Outsiders

A/N: Because I love Perry, and I love Ferb.

At five years old, Ferb had never felt lonelier.

He attributed to it the same qualities of being punched in the gut. The initial reaction just startles you. It's the aftershock that really hurts. And his child therapist hadn't been particularly helpful. She just went on and on about how it was natural to feel this way, and he shouldn't be this shy, and how mommy and daddy loved him very much, and it wasn't his fault.

But he already knew that.

But this place, with its strange accent, strange weather, strange people…This family, with the loud older sister—who he still couldn't make up his mind about. He still couldn't tell if he liked her or not. The boy was a year younger than him, and had the strangest face of anyone he'd ever seen. The mom was nice enough, and Ferb certainly knew he liked her. But the only one in this new family that the English child really felt safe around was his dad.

There was that girl down the street who'd often come over. Isabella. And Ferb thought she was very…pink. He never knew what to say to her, so he'd say nothing at all. And she, in turn, would just stand there awkwardly. And then, as little children do, would proceed to ignore him completely.

In fact, he didn't know what to say to any of these people.

He was forced to share a room with the little boy, who would try and be as nice to Ferb as he could, but it would never work. The English child would try. He really would try and respond in equal, but he could never work out how to say thank you and please and hello without using his accent.

That was it, wasn't it? That's what even Isabella frowned at when he first said hello to her. "Why do you talk that way?" she asked. Ferb wanted to burst into tears. And later that night, he did.

If there was one thing he truly liked in his new life, it was the pet.

When Ferb first set his eyes on Perry, he didn't know what to make of him. A platypus? What on earth was that? His father patiently explained that it was an Australian mammal—but it could lay eggs. The boy found that utterly fascinating.

He would often find himself staring at the animal's green fur, and would automatically relate that to his own odd, stand-out-ish green hair. When Perry looked at Ferb, the boy could find not a trace of judgment. Just a pleasant curiosity that was easily satisfied with a cautious pat on the creature's head. The more Ferb watched the animal, the more he was reminded of himself.

Perry too, had been snatched away from his home country and brought here. He too, was made to live with these strange people and their strange habits. He too, was the only platypus pet ever. While all the rest were dogs and cats and goldfish, there weren't many platypi (Or was it platypuses? Platy-people?) Just like Ferb, he was an outsider.

It was that day when he sat alone in 'his' room, stroking the creature, when he spoke his first sentence in a week. "How did you get used to this?" And Perry looked up at him, and there seemed an expression in his eyes that said, Hang in there.

Ferb felt this first tear trickle down his cheek, but he impatiently wiped it away. The platypus snuggled close to the boy and put a head on his lap, in a gesture that said, It's okay. It's going to be alright.

Suddenly, the words came pouring out.

"I don't mean to be so quiet. It just happens. And it's even worse that everyone here is so nice to me. It makes me feel terribly guilty that…that all I want to do is go back home. To England." He looked at the silent creature with unmoving eyes. "Am I a bad person, Perry?"

The platypus just seemed to cuddle closer. Ferb stroked him. "At least you seem to like me, because I feel no-one else does," he muttered simply.

The animal shuddered and looked up at Ferb, a confused expression in his eyes. That's not true, they seemed to convey, That's not true at all.

That's really when Phineas Flynn entered. "Oh, there you are, Perry," he said. Looking at Ferb, he smiled. "Hey, Ferb."

The English child nodded once in acknowledgement. A gesture that seemed to encourage the younger boy.

"I was just gonna go give Perry a bath. Would you like to help me?"

The platypus looked up to Ferb in a smug sort of way. There you go, he seemed to say, Phineas likes you! The English boy looked at the green-furred creature, to the boy with the triangular head.

"Yes, I would love to help you."

A/N: My first P&F story. I hope it was good. Thanks for reading!