This is just a random little idea that was floating around in my head for a while. It's a little sappy now that I look back on it, but meh. Enjoy! :)

'Dear Pinky, if I could say one thing to you after the many years we've known each other, it would be…'

The ballpoint pen's smooth trip across the paper suddenly came to a halt as the writer paused to organize his thoughts into words, but nothing came to mind. The mouse instinctively raised a finger to his chin, a sign that he was in deep thought, but even his large cranium could not make the proper words appear. As he sat alone on the countertop a few feet away from the cage, with nothing to look at but the mostly blank sheet of paper in front of him, the silence began to agitate him, and he angrily took the paper in both hands and crumpled it until his handwriting was no longer legible, tossing it to the floor with a dissatisfied grunt.

This was ridiculous. He was a scientist, not a writer.

Sighing loudly and taking another clean sheet of paper, hoping that this one wouldn't end up like the growing pile of crinkled letters on the floor, Brain once again raised his pen and willed himself to write. He was usually the master at gathering together sharp, organized thoughts, but when it came to writing from his heart rather than his brain, it was as if he was a mere toddler who hadn't even learned the alphabet yet. Brain paused once more, this time only after 'Dear Pinky,' was scrawled on the page, and sat back realizing that this simple task was going to cause him much more stress than he had previously anticipated.

The only reason Brain was being forced to write a letter to his cagemate in the first place dates back to almost a week ago, and just happened to be Pinky's fault. The dim-witted mouse, though at times it didn't seem possible, did in fact have the ability to worry, and it was his worry for Brain's health and overall mental condition that got him into therapy. Brain, as usual, had been overworking and overstressing himself to the point where he was either twice as verbally and physically abusive as usual, or in a constant state of depression and low self-esteem. Without his knowledge, Pinky had secretly scheduled him an appointment with a therapist, hoping it would help him be relatively happy once more. Now, therapy was the very last place Brain would have wanted to spend his busy days, but he went to each grueling appointment nevertheless, if anything but to humor his companion. Perhaps he knew deep down that his struggle for world domination was driving him a bit over the edge, anyways.

Despite trying his best to cooperate and get this all over and done with, before the week was halfway through, Brain's therapist was quickly becoming his least favorite person. He would never just let Brain get straight to the point, as he was more accustomed, rather he would lead him on what he liked to call a 'journey through his own psyche'. This typically involved a number of silly little games or exercises that only Pinky would find enjoyable. Today, for instance, his homework was so senselessly stupid yet infuriatingly difficult for him that it was only summoning more negative emotions. Brain could still remember today's torturous appointment clearly…

"Velcome, Mr. Brain." the psychiatrist greeted as the mice entered his office. "And good afternoon, Mr. Pinky."

Brain only offered a low grumble in response as he climbed up onto the patient's seat, while Pinky scampered over to play with some toys that were waiting for him in the corner.

"How are ve feeling today?" asked the doctor.

"Wonderful." the large-headed mouse answered satirically, folding his arms.

"Very vell," he replied, unable to see through Brain's apparent sarcasm. "Now then, I have a very special exercise for you today!"

Pinky abruptly put down the building blocks he was stacking together and looked up excitedly. "Oh, are we going to get a visit from Mr. Puppethead?" The other mouse fidgeted in his chair, silently hoping that that wasn't the case.

"No, no. No Mr. Puppethead today. This evening, I'm going to try out a new exercise that will dig deep inside your little-big head!" he said as he put a finger to his own bald scalp. Though the urge to shout at the psychiatrist about how much he despised these little games washed over Brain, he kept his cool and humored the man as he went on with his explanation.

"Now Brain, as you've told me before, this obsession with taking over the vorld is slowly taking over your vorld, ya? Today's topic vill focus on getting you to express your feelings about other things that should be more important to you than this silly obsession." The mouse shuddered back an angry outburst at that lowly comment. If it was something he really wanted to do, then why should he let it be referred to as a mere 'silly obsession'? The man was clearly out of his mind to address it as something so unimportant! Once again, Brain reminded himself to stay calm, mostly because if he responded to therapy with furious rebuttal, it would only qualify him for more therapy, which is the last thing he desired.

"Today is going to call for a teeney weeney bit of vriting," he continued. "But first, a question: Vhat is the most important thing in your life besides global domination?"

Brain was now sitting back in the patient chair, his arms folded over his chest in a relaxed position. The question required little thought, and he quickly shot a glance at the corner to his left as he answered, "Well, Pinky, of course."

The doctor nodded. "Good, good. Your task is to vrite an entire page about Mr. Pinky, including everything you've ever vanted to say to him, okay? This vill hopefully dig deep into your mind, and perhaps give you a reason to quit with the taking over of the vorld, ya?"

"Quit taking over the vo-world?" Brain repeated, catching himself when the man's distinct German accent began to rub off on him. "I could never do that! If I wasn't able to follow my life-long goal anymore…what good would I be? What would I even do with the rest of my life…?"

He only flashed him a quick smile, making the blood in the mouse's veins boil with adrenaline. "I think this activity vill make you realize that some things are more important to you than the vorld. Now, vould Pinky like to participate as vell?"

A small squeal of delight could be heard from the corner as Pinky heard his name mentioned, and he immediately dropped his toys and scurried over to the conversation on the other side of the room. "Narf! Oh boy, I get to play too? What kind of game is it?" he asked, practically overflowing with enthusiasm.

"All you have to do is vrite a letter to Brain telling him how you feel, okay? When both of you are done vith your letters, you can exchange them and read vhat each other vrote. Let's make this fun, ya?"

"Oh wow, it all sounds compellingly thrilling. When can we start, doc?" the Brain answered, his tone once again dripping with venomous sarcasm.

"Actually, ve vill have to make this a home assignment…" he said, sparing a glance at his wristwatch. "Sorry to cut your visit short, but I have an appointment vith the Varner brothers and sister in a few minutes."

Brain shuddered at the thought of having a run-in with the Warner siblings. At times, he admitted, they could be equally, if not twice as annoying as Elmyra. He was grateful that his time was cut short anyways, and eagerly climbed down to the carpeted floor, dragging Pinky away with him as they exited the psychiatrist's office. "Goodbye, Dr. Scratchansniff!" Pinky called over his shoulder on his way out the door.

Now here Brain was, over four hours later, still staring at a nearly blank sheet of paper as he struggled to find the right thing to include in his tedious writing assignment. Why was this so difficult for him? Why was memorizing and reciting complicated scientific laws and principles word for word much simpler to him than tapping into his foreign emotions?

Looking for any sort of distraction, Brain set down his pen and shifted his eyes towards the open door of the cage just a few feet away. Pinky was busily scribbling his own letter, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth to match his determined demeanor. "Figures," Brain said to himself, glaring through the bars of the cage with a sharp pang of jealousy. "Of course writing down the first thing that comes to mind would be a simple task for the King of Random." He turned back to his own paper once more, tapping the oversized pen on the ground thoughtfully. All he was required to do was write down everything he felt and everything he's ever wanted to say to his companion, yet he'd never been at a more of a loss for words in his life.

"Having trouble, Brain?"

Having not expected a voice to come up from behind him, Brain nearly jumped out of his fur when the familiar cockney accent suddenly broke the silence around him. He turned to glare at Pinky, who was suppressing at giggle at the genius's jumpiness.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"I was just wondering if you were having trouble with your letter, troz! You look like you're struggling a bit…"

"I'm fine." Brain lied. "Now leave me in peace! Go work on your own letter…"

"But I'm already done with mine!" Pinky said, presenting a folded piece of paper entitled 'To: The Brain' in sloppy handwriting. The large-headed mouse gawked at how quickly his friend had completed his task, while he hadn't even started.

"Perhaps I do require some assistance with this…" Brain admitted. "I don't understand, how is it so easy for you to just pull these thoughts out of your head like nothing? It seems that anything involving the use of sappy, pathetic emotions is a huge challenge for me to overcome. How do you do it?"

Pinky chuckled under his breath, but it came out more like a snort. "Easy Brain, all you have to do is not think! Let your heart describe your feelings instead!"

Brain would have commented on how it didn't take much for Pinky to shut off his thoughts because he rarely took the time to think things over anyways, but his cagemate's innocent grin forced him to withdraw his insult. As unlikely as it seemed, perhaps Pinky's method would work. At least, it wouldn't hurt to attempt it.

"Alright, I'll try to clear my mind I guess, but that would be nearly impossible in your presence, so kindly retire to the cage so that I can concentrate." he ordered, and with that the leaner mouse saluted and strolled back to their cage to occupy himself with his own activities until Brain was finished. Once again, the brilliant rodent was left alone with a blank letter and his own pressing thoughts.

"All I need to do is clear my mind…just clear your mind, Brain…" he said to himself, but chanting this over and over in his head wasn't exactly relieving himself from his thoughts. Pinky made it look so easy.

"Pinky…" he said to himself as an idea suddenly came to mind. Clearing his busy mind may be impossible, but focusing on one subject came easily for him. Brain closed his eyes and sat back, trying to think about Pinky and only Pinky, focusing on the words that came to mind. Nuisance…annoying…idiotic…innocent…troublesome…the thoughts were flowing in easily now, the more he concentrated on one thing at a time. Now all he had to do was put his feelings into words to fill the paper and cover the topic; If he could say anything at all to his partner that he'd never admitted before, what would he say? He lifted the ballpoint pen with both arms and pressed the tip to the paper, letting his thoughts fuel it as it glided across the paper effortlessly in his neat cursive handwriting.

'Dear Pinky, I know that it's rare for me to express my feelings about anything, other than through angry lectures, heated yelling, and brisk blows to the head, but there's something that needs to be said. In all the years that I've known you, I can't recall a time when I ever explained to you how I really felt. I never treat you the way you deserve to be treated, especially when you're so important to my life, and the only thing you've ever been rewarded with for being my friend is years of abuse and mistreatment. I've basically wasted every night of your life since you've met me with my tiresome nightly task of taking over the world! Pinky, if I could say one thing to you after everything, it would have to be…I'm sorry.'

The last two words came as a surprise to the Brain as he wrote them. He hadn't expected his own thoughts to take such a wild turn, but he continued anyways, working solely off of his emotions now rather than brainpower.

'I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for wasting your time, for spoiling your fun, for taking advantage of your loyalty, for always lecturing you, and for all the little blows to the head. I've been a selfishly abusive excuse for a friend, and even if you haven't realized it yourself, I think it calls for an apology. When was the last time I ever asked what you wanted to do for the night? Never, exactly my point. The fact is, you've always been there to support me in absolutely everything I do, be it taking over the world, overcoming a simple task, or even surviving my own hellish, inner nightmares. You've believed in me more than I ever have, Pinky. Where would I be without your constant support? Where would either of us be? Certainly not taking over the world, for if not for your help, I might have abandoned that dream long ago. You're the one who fuels me, you're the only reason I have the energy and hope to make it through every plan, and you're the only ray of joy I have in this gloomy nightmare of a life.'

Suddenly the pen ink began to smudge along the paper. With noticeably jittery paws, Brain shook the pen, wondering what could be wrong with it, when another moist droplet hit the paper beneath him. Nervously, he dropped the pen and raised a hand to his face, and to confirm his suspicious, the fur around his eyes was damp as well. Brain quickly wiped his face in humiliation, and did his best to push the thought of what just occurred to the back of his mind. He didn't want to dwell on the fact that he was crying, or imagine why…

'If I could ask one thing from you, Pinky,' he continued after carefully wiping the smudge from the paper. 'I'd only ask you to never change. Never leave me behind. Ever since I was forcefully taken from my parents as a child, and then separated from Snowball before the genesplicing, I've lived with this constant fear that everything I care about will someday be taken away from me, and that you wouldn't be the exception. But I could never dream of living life without you. You're my dearest friend, my other half, my only family…you're the thing that matters most to me Pinky, not the world. I'd gladly pass up the chance to succeed in my quest for world domination if it meant ever having to lose you, as well, because you mean much, much more to me than the world ever could. Heck, you ARE my world. I'm sorry I've never mustered up the courage to tell you how much you mean to me before, but please, don't ever forget it. No matter how selfish I can seem, no matter how much your antics drive me over the edge, and no matter how set I seem on my goal to take over the world and nothing else, just remember that you'll always come first, Pinky. Always.'

Brain swallowed a lump in his throat as he struggled to subdue more tears. He wasn't sure how a mere page of writing could derive such a reaction from him, but he decided to end the letter quickly before anyone witnessed his brief emotional outburst. Wiping the tears away once more, the mouse shakily signed the letter, but had to put some thought into how to close it, and ended up crossing his words out a few times before deciding on a more appropriate conclusion.

'Love, Brain.'

'From your dearest friend, The Brain.'

'Devotedly yours, Brain.'

Grimacing at each of these, he finally settled on the traditional, 'Sincerely, The Brain.' and briskly rolled up the letter. However, he hesitated before strolling over to their cage to confront Pinky. He had never poured his heart out like this to anyone before, how would his companion react to something this sappy and out of character coming from him?

"Oh goodie…you're back Brain!" Pinky greeted the shorter mouse as he entered the cage. He was running on his exercise wheel, so his words came out in short, breathy bursts as he spoke. "Are you…done with your…letter yet?"

"Yes, of course." Brain said, finding a renewed sense of confidence blooming from within him. He couldn't comprehend why he had been so worried about this, it was Pinky, after all. His letter to Brain was almost definitely going to be twice as sappy and ten times more idiotic than his was to Pinky. "Would you like to read mine first?" he asked him.

"Hmmm…" Pinky thought, pausing on the wheel to think. However, the wheel was still turning even when he stopped, so when he failed to catch up with the movement beneath him, the clumsy mouse ended up tumbling off of his feet, spinning around in the contraption a few times, and finally being thrown onto the floor. He dizzily picked himself up, muttering what sounded like a disoriented 'narf' as he giggled in response to his own stupidity. Brain might have laughed along with him, if he weren't in such a serious mood.

"Poit…I'll read yours first Brain." he finally answered, gingerly taking the letter from his friend's paws and opening it. Pinky began to read it aloud, but whether it was from his apparent dizziness or just plain ignorance, he stumbled over every other word, and his errors were quickly taking the meaning out of it.

"Oh, give me that." Brain ordered, seizing the paper from his hands and reading the whole thing to him. About halfway through, he was aware of a warm sensation in his cheeks, but ignored it and continued to the end. When he finally looked up from the paper, Pinky had the most peculiar expression on his face—somewhere in between adoration, amusement, and overall happiness.

Before he knew it, Brain was practically tackled to the ground and imprisoned in a tight hug while his letter was abandoned in midair, floating silently to the ground. Both males somersaulted across the floor three times before the bars of the cage stopped them, with Pinky in a sitting position, still cuddling an extremely startled Brain to his chest.

"I love you too, Brain!" Pinky exclaimed happily as he tightened his embrace—tight enough to make his friend slightly uncomfortable, but not so much as to cut off the supply of oxygen to his lungs. Brain struggled and fidgeted in his grasp, but eventually gave up trying to pry Pinky off of him, and offered him an aggravated scowl.

"I never said anything like that!" he argued.

"You didn't have to, you still implied it!" Pinky pointed out, grinning profoundly.

Brain felt his heart beating at an unusual pace, and was overcome with the urge to lean into the warmth of Pinky's body. A part of him wanted to stay like this forever, but his common sense told him to pull away before he humiliated himself further. At last, he decided to ignore his unfamiliar, sappy urges, and ordered his companion to let go of him. Pinky complied, but ended up giggling as soon as he took a gander at the other mouse's face.

"You're blushing!" was the first thing the dim-witted mouse decided to respond with. Brain's expression contorted into a scowl, but he was unable to deny it.

"Whatever," he responded, the tension in his voice escalating. "Can I just read your letter now so that we can forget this whole thing?"

"Narf! Okey dokey!" Pinky replied as he handed off his letter to Brain, smiling eagerly as Brain unfolded it and began reading.

"Dear Brain…hi. Love, Pinky. P.S., NARF."

The cage fell silent aside from Pinky's excited giggling as Brain puzzled over this. He flipped the letter over, re-read it, and even looked around to see if there was another piece of paper that he may have missed, but there was none. That was all there was. The large headed mouse honestly didn't know how to respond to such a brief, pointless message, except with, "That's it?"

Pinky answered with a nod, causing Brain to frown in disbelief. "That's all you wrote? That's all you could think to say to me? Did you even follow the criteria for this letter at all? You were supposed to tell me one thing that you've always wanted to tell me but never had the chance to, but all you wrote was 'hi'!" His tone wasn't furious as he spoke, maybe a little disappointed, but mostly confused. He had poured his heart out to Pinky for the first time, and expected the same thing from him.

"Well, like you said, Brain," he proceeded to explain, "I was only supposed to say ONE thing that I've always wanted to tell you, but I honestly couldn't think of anything that would only classify as ONE thing. If I could only say one thing, that would mean I would have to cut a lot of things out of my letter, including a greeting, and what's a letter without a greeting? Zort! So since I didn't really have anything to tell you that I've never admitted before anyways, I decided to only make it a greeting…hehe!"

Dumbfounded and unsure of what to think about that, Brain shook it off and simply replied, "Well, it's the thought that counts I suppose." He almost felt compelled to add, 'Even if zero thought went into writing it…' but shut himself up before he ruined both of their good moods. And yes, Brain had to admit, this whole scenario did actually put him in a good mood.

Even if this 'pointless little exercise' didn't stray Brain away from wanting absolute power over the Earth, it was in fact helpful to him, and in one sense Dr. Scratchansniff was right. There are things that are more important.