Written at 4 in the morning when I couldn't go to bed as a spider had taken up residence by my pillow so I was busy hiding in the living room. Also this is my first Phineas and Ferb fanfiction and my first piece of writing after a long break from it so I apologise if it's a little rough around the edges.

I've tried to keep everything as close to the cartoon as possible but constructive criticism as to how I can improve would be great.

Candace Flynn's relationship with her youngest brother was in some ways like Ferb himself; mostly mute and easily missed if you weren't looking for it. So easy to miss in fact that Candace herself had, at one time, fretted that it wasn't there.

It was a relief then to discover that the relationship was present and correct. It was present in those tiny automatic gestures that spoke volumes; the time she had helped Ferb from the manhole cover even though he didn't actually need assistance and the times she would find herself ruffling his hair. Even the urge to bust partly stemmed from her fear that one day one of her brothers (and for some reason it always seemed more likely that it would be Ferb - Phineas' ever cheerful, larger than life personality made him seem illogically invulnerable) would get hurt.

(Of course, the other part of the urge to bust was the desire to prove to her mom just how annoying her brothers really were and a desire to prove that she wasn't as crazy as her mom no doubt believed she was.)

Once she began to look and question herself, she found many examples of her affection for Ferb. And yet she had no idea how her brother felt towards her. Unlike Phineas who spent nearly all of his time within a few feet of Ferb and had consequently learnt to read the youngest family member's every expression and gesture, Candace and Ferb rarely interacted with each other and so she had yet to gain this ability. It was even rarer she should be alone with Ferb without Phineas' endless chatter to bridge the gap and stem the awkwardness that would no doubt arise between the very different siblings.

She supposed it was ironic that it was one of the boy's inventions that gave her a definitive answer to her questions about their relationship. It wasn't so much that he'd saved her, or that he'd done it without hesitation. It was that he didn't think anything of it afterwards.

Had it been Phineas, Isabella, Baljeet or even Buford, Candace was sure Ferb would have reacted in the same way. Yet she couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for her silent brother. Suddenly it didn't matter that she seldom saw him alone, that he rarely spoke to her, that their relationship could be mistaken for non-existent by a casual observer. He had been there when she needed it and in return she would always be there for him, should the day come when he needed her.

Ending was a bit off but I am tired now so I'm going to bed

If you are interested - the references

The helping out of the manhole cover - Fireside Girl Jamboree. Ferb can't really have needed Candace to help him out of the drain - Phineas managed it fine and he is shorter than Ferb.

Ruffling his hair - in Summer Belongs to You. Just a sweet gesture.

Saving her - Ain't no Kiddie Ride. Ferb's skill with a slingshot is amazing.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

xxx