Yakko watched with fascination as his brother slowly passed a small flame from one hand to another. He looked a little nervous, but still determined. His siblings had seen that determination ever since he'd reconnected to his power, even though some fear of it remained. But having his family there seemed to help, and Jayna had no objection to it.
Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Wakko waved his hand in a circle. The flame swirled in a small whirlwind, then extinguished when he closed his hand. He looked up at his instructor with an inquiring, and somewhat anxious look. She nodded, looking pleased.
"Very good… it's getting stronger."
A grin spread across the middle sibling's face and Yakko grinned too, giving him a thumbs up when he looked at him and Dot. But the eldest Warner could see some tenseness in the grin, and a twinge of concern made him frown a little. A glance at Dot revealed the same concern on her face, and she followed along as Yakko walked over to Wakko and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"You don't have t' be scared, Wak."
The middle sibling sighed.
"It's that obvious, huh?"
Dot stepped forward, poking his chest with a knowing smirk.
"Not to most people, maybe… but you know ya can't fool us."
Her look grew more concerned.
"How come you're still scared?"
Wakko lowered his eyes, shifting on his feet. Yakko glanced at Jayna, but the woman remained silent. She bobbed her head in a slight nod, and Yakko knew what she meant. This was a family talk, and it wasn't her place to contribute. The eldest Warner gave her a small, grateful smile before returning his attention to his brother.
"Well…" Wakko said, still looking down. "When I used it before… I mean, really used it…"
He shifted again, then let out a heavy sigh.
"I hurt people."
Sympathy filled Yakko at that and he patted Wakko's shoulder, drawing his attention.
"It's not as simple as that, bud," he said gently. "They were going to hurt you… you were just protecting yourself."
Wakko kept his gaze on his feet, then looked up with troubled eyes.
"Yeah, I know, but… what if I'd…"
His voice trailed off, but it wasn't hard to figure out the rest. Yakko immediately shook his head.
"No." He placed a hand on Wakko's shoulder. "There's no way you'd let that happen."
Dot walked over and took his hand.
"In fact, you didn't," she said. "You easily could've, but once you knew he wouldn't hurt anyone else, you left him."
Yakko nodded, giving his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"You're too good a person to do something like that, sib."
Wakko's expression grew a little less troubled, but he still looked uneasy.
"But I was just so mad…" he murmured.
"And ya had every right to be," Yakko finished. "Think about it. What did you want most then?"
Wakko frowned, clearly thinking hard. After a few moments, he spoke in a slow, thoughtful tone.
"I wanted to stop them. I wanted to keep them from hurting someone else."
Dot smiled and nodded.
"There ya go. Maybe you did hurt them some, but just 'cause you had to."
"And you never took it too far," Yakko added. "I'm pretty sure they'd 've had no problem doing that with you, but you're not like that. Never have been, never will be."
Wakko looked up at that, eyes moving between him and Dot. Finally, a smile spread over his face, and he pulled them both close.
"I love you guys," he said softly.
Yakko smiled too as they returned their brother's hug.
"We love you too, baby bro."
After a few moments passed, he heard Jayna speak up in a soft but pleased voice.
"I think we can leave it here for today. Your power still needs time to recover."
The siblings looked up to see her walking over, that small but genuine smile on her face. Wakko smiled back and nodded.
"Okay. N' I know I said this before, but… thanks."
Jayna's smile grew a little wider before she reached out a hand and gently patted his head.
"I think I should be thanking you too."
Before any of them could reply, she bowed her head and headed toward the edge of the trees. When she was out of earshot but still in sight, she stopped and turned, clearly wanting to keep an eye on the siblings even if she wasn't going to listen to their conversation.
"Yakko?" Dot asked softly. "Do you think Mom and Dad would've liked her?"
Yakko looked at his sister with a grin.
"Don't think they'd have asked her t' teach Wakko if they didn't."
He then looked at his younger brother and felt a small twinge of concern. Wakko was gazing past them, his face distant and solemn. What happened to their parents wasn't haunting him much anymore, but it still stayed with him… Yakko knew it probably always would.
But he would be here for him until he made peace with it, and Yakko knew Dot felt the same way. He reached out and gave his brother's head a gentle pat, smiling when he looked up.
"It's okay, Wak."
The middle sibling kept looking at him for a few moments. Then a smile spread over his own face, tongue poking out.
"I know," he said. "I'm okay."
Dot smiled as well and wrapped her arms around him again.
"We know… we'll make sure of that," she murmured. Yakko pulled them both into another embrace.
"You remember what we said, right?"
Wakko nodded, nestling close.
"All for one and one for all times three," he whispered. "Always."
And it's finally finished. I hope everyone enjoyed this story and that the work I put into it shows in the writing. I have a very rough idea for a new story in this fandom, but I have a few in other fandoms I want to write first, so I don't know how long it'll be till I iron the idea out enough to start writing. But keep an eye out and check out my next few stories when they come out if you're interested. Again, just to remind you, I'll most likely be reposting this story the day after the second season of the reboot starts streaming. Thanks to all who favorited, followed, and reviewed… God bless, and hope I'll see you next time!