Chapter 4 - Responsibility

February 11, 1986

"Heh heh! Come on, Wak, do it again!"

They were at it again. Yakko and Wakko were in the living room, sitting on the patterned green rug in front of the couch. The boy's had been playing with blocks when Wakko accidentally started another game of funny faces. It was their favorite game that they played; Yakko always got a real kick out of the faces they would create. There was one that Wakko made in particular which would always give him the giggles. Wakko would expand his cheeks out and spin his eyes around in circles, that was a really goofy one. Yakko had nicknamed the expression 'Wakkos' gookie' after a specific sound his brother would make occasionally, which sounded like said word.

"Gookie, gookie," Wakko chirped before making the 'gookie' face, sending his big brother back down onto the floor laughing.

By now, the Warner family had moved into their new apartment. Yakko had of course cried on the day of the move, as he was going to miss their old house dreadfully. While the first few nights were rough, he eventually changed his thinking and thought the apartment was alright. It was a fairly small apartment, with a living room connected with the dining room, and a tiny kitchen adjacent to that. Past the living room was a small nook, where his and his parents bedroom were located, as well as a decent sized bathroom. And since it was such a small space, housing only two bedrooms, his brother's crib was located in the living room next to the couch.

While he still occasionally missed their old house, Yakko had to admit that the apartment was not as bad as he had anticipated it being. The apartment had a soft, cozy feeling to it. There was a nice aroma in there, too, as his mom often lit candles around the house. Despite the smaller size of the space, he still had plenty of room to play in. And as long as he had his brother to accompany him and make him laugh whenever he needed it most, Yakko could feel happy here.

His father entered the living room space. He wore a black sweater with jeans, they were his work clothes. Yakko, who heard his dad's heavy footsteps approaching him, turned his head back to look at him.

"Hey son!" He said cheerfully. "Watcha doing?"

"Um, nothing," Yakko replied, chuckling in his hand.

The man smirked. "Ok, then. Anyway, I'm heading off to work, Yakko. Mom will be home in about an hour, she said she was bringing home dinner, so don't sneak any cookies while I'm gone, alright?"

"No promises," Yakko said jokingly.

His father raised an eyebrow.

"Yes sir."

"You better not," his dad said earnestly. "Mom also put some applesauce in the fridge for your brother. She wants you to feed it to him because it's good for him, understand?"

Yakko nodded as his dad continued his lecture.

"And be sure to change his diaper if you need to. Don't let Wakko cause any trouble. We don't want another broken lamp, do we now?"

"No."

"What was that?"

"I won't let it happen, dad."

Yakko got up off the floor and ran up to his dad. He was hoisted up into his father's arms. Yakko wrapped his arm around his father's neck. His father stood there for a moment cuddling him, Yakko enjoying every second of it.

"I know you'll do a good job looking after your brother," his dad told him encouragingly. "You and him are very close, as I had expected."

After a short moment of father bonding, Yakko was set gently down onto the floor. He looked up at his dad who grinned at him. The tall man proceeded to scruff his head, like he always did in moments like these. He then walked toward the front door, heading off for work. Before he left, he looked back at him one last time.

"Be a good boy for your old man," he told him. "I'll see you this evening before you go to bed, ok?"

"Ok. Bye dad," Yakko said, waving goodbye.

His father smiled as he exited through the apartment door, closing it behind him. Yakko grinned, he now had the apartment all to himself, besides his brother of course. This was not the first time his parents had trusted him to stay home alone. When one of them left for work, and his aunt wasn't available to babysit, they left him in charge of the house, as well as the responsibility of taking care of Wakko. Both his parents had jobs now, they worked all the time. And while Yakko didn't quite understand what a job was, he knew that a job was very important.

The thought of being home all by himself excited him, it meant he got to do what he wanted. He had longed for the day where his parents weren't constantly bothering him and telling him what to do. That idea alone made Yakko feel ecstatic. But at the same time, his parents were putting a lot of pressure on him. They expected him to look after the apartment the same way that they would. They expect him to behave well like he would if they were home. Despite the greatness of being home alone, Yakko didn't want to let his parents down by acting 'immature' as they put it.

Feeling confident in the responsibility that he has been given, Yakko put a smart grin on his face and strode towards his brother. Wakko, who was in the process of destroying the block tower that they had been building, looked up at his brother looming over him.

"Mommy and Daddy had put me in charge," he told Wakko. "So I'm gonna take care of you until mommy comes home."

Wakko had a blank expression on his tiny face. Yakko took no notice of this and instead glanced behind his brother at the mess of blocks scattered on the floor.

"First, we need to pick up the blocks," Yakko ordered. "Mommy and Daddy do not want the house to be in a mess."

Wakko didn't share a reaction to that, he didn't even make a noise. But he did make his gookie once again. Yakko chuckled, he couldn't help it. But he soon found the will to put on a straight face and remain serious.

"Playtime is over," he told him. "We have to clean up now. Help me pick up the blocks, please."

So, as said, Yakko got onto his hands and knees and started to crawl across the floor picking up blocks. Wakko, who seemed to be curious by his brother's actions, copied him by crawling on the floor, picking up blocks with both his hands. The brothers worked together, putting all of the blocks back in the blue container where they found them. Yakko found it to be hard work, but he continued anyway as he was determined to impress his parents by his newfound responsibility.

He was pleasantly surprised by Wakko's efforts. His brother had a tendency to be quite stubborn, sometimes refusing to do what was told to him. Wakko was also starting to throw tantrums, which Yakko dreaded; they were so annoying. His father chuckled when Yakko told him this, saying that Wakko was starting to act just like he used to. Yakko scoffed at his dad's observation, he didn't think he threw any tantrums.

It took no more than two minutes for the boys to clean the blocks off the floor and put them back into the bucket where they belonged. Yakko stood up, putting his hands on his hips looking at the container of blocks. He wore a confident grin on his face, and thought that he and Wakko did a good job.

This is easy, Yakko thought confidently. Everything has been picked up and put away. Mommy and Daddy will be impressed.

Wakko stood up on his legs, trying to balance himself. Yakko grabbed onto his brother's hands and proceeded to lead him around the living room. After Wakko surprised him a few months back by standing up on his own, he had been teaching him how to walk. His brother was able to stand up on his own for around a full minute before sitting down again. He still needed help with walking, though. Yakkos' goal is for his brother to take his first steps before he turns a year old: his first birthday is coming up.

When he came to think of it, Wakko has grown up a lot in the past few months. He can stand up on his own, take a few small steps, with assistance of course, and was even starting to talk a little. He couldn't really talk much, he could say 'dada' and 'mama', and he could make random squealing noises like 'wooo' and 'gookie'. But that was about it. According to his Aunt Amelia, his best bet to get Wakko talking is to say simple words like 'baby' or 'bottle' to Wakko's face and hope that he would repeat them back. He had found minimal success in doing this; Wakko has said some words, but he doesn't always repeat words back.

As he strolled around the room with Wakko holding onto his hands, Yakko decided to start up a conversation and see if his brother was interested enough to participate.

"This is fun," Yakko said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as he possibly could. "Fun, Wakko, fun."

"F-fun!" he repeated. "Fun!"

Yakko laughed joyously at his brother's efforts in talking. He understood that Wakko was trying his best to roll his tongue around the words, so he championed him every time he was able to say something.

"Fun!" Wakko said again, a bit more fluently this time. The boy was getting the hang of this now.

"Mama is coming home soon," Yakko continued. "Mama, mama."

"Mama," Wakko said back, looking up at him with a goofy grin. "Mama! Mama!"

Yakko nodded. "Yes, Mama will be home soon. And she's bringing home some goodies for us."

Wakko grinned, clapping his hands together which caused him to fall onto the floor. This didn't upset him, though. The boy was laughing loud and long, clapping his hands together sporadically. Yakko looked down at his little brother, feeling greatly satisfied with himself for having made Wakko so happy. Yakko knelt down to his giggly little brother.

"You're getting so good at walking, Wakko," Yakko told him with encouragement. "Pretty soon, you'll be just as good as I am!"

Wakko simply laughed, making his gookie face. He seemed to really like doing that at the moment.

Suddenly remembering some of the things his father had told him before he left, Yakko scooped his brother up into his arms. He assumed that Wakko was hungry, it was starting to approach dinner time, and his mom would be bringing home dinner for the two of them. She worked at a deli, which was close by. But Yakko remembered the orders his dad had given him.

Mom put applesauce in the fridge for your brother. Be sure you feed it to him.

Wakko did not act pleasant when being fed applesauce, and Yakko fully understood that his brother hated applesauce, he did too. But at the same time, he didn't want to disappoint his dad, nor his mom by his thinking. They'd both be getting sandwiches for dinner anyway, so he didn't necessarily have to feed Wakko all of it.

He was snapped out of his thinking by Wakko, who was beginning to get squirmy in his arms. Yakko flinched when his brother started to pull on his ear; Wakko had a powerful set of fingers for his age. It had been getting gradually harder to carry his brother around, as he acted fidgety when being held.

Yakko grabbed Wakko's hand and forced it off his ear. He scowled at his younger brother, who looked confused.

"Don't do that!" He yelled. "That hurt!"

His brother tilted his head, his eyes had grown wide. He then lifted his hand up again, honking his nose. Yakko in response smacked his brother's hand out of frustration.

"NO!" Yakko cried. "Don't do that!"

Wakko withdrew his hand from his nose. His lips trembled, closing his eyes sadly as he began to make whimper noises. Yakko's heart sank, he knew what he had done and immediately felt bad about it. His little brother hadn't meant to pull on his ear or honk his nose. He had responded by yelling at him, smacking his hand. And now Wakko was upset. Mom and Dad would surely be disappointed by his actions.

He didn't know what to do, but he had to come up with something quick. The last thing he wanted to deal with at that moment was a tantrum.

With no other ideas crossing his mind during that time, Yakko hushed his brother in hopes of calming him down. Tears were starting to fall down Wakko's cheek, whimpering louder.

"Wakko, Wakko shh," Yakkk shushed him. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Please…please don't cry."

Yakko's soothing seemed to help a little bit, as Wakko quieted down some. The boy gazed up at him, his sad, teary eyes seemed to glow slightly in the dim light shining above them. Yakko stroked his brother's head gently, snuggling him tighter in his arms, as he slowly carried him into the kitchen for his feeding time.

As he did this, Yakko further pondered the idea of responsibility. He rolled the word around in his head for a while. He thought about having responsibility for himself, his actions, and the people around him. His parents made responsibility seem easy. They always seem to know exactly what to do at a certain moment. They knew how to look after themselves, as well as him and Wakko. They never had any problems, nor did they ever look sad, scared or worried when faced with difficulties and stress. Unlike him.

Wakko began to pull on his shirt collar; Yakko forced his brother to let go and placed him in his high chair. He knew that feeding his baby brother the container of applesauce was going to be far from easy, but his father told him to, so he's going to try anyway. The only thing on his mind right now is to do a good job acting responsible to make up for what he did. He wouldn't tell his mom about what happened, knowing how upset she would probably be if he did.

She won't find out if I don't tell her, was Yakko's philosophy.

Focusing back on the current situation, he opened the fridge and started digging through it. He found the applesauce container right away; it was placed right in the front where he could see it. Yakko had trouble previously in finding it, he was glad that his mom had made it easy for him this time. Closing the fridge, he grabbed a tiny spoon in the drawer. Now, it was time for the hard part.

Yakko approached Wakko slowly, being sure not to rile him up. He tore the flap off the container, revealing the brown-ish slop underneath. His brother had a disgusted look on his face as his eyes narrowed at the applesauce. The little boy shut his eyes and turned his head away from him.

"No!" Wakko shouted in protest.

Go figure, the first time his brother ever said the word "No" was to applesauce. Yakko wasn't even surprised, he had a blurry memory of doing the same thing to his father a long time ago. But now it was different. He was in his father's place as an older brother, playing caregiver for his baby sibling. He knew he had to stay strong.

"Come on Wakko-"

"No!" His brother interrupted his statement. He was being ignorant.

Yakko sighed. "Wakko, Daddy said that you had to have some. I promise I won't feed all of it to you."

"Nooo!" Came an even louder no from Wakko.

Yakko was starting to become more agitated by his brother's ignorance.

This isn't working. Maybe let's try a different approach.

He dug his spoon into the applesauce. His idea was to only feed his brother a small spoonful of applesauce at a time, figuring Wakko would possibly want to eat it if he fed it to him in smaller sizes.

"Open your mouth, Wak," Yakko told him as he inched the spoon closer to his brother's mouth.

Wakko refused to even look at the spoon, he was disgusted by it.

"Come on! Just one bite?"

"No!"

"Here comes the train! Woo woo!"

"No!"

Yakko was nearly ready to give up; this wasn't working for him. He was beginning to grow frustrated with his brother's refusal to eat the applesauce. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't just throw away the container of applesauce. There was no turning back now, he had to feed this to Wakko somehow. Frantically, he thought back to what his parents used to do when he was his brother's age. They would know how to handle this.

But then it hit him; he suddenly remembered something his aunt used to do that used to work for him. He grew excited by the idea, this just might work.

Yakko dug the spoon into the container and tasted the applesauce. He pretended to enjoy eating it, even though in reality he did not. It was hard to disguise the disgusted feeling he was experiencing from his brother; applesauce was just as bad as he remembered it being.

Despite this, he still tried to enjoy eating the applesauce for his brother, saying: "Mmm, this is good!"

His brother seemed to take note of this. Wakko had seemed to change his mind about the applesauce. Now, he wanted it. He was trying to grab the spoon away from him, reaching his arm out as far as he could. Yakko grinned, satisfied that his plan had worked accordingly.

"Oh, you want some, Wakko?" Yakko asked, pretending that he hadn't noticed his brother until now. He handed Wakko the spoon and the applesauce. "Here you go! Enjoy."

As soon as the applesauce had come into his brother's reach, Wakko was eating away. It was incredible how that simple idea worked. His aunt used to do it all the time with foods he didn't like, specifically vegetables. Seeing his aunt Amelia enjoying the food made him feel inclined to try it. And even though, most of the time, he would still not like what was given to him, even after trying it, his aunt always found a way to trick him into eating it anyway. And it still worked to this very day. Yakko found that to be strange.

But he supposed it didn't really matter that much. What really matters, right now, was that he followed the orders given to him, which he did. Glancing up at his brother in the high chair, he was casually eating the applesauce: Slowly, but surely.

Yakko was feeling impressed with himself. He had everything under control, it seemed. The apartment was clean, Wakko was feeding himself, and he was pretty sure he had to change his brothers' diaper after he was finished eating. Now, all he really had to do was just keep his brother happy until his mom got home. It was smooth sailing from here.

Today has been an easier day than most. Yakko usually had a hard time managing things around the apartment. Either he forgot to do something, Wakko threw a fit, or he himself didn't act so mature. He got into a lot of trouble a few days ago while playing with his brother in the living room. They were sitting on the couch, playing the face game like they usually did. He was sitting on the arm rest of the couch, his bottom hanging half over the edge. When Wakko made his 'gookie' expression, he laughed so hard that he fell off the couch, taking down a floor lamp with him. Not only was he hurt from the fall, but the shade on the lamp had broken off.

When his mom arrived home from work half an hour later, she was not so happy to see what her oldest had done to her lamp. Yakko tried to explain to his now angry mother that he didn't mean to do it, saying that he and Wakko were just playing and didn't mean any harm. But it was no use. His mom scolded him for breaking the lamp, sending him to his room at once. Yakko cried into his pillow, he was upset about the whole situation. He never meant for his mom to be so angry with him.

But then his father came home.

His dad barged into his room, pulling the fur on the top of his head: the man was furious with him. He was shouting in his face, blaming him for what he did.

"That lamp had cost us a lot of money!" He scolded. "And now, thanks to you, we're gonna have to buy a new one!"

Yakko still remembers vividly what his father said to him that night, he'll never forget that night, ever. Never before had he felt so dreadful about something he did. His parents probably still haven't forgiven him for breaking the lamp, hearing the way his dad had spoken to him before he left for work earlier. He doesn't know how to regain their trust after what he only a few days ago.

"Uh oh."

The noise caused him to snap out of his thinking. Yakko looked down to see applesauce splattered all over the floor. He wasn't paying attention to what was going on, but he was sure his brother hadn't meant to do it; As a baby, Wakko did have a tendency to do stuff without prior thinking, after all. But that didn't save the fact that he now had to clean up the floor before the ants got to it.

"I guess you're finished eating," Yakko mused. "That's ok, I don't like applesauce, too."

His brother was clapping his hands together with excitement. He was bouncing in his highchair, causing his ears to flop over his head. His tongue was sticking out, which he seemed to do a lot. Yakko wasn't concerned about this, though.

Wakko would be turning a year old a month from now. His little bro was getting so big. It seemed like only yesterday when his little brother arrived home from the hospital. Yakko still vividly remembers walking into the operating room one late evening in March. His mom was laying down in a hospital bed, cradling something under a blue blanket. When he got a closer look at what was under the blanket, he was perplexed at the sight of a tiny, scruffy little baby underneath. The infant boy was sleeping under the warmth of his mother's arms. And despite him being half the size as him at the time, his newly born brother resembled him closely.

When Yakko asked his mom what his brothers' name was, she replied in a soft, nourishing voice: " This is Wakko, your brother."

He shook his head; he was procrastinating again. He'd been doing that more often now, where he would become distracted from everything else by countless thoughts and memories.

Now, where was I?

Remembering what his task was, Yakko left his brother unintended for a minute as he left to grab a soapy washcloth from the bathroom to clean the mess off the floor.

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He had just finished changing his brother's diaper when there was a knock at the door. Yakko buttoned up Wakko's overalls, making sure to button them tight.

"There," he said. "Snug as a bug, like Auntie would say."

Wakko simply grinned, deciding not to reply to his remark. He smiled at his goofy little brother, looking up at him. Yakko booped his nose with his finger, which made him giggle. He then hoisted him into his arm; his brother was becoming a tad bit heavy for him. Walking through the house with Wakko balanced on his hip, Yakko made his way to the door. The knocking grew louder and more urgent. He unlocked the door and turned the handle. His mom entered the house, balancing her purse and two sandwiches in her arms.

"Hi, mommy," Yakko said sweetly. "How was-"

His mother didn't stop to listen to him. The woman strode into the kitchen, setting all her stuff down on the table. She pulled a chair out for herself and sat down; Yakko placed his brother back in his highchair and followed suit.

"Hello, Yakko," his mom said. There was a tiredness in her voice. "How are you?"

"Good," Yakko replied bluntly. "Me and Wakko cleaned up our toys. I fed Wakko some of the applesauce."

His mom shot him a satisfied grin as she lifted his brother out of his highchair and onto her lap. "Wonderful," she said. "I made you your favorite."

Yakko tore open the brown paper that was protecting the sandwich. Like his mom had said, she made him his favorite: A bologna sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickles and two slices of cheese on white bread. His stomach growled just by the sight of the sandwich; it looked delicious. Wasting no more time with his numberless thoughts, he took a bite out of the sandwich and closed his eyes. After what felt like the longest one hour of his life, this is just what he needed to feel re-energized.

Mom always makes the best sandwiches, he thought.

He ate the sandwich at a gradual pace, savoring every bite. Despite having the same sandwich as his dinner about three times a week, Yakko still enjoys eating it immensely. He glanced up at his mother, who tore off a piddly piece for his brother to nibble on. Yakko showed a grateful smile on his face. His mom noticed this, smiling back.

"I wanted Wakko on my lap so I could feed him easier," his mom said out of the blue. "But I appreciate that you put Wakko in the high chair for me. You're now tall enough that you can do that."

Yakko nodded yes, feeling appreciated. He hadn't really noticed before that he's gained height. But now that he thought about it, he could now see over the table better than he could before; he didn't have to lean his body forward as much as he used to. He didn't have to anymore.

A random thought occurred to him at that very moment. Soon after, he came up with a question to ask his mom.

"Mommy?"

His mom glanced up at him. "What is it, sweetie?"

Yakko paused for a moment, before asking: "Do you think I'm…responsible?"

"Responsible?" She raised an eyebrow. "Well yes, I do. If I didn't think you were, I wouldn't have left you and your brother alone for an hour, would I?"

"I guess so," Yakko figured. "I did what dad told me to do."

"That's wonderful," his mom told him. "You know, I'd like to apologize."

"For what?"

"For being mad at you the other day. I realized this morning that I had been too harsh on you. All day at work today, I've felt terrible about the whole thing. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I forgive you," Yakko said kindly.

After saying that, he started to feel a little sad about himself.

"Thank you, Yakko. Really, I appreciate your forgiveness," his mom said, smiling a little. "I've noticed that you've been a little sad lately."

"I'm not sad," he lied.

"And I'm glad you're not," she continued, "looking after your younger brother must be hard, isn't it?"

"No," Yakko lied again.

I suddenly don't feel hungry anymore.

"Maybe a little tough? It's quite the challenge for someone your age. Are you sure you're not having any trouble with taking care of your sibling?" His mom shot him a concerned look. "Yakko? What's wrong?"

Yakko sighed, his eyes gazing down at his feet. He didn't really want to talk to his mom at that moment, in fact, he wanted to leave the table and go back to his room. He knew that his mom could look after Wakko for the rest of the evening, while he got some time to himself. That sounded nice to him. He wanted to say: 'no mom, I'm OK. There's nothing wrong.' Then, he would run off.

But the thing is, there was something wrong. There was a thought in the back of his mind that bothered him greatly. But he wasn't comfortable talking about it, not now anyway.

"Yakko?"

"Mom, I'm not sad. It's ok."

"Come here."

He groaned dramatically, growing irritated. Yakko got out of his chair and ran around the other side of the table where his mom was sitting. She held an arm out for him, wrapping it around his shoulders. Stroking the back of his head gently, his mother began to hum a soothing song that he didn't know the name of, but made him feel at peace with himself. His mom had a beautiful singing voice, one that sounded gentle, yet sincere. Yakko felt a single tear drip down his cheek as he listened to the calming tune, and soon after, found the courage to admit his faults.

"I made so many mistakes," he told her as he began to choke up. "Wakko was pulling on my ear. I got made and made him cry. I felt bad about what I did. It's hard to look after Wakko. I'm sorry I let you down."

"You didn't let me down," she soothed, lifting his chin up,"I'm proud of you, you know that? I understand that it can be very hard to be responsible, but you have to make it through, ok?"

Yakko nodded his head in agreement.

"When me or daddy are out, you have to be the man of the house. Your brother looks up to you, he's curious about you. You have to love him and care for him like how me and daddy care for you. And you gotta remember, that I worry about you a whole lot, especially recently. I care about you, Yakko. Every day, I think about you."

The kind words of his mother made him want to cry even more. Not because he was sad, but because he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of him.

"I love you so much, mama," he said, squeezing her tighter. "Do you really worry about me?"

"Yes, but because I love you so much. You are my son, Yakko, and don't you forget it. I may get mad at you sometimes, but I'll always love you from the bottom of my heart."

"Y..y..Yakko."

Yakko froze.

No, he couldn't have. I must have imagined it, he told himself.

"Yakko."

But he quickly realized that he didn't imagine that; this was actually happening right now. Yakko looked at his brother, looking all bright and happy, cocking his head just slightly to the left out of curiosity for his surroundings. The two brothers stared at each other eye to eye for what felt like a minute straight, that was, until Wakko said his name again. He gasped, now knowing for sure that his brother did in fact just say his name. It wasn't his first word, but his brother doesn't speak much, so any new word that he manages to roll around his tongue is celebrated. And this was no exception. His little brother, addressing him by name for the first time. It wasn't his first word, but it sure felt like it.

"You said my name," he gasped, still in utter shock. "You..said my name. You said my name. You said my name!" Yakko felt a tingly feeling inside him.

"Yakko!" Wakko repeated, as he started to giggle uncontrollably.

Yakko couldn't help himself, rightfully joining him in the laughter. Laughter always made him feel better after experiencing sad feelings, and boy did he need it. Their mom, grinning brightly, said no more as she watched her two sons celebrate a great achievement.

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3 months later…

"Catch me if you can!"

"Me catch you! Me catch you!"

The boys were chasing each other in their bedroom, caught up in a game of tag. Wakko was it, and was trying to keep up with his faster older brother. The poor boy was panting from all the running, but he still looked to be having a good time. Yakko especially was having lots of fun, he was laughing joyfully while trying to escape his little brother. It was a competitive game, for sure, but it was all in good fun.

Wakko could walk fully on his own now, though most of the time, he runs, and he runs really fast. He was a little firecracker who never ran out of energy, always on his feet. Yakko got a thrill out of this, he and his brother could do a lot more together now that he had the ability to walk. Wakko turned one in March, and has grown a lot since then. His brother had become what Yakko had envisioned him to be; a spunky young boy just like he was; someone to play with throughout the day. He was never bored because Wakko always wanted to play with him, giving him something to do. In return, Yakko was more playful as well.

Playing with Wakko is the best, Yakko thought to himself.

As Yakko and his faithful little companion got more and more riled up from their horseplay, they ran out of their bedroom into the living room area where there was more room to run around, still chasing each other while doing so. Their mom, who was off from work that day, just so happened to be in the living room at that time. She settled back into their olive green couch, watching whatever was on the television. The boys, who were glad to see their mom, ran over to her.

"Hey boys!" She called out, looking delighted to see her two sons.

"Mommy!" The brothers said in unison as they jumped into their moms lap.

Yakko and Wakko snuggled up next to their mom, who put her arms around them.

"I see you two have been having fun."

Wakko nodded, his tongue sticking out and tail wagging.

"Yes, yes. Me have lots of fun," Wakko informed her excitedly.

Their mom chuckled. "I see that. I'm glad you've been getting along, but be sure not to play too rough with each other. I don't want either one of you getting hurt."

"Oh, we won't." Yakko replied in a monotone.

She says that all the time, but we never get hurt.

Yakko's father entered the room, holding a cigarette between two fingers. Yakko noticed this and waved at him.

"Hi dad," he said cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Doing just fine, son. I'm enjoying my day off from work," the man told him, before muttering under his breath: "I never get those kinds of days anymore."

He simply smiled at his father's words and snuggled up closer to his mother. Wakko, who sat on the other side, was glancing up at his mom too, with a sense of eagerness in his eyes. His mom brushed her hand against the tufts on his brother's face, which he seemed to find comforting. Yakko chuckled, staring at his mother endearingly.

Yakko then changed his attention to something else; something noteworthy. He pressed his hands against his mother's stomach, which was expanded a few inches more than it used to be. He remembers when his mom's stomach expanded before Wakko was born. That memory was vague now, but he still remembers it fondly.

"Hello, little sister," Yakko said aloud. "How's it going in there?" He put his head against his mom's stomach, listening for his baby sister's movement.

"Can you hear her?" His mom asked, who caught a glance of what her oldest was doing.

Yakko sighed, disappointed. "No, I can't."

"That's ok," she soothed. "I'm pretty sure your sister is fast asleep right now. Babies tend to sleep a lot."

Wakko's ears perked; the little boy had got wind of the conversation happening before him. He crawled up to his mother's lap, his curious, wide eyes staring up at her

"Baby," he said, pointing at her pregnant belly.

"Yes Wakko, baby is in there," she informed him.

"How she get in?"

"Say what?"

"How sissy get in belly?"

His mom burst out laughing upon hearing that. His father, who stood in the corner, wheezed, putting a hand over his face. He had a loud, hearty laugh that echoed across the room. Wakko tilted his head in confusion, and Yakko, sitting across from him, made a face, wondering what could have been so funny.

The laughter simmered after a few minutes. Both parents wiped happy tears from their eyes, sharing looks with each other.

"Perhaps I'll tell you boys when you're older," his mom said finally, still chuckling to herself. "For now, you don't need to know."

Yakko shook his head, slightly frustrated by the fact that his mother wasn't giving him a straight answer.

"Mama?" Wakko asked, tugging on his mom's shirt.

The woman glanced at her son. "What is it, darling?"

"What happen when sissy come out?"

"Well then, you'll be a big brother of course"

"What dat mean?"

She sighed, hoisting her youngest into her arms. The happy boy giggled as he felt himself being picked up by the strong, yet gentle grasp of his mom.

"Wakko, sweetheart. When your sister is born, she will look up to you. It'll be your job to love and play with her, and make sure that he's happy. It's a big responsibility, but Yakko will help you, right Yakko?"

Yakko, not expecting to be asked a direct question, replied, "Right, mom. I will help him."

"You're going to be a big brother, just like Yakko. How does that sound?"

Wakko shook his head yes, excited by the idea.

"Sounds fun," he remarked.

The mother and son laughed harmoniously. Yakko watched as his brother and mom engaged in a tickle fight. He smiled, knowing the fact that Wakko was experiencing exactly what he had before his brother was born. He recalled the conversation his mom had with him, which felt like ages ago…

Your brother will look up to you as a role model, she told him. It'll be your job to take care of him and keep him happy.

Yakko never understood how much his life would have changed when Wakko was born. It was a learning curve for him, dealing with a baby sibling for many months. He remembers feeling jealous of the amount of attention that his brother got from his mother, which in turn, led him into getting in trouble numerous times for his hatred towards his little sibling. But, overtime, Wakko, in a way, became his best friend; he was the only friend he really had. But he was more than a friend, far more special than that; Wakko was his brother. Someone who stood by his side at all times and admired him closely. Yakko was flattered by this, being the older brother of Wakko, and he was quite proud of the fact, too. And soon, he would have another sibling to take care of.

But this time, he felt more nervous about it than he did excited. He couldn't quite explain what was causing him to feel this weird feeling, but one thing was for sure, and that's that he didn't like it one bit. A certain thought lingered around his mind, one that itched his brain.

Becoming worried by this thought, Yakko tugged on his mom's shirt to get her attention. The woman paused her laughter and turned her head to face his.

"Mom, do you think I would be good at taking care of my baby sister when she's born?" He asked.

His mom made a face. "Well of course you would. You look after your brother all the time, right?"

"I guess so," Yakko shrugged.

"Sweetie, don't be so nervous about this. I'm not mad at you, nor is your father. Your sister will be born two months from now, that's still a long way away from now."

Yakko faced towards the ground, thinking to himself.

"It'll be fine, son," his father reassured. "You're a great big brother."

Despite his parents' comfort and reassurance, Yakko still felt unsure about the whole thing.

"I might go to my room now," Yakko told his parents.

"Me come, too!" Wakko said, leaping off the couch and sprinting towards him to give him a hug.

His mom chuckled. "I guess I'll see you boys later then. Play nice now."

"Yeah yeah," he scoffed as he and Wakko walked back to their bedroom.

Looking down at his brother, he could see that Wakko still had that goofy little smile on his face.

"Me excited for sissy!" He exclaimed.

Yakko agreed. "Me too, Wak."

Wakko made his 'gookie' face, which started another game of faces between the two of them, distracting his mind from the subject for a while.