#twdg danica

[ericsonclan]

I Am Different

Summary: Mitch has a memory of his saddest childhood moment.

Word Count: 1960

Read on AO3:

Mitch tried his best to keep up but his mom was moving way too fast. His small feet stumbled about as the six year old struggled to right his footing. “Mom, slow down!” Mitch looked up at his mom but she didn’t say anything; instead, her eyes focused on the middle distance at the bustling port town of Newhaven Landing. Tears were starting to mist her eyes as she kept the brisk pace. She couldn’t let on what she was about to do.

She had really tried her best but how the hell was she supposed to take care of a kid with the type of work she did? When she had learned that she had gotten pregnant due to one of her clients she had considered all options but had decided to have the kid. Looking over at her son, she knew that she had made the right call. She really did care about Mitch but she also knew she couldn’t take care of him anymore. If things went on like this, they’d both starve. The best thing she could do was let him go. The church would take care of him. That thought fueled her resolve and her grip tightened around her son’s hand.

Mitch glanced up with a frown; he couldn’t figure out why his mom was sad. It didn’t matter how many times he had asked - she wouldn’t say anything. So reluctantly he kept walking forward, trusting in her completely.

After a short walk they reached a church built with cobblestone and beautiful stained glass windows. The light bled through the glass causing different colors to dance along the floor inside the church. Soon the light disappeared as grey clouds covered the sky. Rumbles of thunder came from all different places, causing Mitch to look up.

“Mitch… Mitch. Mitchell,”

Mitch’s attention turned back to his mom at her voice. She knelt before him and gently held his face. His nose scrunched up when he saw that she was crying.

“I’m going to need you to be strong and stay right here, okay?”

Mitch nodded and watched as his mom got up and slowly disappeared into the crowd. Immediately he felt himself start to panic, his green eyes grew wide as his heart started to beat frantically. But he didn’t move. He had told his mom he would stay here, so he did. Until nearly two hours had passed and nothing had changed save for the thunder growing louder and the sky darker. His fear was becoming too much, worrying that his mom had been hurt. Mitch’s heart raced in his chest.

“Oh, are you lost, child?” A church worker walked forward.

“No! I’m waiting for Mom! She told me to be strong and stay here!” Mitch snapped.

The man was taken aback by the tone before pausing as if a realization had struck him. “Oh, I see. Come inside,” He reached out for the boy, knowing that he was most likely an abandoned child.

“No!” Mitch yanked his arm out of the man’s grasp. “Stay away! My mom is coming back!”

“No, she isn’t,” The church worker replied calmly, figuring honesty was the best way. “It's going to rain soon, so come inside,”

“No! You’re lying! My mom will come back!” Mitch backed away then panicked when the man took a step forward. Throwing a punch at the church worker, Mitch sprinted away. He frantically scanned the area, trying to find his mom who he was sure had gotten in a fight with another one of those scary men.

“Mom! Mom! Where are you!” Mitch called out to the crowd of people. Desperately he pushed his way through them as the sky began to open up and raindrops splattered onto the ground. The earth quickly turned muddy causing the small six year old to slip and trip. Colliding into the mud, Mitch spat out the dirt then cried out again. “Mom! Where are you! Mom!” He felt tears slip down his face as his emotions overwhelmed him. Clenching his fists he got up and kept running and running and running until his energy was depleted and the strength of his legs disappeared. Mitch collapsed to his knees as the rain continued to fall down, plastering his hair against his face. His body trembled, broken down by a mixture of the cold and his emotions as he tilted his head back and called out to his mom one last time before his voice gave out and the sky cracked with more thunder and lightning. His eyes stared up at the sky blankly; he had no idea what to do.

Mitch glanced up at the sky; it looked like it was going to be a sunny day. His eyes continued to follow the clouds until he felt arms wrap around him. Looking back he saw his wife holding him tightly.

“Gotcha,” Brody smiled up at her husband.

“You got me,” Mitch returned the smile then turned around in her arms and quickly wrapped his own arms around her. Leaning forward he captured her lips in a soft kiss. The couple held onto the kiss for as long as they could until they heard small footsteps barreling forward. Looking over, Mitch spotted Kade and Danica.

“Dad! We’re ready for an adventure!” Danica smiled up at Mitch.

“Yeah, so stop smooching Mom and let's go!” Kade bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet.

“Fine,” Mitch sighed then kissed Brody once more, making his kids groan. “Hey, that's rude!” Mitch huffed as he picked up Danica and held her in his arms then worked to pick up Kade and do the same. “Okay, who’s ready for a kickass time!”

Brody cleared her throat, making Mitch look back at his wife.

“Who’s ready for a safe kickass time,” Mitch corrected and noticed Brody’s smile at that.

“We are!” Kade and Danica shouted at the same time.

“Okay then go make sure you have everything,” Mitch put down his kids who ran off to make sure they had the stuff they needed for a fun day at the marketplace. Mitch and Brody waited, not minding that it took their kids a little while to return as the couple shared a few more kisses.

“We’re ready now!” Kade dashed forward with a proud grin, his wooden sword on his hip.

“Yeah,” Danica shook the small coin pouch she had, clearly excited to find something nice at this port town.

“Alright, then let's head out,” Brody walked forward with Kade who was beyond stoked for this. After saying some goodbyes to Raylan and Maisy he was off like a shot. Meanwhile, Mitch was jogging forward, bringing up the rear while giving his daughter a piggyback ride. Kade was busy showing off his cool new fighting tricks he had learned from Mitch and Aunt Violet to his mom. Brody smiled happily, giving him praise and helping him with his form when it was sloppy. Danica meanwhile was busy telling Mitch about all the great trinkets that Aunt Sophie had told her about and how she’d even gotten some good tricks on how to barter from Uncle Aasim.

“Oh yeah? I thought I was the greatest at getting good prices,”

Mitch’s words made Brody laugh. The couple shot teasing expressions at each other.

“No, you get grumpy and Uncle Aasim says that's how you lose money,” Danica explained while she played with her dad’s hair.

“Oh yeah? Well maybe I should talk to Aasim,” Mitch frowned. He was about to add to that when Kade let out a sharp gasp.

“Mom! Dad! Look!” He pulled on Brody’s sleeve and pointed at a stand that held decorative daggers. “Can I get one, please? Please?” Kade begged, trying his best to convince his parents. His dad was sold immediately but his mom seemed more cautious.

“Come on, Brodes, we’re gonna be on the seven seas until we’re old and grey. Kade and Danica will have to get real weapons eventually,” Mitch reached out and held his wife’s hand.

“Yeah, I just didn’t think it would be this soon,” Brody mumbled.

“I’ll be reeeaaallly careful! I promise!” Kade looked up with his best puppy dog eyes to try and win over his mom. It took a few more minutes of talking but eventually, Brody caved.

“Fine but you only get to use it when you’re with one of us. We don't want what happened when Maisy got her sword to happen again, okay?”

“Okay!” Kade nodded enthusiastically and then pulled his parents forward to the stand. Brody worked tirelessly to get the best deal she could, trying to not let her anxiety get the better of her. Soon her breathing was becoming uneven.

“Hey! Take her deal!” Kade frowned up at the seller. “She’s trying her best right now! So don’t be mean!” “Yeah! Be nice!” Danica added, glaring down from her spot on her dad’s shoulders.

The seller stared at the two kids then shrugged. “Fine, you win this time, kid,” He handed over the dagger which made joy shimmer in Kade’s eyes. Soon the family continued their stroll through the marketplace until Danica noticed some cool blank scrolls and quills.

“Can I get some new scrolls, please?” Danica asked as she held both her mom and dad’s hands. “And a new quill?”

“Sure,” Brody smiled down at her daughter.

“No fair! You said yes way quicker to her than me!” Kade huffed with a big pout.

“Because the item she wants isn’t dangerous,” Brody explained calmly.

“You can still stab someone with a quill,” Kade countered.

“Shit, he’s right,” Mitch saw Brody send him a look at that. “What? It’s true,” He stood his ground for all of three seconds before he sided with his wife. “Still, writing and shit is important and you got your market item too,”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kade kicked a pebble half-heartedly. Brody and Mitch shared a look and knew it was best to let him pout for a minute and before they attempted talking about it with Kade further. So they worked to get the ink, scroll and quills which weren’t hard to get a bargain for.

Soon Danica was proudly holding her purchases when her eyes grew large. “Mom! Dad! I don’t see Kade!”

Those words made both Mitch and Brody’s hearts sink. Their eyes frantically shot back and forth, trying to spot their son in the crowd. Brody picked up Danica and moved through the crowd with her husband. “Kade! Kade, sweetie, if you can hear us call back!’ Brody yelled as Mitch angrily pushed his way through the masses.

“Kade! Kade!” He searched everywhere with his family. With each passing second, he felt his worry grow until suddenly he spotted his son standing in front of a church. His eyes were filled with tears as he desperately looked for his family. “Kade!”

Mitch’s voice made his son look over. “Dad!” He ran forward, his arms outstretched. Mitch immediately wrapped him up in a hug, holding him tightly.

“Fuck, don’t scare us like that,” Mitch let out a shaky breath before his gaze focused on the church behind his son. Memories slowly began to crawl back into his heart and mind.

“Kade!” Brody sprinted forward and set Danica down before both of them joined the family hug. As the hug continued Mitch found himself remembering the promise he had made years ago before Kade and Danica were born when Brody was first pregnant. He swore he would be better than his parents. He swore he would be different and as he held his son close surrounded by the rest of the family Mitch felt that even through the missteps along the way he had kept true to that promise.

[ericsonclan]

Math is Math

Summary: Mitch and Brody spend time with their kids and help them out with day to day problems.

Word Count: 1124

Read on AO3:

Kade sat at the dining room table with a huge frown on his face. His TMNT sunglasses were tossed to the side while his math homework lay on the table.

“Kade, sweetie. You have to finish your homework before you can go and play,” Brody walked in through the kitchen after she had finished placing down some dirty dishes.

“But it doesn’t make any sense!” Kade pouted and crossed his arms. A moment passed before he glanced up at his mom. “Can you help me?”

“I-”

“Mom, I’m ready to help with the dishes,” Danica’s warm voice appeared from the kitchen. Brody bit her lip. Both of her kids wanted her attention right now. She didn’t want to ditch her son when he was struggling with a subject for school. But she also wanted to reward her daughter for going out of her way to help with the chores.

Brody was conflicted and felt her anxiety rising until she spotted her husband playing with Oreo and TNT. Mitch made explosion sounds as he lifted up TNT and jiggled around the cat who swatted at his face.

“Hey, that's not nice! What's with the shitty attitude, TNT?” Mitch frowned while Oreo began to climb his back. Mitch started to squirm around.

“Mitch?” Brody’s voice made her husband pause.

“Yeah?” Mitch looked over at his wife while TNT’s paw was over his lips.

“You swore so you owe the jar money!” Danica called out from the kitchen.

“Shit,” Mitch placed down the cats then walked over and placed a dollar in the swear jar before realizing he swore again.” Damn it.” Mitch groaned when he noticed he did it again. “Damn it!” He grumbled and stuffed three more dollars in the jar. He let out a long groan then looked over at his wife. “What’s up, Brodes?”

“Kade needs help with his math homework. Can you help him while Danica and I get the dishes done?” Brody smiled when she saw Mitch give a nod.

“You got this, sweetie,” Brody kissed the top of her son’s head then ruffled his hair. Kade waved around a hand then moved to grab his pencil. Mitch soon took a seat beside him.

“Alright, let's see what we got,” Mitch pulled the workbook closer to him. His eyes quickly took in the information and a smug, confident smile appeared on his lips. “Okay, we got this!” Mitch grabbed a spare pencil and began to go through the steps of the problem.

But he was going far too fast and Kade looked absolutely lost by the end of the explanation. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face as he stared at the answer to the second problem. “How is it eleven?”

“I just told you how,” Mitch stated simply.

“But where is your work? My teacher says you gotta show your work,” Kade looked up at his dad.

“That's only if you feel like it,” Mitch leaned back in his chair.

“Mitch,” Brody’s tone made Mitch quickly lean forward.

“Fine, fine. I’ll do the problem one more time and show you the steps.” Mitch took a piece of scrap paper and began to jot down the notes. But Kade still looked completely lost.

“That's not how my teacher told us to do the problems,”

MItch frowned at his son’s words. “Well then your teacher is a dumbass,” Mitch knew as he finished that sentence he would get in trouble.

“Swear jar, Dad,” Danica moved her hand through the water to check the temperature and see if it was hot enough to do the dishes before picking up the first plate.

Mitch grumbled and quickly patted his ass to find his wallet once more. Not paying attention, he threw in a five dollar bill. Danica and Kade shared a look and decided to keep quiet. That money would be put to good use buying ice cream soon enough.

“Mitch, don’t call our children’s teachers dumb,” Brody glanced over and noticed that Danica was very cautiously washing the first dish. Her eyes were laser focused on the task at hand and it wasn’t until many minutes later that she had finished it. At this rate the dishes would take hours to clean. Brody moved over and rolled up her sleeves. “How about we both wash together?”

Brody’s suggestion made a happy smile appear on her daughter’s lips. “Okay!” Danica got out another wash basin and filled it with tons of soapy water then moved some dishes into it for her mom to wash. Danica and Brody worked side by side, each going at their own pace. Danica was as diligent as ever with each dish, making sure it was super clean.

Soon Brody began to hum a tune to wash dishes to - Danica quickly joined in. Danica bopped her head while Brody tapped her foot to the beat of the song.

“We’re the ultimate dishwashers!” Danica declared loudly and smiled up widely at her mom.

“Yeah we are. The dirty dishes don’t stand a chance against us!” Brody glanced over and saw that Mitch was still working on the math assignment with Kade.

“I don’t get it. Why do it that way? There’s nothing wrong with the way I was doing it,” Mitch frowned. “Math is math. I don’t know who thought it was such a great idea to change it. Dumbasses.”

“Dad-” Kade began but already saw his dad putting a dollar bill into the swear jar. Kade watched his dad for a moment then shuffled around in his seat. “I wanna try number five,”

“Okay,” Mitch leaned forward and looked at the problem. He was about to speak up when he noticed that Kade had already started on the problem. Mitch wasn’t sure what he could do except watch since this new way of doing problems confused him. That's when he noticed something about the problem solving Kade was doing for the problem. Kade wasn’t following the teacher’s way but had decided to use the method his dad taught him. After a few minutes Kade held up the paper.

“Is this right?” Kade looked nervous as he looked at his dad.

Mitch took the piece of paper and examined his son’s work. With a proud smile he reached out and ruffled his son’s hair. “Yeah, you got it right, Firecracker!”

Kade beamed at the praise then loudly scooted his chair forward and rolled up his shirt sleeves only for them to immediately fall back down. “I’m gonna kick this math homework’s butt!”

Mitch laughed and continued to encourage his son as they worked side by side to finish up the homework. Brody smiled and watched as she and Danica dried off their hands. Everything had worked out in the end.

[ericsonclan]

Oh my god, what if one of the kids made Omar a little apron, that says "Chef Omar God" on it

OMGGGG I love this!! Danica (Moody’s daughter) and Timothy (Minata’s son) could sew the body of the apron then Lee Kenny (Clouis’ son) would paint “Chef Omar God” across the top.

Omar would tear up when he received it 🥺