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“Hey, Candace.”
She was leaning against Jeremy while they watched a movie, and she felt him nudge her with his shoulder a bit. When she turned her head to look at him, he was grinning. Before she could ask what it was, he gestured to the other side of him with a nod.
On Jeremy’s other side, Phineas’s cheek was pressed into Ferb’s shoulder, mouth hanging open slightly, breaths soft and even. Next to him, Ferb lay back against the couch, leaning slightly towards his brother, silent even in sleep. Perry slept in both of their laps.
Candace blinked, squinting at the clock. It read 10:37. “They usually go to bed earlier,” she supplied quietly, and Jeremy chuckled a little.
“I thought so. I get it; they wanted to spend time with us.” He paused, glancing down at them for a moment. “You know, it’s funny. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget they’re just ten year old kids.”
She frowned a little, looking back at her brothers. “I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it like that.” She’d never given her brothers’ inventions too much thought besides the frustration that her mother never saw them.
“I mean, everything they build works exactly like they want it to! They’re basically little geniuses!”
Candace shifted her gaze to look at Jeremy as he spoke. He looked almost amazed, hands moving animatedly. She was used to this. She was constantly told by others how amazing her little brothers were and how creative they must be.
The most infuriating thing was that they were right .
She nodded lightly, looking away for a moment. “You could say that again.” Everything always did work out for them.
Jeremy watched her then, obviously noticing that dejected look, and pulled her a bit closer. “Aw, you’ll bust them one day, tiger.”
She leaned her head on his chest. Maybe she would. But it was hard to not feel defeated after she gets so close time and time again.
At least Jeremy understood her.
They fell silent again, turning their attention back to the movie they had been watching.
“Hey...Candace?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but I didn’t want to ever...you know, throw you off your groove.” He paused, gauging her reaction. “What makes busting your brothers so...important to you?”
She’d been expecting something like this. After all, she had gotten this question from Stacy countless times before, and yet she never truly had an answer. All she could think of was that she needed her mom to see all these things.
But something had changed, though she wasn’t sure what it was, exactly. But despite that, she began talking.
“Well...remember the summer solstice? When my brothers and I traveled around the world?” Jeremy nodded. “I was put in charge of them that day. I wasn’t gonna let them, but I noticed they were going to Paris.” She blushed a little and Jeremy grinned. “So I went. It was all fine, because Phineas and Ferb can do anything. But we got stranded, and even my brothers were clueless for some time...it was scary, Jeremy.
“I began to feel guilty, ‘cause they were my responsibility,” she continued. “If we couldn’t get home, what would we do? My parents would freak out. And it would be my fault that their children are stuck on some deserted island. Watching Phineas break down like that was...awful.” She pulled her legs to her chest, looking at the television but not watching it. “But as always, Phineas and Ferb figured it out and we got home safely. During the party something changed. I didn’t see them as the bothers I had been trying to get in trouble all summer. I saw them as brothers .”
She pulled back from Jeremy to get a better look at him. “But I...I’ve always thought of them as my brothers. Even from the beginning, Ferb was never our step-brother, he was just our brother . And I realized that their inventions make me so crazy because…” she trailed off, just staring at her boyfriend. He stared back. “Because I’m worried about them.”
Candace had never said so out loud. She’d never even thought about it. All she knew was that she wanted to show their mom what they made every day so bad.
Jeremy gave her one of those smiles that made her heart flutter. “Well, that doesn’t surprise me one bit,” he replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “They love you, Candace. And they know you love them.”
“I…” she trailed off, glancing over at her brothers who were still sleeping soundly. Now they looked like regular kids. She understood what Jeremy meant, but deep down she never forgot their age. That was why she was so worried about them.
She hoped Jeremy was right. Because despite her attempts to get them in trouble and just being angry about the obvious divide in luck in their family, she did love them.
Jeremy pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She didn’t think she would ever get over that feeling. It still gave her butterflies, just like the first time he kissed her. “The movie’s over. I should probably be getting home.”
“Oh,” she said, still kind of in a daze, bright red cheeks almost glowing in the dark. “Okay.”
He smiled and got up carefully so he wouldn’t disturb the boys, taking both of her hands to pull her up. “I can help,” he offered, nodding towards her brothers. “They’d probably be more comfortable in bed. You think you can grab Phineas?”
Candace turned away from him to look at the boys. They were both getting taller seemingly every day - but Phineas was still relatively short for his age. It had been much easier a couple years ago to pick him up, but she was sure she could carry him for at least a few minutes. As if he had heard them, Perry stood and hopped off of the boys' laps, shaking himself off before heading into the kitchen.
Nodding, she smiled a little and kissed Jeremy’s cheek, then bent down a bit to gently push her hands underneath Phineas’s arms. Letting out a soft groan, she lifted and drew her brother close, his head lolling onto her shoulder. His breath was warm and soft on her neck and she couldn’t believe how big he felt compared to the last time she’d picked him up, despite that being who-knew-how-long ago.
Still, she turned and watched Jeremy pick up Ferb with ease, who let out a quiet snore. She figured he was used to this; after all, he probably carried Suzy around often.
Jeremy led the way upstairs, and Candace focused on going slow so she wouldn’t fall backward or anything. Miraculously, they both made it upstairs without any setbacks, though her arms ached with Phineas’s weight. He wasn’t too heavy, but she was only a sixteen-year-old girl. Even so, she lay him down gently, pulling the covers over him carefully.
She turned and noticed Ferb had woken up, blinking blearily in Jeremy’s arms. “It’s okay,” her boyfriend said softly, laying Ferb down carefully. “Just go back to sleep.” Her brother glanced at Phineas, then caught her eye, and she smiled a little. He returned the smile weakly, and she could see he was already struggling to keep his eyes open. She went to the door, Jeremy joining her, and turned off the light, before stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind them.
“They can be light sleepers sometimes,” she whispered apologetically, and Jeremy just smiled, taking her hand and swinging their arms as they walked down the stairs together.
They were both quiet, which was fine by Candace; despite the fact that she yelled more than normal speaking on most days, she didn’t mind being quiet with Jeremy. She didn’t need him to constantly reassure her that everything was fine between them anymore. He loved her, and nothing would change that.
The thought made her smile. How on Earth did she ever get so lucky?
Jeremy stopped when they reached the front door, smiling lightly at her. “I won’t make you go outside,” he chuckled, squeezing her hand and turning to face her. “I’ll see you after work on Tuesday, okay?”
She nodded a little, unease pulling at her heart strings. “Jeremy?” she said suddenly, making the smile fade on his face a little. Swallowing, she shook her head and took a small, timid step closer. “Thank you. For listening. I’ve never told anyone about…” She gestured with her free hand towards the couch. She didn’t even know she felt that way until tonight, but she wasn’t going to say that.
“Of course.” He smiled and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She put her head on his chest and he rested his chin on her head, and it just felt natural. “That’s what I’m here for. And for what it’s worth, now I understand why you want to bust your brothers much better.
She held onto him tightly, feeling her eyes prick dangerously. But she wouldn’t cry.
“It’s gonna be fine,” he continued. “Even though your brothers are young, they’re smart. They always take precautions for things. And even if they don’t, well, they’ve got a fantastic older sister to be there for them.”
She pulled away just a bit, looking into his eyes. Managing a small smile, she nodded a little. He returned it and closed the distance between them, giving her a soft kiss before pulling away slowly.
“I gotta get home. I love you, Candace,” he said genuinely, slowly letting go of her to grab the doorknob instead.
“I love you too, Jeremy,” she whispered, and he smiled again and walked out to his car.
She watched until his headlights completely disappeared down the street, then sighed heavily, wiping her eyes. A soft growl came from the ground, and glancing down, she saw Perry was staring up at her. Normally, she'd just shoo him away, but she was alone tonight and she could use a hug. Besides, it seemed like he could tell something was weird. Sighing again, she bent down and scooped the platypus into her arms.
Candace may feel bitter more often than not about how much life seems to play jokes on her, but in reality, she had a great life. Two of the best little brothers, and the best boyfriend in the world.
Maybe she was more lucky than she thought she was.