It had been a stressful two weeks. Not a horrible stretch of time, but certainly a stressful one. Twins needed quite a bit more work than just one baby would've, particularly since Cyan's too-small frame had been cause for much worry. But since his ears had popped, a day later than his sister's, the boy had been rather impossible to keep still. He wanted to explore everything it seemed, while his sister would follow until she was swept up. Then she was perfectly content to cuddle and make squeaky little noises that Pinky echoed with giddy abandon. Cyan's desire to be held and cuddled seemed incredibly random.

But all the crawling and rolling on the floor seemed to be good for his development. He was growing rather nicely and besides a few spasms of his chest that Brain had been careful to keep concealed from his husband, their little runt appeared to be well on his way to becoming a healthy little mouse.

Though now that it had been two weeks, Pinky was following Cyan all over the cage, waiting extremely impatiently for his eyes to open. Brain's own eyes rolled as he carefully bounced their sniffling daughter in his lap. Pinky had been convinced that Cerebellum just wanted her daddy, and Brain had learned to believe his husband's interpretations of the crying. He'd taken to motherhood even faster than the megalomaniac had expected, and never seemed bored by it.

He nuzzled the baby girl, sighing quietly. Her eyes hadn't yet opened either, and he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't just as eager as his husband. At least he wasn't stalking their child on all fours, rump in the air, tail wiggling. "Come now, Pinky, chasing him down isn't going to make his eyes open any faster. After all, a watched bag of popcorn never pops. Or something like that."

"Of course a watched bag of popcorn doesn't pop." Pinky rolled his eyes, continuing to follow Cyan, nudging him forward with his nose. "You need to heat it up first. Poit." And what did popcorn have to do with his happy, curious little smarty baby? Sometimes Brain was all confused.

Still, he stopped following, stopping his adventures with Cyan to lie on his belly, propping his head up on his arms. While most of his energy and normal emotional consistency had returned, being a mummy to twins was exhausting in its own right, so it was still necessary to take breaks. Though, Pinky's idea of a break was sitting still for five minutes before taking off again. It worked for him! Tilting his head, he smiled up at Brain and Bella, his tail wagging furiously. They were so very adorable. Something bumped him and squeaked in his ear. So was Cyan, who was clearly ready to be cuddled as well.

"Narf," he cooed, pushing himself up to sit cross-legged on the floor and cradled the baby in his lap. "Baby, baby, baby!"

"Don't exhaust him or yourself before Roman arrives," Brain cautioned, adjusting his hold on Bella to sit across from Pinky. "I'm sure he'll want to interact with both of his siblings." Not that he knew yet that there were two. When he'd called their clone, he hadn't been able to explain properly. He'd only told him that the delivery had gone well and that everything was fine.

Rolling his eyes at his husband's antics, though it was always precious to see him cuddling either of their children, Brain looked down to nuzzle their daughter. And stopped dead when bright blue eyes blinked at him. "Pinky!" he exclaimed and Bella gave a chirpy little squeak in response.

"I didn't do it!" Pinky immediately reacted, holding Cyan close as if his son could shield him from any impending wrath. The smaller twin released his own squeaky little growl, as if he knew he was being used as a buffer and was displeased. "Zort. Sorry, Cyan."

"No, Pinky, look." As thrilled as he'd been when the twins had started to crawl, Brain turned Cerebellum so that his counterpart could see. She was winking and blinking in odd ways, scrunching her face as she tried to get used to the change of light. But she eventually settled her gaze on Pinky and her ears twitched, happy little squeaks of recognition escaping.

Pinky's ears perked and he lowered Cyan back into his lap. Matching blue eyes went wide and he beamed. "Egad, Brain, brilliant!" he gasped in awe. "Our baby Bella has the prettiest eyes! Narf! I just knew it!" He waved at her and scooted closer, careful not to jostle her brother too much. "Hi, Jingle Bells, it's mummy." He bumped his nose against hers, delighting in her chiming squeaks. Holding up a squirmy Cyan for her to see, he grinned. "And here's your brother. Say hi!"

She reached out and latched onto one of Cyan's ears, setting him off on a squeaky little tirade. Brain dislodged her fingers, shaking his head. "That isn't how you say hello," he grumbled and she gripped his finger as tightly as a baby could. Her squeaks became a purr as she looked up at him, and her father brought her up for a fond nuzzle, unable to resist. "Of course she has pretty eyes, Pinky." Brain glanced up at his husband over the baby's head. "They're just like yours."

"Are they?" Pinky blinked and tried to look, forgetting one could not see one's eyes without a mirror, only giving up when the concentration gave him a headache. "Zort. Oh, Cyan, she didn't mean it. No grumbly-growlies this early, mistah!" His reprimand would've held more weight if he wasn't cuddling him. "Be proud of Bella! She can see now, and that's hard work." The baby's squeaks of displeasure diminished, but only just, still vocalizing his complaints in a quiet manner.

"He wouldn't have cause to be grumpy if she wouldn't grab his ears." Brain shook his head and lightly touched his nose to his daughter's. "Because Cerebellum is a little brat." She squeaked at him happily, clearly having no idea that she'd just been insulted. Now that she was adjusted to having open eyes, they were sparkling already. Just like Pinky's. Brain sighed. This was going to make disciplining her difficult in the future. But then he felt a tiny hand tug sharply at his ear and that thought vanished. "Ow!"

Pinky giggled as Bella made more chirpy, squeaky sounds, almost missing the blinking of Cyan's pair of pink eyes. He gasped and held him up in front of his face with a huge grin, though his son seemed baffled by this newfound sight. It must be a big change, going from seeing dark to everything. "Looky, Brain! Cyan has pretty eyes too!" He turned him around and held him up for his husband to see. "Oh, I knew he wasn't popcorn!"

"Pinky, I never said he was. I was merely-" He broke off, successfully prying Bella's little hand from his ear and taking in the fact that his son was blinking at him. Brain settled their daughter in his lap, safely away from his ears, and reached out for him. "Trade."

"'Kay!" Pinky liked this game, either way he ended up with one of his babies! He settled Cyan next to Bella, took a moment to gaze adoringly at the twins with their daddy and eyes all open, then scooped up his daughter. "Sara Bella!" he sang, bouncing her a little, delighting in her happy little sounds. "Narf!"

Brain picked up Cyan and smiled slightly when the boy bumped their noses together independently. "Of course I'd let him name you a shade of blue and you don't end up with his eyes." The little face scrunched and their noses were bumped again, Cyan making the grumpy little sounds he tended towards when he was tired of cuddling and wanted to explore. "Not until you get some depth perception," Brain informed him and got a squeaky little whine in response, the baby reaching out and unhappily patting his daddy's cheek. "No."

"Oh, why can't he crawl around, Brain? Poit. He did it before when he couldn't see," Pinky pointed out as he laughed, Bella tugging on his nose. He tilted his head and kissed her several times on the cheek, his heart filling when she cooed.

"It's because he can see, Pinky, that I would prefer him not to wander. He just needs to get used to it a bit more." He closed one eye when the patting moved up, Cyan making little "eh" sounds with each swat. "You're as much a brat as your sister," Brain grumbled and got a little grumble in return. "Don't sass when you can't even speak." The megalomaniac gave his son a nuzzle, lips twitching at the huffy little squeak he got for his efforts. A very mobile little brat.

Nuzzling their little girl lovingly, Pinky smiled over at them. "Just because he can't talk doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot to say." Bella waved her arms towards Brain, eyes bright and squeaking as if she agreed. "Same with Jingle Bells. Troz."

"They're two weeks old," Brain reminded him and was bopped on the nose. He looked down at the mutinous little face and sighed heavily. It was time to resort to drastic measures, sadly. He turned Cyan around so his small glare could be fixated on his mother and started to groom the boy, licking the backs of his ears until the baby relaxed, his grumbles and protesting squeaks becoming soft purrs. He loved being clean, much to Brain's delight. It was the only thing about the child that made sense.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Pinky tilted his head, watching as Cyan's grumpy-grumpiness melted away. Oh, he was his father's son alright! "See that, Bella?" he whispered into her ear, making it twitch and the blue-eyed girl scrubbed at her face. His own ears perked as he heard soft steps approaching their cage.

"Ma? Dad?" Their older son called out.

"Romy!" Pinky cheered, hugging Bella close. "Big brother's here!"

Brain looked down even as his son looked up, pink eyes blinking curiously. He squeaked and Brain gave him a small nuzzle before passing him to Pinky. "I'll go and get him. I'll raise the sheet a bit as well. Now that their eyes have opened, we'll have to slowly introduce them to more light." He stood, bending down to nuzzle his husband before heading towards the cage door. He slipped out easily, scooting beneath the sheet over their cage and hardly ruffling it thanks to two weeks of practice. "Roman," he greeted.

The clone gave a half-wave. "Hey, pop. Good to see you're still standing. Hope you can say the same for ma."

"Hi, Romy! Narf!" Came from inside the cage, under the sheet, and he had to shake his head with a smirk. Oh yeah, he was fine.

"Narf right back at ya," he called out, then turned his attention back to Brain. "In all not-glarb-seriousness, how are things holding up with you guys and the little tyke?" He had to suppress his excitement at seeing his new little sister for the first time, not wanting to lose his cool.

"Things are holding up considerably well, considering an... unexpected result." Brain left it at that for a moment, going to the sheet and tugging it a bit so the other side would have a bit more light coming through. "Their eyes opened just a few minutes ago."

Their...? Wow. "You guys got busy," he teased, slipping under into the darkened cage. Sure enough, there sat Pinky with two little mice in his lap. Egad. It was his parents in baby form. The blue eyed one was bright and all smiles, while the pink one sported a scowl befitting a certain megalomaniac. "So when did baby number two happen?"

Brain slipped in behind his oldest son, studying the babies and their mother. His lovely little family, and with Roman there as well it was completed. "At the same time, actually. Cyan was hidden by his sister. Idiot scientists put them both in." He made his way over, plucking up the male twin. "Don't be difficult," he murmured and got a grumpy little squeak that was softer than usual in response. He was looking cautiously at this unfamiliar mouse, used to the scents of only his parents and sister.

"Cyan, huh? Narf." Definitely a Pinky name, but surprisingly not as bad as his usual choices. Romy smiled softly at him and waved. "Hey, little guy." Cyan's ears flattened and he gave one singular squeak in response. The clone had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing outright. Oh geez, he had The Brain down pat, with the additional adorableness babies seemed to have. "Well, same to you."

Pinky's tail swished from side to side, beaming up at his oldest son. The baby in his arms chirped for attention as well, so her mother held her up for Romy to see. "Say hi to Bella too!"

"Oh, of course. Hey, Bells, long time no see." He grinned as she wiggled happily, her own tail twitching like a spaz. "You've got quite the pair. They're split between you guys perfectly, it seems."

"What? Hardly," The Brain disagreed, scrunching his nose when the baby swatted it. "I believe I preferred when you couldn't see," he grumbled and had his nose bopped again.

Romy and Pinky exchanged glances, the taller mouse shrugging before pushing Bella into her big brother's arms. "Hold her, Romy! She likes to bounce," Pinky told him, getting to his feet as the clone blinked at the baby he was suddenly carrying. She cooed up at him, then promptly yanked on one of his ears. "Oh, she likes you!" Pinky gushed while Romy winced.

"So they show their affection by yanking and bopping?" He rolled his eyes, maybe they were more like their dad than he'd previously thought. Bella made a bunch of squeaky sounds and started to drool. Then again... He got his ear free while Pinky thumbed away the spit bubbles, clearly proud.

"Cyan's hardly showing affection. He just wants down to roam the premises and is displeased that I'm not letting him." Brain rubbed his nose against the baby's brow, and the little thing's ears fell. He stopped his bopping in favor of curling his fingers into his dad's fur, gurgling quietly. "Here, Pinky. Follow him about and let him work off some of this energy."

"Baby!" Pinky cheered, plucking Cyan up and spinning him around, at a speed safe for babies of course, before setting him down on the floor. The boy shook his head, ears flopping from side to side, to rid himself of the dizziness. Pinky dropped down beside him on all fours, rear in the air and wiggling from side to side. "Ready for our adventure? Poit." Cyan squeaked once, then crawled away with his mother following close behind.

Romy took note of the crooked tail. It really was too perfect, twins that were exact replicas of their parents. Oh, they were definitely going to be a handful. He looked into the smiling blue eyes of his sister. A handful, but worth it, he supposed. "So they're growing up all narf and such? Developing like normal babies?"

"Yes. Cyan's given me a few scares here and there, but he's turning out well. He's a very independent little devil. Bella, no spit bubbles." He wiped her mouth with a small kerchief, earned crossed eyes and a chittery little sound that was nearly a giggle. "His ears popped a day late, but their eyes opened within minutes of one another; therefore, I'm fairly certain that any health issues are behind him. Cerebellum's been developing normally since she was born."

"And the scientists haven't been bugging them? Or you guys?" He glanced over at Pinky. Clearly he'd recovered from childbirth just fine, though he still had some lingering roundness. He probably was just getting back to running on his wheel, if he even had time for that with two infants crawling around.

"Not since the Monday after I delivered them," Brain grumbled. "I knew they were going to peek, so we had the twins beneath the blankets. But since then they've been intelligent enough to leave us be. I believe they've decided that one of their colleagues took care of the delivery and is just not confessing." He rolled his eyes, slipping Bella from her older brother's grasp. "Someone will eventually take the credit, of course." He rubbed his nose against the baby's, smiling slightly while she cooed and squeaked at him.

Romy shook his head, the cute baby sounds could clearly melt anyone's heart. "And you thought you'd be a bad parent. Look at her, she loves you." Of course, he couldn't quite tell with his little brother just yet. But if he continued to follow the pattern of Brain, then surely he'd be a sucker for his mom and sister.

The megalomaniac blushed slightly, using the baby to hide the color. "She's only two weeks old, Roman. She would love anyone who gave her the proper care and attention she requires."

The clone rolled his eyes. Of course he'd be difficult and rational about it. Pinky's giggles floated over to them and Romy glanced over to see what was so amusing. Cyan had turned around and was patting Pinky on his face repetitively. "Ohhh! Narf! He loves me!" he cooed, and Romy could only look between his parents with fond exasperation. How they ended up meshing so well together was beyond him. It probably had something to do with Pinky making the connection that being hit meant he was loved.

Brain shook his head, giving Bella another nuzzle before setting her down. "When they're both crawling all over him, he's in heaven. Watch," he murmured. "Bella, where's mommy?" Her ears perked and Brain pressed a kiss to the back of one. "Where's mommy?" he repeated. "Go find him. Go find mommy." Her rump went into the air immediately, tail wiggling spastically. "Where's mommy, Bella?" She squeaked excitedly, sniffing the floor of their cage and making a beeline for Pinky, pouncing on him in short order. And Brain rose, brushing himself off and trying very hard not to smile.

Pinky squeaked back with delight, trying to look over his shoulder at her, but Cyan placed his little hands firmly on his face. One on his eye and the other squishing his cheek. He fell into a fit of giggles, his tail wagging as Bella squirmed and squeaked all over him, trying to get his attention. She ended up taking notice of her brother, making cooing sounds at him as she leaned over the top of Pinky's head. He made a little growly sound in response and she smiled. Pinky had no idea what they were talking about, but he adored every second of it!

"So, it's like you have three babies." Romy observed, grinning as Bella turned around to play with Pinky's tail. "Narf."

"Yes, it is. But at least Pinky's helpful." Brain folded his arms over his chest, watching with a quietly fond expression. "He understands and can decipher the idiosyncrasies of their different cries. I'll be glad when they can speak properly, but at the moment that particular skill is invaluable." Even though the little sounds they made now were adorable and he would squeak back at them when he thought Pinky wouldn't hear.

"Probably a mother's instinct coupled with the fact that it's ma." Romy shrugged, unconsciously mimicking his dad by crossing his arms as well. "It's good to see he's back to normal though." His ear twitched as Pinky joined in the squeaky conversation between siblings, rolling onto his back and perching the twins side by side on his tummy. Well, mostly normal.

"Roman, you have no idea. I will never deal with a pregnant Pinky again." At least not willingly. If the scientists did this again, he'd deal with it. But since he was going to take over the world soon, the scientists wouldn't have a chance. "When they're side by side like that, it's easy to tell that Cyan's still smaller than she is," he said quietly, his worry mild and a parental instinct that he discounted as nonsense. Mostly, anyway. There was still a part of him that wanted to get the stethoscope and listen to make sure his heart still sounded healthy. But then he was chittering unhappily at his sister and patting Pinky's cheek and Brain's eyes were rolling. He was fine. "Pinky, it's nearly time for them to eat."

Pinky tilted his head to pout at Brain. He squeaked at first, then cleared his throat. "Zort. Five more minutes? It's playtime!" Bella chirped in agreement and Cyan didn't seem to care one way or the other.

"It's not like they have to go to bed, ma. It's just eating, right?" Romy watched Cyan curl up on Pinky's chest and hoped for Brain's sake that the little boy would develop some sort of voice of reason.

"You can have playtime after they eat, Pinky." Brain strode over and plucked his son up, getting a growly little squeak. But he didn't let it deter him, his desire to get the stethoscope replaced by his desire to feel the smaller twin. Two weeks and he still couldn't quite shake the memory of his baby not breathing. "Roman can help me, dear. You go and have a few minutes on your wheel; you haven't had a chance today."

Sitting up with their daughter, Pinky looked from her to Romy and Brain and back. "Are you sure you both can do it by yourselves? Troz."

The clone refrained from pointing out that if Pinky could do it, most likely anyone could, choosing instead to reassure him. "Of course, ma. Who do you think you're talking to?"

"Umm... my husband and son? Poit."

"It was a rhetorical question," Romy sighed, taking Bella from Pinky, who'd been somehow convinced by that.

"If you need me, I'll be on my wheel!" he chirped, tottering away.

Brain shook his head, cradling Cyan to discourage his little swats. Instead the baby squirmed and grunted unhappily until Brain rubbed his nose against the tiny brow. "Shh. You need to be fed, Cyan." At the mention of food and the gentle rubbing, he stopped squirming, tiny fingers curling into Brain's chest. Brain looked down at him, smiling slightly. His eyes sparkled a bit, too. Still finding it incredibly easy to be overwhelmed by all the emotions that swelled in his heart when he held one of his babies close, the large-headed mouse touched their noses together and was rewarded with a purr.

But then the megalomaniac felt his eldest son's eyes on him and glanced up, blushing slightly. "Ah... Ahem. The food, yes."

Romy smirked and rolled his eyes before sharing a glance with his sister. "Narf, man." He bounced her a little when she squeaked in reply, her little hand reaching up to yank on his ear again. "What have you been using to feed them?" he asked his dad, giving him a break and choosing not to tease him about how incredibly sappy the megalomaniac had become. Because there was an insane amount of sap from both his parents, but that was to be expected from the taller mouse. Brain hadn't even complained about not getting to take over the world once while he'd been here and a month had passed since his last scheme. That in itself was shocking.

"I've fashioned something to keep us supplied with milk without having to go in and out." Brain went to the babies' nursery, opening a tin that looked a bit like a makeshift refrigerator. It was filled to capacity with mouse-sized baby bottles. "For the first few days, we fed them with pipets, but that hardly made sense when they need milk for an entire month. And they were more difficult to store."

He reached in and grabbed one of the bottles, handing it to Romy before getting a second and closing the door. "They're kept at the best possible temperature at all times thanks to a small, soundless motor I fashioned." He'd needed something to occupy his mind with, which was why they also had tiny (unnecessary) baby monitors, the cribs would rock at the click of a small remote, and a few other little things that he and Pinky rarely used. But creating them had made Brain feel better.

He looked down when Cyan patted at the bottle, pink eyes narrowed slightly, and the megalomaniac realized that his little swats were to help him compare what he'd always felt to what he could now see. He pressed a small kiss to his brow. "You may be smarter than I assumed," he murmured and the boy gave a few grumbly squeaks in return, grabbing at the bottle in earnest. "Yes, yes, impatient brat." Brain turned the bottle up, smiling slightly as Cyan latched onto the nipple and began to drink, his little crooked tail swinging in disjointed wags.

Romy had to admit he was impressed, though it explained how Brain had managed to keep busy and not drive himself crazy with having nothing to do. Cradling Bella carefully, he attempted to do as his father did with Cyan, but the little girl was smiling with a wide open mouth and squirming around happily. She didn't particularly seem interested in latching on. "Yo, kiddo, it's time to eat. Your brother gets it."

"You've gotta rub her tummy and let her smell the milk first," Pinky called out from over at the wheel, trotting at an easy pace. "She doesn't like to eat what she can't smell."

"Smell the milk?" Romy stared at the bottle, then waved it in front of her nose. She blinked curiously, her little, red nose twitching. With a cheerful squeak, she opened her mouth and began to feed and Romy rolled his eyes again. His family was certainly special.

Brain shook his head, rocking Cyan carefully to slow him down. "Be careful she doesn't eat too quickly, Roman. They both have a poor habit of eating as though someone's going to take their food away." He looked back at Pinky, smiling slightly. It was very nice to see him back on the wheel, even though he wasn't reaching his usual pace just yet.

Pinky smiled back and waved, tripping and throwing off his rhythm for a moment. Laughing it off, he shook his head and went back focusing on his running. It was awfully nice that he was able to get time to play with his wheel. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it, after having the twins that is. He remembered quite well when he was forced to take it easy while being pregnant. It was one of things that made his hormones go all crazy and mad-upset-angry. But when he played and cuddled with his babies, he didn't mind at all. Though he'd done some research and it was important for mummies to find time to themselves. Daddies too, so he'd let Brain have a break when he was done. He giggled to himself, it was rather difficult to get him to put either of them down.

His ears twitched as he heard Romy ask, "How quickly is too quickly?" and his heart swelled. Oh, he loved having all his babies here in one place! Romy would definitely take to being a big brother, he just knew it.

"That's fine, Roman. Too quickly is when she starts spilling it all over herself." He looked down at Cyan when he started wriggling, and it gave him a bit of a start to see his own eyes looking back at him. He almost got that jolt when he looked at his oldest son, but these were... eerily close in expression and not just color. He shifted the boy a little higher, pressing their noses together, and Cy squeaked at him, reaching up with both hands to pat his cheeks. "You're not finished yet," he murmured and got grumpy squeaks in response. Tempted to squeak back, he shook his head. "No, I'll put you down when you finish eating."

Well, she didn't spill, but she drained the bottle much faster than her brother, probably because she didn't stop to complain like he did. It was incredible that at only two weeks they had such striking differences in personality. Romy set the bottle down when she'd finished and brought her up to lightly pat her on the back. He'd seen it on TV. Bella seemed to like it though, squeaking at everything she looked at, especially at Brain when he'd turned her to face him. She waved her arms excitedly and chirped, as if it had been a while since she'd last seen him. A mother's daughter if he'd ever seen one.

"Oh, I talked with Bunny about babysitting, and she's cool with it. Though I'll have to let her know Bella doubled," Romy told his dad, bouncing the blue-eyed baby. "How old were you thinking they should be before you get started on your world domination groove?"

Brain looked up, blinking as if he hadn't even considered it. And he hadn't, really, all of his energies focused on keeping the twins healthy, making sure the scientists stayed away, and getting used to having a husband. "Well... They at least need to be weaned, so another two weeks. And then perhaps another few days so they can get used to actual food. They'll need to leave the cage and roam around a bit, see that the world's a bit bigger than this area alone."

Looking back at the baby in his arms, the megalomaniac managed to get the bottle back into Cyan's mouth thanks to two weeks of dealing with his independent streak. "Two and a half to three weeks should be long enough."

"Right, well, the four of you seem to be doing great." Roman nodded, bending down to set Bella on the floor when her wiggling became too active. She scurried around in a circle until the wheel caught her attention. Cooing with interest, her eyes following the motion of the shiny, silver bars, she wandered over. Pinky noticed and stopped his light jog. "Hi, baby. Narf." He hopped off the wheel to land on all fours in front of her, rolling over once. She chirped and mirrored him, not quite able to roll all the way over without a helpful nudge.

"Yes, though that isn't from lack of work. It's difficult having three children running about." When Cyan had emptied his bottle, Brain adjusted him to lie across his shoulder, rubbing the boy's back. He began squeaking immediately, jealous of his sister's ability to roam. Sighing, his daddy settled him down and watched him hesitate and look around as if he wanted to go somewhere else. But he finally just scrunched up his face and gave in, springing towards his mother and sibling.

Brain folded his arms, watching closely to see if there was any difference from his usual hopping. "I'm hoping the two of them don't have a very wild popcorn faze..."

"With ma around, oh yeah, it'll be a riot," the oldest son chuckled, watching as Pinky touched his nose to Bella's then to Cyan's once he flopped down in front of them, to which the little boy gave his mother a look. Pinky just giggled and licked his frowny-face forehead. That relaxed him enough, his tail giving a little wag. Then Bella crawled on top of him and ruined it, his grumpiness back. "You know you'll miss it when they're all grown up. You'll wish you had three children doing... whatever it is they're doing." Romy tilted his head to the side, Pinky was trying to groom Bella who was trying to chew on Cyan's ear who was trying to get her off him.

"Pinky, don't let Bella bite her brother. Give her something else to chew on," Brain instructed, and rolled his eyes. "I can't imagine missing this," he grumbled and watched an equally grumbly Cyan finally break free of his sister. He crawled right over Pinky, though, sitting on him and stretching out to try and reach the wheel. His ears were perked and he was sniffing at it with interest, squeaking curiously. Sadly for him, he was too small to reach, so Brain let him try without bothering to tell Pinky to have him stop.

"Oh no, Cyan. Not til you're bigger," Pinky giggled, petting his head while he placed Bella in his lap. The boy looked over his shoulder at them, but they only held his attention for a moment before he began squeaking at the wheel again. "It would squeak back if it could, but daddy just oiled it. Poit." He nuzzled their daughter, only to end up with his ear caught in her fist. "Did you need something, dear?" She just cooed softly and yanked.

Brain scrubbed his hands over his face. "Cyan's exploratory habit is just going to get worse now that he can see." And it was tiring just to think about it. He looked up when the tone of Cyan's squeaks went from grumpily curious to whiny. Tears would be next. He handled tears as well from the twins as he did from Pinky, so he quickly made his way over. He scowled, sweeping the boy up. "Pinky, just get back on your wheel. Go slowly and carry him."

"But Bella wants something. Troz. I think." Pinky winced as his ear was tugged on again. But he didn't want their little boy to cry, and Bella didn't seem to be upset. At least until he dislodged himself and held his head out of her grasp. She didn't seem to like that all too much. "I'll trade you."

Brain sighed, trading him easily. He only winced when Bella immediately grasped onto his ear, dislodging her small hand and distracting her with nuzzles. "Just be careful. No setting him down." He'd slipped right through the bars. The megalomaniac's ears flattened at the imagery that brought to mind, and the girl cooed at him as if sensing his distress, bouncing a little in his grasp.

"Of course I won't set him down, Brain. That's not what good mummies do." Pinky nuzzled Cyan, soothing the whines for the time being as he stepped into the wheel. "And I'm a very good mummy, yes," he cooed, rubbing his nose against his son's little one. "I have to be for my very good babies. Narf. Now, it's time for a walk, Cyan."

Brain returned to Roman's side, lest Cerebellum get any ideas about going along. There was absolutely no way the megalomaniac was going to let his husband carry both children on the wheel at the same time, no matter how good a mother he was. He nabbed a bright yellow ring out of one of the cribs on the way, waving it in front of Bella's curious nose. She recognized it, bouncing and halting her efforts to grip her daddy's ears in favor of getting the familiar smelling ring. Gurgling happily, she stuck it into her mouth and started to chew. "They've really only been this active for around a week. The first week they both preferred sleeping over terrorizing." Cyan taking several more days than Bella, long enough for even Pinky to worry a little.

Romy smiled tapping on the yellow ring and Bella blinked at him. "And you know they're only gonna get worse now that they can see." His ear twitched as a soft, nonsense song floated over from the wheel. Pinky was cradling Cyan as he walked, humming to him while the baby looked around the wheel with much interest. "Do they sleep through the night at least?" He'd heard it took babies a while to do that, and with twins it was probably worse. If one woke up, the other probably wasn't far behind.

"Bella does normally. She's very good at bedtime." He stroked a finger along the curve of her ear and she squeaked at him around her teething ring. "But when Cyan can't sleep, she'll wake up if Pinky or I don't get to him quickly enough to settle him back down. And she's an early riser just like her mother."

"Doesn't leave much time for the two of you, does it?" It took him a while to get used to that image of Brain being tender with Pinky and his mother kissing his father, but he had. With one baby couples had difficulties finding time to just relax together. With two he couldn't imagine. Romy looked over at Pinky, still singing to Cyan as he curled up into his chest.

"The two...? Oh." Brain's ears dropped in embarrassment and he cleared his throat. The baby in his arms let out a giggle-like squeak and his glower only had her making more. "Brat," he muttered and nuzzled her to avoid Roman's gaze. "No, I suppose it doesn't." Not that it stopped Pinky from trying.

Romy observed Brain's reaction casually. "Well, you have that to look forward to along with taking over the world, don't you?" Surely speaking baby all day got rather tiring... actually, scratch that. It was Pinky's life even before they had babies. He glanced up as he saw movement coming towards them. The taller mouse was rocking Cyan slowly, the baby's newly opened eyes closed once more and his face peaceful and smooth in sleep.

"Cyan got tired. Poit. And actually agreed to go to bed," Pinky whispered, relief present in his tone. Cyan was worse at being told to go to bed than he was, at least that's what Brain said. Personally, Pinky thought he went to bed at the perfect time. But their baby put up quite the fuss whenever placed in his crib for the night. He didn't like being confined or told what to do. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Pinky moved him a little so he could get one from his daddy too. "Say 'night-night'."

Brain made a quiet, relieved sound and handed Bella over to Romy. "Hold her so she doesn't grab him," he murmured and brushed his lips over their younger son's brow. He knew this probably meant that Cyan would just wake up earlier, but now he knew a way to get him to sleep. Pinky, it seemed, would be taking him on nightly walks on the wheel. "Goodnight," he whispered and stepped back.

"Naaaaaaarf," Pinky purred, carrying their son to his crib. While tucking the blanket around him, he continued humming the quiet lullaby he'd made up. "I love you, baby." He kissed his cheek. "Night-night." Tip-toeing away from the nursery, Pinky waited until he was back over to Brain and their other two children to lower back to his heels.

"I take it this is something of a miracle." Romy patted Bella's back, watching the way his mom slumped against Brain. "Narf."

"It is." The megalomaniac looked up at his husband, rubbing his stomach absently. He was clearly no longer pregnant, but Brain hadn't managed to shake the habit. "Cyan detests being placed in his crib at night. He's very... vocal about it."

Pinky sighed happily, his tail swishing back and forth lazily. "He wants to be the master of his own life and universe. Troz. But he's too little, he can't reach his bed."

"Gee, wonder who that sounds like," Roman muttered as he looked to Bella, still chomping away on her teething ring, drooling all over it. "Glarb, sis."

Brain sent their clone a mild glare before passing over a kerchief. "She only drools on things she loves," he explained, mildly amused that his son was suffering her excessive spit.

"Well, uh, thanks, Bells." He took the cloth, examining his slobber-coated arm. She squeaked out a giggle at him and he sighed as he wiped it off.

Pinky looked at them with watery eyes. "Oh, they grow up so fast. She can already make spit bubbles. I'm so proud." He dabbed at his eyes with his tail, sniffling.

"That's hardly behavior we want to encourage, Pinky." Eyes rolling, Brain gave his husband a small nuzzle. "It's rather disgusting. Once she can talk, we'll encourage her to use her words rather than her bodily fluids."

"Oh, well, talking's even better than spit bubbles." He beamed, winding his arms around Brain and rest his cheek atop his head.

"I'll have to agree with you there." Romy wiped at Bella's mouth with rag, dabbing carefully to avoid upsetting the teething ring. "Just don't start her out on words like 'thermogalvinometer'." Really. How did that make sense to teach to a baby?

"Well, no. Clearly neither of them are developing at the rate you did." Then again, Roman Numerals I's first word had been... narf. "Or the rate you were intended to develop."

Romy raised an eyebrow, glancing at Pinky. He probably still couldn't say 'thermogalvinometer', so there was that at least. And with Bella being more Pinky-ish. Roman bounced her a little. At least she didn't have the same expectations to live up to.

"I think their first words should be onomatopoeia," Pinky piped up, propping his chin up on Brain's head now. "Or kangaroo." Romy just blinked at him while Cerebellum made little gurgling sounds around her ring.

"Pinky, either of those words are highly unlikely. Childrens' typical first words tend to be simplified addresses towards their parents." He leaned into Pinky's embrace as subtly as he could, pausing mid-sigh. He flicked a glance Roman's way, ears beginning to flatten. "Ah... I belatedly realize that what I just said to you could be construed as... insulting. It wasn't intended to be."

He shrugged. "It's narf, man, don't sweat it. I didn't think you were." All it really came down to was that he wasn't just Brain's clone, there was only so much one could do when their DNA had half of Pinky's in it. Though Cyan seemed to only possess it in looks, and his fascination for the wheel.

"Well, I'm unsalted. Poit. I have fifty percent less sodium than the leading brand of ketchup," Pinky huffed, releasing Brain to cross his arms across his chest.

"That's cool, ma. You'll retain less water that way." Romy humored him.

"Exactly. And that's very important, I'm still so chubby." He held his stomach and pouted. "And not at all in the cute way like you, Brain. Zort. Or the babies."

"You're adorable, Pinky." The words came out in a monotone, but they were sincere and accompanied by a belly rub. "It's just natural weight gained from carrying the twins. It'll go away."

Pinky appeared unconvinced, so Romy added, "And you still have your Julian Michelle's exercise DVD. If you, y'know, need some extra motivation or whatever."

The taller mouse pursed his lips as he considered this, drumming his fingers along his arm. "That's true. It guarantees a pound a day or your money back."

"Ma, I don't think you even weigh a pound." Maybe if all five of them got on a scale, just maybe it would come out to be a pound, but even that was a stretch. "But good luck."

"Pinky, if I'm correct, you'll certainly get time on your wheel every night. One of your lullabies and a walk seems to be just what Cyan requires in order to fall asleep." He looked over at his daughter, everything about him softening considerably. She'd drifted off with the ring still in her mouth, holding it loosely. "Thankfully, Cerebellum needs much less prompting."

Tail wagging and cooing softly, Pinky sidled up next to their clone to gaze down at Bella. Romy carefully slid her into their mother's arms. They were awfully adorable when they were sleeping. He smiled and leaned back as Pinky took her over to Brain for her goodnight kiss.

Brain nuzzled her gently, slipping the yellow ring out of her grasp. Thus far she and her brother had shown no signs of inheriting Pinky's teeth; he didn't want to encourage that by letting her sleep with something in her mouth. He pressed a gentle kiss to the base of her ear. "Goodnight," he whispered.

Pinky slowly danced her over to her crib, laying her down quietly. He hummed the lullaby as he stroked her forehead and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Jingle Bells. Poit. I love you." Tucking the blanket around her, he looked between both slumbering twins and sighed dreamily. Bestest babies ever. He slipped back over to Brain and Romy, immediately wrapping their clone in an embrace. "I'm sorry I didn't get to hug you when you got here."

"It's chill, ma. You had the tykes, I get it." He patted him on the back to reassure him. "I'd better get going though, with the twins asleep and all I'm sure you guys want a breather."

"That would be appreciated, Roman. There's no telling how long either of them will stay asleep." He wiped off the teething ring and set it aside for later use. "Do you still think you and Bunny will be able to handle babysitting?"

"We'll have to drool-proof the apartment, but yeah. I think we'll be fine. Bunny already went out and bought a bunch of nursery dollhouse sets. Actually beat up a crazy coupon soccer mom to nab one of them. At least that's what she told me." He chuckled, shrugging. Sometimes his girlfriend could exaggerate.

Pinky gave Romy a kiss on the cheek, to which the clone wiped at after. "Oh, I'm sure you'll make wonderful babysitters! Narf. We raised you right, after all."

"Of course we did, Pinky." Brain hid a yawn behind his hand and stepped forward to give his son a fond pat. "You were helpful today. Thank you, Roman."

"No prob. It was great to meet them." He gave his dad a brief hug. "Give me a call if ya need anything. I'll see you all soon."

He hadn't been expecting the embrace, however quick, so cleared his throat and gave Roman a small pat on the back before stepping away. "Yes, well... We will."

After giving his mother another hug, Romy headed out. "Bye, ma. Bye, dad. Stay narf." Then he slipped under the sheet and out the door.

Pinky continued waving, even though the sheet kept Romy from being able to see him. "Oh, we have such lovely children, Brain. Troz. How did we get so lucky?"

"My superior genes." Brain glanced up at his husband, giving him a small kiss since they were alone. "And yours too, I suppose. For certain things."

"Oh, thank you, Brain." Pinky rubbed their noses together, batting his lashes before what he said registered and confusion replaced his coy look. "But we don't wear pants. Poit."

"Not those kinds of jeans, Pinky. Genes as in... Never mind. I don't currently possess the energy a thorough explanation would require." Brain pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Now then, Pinky, why don't we join our twins in taking a nap?"

Pinky purred happily, nuzzling his husband. "Oh, yes, Brain. All snuggled together in bed. It sounds so lovely." He took his hand and lead him to their bed. "Like two bugs in a pod and peas in a rug."

"That hardly makes sense," Brain grumbled, but only kept himself close otherwise. He slid beneath the blanket, reaching out to encourage his husband to lay beside him.

He needed no encouragement, but appreciated that he reached out regardless. Slipping under the covers, Pinky curled around him. "Does it have to make sense?" he asked as he kissed Brain's forehead, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

"No, but only because it's you." Brain tucked close, rolling onto his side and snuggling. He stroked Pinky's back, pressing a kiss to his neck. "It really is alright that you're still a little round. I still find you to be... Well..." His head tilted back so their noses could bump. "You're beautiful, my dear."

Blue eyes sparkled, a bright smile spreading across his cheeks despite his exhaustion. "Oh, Brain... narf." He sealed their lips together in a soft kiss. "Thank you, love. I think you're quite lovely, too."

Brain drew him into another kiss, deeper this time, while Roman's rather embarrassing words echoed in his mind. It was true that he and Pinky didn't get much time to themselves. They were either too tired, the babies were awake, or the babies were in danger of waking up. But he still wanted his husband the same, loved him the same, and had grown rather comfortable with the emotions the taller mouse inspired. Actually saying the words was a little bit of a challenge except for certain moments, so he tried to say it with his kiss and the way he snuggled closer.

For the most part, Pinky had been very well-behaved, only attempting to persuade Brain to do more than kiss and snuggle twice. At least he thought it was twice... though with his counting abilities who knew how many times it had actually been. Still, he was more than happy to just go to sleep after a couple kisses, exhausted from running after two active babies all day long. Stroking the curve of Brain's ear with his thumb, Pinky hummed into the kiss, feeling the love his husband was expressing quite plainly. "I love you too," he giggled.

He only loved him more for understanding. The megalomaniac broke the kiss with a soft sound, rubbing their noses together while his ear twitched. "Good."

Pinky nuzzled him, squeaking out a sigh as he held Brain as close as possible. "I love being with our babies, but I can't wait to help you take over the world again, Brain. You've been so patient, even though I know it's your destiny. Narf." He brushed their lips together again. "Best daddy ever."

Brain stroked his fingers up and down his husband's back, humming into the kiss. "Making sure our children are taken care of is far more important, Pinky. We'll resume our world conquest soon enough. And we'll succeed for our children."

"They'll be so proud of you. Not every child gets to say their daddy took over the world. Poit. Or husband for that matter," Pinky contemplated, a small yawn escaping as his eyes fluttered shut. "But I'm already proud of you."

"Thank you, Pinky. They'll be proud of their mother, too, for helping." Brain sighed, one of his ears flopping so he could tuck his head beneath Pinky's chin as his eyes closed. "Goodnight, my dear."

"Goodnight, love." Pinky rubbed his cheek against the top of Brain's head. He listened to the soft breathing of their children as well as his husband's gentle exhales. And as he drifted off to sleep, he felt like the luckiest mouse in the whole, wide world. Even when one of the twins was sure to wake him up in the middle of the night, he was still very, very lucky.

StarShineDC: Damn right you're lucky, Pinky XD
Except, y'know, your hubby is a total brat.
And so is Cyan.
Just like his daddy, from his pink eyes to his crooked tail.
Though that fascination with the wheel is all his mummy's influence~

But BABIES! And ROMY! And CUTE XD
I love the twins. They make me feel all guuuushy
And Bella is so much fun to write; she'd adorabibble when she gets bigger
A mini-Pinky! lol

Me: I concur with all of the above xD

Adding only that Brain is just as lucky lol.

This was basically epilogue part 1; the last chapter up will be epilogue part 2. A bonus that we just couldn't keep ourselves from writing!