The Kiss

Vanessa Doofenshmirtz glanced at the clock over her kitchen sink and groaned. Where had the morning gone? She felt as if she'd just rolled out of bed, and already she was gulping down the last of her coffee and scrambling to make her first class of the day. Her fourth year of college was already proving to be a killer, but she had never been so focused in her life, and she knew the hectic days and long nights would all be worth it when she finally embarked on her chosen career.

Now, she was pacing around her tiny, rented bungalow, looking for books, for keys, for a clean lab coat to stuff in her backpack – she would never understand how she could lose so many things in such a small living space. It was nice to finally have a place to herself, though; she had always hated the dorms, and even the idea of an apartment made her feel boxed in and stifled. The old, established neighborhood surrounding the State University campus was generally a quiet one, but this morning the quiet was broken by the rumble of a motor running in the street. The sound caught her attention; it didn't sound quite like a truck, or a motorcycle, or a car, but there was something strangely familiar about it.

At that point, her doorbell rang.

"Oh, now what?" she muttered, tossing her jacket on the sofa and undoing the lock on the door.

The sight that greeted her struck her all at once, like a tidal wave, sweeping over her and leaving her stunned: a tall, slender young man with touseled green hair, gazing down at her with a dazed look that he quickly tried to conceal, as his thin lips curled into a faintly nervous smile. Rumbling in the street behind him was something she hadn't seen in six years: a low-slung, tricked-out, interplanetary hot rod.

"Good morning, Vanessa."

That voice was not a shock, deep and caressing, his British accent still as distinct as the first time he had spoken to her.

"Ferb…" She managed to get that one word out, as she stepped back to admit him. Of course, she had seen and heard him regularly over the past couple of years, but always over a phone, or a tablet screen. He had become one of her closest friends and confidants, but she had kept the physical distance between them for his own good – and hers. This was the first time they had been face to face since he had grown so tall, and so… mature. He cast a curious glance around her living room, and she regained enough of her senses to say, apologetically, "I have to get to class."

"As do I," he replied, closing the door behind him. "This won't take long. Vanessa…" He said her name again, as if buying himself some time, and she caught that blink that said he was battling his nerves. "Do you remember what you said to me, the last time we were together?"

His voice caught for a moment, and she wondered if her bemused smile had made him regret his choice of words. Oh, yes, she had never forgotten his first, awkward, adolescent attempt to get past the occasional kiss on the cheek with her, and she nodded as she quoted herself: "Come back when you're sixteen – Ugh!" she suddenly exclaimed, pressing her palm to her forehead. "Ferb! Today is your birthday! Oh, no, I completely forgot," she moaned. "I'm so sorry…"

He took one step toward her and then his hands were on her arms, just below her shoulders. "It's all right," he assured her. "The point is, it is my birthday, and…"

He didn't finish the sentence. She could see – could almost feel – his thoughts drowning in her eyes as he looked into them, and then his arms were finding their way around her and he gently pulled her upward as he bent down to meet her.

The initial contact was tentative, as he found his bearings, and she held back to let him take the lead. Vanessa could have sworn she felt a little shiver go through him as they touched, and it made her heart gasp. Slowly, he was pulling kisses from her lips, growing more confident with each one, each kiss making her crave another, and another. His breath suggested that he'd used about a quart of mouthwash this morning, and made her aware that she probably tasted like coffee, but either he liked coffee or else he just didn't care what she tasted like, as his pace quickened, and she responded hungrily. Vanessa felt almost certain that Ferb had never done this before; there was a palpable sense of wonder emanating from him with each new moment of contact, each catch of his breath or murmur in his throat, but there was not a hint of awkwardness to betray his inexperience. His fingers were kneading her shoulder, and her hands were rubbing his back, relishing the way his lean muscles fit into her palms. She was convinced she could feel him purring. Gradually, his lips released hers as they both struggled for breath, residual kisses mingling with blushing smiles and soft chuckles of delight. She looked up into his half-closed eyes, and saw the reflection of her own sweet bliss in them.

"Happy Birthday, Ferbouche."

A/N – Thank you, Dan and Swampy, for giving us Ferb and Vanessa to play with. Obviously, I had a lot of fun channeling my inner Romance Novelist. I decided at some point recently what Vanessa's eventual career simply had to be. Anyone want to take a guess? The lab coat is a hint, and no, she's not an Evil Scientist, although she might be mistaken for one.

12-11-11 - I made one tiny edit in the first paragraph to say that Vanessa is in her fourth year, not final year, of college, because the course of study for her profession is longer than the usual four years (durrr, teach me to do my research first).