Spruce/Bruce

"One seaweed float coming up!" Writing down his customer's order, Bruce turned and headed toward the counter which his wife, Brandy, was currently running. "Hey babe, we'll need one more seaweed float made."

"Alright, just let me finish cleaning up this mess your sons made then I'll get right to it," Brandy said, washing the counters off with a cloth.

Looking around at his restaurant located on Vacay Island, Bruce was filled with pride at all he had accomplished over the years. He settled down, got married, became a father, and started a business which he called Bruce & Sons, which also happened to be the most popular place to visit for anyone on vacation. He knows from personal experience how much of a sanctuary this small island had become for him, and his purpose of starting his own business here was to provide others with a sense of enjoyment and security.

When he first left his brothers, it took him a while to find this place, but once he did, he decided to stay. While he does regret leaving his brothers, he also knows that it was probably for the best. He missed his younger brothers a lot, especially Clay, but couldn't find himself to feel the same way about his older brother, John Dory. He loved him and still does love him, but he couldn't easily forget how John Dory was the one who broke up their family because of his controlling nature and obsession with creating the Perfect Family Harmony.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of John Dory, his mind wandered instead to his younger brothers and how much he missed them. He deeply regretted walking out on Floyd and Branch that night, as well as Grandma, but he also knew that he needed a break. He remembered watching John Dory leave out the window, then him and Clay turning and walking out the door, each going their separate ways. At first, he didn't want to be around any of his brothers, but not long later he wished he at least went with Clay. While he and Clay did argue occasionally, they were more often than not joking around and having a good time together. He definitely missed Clay's jokes and fun personality, who always seemed to be able to make him laugh.

Then there was Floyd. Floyd was the brother who would never make fun of you and would just accept you for being yourself. He was also the calmest out of the brothers, and always refused to participate in the oldest three's recurring arguments. Instead, he made it his job to break up most of their fights.

And of course, there was Baby Branch. Just thinking of his baby brother caused heavy grief to settle over Bruce's heart. It wasn't fair to Branch to watch his brothers leave how they did. Bruce didn't even say goodbye to either of his youngest brothers. He just…walked out. He didn't get to spend as much time with Branch as he got to with his other brothers, but he remembered Branch would always go up to Bruce and ask him to teach him how to bust a new dance move he'd seen Bruce do. But what Bruce remembered most about Branch was his love of singing. While Branch didn't have an obsession like John Dory to become famous, Bruce knew that every time they would sing together as BroZone, Branch's face would light up with joy. He knew that Branch held a strong passion for music, and hoped that his youngest brother pursued this talent of his. Who knows, maybe Branch is a famous singer somewhere right now? But, he would never know, would he. He wondered what had become of his younger siblings and if they too were holding up okay as he was. He even allowed himself to think about what may have happened to John Dory, and if he was doing okay.

"Sweetie, the seaweed float is finished," Brandy called to him from the counter.

Jerking out of his thoughts, Bruce looked up to see his wife holding the seaweed float and went over to get it from her.

"Thanks Brandy," Bruce told her, taking the cup and walking over to the customer who ordered it, handing the float to him.

"Hey Bruce, want to come here for a bit?" Brandy called out to him.

Walking over to his wife, he took a seat across from her, and noticed that she was looking at him worriedly.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, leaning in close to him. "I saw you sitting over there by yourself and you seemed lost in thought."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm alright," Bruce lied, causing Brandy to narrow her eyes suspiciously.

"You were thinking of your brothers again, weren't you?"

"What? How did you know?" Bruce asked, taken aback.

"Sweetie, I know you and I know how much you miss your family, even if you refuse to admit it to yourself. Besides, you always have the same look whenever you think about them, so it's pretty easy to tell."

"Huh? What look?"

Brandy rolled her eyes at her husband's words. "Well, you look sad and regretful, let's just say that."

Bruce sighed, looking down. He knew his wife was right, and wondered just how often he thought about his family for her to know this part of him so well.

"Why don't you take a break?" Brandy offered, causing Bruce to look up at her confused. "Oh don't give me that look. I can run the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon, while you go out and surf to get your mind off things."

Bruce smiled at his wife. Oh, he was so grateful to have her. "Thanks honey. I'll be back to help soon."

"Take as much time as you need," Brandy called after Bruce as he got down and walked outside.

The weather today was perfect, Bruce thought. Not a cloud in sight and the sun shone warmly down below, causing the sand to glitter and the sea to shine. Grabbing his surfboard that was resting outside, he quickly ran to the water, paddling further and further out to sea. Sitting on his surfboard, waiting for a wave, he thought back to the moment when he first learned how to surf. It was the most amazing feeling a troll could feel, gliding on top of the waves, singing a song with the melody carrying across the water, feeling the breeze in your hair. In fact, it was while surfing that inspired Bruce to change his name to, well, Bruce, hoping that in doing so he'd be less recognizable from his boy band days. Being on the water was where Bruce got his inspiration and relaxation. It was also what encouraged him to leave his boy band days behind in the first place. He realized that John Dory was being so controlling that he turned him into someone he didn't want to be. While Bruce loved to sing, he only really enjoyed it for his own enjoyment. Being a star or famous wasn't something he really wanted to become. He just wanted to relax and have his own life, which is not an option for someone who is famous. So, Bruce changed his name and decided to only sing while on the waves, away from watching crowds where he could sing his heart and soul out.

Looking around for a wave, Bruce was startled to see a bright light coming toward him. Quickly, he began to paddle back to shore, but before he came even close to reaching the sand, the light engulfed him, leaving his surfboard floating alone on the water.