Chapter 2 - Changes

Yakko woke up to the sound of voices in the room next door to his room. The child sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. His bedroom was pitch black, with only the faint glow of the moon seeping through the curtains of the window sill as a glimpse of light.

He could barely make out what was in front of him. His family had lived in this house for as long as he could remember, and he had long adjusted to the cozy environment of his bedroom. He knew his room well enough where he knew where everything was, down to the small chip of paint dented on his wall. But when everything was dark, the whole room had a different feeling to it. He normally wasn't awake at this hour so his mind never adjusted to the dark environment. Yakko much preferred the look of his room during the day when everyone was awake.

As he started to wake up more, the voices that had woken him up started to become more clear. Yakko knew who the voices belonged to. His parents were fighting again.

" - And I just cannot believe that you keep going back to the same bar. It's not good for you and you know it!"

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do!? My old man is giving me a hard time again about my job and my family. It's hard being the man of the house! Give me a break!"

"You…you are horrible! I swear if our boys saw you like this, they would know just how horrible you can be!"

Yakko winced as he heard his parents bicker back and forth to each other. They're loud, angry voices made his stomach churn. He had heard his parents fight many times before, so this wasn't anything new to him. But every time they started up an argument in the room behind him, it couldn't help but bring an uncomfortable, anxious feeling to Yakko. And it seemed like both his parents were fighting more often now than they used to. He had learned never to ask his mom or dad as to why they were arguing, as when he did, they scolded him for getting up into their business and earned him a special place in time out.

His mind starting to drift back off to sleep, those thoughts quickly slipped away from Yakko. He laid down in his bed, his head resting comfortably on his pillow. As he closed his eyes once more, the sounds of his parents bickering started to become fuzzy and indistinct. He slowly became unaware of his surroundings, and any thoughts left lingering in his mind faded into obscurity. Yakko, now hazy to his surroundings, lost sense of reality and soon dozed right back to sleep.

"Yakko! Yakko, honey, wake up!"

Yakko awoke suddenly to his mother's voice calling for him. The child's eyes peeled open, and was quickly blinded by the bright morning light seeping through his window. His mind addled from sleep, and muddled by his mother calling from him, Yakko forced himself to get up. Rubbing his eyes, he glimpsed at his mom standing at his doorway, balancing Wakko on her left hip. It was this moment when he remembered that it was Saturday, which only made him more confused. His mom never woke him up on Saturday. She would let him sleep in on Saturdays, then he would spend his morning in the living room, laughing at the cartoons that were playing on television.

He was feeling so tired right now that he didn't let that thought soak into him any further. It was too late to go back to sleep now, for he was now wide awake. Yakko gave his mom a tired look. His mom said nothing. Her eyes stared weakly at him as he was dawning the fact that he had to get up so early in the morning when, really, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

"What do you want?" He yawned.

"Your aunt is gonna be here in about an hour," his mom told him. "You and your brother are spending the weekend with her."

Yakko was confused upon hearing this. He'd only see his aunt on Sundays, where his parents would drag him to her house for his weekly education. His aunt would force him to practice basic math problems and write his name. He was not allowed to watch TV or play with toys until he finished with that day's lesson. Because of this, he always dreaded going to his aunt's house. And no matter how much he protests against going, his parents will force him to go. While his aunt was a nice person and Yakko enjoyed going there, his aunt could be quite strict sometimes. Very strict, in fact. Sometimes even more strict than his parents.

The only other times he would get to see his aunt were on holidays, like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Very rarely he would get the chance to visit his aunt's house other than every Sunday morning. The last time he could remember was when he stayed with his aunt right before Wakko was born. But his mom hadn't informed him about this visit prior to just now. Why was he going to his aunt's house anyway?

Yakko really didn't care much as to why he was going to his aunt's house, because whatever the reason, he was not happy about going at all.

"Do I have to?" He moaned.

"Yes, you have to. Aunt Amelia is going to be here in an hour to pick you boys up. And it's not an ordinary trip, either. You're staying for the entire weekend."

"But whyyy!?" Yakko whined, cutting his mother off.

His mom scowled at him. "It doesn't matter why! Amelia is coming over and you have to be ready when she does. And we still have to pack all your things, and you are going to help, mister. Now quit your attitude and get up!"

Yakko, angered by what his mother had said, rolled out of his bed and landed on the floor. He pulled his body up onto his feet and staggered out of his bedroom. His mom was watching him like a hawk as he trudged down the stairs. It was almost like she was expecting him to try and do something wrong. But he was too tired to get himself into trouble anyway. Yakko knew he had a long day ahead of him, and he already made his mom upset with him. And soon his aunt will be giving him her stupid lectures on math, reading and other crap that he didn't care about.

He knew that today was not going to be a good day.

Upon entering the kitchen, Yakko noticed his father was already sitting at the table. He had a blank expression on his face, puffing a cigarette. Cigarette smoke bellowed around the room, creating a horrible aroma. Yakko coughed upon taking a whiff of the atrocious smell. It was unbearable. He never understood why his father smoked. His dad refused to give him a solid answer, claiming that he was too young to know about stuff like this. He'd shoo him away after that, not before saying something on the lines of "Stop being so nosy, boy. Go play with your toys or something."

He climbed into his chair. Glimpsing at his father again, Yakko noticed now that his dad looked rather depressed this morning. Bags hung over his tired eyes, and there were wrinkles touching from the top of his forehead to his chin. Yakko always knew when his parents were upset about something. He never knew what caused them to be upset, but he understood when they were feeling that way. He was very observant for his age; his parents told him that. Whenever his parents were upset, he couldn't help but feel upset too.

In the innocence of his childlike heart, Yakko decided to intervene with his father.

"What's wrong, dad?"

His father glanced at him. His eyes were bloodshot red. The man stared at him for a moment, before looking away.

"Dad?" Yakko asked again. "Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad," his father muttered. His voice was hoarse.

"But you look-" he began to say before his dad interrupted.

"I said I'm fine!" The man growled. His father's sudden outburst frightened Yakko.

His dad put a hand up to his face, giving out a loud, heavy sigh. He looked at his son with his sad, heavy eyes. Yakko, who was close to breaking out into tears, took note of his father staring at him.

"Sorry." He whispered to himself.

Yakko figured his dad must have heard that, as he heard his dad mutter, "Don't be. It's not your fault."

"What's not my fault, daddy?"

"Nothing. Daddy had a hard night last night. I'm just tired, that's all."

"But why are you sad?"

Asking that was probably a mistake, as his dad immediately scowled at him. Yakko watched as his father clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in his direction.

"Son, it doesn't matter to you!" his dad berated him. "It isn't your business! I've had a miserable night, and I haven't got a wink of sleep. Just…just leave me alone! Please!"

Yakko covered his face with his hand. He felt tears begin to form under his eyes. The day had barely started and he had already been brought to tears. He didn't mean to make his father angry with him. He was concerned, and wanted to find a way to make him feel better. But it was clear to him now that he had only made things worse.

"Don't be upset."

Yakko perked up at the sound of his dad's gruff voice.

"I don't wanna see you upset, son," His father told him. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I had a rough night last night and I'm not in the best mood right now. Spending the weekend with your aunt sounds fun, doesn't it?"

Yakko scoffed. "Yeah, I suppose."

"You'll have a good time. I know it." His dad then narrowed his eyes at him and said coldly, "Everybody needs to get a good education, even toons like us. You can't just play with your toys all day."

He rolled his eyes and groaned. His father ignored him and went on.

"Getting education at a young age will help you advance in life. Toons can't go to school like humans do, and your aunt is a teacher at one of the Tooniversities around hers. So this is the closest You'll get to getting a proper education. I wasn't so lucky. My mother started teaching me from a young age, but then she…well let's just say that she wasn't able to teach me and my brother anymore."

His father grew quiet after that. Yakko tilted his head with confusion. He wasn't so sure what his dad meant, but he decided it was best not to ask anything right now. Sometimes, his dad would tell him a story from his childhood. These stories usually came out of the blue, usually after he did something wrong. While he wasn't particularly interested in hearing his father's stories, Yakko was fascinated by them. It was weird for him to think that his dad was once a kid just like he was. For the longest time, he'd always thought that grown ups had always been grown ups. Learning that his dad and mom had once been raised in a family similarly to his own was pretty mind blowing to him.

But the thing about his dad's tales that he would tell him sometimes, was that he would never finish any of them. Yakko didn't understand why, and when he asked, his dad didn't answer. He would instead change the topic immediately and he'd never stray back to them. It would disappoint Yakko as his dad would always cut his stories short as soon as he was finally interested in listening. Those stories, while simple in hindsight, were a special moment that he would share with his father. He doesn't get to interact with his dad too often anymore ever since he started working longer hours. So whenever his father started telling him one of his tall tales, he would cherish it.

But still, Yakko wasn't too invested anyway. On days like this, he would rather be on his own playing with his toys or watching cartoons like he's supposed to be. The thought brought rage to him, that his Saturday has been ruined by this sudden change of plans. He didn't hate his aunt, and he honestly was excited to see her again, but anything that involved learning something couldn't help but make Yakko's blood boil. Frustrated and confused, he slouched back in his chair with a pout.

Stupid math, he thought.

"Yakko? What are you doing?"

Yakko snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to see his mom entering the kitchen, with Wakko still asleep with his head resting against her shoulder. She was wearing the same irritated look on her face that he had seen her with just a little while ago.

"Um, I was just talking to Daddy," Yakko told her innocently.

"Well don't! He barely got any sleep last night. He's not in the mood to talk to you."

"I'm fine," his father said bluntly.

His mom glared at his father when he said that. Yakko could tell that she wanted to say something but decided to keep her words to herself for some reason he didn't know. As he started to forget about it, he noticed that his mother had turned her attention to him, which made him nervous.

"Yakko, sweetie, please don't make this harder than it needs to be," she begged. "Your aunt is on her way and she'll be here soon. And if you don't stop dawdling mister, then you won't be ready in time when she gets here."

Yakko pouted, his eyebrows hanging low over his eyes. He'd hate when his mom would give him orders, especially when he wasn't in a good mood. Today was no exception, this was the second time his mother had given one of her lectures, and in the same morning too.

His mom must have picked up on his bad mood as she said angrily," Yakko, if you don't change your attitude soon, then I'll tell Aunt Amelia to shove you in the corner when you get to her house. You hear me?!"

Angry still, but not wanting to be punished for this, he muttered a simple "Fine".

"Good," his mom said. There was a sense of dissatisfaction in her voice. "You want cereal?"

"Yes please," Yakko replied.

Yakko let out a sigh of relief that his mom wasn't too angry with him this time. When she had her back turned, he turned his head back to his father. He had a feeling something really bad had happened; at least that's how it looked to him. But his young, naive nature made Yakko oblivious to what was going on in the world around him.

Perhaps he shouldn't take note of it. Just like his mom said.

The next day

" Haha. You like my tower, Wak?"

Yakko, who had just finished a spelling worksheet his aunt had given him a while ago, was now happily playing with some building blocks in the living room. He and Wakko were still at their aunt's house; they're parents were coming to pick them up tomorrow.

His brother had woken up from his nap and was crawling around the living room. Wakko caught attention of the block tower that his older brother was building and started inching towards it. Normally, Yakko didn't like having his brother crawling near him as Wakko could sometimes cause trouble for him. He still thought of him as a boring baby who didn't do that much, apart from getting all the attention of his parents and aunt, that is.

But today, Yakko felt more neutral about Wakko's presence. He had to admit his brother was really cute. The tiny infant had become more active during the day. He wasn't sleeping all day everyday anymore. When Wakko was awake, he would be roaming around the house on hands and knees. He can move around pretty fast for someone who can't walk on his own two feet. Wakko also seemed to be heavily interested in picking up anything that his pudgy little hands could grab. Yakko had witnessed his brother grabbing a candle and throwing it on the ground the other day. It was the first time he had seen Wakko be scolded by his parents, which was something that Yakko never thought he would live to see.

Now Wakko knows how it feels.

Yakko watched as his brother crawled up to his knee and laid his head on it. The brightly colored blocks seemed to put Wakko in some sort of trance; his eyes were glued to the small tower that he had created.

Yakko smiled vainly at his brother. "Impressive, huh?"

His brother, of course, said nothing as he still wasn't able to talk yet. Yakko had pretty much given up on trying to make Wakko speak. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get a word out of him. But part of him liked it better that way. He didn't know if he even wanted his brother to have the ability to speak what was on his mind. His aunt told him yesterday that Wakko would learn to talk at his own pace. She said the best thing he could do is try communicating with him as much as possible, saying simple words such as mom; dad; or baby for example.

While he wasn't sure to believe that his aunt was right or not, he had heard the same things from his parents multiple times after all, Yakko figured he'd give it a shot. Wouldn't hurt to try, right?

"These are blocks, Wakko," Yakko told his brother. "Can you say blocks? Blocks?"

To his excitement, his brother started making mumbling sounds as if he was talking. It looked like he was trying to form a word. Yakko, now convinced that this was the day, stared at his brother intently as he waited to see if he would repeat what he said. Wakko babbled, but no words came out. Yakko was becoming discouraged.

"Come on Wakko!" Yakko said impatiently. "Can you say my name? Yakko. Yakko!"

Wakko continued babbling, more aggressively now, like he was trying really hard to try and say something. Yakko's heart was racing, he was crossing his fingers. But then, his brother stopped babbling. He stared up at him with his large eyes, tilting his head to the left slightly. Easy to say, Yakko was heartbroken. He was more frustrated than anything. This was the closest he had seen to his brother finally saying a word. But once again, Wakko said nothing. Of course the moment where he was finally intrigued by his brother ended up being a letdown.

But then, Yakko felt something. He snapped out of his thoughts and saw his brother lift himself up onto his knees. His jaw hung open as Wakko tried to balance himself. Yakko realized that his brother was trying to stand up. Something that he hadn't seen his brother do before. Ecstatic by this, Yakko admired his little brother's efforts in balancing himself. In the midst of his predicament, he had forgotten that his brother still hadn't learned how to walk yet, let alone stand up on his feet.

Wakko was surprisingly able to balance himself on his knees for a whole minute now. The boy was wobbling back and forth, but he was managing to keep himself up. He held both his arms out to his side in order to help stand himself up. Little did Wakko know how incredibly happy his older brother was for him at that moment. Yakko had never been more intrigued by his brother's actions than this moment. The totally exciting moments of his brother crawling around the house or being fed his bottle were blown out of the water by this. He wondered how long his brother could keep at him. Was he going to try standing on his feet next? Would he lose his balance and fall on his face?

The latter ended up being true. After an attempt to stand himself up, Wakko fell over right onto Yakko's block tower. Yakko gasped as he watched his brother fall to the ground. He didn't expect his brother to fall over, at least in the way he did. The moment it happened, he grabbed his little brother and brought him into his arms. He looked at his sibling. Wakko had scrunched up his face to look like a raisin. His face was turning red, and it looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"No! Wakko! Shh! Don't cry. Please don't cry."

Yakko didn't want his brother to cry. Especially right after a moment where both of them were really happy and enjoying a comforting moment together. He also didn't want to get into trouble with his aunt, knowing how she was prone to giving out punishments if he did something wrong. He had just finished his daily work for today. The last thing he wanted to happen was to get assigned more work as punishment for making Wakko cry.

What do I do? What do I do?

Thinking quickly, he remembered his father used to cheer him up by tickling him on the tummy. Yakko used to love it when his dad used to do that, it would always lead into a giant tickle fight between the two of them. He wasn't sure if his brother was ticklish or not, but he couldn't think of anything else at that exact moment so he decided to roll with it.

Yakko took his hand and tickled his brother's tummy. To his surprise, Wakko started giggling, which made Yakko giggle too. He had never heard his brother laugh before, that he could remember. So the sound of Wakko's broken laughter was so funny to him. The two continued laughing and Yakko continued tickling. They were laughing so much that they didn't notice their aunt had come into the living room.

She smirked. "What are you two laughing at?"

He perked up upon hearing that familiar voice. Turning his head, Yakko saw his aunt standing outside her bedroom door. She wore a white shirt with a rose printed on it, matched with a pair of jeans. She had long, dark black hair that grew over her toon fur. She also had whiskers; triangular ears; and a long tail that all originate from the feline family. Her eyes gazed at him and Wakko.

"Auntie!" Yakko said cheerfully. "Guess what!?"

"What is it, bud?" She asked as she started walking towards him.

"Wakko can stand up! I saw him do it! He fell over, but he's ok."

His aunt raised an eyebrow. She looked to be impressed by what she just heard.

"Really!? Oh Wakko! Yay Wakko! You did it!"

She bent over and picked Wakko up and hoisted him up into her arms. She raised him in the air, praising him for what he did. Yakko gave his aunt a confident grin. He felt proud that he witnessed his brother stand for the first time.

"No wonder you were laughing," Yakko heard his aunt say. "You know, I was just wondering the other day when your brother would start walking."

"But he didn't walk, Aunt Amelia," he informed her.

Amelia rubbed his head. "I know what you mean, bud. And I also know that you've been excited to see Wakko take his first step. I am too. But hey, he stood up by himself, right? That's impressive in its own right. And I'm certainly proud of you, Wacky Macky!" She turned her attention back to his brother, showering him with attention.

It was at this moment where Yakko, once again, became annoyed at the attention his brother was receiving. True, Wakko standing for the first time was an exciting occasion, but he wanted attention too. Why did Wakko get all the attention for every little thing he did while he, in comparison, got less?

"Yakko, are you hungry?" His aunt asked.

Of course he nodded his head yes. He had built up quite the appetite from playing with toys all afternoon. Aunt Amelia had made him grilled cheese for lunch, per request. Grilled cheese was still his favorite food as of now. But that was a long time ago, and now he was hungry again.

"Can you make me another grilled cheese?"

"How about I make you a turkey sandwich for something different. You hadn't had that in a while."

"Sure," Yakko replied tersely. Although he was slightly disappointed by not having his favorite food a second time in a day, a turkey sandwich was fine too.

"Does my Wacky want anything?" Amelia asked his brother in a high pitched voice that could drive Yakko bonkers.

Wakko, to no surprise, said nothing again. His brother was staring into his soul, or at least that's what it looked like. Wakko's large eyes peered in his direction. Looking closer, Yakko noticed that his little sibling had a cute little smirk planted on his face.

He must be in a good mood, Yakko assumed.

The three of them walked into the kitchen. The kitchen at Aunt Amelia's house was conjoined with the living room, rather than being separated by a wall and doorway which is the case back at Yakko's house. There was a large, round table made of dark wood that was cemented in the middle of the room. Yakko climbed into one of the chairs that aligned the table. He was able to see his aunt from the angle he was in, as the chair faced the oven, fridge and all the other essentials the kitchen had. He couldn't explain why, but Yakko felt more comfortable watching his food be prepared. It was fascinating to him.

Yakko watched as his aunt placed his brother in a highchair located right next to him. Wakko looked at him gleefully, making a silly noise with his tongue. He laughed at this; Wakko's giggling followed.

"You guys are in such a silly mood today," his aunt remarked, smirking.

Yakko grinned at his aunt as he continued laughing. He was honestly surprised at how nice his aunt had been to him. She normally is very strict about him and Wakko blowing raspberries at the table, as well as other rude behavior like belching. But today, she seemed to be cool with it. He could only hope that his little brother would do cool things more often so his aunt wouldn't be so serious all the time. But right now Yakko didn't want to ponder all that. Right now, he wanted to play and fool around with Wakko. Which was exactly what he was doing right now.

Aunt Amelia rolled her eyes. "I thought you said you didn't like Wakko. But it seems like you're having a lot of fun."

"Yes. I like Wakko a whole lot!" Yakko replied confidently as he blew another raspberry in his brother's direction.

His aunt laughed as she rolled her eyes again. She pulled out a chair and sat next to him, resting her elbow against the table.

"Well I'm glad you're happy," his aunt told him with a smile. "You seem to be in a good mood, which I'm glad that you are. I've been worried that you were…not."

"I'm happy." Yakko said.

Yakko saw his aunt frown. She stared at him for a moment before looking down at the floor. She seemed to be worrying about something, perhaps something terrible. Naturally, Yakko was puzzled by this.

"Auntie?" He asked. "What's the matter?"

"Oh it's nothing," Aunt Amelia replied. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's just that- I have something to tell you. Don't worry, it's not bad or anything."

"What is it?" Yakko asked eagerly. He was now incredibly curious as to what his aunt had to tell him.

"You're moving."

"Moving?"

He grew quiet after hearing that. Not that he was upset by what was just said, but because he was confused by the statement. Moving? What was that supposed to mean? He moved around all the time, that's what his feet were for, after all.

"Yeah! You and your family are going to be moving houses. Well, actually you're moving into an apartment. It's a type of house."

Now really confused, Yakko asked: "You can move houses?"

"Well not physically," his aunt explained. "You see, for one reason or another, a family like yours has the opportunity to move into a new house or apartment."

Yakko didn't know what to say. He was in a state of confusion, shock and sadness all at the same time. He's lived in the same house since he was born. All of his memories stem from there. It's where he plays with his toys, and spends time with his family. Never did he imagine that he would have to leave there. But here he is. And to think that just a few moments ago, he was enjoying himself and in complete bliss. Now, after being hit with sudden news of a big change he and his family will be making, he's heartbroken.

"Why are we moving?" Yakko asked his aunt. He was holding back a tear. "Why do we need to um- move houses?"

His aunt pulled him in closer for a hug.

"Don't worry. You won't be moving until the beginning of next year. I know, it's new and you weren't expecting it. But hey? You made memories at your old house, and I know you'll make a lot of new memories at your new house."

Yakko looked at his aunt with a distressed look.

"Everything will be fine. I promise."

"You think so?"

His aunt nodded: "I know so."

He hugged his aunt tighter; Aunt Amelia kissed his forehead. For all the math and reading his aunt makes him do, she really is a sweet person. Yakko felt a little better after hearing his aunt's advice. But still, he felt extremely anxious about the change, and no amount of hugs and kisses would make him feel at ease.

Perhaps that's why daddy was so sad yesterday, Yakko thought to himself. Maybe he was sad about moving too.

Yakko detached his arms from his aunt's waist. He then heard his stomach growl loudly, his stomach tightened as it did so. He placed his hand on his stomach, it felt extremely empty. Then it growled again, even louder than before. He was more hungry than he thought.

"Yakko, is there a bear in your tummy?" Amelia teased as she tickled Yakko's tummy.

"Auntie, can I have my sandwich now?"

"Magic word?"

He sighed dramatically. "Please?"

"There you go!" His aunt said with enthusiasm. She then got out of her seat and walked toward the fridge. "Do you want lettuce and tomato on your sandwich?"

"Yes please!" Yakko replied. "And cheese."

"And cheese," his aunt responded, rolling her eyes. "One of these days, you're gonna turn into a mouse from all the cheese you eat."

Yakko laughed at the thought. While waiting for his long awaited dinner, Yakko turned his attention back to his younger brother. Surprisingly, Wakko still seemed to be in a good mood as he was smiling gleefully. Glancing at his brother, he noticed something unusual about Wakko's appearance.

"Your tongue is sticking out, Wak."

Wakko's tongue was sticking out on the side of his mouth. Which was unusual, as Yakko was pretty sure tongues weren't supposed to roll out of your mouth on the fly. It seemed that his brother doing something new was the theme of today. He seriously has no idea why it took until this afternoon, after nearly a year of living with a brother who did practically nothing for entertainment, for Wakko to finally do something interesting. He found that to be very funny for some reason.

Finding good fun in this, Yakko also stuck his tongue out just like how Wakko was. To his pleasure, Wakko started laughing, shortly followed by him.

"Look at my tongue. I'm just like you," Yakko said. His voice sounded muffled since he had his tongue sticking out.

The boys were having a blast doing this. Who knew such a simple thing could be so hilarious? It didn't take too long for the raspberries to kick in. Wakko started it; Yakko soon followed. The two never had so much fun together in their life. Yakko was so caught up in the fun that he didn't notice his aunt watching them from the kitchen. She shook her head slowly.

"Boys," she muttered to herself.

Contrary to her words, she felt extremely proud as an aunt to see Yakko and Wakko goofing off together. It was so refreshing to see.