"Brain!" Pinky gasped, rushing over to his friend's side. "You're bleeding!"
"I'm fine, Pinky," Brain said, but it was a lie. He was in an inordinate amount of pain. "No, Brain, you're not fine," Pinky said. "You're bleeding in places I didn't even know you could bleed." Brain knew Pinky was right. He felt tears of pain prick his eyes. Their plan had failed as usual and ended up with them crashing into something.
Brain tried to get up, but a sharp pain zinged through his tail. "Ow!" he cried. "Don't try to get up, I'll carry you," said Pinky. Brain allowed himself to melt into Pinky's touch for a few short seconds.
"Narf! Is this what you meant by suffering for your art, Brain?" Pinky asked. Even in the toughest of predicaments, Pinky always managed to make Brain smile. "Not exactly, my friend," Brain replied. He soon fell into a trance and was lulled to sleep.
The small mouse blinked his eyes open slowly and groaned. He wanted to stay asleep; he was having an amazing dream that may or may not have included his loyal friend.
"Brain, goodie, you're awake!" Remember that ¨friend¨ we were talking about?
¨When did we get back to the lab?¨ Brain asked in a groggy voice, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
¨About half an hour ago,¨ Pinky answered. ¨I cleaned all of your owies.¨ Brain felt a surge of affection rush through him as he realized what Pinky had done for him. ¨Thank you Pinky,¨ he said with a small smile. ¨You're welcome!¨ Pinky gave Brain a light hug, careful not to hurt him. How did Pinky escape the injuries, you ask? Simple. He landed on a fluffy cushion. Alas, Brain clearly did not get so lucky. ¨Are you feeling any better?¨ Pinky asked.
¨Yes, a little,¨ Brain replied. ¨I'm still moderately sore, but I must say you did a good job cleaning me up.¨
¨Of course, Brain, anytime. Would you like some medicine? I can also make tea and food pellets.¨
¨Sure. That would be nice.¨
While Pinky was singing and preparing a meal, Brain caught himself staring with an amused little smile. His face flamed when he realized what he was doing.
¨Here you go,¨ said Pinky, serving Brain's food on a tray. The megalomaniac felt the corners of his mouth lift up again. He ate his food happily, but afterward, when he tried to get up he suddenly became extremely dizzy.
¨You okay?¨ Pinky asked with concern. ¨Yes, just got dizzy there for a minute,¨ Brain replied, shivering. Suddenly, he felt like crying for no reason.
"Are you alright? You look like you're going to cry," Pinky noted. Brain looked into those bright blue eyes, full of curiosity, and he couldn't take it anymore. He let the tears silently roll down his cheeks, wrapping his arms around himself. Pinky hugged him and he cried his heart out into Pinky.
After Brain cried himself to exhaustion, he felt a lot better. He didn't even know why he was crying. Maybe it was because he always failed. Or maybe it was because he was just friends with Pinky and wanted to be more. Pinky led his friend outside, hoping some fresh air and a beautiful view would cheer him up. They sat down together on the ledge.
"These stars are beautiful, Brain," Pinky said in awe. What he didn't say was that the stars weren't the only pretty thing out there. He took Brain's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They laced their fingers together. As Brain breathed in the cool, fresh air, he smiled. For the first time in forever, he felt totally calm.
