Day thirteen of MerMay prompt month.

AHHHH! We're getting caught up to where I'm stalled out! I'm really going to try to keep posting a new chapter every day, I really am! But, as we all know, life comes at us with surprises all the time.

Note to self: Finish chapter 17 TODAY!

Another short chapter here, but we get to see Ferb's POV of the last chapter so, yay!

Stars - Ferb

There was almost no light when Ferb woke up, meaning the sun hadn't yet risen. It didn't bother him though, his big eyes well made for picking things out of the darkness. It was earlier than he usually awoke, but he felt well rested so he wiggled out of the finely netted pocket he used as a bed. It was strung up like a hammock between two stone posts in the building he had claimed as his. Because bumping into things and floating away in the night was a very real reality for the pobl y môr, they would knit or weave the same material used for fishing nets into something like sleeping bags for their beds. It kept them in one spot in the night, giving them a more restful sleep.

And unlike sharks, môrs could be still in the water without drowning.

He glanced up towards the surface of the water and hesitated. He really should be working on rebuilding Atlantis… but he hadn't truly seen the stars in so long. Knowing he shouldn't just expose himself to anyone else who was up at this hour, he swam close to the floor until he reached the edge of the cliffside. There was a little gap in the wall where he could surface and look around, so long as he was careful and the water wasn't too rough.

Rising just to the point where his eyes were above the water, he looked around, watching for boats and people walking the docks in the dim lighting. He had to hurry—even with calm waters, it wasn't a great idea to stay near a cliff with the wildness of the ocean.

His eyes caught someone hopping a gap in the middle of an old dock, one that looked rather rundown. Abandoned. What were they doing? Curiosity got the better of him and he lowered himself in the water. Kicking off of a smooth rock, he pushed towards the dock, sticking low to the seafloor.

Ferb surfaced again, this time under the dock, behind the gap in the wood where he could see the person sitting at the end. A bag hung next to her, but not low enough to get wet easily. She had dark hair—and Ferb wanted to smack himself.

Isabella.

He knew she went to the beach very often. He never knew where she went when she was there, but this made sense. He watched as she removed her shoes, setting them next to her and letting her feet dangle. As Ferb watched, a wave came along and washed over her feet and, though he couldn't see it, he could hear her happy sigh.

He lost track of time as he floated there and watched her. She had grabbed a book from her bag, and a pencil, but she never looked down at it in her lap. She simply sat there, watching the sky lighten with every passing minute. He treaded the water, keeping himself in place, studying her.

When he first came up behind her, she was sitting a little stiffly. Her legs kicked slowly, her toes sometimes skimming the water. Sometimes the water would rise enough and she could get a big splash. Ferb grinned to himself everytime that happened.

At one point, Isabella set aside the book—her sketchbook, he guessed—and leaned back on her hands. Ferb lowered himself in the water, all of a sudden wary that he had made a sound and alerted her to his presence, but then her face lifted to the sky. Ferb moved to the side just enough that he could catch a small glimpse of her face.

As he watched her, it felt like the water had warmed around him. She looked so peaceful… A wave surged again and she smiled, opening her eyes to look out towards the color-changing horizon.

He glanced out in the same direction, following her gaze and searching for whatever had drawn her eye. He didn't see anything out there… except… the sunrise was lovely.

Oh.

The water had become his home, but he realized now that he took it for granted. He didn't see the beauty around him anymore, it was just there. He dipped under the water to gaze around at everything around him.

It was unfortunate that he had forgotten the wonder of the aquatic world in five years. He was going to have to thank Isabella for the reminder someday.

He lifted his head again, only to hurriedly duck lower as she stood and hopped to the plank just above him. She didn't slow her walk, so he doubted she had seen him. He turned and slightly poked his head out from behind a post, watching as she walked down the dock to where her bike was locked up.

Once Isabella pedaled away, Ferb dove back under the surface, heading home.

As he swam down to the former city of Atlantis (and he really needed to come up with a new name…), he realized something…

He hadn't even looked at the stars, but he couldn't regret it.

After having a week to get used to Ferb's presence, and with his therapist's help, Phineas was much easier to hang out with. He was still clingy at times, but he had been able to recognize it and pull back when necessary. It bothered Ferb less than it did a few days ago, at least. Especially now that he knew how badly it had been affecting Phineas. He did his best to be understanding, and it helped with his own feelings.

Though, things did seem strained at times. Phineas still had his crazy and ingenious ideas, but a lot of the confidence he used to have about them had vanished. When Ferb asked him about it, he admitted that it "Never felt right without you here… Couldn't get it to go right."

But, when Ferb asked for his help with some planning, Phineas had jumped at the chance to create something with his brother again.

As they headed to the shack, where Phineas would sleep for the night and the morning would be spent writing down ideas and designs, they saw Isabella coming home from what must have been a grueling day at the restaurant. She looked past exhausted, but she was still upright walking her bike up her driveway.

It was so different to what he had seen of her early in the day that humor nearly got the better of him. She had looked so peaceful, relaxed, practically ethereal that morning. Ferb wondered what had happened during the day to turn her from that into this swaying and slurring sleep-deprived woman.

When she admitted she'd had a bad day, though, his humor disappeared and all he wanted to do was take care of her. Gently guiding her to her door while Phineas parked her bike, he watched her nearly falling asleep on his shoulder with a soft smile. Even with dark lines under her eyes and what looked to be potatoes in her hair, she still had a beauty to her.

After easing her inside, the brothers went back to where they had dropped Phineas's backpack and sleeping bag. "She looked beat," Phineas remarked.

Ferb blinked but nodded in agreement. That is an understatement.

The redhead made an expression that could have easily been mistaken for a silly face photo pose if it wasn't something Ferb had seen often in his life, though admittedly it hadn't appeared much in the last few days. It was Phineas's thinking face, and it was hilarious. "We should do something for her tomorrow, to make her feel better."

This Ferb could wholeheartedly support. "We should make sure we stop at the beach for a while. She enjoys that."

Phineas looked at him blankly. Then he shook his head. "I don't know how you know that, but we can make that work. As long as we are home before dinner."

He frowned. "What's going on for dinner?" he asked.

Phineas beamed at him, his eyes playful. "Candace is coming home for a bit." He spoke as if it should have been obvious. He nudged Ferb when he glanced at him in surprise. "Did you really expect her to not want to see you?"

Blue Men

Also known as storm kelpies, these creatures watch for sailors they can drown. They inhabit a stretch of water between northern Outer Hebrides and mainland Scotland. They are similar in appearance and size to humans, except for their blue coloring.

The Blue Men have the power to create storms to wreck ships, but when the weather is calm they float sleeping on or just below the surface of the water. When awake, they swim with their torsos raise out of the water, twisting and diving like a porpoise.

They can speak, and when a group approaches a ship, the leader will shout two lines of poetry to the captain, challenging him to complete the verse. If the captain of the ship fails, the blue men will begin to capsize the ship.

Pro tip: read up on your poetry before sailing along the coast of Scotland.