Lost Opportunity

chapter 16

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text
Back in the day...

Watching his baby brother float aimlessly to the ground, skin clear and see through, shot terror through his heart.

"Floyd," He heard Clay whisper from beside him. Branch caught their brother in the air before he could hit the ground. All of the trolls huddled around his lifeless body. They had failed. John had failed his baby brother.

Bruce gripped at Floyd's shoulders, shaking them a bit desperately. "Come on, man, wake up. Wake up, Floyd." John felt the air leave his lungs. After so many years of thinking his brothers weren't even alive, he thought he would finally be reunited with all of them. But here he was. Watching his baby brother's body being held, and pulled on by his loved ones, pleading that he come back to life.

"We need you, brother." John whispered to Floyd. Without him, could they ever really be whole again? The oldest troll was reminded suddenly of how Floyd used to be scared of the dark. He would beg for John and Grandma to leave the hall light on, and his bedroom door open. Was Floyd scared now? Was it dark where he was at now?

Branch rubbed at his brother's see through skin. "I-- I built the hideout, Floyd." The dark haired troll admitted. Then he looked down, disappointed, "Except the ten-story waterslide."

John saw how his kid was gripping at Floyd's shoulders. He needed Floyd to wake up. John squeezed his eyes shut, please, please. Wake up, Floyd. Don't go.

"But..." A voice said, ripping John from his pleas. "How will we shower?" Floyd asked with a chuckle. The pigment has started to return to his skin, slowly but surely. John let loose a crazed laughter.

"Floyd?" Branch asked in disbelief.

"Floyd!" John cheered a bit weepy at the sight of his brother breathing. He was alive! All of them were alive!

The brothers wrapped Floyd up in a bone crushing hug, and John couldn't help but linger. "I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered.

Floyd looked up at his big brother with watery eyes. "Yeah. Me too. I was worried for a second there."

Clay playfully knocked JD's shoulder. "Pshh, not me! I always knew everything would work out." Somewhere behind him, John was pretty sure that he could hear the fraudulent pop stars being arrested, but none of that mattered to him. His brothers and Branch were alive and here with him. John couldn't contain himself and wrapped Floyd up in another tight hug.

Floyd giggled and then nodded in Branch's direction. "Who's that with B?"

John looked over at Branch and saw that Poppy was teasing at her boyfriend. "That's Poppy, Branch's girlfriend." As if she wanted to cement that fact, she grabbed the dark haired troll by the vest and pulled him in for a kiss. Branch appeared to melt under her touch.

"He's all grown up, huh?" Floyd sighed, still visibly exhausted from his talent being drained.

Yeah. He was all grown up.

Now...

Branch led John down to the living area of the bunker. John noticed that the projector was still out, along with all of the other tapes he had left behind. He thought about the tape that Floyd had pressed into his hands before he took off to Vaycay Island. The tape with Jade.

He had watched that tape over and over while at Bruce's home. He would pause it on Jade's smiling face. He remembered how easily she used to smile for him and how hard other's had to work for it. He would watch Baby Branch call for him over and over. As much as he had complained and pleaded for him to call him JD, he would treasure all of the times his baby called him Dada. He would watch his brothers and how easily they used to trust him. They used to go to him with any problem, no matter how big or small. He would watch the tape and just miss them. All of them.