Lost in Danville

Chapter 3

Danville is a beautiful city. Everything functions so well, and its only issues tend to come from LOVE MUFFIN. As such, there isn't much of a homeless population, which leaves Perry completely out of luck. He can't go home — he'd be no better off as a platypus disowned by OWCA and forgotten by his family that he is now — and there's no homeless shelter nearby. The local library's already closed, so he can't google where the nearest one is. The best he has is the location of the grocery store, so he can at least steal a bite to eat if he has to.

What has his life come that Perry, a former OWCA agent dedicated to upholding the law, is now considering stealing food? He can't exactly access the money he's made from working at OWCA after shifting it all to Linda's bank account so she wouldn't notice how much the boys have spent over the summer. He can't even get a job, because legally, he's a platypus. There's nothing for him to do.

Nothing but wait.

~~

Perry is sure the first full day of homelessness is going to be the hardest. He wakes up on a park bench after a very rough few hours of sleep, and by what should be lunch time, the whole street is covered in "Missing Platypus" posters. He doesn't actually see who's putting them up, but he knows it was Phineas and Ferb that organized it. They're worried about him, just like he knew they would be.

Perry spends the day sitting at the park and eating from a stolen bag of pretzels he managed to slip in his pocket without the grocery store employees noticing. It's hard, trying to keep himself together, but he just has to remember that the first day is the hardest.

He just has to get through today.

~~

The second day is the hardest.

Again, he wakes up on a park bench, twice as tired after two nights of restless sleep. Again, he can only eat what he's stolen from the grocery store, twice as hungry after two days of barely eating. Again, he sees the "Missing Platypus" posters, and he knows that Phineas and Ferb must be twice as worried after two nights without him.

But it's worse, because Phineas and Ferb are growing more desperate. They release a TV and radio special begging for him to come home, and they broadcast it all over the city. Perry's never been so glad he couldn't see their faces. Just hearing Phineas's voice almost breaks him as it is.

But he can't go home, so he doesn't.

~~

Day three is the worst. He wakes up on a park bench; he has to steal food; he sees the "Missing Platypus" posters, and the special repeats again. But this time, Phineas and Ferb put up a billboard with a picture of the three of them and asking anyone who sees a stray platypus to call them.

Perry wishes he could call, but he can't.

~~

A week goes by. A full week all alone. He's never been alone before. He's always had someone — Phineas and Ferb, OWCA, and even Doofenshmirtz have always been there for him. He doesn't know what to do anymore.

And then, as if all the gods were conspiring against him, he sees Phineas and Ferb.

Perry ducks his head and presses himself up against the wall, trying to be as invisible as possible. He knows that to them, he's just a random guy standing outside a grocery store. He knows he doesn't have to worry that they'll recognize him. But he can't bear to look at them, knowing that he's the reason they're so worried. He's the reason there's been no talk around town about what they've been up to. He's the reason they've spent every waking moment searching the tri-state area.

But the boys walk up to him anyway.

"Excuse me, sir?" Phineas says.

Perry looks down at him. He's never looked down at him before. He never realized how short this kid is, how young he is. And yet here he is, approaching random strangers loitering outside grocery stores. And, of course, it doesn't help that Ferb is with him. Ferb, who's never shown emotion on his face in his life, looks exhausted. They both do, and it hurts.