Work Text:
Phineas shifted awkwardly on the floor in front of the sofa, trying not to disturb Perry curled in-between him and Ferb, his eyes flickering to and from the TV. Could he just leave? He probably could, but it was family time and they didn't exactly have a lot of that. Not all together. 'Cause either Mom or Dad was normally busy with one thing or another, and Candace sometimes refused to join them when they weren't. She loved their parents so he didn't think it was because of them. But he didn't really understand Candace a lot of the time.
Something bumped his shoulder. He blinked at Ferb. His brother blinked back at him.
"Everything alright there, Phin?" Dad leaned forward to look at them.
"Yeah." He hesitated. "I just... don't really like this movie."
"You don't?" Mom paused it. "You never minded it before."
Phineas shrugged. It hadn't bothered him before, but, well, he hadn't watched it since before last Christmas. Watching a Christmas movie where Santa dies when you just believe in his existence in one thing. Watching a movie where Santa dies when you've actually met him in person was different. It was uncomfortable.
But he didn't think saying that would get him anywhere. Mom didn't seem to believe him when he told her about it the first time.
It was one of those occasions when he did understand Candace.
"He probably doesn't like it because he's friends with Santa."
His head snapped around to look at Candace. And, apparently, this was one of the times she understood him.
Her arms were closed as she stared back at him. "What? I can admit it's kind of weird watching this after that."
Mom opened her mouth when Dad shook his head. "You do recall that incident with the mall Santa, dear?" His voice was low but in the close quarters, it didn't do anything to stop anyone from hearing him. "They did talk at length."
They had. But it was because the man's car had broken down and they were offering to fix it for him, not anything to do with him pretending to be Santa. He'd turned them down and called his auto club instead. Wasn't from Danville, probably.
"Well, we don't have to watch it." There was an odd tone in her voice. Odd in that he didn't know what it meant rather than that he didn't recognize it. She seemed to use it a lot when talking about their inventions or adventures or anything else had ended up getting grouped under their 'imagination.'
It would be nice if he could just show her one of them. Prove they were real. But he wasn't going to obsess about it. That wouldn't be healthy.
Ferb was already moving to pick out another movie.
Candace realized it a second later. "Oh no, you don't!"
As the one-sided bittering started up over what they'd watch instead, Phineas smiled up at his parents. "Thanks."