Autumn is the season of change. The warm, carefree days of summer seeming like a distant memory. In fact a few summers had passed, but the citizens of Danville remained relatively the same. Every day brought a new adventure and new achievements from the Flynn-Fletcher brothers and their friends. Time may have passed, but the group of friends are as close as ever. However, the group was not immune to the disruptive nature of change...

"Are you serious? Why would'ya even think of doing something like that?" a deep husky voice yelled. It belonged to Buford Van Stomm, the once neighborhood bully turned quarter back. The tall, muscular boy was yelling at his slender, Indian friend, Baljeet Tjindar. The light young man was becoming quite irritated at his friend's reaction to what he thought was good news.

"Because there's no reason for me to go to high school, Buford. You know as well as I that I have more than completed my required curriculum for high school students during my last year of middle school."

"Yeah, but COLLEGE?! I mean, you'll be a small fish in a very big tank, and you won't have me to watch your back." He gruffed.

"Watch my back? Buford, the only person 'on my back' this entire time has been YOU! How many times must I explain? The sooner I complete my education..."

"...the sooner I can fulfill my family's expectations and become a neurosurgeon. Yeah, yeah. I've heard all that...for a long time. You know in all of this time I've known you, it's always been "I must please my family' 'I must not disgrace my family'"

"Urgh, you cannot possibly understand what it is like to have people expect so much of you!"

"And why is that, huh? Because I'm such a loser, right?"

"Buford, that is not..."

"No, go ahead and say it! Nobody expects anything but the worst from me, right?!"

"I cannot and will not talk to you if you insist on behaving like a child!"

"And how would you know how a child is supposed to behave?"

"Just because my hobbies required a bit more structure, that does not mean that I did not have a happy childhood!"

"Che, yeah right."

"Look, why are you so upset, anyway? I told you, I'll be attending Danville University for my undergraduate studies. It's not as if I'm going to so far off land."

"For someone so smart, you sure can be dumb sometimes..." Buford sighed, running his fingers through his long dyed hair.

"Because you make no sense! All of these years, you either treat me like you hate when I'm around or you can't stand to be out of my sight! Sometimes I'm your best friend and other times I'm your target! So, explain it to me, Buford because I don't...mmf!" Baljeet was suddenly interrupted by his larger friend suddenly taking him by the shoulders and kissing him directly on the mouth. Once he'd recovered slightly from the shock, he did his best to push the jock off of him. "What are you DOING?" he yelled, his voice going up at least 3 octaves.

Buford didn't make eye contact. He just stuffed his hands into his ever-present hoodie and stormed off towards his house. "Forget it!" he growled as he made a hasty retreat, leaving a very confused genius in his wake.

Buford stormed into his house and made a direct route for his room. Slamming his door and approaching the nearest wall, he exploded in sudden anger and punched a hole into the wall. With his fist still lodged within the wall, he dropped to his knees and tears began to roll down his cheeks.

'Well, good goin', idiot. You mess up the one thing you had going for you in your life. You just had to go and love him didn'tcha? Now he's leaving and you'll be all alone, but then again, what makes you think you deserve anything else?'

"Wh-What?!" Baljeet gasped, adjusting his bifocals and staring at the path his best friend had taken to escape. His fingers ghosted over the lips the just abruptly met the aforementioned friend's.

'This is so strange...I had no idea Buford was...that he...do I? I need to talk to someone...I cannot process all of this.' Baljeet then began to slowly walk to the only place he thought would do some good, the Flynn-Fletcher house.

Phineas Flynn and his girlfriend, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro were sitting on his couch hand in hand watching a movie with Ferb Fletcher stretched out in a reclined position at their feet, playing with their pet platypus, Perry. The three were alone in the house as their parents were giving another seminar on some antiques and their sister, Candace, was on her début tour for her first album, 'My Crazy Life'. The doorbell rang and Ferb hopped up and made his way to the door. He opened it to find his Indian friend looking like he was one step away from a mental break down. In the typical Ferb fashion, he wordlessly guided Baljeet inside and sat him in a chair in the living room.

"Heya, Baljeet. What's the matter?" Phineas asked.

"I-I-I..." he stammered, unable to articulate exactly what had just taken place. He only managed "Buford." and "kiss."

Isabella had a look of realization on her face almost immediately and the brothers weren't too far behind.

"Why don't you just explain to us what happened?" Isabella gently directed, placing a hand on Baljeet's knee. He fully recounted what happened and the trio listened intently as he told his tale, the look of concern growing on their faces.

"So..how did that make you feel?" Isabella asked.

"I felt...I don't know. I mean, I thought I only liked girls. I mean, Mishti, Gretchen, and even you Isabella, but something about Buford...I don't know. It's like he makes me so angry when he's being his 'usual' self, but when he's nice...I just..." He then shoved his face in his hands.

"Well, if it helps, I've always thought you two were together anyway," Phineas added. " I mean, even as kids, you two were always together, arguing like a married couple."

"Oh sure, when it's someone else, it's obvious!" Isabella huffed. Phineas chuckled and rubbed his neck nervously.

"But I cannot be...gay. My family would not hear of it. I would be thrown out onto the streets without hesitation!"

"Whoa there, buddy," Phineas said, trying to calm his increasingly hysterical friend. "One step at a time. First, you have to work out what you feel for Buford."

"Well, before he kissed me, I can remember times when I'd see him in the showers in gym or watching him during a game and watching him have fun It's like when he's playing he's found something he can give his all and he just...shines."

"Well that," Ferb interjected, "sounds like love to me."

"But why now? Why'd I have to realize it now? I'll be starting at Danville University in a couple of weeks, I'll have enough on my plate as it is."

"Whoa! You're going to college?!" Isabella gasped.

"Yes, I was offered the same scholarship that Phineas and Ferb were offered."

"YOU WERE OFFERED A SCHOLARSHIP AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!" she shrieked.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't take it. I want us to be together for our years in high school. I can't imagine what it would be like to be so separated for that long, I'd miss you too much!"

Then it dawned on Baljeet. That's why Buford was upset. He was going to miss him. Being the oldest of the group, he'd be in his junior year while, Ferb will be a sophomore and Phineas and Isabella will be freshmen. He'd basically be alone for his classes.

Isabella and Phineas were in the middle of a minor argument when Baljeet suddenly stood and raced out of the house. It had started raining since he'd been in there so he was beginning to get wet, but he didn't care. He was on a mission.

Buford was lying on his back in a light slumber from emotional exhaustion when he heard a sudden banging on the door. He groggily sat up and made his way to the door, thinking his mom had forgotten her key again. When he opened the door, he was surprised with the sight of a very wet and very out-of-breath nerd panting at his front door. Just as he was about to slam it, Baljeet shot his arm out and caught the door.

"W-wait just one moment, Buford." he then leaped forward and planted a kiss onto his unsuspecting former bully. Buford was caught off guard, but only for a second as he hungrily returned the kiss and brought the young man inside out of the rain.

Buford handed Baljeet a towel to dry his long, wavy hair and watched as the now shirtless boy began to dry the rest of himself.

"So ya finally came to your sense, huh?" he said, trying to put up his cool demeanor.

"You could say that I've drawn some conclusions."

"Oh yeah? And what might they be?"

"That...I like you...alot."

"Well, good. I knew you'd never be able to resist me for long!" he chuckled as Baljeet rolled his eyes.

"However..."

"However?"

"I am still going to University. In fact, I'm more sure now that I want to go."

"What?! But what about..."

"Please, allow me to explain." Baljeet said, placing the towel down and making direct eye contact with Buford.

"I like you a lot, Buford. You went from my worst nightmare to a weird dream, I can't say right now whether it is good or not," he joked. "My family does not tolerate homosexuality, at all. So to keep all parties happy, I will move into a dormitory on campus."

"But aren't you a little young to live on your own?"

"Yes. Yes, I am." Baljeet giggled. Phineas was definitely rubbing off on him after all of these years. "But has that stopped us from doing all the other amazing things we have done in the past?"

"You're right."

"I'll talk to the Dean tomorrow about getting my own room, and that way you can come and visit me after school and we'll do the 'hanging out'"

Buford chuckled at his nerd's shaky grasp on English slang, despite having lived in America a majority of his life. "Well, I suppose that won't be so bad." The 17-year old ran his fingers through the deep black waves of his crush's hair and readjusted his bifocals. "Look at you, ignoring your family and doing what you want! My little nerd's finally got his rebellious streak."

Baljeet just scoffed and shook his head. "So...what does that makes us?"

Buford just rolled his eyes. "What do you think?" he whispered and began to once again kiss his new boyfriend.