~o~o~o~o~o~o~ Heinz Doofenshmirtz was more confused than he had ever been in his life. He had no idea what just happened. One minute, Perry was comforting children, then he was yelling in Heinz's face, then he was full out sobbing in the middle of his living room, and then he had just disappeared, without so much as a goodbye.
Heinz had been so inspired for this evil scheme, but now, it seemed pointless. He kicked the useless device, and left it sitting half finished in the middle of the floor.
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't understand his nemesis. It'd taken Heinz a long time to admit it to himself, but all he wanted now was just to put this nemesis relationship behind them and start some kind of friendship with the man. And then, maybe even something further. Not that Heinz actually thought Perry would ever accept him that way, but one could dream.
But what did that mean for him, and for his evil schemes? What did that mean for his future? Was it really worth it?
Sighing, Heinz pulled out a box of almond brittle and began eating away his feelings. At least there was one thing in this world that would always give him instant satisfaction. Food.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Perry didn't go to the Flynn-Fletchers. He didn't go to O.W.C.A. He didn't even go to his apartment. He wandered Danville for a good few hours, trying so hard to release all of this anger. He knew it was his fault. He'd, again, let it build up over the years. But this time, there was no city to destroy. There was no nemesis to beat.
There was just him. And Heinz.
He felt so ashamed. How could he have yelled at the man like that, and said such awful things? Perry burned with self-hate as he stormed around Danville. He was so fucked up. Despite all the good things he'd tried to accomplish, was there no way to finally atone for his sins? Was he doomed to live in this constant cycle of failure?
Perry finally ended up in the one place he didn't mean to. The cemetery.
Many people might find graveyards creepy, but Perry always found a sense of comfort in the coldness and finality of the gravestones. Not that there was anyone in the Danville graveyard he particularly mourned- all his family were buried in Seattle- but it calmed his mind to simply walk up to each gravestone and read their names.
Perry took a break underneath an old tree and pulled out his pocketknife. He idly drew little swirls in the dirt, watching as it pushed up stones and worms.
His past was starting to catch up with him. Perry could feel it.
How long until they all found out?
The man laid out on the ground, uncaring and unable to escape from his thoughts. How long he laid there, he had no clue.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
His father was angry. So, so angry. He was leaning over Perry's small frame, hands clawed around his neck, choking him. And he was yelling. Perry could smell the alcohol on his breath. He cried out, in so much pain, unable to breath.
But the harder he begged, the louder his father yelled, and the harder he choked him.
And then suddenly, Perry's childhood face melted away, and now, Heinz was the one being choked and yelled at. And Perry, now an adult, was doing the yelling.
Heinz begged him to stop. He couldn't breathe. He told him it hurt. Perry didn't care. He didn't stop.
And then suddenly, the agent jumped up, darting awake. The disturbed images melted away, leaving him in the middle of a dark place that he didn't recognize. The agent tried to calm his beating heart while he took in his surroundings. He was laying on dirt. He was surrounded by gravestones.
He had really fallen asleep at the cemetery? The sun was almost gone, waving its last rays goodbye before it disappeared for another night. Perry stood, even though he was a little wobbly, and brushed off his jeans. His back ached. How on earth had he fallen asleep?
His emotions were still raging. But instead of anger, all the agent felt was guilt. He had to get back to Heinz, now. He had to apologize. He had to fix this. He couldn't lose the man. He wouldn't be his father.
Not even caring about how awful he must look after having slept on the ground for a few hours, Perry ran, unable to stop, until he found the man's apartment. He climbed the stairs, two at a time, until he reached Doofenshmirtz's floor.
The door was still busted from when Perry had forced himself through earlier. He hesitated for a brief moment, but made himself knock anyway. It took a few minutes, but finally, Doofenshmirtz opened the door. His eyebrows shot all the way up when he took in the sight of him. Perry blushed; he probably looked like a fright, but it didn't stop him from breathing a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, and grabbed the man up in a giant hug.
Heinz was startled for a minute, unsure what to do. But eventually, his arms moved up to wrap around Perry's frame. The agent savored the physical touch for a few moments, feeling emotions overwhelm him.
"I'm sorry." Perry whispered, still holding onto the man for dear life. "I'm sorry for what I said."
"Hey, hey.." Heinz stuttered. "It's okay, really.. You were right, I wasn't really thinking.."
"Yeah, but it still wasn't fair of me." The agent sighed, finally letting go. He faintly heard Peter's words echo in the back of his mind. Doesn't he deserve to know the real you? "It's just been a rough couple of months. I don't know what got into me."
Heinz nodded. "Apology accepted."
The two awkwardly stood there, not sure what to do or say next. Finally, Heinz coughed and opened the door a little wider. "Do you want to come in for a bit? Watch a movie?"
Perry smiled. "Sure."
Heinz's apartment was strangely void of spare parts, like was usually the case. Perry briefly wondered what the man had done with his half-finished Inator from earlier. The evil scientist pulled a few blueprints off the coffee table and set out two coasters. "You want snacks?" He asked. "I just bought this almond-flavored popcorn from a new little shop at the mall. It's the best. I think I'm addicted."
The man disappeared into the kitchen. Perry smiled to himself, and picked up the few DVDs that were still piled up around the TV. The man was into the cheesiest, weirdest movies, but somehow, it seemed to fit his rather, foreign, drastic personality.
Doofenshmirtz had the roof almost completely retracted. Despite the fact that evening was fast approaching, a warm, summer breeze was still blowing through the atmosphere. Perry found himself walking to the far right, drawn in by the peacefulness of the colorful sky, and looking out over Danville. When had this city become his home?
He breathed slowly, inhaling and exhaling. The fresh air felt wonderful in his lungs, like a tall glass of thirsty water after a hard day of work. After a few minutes of enjoying the summer breeze, the agent turned and almost knocked into table, accidentally flinging a notepad onto the floor. He bent to pick up the fallen object, but upon seeing it, gasped in shock.
Someone had drawn an amazingly beautiful sketch of him. It was almost photo-exact. The human Perry in the picture was wearing his server's apron, standing next to a table, polishing wine glasses. The agent gently followed each expressive line, astonished by the impeccable amount of detail in the drawing. Even his snakebites looked realistic.
"What are you doing?"
Perry jumped, and immediately set the sketchbook down. "Sorry.. I accidentally knocked it over. It was already open. I didn't mean to.." "That's okay." The man sighed, picking up the book and closing it. "Sorry, it's kind've embarrassing."
"Wait.. That's.. Your drawing?"
Heinz raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I mostly just sketch ideas for Inators now. But, when the inspiration strikes me.." He trailed off, blushing. "Well. I know it's creepy. I mean nothing by it. I had started this sketch a month ago, and just got around to finishing it now."
"I think it's stunning. You're very talented."
"Really?" "Yeah. Really."
The man was full-on blushing now and twisting a piece of his hair, obviously unsure what to do with the compliment. Finally, he coughed, and motioned towards the couch. "So, did you have a movie in mind? I just got Netflix, if we can't find anything here.."
Perry wasn't sure what was wrong with him. Lately, his emotions had been all over the place. But as the doctor rambled on and on about different movies he had stored in the apartment, and all the funny memories that were attached, Perry found himself enjoying this particular emotion. Was it happiness? Maybe contentment?
But a little voice, one that seemed to sound a lot like Phineas's, began chuckling in the back of his mind. You know what this feeling is, Perry. It's love.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
When Vanessa slipped back into her dad's apartment, she was a little shocked to find him and Perry of all people cuddled up on the couch, underneath a pile of blankets, while some cheesy horror movie was playing in the background. But really, was she so surprised? It was only a matter of time for those two.
After grabbing a snack and her headphones, she disappeared into her room. With the lights off, Vanessa reluctantly turned her computer on and opened up Skype.
Almost immediately, she was invited to a group call.
"Perfect. That's everyone." Lacie smiled. "Hey, Vanessa! I'm glad you're okay!"
"You too, Lacie."
Orville let out a resounding cough, silencing everyone in the chat. "I have a proposition. Let's kill those bastards who attacked us."
There were cheers from several of the teenagers. Vanessa crossed her arms. "You can't be serious. They kidnapped and did god knows what to us! And you just want to march in and attack? Are you stupid?"
Orville growled. "I've been having some serious doubts about your loyalty, Vanessa. Need a little reminder?"
Vanessa shivered. But she wasn't going to be afraid. Not anymore. She had her dad, and Perry.
"I'm done with this so-called group." She snapped.
The crew gaped, shocked. Orville's face was a mixture of pure shock and pure rage, growing red every passing second. "You will regret that statement, miss Doofenshmirtz." The teenager choked. "I warned you."
All of a sudden, she was pushed out of the group call. But Vanessa felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders. She'd done it; she'd quit. The girl pulled out a piece of paper she'd kept hidden under her bed for quite some time. It was an application for an internship at O.W.C.A.
Now filled with a sudden boost of confidence, Vanessa began filling it out.