There was banging and shouting coming from the house across the street.
This wasn't unprecedented considering Isabella lived across the street from the Flynn-Fletchers. This was unusual in that it was three thirty-five in the morning. The last time the brothers started building in the middle of the night, it was because another planet was about to crash into the Earth.
It was that thought that had Isabella scrambling out of her nice comfy bed and dressing in the first clothes her hands happened to find.
It hurt a little to think the world might be in immediate danger and they didn't alert her. But she couldn't say she hadn't been distant from them since high school started.
Did they think she wouldn't come?
She would.
She would always come if Phineas they needed her.
Isabella rushed out the front door, thankful her parents were such deep sleepers. As happy as her mom would be that she was going to spend time with her best friends again, she did have a curfew.
Bursting through the backyard gate without any of care she'd normally show, she stopped short.
She had no idea what she was looking at. Unless they'd taken up modern art. "Uh, Phineas?"
"Isabella!"
She had a spilt second to turn before Phineas collided with her, arms wrapping around her. He lifted her, managing a half-spin before he stumbled, and she couldn't stop a yelp as they both tumbled to the grass.
She stared up at the teenager above her, his arms still around her. Trapped underneath her.
It was a position she'd daydreamed about. All it need was him leaning down, meeting her lips. A soft whisper in her ear. I love you, Isabella.
He started giggling. The moment was broken.
Despite that, he did lean down, to rest his head on her shoulder. "S-sorry, didn't mean to knock you over." Underneath the giggles was a slight slur to his words that sent a twinge of confused concern through her.
"Phineas? Are you okay?"
"Umhmm."
As nice as this was, in some ways, and while Phineas wasn't all that heavy, the dead weight on her chest and the awkwardness of his arms digging into her back was getting uncomfortable. "Can you get up?"
"Uh-huh."
He didn't move.
"Could you get up?"
"Oh. Oh." He wiggled, seemingly trying to remove his arms from around her, but also succeeded in rubbing his body against hers in a way that made her mind blank as she gasped.
"Oh, do get a room." The amused voice came a moment before Phineas was forcibly pulled off of her.
Brain slowly rebooting, she stared up at Ferb. Phineas twisted in his grasp, latching onto him much the same as he'd done to her, expect he failed the budge the larger teen more than an inch.
Pushing herself onto her elbows, she decided to ignore the room comment. "What's wrong with him?"
Ferb gave a small wince before glancing distastefully at the structure in the middle of the backyard. "A small miscalculation. It should wear off in an hour." Turning back to his clingy brother, he added, "I hope."
"So the world isn't in danger?"
"The world's in danger?" Phineas sprung away, eyes wide in alarm. "Again?! Ferb! We gotta-!"
Ferb placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a small shake of his head.
"Oh." Phineas slowly blinked. "Can I go back to hugging Isabella?"
Halfway onto her feet, she froze briefly. If it was anything like the last hug... Her face went red.
Ferb raised an eyebrow.
"She smells nice. And looks nice. And she's nice to hug." He lowered his voice to still loud whisper, "I really like hugging her, bro. I don't get to hug her anymore. I miss her."
And wasn't that a shot of guilt straight to the heart.
She still had questions but those could wait. After straightening her clothes, she held out her arms. "I think I'd like another hug too." It seemed she had a lot of them to make up for.