Underestimate

The timer went off, and Ferb slid the pan out of the oven. They certainly smelled good, he noted. When the knife he used to test them came out clean, he nodded with satisfaction. Nothing compared to baking from scratch. Setting aside the brownies to cool, he stirred the small saucepan of fudge icing keeping warm on the stove. Pleased with the fruits of his labor, Ferb turned to survey the disaster zone that had been Vanessa's tiny kitchen.

He had barely made a dent in the scattered flour, broken egg shells, drips of melted chocolate, and piles of bowls, pots and utensils he had used, when he heard the front door open. Sharp heels clicked on the wooden floor, and her backpack made a loud thunk as she flung it down. "FERB!" she yelled, slamming the door behind her. There was a rustle that sounded like her stripping off her jacket, and a soft plop that said she had thrown it on the armchair. "I know you're here!" she warned. To his surprise, the rat-tat of her heels retreated toward the bedroom – he would have thought the aroma of warm chocolate would have pulled her straight to him. He emerged into the living room, and met her coming back the other way. Hands on hips, Vanessa glowered at him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Teacher In-Service Day."

"Ferb," she groaned, "you know I have mid-terms this week! I've had about six hours of sleep since Monday, and I can hardly see straight, and you just let yourself in here…"

Well, you did give me a key, he thought, but wisely kept silent.

At last her nose twitched, and she said, "What is that smell?" She followed him toward the source, and he stood proudly by the range. Her jaw hit the floor as she gawked around the room. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY KITCHEN?"

"Don't worry, I'm cleaning up."

Putting a hand to her head, she leaned against the door frame and muttered, "If I didn't have a headache already…"

Swiftly, Ferb plucked a saucer from the cabinet and sliced a square out of the brownie pan, then drizzled it with fudge icing from the stove. A light dusting of white confectioner's sugar, and his culinary work of art was complete. Without a word, he held it in front of her. She took a deep, involuntary breath, and an odd gleam kindled in her eyes. Accepting the saucer from him, she slowly picked up the brownie and took a bite.

"Ohhh, Ferb…" Vanessa mumbled in ecstasy, stuffing another corner of the treat into her mouth. "Oh, my gosh, it's still warm… Mmmmmm… This is so good," she moaned, letting go of it long enough to lick the sugar and fudge from her fingers. Lips parted, eyes glazed, she leaned in to plant a sticky brown kiss on his cheek and breathed, "You are amazing!"

Ferb smiled modestly. Never underestimate the power of chocolate.

A/N – "Underestimate" made me think, "Never underestimate the power of (something)," with Ferb using whatever that something was to cheer up Vanessa. And yeah, he obviously knows how to cheer her up!