9. Final Masquerade: Part 1

A/N: In case you're wondering, yes, I did name the chapter after the Linkin Park song. At this point in the year, they're all 16, Ferb's birthday coming up in a few months. I've a concert today; woo!

Mica's POV

Wait, where are we going?

"Guys, we passed the principal's office." I pointed out.

"We know." Phineas, Ferb and Isabella replied simultaneously. I have to admit, that was creepy.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough." Yep, cree-py!

Eventually, we ended up off school property. Outside of the lunch break, it was against the rules, and here in Danville, illegal!

"I don't think this is such a good idea."

"Well, we do."

I tripped over a branch, that made a loud noise. All of a sudden, a staircase popped up. It led to, well, somewhere; it was pitch-black!

"All right, let's go!" Phineas exclaimed. "I love adventures!"

Ferb shrugged, and followed the excited teen down the staircase. Isabella mimicked the Brit's reaction, following the two.

I backed up, scared. What if something down there was potentially dangerous? Who would save them?

"Er...guys, I think I'm gonna stay behind and wa-"

"What, come on!" Ferb then, out of anger, called me a name I can't repeat.

Slightly offended by his choice of words, not to mention scared by his tone of voice, I hastily followed the trio down the stairs.

Phineas was mesmerized. "Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwvvwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww-"

"Phineas, shut up!" Isabella yelled at him.

"Sorry…"

Ferb chimed in. "That annoys the readers, dude!"

"That breaks the fourth wall, dude!" Phineas joked.

I looked at the text. "Um, Phineas?" I pointed towards a certain word, and he followed my finger.

His eyes widened. "Joke! That's not a joke." He turned towards the camera. "Why? This isn't funny!"

"It isn't." Ferb joined in.

"And why is there a camera here?!"

"Because," The four of us froze.

"You're in trouble."

General POV

Phineas screamed, and sat up in his chair.

He turned to Ferb. "Thank god it was a dream, Ferb! Am I right?"

"Uh, Phin? That wasn't a dream." He gestured towards the angry principal sitting in front of them.

"Oh shi-"

Phineas' POV

"How did I end up here?"

It was night-time, I was sitting on my bed, my covers on the floor, and my hair a mess! It was like a the worst case of combination of bed-head and sex hair.

Wait, Ferb and I didn't! Did we!

I looked to my left. To my surprise, Ferb was up, quietly reading a book. After our grounding was lifted, Ferb, to our dismay, was forced to move back into our shared room. He didn't seem happy about it. That was about three weeks ago.

"Ferb, did we-"

"Why would I-"

"No, seriously, did we-"

"I don't get why you-"

"Why won't you let me finish my-"

"Why won't you let me finish my sen-"

"Oh my god! Ferb, just let me-"

"SHUT U-"

"didwehavesex?"

"OH COME O-"

Isabella's POV

Hehehe, the afternoon was amusing. I mean, aside from a three-week suspension, Mica was shivering like a guy living in the Arctic with no clothes on. Phineas passed out from screaming and crying like a five-year old and Ferb, just, he, oh God! What he did, I can't even tell you-Wait, what that noise?

I got out of bed and looked out my window, across to the Flynn-Fletchers' home. Through the curtains of Phineas and Ferb's bedroom window, I could make out two shadowy figures strangling each other.

Wait a minute!

I moved to the side. Oh, Phineas and Ferb are just yelling at each other in bed. Wouldn't want to disturb their precious fight, wouldn't I? I lay back down on my bed. Let's see how this turns out in the morning.

Wait, why are they up, arguing at three in the morning?

General POV

"Why are you n-"

"LEMMEFINISHM-"

"No."

"OH F-"

Ferb's POV

The next day…

"PHINEAS! FERB!"

I heard a groan and looked across the room.

Phineas turned over, surprised. "You've been up all night?!" he asked.

"How can you tell?"

"Well, that pretty much confirms it, and-" He stopped, then looked directly at m/ and stared into my eyes. Then he smiled and chuckled at the horrified expression on my face that I didn't even know was there!

"We've known each other for twelve years, dude!" he replied.

I sighed in relief.

What? That doesn't even make sense!

Phineas chuckled. "How bad did you think it would be?"

"T-The expression on your f-face, though…" I stuttered.

"Let's go downstairs; Mom's waiting!" Phineas quickly rushed downstairs in a frenzy, leaving Ferb confused, sitting on his bed.

"What just happened?" He calmly, unlike Phineas, walked out the bedroom door. He would confront Phineas about this later.

Phineas' POV

I was almost done eating my waffles, by the time Ferb came down. He sat next to me and gave me a look. I stopped eating and slowly turned my head towards him, eyebrow raised.

"What?"

Ferb shook his head, cutting his waffles into squares and dipping them into his puddle of syrup. "You're crazy." he said.

The rest of the family looked at me and chuckled, Ferb cracked a smile.

I will admit, I did look like an idiot. There was syrup dripping down my chin and onto my pajamas, and some got in my hair! Some There were uneven waffle slices, sure to set off a person with OCD, as Ferb would say, were stuck to my face, the syrup acting as glue.

By now, my family, Ferb included, was dissolving into laughter. I checked myself in the mirror propped up against the wall behind my mom and slowly, but loudly, joined in on the laughter.

We may have sounded like idiots to anybody passing by and hearing us, but in our family,

It's normal.

After breakfast, me and Ferb-Excuse me! Ferb and I were playing Street Fighter IV* in our shared room. The rest of the family had retreated to the living room, excited to hear about what Lawrence bought at an antique exchange the other day.

We knew, and understood, this was just a façade.

We both avoided each other around school. But at home? We didn't want our parents, or to all the five year-olds reading this, Mommy and Daddy, getting even more suspicious than they already were.

And we especially needed to get away from Candace. She a-Wait a sec!

"Candace, get away from the door!"

The 'hehehehehe's got fainter and fainter, until she was downstairs.

Now where was I?

She always spied on us through doors and s-

Wait a mi-Well, this is ironic.

"YES! I BEAT YOU AGAIN!"

I looked at the screen, then to my right, where Ferb was performing a victory dance.

"Hey, not fair! I was looking away!" I complained. I sounded like a spoiled seven year-old.

Ferb snorted. "Why would you look away?"

"That's easy for you to say. You're a video game expert!" I defended.

"Phineas, just face facts." Ferb's eyes narrowed. Was he Ryuuji Takasu** or something?

"You can never beat me."

"I can." I replied. "It'll just take years of practice."

"We'll be vampires by then." Ferb joked.

"Yeah, right!" I smirked. "Beat you!"

"Wait, w-what?!" He turned towards the screen. "H-how?"

"You were distracted, so I-"

"Kept playing until you beat me?" Ferb finished. "Yeah, when I'm not distracted I-" He threw a punch at my face.

I flinched. "What was that for?"

"For beating me."

"Hey, it's fair!" I defended. "If you cheat, I cheat!"

"Yeah, try telling that to Isabella." Ferb joked.

"Hey!"

Ferb is never beaten! And when Ferb is beaten, he gets angry! I never want to see Ferb angry!, I thought.

I gulped.

* and ** - don't own

When Phin is mesmerized, there are two v's in the w's. See if you can find them!