~o~o~o~o~o~o~
A week later, Perry was finally cleared to leave the hospital. Heinz immediately promised he'd drive Perry home. Peter gave him a high-five and Lyla embraced him with a big hug. Phineas and Ferb also waved goodbye as the family continued with the rest of the civilians back to a Dr. Tecton free Danville.
Vanessa would be staying with her mom for a couple weeks to help her mother rearrange the house, so Perry asked Heinz if he could stay with him at his apartment instead of his own place. Heinz readily agreed.
Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. was a mess when they arrived. Both Heinz and Norm had busied themselves over the week cleaning up the broken bits of rubble, and for the most part, it looked a lot better. But the doctor grumbled at the gaping holes in his wall where the outdoor patio sat that he still had to fix.
Perry was still feeling very stiff and sore, but he managed to settle in fine. Doofenshmirtz showed him a guest bedroom he hadn't used in years.
"I had it all cleaned out, too." Heinz remarked proudly. "Can you believe how much stuff one person can accumulate over the years? It's insane!"
Perry gratefully landed on the bed and took in a deep breath. "Thanks for letting me stay, Heinz."
The evil scientist blushed. "No problem. Want to make some dinner, then watch a movie?"
Perry smiled. "Sounds perfect."
Although Doofenshmirtz was behind on groceries, the two managed to pull a few usable ingredients from the fridge and create a chicken pasta with Alfredo sauce. They sat at the table, eating silently, sneaking little glances at each other here and there.
Perry was about to open his mouth to tell Heinz something, when the man suddenly spit out his food and burst into an uproar. "Hey! I forgot to say something! I didn't know Peter the Panda is your ex-nemesis! Why didn't you tell me?"
Perry blushed. "Considering our history, I just didn't want any drama.."
"Why'd he thwart my evil scheme in Seattle then?"
Perry sighed. "He's been having trouble with his nemesis. He wanted to know how you are and I are. Why we get along so well. Really, I think he didn't mean to intrude."
Heinz burst out laughing. "He was so embarrassed when I questioned him about it. He said you were quite evil back in the day." Heinz teased.
Perry chuckled. "I will defeat that bastard, one day." Finally, the agent put down his fork. "By the way, I'm being hired for a new job."
Heinz slowly set his fork down and looked at Perry with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, what new job?"
"President's request. I took it because otherwise, they were going to arrest me and send me to court."
"What kind of job is it?"
"Undercover work. That's all they said. I leave as soon as I recover."
"For how long?"
Perry shrugged sadly. "I don't know, D."
Silence. Perry waited for Heinz to break the tension first, but it seemed the man was having just as hard a time processing it. Finally he took a last bite of dinner and pushed his plate away.
"And after?"
"Then I'm free."
The idea sounded strange to Perry. He hadn't felt well and truly free, from anything in his past, in a very, very long time. The thought was amazingly tempting.
"Well, I have.. an idea?" Doofenshmirtz smiled sheepishly.
"What idea?"
"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently."
Perry chuckled. "Uh, oh."
"Shut up! Anyway, I've decided that I'm going to give up evil."
Perry almost spit out his last bite of chicken. The man stared at Heinz was a gaping look. Was the man serious?
"You.. are?"
"Yeah." Heinz smiled. "I wasn't getting anywhere with my evil career. I guess, I've just come to realize that there are other goals worth pursuing in my life. I've sent over my paperwork and application and everything. And guess what? I was accepted!"
"You were?"
"Yeah!" The scientist jumped. "I start training this fall!"
"That's great news, Heinz!" And Perry really meant it. He couldn't believe that Heinz would actually do something like this, but it made the agent's heart sing. He only hoped he could get through this mission and be able to help the man through this weird transition.
"So while you're on your mission, I'll be training, and then eventually, we can work together!"
Perry smiled and stood to give the man a gentle kiss on the forehead. He chuckled as the man started blushing, and picked up their plates.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~ The two were settled on the couch, watching a cheesy romance movie, stuffing their faces with popcorn. They were cuddled on the very right side, holding hands, Perry's head resting against Heinz's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Suddenly, Heinz paused the movie and looked down.
"And you're sure you're okay with this?"
Perry's eyebrows furled, but he grinned, immediately locking lips with the man in a gentle, soothing kiss. "Does that answer your question?"
Heinz blushed and looked down at their intertwined hands, before squeezing Perry closer and replaying the movie, satisfied. Perry let the noises of the movie and the sound of Heinz's heartbeat loll him into a deep sleep.
There'd be more challenges ahead, but for the moment, Perry was well and truly happy.
And he wouldn't change it for the world.