Work Text:
Phineas slipped into the garage, unnoticed. He needed to get away from everyone inside for a little while. It was too much.
Silently, he joined Ferb at the workbench. A dissected power strip was laid out on it. Something in it had burnt out, and Ferb had offered to take a look.
Ferb glanced at him out the corned of his eye before going back to work.
After a few minutes, Phineas spoke, "Why does everyone assume I'm going to marry Isabella?" He gave a moment's pause for an answer but Ferb didn't reply. "We've been dating less than six months and everyone's acting like we're already engaged or something." Sighing, he leaned against the table and watched his brother work. "I mean, if we get married at all, it's gonna be after college and that's years off."
"Does Isabella know that?"
"I guess?" Phineas shrugged. "We never really talked about it."
Ferb gave him a look.
"It just hasn't come up yet, you know? We're still figuring out this dating thing."
Ferb went back to fixing the strip.
"What happens if I don't marry her?" Phineas' eyes drifted to the door leading inside, back where Isabella was talking to Candace, where they still might be gushing over being sisters in the future. "I don't want to let anyone down..."
Setting down his screwdriver, Ferb turned to face him fully for the first time in the conversation. "If you don't want to marry her, you shouldn't do it only to please our parents. They'd want you to be happy."
"But I want them to be happy too." He stepped away to pace. For so long he'd been completely clueless to Isabella's feelings. He'd disappointed her for years. He didn't want to disappoint her again.
"And I do love Isabella." He was sure he did. Even if he didn't feel the need to constantly be touching or kissing her or anything, and he hadn't wanted to do more than kissing with her yet. But doing that was only a part of love, wasn't it?
Glancing at Ferb, he stopped pacing. "I shouldn't be worrying this much, I mean, if I really love her then it'll all work out, right?" It didn't come out as confident as he wanted it to so he repeated it, "Yeah, it'll work out."
"Phineas, if it doesn't--"
"No, no, it will."
Ferb tried again, "If it doesn't--"
Turning to him, Phineas shook his head. "No if. It'll work. I'll make it work." He had to make it work. He could make it work. He could do anything. Or most anything anyway.
But Ferb didn't look impressed. "You can't force these things."
"Who said anything about forcing it?" He didn't plan to force anyone to do anything. Walking towards the door, he said, "Thanks, Ferb."
"You're not lis--"
He grabbed the door handle before giving Ferb a smile over his shoulder. "Talking to you always helps me straighten things out in my head."
Ferb frowned at him. "Phineas."
"What?"
"If things don't work out with Isabella, don't blame yourself."
Who else would he blame? Not that it mattered because "Things'll work out."