I do not own Phineas and Ferb.
Chapter features minor bullying.
Honorary Sister
Phineas sprinted up the front path to his house, his sneakers slapping against the concrete. Ferb was right on his heels, a flyer clutched in his hands, the paper flapping in the warm breeze. They charged inside and thundered up the stairs, coming to halt by Candace's bedroom.
"Candace!" Phineas said excitedly, knocking on the door. "Guess what?"
He retracted his knuckles as the door eased open. Candace stood in the doorframe, wearing a pink bathrobe and her toes freshly painted with red nail polish. She peered at them; her eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "What'd you do this time?"
"It's what we're going to do," he said brightly. "These were being handed out downtown." He pointed at the flyer in Ferb's grasp, and the green-haired boy held it out so Candace could read it.
Against a solid light blue background, in cheesy yellow Word Art, blared 'Brother-Sister Summer Games'. Candace grinned and she glanced at the additional information contained in white action bubbles. "Sounds fun! Thirty-dollar entry fee…pre-registration required…"
"It's a charity event," spoke Phineas. "For—"
"The hospital, yeah, I see that." Candace's smile faded and she tapped the bubble closest to the bottom of the page. "But it says you can only sign up in pairs—one brother and one sister."
"What?" Phineas guided Ferb's wrist in his direction so he could clearly see the flyer. His face fell with disappointment when he realized Candace was right. "Oh," he said sadly. "I didn't see that."
Ferb folded up the paper, his fingers playing with the edges. "You and Candace sign up for it," he said softly. "I don't mind sitting out."
"No one is sitting out," said Candace sharply. "I'm not doing a brother-sister event without both of my brothers."
"Yeah, bro," said Phineas, clasping Ferb's shoulder. "We can't do it without you."
Candace tilted her head. "If you guys are cool with it, I can ask Stacy—"
"Yes!" interjected Phineas, his cheer immediately returning. "That would be awesome!"
Ferb nodded earnestly and Candace chuckled. "All right, gimme a sec."
She balanced her weight on her heels, not wanting to mess up her polish job, and shuffled into her room. She plopped into her computer chair and swept her nail polish bottles to one side before picking up her cell to call her best friend.
"Hey girl!" greeted Stacy. "What's up?"
"There's a brother-sister tournament happening in the park in a few weeks, but they've got a dumb rule where you have sign up in pairs. Do—"
"Duh!" exclaimed Stacy gleefully. "Of course I will! Who am I teaming up with, Phineas or Ferb?"
"I was thinking we could switch partners for each game," said Candace, shifting her gaze to her brothers for approval, which she received in spades.
"Even better!"
"There's a thirty-dollar entry fee, 'cause it's a charity thing. Is that okay?"
"No problem," said Stacy dismissively.
"Can we register right now?" asked Phineas hopefully, tugging on the sleeve of Candace's bathrobe.
She waved at her computer, indicating for him to go for it. Phineas seized the keyboard and Ferb flattened the flyer against the desk. With speedy fingers, Phineas typed in the web address, bringing up the registration page. He filled in the information for Candace and Ferb first, and when he clicked the Proceed button, was brought to a list of games.
"Whoa, look at all of these! We're signing up for the same ones, right?"
"Obviously. Give Stace the URL so she can check it out with us."
Candace put her phone on speaker and Phineas relayed the web address. "I'm signing up Candace and Ferb if you wanna sign us up," he added.
"You got it." The clacking of fingers against keys sounded through the phone for a minute, followed by an impressed whistle. "Dang, they're going all out for this. Thirty dollars is a steal."
"We get to pick six games," said Phineas. "What do we want to do?"
"We gotta do the sack race," said Candace. "That's classic, and I'm a pro now."
Stacy scoffed. "Winning one race doesn't make you a pro."
"We'll see," said Candace with a sniff.
Phineas pointed at the screen in excitement. "They've got Giant Jenga!"
"Oh, we are so doing that," agreed Stacy.
Candace set her hand against Ferb's shoulder. "What do you want to do, Ferb?"
The green-haired boy inspected his options for a moment. "Dance-a-thon," he decided. "What do you choose, Stacy?"
"Soap wrestling"
"Very funny," Candace said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm being serious. It's on here."
"It is not!"
"It is," said Phineas with glee, highlighting the activity with the mouse.
Candace gaped. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. Stacy, come on, pick something else."
"Nope, we're doing this," said Stacy, and the redheaded teen could visualize the mischievous sparkle twinkling in her dark eyes.
They finished off their activity sheet with tennis (Candace and Stacy's joint decision) and capture the flag (at Phineas and Ferb's insistence). They were brought to the payment page and Phineas ran off to get his mother. She entered the bedroom with her credit card in hand.
"Oh, you guys are going to have so much fun," she said fondly as she began to type her credit card details into the computer. "Your father and I will make sure we book the day off to cheer you on."
"You really don't have to," said Candace with a cringe.
"We wouldn't miss it." Linda finished typing in the information and clicked Pay Now. She printed out the receipt and said, "Stacy, hon, I'll give you my credit card number for you and Phineas."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Stacy quickly. "I was literally just about to go get my mom."
"I insist."
Linda rattled off her credit card number and there was the frantic smacking of keys as Stacy filled out the payment form on her computer. There was a whirr through the phone as the girl printed out a copy of the receipt.
"Thanks, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher," she said gratefully. "I'll pay you back."
"Nonsense. I'm happy to do it." With a teasing tone, Linda added, "I better not see a shopping spree on my next credit card bill."
"We were assigned a number," spoke Ferb, removing the page stuck to the receipt. It gave instructions for signing in on the day of the event, along with a team number. "It says we can create our own jerseys if we'd like."
"What number are we, Stace?" asked Phineas eagerly.
"34," she answered. "The winning team!"
"How cute!" Linda clapped her hands together. "I'll dig out the craft supplies. I'm sure you kids have some old shirts you can spruce up."
She left the room and the four kids arranged to meet next week to make their jerseys. Stacy hung up and Phineas darted down the hall, ready to brainstorm a Big Idea for the day. Ferb started to go after him at a much leisurely pace, but was halted by Candace gripping his shoulders.
She lowered to her knees, eyes burning with intensity. "Did you offer to skip the games because you're ridiculously kind-hearted, or because you thought Phineas deserved to participate more because he and I happen to share the same blood?"
With a warm, affectionate smile curling across his face, Ferb placed his hand against her left wrist. "I'm ridiculously kind-hearted," he said honestly.
Candace searched his expression, looking for familiar tells, known only to those closest to Ferb, for any indication that he wasn't telling the truth. Finding only sincerity, she relaxed and rose to her feet. "Good. Otherwise, I'd have to punch you."
Ferb nodded sagely. "I would have expected nothing less."
…
Two weeks later, the Flynn-Fletcher family plus Stacy arrived at Danville Park for the Brother-Sister Summer Games. Candace and Stacy wore purple T-shirts with 'I'm the Boss' written in thick silver glitter on their backs, along with their respective team numbers— '34' for Stacy, '33' for Candace.
Phineas and Ferb were dressed in orange T-shirts and on their backs, spelled out in silver beads hot-glued to the material, read 'Little Bro'. Since the boys were going to be switching teams with each game, they wanted to have both team numbers on their jerseys. In glittery fabric marker, beneath the beads, '33 + 34' shone in the summer sun.
They paused by the park's gated entrance so Linda could take several pictures, striking goofy poses as the shutter clicked. Lawrence and Linda went to purchase some snacks from one of the many food trucks stationed throughout the park while the kids followed the arrows stuck into the ground, directing them to the sign-in station.
As they waited for their turn, Phineas gazed at the sea of brothers and sisters mingling through the park, all of them wearing homemade jerseys in a rainbow of colours. "This is so cool."
"Jenny and Django are around here somewhere," said Stacy, shielding her phone screen from the glare of the sun. "They signed up for tennis and Giant Jenga, so we'll probably see them for that."
"Will Jeremy be here?" Ferb asked, glancing at Candace.
"No," said Candace, looking a mix of disappointed and relieved. "The minimum age for this stuff is seven, so Suzy can't participate."
"I'm crushed," deadpanned Stacy. "I was ready to see Suzy thrash you in soap wrestling."
Candace shuddered. "Don't even joke."
After a few minutes they reached the front of the line and went to the table marked Surname D-F. "Flynn and Fletcher," Candace supplied.
The brunette flipped through the box bulging with papers, eventually removing two sheafs. She glanced at the names and numbers, her brow furrowing slightly when she looked at their jerseys. "Just for clarification, Phineas Flynn is paired with Stacy Hirano, and Ferb Fletcher with Candace Flynn?"
"For paperwork purposes," replied Candace. "We'll be switching with these guys each game."
"Since you could only sign up in pairs, I'm standing in so no one is left out," said Stacy importantly. She dug into the pocket of her teal shorts and removed a business card.
The background was metallic grey, shimmering in the light. In bold blue were the words Stacy Hirano, Honorary Sister. I'm there for you, babe.
"Okay," said the woman in bemusement. "That's fine, but if you're going to be switching partners, you won't be eligible to be in the running for any prizes."
"That's not what we're here for, so that's cool," said Candace dismissively.
"Yeah, we're just here to have fun," said Phineas cheerfully.
The woman crossed their names off her sheet and handed them a schedule. "You've been given a time slot for each game you registered for. You have ten minutes of leeway to arrive at the Game Station." She stood slightly, motioning to the dozens of green pop-up tents sprawled across the park. "Just look for the number that matches the one on your games schedule. If further instruction is needed, the host will tell you when you arrive. Any questions?"
"Nope, we're good, thanks." Candace snapped a picture of the schedule with her phone and the four moved further into the park. Raising her brow, the redheaded teen glanced at Stacy. "You had business cards made?"
"Yup!" chirped Stacy, giving one each to Phineas and Ferb.
"Is Ginger okay with this?" asked Ferb, brow pinching with worry.
Stacy ruffled his hair. "You kidding? She's the one who helped me make them. She said the more I'm out of her hair and in someone else's, the more computer time she gets."
Ferb smiled up at her, gently placing the card into his pocket.
"What are we doing first?" asked Phineas, bouncing on his toes as he tried to peek at the schedule in Candace's grasp.
"We've got capture the flag in, like, fifteen minutes," said Candace. "It's Game Station 13."
She texted her mother to see where her parents ended up and when she received an answer, the quartet headed for the fried food truck by the main pavilion. Lawrence and Linda were sitting at a picnic table in the shade, the former eating a corn dog slathered with ketchup.
"Here's our game lineup," said Candace, sliding the paper across the scratched wooden table. "I've got it on my phone, so you can keep this."
"How exciting," said Lawrence, wiping a glob of ketchup from his chin with a napkin. His brow raised and he said in amusement, "Soap wrestling?"
"That was Stacy's suggestion," said Phineas.
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on them," said Stacy, giving the redhead a noogie.
"Just be careful," cautioned Linda. "I don't want your day cut short because of a broken bone."
Ferb glanced at Candace. "You heard her. No breaking our bones."
"Dang." She snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "Oh well. Maybe next time."
Since the game would be starting soon, the group went in search of Game Station 13. They found the tent in front of the east-side playground and checked in. They were told to grab a sash from one of the many plastic bins, one colour per team, and wait for the game to officially begin.
Candace and Ferb grabbed the red sashes while Phineas and Stacy snagged the purple sashes. "You're going down," crowed Stacy, wrapping her sash around her waist.
"Oh, no, you're going down," countered Candace.
Phineas tilted his head to the side. "I think our odds are better. Stacy jogs every morning with her mother."
"Not by choice, but now it's about to pay off!" Stacy said.
Ferb crossed his arms over his chest. "Candace in Busting Mode," he said simply.
"But she's not in Busting Mode right now," Phineas pointed out.
Candace cracked her knuckles. "No, but I'm competitive, and that'll take me places."
At eleven minutes after twelve, a whistle blast cut through the air, and the gathered group of brothers and sisters dialled their chatter down to a soft murmur. A tall blonde with spiky hair, wearing an orange long-sleeved shirt with Host emblazoned on the front and back, lowered the whistle and raised his megaphone to his lips.
"All right, guys, let's play some capture the flag! We'll be using this playground and the west playground as our bases. The flags are attached to the equipment, and it'll be Purple versus Red. The first team to bring the opposing flag back to their base, and their host, will win. Do not move the flags to a different spot. If you're touched by a member of the opposing team, you have to freeze in place until someone from your team tags you. If you use any unnecessary force, you'll be disqualified from the Brother-Sister Summer Games effective immediately. Any questions?"
A chorus of 'nos' rang out and the host smiled. "Awesome. Purple Team, please follow Adelaide to the west playground. Red Team, wait with me for the start signal. Let's have a good game, everyone!"
A short woman with thick, curly red hair blew on her whistle, waving her arms over her head as she began to walk across the lush grass. People with purple sashes knotted around their waist trailed after her and Stacy grinned.
"See you losers later. Come on, Phineas."
"All right," whooped Phineas, grabbing Stacy's hand.
As the pair headed off, Candace folded her arms across her chest and glanced at the purple, yellow and blue playground equipment. Their flag was taped to the thick railing of the look-out tower, the red fabric flapping in the breeze.
"What do you think, Ferb? Should we stay and defend the flag or go after theirs?"
"Go after theirs," he said promptly.
She high-fived him. "Totally on the same wave-length."
A few minutes later, when three short, shrill whistle blasts sounded, Candace and Ferb sprinted across the grass with the rest of their team. They soon clashed with a horde of Purple Team members, shouts and shrieks ringing out as brothers and sisters were tagged left, right and center.
Candace took in her surroundings, searching for a route through the chaos. Her eyes zeroed in on a strip of bushes and trees several feet away and she grabbed Ferb's arm, dragging him over to the foliage. His confusion morphed into understanding when she ducked amongst the leaves and he joined her, falling to his hands and knees.
"Anyone see us?"
"I don't think so," Ferb replied.
"Perfect." Candace grinned widely. "Time for a sneak attack."
They picked their way across the ground, their knees scraping against rocks and twigs. It was a long crawl to the other playground, aches developing in their lower backs and arms, but they persisted. Eventually they could see the top of a bright green tube slide, a purple flag flapping in the wind.
"Gotcha!"
Candace screamed as two figures jumped out from behind a thick tree trunk. Stacy tagged Candace with an evil grin on her lips. "What?" the redheaded teen screeched. "How long have been hiding here?!"
"Since the start of the match," said Stacy with a cackle, wrapping an arm around Phineas' shoulders when he returned to her side.
"She knew you'd try to be sneaky, and I knew this was the only path to our base where you would be out of sight," added Phineas with a giggle. "So we decided to sneak attack your sneak attack!"
"Now we're gonna take your flag," crowed Stacy. "Let's go, Phin!"
They darted off, leaving Candace and Ferb stuck in the bushes. Candace slapped at the leaves in frustration, dislodging them from their branches. "Ooh, this is so unfair! How dare they use their lifelong knowledge of my personality against me?"
Ferb hummed. "I suppose we should have seen it coming."
"How I hate the power of hindsight."
…
With Purple Team claiming victory, courtesy of Stacy and Phineas, the group headed to their next scheduled game. Stacy skipped across the park with Phineas on her shoulders, both of them whooping and cheering. Linda jogged a few paces ahead so she could take a picture of the pair, while Lawrence, Candace and Ferb trailed behind them.
"Don't be bitter, darling." Lawrence chuckled, tapping the disgruntled crease on Candace's brow.
"I am not bitter," insisted Candace. Ferb glanced at her doubtfully and she amended, "Okay, I'm a little bit salty."
His eyes twinkling, Ferb folded his fingers with hers and Candace smiled.
"Yeah, we'll get 'em next time."
They reached the next Game Station, where there were a dozen foam Jenga towers spread out across the south parking lot. Stacy and Candace spotted Jenny amongst the crowd and they charged at their friend with delighted squeals. As they joined hands and jumped in a circle, Django walked over to Phineas and Ferb, the boys exchanging fist bumps.
"Nice jersey," complimented Phineas, admiring the abstract painting of Jenny on the front of Django's white T-shirt.
"Thanks! Your jerseys are really cool, too." Django smirked. "Much cooler than Jenny's."
He made the jibe as the teens returned to their brothers and Jenny ruffled Django's long brown hair. "You know art isn't really my thing, bro. Nature is the home of my soul."
On the front of Jenny's shirt was a stick figure drawing, the long streaks of light brown paint the only indication that the figure was supposed to be Django. The boy bumped his hip with hers with a grin. "I'm just messing with you."
"Do one of you want to pair up with us?" asked Jenny, glancing between Candace and Stacy.
"We're gonna go against each other, but thanks," said Candace, looping an arm over Phineas' shoulders.
"No problem. Love your energy, by the way." Jenny drew a circle around Candace, Stacy, Phineas and Ferb with her hands. "I can totally feel the unity between you guys. It fills me with the warm fuzzies."
A megaphone-amplified voice boomed through the parking lot, instructing them to partner up with another pair of siblings and stand next to a Jenga tower. Jenny and Django left the Flynn-Fletchers with a cheerful wave, and as the quartet gathered around the closest Jenga tower, Phineas asked in bemusement, "Can Jenny really feel our energy?"
"Yes," said Candace and Stacy in unison.
"Oh. Awesome!"
The rules of Jenga were simple, so it didn't take long for the players to receive their cue to start the game. Since the towers were just a bit taller than Candace, the girls picked the boys up whenever it was their turn to remove a piece.
Ferb took the longest to complete his turns, his eyes scanning each individual block, estimating their importance in the structural integrity of the tower. Stacy would hover her finger near the foam pieces, not exactly touching it, and peeking at Ferb for his approval.
The redheads were not as cautious.
"Careful, careful, careful—"
"Phineas, knock it off! You're stressing me out."
"Sorry."
"Great! Now it's stuck."
"Try wiggling it to the left. No, no, your other left."
"HA! Got it! Stacy! Stop laughing. Ferb, you better not be filming this."
Soon their tower was balanced precariously on a platform of three blocks, the middle section thin and the top bulky. Ferb tapped a finger against his chin, humming thoughtfully. He squatted low to the ground, lightly tapping the rightmost bottom block until it jostled loose. Stacy hefted him up by the waist so he could place it at the very top of the tower.
Candace stared at remaining two blocks of the foundation. "Should we risk it?"
"Let's do it," said Phineas with a determined nod.
He carefully nudged the leftmost block, holding his breath as it moved slightly against the smooth pavement. Candace pressed her hands over her mouth, squeaking every time the tower wobbled dangerously. Phineas froze at the slightest movement, waiting for the tower to still before continuing. After a minute he removed the block successfully and Candace swung him up so he could put the piece on top.
"Yes!" she cheered. "Good luck, suckers!"
The tower swayed back and forth by an inch, balanced entirely on a single foam piece. Stacy grumbled under her breath, trailing her finger up the tower, darting her gaze back and forth between the pieces and Ferb. She stopped when he nodded at her. Taking a breath, she pinched the edge of a middle piece four rows from the top of the tower. She slowly dragged it out and grinned widely when their turn passed with no incident.
"Ha! Take that, suckers!"
"Dang it!" Candace ran her fingers through her hair. "Um…okay. We're just gonna play it easy."
She went for a piece one row below the top. A single tap was all it took for the whole thing to come crumbling down, foam pieces flopping to the asphalt. Candace shrieked in frustration and kicked an orange block across three parking spaces.
"That's two for me, zero for you!" cackled Stacy, grabbing Candace by the waist and dragging her into the foam pile.
"It's technically one for you, one for Ferb," countered Candace, playfully swatting at her best friend. "You didn't make a move without his approval."
Phineas and Ferb pounced on the girls, causing them all to erupt into giggles. Stacy wrapped her arm around Ferb's neck and used her other hand to pull her phone from her pocket. She extended the cell and switched the camera to selfie mode, sticking out her tongue. Candace formed bunny ears behind Phineas' head as the flash went off.
"That's so going to be my new background," said Stacy, making the change with a pleased smile.
Their next game was the sack race. Candace pulled Ferb out of Stacy's earshot and set her hands on his shoulders. "Do you remember my chant?"
Ferb nodded.
"I know this is asking a lot of you, but I need you to shout it at the top of your lungs when the race starts. Just once. I know Stacy got Phineas to send it to her sometime in the past couple of weeks so she could memorize it. We need to throw them off their groove."
Puzzled, Ferb gestured at Candace. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of wireless earbuds. "I'm gonna stick this in one ear and crank up the volume. Instead of a chant, we're jumping to rhythm."
Ferb gave her a thumbs up and Candace beamed. "You're a trooper, Ferb. Let's do this."
When they returned to Stacy and Phineas, the former rolled her eyes. "You can try whatever you want, Candace. But nothing is gonna mess up our synchronization, right Phineas?"
"Right!" said Phineas, pumping his fist.
Candace and Ferb exchanged a smirk. "Whatever you say, Stace," she replied.
Once the players had gathered, each team was given a potato sack and instructed to stand behind the white starting line. Ferb and Candace inserted their earbuds. With one hand gripping the sack and the other hovering over the play button, Candace was ready to initiate the song the second the whistle went off.
Fweet!
Candace's finger tapped the triangle and a fast-paced pop song blared in their ears. She snapped her free hand up to stick a finger into her other ear and Ferb took a deep breath before parting his lips.
"BUBBLE GUM, BUBBLE GUM, RUNNING IN A SACK. HOP TO THE FINISH AND DON'T LOOK BACK."
Ferb absolutely screamed the words. The neighbouring racers started and gave him nasty looks, but Stacy and Phineas whipped their heads so fast Candace swore she heard their necks crack. Phineas' eyes practically bugged out of their sockets and Stacy's jaw dropped. They were so busy gaping at Ferb in stunned silence they weren't paying attention to where they were going. Stacy tripped and sent them both flailing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Ferb went silent, focussing on the music, and soon he and Candace took the lead. The redhead cackled victoriously as they crossed the finish line, snagging first place. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"
She and Ferb kicked off their potato sack and Candace ruffled his green hair. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "I know that wasn't easy for you."
Ferb shrugged, his expression genuinely unbothered. But he raised his right eyebrow slightly and she chuckled. "Right. I won't make a habit of it."
Stacy and Phineas straggled over the finish line third-to-last. Phineas wasted no time darting up to his brother, eyes wide with wonder and lingering shock. "Dude, you were loud."
"That was so uncool," Stacy huffed, glaring at Candace. "But totally unexpected. Grudging respect."
"How're your vocal cords, lad?" asked Lawrence with a chuckle, approaching the kids. He rubbed Ferb's back. "Still intact?"
Ferb smiled and nodded. Linda raised her camera. "Get together, you two!"
Candace lowered to her brother's level, tossing an arm over his shoulder and throwing up a peace sign. When the picture was taken, she asked, "What about the losers?"
"Be nice, Candace," chided Linda. "There are no losers here. And of course I'm taking their picture."
Stacy and Phineas crouched against the grass, pulling the sack over their backs, and peeked out from under the burlap folds like turtles.
Candace clicked her tongue, glancing at Ferb as the flash went off. "Dang. That's cute. We shoulda thought of that."
…
The following two events were tennis and the dance-a-thon. The tennis set was a close game, but Candace and Phineas ended up winning by a single point. The dance-a-thon was no contest, with Candace and Ferb easily outdancing their competitors.
Slick with sweat, and with twenty minutes until their final game, Candace, Phineas, Stacy and Ferb decided to get some refreshments while their parents chatted with some adults they knew. They wandered through the park, scoping out the food trucks and drink carts.
Ferb tapped Phineas' shoulder, catching his attention, and pointed at an ice cream truck that specialized in fruity-flavoured ice cream. Phineas brightened. "Ooh, that looks neat!"
"Go for it," said Candace, handing her brother some crumpled bills. "I see a boba tea cart with a dairy-free option, bless them. Stace?"
"Nah, not really in a boba mood. Maybe a slushy…or a soft pretzel…hmm…"
As Stacy considered her options, Candace walked over to the boba tea cart while Phineas and Ferb jogged in the opposite direction to the ice cream truck. Phineas ordered a Tutti-Frutti Swirl and Ferb chose a banana soft serve cone dipped in chocolate.
"Thanks," chirped Phineas, taking a lick of the orange creamsicle topping.
He took a couple steps to the side and started to wander. Ferb trailed after him, nibbling at the chocolate coating. He noticed an overweight boy walking right into Phineas' path and he opened his mouth to warn his brother. But he was too late and Phineas ran smack-dab into the boy's front, his ice cream smushing against his chest.
"I'm so sorry," exclaimed Phineas.
Orange, pink and green dripped down burgundy velvet material. The blonde's face turned red with fury. "You snot-nosed brat! Look what you did to my uniform!"
Ferb immediately stepped in front of Phineas. "It was an accident," he said calmly.
"Well, this accident just cost your parents a fortune in dry cleaning bills," the boy hissed. "Watch where you're going from now on."
Phineas brow furrowed. Completely oblivious, he said, "Sure, but you kinda ran into me too, so shouldn't both of us be more careful?"
"Are you making fun of me?" the blonde asked shrilly.
He shoved Ferb, hard, sending him crashing into Phineas, and the brothers slammed into the ground, Ferb's ice cream smearing against his face. The frigid sensation shocked Ferb for only a second, but he snapped out of it once he registered the older kid advancing upon them.
Ferb started to rise, ready to kick the crap out of the bully to keep him from hurting his brother. But he didn't get the chance, for a streak of purple shot past, and the blonde shouted in surprise as he was shoved to the ground.
"I know you didn't put your hands on them," Stacy growled.
"Chloe!" he howled. "Chloe!"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
A teen about Stacy's age, with curly blonde hair and a matching burgundy jumpsuit, stormed out from a cluster of shady, leafy trees, answering her brother's cry. Stacy scoffed, not intimidated in the slightest. "Chloe Carlton. Ugh."
"Who do you think you are, putting your hands on my little brother?" snapped Chloe, putting her face an inch from Stacy's.
"Your little brother knocked mine flat on their backs because he wasn't watching where he was going," said Stacy with narrowed eyes.
"They're Candace's brothers, not yours," sneered Chloe. "They're not your business, so you don't have to play fake sister. But does it make you feel good, picking on little kids?"
"She's not a fake sister," said Phineas forcefully, climbing to his feet.
Stacy raised her hand and gave Phineas a gentle look, a silent instruction that she would take care of this. Her dark orbs regained their ferocious glower as she directed them to Chloe. "Chester is only one year younger than us, so not exactly a little kid. And even if he was a little kid, you better believe I'd still do something, because no one messes with Phineas and Ferb on my watch." Stacy tilted her head to the side, a smirk pulling on her lips. "But if you're not satisfied dealing with the fake sister, I can take care of that for you."
With lightning speed, she whipped out her cell phone and dialled Candace. "Hey," she said breezily. "Phineas accidentally walked into Chester Carlton and spilled his ice cream all over his stupid overpriced jumpsuit. You remember Chester's a spoiled brat, right? Yeah, he knocked both Phineas and Ferb to the ground and tried to start something with them, and now Chloe is getting all up in my face—what? Yup, right near the ice cream truck."
Stacy hung up, ignoring Chloe and Chester's confused expressions. She held up one finger in their direction before fussing over Phineas and Ferb, brushing dirt from their clothes and helping them to their feet.
In thirty seconds, Candace was charging in their direction, and Stacy and Ferb enjoyed watching the colour drain from Chloe's face.
The second she was close enough, Candace seized Chloe by the front of her jumpsuit and lifted her up in the air. "I'm going to have a word with your brother," she said in a slow, measured voice. "You're going to stay out of it. Do you understand me?"
"You can't—"
"Do you understand me?"
Chloe gulped. "Yes! I understand."
Candace dumped her to the ground, bending low to make eye contact with Chester, who was trembling. "I'm going to say this once and only once," Candace snarled, her dark blue eyes like ice. "You ever touch my brothers again, you say one more nasty thing to them, I'm coming after you. And trust me, that's the last thing in the world you want to happen. Do I make myself clear?"
Chester nodded hard, fear shining in his pale blue eyes.
"Good. Now get lost."
Chester heaved himself to his feet and hurried off with fearful whimpers. Chloe shot Candace and Stacy a scowl before going after her brother. Straightening, Candace let out a sharp puff of air from her nostrils.
"Entitlement, I tell ya," she grumbled. She turned to Phineas and Ferb, her eyes softening with concern. "Are you guys okay?"
Phineas beamed. "We're good."
"Thank you," said Ferb softly.
"Don't even," said Candace firmly. "I'm your sister, it's my job. Come on, let's grab some napkins and try to clean you up."
With napkins from the fruity ice cream truck and a bottle of water, Phineas and Ferb managed to get most of the ice cream off. Tossing the wadded up brown napkins into the trash, Stacy glanced at the boys. "Do you wanna go home?"
"No," said Phineas quickly. "We want to play the last game. Right Ferb?"
"Absolutely."
"Let's get you guys some more ice cream first," spoke Candace.
Phineas and Ferb happily ate their treats as they walked to the Game Station for the soap wrestling event. Linda and Lawrence were already waiting and Candace scanned the gathered teams intently. Stacy noticed her search and grinned.
"No Chloe and Chester?" she asked lowly.
"No," said Candace, disappointed.
"Best for you, I think. I'd hate to see my best friend arrested."
"Oh, there you are, Perry," said Phineas happily, catching their attention.
The platypus waddled up to the boys, chattering as they patted his head. Stacy reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out what looked to be a folded piece of cloth. "What's that?" asked Candace.
Stacy flicked her wrist and the material unfolded into a platypus-sized orange jersey. The numbers on the front and back were in purple felt, '33+34'. "For Perry."
"Aw, that's so cute!" squealed Candace.
"He'll love it!" exclaimed Phineas.
Stacy manoeuvred her body in front of Perry so he was blocked from view of the Flynn-Fletchers. His cross-eyed gaze immediately sharpened and he gave her an unimpressed glare. Stacy grinned. "Come on, show your support for your kids."
She cooed the last part and Perry's bill twitched into a smile. She slipped the jersey over his body and she said, "I'm glad you could make it for the final event. You're just in time to see me throw down with Candace in soap wrestling."
Perry flicked his gaze to Phineas and Ferb, his eyes twinkling. Stacy gave a miniscule shrug. "Eh, maybe I'll take down Phineas while I'm at it."
She stood up and angled her body, letting Candace and the boys see Perry in his outfit. The kids immediately swarmed the platypus, complimenting his little jersey and Stacy's handiwork. Stacy giggled into her hand as Perry's eyes closed in contentment as he was lavished with their affection. They cracked open after a second, focussing on Stacy sternly, and warmth flooded through the girl as he jerked his chin ever so slightly, indicating for her to come over and join the hug.
Stacy wiggled between Candace and Ferb, who quickly shifted to make room, and pressed her chin against the top of Perry's head. He licked her chin and she grinned widely. "Love you too," she whispered.
A whistle blast interrupted their moment and Linda's rapid picture-taking. The kids discarded their shoes and socks and hurried to the nearest dish soap and water slicked tarp spread across the grass.
Ferb cracked his knuckles, spreading out his feet to get a solid stance. Stacy held out her arms to keep her balance and swung a finger to Candace. "I'm about to make this three-three, Flynn."
"In your dreams, Hirano," retorted Candace.
Phineas bounced on his toes, narrowing his eyes playfully at Ferb. "No Vulcan Pinches allowed."
"Won't need it," replied Ferb.
"Ouch, bro."
When each team had claimed a tarp, the host sternly instructed them not to punch, slap or kick, and not to be too rough. The main goal was to drag their opponents down to the tarp, and when a member of a team was pinned for ten seconds, they lost the game.
The second whistle blast sounded and the Flynn-Fletchers charged at each other. Stacy grabbed Candace by the waist and tried to throw her to the tarp. She slipped on the soap and went down with the redhead. She rolled out of the way before Candace could pin her and when Candace stood, she noticed Phineas on the ground in peals of laughter as Ferb tickled him.
"No way, buster!" She seized Ferb and swung him into the air. She wrapped an arm loosely around his neck and pressed him against the blue tarp. "One…two…three…"
"I don't think so!" Stacy tried to run at Candace, but the smooth, wet material made it difficult to gain any speed. Phineas performed a baseball slide and knocked Stacy to the ground. "Hey!" she squawked.
Phineas jumped onto her stomach. "One! Two!"
"Three!" retorted Stacy, rolling over and trapping Phineas with her full bodyweight.
"Aw, come on! That's not fair!" said Phineas with a laugh, jabbing at Stacy's sides. "You're bigger than me!"
"Did you just call me big?!"
Phineas yelped as she flexed her fingers at him threateningly. He pinched her nose, catching her by surprise, and wiggled free. "I didn't mean it like that!"
Candace and Ferb were locked in a sumo wrestling position, gripping each other by the forearms. They stumbled in circles, trying to force the other off balance. "You're going down, Ferb! Down down down!"
"You've said that before," said Ferb with a smirk. "Hasn't quite worked out in your favour yet, has it?"
"Ooh, I know you didn't just say that to me."
Candace let go and tried to lunge at him, but Ferb slid between her legs. He grabbed his sister by the ankles and Candace shrieked as she splashed against the soap and water. Ferb climbed onto her back, grabbing her wrists and holding them in place.
"Ferb! What the heck! Phineas! Help!"
Phineas, who had been eluding Stacy by using skating motions to navigate through the slippery liquid, hurried to Candace's rescue. Stacy made a giant leap, wheezing as her stomach hit the ground hard, but she managed to grasp Phineas by the back of his shirt.
The ten seconds zoomed past and Candace groaned as Ferb released her. "This is so embarrassing."
"Are you okay?" asked Phineas worriedly, helping Stacy to stand.
"Fine," she gasped, her lungs burning and her ribs aching. "Just landed a bit wrong. Told you we'd tie it up, Candy."
Candace rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. C'mon, let's go rest for a minute before you pop a lung."
"Totally worth it."
…
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Candace and Stacy were deep in a movie marathon. They snuggled under blankets on the couch, dressed in their pajamas, bowls of popcorn next to them on the cushions.
Phineas and Ferb shuffled in front of the television, hands behind their backs and secretive smiles on their lips. Candace paused the movie and regarded them with amusement. "Can we help you?"
"We have something for you," said Phineas, practically vibrating with excitement.
In unison, Phineas and Ferb extended their hands, revealing two sets of purple medallions attached to red ribbon.
#1 Sister
Stacy gasped softly, taking the gift with trembling fingers. Tears clouded her vision and she blinked them away. "Thank you," she said, her voice hitching with emotion. "I love it."
"It's amazing," said Candace with a sniffle, reaching up to rub at her eyes. "You made these for us?"
"You were the best sisters at the games today," said Ferb tenderly. "Since the event wouldn't let you win any awards, we decided to make one for you."
"These are infinitely better than the cheap stuff they have," said Candace with a beaming smile, slinging the medal around her neck. "It's perfect."
Stacy couldn't form words around the lump in her throat. She cradled the medal in her hands, and looked up when Phineas placed his hand over hers. His eyes were bright. "You're not a fake sister. You're not an honorary sister. You're our sister, 'cause all the stuff Candace does for us, and all the stuff you do for Ginger, you do all of that for us too."
"We love you," added Ferb.
"I love you too," said Stacy wetly.
"Get over here," ordered Candace, opening her arms.
Phineas and Ferb threw their arms around the girls, hugging them tight. When they separated, they flopped in between Candace and Stacy, cuddling close, and Candace started the movie back up. Glowing with affection and joy, Stacy put her medallion around her neck, admiring the way the purple metal glinted in the lighting.
She couldn't wait to tell Ginger.