"Ugh. It's hot."

Ferb looked up as his brother trudged down the stairs, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a rare frown. He smirked. "Hot are we?"

"Yeah. I'm telling you Bro; it's to hot to do anything today." The red head sighed. "Wanna put off today's project and head to the pool?"

He shrugged.

"Either way huh?"

Ferb nodded.

"Okay, I'll call up the gang and tell them to meet us at the pool; you get our pool gear."

He gave a thumbs up before hopping off the chair as Phineas dialed Isabella. The phone picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Phineas. Watcha doin?"

"Hey Isabella. Ferb and I decided it's to hot to do today's project, so we're calling it a day and heading to the pool. Wanna come?"

"I'd love to, but my Mom and I are going on a daycation to my Grandma's house."

"Daycation?"

"You know. An amalgam of day and vacation. Daycation."

Phineas smiled. "Cool. Very clever Isabella."

"Thank you very much."

"Well, have fun at your Grandma's house."

"I will. Tell Ferb I said hi."

"Will do." He hung up, poking his head into the room as his brother came downstairs, dumping towels and swimsuits on the living room rug. "Isabella says hi."

Ferb smiled, giving a thumbs up before exiting the room.

"Well, he seems to have everything under control. Might as well call Buford and Baljeet." He dialed a number and a gruff voice answered.

"Yeah. Whaddya want?"

Phineas rolled his eyes. "Hey Buford. Ferb and I decided to scrap today's project and go to the pool. Wanna come?"

"Can't. We're goin to my Grandma's house."

"You too huh? Seems to be happening a lot today." He started as Baljeet's voice was heard in the background.

"You are no help. Here. Give me the phone. I will tell him."

"Tell me what Baljeet?" The sound of a scuffle could be heard before Baljeet's voice came clearly over the other end.

"Do you not know Phineas? Today is Danville's Grandparent's Day. The mayor has instructed everyone to go visit their grandparents. If the grandparents are out of town, they may send a card."

"Oh wow. I didn't know that. Hey, thanks for the heads up Baljeet."

"You are most welcome." More scuffling was heard on the other end of the line. "Sorry Phineas, we must go. Good-bye."

"Bye Baljeet. Have fun at Buford's grandmother's house." He hung up before the indian boy could respond. "Grandparents Day huh?" The red head walked into the living room, meeting Ferb as he came down the stairs. "Hey Bro, did you know today is Danville's Grandparent's Day? Apparently the mayor wants everyone in Danville to go visit their grandparents. If the grandparents are out of town, we're supposed to send a card." He scratched his head. "Did we do that?"

Ferb held up his planner, pointing to yesterday's date.

Phineas smiled as he read the writing on the page. "As always Bro, you are one step ahead of me." He looked around the living room. "Do we have everything for the pool?" His brother nodded. "Great! Let's go cool off!"

As Phineas left the room, hurriedly picking up his towel, swimsuit and a beach ball from the floor, Ferb followed quietly behind, his heart pounding. There had been something he'd been meaning to tell his step brother for awhile; if the Danville pool was deserted, it would be the perfect time to tell him.

The pool was deserted. Only a few people were there, the rest opting to stay inside their air conditioned homes. Ferb followed Phineas toward a group of lounge chairs, watching as the red head dropped their stuff off before taking off his signature orange and white striped t-shirt.

The British boy felt his breath catch; there it was. Right in front of him. His brother—well, stepbrother—standing in front of him, wearing nothing but his orange and white swim trunks. He refrained from looking the red head up and down, trying not to stare at the smooth stomach, the adorable face, or the lightly tanned skin. He gulped.

"Hey Bro, you alright?" Phineas waved a hand in front of his brother's face. "You look a little dazed. You didn't suffer heat stroke or anything on the way over here did you?" He put a hand to his forehead. "You don't feel warm."

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

He nodded.

Phineas studied him for a moment, seeming to mull over his answer. After a moment, the red head broke into a grin, running past him and playfully smacking him on the shoulder. "Come on Bro! Last one into the water is a soggy scientist!" He ran to the edge of the pool and leaped off, executing a perfect cannonball.

Ferb smiled before calmly walking to the water's edge, opting to get in by the steps. He patiently waited until his stepbrother came up for air. "There's something I need to speak to you about. Something important."

"Sure Bro. What is it?"

"Well, it's—"

"Look! Bubbles!" Before he could say another word, Phineas grabbed his arm, pulling him across the pool. The red head's eyes widened in wonder. "There's so many of them! And they're making fizzing noises!" All around them, bubbles were floating to the water's surface, breaking and fizzing as they hit the air. "That's cool. But where are they coming from?"

Ferb pointed underneath the water, motioning to a hole in the wall.

"There?"

He nodded.

Phineas swam over, placing a toe in the hole before removing it just as quickly. He grinned. "Yep! That's where they're coming from alright!" He looked down, pointing. "Hey Ferb! Check it out!"

He looked where Phineas was pointing, blushing slightly as a flurry of bubbles settled on his brother's stomach.

The red head rubbed his belly, sending the bubbles rushing to the surface. He laughed. "They tickle. You should try it Bro. It's fun."

"No. I'm good."

"Aw come on. It's easy. I'll show you." Phineas took his brother's arm, holding it under the water.

Ferb could only stare at his arm, watching as hundreds of tiny bubbles began to collect on it. When his arm was almost completely covered, his brother slowly ran his hand up his arm, causing the bubbles to fly off.

He smiled fondly at his brother. "You always did have a unique way of looking at the world."

"Yeah. Like I said, it's—" Phineas stopped, staring at his brother. Their eyes locked and for a brief moment, the red head found himself lost in his friend's eyes. He gulped. "F-Ferb?"

"Yes?"

"What's h-happening?" The red head leaned toward him, slowly closing his eyes. Ferb leaned forward, ready to meet him in the middle when the boy's eyes popped open, a look of fear sweeping through them. "I uh, I…um…" he looked down, quickly letting go of Ferb's arm. "My stomach feels funny. Must have been that cannonball." He laughed nervously. "Wanna head home?"

Ferb nodded, watching as his brother slowly swam to the pool's edge and climbed out. He followed suit, absently toweling off as he tried to clear his jumbled thoughts. What had just happened?

Over the next few days, Phineas became increasingly distant. Ferb tried to talk to him, trying to make sense of his brother's silence and what happened at the pool. But nothing he tried could draw the red head out.

He finally spoke the next day. Ferb looked up from his breakfast as his brother entered the kitchen. Phineas stopped at the door to the backyard, looking at him. "I'm going to Baljeet's." He left without another word.

Phineas trudged down the street, hands in his pockets. He sighed; he didn't like how he felt around Ferb. Ferb was his brother and best friend; until a few days ago, everything was fine. But now? Now it just felt…weird.

He sighed again as he rang the doorbell. Maybe Baljeet would know what to do. He only had to wait a few seconds before Baljeet's Mother opened the door. The red head swallowed. "Hey Mrs. Tjinder. Is Baljeet home?"

She smiled at him. "Hello Phineas. Yes, he is here. He's in his room. Down the hall and to the right."

"Thanks." The red head stepped inside, making his way to Baljeet's room. He stopped short of the door, hearing voices coming from inside.

"No Buford! Stop stop stop!" The sound of laughter was heard.

Phineas cautiously knocked on the door. "Uh guys, am I…oh." His face reddened at the sight before him; Baljeet was lying on his back on the bed, Buford kneeling over him.

"Oh. Hello Phineas." Baljeet looked at him before glancing up at the bully. "Well…this is a compromising position." Quickly, he pushed Buford away, sitting up.

"Aww man. Why'd you stop?" The bully pouted. "I was havin fun ticklin ya."

"Tickling?" Phineas breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "That's all you were doing?"

"Uh duh." Buford rolled his eyes. "Whaddya think we were doin?"

"Um…" he scratched the back of his neck. "Well…it kinda looked like—"

"It is not important." Baljeet held a finger up, signaling him to stop.

"Aww man. I wanna know."

The nerd kissed the bully on the cheek, cradling his face in his hands. "Do not worry; I shall explain it to you later." He patted the bigger boy on the shoulder. "Now run along home; I shall meet up with you later."

Buford stared at the smaller boy for a moment. "Alright. I gotta go beat up Irving anyway." He kissed Baljeet on the lips before going to the window, sticking one leg over the sill. "Later Dinnerbell."

Phineas watched him go before turning to Baljeet. "He's beating up Irving now?"

"Oh yes. Now that Buford and I are dating, Irving is his new target."

"You mean nerd."

"No. Target." The boy's eyes flashed. "I am Buford's nerd. Irving is just an outlet for his aggression."

"Ooo…kaayy…"

Baljeet smiled. "Now the matter is cleared up, what can I do for you Phineas?"

"Um…I have something to ask you." Baljeet patted a spot on the bed and Phineas sat down. He looked at his hands, shifting nervously before looking at his friend. "H-how did you feel when you started falling for Buford?"

Baljeet looked at his friend in surprise. "Oh. Buford. Well…" he put his chin in a hand, thinking. "Well…I guess it was the tingling when it first started."

"Tingling?"

"Oh yes. When I started falling for Buford, I got butterflies in my stomach. And then I would get very happy when I saw him, but also very very nervous."

"Why nervous?"

"I do not know. It is rather hard to explain. I guess it is because the feelings were new." The boy paused. "But why all this talk about how I felt when I fell for Buford?" His eyes widened. "You have not experienced similar feelings for someone, have you?"

"Well…" Phineas shifted nervously. "I guess I kinda have. Fairly, uh, recently."

"Aha!" Baljeet grinned in triumph. "It is Isabella right?"

"Isabella?" The red head gave his friend a bewildered look. "Why would it be Isabella?"

"Oh…no reason." He laughed nervously at his blunder before becoming serious. "But if it is not Isabella, then who—"

"Ferb."

"Ferb?!"

"Yeah. At least, I'm pretty sure. Remember a few days ago when I called you and Buford and said Ferb and I were putting off the day's project to go to the pool? Well, it ended up being just the two of us. Now Ferb and I had gone to the pool before, but when we got there, he started looking at me funny and acting quieter than usual. Anyway, when we got in the pool, he said he had something very important to tell me. I was ready to listen to him, but I got distracted by these bubbles that were fizzing and popping from an air vent. I thought the bubbles were cool and they stuck to me. I wanted to show Ferb, so I took his arm and held it steady under the water so the bubbles could form. Once they formed, I ran my hand up his arm to release the bubbles." Phineas gulped. "He then gives me this smile that I've never seen before and said I had a unique way of looking at the world."

Baljeet smiled. "That is an accurate observation. You do that quite well."

"Yeah, thanks. Anyway, when I looked at him…it was like I looked into his eyes and couldn't look away. I got happy and nervous at the same time and I leaned in like I wanted to, well…"

"Kiss him?"

"Yeah!" The red head clamped a hand over his mouth. His face flushed and he slowly brought his hand down. "I mean, no! I mean…I-I don't know!"

"Phineas…" Baljeet placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It is okay to have those feelings. Everybody has them eventually, whether you are a boy or a girl."

"But I'm a boy and so is Ferb!"

The other boy laughed. "So are Buford and I."

"Well yeah, but—"

"Yes it was scary when I got those feelings for Buford, but it is not the feelings that matter. It is what you do with those feelings."

"But Ferb's my brother."

"He is your stepbrother, so technically you are not related by blood."

"I guess." Phineas sighed and placed his chin in his hands. "What am I gonna do Baljeet? I can't go home; Ferb's there."

"He will come find you eventually."

"That's the problem."

"You need to talk to him."

"I've tried! He's been trying to talk to me the last three days! I-I wanna talk to him, but every time I try, it's like I can't form words."

Baljeet laughed. "Yes, that is typical. You have a crush."

"Yeah, but—" He started as his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. "It's Ferb!" Phineas dropped the phone onto the bed.

"He is first and foremost your brother." Baljeet calmly picked up the phone, holding it out to the red head. "Talk to him. He cares about you; he will listen."

The red head shakily took the phone, taking a deep breath as he answered. "Hey Ferb." A pause. "Yeah, I'm still at Baljeet's. No, I'll be home in a bit. Actually, I'm heading out in a minute." Another pause. "Yeah. I'll see you at home." Phineas hung up the phone, looking helplessly at his friend. "Baljeet—"

"Do not worry Phineas." The Indian boy slung an arm around his friend's shoulder, leading him out of the room and to the front door. "It will all work out. You will see." He opened the front door and gently pushed the red head outside. "I wish you luck. Good-bye."

Phineas stood on the front porch, waving at the slowly closing door. "Good-bye Baljeet." He took a deep breath as he headed down the Tjinder's walkway towards the street. "Let's hope I can do this."

Ferb looked up at the sound of a soft knock on the bedroom door.

"Can I come in?" Phineas shyly shifted from one foot to the other, his gaze fixated on the floor.

Ferb attempted a reassuring smile. "It is your room."

"Er…right." The red head glanced up before cautiously stepping inside. "Thanks."

"For what?"

He laughed nervously. "I dunno." He sat down on his bed. "To be perfectly honest, I'm…not really sure." His brother raised a brow and he clarified. "Not sure about…well, you know, what happened at the pool a few days ago."

"Ah yes." Ferb closed the book he'd been reading and sat up straight, crossing his legs underneath him. He stared pointedly at his brother.

Phineas raised a brow. "You're not going to try to get me to talk about this?" He shook his head. "Soo…I can just talk?" Ferb nodded. "About anything?"

"If you like."

"Oh. Well…the weather's been nice hasn't it?"

"It has."

"I mean, the pool was really warm the other day. It was one of those great days you know? When the pool isn't cold, just refreshing." Ferb nodded. "Drawn up any new blueprints lately?"

His brother raised an eyebrow.

"Right. Sorry. Dumb question." Phineas cleared his throat. "Soo…" he idly tapped his fingers on his leg, only to jump off the bed and rush to the window. He stared outside a moment before turning back around. "I can't do this. I can't talk about it. It's just so—"

"Different?"

"Yeah! I mean, I don't know if it's different in a bad way, but it could be. Or maybe it's different in a good way. Or maybe—" Phineas shook his head. "What did happen at the pool the other day?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I asked you first."

"Fair enough." Ferb uncurled his legs from underneath him, slowly climbing off the bed and making his way to the window. He crossed his arms and leaned against the sill. "I have a step brother that I think is the most amazing person in the world. Someone who's talented, always cheerful and goes out of his way to help people." The red head went to open his mouth, only for Ferb to quietly place two fingers to the red head's lips, silencing him. "And somewhere alone the way, that went from I have an amazing brother to I have an amazing friend to…"

Phineas blinked. "To what?"

"You tell me. It's your turn. What did you feel the other day?"

"I-uh-well-I-uh…" he rubbed the back of his neck, glancing to the side before turning back to his brother. "I-I can't. I can't do this. It's just-It's just…to hard." He went to turn away, only to have Ferb grab him by the wrists.

"Yes you can. Now tell me, what did you feel?"

"I-I don't know!" The red head tried to break free, but his brother held him fast. "Happy? Nervous?" He swallowed. "I was happy going to the pool with you and showing you the bubbles. But then you said that thing to me, and I got nervous. But it wasn't a bad kind of nervous. And then you looked at me and-and-" Phineas stopped, recognition dawning on his face. "I…got lost in your eyes. At that moment, I think I realized that my bond with you went past friendship and you being my brother. It was something—"

The boys stared at each other, saying the word in unison. "More."

Ferb dropped his brother's wrists and smiled warmly at him. He reached out a finger and gently placed it under the red head's chin, drawing the boy to him. The two met in the middle and Phineas hesitated for only a moment before placing his arms around Ferb's neck.

The two kissed for several seconds, stopping only when Phineas pulled away. "Do you think we should tell Mom and Dad?"

Ferb smirked. "Oh heaven's no."