Tack tack tack…

Those were the sounds he was making on his computer as he got back to work on another project. This was normally where all of his plans started. On a document in his PC along with the rest the information in his entire lab. At least, the beginning portions of them. This was no different. Despite the countless machines he'd made throughout his career as an evil scientist, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz's process for all of his evil schemes were roughly the same.

It was a rather long and tedious process, where he would enter into his database, (which is always set wrong, and it's become an essential part of his routine for him to get the password wrong at least three times before he actually puts the right one. He's thought about putting in the right one off the bat, but it's sort of like his issue with the self-destruct buttons: he just can't help himself.) create his plan in document form, and then plot out what any machines or traps would look like via blue prints.

The rest of the process is obviously him just carrying it out, building said machines that he drew out in said blue prints, and trying to catch that pesky platypus that always got in his way. It's become so routine that he even convinced that he always had to lose somehow to complete the formula. He always had to say "Curse you Perry the Platypus!" every time.

Or, at least, try to.

Whatever the case, he always thought it was nice to see his nemesis, even if he was always trying to destroy the platypus. The thought never occurred to him what exactly he would do if he ever did succeed in destroying Perry.

Eh. He'd cross that bridge when he'd get there.

Meanwhile, a certain other individual who'd been hanging around D.E.I lately was a rather chubby, not so young lady named Ms. Alice Snidtzel (I'm sorry! I don't know how to spell her name! I'll fix it if I'm wrong!). Peering over his shoulder, the former war veteran smiled to find the not so thrilled scientist typing away at something that was incoherent to her. Some sort of calibration, or whatever.

"Is this all even necessary, Doof?" the woman asked, grabbing the man's attention, a slight arch on his brow. He wasn't in a particularly bad mood, but he'd been so focused on his work at the moment that he found himself a tad bit annoyed when he was interrupted. "I mean, he's just a platypus. I heard they don't actually do much. Just, sit there with a dumb look on their face."

"Oh, Alice," Doof said with a rather playfully condescending expression. "Poor, naive Alice. You have no idea! That platypus has been a thorn on my side for years! But now, yes, now I'm finally going to break the mold with my latest scheme!" By the way he was holding his hands and hunched over, most people would think that he was crazy, but Alice knew him better than that.

"Yeah, that's great," Alice seemed to brush the topic aside, quite uncharacteristically disinterested in his next project. "Um, say, Heinz, do you happen to know what day it is?"

"Huh?" Heinz didn't even look back at Alice when he uttered the one word question, because he had quickly been sucked back into his work.

"Today. Do you know what today is?"

"…Saturday?" What? You don't have a calendar?

"Yes," Alice nodded, hinting that there was more. "But what else?"

"…August 19th?"

"Which is?"

Heinz took a moment to try and think on whatever it was she was trying to hint at. Should the 19th really be that significant to him? It was just another run of the mill day, wasn't it? Of course, it had to be! Oh! Wasn't her birthday on the 19th of some month?

…April! That's it! Her birthday was April 19th.

"…The day I finally defeat Perry the Platypus?"

She paused for a moment, as if to see if that was honestly his answer. "Oh, Heinz," she huffed rather playfully. "Of course it's not! You'll end up burned by that duck like you always do. But at least you won't have to suffer alone."

The scientist's eyebrow arched a tad. "Oh?"

"Yep!" the former sergeant concurred. "As your best, and most likely only, friend, I have no choice but to suffer along with my bestie no matter the circumstance."

The scientist formed a bit of a knowing gaze at his friend. In all other circumstances, Heinz's life had been a total misery, but he hadn't realized how good his life had been until Alice had been deployed to war. His life had always been awful, but at least he had someone to share his pain and misery with. You know, aside from cockroaches and ice cream.

…That particular experiment was the first time Heinz had realized he had serious issues.

"Well, as much as I appreciate that," the man said, genuinely touched by the sentiment. "I've still got a lot of work to do before our guest arrives. So, if you don't mind..."

It took a moment for Alice to realize what Heinz was implying before she glanced at the door and caught onto what it was he was proposing. "Oh! Right! I'll just, um… I'll be going now. Bye! Call me when you get your butt whooped by the beaver duck!" And with that, the woman left the room.

As much as she'd love to say that it didn't bother her, Alice had to admit that she was the tiniest bit hurt by the fact that her friend never seemed to remember her birthday anymore. Well, it wasn't like she could really blame him. War wasn't anything to laugh about, but she did kind of leave him when he really needed her. She supposed forgetting a birthday would be the least horrible thing that he could have done to her.

Still, during their childhood, they were the only ones that they could trust to remember each other's birthdays (or at least give a crap about them on it). Well, she did have her father, but he had died when she was rather young, so that sentiment didn't last very long. She never once forgot his birthday, whilst he kept forgetting hers over and over again, over what? A platypus? Taking over this one portion of people? What did it even matter?

Maybe she didn't matter to him anymore either…

No! No, she couldn't think that! Heinz was now, and forever, her best friend! Of course he still cared about her! Why would he still put up with her if he didn't?

Okay, she was being a little dramatic. The lifeline of their friendship depended on whether or not the scientist remembered one day of the year? She knew they would still care about each other even if they missed a birthday every once and a while, and even if they always forgot each other's birthday.

So… why did it still…?

Wait, what was that? A box? At her doorstep?

But… But she didn't order anything. And no one gives her gifts, ever! Maybe someone mailed her a bomb, or something important? Maybe they gave it to the wrong address?

Alice looked over the stamp and read out to address. It was right alright… It had to be a bomb. There was no other explanation.

Alice placed her ear on the box, checking for any kind of ticking noises, only for there to be nothing. So, it couldn't have been a bomb. At least, not from what she could tell. Giving the box a few light shakes was enough to convince St. Alice that it was safe.

Taking the box into her apartment, she grabbed one of her box cutters that happened to be atop her counter, blue and retractable, and slide it across the tape until she was able to flip the box open. To her utter surprise there was actually… something rather nice inside!

Particularly, it was a large, sky blue picture frame with dark blue edges and some green. The frame itself looked like a flower with leaves, but it was the picture inside that made her start tearing up a bit. The picture was one of the few that were taken of them as children, them being Heinz and Alice. Something was written on the glass, and she instantly knew it had to be Heinz who wrote this.

It read: I'm sorry this was so late! This was a present almost ten years in the making, but I just couldn't find this picture. I know this was so bad of my to wait until now to give you the gift and just pretend that I forgot about your birthday, but my best friend has always been so good to me that she only deserves the best on her birthday. Thank you for always being there for me, Alice. And know that I will never forget the way you touched my life, and I will always cherish the day you were born!

Love,

Dr. Heinz Doofensmirtz

One hand covered her face as the tears began to pour out, and sobs broke out of her chest. She took the frame and hugged it to her chest as she continued to sob in pure joy. Oh, how could she be so stupid as to think that Heinz, of all people, would forget her birthday? She had to do something. He never knew that she thought he forgot, but she still had to make it up to him!

In an instant, Alice ran out of her apartment and made her way to Heinz's apartment, but not before placing the image on a book shelf in the dining area. The book shelf was filled was everything that mattered most to her, and currently, it was placed on an empty shelf to convey its significance. This frame was truly to be cherished for years to come.