Chapter 2: Getting Acquainted
Priya groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked and looked around the cage…
The cage! Oh no! She was back at Acme Labs! The mice she had seen had caught her, she realized, as she reflected painfully on the hazy memories. But before Pri could fully consider her dilemma, she heard the lanky mouse. "Oh, Brain, she's awake! Hurrah!" Priya sat up in bed as the short mouse walked over to her. "Hello, my dear. How are you feeling?" "simply awful," Pri replied, which was true. Her body ached. She felt hot, but cold chills were running down her back. Her vision wavered and she felt exhausted. Her nose was so stuffed up she could hardly breathe, and her stomach felt the worst of all. "That's to be expected. You developed a fever, but you should feel better soon. Do you feel nauseous?" "yes, very," answered Pri. "wait here," he answered. The pink-eyed mouse walked off and returned with a thimble, and Priya took it just in time to lose her lunch. The lanky mouse patted her back as she finished, and even in her discomfort, she felt touched by the gesture. Pri looked up, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "I'm so sorry," she said weakly. "Nonsense, dear. It's not your fault," reassured the shorter mouse. "You may go to sleep now, if you would prefer to." Priya crawled under the covers, feeling a little better now that she was at least in good hands.
Pri yawned and stretched, finally feeling a bit better. She heard the pitter-patter of footsteps, and looked up to see the lanky, blue-eyed mouse running toward her. "Yippie, you're awake again! Now we can play together!" The pink-eyed mouse looked up from a chalkboard. "Pinky, she's in no condition for playing." the blue-eyed mouse's ears drooped, though he still seemed a bit cheerful. "Oh. Narf." "Are you feeling better?" The shorter mouse addressed Priya. "Yes, thank you," she answered, observing the bandages on her tail and ankle. "What is your name?" she asked. "I am The Brain, and this is my rather dim-witted associate, Pinky." "Hi! Troz!" the mouse named Pinky cried, bounding over. "What's your name? I like the way you talk. It's funny!" Brain picked up a pencil and bopped Pinky with it. "Unh! Ha ha ha! Poit!" "I apologize for his rudeness," Brain said, turning to Priya. "It's quite alright," Pri said, smiling warmly. "My name is Priya, but you may call me Pri, if you so desire. I come from Bengal, a place in India." "Naaaaarf," breathed Pinky. Pri couldn't help but smile. Pinky reminded her forcibly of two twin mice she had had the fortune of meeting back at the Indian lab, Ronju and Rini. They had many verbal tics, much like Pinky, and smiling, she remembered how Rini had often said "yip" and Ronju, "yop." "what time is it?" she asked. "Will the humans be here soon?" Brain exited the cage and ran across the lab. A few minutes later, he returned. "It is approximately 6 in the morning, so yes, the humans will be there soon. I assume it was they who fractured your tail?" "yes," sighed Pri. "it was them." she would have gone on, but the scientists began to trickle in, and Pri fell silent. Or, at least she did until one of the humans stopped in front of them. "How did it get in here?" she distinctly heard him mutter as he reached for her. "Oh!" Pri gasped. "Get behind me, Priya," hissed Brain. Priya quickly did. As the hand closed in, Brain let out a low snarl, glaring at the human. The scientist seemed to hesitate, then reached again. Pinky ran over. "Go away, mean man!" he squeaked, snapping at the man's finger. The man shouted angrily, withdrawing his finger. "Little vermin!" he yelled. A woman came up behind him. "Look at the scene you're making," she said angrily. "Even if the new arrival should be in a different part of the lab, they don't seem to be harming each other, even enjoying the company! Can't you see how the two males are protecting the new female?" the man glared angrily at the woman and the rodents before stalking off in a huff. The woman shook her head. "Carrying on like a child, having no respect for the animals…" she peered anxiously at the mice in the cage. "I'm so sorry about that," she said quietly. "Are you fellas okay in there?" as she walked off, Pri heard sniffling coming from the corner of the cage. She looked over and saw the hunched form of Pinky. Priya and Brain looked at each other for a moment before walking over to the distraught mouse. "Pinky?" Pri said softly. Pinky let out a quiet sob. Priya gently hugged the trembling mouse. "Shh, it's alright," she told him. "The mean man's gone." "P-promise? P-poit," whimpered Pinky. "Promise," whispered Priya, feeling a lump rise in her throat. She had only known these mice a few hours and already they felt like family, the only family she ever had. "You were very brave, Pinky." After a few minutes, Pinky released her. He gave a wavering smile. "Thanks, Priya. Zort." "Anytime, Pinky," said Priya, flashing him a reassuring smile. "Anytime."
A few days later, Priya was helping Brain with his latest attempt at world domination while Pinky played by himself in the corner of the cage. "Play with me, Pri?" "I'll be there soon, Pinky." Pri watched as Brain scribbled another equation on his slate. "Pardon me, Brain, but I believe your division sign should be one spot to the right." Brain dutifully fixed the mistake, scowling. "Oh, and I think you may have meant to write Y instead of X here." Suddenly, Brain whipped around, gripping Priya by the shoulders. "How dare you criticize my equations?!" he shouted in anger. Pri gasped, completely taken aback by his sudden outburst as she attempted to free herself from his vice-like grip without much luck. "Erm… well, on the contrary, I wasn't criticizing you, just merely pointing out.. Well.. a s-small mistake?" she finished weakly, trying to keep her emotions in, but she could feel her face growing warm and tears prickling behind her eyes. Brain glared at her. "A small mistake? If I hadn't made those corrections, the plan would have gone all wrong! And you, you just stand there and- and-" "save you from making a very embarrassing mistake that would have cost you yet another attempt at world domination," Pri finished for him, angry, surprised and hurt as she tried to free herself once again. He let her go and shoved her roughly away before storming out of the cage to sulk. Priya fell to the ground, right on her tail. She hissed in pain and rubbed it. Rebellious tears began to escape and she clenched her eyes shut tight, scrubbing at her face. She wasn't just crying because of the pain, she had endured far worse. The reason for the tears was guilt, because even though she knew Brain was being completely unfair, somehow she felt she shouldn't have done what she had done. But what else could I have done? She tried to reason with herself. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Pinky start to walk over until he scooped her up in a warm, gentle hug. "Aw, don't cry, Pri," he cooed. "Brain gets all huffy all the time. He just can't stand it when someone's smarter than him." "So he's jealous, then?" Pri asked. "He shouldn't be. I'm nowhere near as smart as him. I could never think up such complicated plans every single night, even if I wanted to." "well, I still think you're smart," said Pinky, and Priya couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Pinky." "Brain will come back soon enough, he always does. Poit. Will you play with me now?" "alright, Pinky," said Priya, smiling. They were playing with a small rubber ball when Priya heard someone clear their throat. She turned around, and there was Brain, standing at the door of the cage. "Priya, may I see you outside for a moment? Wait here, Pinky." Priya swallowed. "Okay," she said. Stepping out of the cage, Priya felt a sense of foreboding, unable to tell what her cagemate was thinking. Finally, Brain spoke. "I'm sorry." Pri was taken aback by the apology. "I'm sorry, Priya. I was very immature. You must understand that it is… very difficult for me to take criticism, especially from someone more intelligent than I." Pri's ears drooped. "I should be the one apologizing," she said softly, looking at the ground and attempting to swallow the painful lump in her throat. "I was rude to you, and I'm not smarter than you. I'm less smart." she could feel tears dripping out of her eyes again and hastily scrubbed at her face. Brain walked over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Shh, Priya," he said gently, brushing a thumb underneath her teary eye. "It was I who was rude. And I hope you'll forgive me." Pri looked up and gave a watery smile. "You're forgiven, Brain," she said, wrapping him in a warm, tender hug. "Group hug! Narf!" squealed Pinky, barreling over to them. "Pinky - oof!" gasped Brain. Pri chuckled, finally beginning to feel at home with her newfound friends.
Aww :3 I just had to put some fluff in
and btw, Rini is my mom's name, while Ronju is her brother's. They are not twins, as their mice versions are in this fic, but rather my uncle is 6 years older XD