Sitting down beside his friend, Pinky looked about at the emptying streets. He blinked several times when he noticed Dimitri slouched over by a pillar, with longer legs it was quicker for him to maneuver through the crowd. How was he going to get a taxi from way over there? A car pulled up to the curb then, drawing his short attention span away from the discouraged human. It waited for some time, then the driver got out, looking past them. Pinky turned his head, there was a woman was dressed super fancy-like, slowly making her way down the steps. She looked very important, though the mouse had no idea who she was.
Whoever she was, she caught Dimitri's attention. Enough so that he hurried over to the car while the driver was assisting the woman, then hopped into the front seat while no one was looking. No one except Pinky that is. "Brain, Dimitri's stealing that car! Narf!" He cried out in alarm, pointing ahead of them! "Unless he's just borrowing it, but he didn't ask for permission."
"What are you...?" Brain jumped to his feet, instantly recognizing the woman, and grasped Pinky's arm. "Quickly, Pinky! We need to grab that car!"
"Well, did we ask for permission?" He asked as he was pulled up. "It's that nice lady's car, not ours!" The Grand Duchess, though Pinky had no idea that was who she was, slowly lowered herself into the car. "Oh, well, if she's riding with us- zort!"
"Thankfully, Pinky, one thing about love is always certain - one does the most insane things." And he had a very good idea what sort of insane thing Dimitri was up to. He jumped into the car at the duchess's feet with Pinky behind him, thankfully going unnoticed.
"Oh, I know all about that, Brain." Pinky giggled, at least knowing to be quiet as they snuck aboard the car.
"As many times as you've been in love, Pinky, I'm sure you know exactly," was the bitter response. Brain slipped underneath the seats to get to the front with Dimitri just as the idiot turned his head and revealed who he was.
While he was easily confounded, this definitely confused Pinky well beyond his normal range. What was Brain talking about? As far as he knew, he'd been in love once. And yes, his counting abilities did leave much to be desired, he still knew that once meant once. He followed his friend to the front of the car, intent on asking him to clarify, when Dimitri made a sharp turn and sent him tumbling into the passenger seat door. Then the only thoughts that filled his head were about how fun of a ride this was.
Brain just found it to be hectic - he slammed into the door - and painful. If they lived through this, he was going to kill Dimitri. They made several more rapid turns, Brain wondering if the human was trying to give the grand duchess whiplash, until an abrupt halt had him and Pinky smacking into the glovebox and sliding down to the floor below.
Dimitri swung open his door and got out of the car, quickly going around the back to the old woman. "You have to talk to her. Just look at her! Please!"
Brain lifted a hand to his head. "Why does everyone think 'please' gets them anywhere?"
"Because it's the magic word and magic makes everything sparkly?" Pinky asked as he shook out his own flattened head. "Troz!"
"You would think that," Brain muttered and made his way up the seat to peer over at the humans and make sure Dimitri didn't ruin anything else. If this didn't work, he was going to end up in prison.
Pinky scrambled up the seat right after him, his gaze going right to a little gold and green embellished object. He'd seen it before, on the ship. Now that he wasn't preoccupied, well... as preoccupied with Brain's grumpiness as he was before, he could properly admire the shiny object. "Naaaaaaaaaarf. What's that, Brain?" Pinky inquired, watching Dimitri hand the object over to the Empress.
"A jewelry box?" he suggested with a small shrug. He was more interested in the woman's reaction. "A rather important jewelry box."
"I know you've been hurt," Dimitri was saying. "But it's just possible that she's been as lost and alone as you."
The grand duchess looked from the box to the man. "You'll stop at nothing, will you?"
Dimitri rose to help her out of the car, a wry smile curving his lips. "I'm probably about as stubborn as you are."
"Yes!" Brain exclaimed, a little quieter than normal to keep from being noticed. Explaining their presence now would only distract, and the old woman was finally being mildly agreeable. As long as Anya did what she was supposed to do, everything would be fine again.
Pinky flashed a smile at the exclamation. Clearly he was in a good mood again, maybe there was hope yet for a rousing game of 'Chase Me'! Or at least another hug. And on top of that, Anya would get her family! And Brain would get the world! And he'd get to play with Pooka! This was turning out to be the best night ever.
The woman got out of the car and made to go inside to speak with her potential granddaughter. Dimitri did not follow, he stayed outside, opting to wait on her rather than push Anya any further. Pinky turned and slid down the seat, bouncing a bit on his landing. "Time to go in now, Brain?"
"Yes." Brain slid down along with him and went to the door to push it open. "I'm not going to risk these humans ruining the plan a second time." He looked up at the building as the door swung opened, nodded to a balcony. "She's opened the door. We'll scale the wall." He jumped out. "Come, Pinky."
"Right, Brain! Zort!" Pinky dashed out of the car alongside him. "After we reunite Miss Anya with her family and get your plan thingy working, will we get to do more romantic, Paris things?" He asked dreamily as they approached the wall of the hotel.
"I... Perhaps. But keep your mind on the plan, Pinky. We don't have time for fanciful detours." Neither of them had time, no matter what Pinky's question had triggered in his own mind. He latched onto a crack in the brick and started to climb. Being a mouse did have certain advantages.
Pinky climbed up the wall much faster than his friend, arriving on the balcony first, and peered into the room Anya had been delegated to stay in. Oh, wouldn't she be surprised her grandmummy was here to see her! She was packing up rather quickly, tossing things in the suitcase with little regard to them. He saw her glance at the flower, one of the ones Sophie handed out earlier, and Pinky felt a little warm as he remembered how he and Brain had spent their time in the montage following the flower.
Anya threw it in the trash and an uncomfortable lump formed in Pinky's throat. The sudden urge to wrap his arms around Brain and keep him close forever almost overwhelmed him, and he wanted nothing more than to share more kisses and be in love and be sure that the flower he gave him would never end up in a trash can. He swayed on the ledge a moment, then grabbed onto his tail and twisted it around in his hands.
Brain managed to pull himself up, grunting a bit at the effort. When he managed to get beside Pinky, he brushed off his sleeves and eyed the mouse. He didn't like how upset he looked, so sighed and laid a hand over one of Pinky's. "Pinky, what is it?"
"She threw away the flower, Brain." He looked down at their hands, his own still clenched around his tail. "Poit. They're not in love anymore." He wanted to look at Brain so badly, but he knew if he did he'd try to cuddle and Brain told him to think of the plan, but that was just terribly difficult at the moment. Well, it was difficult a lot of the time, but now especially because falling out of love was such a sad, sad thing.
Sighing, Brain lifted his hand to Pinky's shoulder instead to give it a pat. "They're still in love, Pinky. She's just upset." He wondered what had happened to the flower Pinky had given him and had a vague recollection of pressing it between the pages of his math book for safekeeping somewhere between the Eiffel Tower and the ballet. Montages and cuts - they left so much out.
The door opened and the grand duchess walked in, distracting him. "There she is. They'll be reunited and she'll be fine again."
Anya appeared shocked to see the woman in her room, having expected it to be Dimitri, and apologized for the way she greeted her. The Empress simply looked her over, while the girl tried to establish that she wasn't trying to trick her. She just wanted to find her family. To know who she belonged to.
Pinky looked up and watched the scene unfold, only becoming more upset when the duchess declared Anya to be a good actress and proceeded to leave the room and the disappointed orphan behind.
The Brain started to lean forward, intent on figuring out a way to block the old woman in. "Stupid humans," he muttered, but stopped as the grand duchess did when Anya recalled spilling a bottle of peppermint oil. He leaned back again with a satisfied smirk when the woman slowly took a seat on a padded bench. "There, Pinky."
"...oh, how I'd miss you when you went away... when you came back here... to Paris..." Anya held a hand to her head, a gesture reminiscent of Brain when Pinky said something particularly exasperating. She sat down beside the older woman, her fingers immediately playing with the necklace she refused to remove. 'Together in Paris', the key to the box Dimitri had found.
As the little music box opened, and their voices rose together in song, Pinky clasped his hands together and gave a happy little twirl. He bent down to squeeze Brain in a tight hug, rocking them from side to side. "They found each other, Brain! Narf!"
"Yes, they did." He rubbed his hands together, too focused to push the taller mouse away. And, well, he didn't mind it that much. He looked up, a small smile on his face. "Do you know what this means, Pinky?"
With an exuberant nod, Pinky pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Now she can go to all the family reunions! And make up with Dimitri! Troz! And we can do more fun-fun happy things!" He nuzzled his companion as his good mood quickly inflated.
"Well..." That wasn't entirely wrong, though he supposed the warmth the nuzzling caused was affecting his mind. "Alright, yes, but most importantly the world is now within reach, Pinky!"
"Oh, right, right!" Pinky laughed, muffling it against Brain's neck. "Now you'll get to take over the world, Brain! And I get to help!" Which was always so much fun, though doing anything with Brain was a lot of fun really. "Ummm... what comes now?"
The proximity was definitely affecting his mind. He needed to make rules about this. World rulers needed clear heads. "There's really nothing else for us to do now, but accept the reward when it's offered." He considered, trying to lean away from Pinky to get his bearings. "That probably won't be until tomorrow or, irritatingly enough, the day after. This has to have time to reach the papers."
Stepping back a bit and clasping his hands behind his back, Pinky gazed at Brain curiously. "So... poit. There's no plan for the rest of tonight?"
Brain frowned, folding his arms. "No, Pinky, I suppose there isn't." Stuck in Paris for a night with nothing to do. The idea made his eye twitch. Wonderful.
Blue eyes lit up at the confirmation of his question, his arms seeking to wrap around one of Brain's and tugged lightly. "Can we go on another date doohicky then? Zort! Only without all the spinning and paintings and mammoths?"
"Montage," he corrected, only the fact that he'd been with Pinky over a year helping him understand what "mammoths" was supposed to be. But then the rest of it caught up with him and he blinked several times. Stuck in Paris for a night with the very affectionate Pinky. Oh. "Well... I... I suppose an... outing isn't entirely out of the question."
"Oh, thank you, Brain!" Another quick hug preceded Pinky frolicking about on the balcony, spinning and twirling. "We can eat at a lovely restaurant or go dancing or- narf! I know! See the pyramids!" He paused, balancing on one foot as he looked to Brain expectantly. "What would you want to do, Brain?"
Falling out of love or going back to being blissfully unaware of his feelings came to mind, but saying either aloud would only unduly hurt Pinky's feelings. "Since the pyramids are in Egypt and not Paris, we can rule those out." He waved a hand, deciding giving him a night to do as he liked wasn't too out of the question since they'd be ruling the world soon. "I suppose the night's activities can be up to you, Pinky."
"But Brain, you already let me see the beautiful ballet." Pinky turned in a rather graceful pirouette, lifting his arms up above his head. "And you work sooooo hard at taking over the world, I want to do something special for you!"
Brain thought a moment. The affectionate and rather sweet Pinky. "Hm. I suppose we could sneak into the Louvre. But we'll eat first." Somewhere without fatuous can-can dancers, he decided and started down. "Come, Pinky."
Appearing to radiate an uncontainable joy, Pinky skipped over to begin his descent as well. A dinner with Brain in the City of Love! And then a looove! Though he had no idea what it was, if Brain wanted to do it, then it was bound to be fun! "Oh, I love you, Brain! Troz!"
The sudden exclamation had his grip going slack, and the megalomaniac plummeted the rest of the way down. He missed the bushes entirely, face-planting in the grass directly beside them.
Deciding that Brain had the right idea, his way looked like much more fun, Pinky dropped down beside him. Oh, it was loads of fun! He got to his feet and brushed himself off before helping Brain up. "Good idea, Brain!"
"Thank you," he muttered, leaning dizzily against his friend for a moment before he was able to shake it off. "Come along, Pinky. We'll see if we can hail a cab in this neighborhood."
"'Kay!" Pinky looped his arm around Brain's, in case he got dizzy again, And also because he just liked doing it. "We can always try rain or snow if hail doesn't work."
"Enough of that, Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you," he muttered, casting a suspicious glance at their joined arms before letting it be. At least this way he'd be able to keep Pinky from getting lost.
Barking out a laugh, Pinky just held on a little tighter as he tried to restrain himself. "Sorry, Brain!" He chortled, but at least had his free hand over his mouth. They came to the curb and Pinky took note of the lack of Dimitri, but surely he'd just gone inside to talk to Anya now that she was in a good mood.
Brain, however, was a little annoyed by the lack of his presence. If they couldn't hail a cab, he would've made for a decent second option. Besides that, he deserved at least a very firm talking-to after his behavior. He'd nearly ruined everything. Shaking his head, he started down the sidewalk towards the main city, bringing Pinky along. "Of course when I'd like a cut scene, they don't-"
-8-8-
"-occur." Brain looked around at the rather sudden scene change and rolled his eyes. An outdoor cafe in view of the Eiffel Tower. How... contrived. "Never mind, then," he muttered.
Pinky, on the other hand, looked around delighted. "Oh, what a lovely little place! And look, Brain!" He pointed right at the famous landmark. "The Colosseum!"
"That would be the Eiffel Tower, Pinky. The Colosseum's in Rome." A platter of bread and cheese was set in front of them and Brain had a very vague recollection of ordering. Ugh. Cut scenes. But he took a small square and watched Pinky's head swivel about in quiet amusement. For all their wild traveling, they rarely had time to do something as simple as sight-see.
While he was enthralled with the scenery, his nose immediately twitched as the scent of cheese registered. Humming as his blue gaze traveled from all the varying samples of snacks, Pinky hugged himself happily before tearing off a piece of bread. He selected the Etorki first and put the bold cheese on the bread. Munching with more cheerful humming, he smiled at Brain and waved from his seat, his whole body wiggling it seemed. A romantic date and cheese, well, he couldn't really ask for more.
"I'll assume you're enjoying it, then." He'd chosen a simple brie, his palate not nearly as bold as his cagemate's, and nibbled at it carefully. France and Switzerland - it was hard to find better cheese. Though the platter had been placed directly between them, so it made it a little harder to see Pinky properly. He scooted around it about halfway and tore off a piece of bread as if he'd come all this way simply for that.
The taller mouse nodded enthusiastically, polishing off his bread crumb. Oh, how he loved his cheeses! "It's the taste that pleases!" He giggled, tail swishing behind him. Brain's relocation did not escape his notice, however. In fact, it made his heart beat a tad bit faster. It was a romantic dinner after all, there were even candles! Pinky sidled over next to Brain, offering him some roquefort whilst nibbling on it himself.
Color rising in his cheeks, Brain gave Pinky and the cheese a sidelong glance. It seemed to be a rather personal offer, but this was technically a date. After a quick debate with himself, he took a hold of Pinky's wrist and took a small bite, leaning away again quickly. "That's... Er, thank you."
"Do you like it, Brain?" Pinky asked, lacing his fingers together right beneath his chin after popping the last of his cheese into his own mouth. Brain didn't usually eat as much cheese as he did, and all the different types and flavors and textures were some of the only things that actually remained rooted in his mind.
"Yes." And he was a little surprised by how much he did. He generally left the veined cheeses to Pinky, but even that small bite had held a flood of flavor. He looked up at Pinky, a ghost of a smile teasing his lips. "It was very good, actually."
"Hoorah! Narf!" Whether unconscious or intentional, Pinky's tail looped around Brain's as he helped himself to the selection of brie and another piece of bread.
Brain looked back at their tails, swallowed hard. He took another piece of the bread and a piece of cheese that he didn't exactly recognize. The vague plan in his mind felt a little manipulative, but he didn't think he could manage without some sort of logical reason. He took a careful nibble, blew out a quiet breath since he didn't actually recognize this kind.
Taking a hold of Pinky's wrist again, heart pounding, he lifted the morsel to Pinky's lips. "Pinky, ah, what kind is this?"
Mouth already full with bread and brie, Pinky took a moment to swallow, his eyes crossing as he tried to see what Brain was asking about. But he held it so low, he couldn't see past his own snout. It would be easier to taste it, since it was already being held to his lips. Careful of his fingers, he sampled the cheese and let the flavor coat his tongue thoroughly before humming thoughtfully. "Munster, I think." He smacked his lips, inadvertently brushing them against Brain's hand. "Poit. Mmhmm!"
Brain jerked his hand back, startled. But then color filled his cheeks and he looked away. That hadn't exactly worked as planned. "Oh. Well... Alright. Ah…" He rubbed his hand, staring at it. Romance was such a clichéd and hackneyed thing; it should be exceedingly simple to employ its tactics on a whim. However, with romance not necessarily being in his nature, Brain was a little lost.
He wasn't even entirely sure why he was trying except that it would be rather nice to show Pinky that he didn't have to run off and fall in love with members of other species. He could have all the, ah, uncomfortable affection he wanted from The Brain himself. After all, they were going to be meeting quite a few new people once the world was theirs. He wanted to encourage Pinky to stay by his side.
His tail swished nervously, entangling even more with his sidekick's. It was painfully embarrassing to realize just how much he wanted Pinky to stay by his side. And with the world right at their fingertips, this night was really the only opportunity Brain had to convince Pinky to halt his promiscuous ways and stay with one partner. More specifically, to stay with him.
Pinky observed his reaction curiously. "Do you not like it, Brain?" The way his face got all red... it was like the angry-scowly face, but nothing had happened to make him mad. He very quickly glanced back at their tails, Brain's didn't usually swish that much, had he upset him somehow?
Wrapping his arms around Brain, he cuddled him close to try and make any bad feelings go away. His plan thingy was working, they were on a date together, there was no reason for Brain to not be happy! Unless the red face and the swishy tail meant something else entirely...
The cuddling was a step in the right direction, but Brain had no idea what exactly had generated it. Not entirely sure how to encourage it, the smaller mouse looked up. They were incredibly close. "No, it was... fine." He lifted a hand, hesitated a moment before giving Pinky a pat. They were incredibly close and there was candlelight. The ambiance should've been much more soothing than it was proving to be.
"You don't look very happy though. Poit." Pinky nuzzled him gently, then pulled away. "Is this a bad date? Am I doing it wrong?" Though he thought most of the kissy cuddly stuff came around dessert, maybe he was mistaken.
"No, Pinky, it's-" Brain wondered exactly how to get him back, lifted a hand to his head as if it would help him think. "You have me at a disadvantage, Pinky."
Blinking several times, Pinky scratched the top of his head as he tried to comprehend this. "I thought we were at a restaurant."
"No, Pinky." Brain looked up at him, the scowl chasing away much of the remaining blush. "I mean that you're better at certain romantic encounters." Though now that the words were out, he felt the blush returning and buried his face in his hands.
"Oh! Narf! Is that all?" Relief swelled up within him, escaping as a breathless laugh. Pinky reached out to take Brain's hands in his, removing them from his face. "You're good at it too! You do all sorts of lovely things for me!" He leaned in and bumped their noses together. "You make me feel all bubbly and guuushy and... and poit!"
"And poit," he repeated, latching onto something that would help him stay irritated. It was much simpler to remain annoyed than deal with the much warmer feelings Pinky inspired. "But how? I haven't done anything, Pinky."
"Well, when you bop me on the head, but still let me help you try to take over the world even though I mess up a lot and make you all grumbly." He giggled, "And when you say nice things to me or let me do fun-fun silly-willy things like going to the ballet! Troz! And..." Pinky tried to duck his head, but forgot how close they were and their foreheads just ended up knocking together. "Oops." he blushed a little and his eyes met Brain's again. "And you're always here, Brain."
"I need your help in taking over the world, Pinky. You mess up often, yes, but you also indirectly give me some of my better ideas." He shrugged a little, trying to avert his gaze but unable to quite force himself to do so. "As for always being here, well... I... Where else would I be?" He really only had Pinky, whereas Pinky could have anyone he wanted. His ears fell back a little, grip on his friend's hands tightening.
"Oh, Brain!" Pinky nuzzled him as he laughed. "You're making me feel all tingly now too!" He said he needed him!
He didn't know what he'd done to do that, so gently nuzzled back. "Well... You're welcome."
Squeezing their hands together quickly, Pinky decided to listen to the tingly feelings and pressed his lips to Brain's. His face warmed, as well as the rest of him, and he was suddenly very conscious of the way their tails tangled together and how their hands fit and felt. "Naaaaarf." Somehow his eyes closed without him noticing, so he blinked them back open and smiled wide. "I love you, Brain."
"Pinky, I..." He leaned forward, touching their noses together. "It's difficult to think when you do that," he murmured. He suspected it was the fog hazing over his thought processes that had him shifting closer. The candlelight seemed to be doing its job after all.
"Do what, Brain?" Pinky whispered, his breath ghosting over his lips. He released Brain's hands to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him into his lap.
"Do... um..." He wrapped his arms around Pinky's neck, some part of him wondering if this was going to keep Pinky with him. But the majority of his mind agreed that it didn't matter since the mouse was with him right at that moment. "When you do this," he whispered and pressed their lips firmly together.
His heart felt like it stopped for a moment, but then it started to beat rapidly against his ribcage. Tightening his arms, he pulled Brain closer and returned the kiss with just as much resolve. Brain was right, it was hard to think. All he could really focus on were the feelings; the twisting in his tummy and the heat creeping up his neck and Brain pressed flush against him. All such wonderful feelings.
"Pinky," Brain breathed once air became a necessity. He stayed close, though, pretty sure that if he allowed any space between them his heart would be able to beat right out of his chest. And normally he'd be irritated that his first clear thought was something so ridiculous, but he couldn't quite drum up any irritation at the moment.
He whimpered once the kiss broke, not ready for it to end even though he required air too. At least Brain didn't pull away, their chests so close, they could feel one another's heartbeat. "Brain..." Pinky sighed, tone full of contentment just from saying his name alone.
It was a good thing they were about to take over the world or this would be extremely distracting to future plans. He rubbed their noses together gently, stroking Pinky's back. Rational thought was beginning to return, color rising in his cheeks as he realized just what was going on and that he had absolutely no idea what to do next. Brain was certainly unused to not having a plan.
Practically purring, Pinky rested his chin on Brain's shoulder. Oh, this was a good date. He reached up to tweak one of Brain's ears as he pondered the next part of dates. Brain had said he wanted to go to... that one place, so they'd do that and then... and then what came next? He was rather distracted by the hands on his back, though, even if he wasn't distracted he wasn't sure if he'd remember. He really needed to start writing important things like this down.
"Brain? Did you still want to go to... to the Luge?" He asked softly while tracing the edge of his ear.
"Musée du Louvre," he murmured absently, ear twitching from the attention. He didn't particularly want to go anywhere, not when he could keep so close. But they were in public. Even if this was Paris, so much public affection was bound to start making him uncomfortable. "Ah... Yes. It's a pyramid," he supplied. Pinky had mentioned them earlier, hadn't he?
"I like pyramids," he giggled into the side of Brain's neck, inhaling his scent with each breath. "But not as much as kissing. Or cheese." He added as an afterthought, lifting his head up to look him in the eyes. "It'll keep being a date there, right? With more hugs like this?" Pinky clarified, of course, he'd still go even if they didn't get to continue since it was something Brain wanted to do.
"I believe dates generally follow the set formula of combining a meal and a separate outing besides." Brain toyed with the fur at the nape of Pinky's neck, blush deepening as he became more and more aware of their surroundings. "So yes, it'll still be a date. And more... hugs are likely to occur."
Reflexively tucking in his chin, Pinky tried to muffle his laughter by clamping his lips closed. It tickled terribly when Brain did that. As he squirmed, he nodded and released a few small, suppressed snickers of amusement. "Zort! Oh good!"
"Yes. Good." He abruptly realized that they'd more than likely end up being alone throughout the museum. It left lots of time for more of this. Lots of time in a private location for more of this. "Well... Shall we go?"
Pinky nodded, though stopped suddenly and glanced sidelong at the cheese. He snatched one more piece and shoved it in his mouth quickly, then resumed the nodding. "Ready, Brain! Narf!"
skimmingsurfaces dA AN:
Brain and Pinky are on a date! Brain still has some reserves about Pinky's promiscuity though... will our insipid- I mean, intrepid hero be able to convince him that he's the only one in his heart? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know... though, you will find out if Pinky and Brain get to be on the same page! Troz! Enjoy!
Do you see why she's my Pinky? XD What kind of AN is that? A brilliant one, to be sure. Poit :D
