Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ONE - But Beginnings are Contagious There

Eleven-year-old Wakko Warner, with little more belongings than an empty and breaking bag slung over his shoulder and the red hat on his head, looked up at the clouded gray sky and desperately wished it wouldn’t rain. 

He didn’t mind rain, to be honest, in the best of times. If he wasn’t attempting to sleep or stay warm, it was calming to hear the pitter-patter of droplets on the sidewalk, and fun to leap from puddle to puddle and feel water splash up along his paws or drop down onto his fur. But, yes, when it was a cold autumn day and his sweater was all the warmth he had, it was troubling to get splashed over and over as he moved between alleyways in an attempt to find some decent shelter. When he was trying to find food, he had to work extra hard to make sure it didn’t get damp and disgusting before he could eat it. And when he was trying to sleep, he always had that fear in his mind that the water would sweep him away. He knew that was dumb, most streets wouldn’t get flooded by a simple rainfall. But he’d been swept away before and he would prefer not to do it again, and he would most definitely prefer not to awake from a nightmare of drowning to find he was underwater still. That hadn’t happened yet, but with his luck, it was only a matter of time. 

He heard the whistle of the train, and shouldered his bag once again. There was nothing in it but a few scattered napkins and maybe, if he was lucky, a few coins wedged in a corner somewhere, but he knew better than to throw it away until the holes in it were too big to trust. He didn’t have the luxury of stuffing it in a closet or tossing it in the trash and buying a new one. He looked back up to the train, and tried to make himself look small, which wasn’t hard to do, as he shuffled into the crowd. 

He’d spent the last two years trying to figure out how to sneak onto public transportation without getting caught and thrown off for not paying, and it had been a long and arduous process. Finally, though, he’d figured out the best way was to find a large family with lots of kids, and hang close to them. Their mothers or fathers would hand over the tickets or pay the fare and the conductors or drivers would nod and wave a hand to shuffle them along, and then not bother to count the crowd of children, especially if one of them was short and quiet and unnoticable. The only real trick was to not look obviously homeless, because that was a dead giveaway. He couldn’t smell so bad the kids would comment on it and draw attention to him, he couldn’t be covered in dirt when the children were clean, and he couldn’t look nervous. He had to be unnoticable, yes, but not look like he was trying to be. Keep your head high, don’t look directly at the adults but don’t look in too many directions so you seem suspicious. Don’t have too much excitement or fear about going on a bus, this is a normal thing for most people so act like you’re bored above all else. Then, when it’s time to find your seat, sit close to the family, but not close enough that they realize you’re following them. Maybe a few seats away, so if a suspicious adult passes by, you can flop down and pretend you’re playing a game or sleeping, or if there’s enough time you can slide to the aisle and pretend you’re walking somewhere, too. Or, if all else fails, if you’re on a transportation with a bathroom, you can lock yourself in there until it stops and then climb out a window. What’re they gonna do, then, chase you down? They don’t have time for that. Nobody had time to find him, after all. 

So he’d just have to find a family himself. 

He found a big enough family for today’s trip– five kids, four of them clambering over each other and yelling that the station was too loud and they were hungry. He was hungry, too, but he knew he’d find something on the train, and he wouldn’t risk losing this family in order to grab something else. The father was holding the fifth child, a screaming toddler who was kicking quite a bit, so he’d be far too distracted to notice if another kid slipped in with his. The mother was yelling back at the kids, running her hand through her purse to try and gather up every ticket as fast as possible. Even better. While nobody was paying attention, Wakko slipped into step just beside the oldest, who was shoving and elbowing her brother as he stepped on her foot. They were too busy bickering with each other to complain that someone in the crowd was a bit too close to them, and the other siblings had their own little problems to obsess over, like an untied shoe or a lost slap bracelet or a craving for ice cream. Nobody noticed the extra child. 

The mother reached the train door, and pulled out several pieces of paper, shoving them at the conductor as she barked back at her children to settle down. The conductor picked up on her hurry and quickly stamped each ticket before passing them back, and gesturing for them to enter. The kids raced in, tumbling over each other and asking where they would sit, and Wakko moved in with them. The conductor didn’t see him, and the family didn’t see him. Wakko was used to being unseen, but he’d finally learned how to work that in his favor. 

When the family shuffled one way, Wakko followed a little bit behind. When one of them glanced back, he would press himself near another passenger or begin glancing around and pretending to be admiring the view or looking for the bathroom. That seemed to work, as by the time the family found a place to sit, any interest they had in the child behind them had long died. The mother pushed the kids into a booth, telling them to settle down and stop yelling. Wakko managed to slide himself into a seat in the corner that was presently unoccupied. He rolled his bag up as a pillow and laid down on his side; anyone passing would assume he was a child of that loud family over there who snuck off to take a nap. They wouldn’t ask what he was doing alone, and he wouldn’t have to think of some lie to tell them. 

As he lay there, he ran through more scenarios in his head. The worst case would be having to jump off the train to avoid being arrested for sneaking on in the first place. He tried to remember what that woman had told him in Nevada– it was months before, when he was finally getting brave enough to try and hop transportation. The two of them had found shelter in the same abandoned building, and he showed her how to start a fire. In return, she told him that if he ever had to get off a train, his best bet for surviving with his limbs intact was to barrel roll. “Try to escape when they’re going up a hill,” she added, “Because it’ll be slower then. The slower the train is moving, the less likely you are to get hurt.” He’d prefer not to jump out of a train at all, but he knew better than to not keep a backup plan in mind. 

It’s just a few hours, he reminded himself. Well, it was more than a few– it was barely morning when he entered and it would be night when they arrived. But after over two years of wandering the country alone, the idea he was about to reach New York City at last by the end of the day made him feel like he was about to burst. 

He remembered the night they left, huddled up on the ratty couch under a shared blanket. “If we get lost,” were the words he had ingrained into his memory, “We have to meet up back home. Where we were before Mom and Daddoo died.” 

The train began to start, the conductor calling all aboard. The children across the aisle looked out the window, excitedly waving as it began to move, waiting to see the fields outside. Wakko stayed curled up on the bench. 

He had no memory of what it was like before Mom and Daddoo had died– he’d only been two or three at the time. But the way his older brother talked about it, it sounded like a wonderful time. Whenever they were sad or stressed or afraid, Yakko used to pull his siblings up beside him– Wakko on his left, and their baby sister Dot on the right– and tell them some story he remembered of their parents. Wakko knew deep down Yakko didn’t have a lot of memories either, but he repeated the ones he had as much as he could, to keep them from fading away like everything else. “You look like Mom,” he’d tell Wakko, while helping him straighten his tail in the morning. Wakko liked that idea, that he looked like the mum he’d never known, because it meant part of her was with him still. 

If their parents had left them anything other than a basic appearance, it was lost long ago. First they were sent to their grandparents, who died after a few months. The other grandparents took them in and then sent them back when they got to be too much trouble. Wakko remembered a little bit of that, of Yakko shouting and pounding on a door while Dot cried behind him. He remembered more of their uncle, who made them hot chocolate at night and stayed up late showing them scrapbooks of their parents. But after two years, he was gone, too. Wakko didn’t know why, but Yakko would get real quiet when he brought it up, so he stopped asking. The kids went to a distant cousin, and they were thrown out again. Then again by their great-aunt. Another cousin they called an aunt, who Yakko despised more than anything, and then a cousin who screamed at Wakko every day. The last house they were in, they were in for maybe a year. Running low on options, they’d been sent to another distant cousin, an uncle of someone or another who only wanted the kids so he could get extra work done around the farm. He hadn’t been a very nice man, and Wakko had preferred to sleep in the stable loft instead of in the house with him, even if the hay itched and the horses made too much noise. 

Yakko was the one who’d overheard their uncle yelling on the phone, about how he was done with the ungrateful brats and would ship them off for CPS to take care of again. But this time, oh, this time, they’d be out of relatives willing to take them in, so they’d be split up and sent to Spielberg only knew where. Random foster homes, group homes, boarding schools for problem children… they’d heard the horror stories, and the idea of facing them alone was the most terrifying thing they could think of. 

So Yakko got them into the living room while their uncle got drunk upstairs, laid a blanket over them, and told them that they were going to grab one bag each, pack as much food as they could, and then take off into the night. 

“It’s raining out,” Dot had said, looking to the window with her ears drooping a little. She was only eight, and Yakko and Wakko were never quite sure she knew what was going on. 

“We can’t wait another day.” Yakko insisted. “If we get split up, we never see each other again.” 

Dot shook her head. “It’s not like Green Gables. We have phones now, we can call each other.” 

“You need to know a phone number to call, Dot, and I don’t think the caseworkers are gonna care enough to drop by every house we get thrown into to give us a couple numbers. They’re gonna toss us each to the first place that wants a kid and then never let us see each other again. Do you know how big this stupid country is? We’ll never find each other.”

Wakko would learn how big their stupid country was. He had each state memorized now, and the capitol, and their locations relative to each other. He’d gotten quick to memorize bus routes and to judge distance on every map key, deciphering how far he could go before the sun set, or which buildings were likely to have empty alleys or dumpsters he could hide in, and which towns were safe to stay in for more than a day. If he was tired, he didn’t want to be stuck in a town swarming with police, or in one that was too fancy and would be upset at finding him digging through the trash. If he was caught, Yakko was right, who knew where he would end up? And he’d have to start his journey over. 

Plink. Plink. Wakko opened an eye and looked up to see droplets falling against the train window. Of course it would start raining, of course. Look on the bright side, Wakko thought. You’re inside. There’s a roof over you. It probably won’t be raining in a few miles. It probably won’t be raining in NYC. You’re not alone in a storm. 

He was alone in a storm that first night. Their escape had gone wrong, their uncle had noticed. He’d alerted the farmhands, and the police, and soon the three of them were running through the woods trying desperately not to make noise that could be followed, trying to keep their footsteps quiet underneath the shouting of the search parties, avoiding the beam of flashlights as if it was fire itself. 

Dot went missing. Her hands slipped from her brothers’ and then one minute they turned around and she was gone. Yakko had absolutely panicked, to the point where if Wakko hadn’t pulled him back he would’ve torn apart the entire forest to find her. He reminded his brother that Dot was a fan of fairytales, and she’d learned from them that the safest place to go to when lost in the woods was the river, so they needed to see if they could find her there. 

Plink. Plink. There was a similar sound on the leaves of the trees, against mud puddles on the ground, as the boys raced against their own beating hearts. When they found the river, hands slipped again, because Wakko’s paws, coated in mud, hit against a root, and he couldn’t balance anymore. He fell from Yakko, and the next thing he knew he was underwater. 

When he pushed himself back up to the surface, he couldn’t see or hear his big brother. The river had already pushed him too far away. And it pushed him under again, and again, and again, as the storm encouraged the tantrum of the waves and the rushing water was refilled with pouring rain and terrified tears. He doubted he’d ever feel as scared as he had that night, alone and barely able to breathe, wondering if each time he was thrown under would be the last and he’d never go up again, wondering how in the world his siblings would find him with the river moving this fast. 

There had finally been a break in the river, a fork on either side of a dirt pile, and Wakko had happened to fall right onto it. He was face-first in the soil, covered in dirt and twigs and mud, with rain pounding on him, over and over and over. It was all he could do to crawl under a large rock and huddle there, and then he couldn’t think to do anything but cry.

When he awoke, it was morning, and it wasn’t raining anymore, and he was still alone. He wandered the woods for a while, but he couldn’t stay there forever. He’d lost the pack of food somewhere in the river, and his uncle was probably still looking for them. 

“Go home” is what Yakko had told them to do if they were split. So Wakko decided to go home. 

If you walked nonstop from California, where the three siblings had been shoved, all the way to New York, it would take about thirty-eight days. Considering people need to sleep and eat, that would lengthen the time, but if you hijacked a car, or hopped a bus or even a plane, that would shorten it. If you had no idea where you were going because you didn’t remember what city you used to live in, apparently it took a little under two years. 

Wakko hadn’t had any idea where to go, but he had one image, one that Yakko had once pointed out to him on a flickering old television. It was the day it was turning from 1984 to 1985, and on the screen, they were going to drop a large ball above a crowd of people. (Dot had been very upset to find that the ball did not crush the crowd as she had hoped.) 

“They do that every year.” Yakko had said, a hand over his and a wistful look in his eyes. “In… [Wakko couldn’t remember the name of the place for the longest time.] Mom and Daddoo took us to one of these parties, before Dot was born.” 

Dot would be ten this year, on March the twentieth. So it would have been ten years since they’d been in that place last.

Wakko had wandered vaguely in whatever direction he could, sleeping in cardboard boxes and digging food out of dumpsters in the back of restaurants. He talked to very few people, always terrified they’d turn him in. Uncle must still be looking for them, and he’d hurt them when he found them again, and if his siblings weren’t there, how could Wakko escape on his own? No, it was better to stay on his own until he was found by his siblings, or he got home. Wherever that was. He didn’t trust anybody enough to ask, and even if he did, he’d be too nervous to talk. When he was scared, he couldn’t talk at all. So he’d have to go on his own. But even alone, he still had that image of the large, bright square and the big ball, and so he got maps and figured out the biggest cities in whatever state he was in. 

Finally, one day, it had been snowing, and he’d hid in the backyard of a family. He realized it was Christmas, which meant New Year’s was just a few days away, and he decided not to risk running in some random direction until he could see where he was going. And so on New Year’s, he managed to prop a window open, and listen close to the television. 

New York. Times Square. 

He had to start in that direction, then. And it took a long, long time. He kept almost getting caught while trying to hop buses, once was almost arrested after a police officer found him sleeping on the doorstep of a pizzeria, but he’d managed to run fast enough and hide well enough that he could slip away. Every now and again he’d fear he was being followed, and he’d move off the trail for a little bit, zig-zagging his path. He’d floated down south during the cold season and up north during the warm, and now he was finally on his way. 

Wakko had no doubt his siblings would find him there, none at all in his mind. Every other family member had left them, every other guardian, every caseworker who got tired of dealing with them, but they never left each other. They ran in the first place so that they wouldn’t have to. And even now, separated, they never give up on each other, and so Wakko would go into Times Square and wait there, and find them. He’d dreamed of that for the last two years on the road. The dream changed every now and again; sometimes, it was just Yakko and Dot, holding hands and skipping down the road. Sometimes, they were with a family that had taken them in and couldn’t wait for a new middle child to add to their lives. In his wildest dreams, but the ones he treasured the most, it would turn out their parents weren’t dead at all, and their parents were just lost and had found their oldest and youngest again and now they sat in Times Square every day waiting patiently for their Wakko to come home. And Wakko would see them and run to them and then there would be hugs and kisses and a warm, safe home to return to. 

Plink. Plink. The rain seemed to be going faster, or maybe the train’s advancing speed just made it seem that way. Wakko glanced up out the window at the gray clouds. He had wished it would be sunny, but, well, he supposed that he started this journey in a storm, so he may as well end it with one. 

“I’m almost home,” he whispered to himself, and he continued to watch the rain fall as they sped onwards.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWO - Why Does Nightfall Find You Feeling So Alone?

New York was loud. It was very, very loud. 

Wakko had been in the city a few weeks, and what he had learned was that it was loud, it was big, and there were too many people. 

He didn’t really understand everyone who said it was the greatest city in the world; it was very similar to the other big cities he’d wandered through, though people were slightly more rude. There were still angry officers, dumpsters filled with trash, alleyways of knocked-over garbage and people telling the dirty kid to get lost, they had better things to do than worry about some idiot without a home. 

Times Square was, actually, perhaps the worst of it. It wasn’t as fancy as it seemed on TV; instead, there were angry people on every corner, huge signs with bright, loud advertisements for things Wakko didn’t want or was too young to know about, and smoke in the air that made him cough. It seemed every other building was one where they wouldn’t let a child into, and every other minute there was a piercing shriek or a siren wailing. Wakko couldn’t imagine anyone bringing their kids here for a party, nor could he believe that this was the place he’d been dreaming about. 

But he had to stay, of course. His siblings must be waiting for him, he just had to find them. At least in this square he wouldn’t have to hide much, as it seemed the police had given up on the area, so he would sit on a corner and watch people pass, or duck into a shop and scan the aisles. A few times he considered ducking into one of those tarot readings, but after sneaking by a window and watching one or two, he figured out that the future predictions, if true, were quite vague, and it wasn’t likely whoever was flipping cards could tell him exactly where to find two other children in a busy town. 

After a few weeks, one man, coming out of a theatre, saw Wakko staring in confusion at the posters in the windows, and asked where his parents were. Wakko hadn’t responded. He got nervous, and his throat clogged up, and it seemed that words slipped from his mind. That happened if he was too frightened, as if he’d forgotten how to talk at all, and it happened here. Thankfully, this man seemed to be a good person, and he sighed and told him that he shouldn’t be in this part of town, saying, “It’s not a place for kids.” 

With the man seeming to be nice, Wakko found himself able to talk. “What place is for kids?”

“I dunno. An arcade, or Central Park. You shouldn’t be out here alone, either–” 

“‘m not alone. My siblings are around here.”

“Well, you should go find em. Do you want me to call someone for you?”

Wakko shook his head. “I’ll tell them we should go to the park.”

“Yeah, you tell em that, kid.”

Wakko tried the arcades, and the parks, then, only occasionally wandering back to the square. But he must’ve just been missing them, because he never ran into a familiar toon. 

Then there was another storm. Wakko curled up inside a cardboard box of an alley, hoping to avoid the worst of it, but the winds blew the box over, and he found himself tumbling onto the road. There was a beeping car, and he barely dodged, stumbling over his paws and trying to get out of the street. He scampered over a fence, only to land face-first in trash. There was a horrible barking, then, of angry guard dogs, and he ran farther, having to race across a junkyard before finding the other end of the fence and managing to break his way out. He stumbled a little farther, but his legs ached, and his stomach hurt with hunger– he hadn’t eaten since that morning, he would need to find food soon– and exhaustion was washing over him. He eventually found a parking lot filled with trucks, and in his bleary state assumed it was a lot for selling cars, instead of picking up that it was outside a hotel that people may be staying at. He shook some rain off his fur, but that water was quickly replaced and so he gave up attempting to stay dry. Under the pealing thunder, he hoisted himself into the back of a pickup truck with a black tarp and only a few boxes under it. Wakko pressed himself between the boxes and covered himself with the tarp and pulled his sweater over his knees. 

He wasn’t sure when exactly he fell asleep, but when he awoke, he realized the truck was moving. The road was bumpy, and one of the crates jostled beside him. Wakko sat up, rubbed his eyes, and then immediately felt panic. He pushed himself out from under the tarp and looked out onto a busy New York street and felt terror gripping him. He grabbed onto the edge of the truck, staring at the buildings rushing past on one side and other cars racing down the road on the other. He let out a squeal, glancing towards the truck; the driver was focused ahead, he hadn’t noticed the little kid in his car. Wakko took a deep breath, and then ducked down, waiting.

In just a little bit, they hit a red light, and the car stopped. Wakko took his chance and jumped from the truck, landing on the concrete ground. A car behind them beeped, and Wakko started running again; they were in the middle of the road, so he had to slip between cars and pray the light didn’t turn green before he could get out of their way. 

Finally, he reached a sidewalk, and before he knew it he was sitting, back against a brick building, breathing heavily. He took a moment to find his bearings, running his hands over his sweater to try and calm himself and shutting his eyes so that he could pretend he wasn’t where he was. After a moment, he had to abandon his sweater, and simply reach up and tug his ears down, because everything was too loud. 

He sat like that for a few minutes, until he felt some rude stranger give him a kick to the leg. He let out a yelp and flew open his eyes, hearing a man call for him to get off the road, people were trying to walk. Wakko scrambled up to his feet and started running, still pulling on his ears as he pushed his way past a couple walking ahead. He turned the bend, and suddenly was in the middle of a crowd. Someone stepped on his paw, and someone else tripped on his tail, and he tried very hard not to yell out and get noticed. He eventually pushed his way to the side, pressing against the wall, and edged along until he finally reached somewhere slightly less crowded. But even then, he couldn’t rest, people were still walking by, and there were cars rushing past now, each one louder than the last. 

He ran his back paw against the brick wall, glancing from side to side. Okay, don’t panic. I’m already panicking. What do we do when we panic? Focus on everything going on right now. Ground yourself. You feel bricks and concrete. You see… a school bus, turning round the corner. A lot of buildings that look exactly the same. Advertisements, lots of them, for coke and pepsi and McDonalds and some TV show or another. You hear… WAY TOO MUCH, TOO MANY SOUNDS. Okay, okay, what do you… what do you smell?

Hot Dogs.

Hmm?

He glanced up. No, he did indeed smell hot dogs. And if the smell could carry over the stench of the sewer underfoot and whatever the hell else was filling the busy streets, it had to be close. 

Okay, that’s something to do. Go find the hot dogs. Then figure out where you are. One step at a time.

He could do that. Yeah. 

He started walking, slowly moving his hands from his ears and hugging himself as he followed the scent. It was just around the next corner, but with his tired feet and scrambled brain it felt like it took forever. He stopped once he turned the bend, cocking his head to the side and looking farther down the sidewalk, where a man stood at a bright blue cart, which he was pushing to the corner to park. He was calling out his own vocal advertisement, which undoubtedly was as lost to the crowd as the ones posted above them were. 

“Getcher hot dogs! Best hot dogs in New York! Hey, it’s a beautiful day, eh? Come on, folks! Step right up!” 

Wakko was used to street vendors in large cities. He was also used to swiping whatever he needed from them. Usually it wasn’t much– he preferred taking stuff from restaurants that just tossed perfectly good food away cause nobody was buying it, and he felt bad when he could see the person trying to sell something that he was swiping. But unfortunately, Wakko was very hungry quite often. Even before he was on the run, he was constantly eating, and he remembered Yakko saying something about him needed to keep his blood pressure up or something. So street life hadn’t been kind to him, and if he needed food, well, he needed to get it however he could. Still, he’d never swiped hot dogs before. They were a bit difficult. 

He found himself close to the cart, though, and he was unsure when exactly he ran over and realized he was reading the prices listed on the side of the cart. Absolutely nothing he could afford, mainly because he had no cash on him at all. He wished he did, though. He hadn’t had a chili dog in just about forever, wow. He could see a sausage chain, too, peeking out of the cart and dangling over the side, bouncing against the blue wall. He narrowed his eyes. If the vendor was distracted, he could probably pop one of the sausages off and slip it into his jacket pocket… 

“Hey!” 

Wakko jumped, terror filling him once again. He looked up, eyes wide, at the vendor, who had spotted him. 

“Hey, kid, get outta here.” 

Wakko could only blink. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words disappeared again, and his thoughts all jumbled together, mushing with the rest of the noise of the street which had come roaring back into his ears. 

“Go on, shoo! Buy something or leave, we don’t want no trouble round here.” 

 Wakko knew he must look absolutely awful, obviously not a regular kid, of course he’d be suspicious. But still, he felt as if he’d already done something wrong just by stopping by, and his legs were glued to the ground. He kept trying to form words, but it was like his mouth didn’t want to move at all. Try to ground yourself. He glanced down at the sausages again. He could smell the sausages. He could hear… 

“Hey, kid!” Wakko flinched back as the man grabbed his arm. “What’re tryna do, steal my cart?” 

Um, no? Just a hot dog. But only because I’m really hungry, I promise… 

“Are you dumb? Don’t you know how to talk?” 

Please let go of my arm. 

Wakko whimpered and tried to back up, tears springing to his eyes. 

“Yeah, get out of here, go–!” 

“Louie, baby!” came a sudden voice, and Wakko felt himself pushed away. 

He stumbled backwards, and suddenly someone was in front of him, blocking him from view and reaching up to grab the vendor’s tie, pulling him down to eye-level. For a moment, Wakko had no idea what was going on, and simply stared ahead. 

“What, you gonna bother a little kid today? Gotta check that off the jerkface bingo card? Are you close to a bingo, what do you win when you get it? A whole pot of gunk to soak your dogs in? Do all you vendors have a contest to see who can have the grossest hot dog water at the end of the day? I bet you’d wiiiin!” 

Wakko froze over completely. 

He hadn’t recognized the voice at first. It had gotten deeper. But the way he talked, he bounced from one sentence to the next, and the way he was moving up ahead of him– twirling the vendor’s tie, then spinning away when the vendor yanked him off, leaping on top of the cart and kicking his legs in the air… he knew even before he saw his face who it was, and every emotion hit him at once and he couldn’t do anything but stand and stare. 

“Oh, great, you too?” the vendor groaned. “Listen, kid, I can get the cops here in five minutes flat.” 

“That slow, huh?” a flick of a tail. “What’re they gonna do? Arrest me for stuff I don’t have? Do you think if I was desperate enough to swipe your hot dog water I’d keep it on me?” 

“You don’t take the water, you–”

“Take these?” he held up an entire chain of sausages. “Hey, great idea!” 

Before anyone could even blink, he’d jumped from the cart and gave it a swift kick. It fell over, right into the vendor, knocking him to the ground. Then, he vaulted himself over, throwing the sausages around him over a tattered green scarf, grabbed Wakko’s hand, and ran. 

Wakko knew, distantly, the vendor was yelling behind them, and other people on the street had noticed, letting out cries or laughs depending on how they felt about the situation. But all he could focus on, all he could think about, was the hand in his, for the first time in two years. 

He was yanked into an alley, and the other toon flopped against the wall, laughing hysterically. “Man, his face! That was amazing! Sorry if I scared ya, kid, but I got you outta there, didn’t I? Don’t know what you did to tick Louie off but I’ve been doing it for years now and you sure picked the wrong…” 

He turned, and looked at Wakko straight-on for the first time that day. Then he froze, too. 

Wakko blinked up at him, tears still flickering at the edge of his eyes. He forgot to breathe for quite some time, and when he remembered, he could only manage a few short rasps. He still couldn’t speak, couldn’t remember how even if he knew what words to say. 

The other toon had the same fixed, astonished stare. But he remembered how to move first, and the first thing he did was reach forwards and tip Wakko’s hat up. He didn’t need to, he knew that hat, he knew Wakko liked the weight of it and wore it at all times, but he wanted to see his face better. It was dirty, and it was two years older than he’d last seen it, but it was unmistakable. You look like Mom. He wouldn’t forget that. 

“Wakko?” came Yakko’s breaking voice. 

Wakko stared, and then burst into tears and threw himself at his brother.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THREE - But I Got Street Savoir-Faire

“Wakko!” 

Yakko was the complete opposite of Wakko, in that when he was shocked or excited, all he could do was talk. Though, he did have a brief minute without dialogue, as he scooped his brother up in his arms and spun him around the alley, laughing hysterically. Wakko hugged him back, clinging to him as tight as he could, fearing that if he let go this would turn out to be a dream once again. 

His feet were suddenly on the ground, and he found himself shakily trying to stand while Yakko grabbed onto his shoulders, looking him over.

“Oh stars, it’s really you! It’s really you! You made it! I knew you would, I knew you’d remember where to go, I knew I knew I knew you’d come home! And here you are! Oh gosh, look at you, you got taller! Not by a lot, though. I got taller. Had to swipe new slacks. You managed to keep the hat, though! I love the sweater, very good idea for when it getts cold. Oh my gosh, have you been cold? Where were you the last winters? Did you get sick? Are you sick? You don’t look sick! I’m not sick! I don’t even have fleas which is quite the accomplishment right now. Do you have fleas? I got a good disinfectant spray–”

Wakko reached up, touching Yakko’s arm. His fur was a little scratchy, a little rough, but still had the same velvety texture he remembered. Yakko hammered on for a little bit more, until Wakko moved his hand up to his face, touching his cheek. Yakko quieted, and Wakko cocked his head to the side, letting his tongue loll out a second as he focused. 

“Wakk? What, tanuki got your tongue?” 

Wakko blinked. “It’s really you.” 

It was real. No dreaming. Yakko was here. Yakko had found him. 

“It’s really me.” Yakko removed one hand from Wakko’s shoulder and placed it over the paw on his cheek. He blinked away tears as well. “It’s really me and it’s really you.” 

Wakko met his eyes, and couldn’t think of anything else to say, so after a moment, he just pulled himself back against his brother’s chest, hugging him tight, ignoring the itchy scarf against his face and sausage chain still swinging against them. Yakko held him tight, leaning his head against his brother’s.

 “I’m here.” he whispered, as if he couldn’t believe it either. “I’m right here.” 

Wakko’s tears began to fall into his brother’s fur, but if Yakko minded, he said nothing. Wakko managed to squeak out, “I… I tried to find you… I was trying for so long–”

“I know, I know. I wanted to go look for you, but then I thought, what if you came here and couldn’t find me and thought–”

Before Wakko even realized what he was saying, he had whispered, “Don’t let me be alone again.” 

Yakko froze a moment, and then hugged him harder. “Never. Never again. Okay?” 

Before they could say more, Wakko’s stomach let out an annoyed rumble.

“Oh!” Yakko stepped back, before grabbing onto the sausage chain. “Oh, when did you eat last?” 

“Yesterday–”

“You gotta eat. You…” Yakko slapped his forehead. “Oh, Lord, I gotta get back to… here, eat some of this on the way back.” 

“Back?” Wakko’s heart fluttered a little. “You have a house? You got adopted?” 

Yakko burst into laughter, as Wakko blinked in confusion. “Oh, man! No, no, of course not.” 

“Then… where do you live?” 

“Wanna see?” Yakko’s brow raised, and he ripped a sausage from the chain and tossed it to his brother. “We’ll have to hop the town.” 

“Hop the town?” 

“It’s not hard once you get the hang of it.” 

“Hang of it?” 

“The rhythm.” 

“The rhythm?” 

“Are you gonna repeat everything I say?” 

“Maybe.” Wakko said, before eating the sausage whole.

Yakko tossed him another. “The rhythm of the city. You know. Tempo. This city’s got a beat. You gotta hook into it. Once you got the beat, you can do anything.” 

“I can?” 

“Absitively posolutely!” Yakko held out a hand, and after eating the second sausage, Wakko excitedly took it, gripping tight. 

Yakko raced him down the sidewalk, and even though it hadn’t been long since his panic, Wakko suddenly felt incredibly comfortable, as if the road was ready to welcome him home. He was home, wasn’t he? 

“You see, Wakk,” Yakko said, turning to look at him as they pushed past a bend, “One minute, you’re in Central Park, then boom! You’re down on Delancey Street. You just gotta know where to go. For instance–” 

To Wakko’s surprise, Yakko turned and began pulling them into the street. Just behind them, as if on cue, a stoplight turned red, so just as they hit the concrete, the cars had begun to slow. Wakko let out a surprised cry as his brother then jumped, pulling them up onto the back of a car. Yakko didn’t give him time to be scared, though, as he yanked him along and leapt atop the hood of the car next to them. 

“Startin’ to feel that rhythm?” Yakko laughed, putting an arm around Wakko to make sure he was sticking close by. He then jumped them to another car, then another, then to the sidewalk across the street. 

“Did we just–” 

“All part of the flow, baby bro! Here.” 

Yakko started to hum a little, using his free hand to drum along the top of a brick wall beside them. 

“Sync-o-pa-ted beat.” he said. “Light change!”

The light turned green, and Yakko dragged them along the walkway. Wakko looked ahead, seeing a sunglass kiosk, but before he could say anything, Yakko had already pulled them down, and they were running under the tablecloth. Yakko flicked his tail up, slamming into it, and sending it flying into the air. Wakko let out a surprised shout, but Yakko simply turned, grabbing a pair of glasses from the air, and with a skip, they were around another bend before anyone could even see them. 

“We’re gonna have to cross the street again, hold tight for the red light.” 

Blink, the light flickered red. Yakko dragged his brother between cars, then on the hood of one. The light flicked green, and Yakko held his brother down slightly as the drive began. Wakko let out a shocked yelp, but Yakko just watched the cars passing them, and when the one they were on started a turn, he leapt to another heading in the direction he wanted. The few seconds in the air were terrifying for Wakko, but once they landed, perfectly in the middle of the next car, he realized that his brother really did know what he was doing. 

They hopped another car, and as it pulled to a stoplight, they heard the driver inside shouting at them. Wakko stiffened, but Yakko looked to their right, and then a wide smile appeared on his face. Next to them, slightly lowered, a cement mixer truck was paving a new road, the mixing drum turning counterclockwise, flip flip flip.

“Yakko, no.” 

“Yakko yes!” Yakko pulled him up, grabbed him by the side again, and then shouted, “Take us, gravity!” 

They were in the air again, and then atop the drum. Yakko was unfettered as it turned again, trying to push them back to the ground. Wakko clung to his side, as Yakko took a side-step, and then another. 

“Wakk, listen.” 

Wakko tentatively lifted an ear. 

“It’s whoo-ooo, oo-oo, oo-oo-oo.”

He was confused for a second, and then he heard it; the turn of the mixing drum, the shift shift shift. That beat- one, two, one, two, three. Whoo-ooo, oo-oo, oo-oo-oo. Yakko’s steps back were little dances, crossing his legs behind each other. Wakko, who’d just been scrambling his feet along the rotating drum, paused for a moment, and then jumped back on beat. 

“Whoo-ooo, oo-oo, oo-oo-oo.” 

It was just timing, that was all. Wakko stepped back, then copied his brother’s movements, crossing his legs. A small dance. 

“And there it is! You got the rhythm!” 

Wakko smiled brightly, looking down at his own paws. He was walking atop a cement mixer. 

“Yeah! Yeah, I do!” 

“Careful, don’t misstep– just keep the whoo-ooo, oo-oo, oo-oo-oo.” 

“Whoo-ooo, oo-oo, oo-oo-oo.” Wakko repeated. 

“That’s the rhythm of the city,” Yakko beamed, “And kid, once you get it down, you own this town!”

Yakko grabbed his hand again, pulling him closer, and this time Wakko felt ready to leap. 

“And you get to wear the crown!” 

They jumped from the mixer, to the discharge chute, racing down like a slide at a playground. Their paws squished into the gray muck beneath them, and Yakko laughed as he bounced through, pulling his brother with him. The jumps were on beat, too. One, two, one, two, three. 

Down the road, a fire hydrant had burst open, leaking into a puddle on the ground. Yakko held up a foot against it, washing the wet cement off, before spinning Wakko around to do so as well. Wakko flinched as the cold water hit against him, but Yakko grabbed his shoulders. 

“Don’t worry, bro. I’ve got things handled.” 

“You’ll do the worrying for me?” 

“I don’t worry at all!” 

Then they were running over what seemed to be a vent. Air pushed up, drying their feet as they moved. Yakko’s scarf and what was left of the sausage chain lifted up with their fur, and Wakko threw up a hand to make sure his hat stayed on. 

“Check it, Wakko! We’re home now. We don’t have to worry about anything! We don’t need to care about ‘money’ or ‘guardians’ when we got street smarts!”

Another jump, a leap onto the top of a bench, and then up a car hood, then they were atop a truck. Wakko shut his eyes, keeping a hold of his brother’s hand and just trying to keep the beat. 

Whoo-oo… JUMP. Oo-oo, oo-oo-oo. 

They landed on something moving, and Wakko opened his eyes to see what it was; a piano, being pulled up by a rope to a higher floor. Yakko, unperturbed at the speed with which the instrument was swinging, leaned over and began to play a melody on the keys. Wakko reached forward, gripping tight to the rim. 

“Okay, Wakk, count it.” 

Wakko paused, the words dying in his throat again. 

“You’re with me, you’re safe. Now count the beat.” 

Wakko shut his eyes, and then sang, “Whoo-oo, oo-oo, oo-oo- OH!”

At the last note, Yakko pulled them from the piano. They were free-falling for a moment, and then were bouncing atop a tarp. When it lifted them into the air again, Wakko’s fear leaked away from him, and he laughed. Yakko let go of his hand for only an instant, so that he could catch his brother when they landed. 

Yakko pressed his forehead against Wakko’s and rubbed their noses together. It was something he used to do when they were small, and something Wakko had dearly missed. 

“Congrats, baby bro, you got the doo-wopulation.” 

He spun, and Wakko laughed again, and then they were running down the street some more. It seemed as if their feet hit the ground on the whoo-oo, the turns and jumps timed perfectly with some invisible melody. 

“Welcome to New York, Wakko Warner!” Yakko called out, before lifting him and spinning him again.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOUR - May Not Have a Dime

Yakko finally pulled him down beneath a highway, to a damp wooden dock. Wakko clung to his arm, but looked around with wonder at the occasional boat, flinching slightly whenever there was a loud horn. Yakko, confident, made sure to keep at least one hand on his brother at all times, as he yabbed on and on about the area.

“Watch your step there, the board creaks a lot and I think it’ll break soon. Over here, over here, jump this way– there ya go! You’re a natural! Do you need another sausage? I need to keep a few at least but I’m sure the squad won’t mind if you take a couple. Are you cold? Skip this step. Gosh, nobody’s gonna believe– oh, check out the way the ocean looks here, it’s gorgeous.” 

Wakko glanced down at the churning water. For a second, he did notice the way the docks were reflected under the clouded sky, like someone was moving a painting underneath them. Then, after a second, he gripped Yakko’s arm tighter as he lost the images below and started to only see the water. After a moment, Yakko seemed to realize his mistake, and pulled him a bit away.

“How did… you get out of the river?” he asked cautiously, a tinge of fear in his voice. Wakko couldn’t see why he should be afraid, he hadn’t fallen in. 

“Got washed up eventually.” he said quietly, burying the side of his head into his brother’s shoulder. “Lost my bag, though.” 

“Yeah, I noticed you don’t have one.” 

“I don’t…” Wakko blinked, then slapped his forehead. “Crap! I left my bag on the pickup truck!” 

“Which truck?” 

“Before I found you. I mean, I guess it doesn’t matter, it didn’t have anything in it…” 

“I’m sure we got a spare. Or at least a big coat. Speaking of which…” Yakko smiled, and then threw out his arm, as if he was an actor displaying a rising set. “Welcome home, baby bro!” 

Wakko paused, following his gaze in confusion. Up ahead, parked underneath the docks, was an old boat that, for a moment, he thought might be a shipwreck. But, no, it seemed to be floating fine, bobbing up and down. He could see a rope dangling from the side, anchoring it down, with a little wooden plank placed between the boat and the dock. 

“Lucky, lucky!” Yakko whistled. “Looks like Runt forgot to pull the bridge back. Sometimes he does and we gotta jump for it. Don’t worry, it’s super easy to climb up the side.” 

“Looks like it.” Wakko said quietly. “Don’t you have to pay to park here or something?”

“Naw, this place is condemned. But don’t think too much about that. Come on, head over!” After a beat, Yakko added quickly, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you. If you lose balance, I’ll catch you. Also, the water is pretty shallow over here, and super slow, so even if you did I’d be able to bring you back up super quick.” 

“Um, alright.” Wakko said. He stepped onto the plank, flinching slightly as it creaked beneath his paw. 

“It’s steady.” Yakko promised. 

Wakko nodded, before placing his foot in front of the other. He held out his arms to help his balance and stuck out his tongue as he concentrated. While he walked the short distance, he could hear Yakko move behind him, very closely. After a bit, Wakko realized Yakko had also put his arms out, on either side of his brother in case he leaned in one direction too much. It was funny, Wakko thought. Yakko said he didn’t worry at all, but it seemed like he was the more stressed right now.

Wakko jumped off the board and onto the boat. It felt about as sturdy as that faux-bridge had been. Yakko jumped beside him, then put his arm around his shoulders.

“Okay, buddy, quiet down for a little bit. I wanna surprise ‘em. It’s really funny.” 

“Oh… kay?” 

Yakko smiled and pulled him a bit closer, before creaking open a door leading to below-deck. Wakko carefully followed his footsteps down the crooked stairs, blinking to get his eyes used to the sudden below-deck darkness. He heard distant conversation and the clanking of an old radio, and once his eyes adjusted, he could get a decent view of the boat; the inside looked about as dirty as the outside, but the floor was covered with what seemed to be the most random items you could find. A life preserver, a chest of old bottles, a broken television flickering slightly, clothes of all kind, a broken filing cabinet, a fishing pole, a recliner with the stuffing falling out, a toaster half-taken apart in the corner, what seemed to be a chessboard, several books of varying degrees of stability… it was like a smaller version of the junkyard he’d clambered through the night before, though slightly more organized, if “things being piles with no discernible reason” was more organized than “all shoved into one area.”

There were two pieces of wood on either side of the stairwell’s end, and it took Wakko a second to realize they used to be doors that had been torn apart by age and wear. Yakko gestured for him to be quiet, as he pulled one of the boards closed, covering Wakko from view. Yakko then slid to the ground, leaning against the wall, and Wakko lifted his ears, listening to the conversation inside. 

“...Pinky, for the love of all that is holy, stop that racket! I can barely concentrate on tonight’s scheme.” 

The radio quieted, but then there was a loud voice. “Oooooh, Brain, what’cha got there? You know, most coloring pages are white, not blue.” 

“It’s a blueprint, you petulant pillock.” 

“Oh, wow, that’s a new one.” said a new voice, this one female. “Lemme guess mouse, it’s an invention intended to turn the Empire State Building into pudding for some hairbrained scheme.” 

“If you must know, you overrated malkin, it is a catapult that could, if properly aimed, toss us right into the White House. We should be able to build it if we could only get our paws on some fishing twine, three pieces of particle board, and a mysterious statue of an angel that is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” 

“Not hard to find at all.” the girl’s voice said. 

“I bet I could make an angel out of paper mache!” 

The other male voice. “Even if that were remotely possible, Pinky, you would eat it before it could even be used.” 

“Oh, I guess that’s fair. Narf!” 

“So I’m gonna guess.” the girl groaned. “You haven’t gotten any loot today because you’ve been working on this, and Pinky has been doing something stupid like smearing mud on his face and calling himself the cockroach queen.” 

“I’m not a cockroach. And the mud is good for your skin.” 

“You have fur.”

“I got something!” came a new, excited voice, as the ship creaked– seemed to be bouncing. “Check it out!” 

“Oh, well done, Runt,” came the sarcastic voice of the rude man. “A tennis racket bent in half. Now all we need is the court and the net.” 

“Do you think this place is big enough?” said the excited voice, oblivious. 

“And what’d you find, then, Rita, if you’re so clever?” 

“Check it out, boys.”

A toss, and then a scoff.

“Shredded leather?” 

“Shredded leather?” she mocked. “That’s a pri-mo wallet.” 

“It’s no more than junkyard rubbish!” 

“Say that again, mouse, I dare ya.” 

There was a sniffing sound. “I smell hot dogs. Definitely, definitely hot dogs.” 

“Runt,” Rita said, “You always smell hot dogs. Which does remind me, Mr Smarty-Pants Brainstem, you did get the food today?” 

“Um… well…” 

“Brain!” 

“My plan to rob the bakery may have gone awry…” 

“It went boom!” 

“Pinky, not now.” 

“Cool, cool. That’s what you get for leaving mice to do a cat’s job. Guess it’s newspaper burritos again!” 

Yakko spoke up, then, raising his voice as if he were a game show host. “Au contraire, my favorite feline! Tonight, for once in his short little life, Runt was correct!” 

 He jumped forwards, and Wakko peered around the door to look ahead; in the center of the room, several figures he couldn’t see clearly had crowded around Yakko, letting out shouts of surprise as he began tossing sausages towards them. 

“Ah, Yakko!” said the voice of ‘Brain.’ “You remain our preeminent benefactor.” 

“Yeah, and you’re okay, too!” Pinky shouted. “Narf!”

“Yakkity-Yak!” said Rita’s voice. “What’d you do to get your grubby little paws on these?”

“They smell fresh! Definitely, definitely fresh!” 

“Yeah, I miss the garbage-y flavor, but these’ll do.” 

“Pinky…” 

“Well, well, well, it’s quite the story, my little friends.” Yakko said, and he did a dramatic slide across the floor. “Runt, do me a favor and leave a couple sausages for later.” 

There was a mumble that Wakko felt he must have misheard as “Oh, thank God, he’s finally gonna eat something.” 

“Quiet, it’s storytime.” Yakko slid again, holding out his arms. “It was a rough break, a tough call. Only a Warner could have accomplished such a feat.” 

“Here we go.” Rita said, in a tone that made it clear she was rolling her eyes. 

“The stage is set: New York City, New York. Eighth and Broadway.” Yakko began to pace, throwing his hands in his pockets. “The crowds are hustling, pushing, yelling. The traffic is roaring, and the hot dogs are sizzling. Sss!” 

Wakko perked up his ears, leaning against the doorframe. He’d missed Yakko’s stories more than he realized. 

“Enter Yakko Warner, bad boy supreme.” 

“Bad Boy.” Rita scoffed. “And I’m a hamster.” 

“Not just out for himself! But community-minded. The Artful Yakker is on the lookout for something to keep this boat afloat, y’know? But he’s not the only one out there. Enter the opposition– a tall, angry, pure evil monster!” 

“Louie?” Rita guessed. 

“Exactly! Runt, you can do a scarily-good Louie impression, say something.” 

“Something.” said Runt, in what Wakko had to admit was a pretty good imitation.

“That’ll do! So Yakko Warner is sliding along, passing down the street, eyes on the cart. Haven’t slayed this dragon in a while, it should be easy enough to get some loot from his hoard. But this dragon isn’t looking at Yakko, no-no– he’s yelling at someone, on the other side of the cart. It’s hard to see over the cart’s stupid umbrella, but you can pick up the context clues. Some other kid tried to swipe his stuff.” Yakko hopped onto a leaning table. “But unlike the Artful Yakker, he didn’t have experience in this field.” 

“Oh, wonderful.” Brain said, as Wakko tried to decide if he should feel insulted or not.

“Wanting to get this show on the road, the Artful Yakker leaps forward and engages the monster in one-on-one combat!” 

“Meaning you did your wordplay thing until he felt befuddled and/or irate.” 

“Whatever those words mean, Brain, you’re probably right! Then it was a simple matter of getting on the cart, and yanking Louie’s chain while I yanked this lil sausage chain. Oh, he was ma-a-a-d! So Yakker has to work fast– he flips to the ground, and with a kick, the cart goes flying into the monster! There’s a roar, but Yakko can’t stick around to finish the job. He races off, seeing this kid out of the corner of his eye, still there! We’re not gonna leave him for the fuzz to find, oh no, so we’ll just grab his arm and drag him along!” 

“Yakko, you didn’t.” Rita groaned. 

“That I did! Then it was a simple duck into an alley, and nobody would know we were there!” 

“Except for the New York City crowd which witnessed two young children stealing hot dogs.” 

“Puh-lease, Brain, don’t have a cow. Nobody cares enough about Louie’s garbage.” 

“We have cows?” Pinky said. 

“Young Warner,” the Brain sighed, “If that child is found, he could easily point the finger at you, and before we know it our boat’s found out and we’re back behind bars.” 

“Behind bars?” Rita sputtered. “You weren’t in jail, you were in a lab. Runt and I were in jail.” 

“The city pound is hardly equal to the horrors of the American Prison System.” 

“I’ve been to jail!” 

“No, you haven’t, Pinky.” 

“Oh, that’s right, that was just in Monopoly.” 

Yakko clapped his hands to get their attention back. “Hey, hey! Who’s in charge here?” 

“Scratchansniff.” everyone said immediately. 

“When he’s gone. I’m not done with my story, airheads.” Yakko stepped back, then, moving closer to the doors. Wakko pushed himself back, not wanting to be reprimanded for spying on them. “Where was I?” 

“You ran off with a street kid.” 

“Exactly! But, believe it or not, the fates had blessed the Artful Yakker on that fine, chilly March morn! For the brave lad turned his head…” 

Yakko put a hand on the door. That was about when Wakko realized he was still leaning against it. Oops. 

“And realized, this child was none other than–!” 

He threw open the door, and Wakko fell forward, sprawling forwards and landing face-first on the wooden floor. Yakko let out a short laugh, as did Runt and Pinky. Wakko put a hand on the ground to hoist himself up, only for a weight to suddenly appear on his back. 

“Yakko, you idiot, you brought him here?” 

“Calm down, Riri.” Yakko waved a hand, and the weight lifted; he’d picked Rita up, and after a second, as Wakko hoisted himself upwards, he saw his brother placing a gray cat back on the ground. “Take a look! He seem a bit familiar?” 

Yakko pulled Wakko up to his feet, and then squeezed him to his side. Wakko squeaked, as everyone else started to talk at once. While his brother worked to quiet them, Wakko got a good view of the people on the boat; Brain and Pinky were two small lab mice, about as big as the paw of the dog beside them, which must be Runt. Rita, the cat, leapt onto Runt’s back, as he ran forwards and began sniffing Wakko’s legs. “Ooh! You smell like concrete. Yeah, definitely, definitely concrete.” 

“Wow, hello!” Pinky said, running forwards and waving his arms so that Wakko could see him. “Hello, new person!” He then paused, and turned to Brain, stage-whispering, “Yakko said he was familiar, do you recognize him?” 

“It’s his brother, you imbecile.” Brain groaned, putting his head in his hands. 

“Oh! OH!” Pinky said, and then began shouting excitedly and doing some kind of dance. “Yakko’s brother! He’s here, he made it! Brain, it’s his brother!” 

“I am aware.” 

“Everyone, meet the Great Wakkorotti!” Yakko said, raising Wakko’s hand as if he’d just won a competition. “Eleven years old, hungry for adventure and for snacks, he has traveled across the entire United States to return home and find his family again!” he pulled back Wakko’s hat enough to ruffle his fur. “Speaking of which, where’s the rest of the sausages, we gotta make sure he’s eating.” 

“Hello.” Wakko said shyly, while Yakko ducked away to find where the leftover food was. “I’m Wakko.” 

“Hello, Wakko!” Pinky waved. “I’m Pinky, this is my very good friend Brain, and that’s Rita and Runt! And that’s Yakko!” 

“He knows who Yakko is.” Brain sighed. 

Wakko glanced around the boat, still scanning the room, when Rita leapt onto his shoulders. “So what’s your deal, kid?” she asked, flexing a paw. “You must’ve been up to something wild to keep you away this long. And trust me, it was long. Yakkity-Yak wouldn’t shut up about you.” 

“Can it, kitty.” Yakko warned. 

Wakko kept looking around the ship. “Oh, I… I was just… um, you know… you know.” 

“He doesn’t need to talk if he doesn’t want, he’s not much of a gabber.” Yakko said, before thrusting the remaining sausages into his brother’s hands. 

“Unlike you.” 

“Yeah, I get all the dialogue. But isn’t it great! He’s finally here, just like I knew he–” 

“Yakko,” Wakko said quietly, his heart sinking, “Where’s Dot?” 

The room fell silent. After a beat, an expressionless Yakko walked over and picked up Rita, placing her back on Runt’s back without a word. 

“Yakko?” 

Yakko sighed. “Um… you… you thought she’d be here?” 

“Of course. Where is she?” 

Yakko bit his lip, and then looked away. “Well, uuuuuuuuuuhhhh… to tell you the truth, Wakko, you got here first.” 

“Huh?” 

“Dot must still be on her way.” 

“Still…” Wakko blinked. “You never found her?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Yakko said, still not looking at him. “You know that girl. She can take care of herself! Now that you’ve made it, she can’t be far behind.” 

“I…” Wakko slowly hugged himself. “I guess I thought…” 

“That she’d be a bit faster? Yeah, me too.” Yakko said, before hugging him from the side again. “Boy, she’s taking her sweet time! But I’m not worried, I’ve got no worries, why should I? She’s fine, she’s gonna find us, and we’re gonna rain utter chaos on this city!” 

“As if you don’t do that already.” Rita said. 

“Wakko will make it worse, I guarantee. We’re gonna own this town.” 

Wakko knelt down, reaching out a hand to pet Runt’s head. Runt thumped his tail excitedly, and Wakko smiled at the soft fur under his palm. He then looked over, getting a closer look at the two mice. 

“What?” Brain asked, crossing his arms, looking ready for some kind of annoying question.

Wakko cocked his head to the side, sticking out his tongue. Then, after a second, he said, “Thanks for taking care of my brother. All of you.” 

Brain showed an expression of shock for a moment, and then he shook it, trying to regain his neutral expression. “Well… well, it’s not as if we had a choice. He attached himself to us.”

“Aw, you love me, Brainy.” Yakko said, kneeling beside Wakko. “But I was fine, Wakk.” 

Wakko began petting Runt again. “Do you think anyone’s looking after Dot?”

“Don’t worry about Dot at all.” Yakko said. “That girl takes a hammer to anything that ticks her off, she’s gonna be fine. Probably better than us! And you know what, with you showing up, I bet it’s only a matter of time before she tracks us down.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Of course, baby bro!” Yakko said, spinning so he was holding his brother’s shoulders, giving him a bright smile. “Just you wait. Any day now, maybe even any second, our loud little sister is gonna show up! You know what?” He backed up, and then spun on his feet. “I bet she’ll be back by her birthday!” 

“Her…” Wakko did a quick bit of math in his head. “Her birthday! Yes, next week! You really think…?” 

“Just you wait, she’s gonna track us down, kick down that door, and say…” 

There was a loud slam as the door at the top of the stairwell flew open. Yakko and Wakko both jumped, looking up with interest, but the person who entered was definitely not Dot, and as Wakko looked, he believed the new person wasn’t a toon, either. It was a tall, bald man, wearing a tattered coat and glasses so thick you couldn’t see his eyes. He stumbled down the stairs, crying out, “Oh, please tell me you’ve got something!” 

“Scratchy, my man!” Yakko waved. 

The man didn’t respond, instead moving to a chest marked loot and digging through. After tossing aside scraps of fabric and pieces of junk, he let out a cry. “Oh, we are doomed!” 

“Chill out, Scratchansniff.” Rita said, leaping atop the box and licking a paw. “What’s going on? Someone steal your lunch money?” 

“That happens to me all the time.” Pinky said. 

“Pinky, you don’t have ‘lunch money’ and then lose it, you eat coins off the sidewalk.” Brain said. 

“Poit!” 

“No, no!” Scratchansniff said, standing up and lifting Rita, pulling her up to his eye level. “You don’t understand! S–” 

A loud, angry and long beep sounded outside. Wakko flinched, tugging on his ears to try and muffle the sound; for a moment, he thought someone had sworn on TV, that was the noise that tended to happen then. But everyone else’s reactions seemed to clarify that that was not what was happening. Rita yowled, her fur sticking up on end, while Runt began to bark, his ears flipping back. Brain jumped, before instinctively pulling Pinky backwards. And Yakko… to Wakko’s shock, Yakko looked petrified for a moment. 

“What the hell?” Rita screeched. 

“Absolutely not! Nope!” Brain said, as if in denial. 

Yakko whirled around, pointing to Scratchansniff. “That’s not today! That’s not… we still have time! We–” 

“We don’t have time!” Scratchansniff yelled, turning around the room. “There must be something in here that’s worth… something! The TV–” the TV flickered, obviously broken– “The Radio–” the Radio sputtered and changed channels for no reason– “or… why are there two Yakkos?” 

There were thumps, as someone landed on the boat. Before Wakko could move, he felt Yakko’s hands throwing him to the side. His brother pushed him back so fast that Wakko lost his footing, almost tumbling to the ground; Yakko kept him upright by gripping to his shoulders, but then he swiftly and unceremoniously shoved Wakko under a table, before yanking a tattered tablecloth down, blocking him from view. 

“Stay there.” Yakko hissed. “And stay quiet.” 

The door banged open, and Wakko let out a whimper as he started to shake.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIVE - We Make an Art Out of Staying Alive

Wakko backed up, feeling the other end of the tablecloth flutter against his neck, and raised his hands to his mouth to block out any noise that might come out. He could hear a clinking against the staircase– it sounded like very sharp dog claws. Clink, clink, clink, over and over– more than one, okay, great. Once he saw large shadows begin to flicker across the floor, he shut his eyes, as if that would help. 

“Oh, oh, hello.” said a very nervous Scratchansniff, his voice carrying across the room. “Hello, doggies. I–”

There was a loud growl, and what sounded to be an attempt at a bite. 

“Okay, okay! No small talk, I gets that. Look who’s here, kids! Nice company, ja?” Another bark. “I vas just on my way out, yes. P-play nice, kiddos, I’ll be right back.” 

Wakko shut his eyes tighter as he heard the man begin to clamber up the stairs. With the continued clinking and low growls, he could tell that that the dogs had not left with him. 

“You guys… miss us?” came a low voice. 

“Not especially.” Rita said; she sounded like she’d perched herself high up. “Wasn’t looking forward to seeing Salazar’s dumb mongrels. Your fur get more matted while you were gone?” 

A jump, a thud, and Rita’s laughter. “Nice try, boys. Cats can balance on anything.” 

“We’ll just have to break that wall, then.” came the voice of one of the hounds. “Can’t stand on something that isn’t there.” 

“Oh, that’s not nice, that’s really not nice.” Runt said, and there was the sound of more movement. “You should leave Rita alone!” 

“You wanna go, mutt?” A whimper– probably from Runt. “We could rip you to shreds.”

“Hey, hey, Roscoe. Roscoe.” Yakko said; once again, he sounded completely calm. Wakko heard a creak as he leaned against the wall– from squinting open his eyes, he thought that Yakko’s shadow had stepped between the dogs. “Is this us losing our sense of humor?” 

“Nah. I ain’t lost my sense of humor.” 

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Wakko gripped his ears again. He could see pieces of glass skitter across the floor, and it wasn’t hard to guess that the dog had smashed the television. 

“See?” the dog said. “I find that funny.” 

“Oh dear!” came Pinky’s voice, from a corner. “Now how are we gonna find out what Maggie is going to tell her boss about the baby?” 

A bop. “Pinky, be quiet.” 

“No, let the tiny little dolt speak. Maybe he’ll say something interesting for once.” 

A bit of a gasp; it sounded like Brain had grabbed the dog’s snout. “Listen here, you lopsided lickspittle, I am the only one who gets to insult Pinky.” 

“Yeah!” 

“Silence, Pinky.” 

A growl, a skidding claws, and then another thump and squeak. 

“Brain!”

“Try to put your tiny little paws on me again, see what happens!” 

Wakko tried very hard not to whimper, he really did. But while Pinky and Runt were rushing towards Brain, and Yakko started yelling out some joke or another, trying to calm the situation, he heard a loud sniffing, coming from just beside the table. His tiny cry released before he could stop it, and he threw his hands over his mouth again too late. Suddenly, from right in front of his face, a large, black hound pushed his head past the tablecloth. His eyes flickered red, and as he opened his mouth, drool dropping to the ground, he could see the sharp, pointed fangs and smell his dank, warm breath. 

“Hey, Roscoe!” called the dog, and Wakko blinked out tears. “Check it out! Some kid’s spying on our little playdate.”

“No, no!” Yakko’s voice rose, but there was a thud was he was apparently tripped. 

“Forget it, DeSoto.” came the dog’s voice. “We got a job to do.” 

“Look at this little wimp,” the dog hissed, before leaning in closer, pushing Wakko back. “What kinda meat are you made of? How about we find out by ripping off your flesh and seeing how it tastes?” 

Wakko’s eyes went wide, and before he could even think, animal instincts kicked in. He leapt forwards, grabbing the dog’s neck, kicked himself off the ground and swung in the air. He hit the table, knocking it up and sending it flying over as he did, but instead of paying attention to that, or the shouts of the other toons in the room, he threw himself forwards and found himself biting down on the dog’s neck, just above a shiny blue collar. The dog yowled, leaping up onto his hind legs, which threw Wakko off, tossing him into the air. Wakko felt a thud and sudden pain in his back as he landed against some kind of cabinet. His legs splayed out, and then fell limp, and he found himself tangled up in his arms and tail as he crashed onto the ground. He glanced up, his head wobbling, as he heard the barks and growls, and suddenly two of those hounds were leaping for him, teeth bared and eyes sparking with fury. 

Then, in a flash, Yakko was in front of him, and all of his humor had disappeared. He raised his tail, letting his fur flare up, and hissed back. The hounds slowed, skidding to a stop just a few feet from him. 

“Out of the way, Warner.” one of the dogs growled, the implicit threat hanging over them. 

“That’s enough.” Yakko said, in a voice Wakko had never heard from him before, one that made even him a little scared. 

Then, in a flash, Runt had jumped beside Yakko, growling as well. Rita leapt down, raising her hackles and hissing, and the mice appeared, too, Brain grabbing some kind of metallic object to use as a weapon while Pinky raised his hands protectively in front of Wakko’s face. 

Wakko blinked, unsure how everything had happened so fast, but as he looked up, he could see the hounds doing math in their heads, realizing they were outnumbered. It might not matter, though, as these hounds were clearly better trained and in better health and with superior strength. But would it be worth the trouble? 

Before they could decide, there was another loud, long beep from outside. The hounds’ ears perked up, though they kept their eyes on the group. The dog who had threatened Wakko, DeSoto, locked his eyes down to the kid’s, with such a fury in them that Wakko flinched back.

“Run along, boys.” Rita said, raising a paw to wave farewell, as well as to show off her sharpened claws. “Your master’s calling.” 

They didn’t move, but when the other beep sounded, Roscoe straightened, before slapping DeSoto’s side with his paw. 

“Come on, DeSoto.” he growled. DeSoto snarled, but turned to leave. As Roscoe followed, he called back, shouting, “We ain’t finished, Warner. You all are gonna pay for this– starting with that kid.” 

Wakko whimpered, curling up in hopes of making himself look smaller. But in front of him, not one of the gang showed their fear– Rita kept waving and showing off her claws, Runt stepped back and growled, and Brain ran forwards, yelling, “Ha! I would like to see you try! The next time we meet, I will have taken over the world, and when that happens, you will be naught but dirt under my paws! Ha ha, yes! And when you beg for mercy, you shall be smote with the energy of a thousand suns!” 

The door slammed shut. Brain then turned, waving a hand. “Or at the very least, given an inordinate amount of taxes.” 

“Yay, Brain!” Pinky said, jumping and throwing his arms around his friend in a hug. Brain stiffened, and then yelled for him to get off. 

As the mice began to shout, Rita jumped down, getting eye-level with Wakko, who was still on the ground. “You okay, kid?” 

Wakko opened his mouth to speak, but his words were lost again. After a second, he nodded. 

“Good.” Rita said. “Because that… was awesome!” 

To Wakko’s surprise, Yakko picked him up, laughing and spinning him again. Runt began to bark gleefully, running around their feet in circles and wagging his stubby tail. 

“Alright, Wakko!” Yakko cheered, before placing him back on the ground and rubbing their noses together again. “See, guys? Ol’ Yakker knows what he’s about! Day one and he’s already bitten one of Salazar Sykes’s stupid grunts! I can’t believe that, Wakk, those guys have been bothering us for years and you just bit him right off the bat! You’re the coolest!” 

Brain, who finally managed to calm Pinky down enough to pry him off of him slightly, said, “Yes, it was somewhat impressive.” 

“Don’t be a dweeb, Brain.” Rita said, jumping atop of Wakko’s feet and flicking her tail. “We’ve never even hit em before! This kid’s got guts!”  

“I sure hope so.” Yakko said off-handedly. “Then again, he eats so much, it might just be a black hole in there.” 

“It was…” Runt paused, flipping an ear. “What’s the word, Rita?” 

Rita considered. “Righteous!” 

“Definitely! Definitely ‘righteous’!”

Wakko cracked a smile, before running a hand over Runt’s fur again. “Really?” 

“Cheeuh!” Yakko waved a hand, and then reached over and ruffled Wakko’s head– which basically meant he pressed his hat down and caused Wakko to giggle hysterically. “You’re the best. Welcome to the gang, lil bud.” 

Wakko’s eyes lit up, and his tail began to wag, back-and-forth in the cold evening air. He stuck out his tongue and leaned his face up, and Yakko took the cue, immediately grabbing his cheeks and rubbing their noses again. Wakko leaned into the embrace, reaching up to grab onto his brother’s arms, satisfied in knowing that for the first time in two years, Yakko was right there, and that’s where he would stay. 

The door swung open again, and Wakko’s ear perked up when he caught the sound. It wasn’t a slam like the hounds had caused, but was more like a sad whimper. There were a few plunks, and in stepped Scratchansniff, sopping wet. 

“What happened to you, doc?” Yakko said, stunned. 

Scratchansniff didn’t look his way, and in a low voice, he said, “Fell into ze water.” 

The mood seemed to dampen once again, as if a light had gone off. This man, Scratchansniff, seemed absolutely dejected, and Wakko could tell it was affecting everyone else. Runt whimpered slightly, lifting an ear, while Rita jumped down and watched the man with a careful glance. Even Yakko’s shoulders slumped, though he kept a hand squeezing Wakko’s arm, as if trying to make sure he didn’t feel the same intensity as the rest of them. 

“Three days.” he said quietly, though it took Wakko a second to understand through his thick accent, as well as how quiet he seemed, how much his voice wavered. The others seemed to understand fine, though; as Scratchansniff sat in a broken recliner, Rita and Runt had already begun walking over. Wakko glanced to the ground, seeing that Pinky and the Brain had started that way as well, holding each other’s paws. 

“Three days! How could we ever come up with all that money?” 

Carefully, Yakko gave Wakko another squeeze, and slowly pulled his hand away. It was just slow enough that if Wakko wanted, he could grab him and pull him back, but Wakko simply nodded to his brother as he stepped away.

“It’s no use. We’ll never get out from under zat maniac.” 

Wakko watched, almost in a trance, as the rest of the gang began to move, giving each other looks that said silent words and then immediately knowing what they were going to do. Rita leapt across the floor, digging old slippers out from a basket, before racing back to slide them onto the human’s feet before he could notice. Runt bit down on a blanket, pulling it back so he could yank it over Scratchansniff while the man was still rambling, his mind far away. 

“Oh. What are we going to do?” 

Pinky and the Brain had scampered up a wall, and were now hanging on a rope, using their weight to pull a swinging lamp so that it was above the human, and would give him a bit of warmth, a bit of light. Yakko, meanwhile, once he got to the recliner, immediately climbed on, sliding up against Scratchansniff’s arm. He flicked his tail around the man’s wrist, laid his head on his shoulder, and began to purr softly. Wakko’s eyes widened; he’d never seen Yakko do that for anyone but him and Dot, and only if they were really upset. But there was his big brother, pressed up against the adult and releasing that calming, repetitive vibration. Scratchansniff absent-mindedly lifted a hand and stroked Yakko’s ears, before glancing down at the blanket Runt had pulled over him. Rita jumped onto his lap, then, joining in with Yakko’s purrs, and Pinky and the Brain managed to climb onto the armrest, before sitting down and looking up at him. 

Scratchansniff glanced from the mice, to the dog, to the cat, to Yakko. Yakko opened his eyes a bit, and Scratchansniff lifted his chin, giving him a smile that the toon happily returned. 

“Thank you all.” he said. “I needed zat.” 

Runt wagged his tail, panting happily as he gave Scratchansniff’s hand a sloppy lick. As he did, Brain asked, “Are you injured?” 

“No, no. Just got threatened quite a bit. Ze deadline is no joke.” 

“We’ll make it work.” Rita said, without opening her eyes or lifting her head. “We always do.” 

“Which reminds me.” Scratchansniff said, before smiling again, glancing between the toons and animals, “I could have sworn I saw a bite mark on DeSoto’s neck. Which one of you did zat?” 

Yakko beamed, before sliding off the recliner. Wakko blinked, suddenly breaking from his trance-like state, as his brother came over, reaching out to grab his hand again. As they walked over together, Yakko moved his hand from Wakko’s palm to his far shoulder, wanting to embrace him as much as he could. 

“Dr Otto von Scratchansniff, world famous psychoanalyst to the stars,” Yakko said, in such a dramatic fashion that Wakko felt his trepidation at meeting this stranger begin to fall away, giving him a reason to giggle. “It is my great honor to introduce you to Wakkiver Warner! My baby brother.” 

It was hard to see this human’s eyes behind the thick glasses, but Wakko thought that they may have widened for a moment. Then the man reached out a hand, shaking Wakko’s; it was an old hand, yes, but it felt sturdy. 

“Vell, it is very nice to meet you, Wakkiver. We’ve heard so much about you.” 

“You have?” Wakko said, his ears perking up. 

“Did you think these people could get me to shut up?” Yakko said, pulling Wakko a bit closer to make him laugh again. “They can’t do miracles.” 

“It does indeed seem to be Yakko’s long lost sibling,” Brain said, sitting down on the armrest. 

“And he bit DeSoto without a second thought! Narf!”  

Wakko flinched. “He was scaring me.” 

“He scares all of us.” Scratchansniff said, his voice lowering to a tone that still sounded very kind. “But you were able to fight back. You’ve got spirit. Just like your brother.” 

Wakko swelled with pride, his eyes lighting up; his tail wagged so fast that it hit the side of Yakko’s leg. Yakko laughed, then didn’t say anything about it or move at all. 

“It’s very nice meet you, Wakko.” Scratchansniff said. “And we’re going to need all the help we can get.” he sighed, turning to the rest of the group. “There’s no use heading out tonight, it’s too late out for anything– we’ll have to be up early.” 

“I’ll be the alarm clock.” Rita said, as she moved away from the human’s lap and jumped onto the chair’s arm, curling up there. 

“How come you always get to be the alarm clock?” Pinky asked. 

“Because you’re never up early enough.” 

“I could. If I wanted to.” 

Their argument was interrupted by a soft whimper; Runt had walked up to Scratchansniff’s side, lifting a large, fading book in his mouth; it was some kind of compilation of children’s stories, one that was quite worn but in a way that seemed loved. 

“No, no, Runt, not tonight.” Scratchansniff said. 

Runt whimpered again, looking up with big, pleading eyes. 

“Oh…” the doctor patted him on the head. “Alright. But only one chapter tonight, alright?” 

Yakko pushed Wakko towards the chair, probably just intending to edge him a bit closer so he could see the drawings. Wakko, who was never quite good with social cues, took that as an invitation to get comfortable, and immediately climbed onto the chair and slid onto Scratchansniff’s lap, thumping his tail slightly as the doctor flipped through pages. The human didn’t seem very phased, likely due to how many animals he had and how they probably did very similar things; he just held the book up a little higher in order to get to the right page. As he did, Yakko laughed again, backing up slightly, while Runt laid his head on the legrest of the recliner, sitting wagging his own short little tail. 

“Alright, there we are. Bumbie and Bumper.” He cleared his throat a bit. “Bumbie, the dearest deer, leapt out onto the field of wildflowers. The dandelion seeds burst into the air, tickling his nose til he laughed out loud.” 

Pinky laughed hysterically until Brain bopped him on the head. 

“And then, something caught his eye–” Wakko tensed, wondering what it could be. “It was Bumper! The rabbit!” Wakko settled, and smiled, looking at the bright, brilliant illustrations in front of him. “And there they went, prancing along the meadow. Without a single care in the world…” 

Wakko must have dozed off, but only for a moment; when he opened his eyes, Scratchansniff had fallen asleep on the recliner, and the rest of the animals had gone to their own places. But it clearly hadn’t been long, as Runt was still circling upon a broken beanbag, having just slid the book to its place atop a cabinet. Wakko rubbed his eyes, glancing to the side to see the mice snoozing together on a high shelf, under a washcloth blanket. 

Slowly, Wakko got off the chair, stretching his arms, and looking around some more until he finally spotted his brother. He could see Yakko’s ears and tail, poking out from a swinging makeshift hammock, one that seemed to be made of a quilt strapped to a hanging beam by fraying rope. Wakko cocked his head to the side, sticking out his tongue in thought. 

“You know, kid…” 

Wakko jumped at the sudden voice, and turned to see Rita, laying atop a table and flicking her tail. She watched him with some kind of bemusement, not seeming concerned at the fact she’d surprised him. She waited a second, to see if he’d say something, before she continued. 

“You’re pretty tough.” 

Wakko wilted slightly. “It was just instinct–”

“No, not the DeSoto thing. Managing life on your own for so long. How old are you, ten?” 

“Eleven.” Dot would be ten next week. 

She watched him some more, and then said, “Tell you a secret, kid. All of us–” she raised a paw, gesturing to herself, the mice, the dog and the human, all having fallen into sleep, “–totally thought you were dead.” Wakko’s eyes widened. “We heard you fell into a river in a storm at night and were never seen again and were like, ‘Yep, well, that kid didn’t make it.’ But your big bro over there–” she used her tail to gesture to Yakko’s hammock– “He wouldn’t listen to us. Not once. Kept stubbornly saying, ‘Not my Wakko. He’ll be here. Just gotta wait.’ Nice to know he was right about that. Especially since he did go out every stupid day to try and find you.” 

Wakko blinked, glancing between Rita and Yakko’s hammock. He let a smile creep onto his face, and then walked over to the cat and stroked behind her ears. Rita jumped a little at the sudden touch, but relaxed quickly, purring along. 

“Thanks, Rita.” he said. “Where should I…?” 

“Oh, honey, sleep anywhere you fit. I’m usually on top of the TV but we’re gonna have to fix that. I’ll see if I can bribe Brain into doing that after we deal with Mr Sykes.” 

“Who is he exactly?” 

“Mob boss, lent us some money and wants it back. Nothing you should bother yourself about. Get some sleep, kid, I’m sure your day’s been hectic.” 

“A little. But it was nice, too.” 

Rita curled her tail around her legs, and Wakko stopped petting her, before looking around the cabin again. It seemed everyone else had already fallen asleep. There was an empty table he could curl up on or under, or another chair where the television had been, or a few ragged pillows in the corner. But, really, after only a second, he knew where he wanted to go.

Rita widened her eyes, watching, as Wakko took off at a run for Yakko’s hammock. He jumped, managing to land on top of his brother. Wakko had to wait a moment for the hammock to stop swinging, but he didn’t once think he’d wake his brother up. Yakko had always slept through him and Dot climbing into his bed to cuddle when they were kids. When the swing slowed, Wakko slid beside his brother, pressing against his side so he could feel his chest rise up and down. He curled up like Rita, his tail over his paws, and was asleep within seconds.

Rita raised a head, before jumping atop another shelf, looking over into the hammock. She could see the tired Wakko and, beside him, Yakko raising his head, smiling, and wrapping his own tail and right arm over his little brother, before nuzzling against him in order to take his first good sleep in a long while.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIX - Thou Shalt Not Get Caught

Wakko didn’t expect to wake early, but it seemed that he noticed when Yakko had moved away. As he roused himself to consciousness, he lifted an ear, hearing footsteps, distant talking… bop! That was about when he remembered where he was, as he recalled that was the sound of Brain whacking Pinky over the head for doing something stupid. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying not to swing too much on the hammock. As he did, he saw that Yakko was just a few feet away, tying his green scarf around his neck. The rest of the crew had gotten up as well– the mice were handing Scratchansniff some kind of tool, while Runt waited by the door, pacing and wagging his tail. Rita stretched from her perch, before jumping onto the ground, and then onto Runt’s back. 

Wakko turned back to Yakko, who had just turned to him; Yakko blinked in surprise. “Oh, Wakk! Hi, I thought you’d still be asleep.” 

He came over and rubbed their noses together again. Wakko smiled brightly, his tail thumping along. 

“What’s goin’ on?” he asked through a yawn. 

“We got a busy day. Gotta pay back ol’ Saladbar Sykes.” 

“Please, for the love of all that is holy, Yakko,” called Scratchansniff, from across the room, “Do not call him that to his face, he will kill you.” 

“He’d have to catch me first!” Yakko called back, before turning back to his brother. “You don’t need to worry about it, if you wanna sleep–” 

“No, no, I wanna help! Just let me–” Wakko tried to get out of the hammock, only for it to flip and toss him onto the floor with a thud.  

Yakko laughed, before grabbing Wakko’s hands and lifting him to his feet. “Well, this should be fun! Wanna feel that rhythm again today?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Oh! Real quick.” Yakko ran to a nearby basket, beginning to dig through. “Where’d I put… there we go!” 

He turned back, and before Wakko knew it, his brother was tying an orange scarf around his neck. 

“I have a couple of these. It may be the end of winter but it is still winter, y’know? Don’t want you to get too cold.” 

Wakko beamed, glancing down at the fabric that fell against his sweater. He then jumped onto Yakko, hugging him tight. “Thanks, Yakko.” 

“Anytime, baby bro! Now, come on,” Yakko said, before putting his arms around Wakko and carrying him to the door. “We gotta get to the car.” 

“We have a car?” 

“We do not.” 

Their “car” turned out to be a loud red scooter with a shopping cart stuck onto its end. Runt took up most of the space in the cart, though he poked his head out to wag his tongue in the breeze. Yakko pulled Wakko in close to him, though Wakko did take a moment to let his tongue loll in the wind with Runt, and then Rita curled up in the corner, the two mice atop her back. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but Wakko found it a bit exciting; he’d never ridden in a scooter before, especially not one like this. Besides, he was with Yakko, and Yakko was giddily pointing out different streets, telling him a fun fact or funny story about them, or cracking jokes about their names. When they passed through Times Square, Yakko leaned out of the side of the cart, yelling, “Hello, nurse!” until Rita yanked him back in, saying something about how he’d fall if he kept doing that crap. 

“I never fall, Rita.” Yakko rolled his eyes, before winking at his brother. “I’m too cool for that.” 

“Young Yakko,” Brain said, glancing up, “Your perceived–” he then made air quotes with hands– “‘Gnarly energy’ has no effect on the concept of gravity.” 

“You just say that cause you’re not cool.” 

“Oooooh!” Pinky hissed, eyes lighting up. “He gotchu there!” 

“Stop it, Pinky, or I shall have to hurt you.” 

“Kay!” 

Scratchansniff eventually halted the scooter, in an alley near an open market. Rita leapt out first, followed by Yakko, who helped Wakko down and then linked their arms together. 

“Alright,” Scratchansniff said. “I’m going to ze usual spots. Don’t stay out too late, but also remember: we are screwed if we don’t get something big.” 

“Nice optimism, Scratchy.” Yakko said, shooting a thumbs up. 

“This is serious, Yakko.” 

“Serious, schmerious.” Yakko shrugged. “Don’t scare off the new kid, we’re gonna be fine.”  

“Just be careful.” Scratchansniff sighed. “And get out zere and fetch.” 

He sped off, a bit of smoke coming out of the back of the scooter. Brain and Pinky, from their perch on Runt’s head, began to cough slightly. 

“Alright, kids,” Yakko said, turning around and clapping his hands. “If Scratchy doesn’t see some cold, hard cash soon, we are all doggy chow.” 

“What about that ‘optimism,’ Yakkity-Yak?” Rita raised her brow. 

“That was just to annoy Scratchy. Any ideas?” 

Brain considered. “It is Sunday morning. Perhaps we could steal a church collection plate.” 

“Brain, what the hell?” Rita rolled her eyes. 

“Well, it’s for ‘those less fortunate!’ I believe we qualify in this situation.” 

“No.” 

“Well, how about this– Pinky and I will go to the television station, borrow a few old wires and VHS tapes, and get back to you once we’ve taken over the world.” 

“We need an idea that will work, Brain.” 

Yakko held up his hands to silence the fight, before saying, “Huh, it is morning. Okay, I got a great idea.” 

“Oh boy.” Rita said. 

“Oh boy!” Runt repeated, much more enthusiastically. 

“We’re gonna need to head out, though, I’ll explain on the way.” Yakko said. He once again linked his arm with Wakko’s, before calling, “Let’s get to work!” 

“What kind of work do we do?” Wakko asked, as they exited the alley, beginning down the street. 

“Investment banking.” Brain said, rolling his eyes. 

“Egad! We do?” 

“I don’t know what that is.” Wakko said, sticking out his tongue. “But can I help?” 

“Oh, kid, we’re gonna have to teach you on the go, huh?” Rita said, strolling beside him. “Where we headin’?” 

“You know that intersection with the wonky light?” 

“Be more specific.” 

“The one where sometimes the yellow turns, like, blue?” 

“Yeah!” 

“We gotta get over there.” 

“Well, then,” Rita said, “Let’s… how do you say it?” 

“Get with the rhythm.” 

“Sure, yeah.” 

Yakko moved his arm down, gripping Wakko’s hand, before he said, “Alright, Rita, give us a beat, then!” 

Rita leapt atop of Runt’s back, and hummed slightly. Wakko grinned, watching his brother a moment before following his steps, letting the city rhythm take control. 

They went down a few streets, and it amazed Wakko how it seemed this gang knew every corner like the back of their paw. It seemed they never hit traffic, always leaping across the street as the light flickered to a red, and that they knew every shortcut, whether it be ducking between buildings or taking a running leap for a low tarp above the window to give them a bit of bounce. Wakko just kept his hand entwined with Yakko’s, smiling along with him as they moved forward. 

It took maybe twenty, thirty minutes to reach their destination. Yakko pulled them against a building wall, then peered into a window. “Almost time, perfect.” 

“Time for what, may I ask?” Brain said, tapping his foot impatiently. 

“Alright.” Yakko turned, clapping his hands. “When I pass this place, every day for the past like, year, there’s been this rich person car that goes by about now, a little before ten-o’clock.” 

“This isn’t really a street rich people frequent.” Rita said. 

“Which is why I noticed it, and why this is a great opportunity! We get that car, we’re home free a whole two nights early. Brain?” 

As Brain raised a paw to his chin, thinking hard, Wakko said, “Wait, what are we doing?” 

“Just a little fun.” Yakko said, squeezing his hand. “Don’t worry, baby bro, you’ll be right by me the whole time. I’ll show you how it’s done.” 

“Okay?” Wakko said, still a bit confused. 

“Alright.” Brain said. “Pinky, I’m going to need you to stand by the storefront and not move so that you can’t mess anything up.” 

“Sounds good!” Pinky said. 

“Runt, I’m going to need a fender-bender.” 

“Alright!” Runt said, panting happily. 

“Yakko, you got the electronics– and please don’t waste time showing off.” 

“Since when do I do that?” 

“Rita–” 

“I gotcha.” Rita rolled her eyes. “Go be ‘the cat by the theatre door.’” 

“Pinky and I will see if we can work a crowd. The bigger the distraction, the better. But even then, we’ll only have a few minutes.” 

“That’s all we need.” Yakko said, stretching out his hands. “Alright, should be here any second– Wakko and I’ll hop across the street so we can book it to the driver’s door. Wakk, you just stick by me, and try to avoid attention.” 

Wakko nodded excitedly, took his brother’s hand again, and the two of them raced across the road as the light hit red again. Yakko pulled him into an alley between shops, and they watched the street as car after car passed by. It was only a few minutes, though, before a very long, very shiny car pulled around the bend. 

“The light’s green, and it won’t turn for a minute.” Wakko said cautiously. “How’re you gonna get them to stop?” 

Yakko simply held up three fingers, before putting one down, and then another, and using his final finger to point. At that, there was a loud honk and a screeching of tires, and Wakko yanked on his ears until the noise stopped. “What was that?” 

He peered out, and saw the car had slid to a stop, on the side of the road, just behind the traffic light. Runt was stumbling away, eyes crossed, and Wakko thought he could hear him mutter, “Run, Bumbie, go find Bumper…” 

Rita leapt across the street, disappearing in front of the car, before letting out a theatrical, pained yowl. The door opened, and Yakko pulled Wakko out of view for just a second, before racing them out; the driver left the door open as they stopped to check on the cat, and Yakko was able to push Wakko inside and over to the shotgun seat. 

It was indeed a very fancy car; Wakko felt a little anxious as he sat on the clean seat, knowing he was probably dirtying it. Yakko jumped in, too, before glancing back; they couldn’t see the backseat, some kind of screen was up. “Alright, alright. Real rich people. Okay, now check this out, Wakk, this is gonna blow your tiny mind.” 

Yakko reached forwards, opening some kind of panel beside the wheel, under the radio, and inbetween the seats. Wakko cocked his head to the side, still a bit confused but deciding to roll with it. “Can I help with something?” 

“Just watch and be amazed at what your big brother can do.” Yakko then slid under the seat, beginning to mess with what must be wires– it was actually hard for Wakko to see. He laid on his stomach, trying to get a better view. As he moved, he hit a button, starting up the radio; he jumped, shutting if off, but after a moment, he heard the screen between them and the backseat begin to lower. 

“Hey, hey! Yakko!” Wakko whispered, eyes widening. 

“Not now, this is the coolest part.” 

“Yakko, there’s something back there.” 

“Check this!” Yakko said, pulling down a thin red wire. “We’re almost done, and you’re gonna love–”  

“But Yakko, I–”

Wakko began to sit up, only to bump his head against something small– the key in the ignition. There was a flash, as electricity sparked back into the car, and Wakko found himself falling right into the space between the shotgun seat and the dashboard. He heard Yakko let out a yelp, and peered up to see his brother, fur all up on end and seeming to spark a little, bounce up into the roof, and then against the window, the door, the seat, and finally out of the car, falling right out into the street. He could hear a series of beeps come from the front of the car, and it seemed that the windshield wipers had activated, causing quite a bit of noise that was not calming down the young Warner at all. 

Wakko attempted to stand, only to bump his head against the dashboard, then lose his footing against the carpeting. He wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, only that it wasn’t good, and he should probably go get his brother. He finally managed to grip the seat, pulling himself up, his paws scrambling and tail frayed out with stress, the noise really getting to him. However, just as he pushed himself up, he turned, and saw someone standing in the doorway, staring at him. 

It wasn’t Yakko, but the driver of the car; a toon squirrel, a bit taller than them, with gray fur and a hat that had tipped a little to the side as she must have rushed back to the car. Wakko froze, opening his mouth to say some kind of excuse, only to find that, once again, his words had failed him. He tried again, meeting her eyes, and then darting his gaze away, but when he tried to speak, his throat clogged. It was like he was at that edge of almost crying, but not quite there yet. He took a deep breath, clenching his fists to try and ground himself, and then opened his mouth to try and speak again. 

“Okay, what the hell?” 

And he failed again, his voice dying out. His head whipped around to the squirrel again, eyes wide. 

“If you wanted to come on a drive, you just had to call! I’ve told you this, like, twenty times.” the squirrel sighed. Then, before Wakko could say anything, she had crawled into the car and lifted him by the back of his sweater. “What are you wearing? And what were you rolling in, yeesh! Oh, we are gonna have a talk about this back at your place. Go sit with Skippy, I’ll lecture you when we get there.” 

Wakko then felt himself thrown back, past where the screen had been; he landed on the backseat with an oof, and once again pushed himself up, his mind spinning. He glanced to the door on his left– locked– and then to his right; when he looked, he could see a small brown squirrel, maybe a little younger than him, drawing in a notebook. 

“Hey, Dot.” the squirrel said, without even looking up. “Nice hat.” 

Any words Wakko might have said immediately disappeared into thin air, and he suddenly found it hard to breathe. 

Yakko had been thrown out against a wall, before bouncing up, across the street, and right into a garbage can. It toppled over, and he managed to crawl out, his fur even more blackened by the electric shock. He coughed a few times, pounding his head to try and get the sparks out of his ears. He began to stand, only to slip back and hit his arm against a dumpster. He let out a series of curse words, before finally managing to get up, leaning against the brick wall in an effort to regain balance. He heard a furious pounding of pawsteps, and then Runt ran up to him, the mice atop his head. 

“Are you okay?” Pinky asked, eyes wide. “Egad, you look like me after a mid-afternoon snack.” 

“Maybe we shoulda sent you to hijack the thing, then. You’re used to electrical cords turning you into a barbecue.” Yakko groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Lucky for us I’m built for slapstick, yeah?” 

“You don’t seem built for it.” Rita said, jumping atop another can. “You look like hell.” 

“Wh– hold on, you’re supposed to be–” 

“The car turned on, dingus.” Rita rolled her eyes. “Couldn’t very well stick around there, it was getting suspicious.” 

Yakko glanced to her, and then his eyes widened, a terror laying in them. “Where’s Wakko?” 

The others glanced around, and then Brain said, “Perhaps he’s still in the car?” 

Yakko raced to the edge of the alley, peering out, and his blood ran cold when he saw the car begin to drive away– and Wakko nowhere in sight. 

“Oh, no.” Yakko whispered. “No, no, no, no, no…” 

Panic was beginning to set in, which wasn’t helping his already pained body regain itself. He almost slipped again as the others ran up beside him, but his mind was racing. 

I can’t run to that car in this state. I don’t know where that car goes. Runt can’t sniff out anything. I… 

Thinking fast, Yakko reached over, grabbing Pinky and the Brain in his hand. They both let out surprised yelps, and Yakko said, “You get him outta there, then come find us! Meet you at the pawn shop.” 

Before the mice could protest, Yakko swung his arm once, twice, and then threw the mice. They landed with a thump on the car’s back windshield, disappearing just as it rounded the corner. 

Yakko watched it go, and started forwards, before falling again. Runt leaned down, catching him and giving him a bit of support. 

“Kid, we need to fix you up.” Rita said. 

“Wakko–”

“The mice got it, you need help.” 

“But Wakko–” 

“Will be fine! Now come on.” 

Yakko really, really didn’t want to “come on.” He wanted to race after that car, drag it to  a stop, and pull his brother out. He couldn’t let Wakko take the rap for them, not on his first day, not when he just got him back… 

But he didn’t exactly have a choice, so he clung to Runt’s neck as the dog began to drag him somewhere safe. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SEVEN – There’s a Syncopated Beat

Wakko stayed silent the entire car ride, at first not of his own free will– he tried to say quite a few things, only for his voice to keep failing on him, so he instead curled up in the backseat and pulled his sweater over his knees. The squirrel next to him didn’t seem to care, instead talking about something or other that had apparently happened to him at “synagogue yesterday.” Wakko probably should have listened, just to be polite, but he couldn’t focus on much of anything at the moment. Every now and again the squirrel driving let out a cuss at another car on the street, or yelled something back to him, but he was processing absolutely none of that. Even when it got to the point where he thought he might be able to speak, he wasn’t sure whether it would be a good idea– after all, it seemed like he wanted to get to the same destination they were going to. If they realized he wasn’t who they thought, they might throw him out before he could explain. And, really, he needed to get there, if what he suspected was true.

The car eventually pulled up and parked on the street, outside a very tall building. Wakko had to look over Skippy in order to see it, but he found his eyes glued to it for a little bit; it was large, freshly painted, with fancy curtains behind the windows and a twisty railing leading up to the door. 

“What’re waitin’ for, an invitation?” Wakko jumped, realizing that the old squirrel had opened the car door, and that Skippy had already jumped out, a schoolbag slung over his shoulder. Wakko glanced between them, fear creeping back into him, and the old squirrel sighed and grabbed his arm, yanking him out and dragging him along. The door slammed shut behind him, rumbling the car a little, and Wakko flinched. 

“Seriously, what’ve we told you over and over?” the squirrel said, her voice raising. “One, you do not go outside alone! Two, you call if you wanna go out before I get to the house! Three, you do not mess with my stuff!” 

Skippy, who was walking at their side, gave Wakko a sympathetic glance. “Aunt Slappy,” he said, trying to distract her a moment, “Can you get the door?” 

Slappy tossed him a key, before turning back to Wakko as they reached the top of the stairs. “The hell were you tryin’ to do, anyway? Drive? I told you you can’t legally drive until you’re Cora’s age, and I won’t teach you until you’re at least twelve. You can’t even reach the pedals! How’re you supposed to–” 

Skippy opened the door, and Wakko blinked furiously as Slappy dragged him inside. He immediately felt out-of-place, and that fear crept into him again and blocked out Slappy’s rambles. They were standing in an impeccably clean, incredibly large room, with a thick red carpet leading to a spiraling staircase with railings painted gold. The doors all had carved handles, and the ceiling, high above them, sported a shining chandelier. A door to another room was left open, from which he could see a fancy piano, an intricate carpet, and fluttering white curtains. This was definitely not a house for street kids like him. 

From the open door came a dog– a german shepherd, who padded over, and then looked confusedly up at Slappy. 

“Buttons!” Slappy said, before lifting Wakko’s hand up, pulling him a little off the ground. “Look who decided to break outta the house! Aren’t you supposed to be in charge of keeping things in this place?” 

The dog stiffened, and then barked something at Wakko– he didn’t seem to have human communication, but Wakko could tell the bark was meant to communicate disappointment, and even though it was misplaced, he still felt himself wilt at it. 

Slappy put him back on the ground, just as the door opened again, and a little girl– maybe two or three– toddled in, giggling. She threw her arms around Wakko’s legs, hugging him, calling, “Good morning! Hello!” 

“Don’t hug her,” Slappy said, pushing her away, “She’s in trouble. Also, she smells like a dumpster. What did you do, kid? Go bathing in the junkyard?” 

“You do kinda smell.” Skippy nodded, hanging his bookbag on a bronze rack by the door. 

Buttons rolled up his nose, too, huffing, and the toddler giggled. “Sissy smell.” 

“Seriously, you know your big sister’s gonna kill you for this.” Slappy said. “She’s gonna lose her–” 

A door behind them swung open with a loud crash, causing Wakko to jump. He spun around, seeing a teenage girl stomping in, shouting, “What the heck is going on?” 

“Ah, speak of the devil and she shall wear out the door hinge.” Slappy said, waving her hand. “Your beloved lil sis here broke out of the house and tried to take my car for a joyride. I think. She’s being uncharacteristically quiet, now that I think about it.” 

“Maybe she got stunned by the sparks.” Skippy said. “Did you see those?” 

The teenager stopped in front of Wakko, bending down and putting her hand on her knees. Her black hair fell over her shoulders, and she said, in a very annoyed voice, “What were you thinking? We’ve told you so many times–” 

“She just got a lecture from Aunt Slappy, you don’t need to.” Skippy said. 

“Naw, let her.” Slappy said. 

“–are you serious right now? And what are you wearing? You look like you stole those clothes from a boy’s laundry basket he hasn’t washed in three years. Your hair’s a mess, too– and seriously, why would you do that? You can’t just go running off in New York City alone, do you know how nuts it is out there?” 

Wakko flinched, opening his mouth to try and stutter out a response, only to fail to speak again. 

“Ugh!” the girl crossed her arms, huffing. “You are in so much trouble, Dot.” 

“What’d I do this time?” came a light voice from behind them, causing everyone to startle– Wakko the most. He was frozen a moment, and then whipped around, his eyes locking onto the little girl on the staircase. 

She had her eyes closed at the moment, one hand on the railing and the other clasping an empty coffee mug with flowers painted on it. A matching flower tied her ears back, holding them above her eyes, and a short pink skirt fell against her knees. She had the same soft, dark fur as Wakko and Yakko, and the same white face, and her voice hadn’t changed one bit in the last two years. 

“If this is about the laundry room,” she said, removing her hand from the railing to gesture, “That was all on fire when I got there.” 

She opened her eyes, looking ahead in confusion at the stunned group, her eyes drifting from the teenage human to the squirrels to the dog to the blissfully ignorant toddler. Then, her eyes landed on the toon in the middle, staring at her like she had risen from the sea. 

The coffee cup fell, smashing against the floor. The teenager shrieked, jumping back, and Buttons barked, but the girl on the stairs didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she leapt forwards, tears springing to the edge of her eyes, and her voice raising to a shocked, delighted squeal. 

“Wakko!” 

The second he heard her call his name, Wakko completely forgot his situation. He broke away from the group, racing forwards and throwing his arms out, his own tears beginning to fall. 

“Dot!” 

With the force of the hug she immediately enveloped him in, Wakko lost his balance and fell, landing against the carpet. He didn’t mind at all, though, in fact didn’t even notice. He wrapped his arms around his little sister, his hands rubbing her fur and feeling her tail bounce up and down, wagging a mile a minute. He gripped her tight, sitting up a little and burying his head against her cheek, beginning to shake and cry. Dot was crying, too, saying some kind of gibberish as she tried to articulate her thoughts, eventually giving up and just hugging him back, her hands clinging to his sweater fabric. 

It was a few moments before the teenage girl said, “Um, excuse me? What the–” 

She said a word she was probably not supposed to say, as Skippy immediately covered the toddler’s ears and flinched. 

“Language, Cora.” Slappy said, before turning around and saying the exact same thing. 

Slowly, Dot pulled away, but instead of turning to them, she began speaking; at the same time, so did Wakko. 

“How did you–” 

“How did you–” 

“You got here!” 

“Of course I– how did you–” 

“Did they–” 

“Where are–” 

“This is my house!” 

“No way!” 

“Way!” 

“How long–” 

“How long have you–” 

“Are you–” 

“Can you–” 

“Hold it, hold it!” Slappy said, and suddenly Wakko was lifted by the back of his sweater again. The squirrel lifted Dot by the scruff of her neck, separating them by just a few feet. “Is someone gonna explain to me what the hell is going on here, or am I gonna have to assume there’s some weird cloning thing going on?” 

Wakko fell silent again, his eyes darting to Dot; she noticed his trepidation, and said, “Aunt Slappy, put us down! It’s my brother, Wakko!” 

“Your what?” Slappy did indeed drop them, and Wakko once again lost his balance and landed on his butt. Dot, undeterred, immediately ran over and threw her arms around him. 

“It’s Wakko! You found him!” she said, her voice rising the more excited she got. “You found him, you found him, I knew he’d be here, I knew he’d come, I knew I knew… where’s Yakko? Why’d it take you so long? How come–” 

“You’re Dot’s brother?” the teenager was suddenly all in his face, some unknown emotion flickering across her face. “I thought you’d have more fashion sense than that.” 

“Don’t be rude, Cora!” Dot said, pushing her back a bit before leaning against Wakko again. “He just got here, wait at least an hour before insulting him.” 

Cora backed up, crossing her arms and glaring down at him. Beside her, Buttons held himself stiffly, eyes on the newcomer as if prepared to attack him if need be. The toddler at Buttons’s side simply giggled and waved, not processing what was going on. 

“That’s Wakko?” Skippy said, suddenly right beside them. Wakko jumped, but Dot didn’t even seem phased. 

“Uh-huh! How’d you find him?” 

“He was in the car.” Slappy said, gawking. “We thought he was you.” 

“Oh, come on, we do not look that alike.” 

“You’re the only whatever-you-ares I’ve seen, Dot.” 

“Okay, fair. What were you doing in Slappy’s car?” 

She turned to him, her eyes sparkling, and Wakko once again found himself unable to speak for a moment. So instead, he just pulled her into a tight hug again. She didn’t question this, just clinging to him and smiling. 

“I’m so happy you’re here.” she whispered. “I waited for you and Yakko this whole time.” 

Yakko. Wakko’s eyes flashed open, and he pulled Dot away so he could meet her eyes. “Yakko! Yakko’s here!” 

“Yakko’s here?” 

“Well, not here– in the city!” 

“In the city! When did you get here?” 

“I got here a few weeks ago, he got here I think, like, as soon as we got separated–”

“How’d you get separated from him?” 

“Storm, river, long story. How long have you been here?” 

“Year and a half.”

“Then how haven’t you run into him yet?” 

“There’s seven million people in this city, Wakko, we wouldn’t just run into each other.” 

“I ran into both of you in two days!” 

“Where is he?” 

“He’s at the docks!” 

“Which docks?” 

Wakko paused, thinking hard. He hadn’t seen a name. “I– is there more than one?” 

“Yes! Big city! Real big city!” 

“He– he was on the streets with me–”

“You’ve been on the streets?” Dot gawked. “No wonder we haven’t found you! Oh gosh, you’re gonna need a bath. You’re gonna need food! Cora, where’s all the food?” 

“We’re not just giving him our food.” Cora said. 

“Yeah we are.” 

“No, we’re not.” 

“Yeah we are!” Dot turned to Wakko. “Don’t mind her, she’s been in a mood since cousin Minerva taught her the Bette Midler routine.” 

“I have not.”

“Have, too.” 

“Please do not start this.” Slappy groaned. 

Wakko looked curiously at the teenager, and Dot slapped her forehead. “Oh, duh! Uh, this is my new fam! I got adopted last birthday, isn’t that cool? This is my big sister Cora Norita, our little foster sister Mindy, guard dog Buttons, and Slappy and Skippy come over to watch us when our moms are on vacay. Slappy used to be in cartoons, isn’t that neat?” 

Wakko felt as if he was spinning. “You got adopted?” 

“Surprise!” Dot said, throwing her arms up. “I can’t wait to call the Moms– ohhh, they’ll be awake soon, I gotta do that while you get cleaned up and eat half our kitchen. You wanna eat half the kitchen?” 

“Very much, if that’s okay.” 

“Of course it’s okay!” Dot stood, lifting Wakko to his feet. “And soon as you’re ready, you tell me everything, and then we’ll find Yakko, and then it’ll be the three Warner sibs once more!” 

“Dot.” Cora said, her voice lowering. “You can’t just take in a kid off the street.” 

“He’s not a kid, he’s my brother.” Dot huffed. 

“Are you sure? Could be a faker.” 

“Trust me, nobody can fake being Wakko.” Dot beamed, and then began to drag Wakko to the stairs. “Come on, come on! I’ll show you my room!” 

Wakko didn’t hesitate; he bounced, smiling until his face lit up, and ran off with his little sister. 

Yakko tapped his foot, bounced on his tail, stood on his hands, bounced against the wall… 

“If you don’t stop moving I’m gonna kill you.” Rita said cooly, still laying atop of Runt’s back. 

They were outside the pawn shop; the rest of the day had been a total bust. Yakko hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything but the thought of Wakko, still in the car, confused and lost and alone again. 

He let out a sigh of relief as he heard the mice scamper around the corner, Pinky calling for Brain to slow down a little bit. That relief died as he turned, and spotted them sliding to a stop in front of them, without a toon behind them. 

“Where’s Wakko?” Yakko asked, kneeling down and glaring between them. 

“Nice to see you, too.” Brain groaned, rolling his eyes. 

“Where’s Wakko?” Yakko said, his voice shaking. “You didn’t get him?” 

“Well, you see, we managed to hold onto the car until it parked.” Pinky said. 

“So you know where he is?” 

“Well, no.” Pinky admitted. “Cause just as I was looking up to try and spot the street sign, the squirrel lady slammed the door and we got knocked off and fell into a drain.” 

“We were in the sewers for hours.” Brain huffed. “It was an absolutely terrible experience.” 

“Gee, that sucks.” Yakko said, his tail flaring up. “What would also be terrible is being kidnapped and held in an unknown place without your brother!” 

“Yakko, deep breath.” Rita said. 

“No!” Yakko jumped to his feet, wringing his hands. “This is my fault, I was showing off too much, I just wanted him to think I was cool, that I knew what I was doing, I… I need to go get him. I need to find him.” 

“He could be anywhere in New York City!” Rita said. 

“Then I gotta get going.” 

“Absolutely not.” Rita reached out, grabbing his tail and preventing him from walking. 

Yakko whirled on her, baring his fangs. “He needs me!” 

“He needs you to not wander into the street and get hit by a bus. We need to think.” 

“We don’t have time to think!” 

“If we don’t stop and figure out a plan, you’ll just get yourself in worse trouble! That’s what happened with Scratchy, and now he’s in there trying to pawn off useless watches!” Rita hissed. “You’re no good to your brother if you get yourself killed.” 

Yakko blinked, and then yanked his tail back, turning away from her. “I promised.” he said, his voice breaking. “I promised he’d never be alone again. And now he’s Spielberg knows where, lost and probably in trouble and I can’t do anything and it’s my fault again.” 

Rita narrowed her eyes, before jumping off of Runt and looking up at him. 

“I could’ve held tighter.” Yakko said quietly, still gripping his tail and still not facing them. “I could’ve held tighter and she never would’ve wandered off and he never would’ve fallen.” 

Rita turned to the mice, and Brain sighed and moved forwards. “Young man, what did we say about blaming yourself for situations out of your control?” 

“Not to.” Yakko said, his ears wilting slightly. 

“It does nobody any good.” Brain said. He jumped onto Yakko’s foot, tapping his leg. “So. You need to sit down, and calm yourself before you have another panic attack, and then we will solve our problem.” 

Yakko sighed, but nodded. Brain jumped off his foot, and Yakko slid to the ground, leaning up against the wall and hugging his knees. 

“Now,” Brain said, “I thought over the situation on the way over, and I don’t believe they called the police. If they found someone strange in their car and intended to turn them over, they would’ve either stayed put or driven to the police station, correct?” 

“I guess.” 

“So he must still be in that house.” 

Yakko reached up, pulling on his ears. “They must be torturing him.” 

“They are not.” Rita said. “Your imagination’s running away with you.” 

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility.” Brain shrugged. “Rich people can be cruel.” 

“Not now, mouse.” Rita said, swatting him away. “At least we have a head start on where to look. Did you get a look at the house before you fell down the drain?” 

“It was huge.” Pinky said. “There must be, like, a trillion people living there!” 

“That’s not mathematically possible, Pinky–” 

“Rich people neighborhood, I’m guessing.” Rita said. “Brain, any ideas on where to start?” 

Brain considered a moment. “Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?” 

“I think so, Brain, but replacing the mouse queen with a robot would never work.” 

“No!” Brain paused. “Actually, write that down for later. But regardless– Yakko, you said that car passes the same street every morning.” 

“Yeah…” Yakko said, wishing he’d never seen the darn thing. 

“Then tomorrow, when you are not injured from an unforeseen electrocution, and we are better prepared, we will follow that car to its destination.” 

“Tomorrow?” Yakko said, eyes widening. “We can’t– we can’t leave him in there all night!” 

“Unless you want to stay up all night patrolling the city–” 

“I might.” 

“If you don’t sleep, you’ll be a danger to yourself and to him.” Rita said. “Besides, we got Scratchy to look after. Poor guy’s in some deep crap.” 

Runt whimpered and sat next to her. “Definitely. Definitely deep crap.” 

“So’s Wakko.” 

“And what use will we be to Wakko if we get him back and immediately get murdered by the friggin mob?” Rita said. 

“Maybe Salazar will die or something.” Yakko said. “That’d be nice.” 

“I heard they’re in a gang war with the Goodfeathers.” Pinky said. 

“They are not!” Brain groaned. “And even if they were, we can’t rely on that. Yakko, you need to rest in order to regain your energy for tomorrow’s heist. We’ll make sure Rita awakens us in time to pick up the kid.” 

“What if the car goes another route, cause we messed up today? What if…” 

“Just relax.” Rita said, pressing against him. “We’ve got him, and we’ve got you.” 

Yakko sighed. “Just… please. We have to get him back.” 

“We will.” Rita said, placing her paw over his. “He’s family now. We don’t ditch family, do we?” 

“Nope.” Yakko sighed, and stared out into the distance, looking at nothing at all. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER EIGHT – We’ll Always be Good Company

Wakko probably took too long in the bath, really, but he couldn’t help it. This house had one of those rich people baths that could create bubbles, and soap that could make bigger bubbles, and so he was in there a long time just playing in said bubbles. Then he remembered he had to clean himself, got distracted by the bubbles again, actually cleaned himself, played some more, and then made his way out. When he clambered out, shook himself dry, and walked through the door into Dot’s room– she had her own bathroom, she was so lucky– he didn’t find her there, but he did find his freshly-cleaned clothes, left folded on her fluffy pink bed. He walked over, seeing a note on fancy paper stuck atop his shirt, in her normal messy handwriting. 

In the kitchen making you food. Come down when you’re ready!!! 

– Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca III

Wakko smiled to himself, before throwing on his sweater, hat and scarf– though he was a little distressed that the latter no longer smelled of his brother, instead smelling like whatever soap had been used to scrub it out. He pocketed the note and moved out the door, taking careful steps down the carpeted hall. It all felt surreal, like he wasn’t supposed to be here, like any moment he’d fall through the floor and realize it was all a mirage. There were so many fancy pictures on the walls, fancy carvings on the doors and pillars, and shining electric lights. The stairwell took a while to get down, because the spiral made him feel dizzy, and eventually he just gave up walking step by step and slid down the bannister, though he immediately felt bad about it, not knowing if that was allowed. Still, he managed to stumble to the carpeted floor; to his left was the kitchen, and even if he hadn’t seen it before, he’d’ve been able to tell with the smell wafting from it… and the loud conversation going on. 

Wakko crept over to the door, peering inside to see his sister, standing on two different stools stacked atop each other, mixing something in a large bowl on the counter. The kitchen itself looked like a hurricane had gone through it, with food scattered and spilled across the floor, the tables, and even falling from the walls. 

“Seriously, Dot, Mom’s gonna kill you.” came the voice of Cora. 

“We’ll clean it up.” Dot waved her hand, still mixing. “Or Wakko will before we can even try. He’s basically a vacuum cleaner when he’s hungry, and trust me, he will be hungry.” 

“Couldn’t you have just ordered a pizza?” 

“Nonsense. He’ll love this.” 

“It barely looks edible.” 

“Wakko eats rocks, he’ll be fine.” 

There was a sigh. “Listen, Dot–” 

“Oh no, I’m getting a big sister talk.” 

“Shut up. Listen, I know you’re excited–” 

“Absolutely ecstatic!” 

“But it’s been two years. He could’ve changed since then.” 

“Not Wakko.” 

“I’m just saying… don’t get your hopes up. He might not even want to stay.” 

“Well, I didn’t wanna stay at first, did I?” Dot asked, sliding the bowl onto the counter and jumping up next to it, sniffing the inside. “And now I get to make fun of you every day.” 

“You’re such a pain.” 

“And you love me for it!” 

“Doesn’t make you less of a pain.” 

Dot laughed, before turning her head and catching sight of Wakko in the doorway. Her eyes lit up, and she slid from the counter, racing over and grabbing his arm. “Wakko! Hey, hey, hey! See, Cora, I told you he’d wanna wear his old clothes– she wanted to get you new ones, but we’ve only got dresses in your size and I know you’re more of a sweater person.” 

Wakko glanced around the room which was, indeed, just as messy as he thought it’d be. Cora leaned against the counter, trying to avoid stepping in goop as she pulled her hair into a ponytail with a thick pink scrunchie and avoided looking at him. 

“I made you food!” Dot said, before dragging him over to the table. 

Wakko’s eyes widened with excitement as he saw a large array of dishes laid out. She sat him down, and then raced over and brought her concoction from the counter, dumping it in front of him. 

“Now, don’t eat the dishes, please, they’re hand-me-downs from Mama’s fam.” Dot sat across from him, leaning across the table. “But also, tell me everything. Where have been, where’s Yakko, how’d you end up in the car?” 

“Well.” Wakko said, carefully grabbing a loaf of bread, before eating it whole, “I wandered the country for a bit til I figured out where I was supposed to go. Yakko found me at a hot dog cart and flipped it over. He took me to a boat where his gang lives, they owe a mob boss some kinda money. I ended up in the car kinda on accident, I think.” 

Dot whoaed. “Amazing.” 

“I have follow-up questions.” Cora said from her corner, narrowing her eyes. 

“He’s not much of a talker.” Dot said. “More of a wacker.” 

“What are we gonna do about Yakko?” Wakko asked. 

“I’ve already drawn up sketches of him, we’re putting it on a poster with a picture of me.” Dot said. “So if he sees it he knows I’m the one looking for him, and not the cops. Slappy and Skippy went out to start putting em up, they’ll be back soon, I’m gonna take you to the park.” 

“You’re taking him to the park?” Cora asked, carefully creeping over to the table. 

“Yeah! He’s gotta see the city after all!” 

Wakko hesitated. “I’ve seen a bit.” 

“Not the cool stuff, I bet.” Dot said. “There’s Central Park, and the Eiffel Tower–” 

“The Empire State Building, Dot.” 

“Whatever– oh, and there’s this movie theatre Cora found that’s super cool, she was gonna take me there for my birthday to see this new movie I’m totally not supposed to see about a demon or something–” 

“It’s PG, it’s fine.” Cora groaned. “And it’ll be a little bit after your birthday, it’s releasing at the end of the month.” 

“I bet he’d love it! The trailers look like it’d have funny stuff he likes, like gross bugs and slapstick.” 

“I thought that movie was going to be our thing.” 

“Oh! But I bet we could see the Pound Puppies movie today if you wanted!” Dot said. “We’ll get popcorn and make fun of it in the back!” 

“Popcorn sounds nice.” Wakko nodded, before taking the bowl she’d been mixing and downing its contents in one gulp. Cora turned up her nose, but Dot didn’t even flinch. “But Dot– where have you been? How’d you end up here?” 

“Well!” Dot jumped on the table, clasping her hands over her chest. “It is a fascinating, heart-pounding story, are you sure you’d like to hear it?” 

Wakko nodded excitedly. 

“Can’t argue with that! So, like, when I got separated from you guys,” Dot said, sitting down and kicking her legs. “I got caught, like, immediately. Uncie was super mad but he couldn’t do a ton with the stablehands around so he just yelled at me and told me to pack my stuff and I did! They sent me to a group home, and then I got kicked out, so they sent me to another, and then I was the third– in like, three months, tops.” 

“Whoa.” 

“Yeah, it was wild. Anyway, I was a ‘problem child’ so they kept interviewing me to find out why I was super weird, and then I drove the psychologists insane and tried to run away and find you guys and they’d catch me and yell. It kept happening, and then this lady came in, she and her family happened to be vacationing near the group home and she was a really good psychologist so they asked her to come in for a day. I was gonna drive her nuts, too, but she actually gave me candy so I decided she was alright, and then I found out she lived in NYC, which is exactly where I needed to go. So I played nice for a bit, and she was like ‘Well, I’ll call the people with my notes’ or whatever, except I climbed out the window and hid in her car until it was time for her to go to the airport. Once she loaded the suitcases in, I dumped one on the side of the road and climbed inside. Then they stuck me on a plane.” 

“So you were in the luggage area on a plane?” Wakko asked, amazed. “How was it?” 

“Boring. I was gonna stay awake to jump out before they claimed their baggage, but the next thing I knew, I woke up and this dudette was screaming at the top of her lungs cause I fell outta her suitcase.” 

Cora sighed, sitting down and focusing on her nails. 

“So it turned out this Nurse lady had a wife and daughter, and she was like ‘what are you doing, you’re not supposed to be here,’ and I was like ‘Well, then I’ll just leave’ and she was like, ‘Absolutely not, you’re staying with us until I can figure out what to do with you.’ And I was a little upset because I wanted to go find you guys but I eventually told Nurse to keep an eye out for you and she totally understood, and she managed to get custody of me pretty fast actually, probably because she’s super famous and her wife is super rich from being a big shot CEO and from divorcing Cora’s dad. Anyway, I grew attached, and then for my ninth birthday they handed me the adoption papers!” 

“Whoa.” Wakko said. 

“I know! But we’ve been looking for you forever!” Dot assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You and Yakko. We weren’t sure if you made it here but I asked Skippy to drive past our old apartment on her way here every morning in case Yakko went there– we had to track down where we used to live in old records and it was super boring but we did it! And, one time I was driving with her, cause I like doing that, and we spotted this girl and her dog completely lost, and we took them home, turns out they were super neglected, and now we have Mindy and Buttons! Which made me a middle child and I don’t know how you handle it, I need more attention than I’m getting.” 

“You’re getting all the attention.” Cora said. 

“Well now Wakko will!” Dot promised, sliding onto the seat next to him and grabbing his arm. “We’re going out today– I’m gonna show you all our hangouts while we put up more posters, and we’re gonna get ice cream and popcorn and everything because I’ve waited so so so long to see you again and I can’t wait! This is the best birthday present ever!” 

“Your birthday’s not til next Sunday.” 

“Early birthday present. And we’ll find Yakko and then it’ll be the best birthday ever!” Dot then wilted slightly. “I mean, even without our moms. They’re abroad for a business trip right now and they’re, uh, not gonna make it back in time, and I was sad about that, but now I have you so it’s okay!” 

“They’re not here?” Wakko asked confusedly. 

“Don’t worry, they have Slappy watch us.” Dot said. 

“Even though I’m totally old enough to be in charge.” Cora sighed. 

“You can’t even be in charge of the pancakes, Cora.” 

“Says the girl who just destroyed the kitchen.” 

“I’m nine-almost-ten, I have an excuse.” Dot said. “You boys can have the guest room but for tonight we can have a sleepover, okay?” 

“Absolutely.” Wakko nodded. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable in my own room anyway.” 

“Well then we’ve gotta get a bunk bed! A triple bunk bed! Cora, who sells triple bunk beds?” 

“You think I know?” 

“You know all the stores.” 

“They don’t just sell bunk beds at the mall.” 

“Well, they should–” 

The door creaked open, and Buttons walked in. He took one look at the room, sighed, and then turned around and walked out. 

“Would…” Wakko asked, hesitantly glancing at the dog. “Would your foster mums be okay with that?” 

“Adoptive mums.” Dot said. “And I called them while you were in the bath, and not only did they say you could say, they were super excited and they said they’ll get the adoption process started the second they get home!” 

Wakko’s ears lifted, and his tail began to wag. Cora looked up with shock. “Seriously? They haven’t even met him!” 

“They’ve met me.” Dot said, hugging Wakko’s side. “And I vouched for him. You’ll love them, Wakk, and they’ll love you and Yakko. So– Slappy will be here any minute, so let’s get ready! We’re gonna get you some new clothes and a coat and a bookbag for school– you don’t have to go but Slappy will make me, so you can just sleep while I’m gone, or you can hang out with Cora, she has the day off!” 

Cora gave Wakko a look that communicated she would rather not hang out with him. 

“And we’ll get food on the way.” 

“He just ate half the kitchen.” 

“And he’ll eat the other half if we don’t get him some snacks.” 

They did indeed spend the day together– and, honestly, Wakko couldn’t have wished for a better day out. As Slappy chaperoned, and Skippy skipped along with them, Dot dragged Wakko first through Central Park, showing her all her favorite places, and then took him to the statues of film directors that pigeons frequented; they scattered bread crumbs on the ground for them, and then Wakko ate the bags once they were emptied. Then she took him to the mall– he’d never been to one, and it felt like an entire world all on its own. She dragged him up the escalator to different stores, where he felt the softest fabrics on beautiful clothes. 

“What’s our budget?” he asked, running his paws over a thick blue sweater. 

“We don’t got one.” Dot giggled, hugging him from behind. “Anything you want.” 

It amazed him, being able to try clothes on without anyone giving him a second look, or a suspicious glare, or a shout to get off the table, kid, you’re not supposed to stand on it. He tried on practically everything but new hats– he was quite attached to this one, thank you– and then Dot dragged him off to the mall theatre to watch a movie with her. Then they went to the food court, and then the arcade, which was a bit too loud for him, so then they drove off to the park again, where they got ice cream and sat at the edge of a fountain, listening to the water splish-splash onto the ground. 

It seemed like forever, and also no time at all, before the sky began darkening. “Alright, kiddos,” Slappy sighed, facing them, “You gotta get home– school night. Skippy needs to sleep, too, he’s got soccer in the mornin’.” 

Dot sighed, but grabbed Wakko’s hand. “Come on, let’s go home.” she said. 

Home. It already sounded right, even though the house would take some getting used to. 

They returned, and Buttons ran to greet them, and Wakko got to pet him, stroking his ears and rubbing his shoulder. Mindy ran up, then, and hugged Dot, and then him. He hugged her back, telling her he was very happy to have a new little sister, and she tried to eat his coat. “A kid after my own heart.” Wakko joked, putting a hand on his chest, as Dot burst into hysterics. 

They went back up to her room, where Wakko changed into pajamas, the first he’d had in years and ones that felt like a cloud. He bounced on her bed, laughing at the soft covers, as she jumped up beside him in her own nightgown. 

“This is the best.” Dot said. 

“You’ve mentioned.” 

She sat against the bedframe, and he ran to sit next to her, putting an arm around her. She curled up against his side, and he began to purr for her. 

“I was starting to think I’d never see you boys again.” Dot whispered, her voice getting a bit shaky. 

“We can’t leave our baby sister alone for long.” Wakko replied, ruffling her fur. “And once Yakko gets here, we’ll all be together again.” 

“Does he miss me?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“A ton.” Wakko said. “Rita– that was the cat I told you about– she says he looked for us every day.” 

“And did you miss me?” 

“More than I can say.” 

“Good. Cause I missed you a whole lot, and I’d have to hit you with a hammer if you didn’t.” Dot muttered, before yawning. “Cuddle pile?” 

“Won’t be much of a ‘pile’ without a third sib, but we can make do until we find him.” 

“Mm-hmm.”

They fell asleep then, on top of each other, curled against her fluffed pillows and beneath an open window, letting the stars sparkle down onto them. 

Chapter Text

CHAPTER NINE - Some Minor Adjustments, Darling

Dot had to go to school, or else her moms would’ve been quite upset, but she woke Wakko up to say goodbye. 

“I’ll be back around three. Don’t go anywhere.” 

“I won’t. I think I’m stuck here.” Wakko said. “What’s your bed made of? Cotton candy?” 

“I wish, Mama said that would be bad for my teeth. Buttons and Mindy are across the street in that little park, which means they’ll probably escape and come back in a little bit. Slappy will be here by ten, but she has to leave early today for Skippy’s soccer game. Cora is here if she’s not, and we’ve got a phone. Also, if you need to call the fire department, because that happens a lot, and you can’t remember our address, I took the liberty of writing it on the tag of your scarf. And all your clothes. Because I know you have no sense of direction and if you get lost I’m not waiting another two years.” 

Wakko nodded, and after Dot hugged him goodbye and left, he threw on his sweater and scarf, before crashing on the bed and falling right back to sleep. 

That rich-person car went the same way it always did. But this time, Yakko was prepared. He sat on Runt’s back with Rita, holding the mice in his pocket, and he directed the dog on where to go, humming the beat to himself as they followed that car, sometimes jumping atop other vehicles, sometimes racing along the sidewalk and catching up at stoplights. They had to stay at a distance, and switch sides of the road, so that they wouldn’t be spotted, but Yakko was used to things like this. All he could focus on was getting his brother out of there and back to their home. 

The car stopped in front of a house, and Yakko and crew waited a little bit to hear the front door slam before they went to the fence, peering over. 

“Yikes, it is a rich person house.” Rita whistled. 

“It smells nice.” Runt remarked. 

“We are not here to judge their house,” Yakko reminded them, “We are here to host a jailbreak. Brain, Pinky, is this the right place?” 

“Pretty sure.” Pinky shrugged, peeking out of his pocket. 

“I may have a plan, but we’re going to want to avoid that driver.” Brain said. “Rita said she was rather tough.” 

“A little scary, honestly.” 

“Okay, scout ahead.” Yakko said. 

He slid the mice to the ground, and they scampered off to the house. Yakko then slid down into a sitting position, leaning against the fence as Runt curled up next to him, licking his arm– his way of comforting his friend. Rita sat on his other side, flicking her tail and waiting impatiently. 

After about ten minutes, the mice came back. “Looks like the driver is on the left side of the house, watching television.” Brain reported. “If we’re quiet, we can probably get in and out before she notices.” 

“Wait. Which left?” Pinky asked. 

Brain turned and pointed. 

“Okay!” 

“Pinky you were there, you should know–” 

“What if Wakko’s in that part of the house?” Yakko interrupted.

“We probably would’ve seen him.” 

Yakko hesitated, then nodded. “Are you sure she won’t move?” 

“She looks quite relaxed.” 

“Okay. We gotta scout the place. Listen for the sounds of a little kid eating, that’s where he’ll be.” 

Yakko scampered up the fence, waited for Rita and the mice to do the same, and then they all worked together to lift Runt over, before racing to the window. It didn’t take long for him to pick the lock, swinging it open, and they slid into what seemed to be a messy kitchen. 

“Oh, Wakko was here.” Yakko nodded, glancing at the bits of food everywhere. “Either that or some ninja fight scene went down in the middle of baking dinner.” 

Rita immediately moved to the door, peering through as Runt began to lick up food from the floor. “Me-ow, check it out. These people are loaded.” 

Yakko walked to the door, sliding it open and looking out onto the shiny foyer. He whistled. “That’s bigger than the entire boat.” He shook his head. “Nope. No distractions. Come on, we gotta start looking.” 

It couldn’t be said that Cora Norita wasn’t a very extroverted person. In fact, she was quite the social butterfly. But instead of going out with her friends that day, as she’d planned, she was sitting on a bench at a park across from her house, watching Buttons and Mindy. 

She hadn’t stayed home just to babysit; the dog was a pro at keeping the toddler from dying, and usually Slappy would keep an eye on them as well. Instead, she’d stayed home to wait by the phone, until her mothers called. Unfortunately they hadn’t had the time to talk long– not that she wasn’t used to stuff like that– and they kept asking about the new kid. Was he settling in, was he alright… it was so annoying, they hadn’t even met him yet and they already wanted to talk to him instead of her. 

“Sissy!” Mindy began toddling towards her, picking up speed over the grass. She had this cute little quirk when she ran, where every few steps she would almost fall, but she’d step down harder with the next foot, righting her balance. It gave her walk a wobbly, zig-zaggy look, like she was a dizzy bug trying to make its way through a windy day. It was adorable enough that Cora had smiled a little by the time the toddler reached her. 

“Hey, Mind. What’s goin’ on?” 

Mindy giggled, and then handed her a rock. 

“Gnarly.” Cora said, and Mindy let out a series of giggles before running off again. 

Buttons walked up, then, curling up beneath her, just in front of the bench and in the dewey grass. Though he was resting, she could see his ears lifted, directed towards the little girl. 

“She’ll probably be fine,” Cora told him, scratching his head for him. “We’ve got enough interesting flowers back here to keep her entertained for a while.” 

Buttons made a sound like a snort. 

“I mean, yeah, she wanders off all the time, but there’s a fence. You think she’ll get over the fence?” 

He opened one eye to give her a look. 

“Fair.” Cora sighed, before crossing her arms and blowing a hair out of her face. “I might head back to the house for a bit– would you be okay with Mindy? You can walk her back when she gets tired?” He let out a small yip. “Thanks, bud. I know you used to do this every day, that must’ve sucked. Now you get to hang out with us. Except we keep getting more kids. Isn’t that nuts? You know, two years ago, I was, like, the only one in the house. Now I can’t get a moment of quiet.” 

Buttons sniffed a little, then sat up and laid his head on her knee. She laughed and scratched him some more.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry, I don’t, like, hate it. Honestly it’s kinda… nice. I did not like being in that big house all alone all day, it got super boring.”

It got very lonely, too, not that she’d say that out loud. 

“Then Dot rolled outta my suitcase one day. I hated her, you know that? I tried to get my moms to send her back to the group home. Mom was super close to doing it, too, she was mad that the kid had dumped our stuff out on the side of the road. But Mama made us keep her for a while and that was a great idea. Cause she made us come more together. Like a living magnet or something. She came up with the idea for movie nights with the worst thing she could find at the rental store, she’d drag the Moms out of the office to get into a foodfight, she convinced Slappy to hang out with us more and to bring Skippy along… couple weeks into her stay was when we finally started getting along, she declared we were having a sleepover and started trying to do my hair. We ended up listening to music and having a dance party and staying up all night and falling asleep on the table…” 

Buttons glanced up at her, a curious look in his eyes, trying to figure out why she was rambling. She honestly didn’t know, either. 

“And then she found you two, didn’t she? She has a way of just making everyone into her own little family.” 

Slowly, she got off the bench, kneeling down and running a hand down Buttons’s back. 

“I never thought her brothers would show up.” she said quietly. “I mean, I never thought they wouldn’t… I just never thought about it at all. I don’t like how she’s talking to him. They keep saying they’re gonna be together finally, as if we don’t count. As if she was just messing around and soon as brother number two shows up, they’ll book it out.” 

Buttons stared at her, and then licked her face. She laughed a little, rubbing his head again. 

“Okay, yeah, I’m being dumb. I’m gonna head back to the house–” she checked her watch. “–Slappy should’ve just gotten there. You bring back Mindy when she’s finished collecting rocks, yeah? And if you have to chase her down again, let us know and we’ll get you some treats.” 

Buttons wagged his tail and barked in agreement, and Cora went back to the house.

Cora entered the front door, noticing that there seemed to be some dirt on the floor. She just rolled her eyes; it was probably the dumb new kid, he didn’t seem to have any sense of cleanliness. She went up the stairs, her hand trailing on the railing, until she reached her room, leaving the door open just a tad to air out a bit. Then it was straight to her dresser. 

When she was stressed, she started going over her organization. In the dresser, the top drawer was for makeup, the middle for scrunchies and hair clips, different brushes and hair products on bottom. Dot didn’t get it; she’d often borrow something and put it back in the wrong drawer, and when Cora confronted her, she’d be like, “Your stuff’s all just shoved in there, I didn’t see a problem.” But it was more of a controlled chaos. She had a system, and everything had its place. Everything was exactly where it should be. 

Cora groaned, before grabbing a case of perfume. She tested it out, spraying it into the air, and a bit of a pink cloud came out. When it parted, she saw herself in the mirror– as well as a panting dog behind her. But this dog wasn’t Buttons; it was some kind of large, fluffy mutt, drooling on the floor.

Cora shouted, jumping to her feet and almost knocking her dresser over. The dog simply stared at her and then ran up to her, immediately sniffing her legs. 

“What the– Slappy! Slappy!” Cora yelled. “There’s some kind of… mutt in here!” 

“Well that’s not a very nice way to talk to someone.” Cora jumped again, turning to see a cat now sitting on her dresser. The cat made eye contact with her before batting her perfume bottle to the floor, letting it smash. “His name’s Runt.” 

“Slappy!” 

“Rita!” a new voice– and it took her a long second to realize it was a mouse, climbing up one of her shelves, another mouse hanging onto his tail. “She’s calling for the squirrel, make her stop.” 

“Do you think I have control over her? I don’t even know her! Also, didn’t you say the house was empty?” 

“Well, sorry we couldn’t see above the ground floor! I honestly don’t know what you expected.” 

Cora jumped to her feet, turning towards the door with the intention of going to get the squirrel herself. Instead, the dog stepped in her way, following the scent of the spilled perfume, and she found herself tripping up. The dog yelped, and she let out a screech as she tumbled to the floor. Her face hit the ground, giving her a sudden ache, and the carpet stung against her hands. She laid there for a second, before groaning and getting up. 

“Great job, Runt, you almost killed her.” the cat said. 

“Sorry.” the dog said, and suddenly he was in her face, sniffing. “You seem alright, though! Definitely, definitely alright.” 

“Get away from me!” Cora screeched, throwing herself back, barely managing to hold herself up with her hands. 

“Don’t be freaking rude.” the cat said, seemingly not caring at all what Cora did. 

The dog, in response, gave Cora a very sloppy lick across the face. She sputtered, before wiping the drool from her cheek, and shouting, “Slappy! SLAPPY!” 

“No secret entrances here.” called one of the mice, as they began sliding down the shelves and to the floor. 

“Dang.” the cat said. “Well, on to the rest of the place.” 

“What’re you even doing?” Cora said, stumbling up to her feet. “You trying to rob us? Good luck, we don’t keep our money in the house, we’re not stupid.” 

“Oh, we should rob them while we’re here.” the cat said. “That’s a great idea!” 

“She just said they didn’t have money.” said the other mouse, confusedly. 

“We could probably grab a vase or something.” the first mouse shrugged. 

“But who’s going to carry it?” 

“Oh, true,” the cat rolled her eyes, jumping to the ground, “Yak’s the only one with opposable thumbs and he’s gonna be holding–” 

“Slappy!” 

“Relax, princess.” said a new voice, one that seemed to be sitting on her bed. “We’ll leave. Soon as we find our kid.” 

“If you think I’m going to listen to some flea-ridden–” Cora stopped, realization coming to her. She spun on her heels, and looked at her bed.

The kid on the bed was not as close in appearance to Dot as Wakko had been, but there was that unmistakable resemblance. The same strange species, the same black fur and white face, his tail even flicked the same way in his annoyance as he slid off the bed, stretching his arms out. 

“Your… kid?” 

“We assume he’s still here, and honestly, he better be.” the kid said, crossing his arms. “Have you seen him? Looks like me, constantly eating, the sweetest person in the world and if you’ve hurt him you’ll have hell to pay?” 

Cora blinked. In the next few seconds, several thoughts went through her head. 

No, can’t be. 

But they look so similar. 

He wants to take Wakko. 

Why would he want to take him? Didn’t he see the posters? 

They want to steal stuff. Maybe that was the whole reason they came at all. The whole reason Wakko came. Swipe some cash and run. 

Dot was so sure… 

Dot’s naive. 

He might not have seen the posters, he might not know… 

He wants to take Wakko. 

He wants to take Wakko.  

Wakko leaves… and then Dot doesn’t.

Cora probably shouldn’t have. But she was used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it, and not thinking about the consequences, so she didn’t stop to think for much longer. 

“Ooooh, your kid.” she said, shrugging. “Uh, yeah, yeah. You must be those friends he keeps talking about.” 

“Where is he?” the kid said, raising his voice. 

Cora opened her mouth, before she heard a thump outside– footsteps on the stairs, crap. “Under the bed, now now now!” she said, before leaping across the room and shoving the toon underneath her covers. He let out a surprised squeal, as she ran and grabbed the cat, tossing her into the closet. The cat’s yowl was muffled by the clothes inside, and Cora managed to shove the dog under the bed as well just as the door swung open. 

“What the hell are you yellin’ about?” Slappy asked, rubbing her eyes, clearly having just woken up. 

Cora stuttered, glancing around the room. There were two mice in that group too, right? Where were they? 

“Cora? You alright?” 

Cora laughed nervously, and then flapped a hand. “I, uh… there was a spider.” 

Slappy sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “Cora, you gotta do something about the arachnophobia thing. They’re just trying to suck the blood outta flies, it’s a noble mission.” 

“Yeah, yeah… but I, uh, can’t see it now…” Cora glanced down, realizing she could see that dog’s tail sticking out from under the bed. With a soft push of her foot, she managed to force it out of sight. 

The squirrel paused, glancing around the room. “Did you break some of your stuff?” 

“Trying to get the spider.” 

“Well, I’m not cleaning it up.” 

“Ugh, am I supposed to do it?” 

“Yeah. That’s what happens when you mess something up.” Slappy paused, and then said, “Hey, where’s–” 

“He’s asleep. Don’t wake him up.” 

Another beat. Then Slappy smiled a little. “Gonna be real, Cora, I’m beginning to like that kid. He’s fun. Even if he did break into my car.” 

“Ha ha, yeah.” 

“Well, I’m going back to watching reruns. I’ll be right down there if you need anything. See the spider again and I’ll take it outside, yeah?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

Slappy turned, grabbing the door and closing it as she left, muttering something about how teenagers were all super weird. When the door slammed shut, that was when Cora saw the two mice, clinging to the coathook on the other side– or, more specifically, she saw them thrown off by the force of the slam and fall flat to the ground with an oof.  

Cora threw up her sheets, leaning over to see the dog and toon beneath. “Next room over, follow me.” 

Dot had left her door a little open, so Cora simply pushed it open and gestured to the bed. The toon kid immediately ran in, jumping up and beside the snoring Wakko; he had curled up atop the sheets, like a tired puppy, with his tail softly thumping against the sheets and his tongue lolling out a bit. 

“He seems alright.” the cat said carefully, jumping up beside him as well. She glanced around the room. “This doesn’t seem too bad, Yakk.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean? They kidnapped him.” 

“It sounds like they like him.” 

“They kidnapped him.” 

“He looks fine, he looks happy.” 

“No, no, he’s traumatized. Totally.” Cora said quickly, rushing to the bed. She grabbed one of Dot’s larger pillows, dumping it out and tossing the pillowcase to the kid. “Shove him in this, I’ll open the window, you can get out through the fire escape.” 

“Fire?” the dog’s ears perked up. “Where’s the fire?” 

Cora ran to the windows, tossing them open with a bang. At the noise, Wakko started, his eyes flying open. Reacting on instinct, his older brother grabbed him, shoving him into the pillow case, and then slinging it over his shoulder. 

“Go go go!” the kid said, before running for the window and leaping out. 

Cora watched the gang go, hearing Wakko’s confused, muffled shouts from just outside, and she wondered if this was a good idea. 

…yeah, it was probably fine. Dot would get over it. Right?

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TEN – See How the Best Survive

“Haha, yes! We rock at this!” Yakko shouted, excitedly leaping down the stairs to the ship’s cabin. “We nailed it!” 

Runt leapt down, wagging his tail and barking as he pranced around Yakko’s feet. Yakko giggled and then turned the pillowcase upside-down, letting Wakko fall to the floor. 

“What the– hold on– what?” Wakko cried, eyes wide. 

“What have I told you?” Brain said, scampering up atop a box and holding out his hands. “My plans always work!” 

“This was barely a plan, you got lucky.” Rita said, jumping atop a table. “Anyone manage to grab anything?” 

“What, huh–?” 

“I think I swallowed a pretty clock,” Pinky said, kicking his legs. 

“We’ll have to cut you open to get it out.” 

“That’s fair.” 

“What the– guys–” Wakko sputtered, then looked up, shaking slightly. “What’s going on?” 

“Just the rescue of the century!” Yakko laughed, spinning on his feet. “I got the window open in record time, it was so cool!” 

“Rescue? Wha–” 

“You should’ve seen us!” 

“But–” 

“We went down that fire escape like whoosh! Like it was a slide! You would’ve–” 

“I don’t understand!” Wakko shouted. 

The group just turned to him in bewilderment– except Runt, who just wagged his tail and said, “That’s alright, I don’t understand anything ever!” Pinky gave him a poit in agreement, but still kept a careful eye on the trembling child. Yakko squinted towards him, tilting his head, worry written across his face. Quietly, Rita jumped down, sitting in front of the younger Warner. “Are you okay, kid?” 

Wakko opened his mouth, and lost his words once more. He hated it, he hated when that happened. He clenched his fists, trying to say something, anything. 

After a moment, Yakko knelt down, putting a hand on his shoulder. Wakko looked up, surprised to see a fierceness in his brother’s eyes. “What’d they do to you? Who do I need to kill?” 

Wakko shook his head. 

“Come on, tell me, I can handle it. And you don’t have to worry anymore! I’m here, I’m gonna take care of you. You’re not alo–” 

Wakko’s voice suddenly returned to him, but all he could do was scream, at the top of his lungs, “Dot was there!” 

Dead silence fell over the room. 

Yakko was frozen for a moment, barely blinking, as if his mind couldn’t process this new information. Then, in a flash, he’d reached out, grabbing Wakko’s shoulders, and his face fell into an expression of horror. 

“Dot was there? What– how did– what were they doing to her?” 

“N-nothing–” 

“Why wasn’t she– I knew that rich girl wasn’t telling us something! How did– what– we gotta go back and get her out!” 

“Wh– Yakko, no!” 

“I remember the address, I think– Rita, you remember it?” 

Rita hesitated. “A cat never forgets, but–” 

“Good, good, we gotta go. I’m setting the place on fire as we leave this time.” 

“Yakko–” 

“I can’t believe she was there, we should’ve–” 

“Yakko, stop it!” Wakko reached up, tugging down his ears. “Stop it, stop it, stop it!” 

Yakko gripped his shoulders far too tightly, and the sudden motion shook him just a little, which did not help his panic at all. “Wakko, listen, where was she? We’ll go get her, you can rest here and not worry about it–” 

“She’s not a prisoner, Yakko, she lives there!” 

“Sure, yeah, okay, where? Where was she, where can we find her, we’ll get her outta there.” 

“It’s not a bad place!” Wakko said, his voice rising and breaking. “It’s… it’s nice! We’re happy there!” 

Yakko stared at him for a good long moment, and then stood up, crossing his arms. “Sure. Yeah. Of course.” 

“Yakko?” 

“I’m gonna go get her.” 

“No!” Wakko jumped up, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. 

“No? What, she too good for us now?” 

“No, no–” 

“So what’d they do to her? What’d they do to you?” 

“Nothing!” 

“It’s always something, Wakko, you can tell me, it’s okay!” 

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s all okay! You didn’t have to…” 

“Didn’t have to what? Save you?” 

“Save me?” 

The boat door banged open once again. Brain let out a surprised swear, which Pinky covered up with a “Narf!” Runt whimpered, backing up, as Scratchansniff ran down the stairs, slapping his forehead. 

“Nothing! We’ve got nothing!” 

“In the middle of something, Scratchy.” Yakko said, letting out a low growl. 

“We’re going to get ourselves killed, Yakko, if we don’t get Sykes something soon!” 

“We have a day.” 

“We have til tonight.” 

“Since when?” 

“Since Sykes said so!” Scratchansniff then turned, spotting Wakko. “And where have you been?” 

“We had to get him away from his stupid kidnappers,” Yakko hissed, “And he has the audacity to be mad at us about it!” 

“They didn’t kidnap– I mean, they kinda… it’s not like that!” 

“Then what is it like?” 

Wakko struggled to speak again, opening and closing his mouth with a fury building inside of him. Before he could recover, Scratchansniff noticed something, and reached out for his scarf. He flipped it over, looking at the messy scrawl on the tag. 

“What is this?” 

Yakko looked over, and then grabbed the scarf himself, his eyes widening. “That’s Dot’s… why’d she write that address on my scarf?”

“Is that where you were?” 

Wakko pulled the scarf back and nodded. 

Scratchansniff sighed. “Oof. Fancy neighborhood.” he moved to the recliner, flopping over. “The people who live there never have to work for anything. They probably spend more money on goodies for their pets than we do on food in a month.” 

“Technically,” Pinky said quietly, “We steal most of our food, so–” 

Wakko tried to speak again, but his voice died out, so he just kept tugging on the scarf and tried not to cry. 

“Perhaps we could return and steal something.” Brain suggested. “Though we were spotted, that could be an issue.” 

“You were spotted?” Scratchansniff said, sitting up. 

“Yeah, but we have to go back.” Yakko said. “They’ve got my sister.” 

“How is your sister there?” 

“She’s fine.” Wakko managed to choke out. Then, louder, “She’s fine! And she’s going to be looking for me!” 

“Then we go get her.” 

“We don’t have to!” 

“She’ll be looking for you?” Scratchansniff said. “Did you kidnap your brother?” 

“No! They did! Pay attention!” Yakko said. 

“They did not!” Wakko shouted. 

“Yes they did!” 

Scratchansniff stared at Wakko for a second, and then shook his head. “No, no, that’s… well, maybe… no…” 

“Ooh, those are the sounds Brain makes when he’s thinking of something wacky!” Pinky giggled. “Narf!” 

“Wacky?” Brain said, aghast. 

Wakko reached up, tugging his ears, and Yakko spun on his heel. “What, Scratchy? You gonna psychoanalyze my brother and get him to admit he’s being stupid?” 

“I’m not stupid.” Wakko said, tears springing to his eyes. 

“That’s not what I meant!” 

Scratchansniff stood, hoping to distract the siblings from each other to prevent any further yelling. “I… it’s not a very good idea.” 

“Drop it, Scratch.” Rita said. 

Scratchansniff sighed. “It’s just… if that rich family is looking for him, perhaps we could use this messy situation to our advantage.” 

Brain nodded, while everybody else just watched him in confusion. 

“I don’t get it.” Runt said. 

“Since when do you get anything?” Yakko snapped. 

“Don’t yell at him!” Rita hissed. 

“I-I’m just saying…” Scratchansniff raised his hands again, trying to stop the fight. “Perhaps they would… pay to get him back?” 

Yakko gaped for a moment, and then said, “Absolutely not.” 

“Yakko, we need money or we will die.” 

“We’re not selling my brother off to some… some wackjobs.” 

“They’re not wackjobs!” Wakko said, stomping his foot. “They’re nice people! They’d probably give you the money if you asked.” 

“Pfft, sure. Rich people giving away money.” Yakko snorted. “Good one.” 

“They would. Why won’t you listen to me?” 

“Cause you don’t know what you’re saying.” Yakko said, before turning back to Scratchansniff. “I’m down to steal from them but we can’t give Wakko back. Here’s the plan: you lure them somewhere remote, and once we’re sure they’re there, I’ll go to the house and get Dot.” 

“No!” 

“You get the cash and stall em as long as you can. Once I’ve got my sister, you all scram.” 

“Absolutely not! Her parents aren’t even– they– Slappy– I–” His words jumbled up, and then fell away. Wakko let out a scream of frustration, before turning and kicking out his foot . His foot hit a box, which immediately toppled with a loud crash. Out came scattered fabrics and discarded clothing, spilling all over the floorboards. 

“Wakko!” Rita yowled, shocked, as Runt whimpered and reached up his paws to cover his own ears. 

“Nobody is listening!” he said. “None of you! I was happy there, we could all be happy there!” 

“No, you’re not listening!” Yakko shouted back. “They’ll just let you down. I’ll be surprised if they even show up with the cash! They were perfectly fine letting us take you, after all.” 

Wakko threw up his sweater sleeve, wiping his tears. “That’s a lie.”

“Oh, that’s a lie?” Yakko’s eyes widened. “That’s a lie?” 

“Okay, I think everyone needs to calm down.” Scratchansniff said. “How about we take a break–” 

“No! No, I want to hear Wakko tell me how cool and great his new foster fam is.” Yakko stomped forwards, and Wakko jumped back as his brother suddenly towered over him, far too close into his personal space. “Tell me how much better than us they are. Or maybe just tell me what they are doing to you and Dot so I can fix it.” 

“Why do you think they did something?” 

“Cause it’s always something!” Wakko leapt back, hands flying to his ears, as Yakko’s voice rose even higher. 

“Yakko, please–” Scratchansniff reached over, trying to put a hand on his shoulder. Yakko flinched back, fear flashing in his eyes that was swiftly replaced with anger. 

“No! No! Screw it, screw it!” Yakko whipped back around to his brother. “You wanna know something? You remember that ‘super nice uncle’ who showed us pictures of mom and dad? You wanna know why he gave us up?” 

Wakko blinked, confusion settling over him. “He– he died, didn’t he?” 

“Nope! He didn’t give us up, CPS took us away after they found out inbetween those cute little scrapbook sessions he was getting drunk off his tail and kicking me into the wall for getting in his way! But you don’t remember that, cause you were a baby. I bet you don’t remember our grandparents. They tied my hands to the desk because I wouldn’t stop moving them, they screamed at you until you cried because you didn’t like to talk and they wanted you to. They gave us up because they realized Dot was just as weird as us and didn’t want to deal with that. You don’t remember that, do you?” 

Wakko stepped back. 

“Okay, Yakko,” Brain said, raising his hands from his perch, “I believe–” 

“You do remember the cousins, though? That first one was high off their mind every day, and we got taken away because they shot themselves up in the car with us in the backseat, decided we were too loud and tossed us into a dumpster outside a drive-through. Great-Aunt would punish us for being ‘cheeky’ by locking us outside at night, probably praying that a serial killer would come take care of us!” 

“Stop it.” Wakko whispered, tugging his ears again.

“I bet you remember sleeping on the deck.” Yakko said, his eyes flaring. “You don’t remember it was a punishment, do you? You just remember setting up a blanket fort and making it an adventure. That was my idea. Because I learned that if I lied, made it fun and silly instead of terrifying, you and Dot wouldn’t cry. You wanna know some more lies you got?” 

“Stop it!” 

“That next aunt? She gave us up because she got into that ‘gardening accident’? That wasn’t an accident, that was me.” 

“What?” 

“I let her hurt me as much as she wanted, but the second she turned her attention to you and Dot I made sure we would have to leave!” Yakko snapped. “Only reason she didn’t toss me to the cops is because I knew where she kept her crack and I’d’ve spilled everything. The next ‘cuz who yelled at you all the time, I tipped off his boss that he was picking customers’ pockets so that he’d lose his job and they’d take us somewhere else. The last uncle, I dealt with him as much as I could so that you and Dot wouldn’t have to! You know those nights you spent in the barn? If he came looking for you, I’d distract him and I’d push through everything because it meant that my baby sibs wouldn’t have to!”  

“Yakko–” 

“Every school we got stuck in, every case worker, every stupid neighborhood, every stupid house, it was the exact same thing!” Yakko shut his eyes and clenched his fists. “Because everybody is the same. They get what they want from you, and then they leave unless you get away first! I guess my mistake was telling you that wasn’t how it worked!”

“It’s not!” Wakko cried. 

“But I did it!” Yakko didn’t even seem to hear him anymore. “I protected you and Dot and then I lost you. I lost you because I wasn’t good enough! But it’s not like we were ever good enough for anything, were we? We’re still not good for anything!” 

“Yakko, that’s enough.” Scratchansniff said, attempting to reach for him. 

“You wanna know something?” Yakko screeched. “I spent those two years insisting you both were alive, and I made that hope so loud so that I would stop thinking, over and over, every single day, ‘I bet they’re DEAD, and it’s my FAULT!’”

At the last word, Yakko turned and threw a punch at the swinging door to the stairwell.

It shattered. 

There was a tense silence, as Yakko caught his breath, staring down at the shards of wood beneath him, scattered across the stairs. Everyone else stared after him, trying to think of what to say. 

Yakko turned to Scratchansniff, his eyes blank. “Write the ransom note and have Rita drop it off.”

“Yakko–”

“We’ll have to tell Sykes. So he knows when to expect the payout.” 

“Yakko, we clearly need to talk.” 

“For once, Scratchy? I think I’ve said enough.” Yakko then turned, pointed at Wakko, and said, “Don’t let him leave.” 

And then, without another word, he turned and raced up the stairs, leaving everyone behind in the shadows. 

Wakko backed up, sat down on the spilled box, and started to sob.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ELEVEN – One Does What One Must

Dot was practically vibrating on the bus seat. She slapped her hands against her legs, flapped them in the air, wagged her tail in circles, and still felt like she would never run out of energy. 

The bus finally stopped just outside her house, and she took off, almost forgetting her schoolbag in her haste. The other kids on the bus called a goodbye to her as she practically flew out the door, past the fence, up the stairs, and into her home. 

“Wakko!” she called, tossing her bag into a corner and running to the stairs. “Wakko! Wakko? Where you at?” 

Buttons plodded out of the living room as she tore up the stairs; she gave him a quick wave, before flying up to the second floor and throwing open her door. 

“Wakkiver! You still in here?” 

Nope; her room was empty, and a bit chilly. She groaned, running to the windows and pulling them shut. 

“I thought I told you not to open these! You in the bathroom? Wakk?” 

She checked the bathroom; no, it was unlocked and empty. She hmm ed, before racing out to the next room over. 

“Hey, Cora-Bora,” Dot said, poking her head in through the doorway, “You seen Wakko?” 

Cora didn’t look up from her dresser, where she was trying and failing to get her hair into a decent sidepony. “I think he’s still asleep.” 

“He’s not in my room…” Dot considered. “Might’ve wandered off to sleep somewhere else. That sounds like him! I’ll have Buttons track him down.” 

Cora jumped, as Dot skipped out, running for the stairs. She heard her older sister start to follow her, but didn’t slow down; she didn’t feel like she could slow down ever again, really. Her brother was back, and her other brother must be on his way, and so now everything would be absolutely perfect. 

Dot slid down the bannister, running into the living room, where Mindy was playing with building blocks. Mindy’s face lit up as she saw Dot, and Dot took a second to run over, scoop her up, and hug her. 

“Hey, Mindy-Mind! How was today?” 

“Buggy!” 

“Oh, you went chasing bugs? Yeah, that tracks.” Dot pressed their foreheads together, which made Mindy giggle. “Did you tire ol’ Buttons out? Does he need treats today?” 

Mindy waved her hands, and then reached them up and began to pull at Dot’s fur. “Softy! Softy!” 

“Am I a softie?” 

“Softy!” 

“Okay, okay. Where’s– oh, Buttons!” 

The dog had walked back into the room, and now sat, watching her. As he leaned his head to the side, watching the two of them, his ear flipped back in a very adorable fashion. 

“Buttons, can you sniff out my dumb brother? I think he probably passed out under a table somewhere.” 

Buttons let out a bark and then set off, sniffing into the air. He passed Cora on the way out, who leaned against the doorframe and shrugged. “Maybe he went out?” 

“Wakko wouldn’t just ‘go out’ without us.” Dot said, as she shifted Mindy to her side and turned towards the television; it had clearly been left on when Slappy left to pick up Skippy, and was now showing some kind of workout routine. “Whoa! Look at that girl on TV, Mindy, I think her hair is taller than you are.” 

“Maybe he got hungry and went to get a pizza, you never know.” Cora shrugged. “Why don’t we go do something while we wait up for him?” 

“Like ‘jazzercise?’” Dot rolled her eyes. “Spielberg, no. If I started doing this I think someone would be dead by the end of it. God, where is he? Mindy, have you seen my dumb brother?” 

Mindy shook her head. “Play?” 

“We’ll play later, Mind, promise. And then I’ll give you sugar.” 

“You will not.” Cora said. 

“What’s the worst that could happen?” 

“You said that the last two times you got her on a sugar high and we’re still paying off the fire department for that last one.” 

“Nothing worse than when I get up to daily. Speaking of which, don’t answer any calls from school today.” 

“Why?” 

“You don’t wanna know!” Dot said in a sing-song voice, as she bounced Mindy up and down, before slowly putting her back onto the ground and grabbing her hand. “Come on, Mindy, let’s go find your dog! He’s getting my bro.” 

“Buttons!” Mindy said excitedly. 

Cora paused again. “Um–” 

“You like Wakko, don’t you, Mindy?” 

“Wakko silly!” 

“Wakko is hilarious, yes. Did he play with you yesterday?” 

Mindy giggled and nodded. 

“Come on, then!” 

She pushed past Cora in the doorway, moving a little slower than normal so that Mindy was able to toddle along. Once she was in the foyer, though, she glanced up, and saw Buttons heading down the stairs, ears laid back. 

“What’s wrong, boy? Wakko fall down a well?” 

Buttons shook his head, and then barked a little. 

“What do you mean, ‘fire escape’?” 

Bark. 

Dot shook her head. “Wakko wouldn’t go down the fire escape. He’s been a little scared of those since the burrito incident.” 

Buttons hesitated, before barking once more. 

Dot’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, ‘other smells’?” Bark. “The whole house smells like that? I didn’t notice, but then again Wakko was always the most canine of us, I’m not as good with scent.” she sniffed the air. “Yeah, right now all I got is ‘burnt cookies.’ Did Slappy try to cook again? Nevermind.” She shook her head. “Nevermind, I… Okay, focus, Dot.” 

She slowly released Mindy, and then moved up a few stairs, reaching to put her hands on Buttons’s face. 

“Buttons, are you saying Wakko’s not in the house and there’s weird smells coming from my room?” 

Buttons whimpered. 

Dot backed down the stairs, raising a hand to her chin. “Okay. Okay. I’m sure there’s some normal explanation for this.” 

“Look, Dot,” Cora said carefully, “Maybe he just decided he didn’t like it here, and–” 

“Wakko wouldn’t do that.” Dot said with certainty. “Maybe he went to look for me at school? No, he’d’ve told someone where he was going. I told him Slappy would be here, she could’ve driven him, and if he went alone, he wouldn’t have had directions.” 

“He could’ve just gone on impulse.” 

“He might be impulsive like the rest of us Warner fam, but he’s not stupid.” Dot said. “He wouldn’t– speaking of ‘impulsive,’ Mindy! Get back here!” 

The toddler had wandered over to the door, where she was trying to pull on something. Dot raced over, kneeling beside her, and narrowed her eyes as she saw that Mindy was grabbing onto a scrap of paper, which had stuck itself inside the mail slot of the door. Dot carefully pulled Mindy away, before yanking the paper herself, tearing off a bit of the corner. She straightened it out on the floor, narrowing her eyes as she skimmed the messy writing. 

“Dear Ms Very Rich Business Lady Person.” she read aloud, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“What is that?” Cora snapped, walking over, Buttons at her heels. “Some kinda prank note?” 

Dot held out a hand to halt her, keeping Cora about an arms-length away as she continued down the letter, her frown deepening as she kept going. Mindy toddled over to Buttons, hugging his neck, oblivious to the tension everyone else felt. 

Then, carefully, Dot said, “Someone took Wakko.” 

“Wh-what?” Cora blinked. 

“Someone took Wakko.” None of them had ever heard Dot this quiet; she loved to hear herself talk, it was undeniable, so when she was using such short, simple communication, it was jarring. Even Mindy, too young to understand what was going on, looked over in concern as, beside her, Buttons stiffened. 

“No.” Cora shook her head. “No, the–”

“The letter’s addressed to our moms.” Dot said, still staring at the paper. “They’re supposed to bring cash to the kidnapper tonight, or they’re going to take him away forever.” 

“Dot, this has got to be a prank, don’t–” 

Dot shut her eyes. “What cash do we have in the house?” 

“Oh, you can not be serious.” 

Dot stood up and started to walk towards the stairs. 

“Dot!” Cora reached out, grabbing her arm. “We’ll wait til Slappy gets home–” 

“I’m not waiting.” 

“Dot!” 

“I’m not waiting for them again, not when I know someone’s trying to hurt us. I’m not going to be useless.”

“Dot–” 

“I’m getting as much cash as I can find in the house, and the biggest mallet I can find for if I have the opportunity to take them out without hurting Wakko. It’s a long walk, we should leave before the hour’s up.” 

“Dot.” 

“You don’t have to come.” Dot said, before pulling her arm away, and Cora was surprised to hear a growl in her voice. “But I’m getting my brother back.” 

She raced up the stairs, not wanting to waste a single second. She could hear Cora start to follow, but Dot was faster– a perk of being a toon was being able to pick up speed much quicker than her human sister. In a flash, she was in her room, slamming and locking the door, shoving open her drawers, gathering whatever allowance she could find, any loose change or spare dollar bills. 

As she shut her drawer, and heard Cora pounding on the door, she got a glimpse out of her windows; clouds had begun to gather, covering up the sun. Dark and gray clouds, making it look like night was beginning early. It would storm, then. Of course it would. It stormed the last time she lost her brother, she supposed it must be a tradition now. 

She hadn’t meant to let go of her brothers. But her hand slipped away as she struggled to run, her tiny legs not able to get as far as theirs. And then she was lost in the woods, crying and alone, until one of the farmhands found her. They were nice enough to pick her up and hold her, but not nice enough to not bring her back. She’d been so afraid her uncle would hurt her, and that was when she realized, as voices rose, yelling at her and each other, that her brothers couldn’t protect her now, and she’d have to protect herself more than she ever had before. And she had, all the way until she climbed into that suitcase. 

She’d once been afraid of these people who’d become her family. She’d been afraid every time Mom raised her voice– she liked to shout, liked to be loud. But after a while she did notice how nervous Dot got when that happened, and quieted down. She’d been afraid whenever she heard Mama arguing in a hushed voice on the phone, terrified that she was losing a battle with CPS and they’d come to drag her away. But she’d won custody, and she promised, over and over, they’d do everything they could to get her brothers back to her, too. She’d been afraid that she’d have to put up with a bratty teenager forever, but now her and Cora did everything together. She’d been afraid of Slappy when she first met her, but now they were thick as thieves, and she got to hang out with Skippy all the time. She’d found herself a home, and when she’d spotted Mindy and Buttons wandering the streets, she’d given it to them, too, and that just meant her family grew all the more. It was strange, really, finding a family on accident after spending a whole lifetime losing hope that any would want her. But it was nice. What wasn’t nice was every night when she curled against her pillow and remembered her brothers were still out there and they weren’t as lucky as she had been.

The feeling she got last year, on her ninth birthday, when they told her they had one more present for her, and passed her a pile of papers, and she looked at the top to read Certificate of Adoption… that was a feeling she never felt, and later realized was the feeling of coming home. And all she wanted now was for her brothers to feel that way, too. 

They would. She would make sure of it. They were all going to be safe and happy, no matter what it took. 

Dot Warner had made up her mind. And when she did that, there was no going back.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWELVE – Now You’re On Your Own

Wakko hadn’t said a word since the fight. He was starting to think that he’d never speak again, but honestly, with how bad he was at saying anything, that might be just as well. 

He’d said nothing while Rita and Runt laid against him, trying to calm him down, while discussing Yakko in low voices with the other members of the team. He’d said nothing when they decided this was their only option, when Rita ran out the ransom note, and when Yakko had finally come down the stairs, arms crossed and eyes anywhere but on his brother in the corner. God, he’d said nothing at all, and honestly, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever said anything of worth in his entire life.

Scratchansniff had nervously told him he had to go see Sykes, tell him what was going on. And then, that he’d have to bring Wakko. Yakko had stiffened, as the doctor quickly explained that there was no other way the gang boss would believe him unless he had the evidence right there. Yakko had finally spoken then. 

“Then I’m coming, too.” 

But even on the way over, with Scratchansniff nervously steering his scooter along the broken boards of the docks, making his way to a dark, shadowed part of the city, Yakko said nothing to Wakko, acted like he couldn’t see him. Wakko, for his part, sat across from him in the cart, hugging his knees and running over the day in his head. This had to be his fault somehow. If he hadn’t been so bad at speaking, if he’d said the right things to his brother to keep him from freaking out, maybe everything would have been alright. 

For a brief moment, after Yakko had said all of that… he didn’t want to believe him. But it fit, like the world’s ugliest puzzle piece. Why they spent those cold nights in the blanket fort instead of going inside. Why Yakko didn’t seem concerned at all at the hospital, waiting for news on their aunt. Why he didn’t talk about their other relatives at all, avoiding any questions by changing the subject. His constant smiles and stories, cracking jokes and talking about better times– he wasn’t just distracting them. But what was Wakko supposed to say to all of that? What was he supposed to say to anything? 

The scooter stopped, and Wakko flinched, glancing behind them at the looming building that cast its flickering shadow over them. It was big, much bigger than the boat, maybe as big as Dot’s house, but it was nowhere near as pleasant, nor was it obviously falling apart like the boat, either. That was somehow worse, the fact that when you squinted you could tell it was bad, but not at first glance. Like it was hiding its rottenness until you got close enough to see the chipping boards, the flutters of police tape still caught in windows, the cracks in the glass windows. 

He realized that Scratchansniff was talking, and he turned, wondering if they were supposed to be doing something. No, Scratchansniff was just practicing some kind of speech on Yakko, who stood beside him, flicking his ears. 

“–zis is an airtight plan. Sweet and simple. We ransom the kiddie, and you get paid in full tomorrow. Final offer: take it or leave it.” 

“Nice.” Yakko said quietly. “We probably won’t get killed with that.” 

Scratchansniff sighed, and then moved back to the wagon. Slowly, he lifted Wakko out of the cart, placing him on the ground; the boy blinked up at him, hugging himself and sticking out his tongue. 

“Okay, Wakko, listen carefully.” Scratchansniff said. “Absolutely none of that monkey stuff you and your brother get up to, under no circumstances. Salazar Sykes is a very dangerous man. Do not look him in the eye, do not touch anything, do not be sarcastic, do not use any ‘teenage slang…’ in fact, it would be best if you kept silent, ja?” 

Wakko nodded. 

“Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise.” Scratchansniff said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Not while we’re here. Once this is all over…” Yakko huffed. “Well… we’ll think of something to make us all happy.” 

Wakko nodded again. 

“Just… stay close to your brother.” 

Scratchansniff went up to the door, then stepped back and looking up into a white camera that seemed to be pointed directly at them. He reached under it, pressing a small button. As he did, Yakko moved up beside Wakko, their shoulders almost brushing. Wakko stole a glance, but Yakko still wasn’t looking at him. 

There was a buzz, loud enough that Wakko reached up to pull down his ears. “Who is it?” came a garbled voice. 

“Oh! Oh, if you are busy, we can come back later, ya–” 

“Oh, it’s you. Don’t be ridiculous. Just push the door.” 

There was a click, and after a second, Scratchansniff reached forwards, attempting to pull open up the door. 

“I said push!” 

The doctor jumped, before releasing the handle he had been pulling and leaning on the door to swing it open. As he did, Yakko reached out, grabbing Wakko’s arm and yanking him along, staying close behind Scratchansniff. Wakko flinched at how tight his brother held him, and pretended not to notice that Yakko had dragged him just a bit closer to himself. 

They stepped inside a dark hallway, with several intimidating doors on both walls. Then, after a second, Wakko flinched and instinctively backed closer to Yakko as they heard that familiar click of nails against the floor, and the hounds approached. Wakko recognized the one he had bitten, and the dog seemed to recognize him too, lifting his lip in order to bare his fangs better. Yakko gripped tighter. After a moment, the hounds turned, gesturing with their heads, and the small group followed them. 

They had to go up a few stairs, pass a few halls of flickering lights and long shadows, but eventually they reached a door that the lead hound, Roscoe, pushed open with his head. There was a sudden yip behind them, and Wakko almost leapt into the air, as he glanced back and saw that DeSoto had moved behind them, and was now walking forwards, a glimmer in his eyes that informed them well enough that if they didn’t move, he’d move right on through them. 

There was a low voice coming from inside the room, but Wakko could tell from the tone he wasn’t talking to them– no, he was likely on the phone with someone. So as they entered, he glanced up and around and anywhere except where the sound was coming from; the room was very tall, with rafters zig-zagging over them as if they were underneath a pile of sticks. Exposed pipes, rusting with age, were the only decorations on the barren white wall. Every now and again there was a table, holding books, or model ships or cars, or stacks of paper that seemed ready to fall. The door shut behind them, and out of the corner of his eye, Wakko could see two hounds sit on either side of it, like gargoyles on a dark steeple. 

Finally, Wakko looked ahead, and got a glimpse of the man on the phone. The swinging light from above didn’t provide ample opportunity for him to see much more than how tall he was even as he sat behind a desk, in what seemed to be a very velvety chair, incredibly out-of-place for the area, speaking into a corded receiver. The difficult look at him was further complicated by the fact that he was backlit by a wall of rising televisions. Wakko squinted, and was able to make out that the screens all showed those same winding hallways and stairwells they had just taken. It looked like the whole place was under complete surveillance. 

“And then what?” Wakko could finally hear the man’s voice, but it immediately made him shake and edge closer to Yakko. “What’s the last thing you always do? You cement the shoes. Is this your first day on the job? Yes. Yes, that’s right.” 

Wakko’s fur stiffened as one of the dogs let out a growl, likely just to remind them that they were there. 

“Just get it done, we don’t have all night.” 

Wakko jumped again as there was a slam of the phone returning to its place. Up ahead of him, Scratchansniff tried and failed to stand a little straighter, look a little taller. 

“So. Otto.” came that voice. Wakko squinted again, trying to look at him. “Did we bring some long-awaited gift to make me happy?” 

“Sykes!” Scratchansniff said, with his voice about three pitches higher than normal. He cleared his throat, and then said, “We have an airtight kiddie– plan. Plan. It’s simple! Ya, the plan, sweet and simple.” 

There was a creak as the man leaned back in his chair, further away from view. Yakko suddenly seemed to stop breathing as his whole body tensed up; his hand began to slowly slip from Wakko’s arm, moving behind him instead as the growls got louder. 

“Oh, I– let us take this from the top, ya?” 

“Otto, Otto, Otto.” the man sighed. “If you don’t have the money–” 

The snap of his fingers was deafening, but not as much as what happened next. Before Wakko could even figure out what was going on, Yakko had pushed him with such a force he found himself almost running into the wall. The loud, guttural barks began then, and Wakko spun around just in time to see Roscoe make a dive for Scratchansniff, only to be knocked aside when Yakko jumped him from the left, pushing him to the ground and slamming his head into the floor. DeSoto leapt, then, knocking Yakko off of the other hound, only for Yakko to slam his hands on the ground and kick upwards, sending the dog flying. He cartwheeled back up, only for Roscoe to come at him from behind, immediately biting down on his arm. Yakko cried, before slamming his arm back and into a wall, dazing the dog enough that he could run a few feet, before ducking away from DeSoto’s snapping jaws. 

The room was full of noise, each louder than the last. Scratchansniff shouting, trying to explain, to stop the attack. The hounds barking, growling, spitting, yowling. Yakko shouting, hissing, falling… then there was the flicker of those televisions, the ticking of some clock or another, the squeak of the chair, the rise and fall of Wakko’s own terrified breaths… 

Too much was happening. Too much was happening. Wakko reached up, yanking down his ears and whimpering, stepping back, eyes locked on Yakko, as both dogs came at him at once. Yakko jumped, stepping back, but Roscoe caught up, biting onto his leg, fangs piercing through the faded fabric of the slacks; as Yakko spun on him, DeSoto bit down on his tail. 

The tears against Wakko’s eyes suddenly felt very, very hot. His throat ached, and his ears were about to burst, and all of his thoughts were pounding in his head like thunder, like horrible thunder, like a horrible storm that would drag him under. 

No. 

Wakko shut his eyes, trying not to hear his brother scream. And then he took a step forward.

No!

Yakko screamed again, and his steps picked up speed. 

You’re not getting swept away again. 

Wakko’s eyes flew open, and his hands left his ears, letting them bounce back upwards, and he took a running leap, landing atop the man’s desk, his foot kicking aside pencils and papers. He threw out his arms, as if shielding the fight from this man would make it stop. And then, unbelievably, remarkably, he spoke. 

“I’ve got the money! My sister’s paying it tonight! They’re ransoming me, and they can’t do that if they’re dead, so make your dogs stop it!” 

There was a beat, where Wakko felt himself become the center of attention. Then there was another loud snap, and the fight ended. Wakko glanced back, his heart sinking. The dogs circled, eyes locked on their prey, ready to attack again if need be. In their center, Scratchansniff was kneeling on the ground, holding up a limp Yakko. The toon’s eyes were shut, fists clenched, hissing slightly, before a low whimper emerged from his throat. 

Wakko suddenly felt a hand on him, and turned, and saw Salazar Sykes for the first time. The man was very tall, and his face looked like one of those stone statues you avoid on your way home at night. His hand moved from Wakko’s shoulder to his face, and it was cold, the coldest thing in the room by far. Wakko flinched at the touch, and then stiffened, trying not to look scared. He could still hear Yakko’s whines, Scracthansniff’s heavy breathing, the dog’s unspoken threats. He had to be brave now, because he was the only thing keeping his brother and friend alive. 

“Well, well, well.” Salazar said, and Wakko bit his lip to keep from shouting as the man lifted his hat, and, with a bored swing, threw it across the room. It must have skidded beside Yakko, because Wakko could hear him cry, and then try to move, only to fall against the wood. 

If Salazar noticed, he did not react. Instead, he put his other hand on Wakko’s shoulder, while the first ran through the fur on his head. His eyes were cold, yet analytical, as if he were inspecting a car, searching for the smallest dents so that he could have a reason not to buy it. 

“Look at that, Otto. You’re starting to think big.” 

He lifted Wakko’s chin. 

“But onto you. What are you, exactly?” 

Wakko remembered Scratchansniff saying not to make eye contact. It was not something he usually did. He did it anyway. 

“I’m Wakko Warner.”

“That’s a Warner.” Salazar said, taking a minute to point towards Yakko. 

Wakko didn’t look. “I know.” 

“So how are you rich if he’s not?” 

“We found a rich sister. She’s going to pay to get me back.” 

“And who is this… sister?” 

Wakko paused. “If I told you, you’d have no use for them.” 

Wakko discovered, then, that Salazar did not have a nice laugh. “You’re perceptive, kid. How about this. You tell me who is giving you this mystery cash, and I won’t ask where the pickup spot is? Surely I wouldn’t be able to figure that out on my own.” 

“You could call them and tell them to reschedule.” Wakko said. 

“And risk someone recognizing the voice? Or the police picking up?” Wakko kept glaring. “How about this?” Salazar let go of him for a second to reach beneath the desk, and then tossed two dog treats into the air. With a snap, snap, Roscoe and DeSoto both caught them mid-air, and Wakko glanced back to see them both turn to leave. Heads high, they stalked out of the room. 

“There. No threat.” 

“Why do you want to know so badly, then?” 

“I want to know that my payday is coming, and this isn’t some elaborate lie. I’ve been waiting quite a long time, you see, and I don’t want to have to wait longer.” 

Wakko eyed the man; his clothes were just as fancy and expensive as the chair he sat on. For a moment, he wondered how a man like that could live here, before he realized that of course this man didn’t live here, this was just his “office.” The way he dressed and spoke and held himself, it was clear that he thought he was very important, and quite untouchable. Putting himself in a run-down office was a facade, just like the building had been from a distance. The odd lighting, the strange hideout; this lie kept people from knowing exactly who he was and what he could do, sowing confusion, disorientation, fear. It made him less of a man and more of a dark, demonic shadow. Well. Wakko had some practice being a shadow, faking his way through the streets. And he knew how it felt. He almost felt sorry for this man, but the whimpers of his brother prevented that. 

“How about this?” Wakko said, and he lifted his scarf, turning it so that the tag was visible. “I’ve got a return address.” 

Salazar gripped the scarf in his rough hand, and Wakko tried not to notice how he pulled it, shifting Wakko forwards just a little bit, and just slightly tightening its hold on his neck. 

“Fancy place, isn’t it?” he hissed. 

Silence for another moment. Then the hand released the scarf, and Wakko flicked out his tail, using it to regain his balance. 

“Well, well, well. This has been quite an interesting day, hasn’t it?” Salazar said. He sat down, then, and folded his hands together. “Otto!” Wakko jumped, before turning back; Scratchansniff, still holding Yakko, looked up, an unreadable look on his face. “You have twelve hours. Get these toons out of my sight.” 

Scratchansniff took a shaky breath, and then stood, keeping a tight hold on a curled-up Yakko. He held out his free hand, and Wakko jumped from the desk, slowly walking over. 

He looked up, and saw that Yakko clutched his hat so tightly it might as well have been a part of him. 

He reached up, took Scratchansniff’s hand, and walked out. 

As soon as they got out of the building, and the door slammed shut behind them, Scratchansniff raced over to the scooter. He ducked behind it, as if it could protect him from what was inside that building, and laid Yakko on the ground. “Alright, Yakko, what hurts?” 

Wakko stood over them, looking down carefully. After a moment, he glanced up at the sky; it had darkened earlier than he thought, and his quick look confirmed his suspicion– stormclouds had gathered up above them. It was going to rain again. 

“It’s not that bad.” Yakko hissed, pushing himself into a sitting position. He reached up, rubbing his arm. “They barely got me.” 

“You’re bleeding.” 

“Only a little, I’ve had worse. It’s the…” 

He trailed off, but Wakko could read it in his eyes. It was more of the fear holding him still than the pain. He’d been dreading this event, and it not only happened, but happened while his little brother was in the room. 

Slowly, Yakko turned his eyes to Wakko. They were round, damp with tears, and full of several different emotions, rolling over each other like pounding waves. 

He took a breath, and then held out the hat. Wakko looked from it to his brother, and then took a step forward. Yakko kept his hand extended. He reached out and took the hat, letting their hands rest together a second before replacing the cap on his head. 

“Are you okay?” Yakko asked. 

Wakko blinked, and then, in response, dropped to the ground, hugging himself as he began to shake uncontrollably. Yakko reached out and caught him, just as the trembling became too much, and he couldn’t even keep himself upright. Without a word, Yakko pulled him into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms as tight as they would go and clutching onto his brother’s sweater. In turn, Wakko held him just as tight. Then, after a moment, Scratchansniff was there, too, sitting beside them and pulling them into a hug that kept them both from falling. They were silent a moment, just letting everything sink in.

Then, slowly, Scratchansniff said, “I’m so sorry. Zis should not be happening to you. You boys are so very brave. I hope you know zat.” 

Wakko took a breath, and then said, “We’ve still got to be brave. Let’s get him away from us for good.” 

Scratchansniff nodded, before pulling away. “Okay. Okay, we’ll go to ze meeting point. Wakko, you will need to hide until–” 

“They’ll listen to me, you don’t need to–” 

“We can’t risk being watched. Wait for my signal.” 

“Dot will be so scared. Just let me–” 

“Do you think she’ll come herself?” Yakko quietly said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Wakko, she’s impulsive, but she’s not that stupid.” 

“We’re totally not lost,” Dot said, “But we’re also totally lost.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – Even When I Cross That Line

Dot, her sisters, and Buttons had left just as the clouds began to gather, but already they’d been wandering for hours while attempting to follow the vague and confusing directions on the back of the letter. Dot held the paper, glaring down at it and turning it sideways, as if that might help, while, hooked around her wrist, was a leash and harness, which she’d attached to Mindy, who was currently fascinated by a crack in the sidewalk. On her left side was Buttons, sniffing the area and whimpering as he tried to catch a scent of something, and on the other, Cora, arms on her knees, bending over with exhaustion.

“This is just wonderful.” she muttered. 

“Ugh.” Dot said, staring at the map again, and then yanking on Mindy’s leash. “No, no, no wandering, Mindy, stay close. ‘Turn left when you get to the… big propeller?’ Yikes, you know you’re bad at this when a toon can’t figure out your nonsense.” 

“Can’t we just go home?” Cora groaned. “Let’s get Slappy.” 

“Good luck finding our way back. I’m not even sure where we are right now!” Dot said, before turning and spreading her arms. “Look around, Cora! We’re on ‘confusing street’, right on the corner of ‘screw you’ and ‘hope you die’!” 

“So we agree it’s creepy?” 

“Honestly, less creepy than some of the places I used to live.” Dot shrugged, before turning back to the map and yanking Mindy back to prevent her from chasing a mosquito. “I ever tell you about that last cousin? No, second-to-last. Lived in this–” 

“Dot, please, let’s just retrace our footsteps and head back.” 

“Cora, we’re not giving up now.” Dot said, squinting at the paper. “Wakko could be nearby.” 

“He could be anywhere in the city! Hell, anywhere on the planet! We should’ve just called the cops.” 

“And risked them hurting Wakko? Never.” Dot shook her head. “Besides, he’s terrified of cops. For good reason, honestly. He’d never willingly go with them even if they said they were with us.” 

“Dot, I’m being serious–” 

“So am I.” 

“I know you get, like, really obsessive–” 

“Obsessive?” Dot whirled around again. “My brother’s been kidnapped, Cora!” 

“And we don’t even have the ransom!” 

“I brought money.” 

“You practically brought your piggy bank, Dot, that’s not gonna cover it!” 

“Well, maybe it will! And if not, I bring out the hammer.” 

“How do you know they won’t kill you?” 

“You know how hard it is to kill a toon?” 

“It’s easy, you just have to make it not funny.” 

“Oh, look who’s an expert on toon logic now!” 

“You can’t just ignore reality, Dot.” 

“I’ve been doing it a while, actually, it’s pretty fun.” 

Buttons whimpered, putting his paws over his ears for a moment; he never liked arguments. Mindy, oblivious to her sisters’ bickering, toddled over to hug him. 

“Dot, look at where we are right now. We’re lost in the dark alleys of New York City, where nothing’s been cleaned in at least a decade, we’re about to get caught in a storm, and we’re actively looking for people who decided to kidnap and ransom a child for kicks.” 

“So we can hit them with a hammer.” 

“You are not going to be able to hit them with a hammer!” 

“Have you seen my hammer? It’s very big, very heavy, and I am very good with it.” 

“You’re not listening to me!” 

“You’re not listening to me!” 

“Seriously, Dot, he probably won’t even come back, him and his stupid friends just want the cash. They’re not–” 

Dot dropped the map, her eyes blank. “What did you say?” 

“I said–” 

“His stupid friends? What do you mean, his stupid friends?”

Cora shut her mouth, but it was a bit late for that. 

Dot stepped backwards. “You… saw the people who grabbed him?” 

“Dot–” 

Dot knew that voice, that panic at being found out. “You sold him out, didn’t you?” 

“Dot–” 

Dot shook her head, and then yanked on Mindy’s leash, pulling the toddler right back to her. Buttons looked up, confused and concerned. 

“Dot, just hold on a second–” 

“You sold him out. That’s why nobody noticed he was gone, you covered it up, didn’t you?” 

Cora stared at her for a long while. Then, she said, “Listen–” 

“Oh-ho-ho,” Dot crossed her arms and, to Cora’s shock, bared her fangs. “I am listening.” 

Cora stepped back, and then stuttered out, “I– look, they showed up and said they wanted him back–” 

“Cora!” 

“They just said they were picking him up!” 

“They kidnapped him!” 

“So did we, in their opinion.” Cora said, before narrowing her eyes and stamping her foot. “In fact, they were gonna steal our crap while they were there. I bet you that was the whole plan– get Wakko in, swipe our stuff, and make some quick cash.” 

“Wakko would never do that.” 

“You haven’t seen him in two years, how do you know–” 

Dot flared up her tail, her animal instincts telling her to pounce and attack. How do you know? Cora hadn’t been there when they were kids. She wasn’t there when Wakko would wake her from a nightmare by pressing up against her, just silently cuddling with her until she calmed down. When they would hide in a closet, inventing clapping games to ignore the yelling outside. When a guardian would deny Dot food for being “troublesome,” and Wakko would smuggle her some of his. It had probably been all of his, she was now old enough to understand. Yakko had done that, too. Both of them had taken care of her in ways she didn’t know about until they were gone. She wasn’t taking that for granted again. 

“You know what I think?” Dot spat, ignoring Buttons’s cry of surprise. “I think you don’t even believe what you’re saying. I think you’re just pretending you do, maybe even to yourself, because you can’t admit that you were upset I spent time with someone else.” 

Cora gaped, and then shouted, “Absolutely not! I’m not–” 

“What did you think? That I’d ditch you for–” 

“Yes!” Cora snapped, and Dot jumped. “Yes, I did! You were all talking about how it would just be the three of you again, like– like I didn’t even matter!” 

“Of course you matter, you mall-maggot!” Dot began to scream. “You’re my sister! But I haven’t seen my brothers in two years, I was terrified that– I’m still terrified that after all we went through, they’re hurting or dying and I can do nothing about it just like I couldn’t do anything when we were in the foster system!” Tears sprang to her eyes. “Of course I want them back! That doesn’t mean I’m gonna forget everyone else!” 

“It sure seemed like it!” 

“Do you know what happens to kids on the streets, Cora? Do you know what could have happened to Wakko, what could be happening to him right now? To Yakko?” 

“Yakko–” 

“He’s not some… some toy of mine you don’t like!” Dot’s voice rose to a shriek. “He’s my brother! And you…” 

Dot stepped back, feeling tears stream down her face. She glanced from Cora to Buttons, and then reached over, picking up Mindy and holding her at her side. 

“You’re a horrible sister!” 

Cora’s face fell, but before she could say anything, Dot spun on her heel and took off running. 

“Dot! Wait!” 

Cora started to race after her, only to collide with Buttons, who had just tried to do the same thing. She fell to the ground, striking her hands against the pavement, a sting jumping to her fingers and knees. Buttons yowled, struggling to roll out from under the teenager’s feet. By the time Cora managed to pull herself away enough to look up, Dot was gone. 

“No, no, no…” Cora muttered, her own tears beginning to fall. She scrambled up to her feet, hearing Buttons cry as he realized the same thing she had. “No, no, no.” 

She was so stupid, she was so stupid… 

“We have to find them.” Cora said, before turning to Buttons. “Sniff her out, we can’t leave them alone!” 

Buttons nodded, sniffed the air, and then took off running. Cora raced after him, ignoring her still aching knees, her heavy legs that screamed from the exhaustion of the day’s walk. 

She was so stupid. How could she be so, so stupid? 

The way Buttons was running, it seemed that though Dot had moved fast, she didn’t know where she was going at all. They zig-zagged through alleys, leaping over small fences, sometimes backtracking or racing across an empty, littered street. Every second they ran, Cora’s heart sank farther into her chest. 

Buttons eventually slid to a stop, lifting his nose and trying to catch the scent. 

“What is it?” 

Buttons barked. 

“Ugh! I can’t understand you like Dot does…” Cora wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I… what is it? Can I guess? Is she hurt?” Head shake. “Did she and Mindy split up?” Head shake. “Too many smells?” Nod. “Too… oh, okay, okay… okay, maybe we should… maybe we should…” 

Cora turned, trying to decipher what would be the best course of action. Stay there and hope Dot came back? Head in one direction and see if Buttons could catch a scent from there? Find a phone and call Slappy? Cora didn’t have any coins for a payphone even if they were able to spot one. They wouldn’t be able to pay a taxi, and they didn’t even have a map anymore. They were lost, and separated from the two sisters she was supposed to protect. She was supposed to be the older sibling and she’d failed miserably. 

“God, Buttons…” Cora said, before turning and kneeling onto the pavement, throwing her arms around the dog and burying her face in his fur. “Buttons, I screwed up so bad…” 

“You’re telling me.” 

It took Cora a second to place the voice she heard, firstly because her heart leapt out of her chest and she almost fell while getting back to her feet, and then secondly cause she’d only heard it once. Buttons jumped in front of her, raising his hackles and growling, but the one who’d spoken didn’t look perturbed at all. 

Sitting on a trash can was the boy she’d seen just that morning, the boy who could only be Yakko Warner. 

“So.” the boy said, and his voice suddenly sounded very, very cold. “Why didn’t you tell me you had my sister, too?” 

Cora gaped. “Have her? She lives with us–” 

“Sure, sure, sure. But what were you doing to her?” 

“Doing to her? What do you think we are?” 

Yakko slid from the can, crossing his arms as he landed on the ground. “Listen, I am not in the mood right now for games.” 

“Neither am I.” Cora said, her temper flaring. “Some brother you are. You didn’t say you were gonna ransom your own brother back to us.” 

“You don’t get to say anything about Wakko! Nobody does, not after–” 

“I don’t need to talk to you, I need to go find my sisters.” 

Yakko froze, and then snapped, “She’s my sister!” 

And before Cora could respond, they both heard the last thing they wanted to hear at that point. 

They heard Dot scream. 

Unbeknownst to Cora, Dot wasn’t far away. She’d collapsed against a wall, hugging Mindy to her chest and trying to stop wailing. Mindy looked up, and slowly wiped tears from her face. 

“Sissy sad?” 

Dot shook her head. “No, I… I’m mad.” 

“Mad?” 

Dot wasn’t sure Mindy knew what anger was. The thought cheered her slightly. “And scared.” Mindy probably didn’t know fear either. “I… I just… gosh, we need to find our way out of here…” 

She already regretted snapping at Cora, even if she was still fuming with rage. She knew Cora had done something awful, but also that her sister wasn’t one to think things through. She might not forgive her, especially not so soon, but they’d move past it so long as they got her brother back. They just needed to go get her brother back. 

She stood up, lifting Mindy along with her and keeping her held at her side. Mindy leaned her head on her shoulder, and then pointed ahead. “Mr Man?” 

Yes, now that Dot squinted, she could see someone standing over there. “Oh, thank Spielberg.” she muttered. “We can ask directions. What could go wrong?” 

Wakko wasn’t sure how to feel anymore. 

They’d met up with the rest of the gang at the designated meeting area. Upon seeing his trembling and Yakko’s stony expression, they seemed to instantly know something had gone down, and before they could say anything, they were seated atop a cardboard box the next alley over, with Rita on Yakko’s lap and purring against him while Runt cuddled against Wakko to warm him up. They didn’t ask what happened, they just let the kids rest for a moment. 

Scratchansniff came over eventually, and then told them that they should be meeting with the family soon. He would handle everything, he said, they just had to keep to the shadows. 

“Let me go, too.” Wakko pleaded, looking up at him. “I promise, they’ll listen to me.” 

“Wakko, Wakko, Wakko.” Yakko slid off the box, and then put his hands on Wakko’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “We trust you, we do. But we don’t trust them.” 

“I do.” 

“Just wait back here. We can talk about…” Yakko shut his eyes. “We can talk about what we do after we pay off Sykes.” 

Wakko whimpered a little, but nodded as Runt pressed up against him. 

Scratchansniff went out, and Wakko stayed. After a minute, Yakko told them he was going out to go scout, and to make sure Wakko did not leave under any circumstances. Part of Wakko wanted to argue, wanted to point out that surely he’d proven himself capable today. But he could hear the fear tinging his brother’s voice, see the way his eyes darted around so that they wouldn’t have to focus on him, and he stayed quiet. For now. 

They had to wait for a long while. Rita and Runt stayed curled against him, while Pinky and the Brain kept watch at the entryway to the alley, making sure nothing happened to the doctor while he tapped his foot and glanced up at the clouded sky. 

After a while, the mice moved back to them, and Brain whispered, probably hoping Wakko couldn’t hear, “Perhaps they’re not coming?” 

“They’ll come.” Wakko said with certainty. 

“You don’t know these people, young Wakkiver–” 

“I know Dot.” Wakko said. “And– and that’s her!” 

As they spoke, he could hear a distant voice, calling a quick, “Hey, mister!” followed by Scratchansniff’s surprised shriek. He got up, beginning to run towards her voice, only for Runt to stand up and bite the back of his sweater, holding him in place. 

“You’re not supposed to leave, kid.” Rita said. 

Wakko whimpered a little, but after he realized they weren’t going to let go, he cried, “Let me at least see her.” 

Hesitation. Then, slowly, Runt released his grip. Wakko stumbled to the front of the alley, kneeling down and placing his hand against the wall, looking out as the dog got up beside him again. He could hear Rita scramble atop of Runt, and the mice scramble up ahead of them to watch. 

It was Dot, she really was there. She held Mindy at her side, and she was talking to an increasingly anxious Scratchansniff. 

“Listen, little girl,” he was saying, “This is a… tough neighborhood. You should go home…” 

“I can’t. We’re lost.” 

“Does he not know that’s her?” Brain asked, incredulous. “She looks just like her brothers.” 

Rita blinked, and then said, “He does. He just doesn’t want to admit it to himself. We were hoping the adults would show up. Not two kids.” 

“Of course she showed up.”  Wakko whispered. “That’s Dot.” 

They fell quiet, in time to hear Dot say, “I’m here to find my brother.” 

“Your… brother?” 

“Somebody took him. They… they said to meet them somewhere here but I can’t… I lost the map…” 

“Perhaps… perhaps you are mistaken, ja?” 

“No, no. We got a note, and a map, and I left it behind…” 

If Wakko wasn’t completely focused on his sister, and the gang not trying to figure out what was happening and what they would do next, they might have noticed the low sounds of a car, just on the other side of a building. 

“And now we’re lost.” Dot said. “I… I even brought this to get him back, it’s… it’s all the cash I could find… 

“Oh. That’s…” 

“Maybe Cora was right, maybe we should’ve waited for Slappy, but I just… I couldn’t wait, I…” Wakko was surprised to hear a break in her voice. “I lost him before, I couldn’t do it again, I can’t… and what kind of people would take a kid from his house? I don’t know who… who has him, I don’t… my sister, she… and I left her behind, I don’t even know where she is…” 

Wakko whimpered and tried to move again, but Runt put a paw on his sweater to keep him low. 

“Listen, kid, maybe–” Scratchansniff was stumbling over his words. “Maybe whoever did this, maybe they, maybe they were desperate, maybe something…” 

“So am I! I lost my brother and now I’ve lost my sister and I’ve lost my way and I’m so lost and I…” Dot blinked, and then they could see her step back. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.” 

“Neither do I…” 

Dot stumbled back again, and then sat down on the pavement. The toddler in her arms slid to her lap, and Dot wrapped her arms around her holding her tight and beginning to sob. Wakko whimpered again, bouncing his leg and staring. He wanted to shout out to her, but… god, what was he supposed to do now? What were any of them supposed to do? What would happen to any of them now? What…? 

Scratchansniff had stood, staring at the girl for a long time. Then he turned, and walked back towards the alley, an unreadable expression on his face. Runt sat up, Rita sliding off his back and up behind the mice, who watched their leader with a curious expression. Scratchansniff stopped in front of them, glancing between them all. Wakko glanced past him, to his crying sister, and then back up; the doctor knelt down, reaching to pet Runt’s head. He met the dog’s eyes, and then Rita’s, and then the mice. They all seemed to have some kind of silent communication, debating with each other just a few looks. Then, with a nod to each other, an agreement. 

Slowly, Runt moved his paw up, releasing Wakko’s sweater. Scratchansniff put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, pondered a moment, and then said, “Go.” 

“What? But–” 

“We’ll figure something out. Or…” the doctor smiled. “Or you can help. But even if you can’t help us, you can help her.” 

“Yakko–” 

“We’ll find him in just a second.” Rita said. Wakko glanced down at her, as she walked up beside him, rubbed against his side, and then said, “Go get your sis.” 

Wakko blinked, looking between them all. They all had the same expression, the same acceptance. The same trust. Wakko didn’t remember the last time someone had trusted him. It wasn’t a bad feeling. 

He hesitated only a moment more, before he stood up, and stepped out of the alley and into the street. 

“Dot?” 

Her head shot up. Though she was across the street, he could see the light entering her eyes, the spark of joy. 

“Wakko?” 

“Dot!” He began to run, already spreading out his arms, ready to cling to her and never let go. “Dot!” 

That was when he was suddenly hit with a blinding light from behind. He flinched, turning to see the headlights of a car, just off to his side. He slid, trying to stop before the speeding car behind it could hit him, his arms jolting out to his sides to try and balance. The engine roared as it sped past him, and he fell, slamming his head against the cement. 

For a minute, everything was blurry, fading. Screaming, shouting, footsteps running. Someone was next to him– Rita. The mice were in front of his face, trying to get him up, trying to see if he was hurt. Runt was barking. Scratchansniff yelling. More footsteps. Then… 

“Wakko!” 

Yakko knelt in front of him, someone behind him– Cora? Maybe? Everything was still spinning, still flickering in and out. 

“Wakko! What happened? Are you okay?” 

Wakko blinked, and then looked across the street. He couldn’t make out what separated the dumpsters from the walls, couldn’t see the line between buildings. But he could see the tire tracks from a skid, he could see Scratchansniff yelling after the disappearing lights… he could see who wasn’t there. 

“Dot.” he said, his voice cracking. He tried to stand, and stumbled over, Yakko catching him before he could fall again. Wakko looked up, eyes wide as he tried to piece together what happened. “That car–” Salazar Sykes. It had to be. It had to be, he must have followed them to make sure it went well, he… “He’s got Dot. He’s got Dot and Mindy.” 

More voices, lots of voices, asking a lot of questions he couldn’t hear. He shut his eyes a moment, clenching his hands around Yakko’s shoulders, trying to regain himself. 

He looked up again, his voice cracking as he repeated, “He’s got Dot.” 

Yakko stared at him, their terror reflected in each other’s eyes. Then Yakko hardened, and stiffened, and said, with a determination in his voice that left no room for question, 

“Not for long.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOURTEEN – Once You Get It Down

Yakko held up Pinky and the Brain in order to help them grab onto the drainpipe. The two of them shimmied up, before leaping onto a high window. 

“Do you think he’ll be able to break the lock?” Cora asked.

They heard a loud crash of breaking glass, and then a burst of laughter from Pinky. 

“Nope.” Yakko said. 

Wakko bounced on his feet, biting his lip with nervousness, until the rope finally shimmied down, bouncing against the exterior of the building. He reached for it, but Yakko pulled him back. 

“Give them a second to secure it.” 

“I just–” 

“I know, I wanna get in, too.” 

Wakko glanced around at the crew. Rita sat on top of Runt, who sniffed at the wall of Salazar Sykes’s hideout. Cora had her arms crossed and her foot tapping as she waited for the rope to steady itself, and at her side, Buttons kept watch to make sure they wouldn’t be hit from behind. None of them really looked like much, like they could pull a stunt like they’d planned. But, well, you couldn’t judge by appearances, could you? Nobody who looked at him thought he was much of anything, but he’d already felt that strength rise inside of him when he had to save his brother. Now he had to save his sister, and that strength was growing again. 

The rope steadied, and Cora said, “This might be a bad time to bring up that I failed gym class. So, like, I don’t know if I can climb that.” 

“We’re not climbing it.” Yakko said. “We’re tying it around Runt and Buttons, grabbing onto them, and then having the mice yank us in with one of their insane machines.” 

“They’ve probably got it half-built by now, we should hurry it up.” Rita said. 

Cora gaped, and then said, “You guys are crazy.” 

“Totally insaney.” Yakko nodded. “Now hurry over here and help us tie the dogs up. Unless they wanna bite into it, that’s the best way to keep their grip.” 

“We’re all gonna die, aren’t we?” 

“It’s a possibility. Now grab on, we’ve got a sister to pick up.” 

Dot had never liked being dragged around. She supposed that if it had to happen, like if Yakko had to pull her away from some danger or Cora was rushing her to the next aisle to look at something cute, the best way to do it would be to just grab her arm, because at least then it was almost like holding hands. She was also semi-okay with being held by the ears; once or twice someone had lifted her like that to throw her, so it always made her flinch at first, but Mom had started doing it in order to pick her up and show her something, or place her atop the counter so they could talk face-to-face, so it had lost its more rough associations over the last year. The worst, though, was being dragged by the tail. It meant whoever was holding her was too far away for her to turn around and knock away from her. It meant that they were pulling on a very sensitive limb, causing her an insane amount of pain; if it was more than just a quick grab to yank her in a certain direction and out of the way, she couldn’t do anything but scream while it was happening. And, of course, there was the simple dehumanization of it. Being forced around like a ragdoll, without a care as to whether she was dragging across the floor, whether she was shoved into dirt or in constant pain… yeah, it was the worst, simply put. So when she was yanked out of the car by the tail and dragged like that until they reached some dusty old office, she knew she was certainly not in for a good time. 

Of course, being kidnapped should probably have clued her into that first, but it had all happened so fast she hadn’t been sure what to do. 

She’d heard Wakko, her Wakko, and then she’d blinked and there was a loud, huge car in front of her. A rough hand grabbing her fur, shoving her into a backseat, and then angry, terrifying hounds growling and snarling in her face. All she could do for a while was cling to Mindy, holding her tight to her chest to keep her from playing with the “puppies” that looked like they’d prefer to bite off her head. The car drove in such a fast and jerky way that she was constantly thrown against a door or window, shifting to make sure that Mindy wasn’t hurt on impact, and then there was a sudden slam on the brakes that threw her into the back of the passenger seat and then onto the car floor. Then there was the tail. The driver door slammed, the back door opened, and there was a cold, rough hand on her tail, dragging her back. Dot had screamed immediately, but her first thought was of the toddler in her arms; when she was dragged out of the car, she shifted, making sure that she landed on her back and Mindy stayed on her chest. It stung, and then the dragging continued; she kept almost toppling over, but focused all her energy on keeping herself upright so that the toddler in her arms wouldn’t fall or injure herself. Mindy didn’t seem at all concerned; more confused than anything, she kept babbling nonsense, gesturing at the dogs behind them, or glancing up at the “Mr Man” who had taken them to… wherever they were. Dot could see flashes of a dark street before they were inside, and then she was bouncing against a dirty staircase, still trying to keep Mindy from falling, now with a desperation and a fear that she’d topple down these stairs and break open her head. She could sometimes see the hounds following, their eyes still locked on them, and she had a feeling that they wouldn’t be as gentle with the toddler if they should catch her. 

There was a door slam, and then she was unceremoniously tossed across a floor. Dot barely managed to keep Mindy upright, and her relief at having done so gave her a delayed reaction to the intense pain that shot up her entire left side, where she’d landed and skidded on the metal ground. She flinched and hissed, before pushing herself into a sitting position and placing Mindy on the ground beside her. After making sure she was alright, Dot shakily got to her feet, raised her tail and flared up her fur as she let out a fierce growl. Or maybe it wasn’t so fierce, because the man who’d grabbed them didn’t look perturbed at all. He raised an eyebrow, and then silently walked over to a desk, opening a drawer. It confused her for a second– shouldn’t he be threatening them or something? Locking them in somewhere? The door wasn’t even closed… well, the hounds were standing there, but she could probably take them, she had the adrenaline rush of an overconfident little girl, after all. Still… 

She eventually bent down on all fours, assuming a protective pose she’d often see Buttons take whenever a cat happened to pass by the yard. Its purpose was to block Mindy from view, make it clear that she didn’t intend anyone to get past her. 

It apparently had no effect. 

“That’s cute,” the man said, still rifling through the drawer. “Do me a favor and go sit down in that chair over there.” 

“Oh, and why would I do that?” 

“To make it easier on both of us to keep you tied up.” 

Dot let out a laugh, before getting back onto her hind legs and crossing her arms, fuming. “Oh-ho. Okay. How about we start from the beginning– who in the blazes are you, why did you just kidnap me, and how would you like to die?” 

“You’re quite fierce, aren’t you, Warner?” 

Her heart skipped. “How do you know me?” 

“It’s not hard, sweetheart,” the man said, sitting down on his chair and giving her a glare, “To find out who lives in a rich neighborhood. I would’ve preferred to nab the Noritas’ actual daughter, but they seem to have spent enough money on you that a ransom would still be worthwhile.” 

Dot flared, before rushing forwards, slamming her hands on the desk and vaulting herself on top of it. “Listen here, buster, you’re talking to Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa–” 

“Yeah, okay.” he reached up and grabbed her snout, effectively shutting her mouth. Dot recoiled in an instant panic, reaching up to try and pry his hand away. “Rich brat, I know the drill.” 

He waited until she had started backing up in her attempt to get him to let go, and then he released his hand; she tumbled off the desk, landing on the floor with a thud. She screeched, scrambled to her paws, and then, turning red and emitting steam, she leapt back up, summoning her hammer out of nowhere. “That’s it!” 

“Cool, cool.” the man didn’t even look up. “Before you start trying to smash, I suggest you turn and look at the toddler.” 

A sudden cold feeling shot up Dot’s chest, and she whipped around, almost falling over herself as she turned to where she’d left Mindy. Her eyes widened as she realized that while her little sister was laughing, she was swinging in the air, the back of her overalls caught in the teeth of one of those terrifying hounds. The other stood just a few inches away, its eyes locked on Mindy, a quiet snarl coming from its mouth. 

“Mindy!” Dot screamed. She started forwards, only for the snarling hound to open its jaw, taking another step towards the child. Dot slid to a stop, and for a second, she and the dog just stared at each other. 

“That little girl isn’t a toon, is she?” the man at the desk said, without even getting up from his chair. “So if she got any serious injury… she wouldn’t recover too fast?” 

“Let her go!” Dot spun back around, her voice beginning to shake. 

“The dogs won’t hurt her, so long as I don’t order them to.” he said. Then he reached into the drawer he’d been digging through, and held up a bundle of something in his hands. “You know what this is?” 

Dot blinked. “Rope?” 

“Toon-proof.” 

“That’s illegal.” 

“Here’s what’s going to happen.” he continued on, as if she hadn’t said anything. “You’re going to drop that mallet and kick it into the corner where you can’t use it. Then you’re going to go sit down in that little chair and let yourself get tied up. Then we’ll see what happens with the kid.” 

Dot stuttered, then fumed, and then, slowly, dropped the mallet to the ground. 

His voice made her shiver. “Good girl.” 

Yakko made a gesture for everyone to be quiet, which meant someone immediately fell over and knocked something over. Usually that someone was Pinky, but Runt got a turn for this instance, as he tripped over his own paws and flopped onto the ground. Rita hissed, biting her lip to keep from yowling as she was almost thrown from his back. The mice gripped tight to her fur to prevent themselves from being thrown as well, and behind them, Cora slapped her forehead. 

“I said shh!” Yakko rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, something I never thought I’d hear you say.” Rita muttered, as Runt struggled back to his feet. “What’s going on?” 

“I hear something down there.” 

“Something we should be worried about?” 

“Maybe, maybe I could find out if you all would shut up!” 

“How many times have you guys, um,” Cora crossed her arms, “Successfully pulled off a rescue?” 

“We mice have escaped numerous hazardous situations.” Brain waved his hand. “And only Pinky got hurt.”

“Runt and I escaped a mad scientist once.” Rita said. “And, yeah, Brain and Pinky escaped several mad scientists when they–” 

“Okay,” Cora held up her hands, “But like. This kinda situation, breaking in to get someone and then getting them back out?” 

“One time we bust Yakko out of a warehouse!” Pinky said. “And I broke a bone!” 

“Oh, joy.” Cora muttered. 

“Shut it!” Yakko hissed, as Wakko put his head in his hands. 

The man was on the phone, talking to someone in a low voice. Dot didn’t want to hear what he was saying, and yet wanted to hear everything. She squirmed under the rope that was tied too tight and seemed a bit too warm against her skin. Her tail was pressed against her back in an extremely uncomfortable way, her legs were both bound to the chair legs, and her arms were stretched behind the backrest, wrist over wrist, beginning to ache. The rope did more than hold her in this position, it rendered her unable to use her toon logic, her greatest weapon and greatest defense. 

It just made her useless. 

One of the many screens behind the man flickered. He glanced up, and then snapped his fingers. The hounds, who had sat in the corner, stood; then, to Dot’s horror, one lifted Mindy again, who giggled. 

“Hey! Hey!” Dot raised her voice, panic filling her chest. She struggled against the ropes, but somehow that seemed to make them tighter. “Hey! What are you doing?” 

The dogs didn’t even look at her, instead walking for the door. 

“What are you doing? You said she wouldn’t get hurt! What are you–” 

The man sighed, placed a hand over the phone receiver, and then called over, “The dogs are checking on something. If it’s truly nothing, you have nothing to fear.” 

“Checking on what? Bring Mindy back!” 

“We’re not leaving her unattended, and I’m not much of a babysitter. Speaking of which, I’m going to need you to quiet down, before you say something you’ll regret.” 

Dot stuttered, eyes flickering between him and the door. He shrugged and turned back to the phone, and she whimpered, trying again to get the ropes to loosen, to get a limb free, to do anything. She failed again. 

Yakko slid open the vent cover a second time. After a moment of inspection, he waved behind him, and then slid out and onto the floor. He held out his arms, catching Wakko as he leapt out, before reaching for Rita. Then Cora, and then they stepped back and waited as Buttons and Runt each jumped out and shook out their fur. 

“Where is this?” Wakko asked carefully. 

“Third floor, this should be near where we gotta go.” Yakko said. “Brain, camera?” 

They turned; the mice had exited first, and Pinky was stumbling around the room, a little sooty and with his fur sticking up on end, as Brain watched him. 

“Pinky certainly broke the security camera, yes.” Brain said. 

“Haha! Narf!” 

“Cool.” Yakko nodded. Wakko reached up, and took his brother’s hand, as he continued, “We gotta be careful, and actually quiet this time. Rita, please get the mice. Cora, no more screaming over a broken nail. Runt… just try not to be… you know.” Yakko then gestured to the entirety of the dog. Runt nodded. 

Rita knelt down, letting Brain climb onto her back. Brain sighed and held out his hands, waiting until Pinky stumbled near them, before he managed to grab his shoulders and hoist him up. Then she raced over to Runt, leaping on his back and curling up. Cora reached over to nervously stroke Buttons’s head, as Yakko went to the door. For a moment, he pressed his ears against it, listening intently.  “Hold on. I think there’s someone outside.” 

“Oh, wonderful.” Cora muttered. 

“You know, rich girl,” Yakko said, spinning on his heel, and stalking back over to her, dragging Wakko with him, “If you could keep your lovely little comments to yourself–” 

“As if you keep anything to yourself.” 

“No fighting!” Wakko hissed, stomping his foot. “This is for Dot and–” 

The door slammed open, and Yakko immediately pushed Wakko behind him, before jumping in front of him and Cora, arms spread. Wakko grabbed to his arm, peering under it to see that, standing in the doorway, were Salazar’s two hounds, growling and drooling, eyes seeming to flash red. But what caught Wakko’s attention was that, swinging from the mouth of one hound, was Mindy, held up by her overalls. 

“Mindy!” Cora shouted, as Buttons let out a series of barks, and jumped forwards beside Yakko. 

“Hiya!” Mindy waved her hand, completely oblivious to everything happening around her. 

The first hound– Roscoe, Wakko thought, though he didn’t remember them very well– stepped forwards, and some kind of laugh came from him. “Well, well. Look who it is.” 

Yakko stiffened, and to their surprise, Runt jumped up beside Buttons, growling as well. 

“Put the kid down,” Yakko said, his voice cold, “And we’ll have a nice, fair fight. What d’ya say?” 

“We were never good at playing fair.” Roscoe snarled. Then… 

BANG. BANG. 

With sudden, confused yelps, the dogs both crashed to the ground; DeSoto’s mouth opened, releasing Mindy, who simply slid onto the ground and then toddled over to Buttons, laughing amicably. 

Behind the dogs, Slappy and Skippy both lowered their mallets, before disappearing them into the air. 

“Alright,” Slappy said, looking up at the crowd gathered before her, “What in the–” she then said a word they were not allowed to air on television, “is going on?” 

“Slappy!” Wakko cheered, clapping. 

Yakko hesitated, still not lowering his arms, even as Cora pushed past him and ran to the squirrel. “And you are…?” 

“How did you find us?” Cora asked. 

“Aunt Slappy’s great at tracking people down.” Skippy giggled. 

“You all are in so much trouble, you’re gonna be grounded forever.” Slappy said. “So you better have a good excuse–” 

“Dot got kidnapped.” Cora said. “Well, I mean, Wakko got kidnapped, and then he got out I guess? And then someone else kidnapped Dot. And Mindy, but she’s over there now–” 

“Cool,” Slappy nodded, before grabbing her mallet again. “I’ve always wanted to stage a breakout. Who are the new people?” 

“These are my friends!” Wakko said, before jumping up and hugging Yakko from the side. “And this is our brother!” 

Slappy paused. “I feel like there’s a long story here.” 

“There is, we don’t have time right now.” Yakko said. He snapped his fingers, drawing attention to him. “Okay. If the dogs are here, Sykes isn’t far behind.” 

“Who?” 

“His office should be on this floor. That’s where he’ll be– we need to get him out of there. One group needs to play distraction, the other needs to bust her out.” 

“We’re great at distractions.” Slappy said with pride. “Right, Skippy? Skippy?” 

She turned, only to see Skippy had already started a fire in the corner of the room. 

“No, bad distraction!” Cora yelled. 

“It’s controlled.” Skippy rolled his eyes. 

“I think she means we need something he can chase.” Slappy said. “Buttons and Mindy get chased all the time. Buttons?” 

Buttons sighed, and then nodded, before kneeling down and managing to pull Mindy backwards. Taking the hint, she climbed onto his back, hugging his neck as he got back up. 

“We’ll take it from here.” Slappy grinned. “Also, someone shove these dogs somewhere, they’re gonna be mad when they wake up.” 

Dot heard the barking first; her ears perked up at the loud and sudden noise. She suddenly felt very cold again, images of anything that could be happening to her sister leaping into her mind. 

After a moment, the man noticed, too, and said something into the phone, before hanging it up. He reached into another drawer, and pulled out a handgun. Dot’s eyes locked onto it, her mouth falling open slightly. 

“Where’re those dogs?” he muttered, before readying the gun, putting his finger on the trigger, and heading for the door. 

It slammed shut behind him, leaving Dot alone. She stared at it for a moment, before shutting her eyes and struggling against the ropes again.

Slappy had told her that tensing up before getting tied could result in it being easier to free herself, but either she’d forgotten to do that or done it wrong, because no matter how much she moved her arms or wiggled her feet, the ropes stayed put. She tried harder, only for the chair to begin to shift, almost toppling over. She gasped, eyes flying open at her near accident, barely managing to keep balance. For a moment, she struggled to breathe, feeling uneven gasps come out of her mouth as she stared ahead into the empty room. 

She was stuck. She was stuck here. She was stuck and she was useless again and nobody was coming to save her. She’d failed to protect Mindy, she’d failed to listen to everyone who told her to stay put, she’d failed to find Wakko… she’d failed at everything. 

Dot felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks, but she didn’t really care. It felt good to cry, once in a while, so maybe this would help? No, no, it still felt bad. It made her feel like a baby. She didn’t want to be a baby, she wanted to be out of these ropes and out of this stupid room and back in her house with her family, and… 

She blinked away more tears, and then looked back at the door. 

She could’ve sworn that had slammed shut. So why was it… swinging open? 

Her breaths became ragged again, and she perked up her ears. A few creaks here and there– on the floorboards, maybe, or maybe she was just hearing things in the hall, or wind against the wall, or… 

She gasped as, suddenly, she felt hands against her ropes, just above her wrist. 

“Who- who’s there?” 

No response, though the person did stop for a minute before going back to the ropes. That didn’t comfort her at all. 

“Who is that?” she said, and when her voice broke, so did everything inside of her. The tears started falling faster, and a cry burst from her throat. “Who’s there?” 

The hands stopped again. 

“Please…” Dot hung her head, her chest heavy and her body beginning to tremble. “Please, please don’t hurt us…” Even her shakes were small, she could barely move against the ropes now. “Please just leave us alone…” 

Then she couldn’t speak anymore, and she just continued to cry. For a minute, she thought that whoever was behind her was going to stay silent. She couldn’t tell what was happening back there, she couldn’t see anything, she just shook in the chair and tried to breathe and bawl at the same time. 

Then, quietly, she heard a voice behind her, one she recognized instantly, one that shocked her enough to stop her tears for just a moment. 

“It’s okay. It’s me.” 

His voice was very unsure, very scared. Like he didn’t know how she’d respond. If she’d hear him, if she’d remember his voice. But of course she did. 

Dot froze, and then her voice cracked again as she cried, “Yakko?” 

It couldn’t be. It couldn’t… 

The hands dropped away from her ropes, and then Yakko was running around the chair, skidding to a stop in front of her. She blinked away her tears, trying to unblur her vision so she could see him. 

He was taller, more ragged. He wore a green scarf, and his normal slacks, though a bit bigger. His ears were laid back, his tail tucked down, and his eyes… he just stared at her. Like he couldn’t believe that she was there either. Like he wasn’t looking at someone useless, but at the greatest, most amazing and perfect person he had ever seen. 

His voice broke, too. 

“Hey, sis.”

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – Remember We Are Always On Your Side

As Dot blinked up at her older brother, Yakko felt an intense relief fill his chest. Yes, she was tied up and crying, and he was absolutely going to kill whoever made her feel like this. But, good God, she was alive. She was alive, and she was right in front of him. 

Yakko knelt down, putting his hands on her shoulders, just staring at her for a moment. Then, he swiftly moved his hands to the ropes around her legs, beginning to untie. 

“Yeesh, these knots are insane. What, was Sykes in the Navy or something?” 

Dot caught her breath, and then let out a bit of a choked laugh. 

“I’ve almost got this one, hold up.” he said. 

“Yakko…” Dot shook again. “Where… how… what…?” 

“I’ll talk your ear off once we’re outta here, promise.” Yakko said, and then, to her surprise, her left leg was free. She almost kicked him in the face in her excitement, but he instinctively dodged and moved onto the right. “The toddler’s safe, but we don’t have a lot of time.” He looked back up at her, meeting her eyes again. “Are you hurt? Did he do anything to you? Did anyone?” 

Dot blinked, and then started to cry again, only this time, a smile flickered across her face. Yakko smiled back up at her, and there was that feeling then, between the two of them, that everything was going to be okay. 

Of course, they’d have a little bit of time before that happened. 

The door flew open, and Slappy ran in, her mallet over her shoulder, with Skippy and Cora close at her heels, the little squirrel holding up Pinky and the Brain. 

“Alright, dogs ran off, should give us about sixty seconds.” Slappy looked to Dot, sighed, and said, “You’re totally grounded.” 

“Fair.” Dot nodded, though her voice was still breaking. 

Yakko had just gotten her other leg free and had retreated to the back of the chair to work on her hands again, when Cora raced over. Her hand was raised to her mouth, shock and horror overwhelming her for a moment. She knelt down, grabbing her sister’s shoulders. “Are you okay?” 

“God, people need to stop asking that. I’m fine.” Dot said, though she was clearly still crying.

“How the hell did he even get you tied up?” Slappy asked, stopping behind Cora. “I’ve taught you better than that.” 

“He…” Dot bit her lip. “He threatened Mindy, I–”

“Oh, cool.” Slappy nodded, before waving her mallet into the air. “I’m gonna smash him into bits.” 

“Me first.” Cora said.

“Get in line.” Dot said. 

“I got dibs, he’s been bothering us for years.” Yakko said. 

“Years?” Slappy said. “Kid, how long have you–” 

“Hold up, wh–” Dot stuttered. “Where’s Wakko?” 

“With the dogs. They’ll be back soon as they can.” Slappy said. “Skippy, how we lookin’?” 

Skippy and the mice had run to the television screens, their eyes darting between each screen. 

“Egad, Brain!” Pinky said. “The new MacGyver episode is looking really different!” Brain bopped him on the head, causing him to laugh hysterically. 

“As for how we are ‘looking,’” Brain sighed, “I’d say those sixty seconds may be fading fast.” 

“Headin our way?” 

“The dogs are, at least. Not sure where Sykes–” 

“Over there, looks like they sent him down the stairs.” Skippy pointed. “Then doubled back.” 

Dot squinted towards the screens; she couldn’t really see what was happening on them from this distance, but she could make out a few blurry shapes. “Mindy’s with them?” 

“With Buttons, and then some of your brother’s friends.” Slappy said. “And for the love of Spielberg, haven’t you got those hands untied yet?” 

“This knot is impossible.” Yakko muttered. “I’d pull a saw out of thin air and cut it but–” 

“Toon-proof.” Dot muttered. 

“That’s illegal.” Cora said. 

“So’s everything going on right now, Cora, do you think he’d stop at ‘possession of toon-proof rope’?” Yakko spat. “Son of a– hold on, Cora! You’re not a toon.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you have a knife? Can you cut through it?” 

“Why would I have a knife on me?” 

“Why would you not?” 

Brain scampered forwards on the desk, before calling, “Pinky, help me get these drawers open! We can look for something sharp.” 

“Like a slinky!” 

“No, Pinky, slinkies are not…” 

“And the mob boss guy just turned around.” Skippy said, eyes still locked on the screens. “We gotta move.” 

“You wanna carry the whole chair?” Slappy asked, rolling her eyes. “None of us toons can do much when in contact with that rope and Cora can’t lift anything that weighs more than a shopping bag.”

“Found a knife!” Pinky yelled, before leaping up from behind the desk, waving a knife twice as big as he was over his head. 

Everyone jumped, as Brain was the first to yell, “Pinky, put that down!” 

“Why?” 

“We don’t trust you with it specifically.” 

“Hmm. Yeah, no, that makes sense.” Pinky dropped the knife onto the table, and Cora ran to pick it up, before racing back to the chair. She began to cut at the rope from the side, hoping that was where it was least likely that the knife would slip and hit someone. 

The door once again slammed open, with Runt and Buttons rushing in first, respectively carrying Rita and Mindy. Behind them, Wakko raced past, waving his hands in the air and shouting, “Go, go, go!”

“Give us a second.” Yakko said. 

“We don’t have a second!” 

“Wakko!” Dot cried. 

“Hi, Dot!” Wakko waved. “Do yourself a favor and get out of those ropes–” 

Yakko glanced up, and then said, “Looks like there’s a hook hanging from the ceiling.” 

“So?”

“So, Cora, it’s probably for carrying boxes from when this used to be a warehouse. I bet we could lift ourselves up and swing through the rafters.” 

“On it!” Pinky shouted, as he and Brain skittered from the desk to the far wall and began to scamper their way up. 

“That sounds dangerous.” Cora said, while still trying to cut through the ropes. 

“Would you like to stick around for the guy with the gun?” Dot asked, raising her brow. 

“I don’t think we could all hold onto the chair.” Skippy pointed out. 

“It’s our best bet, everyone get over. Human kids closest to the rope to avoid injury, please.” Yakko called. “And someone lock the door to buy us a few seconds.” 

Buttons turned and ran to the door, shutting it with his nose and then jumping up and pawing until the lock clicked. Not a few seconds after, a furious pounding began on the wood, the knob beginning to jiggle with ferocity. 

“And that’s our cue!” Yakko clapped. “Cora?” 

“The rope’s frayed, not broken yet.” she said. 

“That’ll have to do! Slappy–” 

“Yeah, yeah, I see it.” the squirrel waved her hand, before climbing up onto the desk. Above them a hook was rapidly descending, connected to its own rope. She jumped up to grab onto it, before rushing over and hooking it onto the back of Dot’s chair. “Alright, everyone on.” 

As Buttons slid Mindy onto Dot’s lap, Cora put her arms around them both, trying to press against as much of the rope as she could. “This is a horrible idea. We’re gonna weigh a ton.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Yakko said, as he picked up Wakko and shoved him onto Cora’s back. “This place used to move heavy boxes. It should probably still be fine. The fact it got closed down due to workplace deaths is probably irrelevant.” 

“It what?” 

“Meh, I’ve done worse stunts.” Slappy shrugged, before lifting Skippy onto the back of the chair.

More pounding on the door. 

“Brain! Pinky! Mess with the wires and get us outta here!” Yakko called upwards, as Rita leapt onto Dot’s back, clinging to her fur, and the dogs bit down on the chair legs. 

“It’s getting a little crowded, Yakkity-Yak.” Rita grumbled as he jumped onto the chair’s back, pressing against her and Skippy. 

“I hadn’t noticed.” 

Dot let out a surprised squeal as the chair slowly began to lift into the air, hovering a few inches above the ground. 

“Higher, guys!” Yakko called ot the mice. “If you don’t lift us, we’re gonna run into the wall and die, you fu–”  

With a whoosh and several panicked screams, the chair shot up into the air, going upwards so fast they all had a fleeting fear they would hit the ceiling. It halted then, jerking up and down as everyone struggled to keep their grip– except Mindy, who laughed and cheered. Before they could recover, they suddenly shot forwards, swinging wildly and continuing to screech. Their path seemed to just be straight ahead, but with how intensely they all rocked back-and-forth through the air, they might as well be on the world’s worst designed rollercoaster.

There was some kind of electric spark, and a jolt, and Wakko got a glimpse of the two mice slipping from above them before he, too, was falling. No, they all were falling, and screaming so loudly they might as well have broken the sound barrier. Wakko’s hands slipped from Cora’s shoulders, and for a moment he was alone in the air; then with a crash, he landed on something metallic, and began to slide– they were on some kind of conveyer slide? That was probably it, but honestly, he was moving too fast to tell, and he spent the next few seconds looking behind him to make sure everyone else had hit it as well and weren’t plummeting to an inevitable splat on the ground. Yes, everyone seemed to be there, with Dot’s rope fraying enough that she was starting to pull herself free, and Runt holding Rita to his chest, and Buttons dragging Mindy, and Slappy having managed to catch the mice, shoving them into the brim of her hat as Skippy gripped onto her tail. Cora had her eyes shut and hands over her ears, as if she could make it all stop by blocking it out, while Yakko seemed to be doing the same panicked head-count as his brother. Wakko turned back, just as the slide turned a sharp bend, and they all skidded onto the floor, yelping as they crashed into each other. It took a hot minute to get everyone sorted out, untangling limbs and struggling to sit up. 

When Wakko finally got himself settled, he looked up and saw they were just a few feet from the doors. In front of them, however, were two very angry hounds, and one even angrier Salazar. 

Yakko was the first to speak, and he said a word he wasn’t allowed to. Nobody felt like reprimanding him. 

“Now,” Salazar said, raising up a hand, “This has all been very entertaining.” 

He pinched his fingers together, preparing to snap. Wakko flinched back, throwing an arm out to block whoever was behind him, the snarling of the hounds pounding in his ears. 

“But the party is over.” 

But before that snap could come, there was a loud, irregular honk, blasting from just behind the doors. Salazar barely had time to react before the doors burst open, and he and his hounds were knocked aside. 

“And there’s our ride!” Yakko cheered, jumping to his feet and gesturing forwards. 

The scooter slid sideways until it managed to halt, and Scratchansniff looked over the crowd. 

“Oof, sorry I am late, it took me a while to find a bigger shopping cart.” he said, as everyone immediately scampered for said cart, pushing each other in. “Who are all these people?” 

“No time to explain!” Yakko said from the front of the cart, leaning over Scratchansniff’s shoulder. “Hit it!” 

Scratchansniff immediately hit the gas, and soon they were taking off back out the doors and onto the dark, isolated streets, under the thundering sky. The cart jostled and threw them all around, and it took them a second to get themselves situated in a decent way. 

“What is this?” Cora yelled. 

“It’s our ride, don’t be rude!” Rita said, her legs wrapped around Runt’s neck as she tried to stay in place. 

Wakko leaned over the back of the cart, watching the warehouse begin to disappear as the street pushed on. At first, he felt relieved– and then he saw two lights begin to grow over the horizon. 

“Um, guys?” 

Yakko pushed to the back to put an arm around Wakko as he peered over. “Oh, rustbuckets.” 

A dark, shining car was rushing along the road, much faster than the speed limit would allow. Wakko swore he could hear the growling of the hounds even over the rushing wheels, as the car inched closer and closer. 

“Scratchy, step on it, we’re being followed!” Yakko announced. 

Scratchansniff glanced over his shoulder, swore, and then hit the pedals. They wouldn’t have long, there was no way the scooter could outrun the car… 

“Go down a sideroad, maybe we can throw him off!” Dot cried. 

The doctor nodded, and the second they hit a fork in the street, he swerved to the right. The cart jolted, and everyone screamed as the cable connecting them to the scooter began to fray. Pinky and the Brain, grabbing onto the brim of Slappy’s hat, were almost thrown onto the sidewalk, and Mindy nearly flew onto the street, only barely caught by Buttons biting onto her shirt and yanking her back. 

Wakko glanced behind them, hissing as he saw the car following. “We’re still–” 

Yakko leapt over the cart, grabbing onto Scratchansniff’s back, before reaching over and grabbing the handles, yanking them in a new direction. There was more shocked screaming as they went off the road, spun to the right, and then began going downhill. Wakko had a quick flash of a railing and a fleeting second to realize that Yakko had shoved them onto a stairwell, before the rough terrain made the ride even worse. 

Bam, bam, bam! the cart bounced up every few seconds, and everyone gave up on the idea of remaining dignified, instead grabbing onto whatever they could to keep themselves in place. Wakko squinted to see the graffitied, dimly lit walls around them– the subway? Yeah, they were heading towards… he’d never actually been to the subway, but he’d… 

Before he could finish his train of thought, he looked back up and screamed as he saw those bright headlights, getting larger as they headed towards the stairs. 

“He’s still following!” 

“Who is this guy?” Cora screeched. 

Yakko glanced back and hissed as they hit the subway floor, and he spun the handles again, throwing them down onto a railway. There was a rough, horrible jolt with every rail they went over, and in a flash they were in a tunnel, lights flickering dangerously above them. Then the rev of that loud engine, getting louder, amplified by the thin space. Wakko reached up, tugging his ears and pushing himself back into the cart, accidentally flopping back onto Buttons’s tail. 

Going over a rough rail, he was thrown back onto the edge of the cart, and he looked behind them, eyes growing wider as he saw the car. The rubber on the tires had been destroyed, the metal in their center slamming into the railway’s edge and pushing forwards. The strange vehicle on this road, though, going at such a speed, was making angry spikes of electricity burst up from behind it. 

Then, with what must have been a heavy slam on the gas, the car rushed forwards and smashed into the back of the cart. The force threw them all into the air for a moment, some higher than others; Skippy was launched over the edge, with Slappy barely able to leap forwards and grab him by his tail. Of course Mindy was also tossed upwards, with Cora leaping up and dragging her back down. But worst, Dot, who had let go of the bars of the cart for just a moment, found herself flung up, spinning through the air, and then landing hard against the windshield of the car. There was the sudden sound of shattering glass, and then a hand on her arm, trying to drag her back. 

The second he processed this, and without hesitation, Wakko found himself leaping forwards, sliding against the car’s hood, and biting down onto the hand. It released his sister, but then immediately wrapped around his neck, and with a yank, he was pulled away from the hood and then right into the window, before flying into the air and landing with a thump against a cold backseat. He flinched, hissing at the flash of pain, and then screamed as one of the hounds was on him, pinning him to the seat and biting down on his ear. Wakko kicked, trying to push him off, but there was too little room back there for any struggle to be effective. The hound pulled back, the teeth caught in his ear forcing Wakko’s head up, as the claws ripped through his sweater. 

Then, as fast as that all happened, the hound was off of him; Wakko looked up, realizing that Yakko was on the hound’s back, biting down just as Wakko had a few days before. It took him a flash to realize that his brother seemed to have jumped down through the sunroof, and then he leapt in to help, knocking the dog back. The other hound pounced, and Wakko turned and kicked hard. To his surprise, it knocked the dog away and right into the rear window; the force smashed the glass, sending the hound flying out. Wakko flinched back as he heard a shower of sparks and a pained yelp, and saw a large flash of electricity, before steeling himself, turning, and leaping onto the other hound, which was still wrestling with Yakko. 

The second hound– Roscoe– shoved himself against the wall, breaking Yakko’s grip, before leaping forwards and pushing Wakko, shoving the two of them onto the trunk of the car. Wakko was temporarily blinded by the subway lights above them, and then by the electricity; the hound had pushed them to the very edge of the trunk, and Wakko’s head hung over, mere inches from the rail. He felt an intense heat on the back of his head as his hat flew off, and then a pain as the hound’s claws pressed into his chest, trying to push him farther off. 

Then there was a force atop the hound, forcing him to release Wakko; he squinted his eyes, seeing the shape of a toon clawing at the dog’s eyes. With another yelp and a push from the toon, the hound flew into the air; his back leg struck Wakko, who almost fell, only for hands to grab onto his sweater and yank him back. He blinked his eyes open in time to see Dot, her hands splattered with blood, pushing him farther down the car. 

Yakko rushed out of the window and managed to grab Wakko’s arm, before reaching out and taking Dot’s as well. He spun and jumped, barely scrambling onto the top of the car, before he had to leap again to clear the sunroof. They slid down the windshield, hearing the furious screams of the driver inside, looking ahead to the full cart of several people shouting for them to jump for it. Yakko released Wakko for just a moment, put both his arms around Dot, and then threw her forwards. Slappy managed to leap forwards and catch her, dragging her back into the cart and shoving her up against Cora and Buttons. 

The tunnel cleared, and suddenly they were under that clouded sky, on a bridge with far too many lights, far too many rails, far too much happening all at once. With another slam on the gas and a startling jolt against the rails, Wakko found himself sliding to the right. For an instant, he was in the air again, and he was far too aware of the electricity beneath him, and the dark, swirling sea beneath them. Then Yakko had him again, grabbing his arm and dragging him closer. Wakko’s feet kicked in the air, barely avoiding the rails, and he looked up to see his brother’s panicked face as Yakko, too, began to slip. 

“Let go!” Wakko screeched instantly, terror gripping him at the idea of dragging his brother down with him. 

“No!” Yakko cried, and to Wakko’s shock, he saw tears flying from his eyes. “No, I’m never letting go again!” 

Wakko blinked, and then screamed as, behind them, Salazar rose from the sunroof. Yakko seemed to understand the warning, as he wrapped his tail around a hood ornament and pulled them back, just out of reach of the swinging hand. They met eyes, and then both leapt for the man and began to claw and bite once more. 

Wakko’s ears were pierced, then, with the loud, deafening sound of a train whistle. As he leapt onto Salazar’s head, clawing at his shoulders, he threw up his head, staring at the blinding light heading for them. He saw the silhouette of the scooter, barely managing to leap onto the thick metal railing, before there was that thick hand on him again, and he was thrown off. 

He heard Yakko shout as he, too, was thrown, before he was deafened by the sound of the train crashing into the car, blinded by the sudden burst of what seemed to be fire, and knocked out by the pain of landing, hard, against cold metal.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – Dreaming is Still How the Strong Survive

“Yakko! Wakko!” 

The second they were clear of the train, Scratchansniff had hit the brakes, sliding them all to a rough stop. They all took a moment to catch their breath, struggling to process everything, as the train passed by. The second it was gone, the doctor pushed the handle to the side, and they toppled off and onto the thick metal path beside the rails. 

For a moment, everyone was in a confused pile, but Dot scrambled up to her paws the second she could, pushing herself free and beginning to spin, searching the area for something, anything.  

“Yakko! Wakko!” 

She stumbled forwards, her eyes flickering to the rail. The only remains of the car, and the man who’d kidnapped her, were a few tracks and ashes, a burnt smell of rubber, and dissipating smoke into the sky, mingling with the thunderclouds above. 

They had to have gotten off the car in time. They had to. They… 

“Over there!” shouted one of the mice in Slappy’s hat, and Dot spun again, following his pointing finger. Just beside a signpost, she could see Yakko’s silhouette, his dark fur fading into the inky blackness of the night. He seemed to be trying to lift something, his fur flared up. 

“Yakko!” Dot cried. 

She raced forwards, and slid herself to a stop as Yakko turned, his eyes wide and fearful. He had just managed to pick up his target and was stumbling back towards them, and Dot looked down to see an unmoving Wakko in their brother’s arms. 

“No.” she whispered. “No, no, no…” 

Her feet flew, and just as Yakko’s knees gave way, she managed to put her arms around him, gently stabilizing him enough that he could get onto his knees. She knelt, too, her hands flying to Wakko’s face. 

“No, no, no, no, no…” 

His tongue lolled out slightly, his limbs dangling and his eyes shut. Dot stared down at him, and then looked up to Yakko as she began to cry, desperately searching his face for some hope. He met her eyes, his ears falling back and a whimper emerging from his throat, and she realized that he, too, was crying. She had never seen Yakko cry before today, she hadn’t ever thought he would. 

She looked back to Wakko, and leaned forwards, lifting his head. She rubbed their noses together, the way Yakko used to do to them as children. His nose felt cold, and when she let go, he still didn’t move. Her hands flew to her mouth, and for a moment she was frozen. Then she spread her arms and threw herself around her brothers. Wakko was squeezed between her and Yakko, as she began to sob into her oldest brother’s chest, and Yakko moved an arm to pull her closer, too. Then it was just them, as it had been for most of their life; the three Warner siblings. 

They held that hug for what was only a few seconds but what felt to Yakko and Dot like an eternity as they sobbed and held each other. 

Then, quietly… 

“We’re alive? Faboo.” 

Dot gasped and pulled away, just as Yakko did the same thing. They both looked down to see Wakko’s eyes flutter open, flinching slightly. 

“Wow, everything hurts. Are you two…?” 

“Wakkiver Warner!” Dot screeched, before grabbing his sweater and pulling him upwards so that she was sure he was facing her. “You scared me! Don’t ever do that again!” 

Then she pulled him up against her and threw her arms around him again, hugging him as tight as she could. Then, after a moment, she turned and grabbed Yakko, dragging him in as well. Yakko didn’t hesitate before embracing them, too.

Plink, plink. It began to rain, droplets sprinkling onto the metal beside them. When they finally pulled away, and Wakko sat up, still flinching at his aching limbs, Dot and Yakko both turned and looked behind them. The rest of the gang had gathered just a few feet away, watching them with relief. There was Slappy and Skippy, beside a sighing Scratchansniff, and the mice in the squirrel’s hat. At their feet, Buttons and Runt, holding Mindy and Rita, and Cora kneeling beside them. 

Yakko turned back to Dot, and reached up, wiping tears from his eyes. “I-It looks like you… uuuuuuuhhh, found yourself a family, huh?” 

Dot glanced back to him, her smile so bright it could light up the world. “So did you.” 

Yakko blinked, before turning back to the group. Then his expression shifted to one of joy, and it was clear that he and Dot had the same smile. 

“Yeah. I did, didn’t I?” Then he looked down, and reached out to ruffle Wakko’s fur. “And it’s your fault we’re all stuck together, huh?” Wakko grinned back up at him, stuck out his tongue, and nodded. 

He reached out an arm, and swiftly, Runt ran forwards to join the hug, barking excitedly, and Rita leapt onto Wakko’s lap, snuggling against him. Dot quickly stood, too, holding out her arm towards Cora. The teenager blinked hesitantly, and tired of waiting, Dot grabbed her sister’s arm and dragged her into the hug. Then there was Buttons and Mindy, and Skippy, and the mice and even the doctor, and they were all together and alive. 

“Alright, enough with the hugging.” Slappy said after a moment, tapping her foot. “It’s a long walk home and I’m not carrying anyone.” 

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!” 

“Happy birthday, dear Princess-Angelina-Contessa-Louisa-Francesca-Banana-Fanna-Bobesca-the-Third!” 

Dot doubled over in laughter as her brothers attempted to fit the extensive name into the tune of the traditional song. Yakko, in mock offense, punched her in the shoulder. 

“Happy birthday to you!” 

Dot took a deep breath and then blew on her candles. For a moment, the flames flickered even higher, before disappearing into tiny wisps of smoke. Mindy let out a loud cheer, before toppling face-first onto the table. 

Dot looked down at the cake, as Slappy took out a comically large knife and began to slice it up. “I’m amazed you all were able to make a cake.” 

“Uh, yeah. We totally made this.” Cora said awkwardly. 

“We totally didn’t blow up the oven and get this from the nearby bakery.” Yakko added. 

“And we totally don’t have coupons for their cookies now.” Wakko said. 

Dot giggled and winked. “Gotcha.” 

There was a loud crash from the next room over, causing them all to jump, before Rita raced in, followed by the sound of a very popular dance-pop song. 

“We got the radio working!” the cat cheered. “And Pinky only got electrocuted once.” 

“Shame, really,” said Pinky, as he walked into the room, dusting off his hands. 

Brain followed behind him, sighing dramatically. “Are you sure you don’t want us to work harder to change the music to something more… classical?” 

“Of course not.” Dot said, placing her elbows on the table and laying her head on her hands. “That Rick Astley’s a dreamboat.” 

“Sure.” Wakko rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Yakko waved his hand, “I’m sure this song will fade into obscurity before long.” 

“Egad, Brain! Let’s dance!” Pinky cheered.

“Please, God, no.” 

Ignoring him, Pinky grabbed the other mouse’s hands, beginning to spin him around. “Haha! Narf!” 

“Ooh, dancing! Dancing’s fun!” Runt cheered, jumping off the chair he’d been laying on and wagging his tail as the party hat perched on his head began to waver. 

“Cake first.” Dot said. “And, as requested, half of it’s for Wakko.” 

“It’s your birthday.” Wakko said hesitantly. 

“And so we have the other half of the cake to ourselves.” Dot said. “Get as much sugar as you want, it prevents me from giving more to Mindy.” 

Cora leaned over, and whispered, “Please, God, don’t give Mindy any cake.” 

“You’re not allowed to tell us what to do anymore,” Dot said, as she pushed herself up from the chair and onto the table, “You let Wakko get kidnapped.” 

“Love how all of us have moved past that,” Cora said, “But you’re gonna use it against me for the rest of time.” 

“I’m your annoying little sister, it’s my job.” 

“And now you have annoying little brothers!” Yakko said, immediately leaping into Cora’s arms and cuddling against her, causing her to groan. “Heads up, I stole your makeup for today.” 

“You did what?” 

As Dot shoved a large chunk of the cake onto Wakko’s plate, he laughed and flopped his head onto her shoulder. “Don’t bother her too much. It all turned out alright, didn’t it?” 

“Well,” Dot said, glancing up as a dancing Runt accidentally tripped up Scratchansniff as he entered the room, causing him to drop several napkins onto the floor, “We got an extra dog, a cat, two mice, and a live-in psychiatrist out of it. So, yeah, I’d say so.” 

Wakko glanced up at the rest of the living room. They’d spent all night decorating for Dot’s party while she slept, wanting to surprise her in the morning. The banner was splattered with paw prints of several different colors, which leaked onto the walls and stained the floor. Skippy was standing precariously on a windowsill, trying to grab a stray balloon string that had escaped from the bundles behind Dot’s chair. The streamers were already falling from the walls and tripping up Pinky and the Brain; Pinky was now wildly spinning his screaming partner around the room, with Rita sitting on the fireplace and laughing hysterically at the scene. Runt was apologetically helping Scratchansniff back up, as Buttons whimpered and tried to gather the napkins. Cora and Yakko knelt down to help him, with the former stroking the dog’s ears and receiving a kiss on the face in return. Yakko then jumped onto the table, using the napkins he’d gathered to speedily fold a paper statue of a falcon, which he tossed to Mindy, who immediately began to chew on it. That was about when Skippy fell, only for Slappy to catch him and toss him onto a chair, before she herself ended up falling over the mice. The second she landed, Runt leapt on top of her, shouting for a cuddle pile, and soon Buttons and Rita had leapt atop as well, the latter dragging a protesting Scratchansniff in. 

The room was, objectively, a mess. Which made it perfect for them. 

“Now, my sib siblings,” Yakko said, throwing an arm around them both and pulling them closer, “We’re going to be mall rats tonight–” 

“You know we’re not rats.” Dot said. 

“Shut up, sis.” he ruffled her fur. “We’re going to get you whatever you want for your birthday.” 

“I don’t need anything but you.” she said happily. 

“That’s nice, but we’re expert pickpocketers and you’re rich, so we can get literally anything.”

“Then we’re getting a Nintendo and the most violent game that comes with it.” 

“And on the way,” Yakko said, grabbing her face and rubbing their noses together, “We’re gonna show you the city’s rhythm. You’ll pick it up fast, I just know it.” 

“In the meantime,” Wakko said, jumping atop the table and lifting Mindy out of her seat, “Let’s join the cuddle pile before Slappy and Scratchy escape.” 

“Great idea!” Yakko shouted, grabbing both his siblings by the arms and pulling them in. 

With everyone’s loud laughter, occasional yelps as someone stepped on a tail or laid on a foot, and the blasting radio music, the noise should’ve been deafening. But instead, it felt natural, happy. Like home. 

Wakko almost missed the excited cheer, then, of “Surprise!” that came from the doorway. But he slid out of the pile, landing in a sitting position and rolling out his tongue as he looked to the doorway. After a few seconds, the rest of the pile had managed to spin enough that they could all see as well. 

In the doorway were two women, each holding bags of what was likely presents. They stared in shock, though, at the entanglement of people in their living room. 

After a moment, Cora whispered, “Did… anyone… call the Moms and tell them about the new people?” 

“Oops.” Yakko laughed. 

“You’re home early.” Dot noted, though her eyes sparked with joy. 

“Um…” one of the women, a tall blonde, placed down her bags, before clapping her hands together. “What is… what exactly is…” 

“What the hell is going on?” said the other woman, a bit loudly. 

Everyone glanced at each other, and then burst into laughter. Wakko jumped up to his feet, raced forwards, and threw himself into the second woman’s arms. 

“Hello, I’m Wakko Warner!” he cheered, as everyone else began to get up, “And your family just got a whole lot bigger!”