The Evil Doctor Professor Nibs paced impatiently atop the bridge, having securely tied up his hostage (because what good evil villain didn't tie up their hostages?). He should've know better than to trust that the simpleton superninny would be able to find his way to the very bridge that was right above his house. He should've made it simpler. Though he wasn't sure how much simpler it could get from right next to your home. Well, if worst came to worst and he didn't show, then he'd stay true to his "if you know what's good for him" and take care of that large-headed shorty mouse once and for all.

He'd win either way. Pinky didn't have a choice.

The Brain detested this bridge. He wriggled, trying in vain to free himself of the embarrassing bonds. He'd nearly lost Pinky on this bridge once, foolish words leading to an attempt at the unthinkable. If he'd been a moment later with that guardian angel disguise, Pinky would've been lost to him forever.

And if he wasn't very careful as he unbound himself, he would be lost to Pinky. He managed to look down, ears going flat. The water was black and very, very far down. He and Pinky both had survived higher falls, but there was just something... ominous about that water. Brain wouldn't have gone in it if he were eye-level. "I already informed you that I didn't know when my husband would return. Your pacing isn't going to quicken his steps."

Nibbles glared at him. "As if he'd be separated from you long. After he was done playing he was always quick to scurry back to you." He waved dismissively in his direction. "Not that you ever noticed where he'd gone. If he wasn't so devoted to you, you probably wouldn't have even noticed if I'd had my way with him." Messing with the megalomaniac did help pass the time, and was terribly amusing. "Or who knows... maybe I have and he was just too stupid to realize it for what it was."

"Pinky isn't stupid when it comes to love things; he knows and understands them very well. If he'd been willing, his cape never would've been torn." And he certainly wouldn't have come crying to him, more upset about losing a friend than of what had literally been occurring. "He also understands loyalty, which you displayed none of when you attempted to take advantage of him. If he weren't so devoted to me, I wouldn't trust him to play about unsupervised."

Nevermind. Messing with him was only making him sick. "How sappy can the two of you get?" he grumbled and rolled his eyes. It was vile. A new sound distracted him though, his ears perking and stood straight as he waited to see if it was who he was waiting for.

Pinky crawled up from behind. A good superhero always had the element of surprise on their side- oh, right. Not a superhero. Well, he liked surprises. He'd go with that. The blue-eyed mouse's gaze went straight for his husband, smiling broadly until he realized he was all tied up like a shoelace. How rude! Well, he'd just go get him out and take him home.

Quietly on all fours, as if he was playing hide-and-seek, the cape-clad not-superhero slowly approached Brain, his tail unable to help a few eager wags the closer he got. He was so focused on his husband though, he didn't notice Nibbles notice him until the evil doctor pounced and had him pinned. "Glad you could join us, Super Mouse."

"I'm not Super Mouse." Pinky glowered up at him, squirming beneath the bigger mouse to try and get free, very conscious of having been in a similar situation not that long ago. "Get off, please."

"Pinky!" Brain exclaimed, relieved. And then he actually considered what could possibly happen, took another look over his shoulder. "Pinky, go home!"

"I already tried that, Brain." He looked away from the mean ol' mouse on top of him, to offer a small, reassuring smile. "You weren't there."

"Really?" Nibbles scoffed and Pinky found himself frowning up at him again. "Who fed you that line?"

"Umm... no one? Poit. You don't feed people lines, Evil Doctor Professor Flimflam. Unless they're fish," he told him matter-of-factly. "You feed people food. Troz." The bad guy groaned and got off the lanky mouse, standing over by Brain while he waited for Pinky to dust himself off.

"Be that as it may, Pinky, go home." There was nothing safe about this old bridge and he wanted his lover as far away from it as possible. Not to mention himself. He tugged at the binds around his wrists a little harder, trying to wriggle free of them.

The motions didn't go unnoticed by the dark-furred mouse. "Ah, ah, ah. That's against the rules, Brainy." He plucked him up again, this time dangling him over the water for a moment.

"You put him down, you big meanie!" Pinky shouted, shaking his fist at him. Brain didn't like being picked up like that and being handled like a man.

"You're not very good at this are you," Nibbles deadpanned, rolling his eyes before getting to the point. "You want your husband safe, Super Mouse?" He waited for the costume-clad idiot to nod slowly. "Then you're going to have to do as I say."

Pinky blinked at him warily. "Like Simon Says?"

"Exactly like Simon Says."

"Pinky," Brain warned, flicking his gaze between the water below and the blue-eyed mouse, "don't do what he says." He was fairly certain that Nibbles was going to attempt to drop him anyway, and he was rapidly attempting to calculate ways in which he could survive. So far, not a single one was coming to mind.

"But Brain," Pinky replied, glancing over at him. "I don't want him to hurt you." His ears fell and he turned his gaze down, staying on the boots he was still wearing. "You were right, I'm not a superhero and I don't have any special powers and I can't save all the people everywhere..." He found himself searching for the lovely pink eyes of the smaller mouse, unable to help it. "But I am your husband, so I should at least be able to save you." And if playing Simon Says with Doctor Evil McMuffin would let him do that, then so be it.

The megalomaniac sighed quietly, but let it be. With Pinky distracting the behemoth, perhaps he could get these bindings loosened enough to escape. If they could just make it to the lab, Brain had more than enough devices tucked away to deal with the dark-furred mouse.

"This is going better than I expected. You've lost your bravado. You can see now that you're not special at all. You're not better than me. You're not better than anyone!" Nibbles smirked as the blue-eyed mouse only served to look more pathetic in his wet, ridiculous excuse for a superhero suit, and he dug his claws a little harder into Brain's back.

Though he winced at the tightened grip, Brain's head snapped up and he glowered at this barbarian of a mouse. "Where on earth did you get a ridiculous idea like that? Of course Pinky's special," he snapped. "And he's far better than you could ever be."

"Naaaarf." Pinky perked up, turning his adoring gaze on his husband and clasped his gloved hands together. "Oh, Brain!"

"You, idiot, he has to think that. You're married," he sneered, continuing to dangle Brain over the side, casting the smaller mouse a glare at the implication that he was anything other than amazing. "But that may change."

The lanky mouse stared at him blankly. "No, it won't." His heart leapt into his throat, hands clutching at his chest, as Evil Weevil Dingbat let go of Brain for a split-second, catching him by the tail before it was too late. "You said you wouldn't!"

"If you do as I say. Which you're not."

Lower lip trembling, Pinky lowered his fists to his side. "What do you want? You didn't say Simon Says. P-poit."

"I don't have to. I'm holding all the cards." Nibbles' glare at Brain turned into a grin.

"No you're not. You're holding my husband," Pinky reminded the confused villain.

The broadly built mouse rounded on him. "Shut up!" he bellowed, only calming when it appeared that Pinky had. Simon Says... right... "If you want pudgy here to live, then you're going to willingly leave him and come with me. Got it?" Too blue eyes blinked at him and Nibbles groaned. "You're allowed to answer the question."

"Troz." He didn't like the sound of that at all, something was telling him that he wouldn't be going with this bad guy on a field trip. "For how long?" he asked.

"Forever." Not that he'd be with Nibbles the whole time, he'd get rid of him once he was done with the moron. It would be easy enough. But the finality of it would better register with him.

Pinky looked between his upside down husband and the scary-mean eyes of the bigger mouse. Married was supposed to be for forever though. If he left and didn't come back, they wouldn't be married, would they? It was making his head hurt. "Zort. And if I don't?"

"My hand slips."

Still swinging on his tail thanks to the abrupt stop, Brain was attempting to get himself to the edge of the bridge. It would be useless until he could get his hands free, however, which he was finally nearly able to do. The binding had slackened at least. "Your childish crush will be over much sooner than forever," he grumbled, "so no. Pinky isn't going anywhere with you."

"You're not in a position to decide anything." His grip on the sensitive, broken-several-times tail tightened to a painful degree. "I will drop you. And have fun trying to swim with your arms tied."

The pained noise Brain made was automatic, impossible to help. For a moment, he'd almost prefer to be dropped, but he looked down again and immediately changed his mind. "Pinky, you don't have to go with him. You have no way of knowing if he'll truly let me go if you agree."

"But I do know that he will let you go if I don't!" And he was hurting him. Hurting his poor crookedy tail and threatening to drop him in the mean scary water. Brain was a decent swimmer, but you couldn't swim without your arms. And if you couldn't swim in water... then bad things happened. So of course he'd pick the choice to save him, if only that didn't mean leaving him forever. "Egad, Brain... I don't know what to do!"

"You've got ten seconds to decide," Nibbles warned him.

Pinky's eyes went wide. "I don't know how long that is!"

Long enough for Brain to finally free his wrists, definitely. He kept them where they were, holding the string to make it seem as though it was still effective. "The fact that you've resorted to this shows just how much he doesn't want you," he grumbled, shifting to swing closer to the edge. One or two more of those and he'd be close enough to grab the ledge.

"That's not what matters. What matters is how much he wants you..." Nibbles lifted him higher, farther away from the edge of the bridge and closer to eye level. "...not to die." While he didn't catch on to Brain's bindings being undone, he did have to wonder how tight he'd made them. "And perhaps I'll break your arms too, for safe measure."

"No! Alright, I'll go with you," Pinky agreed hurriedly. But saying it and realizing he'd said it inspired a flood of emotions and he squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head down. He didn't have to be a superhero to know what the right thing to do was, and keeping Brain safe was the most right of all. "I'll go with you."

Nibbles smirked, his tail swishing pleasantly. "Glad you're finally seeing things my way-"

"But you have to put him down first!" Pinky demanded, looking up only to glare at the bigger mouse. "On the bridge, not in the water!"

"Of course." But his cold voice didn't reassure him in the slightest.

It didn't reassure Brain either, so he readied himself to be dropped just in case. If Nibbles was going to trick Pinky like that, surely he'd bring him a little closer to the edge. Close enough if he could get very, very lucky very, very quickly.

But to the surprise of both mice, Nibbles brought him back over the bridge and lowered him down. Pinky inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He felt better about this working now, his chubby hubby wasn't in any immediate danger anymore. Well, at least from the water. He supposed he could be hurt in some other way by his ex-friend-turned-evil. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, Nibbles was a big scary mouse and Brain was so much smaller. Smarter and better and amazinger, but still smaller.

"We go now?" Pinky took a hesitant step forward, trying very hard not to look at Brain in case Nibbles tried something.

"We go now." Not before he kicked the megalomaniac back, further away from the fake superhero, not caring if he went over the edge or not. In a flash he'd latched onto Pinky's wrist and pressed his body close. "You made the right decision, Pinky," he praised lowly.

Trembling slightly, unable to see where Brain went with this monster towering over him, Pinky swallowed thickly and nodded. "I know." Then he kicked out at one of Nibbles' ankles, sending him and the unsuspecting mouse sprawling. They rolled, both fighting to get on top, Pinky's only advantage being he'd caught him off guard.

Nibbles snarled and scratched at him, claws going for the intense blue eyes and came away with only the mask. Being quicker, Pinky managed to keep their positions shifting constantly. He didn't want to hurt the dark-furred mouse, even if he was trying to hurt both him and his husband, but it was awfully difficult not to return some of the blows. He just wanted to reason with him! Or take him to jail if there was no reasoning to be done. As they tumbled and fought, he found himself wondering if there was still some Super Mouse in him after all. But his wondering didn't last long.

There wasn't any time to think when there was suddenly nothing beneath them but air. In fact, Pinky's mind and body felt relatively empty until he realized he'd just barely latched onto a supporting beam under the bridge, then his heart was pounding from the adrenaline and his grip was slipping. Something was weighing him down.

Over his shoulder, he glanced back to see Nibbles clinging to his cape, glaring and growling and putting all his weight into bringing Pinky down with him into the black water. A whimper was wrung from his throat as the cape tightened around his neck and his fingers slipped some. "N-nibbles!" he shouted, carefully moving so one arm was at the beam and then other stretched out to the other mouse. "Grab my hand! Narf! I'll help you!"

"I don't need your help!" he snarled. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"

"But you don't have to! We can get up together! I can save us!" Pinky's voice was choked, the cape getting tighter. Then it wasn't. His ears twitched up as he heard the ripping sound. He saw the surprise in Nibbles' eyes for only a second, then the larger mouse and half of his cape were gone.

"Pinky!" Brain hadn't skidded too far, latching onto a piece of the bridge quickly. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the fight before they tumbled over the edge and his heart simply stopped. "Pinky!" he shouted again, but his attempt to get to the edge failed as he fell flat on his face. Quickly, the megalomaniac untangled his legs from the stupid string and scrambled to the edge. He looked down, eyes wide and fearful, but only his husband was there. "Are you alright?" he called. "Hold on! Do not let go, Pinky!"

"Brain?" Slowly, he lifted his gaze from the dark water to meet his husband's. He was still okay. Still okay and safe on the bridge. At least he'd been able to keep him safe after all. The arm that had been dangling down towards the water came up so he could hug the beam and attempt to start his way up. "'Kay." He had no intention of letting go, only desiring to get back up to his husband, to hug him tight and never, ever, ever let go. "I won't, Brain!"

"Be careful!" One slip and... Brain preferred not to finish the thought, going for the string instead. He lowered it, ears flattening when it was shy of Pinky's placement. "Try and reach the string, Pinky."

The first time he reached for it he missed. Unshed tears blurred his vision and he lost sight of the string. He'd tried to help Nibbles, but he hadn't wanted his help. He was definitely not a real superhero now. Superheroes saved everyone. Sniffling, Pinky held on tightly to the beam for another moment or two before trying to grab the string again. This time he got a good grip on it, though he slipped off the beam in the process and hurriedly wrapped both hands around the line to keep from falling.

Brain slipped forward a bit at the sudden weight, but dug in and began to pull his husband up. "Don't let go, Pinky. Just hold tight. I love you. You'll be alright, Pinky." He said more, but wasn't conscious of the words, focused more on just getting his lover on solid ground again. And away from this bridge at the first opportunity.

As he was pulled up, he simply soaked up the words. They warmed him and comforted and more than that, they were spoken in Brain's voice. Once close enough to the edge, he grabbed on and pulled himself up. Only with the unmoving bridge beneath him did he realize that he was shaking. He couldn't feel it suspended in the air, but now he felt it down to his tail. Getting up on his knees, he looked to Brain, his wonderful husband, and reached out for a hug. "I only wanted to take him to jail, Brain," he told him softly.

"Oh, Pinky..." Such a fool. Such a darling, soft-hearted fool. Brain pulled him down for a tight hug, nuzzling him gently. "I know. It wasn't your fault, my dear."

"But Brain, I should've been there! Then he wouldn't have taken you!" He clung to him and buried his face against his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't come back when you said to!"

"Of course you should have, Pinky. But it's alright. I know I was being needlessly mean." Brain leaned back a little, nudging him up so he could press their noses together. "Besides, he was awaiting our return in our cage." Which still needed to be cleaned. "He would have attempted something anyway. And now, because of his own foolishness, your secret identity remains a secret."

Blinking back his tears, Pinky gazed at him curiously. "But... but I'm not a real superhero, Brain." He lifted one of his hands to scrub at his cheeks. "I don't have a secret identity." While he had been needlessly mean, Brain had been right too. He hiccupped and rubbed his nose against his husband's for comfort; not being a superhero was another sad thing on top of already sad things.

"Of course you are, Pinky." Brain pressed a small kiss to the tip of his nose before going to get his mask from where Nibbles had discarded it. He brought it back, tapping it against his palm for a moment rather than putting it over his husband's damp, bright eyes. "You rescued a woman's purse tonight and put out a fire. And saved me."

"Narf." He flicked his stare from Brain's pretty pink eyes to the mask in his hands and back. Did he really mean it? If his smarty husband said he was, then it had to be true. Brain knew everything. And he was right, he had done all those things. But he'd failed at the bank robbery and saving Nibbles. Did that make him half a hero? Placing his hand against his lover's arm, he curled his fingers around it gently. "I'd save you even if I wasn't a superhero, Brain." Pinky leaned in for a proper kiss, it'd been too long since he'd had one. "But what about the people I didn't help? Poit. I tried, but my powers didn't work."

"After I left?" He waited for his husband's nod, considering the question. "That's simple enough to explain, dear." He took the hand from his arm, lacing their fingers. "Not only were you emotionally distressed, something I believe Super Mouse's powers can't handle, you were needed elsewhere. Your powers were clearly busy here, assisting me until you were able to come."

His knowledge of superheroes was extremely limited, though, so it was very possible that he was saying something Pinky could poke holes in... which wasn't ever a good thing. "Super Mouse is a very unique superhero," he decided to add.

Pinky gave his hand a squeeze, his tail flicking back and forth a little as he listened. That made sense, he was very upset after Brain left. And if he had been helping people, then he wouldn't have come home to see that Brain had been taken away. Oh! It was his Super Mouse sense! His powers did work! And his husband said he was unique! Flushed pleasantly, he smiled hopefully at the smaller mouse. "Really, Brain? Does that mean you like Super Mouse after all?"

"Pinky, I have never disliked Super Mouse." Except that night. Otherwise, it was just another silly game his husband played. "Tonight I was upset with you more than I was with your superhero self. I know how much you adore taking down bad guys and putting them in jail where they belong, but our plans each night are... They're important."

Oh, he didn't want Brain to be upset with him. He didn't want him to be upset at all. "I know they are, love," he assured him, ears falling slightly. "I wanted to make the world a happy place for your plans. You deserve a world where there are no bad guys." Pinky rested their foreheads together. "And I... I wanted to help people that I didn't have to talk for." Playing with Nibbles had spoiled him, and then made him doubt the effectiveness of his superhero self. "I'm sorry, Brain. From now on your plans always come first. I can save the world after."

Oh. On a small sigh, Brain let his eyes close. Lonely. His sweet husband had been lonely. He gave him a warm kiss, a quiet apology for not being better at playing. "You and I are going to take over the world, Pinky. We're going to make it a better place together, and I require your assistance more than I require Super Mouse's. At least until I have the world. Then Super Mouse can go out into the world and perform other duties." When he could control the circumstances better.

Purring, Pinky snuggled closer. Brain wanted plain ol' him more than Super Mouse! Even with the caped crusaders crime fighting skills and knack for all things justice, Brain wanted him to help instead. "I'll always help you, Brain. I'll be the bestest husband helper I can be! Troz!"

"You always are, Pinky." And perhaps he would try and come up with some sort of playmate for his husband. He didn't want to think of his friendly, happy lover as being lonely. He had so much love in him. "Let's return to the lab, dear. Your cape needs to be repaired and our cage needs to be cleaned thoroughly."

Brain slipped the mask over his face and stepped back. "I would appreciate it, Super Mouse, if you would return me to my husband as quickly as possible."

Super Mouse stood straight and tall, beaming at the megalomaniac as he offered up a salute. "You can count on me, citizen!" He lifted him up in his arms and made to carry him home; where he could be just the mouse his husband wanted. "Super Mouse away!"

-8-8-

As it always is, has been, and will be in superhero stories of old... good triumphs and keeps a watchful eye over the city and husbands. Super Mouse continued to be super and his secret identity was still, in fact, secret.

So remember! Whenever a purse is snatched or a cloud monster is making fires or a new pencil must be fetched for completing plan thingies, just look to the sky and Super Mouse will be there. Or the ceiling, the ceiling works too since sometimes when you're inside and need help you can't see the sky.

And when taking breaks from superheroism, Pinky was happily at Brain's side in all of his schemes, helping to the best of his ability. Which meant botching up most of them, but it was the thought that counted!

However... safely tucked away in their ACME Lab suburbia, the two mice remained quite unaware that they weren't the only two to have left the bridge that night in one piece...

A little ways downstream, a dark-furred mouse washed up on shore. Right at the feet of a crazed, red-headed witch child. "Oooooh! Poor Mr. Cuddly-wuddly mousey-kins is all wet and muddy! Time for a bathy-wathy! Then I'll hug you and love you and squeeze you and we'll play alllll the time!"

Whether he was better off drowned or saved, we will never know. But if anything, after being subjected to the torture of Elmyra, his thirst for revenge only grew each day. He'd escape someday. And when he did, he'd get that Super Mouse... and his little husband too.

The end!

What's a good superhero story without the notion that there will be a sequel? xD

Oh, I hope to write another Super Mouse story, this one was delightful. Though honestly, every time I stick him in any of StarShineDC's and I's works he's an absolute joy.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this story!