Build a Fire: Part Two (Bro's Got Your Back)

Author's Note: Ok this one was fun to write. I can't wait to explore Bruce's character a bit, ugh, I just love all these characters so much! Also, poor John Dory is really going through it rn, and I feel bad, but y'know, sometimes you gotta beat them all the way down to build them back up again, amiright? Anyways, enjoy!

John Dory scampered around from table to table, taking orders from the Vacationers ten times his size.

He tried to write the orders down, but spelling had never been his strong suit, and he could barely read the rushed scribbles he'd managed to put down on the notebook. The first time he brought the orders back to Brandy, it became abundantly clear that she couldn't either, despite the polite effort she put in. So he relayed the orders from memory before taking off again, abandoning the notebook altogether.

He had to admit; it was a great distraction. He didn't have time to think about all his "issues" he had going on; he hardly had time to think at all. Take the order, run to the kitchen, relay it to Brandy, take off again. Over and over, again and again. He didn't need to think about anything except what he was doing at that exact moment. It was great.

Every so often, he'd spot Bruce out of the corner of his eye, bringing out some large platter of food and drinks. Say what you will about his brother, but Bruce was strong. Like, weirdly strong. He carried out platters dwarfing him in size like they were nothing, and JD could hear his own back complaining just by watching his brother work.

Soon, the restaurant started to die down a bit, and John Dory shifted to mostly helping with clean up, despite Brandy's insistence otherwise.

"Thank you for helping, John Dory," she said gratefully as he delivered a large stack of plates, wiping a sheen of sweat from where it had formed on his brow. "I think Bruce and I can handle the rest of the clean up. You should go enjoy yourself! The beach is always wonderful this time of night."

"No no, I've got this," John Dory waved her off, spinning back around as he headed out to grab more dishes. "Gotta earn my keep around here somehow, right? I'll be back with more in a minute!" Before she could say anything else, he scampered off, trying to focus on the task at hand. Now that his brain wasn't filled with orders and tables, he was beginning to remember why exactly he was here. And he didn't want to think about that just yet.

As he went to grab another few plates, he bumped into a large glass of lemonade, spilling some of the sticky liquid onto the table. He rolled his eyes, letting out an annoyed huff, but walked to the end of the table, grabbing a large rag. He'd clean this up quickly, then get back to work. He couldn't leave Bruce with a messy restaurant.

Once he mopped it up, he grabbed the stack of dishes and once again started towards the kitchen before stepping in another sticky spot, most likely from a different spilled drink. His lip curled up in disgust. He didn't just want to leave it, so he resigned himself to cleaning this up as well. He set the dishes down, grumbling as he retrieved the damp rag for a second time. And a third, and a fourth. It's like the spots were never ending.

As he scrubbed at a now slightly solidified liquid, he heard low whispers coming from a nearby group of Vacationers. He wasn't really listening, just absently tuning into the chatter as he worked. That is, until he heard his name.

"Isn't that John Dory?" One of them asked, JD's ears perking up at the sound.

"Yeah, from BroZone." Another replied. "Didn't you know? The owner of this place is his brother, Spruce."

"I thought he went by Bruce now?"

"Yeah yeah, you're right, Bruce."

Heh, BroZone fans, he thought, a small smile on his face. Nice to know we still have some of those.

"Geez, he looks a little… rough, doesn't he?" Another one spoke up. "Washed up." The group murmured in agreement.

Alright, rude, John Dory thought, grimacing as he tried to turn his attention away from the gossiping Vacationers. And clearly unaware of how well Troll hearing is…

"What, is he working here now?" One of them said with a dry chuckle.

"Oof, I hope not." Another replied. "That'd probably be hard on Bruce. I mean, you know what he did, right? He's the reason BroZone broke up in the first place."

"What? Really?"

John Dory's ears dropped, his body freezing for a moment before he crouched down closer to the table, scrubbing a bit more vigorously on the spot with his rag.

"Yeah. Apparently, he was like, super controlling. Always ordering everyone around and micromanaging everything, especially his brothers. Some producers and stage managers talked about it in an interview."

I wasn't trying to order people around, he thought, clenching his jaw as anger brewed around inside his chest. I mean, I know I was a little much, but I was trying to make things better. And those idiot managers never listened to me.

"The running theory is that he got way too controlling, and his brothers had enough and quit." Another Vacationer said, letting out a scoff. "Good on 'em, I say. I wouldn't want to be around someone like that."

Someone like what? You don't know anything about me. John Dory was seething now, scrubbing at the table so fast his arm burned with exertion.

"And now he's back here? Bumming off his successful younger brother?" One said, incredulous. "That's crazy."

"That's toxic." Another chimed in. "He's a toxic person. People like that always mess up their own lives, then come crawling back to ruin others."

Toxic?! John Dory wanted to scream at them. You don't know me! You don't know anything about me or my family!

"Well, let's hope he's not here to stay." One said in an annoyed voice. "It makes me anxious just looking at him." John Dory could feel their eyes shift directly to him, so he decided to make his escape, the stickiness on the table long gone.

They don't know me, he thought furiously, walking across the table as he went to put the rag back, his hand clenched around it tightly. I'm not toxic. And I'm not bumming off of Bruce. I just came to say hi, and see if he could help clear my head a bit. And I'm trying to help. He felt like his heart was racing, threatening to beat out of his chest. I'm trying to help him out, and he appreciates it. Both he and Brandy appreciate it. I'm not toxic… am I? I'm not–

John Dory's spiraling thoughts were cut off suddenly as he ran face first into a support beam.

He let out a hiss, stumbling back as his hand flew up to his nose, sharp pain coursing through it. However, as he stepped backwards, he realized there was no surface beneath him, and with a yelp, he tumbled off the side of the table, splashing into the saltwater below.

Water rushed into his ears, and he quickly started clawing his way upwards, the salt burning his eyes. As he breached the surface, taking in a deep, gasping breath, a wave immediately crashed over him, knocking him back down. The Vacationers must have been moving to either help him or get out of his way, but regardless, the movement of their bodies was causing the water to churn and shift, disorienting him. But he was able to swim his way up again, grabbing his grappling hook from his hair and shooting it up towards the table. He wasn't sure if it was actually going to stick on anything, but was glad when he felt it did, starting to pull himself up out of the swirling, beaded water.

The grappling hook seemed to pull him up faster than he was used to, and once he peeked over the edge of the tabletop, he could see why. Bruce was standing there, hands on the rope, helping to hoist him up. As soon as JD was no longer dangling off the edge, Bruce let the rope go, rushing forward with worry flashing in his eyes.

"John! You ok?" he asked in a concerned voice, helping him to his feet. "That was quite the fall."

John Dory meant to say 'Of course! Just figured I needed a bath!' but as soon as he opened his mouth, all that came out was a heaving cough, his chest aching at the harsh sound wracking his body. Bruce just set a firm hand on his back, waiting patiently as John Dory hacked the water out of his lungs. After it stopped, he had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut. The restaurant was quiet.

He pried an eye open, looking around. It seemed like everyone was looking at him and Bruce, the music dulled as if it too were watching them. His ears and face began to burn, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat. He suddenly felt very, very small. Stop… his mind seemed to think, even the voice in his head sounding small as he trained his eyes at the ground. Don't look at me, don't…

He felt like he was up on stage again, looking out amongst the crowd and seeing hundreds of eyes staring back at him. Scrutinizing him, seeing every flaw, every mistake, everything wrong with him. They knew. They knew how messed up he was; they could see everything. He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart beating loudly in his ears, and he resisted the urge to reach up and cover them, knowing very well it wouldn't do anything to stop it. Please, just stop looking at me…

"John, you're bleeding!"

Bruce's voice cut through the rushing sound in John Dory's ears, and he brought a hand up to his nose, which was still throbbing slightly. Blood tinged his fingers, and his nose wrinkled painfully in disgust. He hated blood. He watched as it dripped onto the table, splattering against the hard surface.

"Sorry, sorry…" he said quickly, cupping a hand under his face. He was becoming frantic now, still feeling everyone's eyes on him. "I'm sorry Spruce, I'm sorry…" The words tumbled out of his mouth. He just didn't know what else to say.

"Stop, it's fine," Bruce replied, grabbing a cloth napkin from his hair and holding it to John Dory's face. "Geez man, you're shivering. C'mon, let's go get you warmed up."

Bruce wrapped a gentle arm around his shoulders, and John Dory allowed himself to be led away from the staring eyes. He didn't know how to tell his brother he wasn't shaking from the cold.

They reached the kitchen in no time, where Brandy was standing worriedly holding another napkin. "You alright, John Dory?" she asked softly, holding her hand out as Bruce led them both onto it. She lifted them up, setting them on the bar so she could see them better, handing John Dory the cloth.

"Yep. I'm only just a little humiliated," he replied curtly, wincing slightly as he pressed the napkin to his nose.

"Please, you don't think I've ever fallen off those stupid tables? It's rough, man," Bruce said, grabbing a towel from behind the counter and wrapping it around JD's shoulders. "I'm just glad you're ok."

"Let me see your nose, John," Brandy said, leaning down so she was at eye level with him.

"It's fine," he insisted, but did as Brandy said, her large, brown eyes scanning him up and down. "I think the bleeding's stopping already. Just tweaked it, I guess."

"Well, keep that napkin on it for at least a little bit longer, ok?" she replied, still looking a bit concerned.

"Sorry about the mess," he said, bringing the cloth back up to his nose. "I can clean it up in a few minutes, I just–"

"No. Absolutely not," Bruce chimed in, setting his hands firmly on his hips.

"What? Bruce…" John Dory started, but his brother immediately cut him off.

"You are going to sit here and chill until Brandy and I have cleaned up," Bruce continued, letting out an exasperated sigh before gesturing dramatically at his older brother. "I mean, you're still shivering, you're pale, and you're bleeding for troll's sake. You need to take a break."

"Bruce, I'm fine," John Dory replied, barking out a laugh. "I've been through way worse; this is nothing. I just need a minute to collect myself, that's all."

"John," Brandy said, leaning down next to him. "You have been incredibly helpful tonight, truly. But Bruce is right. You shouldn't be working right now; not like this."

John Dory was about to spew out some more excuses, but found he just… couldn't. He felt like his entire body deflated, his shoulders slumping down in defeat. He was still shaking, and he tried to will himself to stop as he clenched his jaw tight.

"Just sit here for a minute, and we'll be done in no time, ok?" Bruce said reassuringly, but John Dory just shook his head.

"I can't just sit here and not help clean up the mess I made!" he snapped, but there was no strength behind his words. It was more like a plea.

"Then go somewhere else," Bruce replied, a stubborn look on his face. "I'm not asking." John Dory was quiet, so Bruce continued, his expression softening slightly. "C'mon, man. What do you do to relax?" he asked. JD went to say something but before he could, Bruce quickly added "And for the record, sleep doesn't count." John Dory's jaw snapped shut.

What did he do to relax? Out on the Neverglade Trail, he never really… did. He always had to be on high alert, even when sleeping. When he found Rhonda, he could let down his guard a little bit, but not by much. She needed protecting too. He did things that felt relaxing, but that was the thing. He was always doing something. He couldn't just sit and do nothing. The only time he did that was with the sunrises and…

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. Something he did find relaxing to do. He felt his mood brighten a bit, and he looked up at Bruce.

"I could build a fire?" he asked, not sure if that's what Bruce was looking for or not. To him, building a fire was one of the last things he did when he'd found a camping spot for the night. It signified the end of a hard day's work, a day well spent. He never really got to enjoy them for long, since the creatures of the Neverglade Trail were drawn to the smoke like moths to a flame. But maybe now, he could?

Plus, John Dory thought, thinking back to the routine he was supposed to be following, Building a fire is on the list. I failed at the first one, but hey, building fires is easy. And I don't think I need any more mess ups tonight.

"Whew, finally," Bruce said, letting out a relieved sigh. "Yes, go build a fire. I can join you in a bit–"

"You can join him now," Brandy cut in, leaning down on her elbows. Bruce shot her a surprised look.

"But, Bran–" he started, but she shushed him, pushing one of her large fingers against his lips.

"The kids are already asleep, and the restaurant is practically empty. I think I can handle the last few dishes and wipe the tables." She leaned down further, kissing Bruce on the forehead. He practically melted into her touch, stumbling forward as she pulled away. "Go spend time with your brother. I think you need a break too."

"I love you," Bruce said sincerely, and John Dory could practically see the hearts in his brother's eyes.

"I know," Brandy replied with a cheeky smile. "Now go, you two. Out."

Bruce spun around, a goofy smile on his face. "Well, you heard the woman, Johnny boy." He motioned for JD to follow him, walking across the tables out onto the lit up beach. "C'mon, I know a great spot where we can really see the stars."

John Dory began to follow him, a smile growing on his face. He was going to hang out with his brother, and complete the next task on his survivalist routine. Maybe things were going to work out for him after all.