Bully For You
It was an odd feeling, Buford decided, being in on a secret that no one else wanted to recognize.
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Eccentric CEO of "Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated." Secret ruler of the Tri-State area.
No one really wanted to acknowledge that last bit, but Buford had met the man before he was famous. He knew his goals and talk of 'Evil' weren't just marketing. Even Candace, as wonderful as she was, only wanted to take Doofenshmirtz down because she assumed he was the 'Mysterious Force' she was all worked up about. She didn't really understand the level of authority she was resisting.
And Dr. Doofenshmirtz was definitely in a position of authority, legally or not. Buford knew his haphazard style, his manic need for acknowledgement. His signature was writ large across Danville in its very atmosphere and architecture; sometimes literally.
The man certainly wasn't actually Evil, not even with a little 'e,' much less the capital 'E' he insisted on; Buford knew that much. No one truly evil would give out free meals and help rebuild the city out of his own pocket money, even if he was the one who destroyed it with giant raining meatballs. But that didn't make him a good person either.
Doofenshmirtz was... flawed. Buford's blood called for him to resist him as an authority, but his heart, which pumped that blood saw Doctor D. as a kindred spirit struggling against a world that didn't appreciate him.
Idly, Buford wondered if Doctor D. remembered him. They'd spent most of a day together discussing their world views while trying to turn Mount Danville into a statue of the 'evil' scientist back before he achieved his goals. One line still stuck in his brain "Oh you're not gonna need friends! You're gonna be on top of the heap! It's lonely at the top; but you know? It's the top, so it dulls the ache."
Buford didn't regret his choice. Not that he'd ever be caught admitting it, but there was more to life than power. Poetry, art... friendship; if he had to give them up for power, well that just wasn't a trade that Buford was willing to make. Power didn't make him happy. It couldn't. Rebellion wasn't about gaining power over others, it was about stopping others from controlling you.
There really wasn't anyone that Buford could talk to about his musings. Well, there was Brigitte. He still wrote her occasionally, but there were some things you didn't want to commit to paper and Brigitte was halfway across the world in France.
It was sort of a shame that Candace's rebellion was crushed. She was definitely the sort of person who would believe him about Doctor D, but Buford didn't think her mom was going to let her out of the house until she was eighteen at least.
Every so often Buford thought about calling Doofenshmirtz. He still had the man's number in his phone from when he had worked for him. It had only been three years, he would probably remember him, right? On the other hand, it had been three years, and calling out of the blue seemed... Buford didn't quite feel right about it, though he wasn't sure why.
Maybe not calling was in itself his own form of rebellion. His mom had found out about Phineas and Ferb's summer internships and had been making noises about improving his college resume; as if all the extra-curricular activities he already took weren't enough. It was already hard to keep up with practicing six separate instruments, not to mention his Latin classes. He just didn't have time to do that
and an internship. If he called, he'd probably have to ask if Doctor D had space for another intern, and he really didn't have much to offer. Phineas and Ferb were the science experts. There really wasn't much use for the humanities in a mad science organization. By not calling Buford didn't have to acknowledge the reality of the connection. Right now his mom just thought he was friends with a pair of interns. if she knew he'd interned himself for a day before quitting to save his friends... She'd probably be okay with that reasoning? But she'd definitely want to see if he could mend those bridges.
Buford didn't want things to change, but it wasn't really his control, was it? He hadn't really had a chance to hang out with Phineas and Ferb over the past few summers, but hanging out with Isabella and Baljeet wasn't too bad of a consolation prize. He missed the chance to see his friends and he was certainly seeing Candace much less, but he'd been able to get his poetry published under a pseudonym. Change was coming to Danville whether he wanted it to or not. Buford could feel it in the air.
Buford took out his phone and stared at the number that Doctor D. had programmed in. His fingers cycled between the buttons to call and the button to delete.
Buford sighed and placed the phone back in his pocket. Three years on and he still couldn't decide.
Change was coming to Danville, but change was always coming to Danville. There was no point rushing into things now. He had a few more years left to go until he really needed to think about getting a job; the number would be there later.
Buford smiled and lay back, staring up at the sky. Doofenshmirtz was probably right about it being lonely at the top. Buford didn't need to make a decision now. He could still enjoy spending time with his friends. In the future that might change, but the wonderful thing about the future was that no one really truly knew what might be in store.
Buford still had time and he still had options. There was no sense in not making use of both.
The End