Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ironically, what made Six break wasn't the Maw's horrors. It wasn't the stench of death, or the cries of the still-but-barely alive children.

It was a teddy bear.

A simple, rugged teddy bear.

...She would laugh, if she had the energy.

.

.

.

She'd been walking through the Maw aimlessly since the day before. Or, well, since the last time she'd slept. Time was weird in this place.

The ship was a major upgrade though, in her opinion. It was horrifying, yes, like the rest of the world outside, but at least it had a system. An order to things. Method. It wasn't like the stupid, ugly city outside, full of televisions and empty streets.

"Look, it's the moon! Pretty, isn't it?"

It was better than the city. The ship was better.

It was big and it swayed gently from side to side, and it was full of rotten meat and rats, yes, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Because Six was a survivor. She was smart. Independent. She could handle things on her own. She didn't need help, because any company she could have would be decidedly annoying, and a burden in the end. The cages she saw were full of snotty kids, crying or sleeping, resigned to their fate. They didn't fight anymore. And that made her mad. Those children were weaklings. Stupid kids who gave up at the slightest hint of danger.

But she was different. That's why she didn't even bother helping them. If they wanted to be eaten, then let them be. She hated weak people, and she would not stand someone who weighted her down on her journey. Bad company was the same as no company. She was tough. She had not met anyone who could match her, so she was alone a lot, but she preferred it that way. If no one had anything to contribute, then she wouldn't bother.

"Oh, I've got it! It's like a puzzle, see? Come, I'll show you how to do it"

...Her bar had been set high, after all.

As of late, though, she was more preoccupied with escaping the Maw.

She didn't know what she was thinking, coming here. It wasn't her most brilliant moment, she admitted. But in this world, there were very few alternate options. What did she think she would find, anyway? 

A better future? A change of scenery? So far, those two things were a bust. She was cold, clammy, hungry, and that stupid song from the few working TVs she could find was stuck in her head like a scratched record.

Those TVs always gave her chills.

A few other children had given her a few tips and directions though, so at least she knew where to go now. If she could just reach the highest part of the Maw and get past the Lady, then she could have a chance to escape.

And boy, did she want to escape.

It didn't matter that there were horrible creatures waiting for her left and right. She would get past them all, and if she was lucky, maybe kill them in the process.

It didn't matter that she was hungry all the time, because she would always find something to eat, with varying degrees of decay, but technically edible.

And it definitely, definitely did not matter that she saw him every time she devoured her prey, because she wasn't bothered by it at all.

Not one bit.

It wasn't even him. It was her. An image of her, anyway. Dark and wispy and staticky like an old transmission. Always behind her like a ghost. Watching her eat impassively. But it wasn't really her. It may have her raincoat, and her figure, but its eyes...

They were not her own.

She knew because her eyes were black. Black as the deepest night. In some puddles of muddy water, she could sometimes see her reflection, and her eyes were always dark and plain. Not even the pupil was visible, unless you looked hard enough.

But the ghost's eyes were brown.

A soft, gentle brown, dark like wood.

She knew who those eyes belonged to. She's caught a glimpse of them once or twice behind the cover of a filthy paper bag. And she hated that she could recognize who he was.

He had no business being here. He had no business bothering her again. She'd left for a reason. She was supposed to leave everything about the city behind, but of course the biggest nuisance chased her down here, because life was awful and it hated her.

It hated all of them.

He'd always stand in the back, behind a low, muffled familiar song. He'd look at her, stare at her, and though he never said anything, Six could swear those eyes were disappointed.

But she wouldn't let herself be bothered by it. Because she wasn't.

Six didn't regret what she did.

She'd done what she had to. What she needed to, to survive.

She'd done what she thought was best, in a world where nothing seemed right at all.

That's why she didn't regret it. No.

She didn't regret letting the boy fall.

It wasn't her fault. She'd always been smart. She'd seen what he looked like. She'd seen the Man, too.

She'd seen the resemblance.

...But she'd only seen it at the last moment.

Lying there, exhausted, enraged, and–infuriatingly–scared, she'd seen him without his makeshift mask on for the first time. And she'd made the connection. So when he jumped, and she reflexively caught him, like she'd done all those times before, she hesitated when she was supposed to pull him up. She'd made a decision, in that split second.

It wasn't her fault.

It wasn't.

Because if she'd let him live, if she had pulled him up and left the Tower with him, he would most certainly grow up to become the Thin Man they'd seen on the TV screens. He would have become a monster. And besides, he was a coward. He'd let her get captured by the man–let her by captured by himself–and taken to that awful, awful place. She had trusted him, trusted like she never trusted anyone, and had reached out her hand, like he'd done to her many times before. She'd been weak. She thought he would help her. She'd been so blind she was absolutely, completely sure he would come out and pull her out of the Thin Man's grasp. But then she'd seen his eyes, when the light from the monster behind her hit just the right angle.

He was scared.

He had been terrified, and it wasn't like him to be such a wimp, but he'd curled up into a ball and placed his hands on his head and shut his eyes like he wanted to block the sight of her, and he'd let her be captured.

He let her down.

He betrayed her.

He betrayed her!

And he'd broken her music box, too. He'd shouted at her and broke her music box and taunted her when she was turned into that twisted monster–which had also been his fault.

It was all his fault.

But he came for her.

It was his fault.

He'd helped her turn back to normal.

It was not hers.

He came for her, even though–

Because he'd betrayed her.

Even though he was scared.

And that was that.

So she wasn't bothered by his poor intent of haunting her or whatever. Let him watch her eat. Let him watch how she used his abilities for herself. He owed her that. So let him stay and watch.

It wasn't like she cared.

So she'd wandered over the Maw, focusing only on her goal of escaping, turning her head away form everything else, because nothing else was important.

...Until the teddy bear.

It wasn't a big deal, really.

Only a worn down, admittedly disgusting teddy bear. She'd picked it up to reach one of the elevator's buttons, since everything was so gigantic she didn't even reach the corner of the panel. It had been taken with innocent intentions. To be used, and left behind, like everything else.

But then she'd kinda...stared at it a little.

She didn't know why. She didn't like toys. They were pointless, and she didn't know how to play with the majority of them. But she still looked at it. 

And the memories just hit her full force.

-------------

"Hey!"

Six turned around, fully expecting an attack of some kind, or a puzzle to be solved.

The boy, Mono–weird name, but then again, he'd pointed out that she literally went by Six so she couldn't judge–was holding a big teddy bear, torn at the seams. Six walked over, confused. Maybe it had something inside? A key maybe, like that one other toy a while back.

"Look, Six!" he whispered. They always whispered, or settled for short callings. There was no room for a higher volume, lest they be noticed by someone, or something.

She looked. Mono seemed expectant.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" she asked, irritated.

"Well, isn't it cute?" Mono turned he bear around, tilting his head. "I thought girls liked this kinda stuff"

Six kicked him in the shins. Mono yelped, and rubbed the sore spot.

"It's ugly" she stated dryly.

"It's not though. I kinda like it" he said, pensively. Six huffed, looking out the window. The time spent in this pointless conversation could have been used for walking on.

"Good for you. Let's move" she grasped his arm, and like always, a touch of electricity made the hairs of her arms stand on end. He always seemed to carry static, somehow. He let himself be dragged away, turning to look at the bear one last time before following her out.

On the streets once more, he took her hand, pulling her with him so they walked faster. Six let him. He was ridiculously touchy, and she didn't really like the contact, but she supposed with his longer legs she could get left behind quite easily, and that just wouldn't do.

"Hey, Six"

She sighed. 

"What."

"What do you want to do, if we leave this place?"

Six paused. What was with that question, all of a sudden?

"...I don't know" she covered her face from the rain. "It doesn't really matter"

"It does!" Mono looked back at her. She couldn't see his expression. Stupid paper bag. "You can't just not have a goal, right?"

"My goal is to escape"

"Well, yeah, but why? What do you want to do after you escape?" 

Six wasn't bothered by his use of 'if', even if she knew she was more than capable. Too many things could happen. They could die in a heartbeat. 'If' was a pretty realistic way of thinking. She shrugged. Mono hummed.

"...Well, I want to open a shop!"

Six squinted.

"A shop? Of what?"

"I don't know"

"Stupid. How could you open a shop if you don't know what you want it to be?"

"Well, it's just that sometimes I want it to be a bookstore. Other times I want it to be a toy store, and so on"

"So you can sell ugly teddy bears?"

Mono chuckled. A breathy, short sound. A rarity, in a place like this. Six didn't know how he could do it so easily.

"Teddy bears outside aren't ugly"

"How do you know?"

"Well," they jumped over a puddle. "I mean, if here is everything that is bad and sad, outside must be the opposite, don't you think?"

Six stared. What a moron.

"That makes no sense"

"In any case, if we're able to leave, will you help me think of something?"

"What makes you think I'll stay with you if that happens?"

Mono tightened his grip.

"...Nothing. But still, even if you want to go your own way, before you go you have to promise you'll help me decide"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Come on, please?"

"No"

"Pretty please?"

"No!"

Mono laughed.

"It's a promise, then!"

What an idiot.

------------------------

Six dug her nails into the bear. Was she trembling? Why was she...?

A drop fell to the ground. She jumped, raising a dirty hand to her face.

Was she...crying?

Why?

Why would she–It was not like it mattered anymore, right? He was gone, anyway.

Six stared at the teddy, unseeing.

He was gone.

Yeah, he was gone, so he wouldn't get to open his stupid shop. He wouldn't get to grow up, or have a dog like he said he wanted to. He wouldn't get to do any of it because he was gone.

Because Six had let him fall.

An ugly sob tore out her throat.

Six let him...she killed him, didn't she? She was just so angry...so bitter, she just let go.

...He had looked so shocked.

The girl curled into a tiny ball and pressed the teddy bear to her chest. The tears fell and fell. She hated crying. It left her tired and thirsty, but she couldn't stop.

She didn't mean to kill him, really! She just–she was tired, and she hurt all over, and she wasn't thinking straight! She knew the truth, deep down!

She knew he regretted letting her get captured. He was scared, and she couldn't fault him for getting scared that one time when all of the other days he'd always been bravely at the front of all their battles. She couldn't fault him for destroying her precious music box, because he knew it was the only way to bring her back. Because he was smart, like her.

Because he was smart, and he was strong, and he was brave, and was everything she wasn't. He still had hope. He still had dreams. He was still kind to someone like her.

And yet she'd still let him fall.

She wasn't any better than all these monsters.

Six stayed crying for a long time. But she had to keep moving. With a heavy heart, she placed the teddy back down and sniffed. She hated this. She wished she could have saved him.

She wished–

Wait.

She froze. She didn't...she didn't actually see him die, right? Even if he ended up turning into the Thin Man like she'd predicted, he wasn't technically dead, right? She only saw him falling into the black abyss of the Tower, but...

If there was a chance, a slim chance that he might be alive, after all...

Six started walking, her mind running a mile a minute.

If she could escape the Maw, and return to the city...she'd seen TVs in the ship, and sometimes they were on. That irritating song she hated so much...she'd heard the clay children back at the school singing it. Well, screeching something resembling that tune, more likely. And if the TVs still worked, that meant the Tower still worked. Which meant the Thin Man was still in control.

Which meant Mono was still there.

In one way or another, he was still alive.

Her tummy did a weird jump.

Mono...the Thin Man had been so dark and violent. He'd stopped at nothing to capture them, and to suck the life out of the people of the city. It hurt, knowing that whatever happened to her friend–because that's what they had been, right? No point in denying it anymore–was so horrible it turned him into a cruel monster. It wasn't Mono in that body anymore. It was like when she'd been transformed into that big form in the Tower. She thought she'd die after a few hours, but Mono had been there for months, at least. All alone. She blinked quickly, determined to prevent another round of tears.

Well, Mono was nothing if not resilient. Time and time again they'd been separated by one thing or another and she'd been sure he was dead, but he'd proved her wrong, time and time again. She just had to trust him.

Trust him, one more time.

Six wiped her tears away and jogged quietly away from the room, a newfound purpose in her mind.

She would get out of there.

She would get out, find Mono, turn him back and then they would both escape this wretched world. They would leave for good and she would help him build his dumb shop, and get his dumb dog or whatever he wanted to do. They would survive. Together.

She believed she could do it. She was a survivor. She believed in herself. She believed in Mono.

She believed in them.

Chapter Text

She did it.

She did it!

Six walked to the shore, where the Maw had been stranded. The sand tickled her rough feet. She felt faint, but she didn't know if it was because she was relieved or because she had overused Mono's powers.

That's right. She had ended everyone. Every single one of her enemies had been defeated, and the thrum of their energy in her veins filled her with a wild excitement she couldn't explain. The euphoria had been there when she'd ended the Lady, and it had shimmered happily when every guest had fallen heavily on the ground, and she had been completed as she never had before when the giant doors had opened–splitting that awful eye in a half–and she felt the light hitting her face for the first time. Stage one of her plan: done. Now all that was left was getting to the city and turning Mono back.

Every time she ate, there he was again, using Six's face. But now, instead of irritation and guilt, she felt a strong drive to rescue him. The sight of him was a reminder. A motivation. She had decided she would make things right and apologize when he was back. She would grovel and beg if she had to, something she would rather die than do if it was anyone else. But it was Mono. And even if he was mad at her, in all his right, she would spend the rest of her life trying and mending their relationship.

Mono was worth groveling for.

What were the chances of Six ever finding a companion like him again? Someone who was smart and agile, and who wasn't afraid to confront any enemies. Someone who worked in tandem with her, who knew what she was thinking without saying anything. 

Someone who was happy and hopeful.

No, Mono was one of his kind. Six would get him back, no matter what. This world had taken too much from them already, and she was sick of it. She would strike back.

She made a mistake, but she would own up to it and fix this.

She had to.

.

.

.

After a few weeks of walking, Six arrived at the city again. The deja vu feeling made her dizzy. It was just like the first time. Empty streets, swaying clothes, the ever present buzz of electricity...

Only, Mono wasn't with her this time.

Six wrapped her arms around herself, beginning to enter more and more into the heart of the town. There weren't people around. Actually, yeah there were, but they were all dead, having jumped from the rooftops in an effort to follow the directives of the Thin Man.

Who was her friend.

Six swallowed, edging closer to the dark corners of the sidewalk. The school loomed ominously in the distance, muffled sounds of yelling and a piano melody.

"Are you okay? That was a pretty long fall...I'm sorry I couldn't get here fast enough"

The hospital flickered at her side. Strong smell of antiseptic and soft wailing coming from the inside. She shuddered to think what lurked in there now that the doctor was no more.

"Whew! We sure got him good! We make a great team, don't we, Six?"

She even passed around that moldy place where she'd found her raincoat. Every nook and cranny, every corner was full of memories. Ugly, hateful memories, but good ones too, filling the silence with resounding snickers and the splashing of puddles. Six squinted, looking up to the Tower. It was as she had last seen it. Tall, imposing and emitting that violet light that made her feel ill. She hated this already, and she surprised herself when a wave of aversion filled her heart. She didn't want to go in there. Oh, she really didn't want to. Stupid Mono! Why couldn't he choose a less threatening place to dwell in?

Six was aware she was being unreasonable, but every fiber in her being absolutely refused to take another step. She just....

She stared at the Tower and she remembered being trapped there. She remembered that dizzying music, repeating again and again, surrounding her with a sense of security that comforted her, but also somehow choked her and she thought she might die if she let her music box out of her sight. Her limbs were all twisted and they hurt, and her feet were too mangled to go anywhere, so she was stuck in that tiny, warped room, averting her eyes from the pictures and avoiding all the toys and listening to the song again and again and again–

The girl swallowed the bile that threatened to overwhelm her. Don't be an idiot, Six. 

That's right. She wasn't a weakling like those other children back at the Maw. She wasn't a crybaby. She was strong, so she wouldn't run away from a stupid tower.

Mono hadn't ran away after all.

So she straightened, squared up her shoulders and took a few calming breaths.

...Then she saw the TV. 

Unassuming, leaning on a corner, buried in garbage. Six stared.

It was on.

Not showing any images, or music, but only showing static. Its white light bathed the sidewalk in milky light. Six's heart was a buzzing thing within her chest. She didn't know what she expected. For the TV to suddenly jump at her? For the Thin Man to come through and take her again? Either way, none of those things happened, but somehow she still felt on edge. She could see her reflection slightly, her yellow raincoat shining like a beacon amidst all the grayness of the city. 

She was scared.

So, as she often did, buried her fear below a heavy pile of rage and bitterness, and scowled at the TV. That evil thing. It was all its fault. If the TVs hadn't been there, Mono wouldn't have been drawn to them, and by extension, to his other self. If they hadn't been there, the Thin Man wouldn't have captured her at all. The citizens wouldn't be in a trance, only escaping when they jumped to their deaths. She picked up a rock. It was all the TVs fault! It was all this world's fault! They deserved to die, all of them! In a fit of rage, Six plunged the rock in the TV screen, breaking cables and glass and plastic. She kicked it and punched it, uncaring of how her hands and feet were being scratched and damaged. She hit it as much as she could, using the rock to cut all connections and disassembling the useless machine until it was nothing more than a pile of smoking metal. She stood there, panting and trembling in the cold.

She felt better.

Six threw the rock at the remains of the machine and gave it a dirty look.

"I'm gonna win" she promised, to no one in particular. "I'll get him and we'll win, just you see"

Sufficiently pacified, the girl walked along to the dark Tower.

--------------

There was only one problem.

The door wouldn't open.

Six successfully reached the main entrance, hiding and being as quiet as she could whenever a TV would spontaneously decide to explode and the adults screeched in rage, but overall the trip was pretty uneventful. So she should have known something had to go wrong.

The girl groaned and bumped her head against the heavy door in frustration. Why wouldn't it open?! Mono had gotten there no problem before, right? So why wouldn't it open for her?

Six took a deep breath and started to think. What was different about her that made it impossible for her to enter? And why could Mono do it?

...Was it because the Tower was the Thin Man's domain? And technically Mono's domain, too?

That could be it. Perhaps they had a sort of fingerprint, so to speak, and it could only open with his powers–

Wait! But she had his powers now! Or, at least a part. Mono absorbed remains of flickering people, she absorbed things' souls, or something. But the basics were the same. So maybe if she...

Six planted her heels firmly against the ground, and tried to copy the pose she'd seen her friend do so many times. Head bowed in concentration, a hand up touching the door, feet apart. She closed her eyes and tried to feel for that unnamed emotion that came with her monstrous hunger. The feeling of trying to tune in with other's energy. The feeling of the void, of unsatisfied appetite. A flicker of something met with her hand. She flinched, but didn't pull back. It was like a pulsing warmth, seeking her and prodding about. Like a keyhole, with a labyrinth inside. The warmth was leading her through, so Six listened, opening the mechanism bit by bit, turning cogs and going around corners, until a heavy groan forced her to step back, startled.

The door opened slowly, and the bright violet light she knew and dreaded blinded her for a second.

This was it.

Six heard a slight hiss at her side and whipped her head around. Her shadow was standing beside her, brown eyes firmly fixed in the bright light. Did it recognize the Tower? Did it know the rest of his soul was in there? Either way, this clearly was the way to go. The girl took out her lighter, which would be useless in the midst of all this brightness, but still brought her a sense of comfort.

Not like the music box though.

Never like the music box.

Six shook off the annoying last crumbs of her fear–you're strong, you're brave, you're different and you won't let anything stop you–and stepped through, only to find the same room she'd seen back then. Violet light, floating stuff, and a dozen doors and stair leading to apparently nowhere, but she knew better. Before, the Thin Man had just dragged her through all the corridors and doors in an order only he knew. She was too busy panicking and trying with all her might to escape to notice the pattern. Now, that could have come in handy. Stupid, stupid! She should've paid attention!

However, before she could stress too much, her shadow came through once again. As if in a trance, it walked forward, and the very ground of the Tower seemed to respond to its presence, because the floor flared up with every step it took. The figure seemed to be glitching more and more though, but Six didn't know why. Either way, she wasn't about to let this very obvious opportunity go, so she silently followed the shadow and walked through confusing paths, infuriating portals, and mysterious rooms until she arrived at a muddled corridor that lead to a door. With an eye. A very familiar eye. She'd seen it a number of times in the Maw, and it made her skin crawl. The shadow glitched once again, and this time, broke into black fragments of tiny wisps that were carried through the air by an invisible wind and slipped down the door. Six swallowed and stepped in.

Time seemed to slow down. A sense of foreboding crawled down her back. A feeling of urgency, like she needed to reach the handle. She started running, her feet dragged behind, like she was wading through particularly thick mud. Just a bit, just a bit more...!

The door started tilting open without her doing anything. A fragment of purple light seeped through. Six started to sweat. She had a bad feeling. What was on the other side of that door?  Her queries were soon answered. The door opened completely and Six came slowly to a stop, frozen still.

The Thin Man himself was sitting there, in a lonely chair and in an empty room, all elongated limbs and dark figure and menacing posture. Impossibly tall, he just sat there until the black wisps of Six's shadow touched him, at which he jerked like a needle of electricity had ran through him. Six jumped. The Thin Man slowly raised a hand, like he was waking up from a dream, and put it in front of his face pensively. If Six didn't know for a fact that his eyes were closed, she would say he was examining it. She didn't dare move. What was next? She had come here to save her friend, yes, but she didn't actually have a plan. Like any stages of her short life, she had been flying blind, relying on her senses and quick instincts to survive.

The Thin Man jerked again, and that horrible face– Six felt awful for thinking that, he was Mono after all, but he was just so–

The man glitched and faster than she could blink, stood up. She took a step back. He regarded her coldly, face never changing. Did...did he remember her? Did he know who she was? What she'd done?

...Was Mono even there at all?

Six swallowed, and puffed out her little chest in a weak attempt at bravery. There was only one thing to do now, right? Her friend had called out to her, so she would do the same, and hope he would hear her, wherever he was.

"Hey!" she shouted, voice rough from lack of use.

The Thin Man flickered, and tilted his head even more. Standing like that, he looked like a hanging man. Six shuddered.

"Mono!" She tried again. This time, the man's hand twitched. Six eyed it with trepidation, which proved to be life saving, because the broadcaster apparently grew tired of her little show and started chasing her all together. 

The little girl gasped and took off, falling into the familiar routine of run, hide, keep going, don't stop, that usually accompanied threatening situations. In a world such as this, children like her didn't stand a chance in an openly violent situation in a lot of cases, so their best bet was running. It was all they could do to survive. Being chased around like rats in a maze. A familiar flare of anger lit up inside her, and she turned her head around to shout once more.

"Mono!" she jumped over a fallen chair. "I know you're in there!"

The Thin Man kept chasing her, and his face kept twitching. Six glared as much as she could while she ran.

"Let me see him!" she demanded, ignoring the fact that this horrible monster and her friend were technically the same and she was in no position to make such a request. 

Even so, her words seemed to have some sort of effect in him, because the space around them warped to the point were Six realized with terror she wasn't progressing at all. Time had somehow stopped.

"M-Mono!" she kept on yelling, stubborn. The Thin Man's face glitched strongly, and Six felt a strong tug of something in her soul.

"Hey, come out!" she was trembling under her raincoat. She ignored it. "Come out and we can leave this place!"

The man stood still. Six made a last effort, throat aching.

"We can escape! Together!"

It seemed that was the last straw. Six watched in horror as the Thin Man–the cool, collected Thin Man, who was always in control and calmly took every life in the city–fell apart, features twisting into an inhuman rage. He opened his mouth like a dark cave and screamed, a dreadful sound adorned with glitches and echoes that reverberated through the warped walls, making them shake as if under an earthquake, and bounced off in Six's mind like a drilling beep, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. The tug on her soul outright yanked, causing her to slip. She covered her ears as best she could. 

It hurt, knowing just how much sweet, kind Mono resented her.

The Thin Man chased her again, and this time, cornered her in a matter of seconds. It made Six wonder if he had the need to leisurely trail after her like she was a rabbit. It made her wonder if, all those other times, he only walked so slow to see her scramble to get away from him. To see her scared, at his mercy.

Like he had been.

Six's breathing sped up. Was this the end? Was she going to be killed? Had she messed up, even more than she already had?

Tug, tug.

She grabbed at her raincoat, above her heart. What...?

The Thin Man knelt in front of her, causing a wind that almost knocked her thin body off her feet. Six covered her eyes and squinted.

A violet light caught her attention. 

Not the same vomit inducing light that covered the Tower in its entirety, but a different kind of shade. It was emanating from the center of the Thin Man's chest. What was that? Six tried to soul-feel her way inside.

Tug.

Her black eyes widened. There it was! Like a string, connecting the last remains of her stolen power to the very core of the monster in front of her. What if...? What if the Thin Man was like her? Like that other form she had transformed to? Twisted by rage and bitterness and fear. But still the person they had been. The person who could still be saved. Then that meant Mono probably was...

She gritted her teeth, eyes set on the Thin Man. What a suicidal plan. She had never ran to an enemy, only from and away. Because she actually had a sense of self preservation. Because she wasn't an idiot.

The things I do for you. You better be grateful, stupid!

Squeezing the lighter, Six ran as fast as she could....

....straight to the Thin Man's chest.

Chapter Text

Six agonized over her admittedly stupid plan for about five seconds.

Then, she couldn't do anything but stare.

She didn't know what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't this.

When she had run into the Thin Man's chest, she thought one of two things would happen. One: She got where she needed to go. Two: She died, plain and simple.

Fortunately, it seemed the first option presented itself, albeit in a strange, non-chaos way.

Six was in a room. A tiny room, with nothing more than bare walls tinted with the ever present violet light and a single chair standing in the middle. And in that chair, her friend sat.

Well, it wasn't really sitting. Mono was curled up into a tight little ball, and he rocked slightly back and forth. His paper bag was missing, and it made him look smaller. Six swallowed. 

"H-Hey" she whispered. Mono's head snapped up, wide brown eyes taking her in.

There was silence for a few seconds. 

Mono mouthed something she couldn't hear. Six started walking slowly forward. What should she say? Should she apologize first? Or convince him to come with her? What should she do? She had planned a long speech before coming here, but now, looking at her friend, it seemed all the words just vanished from her tongue. Mono pressed himself against the chair as she approached.

"Mono?" she asked, suddenly nervous. "Do you...? I mean, do you know who I am?"

Do you remember me?

Mono narrowed his eyes at her. That was a good enough answer. She swallowed.

"I...You're probably wondering why I'm here" she began, twisting her hands. "Well, I, uh...I'm here for you. To rescue you"

Mono twitched.

"We can leave...will you come with me?" she walked closer, until she was in front of him. "We can go together"

"Together?" Mono muttered, still not moving. His eyes looked at her up and down. "That's funny"

"What?"

Silence. Six frowned. They didn't have time for this. Who knows what the Thin Man was doing. What the Tower looked like. They could talk later.

"Look, Mono, we have to get out of here, the Tower–" she reached out a hand, but Mono jumped off the chair and stepped away from her. Six huffed, temper rising. She'd never been very patient.

"Hey, I know you're mad at me, but you can do it later. We have to go"

Mono pressed his lips together. His eyes shone, and with a start, Six realized he was about to cry.

"I'm not going" he said. 

"Don't be like that" Six stepped closer, and Mono stepped away again. "We can leave. There has to be a way out"

"You're not even real. You'll just take me to an empty wall" he turned resolutely away from her. Six blinked. What? Of course she was real!

Unless...the Tower had been showing him things? Six swallowed, changing her approach. She put up her hands slowly, walking around her friend until she was into eye range again.

"I am. I am real, Mono. I came for you!"

"It's not gonna work anymore. Give it up" Mono said, and he just sounded so tired. Six did the one thing that came into her mind. She took his hand.

Mono stiffened like he'd been hit, reflexively clutching her fingers.

"Here. I'm touching you, see?" she squeezed. "I'm here"

The boy blinked quickly, and stared at Six like it was the first time he'd seen her.

"...Six?" he whispered.

"Yeah"

Mono started to smile tentatively, before looking stricken and yanking his hand away, staggering backwards. The space they were in shook terribly, the earthquake outside seeping inside the area and causing cracks to spread through the ground.

"You–you left me!" Mono yelled, balling his hands into fists. "You let go!"

Oh no. 

"I-I know! I know, and I'm sorry, okay?" Six crouched, hoping to have more stability in the face of the shaking world. They were too far away from each other. She needed to get to him.

"I shouldn't have let go, but–but–I was just–"

"And after I came for you!" Mono continued on, undeterred. "After I helped you so many times! I didn't expect you to be grateful or anything, but I didn't think you'd do that to me!"

Against herself, Six felt childish rage bubbling up inside her, pale cheeks flushing in anger.

"Well, whose fault was that in the first place?!" she stomped her bare foot on the breaking ground. "You also left me for dead, or did you forget?!"

"That wasn't my fault!"

"How?! You let the Thin Man grab me!"

"I-He was going to grab you anyway!"

"Liar!" Six felt tears building in her eyes to match Mono's own. "You were close enough! You could have grabbed my hand, help me hide!"

"I was scared!" Mono screamed, and the very space groaned in protest, ceiling caving in. A chasm opened between them, like a black mouth waiting to swallow them whole. 

Six fell down on her side, and scrambled to get away from the edge, surroundings getting blurry from the tears. Her friend wasn't quite so lucky, and he slid down precariously down the abyss. Six had a moment of sheer terror, anger and all, where she wondered if she was about to see the boy fall yet again, but the chair, the same wooden one Mono had been sitting in, also slid with him, and one of its legs got stuck in a crack on the wall. The boy made the most of it, grabbing the chair with lightning fast reflexes and wrapping his arms around in in a vice like grip.

Nobody moved for a few moments.

Then Six was crawling as fast as she could over to the edge of the chasm. She got on her belly and reached out a hand, like she'd done so many times before. Mono looked up at her with wide eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Grab my hand!" she yelled with a hoarse voice. Mono trembled down below.

"I-I can't! You're too far away!" he replied. The resentment from before seemed to have been forgotten by the two of them, the urge to survive at any costs rising up and eclipsing anything else.

"Yes you can! Just jump, like you did before!"

Mono swallowed, eyeing her hand like it might bite. With a start, Six realized the cause of his hesitation, and berated herself for not seeing it sooner.

"I won't let you fall again, Mono!" she insisted, trying to convey how much she meant those words. "I swear it!"

"I–I don't know that!" the boy stammered.

"You do! I never, and I mean never, go back on my word Mono, you know this!" she sniffed, the tears coming back without her permission. She'd been awfully emotional lately. She blamed it on Mono. He'd made her like this. Soft.

"I–I can't–" Mono started to say, but another groan from above drowned out his words.

The ground jerked again, the violet light flickering unsteadily, threatening to leave them in total darkness. Six felt an unhealthy amount of fear at that. Being submerged in total blackness? In this situation? She couldn't think of anything worse, aside from perhaps Mono dying, or her dying. A muted roar from outside made the two jump. It sounded...it sounded like the Thin Man. For the first time, Six wondered how this was affecting him. Was he hurting because Six had gotten in? Was the destruction inside the room reflecting his emotions? If he was technically Mono, then was it reflecting his emotions? It was all too confusing. 
Six had never had to worry about anything else than her own survival. She never had to analyze anything deeper that what she would eat that day. She lived in the hour, always hiding, always scared.

Always so–

"–Scared"

"What?"

Mono sniffed, sobbing openly now. Six was crying too. It was a strange thing. They had never cried like this before. Somehow, they always buried their feelings below the surface, because weakness meant death. Each one had their own way of hiding them. Six showed herself angry and aggressive, selfish beyond repair because there just wasn't anything more to be. Anything else that didn't serve a purpose in her path was discarded instantly, because worrying about something other than herself was just too much uncertainty. Too much to lose, and Six absolutely refused to lose.
Mono hid behind optimism. Behind helping someone else, until he bordered on outright suicidal plans where his companion was secured in all angles but he was left open and vulnerable. He was sure they would make it in any situation, because if he believed otherwise he would crumble and fall. He needed something to protect. He needed a purpose, because if he didn't have one, then he wasn't anyone and it was better to just go and die. Six didn't bother with anyone else because if she lost them then it would be her fault and it would be better to just go and die.

"I'm scared" Mono cried. Six whimpered.

And that was just it, wasn't it? They were scared. They were all scared, and it wasn't fair.

Trapped in a world where many would rather finish the job themselves than let any monster kill them. A world where everyone hid their faces, because they were ashamed of who'd they'd become, of the things they'd done to survive, of the people they had lost. They were scared of facing the truth, so they always hid. Why couldn't they cry openly, bawling and whining and screaming at their leisure? Why couldn't they complain about an injury and go to a kind mom for comfort instead of gritting their teeth and bearing it all silently because they had to be quiet or else they would hear–

Why couldn't they eat something tasty, something that wasn't rotten or poisoned? Why couldn't they sleep calmly at night, not being scared of monsters under their comfortable beds because they had the certainty that their brave dad would keep them at bay, instead of having to fight them off themselves? Why couldn't they play in the park, or have a pet? Open their own shops, grow up, marry?

Why couldn't they just be happy?!

....And wasn't that the million dollar question.

Six didn't have an answer. Mono didn't either. They were just two kids, trying to get by.

That's right. They needed to do whatever it took to survive, day after day. And right now, what they needed to do was run.

Six tried to wipe the tears as best she could.

"Hey" she rasped out. "Look at me"

Mono blinked away his own sadness and looked.

"I know you're scared. I'm scared too. But you need to jump here or else we'll die. We'll both die because I'm not leaving without you, and if you don't come, I'll stay and then we'll both die"

Platitudes meant nothing in this world. She couldn't soften the blow for him, because then she would be lying, and she would never lie to Mono. The boy sniffed, and took a deep breath. Six got in position. His brown eyes pleaded at her, don't drop me, okay? please don't drop me, and Six stared back, I won't, not again, I promise. Mono grunted and prepared to jump.

On the count of three, they both thought.

One.

Two.

Three!

Mono pushed himself with his feet and left the safety of the chair, suspended in the air for a few terrifying moments. Six caught his hand with practiced ease, and wasted no time pulling him up immediately, like she should have done the first time.

They both dropped down on the ground and took a small moment to breathe. Mono pushed himself up, trembling from adrenaline and fear. He looked at her in wonder.

"Six, you..." he swallowed. "You pulled me up!"

Six panted and sat up as well. "Of course I did. I said I would, didn't I?"

"No, of course, I just–" he paused, then shook his head. "Nevermind. Thank you" he said, shooting a small grin at her. Six's breath caught in her throat. She didn't know how much she missed him smiling at her, like she was someone important, and not just another kid, just another monster. Somehow though, it felt like something had fallen into place. A missing piece of a puzzle. She felt complete.

The space around them suddenly lurched again, and the two kids looked up, alarmed and expecting another earthquake, but all that happened was a scream that split the ceiling in two and disintegrated the room around them, black wisps of the glitches flying around them almost gently. Six and Mono covered their heads as the strange ash ended its fall, and squinted in the brighter light of the inside of the Tower.

"What...?" Six began, looking around. "How did we escape him?"

Mono knew who she was talking about without having to name him. He shuddered, and wrapped his arms around himself, scooting closer to her.

"I don't know"

"Where is he?"

"...Nowhere, I think. Not anymore" Mono pointed at something on the floor. Six gasped.

A hat. Dark, and big enough to sleep in, discarded on the floor.

All that remained of the Thin Man. Six eyed her friend. Well, not all of it. Only the bad parts. Mono stared at the hat some more, before taking a deep, shuddering breath and resolutely turning away from it to face her instead. Six focused on him, too. She felt like they should probably be paying more attention to the late Thin Man and his possible whereabouts, but neither of them honestly wanted to dwell in his ghastly presence anymore.

"Six, I just wanted to say...I'm sorry" he dropped his head. "For not helping you when I should have. I was...I was scared"

"I'm sorry too. I was angry, and I wasn't really thinking" Six brushed some stray hair out of her face. "I also wasn't lying. I really won't let you down again, if I have the power to save you"

"Why would you want to save me though?" Mono's shoulders sagged. "I'm a monster. I'm–I'm...him"

Six frowned. "Stop. You're not. I was not really that horrible monster from before, and you're not the Thin Man either. It was the Tower that did that to us"

"...I guess" Mono still seemed unconvinced, but tried to brighten up a few seconds later. "Then I promise not to let you down either if I can"

"Good. Because if you do, I'll hunt you down"

Mono laughed, and oh, how had she missed the sound.

"Don't worry. We'll stick together from now on"

"Yeah, well, we still have to get out of here" she huffed, getting to her feet. "Any ideas?"

Mono hesitated, but stood close to her, clasping their hands together. Six didn't mind. If he needed the comfort, let him have it. And it was not like she hated the contact either, after all of this.

"...I don't know. I've been stuck here ever since–uh, ever since I fell"

What a kind way of putting her betrayal. Six glanced at him.

"You can say I let you go, you know? I'm not proud of what I did, but I won't deny it either"

"Oh, o-okay. Um, well, yeah, like I said, I've been here the whole time, so I don't know how to leave" he shuffled in place. "I don't even know if it's possible"

Oh? 

"Why not? You knew where to go when you went in to save me, didn't you?"

"I was just following the sound of your music box. This place is always changing. Besides..." Mono looked up, where a slight drizzle was refreshing their faces. There was a hole on the ceiling. When had that happened?

"I have...this feeling"

"What feeling?"

"Like...like this shouldn't have happened at all"

Six punched him in the arm half-heartedly.  "Stop being vague" 

"Ow. Look, it's like..." he paused. "I don't think you were supposed to come back for me at all"

Six puffed her chest out, annoyed.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I just have the feeling, and it feels like a fact" Mono swayed a bit in place, thinking. "I think none of this was supposed to happen. I should have stayed in the room, and you should have stayed...uh, where were you again?"

Six grimaced. "Long story. I'll tell you later"

"Um, yeah, so I don't think the world is gonna respond so well to this. I mean," he put a hand on his forehead, brushing his bangs aside as the rain got heavier. "I was–um. The...Thin Man was the one controlling the Tower, right? So then, if he's not here at all..."

"...What's gonna happen to the city?" Six finished, eyes going wide. That was right! The citizens were only so lethargic and useless because of the TVs. So what would happen if the signal went out completely? What about the Tower?

As if to answer her question, the building started to groan and shift, and the same black wisps form the Thin Man started...eating? Was perhaps the best way to describe it–the walls and the floor. The two kids started running, hands still joined. Right, right! The Thin Man wasn't here anymore to sustain the Tower, or the signal or the city! It would fall apart! Besides...!

"We can't stay here, Mono!" Six panted, trying to keep up with her friend's longer legs. "The citizens! They'll repopulate the town again! They'll be everywhere, and not in a trance!"

Mono looked back at her briefly, fear on his face.

"Where should we go, then?! Where can we go?!" he yelled.

"I–I might have an idea. It's stupid, and it maybe won't work!" she warned.

"What is it?!"

"We have to find a TV, first!"

Mono's steps stuttered, but he didn't question her, and after a few moments of searching, they came across a device that wasn't too busted up.

"Okay, now what?" 

"Alright, hear me out. I know this might sound crazy, but I need you to try forming a portal!"

"A-A what now?"

"A portal! But here's the tricky part. You're gonna have to try and take us to another place. Not here. Not this world. Do you think you can do that?" Six asked, desperately. Mono swallowed, looking at the blank screen.

"To another world? I-I don't know if I can, but–" His brown eyes suddenly hardened with resolve. There it was. Mono's patented stubborn look. Six felt, irrationally, her hope rising. Mono was quite a single minded kid. If he set his mind on something, chances were he wouldn't stop until it was finished.

"–But I'll try. I don't want to stay here anymore. Anything would be better than here. I'm sick of this place!"

"You're not the only one. Go!" Six urged, pushing her friend lightly in front of the TV. Mono closed his eyes in concentration, and placed a hand against the screen. It sputtered and came to life with a burst of static. Instantly, Six wanted to run, but forced herself to stay by the boy's side. She did say she wouldn't go without him.

The screen beeped and crashed some more, before Mono groaned and it came to life, showing a hundred different images at once. Six squeezed his hand. The Tower disintegrated behind them.

"Tune the transmission. Tune the transmission" Mono muttered. Six didn't know what it meant, but the TV started to glow brighter and brighter, so much that the hood of her raincoat didn't do anything against it anymore and she had to shut her eyes. The beeping noise grew louder. Mono started to whimper. Six wanted to know what was happening, but she had been positively blinded, and all she could do was press herself against the boy in hopes of comforting him.

The pressure build up steadily. Mono's hand was crushing hers, and the beeping was almost too much to bear. Suddenly, Mono screamed.

"No! We're leaving! We are leaving and never coming back!"

"Let us go!" he yelled, voice cracking on the last word. Six squeezed her eyes shut. "Let us go!"

"Let us go!" Six joined in, not knowing what she was yelling to, but needing to pour out her feelings anyway. "Let us go!"

"Let us go!"

They were tired of this place.

"Let us go!"

There was nothing here but death and sadness.

"Let us go!"

They could never win as long as they were here.

"Let us go!"

They were sick of it.

"Let us go!"

They would escape.

"Let us go!"

They would strike back.

"Let us go!"

And never return.

"Let us go!"

Never look back.

They would leave.

Together.

"LET US GO!!!" 

Six felt herself get sucked in, and everything went dark. 

The last feeling she remembered was Mono's cold hand in hers.

Chapter Text

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrXuOCaVO58

Hope you enjoy!

And don't worry. Those one shots I talked about? They're coming. Just not right now :')