~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Perry blinked. There was now sunshine flowing through the upper windows, illuminating the Worst-Fear-Inator that was still erected in the middle of the room. He really needed to destroy that thing.
The man tried to sit up, feeling very groggy and sore. Thankfully his head trauma had been reduced to a dull ache, and his arms were hurting less than they had been. His bandages were covered in dried blood, however, and his wounds were starting to itch.
When he turned his head to look around, he noticed Doofenshmirtz in a chair next to him, asleep, head drooped onto his chest. Perry winced; the man was going to have a bad crick in his neck. There was also an empty plate on the floor next to him.
"Heinz." Perry coughed. He reached out and gently grabbed the man's wrist, shaking it.
Doofenshmirtz snorted, bobbing his head, before opening his eyes and yawning. He started to stretch, then groaned in pain.
"Oh, god, my neck." He sighed. "How did I?.."
The scientist glanced up and looked into Perry's eyes. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?.. Perry."
"My legal name is Perry Michael." The platypus murmured. "So either name is technically correct."
"Right." Heinz replied shortly. Apparently this was still a really sore subject. Perry didn't exactly blame him for being mad, though. He knew he'd taken the whole "server" role too far.
"Thanks for taking care of me." The platypus spoke after an awkward moment of silence. "I'm sorry to just.. barge in like that. I just.. didn't know where to go."
"Doesn't your agency own a medical ward?"
Perry didn't reply. That was a question he was definitely not answering. Heinz seemed to recognize the hint and didn't say anything further about it. Instead, the man stood, stretched his back, and picked up the empty plate. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"
"I'm okay." Perry lied. He was actually starving, but he was suddenly starting to feel really guilty.
Heinz turned around and put his hands on his hips. "I know for a fact that you haven't eaten since at least two o'clock yesterday, because that's when you landed on my doorstep, unconscious. You are hungry, I know it."
Perry blushed and looked away. "It's okay, really. I'll take care of it."
"You're not actually leaving, are you?" The scientist snapped.
Perry raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"Are you kidding?!" The man cried. "You look like the walking dead! Somebody out there almost tried to beat you to a pulp, and you just want to hobble out of here? What if they tried to attack you again, huh, smart guy? What then?"
Perry growled. "I'm not weak, D."
"Yeah, well you certainly are stubborn. Fine, do what you want. But just so you know, if you get beaten up again, I'm not going to come to your rescue this time!"
Perry sighed. "You're angry."
"Of course I'm angry! You lied to me! YOU.. ugh." The man rubbed his hands against his face. "Can we talk about this later? I'm not in the mood. I'm making some eggs and a pot of coffee. And you are eating some."
Perry said nothing further and let the man disappear into the kitchen. His head was spinning with thoughts and emotions, but he mentally bit down on them like a bear trap and forced them to dissolve.
After a few minutes, the wonderful smell of eggs began to waft throughout the apartment. Perry's stomach started to grumble in desperate pleading.
Suddenly, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz walked into the room. She was wearing a pair of black pajamas and mismatched socks, but her hair and make up were done. Yawning, her eyes landed on Perry. He awkwardly smiled at her. Had she told her father anything?
Before she could say anything, Doofenshmirtz burst his head into the room. "Hey, Perry, do you.. Oh, hello, Vanessa! Do you want some eggs?"
"Yes, please." She giggled. "Are you okay, Dad?"
"Yeah. Perry, do you want orange juice, milk, or coffee?" "Coffee is fine. Black."
The scientist nodded. "Vanessa, meet Perry the Platypus-turned-human. Perry the Platypus-turned-human.. well, you know Vanessa." He then vanished back into the kitchen.
Vanessa sighed at sat down in the chair that her father had fallen asleep in last night. "I didn't tell him anything." She whispered.
Perry nodded. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I promise, I ask you to keep secrets for very long."
"What happened?" She questioned. "Who did this to you?"
But before he could reply, the doctor marched in with three plates of fresh eggs and bacon, along with a pot of warm coffee. He set everything on a spare table across the room, and pulled it up to where they were seated. Doofenshmirtz grabbed his own chair and sat across from them.
The man looked exhausted. Perry began to feel guilty again.
"This looks very good, Dad." Vanessa smiled softly.
Perry nodded his approval as well and poured himself a cup of coffee. The warm liquid felt amazing against his throat, and he spent a moment to relish in the feeling. After a couple of sips, he took a bite of the eggs. They were delicious, and perfectly seasoned.
The three sat in complete silence. It was very strange having breakfast with the two of them. He suddenly thought about the Flynn-Fletchers, who were probably wondering where he was, and cringed. Hopefully they would continue to think he'd come back soon. Surely they weren't freaking out quite yet.
Once Vanessa finished, she stood and offered to take his plate. Perry awkwardly said his thanks and let her take it. He squirmed; it was so weird letting them do these things for him. He felt a bit stupid and weak, sat there like a bandaged animal.
Doofenshmirtz didn't move until he finished his coffee, then disappeared upstairs to change into a different lab coat.
Vanessa sat on the couch next to him and patted his hand. "I'm sorry. My dad.. he can be very emotional. I'm sure it's just a shock."
"Vanessa, I.." Perry stumbled on his words. Should he even tell her about his job at Vintage Docks and what happened with her father there? Was it necessary to bring a minor into these adult problems? He sighed. He felt as if he shouldn't. So he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to barge into your home and.."
Vanessa laughed. "My dad is a grumpy butt sometimes, but the way I see it, you are pretty much already considered family. He'll come around, you'll see."
Heinz returned just as Vanessa was leaving to change. He had a new bundle of fabric strips with him, and some more rubbing alcohol. Perry sighed as the man laid it on the table.
"Those bandages need to be changed, or they'll get infected."
Perry grimaced. "Thank you." He went to reach for the scissors, but Doofenshmirtz stopped him.
"Let me help you."
Perry watched him curiously for a moment. He was definitely not comfortable letting the man operate on his wounds, especially when he was so vulnerable. But then again, the man had literally patched him up and watched over him the night before. Surely it was safe this one time.
Doofenshmirtz seemed to notice his hesitation, but didn't say anything, and let him make up his mind. Perry wondered if the reason the man was being so calm at the moment was because he was a parent.
"Alright. You're the doctor." He chuckled lightly.
Doofenshmirtz cut off each of the bandages and one by one cleaned them with the alcohol and replaced them with a fresh one. Perry winced a few times at the pain, but managed to keep his body still. He kept his eyes away from the doctor's the whole time, unable to look at them.
Once Heinz was done, he threw out the old bandages and returned with a few magazines.
"I have to go to the store and get some supplies. You need to stay put and rest. Do you need anything while I'm out?"
Perry smirked. Was he the child now? "Nothing I can think of."
"Alright, well, you have my number. Text me if you think of something. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Your fedora is under the couch. If you need it."
Perry nodded his thanks and watched the doctor walk out of the door. As soon as the man was gone, he grabbed his fedora and placed it next to him. The hat barely had anything in it now, but he relaxed knowing it was there.
He sighed. Doofenshmirtz purchasing items meant a new mission for him. How was he supposed to explain this to O.W.C.A.?
Worried, the platypus decided to call Lyla. She picked up immediately.
"Hey, partner, long time, no hear!" She grinned. "What's up?"
"Hey, Lyla. Listen. I, um. I have a lot to explain."
Perry rambled through the whole story, discretely leaving out information about the flash drive and the fact that the person who beat him up was actually an evil version of himself. By the time he was finished, Lyla was gasping. "You're at Doofenshmirtz's? Your nemesis? Perry what are you thinking?" She cried. "Are you sure?.."
"It's alright for now. Don't worry, I'm being careful."
"Because careful for you has always worked out." She snapped. "So what are you going to do about the evil scientists, and the guy who beat you up? Surely now it's time to get O.W.C.A. involved.."
"I don't know, Lyla. If they discover my secret.."
"Surely they won't fire you just for being half human. You're the best they've got! They will overlook it, I promise you.."
Perry swallowed. He wished he could fully explain why O.W.C.A. was not going to forgive him so easily, but the thought of telling her about his evil past.. he still just couldn't. "I know. But I can't, okay? I can't risk it. This job.. it's everything. Listen. I have a plan. Are you willing to help me?"
"Anything, Perry. You know that."
"Alright. I'll keep in touch. Thank you for, you know, being there."
"We're partners, silly. I've got your back."