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Love hurts sometimes when you lay all your feelings for someone out. Those hopes, those dreams, being completely vulnerable with someone who was one of the few things that scared Phineas. Ever since the start of high school, he had noticed that he felt different around Isabella; being close to her just made him incredibly happy. Almost as delighted when he completed one of his summer projects. But this was different. While he felt delighted after finishing a project, this feeling was closer to uncontainable joy. The kind of joy that many people look for over the course of their lives.
So when she started dating Will at the start of their ninth-grade year, he couldn't place why it was bothering him, other than the fact that Will had a tendency to move from girlfriend to girlfriend like they were one of his and Ferb's summer projects. But now, at the start of their Sophomore year, they still seemed to be going strong, much to his disappointment.
'It's not like she isn't allowed to date other people,' Phineas thought to himself, 'and besides, she seems happy, and I'm happy that she is happy, so why is this bothering me so much? Other than the fact that I am head over heels in love with my best friend, and she is dating somebody else, Phineas placed the bookmark on the page and closed his sketchbook, which contained the ideas he had for the weekend project. But not before looking at the top left corner, where a pink semi-circle appeared with a slight grin on his face. Phineas let out a sigh as he felt the cool autumn breeze hit his face, and he let out a slight shiver. He looked around the backyard, which held all the memories from summers long gone and summers still to come.
Phineas slowly stood up and began walking into his house. As he pulled out his phone to check the time, he saw that he had received a text message. As Phineas started to walk towards the kitchen, he saw that the message was from Isabella.
Hey, could you by chance come over? Will broke up with me, and I really don't want to be alone.
Phineas hadn't even fully processed what he had read before he was out of the backyard gate and at the Garcia-Shapiro residence. Slowly walking to the front door, he took note that the dark blue minivan that Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro normally drove was missing from the driveway. 'Huh, guess Mr. and Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro are out and about.' Phineas thought to himself, not even noticing that he was at the front door.
Phineas knocked on the door, and it wasn't even five seconds before the door was flung open, and Isabella threw herself at Phineas, trapping him in a hug, with Phineas quickly returning the hug. 'If circumstances were different, I would actually be enjoying this,' Phineas thought to himself. 'Stop it, Flynn, your best friend is in pain currently, put your personal feelings aside and just be there for her.'
After what felt like an eternity of the two just standing there, Isabella finally let go of Phineas, gazing up at him with those navy blue eyes that just took his breath away. "Sorry about the ambush and asking you to come over, it's just… I didn't know who else to ask." Phineas hadn't been able to get a good look at her before she jumped him, but after looking at her, he could see the tear stains that were on her cheek and how red her eyes were, like she had been crying for hours with nobody there to listen. It was enough to make his heart break.
"Isabella, you have absolutely no reason to apologize. I am here for you always, no matter the time of day or if we're even on the same continent. Now, how about we go inside, you can tell what happened, or I can just hold you while we eat ice cream and watch cheesy Hallmark movies." Isabella let out a little giggle and led Phineas inside and to the living room couch.
Phineas set his sketchbook down on the coffee table and quickly sat down beside her, who promptly curled up beside him, resting her head on his chest. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, apart from the occasional sniffle from Isabella, who had calmed down a lot since they sat down. "So I guess you want to know why Will broke up with me?" Isabella asked, voice still hoarse from crying, her head still resting on his chest.
"Only if you want to. And only if you're ready."
Isabella let out a deep sigh and steadied herself. "Will broke up with me because he said that he wasn't in a good place to date currently. He said he only started to date me because, and I quote, 'I was a total babe' and 'not like I can do any worse than me.'" Phineas just sat there, slack-jawed, and in the span of five seconds, after that, all he felt was rage. The fact that anybody would dare to speak to his best friend with such vileness. If it hadn't been for Isabella lying on his chest, he would have gone to find Will and send him to an alternate dimension.
"Feel like that is a bit of an oxymoron, he is not in a good place to date, but he went out with you because you were a… babe? Kind of a jerk move on his part." Phineas looked down at Isabella, who had let out a little giggle. She looked up at his eyes, red from crying, but she was smiling. Phineas' heart did a little somersault. "There she is, there is the Isabella that I know and love."
He slapped his hand over his mouth and looked away from Isabella as he felt her tense up. "You absolute moron, you just had to be there for her, you just had to listen to her, but no, you just had to say that you love her. You stupid, stupid idiot. It's okay, you can still fix this, you don't have to lose her just because you're a moron." As he looked back down at her, Phineas saw new tears forming in her eyes.
"Isabella, I am so sorry, you just had a nasty breakup, and I'm sure that the last thing you wanted to hear right now was that your best friend loves you." Phineas mentally slapped himself. "Stop saying that you love her. I mean, I do love her, but that is NOT what she needs to hear currently."
"Phineas-" he heard Isabella say so quietly that he almost wasn't sure that he heard it at first. She slid away from him, leaning against the other end of the couch. He gulped, preparing for the worst.
"This is it, you could have salvaged this friendship, but no, you just had to say that you love her, and not just once but twice." he let out a deep breath, voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Isabella?"
"I love you too," was all Isabella could say before she started to cry again. Phineas, on the other hand, sat there slack-jawed for the second time today. Isabella grabbed a tissue, drying her eyes before continuing. "I know that you probably meant it in a platonic way, but I love you so much. I honestly love you more than everything else I love combined. And if I am going to deal with one heartbreak today, I might as well be honest with you, too. The only reason I started dating Will was that I had been in love with you for so long, and I honestly just needed any way to get my mind off you. Whether that be sports, clubs, or working at my mom's restaurant… but none of it worked. I am so sorry, Phineas, I completely understa-"
Phineas practically jumped to the other side of the couch and embraced Isabella, holding on to her tightly, like she would be plucked out of his arms if he didn't hold her. "Isabella, I love you so, so incredibly much. Yes, platonically but also romantically." Isabella breathed in while he continued, "I had finally worked up the courage to ask you out, but then I found out that Will had asked you out, and I decided to just be a good friend and be as supportive as possible." Phineas took a deep breath before continuing, "But every time that I saw both of you together, I just got hit by this overwhelming sensation of sadness. I know that you probably aren't in the best headspace to date, and I honestly don't blame you. However, when you are ready, I would love to take you out on a date. If that is okay with you?"
"Phineas, I have been waiting to hear you say those words since I was ten. We could go out right now. Who cares about Will when I have the most amazing, selfless, and compassionate man in the world."
Phineas pulled away and looked at Isabella, taking in her navy eyes that shone brighter than the Hope Diamond. And despite everything in his body telling him not to, he found himself closing his eyes and leaning in, and after what felt like a century of waiting, he found Isabella's lips on his.
They both melted into each other, not caring who knew that she had been heartbroken only five minutes prior. Not caring that they both felt like their worlds had been falling apart earlier. Phineas was only thinking one thing, "finally."
When they both separated, Phineas rested his forehead on hers. "So can I take that as a yes?"
Isabella let out another giggle, eyes still closed like she didn't want to wake from a dream. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. "Of course, you can take that as a yes," he let out a deep breath, relieved that he read that right. "Wait, were you worried I was going to say no after I poured my heart out to you?"
"Kinda, Ferb tells me that I am pretty oblivious when it comes to romance," Phineas said, still resting his forehead against hers.
"Trust me, Phineas, I am the one person in the world who is painfully aware of that fact."
"Well then, I guess I have some making up to do. Pick you up at seven?"
Isabella let out a laugh as she looked up at the clock just behind him. "Phineas, it's eight o'clock. I guess we have been here longer than we intended."
Phineas let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I guess so.. Actually, I have something for you," he said as he sat up and grabbed his sketchbook. Upon opening it to the bookmarked page, he tore out the top corner and put it in her palm. "I know that it is pretty cheesy, but every time I think of you, I draw one. I know it isn't a lot, but I just wanted to show you how much I think about you and how much I love you."
Isabella held the small piece of paper in her hand, and as she started to tear it up for the fourth time today, "You're right, it is cheesy. But it is also so incredibly you."
Phineas' smile beamed so bright that it could probably power the tri-state area, as he went to stand up she looked at him with a confused expression "don't worry i'm not leaving, i am going to get you some water and medicine for your head, you've been crying for hours and are probably going to have a killer headache in the morning."
"You're the sweetest. Watch a movie and cuddle when you get back?"
"Of course," Phineas said as he turned and walked to the kitchen.
Love hurts sometimes when you lay all your feelings for someone out. Those hopes, those dreams, being completely vulnerable with someone, it's scary. But for Phineas and Isabella, they had faced down evil alien warlords, fought across the second dimension, and survived a pharma-apocalypse. If they could survive all of that, then mending the heart would be easy.