Snapshots

28. Unwanted Luck

Post The Phineas and Ferb Effect.

Phineas wasn't sure what woke him up. He didn't open his eyes at first. It was still night or early morning, he was sure of that.

When a cool breeze hit the skin uncovered by his pajamas and blanket, Phineas' eyes finally popped open. The window was open, a silhouette he'd recognize anywhere in it.

Phineas sat up, and Perry let out a chatter as he was jolted from his comfortable position at the boy's side. He gave Perry a pet before climbing out of bed and walking over to the window.

He sat down on the sill, legs outside with his bare feet braced on the sloped roof. It wasn't the most comfortable place to sit and, do to the street lights, it wasn't even a good place to view the stars.

Ferb glanced at him but gave no further acknowledgment.

After a few minutes, Phineas broke the silence, "Couldn't sleep?"

"I've been thinking," he said, tone more monotone than normal, and Phineas frowned.

Carefully leaning forward, Phineas tried to see his brother better. While Ferb's face was as stoic as usual, there was a strange look in his eyes that set Phineas on guard. "And?" Whatever Ferb was going to say, if he chose to say anything, Phineas had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.

"I think Candace is right."

That didn't help. Phineas racked his brain for anything Candace had said lately that might have prompted this. "About the thing about the banana? Because while it is a good source of potassium, I don't think—" he stopped when Ferb started shaking his head.

"Not about that. About us being evil."

Phineas stared. "What?" How of everything his brother could have said, he wasn't expecting that. Sure, Candace had made that claim several times over the years when she was annoyed with them, but neither of them had ever put any stock into it. It was just Candace being Candace. She was weird like that.

"It's going around and around in my head." Ferb's tone changed from monotone to bitter as he continued, "We're putting people, our friends, family, everyone in danger."

The lost feeling didn't leave Phineas. He actually felt more confused with every word.

"How many times as something bad happened in Danville? Or to people we know?" Ferb appeared to be struggling to keep his expression blank. "What if it's because of us? Because some-something has decided had we should have things go right for us."

What he was talking about hit Phineas like a brick, and he paled. After the had been taken care of, he'd tried to put that day behind them. Including the little detail Baljeet had discovered about them. "I don't—it can't—" he broke off. He didn't know. He didn't know how it worked. Not really.

"Last Christmas, everyone suffered, and Candace said it was our fault." Ferb looked at Phineas, he didn't quite glare, but it was close. "Because of it, you got what you asked for. Vanessa's life was put in danger twice, and I rescued her. If I hadn't wanted her to acknowledge me, would she have never been in trouble?"

Phineas wanted to contradict the argument, but he couldn't. Maybe if he could study the Effect in a controlled environment or run further tests to see what it could and could not effect, he could properly put his brother's worries to rest, but that would take time.

"Perhaps we should have stayed in Nullville." Ferb turned away from him. "What kind of life is a life where everyone around you gets screwed over for your beneficent?"

"I don't think that's how it works." That couldn't be how it worked. Phineas' brow furrowed. Even if their presence affected probabilities, it was only towards things working out. That didn't mean they caused the bad things to happen in the first place. But Baljeet also said it was in direct opposition of Murphy's Law, and wouldn't that mean everything that could go right would go right?

No wonder Ferb couldn't sleep, Phineas reflected, just in the short time he'd been thinking about, he was already getting a headache.

Ferb stayed silent, and Phineas started to wonder if he'd talked himself out.

"My mother."

'What about Mom' was on the tip of Phineas' tongue before the word choice sunk in. Absent parents were an off-limits topic. He didn't know anything about his biological father and never been told anything about Ferb's mother. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear anything about her now. Not like this.

"Ferb..."

"Did she die so I'd meet you?"

Phineas shook his head, denying the words. That couldn't be right.

"Did your father leave—"

"Stop." Phineas stared at his brother. "Please, just stop talking." He never thought he'd say that to Ferb of all people. "I don't care. I don't want to care. We're brothers, and I wouldn't change that for anything."

Ferb hung his head.

That he didn't give some agreement to that made Phineas look away. Would Ferb rather have his birth mother than him? "It's not like we can do anything about anyway."

"Can't we?"

"Not tonight." Phineas smiled, it didn't reach his eyes. "But, Ferb, I know what we're gonna do tomorrow."