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vilevenom · 2 months

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Suddenly Everything Has Changed

(Sequel to Let's Be Us Again)

Fandom: Dreamworks Trolls

Pairings: Hickory/John Dory

Summary: John Dory felt like he was on cloud nine. Hickory was back in his life, and he was getting along better with his brothers (more or less). Everything seemed to be looking up for him for once. But, of course, that couldn't last forever, could it?

Excerpt:

"I really should get up, sweetheart," John finally murmured after a while, lightly tugging at a lock of Hickory's hair, "Clay is supposed to be showing up in the next couple of days with the last of the Putt Putt trolls, and I promised Poppy I'd help with putting together some 'welcome back to society' scrapbooks for them."

"Nein, du fühlst dich wohl," Hickory whined, clutching at John's side and burying his face into the teal trolls chest fur.

AO3 Link is here!

The day began like most others had for the last year or so of John Dory's life. The sun was shining and birds chirping outside his window, but this morning had something so extraordinary in it that John could barely believe his good fortune. When he rolled onto his side he was greeted with the view of a green and orange troll slumbering on his second pillow, as he had for the last two weeks. He couldn't contain the warm and giddy smile that inched across his face as he took in Hickory's sleeping features. The way his curly hair turned even more wild against the pillow, and his fingers twitched against the blanket as he dreamed. John felt like he was still dreaming, since he never thought he'd be so lucky as to have Hickory in his life again, let alone in his bed. He reached out to brush a wild lock of hair from Hickory's forehead, holding back a laugh as the country troll snuffled quietly in his sleep and pushed his face further into his pillow.

"Good morning," John breathed, fully intent on getting out of bed as carefully as possible so Hickory could continue sleeping. That plan, however, was quickly squashed as a hand curled around his neck and tugged him down.

"Guten Morgen[1]," Hickory muttered, blinking muzzily at John Dory with a dopey smile on his face. "wie hast du geschlafen[2]?"

John chuckled, ghosting his fingers lightly over Hickory's jaw, earning a slight shiver from the country troll. "You know I don't understand your native language, Hick."

"Schade[3]," Hickory murmured, pressing a sleepy kiss to John's lips, before curling into his chest, "Für Englisch ist es noch zu früh[4]."

"Whatever you say," John chuckled, easily resigning himself to a late start to his day as he lazily carded his fingers though Hickory's hair.

Shortly after their tearful reunion, Hickory had returned to Lonesome Flats to clear up his affairs and pack up his belongings. It had taken a surprisingly longer time than anticipated, given he'd had to find a replacement for his job in the caravan, and find someone who wanted to take over the house and tiny patch of land he'd gotten himself in the country. All in all, it had been a long two months for the couple, but finally the ex bounty hunter was free and clear to move to Pop Village. Or, at the very least, into Rhonda for the time being. It was very much still up in the air if Hickory wanted to have a pod built for himself, if they were going to have a pod build for the both of them, or if they were going to take some time to go travelling the kingdom before settling anywhere. The world was their oyster, and they were planning on making the most of it.

"Nein, du fühlst dich wohl[5]," Hickory whined, clutching at John's side and burying his face into the teal trolls chest fur.

John snorted and rolled his eyes, fully not understanding what Hickory was saying, but he could appreciate the gist of it. He truly did love this time in the morning, when Hickory was too tired to even bother trying to use the country accent he'd picked up in Lonesome Flats and babbled at John in German. It was his favorite part of the couple of weeks Hickory had been staying with him so far, as it reminded him of when they'd first started dating up in the mountains. Hickory had tried teaching John how to speak German at the time, but he had failed rather spectacularly. "I can only assume you want me to stay in bed, but I've got things to do," John sighed, smacking a wet kiss to Hickory's forehead, which pulled a grunt of disdain from the country troll. "If you don't want more wet kisses, get off me."

"Heidnisch[6]," Hickory grunted as he rolled off of John, only to tug their blankets up over his head and burrow into the bed.

John shook his head fondly as he pulled himself free of the blankets, patting what he assumed was Hickory's ankle as he shuffled around the bed to head into the bathroom to take a shower. "I'm gonna roll you out of bed in a blanket burrito if you're not up by the time I'm done in the shower. If I recall correctly, /someone/ told Sky Toronto that they'd help look over and improve night time security protocols at the factory today."

A string of muffled german erupted from the pile of blankets on the bed, causing John to laugh as he slipped into the bathroom. He let out a breath as he turned to the mirror, grinning as he poked his reflection, "You are one lucky troll, John Dory." He hummed to himself while stretching his arms above his head, before reaching into the shower to turn the water on. As he yawned and waited for the water to warm up he combed his fingers through his hair absently, dislodging tangles that had formed while he was sleeping. He fully expected the odd knot here and there, but not for his fingers to hit something solid near the crown of his head. "What...?" he frowned as he poked around in his hair some more, his fingers tracing along a smooth, curved surface. His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him and his heart froze in his chest. "No...no, that's not possible," he muttered quickly to himself, looking back to the mirror while hastily parting his hair. He gaped at the tiny egg he'd revealed, barely large enough to be more than a week old.

"How?" he wheezed, letting go of his hair to latch onto the sink and dry heave. "This can't be happening..." He and Hickory had gotten back together barely three months ago, and two of those were spent apart while Hickory was in Lonesome Flats. That meant that in the two weeks that Hickory had been back in Pop Village, John had somehow developed an egg. He and Hickory hadn't even decided if they wanted to live together properly, and now he had an egg?! It was too soon. Way too soon. Conversations needed to be had, plans needed to made! This couldn't be happening. What was Hickory going to say?

"You almost done in there, darlin'? I'm gonna start makin' us some breakfast," Hickory's sleepy voice filtered through the door, jarring John from his spiraling thoughts.

"Y-yeah! Sorry, just taking my time. Didn't know if you'd actually get out of bed. I'll be out soon," John answered quickly, shaking himself slightly and stripping off his pajamas to actually get into the shower. He could panic about the egg later. First he had to get ready and go meet up with Poppy to keep up appearances. Then he could take some time for himself and figure out what the hell he was going to do.

After a rather awkward breakfast, where John tried to eat as quickly as possible and was too distracted to pay much attention to the conversation Hickory was trying to engage him in, John left to head to Poppy's pod. She had asked John and a couple of her friends to meet her there to work on the scrap books she and Branch had come up with to help integrate the Putt Putt trolls into Pop Village. A good portion of the Putt Putt trolls had already moved into the village, but many were having some issues getting used to being around so many trolls again, and the last group was by far the largest. Thus, the scrap book idea had come about when Branch pointed out that some sort of guide would probably be beneficial to hand out so there wouldn't be so many trolls constantly going to Poppy and Viva for help or advice. John was insanely proud of his brother for helping to come up with such an initiative and had immediately volunteered to help put the books together. He was now wishing he'd kept his stupid mouth shut so he could go hide in a tree and figure his situation out, rather than putting on appearances for the queen and her friends.

"John Dory!" Poppy cheered as he walked up to the open door of her pod, jumping to her feet to dash over and engulf him in a hug. "Thanks so much for offering to help! The rest of the Putt Putt trolls are supposed to be showing up in the next couple of days, so all the help we can get is super appreciated!"

John returned the hug, chuckling fondly at Poppy's exuberance. "Anytime, Popstar," he said, patting her on the back. "But, uh, y'know it'd be helpful if you let me go so I can actually help?"

"Huh? Oh!" Poppy laughed as she let John go, waving a hand through the air, "Sorry. I always forget how much you and Branch are alike, with your short hugs." John wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or not, but decided to let it go as he wandered further into Poppy's pod, noting that none of her friends had apparently shown up yet. He nodded a greeting to Branch, who was sat cross legged on the floor, scissors and paper already in hand with glitter smeared over the bridge of his nose. It immediately reminded John of when Branch was still a toddler, working on birthday cards for his older brothers. He grinned widely, earning a raised eyebrow from his youngest brother.

"You just reminded me of when you were this big," John replied to the silent question, indicating a very small size between his hands, "You were so cute back then. Whatever happened?" John had said it in a joking fashion, and it would've been an easy laugh between John and any of his other brothers. But Branch immediately glared at him.

"Being alone for twenty years will do that to a person," Branch stated bluntly. Poppy jumped to step between the brothers with a nervous laugh while John put his hands up in surrender, immediately stepping back.

"Right, sorry. That was a bad joke," John quickly admitted. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, clearing his throat as he scooped up a small stack of construction paper and made his way to the other side of the room. "I'll just, uhm, sit over here, yeah?"

John Dory tried not to pay attention as Poppy and Branch had a whispered conversation across from him, the later letting out a long breath after a moment, before getting up from the floor. Branch stood for a moment looking uncomfortable, before he scowled and stomped across the pod to where John had sat himself. The teal troll looked up at his baby brother in trepidation, fully expecting to get snapped at for his thoughtless comment. Instead, Branch stared down at him for a long minute, then flopped down onto the floor next to him. "I know you didn't mean anything by it," Branch muttered, his face slowly relaxing from his scowl as he stared at the floor, "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

John blinked, more than a little surprised that he wasn't told to just leave. "Hey," he finally said after a beat, an easy grin plastering itself on his face, "No harm, no foul. I should think more before I speak."

Branch turned his head to look at John, a thoughtful expression on his face, before he let out a breath. He let his shoulders slump and suddenly tipped sideways to rest against John's side. The teal troll jumped a little as his baby brother bumped into him, a pleased little thrill running through him as Branch's head settled on his shoulder. "You're trying your best, and that's all anyone can ask for," Branch said, glancing over to Poppy who gave him a thumbs up, "I'm glad you showed up today."

Tears immediately welled up in John's eyes at Branch's admittance to being happy to see him, even if it was prompted by Poppy. "Aww, Bitty B," John hiccupped quietly, causing Branch to immediately sit up and look alarmed as John sniffled. "Sorry," he waved a hand through the air, wiping at his eyes and chuckling, "You just caught me off guard, is all."

"I fully expect Floyd to cry like this," Branch said, pulling a handkerchief from his hair and handing it to John, "But not you. Are you sure you're okay?"

A jolt of panic squeezed John's heart at Branch's question, suddenly remembering the tiny egg in his hair. "Yeah! Of course!" John snorted, wiping his face quickly with Branch's handkerchief and handing it back, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Branch stared John Dory down, the eldest brother doing his best to seem nonchalant. "If you say so," Branch finally sighed, grabbing some of the paper John had taken before, while pulling a pair of scissors from his hair. "Poppy's friends will be here soon. We should probably get to work. Glitter knows they'll maybe get three books done between them today between all the socializing, so we'll need to pick up the slack."

John waved at Poppy as he left her pod later that day, the sun just about ready to dip beneath the horizon.

"Thanks again for all your help, JD!" she called, bouncing on her toes as she waved. Branch stood a bit more sedately next to her, but there was a smile on his face as he also waved as John left.

"Always happy to help, Poppyseed!" John called back, grinning as he waved goodbye. And perhaps it was his distraction, or not being used to this particular path, but John gasped as his foot hit a patch of something slick. He wobbled, his foot sliding right out from underneath him as he squawked and stumbled towards the edge of the pathway, his eyes widening as as realized just how high up Poppy's pod was.

"John!" Branch's voice echoed out as John just began to teeter over the edge of the pathway. Suddenly a dark weft of navy hair wrapped around John's waist, yanking him back until he was practically right back at Poppy's doorway again. He gasped for breath as he sat down, a hand clutched to his chest. "John?!" Branch was suddenly in front of him, gripping at his shoulders, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, sorry," John breathed, shaking his head slightly, "I stepped on something and I slipped." He took a moment to collect himself before smiling tightly at Branch. "Didn't mean to make you panic. I could've caught myself on the way down."

"But I caught you before you fell," Branch stated, squeezing John's shoulder's a little. John's smile loosened a little as he reached up to pat at Branch's hand.

"Yeah. Y'did," John nodded, letting out a puff of air, "Thanks, B."

The second time John Dory tried to leave, he liked to think he was a bit more successful. He gave Poppy and Branch a hug each before he headed off, paying attention to where his feet were going this time around. He kept his eyes resolutely on the ground until he reached the bottom of the tree, at which point he quickly dodged behind a bush and slumped against the trunk. He clutched at the front of his vest, a hand going up to gently brush against his hair. If he'd fallen... He let out a shuddering breath as he slid down the trunk to sit. If it had fallen out of his hair it certainly would've solved his dilemma, but the very idea of the egg plummeting from such a height made his heart freeze solid in his chest. He couldn't even bear to think of it.

"Gotta be more careful," John murmured to himself, jerking a bit as the bush in front of his hiding place began to shake. He jumped to his feet to take a fighting stance, only to blink at Hickory as his head appeared through the branches.

"There y'are!" Hickory crowed, shoving the rest of the way through the bush, only to pause as he took in John's aggressive stance. "Were ya expectin' someone else?"

John chuckled nervously, quickly dropping his stance to stand casually while rocking on the balls of his feet with a strained grin. "Sorry, Hick. You just startled me."

"Mmm, I can see that," Hickory arched an eyebrow, "What're ya doin' hidin' back here, anyway? You were due home a little bit ago, so I thought I'd come see where ya'd gotten to. Smidge said she saw ya duck back here."

"Just needed a minute," John shrugged, "I almost took a tumble off the path to Poppy's pod on my way back down. Needed to take a little bit of a breather when I got to the bottom."

Hickory frowned lightly, reaching out to take John's hand. "Y'sure that's all? You've taken plenty a' tumble before. Y'seem a bit wound up, darlin'."

"Ya, well, y'know," John waved his free hand through the air with a tight smile, "I'm not getting any younger. Who knows how I'd heal up these days if I fell from the top of a tree." He let out a bit of a strained laugh, before shrugging, "Anyway, I actually still need to go and scavenge some berries and stuff for Rhonda. Her stash is getting low. So, I'll be home a bit later. You don't mind having dinner by yourself tonight, right?" He gently pulled his hand free of Hickory's, jerking his thumb over his shoulder as he took a step back.

"Wha-? Uh, yeah, I s'pose so," Hickory said, confusion plain on his face. "Y'don't want me t' come with ya?"

"No, no! I've got this. Rhonda's my responsibility, after all," John took another step back, "I'll see you in a little while, ok?"

"Sure," Hickory watched as John all but dashed away, his shoulders slumping as he felt an odd pang of something in his chest. Had he done something wrong? Breakfast had certainly felt a little stilted, especially when John left after a peck on the cheek and not even a backwards glance. Perhaps the teal troll just had a lot on his mind with Clay showing up in the next couple of days?

John growled at himself at he stalked through the woods, running his fingers through his hair and tugging at the strands, while also trying to be mindful of the egg. "Good job, John Dory," he hissed at himself, "Hickory probably thinks you're pissed off at him now. You couldn't keep it together for five minutes?!" He paused in his stomping to punch a tree to try and relieve his aggravation, only to pause as he heard an odd cracking sound come from above.

"Wha-...?" John glanced up just in time to see a large branch falling directly towards him. "Holy mother of trolls!" he shouted as he jumped back, just barely managing to get out of the way. He didn't quite fully succeed, as a jagged twig caught his jacket and tore the bottom edge, but overall he considered himself extremely lucky to not have ended up crushed under it. He stood there in shock for a minute, trying to catch his breath and letting his brain catch up to what just occurred. "The forest is out to kill me," he wheezed after a beat, patting at his chest in a futile attempt to calm his heart down.

It took another minute or two for John's legs to stop shaking so he could continue down the trail he'd been walking. Today truly wasn't his day. Perhaps his best bet would really be to gather up some berries for Rhonda and head back home. He could try and suss out his feelings about the egg and how he'd talk to Hickory tomorrow. Today was a wash.

When John walked though Rhonda's door when he'd finally finished up with feeding her, he was greeted by the smell of chili and fresh bread permeating the air. Which, honestly, was a surprise given how late he'd finally gotten back. It was dark out, and a party had been raging in town for at least an hour now.

"Howdy, darlin'."

John jumped slightly, still a little flighty from his earlier near death incidents, turning wide eyes on Hickory, who was standing next to their dining table.

"Sorry," Hickory offered a remorseful smile, "Didn't mean t' startle you."

"It's okay. Just had a bit of a day," John sighed, shuffling further into Rhonda to shut the door behind himself.

"So I heard. I went an' talked to Poppy after I saw ya. You not only nearly fell outta that tree, but ya had a bit of a scrap with Branch. She said it turned out just fine, but between that an' Clay showin' up here soon, I figure yer probably a bit on edge. Am I guessin' right?"

John's heart fluttered in his chest as Hickory spoke, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly as the country troll moved forward to take his hands gently. "Yeah. I didn't mean to get all weird on your earlier. I just have a lot on my mind right now." Admittedly, it was a lot more than what Hickory had surmised, but he wasn't about to get into that quite yet.

"It's alright. Figured a good meal might help settle ya a bit," Hickory hummed, tugging John forward and gently nudging him towards a chair at the table. "I got some ingredients at the market an' whipped up some chili for us. Woulda made the bread, too, but that would've taken too long. So, that's just from the little bakery stall that y'said Floyd likes to get scones at."

"You're too good to me, Hick," John sighed, settling himself at the table as Hickory placed a bowl of chili with a thick slice of bread dipped into the side in front of him.

"Nah," the country troll laughed, "I'm just the right amount."

A couple of days came and went, and John still hadn't figured out how he was going to talk to Hickory. He'd also had a rogue glitter cannon go off near him, nearly taking his arm off, and a loose flyer bug unintentionally snag him as a rider and take him on a joy ride until he could get the thing under control. All in all, he'd been stressed to the nines and truly beginning to wonder if the universe actually had it out for him. And now, the icing on the stress ball of a cupcake he found himself with, Clay was showing up with the Putt Putt trolls.

"Hey, hey!" Clay crowed as he and Viva lead a group of nervous looking, monochromatic trolls into the center of the village. He waved enthusiastically at their welcome party, which consisted of John, Hickory, Poppy, Branch and Floyd.

"Welcome to Pop Village," Poppy declared in her best practiced queen voice, spreading her arms wide in a welcoming gesture and grinning like an idiot at her sister. It barely took a moment before the two were barreling at each other and swept up in hugs and eager chatter.

"Yeah, that seems right," Branch muttered to himself, though the fond smile on his face betrayed his put upon annoyance at how quickly Poppy seemingly forgot her duties. "Okay! Everyone, if I could have your attention?" Branch called towards the Putt Putt trolls as he wandered away from the remaining three welcome party members, shouting directions to the various welcome activities and events Pop Village had put together for the final wave of new comers.

"Oh, man. It's so good to finally be here," Clay said with a grin as he walked up to John, Hickory and Floyd. "You guys cannot even begin to imagine how sucky it is to camp out for, like, a week straight."

"Oh no. What a horrible fate to endure," John sarcastically remarked, earning a snort of laughter from Floyd and a glare from Clay.

"Not all of us are feral, John Dory," Clay sniffed, before pulling Floyd in for a hug. "Hey, man! How're you doing?! You look like you're walking better."

"I am, thank you," Floyd said with a laugh as he returned the hug, "Branch made me a walking cane that's helped a lot." He lifted the cane to show it off, Clay remarking eagerly on the craftsmanship.

John smiled dopily at his brothers, enjoying watching them interact happily when a quiet cough next to him reminded him of both his manners and a very important troll Clay had yet to actually meet. "Oh! Right, sorry." John cleared his throat and stepped forward, waving a little to get Clay's attention, which was only given after a long suffering groan left Clay.

"Do you really need constant validation, JD?" Clay asked, before registering that there was even another troll standing with the brothers. "Oh! Sorry, didn't see you there. I'm Clay, licensed CPA, and middle brother of these idiots. You are?" Clay offered his hand towards Hickory, who chuckled at the introduction.

"The name's Hickory," the country troll replied, shaking Clay's hand, "Uh, ex professional bounty hunter, an' yer oldest brothers partner."

"Partner? Like, as in business?"

John rolled his eyes and groaned, while Hickory simply laughed. "Nah. As in datin'."

"Wh- John Dory!" Clay exclaimed, punching his eldest brother in the arm, "You could've said something!"

"I tried!" John rubbed at his arm, "You were too busy being an ass."

"Says the biggest ass of them all," Clay quipped back, before looking back to Hickory. "I am so sorry. Blink twice if this is a hostage situation."

"CLAY!"

"What? There's gotta be some outside reason he'd choose to date /you/, of all trolls," Clay stated with a shrug, grinning as Floyd snickered quietly beside him.

"I'll give /you/ an outside reason," John grumbled, glaring at his brother.

"Hey, easy now," Hickory soothed, rubbing John's shoulder. "Actually, yer brother an' I have known each other for a long time. We dated before, an' just recently got back together."

"So you've always made poor life decisions. I see, I see," Clay nodded, resulting in a roar of outrage from John as he jumped at his younger brother. Clay yelped as he took off running through the town square with John hot on his heels, while Floyd doubled over in laughter and Hickory watched them go off in mild confusion.

"S'that normal?" Hickory asked once Floyd's laughter had subsided and John's yelling had gotten a fair distance away.

"More or less, I suppose," Floyd chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes. "When we were younger, it was Clay's favorite pass time to see how riled up he could get John before they wound up in a wrestling match. He likes to dig at John. I think he believes it helps keep John grounded. Or, at least, I think that was his reason when we were younger, since John tended to go a little off the rails with the whole 'perfect' thing. Nowadays, I think it's just habit."

"I see," Hickory nodded, truthfully a little put off by the interaction. He couldn't even imagine trying to have that sort of relationship with Dickory. Mind, they were very different siblings from John Dory and his brothers. "Well, s'long as I don't have to worry 'bout them killin' each other, I s'pose it's fine."

"They won't actually hurt each other," Floyd reassured, looking thoughtful for a moment before shrugging, "Not seriously, at least." Hickory gave Floyd the side eye, earning a light laugh from the pink troll. "It'll be fine, trust me. But, that does remind me," Hickory watched as Floyd rummaged around in his hair for a moment, before pulling out a piece of paper, "I got a letter from Bruce yesterday. Branch told him about Clay finally moving to Pop Village, so he's going to come for a visit. He said he's planning on being here in the next day or so. Can you give this to John, and let him know?"

"You betcha," Hickory took the letter and tucked it under his hat.

Later that day, after the Putt Putt trolls were dispersed amongst the village, Hickory found John wavering a little on his feet as he spoke to Branch and Clay about improvements that could be made on a trans kingdom train that was in the planning stages. Branch had a sheet of blueprints held out in front of himself, while John made little comments here and there in regards to possible wheel adjustments for various terrains, and Clay shot half his ideas down due to logistical issues with construction.

"Well, look," John finally said, sounding as tired as he was beginning to look, "Clay is obviously better at this stuff than I am, so why doesn't he just help you with pitching the construction to the council."

"I asked you because you've travelled the most through the kingdoms by ground. Your input is really helpful," Branch said, shooting Clay a glare even as the middle brother looked contrite, "Clay has some good points about the validity of actually being able to put your ideas into practice, but I don't think he'd be able to actually come up with any ideas from scratch on his own."

"Hey!" Clay looked offended, before deflating with a shrug, "But, yeah, you're right. You've got good ideas, JD, they just need to be refined." He scuffed his toe on the ground before letting out a long breath. "I'm not trying to shoot everything down. Just point out what's realistic."

John gave Clay a half smile, recognizing the olive branch his brother was trying to offer. "I know, Clay. Thanks. And, I'm sorry. I think it's just been a long few days of getting everything ready for your guys' arrival, and I'm tired."

"I think that sounds like our queue to be headin' home, then, darlin'," Hickory piped up, sidling up next to John.

"Ew. You called John 'darling'," Clay quipped, wheezing when Branch jabbed him in the side with his elbow.

"Thanks for coming today, Hickory. Your support is appreciated," Branch said diplomatically, grunting as Clay shoved him slightly. "And thank you, for putting up with us."

Hickory chuckled as Clay and Branch began to quibble at each other, glancing at John who had a fond, but sad little smile on his face as he watched Clay give Branch a noogie.

"You ready to get goin'?" Hickory prompted, nudging John slightly.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Got a little caught up in my head there for a sec," John sighed, before picking up a small pebble from the ground and chucking it at Clay, who howled as if he'd been shot. "We're leaving! See you guys later!"

"I'm going to bruise!" Clay all but wailed, rubbing at his arm where the stone had hit him, earning no sympathy from Branch, who rolled his eyes at his brothers antics.

"C'mon," John laughed as he walked away with a wave, Hickory following shortly thereafter.

"What were you thinkin' 'bout?" Hickory asked after they'd been walking for a few minutes in relative silence, catching John's hand in his own to swing it playfully between them.

"When?"

"When you were watchin' Branch an' Clay. Ya looked a million miles away."

John nodded a little, clicking his tongue as he thought for a moment. "Clay gets along so easily with Branch. So does Floyd. I always somehow manage to say the wrong thing around him, and I just...I don't know. Maybe I'm jealous that my brothers all seem to get along so well and I just can't figure out exactly what I'm doing wrong."

Hickory squeezed John's hand lightly, offering a smile as John looked to him. "I don't think yer necessarily doin' anything wrong. Maybe yer just all up in yer head a bit too much? Overthinkin' what ya should be doin' or sayin'."

"So, I'm getting in my own way?" John asked with a little snort of laughter while nodding a bit, "Yeah. That sounds about right." He glanced up at they entered Rhonda's clearing and she rumbled a greeting to them. "How's my baby girl been?" he cooed at her, letting go of Hickory to give the bus critter as much of a hug as he could. Which resulted in him wrapping his arms part way around her face. "Have you been a good girl?" Rhonda cooed happily in response, turning her head to lick John Dory and half coat him in glitter.

"I'll go get the shower ready for ya," Hickory chuckled as he walked past a dripping John, who groaned and let his chin drop to his chest.

Once John was bathed and in clean pajamas, he was about to settle on the couch to listen to an old record when Hickory suddenly jerked up from his seat at the kitchen table where he'd been reading. The movement startled John into nearly dropping the record in his hands. "What?! What is it?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Hickory soothed, walking across the room as he pulled Floyd's letter from his hair, "I just nearly forgot t'give this to ya. Floyd said it's a letter from Bruce. Guess he's gonna be visitin' in the next day or so, since ya'll are in Pop Village now."

"Are you kidding me?" John groaned, taking the letter from Hickory to quickly read it over.

"Don't sound too excited to see yer brother or nothin'," Hickory commented, raising an eyebrow at John.

"Ugh, I know," John grumbled, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, "It's just been a lot already these last few days. You know how stressed out I've been between the welcome party, how accident prone I've apparently been, and now this. Everything always happens all at once." Not to mention that with the Putt Putt trolls and Clay being taken care of, he'd hoped to finally have time to come up with a way to talk to Hickory about the egg. But now, with Bruce coming to visit, he'd have to push it back even further. "I may have been living here for nearly a year, but I am still not used to how much goes on here at any given time."

"Maybe you need one a' those guide books y'all put together the other day," Hickory joked, moving behind John to gently rub at his shoulders.

John chuckled quietly, letting his eyes slip shut as he felt the tension bleed from his shoulders at Hickory's ministrations. "Maybe," he sighed, letting Hickory rub his shoulders for another moment before turning in the country trolls hold. He draped his arms over Hickory's shoulders and bumped their noses together. "I don't know how you put up with me being so high strung every day."

"Ya make it sound like it's hard."

John chuckled as he pressed a kiss to Hickory's lips, a contented little sound escaping him as Hickory's hands moved to settle on his waist.

"C'mon, darlin'. I think it seems like a good night t'turn in early," Hickory hummed, walking backwards towards the bed and pulling John along with him.

"Yeah, okay."

Bruce's letter had been written just before the final Putt Putt trolls had left the golf course, and Bruce had stated that he'd be visiting in one week. Which gave John Dory a single day reprieve before his fourth and final brother got to the village. And he was planning on using it to his full advantage. Or, at least, try to. He'd banished Hickory from Rhonda to let her go for a romp around the woods for the day, and told Hickory he'd meet up with him for lunch, but that he was going to take the morning to himself to try and relax a bit before Bruce got to town and all hell, presumably, broke loose. And so, John Dory found himself wandering around the outskirts of town near the market, trying to come up with the best way to talk to Hickory about the egg and their future. If they still had a future. To say it was a daunting task was putting it lightly.

"Come on, John Dory. You were 'the leader' for years. Figuring out how to talk to someone shouldn't be this hard," he grumbled to himself, absently kicking a stone as he tromped past a candy stall near the end of the market.

"John Dory?"

John startled and looked up as he came to a stop, gaping as suddenly a tall, dark burgundy rock troll with wildly spiked orange hair came barreling at him.

"John Dory!" the troll crowed, before scooping John up and spinning him around in a circle. "It is you! Figured you'd still be wandering around the Neverglades."

The troll dropped John back onto his feet, causing the teal troll to stumble slightly. "Crush?" John gasped, finally registering exactly who the troll in front of him was. "What're you doing in Pop Village?" Crush had been part of the reason John had only been to Volcano Rock city twice. He'd met him the on the second trip and they'd gone on a three week long bender that John could barely remember. They parted ways when John realized that Crush truly only cared about the party scene. It had not been a very civil goodbye.

"I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. After the rockapocalypse and all that, I kept hearing trolls talk about this place and the rad parties they have. Didn't figure I'd find you here, though," Crush said with an easy grin, getting a bit into John's space.

"Yeah, I'm not sure the parties they have here are quite what you're thinking they are," John offered with a bit of a strained smile.

"No? Well, you know I'm always packin'," Crush said with a wink, opening the studded vest he wore to show off a pocket full of sour worms. "But c'mon, tell me why you're here!" Crush clapped John on the shoulder and began to walk, steering John away from the market.

"My brothers," John grunted, digging his heels in a bit as Crush tried to get him to move. "I reunited with them a while ago, and I moved here to be closer to them."

"Brothers? I didn't know you had any brothers," Crush hummed, tugging John in close to his side and shaking him slightly. John scowled as he was manhandled. "Sounds boring, though, man. What happened to my adventurous Johnny Boy, huh?"

"Pretty sure your version of 'Johnny Boy' never existed," John grumbled, squirming enough to be able to shove Crush's arm off his shoulders. He glanced up at the sky, noting that it was getting near mid-day. He should be meeting Hickory soon. "Look. It's been...surprising to see you, Crush. But, I've gotta get-" he startled and stumbled backwards as Crush suddenly crowded into him, forcing John to back up into a tree trunk.

"You can't be leaving so soon," Crush cooed, a crooked grin on his face, "We haven't even had a chance to catch up yet."

"Catch up? Crush. You didn't even remember I had brothers, and I /know/ I told you about them. What's there to catch up on?" John stated with a scowl, hating how the rock troll towered over him. "What do you want?"

"C'mon, Johnny baby, don't be like that," Crush sighed, effectively boxing John in by placing his hands on the tree truck above John's shoulders, a lascivious smirk on his face as he leaned over the smaller troll. "We had a lot of fun when you visited Volcano Rock City. We could have a lot of fun here, too, y'know."

John growled under his breath, his fists clenching at his sides. "That was years ago, Crush. I've grown up and moved on. So should you."

"Oh, please, Johnny," Crush said with a cruel sounding laugh, "You growing up? I was there when you scarfed down three sour worms, stripped down to just your goggles and danced on a table while trolls threw rock candy at you for tips."

"I did what?" The tension that John had been building in his body suddenly left at the shock of hearing such a story about himself that he couldn't even remember.

Crush chuckled, lifting a hand from the tree to pluck absently at the fur trim of John's vest. "It was quite the night. You made out with some twink when you finally got down off the table, and I took you both home."

John flushed in embarrassment, scowling darkly up at Crush. "Well, even so, that was years ago, like I said. I /have/ grown up, and I'm with someone now, so if you don't mind," John practically snarled, shifting to push at Crush's chest to get him to move. He paused when he caught sight of a familiar cowboy hat at the edge of the market, opening his mouth to shout and catch Hickory's attention.

"With someone?" Crush scoffed, pressing into John's space and dipping his head, "Does he make you squeal like I did?" With that Crush caught John's face between his hands and forced a kiss on him, shoving him back into the tree and cutting off his shout.

John saw red. He roughly shoved Crush away while turning his head to spit the taste of the other troll out of his mouth. "What the FUCK, Crush?!" John shouted, infuriated as all the rock troll did was laugh at him.

"What? You used to like it when I got rough with you."

John let out an enraged bellow before uppercutting Crush in the jaw, feeling satisfied as the taller troll stumbled backwards with a curse.

"John?"

John panted as he watched Crush pull his hand away from his face, glittering orange blood covering his mouth and hand. He turned his head as Hickory called his name, he and a few other trolls approaching after hearing John yell.

"You BITCH! You made me bite my tongue!" Crush snarled, flecks of orange blood flying out of his mouth as he spoke.

John flicked his attention back to Crush, and barred his teeth while brandishing his fist at the other. "Good," he hissed, "Don't ever let me catch you in Pop Village again, or it'll be more than your tongue that ends up bleeding."

Crush scowled at him, but upon noticing the group of trolls approaching he shrugged and spit blood at John's feet. "S'not worth it," he grumbled, hunching his shoulders as he walked away.

"John?" Hickory called him again, approaching cautiously, "What just happened?"

John sighed, letting his shoulder slump as he smiled tightly at Hickory, ignoring the small collection of trolls behind him that had begun to whisper amongst themselves. "I'll tell you over lunch."

"Well. He certainly sounds like he was a barrel full a' monkeys," Hickory said with a light frown as he poked at his lunch idly with a fork once John was finished telling him about his time in Volcano Rock City and his history with Crush.

"Yeah," John sighed, rubbing at his face tiredly. "I honestly never thought I'd see him again. I was hoping I'd never see him again. He was...not a good decision. I think I met him a few months after we broke up. It's probably why I made such bad decisions, if I'm being honest."

"You were copin'. Everyone makes bad decisions once n' a while," Hickory conceded, setting his fork down. "I ain't gonna judge you for yer past, if that's what yer worried about, John."

John looked to Hickory, feeling like he was on the verge of tears. At this point, he figured it had to be weird egg hormones making him so weepy. "What'd I do to deserve you, Hick?"

"You were just bein' yerself, pretty sure," Hickory hummed with a small smile.

A light laugh left John as he pushed his half empty plate away from himself. "Let's go find Rhonda and get her back to her clearing. I think it's another early day. For me, at least. I'm really tired after having to deal with," he gestured vaguely towards to edge of town, "all that."

"I'll help ya track down Rhonda, but I was gonna meet up with Branch this afternoon. You gonna be okay by yerself?"

"Yeah. Rhonda won't let anyone in that I haven't introduced her to. She'll keep me safe until you get home," John said with an easy smile as Hickory stood and leaned over to peck a kiss to John's cheek.

"Sounds good. Let's go get 'er."

Once John and Hickory had corralled Rhonda back into her clearing and Hickory had all but tucked John into bed with a record playing and book in hand, Hickory headed for Branch's bunker. Originally, he'd offered to help Branch with some ideas on the logistics for the cross kingdom train while going through mountain terrain. But now he had a slightly different agenda in mind.

"Thanks for coming down to help go over some details for the train," Branch said as he and Hickory descended into the bunker, "Since the primary residents of the mountains are classical trolls, and they fly, it'll be really helpful to get your opinion on how we can safely have the train move through the rougher terrain of the mountains."

"Y'know I'm always happy to help where I can, Branch," Hickory hummed absently, "Though, I honestly dunno how much help I'll really be. M'not an engineer or nothin'."

"True, but you can at least give me a better idea about rough passages, or what areas might be easier to get tracks through. JD isn't much of a technical guy, either, but his ideas about how to get the train over the volcanic rock, and for a semi-aquatic station near the techno trolls have been really helpful. Any insights I can get are appreciated."

"Uh, speakin' of John," Hickory said, chewing on his lip slightly as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom floor of the bunker.

Branch sighed exaggeratedly and tipped his head back while rolling his eyes. "What's he done, now?"

Hickory frowned lightly at Branch's response, folding his arms over his chest. "What is with you all an' yer immediate attitude towards John? What made ya assume he's the one who'd done somethin'?"

Branch blinked in surprise at Hickory's accusation, staring off into the middle distance for a moment to think. "I...huh," Branch rubbed at his neck abashedly, his cheeks darkening in embarrassment, "I honestly don't really know. That was pretty off the cuff, wasn't it?"

"Yer darned skippy it was. Now, I know I don't know the whole history of y'all, but John's told me enough to get the gist that he hurt ya. I understand that, trust me, I do. But all I've seen is him tryin' to make it up to y'all by runnin' himself ragged. He's been completely exhausted for the last week, an' I was gonna say that I was worried 'bout 'im. But with that sorta response I wonder if I should've gone t' talk t' Floyd, instead. At least he doesn't seem t' immediately get snarly when I mention John."

Branch looked contrite at Hickory's scolding. "No. No, you're right. JD's really been trying to be there for me anytime I ask for his help, and he keeps volunteering to help with anything Poppy needs. Poppy's pointed out the same thing to me. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one who needs apologizin' to," Hickory sniffed, walking into the bunker ahead of Branch. "I was talkin' to him 'bout y'all yesterday, an' he thinks he can't figure out how to interact with ya properly. I told 'im he was just gettin' too caught up in his own head. Now I'm beginin' to wonder if it's cause ya won't give 'im a proper chance."

"Did he really say that?" Branch asked, trotting after Hickory and looking ashamed. "Did he say anything else?"

Hickory sighed, moving to sit at Branch's kitchen table. "Not really, no. But he's been all out of sorts over Clay comin' t' town. An' now with Bruce comin', he's only gotten worse. Plus, this mornin' he had a run in with this really awful rock troll who was apparently his ex. I won't get into details, but I will tell ya that he punched the guy hard enough t' make 'im bleed."

"I had no idea," Branch muttered as he sat at the table across from Hickory. "Why hasn't he said anything to me or Floyd?"

"He puts up a front when he's around y'all. He's yer big brother. He told me, once, 'bout how he took care of all a'yall when you were little. I think that might make him think he's gotta put on some sorta persona when he's around ya, to make himself seem larger than life or somethin'. Like he doesn't need anyone to look out for 'im. But I can tell he's hurtin', an' there's only so much I can do for 'im. I wanted t' talk to you before Bruce showed up, so you could maybe talk to 'im before he sees John. They're the closest in age, right? I've obviously never met 'im, so I was hopin' you could ask Bruce t' talk to John for me. I just wanna help him, an' I don't think there's much more I can really do."

Branch gave a little nod. "Of course. I'd be happy to."

"Thanks, Branch. That's truly a load off my mind," Hickory said with a soft smile, "Now, 'bout that train a' yours..."

John somehow managed to sleep through the time Bruce was supposedly showing up in town.

"HICKORY," John squawked as he rolled out of bed, frantically grabbing his clothes as he dashed into the bathroom, "WHY'D YOU LET ME SLEEP SO LONG?!"

"Because you looked like you needed it," Hickory stated bluntly, sipping at a cup of coffee as he flipped the page on the book he'd been reading.

"What I need is to be on time to meet my brother," John said as he came back out of the bathroom, fingers in his hair as he fiddled with it absently in the reflection of the kitchen window while waiting for his own coffee to brew.

"No, what you need is to calm down an' breath," Hickory hummed, coming up behind John to take his fingers from his hair. He paused, though, when John's shoulders suddenly tensed at his touch and he dipped his head forward to keep Hickory's hands away from his head. "...you alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit of a headache today," John murmured, before turning around and taking Hickory's hands in his own, "My hair is kind of sensitive, that's all."

Hickory frowned but let is slide, slipping away from John's hold to pour the teal troll a cup of coffee. "If ya say so. But, really, ya need t' slow down. Your brothers'll still be there when ya get to Branch's place. You can be a bit late." He handed John the cup, who downed half of it once it was in his hand.

"Hot," John wheezed, sticking his tongue out as his eyes watered at the temperature.

"No shit," Hickory snorted, hands planted on his hips as he watched John swap the coffee for a glass of water to try and sooth the burn. "S'what ya get fer rushin'."

John scrunched his nose and stuck his burnt tongue out at Hickory, only to receive an eye roll in return. He snorted quietly, setting his water aside to pull Hickory in for a kiss. "I'll be back later. Don't miss me too much."

Hickory chuckled, cupping John's cheeks and nudging their noses together. "I'll miss ya however much I feel like. Now, get outta here." He pressed another quick peck to John's lips before pushing him towards the door.

What John was not expecting was to open Rhonda's door to find Bruce walking across Rhonda's clearing towards him. He panicked slightly, quickly jumping down from the doorway and rushing towards the purple troll. "Am I that late?!" he asked quickly, fixing his hair as he felt the egg shift against his scalp. "I'm sorry, Bruce. Hickory let me oversleep, and-"

"JD," Bruce scoffed quietly, a smile on his face, "You're fine."

The both turned as Hickory appeared in Rhonda's doorway, shouting a quick greeting to Bruce. "It's nice t'meet ya," he said with a wave.

"Likewise! I'm sure we'll talk later," Bruce returned the wave, before putting his arm around John's shoulders and steering him easily from the clearing.

"Wha-? Bruce, this isn't the way to Branch's bunker," John said, glancing back towards Rhonda only to find her door already shut. "What's going on?"

"Your boyfriend is worried about you, JD," Bruce stated plainly, "Branch talked to me shortly after I got here this morning. What's up with you, man?"

"Ah, so this is brotherly intervention," John grumbled, "You haven't done this since we were kids."

"Yeah. When you'd run yourself so blindingly ragged taking care of us that you dressed Floyd in my clothes for school and gave Clay a can of beans for dinner."

"There's nothing wrong with beans."

"You literally just handed him the can. I think he was, what? Seven? You didn't even give him anything to open it. Now, stop trying to avoid the topic at hand. What's up with you? Branch said you've been stressed out."

John sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes. "It's nothing serious. Just trying to get used to being around so many trolls, while trying to figure out how to interact with you guys again. I'm all up in my own head. I already talked to Hickory about it. I'll be fine."

Bruce paused, pulling John in close to force him to stop as well. He turned his older brother around so they were face to face, narrowing his eyes as he stared John down. They stood like that for a solid minute, before Bruce scowled and gave John a little shove. "You're not telling me everything."

"What?!" John scoffed, holding his hands out in a incredulous gesture, "How would you even be able to tell that?"

"Dad senses," Bruce said with a shrug, "I can tell when anyone lies to me now."

John snorted and stared at Bruce in disbelief. "You're joking."

"Nope," Bruce said, popping the 'p'. "Now, tell me the truth, John Dory. What's really got you so messed up?"

"Alright, fine. Yesterday I ran into an ex, and he was really shitty to me, so I punched him. Does that satisfy your 'dad senses'?" John asked, doing air quotes as he spoke.

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Branch said you've been weird for the last week. That would only account for yesterday. Stop trying to avoid talking to me, John. I just want to help."

John opened his mouth to make another snide comment before pausing at the look of concern on Bruce's face. He let his jaw close with a click of his teeth, his expression slowly shifting until it looked like his whole world might shatter if Bruce said the wrong thing to him. "You need to promise me that what I tell you, you won't say to a damn soul."

Bruce frowned in confusion, but gave a tiny nod. It was so very rare for John to get so dead serious about anything that he couldn't bring himself to even try and argue against such a promise.

"Promise me, Bruce. I need to hear you say it."

"I promise, JD."

John quickly glanced around before grabbing Bruce's wrist and dragging him through a bush and down an old forest path that looked like it hadn't been used in years.

"Wha-? John, where are we going?" Bruce asked, already dreading the amount of leaves he would have to pull out of his hair later.

"Hopefully somewhere where no one will eavesdrop on us," John said, looking a bit squirrelly. Finally, after a few minutes, they stopped and John turned to Bruce with what Bruce could only describe as a frightened look on his face. "I'm serious about this, Bruce. You can't tell anyone. I need more time to figure things out."

"Figure what out? John, you're starting to scare me."

John swallowed thickly, staring his brother down for another moment, before reaching up to part his hair enough that the purple troll could see the little egg nestled near the crown of his head. "It's Hickory's," he murmured, watching as Bruce's face lit up.

"John!" Bruce gasped, "Why're you so afraid to tell anyone about this?! It's amazing!"

John shook his head, letting his hair fall back around the egg as he dropped his hands to his sides. "No, it's not. Bruce. Hickory and I have only been back together for like three months, tops. We spent two of those apart while he was in Lonesome Flats, sorting his affairs out. I can't have suddenly developed an egg within the three weeks he's been back in Pop Village. It's way too soon. We haven't even talked about permanent living arrangements, yet. He wants to travel. He's wanted to travel since I first met him. Having an egg would ruin those plans. I can't...We've never talked about kids, Bruce. Not even when we were younger."

A dawning realization crept up on Bruce as John shrank into himself in front of him. "You're afraid he's going to leave you when he finds out."

"I don't want to lose him again," John admitted, fiddling with the bottom of his vest, "I need to figure out the best angle to present this to him. To let him know that I'll take care of everything, as long as he doesn't leave." John sniffed as tears formed in his eyes, a quiet curse escaping him at his heightened emotions.

Bruce watched John for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Have you taken it out of your hair, yet?"

John startled, blinking up at Bruce in confusion. "Taken it out?"

"Yeah. It's been at least two weeks, right? You should be able to take it out of your hair for a few minutes at a time now. Have you?"

John shook his head a little. "No. I've only looked at it in the mirror."

"May I?" Bruce asked, gesturing to John's hair. The teal troll nodded, dipping his head a little so Bruce could easily part his hair. He gently pulled the egg from John's hair, cooing quietly as he cradled it to his chest, admiring the sky blue and orange shell. "Looks like it hasn't developed hair yet, but the shell is a really pretty color," Bruce offered, grinning a bit at the look of wonder on John's face as he stared at the little egg in his brothers hands.

"That's it?" John breathed, reaching out to carefully take the egg from Bruce's hands, "It's so tiny." The tears that had built in his eyes slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the delicate shell. John let out a quiet little sob, bringing the egg up to brush against his cheek. "Hey, baby," John whispered to the egg, "I'm gonna take real good care of you. I promise."

Bruce had to choke back his own tears at seeing his oldest brother speak so tenderly to his egg. "Hey," he murmured, matching John's quiet tone, "It's gotta go back in your hair, or it'll get too cold." He offered his hands to John, who tentatively gave the egg back to Bruce.

Once it was settled back in John's hair the two took a moment to gather themselves, before they began to trek back towards the main trail.

"So, John," Bruce hummed, waiting for John to make a sound to indicate he was listening, "You know that feeling you had when you held it?"

"Yeah?"

"If Hickory doesn't get that feeling when you tell him, and he isn't in it for the long run, he's not worth your time."

"What?!" John stopped, looking scandalized at the suggestion. "He's the best troll I have ever met. He's kind, caring, and sympathetic. He puts up with me when I'm a mess, and takes good care of me. Why would you say that?"

Bruce snorted a laugh, grinning as he reached over to pat John's shoulder. "If what you're saying is true, then that should give you some indication as to how he'll react."

John blinked, Bruce's outside perspective finally making him realize that he'd been massively catastrophizing his conversation with Hickory. No matter what he'd said or done thus far, nothing had driven Hickory away. And he'd seen how the country troll reacted to kids when they were in the market. He was always calm and patient and sweet. Perhaps everything would be alright after all.

"Plus, y'know," Bruce added, pulling John back from his thoughts, "You do know you can travel with a kid, right?"

"Oh," John breathed, feeling like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Yeah, oh," Bruce mocked, punching John softly in the shoulder. "You're such a meat head some times."

"I try," John said with a derisive little laugh, absently rubbing at where Bruce had hit him. "Thanks. For talking. With me."

"Anytime, JD," Bruce said with a laugh as they made it back to the main trail, "Though, now I do have to ask the hard question. Have you been to the doctor yet to make sure everything is all good?"

"You know the answer to that is no," John stated bluntly, giving his brother a deadpan stare.

"Then guess where we're going right now?" Bruce asked, snagging John's wrist before the teal troll could bolt away.

"No! Bruce," John practically whined, digging his heels in and pulling back as Bruce dragged him along the path, "C'mon. You saw it. It's fine! We don't need to go to the doctor."

Bruce let out a put upon sigh, turning to John. "You know there's such a thing as doctor patient confidentiality, right? You'll be fine."

John grumbled at Bruce's use of logic, tripping a bit over his own feet as he was dragged along.

"Well," Doctor Moonbloom hummed as she pulled her hands from John's hair, making the teal troll shudder violently, "Everything looks tip top! It appears to be roughly two and a half weeks along. If everything stays on track, it should develop hair in another week and a half or so, and then you'll be able to share incubation with your partner."

"That's good to hear. Thanks, doc," Bruce said with a smile as John stared off into space, obviously still a little dumbstruck by the whole ordeal. He was pretty sure up until holding the egg, it wasn't really real to John.

"Anytime. I expect to see you back in about three weeks, John Dory, so we can take another look at it a month and a half into development," Moonbloom said, snapping her fingers in front of John Dory's face to get his attention.

"Yes! Right! Month and a half," John said quickly, sitting back and away from the doctor.

"Good. Now, if that's everything," she began, only to pause as John put his hand over her medical chart.

"Actually, doc," John said, frowning lightly, "I do have a question."

"Yes?"

"I was with my partner for a full year when I was younger. Same partner as now. Shouldn't I have developed an egg back then, if this one happened so quickly?"

"Well," Moonbloom said, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully, "That may depend on one major factor. I've heard around the village that until very recently you've travelled a lot, John Dory. When you met your partner, where were you?"

"Up in the mountains," John answered easily, "A little village."

"And, was it cold up in those mountains?"

"I don't think the snow ever melted," John said with a shrug, "I don't really see what that has to do with anything."

"Ah," Moonbloom said with an easy grin, "Pop trolls can only conceive in warmer climates. I'm sure if you'd been somewhere other than the mountains you'd already have a small brood. If I recall correctly, your family is quite...prolific." She shot Bruce a look, which caused the purple troll to clear his throat and look away quickly. "I won't be surprised to see Branch and Poppy in here soon, either." With that the doctor left the room.

"I couldn't image you with a brood," Bruce finally commented with a light laugh, breaking the tension in the room.

John snorted, shoving at his brother as he hopped down from the table he'd been sat on. "I could've said the same to you, and yet you have, what? Twelve kids?"

"Thirteen," Bruce supplied helpfully.

"Thirteen," John breathed, shaking his head as the two walked out of the doctors office, "That's nuts. I can't even imagine."

"It's not hard to image when it's real," Bruce laughed, tugging John into a side hug as they walked. "Just you wait. They grow on you."

"What grows on you?"

Both brothers jumped as Poppy appeared next to them, a curious smile on her face.

"Warts!" John blurted, eyes wide as he glanced at Bruce who cringed, "Uh, yeah. Warts. Had to go to the doctor because of...warts."

"Oh. Ew," Poppy stuck her tongue out and cringed back a bit. "Did you get them looked at?"

"It. Just the one. And, yeah. The doc cleared it right up," John said with a slightly strained smile and a nod. Bruce snorted next to him, earning a swift jab of John's elbow to his ribs.

"Good!" Poppy chirped, clapping her hands together and ignoring the odd behavior of the brothers. "Branch is with Clay and Floyd in the party clearing. We're going to throw a big BroZone bash tonight, so I came to get you guys to help with choosing decorations! I also wanted to talk to you about maybe performing a few songs? Branch and Clay are being real sticks in the mud about it, but Floyd seems excited and he and I were hoping you two could help convince Branch and Clay?"

John let his shoulders relax. "Sure thing, Poppyseed. You know I'm always up to perform."

"As long as it's for fun," Bruce added, nodding as the three headed for the clearing.

Once Bruce and John teamed up with Floyd, it wasn't that hard to convince Branch and Clay to join in on a mini BroZone reunion. Especially when Poppy was leaning over Floyd's shoulder, giving Branch cuddle pup eyes. Once the last two had caved, it was easy enough to divide up the work for the show that night between the six of them and the trolls who had volunteered to help set up. Clay worked with Branch on choreography, Bruce and Floyd discussed decorations with Poppy, while John was left with settling on a set list and figuring out additional light and visual effects for the show.

After a few hours, Poppy finally called for everyone to take a break. Once all of the trolls working on the party and show had a meal, they would get back to it and finish off the last of the setup before the party. All in all, John was pretty pleased with how everything was going, and was in the best mood he'd been since he'd found out about the egg. So it was an extra treat when Hickory showed up with a picnic basket on his arm.

"Howdy," Hickory called, grinning as his greeting was returned by a handful of trolls. "I brought some dinner for the band," he added, lifting the basket.

"Oooh, what did you bring?" Floyd asked, happily walking over to Hickory to poke around in the basket. He'd gone over to visit John /once/ when Hickory had made dinner and had since eagerly taken any food the country troll offered.

"Nothin' too fancy," Hickory chuckled, setting the basket down, revealing that he'd also been carrying a blanket, "Just some sandwiches an' the like. Figured it'd be a nice, quick dinner so y'all could get back at it right quick."

"Aw, man," Clay said with a grin, helping Hickory unfold and set the blanket on the ground, "How did John Dory manage to hook someone who's thoughtful /and/ can cook?"

"Watch it, Clay," John snarked, shoving his brother lightly once the blanket was set out, earning an easy laugh from the younger troll.

"This is really nice of you, Hickory. Thank you," Branch said politely, squawking as Bruce ruffled his hair.

"What Baby Branch said. Thanks," Bruce added, grinning easily as Branch started grumbling about his name.

As everyone began to settle on the blanket, John was called back towards the stage by a tech, requesting one last detail be checked before they took a break. "I'll be right back," he said, pressing a quick kiss to Hickory's cheek before jogging towards the stage.

The ominous and sudden sounds of wires snapping were not missed by anyone in the clearing.

"What the...?" John frowned, looking around for the source of the sound, only to freeze as he looked up to find the lighting rig that had been set up earlier over the stage was tipping towards him. He gaped, eyes widening as he watched the rigging come towards him, his feet frozen to their spot in the grass.

"JOHN!"

Clay slammed into John, tackling him out of the way just in time as the rigging slammed into the ground, several of the light fixtures smashing as they hit the ground, sending bits of broken bulb flying through the air.

"Holy mother of trolls," John wheezed, clutching at Clay who was wrapped around him protectively. He almost died. Again. He was a bit too preoccupied with his fourth near death experience in the last week to realize that Clay had his face practically buried in John's hair. So it startled him even further when Clay suddenly sat up and practically shrieked, "IS THAT AN EGG IN YOUR HAIR?!"

John froze while a cacophony of voices suddenly began talking all at once around him. Slowly he sat up as Bruce dragged Clay away from him. He knew his other brothers and Poppy were all trying to talk to him at once over top of each other, but his vision tunneled on one troll who was stood in front of him, equally as frozen as John had just been. Hickory stared at him, a startled look on his face, while John's heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice.

Hickory opened his mouth to say something when a sudden scream of "NEIN[7]" caused everyone else to stop. Almost in unison the little group around John Dory turned to see a short green and orange troll storming across the clearing, a look of fury on his face.

"Dickory," Hickory snarled, his fists clenching as he quickly moved to stand between John and his brother. "What're /you/ doing here?"

"I have been trying to prevent you from making a terrible mistake with die schlampe[8]. But he's too wily. I haven't managed to catch him in any of my traps," Dickory snapped back, stopping a few feet from the group.

"Traps?" John muttered to himself, frowning as he thought for a moment only to jump to his feet and point accusingly at Dickory. "YOU'RE the reason things kept almost killing me? The slick spot near Poppy's pod, that branch nearly crushing me, the glitter cannon, the flyer bug?! What the fuck, Dickory?!"

"I feel like you are exaggerating. None of those things were guaranteed to kill you. Maim, perhaps, but death was not the goal," Dickory said with a non-committal shrug.

"Right up until you almost crushed him with the lighting rig," Clay suddenly piped up with a growl, taking a threatening step towards Dickory. He only stopped as Bruce put a hand on his shoulder.

"Desperate measures. Especially when I could not even get my brother to see reason when he caught der landstreicher[9] with one of his disgusting past lovers," Dickory sniffed, waving his hand at John like he was a particularly distasteful piece of trash.

"YOU brought that piece of garbage to town?" John growled, stepping forward with a fist brandished towards Dickory, only to bump into Hickory's arm as the country troll put it up to keep John back.

"My life is no longer any of your business, Dickory," Hickory ground out, "You need to leave, right now, before I do somethin' we both regret."

"Okay, one," Hickory snapped right back, "You do NOT get t' talk 'bout John like that. You don't know him like I do, an' you never will, so you keep his name outta yer mouth. An' two, you've been followin' me?!"

"Nein[10]. Not until you see the terrible truth of the choices you have made. We were some of the most feared bounty hunters in the kingdom, and you threw it all away for some hure[11]. There is no way that is your egg, Hickory. I know you have only been back in this town for three weeks," Dickory snapped, pointing accusingly at John, "He is an unfaithful wench."

"I had to make sure you were making good life choices. Which you have not," Dickory scoffed, sneering at John, who then needed to be stopped from going at Dickory by Hickory again.

"I make perfectly good life choices. I don't need ya followin' me like some sorta cursed shadow. What I need is for you t' get out of Pop Village an' stop trying to control my life. It's mine, do you hear me?!" Hickory shouted, dropping his country accent as he yelled, "I am finally happy, you do not get to control me anymore! I AM HAPPY. I would not even care if the egg wasn't mine. As long as I am with John. Why can't you just let me be happy?!" He choked on air as he finished, angry tears in his eyes.

Dickory looked taken aback briefly, only to return to sneering at his brother. "You do not know what you are talking about."

What absolutely no one was expecting was for Branch to suddenly run at Dickory and punch the smaller troll squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Branch!" John gasped, quickly moving to pull his youngest brother away from Dickory, who was pushing himself up into a sitting position and rubbing at his jaw.

"Sorry," Branch grumbled, flexing his fist, "You probably wanted to do that, right?"

John couldn't help the snort of laughter that left him, tugging his baby brother into a hug. "Yeah. But, thanks for doing it for me."

"Well, I think this calls for a royal decree. Don't you, Queen Poppy?" Floyd hummed, turning to look at Poppy with a raised eyebrow.

"I do," Poppy agreed, stepping around the brothers to glare down at Dickory. "You, Dickory, are hereby banished from Pop Village, and the surrounding pop territories. Should you be found within the territories of the pop trolls again you will be found in violation of your banishment. Should such a trespass occur, you will be sent to the dungeons in Bergen Town. Your sentence will be based on your proximity to the village. The closer you are, the longer your imprisonment will be."

"Wow. Very official," Clay muttered, having taken a notebook out of his hair and jotted down Poppy's decree, "I'll get this notarized and filed for you once we're done here."

"Thank you, Clay," Poppy hummed, stepping back away from Dickory.

"You cannot banish me!" Dickory snarled, shoving himself to his feet. He took a single threatening step towards Poppy, only to suddenly bump into Hickory's chest.

"Oh, I do believe she can," Hickory growled, grabbing the front of Dickory's braces, lifting him from the ground so they were eye to eye. "If I ever see yer face 'round these parts again, do trust that I will not hesitate to make you regret it. Especially if you think about threatenin' John again. Do you hear me?"

Dickory reluctantly nodded, letting out an indignant yelp as Hickory dropped him on the ground.

"Now leave," Bruce said with a scowl, glaring down at Dickory, "Or Branch won't be the only one getting a good punch in today."

With that the yodeler shoved himself to his feet and quickly scampered away, but not before throwing a rude gesture at them all over his shoulder.

"Well," Floyd hummed, leaning heavily on his cane, "That was all quite dramatic. Maybe we can postpone the show to tomorrow night?"

"Seconded," Clay sighed, rolling his shoulders, "That was intense."

"I'll talk to everyone. We can definitely postpone. Especially since now the rigging all needs to be cleaned up and replaced," Poppy sighed, shaking her head with her hands on her hips as she looked over the warped metal on the ground.

"And I think John and Hickory have a conversation to go have," Bruce hummed, arching an eyebrow at his older brother, who shot him a glare.

"We can take care of everything here. You two go. We'll see you tomorrow," Branch said, offering John a small smile.

"Thanks, y'all," Hickory sighed, moving to gently take John's hand, who startled slightly, turning to give Hickory a wide eyed, mildly terrified look. "C'mon. Let's go have a chat."

John sent Bruce a pleading look, but the purple troll simply made a shooing motion at him, before turning to help pick up some of the metal scattered over the ground. "Okay. Let's go back to Rhonda," John conceded after a beat.

Once they were back at Rhonda, all of the anxiety John had thought he'd gotten over after his talk with Bruce seemed to come back ten fold. He climbed her stairs with mild trepidation, shuffling to the couch, only to begin pacing the floor instead of sitting down. He winced slightly as Hickory quietly shut the door behind him, the teal trolls heart jumping into his throat as he heard Hickory start shuffling around the kitchen.

"Come sit down, darlin'," Hickory finally said once John heard the kettle turn on. He turned his head to find Hickory gesturing at one of the kitchen chairs. "C'mon," Hickory coaxed, patting the back of the chair, "It won't bite. Promise."

John let a shaky smile curl his lips as he gave a short nod, moving across the floor to settle himself in the chair. He tapped his fingers across the table nervously as Hickory moved about the kitchen, making two mugs of hot chocolate. He slid one of the mugs across the table to John, before taking a seat across from him.

"I didn't want you to find out like that," John blurted once Hickory was settled in his seat. He nervously looked up at the country troll, who was setting his hat aside.

"I would figure as much. Don't think anyone wants their siblings to suddenly shout their business out to the whole world," Hickory nodded, blowing on his hot chocolate. They sat in silence for a moment, before he spoke again. "Is it mine?"

"Of course it is!" John replied quickly, smacking a hand onto the table, "It wouldn't be anyone else's!"

Hickory smiled at him softly, nodding a little. "I never doubted. Just wanted t' get that one out of the way so it wouldn't eat ya up, me thinkin' it wasn't."

John gave a little nod, cupping his hands around his mug. "I know it's quick, and completely unexpected," he began, only to pause as Hickory reached across the table to touch the back of his hand. He looked up to find Hickory staring up at his hair.

"Can I see it?"

"What?"

"The egg. Can I see it?"

John nodded after a moment, reaching up into his hair to gently take the egg out, holding it gingerly out to Hickory.

"Well I'll be," Hickory breathed, tears in his eyes as he gently traced a single finger over the delicate shell, "It's so tiny."

"It's only a couple of weeks old," John said, "Doctor Moonbloom said about two and a half. I've gotta go see her again in three weeks for the month and a half check up to make sure it's developing properly."

"So, ya wound up egg bound after I'd only been back for three or four days? That's mighty fast," Hickory commented idly, his eyes trained on the egg in John's hands.

"Yeah. I asked the doc about that, too. I guess my family is known for having lots of kids, and quick. I asked about why it never happened in the mountains, and apparently pop trolls can't conceive in cold weather."

"Huh," Hickory hummed thoughtfully, finally sitting back in his chair. "You should put it back before it starts gettin' cold."

"Yeah," John nodded, tucking the egg back into his hair. He chewed on his lip for a moment, curling his hands back around his mug. "You're not mad?"

Hickory blinked, frowning lightly at John. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Because I kept it a secret. Because this ruins all of our plans," John said, hunching his shoulders, "Or, well...our lack of plans, I guess. I just know you wanted to travel. We had been talking about going around the kingdoms, just the two of us, so you could see all the things you missed when you were working with Dickory. With an egg, we'll have to stay here."

Hickory chuckled lightly, shaking his head at John slightly. "Yer startin' to sound like I did when I thought I had t' let you be free to be happy. John, darlin', there ain't no greater adventure that I can think of than gettin' to raise a little one with you."

John's breath hitched before he let out a heart wrenching sob, tipping his head to rest his forehead against the table.

"Hey now! What'd I say?" Hickory quickly stood and moved around the table, crouching next to John's chair with concern on his face.

"I-I'm just so happy and relieved," John hiccupped, pushing himself back up to look down at Hickory, "And I think really hormonal, too, cause I can't stop myself from crying all the damn time." He choked on a sob, earning a light chuckle from Hickory.

"Aw, darlin'," Hickory cooed, reaching up to brush tears from John's cheek, "We'll get though this. Together."

John gave a little nod, smiling through his tears as he slid from his chair to wrap himself around Hickory. "Together."

German translations:

1 - Good Morning

2 - How did you sleep

3 - Too bad

4 - It is too early for english

5 - No, you are comfortable

6 - Heathen

7 - NO

8 - the slut

9 - the tramp