I'm absolutely sorry for letting you guys wait this long for the chapter. My exams were up and I needed to pour all my attention on my studies. But fret not, because it's my holiday so you might be getting more updates (fingers crossed)Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 37: Looney Cousins
Trickster was utterly fascinated by the Ink Children.
Now before you go ahead and scream paedophilia (he can barely tolerate some of those kids, let alone be aroused by them), the concept of them was just fascinating to the point of where Mahogany would call it an obsession.
Take Blaze and Hailey for an instance. Two young girls made from the ink of their different parents. Both were perfect to a fault. But they were different because they still managed to grow from two very different situations.
Starting with Blaze. She came from what Trickster would call 'an ideal situation'. Two parents, same studio, same animal species and were made for one another. The parents would be free to flaunt their relationship in the human eye, their relationship would be everything but scandalous. Blaze could live without the critical eye of someone eying her because of her parents.
Then there was Hailey.
Hailey was created from a secret affair Trickster happened to have stumbled upon. Her parents, two different animal species, same studio but two different shows and two very different people. Trickster himself was surprised the child managed to come out exactly the way he designed her to be: Her mom's hair, face and tail with her dad's ears, eyes and colour scheme Her left eye had her mom's metallic blue and her right eye had her dad's golden amber.
But despite their obvious different parental backgrounds, they still had one thing in common concerning their parents:
Stability
Their relationships were stable, strong and on good; possibly even equal; footing. There was respect, love and patience on both sides, whether it was platonic or romantic. There were a good amount of disruption or unbalance in the relationship, mainly from Hailey's parents stressing to keep their affair as secret as possible. Trickster was sure the Warners wouldn't have even minded if Wile dated one of their costars, he couldn't say the same for the rest of the other Animaniacs.
But back on the children. Their parents had a healthy relationship and in turn, the kids turned out looking like perfect and having a good emotional health as well. But them there were some other ink children that definitely came out more... unique than others to put it lightly.
Trickster remembered the day he created Diamond McDuck. Three years old and as inquisitive as ever. The moment she began talking Trickster placed her in, at the time, DJ's care. But two days after handing her guardianship over to the duck, DJ returned a little unsettled with shocking news as well.
Diamond was blind.
Trickster nearly laughed at the cruel irony. The daughter of Scrooge McDuck and Goldie O'Gilt, the greatest adventurers and treasure hunters ToonTown ever had, was as blind as a bat and wouldn't have the slightest idea of what gold looked like.
He didn't purposefully create her blind. He was just as surprised as DJ when he heard. Before, she had always been in close vicinity of him. He had never left her alone (the daughter of Scrooge McDuck would be great hostage material if his goons went rogue) and had her constantly in his line of sight. Trickster could say confidently, although he'll mostly deny it, that he had a hand in her upbringing.
He had brought in an odd friend to check on her, to see if she really had no sight.
She didn't react to the practically spotlight shining in her eyes. She couldn't see anything.
Diamond was the first ink child who had a disadvantage. Having no sight in ToonTown could be dangerous, and the Council might have little to no pity for the girl since she would be worthless to them.
But Diamond managed. Currently in the care of her cousins Tulip and Phooey Duck and Clover Gander who cared about the little girl as much as DJ did.
But her lack of vision still bothered him greatly. He had a few theories as to why she came out the way she did but Trickster opted to test them out later.
Trickster sighed. His alcohol was gone. His hiding spots stripped bare and he had a feeling Limbo did some cleaning up while he was away.
Trickster sighed, feeling a tingle in the back of his head. If he had alcohol, he would've ignored but alas, there's no denying the Creator's Touch when one is sober.
Taking out a pencil and a few pages, Trickster sighed inwardly as he ignored the glowing blue sprite-like orb that appeared near him.
" Piss off Guardian!", Trickster hissed, he was not in the mood for those beings.
He paused in thought, something scratching at the surface of his mind. A little name... for a small little bunny girl that started appearing in his mind.
So he started with a name
' Bomb Bunny'
" S, what's with the weird stare?", DJ asked.
SW02 shook out of his gaze," I didn't know you had cousins from your dad's side", he said.
DJ shrugged," Never had the need to mention them", he said before turning to Hailey and Blaze," What happened?".
" One of the goons kidnapped us off Pleasure Island. And sold us off to some humans", Hailey explained with Blaze nodding along.
DJ's eyes widened," How long were you away?", he asked worriedly.
" Two days. Trickster found us a couple of hours ago", Hailey said as she seated herself on the couch.
She was undeniably a pretty coyote from S's view. She had the beginning of what looked like a gorgeous figure so she was roughly older than him. Her body fur was a creamy tan colour while her hair and tail were a light brown colour. Her hybrid eyes of metallic blue and golden amber glinted with chaotic mischief that was identifiable with any Looney Tune but she sat reserved as ever as she explained what happened.
DJ frowned," Nobody... recognised you... right?", he asked.
Hailey scoffed," We know Trickster's Rules. We made sure no one looked us in the eye. Although those humans... they knew who me and Hailey were...", she said worriedly.
" The goon who took you two must have tipped them off", S said answering them directly for the first time," I bet that auction conductor must have been pleased. The children of two legendary toons like Wile E Coyote and Road Runner would make a large amount of cash".
" Thank goodness it wasn't Mayhem then. They had me and Blaze in a separate safe far from the other toons for 'special reasons'. Imagine they had Mayhem! Tighter security and everything!".
" And Mayhem is...", S asked.
" The only child and daughter of Mickey Mouse", DJ said," If Disney found out about her, they'd pay Trickster a large amount of cash... to have her dead".
S frowned," She's part Blot, isn't she?", he mused.
" Yep", Hailey hummed.
" Probably the only reason that goon didn't try anything with her", DJ said.
" Beep Beep", Blaze complained, beak wide open and staring at Hailey eagerly.
" Oh yeah, food. Got anything Blaze could eat? Those humans never fed us anything good these past few days", Hailey asked.
DJ hummed," I bought trail mix earlier", he mused.
S chuckled when he noticed Blaze's spirit lift. He shared a look with Hailey when he started noticing something off about her.
" You're not full coyote, are you?", S said.
Hailey leaned away," What are you talking about?",
" Your tail... it's not very coyote like", S noted.
Hailey glared at him," So what?", she growled.
S quickly calmed her down," Nothing nothing. Just an observation", he said quickly.
Hailey clicked her tongue and hummed, staring at S," Y'know, you sound familiar. Have we met before? Are you an Ink Child?", she said.
S crossed his arms," As far as I'm concerned, I'm not. And no. We never met before today", he said.
Hailey frowned," No... I'm pretty sure we met...", she said," Can I see your face?".
S immediately jumped out of his seat away from Hailey's reach, almost toppling over the corner table in the process.
" Uh nope! Nuh uh! The hoodie. stays. on", S hissed while backing away.
" Jeez, defensive much?", Hailey said.
" You just don't understand! I gotta keep the hood on, Trickster's orders", S said backing away.
Hailey frowned," Fine then, can I at least get your name?", she asked.
" It's S and that's all you need to know", S retorted.
Hailey looked at him flatly and huffed," Seriously. What's so important about you that you can't even show me your face?".
" Ask Trickster", S hissed before sidestepping her to get to DJ and Blaze.
DJ sighed as he saw S stomp over to where him and Blaze.
" Is she always so demanding?", S asked annoyed.
" Most of the time. When the situation requires it", DJ said," I'm guessin' she asked about the hood".
" Yeah... said something about me being familiar to her...", S muttered as he bent down to reach for something under the cabinet," I know Rascal stashed some candy down here somewhere...".
" Maybe she saw a bit of your face", DJ said as he lifted S's hood to look him in the eye," Has anyone ever told you you look exactly like your brother?".
" Scram DJ!", S growled as he yanked the stash of candy from under the cabinet before placing the opened packet near Blaze," No one's ever told me that and I prefer to keep it that way".
Blaze sniffed the packet curiously as a few sweets rolled out. She popped one in the mouth and hummed at the taste.
' This is pretty good', she thought,' Why didn't Hailey let me try these before?'.
She glanced at her cousins and SW02 before eying the packet again. She could have one more... or two... or ten.
" Can I help it? Your voice sounds REALLY familiar", Hailey said defensively.
" Maybe it's his voice actor", DJ excused.
" I swear that's not it", Hailey exclaimed.
Blaze felt her body shake and a giddy smile appeared on her face, feeling extremely energized out of nowhere.
She could go for a run. A really fast run.
" We wouldn't be having this conversation if you would just show me your face", Hailey pressed.
" I CAN'T-"
" BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!", Blaze cheered before going off on a run, leaving only dust in her wake.
" Blaze!", DJ and Hailey exclaimed panicked.
" What happened?", DJ added.
S eyed Rascal's candy sack, noting it was almost empty despite being full when he pulled it out.
" Uh... I think she may have had too much of Rascal's sweets", S said awkwardly.
" What?!", DJ and Hailey exclaimed.
" Blaze can't have candy! It makes her go crazy", Hailey said panicked as she heard yells resonate through the safehouse before she saw Blaze burst through the front door before running off into the streets," We need to go after her before she crashes and someone sees her".
"Way ahead of ya", DJ said as he jumped through the window before running after his sugar-crazed cousin, Hailey and S following his example.
The chase was on. The kids raced through ToonTown hot on Blaze's heels, trying to get her to slow down or block her path. But it was nearly impossible to outrun a roadrunner, especially one high on sugar.
They raced past a suburb into a forest, nkt noticing the alarms that was blaring as they were too focused on making sure Blaze stayed in their line of sight.
Soon enough, they noticed her slowing down, her breathing becoming heavier before she drops hard on the ground, tired and out of breath.
" Sugar crash. Don't worry, cous, I've been there too", DJ said patting Blaze's back gently," It can only go up from now on".
S huffed," Damn, what was in that candy?", he muttered as he collapsed on the ground tiredly.
" Normal ingredients for candy, I guess", Hailey shrugged before collapsing in the ground," ... Where are we?".
" We're in... I... I actually don't know", S said, panic stirring in him.
" Me neither", DJ stated," I'll check my phone".
" Blaze, how you doin' over there?", Hailey asked concerned.
" Beep... beep...", she said weakly before plopping her head back on the ground.
" My poor cousins. Always making bad life decisions", Hailey said shaking her head," At least Uncle Pepe's daughter is still not messed up".
DJ rolled his eyes as he was busy with his phone," Plumette's only a baby", he said.
" Still more decent than the rest of ya", she scoffed," Mav still gets a pass though, for being smart".
" How is Mav by the way? Still getting teased over having his mom's hair colour", DJ asked casually.
" I managed to convince him having white hair isn't as bad as having no hair at all", Hailey said shrugging as she played with a strand of her hair," Plus Rampage threatened to eat everyone if they teased Maverick again, so both sides were sorted out".
DJ laughed," Man, I miss Rampage! That little whirlwind used to drive me crazy. Remember when him and Rosita decided to play cat and mouse together and then he accidentally ate Rosita", he said wiping his eye," Everyone was panicking but then he just burped her out again".
Hailey chuckled," We had a lot of fun, all of us", she said smiling.
S huffed," Your family's weird", he said but the cousins knew it wasn't meant as an insult. Suddenly his head started throbbing painfully.
" Not weird. Just looney", Hailey replied.
DJ's phone beeped and the duck looked at his phone to look at their location. He paled when he saw the name.
" Oh no... we are boned", he said fearfully.
" Why? Where are we?", S asked.
" We're in Looneyville, most likely dead centre of the Looney Tunes estate", DJ said.
" Okay... we gotta get outta here before one of your folks finds us", S said getting up.
The sound of barking was heard in the air and the children paled as they spotted inky black dogs with glowing green eyes running straight for them.
" Blothounds!", they shrieked.
" Run! Run! Run!", S said as they scurried away from the barking monstrosities.
" Who let the hounds out?!"
S paled as he recognized that voice,' Bugs Bunny!', his mind screamed.
A gray hare hopped out of a hole and looked in their direction.
" Oi! Stop!", Bugs exclaimed giving chase.
" No no no no", DJ said as he saw the rabbit running towards them," This is not how I imagined I'd meet my uncle".
" We won't be able to outrun him soon", Hailey said panicked.
" Maybe we can't", S said thoughtfully," But Blaze can...", he said with a smirk," Oh Blaze, ever tried this little energizer out", he said as he poured a can of Monster into the bird's mouth," Hang on".
Blaze's eyes converted to rainbow colours as she boosted up her speed, practically dragging the other kids in her wake.
Bugs slowed down and stood dumbfounded. He pulled out his phone and immediately went to speed dial," Hey Roadie? There's some kids headin' your way. The hounds are givin' chase and I don't want 'em gettin' hurt. Think you can get them before the hounds do?"
There was no use asking such a question, since he could already hear his brother racing away, wind whipping against the phone.
Bugs frowned, as he stared on in the direction the kids had fled. He hadn't recognized them. Initially he had thought they were one of his or the other's students but then the voices sounded off and the alarms had gone off.
He should probably ask Roadie to bring them over when he found them.
Blaze's energy was merely riding on adrenaline and a full can of Monster as of now. Mentally, the roadrunner was exhausted.
Getting kidnapped by toon traffickers? Bad start to a day. Getting rescued by an irritated sober creator? Not bad but still bad. Eating so much candy, her crash is almost equivalent of to that of a hangover? Regret-filled. Running wildly in her family's estate, said family not knowing of her existence? Not the worse thing she's been through so far.
But being chased by Blothounds? That was a whole other story.
They had managed to make it out to the desert. The wide, open desert with no cover or distractions unless you count the random traps Hailey's father puts around for fun (or so they've heard).
" I think there's an entryway to the Slums around here", DJ said.
" You sure?", Hailey asked.
" Isn't that over by Mr Foghorn's farm?", S said.
" There's another one here. It's just not common. If you stood in the Slums' square, you could see a jump point", DJ stated.
" I'll be sure to check that out next time", S said calmly.
" BEEP BEEP!!"
Blaze nearly tripped as she heard her father behind them. She didn't dare look behind her because she feared she might stop.
Hailey had to admit, with that determined look on his face, Road Runner managed to look intimidating. She really wasn't supposed to make eye contact with her father's twin brother. But curiosity was part of a child's nature. Blaze really did look a lot like her father.
" Huge chasm dead ahead", S said.
" And there's the jump point over at the edge of that cliff, we jump off there, we'll be heading straight for the Slums", DJ said.
" Think you can make it over this chasm?", Hailey asked concerned.
" Beep Beep", Blaze said fiercely nodding her head.(There's really not much we can do now if we don't want to get caught)
Road Runner had his eyes trained on the children, but more specifically the child that seemed to be racing ahead, dragging the other children with them. The blurs of blues and purple reminded him of... himself.
Blaze picked up more speed despite her fatigue building up (she may have been a road runner, but as a kid she still had her limits, which she exceeded several paragraphs ago). If she kept her eyes ahead and not look down maybe she could do that trick her father always did in his shorts.
The chasm came closer and along with it freedom. She could do this.
It was just one big long jump.
Almost as if in slow motion, her feet launched off the ground and she was in the air. The wind whipped through her feathers as she glided across the chasm before disgracefully tripping and rolling into a stop.
Road Runner skidded to a stop as the kids managed to get over the chasm (caused by Wile going crazy with the explosives again, crazy coyote). He was relieved when they managed to get safely across but froze as he saw the blue avian before him.
A roadrunner, with his exact colour scheme and similar design. He had felt a bit of anger simmer inside of him, believing the kid to be a direct knockoff of him before the child gazed up at him. His breath was for a second knocked right out of him.
Those were his eyes, unmistakably. While toons could have similar eye colours, there was always a way to tell them apart. This child before him, had his eyes. His and his beloved Matilda's eyes.
" Beep beep?", the child with a cute little head tilt, but what caught Roadie off guard wasn't her action, but her words.
(Daddy?)
Any traces of anger vanished with that word. He felt a smile stretch across his face. That was his child! His paint and ink! Standing before him like a little angel. The only thing separating them was a chasm of Wile's making (goddamnit Wile).
Hailey groaned as she looked up from her position. Blaze was already up and staring ahead at... oh no. Panic had set in when she Road Runner looking directly at Blaze, a happy smile on his face.
" DJ, we gotta get out of here now", Hailey hissed as she pointed at the scene in front of them.
" Oh no", DJ murmured, pulling on his hood and heading over to Blaze to drag her away
S groaned as he slowly got up, his throbbing headache not helping him with his recovery.
" S, you okay?", Hailey asked.
" Nah, I got a whooping headache.
" Blaze, c'mon, we gotta go", DJ said as he gently pulled the girl away despite her complaints.
" Beep Beep"
" You can't stay. Trickster will kill us", DJ hissed as he started dragging her away.
Road Runner's smile fell as he saw the kids back away, his daughter included. Panic had set in him. They were running away, away from him.
" BEEP BEEP!", Roadie yelled. (Wait, get back here!)
" C'mon, we gotta split", S said as he dragged Hailey towards the jump point.
Road Runner took several steps back before getting a running start. He wasn't going to let those children escape, especially if one of them is his child.
" Oh he's gonna jump!", Hailey said.
" And so are we", S said before he and DJ grabbed hold of the girls before jumping down the slop towards where below we could see a walled area filled with shacks, shanties and broken homes.
They screamed as they made it over the wall before landing in a dumpster. The kids groaned at the awful stench and closed their noses in disgust.
Roadie looked down the slope in a desperate attempt to get a glimpse of where the kids went off to. But his vision had blurred the longer he couldn't find them.
Drip
And silently, he started crying.
Blaze looked up and trembled at her father's heartbroken expression.
" Beep beep..." (Daddy, I'm still here)
Road Runner didn't know how long he had been crying before he heard footsteps behind him.
" Roadie?"
The bird turned around and found Wile looking at him with concern.
" Beep Beep?", Roadie asked. (Aren't you supposed to be on a date?)
" I cancelled when I got an alert that the alarms went off", Wile said," What happened?", he asked.
Roadie felt his tears build up again and Wile immediately straightened up when he saw Roadie begin to cry.
" Roads, what happened?", Wile asked standing in front of his twin," You know you can tell me".
Roadie lifted up a sign,' You'd think I'm crazy if I told you', he signed.
" We're all a little crazy in this family. You can tell me anything", Wile said.
Roadie hesitated but soon brought a sign up again, the words shocking Wile.
' I have a daughter Wile. I have an ink child'
Travelling through the Slums proved useful but difficult. The crowds were still large due it being an early Sunday afternoon. Hailey and Blaze had taken to wearing oversized hoodies as S and DJ travelled with them through the crowd.
S's headache was getting worse. It wasn't even the sounds and yells of the toons around him that was bothering. It was the sense of dÃjà vu he was feeling as he dragged Hailey and Blaze around the crowds before making it into a less populated street.
" Gosh I hate Sunday lunch rush", DJ muttered," Can't get anywhere without getting your feet trampled".
" At least we're out of that crowd now", S said leaning against the wall.
" Dude, are you okay?", DJ asked worried.
" Just a real bad headache", S said," Can I ask you a weird question real quick?".
DJ looked at his cousins before returning to S," Fire away my bud", he said.
" Do you guys feel like we've done this before? Running away together and just causing mischief together, myself included? Like some dÃjà vu stuff", S asked.
" Oh thank you Tex, I'm not alone!", DJ said relieved.
" Frankly, I've been having that feeling ever since I heard your voice", Hailey said crossing her arms," Your weird accented voice".
" As if Phoebus' accent is any better", S blurted.
The cousins froze at what S said. They looked at him incredulously mixed with surprise.
" How do you about Phoebus?", DJ asked.
" I don't-", S said panicking before a memory erupted.
"Guys, stop teasing him. We all have accents so lay off. Especially you Phoebus! You're supposed to be watching Plumette!", a small brown mouse with jet black braids said shooing the skunk boy away.
A boy who oddly looked like Yakko appeared next to him," Don't listen to 'em. They don't know that Irishmen are lucky bucks"
Another memory came up after that one.
Phoebus sat next to him with a sad smile on his face," I've always wanted to meet my Maman and Pére", he said," I wonder if they'll like me..."
" S, your nose!", DJ said worried.
S brought his hand up to his nose amongst the cousins panicked yelling and found something wet dripping down his face. He pulled his hand away to find fresh ink on the tip of his glove.
" Oh... oh", S said as his head pounded and his vision darken," Guys, I don't feel so good...".
The last thing he heard was the cousins calling out his name in panic before fainting.
The first thing he registered was warmth. A blanket of warmth surrounded him. The second thing was the cold cloth on top of his forehead. The third thing was something heavy was holding him down. The last thing he registered was the absence of his hoodie, which was what made his eyes snap open in panic.
He jolted up but as a result his head began paining. He felt a large hand press him down gently with a gentle " Easy kiddo" being breathed in his ear. S looked at the owner of the hand and was mildly relieved to find Limbo sitting in a chair right next to him.
" How ya feelin'?", Limbo asked.
" Like I'm a human who just had a brick fall on their head", S said pain-filled," Where's my hoodie?".
" Washer. I can't believe you went on so long without letting that thing meet soap and water", Limbo said frowning.
S noted something about the room," This isn't the med bay", he said.
" No its not", Limbo said a grin forming on his face.
" Who brought me here?", S asked.
" DJ and the others looked for me originally but he found you and took you over", Limbo said pointing to the person relaxing on the other side of the bed.
S nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Trickster relaxing on the side of the bed, watching him emotionlessly. It then occurred to S that he was in Trickster's room, causing a cringe to appear on the boy's face.
" Relax kid, I replaced the sheets", Trickster huffed and rolled his eyes before turning to Limbo," Could you leave me and the kid alone for a bit?", he asked.
" Sure. I needed to check on the girls anyway", Limbo said getting up, causing S to panic," See ya in the morning S. Later Trickster".
When Limbo left, the room was poured into an awkward silence. S shifted uncomfortably, but with Trickster's tail holding him down there wasn't much place for movement.
" So... what happened while I was out", S asked breaking the silence.
" Hmm... Hailey told me what happened. Limbo was out so I had to, reluctantly, take care of ya. Missing out on a party I really wanted to go to in Zootopia", he said pursing his lips," How much do you know?", Trickster asked.
" Know about what?", S asked.
" Did you get flashes of memories or something?", Trickster asked.
" Oh... um... yes I think so. About someone named Phoebus", S said frowning.
" Phoebus Le Pew, Pepe's eldest son", Trickster said," He's about physically a year younger than you and Yakko".
S nodded," Why don't I remember him?", he asked.
Trickster didn't answer him but instead had picked up a bottle of pills on the other end table and stared at it.
S sighed, sitting up as far as he could. Trickster lifted his tail, setting S free allowing the boy movement. S moved to hug his legs against his chest and sat there in the silence.
" You see these pills, kid", Trickster said gaining S's attention.
" Yes?", S said carefully.
" These pills can lock some of your memories. With a certain amount, this stuff can give ya amnesia", Trickster explained.
" Why are you telling me this?", S asked.
" You wondered why you don't remember the Looney Tunes kids, this is the reason. This is also the reason your siblings aren't aware of your and Lakko's existence", Trickster explained.
S frowned," You aren't gonna give me those again, are you?", he asked.
" No, it's a fucking hazard. If you overdose on this shit, you'll die because your memories are so messed up, your brain shut down", Trickster said," Hence the nosebleed".
" I could've died", S murmured.
" You very well could've, kid. Good thing DJ and the girls brought you back in time, huh", Trickster said casually.
" Yeah", S murmured," If you could, would you give my siblings these pills again", he asked.
" If I wanted you four to die, then yes I would've", Trickster said," But lucky for you kids, I don't want you dead", he said arms folded.
S smiled," You do care...", he said.
Trickster scoffed," I care about you five as much as I care about my own kid", he said getting up from the bed," Now get some sleep, brat".
" Should I head back to Rascal's room?", S asked.
" Nah, you can stay. But be outta here by 9 in the morning. While you sleep, I'll be at Gaston's Tavern in Disney Village drinking my soberness away", Trickster said grinning as he placed his coat on," Limbo may have taken my stash but he can't take away the pubs of ToonTown! Later brat", he said marching out the door before slamming it shut.
S shook his head," Sometimes I wonder if Trickster has a personality disorder, or if his drinking really is that bad", he muttered to himself before lying down.
He closed his eyes and tried to attempt to go sleep but soon he felt another presence in the room that was neither Trickster nor Limbo.
S sighed," Hello Misfit".
Dr Scratchnsniff sat nervously as the Warners walked in for their three o' clock session, happily talking with one another in their normal zany manner.
" Afternoon Warners", Scratchnsniff said with a small smile.
" Hi Scratchy", the siblings greeted simultaneously.
" I see you enjoyed your trip to Dizneyland, yah?", Scratchnsniff said smiling.
(A/N: I forgot how to write Scratchnsniff's accent.)
" Oh yeah! We met so many different toons there!", Dot gushed.
" And we made friends with the Duck triplets and their kinda-kinda not sister too", Wakko added.
" It was a blast", Yakko said casually.
Scratchnsniff smiled," I'm glad you kids had fun. And you had a lot of fun with Mr Bunny and Ms Alleycat, I presume?", he asked.
" Yeah, we did", Yakko answered this time with a smile of his own.
" If you two don't mind, I'd like to speak with Yakko alone for a little while", Scratchnsniff said kindly.
" We don't mind", Dot said shrugging," Hallway?"
" Please"
" C'mon Wakko, you see in a bit Yakko", Dot said as she and Wakko left the room, leaving Yakko and Scratchnsniff alone.
" How are you, Yakko?", Scratchnsniff asked.
" I'm... great doc. We already told ya", Yakko said with a small laugh.
" No Yakko. You know what I mean. This is our last session for the next few months. This is the best time we are able to speak it about it", Scratchnsniff said softly," I know there's something on your mind and I know it's got to do with her".
Yakko sighed," I hate it when you're right. But I'm tellin' ya doc. I've moved on from Grammy's death", he said," I've come to accept it".
" Just because you accept it, Yakko, doesn't mean that some of that anguish and fear disappeared when acceptance came along", Scratchnsniff said," Miss Honey was like a grandmother to you, the closest thing you had to a mother figure and you lost her very suddenly-".
" Can we talk about something else please?", Yakko said quickly.
Scratchnsniff sighed, he wasn't allowed to do such a thing but perhaps another topic coule lead back to answer of the original question.
" Miss Alleycat and you have gotten closer, I see. Much different from when you first met, yeah?", Scratchnsniff said.
" Yeah", Yakko said softly.
" I was surprised at how close you two have gotten so quickly. How do you feel about her leaving in a few days", Scratchnsniff said.
Yakko shrugged," Okay, I'm okay with her leaving", he said.
" Just okay? No other emotions to go with that statement?", Scratchnsniff asked.
" Yeah. I've come to accept that we're gonna have to let her go", Yakko said softly.
Scratchnsniff tilted his head," Why do you phrase it like she's dying?", he asked curiously.
" What?"
" The way you phrased your words was like she was leaving forever and not for a few months", Scratchnsniff said frowning," Yakko, she's going to come back".
Yakko scoffed," Well what if she doesn't?", he said, taking the psychiatrist by surprise," What if she decides that its best for her to stay in a place where we can't reach her? What if she quits? What if she runs from Bugs again, huh? What if she gets killed after she promises she'll come back? What if I wait for hours in front of the water tower door like an idiot before some apathetic moron comes to tell me that she's DEAD?!", he snapped.
Scratchnsniff blinked in surprise at Yakko's outburst, making a mental note to find out who spilled that news to Yakko and have them be introduced to Slappy and Minerva. The psychiatrist frowned, taking in the curling form of Yakko Warner, who once upon a time trusted and loved too easily much like his brother and sister before becoming this cracked toon.
One of the many things Scratchnsniff noticed about the siblings through all the years was that when they loved, they love with everything they had to offer. Yakko especially. They were affectionate and bubbly and ready to make friends 24/7. But years of disappointments, failed parties, lack of communication between their creator and deaths can take a toll on anyone. It had certainly taken a toll on Yakko if what right now was anything to go by.
Scratchnsniff breathed in," Yakko, I know you're scared. Your last experience with separation ended horribly. So you have every right to be so. Miss Honey's death left a scar that hasn't healed properly for so long. That woman was like a grandmother to you and here you have another woman who now fits the role as your mother", he said slowly.
Yakko blinked," I thought I was getting better", he murmured.
Scratchnsniff smiled," You are getting better. This is much better improvement from a few months ago", he said," You are opening up again, spending time with people outside the Looney Tunes and your siblings, you've welcomed Ms Alleycat into your life! From my view, you're almost there, this was just a tiny stumble but knowing you, you'll get back up again", he said gently.
Yakko smiled," Thanks Scratchy", he said gratefully.
" Now I would suggest you speak with Ms Alleycat about your feelings with her departure", Scratchnsniff said," It's best to be open with her now".
Yakko nodded, though Scratchnsniff could tell the boy really wasn't going to talk to his nanny about this. Sighing, he spoke up again.
" Can I call Wakko and Dot back in?", Scratchnsniff asked," You ready for them", he asked.
Yakko nodded before Scratchnsniff called them inside, the two younger siblings zipping over to their eldest brother and taking a seat on either of his sides.
" Now if I recall, you three were having nightmare problems, yah", Scratchnsniff said nervously as he eyed the bottles of pills behind him.
" Yeah, they get worse every night", Dot complained.
" And we're starting to get headaches from them", Yakko added.
" Well, I may have found a solution. I asked some of my old colleagues from the ToonTown hospital and they recommended these", Scratchnsniff said as he brought out the pill bottles, hoping the kids wouldn't notice his shaking hands.
The Warners took it gingerly and thanked the psychiatrist.
" So all we gotta do is take these before bed and our nightmare problem is solved", Wakko said scratching his head in confusion.
" Indeed"
" Almost seems too good to be true", Yakko said humming in a thoughtful manner," But anyways, thanks doc".
The door opened and Hello Nurse stepped into their view.
" HELLO NURSE!", Yakko and Wakko yelled.
Nurse sighed," I'm actually gonna miss that", she said shaking her head," The Warner's session is finished, doctor".
" Oh yes", Scratchnsniff said standing up," Well then, Warners, it seems like this is a temporary goodbye".
" We're gonna miss ya, Scratchy!", Wakko said hugging the doctor.
" But I'm gonna miss Miss Nurse most of all", Yakko said jumping up and running towards her before getting stopped by his sister.
" Nice try, romeo", Dot said," C'mon, let's get back to the tower. Bye Scratchy. Bye Miss Nurse. Have a safe trip to ToonTown".
" We will", Nurse said kindly," We'll see you three again soon".
" BYE!"
Scratchnsniff watched as they walked away and out the building. He saw their eyes lighting up when they found Ophelia standing there with a soft smile.
He felt his stomach drop at the memory of the pills. He might never be rid of this guilt.
He just hoped that when the Looney Tunes find out, they go at him without any mercy. For its what he deserved.
" I'm sorry Warners"
End of Chapter 37
I swear next chapter is gonna be fluffy and humor-filled. I'm starting to get tired of this constant angst