Branch's Birthday Surprise

Part One:

~In The BroZone Record(ing) Pod~

John Dory slammed a picture of a lion down onto the table where Bruce, Floyd, and Clay sat, working on song lyrics.

They all stared. "Uhm...John Dory?" Floyd tapped on the picture waiting for an explanation.

"I'VE GOT IT!" John Dory shouted.

"Got what?" Clay asked.

"Our next album cover!" JD said proudly. "A lion!"

"...why a lion...?" Bruce wondered.

"A lion is a symbol of leadership, right?" John Dory explained. "And our boyband is in the lead of all other boybands! Y'know, cuz we're, like, the best?😀"

They all stared at him again for another 30 seconds.

"Yeah, no," was all Floyd said before he, Clay, and Bruce went back to writing.

"☹️" John Dory was disappointed. "Now I have to do more research!" he grumbled.

"Why don't you just use scrapbook versions of us for the covers, like you used to?" Bruce asked.

"Awww, BUTIDON'TWANNA😫!" whined John Dory, pouting and stomping his right foot twice.

"Jeez, and we call Bitty B the baby," Bruce mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Speaking of Branch, where'd he go?" Clay asked.

"He went out for lunch with somebody," Floyd answered. "It was either a date or a meeting. I can't remember."

"I still can't believe he's dating!" John Dory said. "I mean, he's only 15!"

They all raised their eyebrows at him. "He's literally in his twenties!"

"What?! No! That can't be right!" JD scoffed. "We only left him for about..." he thought, trying to count, but stopped. "What am I doing? I'm an adult! I don't have time for math! Stop distracting me!!"

"Okay, anyone that thinks counting to twenty is math needs to go back to the first grade," Clay noted.

"I heard that!!" John Dory shouted. 

"Congratulations😌" Clay responded calmly.

"Oh, guys," Floyd chuckled, Bruce joining him. 

The door squeaked open and in came Poppy and Viva, gabbing happily.

"Poppy? You don't come often when Branch isn't around," Bruce said, surprised. 

Poppy stopped talking to Viva, who then immediately ran towards Clay to give him a backwards hug and painful noogie. Poppy's eyes sparkled.

"Wait, Branch isn't here? Oh, that's great! I really wanted to talk to you guys and was worried about how to get him out of the room!"

"I guess it was a meeting," Bruce whispered over to Floyd, who nodded.

"Viva, stop! That hurts!" Clay pushed Viva away to stop the noogies, but nothing on earth could hide the smile on his face. "Don't you guys have queen-ly duties to be doing right now or something?"

"Oh! This visit is on our list!" Poppy took a mile-long list from her hair. "Queenly duties: Number 136- Ask BroZone About Their Plans For The 31st."

"136?! Whoa!" Floyd gaped. "Have you already done 135 other things today?"

"Nope. It's just..." Poppy put the list back in her hair and fiddled with her hands. "I figured this was the most important."

Viva skipped over and gave her sister a side hug. "And it is."