Tattoo parlor AU
Phinabella, Ferbnessa
Phineas twisted his arm, trying to see the back of it without a mirror. It was as if the delicate, lacy patterns draping around it were memorizing him.
Reaching out, Ferb grabbed him by his black shirt and gently led him sideways, around the garbage can he'd been about to walk into.
"Dude, this is freakin' amazing artwork." Phineas shook his head with a laugh, even as his eyes stayed locked on the design. "I swear, you out do yourself every time."
As much as he tried not to let that go to his head, he still smiled. Moving his hand to Phineas shoulder, he waited until he looked at him.
"Nah. You know me, I don't wanna make a decision for anything that permanent." He let his arm drop. "'Sides, it's good advertising, isn't it?"
It was. He could do just as much with the henna Phineas preferred as he could with ink. The temporary work allowed him frequently blank canvas to play and experiment with. And Phineas... Phineas was pleased with anything he could produce on his skin.
Though, it didn't stop him from wishing he could make a commitment to something. His fashion style shifted randomly, currently landing somewhere around 'emo goth.' An undeniable improvement from the blindingly bright pastel goth look he was going for last month. His piecing's were all clip-ons. He spent most of his time in the shop, doodling ideas for new designs and patterns for Ferb to work off of, when he wasn't flittering from job to job, none of which ever seemed to last more than a week.
Phineas shoved open the door of their destination.
The closest thing to commitment that he had was, well, her.
Even as they headed for their usual seating, Phineas was already staring at her.
The raven-haired young woman behind the bar. Isabella.
He'd never truly spoken to her, despite her always being the one to bring their drinks. Despite the fact that he'd been lusting after her ever since she started working there. Or as close to lusting as Phineas ever got.
Ferb could not deny she was pretty. Though someone as bright and perky as she appeared to be was not his type. A good thing likely, as it would be awkward to want the same woman as his brother.
At their table, Phineas rested his 'chin' in his palm, openly watching her fill customers' drinks.
He was tempted to knock his arm out from under him. Or perhaps, drag him over the bar and force the two to speak to each other. For all they knew, she could be in a relationship already and this pining was nothing more than a useless waste of time.
A hand brushed his shoulder. The only warning that came before a body landed in his lap. Dark red lips lifted in a smile as her arm wrapped around his neck. "Hey Ferbs."
"Hello, love." Now this was a woman of pure beauty. He still struggled to comprehend how someone like him could possibly have won her over.
Vanessa leaned against his chest before turning her attention to Phineas. "Hey, Phineas."
There was no reaction.
Ferb looped his arms around her waist. "I'm afraid he is lost to us."
She snorted. "Hey, Phin!"
In a spectacular fail, he jerked at the shout, elbow slipping, his forearm thudded on the wooden table, head almost following suit at the sudden lack of support. Ferb snickered into his girlfriend's hair. He did not wish pain or injury upon his brother but minor embarrassment would not cause him any lasting harm.
"Not. Funny." He glared at them, though the slight twitching of his lips ruined it.
"Afraid she might have saw that?"
"No." Despite the denial, his eyes flickered back in her direction.
"Oh, you have it bad." Vanessa wiggled in his lap, causing Ferb to bite his tongue. Cruel temptress. "Just go talk to her already."
As if Ferb hadn't attempted that direct approach a hundred times before.
Phineas blushed. "No, I--I couldn't--"
"You can. We need our drinks and Ferb and I, we're a little busy."
"You're just sitting in his lap..." Ferb couldn't see Vanessa's face but whatever she did, Phineas went beet-red. "Oh. Yeah, I, uh, I'll get them." He was out his seat and half-way across to the bar when he seemed to remember why he was initially hesitant, and slowly to a crawl.
"What did you do?"
"Trade secret." Leaning her head back, she winked at him.
Even from across the room, he could tell Phineas was blushing. Isabella didn't appear to mind. Than again, she may be used to men hitting on her by now. Though to call Phineas' approach hitting would likely be a stretch.
"His new tat looks good. Still henna?"
Ferb hummed in confirmation. It did come out well. He'd take some pictures later. Document it before it began to fade, as he had done with the ones before it.
"You know," she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, "I think I'm ready for a new one too."
Really? He raised an eyebrow., but he wasn't all that surprised. They'd met through his parlor. She was looking for a respectable artist, and they'd hit it off. Five tattoos later, he finally mustered up the courage to ask her on a date. It probably helped that the last one did not have a particularly public placement.
Perhaps he shouldn't give Phineas such a hard rap, but he had at least had several conversations with Vanessa beforehand.
Speaking of loquacity, Phineas was taking a long time with those drinks.
His lips quirked up at the sight of his brother. Phineas' hands were waving as he spoke, though he did have a habit of gesticulating, Ferb could read the nervousness in these wide gestures. Isabella appeared entranced, eyes locked on him as she prepared their drinks.
Perhaps the result of that was inevitable. He couldn't actually see what had gone wrong from the angle, a knocked over glass or an overfilled one, but Phineas vaulted over the bar to help mop up the spill. He could practically hear the rambled apologizes.
It was a good thing the place wasn't busy.
The two froze suddenly in their efforts before quickly looking away from each other.
Vanessa smirked at him. "Looks like he wasn't the only one with a crush."
