Originally posted: November 28th 2019
A/N: Hey guys! I know y'all are gonna pester me for not making a short in a long time. I'm really sorry about that. I've been working on other projects, I was getting caught up with school work, etc, So I haven't really had time. I also haven't been having any new ideas. I was going to make a Halloween special this year, but I didn't know how I was going to write it out, so that never came to be. I also started it last minute and I ended up running out of time. This time, it's early November and I'm gonna hopefully get this short out by the time Thanksgiving comes. And I also wanna make another Christmas short. I have an old draft from last year lying around and I might improve that one. Anyways, I apologize for the wait.
Today's short is another Dory/Marlin one! Finally! I'm really excited about this one because this is going to be centered around a special moment in their relationship! X3 This one's also gonna contain some of my OCs again because why not? I didn't get to include them last year so we gonna do it this year. Anyways, enjoy!
彡彡彡彡彡彡彡彡彡November had finally arrived. The air started to become more chillier and the leaves had already changed color from their usual bright green to reds, oranges and browns. It felt like this year had come and gone so quickly. A lot has happened over the course of the last two years. Nemo was taken away during his first day of school, Marlin had rescued him with the help of Dory and a few other new friends he met along the way, the three went on a journey to find Dory's parents in California, and Marlin and Dory adopted Bluebell into their home.
It was all pretty chaotic, but Marlin wouldn't change it for the world. He would've still been paranoid over Nemo's safety, never would've been able to trust his son, never would've met the many great friends he has now, and most importantly, he never would've met Dory. Marlin owed Dory his whole life, not just for her helping him find his son, but also showing him how to love again after what happened with Coral all those years ago.
Thanksgiving was right around the corner, and this year Marlin wanted to do something special. He was ready to make the next step into their relationship. He went upstairs, opened one of the drawers in his dresser, and took out a small box. Marlin opened it, glancing at the ring inside of it. It was silver, with some sapphires around it. In the center, there was an amethyst. Marlin made sure to have the place cut it to make it look like a seashell. He smiled at the little details in the center of it. He knew for sure Dory would love it. Marlin had planned this proposal months ago, that's when he bought the ring.
He decided he wanted to do it on Thanksgiving because if it wasn't for Dory, he never would've known what it felt like to be part of a real family again, and Thanksgiving was the perfect time to show his gratitude for that. Dory invited her parents over for Thanksgiving as Marlin did with his brother and sisters. Marlin didn't mind Jenny and Charlie coming of course, but he wasn't ready to have Charlie pester him about proposing to Dory. At least they both know that they want it to happen at the right time. Marlin had strived for this perfect Thanksgiving, nothing could ruin it. Right?
Dory was in the kitchen preparing the food while Marlin was setting everything up in the dining room, with the help of Nemo and Bluebell. "When's grandma Jenny and grandpa Charlie going to be here?" asked Bluebell. "They said they would be here in 15 minutes." Replied Marlin. "I hope they get here soon! Grandma Jenny's bringing pumpkin pie and I can't wait to try it!" Said Nemo as he was happily setting the plates on the table. Nemo's enthusiasm ended up distracting him, causing a plate from his hand to fall. Dory came into the room around this time and noticed the falling dish. "Fabio! Look out!" Dory exclaimed, lunging herself toward the table. The whole scene felt like it was in slow motion as she successfully caught the plate. Unfortunately though, Dory wasn't fast enough to dodge the actual table, so she ended up hitting her head against one of the table's legs. "I-I caught it." She weakly held up the plate. "Dory!" Marlin quickly helped her up. "Honey, are you okay?" "Huh? Why do you ask? Did something happen?" Asked Dory. The impact to Dory's head caused her to forget what just happened.
Before Marlin could explain to Dory why her head was suddenly hurting the doorbell rang. "I got it!" Hollered Nemo as he opened the door. "Grandma Jenny! Did you bring your pumpkin pie-" Nemo paused when he realized it wasn't Jenny and Charlie. Instead, it was the Lab Gang. "Huh? Gill? And the others? What're you doing here?" Bluebell asked, staring at the group in a confused manner. "Hey, Gill." Marlin politely greeted. "I thought you guys were planning to spend Thanksgiving at your place." "Well, we were." Peach nervously replied. "But SOMEONE decided to set the stove on fire while Peach was out." Gill explained, glaring at Bloat who just innocently shrugged. "I thought it needed more stuffing." "So you decided to go against Peach's orders and touch the stove anyway." Gurgle said annoyed. "It's not my fault I don't know how to turn off a stove!" Yelled Bloat. "You could've asked Jacques to do it!" Argued Maggie. "I don't know how to speak French, Peach's the only one that can!" Bloat retorted. Before the argument could escalate, Dory decided to hop into the middle of the conversation. "It's alright guys, you can spend Thanksgiving with us." "Really?" Asked Peach. "Of course, there's plenty of room." Dory insisted. "Awesome!" Exclaimed Maggie. Marlin quickly grabbed Dory's arm and excuses themselves as he lead her to the kitchen.
"Dory, are you nuts!? We don't have enough room for 8 more people!" Marlin exclaimed. "But Marty, they don't have any food and no where to celebrate Thanksgiving!" He sighed, knowing he couldn't be mad at Dory for being humble. "But we don't have enough food for all of us, or room on the table for that matter." He explained. Dory thought about what to do about that. She gasped as an idea popped into her mind. "I know! We can eat outside!" "What? But it's freezing out there!" Marlin argued. "We have a fire pit outside, don't we?" He sighed once again. "Well, yeah.." "Plus, it's really pretty outside. We can be able to fit everyone out there for sure." Marlin chuckled at Dory's determination and finally gave in. "Alright, we can let the Lab Gang join us." "Yay!" She immediately hugged Marlin before heading back over to the living room to let the Lab Gang in.
Around half an hour later, Jenny and Charlie, Marlin's siblings Mason, Madeline and Maya along with Peach's brother Peter had already arrived. Despite that minor hiccup with the Lab Gang unexpectedly showing up, the day is still turning out as well as Marlin hoped. 'Maybe there's a chance.' He thought. As Dory was bringing some tables outside, everyone was talking amongst themselves. Gill approached Marlin and greeted him before taking out a cigarette. "Are you sure you should be doing that?" Asked Marlin. "We're planning to eat out here soon. And doesn't Peach have sensitive lungs?" "I apologize, I thought since you all are still setting up, it wouldn't be too bad. And Peach's inside helping Jenny and Dory with the food so she'll be fine." Marlin nodded in response, glancing back at the ground.
The two were silent for about a minute before Gill decided to speak up. "Sorry we barged in on your plans." "Huh?" Marlin shook his head. "No. That's alright, I understand. Plus, Dory seemed happy about letting you guys join us." Gill chuckled. "Speaking of which, you have the ring right?" Marlin nodded, showing him the box. After he asked Jenny and Charlie for their permission on marrying their daughter, they told almost everyone he knew, much to Marlin's embarrassment. The only other person that knew beforehand was Gill. Marlin needed help buying the ring and thought Gill would be the best bet since he and Peach are already engaged. "When do you plan to do it?" asked Gill. "I was hoping to-" Marlin was interrupted by the sudden entrance of more people he hadn't previously invited. The group consisted of Destiny, Bailey, Hank, and the three otter children from California. "Excuse me for a sec." Marlin hurried inside the kitchen and approached Dory. "Dory, honey, can you please come with me for a second?" She smiled and nodded, completely ignoring Marlin's paranoid look. The two went over to the living room.
"Dory.. inviting 8 extra people is one thing. But you had to let in another 6!?" Dory frowned, finally realizing what she had done was wrong as she glanced down and the floor. "Bailey accidentally set the oven on fire and they had no where to go now-" Marlin groaned. "Why out of all the days to have your oven set on fire, it had to be today!?" Dory glanced up at him, ashamed of her actions that caused him to become frustrated. Marlin noticed this and sighed. "I'm sorry, I just didn't expect these sudden changes to be happening. A change of plans is something I'm not used to." Dory softly smiled at him. "I like a sudden change in plans. It could sometimes lead to something good, like getting to spend today with some of our friends. You can't really plan everything ahead cause life's unpredictable, you know?" She was suddenly dazed by what she had said as if it was someone else speaking for her. "Huh, I feel like I've said something like that before."
Marlin chuckled, remembering Dory's speech she gave to Hank back in California to convince him to come home with her. Dory's "Go with the flow" attitude was another thing Marlin admired about her. He sometimes wished he was as outgoing as her. Marlin was almost willing to just pop the question right there and then, but knew he had to make this moment special, so much to his impatience, he had to wait. One thing's for sure, he had to force himself to be alright with the sudden changes to the day if not for himself, for Dory. As much as he wanted the proposal to be perfect, he knew Dory was happy about her friends suddenly showing up to spend Thanksgiving with them. Marlin had to keep her happy, as frustrated he might be, he was willing to endure it for her. The two finally stepped outside, greeting the new guests.
Another couple of hours later, a lot more people had already showed to their door, and funny enough almost all of them had the same excuse. Crush and Squirt, Bruce, Anchor and Chum, and even Nigel arrived all the way from Australia. He was planing to visit America again anyway to see the Lab Gang, but after hearing about what happened to them, he arrived to the house. Some of the men started to talk with Marlin about the engagement ring, which made him a little better, knowing he'd have a lot of support on his important decision. "You planning to propose after saying grace?" Bruce asked, earning him a proud nod from Marlin. "Yep." "Ooh! I know how we can make this better! We should play "Sweet Victory" after Dory says yes!" Bailey practically screamed in excitement, making everyone harshly shush him before Dory had a chance to hear. "One, keep your voice down. And two, try that and I'll kick your ass." Gill threatened. Bailey frowned. "Aw, I thought it'd be cool." "I actually kinda like the idea of having a music cue play right after little blue says yes." Said Crush. "It does sound romantic." Nigel added. Marlin shook his head. "No. We're not doing that. This isn't a cheesy romantic comedy." "Yeah, I think we should leave all of this to Marlin." Gill intervened. "HE'S the one proposing, so HE should decide what to do." Marlin gave him a relieved grin. "Thanks, Gill." He said, earning a small nod from him.
Pretty soon, the food was almost ready, and everyone sat down and prepared to say what they are thankful for. He Marlin knew this was his chance to propose to Dory. He'll do it right as he's saying how grateful he is for her. He had to mentally prepare himself for this moment even though deep down he wasn't ready to see how Dory would react. Jenny and Charlie were first to speak. "Dear lord, thank you for blessing us with our wonderful daughter Dory. And thank you for giving us the miracle of have us reunite again after so many years." Said Jenny. "We also would like to thank Marlin for helping our daughter find us again, and for treating her with much love and care as we do." Added Charlie, making Marlin blush. Next up was Crush and Squirt. "I'm thankful for Squirt. He's been my pride and joy and I'm so happy to have him in my life. I'm really proud of him and all that he's accomplished." "Aww, guys!" Dory ran up to her parents and happily hugged them. Then Destiny, Bailey and Hank was up.
"Thank you lord for bringing Dory into our lives. She's the greatest friend I could ever have. She's able to pull off so many great things, even if she doesn't realize that. We're also thankful for our new children Odette, Owen and Oliver. We love having them around and we've been happy to have raised them." Said Destiny. "I'm grateful for Dory too. She's an amazing friend to us. I'm also grateful for my loving girlfriend, Destiny. Even when she gets annoyed every time I say or do something stupid, I know she still loves me." Added Bailey. "I uh, thank you for the friends I've made." Hank stuttered over his words, not used to saying things like this. "As much as I was happy by myself, I guess these guys made my life a bit more interesting." Then it was Bruce, Anchor and Chum. "Thank you lord for having us three meet. We finally learned the error of our ways about eating flesh and are happy with our new diet. Anchor and Chum are the best club members I could ever ask for. So is Dory, she's a great light to our darkest moments. We're also thankful for Marlin for being such a supportive friend. We're happy Dory's got someone like him taking care of her." Said Bruce as he proudly hugged Anchor and Chum. "Argh! Look mate, we know you're happy and all. But can you please let us go?" Anchor begged, struggling to free himself from Bruce's strong grasp. "Y-Yeah, you're choking us, mate!" Added Chum.
Next up was Gill, the Lab Gang, and Nigel. "I'd like to thank the lord for giving me my roommates that care and support me. They've become my true family and I'm proud to be their leader. I'm also thankful for Peach. She was the first ever person to finally show me kindness in a world that I thought was nothing but dark and bleak. I'm happy that we'll be sharing our lives once we're married. We're all also grateful for Nigel on helping us stay safe while we were in captivity, and for bringing Marlin back to his son. It was a brave thing for him to do, but it was for a good cause. Thank you for bringing Sharkbait into our lives. Yes, it was under bad circumstances, but it was because of him we managed to get some more motivation to escape when we were at a low point at our time in Sydney. And lastly, thank you for Maggie. It was because of her we finally escaped. She's such a clever kid and Peach and I are lucky to raise her as her new parents." Said Gill.
Next was Bluebell. "Thank you to Marlin and Dory for adopting me into their home. I'm happy to be with a family that actually cares about me. Thank you to Nemo for being a great brother. I've always wanted a sibling and I'm glad Nemo was the one I ended up having. Thank you to Peach for helping me whenever I was sad or angry. She's helped me handle tough situations better. And thank you to Squirt and the rest of my classmates for becoming my friends." Then it's was Nemo. "Thank you lord for giving me my friends. They made my life much more exciting. Thank you also for Dory. She was the one who helped my dad rescue me in Sydney. She's also been the best mom I could ask for. Thank you for Bluebell for being a great sister. I'm so happy she's with a better family after all that she had went through. And I'd lastly like to thank my dad. He went out to look for me when no one else would. He saved me from being taken away and used as an experiment. He'll forever be my hero." Marlin and Dory hugged their children, thanking them for their words. Marlin was more tearful which made the two kids embarrassed.
Dory was next to speak. "Um.. What are we doing again?" She asked. "We're saying what we're thankful for." Explained Marlin. "Oh right! I'm thankful for my parents for raising me with the upmost love and support. I'm also thankful for everyone here. You're all the greatest friends O could ever meet. Before I met Martin, I thought that I was all alone in this world, but now that I've gotten to know all of you through me adventures, I now know that will never be the case. Speaking of, thank you for Marty. I love him so much! I hope we stay together like this forever." "Aww." Marlin pecked Dory's lips. Lastly, it was Marlin's turn to speak. "First of all, thank you everyone for coming. I'm thankful for my siblings. We may not have the same personalities, but we still care for each other no matter what. And thank you to my mother who could not make it today. I know she might be thinking life has no meaning right now, but I want to assure her that she still has meaning in her life. Thank you for my father for giving my mother love and hope. Thank you to Coral, may god bless her soul, for giving me my son Nemo and for giving me the care and support I needed. Thank you for my son Nemo. He will never fail to make me proud. He has proven to be a brave, clever and selfless kid and I'll always be proud to be his father. And lastly," Marlin turned to face Dory, taking her hands as he did so.
"Thank you lord for blessing me with Dory. Words cannot describe how much I love her. She's helped me rescue my son, given me the courage to let loose and not be so cautious with life, and for showing me how to love again. After I lost Coral, I thought I could never meet someone like that again. And then Dory unexpectedly came into my life. Her joy seems to somehow rub off on me. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop smiling whenever she's around. That's why I think I'm ready to make the next step in our relationship." Dory gave him a confused look. "Huh?" Marlin took a deep breath. 'This is it, you can do it Marlin.' He internally encouraged himself. He was about to get down on one knee before he hears a scream from Deb along with the house's fire alarm, making Bluebell freak out and run toward Peach.
"Guys! I hate to ruin the moment, BUT THE STOVE IS ON FIRE!" Deb exclaimed. "WHAT!?" Marlin ran into the house and sure enough, the kitchen was covered in smoke. "Oh no!" He opened the oven, coughing from the incoming smoke. It only lasted for a bit before Bruce stepped in front of him and used the fire extinguisher. "You alright, mate?" He asked, helping Marlin up to his feet. "Y-Yeah, thanks." A few moments later, the fire department was called, they said their oven needed to be repaired and that it was safe to go back in the house, and then they left. Everyone stepped into the kitchen to look at the damage and the oven was almost completely covered in ash along with most of the kitchen. "Oh my god. *cough* That must've been a lot of smoke. *cough* *cough*" Peach commented before Gill took off his jacket and wrapped it around her face, preventing her from breathing the remaining smoke. "I'm so sorry." Deb apologized. "The kitchen's completely destroyed." "That's alright, Deb." Marlin assured her. "What are we gonna do now? Do we have to move out?" Asked Bluebell. "No, we're not leaving. It's just some minor damages. We can get them fixed." He explained, making her sigh in relief. "Looks like we don't have any food to eat now." Said Jenny. "Yeah, but look on the bright side. We're all still here aren't we?" Dory asked, trying to lift everyone's spirits. "We can still spend some time together, food or no food." Everyone nodded in agreement. There goes Dory with her positive assurance again. It never fails to put Marlin in a good mood.
Everyone decided to order take out and hangout outside for the rest of the day. Mason was teaching the children how to play football, Dory was happily chatting with her parents, Bruce, Anchor and Chum were bickering amongst one another, it was almost as if the fire never happened. Marlin's sisters approached him. "Hey, sorry about your kitchen catching on fire." Said Madeline. "Yeah, we were hoping things would go better between you and Dory." Maya added sympathetically. "That's alright." Assured Marlin. "If it wasn't for Dory looking at the bright side of things, I'd honestly still be a nervous wreck." "I guess that's why you need Dory around so she could keep you sane through all the chaotic things that happen in your life." Teased Madeline, making Marlin chuckle. "You could say that." "MARLIN!" He heard someone call. It was Bailey and Gill running toward his direction.
"Bailey? Gill? What is i-" "Do it now!" Bailey exclaimed. "Shush!" Whispered Gill. "Do what?" Asked Marlin. "Propose to Dory!" Bailey whisper yelled. "Wha? Right now? Why?" "Look at the leaves." Gill pointed over behind Marlin. Dory was sitting by a small bench in front of the gate. The autumn leaves have completely changed color and are gently falling behind her. The leaves' colors made Dory stand out in the absolute most gorgeous way imaginable. "Dory's vulnerable! Now's your chance!" Said Bailey. Marlin nodded, thanking the two. "You got this Marlin." Gill encouraged him. "WE BELIEVE IN YO-" Bailey called out before Gill forced his mouth shut. "Quiet!"
Marlin slowly approached Dory and sat next to her on the bench. "Hey, Mar." Dory said, not taking her eyes off of the falling leaves. "Hey. Uh.. I'm sorry about what happened today.. It probably turned out to be a huge disaster." "Are you kidding?" Dory turned to Marlin, a big grin plastered on her freckled face. 'Today was incredible! We got to see all our friends together like this, the kitchen nearly burned down, it was amazing!" Marlin couldn't help but laugh at Dory's enthusiasm. She gave him a confused look. "What's so funny?" She asked. "Oh, nothing." Replied Marlin. "I'm just glad you enjoyed today." Dory smiled at him again before looking back at the leaves. "Beautiful, aren't they?" "Hm, well yeah. But I think there's one thing I know that's more beautiful." "Really? Tell me!" Dory eagerly asked, making Marlin chuckle. "You." Dory blushed. "You really think so?" Marlin proudly nodded. She nuzzled her head against his chest, thanking him. The two were staring out at the leaves for a few moments. 'Alright Marlin. It's time. Just keep your cool and don't screw this one up.' He thought, before clearing his throat to get Dory's attention.
"Dory?" "Hm?" "Can I ask you something?" "Sure thing." Marlin took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing.' He let go of Dory and stood up from the bench so that he stood in front of Dory. "Dory.. how much do you like it?" "Like what?" She asked. "Being here.. with me?" Dory could tell Marlin looked nervous and gave him an assuring smile. "I love it here! You and Fabio and Blueberry have been such a humble family. I can't thank you enough for letting me stay with yo-" She then realized something and gasped. "You're not making me leave, are you?" She fearfully asked. "What? No! No no no!" Marlin set his hands on her shoulders. "I'd never have you leave. In fact I'm asking quite the opposite." "Huh? What do you mean?" Marlin gently got down on one knee, now taking Dory's hands. "Dorthy Ellen Tang. I love you more than any other person in this whole world. You changed my life for the better. Like I said, you've helped me find my son, and.. made me feeling like I could be loved again. I now feel like I owe this to you."
Marlin reached into his back pocket and took out the ring, opening it for Dory to see. Pretty much everyone now was staring at the two, watching their moment unfold. At that point, Marlin didn't even notice, the only thing he was looking at was Dory's bright magenta eyes as they widened in surprise at his sudden gesture. She gasped, staring at the ring in both shock and awe. "Dory... Will you marry me?" Marlin finally asks. Dory took a good look at him then at the ring before glancing back at Marlin again. Her eyes started to tear up. She didn't think something like this would ever happen to her. And it was happening with the man she cares about most. She was more than eager to answer his question. "Yes! Yes I will!" Dory crashed her lips against his and threw herself into Marlin's arms, causing them both to fall to the ground. Everyone cheered as the two giggled. Marlin helped Dory up and placed the ring onto her finger.
Nemo and Bluebell raced up to their parents and hugged them, happy to have Dory be their official mom. Jenny and Charlie approached their daughter, causing her to give them a huge hug. Marlin's siblings came up to him and congratulated him as well. Pretty soon everyone was either hugging the two or congratulating them on their new engagement. Suddenly, the cheering and excitement was interrupted by music playing in the background. Sure enough, Bailey had played "Sweet Victory". "What!? I had to!" He hollered. "Congratulations!" Everyone laughed as Marlin picked up Dory and twirled her around. He did it. Him and Dory are now officially engaged. They'll finally be married. Marlin hadn't felt this happy in years. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle the wedding, but he knew he'd be alright as long as he had Dory giving him emotional support.
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A/N: OMG! I FINALLY FINISHED IT! AND IT'S OVER 4000 WORDS I DID NOT EXPECT THAT! I'M SO HAPPY! Hopefully this fic wasn't too cheesy. And I hope you all like the cover art. :3 Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving! Or Happy Thursday if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving.
~ Rxin3 ️