#twdg raylan

[ericsonclan]

Jingle All The Way

Summary: Sophie and Marlon work to find the perfect Christmas toys for their kids.

Word Count: 1472

Read on AO3:

Sophie and Marlon weren’t sure how this had happened. They had been so caught up in all the holiday activities, festivities, and chaotic stress that came with it that they had forgotten something huge. They had forgotten to get the one toy that their two kids had been practically begging them for for months leading up to Christmas: the holiday edition Captain Commando action figure with built-in water jets in the toy’s wrists.

“We’re so screwed,” Marlon rested his head on the steering wheel while his wife sat in the seat beside him frantically scrolling through different stores' online catalogs.

“Maybe ooorrrrr this will just make it a special Christmas adventure!” Sophie spotted the annoyed look on her husband’s face. “Babe, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll both go searching all of today. You already called Louis, I called Vi and they both said they’d help us. Minnie and Ren are looking after Raylan and Marley who were practically bouncing off the walls to spend time with them and Timothy. It’s gonna be okay,” Sophie gently rubbed Malon’s back. The sensation helped anchor him in that moment, pulling him away from the anxiety and potential dread he was feeling.

With a shaky breath he lifted up his head and gave a smile. “You’re right. Okay, let’s find those toys!”

“Hell yeah!” Sophie stole a quick kiss then opened the car door and jumped outside.

“First one to find the action figures gets bragging rights!” Sophie called out then was off like a shot, haphazardly trying not to slip on the icy road as she made her way over to Violet who was waiting nearby.

“Be careful!”

“Yep!” Sophie gave another wave and then was off on her quest for the fabled Christmas toy. Marlon watched her in the car window for a minute then turned the key in the ignition and pulled out onto the street. He still had to pick up Louis before he could start the hunt.

“I’m still surprised that you and Sophie didn’t get the action figures like a month ago,” Louis caught Marlon’s annoyed glance. “What? All I’m saying is that I got toys for Maisy, Lee Kenny and Juliet in November and that was just the extra gifts.”

“You know what, Lou, if you’re gonna be sassy like that then I can go on my own.”

“No! Come on, Marlon, don’t be like that. Besides I have good intel that those special action figures are still available for sale at the Target right by Crawford Ave.”

Marlon felt a smile pull on his lips at that. He switched lanes to be able to turn on the right street as they approached their destination. He was gonna make Raylan and Marley’s Christmas perfect and beat Sophie at this Christmas toy hunt! He knew he would because he’d do anything to get those toys.

There were no Captain Commando limited Christmas edition action figures there. Instead, Marlon was staring at a completely barren toy aisle.

“Oh damn, well I guess this is why you shop early.” Louis gave an awkward grin when he saw his best friend’s scowl. “Okay, okay, let’s not worry. We’ll go get some hot cocoa then continue to look. This is just the first store after all.”

Marlon took a deep breath and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just really fucking stressed and I don’t wanna seem like a bad dad because I couldn’t get Raylan or Marley what they wanted for Christmas.” He kept walking until he felt Louis’ hand grab his shoulder.

“Hey, they’re not gonna think that. You’re a great dad.”

Marlon still seemed down in the dumps but he cracked a smile. “Thanks, Lou.”

“No problem, buddy. Alright! To hot chocolate and then the perfect Christmas present!”

“So let me get this straight-”

“I don’t know, can you get it straight if you’re gay?” Sophie sent over a teasing smile to Violet who already looked tired of her best friend’s mediocre jokes. “Okay sorry, continue.”

“You didn’t get some action figures for Raylan and Marley so now you’re trying to find them just four days before Christmas?”

“Yep, that’s pretty much it,”

Violet sighed and shook her head. “You and Marlon are unbelievable.”

“Hey! We got all the other Christmas shopping done! What about you? I bet you haven’t gotten everything you need for Allison and your grandkids.”

“Prish and I got everything weeks ago. A new knife for Allison’s collection, some stones we found during our trip, superhero toys and marshmallow guns for Mitchie and Griffin and cute baby clothes for Wren. Plus a bunch of stuff we found for super cheap and bought on a whim for them too,”

Sophie was speechless. Her attempt to throw it back at Violet had failed. “Okay well, yeah. Whatever, I love my kids!”

“I never said you didn’t,” Violet grumbled, her back hunched and hands stuffed in her pockets. Sophie didn’t seem to pick up on that though and instead was laser focused on finding the action figures.

But it amounted to nothing. No matter what stores they went to, all the action figures of that kind were sold out. Even after a call to check in on the kids where Raylan and Marley went on and on and on about how much fun they were having building snow castles, Sophie’s mood didn’t brighten.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Just take a few deep breaths,” Violet instructed; Sophie listened to the best of her ability. “Feel any better?”

“Nope, I still feel like a bad mom. Okay! Back to hunting! I know that luck is gonna be on my side!” Sophie dashed off before Violet could say anything. With a long sigh she chased after Sophie. She could almost never catch up to her best friend when she was going full speed. Finally Sophie sat down near an escalator, her chest heaving. Violet stood beside her, doubled over in exhaustion.

“Let’s call it a day. You tried your best.”

“No! I’m not giving up yet! There has to be some kind of way to-” Sophie was interrupted when an announcement was made over the loudspeaker.

“It’s time to spread that holiday cheer and what better way than with a chance to win two Captain Commando action figures! Come to the center of the mall if you want a chance to bring home something special for your kids!”

“That’s it! Let’s go!” Sophie grabbed Violet’s hand and dragged her along until they reached the center of the mall where the rules were already being shared.

“...And so if you have the right number on your raffle ball, then you win!”

Sophie grinned. It seemed easy enough. She just needed luck. She bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she reached into the Santa bag. Violet soon followed suit and the two waited until the numbers were called.

“Number twenty seven.”

Sophie’s eyes widened. Holy shit! She had it! Her excitement made her feel all jittery and she threw her arm up in the air to show off her winning number when suddenly she bumped into someone, causing the raffle ball to bounce on the ground.

“Shit!” Sophie dashed after the ping pong ball, running back and forth down the escalator to try and grab it as it fell but it was too quick. The ball kept bouncing and bouncing until it landed in a kids’ play pit.

“What the hell are you doing!’ Violet called out as she watched Sophie dive head first into the ball pit.

“Winning!” Sophie declared. She kept searching until finally she found it. Using all the strength of her lungs, she shouted, “I have the winning number!!!” She rushed back up and pushed her through the crowd, apologizing until she got to the front.

When she arrived she accepted the toy with an exhilarated grin and stared at it as though she was holding priceless treasure. She was so caught up in the moment. “This is great! Now all we need is for your number to win! Show me your ball, Vi!” Violet rolled her eyes at the wording then grumbled as she held up the lottery ball. Both of them waited with tense breaths.

“Number forty eight.”

Immediately Sophie’s optimism deflated. It wasn’t the right number.

“That’s my number!”

Moments later Marlon moved forward before he spotted Sophie and paused in shock. “Sophie?”

“Marlon?”

“What are you doing here?” The married couple asked at the same time.

“I’m winning an action figure,” Marlon explained as he accepted the prize. A happy laugh left Sophie’s lips at that and he looked over with slight confusion. “What?”

“Guess we didn’t screw up Christmas after all,” She held up her action figure and both of them shared a happy smile. Maybe they were pretty awesome parents after all.

#twdg #twdg marlon #twdg sophie #twdg raylan #twdg marley #twdg violet #twdg louis #twdg marlie #louis marlon brotp #sophie violet brotp #ericson's diner au #twdg christmas #ericsonclanchristmaschallenge #fanfic

[ericsonclan]

We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Summary: Marley and Raylan stay up and hide by the staircase to spy on Santa when he comes to visit.

Word Count: 1533

Read on AO3:

“Shhhh, do you want Santa to hear you and not even come?” Marley glared at her older brother as he plodded over in his onesie and joined her by the banister above the staircase.

Raylan cocked his head in confusion. “Why wouldn’t he come just cause he heard me?”

“He’d be hearing you spying and spying is bad,” Marley lifted the binoculars to her eyes and looked down at the first floor, keeping an eye out for any movement.

“Well, if spying is so bad, why are we doing it right on Christmas Eve? We could lose everything!”

“Bad stuff only counts if you’re caught. So don’t get caught,” Marley eyed the baby monitor expectantly. “Is the spy gear working?”

Raylan nodded excitedly. “Yeah. Both sets needed new batteries, but I found some. I took them out of the smoke alarm in our room,”

“Smart,” Marley chuckled to herself as she scoured the lower floor through her binoculars. “We’ll be able to hear Santa the second he comes down the chimney!”

The children waited in silent anticipation from the dark second floor, listening for any sign of jolly old Saint Nick. They could hear their mom in the kitchen heating up hot cocoa and talking excitedly to Rosie.

“That’s right, Rosie! One more night then you and Ferdie get to open up your very own stockings and eat all the treats you can fit in your mouth!”

Ferdinand the Japanese Chin who’d been asleep at the foot of the stairs perked up at the sound of his name and padded over toward the kitchen. As he passed down the hallway, Marley and Raylan rolled back and curled up in tight balls, afraid that Ferdie might spot them and bark, revealing their location. Once the coast was clear they unrolled themselves and crawled back over to the banister.

“Wanna switch?” Raylan held out the baby monitor from which faint, garbled static emitted.

Marley considered the offer for a second then nodded, handing over the binoculars. She sat with the baby monitor cradled against her ear, desperately listening for ant sort of sound that might mean Santa was near.

Suddenly there was a knock upon the front door that just about scared the pair out of their skin. They scooted back on their butts out of the light, looking at one another and wondering who could be coming to visit so late at night – it was almost 10.

“Oooh, we’ve got company!” Sophie scurried over to the front door and opened it without hesitation. There stood Marlon, decked out in a full Santa suit, beard and pot belly with a huge sack of present slung over his shoulder. Sophie smiled at her husband mischievously. “Why, Santa! I was hoping you’d come around tonight,”

“Ho ho ho!” Marlon carefully navigated the sack of presents through the doorway then shimmied forward. He was about to lean forward and steal a kiss from his wife when Rosie and Ferdie came barreling toward him, barking joyously. Marlon knelt down to pet his dogs and chuckled as they tried their best to lick his face through the beard. “What good dogs you have!”

“The best in the world,” Sophie smiled as she watched Rosie do her best to topple Marlon to the ground while Ferdie tried to climb his back.

“A little hand?” Marlon looked up pleadingly though the twinkle in his eye told Sophie he was enjoying the attention.

Sophie picked up Ferdie in her arms then whistled for Rosie. “Come on, you two, let’s give Santa a break and let him get to work,” She headed toward the kitchen while Marlon toted the sack of presents into the living room. “There’s milk and cookies waiting for you in there, Santa, and I’ll bring you some hot cocoa in just a minute!”

Marley and Raylan watched in wonder as their mom and Santa chatted together like old friends.

“Dude,” Raylan whispered excitedly, “Mom knows Santa?!”

“Maybe he knows all the parents,” Marley replied, her eyes still glued to the mythical figure. “Y’know, so they’ll let him in the house and stuff.” She turned to her brother in confusion. “But why didn’t he come down the chimney? Santa always uses the chimney. That’s part of his magic!”

“Shh!” Raylan pressed a finger to Marley’s lips, worried she was getting too loud. Marley was perplexed for a second but then nodded in understanding and returned to observing Santa.

Santa was in their living room now, placing presents around the tree. Ferdie had returned and was still trying to climb Santa but his leaps in the air couldn’t rocket him farther than Santa’s butt. Santa would turn around from time to time and give the dog a few pats, commenting on what a good boy he was.

Meanwhile their mom was bringing in hot chocolate which she set beside the sugar cookies and milk. She joined Santa in unpacking presents and sticking them under the tree. “I see you’ve been sampling the sugar cookies already,”

“Yep, I couldn’t resist. They’re delicious, ho ho ho!”

Marley and Raylan beamed at each other. They had worked all morning making the cookies with Mom for Santa’s arrival tonight. They listened with rapt attention as Santa went on about how good the cookies were, the binoculars and baby monitor cast aside and forgotten.

Once the presents had all been tucked under the tree, Santa joined their mom over by the fireplace to enjoy the rest of the milk, cookies and hot cocoa. The siblings strained to hear the conversation, their faces poking as far out as they could between the rails on the banister. Suddenly Santa burped then clutched pot belly. “Ho ho ho, what a delicious meal! Well, I should be off. There’s still plenty of houses to visit tonight,” Lifting his now empty sack, he headed toward the front door but their mom stopped him in the hallway.

“A kiss for the road?”

“I don’t see why not,” Leaning forward, Santa caught their mom’s lips in a kiss.

           Raylan and Marley looked at each other in horror. Santa was kissing Mom! What would Dad think if he saw? They had to put a stop to this!

The “goodbye” kiss was warm and wonderful. Pulling back, Sophie smiled at her husband. “Who knew kissing Santa would be so sexy?”

Marlon waggled his eyebrows. “Would you like another?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Sophie closed her eyes, leaning in for another smooch when suddenly a wild ruckus came from upstairs and Marley and Raylan came flying down the stairs.

“Get away from my mom!” Raylan yelled and kicked Marlon right in the shin.

“You’re gross, Santa! You’re the bad man!” Marley cried, punching Marlon’s gut before pulling at his beard. The cheap beard came off in an instant though and she pulled back in shock. “Dad?!”

Raylan pulled back from his latest kick, his mouth gaping open in confusion. “You’re not Santa?”

“Oof, no, I’m not, buddy,” Marlon groaned as he plopped down on the floor; the kids had really given him a walloping. He quickly noticed the concern in Sophie’s eyes though and amended his statement. “I mean, I help Santa sometimes on years when he gets really busy,”

“That’s why you came through the front door instead of the fireplace?” Marley asked, looking uncertain at this sudden turn of events.

“That’s right, honey,” Marlon smiled at his daughter, reaching out to gently take her hand. “Don’t worry, the real Santa will be by later to drop off the rest of the presents. I was just helping him out a little,”

Raylan’s eyes widened in excitement. “So if we stay up later that means we’ll get to see the real Santa come down our chimney?”

“Oh no,” Sophie came up behind her son, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Santa comes by reeeeally late at night, far too late for you two to be staying up,”

“Awww, but now we’re too excited to go to sleep!” Marley protested, making her best puppy dog eyes.

Marlon and Sophie shared a look; Sophie sighed. “Fine, you can stay up five more minutes,”

“Yus!” Raylan pumped his fist in victory. “Let’s go shake our presents and guess what’s inside!”

“Oh no you don’t,” Marlon caught his son and gently redirected him towards the kitchen. “You both can have a cup of hot cocoa then back to bed,”

“But Daaaaaaaad,” the kids whined.

“Don’t push your luck,” Sophie gave her children the best stink eye she could muster before her expression melted into a smile once more as the kids raced each other to the kitchen. “Careful with the ladle!” she called after them.

Marlon chuckled and wrapped his arms round his wife from behind, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “That was a close one,”

“Yeah. But they still believe in Santa and that’s what matters,”

“And we gave them a memory that will last a lifetime,”

“Speaking of, are you gonna need an ice pack?”

“Yeah,” A soft groan left Marlon’s lips but his eyes were still bright with laughter. “Merry Christmas, Sophie,”

Sophie grinned and kissed her husband’s cheek right above his lopsided beard. “Merry Christmas,”

#twdg #twdg sophie #twdg marlon #twdg rosie #twdg raylan #twdg marley #twdg ferdinand #twdg marlie #twdg christmas #fanfic #ericson's diner au #ericsonclanchristmaschallenge

[ericsonclan]

An Odd Napping Spot

Summary: Sophie decides to play a game with her dog but it ends up going wrong.

Word Count: 1202

Read on AO3:

It was quiet in the house, something that was rare for the Davis household. Sophie let out a sharp yawn, stretching her arms high above her head. Glancing down, she knew she had gone overboard this time with her day off. Bits of caramel and popcorn kernels were all over her clothes.

“Shit, guess I got too excited, huh, Ferdie?” Sophie smiled over at her dog who gave a yawn in response before rolling over on the floor. His tail flopped over before he noticed Rosie and trotted over towards the pitbull. Sophie watched in amusement as the two dogs started to play together. Leaning over, she checked her phone. Based on the time she had a little less than an hour before Marlon came home with the kids. With a grunt Sophie got up, carefully holding her shirt to make sure she didn’t get crumbs on the ground.

“Alright, Rosie, Ferdie, it’s cleanup time before everyone gets home,” Sophie walked into the kitchen where the two dogs followed her. Brushing the caramel bits and kernels into the trash she then walked around gathering up stuff she had haphazardly thrown about in her moments of excitement at her day off. It didn’t take long for her to clean up. Her two happy helpers seemed more than proud of their assistance of simply following her around. After a little while Sophie had cleaned up everything with a few minutes to spare.

“Okay, everything’s good. What should we-'' She paused when she felt a kernel stuck in between her teeth. Sophie tried her best to defeat the prickly foe by slapping it with her tongue but it was no use. With a defeated sigh she wandered into the downstairs bathroom to get some dental floss. “Come on, you little sneaky turd,” Sophie valiantly fought against the kernel and after some quick maneuvering she had gotten the sucker out. “Ha! You see that, Ferdie!” She smiled over at the chin dog who did a little spin, happily mistaking her tone for snack time. Sophie gave a soft chuckle and was about to stroll out and wait on the couch for her husband and kids when suddenly an idea entered her mind. With a playful smile she moved the bathroom door to block her face then pulled it back, revealing herself to her dog. Ferdie was completely shocked by this, his eyes huge. That sight made Sophie’s smile grow and so she continued the game.

“Peek a boo!” Sophie hid her face then revealed it again. “Gotcha again, Ferdie!”

The dog barked excitedly, his tail wagging at this new game. The shenanigans continued for a few minutes, both participants having way too much fun with it until Sophie suddenly pulled back the door too fast, causing it to whack into her face. The force of this caused her to fall to the floor, unconscious. Ferdie tilted his head, eyeing the redhead for a second before pitter pattering over and licking her face. After a second the dog settled down by her face, giving a sharp yawn then placing his head on his paws. Ferdie only got to rest a few minutes though before the front door was kicked open.

“We’re free!” Marley crowed then immediately kicked off her shoes before barreling up the stairs.

“Marley Davis! Get your butt back down here and put your shoes away!” Marlon called out to his daughter. After a second she walked down the stairs with a pout on her face. While Marlon worked to get Marley to take a few seconds to put away her shoes and backpack, Raylan wandered forward.

“Mom? Mom, we’re home. We want our welcome back hugs,” Raylan poked his head into the kitchen but felt a frown pull down his lips when he didn’t see his mom. He kept searching until he heard Rosie and Ferdie run forward. The dogs immediately showered him with a warm welcome making Raylan laugh loudly before Ferdie tore down the hallway towards the bathroom.

“Ferdie! Wait!” Raylan called out with a happy laugh then skidded to a halt when he spotted his mom passed out on the floor. His eyes grew large, his lips parting, mouth ajar until it dawned on him. “Oh. Oh!” Raylan covered his mouth. He couldn’t wake his mom, she was taking a nap. Still it was a weird place to sleep; her face was right by the toilet. But his mom always told him to not judge people so he wasn’t gonna do that now. “Come on, Ferdie, Mom is taking a nap,” Raylan took a few steps back before he realized that he should find a blanket or something. He started to look around here and there when suddenly he heard his dad’s voice.

“Hey, Raylan, wanna help me get dinner ready?”

Raylan’s eyes sparkled at that. He was excited for dinner tonight. Ribs took forever but they sure were tasty.

“Yeah! I’ll be right there!” Raylan called back then grabbed the first thing he could use as a blanket and tossed it over his mom. Scampering off he could barely contain his excitement to help out his dad, leaving behind his mom with a towel covering her face and Ferdie resting on her chest.

Sophie woke up to the smell of something delicious. A smokey, comforting BBQ smell filled the air, stirring her from her sleep. With a groan she opened her eyes only to panic when she could see nothing. Sophie’s heartbeat skyrocketed for a second as she wondered if knocking yourself out with a door could make you go blind.

“Ferdie! I think I’m bli-” Sophie stopped when she sat up and whatever was on her face fell down into her lap along with the chin dog who seemed upset at being woken up from his nap. Sophie blinked a few times, letting her eyes readjust to the light before she noticed the towel. “What the hell?” Sophie got up with a deep breath, wandering towards the smell of food and the sounds of her family talking loudly in the kitchen. When she entered, Marley and Raylan’s faces both immediately brightened and they barrelled forward, tackling their mom in a hug.

“You’re awake!” Raylan beamed up at Sophie.

“Yeah, I am,” Sophie ruffled both of her kids’ hair then looked over at the clock, shocked when it read that it was nearly seven.

“Hey, babe, did you have a good nap?” Marlon walked forward and gave Sophie a quick kiss before his eyes caught sight of the bruise on her forehead. “How did you get that?”

Sophie gave a small laugh. “Yeah, about that... it’s pretty stupid,” She grinned then turned the topic elsewhere. “So, we’re having ribs tonight?” “Yep! Thought I’d surprise you since you’ve been working so hard on your latest art exhibit,” Marlon gave a loving smile and was pleasantly surprised when Sophie gave him a kiss.

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” She mirrored his smile then looked down at her kids. “Who’s ready for ribs?” Me! Me! Me!” Both Raylan and Marley chimed and soon the family got into the setup routine for dinner, excited to share about their days as they sat and ate together.

#twdg #twdg sophie #twdg marlon #twdg raylan #twdg marley #twdg rosie #twdg ferdinand #twdg marlie #fanfic #ericson's diner au

[ericsonclan]

A Heart Full of Love

Summary: Minnie and Sophie go on patrol and find a bandit camp where a young child is held.

Word Count: 2000+

Read on AO3:

Minnie walked forward towards the stables with Sophie. It was a pretty simple task they had to complete today: patrol around the walls of the Kingdom of Ericson and check  to see whether there were any weak points around it.

“Man, I’m so excited for lunch,” Sophie’s bright voice drew Minnie’s attention. “Then I can spar with Marlon and go flower picking with Raylan and Marley.” Sophie began to list activity after activity while she prepared Hullabaloo for travel while Minnie prepared Nightshade. Soon the steeds were saddled up and ready for patrol.

“Mom! Wait!” Raylan’s voice made Sophie look back just in time to see her five year old son. Raylan tackled her in a hug. A moment passed before Marley appeared, nearly falling as she also ran to hug her mom. “You can’t leave without good luck hugs,” Raylan looked up with a smile, his wild red hair getting in the way of his blue eyes.

“You’re right. Silly me!” Sophie returned the hug, picking up both her kids and spinning them around in a hug. Marley and Raylan laughed, their wooden swords at their hips clinking against their mom’s armor.

“I want to give a good luck hug too!” Marlon jogged forward with a loving smile. He quickly joined the family hug before giving Sophie a soft kiss. “Be safe.”

“I will, I promise. I gotta get back in time for flower picking,” Sophie smiled over at Marley who was jumping up and down with such excitement her blonde hair was falling forward and covering her face.

“Do I get good luck hugs too?” Minnie looked over at her niece and nephew with a smile. Raylan and Marley both gasped.

“Yeah, Auntie Minnie gets a hug too!” Marley ran forward first and hugged Minnie before Raylan joined in a few seconds later. Minnie gave a soft laugh and hugged her niece and nephew tightly.

“Minnnnnnniiiieeee!” Renata’s voice called out as she scampered forward, skidding to a halt in front of her wife. “Whew, I thought I was too late for a second there! I was so busy making you this for good luck I lost track of the time,” Renata held up a white handkerchief that had an embroidered design of red and pink flowers on the side.

Minnie stared at the gift with awe and gently took it from her wife. “Ren, it's beautiful. Thank you,” Minnie smiled over lovingly at Renata. Renata returned the smile then quickly captured the knight’s lips in a soft, tender kiss. Minnie pulled back and looked into Renata’s eyes. “I’ll be back soon.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Renata answered then ran over at Sophie and wrapped her in a hug. “You better be safe too,”

“I will, I will,” Sophie reassured her best friend who took a step back and walked back over to her love. Sophie gave her kids some quick kisses then got up on her steed. “We should be heading out, Minnie,”

“Right,” Minnie cupped Renata’s face and gave a quick kiss before hopping onto Nightshade.

“We’ll be back soon,” Sophie took Marlon’s hand and placed a gentle kiss on top of it then proceeded to follow MInnie who led the way. The two trotted side by side until they reached the gate.

“We are heading out to do a quick patrol,” Minnie explained to the gatekeeper who nodded and quickly worked to open up the gates. Minnie guided Nightshade forward once the gates were opened and the twin knights roamed out into the land ruled by the living dead. Sophie soon joined her sister’s side again, unsheathing her blade and slicing down a walker that had taken an interest in Hullabaloo's tail.

“It's a nice day for a ride around the walls,” Sophie smiled brightly as she led the way, moving clockwise around the perimeter.

“Yeah, it is,” Minnie followed behind, using her broadsword to slice a member of the living dead’s head clean in half. Flicking off the blood, the knight galloped forward and took out another one. Her crossbow gently clanked against her back as she slowed down her steed.

“Aww, no fair. I wanted to take down that one.” Sophie commented then spotted a living dead that was currently brushing its hands against the kingdom’s walls. Sophie clicked her heels against her steed’s sides and rode forward. With a broad swing she sliced through the creature’s gut and ran her sword all the way up through its skull. Trotting around, Hullabaloo snorted and shook his mane. “Sorry, Hullabaloo, moved you a bit too fast there,” Sophie gave an apologetic look to her steed then rejoined Minnie.

“It seems like there’s a few more than usual,” Minnie pointed out as she sliced through a creature’s hands before decapitating it. With a quick pull of the reins she guided Nightshade to crush the living dead’s still twitching skull.

“Yeah, I wonder what's up with that. We haven’t had to deal with a herd of the living dead in some time though, so maybe that’s it,” Sophie’s grip on the reins tightened. She had to make sure the walls were secure enough so that her family and friends were safe.

Minnie picked up on the tense aura her twin was radiating. “It’s going to be okay, Soph. We’ll check the walls; no creature or man will breach them,” She reached out and gently patted Sophie’s back.

“You’re right,” Sophie trotted forward, her red cloak blowing gently in the wind. The two continued their work, patrolling around the walls and checking each area. From the looks of it everything was secure. Those in charge of keeping up the walls’ maintenance were doing an excellent job. The twin knights were nearly all the way around the walls when suddenly Minnie spotted something. A fairly large patch of the living dead were roaming around aimlessly by a small forest only a short distance from the kingdom.

“Sophie,” Minnie glanced over and saw the look of worry in Sophie’s eyes.

“I see them. We better take them out. Don’t want them attracting any more of the creatures back towards home,” Sophie lightly clicked her heels and galloped forward. Minnie soon followed and closed the distance between them. Sophie harshly cut down a member of the living dead before one of Minnie’s bolts thunked into the skull of a walker beside her.

“Thanks,” Sophie smiled then redirected Hullabaloo and cut down another creature. Minnie galloped forward and quickly dealt with a small patch of four, slicing through the waist of one before jabbing her sword directly into the creature’s mouth and flicking her sword upwards, ending its frail existence.

Sophie worked to clear out the few that remained on her side. Swinging out her sword, she embedded it in the thick skull of a member of the living dead. Another was fast approaching the redheaded knight. Sophie took her foot out of the stirrup and pushed back the creature with a mighty kick. It stumbled back with an unnerving groan and reached out its hands blindy when suddenly Minnie appeared behind it and stabbed it through the back of its skull. It fell to the ground limp and lifeless as its brain matter and lifeblood seeped out of the hole the knight had created.

“That should be all of them,” Minnie sheathed her blade and looked over her armor to make sure she had not gotten bit. Sophie quickly did the same before giving a thumbs up. They had both made it out of that fight safely.

“Well, we should head back before the others-”

“Wait, be quiet,” Minnie cut off Sophie’s sentence and held up a hand. The younger twin grew silent as Minnie listened. “Do you hear that?”

Sophie listened to the wind. She heard the sounds of squirrels running around, crickets, a nearby river and... crying?  The twins shared a look. In an instant they began to guide their steeds further into the forest. If there was even a small chance that someone needed help, they were going to provide it. That was their duty as knights and what their hearts had told them to do.

Nightshade and Hullabaloo soon moved the knights towards a small river. Minnie’s eyes wandered around, trying to find the shallowest point to cross over. “There,” She motioned her head towards a part of the small river. Sophie nodded and let the way, The water splashed as the horses trotted through it before it got up near the top of their legs. The knights travelled through the water until they soon crossed to the other side.

The sounds of distress were louder now. It sounded like a young child. Minnie and Sophie quickly moved forward and wandered through the forest. The smell of smoke grew stronger the further they ventured forth. The sounds of the living dead echoed around them. Their unearthly moans drifted on the air. Nightshade was getting slightly spooked.

“It’s okay, Nightshade. Just a bit further,” Minnie reassured her steed as she pet her mane. The black horse seemed to calm down a bit from its rider’s words and trotted forward. Minnie’s eyes scanned the area around them for any signs of the living dead when she heard a horrified gasp from her sister’s lips.

Looking over, she saw Sophie’s eyes shake with emotion at the sight in front of her. Minnie followed her twin’s gaze and saw what looked to be an abandoned bandit hideout. In the center was crackling fire; some logs soon fell down from the flames and caused sparks to fly in the air. Surrounding the pit of flames were corpses upon corpses. Their blood pooled onto the ground, staining it deep red. Off to the side was a cage made of wood and rope and inside was a young boy looking around Raylan’s age. His brown eyes shone with tears as he cautiously reached out his hand towards Minnie and Sophie.

“Please,” His voice trembled as his reddish hair stuck to his tear-stained face. “Help me,”

Minnie immediately jumped off her horse and moved forward. Her guard was completely down; all of the attention and worry was on the child before her. “It’s going to be okay. My sister and I will take you back to a safe place.” Minnie’s eyes locked with his and in a moment he knew he could trust her.

“O-Okay,” The boy sniffled and pushed back his hair.

“My name is Minnie. What’s yours?” the knight asked as she moved closer to the cage.

“Timothy.” The boy answered and shuffled away when Minnie knelt before him. Slowly she reached for her sword and noticed Timothy flinch.

“This is just to cut the ropes to free you. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” Minnie’s words calmed him down and he gave a nod.

“My sister’s super nice,” Sophie gave a bright smile and hopped off of Hullabaloo. “And the kingdom we’re going back to has the best food and the nicest people.” Sophie’s friendliness made Timothy smile.

“Do you have any family? Or…” Minnie grew silent after she saw the boy’s expression and focused her attention back on the task at hand as she sliced through the ropes.

Timothy shook his head. “They died when I was younger. I don’t have anyone.” Timothy mumbled. His eyes grew large when the rope had been fully cut and the cage opened.

Minnie smiled softly at him before she noticed the gash on his collarbone and the dirt and dried blood on his face.

“Soph, grab my water pouch and that old rag,” Minnie instructed and her twin listened. Grabbing the water pouch off of Nightshade’s saddle, she tossed it over to Minnie. “I’m just going to clean off the dirt and blood, okay?” Minnie looked towards Timothy who gave a short nod.

Sophie jogged forward and held open the cage door while Minnie held out her hand. Timothy looked towards Sophie then towards Minnie. He looked at her gentle blue eyes and slowly reached out his hand towards her. WIth a light pull Minnie helped Timothy to his feet. She then took out an old rag and poured some water on it. It wasn’t the best choice; she mainly used the rag to wipe off her sweat during training and such. But it was all she had. Gently she began to clean off Timothy’s face then the wound on his collarbone. He hissed softly.

“Wanna hold my hand?” Sophie offered and Timothy softly grabbed onto her hand. He squeezed it when Minnie began to clean the wound once more.

“There, all done,” Minnie smiled, her eyes widening in surprise when Timothy gently hugged her.

“Thank you. You too,” He smiled over at Sophie.

“No problem.” Sophie casually placed her hands behind her head.

“Now let's get you to Ericson,” Minnie gave a warm look over to Timothy. He nodded and started to walk forward. Every so cautiously he held onto Minnie’s hand. The knight smiled and began to guide them to Nightshade when suddenly an arrow flew through the air and grazed Minnie’s right arm. The knight let out a pained hiss.

“Minnie!” Sophie unsheathed her blade as bandits started to appear from the trees around them. A man walked forward, his black hair pulled back into a long ponytail. “Well, well, well. It seems we have a couple of thieves. You’re stealing my merchandise.”

“Fuck you! Timothy isn’t something to sell!” Minnie growled angrily as she glared at the man she assumed to be the leader.

“Whatcha wanna do, Hawk?” A guy with greasy blond hair looked towards the leader.

“Kill the knights. I still want to gather a profit from the merchandise though,” Hawk spoke with a heartless tone.

The man nodded then motioned for the group to attack. One dashed towards Sophie, viciously attacking her with his dagger. The knight blocked it and stood her ground. Gritting her teeth, Sophie pushed back the man before slicing off his fingers. The man cried out but was soon silenced when Sophie thrust her blade into his skull. She hated taking human lives but these men weren’t that; they were monsters.

“Follow me!” Minnie ran forward with Timothy and helped lift him onto Nightshade. The black steed snorted nervously. “Stay here and I’ll be right back.” Minnie instructed and turned to join the fight only for a jagged blade to slash out and nick her throat. Minnie coughed sharply and stumbled back.

“Minnie!” Sophie’s worried eyes hardened and she harshly cut down another bandit.

“I’m fine,” Minnie unsheathed her broadsword and blocked an attack. With a kick she sent a bandit back before facing off against Hawk.

The leader smirked as their blades clashed. “Let’s see what a fancy knight can do,” He headbutted Minnie and tried to attack her once more while she was stunned but Minnie quickly bounced back. Sidestepping the attack she slashed out her sword, cutting off the leather strap on one side of his armor. Hawk was annoyed and punched the redheaded knight in the face. Minnie stumbled back and spat out blood before rushing forward again.

She sent brutal swing after swing towards her enemy. Hawk kept dodging and blocking them until Minnie feinted an attack and sliced through the other leather strap. The move made his armor fall to the ground. Hawk tried to recover and regroup but Minnie’s sword soon found his heart. “Die, you fucking piece of scum!” Minnie yelled and kicked him off her blade and into the fire. Striding forward she stabbed his skull so he wouldn’t turn.

Everyone was silent for a minute.

“Hawk!” The blond bandit cried out; his eyes burned with anger. “You’re not leaving here alive!”

“Richard, maybe we should-” Another bandit tried to speak up but the blond one snapped at him harshly.

“Shut your goddamn mouth! Hawk saved your ass countless times! Now pick up your sword and slice out these knights’ throats!” Richard moved forward and tried to cut down Minnie but Sophie slid in front of her sister and blocked the attack.

“I’ll hold them off and distract them for a bit. You take Timothy and run!” Sophie looked back at her sister. Minnie knew Sophie wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“I better see you again,” Minnie hopped up onto the steed and looked at her twin.

Sophie kicked back a bandit and gave a hopeful grin. “With my lucky trinket and those hugs, I’m invincible!” She got onto Hullabaloo. “You don’t stand a chance against me!” Sophie charged valiantly into battle and began to divert all the bandits’ attention onto herself.

“Hold on tight, Timothy,” Minnie instructed to which the little boy listened. His hands were shaking violently. Minnie didn’t know if she had anything to help calm him down. Her eyes wandered for anything before she saw the handkerchief that Ren had made tucked away in her armor. Grabbing it, Minnie held it out for Timothy. “This will keep you safe.”

Timothy looked at it for a moment then took it. He held it close to his chest while Minnie protectively moved her arms around Timothy as she rode forward.

Galloping through the forest, Minnie moved past the living dead and made her way towards the river. Her heart stopped for a moment when she saw how many members of the living dead were nearby. She knew she couldn’t take on that many while protecting a child. Minnie took her red cloak and shielded Timothy. She knew it was pointless against the creatures who couldn’t see that well but it made her feel better. Slowly she moved Nightshade forward at a snail’s pace, pulling the reins here and there and weaving through the living dead who blindly waved around their arms for a potential meal.

“Stay quiet, okay?” she whispered down to Timothy who nodded. Every so quietly the knight guided the steed into the water. Blood trickled down Minnie’s throat and splattered onto her armor while lifeblood from her arm stained the water below them red. Water splashed around Nightshade as the mare traversed the river; soon her legs were completely covered by the water.

“Okay, it should be safe now,” Minnie glanced back at the small herd of walkers.

“Cinnamon,” Timothy whispered, making the knight look down at the child. “This smells like cinnamon.” He smiled softly at Minnie before noticing the blood falling down her neck.

Minnie picked up on his concern and gave a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, this won’t take me down,” She continued to smile until she saw Timothy move the handkerchief closer to her hand.

“We can hold it together,” He looked up at her with big eyes.

“Okay, together,” Minnie held onto the handkerchief and continued to focus on getting them to safety.

After a few minutes they were out of the forest and Minnie stopped Nightshade, letting her trot in place for a few seconds. “Come on, Sophie. Come on,” Minnie’s eyes frantically searched the tree line for her twin. A few minutes passed. Then ten minutes. Then twenty.

Minnie’s gut twisted in worry and her heart felt numb. She needed to go back in there and find Sophie. Would she be alive though? Or would she be a member of the living dead? Minnie’s hands trembled before Timothy put his on top of hers and smiled softly. “I think she’ll make it.” Timothy’s words did little to calm down Minnie in the moment but she appreciated them nonetheless.

The knight was about to charge into the forest once more when suddenly she heard Hullabaloo whinny. Minnie’s eyes shot over in the direction of the sound and she saw Sophie give a confident smile even though a line of blood ran down her busted lip and a dagger laid embedded in her back.

“I made it. You saw me again.” Sophie galloped forward then winced in pain from the fast movement.

“Soph, take it easy!” Minnie looked frantically over at her sister.

“I’ll be fine. Right, Timothy?” Sophie smiled over at the boy.

“Yeah, but her boo boo,” Timothy glanced up at Minnie.

“Yeah, her boo boo. We have a healer though and I’m sure she’ll love seeing this.” Minnie led the way back to the castle.

“Ugh, Ruby’s gonna be a pain in the ass,” Sophie grumbled and spat out some blood.

“Not as much as your husband and kids,” Minnie replied. “Good luck getting patrol duty again.”

Sophie sighed deeply and let her head fall. “It will take some convincing but hey, we made it out and so did Timothy.” Sophie looked over at the child who seemed to already be getting attached to Minnie. He was still holding the handkerchief with her.

“Yeah, we did,” Minnie smiled and stopped Nightshade when they reached the gate. “We’re back from patrol and we have injured.” The knight's words made the gatekeeper panic as they struggled to open the gate.

Soon the twins were riding back into the kingdom and down the streets towards the castle. Renata was waiting impatiently for them and Marlon paced nervously. He was this close to hopping on Oblivion and searching for them. They had been gone for far too long. Meanwhile Willy and Allison were busy having sword fights with Marley and Raylan.

Allison sidestepped an attack then looked up, noticing the knights. “They’re back,” the magic weilder’s words made everyone stop and glance up.

“Sophie! Minnie!” Marlon ran forward and froze when he saw his wife’s injuries. “What the hell happened?” “Bandits, but don’t worry. They won’t bother anyone ever again,” Sophie reassured while her kids ran forward and started to worry over her.

Renata jogged over and stopped beside Minnie’s horse. “Minnie, you’re safe!” she smiled then looked over towards Timothy. “Oh? Who’s this?” “I’m Timothy,”  Timothy gave a soft smile over towards Renata. The court jester returned the smile until she noticed the wound on his collarbone and the ones on Minnie. She could feel her heart tightening.

“Well then, Timmy, how about I help you down from there and get you and Min to the best healer in all the lands?” Renata held out her arms and Timothy moved forward. Renata lifted him up and set him down. He was soon overwhelmed by the comforting smell of cinnamon. Renata knelt down and smiled at him. “My name’s Renata. I’ll make sure you get that boo boo taken care of and get you settled in your new home,” The jester rose up and held out her hand.

Timothy instantly took it before looking up at Minnie who had gotten off her steed. Slowly he raised up his other hand. The knight was surprised for a moment but took it. With that the three began to walk off together. Timothy looked around at the castle, then at all the people around and finally at Minnie and Renata. Maybe this really could be home. Maybe he had finally found it.

#twdg #twdg minnie #twdg sophie #twdg marlon #twdg raylan #twdg marley #twdg marlie #twdg renata #twdg minata #twdg timothy #fanfic #for king and country au

[ericsonclan]

A Christmas Day We Won't Soon Forget

Summary: Minnie and Sophie along with their families wait for Tenn to come home from college to celebrate Christmas.

Word Count: 3257

Read on AO3:

“Oh, careful there, Raylan.” Sophie looked over at her eldest child who was struggling to hold onto a glass bowl Marlon had just washed and Minnie had dried.

“I will. I’m strong,” Raylan’s blue eyes poked out from his wild red hair as he smiled brightly as his mom.

“I get the next dish!” Marley declared as she waited impatiently by her aunt’s side, her blonde hair bouncing slightly along with her movement. Minnie smiled down warmly at her niece before looking over as Renata hummed along to some Christmas music that was playing. She worked side by side with her son who carefully handed over the ingredients Renata had finished using in the dishes for Christmas dinner to be put away.

“Here you go, Mama.” Timothy brushed back his red hair and handed over the container of butter.

“Thanks, Timmy.” Renata took the butter then placed a quick kiss on her son’s forehead before continuing her work. All of them worked hard to get the kitchen clean in time for when Tenn showed up. Marley, Raylan and Timothy were all beyond excited at the chance to see their uncle again. Sophie and Minnie seemed just as excited if not more so at the idea that within minutes they would be seeing their brother again. They’d ask him about classes and how he was enjoying college while he got tackled with hugs from all different members of the family. Sadly their parents wouldn’t be able to make it due to a snow storm cancelling their flight, but Sophie and Minnie knew they’d just throw another celebration when they did show up.

The warm, happy, albeit not always in tune voices of the family sang along to the Christmas songs as they all continued their work. Renata’s feet  danced around the kitchen, stealing kisses whenever she could from Minnie as she continued to help out. After a few minutes they were done and the kids were excused to go and play. Marley immediately grabbed her cousin’s hand while Raylan worked to get both of his aunts to the front to play with them while they waited for Uncle Tenn. Sophie and Marlon laughed as they saw Minnie tell Raylan to hold on for a moment as she tossed back the dish towel. Sophie caught it with ease and put it up to dry.

“Well, so far it seems like it’s going to be quite the Christmas,” Sophie leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Marlon’s cheek who smiled lovingly at his wife.

“Yeah, I’m sure it will be a great one,” Marlon intertwined his fingers with Sophie’s and began to walk forward towards the living room. Renata was giving Raylan an airplane ride while Minnie was somehow managing to give piggyback rides to both Timothy and Marley. Renata’s infectious laughter was met in kind by the kids and her wife as they enjoyed the moment playing together when suddenly Renata paused. Her brown eyes danced with curiosity as she jogged over to the window.

“Hey, buddy. I’m gonna need to set you down for a moment,” Renata knelt down and Raylan hopped off, immediately making his way over to get his dad to play with him. Renata glanced out the window, an excited smile appearing on her lips.

“Hey, looks like Tenn is here.” Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she looked outside. “Min, Soph, you two don’t happen to have a secret sister, do you?”

Minnie quirked an eyebrow and placed Timothy and Marley down before walking over to her wife’s side. “Why do you ask?” She stopped in her tracks when she saw Renata’s expression change. “What?”

“Never mind, I hope it’s not your sister,” Renata glanced over at Minnie for a second before looking outside again.

Minnie immediately looked out to see her brother walking hand in hand with a girl with dark brown hair  who had a light blue headband covered in little white snowflakes. A small mole adorned her left cheek and an adoring smile was on her lips as she looked at Tenn.

“Why not?” Sophie joined the pair and glanced outside. “Ren, they’re just holding hands. Maybe they’re really good friends or something.”

A laugh escaped Minnie’s lips, making her twin glance over her way.

“What’s so funny, Minnie?” Sophie asked with a small frown.

“Nothing, just old memories,” The older twin smiled mischievously at Sophie.

Before Sophie had a chance to respond, a small gasp left Renata’s lips.

“They kissed again!” Her face was pressed against the window, the steam from her warm breath fogging up the glass more and more with each passing second. At this point the three kids and Marlon had joined in, looking out the window beside Sophie.

“Kissed?!?” Sophie looked shocked by that.

“Again?!?” Minnie’s head shot towards her wife.

“Yeah, they smooched once. So maybe they're best friends.” Renata gave a shrug.

“Best friends don’t kiss on the lips,” Sophie shook her head then paused. “Was it on the lips?”

“Yes,”

“Then Sophie is right,” Minnie stared out the window. “Best friends don’t do that.”

“Well, maybe not all best friends,” Renata crossed her arms.

“Babe, stop trying to win this argument,” Minnie smiled over at her wife.

“They’re at the door,” Marlon nodded toward it, causing the twins and Renata to look and see that Tenn and the girl were at the front door. Without warning, Renata ran forward towards the door. Raylan and Marley grabbed Timothy's hands and sprinted forward as well. Minnie and Sophie walked side by side while Marlon moved forward to tell the kids to step back and give their uncle and his friend some space. Renata swung up the door without warning, not even giving Tenn or the girl a chance to knock.

“Tenn! Merry Christmas!’ Renata’s sudden action made both Tenn and the girl’s eyes grow large.

“Oh, hey, Renata. Merry Christmas,” Tenn gave a small nod of thanks when Renata moved back to let them in. The plastic bag in his arms crinkled as it brushed against his leg.

“Tenn!” Sophie ran forward and swept her brother in and hugged before Minnie joined in. The three siblings remained in that moment for a few seconds before pulling back.

“Welcome home, Tenn.” Minnie smiled warmly at her younger brother. Tenn was about to respond when his two nephews and niece ran forward to hug him.

“Uncle Tenn!” Raylan smiled up with a huge grin.

“You’re back!” Marley declared loudly before Timothy spoke up.

“Merry Christmas, Uncle Tenn.”

“Thanks, guys,” Tenn replied softly as he returned the hugs. “It’s good to be home.”

“Holy cheeseballs!” Sophie let out an impressed whistle as she held out her hand and measured Tenn’s height. “You keep on growing even though you’re twenty. That’s totally unfair! I better watch out or you’ll grow taller than me and Minnie.”

“I doubt that,” Tenn gave a gentle chuckle.

“Hey, Tenn,” Marlon strolled forward and gave him a hug. “You gonna introduce us to your guest?”

Tenn’s eyes grew large for a split second. His right hand reached over and began to fidget with his left. “Yeah,” He took a second then intertwined his left hand with the girl’s. “Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Mariana.” He smiled over with tenderness as his girlfriend returned the smile in kind.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Mariana smiled warmly at Tenn’s family who were still processing what had just been said. The news that Tenn had dropped hit everyone, putting them in such shock that they all remained quiet for a second except the three kids who were already asking a million questions. Renata was the first adult to speak up.

“Girlfriend, you say?” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “Do tell.”

“Why don’t we go over to the table and we can catch up for a bit,” Minnie offered and began to lead the way. Marlon was about to walk forward when Sophie gently grabbed his arm.

“Babe, could you get out some coloring books for the kids?” Sophie nodded over, directing her husband’s attention to the kids who were all trying to convince Renata to make hot cocoa instead of tea for Tenn and his girlfriend in hopes they would be getting some too. It seemed like catching up with Tenn would be more than just talking about classes this year so it’d be best for the kids to be distracted. Marlon gave a nod in understanding.

Within minutes the six adults were sitting around the table, each with their own mug of tea. Rosie and Ferdinand emerged from a bedroom and immediately went over to greet a familiar face and the new one at the table. After a minute or two the two dogs settled down beside the kids. Raylan, Marley and Timothy were quietly talking as they colored in the living room right beside the table.Tenn glanced over at his niece and nephews, a small part of him wishing that he could be coloring alongside them right now. Maybe he could even get Mari to join in too. He was pulled away from his thoughts when Sophie spoke up.

“So, how long have you two been dating?” The redhead leaned forward, clearly interesting in hearing more about this. The rest of the people at the table seemed just as invested in learning this too.

“Mari and I have been dating for almost an entire semester now,” Tenn smiled over shyly at his sisters.

“Almost a whole semester?!” Minnie nearly choked on her tea. “Why didn’t you let us know before?”

“I was busy with classes and I wanted to make sure that it was serious before letting you guys know, and...” Tenn intertwined his fingers with Mari’s, “It is.”

“That’s great!” Renata declared loudly. “Now for the real tea: How did you two meet?”

“Well, Tenn was trying to find a book on Van Gogh’s illustrations in the library and he asked me to help him.”

“Oh, were you studying there?” Marlon asked Mariana, taking a sip of his tea.

“Actually, I was working there,” Marianna fidgeted with her headband.

“Oh! That’s cool. That’s pretty impressive, working part time and going to college,” Sophie nodded in approval, clearly thinking highly of her brother’s girlfriend.

“Well, I don’t take classes at the college. I just work there.” Mariana’s statement made everyone pause for a moment.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Minnie began before Renata cut her off with a question.

“Mari, how old are you?”

Everyone looked at Renata then over at Mariana who readjusted her seat. “Twenty four.”

“Tenn is a cradle robber!” Renata exclaimed with a gasp before stopping when she noticed her mistake. “Wait, no.”

“Tenn just likes older women,” Sophie gave a teasing smile that made her brother glance away in embarrassment. Minnie laughed softly at that.

“Sophie, Minnie,” Tenn pleaded but the table erupted with talk and laughter as they teased the couple.

“Sorry, Mariana. It may take you a minute to get used to the teasing,” Marlon smiled warmly over at her.

“No, it’s okay. I’m used to this kind of teasing,” Mariana’s statement made the chatter stop. “My uncles are notorious in their teasing. Poor Tenn had to go through quite the wringer with my family. So bring it on,” She gave a confident smile.

“Dang, you already met her family,” Sophie leaned back in her chair.

“Well now that we’re on the subject of family, why don’t you tell us a bit about yours,” Minnie looked over at Mariana with a gentle smile.

So Mariana began to share about her family. She had an older brother named Gabe who was happily married. She then spoke of her uncles Javi and Santiago and how they had always been supportive of her even if they went overboard with their teasing. Any other family that she may have had Mariana brushed aside. Based on her body language, they figured it was best to just leave it alone and not pry. Renata was about to ask another question when Raylan ran forward and held up his art.

“Look, Mommy. Look! Look! It’s an airplane!” He held up a drawing that had a plethora of colors on it.

“Wow, Raylan, that’s amazing!” Sophie took the picture and looked truly touched by the art before playfully ruffling her son’s hair. “Gotta add this to the fridge!”

“Add mine too!” Marley scampered forward and held up a drawing that looked like a giant log with four long sticks attached to it. “It's Rosie!”

“It looks just like her!” Marlon rose up from his spot, causing the two dogs to run over. Ferdinand got up on his hindlegs and began to do a spin in hopes he would get a snack. “Not now, Ferdie.” Marlon gave some pats to the dogs then strolled forward. “How about we put these up on the fridge while everyone else gets ready for presents?”

Marley and Raylan laughed and began to drag Tenn over to the Christmas tree along with Mari while Timothy shyly walked toward the table. He held a piece of paper in his hands and lifted it up towards Sophie.

“Auntie, can I have mine on the fridge too?” The young boy held up the picture which was some sort of beetle with red hair. “It’s Raylan but a bug.” Raylan sprinted back and slid on his fuzzy Christmas socks to take a look. “Whoa! That’s so cool!”

“It is very cool,” Sophie nodded in agreement. “I think we’ll find the perfect spot for it on the fridge.” With that Sophie and Marlon headed off to find that spot with the help of Raylan while Minnie and Renata walked hand in hand over to join the others by the tree. After a few minutes of placing the special drawings on the fridge Marlon and Sophie took their spots by their two kids.

“Alrighty,” Renata did a drumroll. “It’s time for gifts! Who wants to go first?” Her question made all three of the kids excited as each of them begged that they go first. It took a few minutes but it was decided that they would go from oldest to youngest. Raylan seemed happy with this as he caught the present that Minnie tossed over towards him. The redheaded boy bounced excitedly in his spot as he tore open the wrapping paper and chucked it across the room. Marlon casually got up to pick up the trash when his son made a high pitched sound of joy. He held up a small toy airplane to his face; his blue eyes practically sparkled with happiness. The boy looked down at the hat that was still in his lap. It was a deep brown hat with a fuzzy interior lining.

“That hat is called an aviator hat,” Minnie explained as she leaned back in her seat and wrapped her arms around Renata who sat in her lap.

“All the pilots wear it,” Renata added with a smile.

Raylan’s eye grew large as he placed the hat on his head and began to giggle as he played with the toy airplane while making special flying sounds. “Thanks, Auntie Renata and Minnie!” He smiled happily over at his aunts who returned the smile in kind.

“It's my turn!” Marley declared but her sneaky plan was found out immediately as Marlon shook his head.

“It would be best to wait your turn,” Tenn smiled gently to his niece who pouted but listened to him.

“Here ya go, Timothy,” Sophie handed over the present. “Hope Marlon and I did a good job this year,” Sophie reached up and took Marlon’s hand as he stood behind her. Ferdinand hopped up and sat beside her while Rosie moseyed over and plopped down next to Timothy. The boy scratched the dog’s ears before proceeding to carefully open the wrapping paper. It was as if he was worried he’d tear the gift if he was too rough with the wrapping paper. A small gasp left his lips when he saw a beautiful hardcover illustrated children’s book inside. He gently opened up the book and looked intently at the illustrations with awe dancing in his eyes.

“You like it, buddy?” Marlon’s voice made the young boy look up and give a nod. He held the book close to his chest with a soft smile. “Thanks, Auntie Sophie. Thanks, Uncle Marlon.”

“My turn?” Marley asked, her eyes looking over at her aunts with impatient hopefulness.

“It sure is,” Renata leaned over and lightly tossed over the gift. Marley practically lunged forward to grab it and didn’t wait a second before she tore through the wrapping paper and revealed a book on hobo signs. The blonde looked confused by the book for a second before Renata spoke up.

“It’s Billy Bob the Hobo’s book from Insane Trains and Planes!” Marley’s eyes sparkled and grew large at her aunt’s explanation. Her focus turned to the book as she flipped through it. Marley loved all the hobo signs, becoming completely captured by the images.

“We brought gifts too,” Mariana spoke up. “Although we just picked them up on the way.”

“I think all three of you will still like them though,” Tenn added with a kind smile.

All the kids seemed excited at the idea of more presents and so Mariana got up to get the plastic bag and handed it over to the three kids. All three of them worked together to open it together and pulled out three sets of fake mustaches. The trio gasped and began to put them on each other as the adults laughed. Once they had all gotten them on they ran over to hug Tenn and to Mari’s surprise she got hugs too.

“Looks like from now on you mustache the questions.” Renata smiled proudly at her pun. She continued to make more and more as the adults began to open gifts. The kids were all too excited about their gifts and repeating Renata’s puns to notice.

After the gifts had been shared, the three couples continued to talk as Raylan ran around as he pretended to fly the toy plane, chased by Ferdie. Marley and Timothy sat side by side, both of them completely wrapped up in their books. Every so often they would lift up their books and point out a cool picture or symbol in it while Rosie slept beside them. Time seemed to fly by and before anyone would've guessed it the oven’s timer went off, signalling that dinner was ready.

“Oh, looks like it’s time to feast!” Renata got up from her spot.

“Yes!” Sophie pumped her fist which her kids quickly mimicked.

“Wanna help me, Min?” Renata smiled lovingly at her wife who got up from her spot.

“I’d love to!”

“Soph and I can help,” Marlon moved forward along with his wife.

“Mari and I can too,” Tenn offered.

Soon the whole family was working to set the table while Renata  and Minnie got the dishes out of the oven. It was a team effort but eventually the table was set and the free spots were filled with delicious Christmas food. Mari gave Tenn’s hand a quick squeeze, the couple sharing a happy smile that everything had turned out alright. Tenn’s family had accepted Mari with open arms. Sophie and Renata shared jokes while Minnie worked to serve the table along with Marlon. Everyone was chatting happily, excited for the Christmas feast and to enjoy the rest of the evening with the family they loved dearly.

#twdg #twdg sophie #twdg marlon #twdg minnie #twdg renata #twdg raylan #twdg marley #twdg timothy #twdg tenn #twdg mariana #twdg rosie #twdg ferdinand #twdg marlie #twdg minata #twdg tenniana #fanfic #ericson's diner au #twdg christmas #ericsonclanchristmaschallenge

[ericsonclan]

First Snow

Summary: Marlon and Sophie get woken up by their kids who are excited about the first snow of the year.

Word Count: 1939

Read on AO3:

It was a quiet winter morning. Marlon and Sophie were fast asleep in their bed, Sophie’s arms gently wrapped around her husband who continued to snore loudly. Her face was nuzzled against his back while his hand was gently intertwined with hers. It seemed like a perfect, tranquil morning until the sound of loud footsteps echoed throughout the house. The small pitter patter of a dog followed close behind. With a large kick the door to Marlon and Sophie’s room opened and in scampered their two kids.

“Mom, Dad, It’s snowing outside!” Marley declared excitedly. Her blonde hair had gotten wild and fallen in the way of her eyes due to her fast paced running. Her brother ran past her and jumped up on the bed. His red hair bounced up and down with the force of his jumps. With big leaps, Raylan began to chant the same two words over and over again. “First snow! First snow! First snow!” His loud voice woke up Rosie who had been resting at the foot of the bed on the floor.

“Come on, Rosie!” Marley gave the dog a few head scratches with a big grin. “Help us wake up Mom and Dad.”

Rosie gave a bark of approval, her stub tail wagging happily as she hopped up on the bed.

Sophie groaned and turned on her side, hoping it would buy her a few more minutes. But it seemed to do the opposite as her kids began to focus on her. Raylan gave his best whistle which sounded closer to a wet fart than anything else.

“That’s not how you do it, Raylan!” Marley shook her head energetically then placed her ring finger and her thumb in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle that made Marlon jolt for a second. “Rosie, try to wake up Dad!” Marley instructed with a playful smile. The pitbull listened and strolled over the bed, beginning to copiously lick Marlon’s face. Marlon laughed and hid his face under his pillow which made Rosie paw at it with a small whine.

“Wait, Marley.” Raylan stopped his jumping near Sophie and pointed to the corner of the bed. “Ferdie needs help up!” The redhead’s words made his sister glance over at the black spotted Japanese chin dog. The dog’s paws stretched out on the mattress before giving a valiant hop that only ended with him falling back onto the floor. Running over, Marley scooped up the dog and got on the bed too. She went over to her dad, giggling as she let Ferdie lick his fingers. Marlon started to wiggled around, still trying to hold onto any minutes of sleep that he could. But it seemed the same couldn’t be said for Sophie who had successfully been woken up by the eldest of her children. Sophie got up with a groan which made Raylan give a little victory cheer, his icy blue eyes shining with pride.

“What’s so important, you two?” Sophie tried to blink out the sleep in her eyes.

“It’s snowing!” Marley answered as she continued to work on waking up her father.

“It’s the first of the year and we really, really, really want to go outside!”

“Okay,” Sophie gave a long yawn before flashing a playful smile. “But there’s a price for waking me up.” Raylan didn’t even have a chance before his mom began to tickle him. His warm laughter filled the room as Sophie pressed a raspberry on his stomach which only made him laugh more. Rosie barked at the sound and moseyed over towards the pair.

“Alright, I’m going to the kitchen to get started on coffee. Don’t be too rough with your jumping.” Sophie slipped out of bed. Her sudden disappearance made Rosie and Ferdinand jump off the bed and follow her, leaving Marlon along with his two kids. Marley began to shake her dad while Raylan started to jump again, ending up on his butt a few too many times in the process. After a few minutes Marlon rose up from his spot and began to tickle both of his kids in vengeance.

“You little rascals!” Marlon smiled at them. The two kids laughed as they continued to try to tickle their dad back. A short while later the trio was tired out and Marlon gave a huge yawn, shaking his head with the force of it. “Let’s go find your mom,” He rose up from his spot and Marley and Raylan scampered off the bed to join him.

Sophie was in the process of brewing the coffee when Marlon appeared in the kitchen, Marley and Raylan on his legs as he struggled to get forward.

“Good morning,” Sophie mumbled as she worked to pour the first cup of coffee.

“Morning, babe,” Marlon smiled over at his wife who returned the smile. Making his way over, he gave a quick kiss to Sophie. “ So, what’s the plan? Grab coffee and spend some time outside?”

“Yeah!” Marley looked up with her big blue eyes. “We’re already missing out on some of the snowflakes!”

“Hear that, babe?” Sophie gave a small chuckle. “Seems like we slept through some of the snow.”

“So we gotta hurry,” Raylan bounced impatiently.

“Alright, sport,” Marlon leaned down and ruffled his hair. “Just let us get our coffee first.”

Both Marley and Raylan seemed a bit sad about that but agreed regardless. In an instant they had forgotten about their short gloomy moment and instead focused on showering both dogs with tons of pats. Once Sophie and Marlon had taken a few sips of coffee their two kids scampered over to the door.

“Snow, here we come!” Raylan declared, pumping his fists in the air before disappearing outside.

“Wait for me!” Marley sprinted off after her brother.

“Wait, you two,” Marlon snatched up their winter coats and ran through the door. Ferdinand and Rosie followed closely behind while Sophie grabbed Marlon and her own coats and some gloves before stepping through the door and closing in.

“You need to wear your coats,” Marlon scolded and helped Marley with her coat while Sophie worked to help Raylan.

“Let’s not forget ours,” Sophie smiled lovingly at her husband and passed over his coat after stealing a quick kiss.

The giggles of their children drew the couple’s attention away from each other as they watched Raylan spinning around in a circle. His eyes looked up at the sky where small snowflakes began to drift down to the earth. Marley was holding out her palms to try and catch a snowflake or two. Whenever she was successful she let a happy laugh and stared closely at the snowflake, her eyes dancing with awe as she watched it melt and disappear. Sophie and Marlon shared a look before joining in the fun. Sophie lifted her head backwards and stuck out her tongue for the snowflakes to fall on. Marlon had joined his son and was helping spin him around. The pair giggled as snowflakes began to get caught in their hair. Rosie barked and tried her best to catch a snowflake or two while Ferdinand hopped this way and that, his tail wagging playful as he tried to bite the snowflakes. The family laughed and continued to enjoy the beginning of winter when Marley and Raylan paused in their playing.

“Can we invite Timothy over?” Raylan asked, his body swaying back and forth with nervous energy at the possibility of a positive answer. Marley jumped up and down and started making sounds in agreement.

Marlon and Sophie shared a smile.

“I’m sure Ren and Minnie would enjoy it too. Okay, I’m going to grab my phone and give Aunt Minnie and Aunt Renata a call.”

Marley and Raylan high fived and began to cheer until they got distracted by the snow once more. Sophie gave a soft chuckle and moved back inside. Knowing Minnie and Renata, they were sure to be up by now.

-----

“You ready?” Minnie asked with a bright smile as she looked at her son who was on her back.

“Yeah,” Timothy gave a soft smile, and leaned his head against his mom’s back. Minnie smiled at her son for another moment then began to move around the house while giving Timothy a piggyback ride. His gentle laughter filled the house as Minnie started down the stairs. She stopped when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

“Timothy, I’m gonna need you to hop off for a minute,”

Her son immediately listened to her words and hopped off his mom’s back.

“Morning, Min!” Renata strolled forward with a smile. “Morning, Timmy!”

“Morning, Mama.” Timothy’s warm brown eyes looked through his red hair and up at her with a  gentle smile.

“Hey, I need to take this,” Minnie replied. Glancing down at her phone, a small smile appeared on her lips when she saw it was Sophie.

“Oh, okay. So Timmy, care for an airplane ride?” Renata asked with enthusiasm. Timothy nodded his head and soon Renata was making airplane noise and zooming around the house with Timothy on her back.

“Hey, Soph,” Minnie’s sentence made her wife pause for a second, her excitement evident in her eyes. “Hmm, what’s that? First snow of the year?” Minnie walked towards her window and pushed the curtain back. “Oh, look at that.” Minnie remained silent for a moment as Sophie talked. “Raylan and Marley want us to come over to play in the snow?” She glanced over at Renata and Timothy who both looked totally up for the idea. Minnie let a soft chuckle escape her lips. “Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t need to ask. Ren and Timothy’s faces said it all.” Minnie leaned against the wall for a second while she held the phone to her ear. “Yep, we’ll be there soon. Mmhmm, love you too.” Minnie hung up and tucked away her phone to see the excited faces of her family.

“We can’t waste a second,” Renata readjusted Timothy on her back. “Snow and family awaits!” The three of them moved to the front door and began to put on their winter gear. Minnie walked around Timothy to make sure he was all set while Renata was talking with their son, asking him what he wanted to do when they showed up. After a few minutes they were set and after locking the door they were on their way to celebrate the first snow of winter.

-----

Sophie had returned to her family a few minutes after hanging up the phone and shared the good news. Marley and Raylan began to try and get enough snow to make a snowball to surprise their Aunt Renata while Sophie and Marlon watched in amusement. After twenty minutes or so Minnie’s car pulled up into the driveway. Raylan and Marley ran over to greet their aunts and cousin only to be surpassed by Ferdinand and Rosie. Once the car door was open Timothy was greeted by the two dogs while Minnie was greeted by her twin and Marlon. Renata was the last to exit the car and was surprised when a snowball hit her. With a bubbly laugh she ran forward toward her niece and nephew who started to run away in glee, both of them grabbing Timothy’s hands to join in the fun. Rosie and Ferdinand barked and began to follow the group who giggled as Renata continued to give chase. Minnie, Sophie and Marlon watched for a few moments then joined in the fun. All of them laughed and played in the cold winter air, enjoying the first snow and all the fun that came with it.

#twdg #twdg marlon #twdg sophie #twdg rosie #twdg ferdinand #twdg raylan #twdg marley #twdg marlie #twdg minnie #twdg renata #twdg timothy #twdg minata #fanfic #twdg christmas #ericson's diner au