Brozone Brain Rot

The Day John Dory Took Off

This is not my au. This au belongs bzjohndory on tumblr. It's his diner au, you should check it out before reading this. JD's brothers force him to take a day off, its just super fluffy with the tiniest bit of angst

Business was slow, it was a hard winter and most trolls didn't leave their pods unless they had to. Bruce was the one to suggest it, knowing his brother hadn't had a day off in seven almost eight years. They all had special days that they got off like birthdays or anniversaries, except for John Dory. He didn't take days off, he worked open to close seven days a week. Bruce brought it up with others, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere without back up from their younger brothers. Bruce talked with Clay in between orders on the line. “I'm just saying, we haven't been that busy these past few weeks so I think he can just take a day off at least. We're all responsible enough to take care of the diner while he's gone.” Bruce said as he pulled some fries out of the fryer, portioning them on a plate and passing it to Clay. “Yeah but how do you plan on making him? We've tried making him before and he literally spent the entire day in the diner, working on other stuff ." Clay wondered as he finished plating a couple burgers, putting them in the window to be ran. At that moment, Floyd came into the back and leaned against the wall. “You good Flo?" Clay asked as he worked on the next order. Floyd nodded and held up a thumbs up but they noticed how his hand shook. Bruce threw some fries on a plate and slid a milk crate over to Floyd. “Sit down and have a snack. And while you're back here I wanna talk to you about something." Bruce said, handing the plate of fries to Floyd as he sat on the milk crate. Floyd nodded and started eating the fries while still leaning with his back against the wall. After a few moments of no orders coming in, Bruce crouched down next to Floyd. “Feel better?" Bruce asked while rubbing his back. “Yeah, I skipped breakfast this morning so I started to get the shakes." Floyd chuckled, placing the empty plate on the floor. Clay grabbed some dirty dishes they had on the line and grabbed the plate for the floor, taking them to the dish room. “So before you go back up there, I wanna talk to you about this thought I had. Clay thinks I won't be able to do it. I won't be able to do it by myself, I'll need all of your guys' help." Bruce said nonchalantly, watching for JD to be walking around. “What's up? I'm sure I can help somehow." Floyd said as he pulled his money out of the pocket on his apron. “I wanna get JD to take a day off. He hasn't taken a day off since he got ownership of the diner. If he had his way, we'd still be open on Christmas, and he would totally run this entire place by himself if he had to. He deserves it, he's kept this place afloat, put each of us through college and is here every goddamn day. This isn't gonna be like the last time, he's not gonna be allowed back in here until the next day.” Bruce said, looking Floyd in the eyes telling that he is completely serious about this. Clay came back in with clean dishes and began setting them up on the line. “I think he's crazy if he thinks he's going to get John to do it. He practically lives here, I don't think I've actually seen his place.” Clay said, placing plates in their proper spots. " Yeah but if we work together, I'm sure John will listen to us. You guys don't see him on the floor as much as I do. He's constantly moving, like if he stops, he'll pass out. Sometimes he shakes too. And Bruce is right, he's more than earned a day off, heck a week. But we'll be lucky if we get the one day.” Floyd said as he sorted his money, putting it back into his book. " I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it or need it. I'm saying that we might have to actually tie him down to get him out of here. He's not going to like the idea.” Clay said, cleaning up their prep area. " What are you guys talking about?” Branch said through the server window. Bruce stood up and motioned for Branch to come back there. Branch walked back onto the grill line, confused. "We're talking about forcing John Dory to take a day off. Like an actual day off. Even when we're closed on the mandatory holidays, he's still here doing something. Cleaning, stocking, rearranging, all kinds of stuff. He needs at least a day to just relax and probably catch up on sleep.” Bruce answered, waving his hands about as he talked. "Ah, ok. Yeah that's gonna be hard. We need to come up with a plan before we do anything else. We need to think of every possible outcome and be prepared for it." Branch said, already writing down outcomes. “Or, or, hear me out, we play the health card." Floyd said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The rest of them gave him a confused look, unsure of what he meant. “We play the health card, the card he plays with me when he thinks I'm ‘working too much’. He says I need to take time for my health and take care of my body. Pull a uno reverse on him. He needs to do the same so when he tries to wiggle his way out of it, we can point out all the things that are causing him stress, anxiety, high blood pressure or anything else. Like working a dinner rush causes high anxiety and stress. Constantly lifting trays full of dishes can cause carpal tunnel. Not to mention the toll it takes on one's mental health. I very rarely get angry customers, he seems to get them all the time, which causes more stress. We just say we're worried about his health, he can't refuse because then he'll be brushing off our worries and he doesn't want to do that. Boom, full proof plan.” Floyd said confidently, crossing his arms. "That's so smart, I'm surprised I didn't think of it first.” Clay said, staring at Floyd, a bit dumbfounded. Floyd was about to stand up and argue with Clay about what that was supposed to mean when Bruce held up his hands. “Ok but when should we do this? We can't just go out there without an idea of when would be a good time to do this." Bruce said, thinking aloud. "Sunday. Probably in the evening. That way he can't argue about taking Monday off. It's our slowest day. So he won't have to worry about us being busy and can actually relax." Branch said, the plan coming together. The brothers quickly went back to work to avoid alerting John Dory to their plan, playing it off as if they were killing time.
Sunday evening comes and all of them are beat, it was the busiest day they had had in a while, making several thousand dollars worth of sales. After closing up, the younger brothers give each other a nod, silently saying it's time to put their plan into action. They went to the office, standing in the doorway as John counted their registers and safe with Clay (Clay just double checking JD's work). "How you doing John Dory?" Floyd asked nonchalantly. “Good." John replied before continuing to count. “You sure? You seemed a bit tired today. Like you needed a break." Bruce said, leaning his back on the door frame casually. “Yeah I'm fine. I guess I didn't get very much sleep last night." John Dory said before handing a stack of cash for Clay to count. Clay barely looked up, they added more details to the plan, like who was gonna say what and in what order. John wrote down the numbers and entered them into the system, a few seconds of silence passed before Branch butted with his own line. “Do you ever get enough sleep? Always seems like you're here late and open early. When do you sleep?” Branch joked, shooting John a cheeky grin that was met with a stern look. " Well I sleep after I clock out and close up. Then I wake up to come open this place up. Some nights it takes longer to close up. Like today, that was the busiest we've been in like, a month.” John said, taking all the money from Clay and putting it in the safe. " Maybe you should take tomorrow off then.” Branch said sincerely, subtly giving JD the puppy dog eyes. They could see the hesitation in John's face, that was Floyd's signal to go in for the kill. “He's right. It's not healthy to overwork yourself. We worry about you sometimes. It's only because we care about you and your health. When was the last time you had a day off?" Floyd's voice was sweet and gentle, asking a question they all knew the answer to: never. John Dory looked like a deer in headlights, unsure of how to respond. “When was the last time you had a day off John?" Clay questioned, knowing where this line of questioning should go. John Dory got very quiet and tried to avoid eye contact with his brothers. “When was it?" Bruce said directly. John mumbled out an answer, prompting a ‘hmm?’ out of Bruce. “I don't remember." John said quietly but it sounded deafening in the silent office. “WHAT?!?" the younger three said, being a little overdramatic. “John, working non-stop is not healthy. You're gonna get burnt out. You should really take a day off at least. You make me worried, man.” Clay said worriedly, causing John to cringe a little. " Clay's right, John. We worry about your health sometimes. You should take the day off, if not for yourself, for us at least.” Floyd said gently, coming over and placing his hand on John's shoulder. They had him right where they wanted him. The office got quiet again, the seconds passing felt like hours. They continued to look at John expectantly until he finally caved. “Alright, fine. I'll take tomorrow off. But you guys call me if you need me. And Clay, you're opening, Branch you're closing.” John Dory said defeatedly, Branch and Clay groaning in annoyance. They knew they couldn't openly cheer for their success but opted for teasing their brother about what he was going to do on his day off. As John locked the door, Bruce cleared his throat, catching John's attention. “Oh and John?" “Yeah?" John said as he put his keys back in his pocket. “Stay out of the diner tomorrow. A day off is not meant to be spent at your place of work." Bruce responded in a no nonsense kind of tone. John Dory rolled his eyes, pissed off a little that his baby brothers were trying to tell him what to do. “We're serious John Dory. You don't see us in there on our days off. And the only time we are is when we're with friends. So just take a day away from the diner. I promise we'll call you if we need you.” Floyd said, placing his hands on John's shoulders, letting him know how serious he was. The others looked at John with the same serious look, he inwardly groaned.
The next day, John Dory woke up to his alarm like he normally would. He went to get up until he remembered he had the day off, so John laid back down to sleep a little longer. Meanwhile Clay didn't realize that opening the diner meant he had to be there earlier than open to get everything set up. A minor setback, he quickly got everything set up the way it was supposed to be after opening for customers. Soon the diner was running smoothly, orders were rang in, food was taken out, people paid and left. It was all good until the back doorbell rang. “Who could be at the backdoor?" Clay asked, working on an order. “I don't know. I'll check." Bruce said, wiping his hands on his apron. Bruce went to the backdoor, opening it to a young troll with a dolly full of boxes. “I have a produce order for a John Dory." The troll said. "Oh he's not here today, I can sign for it.” Bruce replied, reaching for the clipboard. " Well if he's not here, it can only be the manager on duty, that you?” The troll asked, holding the clipboard out of his reach. “Technically, yes." Bruce replied, reaching for the clipboard once again. “It's a yes or no question dude." The troll said, once again holding the clipboard out of reach. “We're a family owned diner dude, my brother is the owner. We don't really have a designated manager. I'm the oldest here right now so I'm in charge. I'll sign for the produce. Even if I'm not the ‘manager’ I still work here and can sign for it.” Bruce said, getting a little frustrated. " Ok man, I'll let it slide this once.” The troll said, finally handing him the clipboard. Bruce signed the clipboard quickly and let the troll come in with their produce. After unloading it all, Bruce stood in the back, a little unsure of where to start. “Hey, who was at the door?" Clay said as he came into the back, wiping his hands with a paper towel. " Oh it was just our produce guy. I guess John forgot to mention that it was being delivered today. We have to get this put away but we can't leave the grill line unattended.” Bruce said as he looked around at all the produce boxes. " Well how about I put it away with Branch and you and Floyd work the front.” Clay said as he took a box of tomatoes into the walk-in. “Nah, it'll be you and Floyd. Branch can work the front better if we get busy. I know the customers love Floyd but he gets tired pretty quick." Bruce said, going on the server line to grab Floyd. " Yo, Floyd. I need you to go help Clay put produce away. Finish up any of your tables.” Bruce said as he popped onto the server line. Floyd gave him a nod before walking out into the dinning room with a tray of food. Bruce went back on the grill line continuing to make the orders, hoping John Dory was enjoying his day off. JD had woken up a couple of hours later, feeling refreshed, not tired at all. John made his way to the kitchen in his campervan (it's Rhonda but idk if she's sentient in this au) to make himself something to eat only to realize he barely had anything in his fridge or cabinets and all his dishes were dirty. “Guess it's been awhile since I went grocery shopping." John said aloud to himself. JD loaded his dishwasher, starting it before heading to get a shower and get ready for the day. John Dory stripped off his pajamas after turning on the shower, stepping in once it had warmed up. The hot water felt heavenly against his skin, he had to resist the urge to rush through his shower. John took his time washing his body and hair, cringing a little as he saw all the dirt go down the drain. It wasn't that he didn't shower, he did but they were quick cold showers, wiping away the surface level grim. It was nice to do a deep clean, he felt so much better, just standing under the hot water until it started to get cold. John quickly dried himself, walking over to his dresser to grab some clothes. John almost forgot he had normal clothes, not just his work uniforms. John put on some green cargo pants, a white T-shirt and his favorite leather fur vest. After putting on shoes and socks JD went to go put on his signature goggles on but grimaced at how dirty they were. John cleaned them up in his bathroom before putting them on, they had caked on grease and dirt on them. John Dory grabbed his wallet and keys, making sure he had plenty of money in his wallet for his groceries. John walked into the grocery store, a little weirded out to see so many people out shopping. Then he remembered that he usually shopped late at night when most people are already home. JD got his groceries, making sure to stock up a little extra because he didn't know when he would go grocery shopping next. Getting home, John made himself a decent breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. John tried to sit down to eat but he felt fidgety so he stood up and ate that way. After eating, John Dory noticed how dirty his space was. JD began cleaning, wiping down all the surfaces, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping. After tidying his living room/kitchen/ dining room, John walked into his room, continuing his clean spree. Making his bed, vacuuming, wiping things down and starting his laundry. After starting the washer, John cleaned his bathroom, scrubbing it all clean. After John Dory cleaned the entire inside of his campervan and folding his laundry and putting it away, JD looked at his watch, shocked to see it was only noon. “Well what do I do now?" John asked himself. John thought for a moment about going into the diner but remembered his brothers told him to say away, but who were they to tell him what to do? John decided against it, he'd find something else to do. John Dory decided to take a walk, maybe he'd find something to do. After a small lunch rush and getting all the produce put away, Branch and Floyd were cleaning up when Poppy and Viva walked in. Despite the fact that the two of them were dating two of the staff, the sisters politely waited to be sat. Branch came up to them and bowed jokingly. “Right this way your majesties." Branch teased as he led them to their usual table, the girls giggling before sitting down. Branch smiles, looking at Poppy fondly. The couple stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Viva interrupted. " Sorry to interrupt your moment but I'm starving.” Viva teased, Poppy and Branch blushing. Branch got their drink order, giving them a minute to look over the menu, knowing they're indecisive. Branch brought them their drinks, giving them a few more minutes to decide. After ordering, Poppy noticed something. “Hey where's John Dory?" She asked after handing Branch their menus, not hearing or seeing him. “Oh, he's not here." Branch replied, going to turn around. " He's in the back?” Viva asked, JD usually didn't work on the grill line. " Oh no, he's off today.” Branch said, turning back around partway. " Geez, I don't think I've ever been here on John's day.” Poppy joked, Viva laughing along with her. “That's because this is his first day off in a long time." Branch said as he walked backwards away from them. The girls sat, dumbfounded, shocked that it was his first day off in God knows how long. Branch went back on the server line, yelling through the window to Clay that his girlfriend was here. Clay was facing away from Branch but his ears got red, cue Floyd and Bruce teasing him as well. Clay finished up what he was doing before going out to Viva’s table. Clay pulled up a chair, turning it backwards before sitting in it. “What's up Veevs?" Clay asked. “Oh, you know, just getting some food from my favorite diner." Viva responded. The conversation continued, Poppy and Branch joining in, before the topic turned back to JD. “So if John Dory never takes days off, why did he take today off?" Poppy asked as Floyd delivered their food. “Thanks Floyd. We kinda had to twist his arm to get him to do it." Branch said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. “How?" Viva asked before taking a bite of her burger. “Well for starters, we worked together on this. It was Bruce's idea that we do it. John Dory hasn't had an actual day off since he took ownership of the diner. We made a plan that would convince him to take the day off. Floyd came up with the idea to tell him we're worried about his health because he's always preaching about that to Floyd, which is true, we are worried about his health.” Clay answered while stealing a fry off Viva's plate, Viva playfully smacked his hand. " Well that's good that he's taking time for his health.” Poppy said with her mouth full, politely covering her mouth with her hand. “Yeah, I hope he's enjoying his day off but I don't wanna call to check because I feel like he'll think that means we need him here.” Branch said, leaning over Clay. " Oh he'll most definitely think that. Bruce and I have been arguing about that for like a half hour.” Clay piped up, trying to steal another fry. After a while, the brothers let the girls finish eating in peace and getting back to work. John Dory's walk had led him to Bergen Town, more specifically, the troll tree. John climbed up the tree, deciding to visit their grandma's old pod. John Dory arrived at the pod, taking a deep breath in before coughing hard, lots of dust caught in his lungs. After catching his breath, JD went back into the pod and started cleaning it up. Their grandma would never allow it to get this bad, when was the last time any of them were up here? John worked hard, going from room to room, dusting everything and straightening it up. Finally, John Dory arrived at their old room, the room he had shared with his brothers. God he hadn't been back here in so long, time for a trip down memory lane. John opened the door to the bedroom, the room hadn't been touched in decades, everything covered in a thick layer of dust. JD didn't have to urge to clean this room, moving things would mean the room wouldn't be him. Them. It wouldn't be Brozone, a side that no fan has seen. John sidestepped the toys that were left on the floor, noting that the toys belonged to Floyd, Branch and Clay. John Dory ran his finger along the railing of Branch’s old crib, picking up the old crocodile plush. JD chuckled at the makeup marks on Floyd's old pillow, seeing the old tween girl magazine peeking out from under the bed. John looked over at Clay's old bed, an old slingshot and whoopie cushion hiding underneath along with a small stack of children's chapter books. John pulled the stack of books out, looking them over, trying to find Clay's favorite. The bookmark still left in Charlotte’s web said that he had found it, of course it was a sad book. John sat the book next to the crocodile plush, unsure of why he was picking these things out. John moved on to the top bunks, starting with Bruce's old bed, back when he was still Spruce. Spruce’s old bed had an old reading light, fan letters hiding under his pillow, and a set of weights he'd use after waking up. John Dory grimaced, not liking how much pressure he used to put on his brothers. He's become better, they all have. John then went over to his old bed finding half written songs and music, old merchandise, and a photo album. He looked through the old album, baby pictures, birthdays, holidays, and other occasions. JD cooed at how little his brothers used to be and how small he was as well. John found a picture of Floyd's holding baby Branch, Floyd looking extremely happy and excited and Branch just sleeping. JD remembered how excited Floyd was to be a big brother, talking to Branch's egg and asking them what big brothers do. John Dory pulled the picture out of its sleeve, placing it in his vest. Coming across another picture, one of Spruce. Spruce was making faces at someone behind the person (it was their grandma) taking the picture. John remembered that, grandma was trying to get nice pictures of them for some magazine company, but it was boring having to stand there smiling for a long period of time. Spruce started making faces at Clay and Floyd while they got their pictures taken. He always made the funniest faces. John took that picture too, along with the photo album. John grabbed the rest of the items, taking one last look around the room before heading back to his campervan. After arriving back at his campervan, John Dory decided to bake their grandma's famous fluffleberry cake. After making and decorating the cake, John noticed that the crocodile plush had a tear and was incredibly dirty. He hand washed it and patched up the tear. JD checked his watch, it was only 8:45 pm. John made himself some dinner and put on a movie. Partway through the movie, John dozed off, probably going to be sore tomorrow from sleeping on a couch. John woke up to his usual alarm, stretching and popping his back. John made a quick breakfast and some coffee, packing up the cake to take to work as a thank you gift to his brothers. He grabbed a box to put the book and plush in, hesitating for a moment, what if they didn't want these things? They clearly hadn't been missing them because they were still there. John decided to take them in anyway and talk to Bruce about to make sure his sentiment is understandable, luckily Bruce was the first one in. JD got to the diner, setting the cake and box in the office, locking the door behind him. He usually didn't lock the office when he was here but that stuff was a surprise so he didn't want one of them seeing it. John set everything up as usual, quietly singing to himself, only perking up when he heard Bruce opening the front door. “G’morning Brucie.” John said, pouring Bruce a cup of coffee and handing it to him. Bruce grunted, he's never really been a morning person, taking the cup of coffee. Bruce took a big sip of the coffee, slowly waking up. John Dory gave Bruce time to fully wake up, knowing he'll be an asshole if he's not awake enough. After a few minutes Bruce turned to John, trying to figure out what he's thinking about it. “Alright, what's going on? You're thinking about something." Bruce said before taking another sip of his coffee. “I was just waiting for you to finish waking up. If you're ready, come on." JD mumbled before turning to walk into the back towards the office. Bruce grabbed his coffee and followed John Dory to the office, even more confused. “Ok so yesterday I went back to Grandma's old pod and found some stuff that I'd think you guys would like but I don't know for sure so I want your Older Brother Opinion ™️. I don't know, maybe I'm just being sentimental.” John said, opening the office and showing Bruce the box of items. " Dang, you want my opinion on this? You're probably overthinking this. Aww, that's an adorable picture of Floyd and baby Branch. You trying to make Clay cry by giving him this book? I think Branch might have missed Crocko. Wait, when was this picture taken?” Bruce said as he looked through the box, setting his cup down on the table. " Oh grandma was taking pictures of us for some magazine company and you wouldn't stop making faces. I guess she had that one developed. I remember you being behind her making faces for Clay and Floyd.” JD said, looking down at the picture fondly with Bruce. “Oh now I remember. Yeah, I think this was a good idea but also you were just being sentimental. Find any other good things there?" Bruce asked as he placed the picture back in the box. John shook his head, placing the box on the floor. That's when Bruce noticed it, the cake. John was talking but Bruce didn't hear a word, too focused on the cake, not sure if it was what he thought it was. Finally John Dory realized Bruce wasn't paying attention, following his line of sight. “Yep, that's what you think it is. But you have to wait for the others to get here. It's a little thank you gift for forcing me to take the day off.” John said, stepping in front of Bruce, who was practically drooling. " Well we wouldn't have to force you if you'd just take days off once in a while.” Bruce sassed, finally snapping out of his trance. " I'm trying to be nice and say thank you, don't be an asshole about it.” JD teased. The two of them had a playful stare off when they heard the front door open, they both looked up before going up front to see which brother had arrived. It was Floyd, waving good morning to them as he sipped his coffee. It wasn't long after before the other two arrived, John going in the back to retrieve the cake while his brothers drank their coffee and prepared for their shifts. John Dory hid the cake behind his back for as long as he could before revealing it to his brothers. Just like Bruce, they all were practically drooling, equally excited to get a piece. JD knew his words would fall on deaf ears until they had a piece of cake, he quickly cut it and served it to them. While they ate the fluffleberry cake, John started talking. “I made this fluffleberry cake as a thank you gift for you guys for forcing me to take a day off. I understand it's because you care and I work too hard. But I only do that because I care, I just have a bit of a hard time showing it. I figured this would get my point across.” " You're such a fuckin sap.” Clay teased before stuffing a large chunk of cake in his mouth. " God dang it Clay, he was trying to be nice, don't be a jerk. That was lovely John. Thank you for the cake, it tastes just how grandma used to make it.” Floyd said, smiling softly. Branch made a noise of agreement as he licked his plate (he really liked the cake), the brothers laughing at him a bit. " Geez Branch, no one's gonna take it from you.” Bruce joked before remembering the box of stuff. Bruce went into the back, to the office, and grabbed the box of stuff. Bruce brought the box back up front and placed it on the counter. “What's this?" Clay asked before peeking in the box. “Well, ask good ol’ sentimental John over here. He got it all.” Bruce said, nudging JD's shoulder. John blushed a little before speaking, scratching the back of his head nervously “It's just some stuff I found yesterday when I went back to Grandma's old pod. I thought you guys might like it.” The other three looked into the box, seeing the items John had picked. Clay pulled out the book, tearing up a little. Floyd cooed over the picture of him and Branch. Branch looked close to tears seeing his favorite old plushie, giving it a squeeze. It pulled at John's heart strings to see his brothers happy like this. “If this is what happens when you take a day off, I think you should take more days off." Bruce teased, nudging John Dory again. “Yeah right, then who'd be here to keep you guys in check." JD joked, the mood felt light and soft. Soon it was time for them to open the diner to the public, putting the cake away and their items with their stuff. The shift went by without a hitch, except for Poppy coming in to bother Branch especially when she saw his old plushie. The diner felt more alive and comfortable, maybe John Dory should take more days off.