Chapter Ten


Trigger Warnings For This Chapter: Cursing, Mental Illness Traits, Hallucinations, Violence, and Time-Period Accurate Homophobia.


"S-sir! Please!" Pinky dropped to his knees with clasped hands. "I love this job!" (I'm capable of doing this job!) "Please!"

The man crushed the stub of a cigar into an ashtray. "Pinky. Look, I'm sorry. You're our least popular clown. Everyone you do gigs for says you're weird… I can't have you tainting the company." He said sorry, but it didn't feel like a sorry.

Pinky got up off his knees and stared at the ground. He'd been begging now for five minutes. It clearly wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Can I have my pay for last week before I go? Poit." His tone had gone from desperate to empty so easily.

The man waved his arms with a baffled huff. "Pay? For last week? Alright." The man shuffled through a drawer at his desk and threw some loose change towards Pinky.

The coins landed in Pinky's line of sight. Two nickels and a penny. "What-.."

"You did two gigs! Badly! The customers called demanding a discount! I had to give it to 'em. Some of your money went to that. Consider the rest that was taken as a tax deduction." He pulled out a fresh cigar, muttering under his breath. "Freak."

Pinky didn't move. The shock of what was happening had frozen him in time.You can't even act like a clown, right. Pathetic.

There was a loud slam as the man hit his desk. "You're fired! Go on and get! Leave your costume in your locker!"

Pinky slowly gained the ability to move and trudged out of the office and headed for his locker. The morning hustle of men suiting up became warped background noise. Crazy. You're crazy.

Pinky gasped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around and sighed begrudgingly. "Hey, Tip." He wasn't in the mood to try to be amicable.

The man known as Tip patted Pinky before hanging his arm at his side. "Heard you got booted. That's a shame."

Pinky rolled his eyes. "Yeah. It's a shame. Troz!" He turned back to his locker and shoved his bag of work attire in there.

Tip clicked his tongue. "Well, we'll miss you…."

Pinky shut his locker.

Tip's voice became just barely higher than a whisper. "…not. You're brain's messed up anyway. Good riddance."

Are you gonna let him get away with that?

*clunk!*. *thud!*

There was a shared gasp among everyone in the room as they formed a circle around the shocking scene.

Pinky looked down on the meaty man he had tackled. He held the man's arms down with a strength he didn't know he had. "Don't you talk about my Brain like that! Ever!" Let him hear it! Pinky's body trembled with foreign rage as he hyper-focused on the large man. How did he even know about Brain?

Tip groaned as his head hit the floor. His eyebrows furled with anger. "What's wrong with you?! Fucking crazy bastard!"

Show him how crazy you are! Pinky brought his arm back and swung down, striking the man across the jaw. A bit of blood leaked from the man's mouth as his gum was gashed. Pinky's breathing slowed, and he had been unaware it ever quickened. He slowly got up off of Tip. The man sat up, groaning as he held his jaw.

Pinky headed for the door, and everyone moved out of his way. Before he left, he turned back and eyed Tip. "You're gonna wanna gargle some saltwater, hun. Narf! Or else you'll get an infection." He pushed open the door and started for Brain's apartment.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brain rubbed his tired eyes as he filed today's folder. Two stacks. The stack of hope and the stack of the hopeless. His movements were lethargic as he separated the papers. One paper stuck out to him. A woman's resume. The photo was of a blonde doddypole with blue eyes. Brain hummed and smiled. Pinky.

He took a sip of coffee from a stained cup and stared just one more moment at the photo before filing it. His movements were a bit more lively. He could get through today. There was a gorgeous man at home who would be waiting for him.

Brain was able to get through workdays, in general, a lot easier. So many things would remind him of Pinky and give him energy. He had to be careful about making sure he didn't slip up and mention the taller man, though. He and Pinky had been secretly living together now for a little over a week. If anyone found out, It'd be bad.

Pinky. Oh, he loved living with him thus far. He'd come home to a tidy apartment and an ungodly amount of affection. Brain shook his head when his mind wandered to their… nightly activities. No! Not. Here.

He continued filing for a few more hours when Paige walked over. Brain groaned. Whhyyyyyyy. She leaned against his cubical. Brain's voice was laced with agitation. "Yes. Hello. What can I do for you, Paige?"

The woman frowned. "Snowball wants to see you. In his office upstairs."

Brain resisted the urge to bash his head on his desk and sighed. "Wonderful. Thank you, Paige." He pushed his chair back and left his cubical, heading for the elevator.

While he ascended, Brain muttered to himself. "Ugh. Snowball. The bastard. Probably wants to rub it in that he's going to be mayor. Hm. The title of mayor will be nothing compared to the title of World Leader. Just wait, Snowball."

The elevator dinged, opening its doors to the fifth floor. Brain stomped down the hall, shoving assistants out of the way as he made his way to his boss's office. The door to the office had Snowball's name engraved upon it. Engraved. Of course, he'd have it engraved. Brain reluctantly knocked, waiting for permission to enter.

"~Cooome iiin!~

Brain rolled his eyes and entered the regally designed room. He sat down in front of Snowball's desk and crossed his arms. There was a moment of tension-filled silence.

Snowball frowned and feigned hurt feelings. "What? Not even a hello? You, know, Brain, it's usually a good idea to greet your superiors. They'll start to think highly of you." His frown turned into a smirk. "So, Brain. How have you been?"

Brain raised an eyebrow. How have I been? Oh, brother. "I've been well, Snowball."

"Oh, Brain. Aren't you going to ask how I've been doing?"

Brain's eyebrow twitched. "Well, I imagine you're doing just fine, Snowball. Life's no doubt been cushy with the money you're making off of my credentials."

Snowball chuckled and flicked a ball on the newton's cradle he had. "Brain, Brain, Brain. That's old news. A thing of the past. You should be over that by now. But, yes. You're right. Life has been cushy. Especially since I'm going to be mayor of this city."

Brain gritted his teeth. "Yes. I hear you can't wait to get the vermin off the streets." Brain hadn't forgotten what Pinky had told him.

"Yes, yes. I have big, big plans. I've been walking around the town, getting a feel of what's important to people. I hear that you've been walking around town here and there." The clack on the silver balls seemed to become a sinister melody.

Brain tilted his head. What was his game here? "Who's told you that? What are you going on about?" Brain felt his body tense up. He couldn't place why, but something grim was on the horizon.

Snowball's eyes moved with the balls on the cradle. "I've had a few people come to me to let me know they've seen you around the town." He looked Brain in the eyes. "With another man."

Brain's heartbeat picked up, and he could feel a drop of sweat slide down the side of his face. No. "And?"

"And? Brain, they didn't just see you out and about with this man. They say they saw you holding hands!" The clacking of the balls stopped, and the air became stiff.

Brain stood up. No, no, no. "Who told you that!? Whoever they are, they're lying!" The only night they had held hands outside was that night over a week ago. Who had been out that late watching them?

Snowball sighed and put up a front of devastation. "Oh, Brain. It's okay. I don't care that you're gay!"

Brain cringed at how loud he said that.

"Really! But,... you see. This company has an image to uphold. Now, if it were up to me, I'd let you stay! But, there are several other people with high-standing titles who've agreed that we can no longer allow you to be employed here." Snowball's smirk from before had turned into a villainous smile. "You're fired."

Brain wobbled and grabbed the chair arm to steady himself. "Snowball… please. I-I… I have bills to pay! I have rent to pay! I-..."

Snowball waved a dismissive hand. "We all do, Brain. Please, save your dignity and go clean out your desk."

Brain's mind was in turmoil. His movements were robotic as he cleaned out his desk, ignoring the nosy people asking what happened. When he was done grabbing his things, he looked at the box he was holding. Not much was in it. A name plaque, pencils and pens, a stress ball, and a miniature globe.

He pushed through the doors that led outside and began his trek home. "What I'm I going to do?" Word can get around pretty fast in the working world. He was sure that any other jobs he applied for would find out when they reached out to A.C.M.E. How will I pay rent? How am I going to buy food? He pulled out a cigarette and took in deep drags. How am I going to pay for my cigarettes? He only smoked them to or from work, but they were crucial to his day.

There was one thing he was dreading the most, though. What'll happen to me… and Pinky? Pinky had just stopped being homeless. He didn't want that to be Pinky's reality all over again.

He reached his apartment complex and grimaced when he noticed mail in his mail slot. Bills, no doubt. It was around the appropriate time for them. He walked past the mail slots and entered the elevator.

Once on his floor, Brain walked out with shaky legs. "What am I going to do?!" They obviously couldn't live off of Pinky's income. Whatever he made wasn't enough to keep just himself off the streets.

He reached for his key and unlocked the door. He didn't expect Pinky to be there so early, but he was. "Oh, Pinky. You're home early." He didn't get a response. Brain set his box of nick-knacks down and approached Pinky. Something was wrong. The light illuminating off his face indicated the TV was on, but there was no sound.

Brain walked over to see static on the TV screen. He looked down at Pinky, concerned. "Pinky?" No response. He sat down, turned off the TV, and lightly shook him. "Pinky!"

Pinky shook his head and blinked in surprise. Brain was holding him, and he was in the apartment. What happened? The memory of being let go flashed in his mind. Oh, yeah. The shock from being fired must have been intense. "Brain? What time is it?"

Brain felt relief flood through him when Pinky spoke. "It's around 4:45. Pinky, are you okay?"

Pinky smiled at Brain. "Yeah, I uh, just had a bad day at work." Was that an appropriate phrase to say since now he didn't work there?

Brain frowned. "You've had a bad day, as well? I'm sorry to hear, Pinky. What happened?"

Pinky rubbed his hands together. "You first." You're pathetic. "Poit."

"N-no. You should go first."

There were a few minutes of awkward silence before they spoke.

"I was fired." -–" I punched someone in the face."

They both looked at each other, shocked. Pinky blushed. "Oh. That, too. I also got fired."

Brain was almost at a loss for words. Did they find out Pinky was gay, too? "Pinky, why did you get fired?... Who got you mad enough to get punched by you?"

Pinky shrunk in on himself. "My boss basically said I sucked at my job. And then he called me a freak. Then Tip said no one was gonna miss me, and he said that my Brain was messed up. But you're not messed up! Troz! It made me mad that he would say such a rude thing, and… and the voice in my head was upset too. So I punched him good."

Brain brushed away a few of Pinky's stray tears. He didn't bother letting Pinky know that this Tip guy was referring to the brain in his skull. It was honestly sort of sweet that Pinky was so defensive of him. So, Snowball and Tip. He took mental notes of the names of people who would be punished once he was ruler.

Pinky sniffled and put a hand on Brain's shoulder. "Why were you fired, Brain?"

Brain sighed and stood up. "Snowball found out… I was gay."

Pinky gasped. No. It's my fault he got fired! You ruined him! You ruin everything! "Brain, I-"

Brain cut him off. He could see the undeserved guilt on Pinky's face. "It's not your fault, Pinky. It's these damned homophobic goons!" Brain began pacing back and forth. Ideas began formulating in his mind. He chuckled. "You know what, Pinky. This is actually perfect!"

Pinky raised a brow. "It is?"

"Of course. Think about it, Pinky! Now I have plenty of free time to work on world domination plots!" They could gather equipment from the dump and start progress on a multitude of possibilities!

Pinky beamed and stood up. "Oh! That is perfect, isn't it!" But then Pinky thought of something. "No, no. Wait. Brain, what if we don't do it in time? Doesn't the rent and bills need paid? Poit. What if they kick us out before you succeed?" He didn't want to sound pessimistic; he was just genuinely concerned about them becoming homeless. It wasn't fun, and he didn't want Brain to find that out the hard way.

Brain walked over to Pinky and put an arm around him. "Trust me, Pinky! With the amount of time I now have, I'm sure to succeed before that happens!"

Pinky scooped up Brain into a hug. "Oh, that's wonderful, Brain!" If Brain was this certain, he'd trust the other's words. He released Brain and cheered him on! "Say, Brain! Why don't you go ahead and get started?! And I can help by handing you things that you need!

Brain smiled. "Yeah! Let's do it, Pinky!" He rushed to his room and grabbed some supplies and some blueprints. He headed for the kitchen and dumped everything on the counter. "Come over here, Pinky. I need your opinion on something."

Pinky hurried in, giddy at the idea of being a part of something so exciting. "On what, Brain?"

Brain gestured to the papers that had rolled off into their own little pile. "These are blueprints for possible schemes. I want you to choose which one we should try first."

Pinky knelt down and gave Brain a quick peck on the cheek. He winked and then focused on the options. He grabbed one and scanned it, then another, looking over things with interest.

Brain blushed and rubbed the spot on his cheek with a small smile. He looked over at Pinky, watching as he examined each scheme. "So, Pinky. Do any of them speak to you at all? What does your gut say?"

Pinky nodded. "Oh, yes. This one right here!" He held it open with pride.

Brain rubbed his chin as he eyed the idea Pinky had settled on. It was his idea of putting mind-control serum in the city's water supply. And then the following cities, and so on. "Excellent choice, Pinky. What made you choose this one?"

Pinky handed the paper to Brain. "This right here!" He pointed to the name of the plan. It read 'Water Run.' "Narf! I like the name." It was the only one of the names he could actually read and understand.

Brian hummed. "Alright. Well, I'll need to get started. Pinky, do you mind handing me those gloves?" Brain pointed into the pile. He could have easily grabbed them, but he wanted Pinky to feel involved as much as possible.

"Right-O, Brain!" Pinky went to grab them but froze.

* Knock* -*Knock* -*Knock*

Brain froze for a moment as well. Who could possibly be knocking on his door? He didn't exactly have friends. Brain motioned for Pinky to rush to his bedroom.

Pinky did so, careful to open and close the bedroom door quietly.

Brain cautiously approached the door. He took in a deep breath. Most people could check through the peephole to see who was there, but Brain was too short. He placed his hand on the knob and opened the door just wide enough to show his face. "Yes?-..." Uh, oh.

"Hi there, Mr. Brain? Is that right?"

"Yes. This is him." Brain went into super-concentration mode.

The man pulled out a badge, though it was apparent he was a detective. "Detective Larry. I'm here on an anonymous tip. I'll cut to the chase. I've got a busy schedule. Do you know about the Endo Train Station murders?"

Brain kept his cool. A tip didn't mean much if that's all they had. "Of course. I saw the report of it on the Moring Murphy Show."

The detective nodded. "I see. Now, the tip I received was from someone who says they heard the shots that day. They said when they rushed over, they didn't want to get too close but said they saw a shadow of a relatively short man."

Brain acted offended. "What? I'm short, so I'm a suspect? This is ridiculous!"

The detective put his hands in his pocket. "They also took a look at the bullets. What kind of gun do you own, Mr. Brain?"

Fuck. Brain didn't bother lying, knowing fully well that they had probably already gone through and figured out what he had purchased a few years ago. "I have a handgun."

"A Colt Python?"

"Yes. Many people have them. It's not super uncommon. It is within my rights to own one."

The detective nodded. "It is. So, for the record, do you know any information about the Endo Train Station murders? Anything at all?"

Brain arched a brow. "Only what they've shared on the television."

The detective smiled. "Okay. Thanks, . That's all the questions I have for now. Have a nice day." The man left down the hall whistling.

Brain shut the door and slid down to the floor. "Pinky! You can come out now!"

Pinky peeked from the bedroom and became worried when he saw Brain on the floor. He walked over and sat down next to him. "What's the matter, Brain? Who was at the door?"

Brain hugged his knees close. "It was a detective, Pinky. They wanted to know about the night at the train station with those hooligans."

Pinky frowned. That couldn't be good at all. "Do they know it was you?"

"No, but I'm a possible suspect." Brain groaned and rubbed his temples. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why was all of this happening all at once?!

Pinky hummed. "Well, can we do anything about that right now?"

"Not really."

Pinky helped Brian up. "Well, if we can't do anything right now, we shouldn't worry about it right now. They don't know it's you. Let's go back into the kitchen and get going on that plan!"

Brian sighed. "I suppose you're right." He stretched and popped his back.

Pinky seemed to suddenly notice the purple under Brain's eyes. Hm. Pinky bent down and grabbed Brain by the waist. He whispered into his ear. "Maybe first, we should… ~destress." He kissed Brain's ear and rubbed up on Brain's rear with his groin. "How does that sound?"

Brain shivered and had instantly become wholly aroused. "That's a wonderful idea, Pinky."

"You can even use that rope you got on me?"

Brain turned and looked Pinky in his eyes. "Pinky. If I ever say no to tying you up in the bedroom, call me an ambulance because I'd have to be pretty brain-damaged to refuse that."

They walked towards the bedroom, and Pinky suppressed the most immense urge to call Brain an ambulance.