Surprise?
So yeah, still not dead, didn't abandon this fic, didn't get hit with the fanfic author curse (meaning no bad things happened that prevented me from writing). I've just been… extremely unmotivated to do anything in the creative department. Haven't felt like drawing, writing just… nothing.
But then the other day I was re-reading my own work and I was just hit by a truckload of motivation to start writing again. I don't know what happened, but… here we are! 1.5 year later with a new chapter.
Sorry for the long wait.

In retrospect, maybe they should've figured this out earlier… Actually there were quite a few things the parents should've figured out, but this one especially. But no… It took Helena and Frank pointing it out for them to figure it out.

Their kids were touch-starved - well, any kind of positive attention starved honestly, but you get the gist.

After the week spend at Frank and Eleanor's estate everyone went back to their own homes and jobs. It had been a great week. They'd gone bowling, and gone to a musical. Andy and Kassie did have to remind their kids - Can you believe it? Their kids! - to not jump on stage, that everything was make believe and for entertainment, but it all went well. Yakko especially seemed to find a new love for theater. They'd have to look into schooling after the kids were more adjusted to the new changes in their lives.

Wait, getting off track.

Touch-starvation, Helena had told them.

During those last 3 days, Lena noted that the siblings both shied away from and leaned into another's touch. Yakko usually leaned in a little before quickly pulling away, Wakko shoved his entire body into every touch and would almost whine when it stopped, and Dot seemed to reluctantly allow it when it came from anyone but her parents, but then happily allowed it and even made excuses for more attention when it came to Andy and Kassie.

When their little sister told them, the couple didn't know what to think. They thought Wakko was just a cuddle-bug, although they supposed he still was, and Yakko pulling away? Wasn't that the opposite of touch-starvation?

The answer to that was, of course; Trauma. Most likely at least.

Helena hypothesized that Yakko had maybe taken a few too many hits to be comfortable with touch, but still craved it. And Dot, while better about it, still felt the need to make excuses to get the affection she craved. Wakko was just the most obvious about it.

'They'd better not have laid a hand on my kittens!' Kassie hissed at her thoughts. Lena usually knew what she was talking about, working at TPS specifically with abused child-toons. She knows the signs.

Now they were sitting at home thinking of ways to help their puppy-kittens. Wakko was no issue. If he wanted a hug, he'd take that hug. Kassie started initiating grooming sessions with Dot, since she often used hair brushing as an excuse for someone to pet her head.

Now Yakko was the problem…

He'd allow Andy to pet his head, or Kassie to hug him, but only briefly before he'd pull away. That was okay. If there was one thing the couple had learned from their family it was patience. They had all the time in the world.

So the couple started implementing more casual touches. Alongside the head pats and hugs, there came more goodmorning nuzzles, goodnight kisses and gentle strokes on their backs and shoulders. It seemed to work for the most part.

Dot stared making less excuses when she felt a need to be touched, instead just jumping on the couch next to one of her parents and leaning into them until they stroked through her hair.

Yakko, they noticed, was leaning into their hands more and longer, which was progress for sure. Though he still pulled away rather quickly…

They even noticed a small change in Wakko's behavior, seemingly no longer feeling the need to push his entire body into every little touch. He still did it, but it was less… desperate? Like he took every casual touch like it was gonna be the last.

One child feeling the need to make excuses to be loved. One child so badly hurt that he was afraid of it. And one child so desperate for love that he took every little bit like it'd be his last. They are so badly damaged by that studio.

But now they have two parents and a bunch of aunts and uncles to help fix the damage.

They will be fine.

A week and a half later, the brothers found themselves in the music room with Andy. Wakko had discovered the drums his not-yet-father had - They would not let up on the 'Once you marry mom' joke - and fell in love with them. Now they were both in there working on mastering their respective instruments. While Yakko had been playing the piano for longer, Wakko took to the drums like a fish to water. They were both able to play more than a few songs on their instruments already.

Speaking of, Yakko just finished 'Oh Shenandoah' with no wrong notes. While not the hardest song, it was still impressive for someone who started 2 months ago.

Andy reached over to pat Yakko's head. "Nice work, kiddo. And no sheet music either, that's impressive." He noted how Yakko leaned in, purring at the compliment, which he's been doing a lot, before pulling away. Still not there, huh? "You've been at it for a good hour now." he told his son. "Why don't you take five while I help your brother with the drums?"

Yakko tilted his head. "Take five what?" he asked, as his dad walked over to Wakko.

The adult toon looked back at his eldest. "Oh, it's just a saying. Taking five just means taking a break." he explained. "Go get something to eat and drink. I'll probably follow soon, anyway."

Shrugging Yakko left the music room. Now that he thought about it he was a bit thirsty. In the living room mom was doing Dot's hair, working with the new ribbons she got for Christmas. She hadn't gotten around to wear those yet.

Kassie looked up when the door opened. Seeing it was just her eldest going to the kitchen, she turned back to her youngest on her lap. "Done already?" Highly unlikely, she knew, but she still asked.

"Nah, I'm just getting a drink." Yakko told her. "Besides, it's not like there's much else to do today." He gestured to the window.

Well, he did have a point. It's been raining non-stop since yesterday.

Dot wasn't convinced though. "Yes, there is." she remarked. "You can read, watch TV, or do anything other than glue your butt on the piano stool every day for hours."

Yakko shrugged, frowning a little. "I like playing piano." he said. "If you picked up an instrument, maybe you'd understand why I practice so much."

"Yeah, I tried it." Dot told her older brother. "But since you're always in there, I can barely play anything!"

"Alright, alright. Let's tone it down a little." Kassie interrupted before things could escalate. "We'll set up a schedule if that helps. No offense Yakko, sweetie, but you are in there a lot. We sometimes have to pull you out to eat dinner." When his ears drooped, Kassie was quick to nuzzle his face. "Hey, it's just an idea. Besides, it'll just be until we have a more permanent solution." She backed away to look her son in the eyes. "I'm not gonna stop you from practicing piano, or any other instrument, okay?"

Yakko nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Before Yakko could escape back into the music room, Kassie asked him to bring some orange juice with him for Andy, which he did. After that Kassie went back to trying new hairstyles on Dot. Her hair had grown out a little since living here and was just long enough for a short braid.

While tying it off she was listening to the weather forecast on the TV. Apparently the rain was gonna keep on pouring until late afternoon… tomorrow. This afternoon even more rain was expected. There was even a thunderstorm underway later today. Lovely.

Hopefully the kids won't go nuts being stuck inside.

It was late afternoon when the thunderstorm hit. Andy had to go out to get some groceries, and with him gone Yakko had left the music room to go upstairs. Now Dot was in the music room with Wakko, not really practicing as much as they were hitting keys and drumbeats that just sounded good.

Kassie was about to put in the last load of laundry when the first lighting bolt hit, followed almost immediately by thunder. The storm must be right above them. Great. Another flash and another clap, though this time it was accompanied by the slamming of a door downstairs. Thinking Andy must've come home, Kassie went downstairs to greet him only to be knocked to the ground by two hysterical kids.

"Wakko? Dot? Babies, what's wrong?" the mother asked. Her kittens' tails were all puffed up and between their legs. Something scared them.

"The loud bangs! Why are there still loud bangs?" Dot asked in near tears.

Kassie got a look of realization right as another thunderclap hit. Both kids shoved their faces deeper in Kassie's stomach, trying to hide themselves.

"Kids… Sweeties, it's okay. It's just thunder. It can't hurt you, babies." she told them, purring afterwards to comfort them. "It's just noise, sweethearts."

"No, it's not!" Dot exclaimed. "Why did it follow us?! We're not in the tower anymore! Why is it here?!"

Wait, what? "Dot? Honey, why would it only be at the tower?" Kassie asked.

"It's the bad people banging on the tower." Wakko sobbed. "The bad people with the big mallets are back!"

Have they never experienced thunder before? "It's not the bad guys, Wakko, honey." Kassie tried to comfort her kittens. "No bad guys, no mallets, especially no tower, baby." She nuzzled their faces. "It's just us, we're at home in the living room. It's just some bad weather. Just some flashes of light and loud noises, nothing more, I promise."

They whimpered when lightning flashed again, expecting another bang, which didn't happen this time. Kassie took her youngest two in her arms and carried them to the couch. She took two of the blankets they kept beside the couches and wrapped up her kids in little burritos, that usually calms them down.

She was about to sit on the couch herself, probably pull her babies on her lap, when the loudest thunderclap of all time hit. If the siblings' tails weren't puffed up already, they were now. Even Kassie's was at this point. But in the midst of the thunder, another noise came. A high pitched whine, reminisced of a puppy came from upstairs. Andy was still out - wait, never mind, the car door just slammed shut - so that left only one person.

Yakko…

Kassie raced upstairs, pausing for only a second to tell her partner to stay with Wakko and Dot. Nearly slamming the door open, she entered the kids' room. The whining was clearer now. It came from… Oh Yakko… It came from the closet. The cat crouched down before opening the door. And there he was, curled up in a ball in the furthest corner of the closet, making non stop puppy whines.

"Yakko… Yakko, baby, it's okay." Kassie held out her hand, attempting to put it on his knee for comfort, but he scootched away. "It's alright, sweetie. It's just weather. It's just loud noise. There's nothing to hurt you, bab-"

"Don't call me that!" Yakko sobbed. " 'm… 'm not a baby! I'm the oldest. Have to take care of 'm. C-can't-" He yelped as thunder rumbled again.

"Can't what, sweetie?" Kassie prompted.

It took a minute, but Yakko finally answered. "Can't be scared of this. Of anything." When thunder crashed again, the young toon covered his ears and hid his face in his knees. " 's just banging on the tower. Just people banging. They'll get tired soon. It'll stop soon…" he muttered to himself like a mantra.

Kassie watched with tears in her eyes. "Do you really believe you're not allowed to be scared?" she asked him. "I'm an older sibling too. I'm scared plenty of times." No response. She sighed, opting to sit in the closet with him. "You're allowed to be scared, baby. I promise. I can't imagine how scary thunder in your… previous living situation."

"Not a baby." Yakko responded.

"You're my baby." Kassie told him. "It's not to insult you, sweetie. I'm not calling you a baby for being scared, or anything like that. Everyone gets scared, it's natural."

Yakko was shaking his head. "But I can't-"

"You can. You're allowed to." his mother interrupted. "Thunder is scary, lightning is scary, especially the way you've been experiencing it. But I promise you, it can't hurt you. It's just light and noise."

Yakko finally uncurled a bit, lifting his head just enough to look at Kassie. The tear stained face of her eldest broke her heart. The cat held out her arms to ask if she could hug him. He was in her arms before she could utter a word. He whined again as more thunder crashed outside, Kassie purring at him, reassuring him that everything was okay.

They kept doing so even as Andy came upstairs, driven by instinct to comfort the whining puppy, all the while carrying his younger puppies. He managed to suppress the instincts for long enough to grab a blanket to burrito his eldest in.

After a few minutes of just sitting there comforting their children, one of which never had anyone to comfort him, the other two only ever having their equally terrified brother, the family decided to relocate to the living room. As they were placed on the couch, Andy ran off and quickly came back with just about every blanket and pillow in the house.

It was time for a blanket fort and cuddle party. With the help of his girlfriend, they set up the biggest blanket fort they could around the couch. The kids were let out of their blanket burritos to eat dinner in the safety of the fort. Andy and Kassie tried distracting them with cartoons, but every time thunder rumbled there was a new wave of puppy whines. Apparently Yakko wasn't the only one capable of that noise.

Since they weren't calming down, Andy tried another tactic. "You know, Danny used to be afraid of thunderstorms as well." he told the kids. "You know what Vicky told him to make it seem less scary? She told him how thunder is just a bunch of cloud-toons bowling." The children looked at their dad in confusion. "I'm not kidding! That's what she said. Whenever thunder crashes it means one of them got a strike and the lightning is the lane lighting up in celebration."

"Is it really?" Wakko asked.

Kassie shook her head. "It's not, but it does make it seem less scary, right?" Wakko shrugged. Not too surprising, she guessed. "Thunder is just two clouds crashing into each other, sweetie. Lightning too. It's something that happens far, far above us."

"Don't feel too bad. Pretty much every kid is afraid of it at some point in their lives. Some adults are still scared of it." Andy tried to reassure them, as another thunderclap rumbled outside. "You know, I'm staring to think one of the clouds is cheating. No way they scored this many strikes." That earned a few halfhearted laughs. Well, he tried. It's not like he's a comedian.

It worked somewhat, though. The scared puppy whines stopped and made way for stuttering self-soothing purrs. So there they sat for the whole evening, comfy in the pillow fort. Yakko in Kassie's lap and Wakko and Dot sharing Andy's.

The Warners would eventually fell asleep there, thunder not forgotten, but comforted enough by the fort and their parents to manage falling asleep. They would be tucked into their parents bed as the thunderstorm became heavy rainfall again. And they would be safely held between their parents until the sun rose.

But for now? For now they were distracting themselves with TV, comforted by the adults. With Dot cuddled up against Andy's chest, Wakko leaning into the head scratches his dad was giving both of them, and Yakko… Well… Yakko finally allowing himself a moment of weakness, and allowing himself to be comforted by another. And he had to admit… It didn't feel as bad as it used to.

Me writing Yakko's love for the piano: Hehe~ Baby's first hyperfixation/special interest/both.

Let's hope this writing streak keep up for a little longer 😉