In which Baljeet looked everywhere for Buford. Buford doesn't know why he bothers.

Phineas & Ferb (Buford and Baljeet) are © Dan Povemire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh.

Rating: K+ [The slightest mention of playful violence]

I suppose it could be seen as Buford/Baljeet if you squint... until your eyes can barely see anything.


"Ohh, Buford!"

Oh dear, that did sound angry.

At the familiar tone, the large boy shot up from his bed- or at least, he tried to. His back halfway off the bed, he cringed. His stomach was doing a most unpleasant churning and Buford found himself giving up, lying back down, holding back the urge to decorate his sheets with yesterday's dinner.

Buford Van Stomm: the biggest bully in the area. Maybe karma finally got back to him or something, because it felt like everything he deserved was coming at him in one, terrible bout of stomach grossness. The gurgles, the churning- those gross meaty, salad-dressing colored substances he kept having to relieve himself of hour after agonizing hour. He wasn't the most comfortable boy in the world at this moment.

And it made him kinda want to punch something.

"Buford!"

Had he actually the strength to wedgie the boy, it would have been a good thing that the Indian came.

The Bully listened as the heated boy headed towards him, small feet hardly making sound as he "stomped" through the room. Those steps had purpose. Unfortunately, behind this purpose, there was no brawn and the furious steps sounded more like a pitter-patter to Buford than anything. That scrawny kid however passionate could never be physically intimidating.

"You make me so angry!" Buford raised his eyebrows, a lazy smile plastered upon his face, proud to have had such an effect, despite not knowing what exactly he did. "You did not tell me that you were here!"

The Indian boy gestured to the room around him, as if words alone hadn't communicated it properly. Buford grinned.

"Oh yea? And who said you gotta know, runt?"

"You did not tell me that you were here, Buford!"

Buford eyed Baljeet in amusement. The small indian at the bedside had his fists clenched, and his shoulders were taut and hunched.

"I had to look everywhere to find you- you were not at school, you were not at your house, you were not at Phineas's. And look- you are here. What in the world were doing to land you in such a situation?"

Somewhere along the sentence the words softened, and became more of the nerd's usual tone for disbelief. The parts which were still lined in anger, Buford smirked at for the paranoid worry underneath.

"You are not listening to me! So, where were you? You were here, weren't you? But then why did you not notify me?"

"Who said I wanted you t'come?" Buford chuckled from the bed mockingly, redirecting his gaze at the ceiling.

"Well-," Baljeet stopped in his tracks, voice disappearing as the sentence registered, staring at the boy on the bed. The gaze burned into the side of Buford's face as he lifted his arms to rest behind his head on the pillow, ignoring it, waiting smugly for the vehement outburst. The Indian stood stock still in confusion, and Buford wanted to snort in laughter at the smart boy gawked before shaking his head strongly, new irritation burning in his eyes. This boy was really too easy to bait.

"We-well!" The Indian shrugs off his bag pack, and swings it to the floor in front of him. "I needed to drop these off to you! It does not matter whether you are sick or not- it is not as if I care- but you cannot afford to lose one precious day of schooling, or you will be behind." I do not want you to be behind.

A groan. "And you wonder why I don't wanna tell ya when I'm sick?"

"On the contrary, it is not every single person that needs to be reminded of school. "

"Are you serious?" Buford eyed the small Indian, currently drawing out a mountain of notes. It was more than Buford wrote in a year... Not that the feat was too significant.

"This should be it." Baljeet muttered, handing the papers over to Buford, smiling slightly at his work. Buford raised a brow as he accepted the papers, and threw them into the air, watching them scatter with a smile.

"A-ah?! "

"Thanks, but no thanks. "

"Argh! I do not even know why I bother!"

"Yeah. Me neither."

"Oh- no, Buford! Do not you dare-"

"So..." Baljeet shut up, slightly flushed, looking frustratedly at Buford. "You looked everywhere?" An expectant gaze. The Indian sighed.

"Yes... I looked everywhere."

A calm quiet settled between the two; Baljeet in grudging confession, and Buford in a sort of content thought. The boy beside him shuffled in the silence as his friend contemplated. A relaxed smile was on the bully's face, and after such a long while of introspection, Baljeet smiled softly to himself. The bully seemed to take on a determined expression, one with conclusion, of a masterpiece answer. Baljeet expected much when the other boy once again opened his mouth. He listened closely.

"Yeah; I don't know why you care." The Bully picked at his teeth nonchalantly.

Baljeet couldn't help but laugh. He'd expected too much.

"Oh, Neither do I, buddy. Neither do I."


"So, why are you here Buford?"

"Remember when I invited you to dinner?"

"And then proceeded to eat all of my food?" The smaller boy interjected, scowling at the memory.

Buford smiled fondly. "Yeah. You can thank me later. I saved your life."

He groaned as his stomach let out a strange, strange sound. Baljeet just laughed.