Chapter Text
Monos breath catches in his lungs when six whirls back and she's trying to run away. From him, he knows when the slap of her foot hits the floorboard, a creak and the sound slashes in his ears. He lunges forward, grasps—yanks at her wrist so she can't leave him.
Again. It only feels appropriate to add and he doesn't miss how six stills under his fingers.
Mono simmers in the afterglow of contact before parting his mouth, prepared. "Do you even realize how much you've hurt me, six?" When he says her name, his voice hushes in a low heave. That's right, six was here and this was real.
She turns around, so slow and captivating, he had to remember to breath.
When their eyes meet, mono basks in the gleam of her features. The same, not changed, not something else. For him? Mono's pupils cloud, an intent. "But, that's okay! I forgive you." His lips curl into what he wants to say soft, but the way she stutters around his hand tells him a different story.
His eyes crinkle. "It's okay, you don't have to struggle! I won't hurt you." But his words aren't enough? She won't stop wiggling and he twists the skin of her arm, warm.
Six writhes.
He shoves her close to his chest, his heart, free hand wandering to her empty cheek. He belongs there, to fill her when she can't. It just looks too vast. Needs more something, and he steps up to the plate in a blink because that's his role, that's how she should want it, how it is.
Swiping his thumb across the bone—too there—mono hums with a roll of static. She quivers and he wants to laugh. What kind, he doesn't know. Maybe sweet, but the bitter lump in his throat is apparent and hard to swallow.
Best not to.
And why is she thrashing still? Mono can't push away the heavy wilt weighing his smile. But it can't be called a smile now. Mono wrings six's bone and she hisses and a hot spark flashes in the crook of his spine.
It buckles his knees, but he doesn't fall. Only bent, to her, inches.
The fat of his face scrunches together almost painfully and he's kissing the lobe of her ear, his tone a deep crawl and she's never been so breakable.
"But I won't let you leave me ever again."