"Candace, I know you're under there." Stacy said as she was leaning against the doorway of her friend's bedroom.
"No I'm not." The girl replied, though it came out slightly muffled, as she had her face buried into her pillow, and she was hidden beneath a pile of covers and blankets. She practically lived in her bed for almost a week now, only coming out of her room for food and water.
Stacy sighed as she walked over to the bed, pulling the covers off of her friend. But she regretted it, as the stench was overwhelming. "Oh my—" She said, putting her hand up to her nose. "What the hell, Candace?! When was the last time you showered?!"
"What month is it?" Candace asked, popping her face up from the pillow so her words could come out more clearly. Though she was just being dramatic, as it hadn't been that long since her last shower. It hadn't even been that long since the breakup.
Stacy shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed, "Candace, you've got to do something. You can't just keep sobbing in your pillow every night."
"Why not?" The orange-haired girl whined, turning to lay on her back. "At least no one can hurt me while I'm in my bed."
"Look, I know how hard a breakup is." Stacy said, "But you know what they say, there's plenty of fish in the sea! Right? You'll find someone else."
"I don't want anyone else." Candace said, her voice cracking, indicating she was on the verge of tears. "I just want Jeremy. Why would he say he wants a break if he doesn't want me, though?!"
"Well, I mean, were you guys even that serious?" Her friend asked, "Maybe he was confused and just needed time to think about that."
Candace sniffed, grabbing one of her many used tissues from the side of her bed. "I don't know. I thought we were, but I guess it all just meant nothing to him!" She said, then aggressively blew her nose into the tissue.
"Okay, you need some serious cheering up." Stacy mumbled, then stood up off the bed with a clap. "Come on, let's go do what makes you happy! Wanna go to the mall?"
"I tried that already, there's too many happy couples walking around." Candace said, staring off at nothing.
Stacy nodded, "Hmm, how about we go see a movie?"
"It's all romance films." The crying girl replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Okay, you're making this more difficult than it needs to be." Stacy commented, then snapped her fingers after an idea popped into her head, "What about busting your brothers?"
"Who cares what my brothers are doing?" Candace shrugged, taking her friend by surprise. "It's all just gonna disappear by the end of the day anyway, so what's the point?"
Stacy widened her eyes. This breakup had seriously broken her. Normally Candace would be all for busting her brothers, even if it was the same routine everyday. But in just the past week, Candace wasn't up for anything. She refused to leave the house, she was too depressed to take care of herself or her body. Her heart truly was broken.
"Wow, okay, this is more serious than I thought." Stacy said to herself, then tapped her chin. She tried thinking of what could possibly cheer her friend up, but anything she'd suggest, Candace would just turn down. No amount of shopping or binge-watching would fix this.
Candace sighed, letting a few of her tears run down her face. "Stace, I appreciate you trying to help, but I don't think anything will work. I just want to be alone right now."
Stacy sighed, feeling defeated. Normally she was always able to cheer her up, but this was just something she couldn't fix. She respected her friend's wishes, and stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
As she was walking down the hallway, she saw Candace's brothers walking up the stairs. They weren't surprised to see Stacy, as they knew why she was here. "Hey, is Candace feeling any better?" Phineas asked, curiously but also concerned for his sister.
"Unfortunately no." Stacy answered honestly, "I don't think anything can cheer her up."
Phineas hummed in thought, "Hmm, I think I know one thing that can."
—
It was around evening, the sun was setting outside. And the poor, broken-hearted Candace was missing it. She was once again flopped in her bed, staring off into the distance, hugging her Ducky MoMo plushie.
She was slightly surprised to see movement on the edge of her bed. But she wasn't shocked to see it was Perry. He hadn't exactly climbed onto the bed, he was just being held up by a pair of hands so he was facing her. "Heya Candace!"
"Go away, Phineas." She sighed, rolling her eyes, as she'd recognized that voice anywhere, despite him doing a terrible impression.
Phineas continued talking, pretending that it was Perry speaking to her. "Oh no, I'm not Phineas. It's me, Perry. And a little birdy told me you were sad, so I'm here to help make you feel better."
Candace sniffed, glancing away from the platypus for a moment. "I don't think you can..." She said, the crack in her voice making it clear that she was about to cry again. She really did appreciate that the people she loved were trying to cheer her up, but it just wasn't working.
"But can I try?" Phineas spoke, still doing his impression of what he thought Perry would sound like. "I used to when you were little and sad, and by the end of the day I could always bring a smile back on your face. So won't you give me and your brothers a chance?"
Candace looked back at Perry, sniffing as she tried to hold back her tears. She then saw both Phineas and Ferb pop their heads up, giving her soft, reassuring smiles. She remained quiet, contemplating on rather she should let them try or just to kick them out. She couldn't tell if she wanted to be alone or needed company. And if she did want company, did she really want theirs?
Phineas held up a small, portable DVD player while Ferb held up a tub of dairy-free ice cream and a spoon. "We brought your collection of Ducky MoMo episodes, and your favorite flavor of ice cream. There's more downstairs if you run out. And later, if you wanted, we could play your favorite board game, Skiddley Whiffers."
Candace slightly sat up in her bed, using her arm as a support. She was expecting them to bring in something big and over-the-top to cheer her up, since they'd done that before last summer. But she wasn't expecting them to bring her some simple activity and her favorite treat.
"We understand if you want to be alone." Phineas went on as he and Ferb set the stuff down on her nightstand. "So we'll leave you be, but let us know if you need anything at all."
Candace was still taken by surprise, it took her a moment to recap what had happened. She noticed Phineas picking up Perry, then beginning to walk with Ferb out of the room. She bit her lip, frowning. "Hey guys?" She spoke up.
They both turned their heads to look back at her, just before they were about to leave.
The girl sighed, glancing at the floor. "You can stay if you want."
"Really?" Phineas asked, earning a simple nod from his big sister. The boys grinned, then walked over to hop on either side of her onto the bed. Candace lightly chuckled, picking up the DVD player to place on her lap. While resting Perry in his lap, Phineas handed her the tub of ice cream and spoon, in which she gladly took.
As the three were watching a series of Ducky MoMo episodes, Candace's mind began to wander elsewhere. She had been heartbroken for a week now, and she never really let anyone try to help cheer her up. She never even talked to anybody unless she had to. Her hair was greasy and tangled, her face was dry from all the tears that had rolled on her cheeks, her eyes felt heavy, and her body odor was unbearable.
But despite her stench and unattractive appearance, and despite all the past times she was rude to them, her brothers were still there to care for her. They still brought her favorite things, and they didn't go overboard like they usually did. They thought about what she would want.
She sniffed, her soft smile fading ever so slightly. She didn't really want to cry, but she couldn't help it. Her heart was still broken, but was attempting to be fixed by the two boys she usually saw as burdens. Both Phineas and Ferb looked up at her, noticing her eyes beginning to tear up. They leaned their heads against her, Ferb rubbing up and down her arm in a soothing manner.
—
Linda slowly opened the door to her daughter's room, just to say her goodnight since it was getting late. But as the light from the hallway entered the room, she was surprised to find all three of her kids asleep on the bed, snuggled up against each other. Even Perry was asleep in Phineas' lap. Linda didn't even pay attention to the DVD player or the empty ice cream tub.
This is the most precious thing I've ever seen. Linda thought with a smile, then pulled out her phone. She couldn't just find a moment like this and ignore it. So she quickly took a picture of the three, hoping that the flash wouldn't wake them up. Thankfully for her, it didn't, it just made Perry shift in his sleep.
She then stepped over and kissed each of their heads, whispering, "Goodnight, kiddos."