i'm not your girlfriend!

For a majority of the race, Ferb was cruising behind Isabella’s kart. It was also a smooth ride for him, he was calculated with each banana he dropped, with each shell he sent into the air. During the last round, Ferb leaned forward in his seat, gripping the steering wheel as he pressed his foot hard on the gas. He sped past Isabella, looking over again and shooting another wink as he took her spot for first place, crossing the finish line. When everyone followed immediately after, Isabella’s kart was next to his, and he leaned over to high-five her back. “Cheating? Never,” he retorts, his shoulders shaking as he laughs quietly. 

Ferb glances over Isabella’s shoulder to see a livid Buford, complaining loudly about how he was duped during the race. Amusement crosses his features as he looks at Isabella, nodding his head to indicate that she should look behind herself and witness Buford’s fit for himself. Phineas jumps out of his own kart, praising Ferb loudly and practically drowning out Buford’s cries of defeat. 

✑ This summer project was definitely one for the books. Everyone had so much fun and the spontaneity of the race and the end rankings made everyone feel like they were in the real Mario Kart game. Isabella jumped a bit at the screaming Buford who lost dead last to everyone. Of course, Buford as Bowser didn’t make anyone feel bad because he was a villain and they never win!. 

Following Phineas, Isabella jumped out her kart, and the whole gang circled around each other, basically too many conversations at once. Isabella was stuck between Gretchen and Baljeet who was arguing about who threw that last red shell before the race was over. 

It was just about the time when Isabella knew her mother was going to call her in to help with dinner. As much as she didn’t want to leave, she forced her legs to grab the rest of the scrapped fabric and her sewing things. “You sure you don’t need help cleaning up, Phineas?” Her eyebrows raised at the boy who waved her off, assuring her they didn’t need help. “Okay, I’ll see you all later! It was so much fun. Let’s do it again!” A shrilly tone in her voice made her smile widen as she made her way out the yard.

Lastly before leaving, she stopped and her gaze darted at Ferb. “Bye, Ferb.” Isabella softly said, her hand doing a little wave to him.

When Phineas finished the countdown, Ferb pressed his foot down on the gas, speeding past Baljeet. He’s surprised to see Isabella shoot to the front almost INSTANTLY, her speed almost concerning. He’s glad that he and Phineas considered everyone’s safety more thoughtfully this time. The edges of the race track, whilst looking solid, were pillowy cushions. Pressing down harder on the gas, Ferb passes Buford and Phineas, trailing directly behind Isabella’s kart. As if on cue, the mystery item holograms pop up, and he speeds through the one on the right, triggering a banana peel into being shot into the air, landing directly in his lap. 

Nose wrinkling, Ferb decides to hold onto it for later. He’s still trailing behind Isabella’s kart, and he looks into the rearview mirror, seeing Phineas hot on his tracks. Eyes still fixed on his step-brother, he notices him throwing something into the air, and Ferb lets out a strangled noise in preparation for the worst. He’s surprised when nothing happens to him, but to Buford who was in the kart behind Phineas. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Buford’s kart spinning in the side mirrors. He’s relieved, but still apprehensive. He steps down harder on the gas pedal to put a considerable amount of distance between the two. 

✑ Isabella was technically smooth sailing since she had such a big lead in the beginning. Luckily, a lot of the ? boxes didn’t affect her as much and there was not a blue shell that would dangerously bomb her into smithereens. Every time she got triple bananas, she would squeal with excitement as she threw them behind her, hoping someone like Buford or Gretchen would skid on them.

"Yes, Miss Endive! Gladly…” Panini replied, the corner of her lips curving into a malicious smirk. If there was one thing the young apprentice was good at, it was sabotaging the competition. And this was no secret. Endive and Panini were one ruthless pair. How do you think they managed to stay the number one catering company in all of Marzipan City? Not wanting to risk being seen, Panini put on a pair of sunglasses and set off to Mung Daal’s.

The crowd was hectic, Panini had never seen anything like it, but she was not intimidated in the slightest. The petite girl pushed through, making her way to the front and ignoring the beautiful smells making her mouth water. “Okay, okay, NEXT ORDER. Are you here for the Won Ton Bombs?” Panini looked up towards the unfamiliar voice coming from the boy who stood in front of her.

Oh. My. God.

Panini’s jaw dropped, her glasses sliding down her nose as she saw fireworks going off all around her, the hair on her arms standing up, causing her blinking ten times like an idiot. This was it: the beginning of Panini’s downfall. “I-I-I…” The once intimating girl now found herself at a loss for words.

✑ “Hello? Hellooooo? HELLO?” Chowder’s voiced raised as his hand was waving in front of the girl’s face. She seemed to be spaced out and was kinda creepin’ Chowder out. “Okaaaayy I’m going to assume yes and you’re going to have 3 orders of my super delicious n’ scrumptious won-ton bombs!” He had to move on and take more orders, they were sellin’ hot and he wanted his first day at Mung Daal’s Catering to be great.

“Chowder, we’re almost out of won-ton bombs. You’ll have to go get more ingredients and Truffles will take over orders!” Mung Daal’s head peered out the door, seeing the long line of customers. Perhaps hiring Chowder has been the best thing this year so far! Mung’s eyes focus on the first customer, seeing the too familiar face. Panini. “Ah, Panini! Endive sent you here to try out d e l i c i o u s food, didn’t she? Spy all you want, the truth is in the food!” Stifling a laugh, he knew the uproar of people lining up the street was going to get to Endive’s doorstep one way or another.

tavrvsmoon·:

Miss Endive’s nails tapped along the bar’s counter as her eyes rapidly shifted from the clock to the door. It was Sunday afternoon, the churches in the community ended their service, and her restaurant, Endive’s, would usually be flooded with customers waiting out the door by now. But not today. Something wasn’t right. Something was off.  Endive’s nails began to tap more rapidly as the panic set in, she looked outside to where her line of customers should have been and noticed the horror.

“No…” Endive muttered under her breath, her eyes piercing at the building across the street. Her panic grew as she realized what was going on she cried out, “PANINI!! PANINI!!” Endive dramatically began to fan herself at the tragic sight of the line of customers surrounding old man Mung Daals!

Panini burst through the swinging doors, splatters of frosting covering her apron and rosy cheeks. She stands at attention to her mentor, “Yes, Miss Endive!”

✑ “Ssssstep right up to uh... oh yeah! Mung Daal’s Catering!” Chowder pushes the rather heavy red door. His voice filled with excitement as his first day at his new home. He was finally going to be a chef, a life-long dream of his. He can’t mess this up.

Ferb was still stunned as he takes in Isabella’s costume. “It’s WONDERFUL, Isabella,” he answers, giving her a genuine smile. He starts to look around, taking a glance at everyone else.  Everyone’s costume was extremely fitting. Buford as Bowser, Baljeet as Toad? He lets out a laugh, making eye contact with a very excited Phineas. Turning back to look at Isabella, he suddenly strikes a pose, smiling widely before doing yet another attempt at his Waluigi imitation. “WAAAAAA!” The other boys burst out laughing, and he finds himself joining them. He’s not sure if they’re laughing because it was an impressive impersonation or if it was the exact opposite. 

Ferb and Phineas exchange a glance when everyone finally settles down. Ferb disappears momentarily to run back to the garage, collecting the multicolored Koopa Shells that he was working on earlier that day. Running back into the yard with a box, he puts it down on the grass, revealing them to everyone before Phineas takes them away again, quickly running off to put them in their specialized item box holograms. It doesn’t take long for Phineas to come back, a wide smile on his face as he exclaimed that the race can now begin. 

Excitedly, Ferb dashed over to his own Kart, it was next to Isabella’s. Unsurprisingly, it was painted with his own signature colors, purple and green. As he settled himself into his seat, he gave the steering wheel a spin, and he looks for Isabella before shooting her a wink and letting out another “WAAAAAAA!” 

✑ Isabella squealed when she heard Ferb do his Waluigi impression. The voice. The outfit. The mustache. Everything was on p o i n t . Ferb really outdid himself, no, Isabella really outdid Ferb’s costume. It seemed everyone loved their costumes which gave Isabella great joy. 

The race was about to start and everyone was readying up in their seats. Isabella gave a push of her gas pedal while still holding onto the brake pedal to rev up her kart. It was loud. She was a bit scared, knowing the boys probably sup’ed up the karts to go into warp speed. Perhaps she’d go slow at first then pick up speed. 

“3..2..1.. G O !”

Ferb couldn’t help but duck his head and stifle a laugh when Isabella shouts back at him, producing her own attempt of mimicking Waluigi. It was a very good impression, he had to admit. Clearing his throat and looking back up at her, he takes in a breath. “WAAAAAA!” He exclaims loudly, attempting to make his voice higher like Isabella’s. It’s still less than adequate, at least in comparison to Isabella’s. Scrunching his nose, he makes a mental note to look at a Waluigi video later. 

He finishes up with Phineas’ cart and trails over to the others, adjusting them accordingly and painting as quickly as he can, going to and from the pile of paint buckets. He’s in the middle of finishing Baljeet’s kart when Isabella announces that they costumes are already done. Looking around and spotting Buford approaching, he hands him a paint bucket, pointing at his respective kart to put finishing paint touches on. Paint stained hands dart out and take the costume from Isabella, his eyes crinkling as he breaks out into a smile. Ferb nods when she says that she’ll be headed back to her house for a quick change, giving her a thumbs up before she grabs a costume and disappears. 

Ferb looks at the costume in hand, and back at the karts. He heads over to the tree, hanging it up again before finishing up his work, double checking everyone’s karts are up to standard. When he’s satisfied, he nods to himself, going to grab his costume and rushing into the house for a quick change. Looking at himself in the mirror, he lets out a small chuckle, especially at the mustache that Isabella made sure to give him. She’s already back in the yard when he comes out in his own costume, and he’s taken aback at her character of choice for Mario Kart. His eyes widen for a moment as he takes in her costume. It’s different. But not a bad different. 

✑ Oh good, everyone grabbed their costume and was fixing to put them on. Isabella scanned around the backyard, admiring the hard work Ferb put in for the karts. Her own kart was looking particularly nice, but maybe she was being biased since it was pink and it was hers.

One by one everyone came back out and everyone bursted out with laughter. Of course Phineas looked ever-so-dashing in his Mario suit. Baljeet being silly in his Toad outfit. Buford in his Bowser costume absolutely just loving it. Now everyone was waiting for Ferb who was taking his time. 

“Oh Ferb! Do the WAAAAA!” Isabella laughed, observing him in his Waluigi costume. The squiggly mustache was killing her. Now everyone was ready to race! They all just needed Phineas to give the thumbs up.

Ferb didn’t waste any time in getting to work. Immediately, he started on the karts, his trusty toolbox at his side as he looked at the blueprints for guidance. Blue hues scanned the sketched out image of the final product as he took mental notes on what exactly he needed. Luckily, everything he seemed to have needed was already set up in a corner of the backyard, making it easier for him to start his tinkering. It didn’t take long for Ferb to get engrossed in his task, hands flying around as he started to put together the main frames of their homemade go-karts. 

As he was working on the base of each kart, Isabella walked into the yard, exclaiming the desired color her kart. Ferb smiles to himself, having already planned that for hers. He gestures at the paint buckets several feet away from him, one of them being Isabella’s signature color. It takes him quicker than expected for the karts to practically be done, it was just time for customization. He gives her a thumbs up when she announces that she’ll be spending her time with him for the time being, a small smile on his lips as he watches her retreat from the yard in search of her own supplies.

Ferb starts on Phineas’s cart first, taking his step-brother’s height into mind as he adjusts the size of the seat and how far away the pedals would be. When he’s pleased with the outcome, he walks over to grab a bucket of paint and a brush, his head turning at Isabella’s odd request. Confusion settles on his face, brows furrowing as he processes what she’s asking of him. “WAAAA?” He says, voice coming out unsure, almost strangled.

✑ “Oh my gosh! Yes yes yes! You’re the best, Ferb.” Isabella couldn’t help but jump with glee when she scanned over to the pink can of paint. Of course, it should have been expected when her choice of color was obviously pink. There probably wasn’t a day where she wasn’t wearing pink, even on the day of her birth, once she was out a pretty pink little bow was put on her head. 

“No. With more feeling. WAAAAA!” Isabella mimicked back louder, her shrilly voice definitely making her sound more like Waluigi. She couldn’t help but burst out laughing while focusing back in on her sewing machine. Overall, she was just trying to tease Ferb a bit but definitely, now she was determined to fix Ferb into Waluigi for the race.

Ferb smiles at Isabella while he hands over the money to the cashier, ignoring the dirty look they were giving him. Leave it to her to insist on making everyone’s costumes, she always did come through with the other aspects of their plans that they forgot to consider. With a pleased expression, he nods in acknowledgement when Isabella decides to pick his costume for him. 

Trailing behind her as she skips out the exit, he finds himself walking with a spring in his step, somewhat mirroring his neighbor. The weather was beautiful today, only providing yet another boost of energy to his normally stoic demeanor. Delight paints itself on his features as they hurry back to the Flynn-Fletcher house, his eyes trained on a cheery Isabella the whole time. 

He doesn’t expect to have the blueprint thrown at him when the house shows up in view, but he manages to barely catch the paper roll when he leans forward and stretches an arm out. Standing up straighter again, he nods excitedly at Isabella insisting that she go with him on future supply runs. “Duly noted,” he replies, flashing her a grin and tapping his head with the blueprint. 

✑ Isabella was getting tired, exhausted actually. Phineas was just all over the place it was difficult for her to chase after him, aiding him in his needs. Overall, it seemed he was too much into building the Mario track that he really didn’t need help. Walking back to the main base aka Phineas and Ferb’s backyard, she spotted Ferb building the very shiny and zany karts. 

“I want my kart to be pink! With a giant paraglider at the top like the ones in the game. Again, pink of course!” Plopping down under the tree, just a couple feet away from the boy tinkering with some engine of sorts. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she glanced at the other kids doing their part in some way or another.

“Phineas was too busy with the track so I’ll just hang here with you, ‘kay?” Sitting up, she didn’t want to be a bum and needed to start on the costumes. “Be right back!”

Quickly grabbing all types of fabrics and supplies, Isabella set up camp under the shade of the tree with her sewing station. She figured she’d work with the company of Ferb while she did the costumes. “I’ll start off with Phineas’ Mario costume then yours!” Chuckling, she already envisioned Ferb in a purple plumber outfit. 

As always, Isabella’s enthusiasm was nothing less than INFECTIOUS. A smile breaks out onto Ferb’s face as he listens to to her excitedly babble. It always felt nice to have your ideas be praised in such a manner, it was a good form of encouragement. 

At Isabella’s question, Ferb had to ponder. Every time they played, he found himself playing Luigi, not really because he wanted to, but because it was a force of habit. He wasn’t sure when that was decided, but it was common knowledge that he was ALWAYS Luigi. Slowly, he shrugs, amusement on his features as the girl continues to ramble, now going into a tangent about costumes they could wear. 

Ferb’s attention directs itself immediately to the cashier who interrupts Isabella, and a sheepish expression is on his face. Glancing back at Isabella, he nodded his head downwards to the blueprint she was still holding, indicating that she hand it over to be scanned. A hand went downwards to his pocket, fishing out his wallet and preparing to pay. 

✑ “Oh, sorry! Here ya go.” Her cheeks reddened as she handed over the blueprint.

“Hey, Ferb? I’m going to pick your costume for you since I’m making it okay?!” Isabella already decided. She did need to earn her sewing badge for the Fireside Girls Troop 46321. Making the group’s costumes and earning her badge would be her part in today’s adventure as well as it killed two birds and one stone. 

Isabella snatched the blueprint from the cashier, holding her hand up. “No bag, save the earth.” Skipping out the sliding doors, she stopped. Her hair swung as well as her cute pink mini skirt, “Coming, Ferb?”

At the sound of Isabella’s voice, Ferb perks up, a small smile gracing his features as he looks back down at the blueprint. Handing it over to her, he watches her reactions to one of the major aspects of today’s project. It was rare that Phineas wasn’t doing the explaining, in fact, today was one big rarity in itself. Ferb never really got much time with only Isabella, despite him considering her one of his closest friends since childhood. As these thoughts run through his head, he realizes that he’s glad that Phineas insisted on Isabella tagging along.

Phineas, as always, greeted Ferb with his idea of the day the second he came out into the backyard. They were building a racing track again, except this time, they were taking inspiration from Mario Kart. The main blueprint Ferb was sent to retrieve was for the specialized mini cars that they were customizing for everyone. Back at home, he already had a prototype for the real life Koopa-Shells. “We thought it’d be fun to play real-life Mario Kart,” he suddenly says as they walk forward in line, getting closer to the register. The blueprint itself probably would have just seemed like a mini car on its own, and Ferb thought she’d like to hear the context. 

✑ Isabella grabbed the blueprint as Ferb handed it to her. Unfolding it as he spoke of Mario Kart, her eyes widened and a grin appeared upon her face as she lowered the blueprint. “Oh my goodness!” Oh no, here it goes. Once Isabella gets excited about something, there’s no way to stop her from talking and talking and talking my gosh.

“Mario Kart?! This definitely has to be the best thing we’re doing so far!” Isabelle began, perhaps talking a bit too loud and definitely too fast. “OMG! Who would I be? Hmmm.. maybe Princess Peach? She’s so cute! But.. Birdo has a pink bow in her hair just like me! Man..” Just thinking about who she wanted to be made her head swell with ideas. “I just realized that we’d need costumes if we wanted to dress up as the Mario Kart characters! Ahhh this is so exciting! Who would you want to dress up as? I need your measurements!” Of course, Isabella kept blabbing on the cashier had to intrude on her spillage.