The Five Stages of Grief

Acceptance

Radio was probably the least dependent on The Master, and the most individualistic. Because of this he was the least blinded of the five, the lens the least clouded. And so he was the one who saw the inevitable near. It was obvious, and first he tried to deny it, for worry for the others sake, but as time wore on he knew it was hopeless, and like with all other toils he faced, all the struggles he heard humans over come, he knew to come out unscathed he had to be strong. He couldn't dawdle and dally around the truth, he had to face the issue head on. And to face an issue head on, you must accept the issue.

He had never wanted to become leader like this though.

And as he bickered with Kirby, each insult thrown was a stab to his heart, or rather, tube, and as he retorted, he felt himself crack, knowing he shouldn't be arguing back. When he made that crack towards Toaster, he felt a small piece of him fall away, crumble into dust. Where had his respect gone? Was battles, wars of self acceptance, wars of staying afloat this twisted?

He always joked about being leader, he didn't want to lose toaster to become one. He tried daily to talk to them, but now they just stare despondently out the window, sighing at the site of The Little Master when he arrives to help with matters. Sometimes they speak, something about how they never imagined such a day would really come, and how they never believed it would occur.

"Well, they are human for a reason." Yeah, Radio was not good at verbal comfort, at all.

"I know, I know."

Comforting Blanky was harder, seeing him so desperate and lonely and sleep deprived. He was pretty sure he knew what the Blanket dreamt about, and he wished he could stop them. He couldn't, all he could do was let Blanky hold him.

Every day he awoke more stressed than the last; how did Toaster manage them in the cabin? He wished to sleep it all away, but he knew he had his tasks. Sometimes he could get away, just sit with Lampy in silence. In the more recent years they had been able to just sit in silence, every once in a while making a quip about their past; they laughed now at their foolish angry ways. Every once in a while one of them would propose an idea of thought.

"I miss him, ya know?" Asked the Lamp.

"I know. I know." Radio wished he could pull up more sentimentality, but with his accepting The Master's death, and all the stress of managing the others in Toasters place, he'd not much time to take in his own sadness and progress. His own mentality.

"Am I as broken as them?"

"As..." Radio hesitated, not wanting to be rude now that he was not under the influence of rage. The small sound of his own voice disturbed himself. "As in Kirby, Toaster, and Blanky?"

"Uh huh, of course not broken broken but broken li-"

If he could, Radio would have smiled. Perhaps the Lamps dumb redundancy once annoyed him, caused him to look down on the lad, now it was a comforting familiarity of the comfortable life from a week ago.

Had it really been only a week?

"No, Lampy. I think we got lucky."

...

"You know, I missed having you out here with me, makes this more enjoyable..."

Radio chuckled. The underlying topic of their discussion was rather downing, but they were here, on the windowsill, talking like before. Radio liked the casual informality, and furthered it by playing a casual tune, whatever was on the radio at that time.

Lampy leaned over, resting his head on top of Radio, careful not to switch him off, and for the first time that week, Radios worries seemed to slip away, and he got a small taste of the old calm joy of content.

Just this moment, he decided, made it all worth it. Perhaps he could handle being a leader after all.