Welcome back, guys. Who else is excited for this? I know I am! I'm so happy I finally got the plan. I'm going to jump straight in!

When I write each chapter, I copy a section of the plan and paste it in here so I don't have to switch tabs to go have a look at what's happening next. I'm so paranoid I'll forget to erase the plan and end up making you guys read Ashlee's psychotic ramblings.

Just some warning for you guys- this part of the trilogy is completely in Ferb's POV. We still have lots of Buford/Baljeet drama going on (trust me, we have A LOT) but there will be heaps of drama centered on Ferb's feelings and all that jazz.

So the pairings for you guys right now is one-sided Ferb/Phineas, Buford/Baljeet, one-sided Isabella/Phineas and maybe some others. I'm not sure yet. But these pairings are liable to change in later chapters, so watch out for that!

Oh, and before I forget! Ashlee, my lovely best friend and the one who plans all these stories out, is going to be posting all the nice little Phineas and Ferb one-shots I forced her into writing for me. Her username is Resacon1990 so go check her out! The pairings she writes is Phineas/Ferb, Buford/Baljeet and Buford/Ferb. She's legit amazing.

WARNING: slash, boy love, guy on guy. Don't like it, don't read. Mentions of rape.

Disclaimer: if I actually owned anything, we all know Phineas and Ferb would be together. But alas~

Xoxoxo

He really wasn't looking forward to the new school year.

Ferb stood just outside the gates, ignoring the kids pushing past him and just stared up at the tall buildings. Last year had been so hectic and dramatic, he didn't even want to think about what this year would be like. Apparently the last year of high school was the worst. That was why he was so reluctant to enter. So far their little group had only just recovered from the scandal of last year- the now-famous Cinderella play and Chris Fraser's 'mission'.

Buford had only just started to bounce back from it all. It was a huge relief, because Ferb had been itching to go back to his own house. He would always be there for the brunet, but staying by his side almost 24/7 had exhausted him and strained their friendship. He couldn't even count the amount of arguments and fights they'd had over the school holidays. They always made up within the hour, though, because Ferb knew Buford was going through a rough time, and Buford knew Ferb was being an exceptional friend by being there.

Now that he was back at home, back in his bedroom he shared with Phineas, he was a little calmer. He still spent a lot of time with Buford, making sure the boy was okay, but he'd started spending more time with his brother as well. They'd seen each other nearly every second day over the holidays, but considering they used to spend every waking minute together, it had felt as if they'd been separated for weeks.

He'd spoken to Baljeet very briefly over skype. He'd been sitting with Phineas when the redhead had gotten a call from the boy, who was still in India and wasn't expected to return for a while. After only a few minutes, Ferb had left them on their own. He was still somewhat angry with the Indian for leaving Buford a blubbering mess (although the bully kind of deserved it) and leaving Ferb to pick up the pieces.

Someone nudged him hard. He turned his head, eyes landing on the person he'd just been thinking about. Buford was smiling, but it looked forced, and the boy looked quite dreary. It was likely the brunet hadn't got any sleep, and instead spent all night worrying about going back to school. He was scared at how the rest of their classmates would treat him after the play.

Buford's blue eyes had heavy bags underneath them and his skin was pale, showing just how much time he'd spent outside lately. He looked exhausted and work out, like he hadn't slept in a long time and like he'd seen better days.

Luckily for Buford (although he didn't know it yet) a few of their classmates had overheard Isabella and Phineas talking about Buford's side of the story. The two kids had spread it around the rest of their year group and Ferb knew most of them felt sympathetic towards Buford. Now all of the blame and anger rested on Chris Fraser, who hadn't been seen for a while.

"You okay?" Ferb asked quietly. Buford was just standing beside him, staring up at the school with the same reluctance Ferb had.

The bully let out a quick, short laugh that had no humor in it. It was the kind of laugh Ferb had gotten used to hearing from him, which was a depressing thought. "Don't worry about me," the brunet grunted after a moment, shrugging and wandering off once he'd caught sight of Isabella.

Ferb frowned slightly. He was a little worried about his friend- who wouldn't be?- but Buford had been acting that way for a little while now. He was trying to get through his slump on his own. Ferb was proud, but it was taking the brunet a long time. The green-haired teen wondered if his friend would ever go back to normal.

Buford had reached Isabella and the ravenette squealed and hugged him hard. Seeing Buford laugh- a somewhat real laugh- made Ferb smile.

"You shouldn't worry, you know."

He turned his head and met bright blue eyes. Phineas was grinning at him, standing quite close and running a hand through his hair.

"It's my job to worry," he said after a moment of not-so-subtle staring.

"You've done more than your fair share, Ferb," the boy rolled his eyes. "You need to let him move on and get over it by himself. You can't coddle him forever."

Ferb frowned, turning his head away. He couldn't help but feel protective. He'd seen his friend break down, slowly pick himself up and then break down all over again. He didn't want a repeat and he was determined to keep it from happening. How come no one saw it that way? Everyone, even Buford, seemed to think he was too involved. Too... overprotective.

"Come on," Phineas sighed and grabbed his hand, tugging at it in an attempt to get Ferb to follow him. "Everything will turn out fine. Now we've got english first, so we better hurry up."

Ferb followed silently, his entire focus on the warm hand clutching his own. He tried to swallow and found it difficult. More and more these days he found himself craving his brother's touch and it made him feel like he was a sick pervert or something. Still, he wasn't strong enough to force himself not to act on those feelings. So he allowed Phineas to drag him to their english class if only to enjoy the hand-holding, and he allowed himself to flirt- cautiously- every now and again. Not that Phineas ever caught on because, come on, it was Phineas. He could be as obvious as he liked and the redhead would never know. Of course, he had to make sure no one else was around, otherwise they'd probably figure it out straight away. Just like Buford had.

It wasn't like he had a crush on his step-brother or anything. He was pretty damn sure it wasn't a crush. Maybe ninety percent sure.

Or eighty.

...Or sixty.

English was pretty normal. Their teacher understood that there were no new students so they didn't have to play those stupid 'getting to know each other' games. Unfortunately, the teacher wasn't the type to let them slack off just because it was their first day back, and she had already given them a project they needed to work on over the next week.

Although he didn't show it, he was quite pleased when Phineas immediately turned to him after the teacher told them to pick a partner. The redhead dragged his chair over so he could sit quite close and smiled up at his step-brother. "So! I managed to read the wrong book over the summer so I have no idea what the Hunger Games is about. Can you give me a brief summary?"

"How did you manage that?" Ferb asked, turning ever so slightly in his chair so their shoulders were brushing.

"I thought it was Lord of the Flies!" Phineas defended with a laugh, before his face morphed into a frown. "And besides, it's not like I could ask you. You were otherwise engaged."

There was an awkward pause and Ferb felt a bolt of guilt hit him. "Phin..."

"No, no," the redhead immediately brightened back up. "I know you had to be there for him and all that. I'm okay! It's not the first time we haven't spent a lot of time together, right?"

"Right," the green-haired teen reluctantly agreed, although he honestly couldn't think of another time where they'd been apart for so long.

"So, what's this about?" Phineas held up Ferb's copy of the book and glanced over the blurb. "Anything in particular I need to know?"

He sighed and began explaining the finer points of the book that weren't included in the blurb. Phineas never noticed when he 'accidentally' brushed their hands together, and he was having a hard time restraining himself from taking full advantage of that.

The bell rang for second period and they packed up their things. He was both relieved and annoyed because he'd be leaving Phineas. The redhead in question gave him a bright smile before they went their separate ways. He crossed over to the other side of the school to his biology class and sat down heavily in the seat with the slip of paper bearing his name on the desk. He glanced over to the desks on either side of him to see who he'd be sitting next to for the year. Isabella was on his left, Adyson was on his right and Baljeet was supposed to be right in front of him.

He stared moodily at the Indian's assigned seat, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown. He understood why Baljeet did what he did, but he was still angry over how torn up Buford had been. He didn't know what had been said between the two, but whatever it had been, surely the boy could have been a bit more gentle with the bully.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when Isabella sat down next to him, shooting him a friendly smile. The class was just about to start, but they had a minute or so to talk before they'd have to be quiet and listen to the teacher.

"How was Buford's first class?" he asked the girl, knowing that she'd shared her first period with Buford.

"He's... alright..." the ravenette said slowly, forcing a smile that only came out as thin and worried. "But someone did kind of bring up the whole play thing and Buford ended up having to go to the sick bay."

Feeling a surge of overprotectiveness, he immediately stood, intending on going straight to the sick bay to see if his friend was alright. Isabella caught his arm and dragged him back down. "Sit down!" she hissed. "He's fine! You don't need to babysit him!"

"What's going on back there?" the teacher snapped at them.

"Nothing, miss," Isabella replied sweetly, doing her best to look innocent as she changed the subject. "How was your holidays?"

"Fine," the woman looked disgruntled, but hardly anyone could dislike Isabella and she reluctantly turned back to the board. Ferb was grateful. He knew if Isabella hadn't intervened, he probably would have gotten a detention.

He waited impatiently for thee class to finish, hardly paying any attention. All he could think about was Buford crying his eyes out in the sick bay, needing him. He kept a close eye on the clock, although he swore it was broken or something. Surely it hadn't only been ten minutes?

When the bell finally rang he gathered up his bag and went straight to the sick bay, bumping into Phineas along the way. The redhead didn't stop to ask what he was doing, he just started following him with a worried expression. Maybe he'd already heard what had happened.

"Where's Buford?" Ferb asked as soon as he got to the sick bay. The woman who usually took care of any sick kids raised one eye brow.

"He's gone home, dearie."

Shoulders slumped, he nodded at the woman and turned back around. Phineas patted his elbow, doing his best to give Ferb a comforting smile. "He'll be fine."

They began walking through the hallways, getting out of the building and into the fresh air. They stood for a moment, Ferb staring up at the sky and Phineas smiling at anybody who happened to walk by. Eventually one of their older friends, Django Brown, ran up to them, looking puffed and excited.

"Did you guys hear about Fraser?" he gasped out once he stopped in front of them.

"Fraser?" Phineas tilted his head. "You mean... Chris Fraser?"

Django nodded but instead of elaborating he leaned over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Impatient, Ferb prompted, "what happened?"

Django straightened and adopted a serious look, which seemed rather silly on him considering he was wearing paint stained jeans and a t-shirt. "He's in Juvy because someone reported him taking and dealing drugs!"

"Really?" Phineas was obviously trying not to grin. He wasn't a very vengeful person but Ferb knew the redhead hated Chris and found it funny the bully was in Juvy. "Are you sure? How'd you hear?"

"Adyson told me. She heard it from Ginger who heard it from her sister Stacy, who heard it from her boyfriend, who is apparently involved in the case or something," the brown-haired boy shrugged casually. "And that's why he isn't in class or anything."

"Wow," Phineas commented.

"Yup," Django grinned. "It's a good thing, too. I heard what he did to Buford and Baljeet, and that was just downright wrong. Anyway, I was just heading off to the art room to work on a project. I'll see you guys later!"

Phineas turned so he was facing Ferb, but the green-haired teen wasn't paying attention to his step-brother. He was mulling over the information he'd just received. "Well," he said after a moment, "at least that bastard can't try any more funny business."

"Uhm, Ferb?" Phineas tugged on his elbow. Ferb glanced down, saw that Phineas was staring behind him with wide eyes, and he turned to see what the boy was looking at. Buford was standing right behind them, looking murderous.

"Buford," Ferb started, immediately nervous. Nothing good could come from that look. "I thought you went home."

"I had to go get my bag," the brunet narrowed his eyes in a glare. "How the fuck does Brown know the full story?"

"Well..." Phineas spoke after an awkward silence. "Someone overheard Isabella and I talking about it..."

"Fucking great," the bully snarled, pushing past them and heading towards the parking lot.

Phineas sent Ferb a pleading look and the taller teen placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Let me handle this."

He hurried after his friend, managing to catch up to him as he entered the parking lot. He could see Buford's mother in her car on the other side of the lot, smiling and waving at them. Ferb grabbed Buford's elbow and forced him to stop. "Buford! Look, Phineas and Isa are really sorry-"

"Stop, Ferb! Just... just stop," Buford let out a sigh, running a hand through his short hair. "You need to let go."

Blinking, Ferb let go of his elbow, and Buford let out a barking laugh at this. "I didn't mean literally. I meant... you know... Your constant worrying over me isn't really helping. You've done so much for me when I was really depressed and shit but I need to work through all this on my own, now. There's nothing I can really do to repay you, ever, because what you've done for me was great, but I need to stand up on my own."

Ferb stood still, arms by his sides. Was he really getting that involved? That even Buford was sick of him? Had it really come to that?

The brunet cracked a half-smile. "Don't let your life revolve around me, bro. That's what mothers are for," he gestured towards where his mother was waiting with a small grin.

Ferb nodded, trying not to feel hurt by the fact his friend was pushing him away. It was for the best, really. The green-haired teen reached out and pulled Buford into a hug, and the brunet snorted as he returned the embrace. "I thought we were past all this mushy shit."

Ferb let out a laugh and Buford grinned before walking towards his mother's car. Before he opened the door he glanced over and shouted, "you should talk to Phineas already! Just get everything out into the open!"

Tell Phineas? Hell no. Not in a million years. Ferb shook his head in answer and Buford frowned, but he was already in the car and his mother waved before driving off. Sighing, the green-haired teen made his way back to the school, deep in thought. Buford, it seemed, was growing up. He certainly wasn't the immature bully he had been before the Fraser bullshit happened.

Ferb made his way to his new locker and pulled it open, putting in his english and biology books now that he no longer needed them. He closed the door and rested his forehead on the metal, contemplating what Buford had said. It wasn't like he didn't want to tell Phineas. It was just... the redhead wouldn't understand. And even if he did, he'd probably be disgusted. It was best to just keep quiet and hope the feelings went away.

He glanced over at the clock, noting he still had hours until the school day finished. It wasn't even lunch and he was already itching to get under a car. Mechanics always calmed him down.

"Ferb!" Phineas appeared at his side and touched his arm. "How's Buford?"

"He's going to be fine," Ferb said after a moment. "Just fine."

Xoxoxo

Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. It was weird to write it from Ferb's point of view. Things will start picking up in the next few chapters. The last year at school is always the worst, right? And they're certainly going to get their fair share of drama.

Hopefully updates should come faster because I know Ashlee has been going crazy and writing the plans all intense like. So the plan for the next chapter should be in my inbox soon, and so on and so forth...

Review? Reviewers get strawberries! STRAWBERRIES!