~o~o~o~o~o~o~
It was now nightfall. Perry had stayed with Heinz in the waiting room for the entirety of the day, listening to him ramble on about good memories he'd had with his daughter during her childhood, how he'd tried to make a better childhood for her than his own had been, and how much he'd hoped for her future. Perry couldn't quite say he knew on a personal level what Doofenshmirtz meant, not having any children of his own. But he knew he would have been just as devastated if he'd lost Phineas or Ferb.
A nurse walked into the room at about six in the evening, a clipboard in hand. "Vanessa is stable and in good hands. We have finished running tests, but won't have any conclusions until tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, due to O.W.C.A. rules and regulations, I can't allow you to stay in the ward overnight. You will, however, be alerted to any changes in her condition, and will be allowed to visit tomorrow, starting at six o'clock."
"What?" Doofenshmirtz cried. "You're kicking me out?! You can't do that!"
The nurse sighed. "Because of your status, which has currently been labeled 'threat,' we cannot allow you to stay. I'm sorry."
Doofenshmirtz burst into a series of protests, but Perry promptly pulled on his lab coat and dragged him out of the waiting room. As soon as they were outside of the building, the doors automatically locked.
Perry knew because of the agents currently placed inside the ward, there was no way Doofenshmirtz could stay. He sighed, wishing there was something he could do for the man. Heinz burst into round of sobs as the platypus dragged him off the premise and into his hover-car. At least he could take the man home for a few hours, before returning to his host family.
"Where are we going, Perry the Platypus? I can't leave, I just can't!"
But Perry had already started the car and was hovering in the air. Finally admitting to his defeat, Heinz sat back in the car, knees pressed up to his face, and closed his eyes. The agent landed on top of his roof.
"Oh, I'm home."
Perry nodded. He watched Doofenshmirtz get out of the car before starting the engine up once more.
"Wait, are you leaving?"
Perry chattered reluctantly.
"Look, I know I can be testy and overdramatic at times, but I just can't stay by myself right now. And I can't stay here. Vanessa's stuff is here and.. Can I stay with you, pleeease? I promise I won't be a bother.."
Bad, bad, bad idea. But Perry knew as soon as the doctor had mentioned the request that his answer was already yes. It was too hard to leave his nemesis here by himself in such a state. Sighing, Perry motioned for the man to get back in the car.
The sun was beginning to set as Perry made his way to his apartment. Doofenshmirtz didn't say anything during the whole ride, which was a first for him. As soon as they were a couple blocks away, Perry parked the car in an empty parkinglot and pressed a button on the dashboard. Instantly, the car transformed into his dark blue Mustang. Heinz watched the machine change in awe.
Perry then removed the little chip from his watch and turned into his human self. He took a deep breath with his human lungs, feeling his vocal chords begin to move. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the console and smiled at the doctor.
"That's still so crazy." Heinz finally spoke. "How.. how do you do that?"
"I'll explain it one day." Perry sighed, pulling out of the parkinglot and into the road. "Look, I have to go check in on my family, and then file a report with Major Monogram. And then I'll be home. But you can stay for a bit."
"You're sure you don't mind?"
"You didn't tell Francis about my human identity. I owe you one, at the very least."
Perry pulled into the apartment complex and parked in front of his building. The two exited the car and walked up the three flights of stairs.
"It's not much." Perry sighed, unlocking the door. "I'm not here very often."
At least I left it clean. Well mostly.
Perry cringed at the camera that was still shattered into pieces across the floor. Maybe he should finally get rid of that.
But Doofenshmirtz didn't seem to notice. He settled down at the table and put his head in his hands, clearly exhausted. Perry set his keys by the counter and pulled a couple beers from the fridge.
Heinz stared at agent when he set it in front of him. "I'd make tea," Perry sighed, "but it looks like you need something stronger."
Doofenshmirtz nodded gratefully, before taking a long swig of the beer. Perry showed the man were everything was, before walking out the door, promising to be back soon. Heinz waved goodbye, laying on the couch in front of the TV.
This was a bad idea.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Phineas and Ferb had just finished playing with their arcade and were cleaning up dinner when Perry returned. The two boys stayed up, playing a game of go fish, until they fell asleep a couple hours later. Perry jumped down to his lair as soon as he was sure it was safe.
Major Monogram appeared on the screen when Perry checked into his lair. It was a little odd, considering the man usually wasn't present for his reports.
"I wanted to talk to you, Agent P. This case that we've just discovered seems a little off. That, paired with the attack on O.W.C.A. that happened just recently- it's giving me a bad feeling. Are you sure there aren't any other details, that you have collected, related to this incident? Anything at all? Please, no matter how insignificant, let us know."
Perry immediately shook his head. Despite all that had happened, he still wasn't ready to tell his secret. And even if he did, he knew none of the details would take O.W.C.A. any closer to a solution for this problem that they already were.
Major Monogram nodded. "I know you are always thorough, Agent P. I just had to be sure. I want you to watch your back. Something else is going on here, and I think it involves O.W.C.A. more than we're aware. Thank you for your time. You can leave your report as always."
The major disappeared from the screen, and Perry was left to finish his paperwork. The silence of the lair around him was unbearable, and he tapped his pencil against the table to fill it. He'd just lied to his boss. His boss. The agent knew if anyone found out, he'd be as good as fired.
Still, it was strange for Major Monogram to question his report. Perry briefly wondered what had prompted the man to do so.
Sighing, once the paperwork was sent through, the agent hopped onto his hover-car and flew home.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
When Perry returned to his apartment, he found Doofenshmirtz asleep on the couch in the living room. The agent couldn't help but smile. Heinz looked so peaceful, so unlike when he was ranting or monologuing, with his wrinkled brow and downtrodden demeanor. His hair was so soft, his body so delicate. It made Perry want to reach out and run his fingers down his thin frame.
But the agent shuddered and forced those thoughts away. What was wrong with him?
Instead, Perry sneaked into the bathroom, had a quick shower, and settled into bed. The comfort of his mattress felt so good against his exhausted body. He turned out the lights and let him mind drift. He was asleep within minutes.
