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"--I like you!"
The yelled words gave Phineas pause at the bottom of the ladder leading to the top of the water tower. "I like you, too, Isabella." His gaze went past her to the pharmacists, uh, evil scientists zombies behind her. Grabbing her hand, he quickly pulled her towards the ladder. "And it's nice to reaffirm that incase this is the end, but we really need to keep moving."
She fought him, refusing to go up. "No! I mean I like-you like you!"
Still worriedly watching the zombies, Phineas didn't put much thought into his answer, "Yeah, I love you, too, Isabella, now move it!" Not waiting for a reply, he jumped up, skipping a few rungs and starting to ascend. Hopefully, she'd get the hint.
Unfortunately his declaration had left her froze. "He loves me..."
Phineas reached the top just as her scream of horror rang out. He looked back before briefly closing his eyes in pain at the loss. "It's temporary." He forced himself to keep moving.
He'd have her, and Ferb, and Candace, and Mom, and Dad, and everybody else back soon enough. He just had to do this first.
Attaching the clamp went fine. A hand reached for him while he was trying to press the button, he ducked, feeling the fingers brush through his hair. He cringed away as the water shot out of the vortex sprayer, drenching him and everything and everyone else. Well, everything outside? They hadn't actually accounted for any zombies inside or under covering or otherwise somewhere the water could get them, did they? He filed it away as step two.
Isabella climbed up the ladder.
"Isabella!" He grinned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a little foggy?" She gestured a bit at the sprayer. "I remember building the vortex sprayer, but after that, I've got no clue."
"Well, you--" Froze up? He couldn't tell her that. "You got touched. Trying to climb up the ladder. You were behind me. In a completely normal way. Climbing." He should shut up now. But that wasn't too big of a lie. Should he mention the whole 'like-like' conversation? Maybe not, clearly hearing that he loved her had been too much. He couldn't have her freezing up again when there were still things to be done. "I, uh, managed to activate it. It looks like it worked."
"Yes. Everyone seems to be noticeably lab coat free."
Phineas froze. "Ferb!" He hadn't even seen him climb up. He launched himself at his brother, knocking him back a step. "You have no idea how much you scared me!"
He could feel the apology in the arms that wrapped around him in return. Separating, Phineas schooled the glee from his expression. "We still have work to do. What about the zombies the water didn't reach? And the world outside the Tri-State area? Well, I mean, Seattle's probably fine."
Ferb put a hand on his shoulder as Isabella came to stand with them.
Looking towards DEI, he could see Candace and Vanessa, talking. Looking out over Danville, he could just make out Buford and Baljeet in the crowd. As much as he hated to think it, the nakedness kind of helped.
It wasn't over, not by a long shot, but they were together again and more prepared than before.
They'd beat this.