Pinky shook out his fur like a dog, on all fours spraying snow everywhere. The Brain lifted his arms to shield himself from the onslaught of moisture, considering himself unscathed in the end. He draped a towel around Pinky's shoulders, as the taller mouse had plopped down in front of the TV rather than effectively dry himself off, and proceeded to rub him dry. It annoyed him that his companion didn't think to do this himself, but if no one dried him then Pinky was sure to catch a cold.
He rolled his eyes when Pinky burst into a fit of giggles as he toweled off his sides. "Braa-aain! Stop! That tickles!"
"If you thought to dry yourself off, then maybe I wouldn't have to." He returned, not ceasing his actions in the slightest. In fact, he purposely dug his fingers into his sides a little harder, eliciting more laughter as Pinky squirmed both away and towards him. Brain didn't fight so hard to suppress the smirk that threatened to turn up his lips, after all, no one could see him.
"I can do it! I can do it!" He snorted through his laughter, rolling onto his back once Brain got to drying his tummy. "Narf!"
Brain tossed the towel onto Pinky's head once he sat up again. "Have at it, Pinky. I'm going to find another blanket."
"We need to find a bed for Baby Snow Mouse too!" Pinky called after him, pushing the towel all around his head before letting it slide off. His fur stuck up every which way.
Heaving a sigh, Brain set about fixing Pinky's fur, lest it actually dry in that tangled mess. "Pinky, she's not staying that long."
"I know." He attempted to keep the sadness out of his tone, but Brain knew his friend well enough to pick up on it. Of course Pinky would become attached within seconds of finding her. "But we can't just put her on the floor, it's rude. She's our guest!"
"She can sleep on our bed." Brain deemed Pinky's fur satisfactory, but continued to let his fingers run through the soft, slightly damp strands.
They were quickly dislodged when Pinky shook his head vehemently. "Egad, Brain! No, we can't do that! We could roll over in our sleep and smooosh her!"
He sounded so completely horrified, Brain didn't press the issue. "Fine, then. If you don't want to "smoosh" her, then you can assemble a bed for her."
"Yay! Thank you, Brain!" Pinky leapt up, completely forgetting about the TV, and skipped away.
Hopping on the remote to turn off the screen, Brain set about collecting the towels and procuring a blanket for himself for he was still chilled to the bone. As he passed their cage, he couldn't help but peer inside. The baby was still wrapped up in Pinky's jacket, sleeping in the middle of their matchbox bed. He shook his head. Once he was warmed up, he'd get on the computer and proceed to design fliers for the missing baby. Tomorrow he and Pinky could post them around town and hopefully there'd be a quick response.
Something about her intrigued him. Even though she was nothing more than a squirming, babbling infant, there was something akin to awareness in her eyes. Something beyond what primitive non-gene spliced rodents typically displayed. The Brain shook his head. It was a possibility, finding a gene spliced mouse out in the city, but not very likely one. Her parents would have had to have been altered, for she was too young to have undergone such a procedure already.
Of course, this only made his plan more feasible. With parents capable of cognition, they would understand the signs and know where to find and pick up their daughter. However, there was the chance that the infant came from more primitive mice than they. It didn't even occur to him until they'd left the police station, but if she was from primitive field or sewer mice, she could not ever be returned to her family. His and Pinky's scents were on her now, her family wouldn't recognize her. He shuddered as he recalled what he read about field mice and their young. If a foreign scent interfered with the child's scent, then the child was eaten, so as to save the rest of the litter.
Simply barbarian.
"Brain! Oh, Brain!" His attention shifted as his exuberant cagemate hollered and waved him over.
Brain's shoulders hunched over. "What is it, Pinky?"
"Looky! I made a bed!" Pinky cheered, proudly holding up half a walnut shell.
Arching an eyebrow, Brain strolled over to better examine the invention. The hollowed out half of the walnut shell had been stuffed with paper and blankets. Quite inventive, The Brain had to admit inwardly, refusing to verbally praise Pinky's creation.
"It even rocks like a cradle! Zort!" He added, setting it on the ground and nudging it slightly. It wobbled more than rocked, but Brain wouldn't quibble with him.
"Fascinating, Pinky." With a nod, he stiffened as a shiver wracked his body. He really needed to get those extra blankets.
Pinky tilted his head. "Are you still cold, Brain?"
"My body temperature is still a few degrees short of what I desire it to be, yes." He grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "So if you'll excuse me-"
"I'll make you some tea!" Pinky clapped his paws together, hopping from foot to foot. "That'll warm you right up! Poit!" With that he dashed off towards the kitchenette.
Brain blinked at his friend, touched by the offer. While Pinky may have the lowest IQ of any creature he'd ever come across, he certainly knew how to surprise him. Draping a blanket around his shoulders, and discarding the damp towels off to the side, he went over to boot up the computer. He could get started on those fliers while Pinky prepared his tea.
When the thimble full of steaming liquid was placed beside him, he thanked his cagemate as he cupped it between his paws. Bringing it close to feel the heat against his face, he paused as he detected a hint of lemon and honey. Pinky only put those in when he wanted something... or if Brain happened to be in a particularly foul mood. He glanced over at Pinky, who had set down his own thimble of tea in favor of rocking the baby mouse.
"Baby baby baby!" Pinky sing-songed, giggling when the little mouse grabbed his nose with her tiny paws. "Narf!"
"Don't jostle her too much, Pinky." Brain warned, catching his associate's attention.
He nodded rapidly. "Oh, I know, Brain! I can hold a baby! I took care of Romy, didn't I?"
At the mention of their... son, Brain drummed his fingers along his arm. "Pinky, Roman Numeral I was a baby for all of one night. This child will not develop nearly as quickly, thus needs proper attention and care."
"Poit." Pinky's brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend what it was Brain had told him. "Are you saying that... I can't do it?"
"In a manner of speaking." Brain confirmed, resuming his formatting of the 'lost child' fliers. "Pinky, you can barely take care of yourself, let alone a small creature completely dependent on your every action."
He didn't see the frown twisting Pinky's features. "That's not true, I can so take care of myself! Just last week, I ironed all the lint balls!"
"My point exactly." Brain deadpanned, clacking away at the keyboard only pausing to sip at his tea. "In any case, it's a moot point. She'll not be staying long, one night in your care shouldn't cause any lasting detrimental effects. Once we return her to her parents, we can return to our plans to take over the world!"
Pinky 'hmmph'ed, turning his back on Brain while continuing to rock the baby from side to side. "She'll be just fine. I'll take very good care of her."
"Of course you will." The smaller mouse replied, more automatic than anything else.
Pinky's ears drooped. He could do it, despite what Brain said, he had done very well with Romy! He raised him on all the right things, Pat the Bunny was one of the most acclaimed of children's stories and Romy was so smart, he was able to apply what he read to real life. He figured they must have done something right, him and Brain. If he did it once, he could do it again.
The little girl mouse started to whine, the sound going straight to Pinky's heart. Her big, pink eyes filled with tears and her lip quivered. "Oh no, Baby Snow Mouse! Don't cry!" Pinky bounced her a little faster, but that only made her more upset. "Egad, what's wrong?"
She was incapable of answering, her keening just got louder. He glanced over his shoulder nervously, though Brain hadn't yet seemed to notice. Romy had never cried, he'd been a very easy-going baby, or rather he was either all happy and smiles or all scowly and grumpy. But still. Pinky was at a loss of what to do in the face of tears.
"Don't be sad, baby." He tried pleading with her. "Just say 'narf'!" He sang a little bit of his favorite song, and for the moment it seemed to work. She perked up whenever he uttered the nonsensical word, but every time he stopped she'd get upset again. "Uhm... oh, I know! Maybe you're hungry! Zort! Oh, I am good at this!"
Pinky carried her back into the cage and set her in her walnut bassinet as he dashed off to procure food pellets. To his dismay, he found that she didn't have teeth with which to chew them up. The food pellets were essentially inedible. Still, he did not let that deter him. Dashing off to the kitchen, Pinky paused to pick up a clean pipette the scientists used to move tiny drops of liquid.
The baby fussed some while he was away, but he managed to get back before any full-blown crying erupted. The pipette had been filled with warm milk, it was just as easy as making tea, and he held it up to her lips. She latched on immediately, sucking down as much of the milk as her little body could handle. It was still half full when she finished, so Pinky set it aside to use later, and picked her up again. This time he held her upright, her chin resting on his shoulder as he patted her back.
She sighed happily and Pinky's heart soared. He could definitely do this. He'd show Brain, impress him, then maybe he'd let her stay!
#
More than sufficiently warmed from the inside out, Brain rolled up his set of fliers he'd printed and stuffed them in the sardine tin. He stretched out his arms high above his head, working the kinks out of his neck and back from sitting hunched over the keyboard for a good part of the night. Approaching the bed, ready for some rest, he stopped as he caught sight of Pinky.
The taller mouse sat perched on the edge of their bed, leaning back on his elbows as he rocked the walnut shell with his foot. His gaze was focused on the sleeping baby, tired and half-lidded, but a certain degree of peaceful contentment shone through that Brain didn't often see in his friend. Pinky hummed softly, it sounded vaguely reminiscent of a rather slowed down version of that ridiculous cheese song he loved belting out from time to time.
Brain detected a sensation similar to that of fondness bloom in his chest as he watched the other two mice for a moment, but it fled in the face of annoyance. They didn't have time for a baby, they barely had time to raise their own clone! Rolling his eyes, he tugged back the covers on his side of the bed, alerting Pinky to his presence.
"All ready for beddy-by now, eh Brain?" Pinky asked, not a trace of the hurt feelings he'd displayed earlier.
At times, Brain was grateful for his friend's lack of an attention span. "Yes, Pinky. I'm taking advantage of our botched plans for this evening to catch up on some sleep. I advise you to do the same."
"Aye, aye!" Pinky saluted him with the wrong hand, then bent over to steady the walnut cradle. "Sleep well, little mousey-mouse mouse." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she shifted in her sleep. "Naaaarf."
Sitting upright in bed, Brain rolled his eyes, watching as Pinky ducked under the covers by the foot of their bed. He wriggled up towards him, a bump in the sheets, until his head popped out to land on the pillow next to him. "Was that fun?" He deadpanned.
"Oh, yes!" Pinky giggled, cuddling up close to the smaller mouse. "It's like exploring a big, squishy, soft cave!"
"I'm sure it is." Brain sighed, fixing the blankets around the two of them until he was satisfied with their coverage. "Tomorrow you will post the fliers around town, Pinky, while I formulate a plan to take over the world that does not require us to leave the lab. Should the child's parents come about, I want to be certain that we are present to deliver her to them. Understand?" He rolled onto his side to face Pinky, not comforted by the look of despair that crossed his companion's face. "Pinky..."
"Can't we keep her, Brain?" Pinky asked softly, his blue eyes wide and imploring.
Brain snorted. "She's not a pet, Pinky, you can't just decide to raise a child on a whim. She needs to be with her own family."
"But we could be her family! Poit!" The hope glistening in his gaze made Brain feel a little queasy. When Pinky didn't get a response, he scooted a little closer. "What if her parents didn't... didn't want her, Brain?"
To think such a thought crossed Pinky's flighty mind caught Brain off guard. It was a very real possibility, but even he didn't want to entertain the idea just yet. "That's preposterous, Pinky. Babies are designed to be optimally cute and evoke protective instincts in adults. This one here is much too adorable to have been abandoned by her parents."
It seemed to have worked. Pinky appeared slightly more cheered up, but clearly the thought of having to give her away still ate at him. Brain closed his eyes, cursing his attachment to this trusting, loving creature, and wrapped his arms around him to provide what little comfort he could.
Pinky hugged him back, trying to hide his sniffles while Brain gently patted him on the back and attempted to ignore the pang of guilt in gut.
#
An aggravating screeching sound assaulted his ears. He rolled over with a groan, attempting to bury his face against the source of warmth that slept soundly beside him. Only to find it wasn't there. Blearily blinking open his eyes, The Brain stared at the empty space where his friend should've been. His mind desperately fanned away the cloud of sleep, but it slowed down his mental processes nonetheless. He turned towards the piercing clamor instead.
Pinky paced the length of the cage while rocking the squirming baby mouse in his arms. He blew into her ear gently, making a 'shhh' noise, and she began to settle. The wails became little more than hitched hiccupping, still annoying but much less taxing on the ears.
Brain huddled back down under the covers, the sheets shifting noisily. Pinky looked over at him, wide awake despite it being such an ungodly hour. He smiled at Brain, not breaking eye contact as he bounced the baby. His reply was a simple grunt; not angry, but certainly not pleased that he'd lost his valuable heat source. When Pinky didn't respond, Brain's ears flattened against his skull.
"Pinky..."
"In a minute, Brain. She's lonely."
The Brain did not pout, most certainly not, but he was tired and his usual brand of annoyed sulking wasn't up to par. He turned his back to Pinky, too tired to be embarrassed by the knowing grin the other mouse sported but still capable of being put off by it. His ears twitched as he listened to the sound of Pinky soothing the baby back to sleep. Pink eyes drifted shut, sleep closing in on him. He managed to stave it off until he felt the dip in the bed followed closely by Pinky brushing up against him.
"Sleeping, Brain?" Pinky whispered, his breath fanning his ear.
"Mmm..."
Brain's frown deepened as Pinky giggled quietly, but the creases in his brow smoothed out as he felt a light touch to his forehead. A kiss. "I love you, Brain."
The three mice slept through the rest of the night.
Oh please, Brain! Please let Pinky keep her!
He's such a good mommy~
The whole gene spliced-field mouse thing occurred to me halfway into this chapter lol, but she is genetically altered for the purpose of this story, having come from genetically altered parents who ran away from the lab some time ago. Pinky and Brain don't know them though, they were in a different testing area of the lab.