Disclaimer: I do not own Phineas and Ferb.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:

Interruptions

FERB

Listening to Adyson through the other end of the phone had been an interesting experience tonight… or this morning, I guess. Not so much because of what she'd been saying—she'd seriously had a rough day—but because of the multiple opportunities it presented to tease Isabella.

Words could not express how much I loved the way her voice quivered when she spoke to her friend because of my touch, how she leaned and arched into me.

Of course, I was careful not to take things so far as to clue Adyson in on what was happening on this side of the phone. It was exciting… this struggle to maintain our previous intimacy without getting caught.

Luckily, Adyson had always been a rather self-interested girl, and probably wouldn't think twice about any noises Isabella made in the presence of such a major personal crisis. Which was good when I swatted away the assault-pillow and pulled Isabella on top of me. Ady swallowed the spilt water excuse like… well… a glass of water.

At any given point, I feared Isabella would shut me down, would realize just what she had been doing for the past hour and a half, and just with whom she'd been doing it, and she'd run. She'd hate me forever.

I most certainly hadn't expected her to unreservedly switch back and forth between offhandedly responding to Adyson and intensely kissing me.

I rolled around, needing to feel her underneath me again. Adyson started calming down now, looking more for advice.

"No, I don't think you should vandalize his car," Isabella sighed in an exasperated voice.

I figured Isabella would probably need her mouth for talking now that Adyson was asking questions, but that wasn't a problem for me; her neck was frustratingly unexplored.

And holy hell… I was at once absolutely and indefinitely stunned at the kind of reaction this brought. Her eyes clamped shut and she arched into me hard, which was sexy enough, but it didn't end there. Despite the fact that she was on the phone, or that we'd been generally keeping things quiet, Isabella moaned, loud enough that I could feel her vocal cords vibrating under my lips.

I instantly pulled back, my eyes filled with shock at the fact that I… that I had just elicited that kind of noise from her. She looked embarrassed beyond belief, but I couldn't help but feel… a little smug, honestly.

This was physical proof of something I had begun to doubt a few days ago; the attraction between us was mutual. I could have some semblance of an effect on her like she did on me. When she shot Adyson a quick excuse—stretching, please—I couldn't hold the amusement from my face.

I'd never seen Isabella so flustered before. It was exhilarating.

I moved in again, teasing her by slowly breathing on her neck. Her fist clenched my shirt, and her breath grew unbelievably ragged. Well, hot damn, Isabella was a neck girl. I could work with this.

I'd only begun kissing under her jaw, savoring the way she started trembling underneath me, when something Adyson said froze us both cold.

"Isabella?" came her voice. "Did you hear me?"

Isabella cleared her throat, resolutely refusing to look at me. "That depends. Did you just say you were here?"

"Yeah. I'm just outside your house."

"You realize I'm not at my house, right?" Isabella replied, running her finger down the center of my chest.

"Oh yeah…" Adyson sniffed. "I forgot you've been at your boyfriend's house these past two weeks."

Isabella's finger stopped, her eyes flashing to mine. It was my turn to look away, trying to ignore the reference to my younger brother. That was the last thing I needed.

"Something like that," she mumbled into the phone.

"I guess that explains why you didn't come when I rang your doorbell, huh?" Adyson hiccupped, her voice still patchy from all of her crying. "Well I don't want to bother Phineas' parents. Would you—"

"And Ferb," Isabella cut back.

"What?"

"You said 'bother Phineas' parents'. You forgot Ferb." I stared down at her in surprise, but she was absently watching the clock on the other side of the room.

By now, I was used to people only referring to Phineas even when we were both present. I liked to mentally joke that, in pronunciation, the "and Ferb" part of "Phineas and Ferb" was silent… since I was always silent. Something about Isabella snapping at Adyson for leaving me out… something about it really struck home.

"Well, yeah, of course," Adyson droned, "that's what I meant. But would you please do me the biggest favor? Pleaaaase?"

"Oh, trust me," Isabella laughed, "I'm doing you a bigger favor right now than you realize."

"Can we sleepover at your house?"

"Wait, what?" Isabella's eyebrows furrowed, and she tapped twice on my chest, signaling me to get up. Grudgingly, I obliged, and she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Well…" Adyson started guiltily, "I kind of told my mom I was staying over at your house tonight anyway. That's when I snuck over to see what will only be referred to as The Ex. So I can't go home, and I really need support right now."

"You used me as a cover so you could—"

"Yes, I know! I know I suck," Adyson sniffled pitifully, which I knew would win Isabella over. She'd always been tenderhearted. "But I really need you right now, Isabella. Please."

There was a long moment of silence on both ends of the phone before Isabella exhaled.

"Are you officially declaring a Code Cookie Dough?"

I tried not to laugh; was that actually a real thing in the Fireside Girl Handbook? Would they really lament their problems over a tub of raw cookie dough? That seemed way too cliché to actually be true.

"Yes," Adyson said slowly, "yes, I'm calling a Code Cookie Dough… please."

"Fine," Isabella sighed. "I'll be right over."

With that, she hung up.

ISABELLA

I resisted the urge to drop-kick my phone out the window. I didn't want to run over to my house to listen to Adyson cry all night! No doubt she'd invite the other Fireside Girls too, then I'd have to listen to the whole rant from the beginning. I wanted to sleep! Or… not sleep for a little while longer, but here!

"I have to go over to my house and play impromptu-morning-party-hostess," I said to Ferb short-temperedly. I got up and stomped around the room in search of my jacket. "I love Adyson, I've known her for years, and I'm happy she trusts me enough to come to me with her problems, but I swear—"

Ferb put his hand on my shoulder, and I turned to face him. He was holding my white hoodie.

"Thanks," I muttered, slipping it on. "I'm sorry about all of this."

He laughed. "We have the worst luck."

"No joke."

"How many times have we been interrupted now?"

"I've lost count." I zipped the jacket up halfway. "Have you seen my house keys?"

Ferb crossed to the nightstand and plucked up the object in question. I smiled and went to grab them, but he held them back, as if for ransom.

"Every time we make some progress, we get interrupted. I don't—" he sighed, "Isabella, I don't want you to slip away again. We have to talk about this. Especially after… after all of that. We have to talk."

For our "talk", I took his face and pulled it to mine, my stomach rolling over itself with butterflies as soon as our lips met. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach him, but after a second, his arms wrapped around my waist to help hold me up.

It didn't last long, but I hoped it was enough to ease his worries. I agreed we had a lot to talk about, but I didn't want to take too long and make Adyson suspicious.

"I know, but I do have to go. Believe me when I say I don't want to." Of their own will, my eyes drifted back down to his lips… but I shook my head to clear it. "I promise I won't slip away this time."

I plucked my keys out of his hand and turned to head out the door, when he grabbed my arm.

"Um, Isabella?"

I turned. "Yeah?"

"You, uh…" he faltered, his cheeks bright red.

"What?"

"Your… your hair."

"Oh my god," I giggled, having forgotten all about my wild mane. "How bad is it?"

In response, he only chuckled.

I snorted. "That bad, huh?"

"It… well, I think it's beautiful, but…"

I felt myself blush. "But…"

"Let's just say it would be a dead giveaway for our… activities tonight."

I laughed and breathed out an embarrassed, "oh." I quickly crossed the room and grabbed a spare hairband from my toiletries bag, pulling my frenzy of black locks up in a sloppy bun. I turned to Ferb, giving him my best tada! stance for his approval.

"Personally, I'd be fine letting the world see my handiwork," he hummed, cupping my cheek, "but I suppose it will do."

With that, he brushed his lips against mine, gently, and just once, before letting me go.

"See you later," he breathed, and I was surprised by the sheer amount of willpower I had to use to pull away and turn around.

I grumbled under my breath—babysitting Adyson was the last thing I wanted to do, especially after all of this. My ranting mutter lasted all the way down the stairs and out the door.

I made it into the baby rays of early morning and saw my friend sitting outside my house, just like she said. She really was a mess, which appeased some of my annoyance; she genuinely needed someone right now. Everything in her life blew up today, and anybody would need a shoulder to cry on.

So in what, then, laid the source of my irritation? I wasn't mad that Adyson could be superfluously dramatic. I wasn't mad that she automatically assumed I could always drop everything to help her. I wasn't mad that she "woke me up" at 4:30 in the morning and dragged me outside at five. I wasn't even mad she used me in a lie to her mother.

I was mad because she had interrupted.

Including the bits during the phone call, Ferb and I had made out for nearly two hours, and I was mad that we had to stop. I didn't know where all of this was going, or how it would work out, but… well, as embarrassing as it was, I definitely wanted more.

Of course, I'd have to put all of that aside to comfort my friend. She didn't know what she'd interrupted tonight. How could she have?

Trying my best to banish Ferb from my mind, I took a deep breath and put on my best Fireside Girl Troop Leader smile as I approached the sobbing girl.

As it was, though, I couldn't stop some of her words from the phone call replaying in my head; I forgot you've been at your boyfriend's house these past two weeks. Adyson had just been teasing me about Phineas, like she'd done for years, but… maybe this time she was onto something.

Boyfriend's house.

But that was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

Right?

R/R please!

So for you Ferbella shippers out there… you finally have that fluffy progress you've been waiting for!

However!

Where will the fluff go? Like I've stated from the beginning, this is a shipping war. Phineas doesn't know yet. What will happen when he finds out? What is there to even "find out" right now? Will Ferb and Isabella figure it out? Delicious drama to come after your fluffy nap. (MWA HA HA HA HAAAAA)

Review please :) If you guys promise to still review this chapter, I'll probably post another chapter tonight or tomorrow. Yay for quick updates!

~Lilly