AU: Monsters
There was something under the bed.
His old bed, the one Mom insisted on leaving in his room because she thought he'd get tired of his new raft bed. He used to hear things under it at night. Now that he slept across the room, he could see underneath it. The shadows moved, sometimes. Bucky used to go stick his nose under there. His tail would thump on the floor like it did when he'd be petted in just the right spot. But Bucky was gone now.
Mom had been promising him and Candace a new pet for over a year now. He was starting to think they weren't gonna get one.
Unless, maybe, whatever was under the bed could be his new pet? Mom said it didn't exist, and Candace had said he could have a non-exist pet. She'd rolled her eyes when she'd said it, but that was probably because she didn't think he could get one. How many people could say they'd discovered something that didn't exist?
He slipped out of bed. The shadows had been moving so now was as good a time as any. He tiptoed over, fingers crossed that it wasn't watching him. Then he dropped to the floor. It was still there. A vaguely human shaped dark shadow that... that was slowing sinking down through the floor.
Without thinking, he shoved his arm under the bed and latched onto the first thing he came in contact with.
The shadow stopped.
He started to pull. For a moment, he could feel it moving, before something hand-like grabbed him and tried to pry his fingers off. He tightened his grip, leaning his whole body backwards. It was wriggling, trying to break free.
"I just wanna met ya," he muttered between clenched teeth.
It fell still. Still leaning back, the sudden lack of resistance had him falling onto his butt. The creature getting pulled along for the ride. He gasped as it collided with him, knocking the air out of his lungs.
"Ow."
He blinked a few times.
It was... human.
That was unexpected.
Or maybe humanoid?
He was still holding its arm. He let go, and it flew off him, back hitting the bedframe. Sitting up, he reach for the nightstand, and turned on the lamp. They both flinched at the brightness.
It had its hands up in front of his face. But it was a kid. He scooted closer. Dark purple veins stood out on its--their pale skin. They wore yellow sweater and jeans that didn't fit, riding up on their arms and legs and leaving some of their middle exposed and... And those were his clothes. Old ones that Mom had asked him to box up for donations. Bright green hair peeked out from over their hands.
He moved a little closer. "Hi."
The hands lowered, and unnaturally purple eyes blinked at him.
"I'm Phineas. What's your name?"
He--Phineas was almost positive it was a he--opened his mouth and made a noise that wasn't really a word even though it had some of the sounds of one.
Frowning, Phineas picked out the repeatable parts. "Fur--m--b? Furmb?" That didn't flow at all. A fantasy book Mom had read to him came to mind. He'd wanted it cause there'd been a character with his name in it. The character had had a brother. "How 'bout Ferb?"
The newly dubbed 'Ferb' tilted his head. Did he even understand him? After how long he'd been hiding under there, he should have picked up a few words, right?
"Why were you under there?" Ferb looked around the same age as him, shouldn't he be home with his parents? Or some kind of family? When he didn't get any kind of reply, he repeated the question with a gesture at the bed.
Ferb's eyes widened, and he started to crawl back under.
"No! No! Wait!" Phineas jumped to his feet. So, obviously, they had a communication gap. "You don't have to go back!"
With some hesitance, Ferb's body contorted, face staring straight at him while his chest was still pointed the other direction. It was simultaneously one of the most awesome things Phineas had ever seen and made some primal part of him scream "WRONG" and "RUN" at the top of its metaphorical lungs.
He wanted him to stay. To get to know him. All he had was Mom and Candace--and Isabella across the street--but he didn't think Ferb had anybody. Heck, he didn't even have clothes that fit, and Phineas didn't even want to imagine what he'd been eating. "Please stay."
"Phineas!"
His head shot up to look at the closed door.
Which didn't stay closed when faced with Candace's sleepy, baldheaded fury. "I am trying to sleep."
Phineas smiled, more grimaced. "Sorry, Candace. I was just talking to Ferb."
She glared. "I don't care about your imaginary friends!"
"Ferb's not imaginary!" He glared back, swinging out an arm. "He's right... there..." He was not, in fact, there.
"Right, imaginary." There was a weary sigh, but he couldn't drag his eyes from the spot Ferb had been in. "Go back to sleep, Phineas. Your imaginary friends'll be there in the morning." The door closed.
Phineas turned off the light.
He laid in bed and waited for the shadows to move.
