His First Friend

I don't own Phineas and Ferb. Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh do.

…

Francis Monogram stood in front of the crowd of agents. All of which, were animals. Ranging from antelopes to zebras. Each one of them were beginning to train to become true agents. If they were to pass their training, they would each receive a fedora- which made them recognized as an agent of O.W.C.A- and several gadgets; like whistles to attract other animals and grappling guns and all sorts. The animals from A to H had already had their training, and now it was the I to P group's turn. Several cadets from A to H had passed, and were waiting to obtain their hats and badges. Monogram smiled at them all. "Ok. Group I to P, step forward."

The animals did so.

"Ok, team. Today-" Monogram started, but was interrupted.

"Uh, sir." Carl muttered.

"What is it, Carl?"

"That one didn't step forward." Carl pointed.

Monogram frowned and looked over.

Standing there, on all fours, was a small, teal…beaver? It certainly had the beaver tail. Its large, brown eyes looked in different directions. It just stood there, doing nothing.

"Obviously, Carl. Beavers don't belong in Group I to P." Monogram said as though it were obvious. "This is the reason you're not an unpaid intern yet."

"Uh…That's not a beaver, sir. That's a platypus."

"A what?"

"A platypus, sir. A semi-aquatic mammal that is able to lay eggs."

"Oh…Cadet! Why didn't you step forward?" Monogram called to the little platypus.

The platypus did nothing. It opened its little mouth and Monogram waited. Could this one talk? Sweet!

But what came out of the platypus' mouth was not of the English language. It was a little chatter.

Monogram paused and stared at it. "Wow…That was cute…"

Carl fanned himself, as though he were to pass out from the mammal's cuteness.

Monogram placed his hands on his hips. "Oh, I get it. Trying to use your weird cuteness to get outta trouble, huh?"

The platypus did nothing.

"Well, get in line, mister." Monogram paused, then leaned over to Carl. "The platypus is a guy, right?"

"Yes, sir. We checked."

Monogram gave Carl an odd look, before turning back to the platypus. "Ok, platypus. Get in line."

The platypus, again, did nothing.

Monogram frowned. "Carl." He muttered.

Carl walked forward and picked up the platypus then placed him in line with the rest of Group I to P.

"Right." Monogram said. "Now, on with your test. Carl, show them the obstacle coarse."

Carl ran over to a rope and pulled. The red curtains behind them drew apart, revealing the set of obstacles. The pit of mud, the jungle gym, the rock-climbing wall. The animals stared in awe, all except the platypus.

"Ok, team. We'll see how long it takes you to get through the coarse. We'll then decide if you can be an agent." Monogram explained. Carl pulled out a stopwatch. "Ok, go!"

The animals raced forward, beginning to climb. Monogram smiled proudly.

"Uh…Sir?"

Monogram turned. Carl was pointing off somewhere. He followed Carl's point and, immediately, his eyes widened.

The platypus was still there. In fact, the monotreme had taken to laying down, nibbling gently on one of its webbed paws. Monogram blinked. What on earth was it doing? "Platypus! What're you doing?"

The platypus paused and looked up at the man. Its eyes seemed to focus as it looked up.

"Go." Monogram said as sternly as he could, pointing to the obstacle coarse. It was difficult being stern when the monotreme looked up at him with those big, innocent eyes.

The platypus chattered again.

Carl glanced worriedly at Monogram. "Go." Monogram repeated. The platypus chattered. Even Carl realized that the platypus was not actually replying to Monogram; just chattering for the heck of chattering.

Monogram slapped his own forehead with his hand. What was wrong with this little one? Monogram couldn't see any sort of ears on the little thing. Maybe it was deaf. Monogram watched the platypus. The two made eye contact, and proceeded to have some sort of staring contest. Finally, Monogram gave in. He turned away from the platypus, watching as the kangaroo jumped over the climbing wall with ease. Monogram smiled. He paused when he felt something on his leg. He looked down and his heart stopped at what he saw.

The platypus rubbed against his leg, like a cat would, its eyes shut. Its action was almost affectionate and apologetic. For a second, Monogram wanted to forgive the cadet for failing to understand his 'mission'. But his sternness returned and he frowned, and gently moved the platypus away with his foot. "No." He said, pointing a scolding finger at the mammal.

The platypus seemed to sadden, knowing it was being told off, and sat down beside Monogram; its head bowed in shame. Monogram didn't look at the monotreme for the rest of the morning.

…

That evening, Monogram sat at his desk in the headquarters. He typed away at his computer. Each of the cadets files were on there. Their species, their agent name, the name their owners had given them; everything. Monogram filled them in. All but one had passed. The platypus.

Monogram paused once he reached the empty file of the platypus. No agent name. No cover name. Nothing. There were only two filled in.

Species: Platypus.

Test result: Failed.

Monogram's brow creased. He thought back to when the platypus rubbed against his leg. It was trying to apologize. Or was it? It was trying to tell him something. Monogram's heart softened. The poor little thing was probably nervous. That must've been it. After all, it was only a baby (as far as he knew, it was). But it was young, it just didn't understand. Monogram sighed, then stood. "Carl!" He called. "Get the platypus in here!"

…

The next thing Francis knew, he was standing in front of the obstacle coarse. Carl stood next to him, stopwatch tied on a string around his neck. The platypus sat on the other side of him; staring at the mess of obstacles. "All right, platypus. We're gonna give you another chance." Monogram explained. "All ya have to do is get through the coarse as quick as you can."

The platypus blinked. Its eyes were focused on the coarse.

"Ok, go." Monogram said, looking down at the little platypus, and Carl pressed the button to start the watch. They waited.

The platypus still sat there.

"C'mon, cadet!" Monogram exclaimed. "You're wasting your time!"

The platypus didn't do anything. It stood.

Monogram smiled in hope. He knew it would do something soon. It just needed some encouragement.

The platypus lifted one paw and Monogram held in a breath, clenching his fists and grinning in anticipation…

And the platypus began to lick its paw.

The grin dropped from Monogram's face. It was grooming itself!

Carl looked to Monogram for answers. Monogram stared at the platypus as it continued to lick itself. Carl knew Monogram was getting impatient, so he leapt over to the platypus. "C'mon, little guy!" He knelt down and pushed the platypus from behind. "Go! Go on! Don't be shy!" Almost giving up, Carl picked up the platypus. "Here, we'll give you a head start!" He placed the platypus on top of the wall. "Go! Leap down!"

But the platypus stayed up there.

Monogram huffed and walked over to a different part of the coarse, gesturing for Carl and the platypus to follow. Carl took the platypus down and followed Monogram. "Ok," Francis began as they neared. "This is simplest part of the coarse. Alright, cadet…" He gestured to it. "Jump through the hoop!"

Carl placed the platypus down. The monotreme stared.

"Go." Monogram said, thrusting his hands to the hoop again.

The mammal stared.

Monogram sighed. That was it. He hunched forward. "I give up. Carl, take him back to his chamber. We'll let him go tomorrow." Monogram began walking toward the exit. Perhaps the platypus just wasn't cut out for the agency. Too bad, too. For some reason, he would miss the little guy. That little chattering noise was pretty cute.

"Sir, look!"

Monogram turned his head, and his mouth dropped open.

The platypus jumped through the hoop, then turned and jumped through again. Monogram turned completely and watched as the platypus grew bored of the plastic hoop on the stand and ran over to the climbing frame, leaping onto one bar at a time. Once the monotreme was done, he turned back to Monogram and Carl; and saw that both their jaws had practically hit the floor.

"That…was…wonderful!" Monogram exclaimed. He turned to Carl, frowning. "Carl! Why weren't you timing him?"

"Sorry, sir!" Carl quickly reset the timer.

Monogram jogged back to the start of the coarse. He turned, and saw the platypus staring at him; somewhat in confusion. Monogram patted his leg, and the platypus bounded over like an obedient dog. He sat next to Monogram. "Alright, little guy." Francis smiled. "Go!"

The platypus sped off, jumping up the wall and leaping down, then going through the climbing frame and thought the hoop, then to the rest of the coarse. Francis felt proud. The platypus reached the end and Carl stopped the stopwatch. Carl's glasses almost fell off of his face as he gazed at the time. "One minute, six seconds? That's the best time yet!"

Monogram raced over and checked to see if Carl was lying. He stared, then smiled proudly and turned to the monotreme. "Well done! See, Carl, I told you he'd do it."

"No, you-"

"Sh, Carl." Monogram frowned at him then smiled back at the platypus. For a second, he thought the platypus smiled back.

…

Francis sat in his office, in his favourite armchair, reading the newspaper. It was beginning to get late, and he'd already told his wife he wouldn't be home tonight. The man sipped his night's coffee. His lap suddenly felt warm, and he checked if he'd spilt any coffee. No, none done his front. He moved the newspaper and his eyes widened at the sight.

The little platypus from earlier was laying on his lap. Monogram blinked as it stood on all fours again and gently clawed at the man's left leg, trying to get it comfy, before laying back down; curling up and shutting its brown eyes. "Hey, little guy…How did you get in here?"

The platypus opened its eyes and raised its head, looking at him. Its eyes held annoyance in their big, brown orbs.

Monogram gave in. "Fine. You can sleep there."

The platypus held a look of thanks as it settled back down. Monogram raised both sides of his unibrow. This one was an odd one. It was just so…calm. It didn't even ask, just did. Monogram thought. He'd have to teach the monotreme manners. Then, perhaps he'd teach the little guy how to be more expressive; just so Francis knew what the little guy was actually doing. Monogram chuckled. The image of himself and this platypus, drinking tea together, came into his mind. Yeah, right. Like a platypus could do that.

After, he was a platypus. They didn't do much.

…

Slowly, his eyes opened. He must've fallen asleep, he noticed. The sun was shining outside. The next thing, he noticed, was that there was no longer a weight- or any warmth, for that matter- on his lap. He glanced down, and noticed no such monotreme laying there. Monogram looked around. Where was he? "Little guy…Where'd ya go?" He stood and knelt down, checking under the armchair. Nope. No platypus. He got up. "Little platypus…! Where are you…?" He called in a sort of sing-song voice. He turned around when he heard a chatter. "Ah, there you ar-" He paused at what he saw. No way…

The platypus wobbled but…he was standing. On his hind legs! Like a…Like a…person. The platypus stared at Monogram and looked as though he wanted to lift his leg but, as he tried, he fell onto his belly. Monogram tried to do something, but his legs wouldn't move. The platypus was trying to…walk. He'd seen Monogram walk and wanted to try it. He was…trying to be like him. The platypus was trying to be like him. Monogram finally found his feet and stepped closer to the monotreme. "So," He began as the teal mammal stared at him. "You wanna learn to walk, huh?"

The platypus blinked, its eyes focused on the man. Slowly…did it nod?

Monogram smiled.

…

Carl carried the stack of paper towards Monogram's office. The man had requested the paper, saying the urge to doodle and draw had become great. But Carl had more then just paper to give him. News, as well. Bad news. The platypus was gone. Monogram would be so upset. He was starting to like that little monotreme, Carl noticed, and would probably never make Carl the unpaid intern if it vanished. As Carl neared the office door, he paused at what he heard.

"C'mon, come to Monogram!" He heard someone say happily from inside.

Carl slowly pressed his ear to the door.

"C'mon, lil' guy, come to me."

Slowly, Carl opened the door and peeked inside the gap. His mouth opened with a drop of his jaw.

Monogram was knelt on the ground, holding out his arms. The platypus was there, standing and slowly moving toward the man. Monogram was grinning proudly as the monotreme wobbled; yet moved forward. The platypus' front legs (or…arms?) were spread out at its sides; trying to balance itself. Finally, with another tiny step, it made it to Monogram; who took the little one in his arms. "Well done, lil' guy! Well done!" Monogram's eyes drifted to Carl. He paused. "What? Never seen a guy teach a semi-aquatic mammal how to walk before?"

Slowly, Carl shook his head.

Monogram paused. He frowned. "What're you doing here, Carl?"

"You, uh, wanted some paper, sir?"

"Put it on the desk."

Carl walked over to it and looked for a clear spot. "Here, sir?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever." Monogram said, turning so that his back faced the younger boy, placing the little platypus on the ground.

The platypus looked over Monogram's shoulder as the man stood up, picking up the monotreme. "Oh, don't worry about him." Monogram said, seeing the look on the mammal's face. "Now, let's try it again. This time, try to put your arms down at your sides. Ok?"

The platypus stared.

"I'll take that as a yes." Monogram smiled at the monotreme. "This gives me an idea…"

…

"And this is what I want you to learn." Monogram announced to the crowd of animals before him. He'd gathered them together, trying to get them to learn the same trick the platypus had learned. He turned to the teal monotreme, who stared out at the animals nervously. "Ok, lil' guy." He gently nudged its back. "Off ya go."

The platypus just stood there on all fours, staring at the other animals. They stared back. All of their eyes were fixed upon the little monotreme. The platypus visibly gulped and looked to Monogram for guidance. The man simply nodded. The platypus held back his fear, then gently pushed himself up with his front legs. He stood, wobbling slightly, on his hind legs. He spread out his front legs, balancing himself. Then he remembered. Monogram didn't want him to do that. The platypus looked to Monogram for guidance again, then lifted one foot slowly, then plopped it down in front of him. He did the same with the other, beginning to walk. Monogram's smile widened. The platypus began to walk, slowly and carefully. The monotreme turned to Monogram, but not for guidance. He turned his body and began doing the same steps. Monogram was confused. Did the platypus lose its confidence? What was it doing? Then he realized what the platypus had in mind. Monogram knelt down and held out his arms. The platypus wanted him to hold him again, like before. Monogram hugged the platypus gently as it reached him; holding onto his leg. Some of the more human members of the agency (like the bodyguards) let out a group "Aww!" while animals held out tissues to one another. Monogram raised his head and turned to them all. "Alright, nothing to see here. That's what you have to learn by the end of this week."

When the animals' eyes widened, Monogram frowned. "Well, he learned it in a couple of hours. Dismissed."

The animals dispersed, going to their bed chambers. The platypus went to follow.

"No, not you." Monogram said. The platypus turned and looked at him. "C'mon." He picked up the platypus. Its teal fur was soft, Monogram noticed. "You're coming with me."

…

"See this?"

The platypus turned its head, looking at the weird, square thing the man was gesturing to. "This is a computer. You'll learn how to use this one day." The platypus sat beside the monitor, Monogram sitting in his chair. The man's fingers danced over the keys, ecstatic about updating the platypus' profile.

Agent name:

Cover name:

Species: Platypus

Test result: Passed (with flying colours)

Nemesis:

Monogram paused at this. One day, this little guy would have his own nemesis. Someone he'd have to thwart everyday. Monogram's heart seemed to ache at this. He glanced at the platypus, who was too busy nibbling on one of its webbed feet to notice. Monogram stroked the platypus' fur, getting a soft chatter in return. He turned back to the profile on the screen.

Personality: calm, QUIet

Woah. Hang on. How did that happen? Maybe it was a glitch on the computer. He tried again on the next line.

Number of Test tries: TWO

Again. Monogram was confused. He took his hands away from the keyboard, but the clicking of the keys still went on. Monogram looked over the keys.

And saw a teal…finger? pressing at the Caps Lock key continuously.

Monogram looked to the platypus, and saw its interest in the particular key. It kept on clicking it, not noticing Monogram's gaze. Finally, the platypus looked up and noticed Monogram staring. It stopped. Monogram smiled. It was already beginning to try typing. Monogram opened up a blank document and typed one word.

Platypus.

He turned the monitor and showed it to the platypus. "Platypus." He said. "That's you."

The platypus tilted its head and chattered.

Monogram turned back to the machine and typed in another word, his fingers racing over the lettered buttons. He turned the monitor again.

Monogram.

"Who's that?" Monogram asked, pointing to the word.

The platypus stared at the word for some time, making sense of all the letters. He turned to Monogram and went back on all fours, walking over to the man and nudging his arm with its forehead.

Monogram ruffled the fur on its head. "Good."

…

Today was the day.

Major Francis Monogram watched as people brought in boxes of fedoras. Today was the day he'd give these hats to the new agents. Soon, he would call them in and reward them for all their work. Especially that little platypus. He could admit, that small monotreme had grown on him. He had a lot of expectations for that little guy, and he was sure the monotreme would not fail him. It'd taken a while for the platypus' 'agent self' to kick in, but they'd managed. It was even better that it had learned how to walk and had even began learning to type on a computer. Needless to say, its spelling was a bit off and sometimes it would try to type as fast as Monogram and miss out a letter or word; its thoughts getting ahead of its fingers. It'd even learned to be more 'expressive', shrugging its shoulders to answer certain questions and nodding or shaking its head.

The double doors at the end of the room opened and the animals cadets filed in. They settled into two rows.

"Now," Monogram began. "You all know why you're all here. When I read your new, agent name off the list, I'd like ya to step up to receive your hat and badge. Agent A."

Monogram didn't really feel anything as he handed the badges and hats to the animals. That is, until he got to the letter he knew he was dreading ever so slightly. "Agent P."

The animals were nudged as someone smaller then them tried to get through the crowd. Finally, the platypus stumbled out from the crowd. He looked up at Monogram and walked- still wobbling a tad- closer to him. He brought his hand up and saluted.

Monogram smiled and turned to Carl, who held out a badge on a piece of cloth. Monogram took the badge and knelt down, showing it to the little one before gently pinning it to its fur; right over its heart. The platypus watched as Monogram stood back up and took the hat from Carl. Monogram knelt back down.

The man had never felt more proud. Major Francis Monogram gently placed the brown fedora on the platypus' head. "Agent P," He said. He stood and saluted to the monotreme. "Welcome to the agency."

The platypus smiled and saluted to him. And paused as the fedora flopped forward, over its eyes. It lifted the brim off of one of its eyes and stared up at Monogram questionably.

"Yeah…" Monogram began, dragging out the word. "We couldn't find one your size, so we had to use that one. But I'm sure you'll grow into it."

The platypus smiled again. Everyone watched as the platypus jogged as fast as it could over to Monogram and hugged his leg. Monogram paused, then smiled gently and knelt down, hugging the platypus as the monotreme swapped from hugging the man's leg to hugging his shoulders. Monogram set the platypus back down and placed a hand on top of the platypus' head, trying to ruffle its fur; but its hat was in the way.

Monogram continued to read out the agent names, continuously glancing at Agent P, who stood on the sidelines with the other agents.

Monogram had never felt more proud of one of their agents.

…

And he'd never felt so sad when he saw the triangle-headed boy with his family, carrying Agent P away in a pet carrier.

He'd put on a happy and brave façade, not wanting to spoil Agent P's moment. He was finally getting a family. Hopefully, this family would treat him right. The two young boys, Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, seemed nice and caring enough. They'd been 'checking' (spying was a bit of a strong word) on the family for quite some time. And when they heard Phineas say, "Mom, can we get a pet? A really cool one!", they knew who they would send to be their pet.

Monogram couldn't help but feel a little sad. The feeling he had in his gut told him something- he'd done his job. He'd done what they needed him to do. Teach the little monotreme until he could be a real, crime-fighting agent. Like a parent, having to raise their child until they can stand on their own two legs and make a living for themselves. Monogram had secretly dreaded this day.

The day Agent P stood on his own two legs.

…

The elevator in the O.W.C.A headquarters came down and Agent P got off at his floor. Monogram had contacted him through the communication watch he'd been given, saying that he had some important news. What it could be, Agent P didn't know. The platypus looked around until he saw the man he'd been sent to see.

Agent P had matured quickly. He now walked on his hind legs without a stumble or wobble. His hat now correctly fit his head. He was no longer small and- dare he admit it- a little chubby. Now he was tall (for a platypus) and slender; having gone on a diet once he had moved in with the Flynn-Fletcher family.

"Good morning, Agent P." Major Francis Monogram greeted. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Agent P nodded.

"Just the perfect day for your first mission."

Agent P's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected this day to come so soon.

"Don't worry, Agent P. This one's simple, perfect for someone with your calibre. We need you to spy on someone. His name is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and, if all goes well, he'll be your new nemesis."

Agent P's jaw fell another centimetre. When he was little, he had always dreamed of having his own nemesis; someone he'd have to fight everyday to protect the Tri-State Area. Naturally, he felt excited (albeit, a bit shocked) when he heard he'd get his own nemesis. A smile was born upon Agent P's face.

Monogram smiled back. "I knew you'd be excited. Anyway, Doofenshmirtz lives at a building called Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. You can't miss it."

Agent P nodded.

Monogram saluted. "Good luck, Agent P."

Agent P saluted in return, then bounded over to his hovercraft. Monogram watched him go. "There he goes, Carl." He said to the younger boy as Carl entered the room. "My little platypus is growing up…"

"…Are you crying, sir?"

"Sweating through my eyes."

…

Agent P made sure that his tail didn't poke out from behind the mailbox. He'd checked at the building, Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc., and found that no one was home. He'd found a small book, a day planner of some sort, and had figured out that Heinz had gone to the photo store to get his picture taken. Agent P waited, feeling the adrenaline spread throughout his body. He was finally going on his first mission. At last. He'd waited for this day and would welcome it was open arms. He heard the door shut and looked out from behind the mailbox.

Heinz Doofenshmirtz walked down the street, admiring the photo taken of him in front of a sunset background. Agent P looked out. Heinz paused and looked around, and Agent P quickly hid. Heinz blinked and turned back around, and Agent P poked his head out from behind the mailbox again. Heinz shrugged and walked down the street, and Agent P followed him, ducking behind fire hydrants and mailboxes whenever Heinz looked in his direction.

Suddenly, Heinz began to quicken his pace. So did Agent P. Heinz turned a corner, into an alley. Agent P stopped in front of the alley, unaware that Heinz had turned that corner.

With alarming speed, Agent P was lifted off his feet. Heinz held Agent P by his tail. "Aha! I thought someone was following me. But it was just a cute, little…beaver? wearing a cute little hat." Heinz said, his tone becoming softer by the end. He took off Agent P's hat and placed it on his own head. "Ha! Ha! Look at me, I'm-"

He didn't get to finish, as Agent P had managed to kick him in face; taking his hat back. That hat was special to him, not only because it made him recognizable as an agent, but because Major Monogram had given it to him. Awhile back, the people at the agency had found a hat that would fit him and tried to take his current hat back, but he wouldn't let them; running away and batting their hands back when they made grabs for the fedora. He wouldn't give up his precious hat.

"Hey!" Heinz exclaimed, rubbing his nose. "That was kinda rude, you know. Now, who are you? Why were you following me? And why am I talking to some weird beaver?"

Agent P reached into his hat and pulled out a card, then handed it to Heinz. Heinz read it.

Hello. My name is Perry the Platypus. I'm your new nemesis.

"My nemesis?" Heinz asked, though he didn't sound confused. In fact, he sounded as though he couldn't believe it was happening. Agent P, Perry the Platypus, nodded. Heinz pumped his fist. "Yes! Ha! Take that, Rodney! I have a nemesis!" He held out a hand to Agent P. "Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Nice to meet ya! It'll be fun to defeat you."

Realizing this came across as a compliment, Agent P shook his hand and tipped his hat. Likewise, Dr. D.

…

This was the first time in a few years that Perry had been sent to Major Monogram. He took the elevator, like he usually did, and waited. Usually, when he got sent to Major Monogram, it would be to congratulate him on a very important meeting; like getting the footage of him entering his lair back from Candace Flynn, sister to Phineas Flynn and step-sister to Ferb Fletcher. Perry adjusted his hat as the elevator doors opened. He entered the room. It was dark, so he couldn't see and waited for his brown eyes to adjust to the dark place. He looked around.

"Take a seat, Agent P."

Perry jumped at the voice, which he recognized as his boss'. A light flicked on, an armchair revealed in the light. Perry walked over to it, then climbed onto the chair. He waited.

"And now, Agent P, you're gonna have to answer a difficult question."

Perry began to sweat. What difficult question? Was it something to do with Phineas and Ferb?

"…Cake or cookies?"

Perry blinked as all the lights came on. A small table was placed in front of him, a tray of small cakes and cookies and little cups with a teapot on top. Major Francis Monogram laughed as he walked over to Perry. "Oh, man, Agent P. You should've seen your face." He wiped a tear away from his eye. "Woo. Classic."

Perry frowned. His boss was so immature these days.

"Ah, don't look at me like that, Agent P. Just a little joke." Monogram sat down in the other armchair; opposite to Perry. "No, but seriously, Agent P. Cake or cookies?"

Perry looked over the tray, then pointed to the bowl of cookies.

"Ah," Monogram said, reaching over and taking a cookie form the bowl; handing it to Perry. "Good choice. Carl made the cake a little dry today, so the cookie was a good choice. Just what I'd expect from good ol' Agent P."

Perry smiled lightly and took a bite from the cookie. He munched on it as Monogram poured some tea into the two cups. "Sugar?"

Perry nodded and Monogram added two cubes of sugar. He handed the cup to Perry, who put his cookie down on his lap and took the cup and saucer in both hands. He took a sip, keeping his eyes on Monogram as he made his own cup of tea. What was his boss planning? Was this some sort of training? To test his instincts and reactions?

"Remember when we used to do this, Agent P? Sit here and drink tea?" Monogram asked. "When you were little?"

Perry searched his memory. He narrowed his eyes in concentration. Yes. Now he recalled. When he was still just a cadet here, Major Monogram would call him in to have tea and cookies; teaching little Agent P about manners and reactions to certain questions. Perry remembered that he used to enjoy these moments. When he wasn't learning how to draw and write, sitting down and drinking tea with his boss was his favourite thing to do. Sometimes, it wasn't a lesson. Sometimes Perry would just have to tug on Monogram's trouser leg and the man would give in and allow the baby platypus to have a little 'tea session'. Perry nodded to Monogram.

"See? Good times don't get forgotten, Agent P." Monogram smiled at the monotreme. "Ya know, Agent P, I remember when you were this small." He put his hands close together, symbolizing 'small'. "Still couldn't even focus your eyes properly."

Perry smirked and took another sip.

"You remember? When you were too young to be able to do your agent test?"

Perry blushed in embarrassment beneath his fur. He remembered those days, when he didn't understand English properly; therefore not knowing what he was supposed to do. But he got it, thanks to Monogram.

"And when your hat couldn't fit you properly?"

Perry remembered his training, when he would have to move his hat out of the way when he chased a 'fake nemesis' or ran along an obstacle coarse.

Monogram was in laughter. "And when Carl got his internship?"

Perry wanted to laugh. But he couldn't.

…

Carl stopped outside the office. He knocked and heard Monogram's call for him to go in. He stepped into the room and saw Monogram and the monotreme sitting in two armchairs, a table with tea and cookies on top.

"Ok, little guy. What do you do now?" Monogram asked the platypus.

The platypus looked at the table. It glanced at the cup before lifting it to its bill. The cup slipped and tea splashed onto his lap. The platypus let out a yelp. Monogram shot up. "Oh no! Hang on, little guy, I got ya." He scooped the platypus into his arms and carried him to the sink, splashing cold water on the platypus' legs.

"Uh…Sir-"

"Carl! Not now! Get back to work!"

"Work…Ya mean…I'm hired?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Carl paused, then dropped the document he was holding. He jumped up into the air, pumping his fist. "Yes!" He cheered.

Monogram caught the look on the monotreme's face. "Don't worry about him, little guy. Let's just focus on you, huh?"

…

Monogram laughed, remembering the fact that he hadn't actually listened to Carl, and ended up hiring him. He wasn't laughing at the fact that Perry had gotten slightly burnt that day, just that he hadn't listened. His laughter died down and he looked to Perry. "And now look at ya. The best agent in your field. You've come a long way, Agent P."

Perry nodded.

Major Monogram glanced at the door before turning back to Perry. "Look, Agent P. Don't tell anyone I said this- especially not Carl- but…I'm proud of you."

Perry paused and his jaw dropped lightly. He hadn't expected his own boss to tell him that he was proud of him. Monogram's tone and expression was the same as a proud father's.

"You were only little when you first got into this agency, couldn't even complete an obstacle coarse. But now, you're one of the greatest agents we've ever had."

Perry smiled at Monogram. If anything, Perry had expected another agent to be the best. A more common animal, like a cat or a dog. Not a platypus. Nobody even knew what a platypus was.

Monogram showed him a thumbs up. "Good work, Age-" He paused. "…Perry."

Perry's smile grew. He climbed down from the armchair and did something that he hadn't done since he was little.

Perry the Platypus hugged Major Francis Monogram's shin.

Monogram paused, staring at the little monotreme. He smiled warmly and bent down, picking Perry up and placing him on his lap; another thing the two hadn't done since Perry was little. Perry hadn't sat on Monogram's lap since he was a baby. The two continued their hug, Perry burying his face in Monogram's shirt. He smiled up at him.

"Well done, Perry. Well done." Monogram muttered to him in praise.

Perry the Platypus had always loved Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher; but Major Francis Monogram would always be his first, real owner.

And his first friend.

…

Author's note:

Out of all the kind of relationships in the Phineas and Ferb fandom, Perry and Monogram's has always been one of my favourites. They have more then just a boss-employee relationship. I mean, Monogram talks to Perry and treats him like an equal. He even jokes around with him. He cried when he thought Perry had gone rogue and worried that he was 'too rough' on him. They have a sort of owner-pet relationship, similar to Phineas, Ferb and Perry's relationship. In my opinion, anyway. You may think differently.

Yes. That's how Carl got hired. Monogram was too distracted with Perry to listen to him. Like usual.

My favourite bit is either when Perry gets his hat or the end. I can just imagine a baby Perry moving the hat away from his eyes. So cute!

I hope I did Monogram and Carl justice. I don't actually write about them much. I do, obviously, write about them; but they never had that big of a part.

Hope you guys enjoyed this.