#nothing aches like a bjorkan heart

[jere-me--oh-my]

Ok, now this was the tough bit. See, it had been on the tip of his tongue. Are you okay?

But then Jeremy remembered that it was a stupid question - Phineas wasn't ok. Ed had moved home, and nobody knew when they might be allowed to visit or Ed come back to Swynlake. It was still not that long since Phineas and Fawn had broken up. And now Pip had left Build-A-Brand, according to all the gossip, leaving Phineas with a master's degree to do, a business to run and seriously short some best friends.

No, of course he wasn't ok. Any glance at him told you that. Jeremy picked up a spatula and twirled it in his hands.

Would he be okay? Well, yeah! Sure, eventually Phineas would be ok again. He'd find his spark and get a new project and find a way to stay in touch with Ed and he and Pip would patch things up. And even if none of that ever happened, he would be ok. Jeremy had seen Phineas pop back up from far worse, you couldn't keep him down forever. So, no, ok, that was not the question.

"Is there anything I can do?" Jeremy asked instead, looking at Phineas with no pretence, as they stood there in a fake kitchen as if it was their home. "I know things are rough, and I'm here."

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

Phineas turned his gaze away from the dish towels he'd been flipping through to look at Jeremy. "Uh, yeah, what's up, man?" he asked. He didn't love the look of concern on Jeremy's face...

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

Jeremy smiled and was about to say something else when he watched the smile die on Phineas' face, and his stomach sank again. "Yeah, yeah, course," he agreed. Well, they were there for a reason, not just to mess around and play around.

Jeremy pushed the trolley as they made their way more silently through the next few rooms, past some kids bedroom designs and a kitchen.

"Phin?" Jeremy started slowly. "Can I ask you something?"

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

Phineas chuckled. Maybe Pip would've gotten a kick out of these. Axel probably wouldn't notice them.

And that thought made Phineas's smile drop again.

"We should probably keep going," he said.

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

"Well I reckon currently I'm the little guy going ooooh," Jeremy mimed the face, glad to see a slight smile on Phineas' face at least. Ah, the magic of ikea! There was always something to take your mind off things when you got lost in the maze.

"I think you could totally have like, a revolving system," he added, before patting the littlest one on the head. "Don't you just love ikea, I mean, like, who comes up with this stuff?" He chuckled.

Well, people like Phineas, really. People who saw creativity everywhere and in the most unexpected ways. Maybe not so much right now, but he'd get back to it.

"It'd be like, oh, welcome to my office, today I am feeling middle statue, you have been warned."

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

Honestly, Phineas didn't even see himself hosting many parties without Ed. So he probably didn't have to worry about people trashing his rugs, anyway. It wasn't really a silver lining, but it was something.

"Yo," Phineas said, picking one up and examining it. He couldn't help smiling a little. "Maybe you can, like, pick one to show your mood for the day."

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

"Yeah," Jeremy agreed. That was Uni alright. Sometimes this year though ... sometimes he got those stabbing reminders that it wasn't always going to be that way; that some day (and some day rapidly racing towards him) he was going to graduate and have to decide what comes next.

But Y I K E S he was not dealing with that here, come on, he was trying to lighten the mood!

"I mean, it's only less practical if you like, regularly do stuff that'll mess it up, right? If it's just there to be comfy and cosy then why not?" He agreed. "The question is: how fluffy are we talking? Like a full-on fake sheepskin situation? Or just a nice deep pile-" He got distracted as they wandered into the next fake room - a little living room situation. "Wait side-bar," Jeremy paused. "Who are these adorable little dudes they're so cute, what the hell."

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

"Yeah, I guess that's just... being in uni," Phineas said with a shrug.

It occurred to him, at that point, how monotone and unenthusiastic he sounded. He sounded... negative. Gloomy. And Jeremy was trying to cheer him up, get him to talk and use his imagination, and Phineas was just brick-walling him.

Phineas didn't want to be that guy. What was going on with him?

"Maybe I should get that fluffy rug after all," Phineas said, standing up a little straighter. "I mean, it's less practical, but who cares about being practical?"

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

"Fair," Jeremy nodded. "I guess I know what I don't like?" He shrugged. "Like, you know when people take a room and make everything white or grey? Don't like that," he explained. "I like a bit more character, and colour and stuff, but I dunno if there's anything in particular. Like this looks nice and all, but I can't ever imagine myself owning a house that looks like that," he shrugged.

Maybe something lighter and a bit more modern than that, but not ultra modern and sleek.

"I guess for now my policy is whatever bits and bobs I can afford, you know?" He added with a grin. God knew he'd probably be living in shared flats for whatever came next in life.

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

"Yeah, maybe," Phineas said. "Looks kind of stuffy to me."

Pip would probably like it he thought. With a few flickering gothic candelabras and dramatic flower arrangements...

"I'd probably just do what I'm doing now. Random shit I like. Eclectic, I guess. I'm not much of a design guy," he said, checking a price tag on a nearby rug. Way too much. "What about you?"

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

[Outfit]

What could be better than an Ikea trip!?????

An Ikea trip in which Phineas hadn't been having loads of messages from Axel flash up while they drove over there, and clearly had something on his mind because he definitely wasn't feeling quite himself? One in which the mention of the Boiling Isles on the news hadn't obviously hurt? Probably? Still, Jeremy was a firm believer in the restorative powers of home design, strange sounding Scandinavian names, a top secret patented meatball recipe (and if it all went too horribly, a hug with Djungelskog).

So when they finally pulled up in the gigantic parking lot, he gave Jolene a grateful pat on the roof. "Thanks Jolene!" He smiled, as he stretched himself a little. "Come on, we should grab a basket or a trolley at least, right?" Phineas needed some stuff for his room again, and if they were going to manage it, it made sense to be prepared.

"So, what do you reckon," he added, eying a trolley. "I feel like this mighty steed looks like a Trevor to me."

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

"I mean, I guess some people think it's trendy?" Jeremy shrugged as he pushed their trolley through. Maybe with lots of bright coloured accents, and lamps, or some cool neon wall lights or something, then it might look cool, but to him it felt very dark. "I'm not going to pretend I'm a design interior master or something, but it's not my cuppa tea, I'll tell you that!"

They went on to the next little display, a much more Victorian looking room, all rich warm tones and things designed to look slightly old-fashioned.

"What sort of style do you reckon you'd go for, if you had your own house?" Jere asked, absent-mindedly. "This is giving like, old-money millionaire to me-"

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

Phineas nodded. He'd never been in a relationship long enough to even start thinking about moving in together. Plus, he had a roommate, and he liked living with him—

Well, not anymore. But he didn't have a partner, either.

"Yeah, why would they even put this on display, honestly?" Phineas said, finding it easy for once to join in on the complaining. "I hate this shit. People trying to act all chic when they're just being depressing."

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

The fluffy ones, eh? He wouldn't have pegged Phineas for a fluffy rug man, but they were pretty cosy between the toes. But ok, that was good, helped him know what to look for as they crossed the entrance area and got a faint smell of meatballs from the cafe, and headed towards the maze of tiny little showrooms.

"I didn't know he had two? I knew about Frodo, but I guess I never really got to know him that well-" There had been the lingering... Pip of it all, when Tad moved back and then they just hadn't really overlapped too closely. "That must be tough, I mean, there's a reason living with partners is a risk I guess. Yo, what do you think of this room?" He asked, seizing upon the opportunity to change the topic. "All black walls? It's kinda gloomy, right?"

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[oh-phineas]

"I like the fluffy ones. But they're so hard to keep clean, like, you gotta vacuum 'em, but then all the strings and stuff get stuck, and it's such a hassle," Phineas said. This was true, but he didn't normally care much about such things.

Phineas wandered into the Ikea Labyrinth, deep in thought. "Anyway, uh, yeah. I think they did. Tad and Hiro. I ran into Tad the other day, he was moving his guinea pigs out. Didn't know he had two of those, by the way."

@jere-me--oh-my

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy

[jere-me--oh-my]

"Oh a rug sounds like a vibe," Jeremy nodded. Yeah, he saw the way that smile was a pretty pale imitation of genuinely happy Phineas, but ... what could he say? Better to do something and take his mind off it all, right?

"I heard Tad and Hiro broke up, right? Is that why he's moving into dorms?" Sheesh. Rough few months for everyone.

"You think you'd go for a like... bright colourful patterny one? Or are you a guy who secretly wants a big fluffy rug?" They went up the escalator thing, and then well, the labyrinth awaited!

@oh-phineas

Nothing Aches Like A BJÖRKÅN Heart - Phinemy