Author's note: I would like to start this chapter off by thanking everyone who has read my story, left kudos and reviews, and those who have supported me thus far. This story is officially a year old now, and I have posted a total of ten chapters in the coarse of a year. Your support is very important to me, as it gives me the motivation to continue to write new chapters and post them for your enjoyment. Thank you, to all of you, for taking this journey along with me. The journey is far from over. In fact, it has just begun.
With that said, on with the next chapter! Shall we?
Chapter 11 - A Friend For Yakko
The first night at the foster center was rough. Yakko found it difficult to go to sleep last night. He was tossing and turning in his new bed, unable to rest in a comfortable position, or even find one for that matter. His new bed was lumpy and uncomfortable, and the pail white duvet made Yakko feel too hot for his liking. He had to get up to use the bathroom several times during the night. There was one bathroom, a tiny bathroom, at the end of the hallway from where his bedroom was. The bathroom was much, much filthier than his old bathroom was, and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in ten years. Cockroaches infested that bathroom, crawling on every surface. Yakko felt like he was going to throw up. And he did. Twice, actually. Not from the conditions of the bathroom, but from stress, sadness, anxiousness, and despair.
Wakko and Dottie also had trouble falling asleep last night. Wakko woke up scared and crying. Yakko's big brother instincts kicked in as he lifted his little brother into his arms, bouncing him up and down in an attempt to get him to relax. It took almost twenty minutes for Wakko to calm down from his fit and go to sleep. Yakko tucked him in, gave him a kiss on the forehead, and was about to return to his bed when Dottie started to cry. He groaned, knowing that he was going to have to spend another twenty minutes trying to calm his sister down the same way he did with Wakko.
Although, he knew that it was inevitable that his brother and sister would have a hard time falling alsleep. One, because he was having trouble sleeping himself, and two, because of the strange new envirorment they were placed in. This wasn't home. Yakko knew this, and his siblings knew this, too. It was strange sleeping in a place where bedrooms lined each hall, and other kids were sleeping at the same time. On one of his trips to the bathroom, he accidently bumped into a bear toon, who was older than he was, and twice his size. "Watch where you're going, shorty," he sneered as he shoved Yakko out of his way. Yakko muttered a swear as he left, but said nothing to provoke the bear. Luckily, he did not reencounter the bear on his way back to his bedroom.
After that, he managed to finally get some shut eye after being deprived of sleep for most of the night. He was having a very strange dream. In the dream, he was at his aunt's house. The two of them were sitting on the couch watching TV together, when Yakko asked his aunt a question. " Auntie. Why are my parent's such jerks?" His aunt made a face and replied with: " How dare you say that about your own parents!" She went on to scold him about disrespecting his parents. She grabbed a bar of soap from the sink and shoved it in Yakko's mouth. Yakko almost choked on suds as he begged his aunt to stop. He woke up shortly after, panting and sweating, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt relieved when he realized that it was nothing more than a nightmare.
In total, he had gotten a measly three hours of sleep during the night. Wakko and Dot slept longer than he did, despite having difficulties sleeping, too. Yakko felt sort of jealous by how much easier it was for his siblings to fall asleep compared to him. He felt restless, bags hanging under his eyes, wrinkles on his forehead. He supposed that this was just going to be how he slept from now on.
Wakko and Dottie woke up shortly after he did. He lifted his siblings out of their beds and carried them out of their bedroom. Yakko led them downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast. He was served breakfast by the lady behind the food counter – Mrs. Bologna – whom Yakko had taken a dislike to. She is a middle aged fat lady, who always wore her hair in an ugly bun, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she doesn't enjoy being around children all that much. Mrs. Bologna served Yakko the same burnt pancakes and rubbery eggs as she did yesterday. She did the same for Wakko and Dottie.
"Um, these pancakes look a little burnt, don't you think?" Yakko pointed out, grimacing at his breakfast.
The food lady scoffed. "Ugh. That's all I got! You either eat it or eat nothing at all!" The woman told him rudely.
"Well, can I at least get some syrup?" He asked.
"Sorry. We ran out," the woman informed him, crossing her eyebrows. She looked at the line of kids that had formed behind Yakko and his siblings. She sighed heavily. "Look, kid. I don't have time for your complaining! Just sit down and eat! If you have any problems with your meal, complain to Mrs. Rentman or whatever! But don't come crying to me! Got it!?"
Yakko sighed, lowering his shoulders in an annoyed manner. He thought that he didn't have to deal with these kinds of people anymore, now that he was out of his old home and all. She sounds just like my dad, Yakko thought, Crabby and easily irritated. She and him would make good friends. But he was so disgruntled from last night that he didn't feel like arguing with the lunch lady, or anybody for that matter. What purpose would it serve?
"Fine," Yakko muttered. Balancing the tray of food in his hands, he walked away from the food counter, his two younger siblings following close behind.
Yakko sat down at a vacant table, setting his tray down. Wakko and Dottie approached him from behind and sat next to him. There were a couple of other kids eating in the cafeteria, some sitting with other kids their age while some ate alone. Yakko was different. He was eating with his little siblings, the only real friends he ever had. They sort of had to be his friends, being family and all. But all of the friends that Yakko had made back at the apartments were now long gone. Years of building friendships with the neighborhood kids on the playground now meant nothing. It only added to Yakko's growing feeling of emptiness inside.
Yakko banged his plastic fork against the edge of the table, trying to break the plastic seal the utensil was trapped in. After a few attempts, the fork broke free from its seal. Yakko punched the fork into his lukewarm eggs and shoved it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, disliking the burnt aftertaste of the scrambled eggs as he swallowed. He attempted to wash the eggs down with a swig of water, but as he grabbed for the bottle, he realized that stupid Mrs. Bologna had given him a milk carton instead. Yakko sighed, frustration starting to take over his mind. On top of being given gross, overcooked food, he wasn't even allowed to drink anything. That is, unless he wanted to go to the bathroom and puke some more, which he obviously didn't.
Thanks a lot, Mrs. Bologna! Why, I oughta shove a slice of bologna down your pants and force it right up your ass!
As pissed off as he was at the crabby old lunch lady, he decided that he wouldn't press his luck by going up to the counter. He'd probably stop by the water fountain on his way out of the lunchroom. The food would suffice for now; at least he was getting some form of nourishment.
Chewing on a mouthful of eggs, he looked across the table at his siblings, who seemed to be enjoying the breakfast much more than he was. Wakko, just like yesterday, was plowing through his pancakes and eggs. He looked like Cookie monster the way he was scarfing down pancakes, barely chewing them at all. This didn't surprise Yakko. Eating has sort of become his brother's thing, and was the one thing that made him happy. While there was a small fear inside him that someday Wakko might choke by how fast he was stuffing his face, Yakko never called out his brother for this behavior. He was just glad that the boy was eating at all. He'd never bear to see his own brother starve.
Next to Wakko, Dottie was eating at a much slower, but still steady pace. Dottie didn't eat as much as her big brother did, and didn't go hog wild by the mere sight of something edible, but she still ate a normal, healthy amount for her age. She never refused to eat when it was mealtime, but Yakko did remember from one dinner experience that his sister didn't enjoy the taste of garlic, or the smell for that matter. Other than that, Dottie wasn't really a picky eater, which made Yakko's job of feeding her far less stressful.
Watching both his siblings eat brought a smile to Yakko's face. It was weird; this shouldn't make him feel this happy. But it did. Maybe his feelings were caused by the scarcity of food in their kitchen pantry, or the fact that his parents didn't buy all that much food for the three of them to eat. Perhaps the lack of nutrition that he was putting into his own body had something to do with it. Or maybe he was just overthinking it, who knows. Whatever the reason, Yakko just felt a little more content knowing that Wakko and Dottie were going about their lives with food in their bellies, even if that wasn't necessarily the same case for him.
"Hey! Wakko!!"
Yakko's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his little sister's voice, and from the way her voice cracked when she raised her volume, she did not sound happy. He looked up from his tray of food to see Wakko grabbing a handful of scrambled eggs from his sister's plate. The little hungry hungry hippo had already licked his plate clean, but it seems like he wasn't completely satisfied with his meal, as he decided to steal some of Dottie's food. He shoved the eggs straight into his mouth, swallowing them whole.
"Now Wakko, don't steal food off your sister's plate," Yakko scolded, looking his brother in the eye, "You already had yours."
Wakko's eyes widened when he heard his older brother raise his voice at him. He blushed, a guilty grin on his face.
"I was hungry," Wakko admitted sheepishly.
Looks like my brother is feeling extra hungry today, Yakko thought. He should have known that his brother would be hungry enough for seconds, even after eating a full meal beforehand.
Yakko sighed. "Here. You can have the rest of mine," he said as he slid the plate towards his younger brother, who's mouth watered by the sight of untouched pancakes and scrambled eggs.
"Yum!" Exclaimed Wakko, "Thanks, Yakko!" Before long, Wakko started to dig into his second course of breakfast. He was using his hands to eat instead of his fork, scooping eggs up with his fingers and cramming them into his mouth like a wild animal.
Yakko knew that he was sacrificing the rest of his breakfast to his hungry little brother, but the truth is that he didn't really care all that much about his own hunger over Wakko's. His sibling's priorities always came first before his own. He'd eat lunch later anyway, so it wasn't that big of a sacrifice.
"No fair!" Dottie exclaimed, a pouty look on her face. "He gets to eat more pancakes while I don't!"
"You never asked for more," Yakko told her. He felt slightly guilty inside that he hadn't thought of his sister's wants up until now. "You should have spoken sooner. I could have given you some."
Dottie crossed her arms and slouched in her seat. She wasn't usually this fussy, and very rarely would she complain, but maybe her brother stealing some of her food irked her more than it probably should.
"I'm sorry, sis. Maybe next time," Yakko said with a guilty smile.
"Maybe next time my brother won't be such a pig!" Dottie grumbled.
"Hey! Don't say that about your brother!" Yakko called out his sister's derogatory comment, giving her a disapproving look.
"But it's true," she countered, that pouty face remaining.
"I don't care whether it's true or not; that was a mean thing to say," he rebuked his sister, "It's not nice to call people names. You wouldn't want me to refer to you by a rude name, would you?"
"I dunno," Dottie shrugged, "You didn't call me a name."
"What if I said that you weren't cute?" Yakko posed, raising an eyebrow, "What if I told you that you were ugly? The ugliest person I ever met?"
Dottie gasped, offended. Yakko knew that comment would get to her head.
"I'm not ugly!" She proclaimed as she leaned up in her seat, shaking her finger at Yakko. "I'm the cutest little girl on this earth! You've told me that before!"
That was true. Ever since the day they came home from the hospital, Yakko had praised his baby sister for how adorable she was. Perhaps he had given her a little too much praise, now seeing its effect on Dottie's ego. The girl definitely has a high opinion of herself.
"See what I mean?" Yakko said as he gently nudged Dottie back into her seat, "You don't like being called a mean name, so it's safe to say that your brother doesn't like being called a mean name either, wouldn't you agree?"
Dottie nodded, her pout replaced by a look of guilt. She seemed to finally understand what her fault was, and was realizing that she was wrong about what she said. Yakko smiled, not by the sight of his sister's guilt, but because he felt proud knowing that he had succeeded in teaching her a valuable lesson. It reminded him that he wasn't that bad at being a big brother after all.
"Now apologize to your brother, right now," he ordered.
Upon being asked to do so, Dottie turned her body towards Wakko, who was already halfway done with his second round of breakfast.
"Sorry, Wakko," she apologized to her brother, scratching behind her neck, "You're not a pig. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Wakko looked up from his plate, chewing a bite of pancake.
"It's fine, I guess," he replied, his mouth full of food.
"There. See? Now you're both friends again," finished Yakko, shooting both his siblings an approving smile.
After that, both siblings resumed eating their breakfast without further issue. Yakko looked down at the floor, letting out a quiet sigh. Even though he lived in a new home now, a home without parents telling him what to do, he was still responsible for his younger siblings. Granted, he always found himself to be the primary guardian of Wakko and Dottie, teaching them right from wrong, and showering them with love. He frowned, remembering the fact that he himself had never really received the same care for himself. While Mrs. Rentman and Rachel were kind to him and his siblings yesterday, reassuring him that they "were there for him", he still felt like he was fighting a solo battle. A battle he was fighting with himself.
I'm tired of feeling like a loser! I'm tired of this anxiety? Why did my parents have to get rid of me, my brother and sister? And for what!? Just because they didn't love us!? I just…I just…
Yakko exhaled. These thoughts made him feel physically exhausted. There was no use in questioning why he was put in the position he was in. He never knew that this was gonna happen. He never considered the possibility of his parents getting rid of him one rainy day, dropping him off at an unfamiliar location that would become his new permanent home. There was nothing he could do to change what had happened; all he could do was deal with it!
But even that was hard.
After breakfast, Yakko decided to go play in the giant playroom next to the cafeteria. There were toys scattered all around the play area: dolls, action figures, board games, a miniature red and yellow car that a kid could ride in. There were three television sets placed on the walls, where kids gathered round to watch cartoons. Even Yakko had to admit that this room looked rather fun.
He found himself sitting against the corner of the wall, holding a paddle ball that he found on the floor. He remembered a long time ago, his aunt had shown him how to use a paddle ball. "I got this for my sixth birthday", he remembered her saying. She directed him to jolt his fist back and forth with the paddle ball in hand, as if he were knocking on a door. Yakko quickly got the hang of it and started paddling away. It was one of the more wholesome memories he had with his aunt, before things became terrible like they are now. He couldn't stop himself from smiling when he found that he had not forgotten how to do it after all these years.
I'll hold onto this, Yakko told himself, It reminds me of the good times. Surely no one would notice if it went missing, right?
Wakko and Dottie had run off to go play on the outdoor playground, leaving Yakko by himself. He was fine with it, though, as he had wanted to be alone recently, so his mind could process all the change. The set of double doors that led to the playground was located on the other side of the play room, so it wasn't like his younger siblings went very far. He could see Rachel standing on the blacktop watching the kids; Yakko sternly advised his sibs to stay close to her, and not step out of her line of sight. Looking after the kids in the playroom was another caretaker, a man named Jack. He was a bigger man who wore a black shirt and brown khakis. He had a deep, tender voice that echoed across the room:
"No running!" He boomed. "Stop throwing things! Sit down! I said no running!"
He had barely known the man for more than a day, but Yakko could tell that Jack was a bossy type. He liked to raise his voice at the mere second of seeing any kind of misbehavior from the children, telling the kids what they could and could not do. Already, Jack had ordered two little girls out of the playroom over having a tickle fight with each other. Yakko found that the more Jack yelled, the more he started to get on his nerves. His voice was awfully familiar to his father's, and the way he put his own two-cents in every time a problem occurred made him appear bitter and short-tempered.
Definitely want to stay away from him, Yakko thought. He was all too familiar with the concept of pleasing his guardian figures to avoid causing trouble.
Grimacing, Yakko continued to bounce the pink-stringed ball on his paddle, aimlessly fidgeting with the wooden object. His ears did their best to drown out the mesh of noise that filled the overcrowded room: kids screaming, the television blasting on full volume, and Jack's horrendous shouting. This amount of noise was starting to become overwhelming for Yakko. He found himself covering his ear with his open hand, continuing to paddle away with his paddle ball in the other hand. Maybe he should get up and find Wakko and Dottie, wherever they were at this moment. They could all go back upstairs to their bedroom for a nap – Yakko could surely use one…
"OW! Who did that!?"
Yakko flinched, his mind snapping out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized it, but he had been holding the paddle ball just a little bit too far out into the open, where someone passing by him could easily be struck with the pink ball. And by the sound of a loud yelp of pain, he had hit someone with his paddle ball. Unintentionally, of course, but he still hit someone.
He dared to tilt his head upward to see who he had hit. He gulped when he saw who it was.
Towering over him were two older boys who looked to be roughly thirteen or fourteen years old. One was a badger toon, wearing a blue and green striped shirt and blue jeans. The other toon, a few inches taller than the badger, was a bear toon, dressed in a black shirt and navy blue sweatpants. Yakko instantly recognized who the bear was; it was the same bear that he had bumped into last night.
Oh, boy! This isn't gonna end well!
Both boys scowled at Yakko menacingly, trapping him in the tiny little corner he was sitting in.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't you," the bear sneered, drawing closer to Yakko, "We have a little unfinished business from last night."
The badger, who was holding onto his ankle with one foot, shot a glare at Yakko. Yakko felt his body shrink to the floor.
"Yo, Giant! Is this the twerp you were talking about earlier?" The badger asked his friend.
"Yes, he is," he replied, his face now right up against Yakko's. "It looks like somebody wasn't so satisfied with himself, huh?"
The bear breathed heavily, Yakko embraced with his rached breath. He snarled at him, gritting his teeth, rage in his eyes. Yakko's body quaked, literally unable to move at that moment. At any moment now, the bear could sock him, grab him by the shoulders, crush him to pieces with his massive body. He wanted to react. He wanted to fight back, stand up for himself for once in his life. If only he wasn't so powerless. If only he wasn't so much of a coward.
"You're just gonna be mute, huh?"
Ok, that sounds like a threat.
He wanted to be anywhere else right now, in a place far away from here where no bears could hurt him, threaten him, lower his self-esteem even further than it already has. But he knew that if he continued to act cowardly, say nothing, be a total moron, then he would pay the price. His father once told him that life was just cruel to you sometimes. For Yakko, life was nothing but cruel to him.
"Are you just a moron?" The bear asked scornfully.
"Y..y..es…I-I mean n..n-no…I mean…"
Suddenly, the bear's tone took a massive shift. He wheezed, followed by a round of deep, hoarse laughter. His head drew further away from Yakko as the bear stood back up on his legs, still cackling like a madman. Soon, the badger started to laugh just as hard, leaning his shoulder on his bear friend as to not stumble onto the floor. Yakko cocked an eyebrow, confused as to what caused these two giants to laugh so hard.
"Heh heh heh! Looks like we found a stutterer, Gus!" The bear laughed, jokingly jabbing the badger's arm with his elbow.
"Heh heh! He can't even make a sentence!"
The badger pointed at Yakko as he and his friend continued to laugh hysterically. It was only then that Yakko realized that these two were laughing at him, mocking how cowardly he was acting. Sadly, that was true. Yakko was being a coward right now, as he continued to allow these two mean boys to make fun of him, not moving from his corner in fear that one of them would lunge on his body and crush him to death.
Now Yakko wished that Jack would come over and yell at these two.
Suddenly, the bear knelt down and grabbed Yakko's shirt collar, jolting his body up into a standing position. The badger then approached and grabbed Yakko's boney arm, grasping it tightly.
"Now you don't hit me with your little toy again, or else we're going to have a big problem, twerp!" Gus the badger threatened.
"I-I'm s-sorry," shuddered Yakko, his voice quiet and small, "I-I didn't mean to."
Gus scoffed, continuing to tighten his grasp around Yakko's wrist. His wrist started to hurt by the strong pressure being put on it. He was starting to fear that his brittle bone might snap if any more pressure was added.
"Please, let go of my arm," he breathed, the pain became unbearable.
"Oh, yeah? And what makes you think I'll do that, you little shrimp?"
Yakko's eyes grew wide. Now, Gus was making fun of his weight. He's noticed before just how skinny he had gotten in recent years, but nobody has ever spelled it out for him, not even his father.
"Nah, he's not a shrimp. More like a skeleton," the giant bear noted, poking at Yakko's boney ribcage. "This twerp looks like he just escaped from the graveyard."
This insult followed another roar of laughter between the two older boys. Yakko watched on in misery, tears welling in his eyes. It already felt embarrassing enough to cry, but to weep in front of these two would be asking for more mockery.
He was already aware of his slender appearance, his thin, noodle arms, and his puny muscles, lack thereof. Yakko considered himself the exact opposite of what a strong person was; he was pretty weak, actually. The giant bear and Gus the badger were much bigger than he was, so much stronger, and so much more powerful than he would ever be. Yakko made the realization that if he were just a little taller, just a little stronger, and a whole lot braver, then he might have been able to break free from the boys' strong grasp.
Maybe allowing his younger brother to devour on his leftover food scraps wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Heh heh! You're such a loser!" Mocked Gus, as if Yakko wasn't already aware of that fact.
"P-please stop," Cried Yakko, meekly. It was becoming harder and harder to hold back tears.
"Shut up, weakling!" Snapped the bear, regaining his threatening voice. "We rule this orphanage, and we won't tolerate any disrespect!"
"I'm not disrespecting you!" He proclaimed.
Yakko gasped, his eyes grew wide. He didn't think he had the guts to utter a single retort at the bear, but it turned out that he was a little bit braver than he initially thought he was, even if he was still weak physically speaking. His stomach churned inside, knowing that he was now doomed.
The bear heaved Yakko off the ground by his shirt collar and lifted him up to his face, so that the two of them were looking at each other eye to eye. It was the same tactic his father had used on him to scold him for doing something wrong, and already, all of the trauma was coming back to him.
"One more insult like that," the bear growled, "and I'll break off your limbs one by one. Am. I. Clear?"
Yakko said nothing at first. His body was quaking, sweat trickling down his forehead. For the first time since he arrived at the foster center, Yakko was faced with a real threat, a threat that seemed two times scarier than his father.
"You have ten seconds to explain to me how you got shit on my dishrag before I beat you to a pulp!"
Left with no other option, and feeling like he was about to be badly hurt by the bear if he didn't say or do anything right now, he nodded his head, obliging to his threats. Apparently, this wasn't enough, as the bear began to raise his mighty paw above Yakko's head, his sharp claws exposed. Yakko stared up in horror, realizing that it had all come down to this. He shut his eyes, preparing for the strike to the face.
"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Yakko's eyelids shot open. Was that Jack? No, the voice wasn't as deep or loud as Jack's – it sounded like another kid. He peered to his left, looking over the bear's broad shoulder. What he saw was a dark orange fox, wearing a blue t-shirt, tattered jeans, and a red baseball cap planted on his head. The fox's green eyes stared in Yakko's direction. There was a scowl embedded on his face, with a certain determination in the way he stood, and how his fists clenched. The bear had lowered his paw as he shot a glare at the fox who stood next to him.
"Mind your own business, bub!" He snarled, growling at the fox. The fox, however, was not intimidated by this.
"You heard what I said! Put the kid down!" The fox shouted, bravely standing up to the predator.
The badger approached the fox, his footsteps slow and heavy, his eyes focused on his prey.
"Listen here, little boy blue! You don't mess with us!" He said indignantly. "We rule this foster center!"
"Oh, do you now?" The fox snided, a smirk emerging, "Then how come you and your friend always end up in Mrs. Rentman's office every day?"
"Well uh-" the badger started, but trailed off as he couldn't think of anything to say.
"See? I stumped you there, didn't I?" The fox continued to smirk at the badger. He almost seemed proud of the fact that he was able to stump this bully.
The bear, still holding Yakko by his collar, leaned his head closer to the fox, gnashing his teeth at him. The fox simply crossed his arms, shooting an annoyed look back at the bear.
"Well, Giant? Are you gonna set the kid down? Or are you gonna continue staring at me like a deer in the headlights?" The fox asked, almost mocking the tall bear.
"Deer!? You think I'm some joke!?" The bear said defensively. The fox couldn't help but chuckle at the big bear's reaction. This seemed to anger the bear even more. "WHY YOU-"
"STAN!!"
The bear had clenched his fist, raising his arm as if he was about to sock the fox that mocked him. But the bear had lowered his fist upon hearing a loud, booming voice coming up behind him. When Yakko saw who it was, he felt incredibly relieved: it was Jack.
"Put that kid down on the ground! Right! Now!" Jack teethed, staring angrily at both bear and badger.
The bear, who once made himself to be fierce and ruthless, now appeared timid and cowardly next to Jack. Upon his command, the bear finally let go of Yakko's shirt collar. He fell to the ground, colliding with the hard carpeted floor. Jack put his hands on his hips, raising his eyebrows at the bear and his bumbling badger friend.
"What have I told you about picking on kids half your size?" Jack berated the two, "I'm getting really sick of chasing you all day, you know that?"
"Y-yes sir. We're- we're both sorry sir," the badger blushed pink, scratching behind his shoulder.
"Yeah! We're both sorry, sir," the bear was next to apologize, his cheeks just as pink as his friend's.
Jack put his fingers up to the bridge of his nose, shaking his head as he let out an irritated sigh.
"Don't even bother saying sorry. I know you don't mean it," he muttered. "Now, come on. You're both paying a visit to Betty's office."
"But sir-" the badger protested, but was cut off.
"No buts!" Jack said firmly, "You've already done enough bullying for one day. Now follow me, tweedle dee and tweedle dum. I don't want to hear another peep from either one of you. Got it?"
"Yes, sir," The badger and bear agreed in unison, lowering their heads in shame. The two boys followed Jack out of the playroom, all three disappearing into the hallway.
Yakko continued to lie on the ground, his breathing heavy and slow. He stared up at the tall ceiling of the enormous playroom. He winced, his eyes blinded by the overhead light that shines above him. He closed his eyes, his body drifting out of reality. He didn't say a word, allowing his mind to override him with thoughts.
Even after that fox stood up to those two mean bullies, even after Jack took them away, even after the bear finally let go of his shirt collar, Yakko was terrified. He thought that he didn't have to worry about being abused anymore now that he didn't live with his parents. But now, he realized that his parents weren't the only people who were capable of abusing him; other kids much older than he was could easily take advantage of him, threaten him, hurt him. He was so weak, so vulnerable, so numb to the outside world that he had left himself defenseless. Anyone could hurt him, his family, his dignity, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. It was like he had a big target on his back that said "I'M A LOSER! PLEASE HURT ME!" And in turn, people hurt him.
This is what Yakko's life had come to. He is a walking target, and he'll always be nothing more than that.
"Need a hand?"
Yakko's eyes flicked open. Standing over him was the same boy who had stood up for Yakko earlier. The fox looked concerned for Yakko, which was understandable, as he had just been tortured by two older boys who were making fun of him. He thought that the fox had already left, but to his surprise, he was still here. He held a hand out for Yakko to grab onto. Yakko, while slightly confused, but knowing that this boy definitely did not want to hurt him, grabbed onto the fox's hand and was pulled up off the floor and back onto his feet.
"You…you saved me," Yakko said, his eyes widening on the fox, who was smiling at him.
"Why would I not? You were in trouble, and I couldn't stand seeing you get picked on like that," said the fox.
Yakko didn't know what to say at first. He was amazed at how generous the fox was being towards him, having only known him for such a short amount of time. By the way he was treating him, Yakko would have thought that this fox was like a lost cousin of his. All he could say was…
"Thank you. Thank you, really. I-I thought I was done for. Those guys were brutal."
A frown suddenly emerged on the fox's whiskers upon the mentioning of those bullies.
"Tell me about it," he said, "They think they rule this place. They'll pick on anyone who is smaller than they are. Was this the first time they did this to you?"
"Yes," Yakko nodded, holding back a tear, "I can't believe they did that! Who are they, anyhow?"
"The badger's name is Gus. He came from an orphanage in Oregon. He was transferred here due to misbehavior or something," the fox informed Yakko. "And the bear – he's Gus's best friend. His name is Stan Bearington, but everyone calls him Giant because he towers over all the other kids."
As bad as it was, Yakko felt relieved knowing that Giant the bear was the biggest bully here. He was beginning to fear that there were even taller, more intimidating bullies living in the foster home that he had to worry about.
"You wouldn't want to mess with them," the fox continued, "I've seen them beat up toddlers before."
"T-they beat up t-toddlers," Yakko shuddered.
He suddenly got a horrible feeling in his gut as the unthinkable occured to Yakko. What if Giant goes after his siblings? They were just as vulnerable as he was, if not more. They wouldn't stand a chance against him or his badger sidekick.
"Is something wrong?"
Yakko hadn't even realized that he had started tearing up at the thought. Tears had started to well out of his eyes and trickle down his cheek. He didn't even care if he appeared helpless in front of this kid. The thought of losing his siblings, his last connection to an actual family; it would be a tragedy. He didn't think he would ever forgive himself if he allowed his siblings to be tortured by the claws of that cruel, terrorizing, heartless bear.
He grimaced, looking down at the floor. Another tear fell from his eye, dripping down his cheek. He was breathing heavily, trying to restrain himself from crying more, but it was no use. He put his fingers up to his eye, wiping the tears away. The more Yakko thought of the idea of his siblings being hurt by the dreaded hands, or paws, of that monster, the more he wanted to ball his eyes out. If Giant and Gus ever did go after his siblings, he'd feel five times worse than he does now. But the truth was, he should be protecting his siblings no matter the cost, protecting them from harm's way, protecting them from any bully who tries to hurt them.
I should have gone with them to the playground, Yakko thought, I'm never gonna let them go out on their own EVER again! I just can't risk it!
Suddenly, Yakko felt someone's arms embrace around his body. He opened his eyes to see that the fox had wrapped his arms around Yakko, his hands firmly grasping his back. He was taken aback by this, not expecting this gesture, but he soon found comfort in the fox's tight hug. His worries soon softened as he shifted focus towards the fox's warm embrace. He let out a long sigh, a single tear falling from his eye.
"You have younger siblings, don't you?" The fox inquired.
Yakko's eyes widened. How did he know?
"Y-yes. I do," Yakko replied meekly, "They're my babies. I would hate to lose them." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "So much has happened yesterday and today, and I…c-can't afford to lose anyone else."
He stuttered over his final words, letting out another sob. The fox squeezed his shoulders tighter as Yakko cried some more.
"You must be new here," he assumed, "It must be tough being the new kid, and I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I was dropped off here..over two years ago."
The fox gazed down at the floor. In the midst of his sadness, Yakko felt enlightened. Knowing that he wasn't the first one to go through such despair was a tragic fact, but it also meant that Yakko was not alone.
"Two years!? That's a very long time."
The fox nodded. "I know. This is pretty much my home now." He paused for a moment, sighing to himself, before saying: "Although, it would be nice to be adopted by a loving family, a family who cares greatly about me."
Those words bounced around in Yakko's mind. "It would be nice to be adopted by a loving family." He was only now starting to realize that that must have been a desire that all the children here had: to be adopted by a family who cared greatly about them, a family who actually gave a damn. Yakko's eyes started to get watery again.
"My family doesn't care about me," Yakko admitted, "and they never did care. You know, it's hard to swallow the fact that nobody loves you, not even your parents."
"I do."
Yakko stared at the fox with cloudy eyes, surprised by this statement.
"You- you do!?"
"Of course," said the fox, his voice firm, "And you should love yourself too. I know it's a hard pill to swallow – and I've been there before. But you can't give up on yourself so easily."
"But-"
"Listen to me, kid," the fox put two hands on Yakko's shoulder. He stared directly into his eyes, "don't give up hope. You're suffering now, but don't fret, because things will get better in time. Trust me, they will. You know, my uncle once told me 'When times are tough, you just gotta cheer up, and never give up hope. 'Cause if you don't, that'll make you a dope.'"
As miserable and wretched as he felt in that moment, even Yakko couldn't stop himself from chuckling at that subtle use of wordplay uttered by the fox.
"That's funny," he said.
"But it's true," the fox noted, "Bad things are gonna happen to you sometimes, and when they do, there's no time to be a dope. You just gotta cheer up, and never give up hope, no matter how sad, miserable, or mopey you might feel at that moment."
As the fox spoke, Yakko nodded his head in understanding. His words really struck a chord with Yakko. Yes, his life right now is far from ideal. He's been bullied, abused, threatened, and neglected throughout his entire life, but never did he truly give up on himself, at least not yet anyway. But hearing that said out loud to his face, by someone who from the very little time Yakko has known him, proved to him that he is a kind, caring young boy, it gave him a different perspective on the situation. He didn't realize it at first, but he needed to hear that. He no longer felt totally alone or isolated in this new environment; the foster home started to feel more like an actual home rather than a prison.
Which is why, the second the fox had finished his short speech, Yakko flung his arms around the fox's shoulders, bringing him in for a hug of his own.
"Thanks so much," Yakko told the fox with extreme gratitude, "You're my hero."
The fox blushed, flattered by Yakko's gratitude.
"I mean, you're welcome, dude," he laughed, "And please, call me Jake."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I never introduced myself," he realized, "I'm Yakko. Yakko Warner. It's nice to meet you, Jake."
Yakko held his hand out for Jake to shake. Jake, who was smiling ear to ear, gladly accepted Yakko's handshake as he grabbed Yakko's hand.
"That's a cool name," Jake complimented, "And it's nice to meet you too, Yakko."
"Yeah," chuckled Yakko, "My aunt told me it's a family name. It stands for Yakkavier."
"That's how you know it's a family name," said Jake, "I wish I had a cool family name like yours."
"I mean, you still have a cool name. I've never met a Jake before," Yakko replied, his smile growing wider as he spoke. "My brother and sister have cool names too – Wakko and Dottie."
"Where are you brother and sister?" Jake asked, puzzled, "From the way you talk about them, I thought they would be with you."
"They're outside on the playground," Yakko told Jake, "I decided to stay inside, but you know how well that went for me."
Jake laughed, dryly, "At least those two knuckleheads are getting what they deserve," he commented.
"True," agreed Yakko, then he asked, "Hey, do you wanna meet my sibs?"
"Sure," said Jake, "I might as well meet the whole family."
Yakko grinned. He was liking Jake more and more every passing second. He definitely gives off big brother energy, he thought.
Together, the two boys made their way through the enormous playroom, stepping over toys scattered on the ground, and other kids zooming past at lightning speed. Eventually, they reached a set of double doors that led to the outside area of the playroom. Yakko winced as his eyes reacted with the bright glare of the sun. It was sunny outside, not a cloud in the sky. Children were playing on the playground, running and screaming at the top of their lungs. There was a blacktop area where kids were playing hopscotch, jumprope, and basketball. The outside area was pretty large actually, a white fence placed on the outskirts of the yard so no child could escape. Yakko had only been out here once before, but he had to admit that it all looked rather fun.
Standing against the wall observing the kids was Rachel. She wore a pink cap over her head and sunglasses. She also had a whistle around her neck that she used when needed. Rachel noticed Yakko and Jake standing outside the doorway, and she shot a smile their way.
"Hey, Jake!" She greeted him fondly, "I see you've met Yakko."
"Yup!" Jake responded, placing a hand on Yakko's shoulder, "He's my new friend."
Yakko grinned bashfully, his cheeks turning pink. While he was grateful for the fox's help earlier, and he had been very kind towards him thus far, Yakko has only known Jake for so long. But he was the first person, excluding Mrs. Rentman and Rachel, who understood his underlying struggle and held his arm out for him. That movitating speech he gave earlier seemed genuine and sincere, as if he really meant it – and he probably did. It would be foolish of him to not consider Jake as one of his friends.
"Jake's my friend too. He's a cool dude," Yakko added, patting Jake on the back.
"That's good," smiled Rachel, "I'm glad you were able to make a friend, Yakko. Let me tell you, Jake will be a loyal friend to you. He's a smart young man if I've ever seen one."
"Gee, thanks, Rach," now it was Jake's turn to blush. Wanting to change the topic, he turned his head to Yakko. "Say, Yakko. Where are your brother and sister at?"
"Uhh..I think they're on the swingset," replied Yakko. He pointed towards the playground at a swingset, where both Wakko and Dottie were swinging joyously.
"I think I'm gonna play with Yakko's sibs," Jake told Rachel.
"Sounds like a plan," Rachel replied. "Take care, boys!"
Yakko started to make his way towards the swings, with Jake tagging along behind. As he got closer, he was able to get a better glimpse at his little siblings. Wakko's mouth hung open, his tongue blowing in the wind. Dot's gorgeous black locks beamed in the sun, her long hair swinging back and forth with the swing. Both siblings had two identical grins on their faces, and were laughing as they played in the warm spring sun.
When Wakko and Dottie saw their big brother approach them, they immediately jumped off the swing and ran towards him. Yakko knelt down and spread his arms out for his younger siblings.
"Sibs!" He exclaimed as Wakko and Dottie collided with his body, spreading their arms around him.
Yakko hugged his siblings tight, cherishing the moment. He felt happy inside knowing that his little siblings were safe, and that they knew that they could always come to him when they were feeling alone. After all that had happened to him today, Yakko needed this reassurance more than ever.
"You guys are too cute," Jake said, standing over the three.
When Jake spoke, Wakko was the first to notice the fox's presence. His eyes grew wide as he looked up at the boy standing above him. Stimulated by this, the five year old squirmed out of his brother's arms and sprinted at Jake. Wakko put his arms around his legs, grasping onto his jeans.
"Hey, little guy!" Jake rubbed his hand against Wakko's head, ruffling his fur. "You must be Wakko."
"Yes, I am," Wakko replied proudly. After saying that, his face fell, his mind in a state of confusion. "Hey! How do you know my name?"
"I'm Yakko's friend," the fox told Wakko, putting his arm around the boy. "I'm Jake."
"Jake," repeated Wakko, fascinated by the name.
"And that must be your sister, Dottie," Said Jake, his eyes shifting towards Wakko's sister.
Yakko stood in front of Jake, holding onto his sister's hand. Dottie had a contrasting reaction compared to her brother. Her body was hidden behind Yakko's legs, her head just barely poking out over her brother. Yakko frowned when he noticed his sister's strange behavior; she usually didn't act this reserved.
"Come on, Dottie," Yakko encouraged his sister, "Say Hi to Jake."
Dottie shook her head no, covering her hands over her face. Yakko frown deepened as he became more concerned for his little sister.
"It's ok, Yakko. She's just nervous," Jake told Yakko, "I'm new to her, so I get how she feels. She'll open up eventually."
"If you say so," Yakko replied, weary of whether Jake was right or not. "So, now that we're all here, what should we do?"
"I dunno," Jake shrugged, "To tell you the truth, I don't really feel like being outside right now."
"Yeah. Me too," agreed Yakko, "It's kinda hot out, and I'm feeling a little hungry."
Coincidentally, right after Yakko said that, his tummy began to growl. He clenched his stomach, feeling it sink further into his body, moving around in an uncomfortable way. That was what he gets for eating so little for breakfast.
"You definitely sound hungry," Jake noted, "I have a box of granola bars in my room if you want some."
"Oh, yes, please!" Yakko drawled, "I'm so hungry, I could eat the entire horse stable in one bite!"
This got a chuckle out of Jake. "Then you must be really hungry," he laughed.
"Me hungry too!" Wakko exclaimed, bouncing his legs up and down.
"Ok, you can have some too, bud," Jake told him. He then lifted Wakko up off the ground, propping him against his hip. Wakko beamed, he seemed to enjoy being held by the fox.
Jake carried Wakko across the yard. Yakko grabbed onto his sister's hand and led her in the same direction Jake was going. He couldn't wait to get inside. After a long morning, he could surely use a rest.
The group arrived back at Jake's bedroom, which, funnily enough, was just down the hall from where Yakko's bedroom was. The four sat around in a circle on the floor, a box of Chewy granola bars in the middle. Yakko had grabbed two granola bars from the box. He knew that it was a little selfish of him to take more than one, but he was so hungry that he had lost all regards of manners. He was stuffing granola into his mouth, not caring if he was eating like a pig. All he wanted at that moment was to eat, and so he did.
Granted, Wakko was also chowing down on granola bars at a vigorous pace. Dottie was, once again, the only Warner sibling to be eating at a normal pace. Jake also ate at a slower pace than the two Warner brothers, but still a steady one at that. Yakko became saddened when he noticed that Jake was, like most, bigger than he was. He was taller than him by a good few inches, and he definitely had more meat in his bones than Yakko did.
Wakko, as expected, was the first out of the four to finish eating his snack. He glanced up at Jake, chewing on a granola bar, and stretched his hand out towards him.
"I want that!" Wakko states, flexing his fingers.
"You want more, little dude?" Jake asked, pushing the box of Chewy granola bars closer to Wakko.
"No, you're hat," he clarified, shaking his head.
Jake smiled at the toddler, looking up at the red baseball cap that he had on his head.
"Oh, this? I got it from an old friend of mine."
"I like it!" Wakko said profoundly, "I wanna wear it!"
"Now, Wakko," Yakko piped up, "that is Jake's hat. It belongs to him."
"It's fine, Yakko," Jake reassured Yakko, taking off the hat, "He can wear it for a little bit if it'll make him happy."
Jake leaned over to Wakko, placing the red cap on his head. Wakko laughed, grinning as the fox tapped him lightly on the head with cap on. The five year old felt very proud to be wearing the hat. The hat was a little big on Wakko, covering his eyes. Jake fixed that by turning the hat backwards, so Wakko would be able to see better.
"Wow!" Wakko exclaimed gleefully, sounding amazed at the hat.
"Ahem. What do you say to Jake?" Yakko asked his brother, raising an eyebrow.
"Thank you!" Wakko told Jake gratefully, hugging the fox's arm.
"Your welcome," replied Jake, with a grin of his own.
Jake sat back down on the floor. He ran his hands through his hair, straightening it out. As he was doing this, Dottie crawled towards the fox, her eyes wide with curiosity. Jake noticed this, and he lifted the girl into his lap.
"Hello, you," he said, "And you must be Dottie."
Dottie nodded with a smile. "Yes, and I'm the cutest!" She boasted.
"Oh, you are?" Laughed Jake, "Who told you that?"
"Yakko," Dottie replied, pointing at her older brother sitting across from her. "He says I'm the cutest little girl he's ever met."
Yakko blushed slightly. While he was glad that his sister was starting to open up towards Jake, he had not expected her to be so flamboyant, gloating about how cute she claims to be. He remembered his conversation with Dottie earlier, how she became so offended by Yakko mixing her word with the term 'Ugly'. There was a lot of feist in his younger sister that Yakko hadn't quite realized until now.
But Jake, however, seemed to be getting a kick out of Dottie's boastful sassiness.
"Yakko's right. You definitely are the cutest little girl I've ever met," he chuckled. He started to run his fingers through Dottie's hair. "Your hair is nice and soft, too. It's definitely getting long. You'll need a haircut."
This prompted a puzzled look from Dottie.
"What's a haircut?"
"It's when a barber takes a pair of scissors and cuts off your hair," Jake explained to her.
Dot made a sad whimper, her hands grabbing onto her long locks. Her eyebrows had lowered over her eyes, and a frown puckered her lips.
"I don't want someone to cut my hair off!" she declared, frightened. "I wanna keep my hair forever!"
"Okay, okay, you can keep your hair," Jake soothed her, a guilty expression on his face, "I didn't mean to scare you. Here. I think I have something for your hair."
Jake reached behind his back, presumably digging around in his hammerspace, and pulled out a small flower bobby pin. Dottie gasped, her pupils grew larger as she observed the yellow petals on the tiny accessory. Jake carefully ran his hands through Yakko's sister's hair once more, moving her strands of hair into one place. Holding onto the hair with one hand, Jake used his other hand to place the flower accessory on top of Dottie's head. After doing this, he let go of Dottie's head, her hair now held up thanks to the bobby pin.
"Now I made your hair shorter," Jake told her, "and I didn't have to use scissors once."
Dottie rubbed her hand on the back of her neck, feeling how much shorter her hair felt now. Jake extracted a mirror from his hammerspace and held it in front of Dottie's face. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, a smile emerged.
"I look pretty, too," Dot admired herself. Then she leaned up and kissed Jake smack on the cheek. "I love you sooooo much."
Jake blushed. "Awe! I love you too, Dottie," he replied. Then, he turned his head towards Yakko, who had witnessed the whole interaction play out. "See? What did I tell you? Your sister did lighten up to me. It just took a little while for her to do so."
"I guess you were right," admitted Yakko.
He glanced at both Wakko and Dottie, each of them wearing a new accessory on their heads, both given to them by Jake. He beamed at Jake for his generosity.
"My sibs really seem to like you," he noted.
"Oh, it's nothing," said Jake, "I'm great with kids. Before I came here, I used to babysit my little cousins, and it was great. In the summer, we'd swim in the lake, play baseball at the ballpark, and we'd even camp outside and tell ghost stories all night." Jake sighed, his smile fading. "You know, I'd do anything to get those times back."
Yakko's face fell. He understood exactly how his friend felt. He'd basically spent the whole day yesterday crying, wondering why his own mother would decide to get rid of him. As bad as things were back at the house, there were some things about his original home that he missed.
"So would I," he said at last. He hesitated before speaking again. "I wish I would have been able to say goodbye to my aunt before I came here. She's the closest thing I had to an actual parent."
"I feel the same way about my uncle Max,"
Jake told Yakko, sadness in his voice. "He used to take me and my cousins fishing at the lake. He's a big fan of cartoons, too. And not those new cartoons, like Ninja Turtles or He-Man. I'm talking old school, like Looney Tunes, Betty Boop, and those old Mickey Mouse cartoons."
"My aunt's a big fan of cartoons, too," Yakko mentioned, remembering his own experiences from way back when. "She loves Bugs Bunny, and she looks up to him as a mentor figure. She taught me how to use my hammerspace when I was five years old."
"Me too," said Jake. He held up his hands, showing off his white gloves to Yakko. "My uncle taught me everything I need to know about toon physics."
"My aunt teaches toon physics at the Tooniversity down in Glendale," Yakko gloated. "She kept a few books at her house that she borrowed from the school."
"Did you read any of them?"
Yakko found himself frowning again. He had nearly forgotten all about the textbooks that his aunt displayed on her bookshelf. He only remembered them in the midst of this conversation. He had a foggy memory from a long time ago of him talking to his aunt about hammerspace the day his sister was born. She was just about to show him a textbook when his grandma came over, informing them that it was time to leave for the hospital.
"No. No I have not," Yakko told his friend remorsefully, "If I could go back in time, I would have read one of those books, just to see what they are about."
Jake smiled. He lifted Dottie off of his lap, gently setting her down on the floor. He knelt down towards his bed, sticking his arms underneath the mattress. It appeared as if he was looking for something. Yakko wondered what Jake was doing. Maybe, he has a hair accessory for me too, he thought, like a hat or a bobby pin.
After some searching, Jake found what he was looking for; it was a book. He dusted off the front cover before handing the book over to Yakko. Yakko stared at the front cover of the book inquisitively. He nearly gasped when he read the front heading:
Toon Tips and Tricks: a beginner's guide to learning Toon Physics.
Yakko didn't know what to say. He looked up at Jake with his jaw hung open. The fox's smile grew wider, showing off his pearly whites to Yakko.
"What- wait, how do you-" Yakko stammered, still at a loss for words.
"Mrs. Rentman gave it to me a long time ago," Jake said, "I won it in a contest. I didn't want it originally, but one day, I read it out of curiosity and, I gotta say, it's an interesting read."
Yakko continued to stare blankly at the front cover of the book Jake just gave him. He couldn't believe that the fox actually had a book like this in his possession, the exact type of book that Yakko had been looking for.
"You- you're really giving this to me?" Yakko had to ask, just to be sure if this was real. "I mean, it's your book. You won it fair and square."
"In a potato sack race," Jake replied, chuckling a little. "And yes, I am giving the book to you."
"Nono, I can't just take it. It's still your book."
"I read the whole thing five times over. I can summarize the book by heart," Jake told Yakko. He put his hand on his shoulder. "You said you always wanted to read a book like this, and here it is. Like I said, it's an interesting read, and I think you'll enjoy it."
It took a couple more seconds for Yakko to realize that Jake was being serious. He really wanted him to take his book for his own safe keeping. While he was not expecting any of this to happen, Yakko found himself smiling. He stood up off the floor, holding the book in his left arm, and he put his right arm around Jake, bringing him in for another hug.
"Thank you so much," Yakko told the fox, feeling most grateful for everything he has done for him today, "I don't know how I'll ever repay you for what you did to me."
Jake laughed. "You don't owe me anything. Just read the book and enjoy it for me."
Yakko nodded in response. That was exactly what he was going to do
The day went by fairly quickly after that. Wakko and Dottie kept the accessories that Jake had given them, with Jake even telling them that they were gifts. Yakko and Jake ate some pb for dinner, and Jake even convinced Mrs. Rentman into giving each of them candy bars for dessert.
It was nearly bedtime now. Yakko was lying on his stomach, reading the book that Jake had given him earlier. Jake was right when he said that this book was an interesting read. The book delved into the quirks of toons, their ideology, and the various toon powers that toons are capable of performing. It reminded him so much of how his aunt used to go on long rambles about hammerspace and toon physics and all that other stuff. The way the words were formatted on the page was awfully similar to the way his aunt would describe toons as a whole. Maybe his aunt Amelia had read this book before and was inspired by it. Sadly, he'll never know for sure, but he can always dream, right?
Currently, Yakko was reading a section titled Squash and Stretch, which apparently, was a part of a bigger idea of toon powers and capabilities.
Page 52
According to scientists at the ACME corporation, toons can manipulate their bodies into any size, shape, and form they desire. A toon's stretchy ink allows them to fit into places that would be considered impossible for a human to imitate.
"We use this ideology to our advantage when filming with cartoon characters on set," said director and animator at Warner Bros Animation, Weed Memlo. "For example, Bugs Bunny can flatten his body thin enough for him to slip through the crack in a door, if he needs to make a quick escape."
"Yakko?"
Yakko flinched when he heard a small voice utter his name. He knew who that voice belonged to: it was his brother. Yakko set down the flashlight he had in his hand, which he was using to read in the dark room (since he couldn't see otherwise), and looked towards the bunk bed on the other side of the room. Wakko sat on the bottom bunk, dressed in blue pajamas, wearing the red baseball cap that Jake had given him earlier.
"What is it, Wak?" Yakko asked, concerned.
"I wanna go to bed now," Wakko moaned, groggy, "Please stop shining that light on your book."
"Sorry, Wakko," he apologized as he turned the flashlight off, slipping it back into his hammerspace. "Go to sleep now, ok?"
"Ok," his brother replied softly, turning over in his bed.
Yakko set the book down on the floor next to his bed. While he was invested in the book, and he was planning on reading the whole thing through and through, he knew that it was getting late, and he should probably go to bed now. He barely got any sleep last night, so he was feeling dreadfully exhausted. Yakko pulled the covers over his body, resting his head on his pillow. His eyes became heavier, his breathing softened, before he finally closed his eyes.
This time, Yakko found it quite easy to go to sleep.