Yakko cocked his head as he watched his baby brother sitting in his crib. The tot was busy chewing away at the sleeve of his onesie, the bright blue fabric already soaked in drool. If Yakko hadn't known any better, he would've guessed that his brother was actually determined to ingest the material.
He had been intrigued by the infant from the day his parents had brought him home. They had told him a while back that he would be getting a baby brother soon, someone who would play with him and who would look up to him as a role model from then on out. Quite frankly, Yakko had been very satisfied to be an only child, as it meant he was the center of his parents' love and attention, but the prospect of a new playmate had excited him. At least now he wouldn't feel as lonely, and maybe he could even teach his new sibling a thing or two.
When he finally arrived from the hospital, Yakko had hoped to be able to play with his little bro right away. However, he was disappointed to find that the baby's notion of 'fun' merely involved sleeping and eating, and the occasional moments when he would sit and stare at his surroundings as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. His parents had informed him that his baby brother – whom apparently they had named Wakko – was still too small to play with him, so he would just have to wait until he was a little more grown up. Needless to say that Yakko had felt frustrated upon hearing that. If he couldn't play with him, then what was the point of even having a little brother?
As baby Wakko continued to suckle on his sleeve, Yakko could only sigh and roll his eyes as he leaned against the crib's upper rail. Wakko had to be the most boring baby he had ever met. Then again, he was the only baby he had ever met.
At that moment, Yakko caught something from the corner of his eye that made his ears perk up. It had been very subtle, he wasn't even one-hundred percent sure that it had actually happened… but he could have sworn that he had just seen his baby brother roll his eyes like he had previously done.
When he looked back down at the infant, he saw that Wakko was staring up at him. He had finally released his sleeve, which had become a moist mess, and seemed to be waiting for his big brother's next move.
Yakko needed to make sure he was not imagining things, so he decided to put the baby to the test. He furrowed his brow and scowled in an attempt to make an angry face, his gaze glued to his brother. He was determined to see if the infant would copy him.
And sure enough, he did! It wasn't exactly like Yakko's, but Wakko did his best to mimic his brother's facial expression.
Yakko was delighted to find out about Wakko's new ability. He had no idea the baby could imitate him, and this gave him an idea: if Wakko couldn't play with him properly until he was old enough, than he figured this could be one of the ways he could play with him until that time came.
He decided to kick it up a notch, just to see how far his little sibling's imitation skills would go: he focused is gaze on the tip of his nose, crossing his eyes inward. Wakko attempted to mimic his brother, but found it harder than expected. He tried a few more times, each of them failing. He must have strained himself somehow during his final attempt, for soon after he began to whimper and tears began to well up at the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, no no no!" Yakko panicked, worried he might have caused his baby brother to hurt himself. "Please don't cry!"
His pleads fell on deaf ears as Wakko drew closer and closer to a full-on fit. Yakko racked his brain for a solution. He couldn't tell his parents; they would ground him for sure. The only solution he found was to counter his sadness by making him laugh. But how?
He did the only thing he could think of: fight fire with fire. Or, in this case, fight gookie with gookie.
He stuck out his tongue, hoping that that would make baby Wakko laugh, or in the very least make him stop crying. It was a desperate attempt, one he wasn't even certain that would work. But before he knew it, Wakko's whimpers had begun to die down.
Yakko was relieved, but that relief only lasted a moment until it was replaced with joy, for when he looked back down at his baby brother, he too was sticking out his tongue.
He couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the infant with his tongue poking out, which in turn made baby Wakko release a few giggles himself. Yakko stuck his tongue out once more, Wakko mimicking him perfectly, and they both laughed again. They did that for the rest of the afternoon, relishing in each other's company and never growing tired.
It would seem there was a point to having a baby brother, after all.
A year passed, and little Wakko had yet to utter his first word. No matter how much they tried, his parents didn't seem to get anything out of him. This was a great contrast from their first-born son, who had begun talking at a very early age. They worried about their second-born, but told themselves that he would speak up in due time. They just needed to be patient.
While Wakko's speaking abilities were yet to develop, the same could not be said about his relationship with his older brother. He had grown quite attached to Yakko over time. The two did everything together and spent every waking moment in each other's company. Wakko seemed to worship his big brother, and Yakko loved playing with his baby sib and teaching him all sorts of things. Wakko had basically become Yakko's shadow, and the oldest Warner child could not be more delighted.
That day was one like any other in the Warner residence. It was Saturday, the one day when Yakko would get up early to watch cartoons. He had been woken up especially early that day because his parents had errands to run and they needed him to watch over Wakko while they were out.
After preparing himself a bowl of cereal, Yakko turned on the TV and took a seat on the living room couch, still feeling half-asleep. Wakko was sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, busy playing with his building blocks. Yakko couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he watched his brother play, deeply focused on building the highest tower he could with his limited number of blocks.
Yakko's smile quickly disappeared when, instead of his usual Saturday morning cartoons, a morning news show appeared on the TV screen. He frantically looked around for the remote – on the couch, under the couch, between the couch cushions – but could not find the device anywhere. Groaning in frustration, he sunk back down in his seat as the reporter continued to speak.
About a minute later, the story changed to an interview with a famous musician. Yakko immediately recognized the man; he was a member of a British band he had heard a lot about on TV – The Beatles, he believed their name was. He spoke in an accent which Yakko found quite entertaining, and being the perceptive tyke he was, it was not long until he wanted to try it himself.
"Well, the album kind of chose itself." The musician told the reporter. "I made the album first and I wasn't sure what to do with it."
"Ay wusn't shoore wot ta do wi' et." Yakko repeated, trying to replicate the man's accent as best as he could.
He started laughing at how dumb his fake accent sounded, but he didn't want to stop just yet.
"'Ello, gov'na! Fancy some fish 'n' chips? Crikey!"
"Cwikey!"
Yakko's eyes nearly shot out of his face upon hearing that high-pitched voice. When his gaze drifted downwards, he saw that Wakko was now looking up at him, smiling from ear to ear.
"Wakko… was that you?" Asked Yakko, still partially in shock.
"Cwikey!" Wakko repeated gleefully, mimicking his brother's wishy-washy British accent almost perfectly.
"It was! You talked!" Yakko hopped off of the couch to join his baby brother on the floor, picking him up and lifting him up the air. "You finally talked!"
"Cwikey!" Wakko said once more, happily waving his arms.
"Oh, you like that, do you?" Yakko grinned, his baby brother's smile widening. "Well, I guess I'll just have to keep talking like this. What's all this, then? Bob's your uncle, mate!"
"Mite!" Exclaimed Wakko, giggling madly.
"'Ere, how's 'bout we take a gander at what's on the telly, then?" Yakko suggested in his forced accent as he carried Wakko up onto the couch.
"Tewwy!" The toddler responded cheerfully.
Yakko sat down and gently placed his baby brother next to him. The news was still on, the weather forecast for that day appearing onscreen. Yakko sighed through his nose, bummed about not being able to change the channel, but his mood quickly shifted when he felt a pair of small arms wrap around his waist. Glancing down, he saw Wakko had clung onto him, a big smile across his face as he looked up at him. His tongue was sticking out from the corner of his mouth, as was now customary for him. Yakko could only chuckle as he remembered that he had been the one to teach him that.
He wrapped an arm around his baby brother's shoulders and sunk down against the back of the couch, allowing the toddler to lean his head against his shoulder. Yakko's heart swelled with the feeling of his brother's warmth against him. He couldn't believe he had ever questioned the point of having a baby brother. He was glad to have him in his life.