I love Doof trying to be the best dad he can be, and I love Heartland's "I Loved Her First." Add in the Yodel-inator and this fic was just begging to be made! I've seen some fics where the song does show, but Doof doesn't sing and I think that's a waste. DX Of course, I don't want to risk anything with lyrics, so I hope writing out the scene does the job. ( o_o)
This can be read as either Ferbnessa or Montnessa, I'm personally fine with either and I hope the ambiguity was done well enough.
I Loved Her First
"Behold, Perry the Platypus, my Yodel-inator! Reborn!"
Perry crouched into a fighting stance, ready to kick the white ten-gallon hat out of his nemesis' hand. His tuxedo might impede his movement a little, but not so much that he couldn't do what he needed to.
"Wha—Perry the Platypus!" Heinz—Doofenshmirtz now?—had the gall to look offended at him. "Do you really think I'm going to use it for evil? Here?! At my own daughter's wedding?"
Sheepishly, Perry straightened up again and shrugged.
Heinz—yep, still Heinz—crossed his arms. "Yeesh. Even if I hadn't sworn off evil, that's too evil! I could never do that to my little girl!"
The platypus slumped apologetically.
"Oh, no harm done. Come here." The two of them peeked around the corner from behind the giant stage, finding the lucky couple sitting front and center and waiting for the show to start. Heinz teared up and wiped his eyes. "Doesn't she look beautiful?"
The pair of them looked great. Per her strong request, Vanessa's bridal garb was completely black and slim, though still puffed and lacy so as to still be a wedding gown. The love of her life wore a white tuxedo, but lighter colors suited him much better anyway. Plus the two of them loved each other, which was all they really needed to look like the perfect bride and groom.
Perry smiled and dabbed his handkerchief at his eyes. He kept an eye on Major Monogram and Carl near the stage; they'd never let him live it down if they saw him cry, though they probably can't see past their own tears.
Heinz hid back behind the stage and gingerly held his remade inator. "You see, Perry the Platypus, I wanted to do something special for Vanessa's wedding, but she made me promise not to 'go overboard.' If you ask me, nothing is ever too much for my baby girl, but I had to swear off my flashy inators!" With a smile, he patted his Yodel-inator. "Lucky for me, my Yodel-inator is not flashy, and I just heard this most wonderful Western father-daughter song. Or is it Country? Either way, I'm going to sing that song for Vanessa and this inator is perfect for the job."
Perry raised an eyebrow and pointed at his former nemesis.
"What? You want me to sing?"
A nod.
"Perry the Platypus, you know I have a terrible singing voice! I need the Yodel-inator so everything goes perfectly! Or else I humiliate myself and my daughter in front of dozens of guests!" Heinz clung to his hat like a lifeline. He shook from his insecurities. "And hey, you know the groom! Wouldn't you want his big day to be perfect, too?"
"Ngkrkrkrkr."
"I know what they say about 'true self,' but I'm still up there! I'm still singing. My voice will just be sweet and mellifluous."
Perry tugged on the hat, though not so forcefully as to wrench it from Heinz' hands. Just enough to share his thoughts and give him a choice.
Pleading blue eyes looked between the monotreme and the inator. Quivering hands alternated between slacking and tightening their grip. At times they pulled it back to him, but with neither of them letting go the silent battle continued.
Looking at him head-on, Perry smiled encouragingly.
Finally, Heinz sighed. "I guess you're right, Perry the Platypus. Vanessa deserves to have her father sing to her, not a fake." He relinquished the inator. "Even when we aren't fighting, you win." His smile gave away how touched he was. "Curse you, Perry the Platypus."
Heavy footsteps made their way towards them. "YOU ARE UP, DAD!" Norm announced.
"Yes, yes, I'll be right there. You got the track ready, Norm?"
"READY WHEN YOU ARE!"
"Then let's do this thing."
Perry waddled to his seat by Vanessa, adopting pet mode for the sake of those in the audience who didn't know him as Agent P.
Vanessa smiled at him. "Oh, there you are, Perry. How's my dad?"
He gave her a thumbs up.
"Well, now I'm excited." She turned her attention to her father on stage.
At the microphone, Heinz gulped and pulled the collar of his tux. He never look this nervous before, not even when faced with certain explosion. His knuckles were white as they squeezed the microphone. He looked for all the world like he would keel over at the slightest breeze.
But it all fell away the moment he spotted his daughter.
He sighed into the mic. "H-hello," he started, grimacing slightly, "my name is Heinz Doofenshmirtz, and I'm up here for my daughter Vanessa." His hand was surprisedly steady as he pointed at the groom with a mock glare. "You better take care of her, got that? You may have her now, but I…" He withdrew the hand to his heart. "I loved her first."
And the song began to play.
If Perry had to be completely honest, he never thought Heinz' singing voice was that bad. Sure it could go wildly off tune and he won't go winning any idol competitions, but he had passion. When he sang, he put his heart into it, and the lion's share of his heart always went out to his daughter.
That was something no voice-manipulating inator could improve.
Heinz lost himself to the singing, his insecurities barely leaving a trace. Perry liked to think the rest of the audience got caught in it as well. He knew Vanessa already loved it, if the tears running down her face were anything to go by.
The love of a father runs deep, and Heinz Doofenshmirtz was as loving a father as they come.