#bro this comic has a death grip on my brain

[pocketpen]

I love these little entities of destruction

[cult-of-the-eye]

Me coming to your inbox to ask about your horror comics like

FUCK YEAH!!!

ok pov you see me, in need of some good sustenance during the tmagp hiatus, in a unbecoming fit of nostalgia, i redownload webtoon.

webtoon reminds me of the days when things were simpler, when i didn't know what arc sin was let alone the fact that i would have to be able to draw it one day. but i've changed since then, the cutesy romances i was super into don't interest me as much anymore so what do i do? i start in the horror/thriller section.

ok so there are 3 that have gripped my brain and refuse to let go

(major spoilers obvs, tw for mentions of rape, sexual assault, violence, mental health issues, mental hospitals)

Silent Screams:

oh my GOD

this was nothing like i thought this would be

like the description thingy was giving finding a way out of being kidnapped vibes

but in reality it was SO MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT

i didn't realise it would be set in like the 19th century, so that was another cool thing as well

basically there's this guy named theo

he has really bad anger issues and he's super attached to his mum (✨mommy issues✨)

we find out that his mum got raped when she was 14 and had theo as a result, so they spent most of their lives struggling to get by

on top of that, the mum has some kind of chronic illness

theo is insanely protective of his mum and suspicious of men, he regularly gets into fights, especially with his mum's best friend who he doesn't trust

then his mum meets and falls in love with a doctor, who seems to be quite sweet, little bit nervous, like his feelings for her are genuine

but it's clear that my bro has other stuff going on, he's got an assistant guy who keeps reminding him to "stay on task" etc etc

(it feels very manipulative, like the line between master and assistant has been blurred, the doctor thinks he's in charge and calling the shots but the assistant is subtly manipulating him to do what he wants while letting the doctor think he is still in charge)

but yeah, they get married and theo and his mum is shipped off to a wonderful new wealthy lifestyle

but theo hates this guy, he knows that he's making his mum happy for now but he just doesn't trust it, especially the fact that he's also the mum's doctor, he already has a lot of power over her

also the doctor makes it clear that theo's attitude must be improved, to fit into their new high society life

so we open with the day before theo's 19th birthday

he's scared away yet another tutor due to his bad attitude (even though he technically is getting high marks)

and his step dad (who he is forced to call father) is not happy with him

it's clear from the get go that the doctor HATES theo, this is very much not a good relationship and theo hates the doctor as well

the doctor thinks theo's attitude is hurting the mum, theo thinks the doctor is putting too much pressure on him and is causing a rift between him and his mum (again, mommy issues)

anyway, the doctor tells theo that the mum had gone to town for a day, which theo finds highly suspicious cause like 1. she's ill how would she do that by herself and 2. she wouldn't leave the day before theo's birthday

the next day, the mum still hasn't returned, theo is obviously devastated

the maid attempts to cheer him up, which sort of works before she goes to the doctor's study to clean

what does she find in the doctor's study? a secret passage way.

what happens to her directly after she finds said secret passage way? she is hit over the head with a lamp and killed

theo comes running to find the maid dead and also (say it with me folks) gets hit over the head with a lamp

but not killed

he wakes up chained to like a prison cell in the basement

he is not doing well

but at least he was right! the doctor was evil!

so theo finds out that his mum is dead and the doctor has something to do with that death

but also that the doctor blames theo for the mum's death

(we find out later that the doctor accidentally gives the mum the wrong dose of medicine, so she passes out and hits her head, bleeding to death. the assistant encourages him to blame theo cause theo and the doctor had had an argument beforehand, which must've caused him to be distracted right)

then, theo wakes up to find his vocal chords have been cut - he cannot scream or make any noise

he is terrified, but he realises that the doctor sort of does have some weird freudian attachment to him because theo looks so much like the mum

so every night he whistles the tune that his mum used to play and the doctor sits in front of the cage and listens

one day he goes to wake up theo but can't so he panics and does what?

kisses him

HUH??? i hear you say. WHAT? and i agree

he then nearly sexually assaults him, until he flashes back to his own dad sexually assaulting him and is like OH WHAT THE FUCK WAS I ABOUT TO DO

(freud would have a FIELD DAY)

and then the assistant is like bro what about our work stop being weird about ur stepson

and then he's like oh yeah

so he sedates theo and then gives him a lobotomy

however, theo wakes up midway through the surgery, so it doesn't work

it turns out they wanted to make a human puppet that they could experiment on for medical reasons

as it happens, theo is normal for some of the time, but other times turns into a mindless puppet

the doctor is very annoyed and goes back to blaming him for the mum's death

and thus, ships him off to a mental hospital.

and that's where i got up to so far

[bi-demon-ium]

MBS S2 EP5 LIVEBLOG

going insane. also love that this season is road trip season

“we gotta think like europeans if we’re gonna track Europeans” LFKJGDLKFJG I SIMPLIFIED IT FOR YOU

MARTINA!!!!!!!!!!!! MY GIRL!!!!!!!! MARTINA MARTINA MARTINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and she isn’t captain :((

oh you deserve better

THE COMICALLY LONG PHONE LINE LDKFJGDFGHHFGH

wow martina is so cool

wait why does constance have a doll that is beyond creepy

yeah throwing it is the understandable reaction

DR GARRISON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW WE’RE JUST GETTING TREATED HUH

NOW WHERE’S SQ

I mean we kinda figured but still

her “Hello Constance” was so menacing what the fuck

ANYWAY THEME YES YES YES YES YES

rhonda looks gorgeous as always<3 I love her

also gayfear.png we already know rhondas going off on her own if they make this a thing with miss perumal and milligan im .

ohhh I bet rhondas going to find dr garrison and constance

TRENTONIUM DLKFGJ

like trenton lee stewart 😩

shes gonna find dr garrison isn’t she

“one never splits the party voluntarily”

“unfortunately that icant do”

YOU DON’T LIKE HER? SHE HAS THE OPTIMAL FACIAL PROPORTIONS LKDFJGLDKJLKFGHJFGH DR GARRISON

SHE IS OPTIMAL TO STUFF DOWN YOUR WINDPIPE DEATH WILL BE SWIFT

PLEASE I ADORE THEM BOTH

DR GARRISON YOU WEIRD LITTLE MAN

and just shoving it off the bed

also lmao he DID just blame her

she knows about the side effects

oh she really is going full mad scientist huh

wow shes going full nutjob huh

ohhh this is bad actually

I mean good (fun) but bad (terrifying)

ghost in the windmill, the dancer in the dark

I NEED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM

oh shes. scary. shes scary

I love constance

ohhh the brains—YEAH

FUCK

no more embarrassing trace memories? uh oh

garrison: I HAVE ETHICS UNLIKE THAT BITCH!

also garrison: I will mind wipe the child

LDKFJGLKDFJGLKFDJG NUMBER TWO KICKING IN THE DOOR

also number two and curtain one on one interaction uh oh

and number two’s WORSD I love her

IVE TRIED AND SUCCEEDED TO BE CIVIL MAAM

curtain believes that I think, in some way, that he’s relieved him of the constant grip of depression and “angst”

number two I love you but this is not going to work

what are you going to do stuff the mandarin down his throat

SHES SO FUNNY

HER AND CONSTANCE HANDSHAKE EMOJI

also love that hes trying to manipulation salad her

I hate him

“im not hungry” oh really

STOP TRYING TO HYPNOTIZE HER

that’s what mr benedict said darling.

also her obstinate tone

“you are carrying a great deal of pain, aren’t you?” oh… oh,, and her reaction, im going to kill someoen

LOST YEARS?? im going to kill CURTAIN

“his service” “his organization” fuck you

I hate you curtain so much I hate you

CHANGED IT TO A STUPID PUN

“nicholas” fuck im going to kill you

I hate curtain so much

NARCOLEPSY MENTION. FINALLY

and curtain wont even acknowledge that part

of course he’ll choose to stay when he’s whammied that isn’t a good or fair option

DKKJLFGLKGFJ SHE JUST TAKES THE PLATE WITH HER

I ADORE HER

commercial break.

I am terrified.

bro im sooo terrified

vibrating with anxiety

ohhhh we’re back ahahhahaahahaha I am Shaking

ldgkhjgh the kids just. walking sadly

think this is the bit where reynie screams

“Terrible roommate. good friend”

DLFKGJDLFKGJ MARTINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ADORE HER

also want to see her interact with the other kids

“CURTAIN CANT SOTP KIDNAPPING” DLKFGJDFGJ

“I cant believe I once looked up to that man”

ohhh :/ so the institute transcripts are worthless

“but none of that matters anymore. I have a mission”

A LEADER LKJGKLFJHFGH

OKAY MARTINA<3

“doesn’t your team need this gear?” “yeah probably”

IF THEY CANT APPRECIATE WHAT I BRING MAYBE THEY DON’T GET A VAN

oh no. oh no. the kids. hes using a kid. that’s bad

oh god that’s bad

“a joyful lens” uh oh

UH OH THIS IS BAD THIS IS BAD

USING A KID? AGAIN? OH FUCK

FUCK

oit cant be the only way but it’s gotta be important

oh so the cult members can infect each other? terrifying

no one will be left out of this family….. ohh…….

oh presenting him with the clothes that’s .. ominiosu considering the promo pic with mr b in the clothes

yeah of course he’s sanguine! he’s been whammied! that’s pretty clear!

oncde again only curtain calling him nicholas :/

it is weird that he’s claiming to be undercover though is he totally whammied or not

oh curtain sort of . forcing him to stay

“AN ENDLESS CHASM OF SHEER TERROR.” “OR A VOID. UTTER NOTHINGNESS.” “OHH”

I continue adore jackson and jillson

OH NO

OH NO THEY WERE COMPLAINING OF A STIFF NECK AND MARLON JUST CROOKED HIS NECK

the water polo team glaring at constance lol

“we were underfunded”

they’re so bitchy I love it

shes so funny

CONSTANCE IS ALSO SO FUNNY

hello constance its so nice to have you back

terrifying

martina youre such a bitch (affectionate)

that’s such an obvious thing to miss???? did you even look

they’re just full on tracks did you even fucking look ldgkjldkjlkfgjhh I love you all

sticky youre so funny

also I love martina

im so scared during this commercial break<3

RHONDA… OH I LOVE YOU

RHONDA I ADORE YOU SO MUCH I LOVE THIS LOOK WOW

i love all her looks though to be fair

CHEMIST. having a baby

rhonda did you just got some new dad fired oh no lkgdjhfgh

and specifically saying a chemist just gets me

:(

MACHINE GRAVE

oh shes not doing it

to be fair I don’t know if she can do it on command last time it was kind of stressful

wow that worked surprisingly well just throwing a helmet at it I love her

wow garrison looks even more crazy evil mad scientist now

the old fashinoned way? terrifying

ooh the subtle theme song

lkfgjfg kate and her spyglass<3

until we proverbially find her lfkgjfgkhfgh

sticky & martina keep agreeing ,

reynie keeps thinking of things right at the right time. reynie ex machina

LKDFJGLKDFJGKDJFG SHES USING THE FUCKING. I FORGET WHAT THEY’RE CALLED. THE CARDS

YOU FEMALE CHILD

GARRISON IS LOSING IT HUH

weird parallel to curtain’s brainwashing kid

except shes going to break dr garrison

AND NOW SHES THE ONE GOING [OBVIOUSLY NOT FINE] I AM FINE

oh shes legit literally about to cry and/or scream

ohhh this is the reynie screaming scene I just know it

or soon

ohhh fuck

bunker! bunker! bunker!

or cellar

ah kate’s turn to find it <33

if they just burst in along with rhonda thatd be very funny I want rhonda, all the kids, martina, constance, and dr garrison to have a huge spiderman point session

martina DFILKJDGJFG “KATE PICK THE LOCK” GIRL SHES ALREADY DOING THAT I LOVE YOU

oh no miss perumal and milligan alone scene please don’t make this a thing

DEEPIKA? FIRST NAME FOR MISS PERUMAL? FIRST NAME FOR MISS PERUMAL?

I don’t love how we got it but

ALSO OH NO THEY’VE BEEN GOT

sensory issues lmao its soft “its soft!”

I know it’s the brainwashing but autism<3

you don’t have his ear. he has you.

im going to cry.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR BROTHER. HE’S COMING WITHUS”

nfiugdmrmtliKLJFKG NUBMER TWO YOURE GOING TO FUCKING KIDNAP IHM?

I LOVE HO SO MUCH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH IM LITERALLY GOING TO CRY THIS IS SO GOOD

AND THIS EXTREMELY BLOOD METAPHOR AND HIS EXPRESSION THIS IS SO FUNNY

but you will be together

“well that part, I like” ohhhhhhh

UH OH WE WERE RIGH TTHERE’S MARLON! FROZEN! FUCK

IS THAT DR GARRISON JUST SOBBING FLKGJFHJFGHFGH

THIS IS SO FUNNY

I LOVE HER SO MUCH CONSTANCE IS MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE WORL

DR GARRISON JUST HEADDESKING

CONSTANCE HURT HER

[dr garrison visibly crying] I MA PERFECTLY FINE

maam youre fully having a breakdown

uh oh! Brainsweeper for all of them!

WAIT NO NO YOU CANT END THERE

I mean I assume rhonda will show up but

FUCK

FUCK FUCK FUCK

[kitkat1003]

The Dawn is Breaking, and I am Crumbling

Yakko is awake.  His siblings awaken, too.  Through the thin veneer of calm that is fueled by the near 70 years of acting experience they have, they keep it together enough to meet the new CEO after filming.

She’s not what they’re expecting.

This is Chapter 2 to this fic.  Please read the first chapter.

@asilcorner

Yakko lets his face drop, just for a moment, when Spielberg turns away to mess with the controls and let his brother and sister out of the suspended animation tubes.

The whole room looks far too futuristic for only 22 years, Yakko thinks.  The eerie glow from the tubes, a light blue, paints and eerie vibe about the metal interior.  He can see the shadows in the corners of the room.

Wakko and Dot, at least, look healthy.  As much as the redesign weirded him out, change of art style and all, he has to admit they kept the general feeling of their characters.  Dot still has her flower and dress, Wakko still has his sweater and cap.  The studio kept them relatively the same, though Yakko can’t help but play with the bit of hair sticking up between his ears, unused to it.  He feels the lines are a bit sharper.  Maybe this is how modern animation looks like?

The liquid starts to drain, and the polite grin is back on Yakko’s face by the time Spielberg turns around, even though his hands are shaking behind his back and he’s terrified by how this is going to turn out.

Dot’s tube opens first, and she’s picked up by metal arms and set down on the ground, and Yakko is at her side before he registers moving.  She doesn’t look lucid yet, eyes open but unseeing, but she blinks a few times and he sees the spark of recognition soon enough.

“Yakko?” Her voice is so small.

“Hey,” he smiles at her, even though it’s a bit pained, and he hugs her close.  She clings to him and shakes, but the sound of Wakko’s pod opening breaks them apart, because Yakko turns to see his little brother.

Wakko starts to cry the moment he becomes conscious, and Yakko rushes to his side because he understands, but they don’t have time to cry right now.  

Not with executives watching.  Not with the situation they’re in.

“Hey, hey, hey, bud, don’t cry, it’s okay,” Dot is right behind him, clutching him by the tail as if its a leash.  Only his siblings are supposed to be allowed to grab his tail like that, and Yakko clearly remembers that night, when the men in the task force grabbed him by it and yanked hard enough to bruise.  He shivers in memory.  Wakko sniffles, as Yakko wipes his tears.

“We’re getting a reboot,” He says, loud enough for Spielberg to hear.  Dot and Wakko glance at the man, who gives them a thumbs up.  They wave back.

“We have to put on a brave face,” Yakko then whispers.  “They don’t expect us to be sad.  It’s just like acting, okay?  Just for a day, and once we’re back alone in the tower, you can let it out,” he hates that he has to tell them this, that he has to ask they hide it away.  He wants nothing more than to let them rage and cry and scream, because they have every right to want to.

But, because they did this in 1993, when all Yakko wanted to do was ruin Plotz, when all they wanted to do was feel the sun on their fur and play without contracts or cartoons, because they sucked it up and signed contracts and did the work then, they can do it now.

They all take a deep breath.  Wakko rubs the tears out of his eyes.

They stand in a row, familiar grins on their faces.

“I think it’s time for Animaniacs, don’t you?” Yakko tells Spielberg, and he is both relieved and annoyed by the way Spielberg smiles and nods.

“You bet it is!” Dot agrees, and Wakko nods his head, tongue flopping about comically.

They play their roles well, don’t they?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first episode goes well.  Yakko helps move things along with the songs, all ad-libbed.  The new CEO is a curveball, and when she looks at him he can feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  There’s something off about her, something he can’t quite put his finger on, that makes her dangerous.  He internally panics at how casual Wakko and Dot are around her.  Maybe it’s just him?

In the break between the second half of their debut, where Pinky and the Brain’s return plays, she tells him that she wants a meeting with the three of them once they’ve looked over their contracts.

Yakko swallows the instinct to run and nods in reply.

They also, during the break between the two segments of their return, meet up with the grim reaper, who holds out their joint contract.

“Anything to keep us away from you, huh Daddoo?” He grins up at the reaper, and said personification of death cringes away from them.

“Yes-now read it over and sign it already,” The accent from this guy never gets old.  Yakko snatches the document from boney fingers, reading it over.  It doesn’t seem any different.  A higher paycut, actually, which is nice.  He supposes already being a celebrity helps with that.  The finale clause, though, that bothers him

Upon the end of the Reboot, the Warners will become property of Death.

“Yeah, no,” he points to the clause.  “I don’t think you actually want us, and I’m pretty sure making people property has been illegal for a while now,” Death seems surprised by the clause, himself.  He glances at it, and then his eyes dart towards the CEO’s office.  Yakko’s eyes narrow.

“Of course,” Yakko watches him revise it, the reaper mumbling under his breath about That crafty woman, and once that’s been taken out he lets Wakko and Dot sign it with him.

“Your As still look like 2s,” Yakko whispers conspiratorially to Wakko, and he giggles.

Back to the show.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The office building is quiet when they go in to meet with the new CEO.  He doesn’t actually know her name.  Nora?  Norita?  He doesn’t remember her introducing herself, so maybe that’s just for the mysterious factor.

“Leave the talking to me this time, sibs,” he whispers to them as the elevator dings to their floor.  They must hear something in his voice, because they don’t argue.

The CEO is at her desk when they arrive, scrolling through her tablet while nodding along to a call she’s in.  Her eyes dart sharply to the Warners, and Yakko pushes his sibs behind him.

“Mhmm, yes, that’s very interesting.  Please hold,” She tells the person on the line, setting her tablet down and pressing a button on her earpiece.  She takes it out and sets it down on the desk, standing up.  Her heels make her loom, ever taller, over them, and her eyes are dark.

“Now, I know of your history.  Plotz spoke of you extensively, and I had an assistant watch your previous show incarnation several times.  I know how you work, your strengths and weaknesses, and your fears,” She regards them coolly, and Yakko stands tall, despite the ever mounting panic.

“You were brought back because Spielberg wanted you, and keeping him ingratiated to the studio is more profitable than the property damage you cause with your antics,” Every sentence is said with calculated precision.  Every sentence is pointed, like the end of a knife

Yakko isn’t that aggressive, but Dot certainly is.  He can feel her getting angry.  Even Wakko, the calmest of the three when it comes to dealing with things, is becoming annoyed with the CEO’s attitude.  That’s dangerous.  He grips their hands in his tight, squeezing to remind them that they have to be quiet.

“You three, of course, will bring us money, but you’re also expensive to keep around.  The nightmare that will be the publicity scandal should you come out with what happened to you these past 22 years would be...difficult to handle.  So, I think it’s in your best interests to keep quiet,” She crosses her arms over her chest awaiting the challenge.

Yakko can see it, so he doesn't react.  His siblings, on the other hand, don't quite understand the position they’re in.

“Like Hell we’ll keep quiet!” Dot jumps out in front of Yakko before he can stop her, stomping over to the CEO with a glare and a sharp toothed scowl on her face.  “I’ll make sure the whole world knows about what you did to us!”

“Yeah!” Wakko runs over, mallet in hand.  “What are you gonna do if we blab, huh?”

She’s got them lifted in the air by their tails before they can blink, gripping them tightly.  Yakko jumps, staring at her with wide eyes, and Dot and Wakko are frozen in shock for a moment, before they start trying to escape.  Dot is shouting obscenities.  Wakko keeps trying to hit her with his mallet, but it isn't long enough.  She holds them far enough away from her body that they can't reach her.

Yakko is frozen.  This is the worst case scenario.

“None of your episodes have aired yet,” She reminds them.  “I could halt production here.  Spielberg is important, but we could smooth things over with him with the right words.  He’s terribly sentimental.  And while the fans would be upset about this reboot’s cancellation, we could cite many things that would have the Warner Bros. studio come out as if we were doing what was best for the show,” She glances between the two younger toons, and then to Yakko.

“And your next ending won’t be as peaceful.  We have Dip, here, and we aren’t afraid to use it.  That’s how we get rid of new toons that don't meet our standards, after all,” She grins, then, and Yakko freezes.

They use Dip casually?  Here?  That-that’s murder.  And they’ll do that to baby toons, ones who haven’t even gotten their footing in this world.  Yakko thinks he’s going to be sick.

“So, you have one option.  Comply,” She shakes Wakko and Dot in her grip, stunning them out of their scrambling to escape.  “I’ve made things efficient here, and I won’t have that changed by toons whose character sheets should have been burned in the 1930s,” Wakko and Dot flinch, and Yakko clenches his fists.

“Now,” She takes a breath, “Are you going to quit wasting my time?  Because I have about ten calls waiting that are more important than you three,” She smiles at Yakko, and it’s one that makes him shiver again.  

“Well?  Don’t try for bravado.  I know you’re nothing without your words.”

And Yakko hates that, and he’s terrified, but she’s got his siblings held tight in her arms, by their tails, and she’s threatening them with murder, and it’s all too reminiscent to that night, where he let his siblings down.

Not again.

He pounces, teeth bared, and digs them into her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.  His teeth breaks through her nice suit coat and shirt and through skin, and she drops his sibs and kicks him with her sharp heel, knocking him back. He rolls across the floor before standing, spitting out fabric and the taste of her, wiping his mouth.  He’s trembling.  Wakko and Dot look shocked.  

He’s never done that before.

“Here’s something you don’t know,” he spits, as she stands, incensed.  “No one’s threatened us with Dip before.  So, maybe I’m not as useless without my words as you think,” She narrows her eyes, and regards him with...something indiscernible.

“You don’t touch them,” he growls it out.  They aren’t fully animals and they aren’t fully human, so they’ve got the sharp canines that put a household dog to shame and enough cognizance to know when to use them.

“You got a problem with us, you leave them out of it.  This is just you and me, got it?” He bares his teeth, a reminder of what he can do.  The smell of blood makes him want to throw up, and that’s with him trying not to register the taste.

“Yakko,” Dot tries, but Wakko shushes her.  It’s a standoff, and Yakko is more terrified than brave but he doesn’t blink, doesn’t breathe, just lets the blood drip from his teeth as she holds a hand to her bleeding shoulder.

“This meeting is over,” The CEO says, finally.  “I trust you can see yourselves out.”

It’s not a concession, but it is something different than the high and mighty attitude she had before.  Maybe she’s realizing that all Yakko has to lose is them, his siblings, and that means that death means nothing to him.

Hard to beat someone who’s not so easily manipulated by fame and fortune or threats, is it?

The walk back to the tower is silent.  Dot holds his hand, leaning against him, and Wakko clutches his pant leg.  They both seem to still be in a state of disbelief.

“They have Dip now,” Dot whispers, incredulous, horrified.

“They aren’t gonna play anymore,” Wakko agrees, with the same amount of horror.  He’s shaking.

Yakko holds them tight, as best he can, and they go home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first thing he does when they get to the water tower is direct Wakko to the kitchen and Dot to her dressing room area.

“Eat and get ready for bed,” He says, weary and exhausted.  Wakko’s blood sugar levels need to steady out, and Dot needs something to keep her mind off of what happened.  Directing them to something that they can lose themselves in the motions of is easy.  He knows them too well.

They don’t protest, nodding.

He goes to the sink and gargles water, over and over, until he stops spitting out pink.  He brushes his teeth six times.  Scrubs his tongue raw.  Washes his face.  Doesn’t look at himself in the mirror until he’s sure he won’t see that dark red anywhere.

He doesn’t regret his actions, but he certainly isn’t proud of them.  

When he comes out of the bathroom, their bunk bed has been made a large king size one, and Wakko and Dot are waiting for him.  He quickly slips into some pajama pants and heads over to them, getting in the middle so they can snuggle up against him.

“Yakko?” Dot starts, and he can feel the fire in the back of her throat.  “Don’t-Don’t you ever say that.  That people can do bad stuff to you, if they keep us safe.  You did it before and you did it now and I can’t-we’re a team.  We don’t sacrifice each other-we can’t-you can’t do that to us,” Ever word is pushed out, like she has trouble knowing that she has to say it.  

“You’re everything to us too,” She finally says, halfway to tears, and Yakko can’t swallow the lump in his throat to reply.

“Stay,” Wakko pleads.  “You can’t give yourself up for us.  You have to stay,” A man of few words, and yet they strike Yakko right in the chest, as he holds them tight.

He rubs their backs until they’re almost asleep, staring at the glow in the dark star stickers on the ceiling.

“I’ll try,” he mumbles, and it’s not as much of a promise as it is a hope, but they’re too close to sleep to try arguing.

When he finally drifts off, he doesn’t dream at all.