back a giant leaf to show a thorny arch. He squeezed her hand for a moment before letting go, marching on and ducking his head to make it through the thorns. Nervously she glanced back at the brothers before following.
Coming out on the other side they were met with a beautiful sight. In the middle of the thorn walls was a field, a single weeping willow in the middle that cast shade over pink, purple, and yellow flowers that swayed with the sweeping winds. The group separated, walking around in awe of the beautiful scene.
Poppy, though, glanced between the brothers and the flowers, wondering if they noticed. Smiling, she twirled around before spotting Branch at the base of the willow tree, watching them play in the field. He was smiling, but it was the smile from before, tears rolling down cheeks and the furrow in his brow. She stepped closer.
She wanted to- she meant to walk to stand next to him but lines on the tree caught her eyes. She stepped past him and stared.
Dawn, River, Rosiepuff, John Dory, Spruce, Clay, Floyd
Carved with harsh and shaky hands and-
“This is a memorial.” She said, voice loud in the peaceful silence.
Suddenly the boys moved as one crowed around the tree and staring at their names carved into its bark. Branch was staring at the ground.
It was Viva that went to Branch, her face soft with the understanding as she reached forward and took his hands in her own.
“I understand-“
He tilted her head and met her eyes, slowly nodding back at her.
“Bitty-“
“It was supposed to be my closure,” he said sharply, his gaze going to the top names- their mother and father. “It…” he pursed his lips and glanced at his brothers eyes trailing to Floyd and studying him trying to figure out if he could take what he was about to admit. But Floyd nodded with a serious expression somehow knowing, like he always seems to, that this was important.
“It was easier… to believe you died instead of just never coming back for me.”
The four flinched, faces dropping at the admission.
“It hurt less? To think you’re foolish youth got you killed, then I did something so bad you couldn’t-wouldn’t forgive me. Because you were my everything. I didn’t know mom or dad, I knew my brothers. My brothers who swore they would protect me.”
He spoke softly, achingly gently like he wasn’t tearing them apart. His own eyes glistened with usher tears as his shoulders shook.
“The brothers who said they would love me forever and always… it was easier to think you died in the caves or got taken by critters then believe that I wasn’t good enough for you to come back for.”
“Branch ,” Poppy whispered, covering her mouth to try and silence the sobs that were bubbling up at his words.
He glanced at her before looking up at the sky, trying to stop his own tears.
“So, I took everything I remembered you loving because I didn’t have bodies, it’s not like I had that for mom, dad, and grandma anyway,” he shrugged, gesturing towards the dirt, “there buried somewhere around here.”
Floyd broke first, running the few steps between them to wrap his arms around Branch, his arms going up and cradling his head, pushing his face to his shoulder. Sobs echoed loudly in his ear as Floyd cried, hugging his head with a fierce grip. Bruce broke next, almost tackling them in his haste. He took the brunt of the fall, cuddling his smallest brothers close and bowing his head. Clay hesitated unsure, his hand half outstretched. John grabbed it, pulling him along as they joined the group.
Viva turned away, letting her tears freely flow down her cheek.
Poppy glanced once more at her boyfriend before going to her sister, reaching forward and pulling her into a hug.
“It is,” Viva whispered, “easier ... .better to think they're dead than to think you’ve been forgotten. It hurts to find out.”
“Viva.” She choked, hugging her closer as she sobbed.