The first time Ferb ever met Phineas it'd been a bit of an awkward situation. Two young boys thrown together as their parent's attempted to make them friends. They'd stared at each other, large blue eyes mirroring the others and one could've heard the awkward crickets chirping in the background every moment that went past. Lawrence and Linda had realized after a while that nothing was really happening, nothing until Candace came bouncing out of her room, threw Lawrence a reproachful look before tugging Phineas off.
Ferb didn't even hear Phineas speak until the next time they were in the same vicinity. It'd actually been a bit of an accident really, Linda having run into Lawrence and Ferb in the middle of a shop and Phineas had come careening around the corner with his mouth running full throttle about some toy he held clamped in his hand. He'd stopped short upon seeing Ferb's curious gaze, and it hadn't been until the older boy had stepped forward and asked in his atrociously thick accent just what it was Phineas had been holding.
Candace said I shouldn't talk to you, Phineas had murmured after two hours as they'd been munching ice cream while their parents chattered away in front of them. He'd politely asked why, trying not to feel hurt that a girl he didn't even know was trying to sabotage a friendship he might treasure greatly.
Said it'd make Mummy like Lawrence even more.
Ferb had taken a step back at that, but he couldn't really blame Candace. He'd gone through his fair share of fighting and puppy-eyed looks with his father over dating Linda. It'd taken a long time for him to realise she was never going to replace his mother.
When they'd all moved in together in a brand new house, which had been 'perfect for new beginnings' as their parents had decreed much to Candace's distaste, Ferb had been pleasantly surprised that he'd be sharing a room with his new friend. They'd spent hours setting it up, maneuvering the beds around with their parents help so as to get them in the perfect position. Ferb had found out that night that he rather liked watching Phineas sleep, curled up into a small ball with a smile on his face as words would tumble from his lips in little incoherent streams. It helped him doze off normally.
They'd decided together, not three weeks later, after hearing their parents say something about asking their okay to get married, that before they'd give the all clear they'd demand a pet. Their parents hadn't even held back a happy yes, both willing to comply to the boys requests. At least they'd made one unlike Candace who'd screamed at Linda about trying to replace her father with another man and his stupid son. Ferb had felt even more hurt, wondering just what he'd done to anger his future stepsister, but it'd been pushed to the side when Phineas had held his hand and dragged him into the pet store.
Ferb had wanted a cat, Phineas had wanted a dog. Somehow they'd come out with a platypus.
Perry had settled in well, becoming the final piece that would secure a strong relationship between the two boys. Only Ferb had sat silently by Phineas, feeling bad with the boy, when their parents had told them the marriage was being called off until further notice. Candace had been too upset by the idea, and nobody wanted to anger or hurt her anymore.
So it'd been a shock when Ferb had spent the night talking to her, securing a tight relationship with her as well as she'd cried about not wanting any replacements. He'd convinced her him and his father were additions, not replacements. She'd smiled through watery tears and nodded quietly. And when their parents had practically cried, Lawrence definitely did, as they told them Candace had agreed, Ferb had received his first ever hug from Phineas.
He'd craved more ever since.
Everything after that had turned into a blissful blur. The wedding, where Phineas had held his hand and danced with him at the after party had him floating on clouds for days. Their first day at a new school together, where Phineas had cried when he'd been separated from Ferb considering their year in age difference, and the thousand watt smile that'd adorned his face when he'd seen Ferb during breaks. When they'd met Buford and Baljeet and Phineas had clung to him as he'd shyly hid behind Ferb's back. When summer would roll around and they'd spend all day making things, going on adventures together, avoiding Candace's attempts at 'busting' them, enjoying time with their friends.
The laughing, the rolling their eyes at Candace, the playful shoves and clutched hand holding, the sneaky hugs, the bright eyes. The whole being just Phineas and Ferb.
All of it sent butterflies through Ferb's stomach, every day, every moment, every second.
But it wasn't until the last year of high-school for him did Ferb realise just what all of it meant. Why he blushed when their hands brushed over the toolkit, why he spent hours just watching Phineas read, why he loved to lull himself to sleep listening to Phineas' quiet sleep talking, why he couldn't help but grin every time Phineas hugged him and why he yearned to just be around the boy.
His feelings were more than what one should have towards a friend and stepbrother.
It came as no surprise when the two first shared a kiss. It was almost expected really in Ferb's eyes. Just another simple day outside, him and Baljeet reading books in the shade while Buford and Phineas rolled around in a play fight. He'd looked up in time to see Phineas looking at him, a blush adorning his cheeks as he moved closer.
It'd been a simple brush of lips, something innocent and sweet, but it sparked a light to the candle he'd been harboring for Phineas for years.
He'd discussed it with Lawrence, sitting down and explaining everything. His father had simply ruffled his hair. Been waiting for this for years Ferby, he'd chuckled, You've been crushing on Phin since you met him.
Ferb had been floored.
Their first date had been a disaster, mostly due to Buford turning up with Baljeet and crashing it with a sinister smile. Ferb had wanted to murder his best friend but held back the urge and just tried to enjoy himself and the food. It'd been nothing fancy, a simple date down at the beach with a tea of fish 'n' chips. The wonderful and heartwarming thank you kiss he'd received from Phineas outside the younger boys bedroom door had made it all worth it though. And as the other had disappeared, Ferb had secretly cursed his father for forcing them into different rooms from his place up on top of cloud nine.
When they'd moved out, Ferb had been reunited with the calming waves of Phineas' sleeping. Their parents had mentioned that it was convenient them being in a relationship, saved them having to share their time between three different households. Candace had moved in with Jeremy a few years prior.
The next few years had gone without a hitch, their relationship having hardly changed except with the new romantic viewpoint. They'd laughed for hours when they realised how they'd practically been dating for years. Ferb had enjoyed seeing Phineas that happy, knowing the other deserved it.
I love you, had the been the words he'd chorused on their third anniversary. It'd been worth seeing the happy tears stream down Phineas' face when he'd finally mustered up the courage to say them.
The proposal on the fifth had been the icing on the cake of Ferb's life. The simple setting of their old backyard when visiting their parents that day. Having everyone there, their parents, Candace and Jeremy, Baljeet and Buford, had been perfect and when Ferb had dropped down on one knee he didn't know who'd squealed or cried harder. Candace or Lawrence? But the unshed tears and radiant smile that would have enough light to keep the world bright for forever and then some was enough to even make Ferb shed a small tear.
He truly hadn't ever considered the idea that the small shy boy he hadn't even spoken to the first time he met him would just so happen to be the one person who made his life everything worth living and more. But as they danced at their own wedding, Buford wolf-whistling on the sideline and downing bottle after bottle of alcohol while Baljeet giggled and hiccuped beside him obviously drunk, his fiancé was a bad influence, Lawrence howled into a handkerchief while Linda smiled brightly beside him patting his back, Candace telling everyone that these were her goddamn brothers and Jeremy watching her fondly, Ferb came to a stunning realisation.
He smiled as he buried his head into Phineas' hair, whispering those three words he spoke maybe a handful of times a year compared to Phineas' everyday.
It was always Phineas. Always.