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Yakko didn’t dare let his siblings out of his sight the whole way back to Acme Falls. He couldn’t convince himself that they were alive if they weren’t right beside or in front of him. This feeling of protectiveness was only heightened when they were offered a ride from none other than the Baron himself.
Yakko had tried to refuse most adamantly, but he knew that they’d have to walk to Acme Falls by foot if they didn’t accept and Dot was still sick and weak (as well as injured from the cannonball) so they really didn’t have a choice.
Still. Yakko sat across from Plotz with his arms wrapped around his tired siblings and he watched the man with anger and curiosity as to what made him change his nature so suddenly.
Neither the Baron nor Yakko spoke much once in the carriage, and Wakko and Dot eventually went to sleep, which Yakko thought was fair. They had had quite the day, and it wasn’t over quite yet. They were still going to get Dot’s operation done, and the sooner the better.
“So... I know you’re wondering why I offered you a ride back to Acme Falls. You’re suspicious, which I don’t blame you for,” The baron spoke. Yakko rolled his eyes slightly.
“Considering how much you’ve always been out to get us and just about everyone else in the town? Yeah, I’d say I have a right,” Yakko glared. “And especially when you consider the number of times you tried to kill us today alone.”
“Right... yes...” The Baron looked away and held his hat in his hands, embarrassed.
“I know what I did, and I apologize. My greed overtook me as Baron and I promise to never collect another penny for the king ever again,” He promised and Yakko looked him up and down, unsure.
“Well- the King won’t be in power for much longer anyway, so I suppose I’ll need to do more...” Plotz said and looked out the window.
“What do you mean by that?” Yakko raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, well after seeing what the King did to Dot, the guards quickly turned against him, and with rebellions against the king getting stronger in other towns it’s only a matter of time before he’s gone and the people will start looking for the true heirs to the Warnerstock Throne,” Plotz explained.
Yakko froze.
“I... uh...” He couldn’t respond. For years he had wanted nothing more than Salazar to be punished for his heinous crimes, but... well.. that????
He hadn’t expected that.
“Oh yes, there are quite a few rumors going around as to where they could be,” Plotz said, completely unaware they were sitting right across from them. Yakko gulped.
“Well... I uh, hope they find them,” Yakko said, wishing to end the conversation as soon as possible.
“Yes well, I suppose we’ll see, won’t we?” Plotz agreed.
“I do want you to know I am very serious about this apology. I don’t apologize very easily, but please, do let me know if there is anything I can do for you three,” He said, looking back at Yakko.
“Well, I do know the people of Acme Falls probably want their money back,” Yakko said.
“Consider it done. Once we get back, I’ll make sure to get started on returning all of their money I still have,” Plotz said, and Yakko nodded and the two returned to their silence, which relieved Yakko.
At least Plotz wasn’t trying to be all ‘buddy-buddy’ with him. Now that would’ve been awkward. However, Yakko really didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts right now, so begrudgingly he started up another conversation.
“So... now that you won’t be tax collector, what do you think you’ll do?” Yakko asked. Plotz put back on his hat and thought a moment.
“I think I’d like to open a restaurant,” He said. Yakko blinked, expecting him to say more, but he didn’t.
“Alright,” Yakko said.
“What about you three?” Plotz asked in response. Yakko sighed.
“Get Dot her operation... go home... relax...” Yakko said, hugging his siblings a little closer as he looked out the windows into the mountains.
He still couldn’t believe how close he had gotten to losing them, and how he did almost nothing to prevent it. He just sat there, dumbfounded. He was always so useless like that...
“Are you alright?” Plotz asked, and Yakko noticed a tear had managed to escape his eye.
“S-sorry, yeah,” He said, quickly wiping it away. He was usually much better at keeping a brave face...
“It’s alright, you went through a lot today. You should allow yourself to rest,” Plotz advised. Yakko knew he wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t like that it was coming from him of all people.
“Yeah maybe,” He shrugged.
After that, they all rode in silence, and Yakko just hummed songs to himself to try and distract his thoughts. However, the songs made him tired and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
He was woken up when the carriage jerked to a stop and they were back in the town square in Acme Falls. Yakko nudged his siblings awake while Ralph held the door open for the groggy Warner siblings.
“Where we goin’ Yak?” Dot asked, rubbing her eye, wincing in regret as she remembered that was the bruised side of her face.
“We’re going to stop by Dr. Scratchnsniff’s and give him the payment for your operation, which will hopefully be tomorrow,” Yakko said. “Then, we’re going to go home and we’re going to have a conversation about that little stunt you pulled,” Yakko looked down at Dot and she looked away from him in shame.
“Well... thanks for the ride,” Yakko said to Plotz.
“No problem,” Plotz tipped his hat at him. “You three have a safe walk home, alright?”
“We will, thanks,” Wakko replied. Plotz nodded, and Ralph closed the door and drove the carriage away.
Taking a deep breath of the cold winter air to revive himself, Yakko started walking to the doctor’s office, holding his siblings’ hands as they went.
The streets were full of happy people as they all unpacked from their journey past the mountains. A few congratulated Wakko and reminded him to spend his ha’pennies well before going back out and drinking more of whatever that elixir Dr. Scratchnsniff and Hello Nurse had made while on their trip (a story he’d have to ask for later).
Eventually, they made it to the doctor’s and knocked on the door, scowling at the closed sign.
“Excuse us, the sign says- oh, hello Warners,” Hello Nurse smiled down at them.
“Hi! We’re here to pay for Dot’s surgery,” Wakko said, showing her one of his ha’pennies.
“Well... the doctor said to keep out all business... but I suppose I can make an exception for the three of you,” She winked and let them in.
“Why’d he say that?” Wakko asked.
“Oh, we recently had a breakthrough with our elixir and the people are loving it,” She said, petting a cat that was on her desk as she sat down. “He’s trying to figure out how to make more before we run out and never find it again.”
“Faboo,” Wakko smiled. Hello Nurse chuckled and nodded.
“Indeed... so when do you think you’ll be ready for the surgery?” She asked Dot. Dot’s tail twitched nervously.
“We were hoping for tomorrow,” Yakko spoke for her. The nurse nodded.
“Well... I’ll have to talk to the doctor, but seeing as this is a dire need and you’ve waited plenty long enough, I’m sure he’ll agree,” She said confidently before writing something down on a piece of paper and leaving, leaving the Warners with nothing to do but sit and wait.
“Are... are you sure you wanna do it tomorrow?” Dot said.
“I’d ask for them to do it tonight, but it’s getting late enough as it is,” Yakko sighed, rubbing his face.
“Why?” Dot asked.
“Why?” Yakko couldn’t believe what he heard. “Because I want you to be safe and okay as soon as possible. I need to know you’re okay, actually okay, and that you aren’t going to die on me the moment I take my eyes off of you,” Yakko said, looking at her. Dot clutched her shawl tighter and looked away.
He was going to say something, but that was then the nurse reentered and Yakko had to fill out the paperwork, and they were forced to put a pin in that for later. With tired eyes, Yakko filled out the boring and long paperwork as best he could before giving it back to the nurse and handing her the ha’penny, and heading back to their home.
When they arrived, Yakko couldn’t help but relax. Despite everything, they had made it back alive.
However... he knew the upcoming conversation was going to get a bit messy. He sighed, taking in a deep breath.
“Meet me around the fireplace sibs, I’ll be there in a minute,” He instructed. Wakko and Dot didn’t argue, nodding and heading off.
Yakko leaned against the wall and grumbled, trying to collect his thoughts even though he was tired. However, that really wasn’t working so he decided he’d just try to be as understanding and a good listener as much as possible before going in. He figured trying was the best thing he could do.
Yakko went in.
“Look Dot, I’m going to be honest, I was really, really hurt by that little stunt you pulled,” Yakko said, sitting across from Wakko and Dot on a crate. “So... I just want to know... why?”
“I... I knew I was slowing you down. I was coughing, I was weak, a-and when the cannonball blew everything up I-i just thought that if I could just distract Salazar and everyone else then maybe you’d take the chance to go for the star,” Dot looked at the ground.
“But we wanted to reach it together Dot, we weren’t going to leave you behind,” Wakko said.
“I know, that was the problem,” Dot looked at him. “I-i wanted to be left behind, b-but you guys were so stubborn, s-so I knew I had to do something to help,” She said, glancing at Yakko.
“And what would you have done if your plan hadn’t worked, hm? What if Wakko didn’t realize you were alive before he made his wish and instead he had wished you were alive? Then what?” Yakko crossed his arms.
“I-i don’t know,” Dot sniffled, and Yakko realized she was crying.
“See, that’s the problem. You didn’t think any of it through. You didn’t think about what your death would mean to me and Wakko.”
“O-of course I did Yakko! I just knew th-that you needed to reach the star first,” Dot objected.
“Dot, if you died, none of that would’ve mattered anymore,” Yakko said, his voice cracking under emotional stress. Dot’s face froze, and a deafening silence entered the home.
“Dot... the whole reason we went after the Wishing Star was for you, so we could pay for your operation,” He explained softly.
“When you went limp in my arms... I just... I just fell apart...” Yakko practically whispered as tears streamed down his face that he hurriedly tried to wipe away, trying to bottle it all up.
“I already lost Mom and Dad... I couldn’t lose you too.”
“Y-yakko I-i’m sor-”
“A-and then when Wakko ran out there a-and I heard the cannon go off... I thought that was it. I sat there, like some idiot, and just... I just-” Yakko looked at both of his sibs and broke down, burying his head in his hands and sobbing. Wakko and Dot looked at each other before running over to their brother and hugging him as best they could.
“I-i promised her, I promised I could take c-care o-o-of you t-two a-and th-then y-you guys j-just- j-just-” Yakko’s whole body was shaking.
“Y-y-yakko I-I’m so sorry,” Dot was sobbing just as much as he was.
“M-me too, I-i n-n-never meant to scare you,” Wakko apologized too.
“A-and with the bridge, a-and y-your cough, a-and the guns, a-and the avalanche...” Yakko’s mind couldn’t stop thinking about all the times they’d nearly died today alone.
“I-I just ca-can’t lose you guys,” He sobbed, hugging them closer. “Y-you’re all I have left. Y-you guys are everything to me.”
Wakko and Dot could only nod, not daring to break their embrace and lacking the words to express how much he meant to them too. Dot sniffled and gave it a shot.
“I-i’m still h-here Yakko, a-and so is Wakko. W-we aren’t going anywhere,” Dot said between sobs mixed with a cough.
“Y-yeah! Me and Dot aren’t going anyw-where,” Wakko hiccuped. Yakko did his best to embrace those words; to hold them close and wrap himself within them. He focused on feeling his sibling’s arms around them and felt himself calm down more.
“I-i know,” He said, placing a hand on one of their arms. “I-i just... I was terrified...”
“I-I’m so sorry Yakko, I p-promise, I’ll never, ever try that again,” Dot said, squeezing him tighter.
“You better not,” Yakko said, half-jokingly, “Or else.”
“O-okay, okay I promise,” Dot chuckled.
Eventually, all three of the Warner siblings' tears ceased, and everyone felt much, much better, though it left them all exhausted. However, none of them wanted to split up, so they all decided to sleep in Dot’s bed for the night. After all, it was plenty big enough for all three of them.
Slowly and tiredly, they all climbed in and cuddled close against Yakko, both of their heads resting on his chest so they could hear his heartbeat.
Yakko wrapped his arms around both of his sibs, and closed his eyes, secure in the fact that they were safe, they were home, they were alive, they were together, and everything was okay.