Milo didn't think being onstage would be so bright.

He'd been close to a stage before, of course. Not on it, but close. It was the day of John P. Tristate Elementary's third grade play—and despite all the odds, he'd gotten picked as an understudy. Unfortunately, his very presence there had gotten a few of his classmates locked in the changing rooms, requiring him to be called on.

He had been glowing with anticipation—before he stepped on a loose board and fell through the floor, quite literally breaking a leg.

But now, he was finally up here—not for a school play, but for an opera—and for a fleeting second, he was nearly overwhelmed by it all.

The lights were nearly blinding; yellow and white and pale orange in places. How did actors not squint onstage? Milo wasn't sure, but he tried his best not to do it either.

Hundreds and hundreds of people sat in the opera house seating, facing him expectantly. They covered the first floor and the balcony in a brilliant array of colors, a halftone painting where each dot was staring at him with widened, watching eyes.

But there, nearly in the center, Milo caught a glimpse of orange hair—that was Melissa—and a purple dress.

Amanda sat there, next to two empty seats. Her dark eyes were wide, and she stared along with everyone else... though actually, she looked frightened.

In that second, Milo knew he had two different options. And backing out was certainly not one of them.

He could wish he knew the words to the next song—the finale, the most important song of all—all the while knowing that he didn't. He could try too hard to make it perfect, and in the process falter and mess it all up, because when had he ever been capable of making something perfect?

Or, he could smile and do his best, and make up the most sensical improvisation he could. He could sing what he thought might be sung, and if Amanda didn't want to speak to him after, then at least he could have the knowledge that he'd tried to do his best.

He could do it the Murphy way, and hope that would be enough for her.

Milo felt the blinding lights, but he didn't really notice them. He looked up at the lead opera singer, but he didn't exactly see him. As if he'd turned on a switch, all his mind could focus on at the moment was doing the best job he could.

I knew improv singing could always come in handy!

He'd never seen this opera before, but he was glad he'd been listening closely as he rushed back and forth behind the stage. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what the story was leading up to.

Milo drew in a breath, and in his best singing voice, began to play his part there on center stage.

"Mezzo-Soprano is a family name!

But you all sing in baritone,

that makes you

all the

same!"

***

A/N: Hey, guys! Surprise! It's a Milo/Amanda drabble for you all! (Well, kinda. That was the intention. 😝)

See, I can write other ships than Milo/Melissa. ;D I don't know if this ship is going to end up being canon, but it sure is cute! Milo tries so hard—not even to impress her, just to try to make things go smoothly for her. Sadly, that's a little hard when he's around in the first place...

As you may have noticed, this drabble doesn't line up with the episode exactly. Why? Well, simply put, because I'm way too lazy to try to get it to! (Actually, I don't have access to the episode right now, and I can't remember exactly what happened when Milo first comes out onstage. Hence this chapter!)

It was John P. Tristate who founded the Tri-State Area as we know it, right? I should really brush up on my Phineas and Ferb knowledge.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!