Tiny Grim
Kiino walked down the road that lead to a house that the agender shared with five other individuals, finally getting home from work. Cold rain poured down from the clouded sky, a cloud of damp mist covering the area. Their phone bussed in their pocket, Kiino's attention turning from pretty much nothing to the notifications. Swiftly the phone was pulled out of a coat pocket, the other hand holding an umbrella. An icon for missed call was displayed on the screen. The black-haired adult swiped the screen, the phone hovering over their ear as the message played.
"Hey Kii-kun, I just wanted to let you know that me and Sheep are at the store and we'll be home about half an hour after you get off work. Icky should be at work by now and I think Jere's home or probably working. Sheepie wants you to check up on Grim, they said they were having really bad migraines and it was hard for them to breathe. See you at home, bye!"
Kiino sighed, pocketing the phone and walking up to the door of the home. The now soaked adult pulled the door open and shut it, taking off their shoes and hanging up the umbrella as well as the sodden coat that hung from their shoulders. With a yawn, Kiino trailed into the living room and down the hallway to each of the bedrooms. A sudden touch by Kiino's foot made them look down, a small red cigarette box on the ground. Unmistakingly it was Grim's, seeing as they were the only one who had these handy. Question was, why was it on the floor and not in the teen's hands? Kiino picked up the fragile box and put it in their back pocket to keep the teen from getting it back. As the black-haired adult walked down the hallway searching for Grim's room they felt a small bump by their legs. Blue eyes trailed down to see a small head of silver hair and then a set of small 3D colored eyes looking up in shock. The small child gave a yelp as they stumbled back. "T-tall person! Very tall person!" Kiino looked down at the small human puzzled. Who was this child and why did they look strangely like Grim? Kiino bent over and picked up the tiny silverhead and examined them. Holy shit it was Grim!
"Well this is very sudden." Kiino held the child so they were more comfortable and just stared. With one hand they pulled out their phone and called Sara, keeping one eye on the confused and almost scared looking Grim.
"Hello?"
"Sara?" Grim blinked, staring at the strange glass frames around this adult's eyes.
"No this is Sheepie, Sara's busy trying to find the lemons." The black-haired adult groaned.
"Well hurry up please; I need some help with something...sudden."
"Like what?" Tiny hands snatched the glasses from Kiino's face, the small hands fumbling around with the optical assistants.
"Just hurry up." And with that Kiino hung up, stealing back the glasses and placing them back where they belonged. Grim blinked before pouting, wishing this strange adult wasn't so grumpy. "Well, looks like I gotta take care of you now, considering you're a kid now Grim."
"K-kii?" Kiino stared at the child, well at least they remembered part of their name.
"Yes Grim?"
"M'm tired." The adult sighed, hoisting up the child a bit higher in their grip and back tracking to their own room. At least they could keep an eye on Grim here. Kiino wanted to ask someone for help as they weren't good with kids. They would have to see if Jeremy was here or not later. Grim sat on the floor, messing around with the large green scarf that draped far down from Grim's neck. Kiino wondered where Grim got it. Kiino pulled a blanket off their bed. They bent down to put it over the tiny version of their friend. The sound of rain reached Kiino's ears, as it pounded on the window. The small child in the room jumped, staring wide-eyed at the window until a small box caught their eye. It was red with these tiny white and orange sticks in them. Thinking it was candy; Grim slowly pulled one out and put it in their mouth. It at first tasted bitter, but then it gave some sort of smoke like flavor. Grim sucked on the small stick, letting the taste take over their tongue.
"Kii this thing t-tastes weird, but good!" Kiino whipped around to see the child holding a cigarette in their mouth. They jumped over to the child and ripped it out of their mouth.
"Bad child, take this instead." Kiino handed a small box of pocky to Grim and took away the cigarettes. There was something seriously wrong with this kid. Small red and blue eyes examined the box and its contents. A sudden slam of a door made Grim jump to their feet and run out the room, Kiino having no choice, but to chase after the child. The small child came to a halt when their eyes landed on Sheepie, Sara right behind her. A small smile spread across the silverhead's face.
"P-pretty lady! You're so pretty! Who's that behind you?" Sheepie cracked a small, but awkward smile. She didn't expect to find a small child when she got home.
"That's Sara-" Sheepie looked up at Kiino, giving the adult a 'wtf happened and who is this look'. "And who might you be little one?" Grim smiled, the plush fabric of their scarf bundled in tiny hands.
"I-I Grim!" Sheepie's eyes widened, picking up the small child with one arm, handing the grocheis to Sara. "So you're Sara?" Sara looked up at the five-year old, smiling at the sight.
"Yep! I'm Sara."
"You're so cute! Isn't she cute Kii?" Grim's head turned around to look at Kiino, whose mouth was agape. They couldn't think of a thing to say. Kiino blinked a few times in response, sighing as they walked over and took the bags of food from Sara.
"Come on, let's go put these away and I'll explain everything."
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"So you found Grim just like this once you got home?" Sara questioned as she handed a small cookie to a hungry Grim, the tiny hands snatching it from the blonde and instantly biting into it. Kiino leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing their arms as they replied.
"Pretty much. It was a very interesting way to come home." Sheepie put away the last of the food, turning her attention to the small Grim on the counter. The child had finished the treat and was now looking very sleepy. She picked up the small child in both arms.
"Well I think Grim needs to sleep, let's go sort all this out in the living room for a bit before I put them to bed." The party of four trailed to the living room, Sara and Kiino taking a seat on the couch while Sheepie choose a rocking chair. She watched as Grim slid off their petite sized hoodie, oddly leaving the scarf on. With a yawn and a few position shifts the child was finally quiet. The group discussed what to do now that they were dealing with a child, bringing up the topic of calling Grim's boss to tell them Grim wouldn't be at work for a while. About an hour passed before Jeremy emerged from his room, freezing when he saw the small child curled up by Sheepie. That was another twenty minutes spent explaining the group's predicament.
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About one week passed since Grim's strange age change and lots of things changed within the house. Sara played with Grim while everyone else was busy, the child having fun playing with her long blonde locks. Of course Grim bugged Kiino when they got home, happy to see the adult and Grim tried to cheer them up. Icky had fun messing with the child and playing with them. Sheepie made sure Grim wasn't getting hurt or bothering the others too much. Jeremy found it interesting that this younger Grim was so much different from the elder one personality wise. Wolfy and Rukia were shocked to see such a tiny Grim. When Lily came to visit one day, Grim couldn't stop saying how pretty Lily was. Grim had a habit of calling everyone cute or pretty.
Kiino noticed how this version of Grim knew almost everyone, but yet still talked about Gabe as if he was still alive. This Grim didn't have any memories of Gabe dying, Aeon, Ryuu or Grim's aunt in the hospital. This Grim was pure. The child kept wearing this blue scarf around their neck, never taking it off for anything. The silverhead was pretty well-behaved when need be, sometimes causing some trouble. That is why the doors were kept locked at night. The child always said goodnight to everyone before walking into their room to sleep, sometimes falling asleep in other people's rooms.
One night is when Kiino realized why this might have happened. It all started late at night, Kiino was attempting to get some writing in before turning in for the night. However, a faint knock at their door proved otherwise. At first Kiino thought it was Sara, responding with a simple, "Come in." Instead tiny footsteps were heard, making Kiino look up. "What is it Grim?" The 3D-eyed child fiddled with their sleeves, seeming on edge about something.
"Kii?"
"Yes Grim?"
"Where is Gabey?" Kiino took off their glasses, eyes wide. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Well um, what do you mean?" Grim frowned.
"I mean where is he? I haven't seen him at all and I thought he would come by and say hi. I k-know he's probably working right now, but doesn't he wanna see m-me? Does he even l-love me anymore?" It was Kiino's turn to frown; this was going to end badly.
"Grim, he loves you very much. Don't you ever say that, he is just...very very busy." Grim walked over to Kiino, the adult picking Grim up and letting the tiny human rest on their lap.
"Where is he though? Does he still live here?" Kiino sighed.
"No, um Gabe doesn't live here. He lives very...very far away right now." Grim leaned back, fiddling with the scarf again.
"I miss him Kii! I wanna see my big brother again!" The child wailed. Kiino patted the child's head, trying to offer comfort.
"Not going to lie to you kid, you might not see him for a while." Grim sniffled. "But trust me; if Gabe were here right now, he'd be so proud of you. I know he is proud of you, every day he is proud to be your brother. He misses you very much and he wants to see you again. However, life happens and sometimes we just got to be patient. For now you've got me and the others to help you, OK?" Grim nodded, feeling a bit better about Gabe. They wrapped their tiny hands around Kiino, giving a small hug to the adult. Kiino ruffled the child's hair, letting the calmness in the room sink in. Soft breathing was the only noise in the room, telling Kiino that Grim had slipped in to dreamland. The adult carried the child to their room, placing them on their red and blue bed. Pulling the covers over the small body and flicking the lights off, Kiino left the room. It was time to get back to work or spend some time with Sara.
In the morning, Kiino left Sara's room. It turns out the blonde had another nightmare and needed some comfort. Kiino was more than happy to help. They sauntered into their own room, grabbing a small box of chocolate pocky as routine. Even with Grim being a child, they still left the treat outside the door. The door was cracked open slightly, letting Kiino peak inside. Instead of the small child that had run around the house for the last week, a regular, nineteen year old was lying in the bed. The scarf was in their hands and their breathing was steady. Kiino placed the box outside the door, walking away quietly to keep from waking anyone up. Looks like all Grim needed was a better childhood, or maybe just a chance to vent? Was it the fact that they didn't have closure? Who knows? Only the one in heaven can tell you for sure.
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