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Phineas pressed several of the buttons, but the static shown on the cameras still stayed the same.
“That’s odd,” He murmured, staring up at the screens. It was unlikely that their equipment would malfunction, with Phineas' near-genius level IQ.
Ferb suddenly felt a strange breath of wind on his neck. He was sure that this submarine didn’t have random jets of air conditioning. So, he turned around to see what was making it.
The submarine Phineas and Ferb had made was quite spacious. It held a set of machines which held cameras projecting what was in the zinc-rich water outside of it. There was also a large circle in the very middle, where the lake water was at a more normal level, similar to a cup held upside down in the bathtub.
But right now, something was inside of their submarine through the hole, its face two feet away from Ferb’s.
And it was terrifying.
The first thing he noticed was the smell, one of old, dead seafood. Its breath smelled metallic, probably from the zinc it absorbed. But the smell was also eerily similar to that of blood.
The Lake Nose Monster, (For that was the only thing it could be, the brothers hadn’t found anything else that could be this monstrous in the lake. Except maybe Candace when she was angry.) had eyes the color of sunflowers, piercing yellow irises that could stare down a charging elephant. Razor sharp teeth, the kind that Ferb had seen in pictures of ancient plesiosaurs that lived millions of years ago. And the expression was one of hate and fury. He hadn’t known an animal could have such humanlike rage.
Ferb was frozen with fear. The camera fell from his fingers, and clattered on the floor of the sub.
The monster snarled and snatched the device from the ground. It whipped its neck out of sight as quickly as it had come.
Phineas, who’d gotten the power up and running, glanced out the thick glass window to see the Lake Nose Monster destroying the camera, ripping it to shreds along with the rest of their viewers.
“Oh, I get it! Nosey doesn’t want anyone to know he’s here. Otherwise, people would capture him.” Phineas turned to his brother to get his ideas. “Ferb?”
He couldn’t move. Breath pounded out of his lungs, and while he appeared semi-calm on the outside, Ferb’s heart was racing so fast that he didn’t even hear what Phineas was saying.
Phineas’ expression turned worried, the smile fading in an instant. “Ferb? Are you okay?”
Before he could respond, Nosebud shook. The equipment rattled, and that same pair of gold eyes flashed in the dark water, stirred up by Nosey thrashing around in the water.
Phineas quickly took out his camera, which he’d also gotten for Bastille Day. The lens flashed, and Ferb realized he’d taken a picture of the beast.
Phineas, don’t make it angrier than it already is…
He was still practically choking on his own breath. Speaking would be nearly impossible.
Phineas wouldn't notice, he barely ever spoke anyways. No one else would catch any difference.
His brother held the camera up high, and proceeded to smash it up onto the ground.
Nosey stopped shaking the submarine. It looked at the two boys, interested.
“It’s okay,” Phineas smiled at the monster. He could please anything simply by flashing that huge grin. “We’re not gonna tell anyone about you.” He seemed to have completely forgotten about Ferb.
It cocked its head like a dog, then dived to where they couldn’t see it.
The water splashing behind Phineas and Ferb clued them in on where it had gone.
Ferb’s brother laughed in amusement. “Good one, Nosey.” The creature moved its mouth in a motion that almost could have been a smile, if it had been human.
“Come on, Ferb! It wants to play!”
Ferb shook his head, the only way he could say no without keying Phineas in on his panic attack. He didn’t want to spoil his brother’s fun, and the monster was already attached to him. It might attack him if he insulted it.
Phineas frowned, and turned to the monster. “Nosey, can you give us a minute?”
It nodded, (Seriously, what was with the human characteristics?) and popped back underwater. Its glimmering tail flickered in the water, then disappeared.
Phineas turned back to Ferb, worry written on his features. “Ferb, what happened?”
He was finally snapped out of the unbreathing trance, gasping desperately for breath. “Phineas…I can’t breathe.”
His brother’s face turned to understanding. He’d only seen Ferb have a panic attack once before, about a year after he’d come to live at the Flynn household. Phineas had leapt out from behind a door when he walked by, convinced it was Candace. (They were playing Tag.)
It had scared him, brought back memories he’d prefer to remain buried.
His childhood and all of the horrible trauma that came with it.
Phineas carefully brought up his hands, and used them to put Ferb’s own on his chest. “See? You can breathe, your brain’s just being mean.”
Ferb grasped his brother’s hands, whole body trembling with fear and adrenaline. Phineas pulled him in for a tight hug. “Nosey won’t hurt you. He was just scared.”
After several minutes, the air started to flow back into his lungs. Ferb’s breathing started to even out. And he felt like he’d just been punched in the chest by a pro wrestler. That was what panic attacks did to him.
“You ready?”
Ferb nodded.
Phineas whistled, and Nosey’s head peeked out from the water. He turned a circle inside of the pool.
Ferb decided that maybe Nosey wasn’t so bad.
“Hey, everyone! That British kid is saying something really…boring!”
In the first few instants, he felt anger. How dare they judge him so quickly? It wasn’t like their plan for Nosey was any better! Surely letting something be free was better than trapping it.
But these were humans. And Ferb had learned every day that humans were always a letdown. Especially with the animals. Those poor creatures, confined to a small space and being fed and watered when the humans decided. Everything depended on those who had proved themselves undependable.
Maybe he and Nosey were alike in that way. They both knew that they were different. Judged at face value to be something they weren’t. Nosey wasn’t evil. And, according to Phineas, Ferb definitely wasn’t boring.
“I thought it was good.” Phineas spoke up from his side. He clapped a hand on Ferb’s shoulder, and added in a whisper,” And if they can’t see that, they’re the boring ones.”