Things I will Risk For You c16

"He's sick again."

"Again?"

"Yeah… threw up his food all over the bed… Honestly, sometimes I think he's as bad as Perry is."

Perry opened an eye and looked up from his cushioned bed on the floor outside his owner's room. When the little boy was sick, Perry had to be booted out in order not to catch the same illness. He hated sleeping in the hallway or even in Candace's bedroom; it smelled too pretty, like a bunch of flowers and honey. Perry loved the smell, but he found it too tempting; he always wanted to chew on something when he was in the girl's bedroom.

So his only other option was the hallway. And unfortunately, he could hear every conversation from there.

"Looks like we got ourselves another platypup," the father chuckled.

"Francis, that's not funny," his wife responded.

Perry opened the other eye. Another platypup? You mean he'd have to share Phineas with someone else? Perry did not like this idea at all.

"He's been sick for the past few days, already," the woman whispered. "I'm worried. He eats like a pig at dinner, but then he throws it all back up afterwards. Do you think he's allergic to something?"

"It could be that he's got a sensitive stomach, Linda. You let him eat too much, he'll get sick. I was like that through elementary school; my parents had to make sure with Mitch's parents that I didn't overeat when I went over to their place."

"But what if he's got something serious? He's only two, Francis. Candace was never like this, even with her milk allergies."

"If it makes you feel better Honey, we'll call a doctor tomorrow. But I promise you, he's perfectly fine. Trust me."

Perry was not completely certain he enjoyed this talk from down the hall. It sounded as though Phineas was never going to get better… wait, did that mean no more hugs? And no more Phineas? But if there was no more Phineas, did that mean… no more Perry?

"You get to bed, Linda. I'll go check up on the Squirt and see if his little dragon needs a scratch behind the head."

Perry was whimpering quietly when the man with red hair and glasses walked out of his bedroom. "Hey, who's sounding mopey, hm?" he asked as he stopped next to the animal and squatted. "You sound worried, P-Man. Are you as worried about Phineas as his Mom is?"

Perry chattered quietly in response and reached out to scratch Phineas' door.

"You know you can't go see him until he's better, Perry," the man told him. He scratched the platypup behind the ear, causing Perry to purr and look at him. "Hey Buckeroo, you mind if I ask you a favour?"

Perry looked up at him curiously. Why would a human want a favour from a platypup? He was not large enough to even properly walk yet.

The man leaned close to the pup. "Phineas really cares a lot about you," he whispered. "And I know that you definitely care a lot about him. But he can sometimes get himself into trouble, just like that time he explored the rose bushes and got stuck. Or when he tried riding down the stair rail like his sister but that backfired. He might need someone to watch out for him when he does silly things like that in the future, especially when his mom and dad aren't there. So, here's the favour I ask of you, Perry: even though you're not a dog or anything like that, do you think you can help keep an eye on him?"

Perry stared at him in silence as the man stroked his fur. With a soft squeak, he tilted his head to the side.

"I know, you probably don't understand a thing I'm saying… I mean, platypuses aren't the smartest animals on this planet…"

Hey, I resent that, Mister, Perry thought.

"… But point is, I need someone to look out for him when his sister or his parents can't. If you understand what I'm saying, you think you can do that for me, Buddy?"

Perry thought it was odd that his owner's father was asking him to look out for Phineas—Perry was already planning on doing that. But if this human was asking him now, maybe that meant that something big was going to happen and he would need help to watch over his little boy.

You mean, Phineas might get hurt if I don't protect him? Perry was horrified at the thought. So, after a moment of silence, he looked up at the man, squeaked and let out a short chattering noise.

The man smiled at this. "I knew I could count on you, Perry," he said while picking the animal up. "Now, why don't I sneak you in for a few minutes to see how Imagination Station is doing? I'm sure you'd like that, huh?"

Perry wagged his tail excitedly, nearly squirming out of the man's grasp, as he opened the bedroom door and entered his son's bedroom.

*****

Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!

Perry opened his eyes partway when the sound of an owl hooting in the trees above awoke him from his light sleep. He had not had a very good rest during his time spent in the cage, so he had attempted to catch a few Zs while Phineas did the same.

However, he kept his senses on alert the entire time. After Ferb had left, Perry had taken it into his own hands to make sure Phineas was comfortable. He settled down partway in the mud and partway on a flat rock next to Phineas' head, keeping his hands around him to keep him warm, as well as keep the boy's head above the mud—Phineas would sink a little lower every few minutes. He wrapped his tail around his waist and after fiddling a little with the watch Carl had given to Phineas—he wanted to see if it still worked from the teenager's fall, but sadly, it had been damaged—he set his head down next to his tail and closed his eyes to rest.

The sounds of the forest woke him up again, hardly fifteen minutes later; that and more flashbacks, as well as Phineas' shivers.

Perry did what he could to keep the boy comfortable, but the longer they waited for Ferb to return, the worse Phineas' fever seemed to get. He complained about pain every now and again, especially in his leg. Perry applied pressure over the wound for minutes on end, hoping it would do his owner a bit of good. He tried fanning the boy's hot face, but even that became useless. What Phineas needed was a doctor, preferably one from the OWCA who knew how to treat gas cases like this.

While Perry rested, he assumed Phineas was attempting to as well. It was exhausting to be on alert all the time when all one wanted to do was rest. When Perry was pulled out of his dreams once more by the sounds of the night, he stared across the pit and contemplated the events of that day.

And the meaning of his flashbacks.

Perry could still remember the day Phineas and Candace lost their biological father. He had been young, hardly a year old, when that happened, but he still remembered it clearly. He could remember the crying widowed wife, the sobbing seven-year-old girl, and the quiet yet confused little toddler. Perry had guessed Phineas began to grasp the concept of death around Christmas time that year, when his Daddy was not there to bring him a gift. It was around that time that Perry began feeling Phineas' grasp tighten around him every time he hugged his pet.

By Christmas that year, Perry had also learned how to walk on his back feet. He had begun his training as an OWCA agent, and within the same year had become one. His missions started small but he was the first agent to take on an actual villain at such a young age; he was not even two years old.

He still remembered the favour Francis had asked of him. He still remembered the night Francis had saved his life. And, above all, Perry still remembered the oath he had made upon becoming a secret agent: to protect Phineas, and soon Ferb as well, from ever having to come that close to harm ever again. Both boys meant the world to him, even if they had pestered him from time to time. Without them, Perry doubted he would even be alive and well.

That day had been one of those days Perry wished he had been there to protect his owners. They had risked their very lives to come to his rescue, to save their pet from a crime he was being forced pay for with his memories. Because of what Perry had done, his owners had gotten into harm's way.

A nearby sound caused Perry to lift his head high and look about hastily. Quickly, he placed his hands around Phineas' head, lifted him a little bit out of the muck, and made sign for him to be silent. They both remained perfectly still until the sound had faded away; they had avoided being caught yet again, but for how much longer, the platypus did not know.

Time ticked by slowly. Perry almost regretted helping Ferb out of the mud pit to go get help. With nightfall came eerie shadows and suspicious noises. His senses were on alert more than usual. His heart beat loudly like a drum every time he heard something out of place. And sitting in the thick mud for hours did absolutely no help.

But he could not leave the fifteen-year-old. He could not leave Phineas alone there, injured and catching a fever. It was bad enough Perry had sent Ferb off with an injured arm; it would have been better if they had both thought of a way helping Phineas out without infecting the cut on his leg or injuring his twisted ankle at the same time. But Perry knew more than anyone that moving Phineas without any professional help would only make his situation worse.

So he sat there, trying to keep the teenager's head above the thick mud while waiting for help to come… if it came at all.

What if Ferb didn't make it to the bike, Perry? The platypus thought. What if they shot him before he had the chance to get away?

… Not possible… we would have heard gun shots…

Maybe it would have been better if he had never done what he had done; maybe it would have been better if Perry had left well enough alone.

Then Phineas and Ferb wouldn't be in this mess. This mess… that Perry began.

This mess he had started… because he cared too much for two humans.

"… Perry…"

The platypus raised his head and pulled himself out of his train of thought. After listening to the sounds of the forest, he looked at his youngest owner.

Phineas was looking at him through weary eyes. His face was pale, no doubt because of his fever, but he did not seem to notice it—if he did, he was doing a good job at covering it up. He blinked once before speaking again. "You… gave us back our memories… because you missed us, didn't you?" he asked quietly.

Perry stared at him silently, wondering how the teenager had figured out about the amnesiainator.

"Carl showed us the video recording," Phineas explained, reading the platypus' thoughts. "We were able to get into the hidden file..." He smiled wryly here. "I can't believe you used PPT as the password, Dude," he added.

The platypus cracked a weak grin here.

"Anyway, we watched the video of you firing up the amnesiainator to give us back our memories…" Phineas paused here to look up at the treetops before looking at the animal again. "Carl said you must have done it because you… missed us not remembering… Is that true?"

Perry stared at him in silence for a moment before looking away shamefully. He twiddled his thumbs and let out a sigh before nodding very weakly. Yes; not being able to share that adventure with anyone had been hard for Perry to handle.

"But I thought you knew the risks," Phineas pointed out. "I mean, if an owner finds out, then the agent has to be forced to leave and be relocated for their own protection. If you knew that could happen, why did you give Ferb and me our memories back? Why did you lie to Major Monogram… and us?"

Perry knotted his fingers together in silence, attempting to find a way to explain it to Phineas without words. That was a difficult question to answer. Yes, he had given their memories back because he missed the adventure where they had worked as a team to save Danville—when Phineas, Ferb and Perry formed an even bigger bond than they had before. But although he knew of the risks, it was not only because he longed for them that he gave the boys their memories back; in fact, if Perry could find a better reason for letting his heart take charge, it would be that he trusted Phineas and Ferb to keep his identity a secret, and he trusted them to be able to be of good service to the OWCA. He had nearly lost their trust in him once; so a good way to show the boys that he truly did trust them with all his heart was to give them back the memories they had lost.

Perry looked at Phineas after a moment of thought, hoping the boy would read his eyes. Sometimes, a secret agent needs more help than he's already got, he wanted to say. And when it comes to relying on someone to get the job done efficiently… I could never ask for better partners than you two.

Phineas seemed to have understood what Perry's eyes were attempting to explain. His blue irises, despite being exhausted, shined like they normally did, as he forced up a weak grin. "So… you really do care about us more than we know, don't you?" he asked.

Perry waited a moment before smiling in reply and rubbing his head against Phineas' while purring softly. The teenager grinned a little more before looking at the animal again. "Does this mean we should treat you like you're a secret agent all the time now?" he wondered. "Or can we still treat you like a pet at times?"

Perry pondered this. Yes, he did like it when Phineas and Ferb treated him as though he was their equal, if not older; but he enjoyed the relaxing life of being a domestic pet as well. It had been the one thing he often looked forward to after a day with Doofenshmirtz. Seeing Phineas and Ferb and then simply plopping down on the sofa and taking a long snooze. Even eating out of his bowl had been something he enjoyed.

The platypus thought a little longer over this before grinning and looking at his owner again. With a soft grunt, he raised his chin. Phineas stared at him in silence at first before understanding what it was Perry wanted; the teenager smiled and pulled his mud-covered hand up to scratch the animal just below the bill near his ear. Perry chattered happily and thumped his foot against the rock. Unfortunately, he momentarily forgot about the reflex in his tail that occurred every time Phineas or Ferb scratched him in that spot: his tail had earlier unwrapped itself from around Perry's body, and was now sitting partway in the thick mud. So when Phineas scratched Perry near his ear, Perry's tail automatically flipped upwards, carrying with it a large pile of mud. When his tail came to a halt, the mud flew through the air and landed over Phineas and Perry's heads. They both yelped or squawked in surprise before staring at each other in shock.

Phineas blinked before laughing softly and rubbing Perry's head. "Maybe we should wait until we're at home and all cleaned up," he teased.

Perry covered a laugh and nodded his head in reply. He was just about to let out another chattering noise when the sound of a twig snapping above them made him freeze. He gasped softly as both he and Phineas looked up with wide eyes. An owl hooted in the trees and the sound of a small animal scampering away could be heard, followed by the sounds of several pairs of feet walking through the grass and dead leaves… coming closer and closer to the mud pit.

Perry placed his arms protectively around Phineas' head again after pulling him a little more out of the mud. The boy asked quietly if they had been found, but Perry did not look at him. He simply continued to hold him as though it would be the last time he did so. He would not let them bring any more harm to either of his owners. If he would need to fight, he would, even to the death.

Perry put on a frown and bared his teeth as he let out a low growl. His fur stood on end and his muscles tensed. I'm ready for you, he thought.

The sounds got closer and closer until finally, a figure appeared over the side of the pit, staring straight down at them. Perry growled a second longer before he recognized who it was and looked on in surprise and relief. Phineas did the same.

Ferb looked on in silence before smiling and looking over his shoulder. "See?" he said, "I told you I wasn't lying."

Perry and Phineas stared at him in confusion until someone else appeared next to the green-haired sixteen-year-old: he had white hair and a moustache hanging beneath a large nose. Perry immediately recoiled upon seeing his superior, just as Carl popped into view as well.

"Great googley-moogley," the man said with a gasp as the intern covered his mouth in shock. "That's a shocker."

Perry somehow did not feel any safer seeing the man who had sentenced him to being brainwashed. He frowned again and growled louder, making it clear that there was no way he would let the man take him away from his owners at a time like this.

"Are they even allowed to shoot humans, Sir?" Carl asked.

"They're not even allowed to shoot agents, Carl," the man replied, sounding a little peeved. "This is the most absurd sentencing I have ever heard the OWCA doing." Monogram looked at Ferb. "Get back in the copter, Kid, and tell the four agents who came with us to bring out the sling. We need to get you and your brother to safety asap."

Perry let his muscles relax upon hearing that Monogram was indeed there to help them. When Ferb left as quickly as he could, the platypus began to help Phineas sit upright against him and wait for the sling to come.

They were safe. Perry did not bother to think about himself at the moment. He knew he would still be punished… but at least Phineas and Ferb would be able to get out of there in one piece.

*****