Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the plot. All characters and the show they are portrayed on are the property of Dan Povenmire, Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh and Disney. I'm just having some fun playing in their sandbox is all. Plus any and all corporate names are trademarks of their various owners.
It was just another normal summer evening in Danville. Thirteen year olds Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher had once again built a magnificent invention , and as was always the case it seems, the device mysteriously vanished. Their older sister Candace had given up trying to bust them last summer, so she hardly noticed any of the goings on. Also as usual, Perry had disappeared and reappeared within the course of the afternoon.
After their friends had gone home for the afternoon, Phineas and Ferb sat underneath their favorite tree just relaxing and formulating ideas for their next adventure. However in this moment, the redheaded young man looked over at his beloved step-brother, and took note of the nervous way he kept looking out into the yard then back to his watch.
"Hey Ferb, why so nervous?" he inquired. Before his green haired sibling could answer, the thought struck the young man. "Oh that's right, you and Gretchen have your first date tonight!" he exclaims excitedly as his brother gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Well you have fun, and remind her that our fantasy football draft is Saturday afternoon." He calls after his brother as he races off at seemingly warp speed.
Phineas just chuckles as he watches the scene, then tucks his hands behind his head. "Thank goodness I have the number one pick this time. I'm not losing to Adyson again this year." he muses to himself as a familiar growl like chatter interrupt his serenity. "Oh hey Perry, did ya get enough to eat?" he asks his semi-aquatic mammalian companion. Perry gives him another, more gentle chatter and plops next to him. Phineas gently scratches his head and lets his mind drift back to where it had been most of the day.
"Isabella looked great today." he begins with a light sigh. "Every time I hear her ask 'What'cha Doin'?', it's like a jolt of electricity runs up and down my spine. It's been that way ever since I met her." Perry just looks up at him with a sarcastic look of No, really?, which Phineas just ignores as he continues.
"It's everything about her really. She's smart, funny, a great leader and absolutely, stunningly beautiful. I'd be either the biggest fool or completely naïve not to notice that she's had a crush on me since kindergarten." he says, looking up at a passing cloud. A sympathetic chatter from the platypus brings him back to reality.
"I hear that Perry. I know I got this reputation of being completely oblivious to her advances, but what people seem to not get is the fact that at least eighty-five percent of all of mine and Ferb's inventions and adventures involved her or helped her and/or the Fireside Girls. Remember when we tried to build that huge ice cream sundae for her when she had her tonsils taken out? And how could I not notice that cutout she made of my head and hearts when we did 'Summer All the Time'?"
He sighs again, crossing his left leg over his right and gazing at the vibrantly colored sky as the sun begins to set in the West. Perry softly chatters next to him and nuzzles up against his faithful owner. Phineas reaches down and strokes his back as he reflects on the past three summers. One memory in particular keeps replaying in his mind over and over again.
"It still irks me to this day that I didn't go with the original lyrics to 'Gitchie Gitchie Goo'. If I had had my way, it would've been 'I love you baby! Bella! Baby!'. But I know how much she hates that nickname, and I was afraid of everyone's reaction. One of the few times fear has gotten the better of me."
"I know I misfired several times, but Paris has to be my biggest screw-up to date. I had noticed everything that was going on, but that darn bet came back to bite me. That was my one shot at romance in the City of Light, and totally blew it. I heard that song she sang, but I got so blinded by trying to get home it didn't register until way later." he almost growls as he pounds the heel of his shoe into the ground.
"I had plans for her and I. I wanted our first kiss to be under the Eiffel Tower. I wanted a romantic dinner in a trendy Parisian café. Walk hand in hand down the Champs-Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe. Maybe even see Notre Dame and the Louvre. That's why I made sure that one of the stops was the French capital with what I thought was plenty of time to spare."
"It's like that boat of romance we did for Baljeet and Mishti. That's one idea I wish I had kept for myself. Wow was she mad when she saw that dinner for two wasn't for us. If looks could kill, you'd be down to one owner boy. I'm lucky to still have my head after that smooth move. I'm still stunned the other Fireside Girls didn't come after me because they're so fiercely loyal to her."
He stares up at the sky, watching the fading rays of sunlight dance along the clouds. Every cloud he looks at morphs into Isabella's face. In his love induced haze, he doesn't realize there's a figure standing behind the fence, holding out a digital voice recorder and getting his every word with a smile on their face.
"I know hindsight's twenty-twenty, but there are times I still can't believe I was that oblivious to her. I know Ferb knew, probably all of the Fireside Girls, Baljeet and Buford too. But it couldn't have been that bad could it?" he asks, not thinking he's going to get an answer. When he looks down, he sees Perry looking up at him with a sideways stare.
"Et tu, Perry?" he says, letting his chin touch his chest in disbelief. "God I suck. It's like that line in that movie: 'Good at friendship, bad at relationships.'. The only thing I know for sure is that I am in love with my best friend, and I'm not even sure the feeling is mutual anymore. She's been getting pretty distant as of late." he says, a sadness in his eyes.
Perry chatters and shakes his head. He knows that Isabella still loves his owner, he's heard as much from her dog/his comrade Pinky. He also knows that she hasn't come around as much because of her increased duties with the Fireside Girls. He can remember seeing her at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated selling cupcakes like crazy trying to get the troop enough money to go to a national jamboree. He can also remember hearing the phrase 'Phineas-Land' more than a few times in the past few weeks.
"I don't know Perry, maybe all the good I did with those inventions and helping her get all those patches has been negated by a few moments of bad decisions. Maybe I blew that once in a lifetime kind of relationship because I couldn't see the forest for the trees. And I can't help being nervous around her, my stomach does flips when I even see her or smell her perfume. Do you want me to say it? Fine, here it is: I am in love with Isabella Garcia-Shapiro!"
"Phineas! Dinner's ready!" his mom yells out the back door, snapping him back to reality. The young man gets up and stretches his growing body out before walking towards the house.
"Thanks for listening boy, you're a great friend. Better than I've been sometimes. I just had a lot to get off my chest. Something's gotta give though, that much I'm sure of right now." he says as he enters the house, his beloved pet hot on his heels.
Back outside, the figure clicks off the recorder and gives herself a little chuckle. She had known far longer than even Ferb had that Phineas was in love with the young Garcia-Shapiro girl. She could see it every time the two were within three feet of each other. As she slides the device back into her purse, she can feel the smile grow on her face.
"It's about time you admitted what everyone else already knew little brother." Candace says quietly to herself as she walks around the fence and towards the house. Before she opens the patio door, she lets another chuckle slip out. She was happy for her brother, but there was only one thing she could do with this information.
"And finally I can say with total confidence: Phineas…You. Are. Busted!"
A/N: Well that's chapter #1. Phineas confesses his true feelings, and has no idea that his own sister may be the catalyst to him finding complete happiness with Isabella. Coming up: how exactly will Candace use this information? And will she stooge her own brother off to the girl of his dreams? Thank you so much for reading, and as always reviews are very much appreciated.