Playing Along for Papa

Chapter 2

Panini was thrilled that Chowder had agreed to play along tomorrow. "Thank you so much Chowder." she almost kissed him but Chowder managed to duck and get behind her.

"Nini, save it for tomorrow, otherwise I might change my mind." he said, trying to get her focus off of her romance with him.

"Oh, yeah sorry about that." Panini said sheepishly.

"So what do you need me to act like tomorrow? I don't know how to be a fake boyfriend." he asked.

"Well just the usual. Be nice to me, treat me a little more than your best friend, and above all don't act like the old me. Oh and acting like we've been friends longer than three weeks will also help." she suggested.

"Okay got it." Chowder said. "See you and your dad tomorrow."

"Yep, see you num nums!" she said heading back to Ms. Endive's. "Yes, maybe this will turn out alright after all."

"What did I just get myself into." Chowder said to himself as he headed back to the catering company with Mung.

"You do know who Panini's father is, don't you Chowder?" Mung asked his apprentice. Chowder shook his head 'no' "Oh, I thought you knew that Filone Roquefort* was her father." Chowder stopped dead in his tracks and dropped the bag he was holding. He had only seen the champion weightlifter twice on TV as a little kid, both times retaining his title as world's strongest man. The only thing he could remember was how scared he got looking at the nearly eight foot tall cabearit. And he was Nini's dad?!

Chowder didn't eat anything for the rest of the day, mostly out of the sheer terror now in his body. 'I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead.' he kept saying to himself, as he clutched his legs in a fetal position on his bed. Mung eventually knocked on his door. Chowder screamed and hid under his bed.

"Um...Chowder, there's a phone call for you."

"Who is it?!" he screamed out.

"Your mom." Chowder shelved his terrified emotions for the moment, and went down to the lobby to pick up the phone. With all that was going on in his head right now, a conversation with his mom, Ribollita* would do him a load of good. "Hi mom." he said into the phone.

"How's my big boy Chowdy doing?" she asked her son.

"Actually not so good." he said glumly.

"Oh really? What's wrong baby?" Ribollita asked. Chowder spent the next fifteen minutes explaining to her what had happened that day, and he was feeling right now.

"So what should I do mom?" Chowder asked.

"I think you need to help out your best friend, and it is only for a day. Panini sounds like a very nice girl, I can't wait to meet her when your dad and I come to visit tomorrow-" Chowder was about ready to scream 'No!' "-night." Ribollita finished. Chowder quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks mommy, good night."

"Good night Chowdy, sleep well, I'll see you tomorrow." Chowder felt a lot better after having that conversation with his mom. And he knew that both of his parents were coming to Marzipan tomorrow night, and they'd be able to meet Nini.

"Alright world, I'm ready for you tomorrow, so bring it." he said as he fell back into his bed.

Author's Notes

1.) You may recognize the last names of Chowder and Panini's parents from PixiDreads' fic, 'A Love Like This.'

2.) I have the bios for Chowder's parents listed below. Both are my OCs.

-Ribollita Fasolada: Chowder's mom, a pink cabearit. Ribollita grew up in the quiet of the country before moving to Marzipan City. It was while she was living in Marzipan that she met and fell in love with her husband. She loves her son, and considers him to be the greatest thing that ever happened to her. She is six inches shorter than her husband. Name Origin: a famous Tuscan soup whose name literally means "reboiled". It was originally made by reheating (i.e. reboiling) the leftover minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day.

-Ramen Fasolada: Chowder's dad, a mint green cabearit. Ramen Fasolada is currently one of the ten best chefs in the world, and is the reason behind his son's desire to become a chef. Unknown to his son, Ramen is also a former apprentice of a certain chef Mung Daal. He is four feet taller than his son. Name Origin: A Japanese noodle dish that originated in China, and is often served in a fish or meat broth.

So yay! We hear Chowder's mom for the first time. But boy did Chowder sound scared when he found out who Nini's dad was.

Note: I've been considering having Nini be the ultimate Ramen Fasolada fangirl. That would be funny and so like Panini; imagine her learning that her crush is also her idol's son.

Haven't forgotten about Pop Goes Panini, I'm just writing these chapters as they come along.

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