At first, the children were overjoyed when they were shown the flashlight and its ability to enlarge their bodies, their minds already filled with all the games they could play, the pranks and the fun they would have. However, it all flew out the window when the adults put them to do chores, leaving little room for playtime. Thus they began to run from the item that only a day ago filled them with hopes and promises of fun, now dread taking over each time they saw Gertrude approach them with it, running and hiding each where they could. Not even Hornet, master of sneaking and running away was capable of escaping the old woman's list of chores, the hag helped by Herrah and Pale King to tame the wild princess and make her do as told, which in turn only made the little ones fear them more.
Now, that he was just as big as a normal human, Grimm began to wonder how did (Y/N) and James manage to move around the house with all those bugs constantly running between their feet. He had to constantly look where he was going, careful not to step on anyone, and that was considering that most of the bugs had moved in the tunnels below the garden, now that they managed to rebuild the cities they left behind long ago, when they moved in the room on the second floor. Only Pale King, his family and knights, Herrah and her spiders, Vespa and her bees, he and his troupe stayed behind, pleased with the conditions already offered. Still, even so, they were too many! The children were constantly running around once the threat of the flashlight was gone, Pure, Ghost and his own son, nearly always being the ones falling prey to it. The tall prince didn't mind. They liked to help anyway, especially the Doll who was kind and just like them, was silent most of the time, and even when she spoke, her voice was soft and polite, having a motherly tone each time. Needless to say, compared to Gertrude's demanding and stern attitude, the children preferred to flock around the other one, leaving Grimm, Pale King and Herrah to help the old woman, White Lady remaining to look after the little grubs together with Mabel and Olaf.
The Troupe Master sighed heavily as he finished setting the laundry to dry. He looked at the Wyrm who was struggling with the garden hose. It was quite funny to watch actually, but he couldn't enjoy it, worries and exhaustion eating away at his strength. He couldn't even sleep properly, too concerned about his daughter. His father didn't provide much information, willing to shield his son from the truth of the situation. Little did he know, it was exactly that lack of data that had Grimm on edge so much.
"Here. Let me help." he said, heading to Pale King and trying to untangle the green hose from around the Higher Being's tail. "How did you even get so tangled up?"
The Wyrm ignored the last question, glad to be rid of that darned tube.
"How does (Y/N) manage to do all this by herself?" he said, taking the hose back and throwing a sad glance towards the small pots of flowers that their daughters spend days during autumn to take care of.
A deep silence settled between the two bugs, memories overflowing their minds and bringing tears to their eyes. When they heard about the accident, both of them felt the ground crumble beneath their feet. The Wyrm was used to the pain, having experienced it so many times, the loss, the reality that he'd never see them again, but Grimm... he was devastated, the Nightmare Heart inside of him beating like crazy fueled by fear and adrenaline. He couldn't stay there. He had to go to her. He had to make sure she was alright.
Nightmare King was already on his way, but he couldn't reach her, finding only a deep darkness ready to swallow her and Amygdala, holding onto a little light and begging the others for help. The scarlet Monarch experienced the loss of a dear one too, in his countless cycles of death and rebirth... but they always returned to him, memories and feelings, the days he spend with each one engraved into his mind as their soul never left his side becoming a part of him, an eternal flame burning inside him, forever, until he himself would be no more. But (Y/N) ..., she would be gone forever, unchained by the same shackles that kept the others close to him, tied to his very being. He felt his heart being torn to pieces as the realization fell upon him, the pain unbearable. He crashed, there in the darkness, letting out the most wretched screams his throat could muster, right from the wound opening inside, beneath his shell. He couldn't move, couldn't act, only shout his sorrow and beg together with Amygdala for the Great Ones to come and help.
Sympathetic by nature, knowing full well what it means to lose a child, they answered and together, they shunned the darkness, protecting the soul of the girl, until the time came.
The news managed to ease Grimm's concerns, but did little else. He still feared for her life and even more for her mental state. Humans were so fragile, much more than bugs who still clung in a way to their base instincts even with all the comfort their king provided.
"Have you heard anything else about her?" the Pale Being asked, looking at the Troupe Master.
"No. He refuses to tell me anything. He only assured me that she was still alive." the black bug replied, unknowingly clutching the hose in his hands.
He was growing relentless every day, tortured with the desire to see her and make sure she was actually ok. Bu he couldn't let it show. He had to pretend that things were fine, that they were going to be alright. If not for him, for his son and his friend. The little one was much more sensitive to his father's mood than he thought, thus Grimm had to be careful. He wouldn't be able to handle two sick children. It would have been too much for him.
"Are you idiots here to work or chat?!" Herrah screamed from behind them.
They turned to see her carrying another basket of laundry and coming their way.
"We were just taking a little break, Herrah." the Troupe Master replied.
The Spider Queen shot him a dirty look, before placing the basket at his feet and looking around at the messy garden. She recalled (Y/N)'s struggles with those darned thistles, how she weeded the flowers out every weekend during autumn and spring, how she was laughing and listening to their stories, sometimes telling her own. It all felt so long ago now, colors that were once lively now faded and lost their beauty. The whole garden seemed to be weeping along with the ones in the house. While not as close with the girl as the Higher Beings, her heart still ached at the thought of the tragedy that befell her. To lose one' family was tought no matter the species. She turned to look at the other side of the garden where that Mabel girl was playing with the children and her daughter. If anyone else would have seen them, they wouldn't have thought that something woeful had happened, but the Spider could see it in their every move, hear it in their every sound. They were well aware of what happened, but they tried their best to pretend not to.
Put on a happy façade as to not worry father and the others. Too many problems, they had to try and play happy. If it doesn't work, pretend it's something else. Stumble, fall, cry then. Let the pain show but blame something else. It's not because of big sister. Stumble, fall, cry.
Herrah sighed, before she spoke again, trying to take her mind off the grim atmosphere.
"Where are the Birch and Moder? Those two better not slack off." she said, puffing.
"They went with Lady Gloria and Sir Franzen to the market to get some groceries for the Doll." The Wyrm informed her, calm as always.
"Apparently, there's a fair at the farms on the other side of the forest and they went to check it out." Grimm elaborated, motioning to the sea of trees nearby.
"I see." Herrah said, looking at the roof of the house where Flora was resting, keeping an eye on the little ones below, before going to check on (Y/N) again.
It was no secret that while the three beings seemed indifferent to each other, there was a certain tension between Moder and the Moon Presence. It was better to keep the two of them at a distance. The Great One moved, her gaze falling now on the three bugs that stared at her. They quickly looked away, afraid to catch her dark eyes, if those holes in her head were actually eyes. It was hard to tell. They felt her attention shift once more, away from them. Unknowingly, they relaxed, letting out breaths they didn't know they held in. And to think a creature like her was an architect of dreams.
"Where is my sister?" Grimm asked, trying to divert everyone's thought from Flora and her strong presence.
"In (Y/N)'s bedroom, being useless." Herrah answered, her words although harsh, did have a hue of compassion towards the Moth.
If the Troupe Master hadn't been already used to the nasty way Herrah spoke about and with everyone, he would have been greatly offended at her choice of words, taking them as insults towards his sister. He and Radiance were far from being the family they once were, before the moths, before the betrayal, even though they tried to leave the past behind and act as it never happened, but despite that, he was not one to stand aside while others insulted her, especially in her times of grief. She was suffering, maybe even more than the rest. (Y/N) was as much of a daughter to her as the moth tribe was. To lose her child again and be unable to do anything to prevent it... he knew how it felt, the sorrow of his father seeping into his own being, revealing things that he never thought that silly old bug who acted like a mindless child most of the time ever had inside of him. Like how he still mourned the very first Troupe Master after such a long time, how he recalled each moment he spend with every single child that came before him in his hours of loneliness. So many secrets that he hid under a merry facade, never letting anyone, not even his children, know about them as to not burden them with his struggles. They say the happiest people are often the ones who cried the most. How true it was in his case. Grimm shook his head. As much as he would have wanted to go to his father and find out more about what hid under that constant, annoying smile, he had to look after Radiance now. Her fury proved its danger long ago. To have her sorrow do the same would have been a disaster and they had enough of those already.
"I'm going to talk to her." Grimm said, sighing.
He left before Herrah could scold him for leaving his task unfinished. His sister was top priority after all.
Ever since the news of the accident reached her ears, she fell into a strong depression, the pain and grief from when her moths betrayed her, nearly forgetting her returning in full. The others tried to console her, but their feelings fell on deaf ears as the Old Light couldn't hear anything at all. Not even the antics of Shade Lord could reach her. And they tried, they tried so much, but making fun of a bug in distress brought little joy to the mischievous creature and thus they left her alone, looking to cause trouble somewhere else. Lately, Radiance began to spend days on end lying in (Y/N)'s bed, refusing to come out and barely eating. Seer was by her side, the last remaining moth, the one who refused to forget her but rarely interacted with her out of shame for what her kind has done to the one who gave them life. Now, she was offering her support, as much as she could, even if that meant to force her to eat.
A knock at the door caught Seer's attention, Radiance still lost in her own thoughts to pay any mind. Grimm stepped inside the cream-colored room, furnished with Victorian styled appliances, the shelves decorated with drawings of eyes, some colored, some not. The entire room looked so different compared to when he was his normal size. He approached the desk, passing his fingers over the wooden table, where he used to sit together with her and listen to music. He recalled the times they argued over which song to play, while Divine was using the distraction to snatch (Y/N)'s newest drawing and hurrying to splash paint on it. A soft chuckle escaped him as he thought of that. Oh! What he wouldn't give to know that those won't be the last. That he will get to enjoy them more, that the future will not be tainted by this tragedy, but he knew that it will. Nothing will ever be the same again. She was alive, but a part of her was gone...forever, dead and buried along with her parents beneath meters of cold dirt. He may not have been fond of them, but he would have liked to say one last goodbye before the first shovel of soil was tossed on the wooden coffins, because if it wasn't for them, (Y/N) would have never existed and a world without her was hard to imagine now, downright impossible.
He turned his head to look at the two moths lying in bed, one staring back at him while the other was lost in her own grief. How much sorrow can change someone. Her glamour was gone, her light having dulled to the point it hardly shone anymore, her feathers were flabby and were looking almost dirty. Grimm had to admit he was a bit scared to see her like that. Next to them was a tray with barely touched fruits, sign that she refused to eat again. The Troupe Master sighed as he sat on the bed, trying to not squash the insects.
"Hey sister." he said, gently patting her head. "How are you doing?"
"Leave me alone." she said, burring her face in the blankets.
Seer looked at the Troupe Master, the plea for help obvious in her eyes.
"Sister..." he paused and sighed again. He had to watch his words now. "I know this is difficult for you. It's hard on all of us, but we need to stay strong." he said aware of how cliché his words sounded.
Radiance said nothing, only moved her head ever so slightly to look at him. He took that as a hint to continue.
"I know you're worried about (Y/N). Not knowing what is going on with her is killing me just as much as you, but sulking won't get us anywhere. We have to do what we can right now to help James who is the only one among us able to take action should something happen."
The Moth said something, but it was so low that Grimm had to lean his head down close to her to hear.
"(Y/N) ...will she be alright? Will she return to us?"
"Yes, dear sister. She will." Grimm answered, trying to sound as convincing as possible, gently holding one of her wings between his slender fingers.
She accepted his attempt at consolation, feeling a little bit better. Although she would have never admitted it, not in a million years, she was glad to have him by her side, with all his eccentricity and all. He always knew how to care for her and how to make her day a little brighter. This was no exception. If only she could turn back time and fix the mistakes she made. But time is a force that bends to no one's will and flows only ever onward. The past cannot be changed, but the future could always offer a way for redemption.
"Thank you for the ride, Liviu. Will make it up to you one day." James said as he got off.
Luckily, none of the bugs were outside in the front yard and the house was still in one piece, much to his relief. All good so far.
"Don't sweat it. Take care of yourself, or else Sarah will kill us both." he joked, saying his goodbyes.
James watched his car disappear into the distance. He felt the Great One appear next to him, an intense stare examining him, making sure he was ok. He tried to assure her that all was ok, when she swooped him up in her arms and carried him towards the house, like a mother carrying her baby.
"Seriously, you didn't need to do this!" James cried, but Flora ignored him.
He was tired, exhausted. Only a fool could see otherwise. She took him to the backyard where Pale King was stuck listening to Herrah rant about Grimm abandoning them as she was handing the laundry to dry. At his sight, the two fought to hold back a chuckle, leaving their task to go and help Flora.
"I'm glad to see you are finally back, James. I assume this means good news?" Pale King said, hope building up inside him.
"In a way, yes. I'm going to adopt (Y/N)." James said before he had time to think about what came out of his mouth.
The Wyrm's eyes lit up, overjoyed at the news. Yes, it would have been best to keep (Y/N) close, here where she was loved and had an entire family ready to care for her. He let out a relieved sigh, placing his hand on his heart, trying to make it calm down from the ecstasy. Herrah said nothing, looking aside to not show her joy. Finally, she wouldn't have to worry about Hornet running around whenever her sister had to go home. She could keep a better eye on (Y/N) while she was recovering. Flora too, let out a gleeful coo in her own language that no sane man could comprehend, rubbing her face on James' unshaved cheek, before she took him to the door where the Doll was waiting, wearing an apron, her hat and coat hanged in the closet near the door, a smile on her lips.
"Welcome back, sir James. May I help you?" she said, moving to help support the man when the Moon Presence released him, as gently as she could.
"Thank you very much, Miss Doll. I hope there's room in the fridge. My sister" he said motioning to the package he was still holding, "didn't want me to leave without a lunch box as you can see."
The Doll nodded and looked at the door where Ghost was standing, Grimmchild resting between their antlers, awaiting a new task. She handed them the bag, thanking them as they took it and helped James climb the small stairs towards his home and then the salon, where Olaf, Mabel and the bugs were already waiting, the silverware already set, Pure busy bringing the pots with warm soup and putting them so that they were in everyone's reach. They greeted the man as he sat down, before disappearing back into the kitchen to bring more pots, followed by the Doll.
"Hello Mr. (L/N)!" Mabel saluted (Y/N)'s uncle, a bit taken aback by his shriveled look, though it was expected given the situation.
"It's good to see you again, James. I hope everything's going well." Olaf said, studying his friend's tired expression.
"Yes, I..." James began but before he could continue a voice thundered from the upper floor, along with heavy steps coming down the stairs.
"JAMES! WHAT'S WITH THAT PIG DEN YOU CALL A ROOM?! YOU IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU LIVE LIKE THAT?!" Gertrude screamed as she rushed to him and slapped the man in the back of his head.
He let out a painful groan, holding the area with both hands.
"OH! SHUT UP! YOU DESERVED IT!" the old woman yelled as she took her seat by his side, much to his woe and everyone else's relief.
Grimm joined them soon after, Radiance resting on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling when she saw James. Without wasting anymore time, she voiced the question that was on everyone's mind, yet none brave enough to put it.
"James, how is (Y/N)!? Is she alright? Where is she? Can we go see her?!"
"Easy there, Radiance. One question at a time." the man said, overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. "(Y/N)" he began trying to choose his words carefully and be as truthful as possible "she's fine, physically. The doctors said that if things go as well as they do, she'll be discharged at the end of the month, two weeks from now. It's her mental state that worries me most." he spoke, looking at everyone in the room, the ones outside having rushed in to hear the news. Flora listening at the window, Pure holding Ghost and Grimmchild close to their chest in anticipation. "I decided to adopt her. Once she's released from the hospital, she's going to be living with us and we must be prepared to support her with all we have."
Everyone nodded, letting out a collective sigh.
"You know we will, James. We always did." Olaf said, patting the man's shoulder.
"Two weeks. That's a long time." Radiance said, looking down.
She was happy that her daughter would be living with them from then on, but she couldn't help the sadness that filled her heart knowing that she wouldn't get to see her at for another 2 weeks.
"Thank you for the news, James. You have no idea how much we needed them." Pale King said, sitting down, his shoulders finally able to relax, a heavy burden lifted after so long.
"Ok. Now that that's out of the way, let's eat and then" Gertrude said, pointing at her friend, "you need a shower! You stink worse than a field of manure in summer."
"Wait. Where are Gloria and Franzen?"
"They said they'd eat at the fair, now shut up. I'm starving!" the old woman demanded, filling her plate with chicken soup and bread.
The rest followed suit, talking and laughing, now that they knew what was going on, tension slowly wearing off as they ate, complimenting the Doll's cooking and discussing what else needed to be done around the house with Gertrude and Herrah using every occasion to scold James for his messy way of living. No one noticed when the Moon Presence left, followed by a certain void cat towards the hospital where (Y/N) was resting.