Welcome back, guys! Hope you enjoyed the last one, and hope you enjoy this one.

I was originally going to make Parents about Phineas and Ferb coming out to Linda and Lawrence, but that seemed too obvious. So I went with my next brain wave. Hope its more interesting!

Xoxoxo

Dragon

Phineas waited impatiently outside Ferb's art class, his books held to his chest. He was leaning against the wall opposite the door, tapping his foot. He'd just had history and he was in no mood for more boredom. He thought he'd like the subject, but his teacher's monotone voice could make even one of Phineas and Ferb's inventions boring.

People were walking past him on their way to the cafeteria. The redhead heard and felt the rumble in his tummy, and his tapping became more frenzied. Why the hell were they taking so long?

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, the door to the art class opened and students began to file out. Phineas searched the crowd for the familiar green hair, but he couldn't see it. Frowning, he took a step forward but stopped short at the yelling he heard from within the classroom.

'Give it back!' that was definitely Ferb's deep voice with its English tint.

'No! I'm showing it to him! It's so adorable!' Isabella's high voice this time, followed by giggles.

'Come on, Isa, it's embarrassing!'

'Get over it! If it were up to you, you'd just stash this in your sock drawer never to be seen again!'

'It's my decision, not yours!'

'Well, it should be mine!'

The raven-haired teen appeared at the door, and when she spied Phineas, an evil grin formed on her lips. 'Phineas! Look at what Ferb drew for you!'

'Isabella!' Ferb came out of the classroom just as the girl waved a piece of paper in Phineas' face, and the British teen covered his face with his hands. 'Oh for crying out loud...'

Phineas snatched the paper out of his friend's hand and studied it. It was a wonderfully drawn picture of a dragon. It's green scales actually looked like they were shimmering, and the details were breathtakingly clear. Riding on it's back was a redheaded warrior brandishing a sword and bellowing a war cry. Phineas traced a finger along the warrior's face, looking up at Ferb with a smile. 'Is this me?'

'Sure is,' Isabella cut in before Ferb could say anything, wearing a huge smile. 'Isn't it just so sweet?'

'I love it,' Phineas carefully put it between the pages of one of his books so it wouldn't get crinkled or bent, and then he gave his step-brother a hug. It was rather awkward, considering the green-haired boy was far taller and broader than Phineas, but he returned the hug all the same. 'Thanks, Ferb.'

'No problem,' Ferb's cheeks were slightly flushed, and he was wearing an embarrassed grin. 'Should we go get lunch?'

'Thank god, I'm starved.'

Xoxoxo

Parents

'That's it,' Buford stood abruptly and wiped at his newly milk-stained shirt, glaring daggers at Baljeet. 'I'm outta here.'

'NO!' the Indian, hindered by the baby in his arms, still managed to lurch forward and latch onto the bully's wrist. 'Please, for the love of anything and everything, stay. I can not look after my baby sister on my own.'

'And my shirts can't take the mess,' Buford growled, but he sat down obediently. He studied the stain on his shirt more closely. It had been from Baljeet's little sister, Priya, knocking the bottle out of her older brother's hand and onto Buford. It looked like it would come out in the wash. Hopefully.

'Why can't your parents look after their demon spawn, anyway?' the larger boy asked, leaning back as he watched his best friend once again attempt to feed Priya. This time she latched onto the bottle and began drinking peacefully. A look of relief passed over Baljeet's face, and it made the fuzzy fluttery feeling in Buford's stomach grow stronger. It was always strange seeing the person you were secretly in love with holding a baby. It made you imagine having some of your own with them some day.

'Mother has been house bound for weeks now,' Baljeet informed him, rocking his sister very gently as she fed. 'She deserves a night out.'

'She was the one who got knocked up, not me,' the bully complained. 'Why do I have to help you look after the brat?'

'Because we are best friends, and that is what best friends do?' Baljeet told him with a grin. There was a ding sound from the kitchen, and a gasp escaped the boy's lips. 'Oh, no, our dinner will burn. Here, take her for a minute.'

'What? No!' Buford spluttered, but the baby was already being shoved into his arms, and it was either hold her or let her fall, and somehow he didn't think Baljeet, nor his parents, would be too impressed about that.

The Indian teen fled the room into the kitchen, and Buford was left holding a baby. He attempted to give her the bottle that Baljeet had set down on the coffee table next to the couch they had been sitting on, but she stubbornly refused. Sighing, he gave up and just rocked her the way he'd seen her brother do. Priya even looked kind of like her brother. She gurgled a little and held up a tiny hand, and despite his annoyance, Buford found himself smiling.

Enveloping her hand in his, making sure to be gentle, Buford began to talk to her. Oddly enough, it soothed him and seemed to soothe her too. 'You're trouble, you know that?'

Priya made a giggling noise that was always so adorable when it came from infants.

'Okay, so maybe you're the tiniest bit cute as well,' he admitted with a snort. 'But you're related to Baljeet, so that's not exactly hard. It's in your genes.'

Priya continued to make noises, but her eyes were trained on him. He wondered if she could understand what he was saying.

'But just because you're related to the most important person in my life, does not mean you get to spill milk on me, you hear?' he scolded gently, receiving a giggle in return.

He glanced up to see Baljeet standing in the doorway, a plate in each hand, grinning widely as he watched. 'I see you two are getting along.'

An irritating blush came to his cheeks, and it embarrassed him all the more. 'Well, as much as one super ultra cool guy and an annoying little brat can get along, anyway.'

Baljeet placed their plates on the coffee table and sat down next to Buford, leaning close to look at his sister's face. After a moment he looked up at the bully without leaning away, and their faces ended up being startlingly close. A tiny smirk was playing at Baljeet's lips. 'Most important person in your life, am I?' he teased.

'Oh shut it,' Buford grumbled.

'Do you want me to put her in her crib while we eat?' the smaller teen asked, moving away and dropping the subject obediently, although he was still smirking.

'Nah, I can hold her and eat at the same time,' Buford picked up his fork with his free hand and glanced down at Priya, who had fallen fast asleep and seemed quite comfortable in his arms. 'I ain't never wanting kids.'

But seeing the tender look on Buford's face when he looked at the baby, Baljeet knew that was a lie.

Xoxoxo

Hope

My life had been totally perfect right up until my second to last year of high school. Okay, granted, there were some shitty times, my father dying for instance, but that did lead to Mom marrying Lawrence and him bringing Ferb into the family. I'm not saying it's a good thing Dad died, but there was good in all the horrible stuff I had to go through.

Anyway, my life had been pretty cool. I was popular, I made awesome inventions every single day and what kid can honestly say they have a freakin' platypus as a pet? And once I hit high school, I started dating the awesomest (and hottest, I have to admit)girl you will ever meet, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. Now you have to agree, my life was awesome. I got good grades, I never got into trouble, I never got bullied, I was crowned Prom King... The list goes on.

And then Ferb just had to go and get a girlfriend.

I've read some pretty horrid romance novels over the years. Don't judge me, boys can do that. I was just looking for something in Candace's room years ago and found an interesting looking book, and I kinda got hooked on romances. Most of them, I have to say, are shit. They're all the same, and it's frustrating. The heroine is always stunningly beautiful with a fiery temper who resists the hero at first but can't help but fall in love with him. The hero is always dark and mysterious, untamed, and usually hates love or thinks it's stupid. There's always some dire situation that forces them to work together and then they realize they love each other and get married. And then I have to force myself through a horribly written sex scene. I mean, seriously, 'he drank from her well of nectar, her beauty was intoxicating, blah blah blah' who writes like that?

Now I'm making it sound like I hate romance novels. Don't get me wrong, I love them. It's just... they suck. It's possible to love things and be aware that they suck at the same time. Like my secret obsession for a low-budget mermaid tv-show with crappy special effects and so many plot holes it isn't funny. But no one is supposed to know about that. Granted, there are a few gems hidden in the pig trough that is romance novels. You can stumble upon one that's so beautifully written and so original, it just gives you hope for humanity. Like, if life could turn out like that book, you'd be forever happy.

I'm getting completely off-topic here. As I was saying, romance novels. You get a lot of them that have some random character popping up, and it seems the only purpose for this character is creating jealously. Like, some dumbass hits on the heroine and the hero gets super jealous and scares him off, and then he realizes that he's totally attracted to the heroine. I mean, why else would you get jealous?

That's what Ferb's new girlfriend is like. In my eyes, she's the totally useless character that gets booted out of the book (or my life) after she serves her purpose. Oh, and she served her purpose alright. I saw her kissing him one time and my blood just fucking boiled. All I wanted to do was storm over there and get her the fuck off my step-brother. She helped me realize that I had feelings for him.

And that's when everything turned to shit. It's not like I wasn't attracted to Isabella anymore. I mean, hey, head cheerleader, Prom Queen? She sounds perfect, right? But she has the worst flaw. Everyone has flaws, and I normally accept those. But not hers.

She is a raging bitch if I even glance at another girl.

Jealously. I'm such a hypocrite, right? But yeah, I guess its fortunate that the only other person I like is both male and my step-brother. I can ogle him all I like and she doesn't suspect a thing. But woe is me if I get caught letting Wendy borrow my pen, because obviously that means I want to get into her pants.

Not.

Sheesh, I don't know if Isabella's suddenly got more annoying, or if I only just noticed it now. But one day she was chewing me out for complimenting some girl's new hairstyle and I just snapped. I told her to get over it and just dumped her then and there.

You can imagine the school's reaction over that one. Prom King and Queen break up, headline fucking news!

And because I was newly single, I focused my thoughts and fantasies on the only other person to catch my eye. Ferb.

Now, not all of the reason I hate his girlfriend is because I was jealous. Its only part of the reason. The rest is that she treated me like I was about to rape her or something. If I went anywhere near her, she started screeching not to touch her and to get away.

For fucks sake, I don't look that much like a creeper, do I?

I think she knew I like Ferb, because I know damn well she only acted that way around me so Ferb would get guilty and ditch me so she'd be more 'comfortable'. I think she spun some story about being abused when she was little or something, and I brought back memories, and that's why she was so 'scared' of me. When no one else was around, she didn't care if I was near her. In fact, she got right up in my personal space and tried to make me feel like shit. But she seemed to make Ferb happy, so I didn't want to mention anything to him. I could handle it if she made him happy.

But in the end, I didn't have to put up with her. One sunny afternoon, just after she'd had a go at me for anything and everything she could think of, she walked out of Ferb and I's bedroom with a smug look and left me leaning against the wall with my head in my hands. I'm a pretty confident guy and all, but getting insulted at an almost daily rate can really make you upset sometimes.

And that's when Ferb came out from under the bed where he'd apparently been hiding. Okay, he wasn't hiding on purpose. He'd crawled under there to grab some comic book or whatever, and when his girlfriend and I walked in, her screeching insults and me telling her to fuck off, he stayed quiet and listened to the whole thing. When she left, he came out and just put his arms around me. After a few minutes of silent holding, he took my hand, led me downstairs to where the bitch was watching TV, and fucking went psycho at her.

I had never seen him so angry before. He was literally shaking from pent up rage, and his voice was hoarse by the end of it. He told her that if she ever spoke one word to either of us again, she'd regret it, and that no one was allowed to bully his brother.

Which was kind of a bitter sweet moment, because yeah he defended me, but he referred to me as his brother, which isn't exactly promising.

And then he dumped her and kicked her out of the house. She lived ages away and he was supposed to drive her back but he told her she could walk home. That was an epic moment. I'd never been more proud of him.

Once she'd gone he'd told me that not one word of what she'd said was true, and that I was the awesomest guy he knew. And then he kissed me on the forehead.

I mean, I know it could fall under the brotherly-act-of-kindness category, but him hugging me, holding my hand, defending me and then kissing me?

I dunno, it kinda gives me hope.

Xoxoxo

Movies

Baljeet loved going to the movie theaters. The darkness masked all viewers. He could sit in the same row as the boys who tormented him and they would not know he was there unless he made his presence obvious. He could lose himself in the tale unfolding on the screen, be absorbed into the same world as the other's, hoping for a happy ending, crying at the deaths.

Now he loved the movies for a very different reason.

'Quit talking and watch the movie, Phineas,' Buford rumbled beside him, speaking to the redheaded teen who was on the other side of the burly footballer. On the other side of Phineas was Ferb, and beside him was Isabella. The whole group out to watch another movie.

'But the acting is so horrible! Look at her face! There's no emotion at all!' Phineas crossed his arms, his lower lip protruding in a pout. 'I could do a better job than her.'

He was about to go on with his rant but abruptly he just stopped. Baljeet craned to look around Buford and see why. He could just make out Ferb's hand over the redhead's in the darkness. A smile tugged at his lips. How sweet.

When he leaned back into his seat, he reached over for his drink, jumping with his hand brushed warm flesh instead. Wide brown eyes jolted up to stare at Buford, who only grinned and entwined their fingers together. 'We ain't going to let them outdo us, are we? We can be more romantic than they can.'

'You really want to compete with Phineas and Ferb?' Baljeet whispered back, rolling his eyes. Inside, though, he was melting.

'You bet.'

Now it was the darkness he loved. How he could lean into Buford, touch him, be with him, and no one else would notice. If they did, they certainly couldn't make out enough features in the black room to identify them. They were anonymous and could do whatever they wanted.

'Eurgh,' Isabella's voice drifted by them. 'You guys are so gross with your PDA. I really need to find myself a boyfriend.'

Baljeet let out a chuckle.

Buford's hand tightened around his.

Xoxoxo

Once

It was a great honor to bow before the Queen and receive her welcome. Her beauty was spoken of throughout the kingdom, long raven hair that reached a slim waist, teamed with electric blue eyes, wide and searching. For what he did not know. On her head was a delicate weaving of gold and jewels, marking her station, her royalty. She was beauty personified. She was Isabella.

'Welcome, knights.'

Her words were the signal to rise from his bow. He did so, sparing a glance at the man beside him who was straightening as well. He knew this man, and something about him struck a chord. He could not tell if those jade eyes spelled his doom, or secured his future.

They were to fight to the death.

The Queen in all her beauty had grown cold, and no love or life lit her eyes. They were still wide, still searching, but once she announced their sentence, they took on an icy glaze. He was still reeling from her words.

To be worthy of her hand in marriage, one of them must defeat the other. To be worthy of her hand, brother must fight brother in a deadly match of swords.

And the victor would be crowned King.

Phineas faced his brother in a deserted corridor of the palace, searching those green eyes for a glimmer of the love they once held. It was night, the Queen was in her chambers, and both brothers had decided to roam their prison on the eve of their battle. One of them would die in the morn.

'Brother,' Phineas murmured, his body going as cold as those eyes watching him now. 'We need not do this.'

Ferb tilted his head just slightly in response. We must.

'Please,' Phineas tried again, the slightest tremor detectible in his voice. 'We need not let anyone decide our destiny, be it a witch, a Queen, or Fate itself. We can run away together and live in peace.'

Ferb's eyes flickered towards the one window facing the north, towards their childhood home. And what of Father?

'Father wants the kingdom at his fingertips, without the responsibility it brings. He is merely using us, Brother,' redheaded warrior took a step forward. 'He does not care which one of us is crowned. He does not care which one of us dies in the mud whilst the kingdom looks on and screams for blood. He does not care for us. He does not care for you. But I do.'

The broader warrior took a step back, away from his advancing brother. In the distance they could hear the murmuring of a slave, the croak of a night frog, a child singing. It was an eery soundtrack to their one-sided conversation. His hand went to the sword strapped to his hip and tightened around the hilt warningly. Not another step, Brother.

'Ferb,' Phineas' voice cracked in desperation, though he stopped obligingly. 'Father cares for power, he cares for the throne. I care for you, I care for your happiness. I wish for your laughter, and your smile. I wish to be the shoulder you cry on, the ear you whisper to. We need not do this.'

Ferb's eyes travelled away, resting on his sword. I will if I must.

'Will she make you happy?' the warrior, still so young, whispered. He was but a boy in armor, a deadly weapon and at such a young age. They had trained since infancy. They were the best. They had always prided themselves on it. And now they were being punished for it. 'Will the Queen fulfill your every desire? Will she cause your smile, your laugh? You know you have only smiled for me. You have only laughed for me.'

Jade green eyes narrowed as they locked with blue. Such a soft, gentle aqua. So different from the cold, stabbing ice-blue of the Queen's. His lips thinned and his head made a jerking motion, just once. Yes. She will fulfill me.

It was a lie, and they both knew it.

But Phineas let it be.

The morn came, bringing with it the crow's cry and the chatter of the townspeople as they crowded the arena, waiting for the show the Queen had promised. The royal was standing in a box high above the dirt ground, her soft red dress fluttering in the gentle wind. As the sun climbed into the sky, so did the two warriors climb into the arena.

It was over before it began.

The Queen had announced the battle's begin, and the brothers had rushed at each other, one screaming a war cry and the other's face screwed up in determination. But when the redhead came face-to-face with his brother, when their swords were whistling through the cool air towards each other, he loosened his grip and dropped his weapon.

Ferb's blade sank into the flesh of his stomach, burning like acid. A distressed cry fell from the green-haired man's lips, his eyes widening in shock and horror. He pulled the hilt, letting the silver slip out of his brother and watching the crimson liquid bubble forth. They both dropped to the dirt. He cried unabashedly, cradling Phineas' body in his arms, burying his face in the still-warm neck of his brother.

Time passed. The jeers and screams of the crowd were nothing to him. His entire being was centered on the rapidly cooling body in his arms.

He almost screamed when the guards snatched it away, but he was soon dragged to stand before the Queen, kneeling in the dirt as she smiled at him. It was a beautiful smile. It reminded him of sharp glass. Wine red lips opened and she spoke, words branding him forever.

'All hail the King.'

Xoxoxo

Okay, Once was totally inspired by Snow White and The Huntsman. And it was so angsty and dramatic. I'm almost ashamed at how much angst that was.

Damn you, imagination. Why must you think up such depressing things? Now I want to cry.

Also, you can totally see how much I dislike Isabella in this.

...Why did I make the ending Ferbella? I hate that pairing. What is wrong with me?

And why do I seem to be writing so much implied Phinerb, and not actual Phinerb? Gah.

No Perryshmirtz this time, sorry!

Review? Reviews get cupcakes! CUPCAKES!