Disclaimer: I do not own Phineas and Ferb.

CHAPTER TEN:

Banter

ISABELLA

After my brave and determined decision to go to Phineas and Ferb's house and have fun no matter what, I had hoped there wouldn't be any awkwardness. I had not, however, taken into account the possibility of Baljeet and Buford being there.

As soon as I walked in the gate, I wanted to chuck Phineas' jacket over the fence, hide it behind my back and make it disappear, anything to avoid questions as to why I had it. Any day before yesterday, that wouldn't have been a problem, but I was all mixed up now.

"Hey, Isabella, what'cha doing… with Dinnerbell's hoodie?" I shot Buford a death glare for using my trademark phrase.

"Just returning it," I responded shortly. I tried to sound tough; it was the only thing Buford responded to. He got the message to drop it, but no doubt news would spread of my borrowing Phineas' jacket. I wasn't sure if that should bother me.

"Thanks, Isabella!" Phineas enthused from a pile of wires. "Just toss it inside. We're almost done!"

I did what he asked, then turned back around. "So, what'cha doing?" I asked, sitting down across the wires from Phineas and Ferb with a careful arrangement of my dress. "And… how is it almost done? It looks like a sloppy pile of cords."

I was careful to look only at the invention, avoiding both brothers' eyes.

"That's what you think for now, but just wait… a moment…" Phineas connected two more wires, and Ferb pulled out a remote control. "Hit it, Ferb!"

Ferb met my eyes for just a second, but they were completely unreadable. He pushed a big red button on the remote, and all the wires retracted, a metal casing appeared, and it shrunk down. One second later, a mechanical bowtie laid on the grass.

"Behold!" Phineas yelled with the same child-like enthusiasm as he had for years. "I present The Mind-Reading Bowtie 3000!"

"Really, is the big number necessary?" Baljeet muttered, only to be put in a headlock by Buford.

"I like the number," he growled, and Baljeet chuckled nervously.

"Wait, mind reading?" I asked uncertainly. I wasn't sure if I wanted my mind read today.

"Yeah," Phineas said with a smile. "I asked you yesterday if you liked the idea while we were planting trees, and you said yes."

I did? I'm sure I had said yes, though I may not have been paying full attention to his question. That's what you get, Isabella, I thought with a humorless laugh.

"It's mostly what's skittering across your mind just below the surface," Phineas said excitedly. "So it won't be I wonder what I'll think, but the thoughts just below that."

Oh boy… this should be fun…

Phineas went first, his thoughts playing from a small speaker on the machine. Though his lips didn't move, we all could hear Phineas' voice say, I'm really happy the old gang is together again. Having us all here in the backyard is nostalgic and—hey, where's Perry?

Some part of me wondered—hoped?—he might mention me specifically, but I wasn't surprised when he hadn't. I actually wasn't disappointed, either, but I really couldn't trust my reactions to anything today.

Baljeet was running through equations in his head… backwards and in Hindi. Smarty pants.

Buford snatched the bowtie off Baljeet pretty quickly, putting it on himself. Buford's voice came from the speaker, delving into an embarrassing internal monologue about his goldfish, Biff. He pulled it off huffily, putting it back down on the grass.

"This doesn't leave the backyard," he growled, and we all laughed. Then Phineas turned toward Ferb and I.

"That leaves you two. Who wants to go first?"

I looked at Ferb, and he shrugged, his eyes saying it was my choice. I sighed, and was about to grudgingly volunteer, when the backdoor slid open, and Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher poked her head out.

"I made snacks for whoever wants them," she said with a smile.

Buford jumped at her words, rushing into the house like a crazed elephant. Phineas and Baljeet followed after more calmly. When Ferb made no show of interest, I decided to stay too; I had to see if we could function normally while I figured this all out.

"None for you, Isabella?" Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher questioned, and I turned her down with a polite thanks. With that, she shrugged and shut the door.

"Not hungry?" Ferb asked, and I smiled as I heard his voice. It always bothered me that he would never talk in group settings; he was undervalued.

"Thought I'd maybe convince you to help me, ah… mulch the machine?" I asked with a laugh. "Then we could both avoid it."

"Maybe I want to hear what you're thinking."

"And maybe you don't," I shot back.

He smirked. "And maybe I'd be okay with the risk."

"And perhaps," I emphasized the word, breaking our pattern, "I don't want to rob you of the joys and frustrations of actual conversation. Let the others see what a witty banterer you are, Mr. Fletcher. Then I won't feel so bad for monopolizing your words."

"Not a chance," he laughed again, and it stirred something inside of me. It was the sort of thing that only Phineas had been able to create in me, and yet, here I sat with Ferb, feeling a little… odd inside. A good odd. And it was terrifying.

I looked down at my hands, afraid my face would betray something. Ferb clearly sensed the change in my attitude, apparently finding it a good place to interrupt our—oh god, was I flirting?—with a change of subject.

"I heard you had a visitor last night," he said.

"Phineas told you, I take it?"

"Mostly. I don't know whether to be annoyed or amused that he left out the bit about the jacket." Usually, Ferb didn't let any emotions show, but this time, his face fell, just slightly. "Did you—"

"I didn't tell him what happened," I confirmed, though I couldn't tell if he was pleased or upset with my answer. My hands drifted to the bottom of my dress, and I wrung the pink hem between my fingers.

After a minute, Ferb still hadn't said anything, so I looked back up at his face. One of his eyebrows were raised and his lips were pressed into tightly together. With a shock, I realized he was trying not to laugh. His eyes darted from the edge of my skirt in my hands, to my face, then back again.

"Nervous, Isabella?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"No," I lied. I quickly let go of my skirt, smoothing it out as nonchalantly as I could. It was… so embarrassing, to be read like that. I felt my face heating up, and I knew I was blushing, but I tried to ignore it.

Instead of responding, Ferb pressed the back of his hand to his mouth in an effort to not burst out laughing. "What?" I asked, feeling the blush spread to my nose. Then it hit me. I realized I had gone from playing with my clothes to playing with the ends of my hair, like Ferb said I did when I was embarrassed.

My hands snapped back down to my lap, and Ferb's eyes glimmered with mirth. He opened his mouth to make a comment, but I cut him off.

"Not a word! Not a single word, you bloody Brit!"

He laughed and gave me look I'd never received before. We'd always bantered, but now it had a… different side to it. Yes, I realized with a start, Ferb was actually flirting with me.

"But I thought you liked my words. You may be defensive now, but deep down you find them clever and charming."

I scoffed, but was unable to keep myself from smiling. "Yeah right. Or maybe I find your banter is a massive overcompensation for—"

"Boy, you guys missed out!" Buford exclaimed as everyone else came back outside. He sat down right between us and let out a belch. "So, how was the conversation out here?"

Buford meant the question as a joke; Ferb never really talked to anyone but Phineas, as far as he and Baljeet knew. He was trying to be ironic and funny, but it only made me blush again. Ferb talked more when he was around me than maybe even Phineas, and the way Buford said that made it seem like it was Ferb and I's secret. In a strange way, maybe it was.

"Actually, our conversation was quite invigorating," Ferb responded, and everyone stared at him, including me. Before Buford or Baljeet could question it, though, Phineas laughed.

"All your conversations are invigorating, Ferb, or you wouldn't bother having them." He picked up the Mind-Reading Bowtie 3000. "So, I take it you decided who was next, then?"

Ferb once again surprised me, putting his hand out for the machine.

"Ok, Ferbooch," Phineas said, giving it to him. "This should be interesting. I bet we're all wondering what's behind your quiet façade."

"Probably something about tea and doilies," Buford muttered. Ferb put on the bowtie.

I enjoy the fact that this machine is a bowtie. Very odd. Perhaps Perry leads a double life; it definitely would explain why he disappears everyday. Isabella looks beautiful in her dress today, or any day, really. Not once have I even touched a doily, but it is sad that Buford is so uncomfortable with his feminine side that he feels the need to make comments.

With that, Ferb took it off. Baljeet burst out laughing at the end, receiving a death glare from Buford. His compliment was having a heyday in my head, and I had no clue what my face looked like.

"You should wear that thing all the time," Phineas said, evidently unfazed by Ferb's compliment. "It's cool to know what you're thinking."

There was a moment of silence, and then Phineas looked at me.

"I guess it's your turn now, Isabella."

R/R please!

I really like the idea of Ferb bantering, but only around select people. I kept him his usual quiet self around other people, but I like him talking to Phineas and Isabella. It's cute.