A/N: Just a really short, plotless fanfic to:

1) get Ferb outta my head (not that I don't love him and all, but I do have Calculus this semester…)

2) post something on here for Phineas and Ferb

3) WRITE AGAIN! I'm really rusty, guys. But I figured a P&F fic was a safer place to start than my essay on Victorian literature, eh?

Don't take it too seriously. I'm extremely out of practice, and these guys are difficult to angst.

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Tossing and turning...moaning and groaning…flipping and flopping…splishing and splashing…

Wait…no. That last one wasn't right.

Either way, Ferb jolted upright in his bed, stiff as a board and thoroughly shaken to the core. It took him awhile just to breathe again. Cautiously, he craned his neck to the side, biting back the inexplicable urge to cry at the simplest movement. He looked for his clock in confusion.

3:30 a.m.

So Phineas wouldn't be awake anytime soon. Ferb debated with himself, heart pounding wildly in his ears and thoughts rushing by in a frenzy as he fought to ignore them. Blinking rapidly, he decided that, guilty as he would feel waking Phineas, he needed his brother and most trusted companion.

Now.

Putting one hand to his mouth, Ferb coughed lightly. Immediately, Phineas's eyes shot open, and he sprang up in bed, causing Ferb to smile the smallest bit. Phineas had always been an extraordinarily light sleeper. It certainly came in handy when Ferb did not feel like yelling to wake him up.

Which was all the time.

"Whoa, what's the matter, Ferb?" Phineas asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes so that he could stay awake and pay the utmost attention to his brother. "You haven't coughed that loudly in awhile."

Ferb simply looked at his brother weakly, crossing his arms in front of him ashamedly and avoiding eye contact. Luckily, Phineas was not always oblivious, and he knew just what to do in times like these.

"Hold on, Ferb, old pal. I'm coming over there," he said softly, motioning toward Ferb's bed a few feet away. Normally, Ferb wasn't the type that needed physical consolation, but he also didn't normally awaken Phineas in the middle of the night for any reason.

Still a little hazy due to the stark retreat from dreamland back into the real world, Phineas carefully scrambled out of his own bed, gripping the edges until his feet firmly hit the floor to ensure he did not stumble. Blearily, he started tip-toeing to Ferb's side of the room.

Suddenly, though, he hesitated, and Ferb saw his eyes dart back, making a decision in short time. Ferb watched vacantly as Phineas retreated to his own bed and gingerly picked up something.

No…someone, Ferb noticed with a slight smile of relief. Perry.

Phineas reached for the little sleeping platypus carefully, trying his best not to wake their pet. But Perry was a light sleeper, too, and Phineas gave him an apologetic look when Perry opened his eyes and looked about unseeingly.

Patting Perry on the head, Phineas quickly made his way over to his distraught brother and placed Perry lovingly onto Ferb's lap before climbing into the bed himself.

Phineas crawled over clumsily to sit next to his brother. He noted with slight relief that Ferb was looking down at Perry and petting him, obviously glad to have some silent sense of ease. And Perry, for his part, looked almost aware of his surroundings and seemed genuinely concerned for Ferb.

But then, of course, it was almost four in the morning…Phineas was pretty sure his perception was skewed by the night.

"So…" he finally began slowly, putting one arm around Ferb's shoulders and noting worriedly how tense his brother was, "what's up, Ferb?"

He asked quietly, almost sad, in a tone that Phineas reserved only for times like this, with Ferb. There was no one either of them trusted more in the world, so when they ever had serious conversations, they were pretty much exclusively with each other. And Phineas was ready.

Unfortunately, he was usually forced to carry most of their conversations, as Ferb did not find speech necessary in most cases.

So when Ferb opened his mouth to speak, Phineas concentrated all of his waking will to pay attention.

But nothing came.

Ferb just sat there, his mouth slightly open and ready to speak and his body continuing to shake in reverberating fear. But other than that, he did not move, save a single tear slipping down one cheek.

And that's when Phineas knew.

"Oh, Ferb," he whispered calmly, pulling his bigger brother into a soft hug. "It's okay. That was a long time ago…and you're here now, and you have my mom, and…it's okay, Ferb."

It hadn't happened in quite some time. Mostly, he'd had those recurring dreams of his mother immediately after he'd come to live with the Flynns. It had been years since his last dream.

Ferb had loved his biological mother, that much he knew, and that much alone. But sometimes he had dreams where he would see a vague vision of her where she would take care of him, and suddenly, she would be gone. And then he'd wake up and realize…it was true.

He always needed Phineas for that dream. Certain nightmares, he could handle; others, he'd call Phineas over and would be fine in no time. But this dream was always the worst, and Phineas would sit there consoling him for hours before both boys fell to sleep.

"It's all right, Ferb," Phineas continued to mutter into his brother's ear as Ferb gripped him in a tight hug. He knew Ferb wasn't crying. Ferb rarely cried, and when he did, usually a few tears would suffice. But Ferb's general aura of sadness alone was almost worse than an average person's crying. Ferb was introverted, to say the least, and secluded his emotions well from the rest of the world. When he showed signs of any sort of raw emotion, Phineas knew it was just as serious as when someone else went to extremes.

It felt a little odd for Phineas to console his brother like this. Usually, he mused, he was the one who looked to Ferb for help. Ferb seemed to have an air of maturity about him and always knew exactly how to phrase advice in a simple and understated way that Phineas could understand, sometimes even with just a look.

In a way, it felt good to give back. And in another way, he was concerned for his brother.

"Ferb?" Phineas asked when his brother's grip on him loosened slightly and he seemed to calm down. Slowly, Ferb retracted from Phineas and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and calming down as best he could.

"Ferb," Phineas started gently, knowing his brother was in a good enough state now to really listen, "it's okay now. Look at where you are! You have a terrific mom, and your dad has always been there for you. You've got grandparents in London who love you and send you gifts and eccentric cards all the time. Not to mention my crazy grandparents are yours now, also," Phineas said with a big smile, nudging his inexpressive brother in the side. "Together we've got a really great chance of going insane one day…but think of how fun that would be, huh? Our grandparents certainly seem to enjoy it.

"And Candace," Phineas added thoughtfully. "You've got an older sister now. Granted, I think she may have already gone through the stages to full-blown insanity, but she's still fun, and she loves you, Ferb. And if those 'unfortunate' things-those things in your dream-had never happened, you wouldn't have any of this! So maybe it was for the best…I know that's probably not the best thing to say to you, but I haven't given you a pep talk in a long time, Ferb. And I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry about everything…but I just wanted you to know that you really do have an awesome life the way things are."

Ferb seemed to be thinking about it in a whole new light, processing information carefully through his emotionally-wracked mind. Phineas eyed him warily, ensuring he was ready to give the pièce de résistance of his pep talk.

"And," Phineas added calmly, "if not for that—I mean what happened in that dream—I…I wouldn't know you. I wouldn't have the best brother in the world, and I would never have met my best friend..." his voice trailed off softly, not used to expressing any sense of mournful sincerity.

After that, Phineas decided to remain silent and let Ferb take time to process.

However, Ferb didn't need time to process what he had already figured out.

He reached out a steady hand to his brother and placed it gently on Phineas's shoulder. Surprised, Phineas jumped a little at the gesture and looked at Ferb, whose expression had softened significantly. Ferb simply gave Phineas a smile—one of those sincere ones that rarely made its way onto his face—and wrapped his smaller brother into a strong and confident hug.

When they let go, they knew all would be all right soon, but neither knew exactly how to end the uncharacteristically emotional scene between them. It started to seem odd and almost embarrassing that they had both acted so strangely, and they hadn't figured out how to get back into their old routine.

But the ever-observant Perry had them covered.

For the first time since he had begun talking, Phineas thought of the little mammal he had brought over earlier and wondered why it hadn't been awkward to hug Ferb with a platypus in his lap. Looking down, he realized suddenly why Perry hadn't gotten in the way.

"Hey," Phineas wondered aloud, "where's Perry?"

Both boys immediately set their minds back to their normal routines as soon as Phineas said that, and Perry, knowing his job was finished, chirped lightly from Phineas's bed.

"Oh, there you are, Perry!" Phineas laughed, wondering how their pet, who did relatively nothing, could provide them with so much daily entertainment.

"I think he was jealous that I didn't mention him in my pep talk, Ferb," Phineas teased, deciding it was safe to climb out of Ferb's bed and back to his own, scrambling up to give the platypus an apologetic hug. "Sorry, Perry. You know we love you, too. Your awesomeness just goes without saying."

Patting Perry on the head one last time, Phineas pulled his covers up to his nonexistent chin and settled into his bed, sneaking a peak over at Ferb to ensure his brother would truly be all right after such a fiasco.

Phineas let a smile sneak its way across his face when he saw his brother, already curled up and sleeping soundly in the aftermath of the episode. And from the calm and happy (in Ferb terms) look on his face, Phineas knew that the world was well-balanced for now. And when things weren't right again, they would always be there for each other.

Completely happy with this thought, Phineas himself let his eyes close, and he slowly dozed back into his imaginative dreams. Before he crossed the border to sleep, Phineas mumbled to his brother, "'Night. Love ya, Ferb."

And after Phineas had fallen to sleep, after he could hear anything in the real world, Ferb finally replied to his brother, "I love you, too, Phineas."

And he noted, with one droopy eye open, that Phineas smiled wider at the statement, and Ferb followed suit, going back to dream of a happier time in his life—the present.

And possibly the future.

Because, from what I've seen, this fandom needs more Ferb angst. :D

Also, please note that I wanted to keep this as canonical as possible, so I did not go into detail about whatever circumstances surround Ferb's mother. We know he has one, and both he and Phineas know what happened. But I didn't feel it was necessary to delve into my own twisted tales. I wanted this to be real brother bonding time.

Sibling love is love.

Anyway, no one proofread this, and I know I make mistakes. All the time. So constructive criticism would be much appreciated. I'd like to write a Perry and Doofenshmirtz angsty friendship at some point, as well. So...if you could take the time to review, I would appreciate it very much. Thank you all!