Chapter Text

      The music was nice at the very least, he thought. It came from a music box which was being cranked by the child also in the room. With a little hope, Mono tried once more to gain this kids’ trust. Softly he let out a ‘psst’ and stuck his arm out from the cage he sat in.

The music chime stuttered for a moment, halting in its wonderful sounds. He can’t clearly see the kid in the room, the cage door was angled slightly, and the only thing Mono can really see is the door with its busted bottom and clearly shut. But there was only one other thing in this hunter house that can crank a child’s music box. Waving his arm up and down Mono can only pray that the movement will finally alert the other kid that maybe, they should free Mono and escape this place together?

But the music kicked back up again and so did the sound of someone stomping around above the basement. Heaving out a sigh Mono tucks his arm back into the cage box and listens to the music playing. The cage is wooden all around with the only wall having bars being the door to the cage. It’s the type of cage a hunter would use to trap prey inside and make it seem like the prey is safe. Like those abandon cat carriers Mono would spot around the Pale City. You know, before he made it to the forest island and before he got scooped up by a hunter.

It was dumb really, how he got caught in the first place. After he escaped the burning building full of other kids and made it to the forest, he had climbed a tree. To read the stars and see where he needed to move towards next, then he heard the shuffling of tiny feet and the snaps of twigs underweight. Mono whipped his head around so fast he had popped the bones in his neck, under the moonlight and on the roots of a tree was a dirty looking child. Hair was mangled and just sticking everywhere but they had on a blue shirt. Holes and other tears littered the shirt and their shorts had mud all over them.

But the ratty looking child had their teeth bared and heavy breathes escaped into the night air. If anything, the child looked like some sort of wild animal on the hunt for something. They both stared at one another before a real monster came forth from behind the wild child, a real ragged breathing came forth and flooded the forest sounds. A harsh artificial light covered the look of this giant monster, but it sure did a wonderful job at highlighting the gun it wielded. Tucking himself closer to the tree trunk, hoping that the…. hunter’s child-turned-bloodhound wouldn’t point at him and say, “Shoot there! Right there!”

The sharp clap of wing beats broke the ragged breathing of the monster, two crows squawked and chirped before they took to the air. A big mistake as the gun shone in the moonlight and the lantern’s light and with two mind shattering BANGS they crumbled to the floor. Black feathers fluttered and slowly scattered around Mono and onto the tree. He clutched down onto the paper bag he wore; his hands shaking and knuckles white from the loudness of the gun shot. ‘HE SHOT! HE SHOT THE GUN!?’ was all that rung in his head along with the ringing the gun did cause to him.  The other child, the one that lead the gunsmith to Mono’s tree scuttled forward—Mono thought he saw them crawl on all fours—and grabbed the crows by their necks. They snarled out something, waving the two birds above their head before hurrying behind the hunter. The light being their only way to follow behind. ‘WHAT was THAT?’

He shouldn’t have gone down that night, after spending three days and two nights staying in the trees his curiosity got the best of himself and Mono climbed down a great oak tree. “ow, ow” he mumbled shaking his palms and feet once he hit the mossy roots on the ground floor. Everything was back to being big again and Mono thought back to the loud gun shot that one night. During his whole time here in the forest he would hear distant shots being fired or even a loud snap and a thud. Clearly there are many, many traps around this forest but that wasn’t going to stop him. Mono just HAD to see what the hell was going on here. Which lead him to the very cage he got trapped inside of. After bypassing a lot of traps, some with humans and some with animals Mono had stumbled upon the cabin. Boxes littered the front yard, so did dirty spoons and empty cans. He even picked up a can to read the label—the one he held was labeled for peaches. So clearly someone was living here. The other hit was the clearly visible light turn on.

Now Mono was no idiot.

He’s lived long enough to understand when something isn’t quite right.

The cabin light being on was something to worry about. The hunter and his little child-bloodhound was another.

They both needed a place to safely live in.

What did he find? A cabin with running light! Who else did it belong too?

         Jolted from his stance, like he touched a TV wrong, Mono dropped the canned peaches he was holding and much like a rat he scurried to the safety of a tree. Its roots twisted and raised just right for him to slot himself in the shadows. Hopefully the mud around the cabin didn’t catch his footprints or the fact that he slipped and fell also. Cringing he can clearly see the shape of his bag and even his body he had left behind. ‘How unlucky...’ Was all Mono can think when he climbed up the bark, it was a mark that showed the hunter that there was something running around close to his hut. This was a problem because Mono never saw any other animal near this part and because the traps set were arranged in a way meant to keep the animals from coming close but allowing the hunter to move around freely.

He was lured back down a few days later, with the promise of food from all those cans thrown around. Maybe one of them was still sealed shut and Mono can eat from it? It was his only hope at this point, he doesn’t trust seeking out one of the traps in fear of being caught. As he dug around in the boxes, pulling empty cans out and other rusty items he stopped. There was a creak in the cabin, like shuffling before the place settled. It’s been safe the past few days, no hunter or child-bloodhound came out from the door and nothing was really heard from inside it either. So Mono dug around once again, just betting on the idea that “Hey it didn’t open the first few days why would it now?” But he was oh so wrong, when with a heavy tug Mono was thrown out of the box and onto the mud. “Oof,” was all Mono gasped out before feeling the tugging on his coat.

Scrambling forward, hands sliding on the mud Mono fought the tug which ended up blindsiding him as his paper bag was tilted and the holes no longer showed him what was happening. What he did know was that the thing that grabbed his coat was the child-bloodhound. How did he know this? Well for one he can hear the child like snarling and huffing the kid was giving out and Mono is at least 90% sure the thing bit his arm. “Ow! Hey! Knock it off!” The good thing was the kid was so terribly underfed that he held the kiddo back with just his own child strength. All he got was more heavy huffing and then his arm sleeve shook much like a dog would with a toy. The thought had him giggling before he used a shoulder to right his skewed mask.

The kid was still chomping down on his arm, their tiny fists dug into his chest and his hip most likely to pin him down, and their thin feet dug into the mud. It was a strange sight for mono, was this kid raised to be like a hunter’s dog? Or are they so wild and feral that they act like a dog. “U-uhm.” Every time Mono mumbled the tugging on his arm started up again.

This was awkward on his end, is it the same for them?

Using his free arm, he pushed at their forehead, hoping to dislodge the kid but they held on fast. “What!? Do you have sharp teeth?” He rushed out kicking the mud under him and trying to sit better with this leech on him. They only let out a growl, which sounded so NOT human like. But they had to be? With nothing else too lose (and the thought that maybe the hunter was close by, after all Mono saw the two come forth from the shadows like a duo, the kid first and then the hunter; this kid came first during this scuffle, is the hunter close behind?) Mono stuck his hand right where it would tickle on any other kid.

That is hoping this animal like kid IS human.

Nothing happened at first before the being clinging to him let go to wheeze out a giggle. Wiggling his fingers into the child’s ribs (which stuck out too much for Mono’s liking) and they let out a giggle before kicking at Mono and hitting his lower ribs. It made distance between the two, but Mono was left winded for a moment. This child is strong! Not only that but they didn’t leap back at him as he laid in the mud gathering his lungs. They sat hunched in the mud, hands dug under the goop and knees drowning in the mud. “A-are you-?” Mono started to ask, turning his head towards the kid. His words died out when they sat up straighter, interest peaked once more by Mono. “Please don’t attack me again.” He mumbled but that wasn’t what happened.

Instead of the child lunging for his leg and chomping down again Mono had a big old trap dropped on top of him. The bottom was open leaving the other sides with bars. Ah, so he was right! The hunter was indeed right behind this feral child, who when he looked at them from between the bars had been covered from head to toe in the mud.

Like a wet dog from a cartoon Mono saw in passing, the child shook themselves and splattered mud everywhere. They stood up them, jumped up and down and whispered something to the beast that stood over Mono’s cage.

That’s the story! How Mono got trapped and them promptly thrown into the basement room. Which he can only assume is the feral kid’s room. Mostly because Mono can hear them shuffling around in the room every hour unless its ‘hunting’ time or when they sleep. Sometimes they would stick their arms through the bars, as much as they could from the awkward angle and try and grab ahold of Mono. The first time he allowed that to happen they pulled him towards the bar and he knocked his elbow into the metal bars leaving a nasty blue bruise. Never again did he allow them to grab a limb.

Sometimes they had tugging matches, like a tug o’ war game. He would grasp their hands (first time he dared that they tried to flinch back, but Mono held on fast.) and they would squeeze back and Mono can feel the excitement of the game surge into this unknown kid. They had soft hands oddly, like running around in the woods chasing birds and rats didn’t weather on their hands but the ends where like claw tips. Sharp and would maim Mono if he allowed it. Then after a heartbeat on his end, a single huff on the other end they would start this mini game of tug o’ war. Most of the time the no-named child won, with his feet bracing himself Mono made sure not to get his head slammed into the cage whenever this feral kid won a match. When that happened, they would slink their arms out of Mono’s cage, and he can hear the childish wheeze of joy as they celebrate their win. Then their claw tips would rattle on the box side, in a silent way of ‘can we play again? Maybe twice? Oh, maybe three times?’ which if Mono still had feeling in his arms, he would rap back on the box wall and the game started once more.

But recently Mono’s…friend hasn’t been into tug o’ war anymore, instead they sit somewhere in this dank room and they crank the music box over and over. He’s not sure the reasoning behind it, but he hopes it isn’t because the kid recently experienced some type of trauma. That’s when he really started to get this kids attention, to oh he doesn’t know—LET HIM OUT.

“Psssstt,” Mono hissed out waving his arm out once again. The music stuttered to a stop this time. Then the sounds of footsteps coming closer, and finally a tiny clawed hand slipped into Mono’s hand. They squeezed back hard, and Mono was thrown for a loop.

“huh?” He gasped out before softly squeezing their hand back. Softer because this hand he is holding feels so thin…. has this kid ate anything? “W-who are you?” Mono whispered, pressing his bag head to the metal bars. He can see the arm to the hand he held. They defiantly haven’t had anything to eat. Mono can also see the blue sleeve they wore, it’s still muddy from the first time they tackled Mono. There was no answer at first but Mono did hear the kid shuffle closer, and the breath of them as they too tried to peer at Mono. “Six.” Came a raspy voice. A girl voice. ‘o-oh, he’s holding hands with a girl.’

“C-cool, I’m…I’m Mono.” He whispered back squeezing her hand back in his nervous energy. Gods, can he get any lamer? (faintly he recalls their first meeting in the mud, and he is kind of upset that a girl of all things bit and winded him in one kick.) He hears her whispering giggles before he larches his hand forward and makes him bang his paper bag covered head on the metal bars. Hissing pass his teeth Mono braces his knees on the cage just to be safe and uses his one free hand to rub at his new wound. There’s loud giggling coming from outside the cage, which Mono sound be offended by, but the gentle rubbing on his knuckles soothes his frayed nerves.

She’s sorry, even if she found it funny.

“It’s okay—” but it wasn’t when the Hunter’s wheezing came down the stairs. With a sort of chirp Six pulled away and scuttled back to her spot in her room. Slowly, Mono let his arm fall before he pulled it back into the cage. It was hunting time, that’s the only reason the Hunter wondered down the basement stairs. That or he’s grabbing something from the room next door. Six is letting out whispering words and sometimes she says a word Mono understands. “birds” “Grass” “Sea” and lastly “Meat”. (he wonders if Six knows how to speak? Can she read? Write? What does she know?)

After all that Mono is alone once again. He heard Six squeak in pain, but that was all.

Maybe he can convince Six to at least turn his cage around so he can see her in the room, or give him more scraps of veggies, all this meat he gets is overwhelming.

Mono gets woken up by a door slamming shut and a very much screeching Six. There’s a thud and more snarls that sound to alike an animal, but Mono knows by now that it’s just a upset Six. The heavy foot falls of the Hunter is heard stomping around outside the room before three loud knocks to the wooden door has Six shutting up. She huffy and snorty like a angry pig but no longer is she being so loud. Should Mono be worried? He’s stuck inside a cage, but that cage is inside the room with a very unhappy Six.

The floorboard above creak and shutter with dust falling before a door is slammed shut. The house is left alone to the kids now. Humming, Mono leans on the metal bars, hoping to catch a very vivid Six. No other reason then to see what she would look like other then being feral. But he doesn’t get that instead his eyes are poked out and he lets out a yelp covering his now wounded eyes. Six’s laughter follows right after before her grabby little claws are snatching at his coat sleeves. “Six! Why did you do that?” Mono hissed rubbing his palms into his eyes.

All he gets is a airy type of giggle before her clawed hands are groping his wrists asking (more like demanding) to be held. Snaked out from under his bag mask, Mono begrudgingly hold the girl’s hands and listens to the way she purrs. “What? How can you purr?” He asks, amazed but also worried. She is a human kid, right?

She laughs again, then attempts to pull Mono closer to the metal bars but he braces his knees on the bars and he can feel her pouting. “Hey, Six can you turn my cage?” Mono whispers out, tapping his fingers along her bruised knuckles. There’s dried blood scattered on her pale skin and Mono really, really does try not to think about it. His ‘friend’ hums, taps his knuckles back with her claws before recoiling away. The movement is sharp and fast enough to make his pointer fingers pop and crack. Then there’s the screeching sound of his cage being shifted and turn. And….and then there is the view of the room. Bathed in moonlight and the air is cool and chilly. Flinching away from the sudden view of Six, Mono groans as Six is blocking his first view of her room. She’s all teeth and smiles, which where oddly sharp and very dangerous but there’s comfort in her shape.

The shape of another child in this nightmarish world. Reaching through the bars, Mono offers his palm to the girl. Who meets him halfway and clasps her claws into a hand hold.

Chapter Text

     With his newfound cage front Mono got to see a lot of interesting things. For one it was indeed Six cranking the music box. She pulls it out from the shadows of her overly huge bed and sits on the rug and just cranks the handle like mad. But there’s a type of love in the way she winds the thing up. The other thing Mono got to see was the mad doodles she had all over the wall. The signal tower, sadly, takes up the whole wall her bed is pressed against. Whilst the other two walls he can see is covers in tally marks or with the doodles of humans with scribbled out circles for heads.

It’s all too much info and not enough. Is Six trapped in here? Forced to be a type of bloodhound for the Hunter? What was she counting the days for? He made sure to turn around every time she went to sleep however; he WILL NOT watch Six no matter what. Even if he is 100% sure she watches him when he sleeps.(It’s that sixth—HAH! What a pun—one develops when you want to survive in a world that is a giant nightmare) Six is also the one to bring meat to Mono, she waits by the door, sitting on her dirty floorboards and just stares up at the doorhandle which is just conveniently too high for a small child.

Then the heavy fat footsteps of the hunter come filtering down the stairway and the handle jiggles and jerks. Mono got the amazing view of a VERY excited and happy Six as she stands up suddenly, jumps up and down and even does a few quick circles. It’s all adorable behavior that has Mono clutching his bag and pulling it down farther onto his face. Then the squawk of a very offended Six has him releasing his hold to see what caused Six to be so upset. Only, he mistook the sound as being offending when it was just Six having her head affectionately ruffled by the glove of the Hunter. He must kneel slightly, to reach the height of Six but he still uses one hand to ruffle and rub Six’s hair everywhere.

When he pulls away Six’s hair is all tangles and it sticks up everywhere, but it did do the job of showing the single beauty mark she has near her mouth. Neither say anything after that show only the heavy ragged breathing of the hunter through his sack mask and the movement of him tossing a bag into the room. It sounds like a bag of fruits (which Mono doubts but he’s still hopeful) and then Six chirps and rolls her wrists up at the Hunter. He lifts the arm with the tear in the shoulder, copies Six’s gesture then sharply points at the bag and then at Mono’s cage. The Hunter’s point made Mono flinch hard enough that he bangs his head on the top of the box. It throbs a bit but one rub from his hand has the pain going away. ‘Pain, pain go away—wait that’s not how it goes.’

There’s stuffing left behind from the Hunter. After he left, he shut the door with a bang and that was that. Six did a wonderful job, Mono suppose, of shoving a chunk of meat through the metal bars and even ONE wild carrot. “It was mud in it.” He mumbled out wiping as much of the dirt he can. Six snorts roughly, mockingly mimics Mono before chewing into her own chunk of meat. It’s twice her size but she clutches it in her claws and between her knees to rip and maim at the thing next to Mono’s cage. Mono gags at the sight, of meat being torn by canine teeth and the way Six seems very happy from the red flesh pass the skin. Whatever this meat is must be a favorite of Six. Disgust shown, Mono shoves his chunk pass the bars, wipes his palms on his pants before hugging the carrot closer.

Six doesn’t hesitate to snag the piece closer to her side, one side eye thrown into the cage before she dines in. “I like veggies.” Mono explains hastily seeing her weird look Six gave him. “I—I don’t want any meat.” Six this time gasps, almost chokes on her mushed-up meat before she spits it out on the floor and yells. “NO!?” It’s high pitched but it reminds Mono of windchimes. “What’s wrong with that!?” Mono responds back pulling his carrot away from a suddenly grabby Six. She’s reaching for his wild carrot and Mono doesn’t want his meal taken away from him. So he swats and swipes at Six’s hands (Which is harder then he thought, her reflexes are so FAST) and before he knows it Six thinks it’s a type of game between the two. ‘Play? Play?’ is just screaming from how Six moves her arms and her claws around Mono’s hits. “No! No play! You’re trying to steal by diner!” Mono cries out hoping this animal kid will tire out soon.

Turns out Six has a lot and Mono means A LOT of energy.

And turns out, Mono ended up falling asleep clutching his wild carrot and snoring away leaning on the bars.

(By that time Six did catch a hold on Mono and gently, for once, pulled him closer to the bar.)

     She stared at the outline of Mono, who looked like a mama bird with the way he held the carrot to his chest. Curled around it to stop anyone from taking it. From her but she wasn’t going to do anything! Just maybe take it away and try giving him real food. But during their game Mono had fallen asleep, leaving Six to just crouch by his cage and stare. He also wore a mask, like her father does. But this mask isn’t so terrible. For one the smell of it doesn’t irritate Six’s nose like Father. It just smells of sweat and raindrops, whilst her father’s mask reeks of mud and the iron tang of blood. (Unlike normally the blood that comes from Father has Six scrunching her nose and gagging; its not the same tang of blood that comes from freshly bit into meat).

Mono is LIKE Father.

Father is NOT like Mono,

They are NOT the same.

Are they?

Six knows for sure Mono isn’t from the Root Forest because when Father broke down the other cabin’s and the five of them had diner for days. Mono was never apart of those families. So, this unknown-yet-known child is from outside the forest island. Excitement zips and tingles across Six’s arms and has her closing and opening her claws. She’s never been outside the Root Forest, the most Father let her wander was the Romain Family’s hut. Where she caught a fish once and promptly ate it. Without any remorse for Mono, Six jabbed a finger into the exposed side of the boy. (Six will have to teach Mono that exposing soft spots like that is bad. Very very bad)

He jerks away, hitting his aknle on the bars and hissed. Six also hissed back, not baring her teeth at him so much. After all he only hissed in pain and not to warn her of anything. “What?” He whispers, moving a hand under his paper bag. It turns towards Six who is waving her palms in the air and trying to show him what she wants to say.

(Father doesn’t talk, so Six never realy learned how to talk either)

(they talk via snarls, whispers and other animalish sounds Six can make)

“I don’t know what your saying.” Mono mumbles out, bringing his carrot under his bag as well.

The movement catches Six’s eye, has her arms stilling in the air as she just takes in the image. “Eat!?” She gasps slamming her claws onto the bars. “Yes???” Mono chokes out startled from the sound. “Bag? Bag?” Six gasps out, the word harsh on her throat and making her frown. Mono only thumbs at his mask, but he doesn’t remove it. Why doesn’t he? “Ugly? Mono ugly!?” Six gasps out pushing her arms through the bars and clutching at any loose cloth on Mono.

“I’M NOT UGLY!”

     Six bursts out into laughter, her smile is wide, and she loosens her grab on him. She can hear him snort as well before he places a cold hand onto her own. It catches her off guard because he was never this cold before. Without thought her claws circle around Mono’s one hand as he rambles away. “…I just don’t feel comfortable showing my face.” It’s all muffled to Six, whatever he says doesn’t really matter because Father also wears abag.

(It was a new thing, after he laid on the dirty forest floor for 2 weeks, he stirred awake, and sat up. Six was living in the woods around the area Father laid in. He had told her to keep hunting those rabbits and rats. Then she heard a bang and he had a hole in his bagged head. Father left a pool of blood around the area his head laid in. ’Sorry’ His movements said as he stumbled back home with Six in tow. ‘For what?’ She moved slowly after him, struggling to keep pace as Father limped. ‘I almost left you.’ ‘You came back.’ ‘Sadly.’)

“Hmm hmm.” Six isn’t sure what words she was trying to say, maybe a ‘It’s okay, you’re like my dad!’ but she isn’t sure if Mono can read what she was trying to say because he answers her back with a, “I’m not taking it off to eat.” Which just means Mono has NO IDEA how to read. She snarls softly at him before tugging at his hand. He only jolts in place, knees stopping Six’s attempt at pulling him closer. ‘You’re cold!’ she tries to convey through her tugs. ‘I’m warm! Get closer or you’ll die!’.

Cold things always die.

Six didn’t want Mono to die.

“oh hey,” Mono’s soft words has Six freezing. It’s almost like a whisper and it is something she understands. “mm?” She echos leaning forward. “Can you bust me out?” Mono replies finishing off his carrot. He still holds Six’s hands in his own. Clasped close and slowly his cold hands get warmer. “Out?” Six isn’t sure she can do that.

(‘Snack.’ Her Father said, in the way he kicked open the cabin door. ‘Meal?’ Six scuttles fast, under the heavy boots of Father as he leads the way. ‘Later, later…trophy.’ Is what Father settles with, passing the room filled with stuffing and cotton. ‘OH—trophy! Trophy!’.)

“mm mm Maybe.” Six settles with, forcing the words out. Grandma often said that to Father. Whenever he brought home moose or deer to get stuffed. “Please?” Mono begs, FINALLY shuffling towards Six. She presses close to the bars. Hoping her warm will transform to Mono to keep him alive.

Faintly she can hear Father gathering ceramic plates together. Drawers are pulled open and slammed shut. But diner upstairs with the family doesn’t matter. “Yes? Yes! Trophy!” Six echoes with a wide toothy smile. She doesn’t understand why Mono looks confused but that doesn’t matter. “Out! Out! Play?” She mumbles out pulling away and scuttling around her room.

The rug catches her claws and it causes her to trip and fall.  It’s a loud thud and she can even hear Mono suck in air from the hit. Accepting her slip up Six just lays there on her rug.

How embarrassing.

Chapter Text

Six settles into the tall chair meant for her. It’s just a normal adult chair but it has boxes stacked on it for her to be even with the dining table. There she settles down at the wooden table, thrumming her fingers on her bowl. It’s faintly colored cream with little painting of a duck on it. Father is banging around in the kitchen down the hall. When she had first stumbled into the dining room Father had given her a pause. From the bruise on her chin to the bloody nose that slowly dripped blood. ‘What?’ is clearly written everywhere in Father as he set the table. Squeaking, Six scrambled towards her seat. ‘Rug! I tripped.’ She explained in her squeaking mess. Father stutters in his stiff movements clanking down the bowls and forks. ‘Clumsy.’ Is the final word as he grabs Six’s face and cleans her with a dirty rag.

It leaves her smelling like that rotting awful smell of blood but also the nice calming sent of blueberries. Father used to smell strongly of forages, twigs, dirt, berries and even the pine trees. But after that looong nap he had in the muddy waters he no longer smelt like family as much. Instead the air smelt rotten or like the type of cotton that’s gone bad. ‘Hungry! Hungry!’ Six makes sure to slam her palms hard onto the tabletop. Enough for Father to hear and to hurry up. He answers with a bang and a clash of bottles. Six doesn’t want to think about how Father changed.

He didn’t!

But he did after those weeks.

Whatever, she thought gently reaching forward and clasping a hand around her older brother. His eye popped out a few months ago so now the stuffing inside is leaking out. She’ll have to find a new eye for Father to replace but it doesn’t matter, because he still allows her to hold his cold hand.

Dead hand.

Cold things are always dead.

Mono was almost cold.

I need another blanket. It’s a sharp thought that pangs her head, but she grumbles and wiggles in her seat. Not for me, but for Mono. She rather him stay nice and warm. Just like herself. ‘Here.’ Father says with a steaming pot of meat stew. Rabbit stew mixed with some veggies and lettuce.

(‘Veggies! Please!’ Six begged, placing a wild carrot in Father’s hands. He’s at his work bench skinning the giant rabbit they had snagged. ‘No, why?’ in the rough movements of her tired Father. ‘Tasy! Tasty! Mom liked?’ Six offered trying to convince him. It was for Mono’s sake. Even if she rather him consume more meat. ‘Whatever.’)

Father poured himself a bowl. In his plain white bowl. Father poured Six a bowl. Mostly meat and bones. Father poured Mother a bowl. It’s done with more care, so he doesn’t spill anything.

Then Six watches him pour a bowl into Brother’s bowl. It’s messy and everywhere because Brother would complain about “soup again?”. Grandpa got most of the veggies that Six had requested, which she opened her maw to complain about. Six snaps her jaw shut when Father stumbles to the next door room. To give Grandma her bowl. With a quick thought, Six scrambles out of her seat and goes for Grandpa’s bowl. Hurry, hurry! She had to hurry if she wanted to sneak a bowl to Mono.

(Six doesn’t understand why Mono had to stay downstairs during Family Dine Time. ‘Not family.’ Father said pushing Six back into her seat. Away from her brother who she was tugging on. ‘Why?’ she yawned out, baring her teeth. The bag on Father just turned away and that was that.)

They don’t have scraps left over during these days, so Mono would be hungry today if she doesn’t just hurry up. So, Six lurches forward, grabbing the bowl from her Grandpa. There she chirps a ‘Sorry Pa.’ and drops the bowl onto the stuffing of her brother. Without Father seeing she had pulled and heaved out more stuffing from his right eye socket. All of it was planning for this steal she’s going to do.

For Mono!

Knocking forks and rusty spoons out of the war path, Six slides down her seat and gently grabs the mostly-veggie-meat stew. The bookshelf near the table is where she hides the bowl. It’s also the same one she hid a bowl under.

(She was planning for this moment really, knowing Mono would be needing a bowl for when Family Dine Time happen. The question was—when Father was going to request it.)

Sitting up, after knocking her head on the shelf Six listened to the heaving and way Father wheezed something out to Grandma. Where she sat in the chair in the attic. There’s a creak and a rattle behind Six on the dinner table and Six snaps her jaws.

‘Get back on your chair.’

‘Fine! Fine…’

“Food! Food!” Six is shouting for once, it startles Father more then she thought when she walks down the stairway. She eyes the way he tetters to a stop and the flinch from her echoes. The way his bag head slums farther down his face and the thump of the rope around his neck gives Six all the words he meant to say.

‘Still? There’s no leftovers.’

But Six has a goal and to accomplish it she needs her door to stay open. “Water!” She corrected, maybe Father will lug himself back up the stairs and outside the house. To grab the bucket they Six uses for all types of water related things.

Father sags onto the wall behind him. His breathing stops for a moment or two before he does what Six wishes for. He stomps up the weak stairs and Six reads the in-between words as Father leaves to grab the bucket.

‘Stay. Do. Not. MOVE.’

Of course, Six doesn’t listen. Why would she when Mono is right there, and he hasn’t had anything all day? Once the back door is opened and shut Six scrambles forward, all in a rush to do what she needs. She stuffs a fork into the stew and she carefully bring the now lukewarm stew downstairs. The bowl is huge, and it makes it a challenge for Six as she stumbles down the crooked stairway.  “Mono! Mono! Moo moo!” Six chimes out as she uses her back to push open her door. He’s still there, in his cage and pressed against the bars but Six catches the way he perks up at her image and the bowl. “Mm mmm!” She hums stumbling over the rug.

“Careful!” Mono calls when Six ALMOST spills it over her floor. She sticks the thing under her bed, in the shadows and hisses a ‘SHHH’ at Mono when he goes to complain. Then she’s out the door, after giving Mono a little tug on his arm, back to where she stood before Father left.

It takes a little longer, after Six counted to the number 8 about ten times does he come in. He reeks of blood and mud as he places the bucket of rainwater inside her room.

Pointing at it Father says, ‘For you. Do it OUT of view from trophy.’ Innocent as the day she was born Six gives a toothy grin. She peers into the metal bucket then side eyes Mono before answering Father who waits by the door.

Rolling her wrists, she points to a spot out of range.

‘Yes, yes There.’ She says.

Father doesn’t move at first, but he points at another spot, one that he likes better before leaving.

He hits his fake arm on the door frame harder then yesterday and even more cotton puffs out and lands on the floor. Mono sucks in a breath of air. The door slams shut and that was the end of Family Dine Time.

“How am I supposed to eat?” Mono asks, watching Six set up what he thinks is a table. She’s using a small toy box to hold his bowl of food. Even if he doesn’t like the taste of meat, he’s hungry enough to swallow it tonight. “mmmmft.” Six answers before moving out of sight and moving things around. “WHAT does that mean?” Mono asks again, almost everything she says just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. “I know you can speak-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Mono is forced to scramble farther into his cage as everything is being rattled and shaken like crazy. Six is laughing loudly, before the sounds of rotting wood bends and creaks. The dust bothers Mono’s eyes and he is covering the eye holes in his bag. His bones feel like they’re being stirred and shaken like a bag of rocks as Six does…. whatever it is she is doing to his cage. The cage bends once more with a long and drawn out groan before Mono hears Six yelp and a thud.

Removing his hands from his eyes Mono sees that Six is on the floor. With a sharp cleaver next to her.

And the metal bars that trapped him.

Six had broken the framing for the metal abrs.

She freed him.

“How are you so STRONG!?” Mono gasps, crawling forward and outside the cage. What he wasn’t expecting was the drop from where his cage was sat so high. “ohmf.” Mono landed face first into the floor and he is 90% sure he popped the bones in his wrist.

Not broken. Just. Popped.

“Yep yee—eep.” Six babbles out sitting up from her place on the floor. She’s covered in wood chips and the cotton from the Hunter. Then she drags Mono over to his bowl not even letting him get his feet under himself.

As Mono eats the bowl, he turns him back to Six. He hears the shuffling of cloth, a splash, Six laughing a little too much like a manic and then the slop of something wet hitting the floor.

Choking Mono hits his chest as the sudden appearance of Six broke him out of his meal.

(It’s mostly potatoes and carrots and lettuce. It’s wonderful and the most filling thing Mono had in weeks.)

When he recovers Mono warily eyes Six. Her black hair is wet and still mangled up like she didn’t even brush it but she’s clean from any dirt, cotton or dust. Six’s shirt is different too. For one, it actually fits her tiny form. “Hey, I’ve seen that shirt before.” Mono points his bent fork at Six. It’s a shirt Mono saw on another kid in the Pale City.

Faintly he wonders if there was a reason Six suddenly owns the shirt here—that’s AWAY from the Pale City. “Oooo?” Six cooes out, before she shakes like a dog again.

“Can I wash my clothes too?” Mono asks, turning to see the bucket of water. Around the floor is Six’s old clothes. “But you’ll have too turn around—and can I borrow a shirt?” Mono asks not letting Six answer first.

She mockingly answers with a tense, “Sure ugh,” but follows through his request. She turns away from him as he cleans away the mud and other filth he wears. She does this by wildly drawing over her walls again in a blue chalk. She’s chittering and snarling as she draws poorly shaped rabbits in bear traps and birds being shot midflight.

(before all that she had tossed a sweater at Mono, without warning and it had hit him in the neck which made Mono fall to the floor. “Next time PLEASE warn me.” Mono begged after sitting up to see a grinning Six.)

Mono now wearing a sweater that’s colored pink watches in amusement as Six calms down on her final doodle.

It’s the Hunter shown on the floor with Six farther away from the doodle of him chasing….rats? Then she circles a tally marks around the doodle to finish it off.

(It’s the hunter when he tried to shoot himself to death—Mono realizes—it also explains why Six became so feral and wild. She had protected his body from anything willing to eat it and that’s how she became so animal like. So young and left to fend for herself.)

“Fa—her.” Six explains pointing a chalk covered hand to the doodle hunter. “Your dad?” mono repeats looking shocked. He didn’t wear his bag as his hair dried. Whilst the outside was rubbed completely with beeswax to not get ruin by water the inside wasn’t. Mono watches as Six lowers her arm, slowly eyes the drawing then lovingly traces over it again with the chalk. “huh.” Mono mumbles ruffling his hair.

“Fa—her, bang bang!” Six chirps out jumping to the set of birds she drew. Mono is laughing airily, unsure if it’s because of how adorable Six looks as she scribbles away like mad or the fact that he clearly remembers the loud gun shots. His gut is stuffed with butterflies when he recalls the shot gun Six’s dad wields. “Bang bang?” Mono chirps out. Or he tired to mimic the way Six did it. She stops her movements, whirls around and chucks the chalk at Mono.

It smacks him right in the jaw and he raises his arms to protect the tender spot now. “WHA—OW!”

“Shh! Shhh!” Six hisses out, grabbing ahold of Mono’s wrists and pressing it to his mouth. Mono is forced onto his back and he sucks in air when Six kicks at his gut. “stop it!” He whispers when Six does it again. “Fa—above. “Six rushes out in a breath that fans over Mono’s hair. It makes him lock up, staring wide at the ceiling as it creaks.

The two stay there for a moment, with Six’s claws poking at Mono’s wrists and his hands covering his mouth. Then like it never even happened Six lets Mono go.

She was holding him up slightly so when she dropped him he slams his head and shoulders into the floor. Hissing he rolls over and away from a grabby Six. “Sorry!” She mutters, rubbing a claw over Mono’s arm.

Flustered he just hummed a ‘okay!’ because now Six is moving his head this way and that for her own check over. Once she deems him still intact, she moves over to her bed. It’s dark and she did stay away from her room all day. Doing what? Mono isn’t sure.

(Six had laid on her rug for well over an hour until the grunting gargling sound of her father called her upstairs. After she struggled to open the door for another 5 minutes.)

“Sleep!” Six yells chucking a pillow straight for Mono. It smacks into his head and drags him down. Then the rolled up blanket hits it’s mark on his lungs and he can only gasp at the action.

Chapter Text

     Mono is stirred awake by a frantic Six. She’s tugging and pulling at his blanket and legs. Not there, he follows the way Six shoves him behind stacked boxes. Along with the pelt blanket and the pillow. Crammed in the small space, Mono slowly wakes up more when Six hastily shoves his paper bag onto his head. Whatever has Six rushing to hide him keeps Mono from saying anything.

(Father is at his workbench. Prepping his tools and anything he may need when he makes a trophy. Ma isn’t here to critic the way Father never fully cleans the tools. Pa isn’t here to help Father with moving every heavy item and Mother isn’t here either. It’s just Father and Six. She drags forward a bear trap that holds a large ferret. It’s warped slightly, it’s eyes budging out too much and the mouth was pulled back in a smile.)

Mono shots out his arm, grabbing the claws of Six before she shuffles away too fast. She jerks in place and then glances at the door to her room. It’s early morning from what Mono can tell. “whats happening?” he whispers trying to pull Six closer so she can hear him. Six shakes under his glaze and under his palm. “tr—trophy.” She answers with a wide stance.

(“TTTT—VVV.” Her father speaks for once, shaking the ugly ferret free from the bear trap. It has little feet, almost having none. “Ah,” Six gasps before eyeing the dead weight that makes up her father’s body. He too was affected by the TVs around the forest. Six has been breaking a lot of them lately. The ones on the beach, by their home and even the ones just in the middle of nowhere. Anything to not farther harm her family.)

“trophy?” Mono mumbles, letting Six go from his hand. She looks scared and a little sad. But then she points sharply at Mono’s cage, then to the ceiling, to the cotton littering by the door then finally too Mono. “Me?”

(‘What’s it today?’ Six asks, watching the way Father’s glove peel back the skin of the rat. It sounds like fabric being torn but the way it jerks and sags shows Six it’s ALMOST a trophy. ‘Child. Room.’ Father answers with a slam of his tools. It’s the fun part of taxidermy. But Six can’t get much into it now. ‘oh.’ She settles with unhappy with the thought of Mono being in the place of the ugly rat.)

“hide. Hide. Shh.” Hisses Six as she shoves another blanket over Mono. He holds the fabric closer to his body, trying not to move. But oh, when does he let go? Will Six come back and let him know when it’s save for him to ohhh—MAYBE DITCH THIS CABIN?

But then the thought of leaving behind a lonely Six clings to his head.

(Father stomps down the stairs and swings open the door to Six’s room. She’s clawing at a corner of the room, where a hole made by those PESTS lays.)

     She’s been chattier, kind of since Mono was freed from his cage. She also keeps tackling him whenever his “soft spots” are open. It’s all meant in good action, Mono guesses. Six is the only child that really touched him in any form. She holds his hand when he offers it and she give him bright toothy smiles too. How can he think of leaving without this feral kid?

(Six turns around, having mastered the act of pretending. She grumbles something out, shakes her head and eyes the hole she was playing with. She hopes this will work; she wants it to all work out in the end. After hours spent around Mono—the only other living kid she’s been around—Six can’t think of spending more hours with his body cold. When Father turns Mono into a trophy like he did the to the family.)

The two kids eye each other softly, Six in the form of worry and gentle love. The kind you’ll give a friend when they’re scared. Mono isn’t sure what look he’s giving Six back but she takes it with a gentle smile and purrs out a simple, “See you.” Before shoving him back into the blankets and scrambles away.

It’s okay, everything will be okay.

Six digs her arm farther into the hole in her room. Father is right there, breathing into the room and he’s examining the cages. Where Mono used to be trapped inside of.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Snarl a warning to Father as he moves towards Six.

He stops in his fumbling.

She’s done this song and dance before. When she tried to keep a pet, but she got bored and hungry and bit into the thing.

‘Where.’ Father says, running a glove finger over Six’s hair. She stops her attempts at grabbing a nome and turns towards her father. She tilts her head this way and that way before grunting. ‘Where what?’

Father is crouched, as much as he could with one arm working normally and the fake one just limp and laying on the floor. ‘Him.’ He jerks a arm at the broken mess of Mono’s cage. Six eyes the thing, like it’s unworthy of her glance before snorting up at Father. ‘You? Nome?’ she offers, pointing at the hole she was messing with.

(please work, please work, please work, please work—)

‘No.’

He stumbles up, from his position and Father almost falls ontop of Six in his movements. She doesn’t move, after all Father isn’t all that heavy. He’s all stuffing and cotton by this point not like those days long forgotten.

‘No…?’ Six is standing up, her knees had cuts in them from her time chasing a nome. (to stuff the thing into the hole in her room, all too make this act even more real to Father.)

Father stomps his way out of her room. Tracking mud all over Six’s rug. His lungs rattle and wheeze, struggling to take in air as Father moves around. The sound grates on Six’s ears, trailing slowly after her father Six can only crave for the days Father didn’t sound like that. Back when Father said more than the sounds he makes before he was asleep in the mud.

‘Escape?’ Six snags her claws on the pants Father wears. They’re forest green and covered in mud and blood. Animal blood. ‘You?’ Her father roughly shakes Six loose from his leg. Not looking at her when she hits the floor harshly. Another cut to her knees is added. ‘NO!’ she snarls out upset that once again Father didn’t check on her.

(She’s been growing upset. Each day that passes and with every pained noise coming from her Father doesn’t check over her less and less. No check overs when Six gets a rat bite. No band aid when Six cuts her shin on a sharp twig chasing a rabbit. No gentle rubs on her shoulders if she hit her elbow. It makes Six upset in her room, glaring at the door under the moonlight as Father stomps around outside.)

She stops trailing after Father when he reaches the shed outside the cabin house. He’s getting ready to track Mono. Grabbing the handle to his lantern and the gun he uses for hunting. Father is slowing his movements too, like he’s underwater and the way he swings the gun around and flicks on the light is all sluggish. Six stands by the doorway, staring as Father packs up. ‘Hunt, come on.’

‘Now?’

‘Now.’

     Mono pulls the pelt blanket away from his mouth. Even if the blanket is super warm and super comfy, he can’t really breathe well. It’s been over an hour (Mono thinks) since Six tucked him into this cramped place and left. Stumbling out of the blanket filled hole, Mono trips, and lands on the floor. When he glances behind him he sees that his ankle got twisted in the sheets.

Grumbling he freed the ankle and got to work.

What work? Six isn’t here to play any games.

Thee door is shut and from what Mono can tell he’s alone.

In this cabin.

Now’s my chance! Mono stumbles forward, taking off the pink sweater Six gave him and goes to put on his own clothes. The coat, shirt and even the socks.

Now I can escape this scary cabin and get back on track! Mono pulls over the crate Six had used to open her door. With a simple jump and pull the door is swinging open. He’s grinning and smiling as Mono climbs up and onto the ground floor.

Down the main hallway, pass the front door entrance (where Mono stuffed a raccoon hat into his coat pockets) and right into the most HORRIFIING thing ever.

He’s choking on his spit, lifting the paper bag to not ruin and then promptly shouts. “WHAT IS THAT!? WHY IS THIS HERE??? HEELLLOoooo???” It’s a family posed around a dinner table. With glops of…. food? Meat? Scattered and spilled all over the wooden table. Horse flies take refugee here, feasting on left over guts and other things that lay in the plates and bowls of the seated family.

Mono’s gagging at the smell (which SHOCKINGLY doesn’t smell too strong) and shuffles around the dead family members. As he climbs up the bookshelf and into the vent leading next door Mono pretends, he doesn’t hear a wheeze coming from behind him and a hiss.

Sitting inside the vent Mono collects his thoughts and just about everything else he can think of.

Six lived here with her family.

It looked like she was the youngest, maybe born right as everything started to go to hell.

The Hunter is clearly her father and he is still…mostly alive to tend to his daughter.

As in bringing her food and water. Shelter inside her room in the basement.

The family members sitting at the table where killed somehow then got taxidermized. There was a older brother, what Mono thinks is the mother and a grandfather.

Huffing, Mono pulled his coat closer to his body. It’s cold inside the vents and Mono can still hear the wheezing and hissing coming from the dinner room. ‘ARE THEY ALIVE!?’ has Mono scrambling a little farther into the vents.

So, the stuffed family members may, or MAY NOT be still alive.

Six is HIGHLY likely the only thing still breathing and alive in this forest—other than Mono of course.

Something happened at one point, either before the family got taxidermized or afterwards but Six’s father attempted to kill himself.

That thought makes Mono’s hands shake harshly, with rage. He was planning on leaving a young Six in a forest full of wild animals to what? Die from her lack of survival skills? Live the rest of her live inside the cabin with her dead/alive family members?

(The image of a older Six, dressed up like her family flashes inside Mono’s head. He clutches at the bag covering his head and wills the alternate reality away. It’s a scary flash of a very VERY older feral Six using her claws and teeth along with a gun to run the forest. Yeah. No Thank You.)

Ther’s muffled gun shots happening outside the cabin. It echoes around the trees and has the cabin shaking with each BANG. “Oh, that’s hmm,” Mono pushes onward, maybe getting lost inside the vents. (he makes sure to steer away from ones that sound like hissing.)

So, Six lived in the forest for a few weeks after her father’s attempt at life. Running around in the thickets and being a real feral goblin.

She made it through that time. Her father was brought back—somehow and now he uses her to chase the things they hunt.

How long will Six live like that? Until her father turns Six into the same thing her brother is now?

Shivering, Mono settles down at the end of one vent. It leads to a open space with a giant rug covering the spot he needed to jump down too. It’ll soften his jump but where does the door on the other end go? Is Mono really safe to run to it and get away?

BANG

BANG

Then there’s the Hunter. Six’s father. Somewhere outside in the woodlands shooting his gun. If Mono does make it outside the cabin, then he will have to tread carefully. There are traps scattered everywhere and then there’s Six.

Tiny, friend shaped, Six.

Whose been living this skewed lie of home.

Mono glances down at his socks, they’re colored a pale blue and a soft lavender color. Taken from a pile Six had in her room. He stole an extra two, because he wanted Six to keep her feet safe when they leave.

Would she come willingly?

Leave behind her stuffed family and her dying father?

For him?

BANG

BANG

BANG

Mono isn’t sure anymore. Suddenly his plans of escaping with Six seem fragile. If she says no then what? Ditch her here to be with a POSSSIBLE deranged father? Who—mind you—has a gun? Wrangling his hands together, Mono slums into the vent. He can still hear faint hissing coming from the other family members, but he’s all stressed out and pulled thin. This is the worse moment of his life!

BANG!

BANG!

Mono hopes Six will just take his hand and ditch this forest with him.

Chapter Text

The door Mono has been eye gets swing open. It’s slow and not fast and the reason behind it is because Six opened it. She has her arms clasped around a few bodies of dead crows. Most had their feathers gone but she still lays them down on the side. “Psst!” Without even thinking Mono calls out to his friend. She whips around, shocked and glances up at the vent Mono is now leaning out of. “hey!” He grins out, flustered that he’s practically ttumbling out of the vent.

She doesn’t look worried which is a good thing.

Mono rushes over to her, hands raised out in a hug before he stumbles and awkwardly brings them to Six’s claws.

He’s going to pretend that he didn’t intend to hug Six.

She’s none the wiser and gives him a lopsided smile.

“Is it safe?” Mono asks, leaning around Six to see outside the door. AH so it DOES go outside. Six rumbles deep in her throat, throws a glare outside the open door then kicks the dead crows next to her. “Hey don’t do that.” Mono is saying before he even knows it. He tugs her away from the crows. When he glances down at them Mono is miffed.

They have a wide shot inside their chest, leaving no room to really save the breast meat on the birds.

(he wonders how he knows this? Maybe it’s the cooking show he traveled through once in the Pale City. The one with the cook whose head was missing and the cables from the ceiling took over.)

“Gone.” Six’s whisper has Mono shivering. She had Whispered it as closer to his paper bag and maybe Mono should teach her personal space. “Who? The crows?” He asks turning to see a very mellowed out Six. She’s sagging her shoulders, idly swing their held hands.

Six doesn’t say anything for a while, only softly staring at the dead crows before she jerks her head inside the cabin. Where her family members sit. “Mmm, hmm.” She mutters out around closed lips before tugging Mono with her outside the cabin. “Ah, wait what about your dad?” Mono giggles out watching as Six easily traverse the forest floor. He wonders how Six became so good at walking through thick mud, and how she mastered where to correctly place her feet.

Ah feet! Mono needs to give her the socks to protect her pale skin.

But he’s busy stumbling and tripping as Six pulls him behind her with their hands still clasped around one another.

But he’s busy stumbling and tripping as Six pulls him behind her with their hands still clasped around one another. It makes Mono’s stomach flutter and he may be a little lightheaded from the action. It’s just—no one has really given him an action of kindness (love? No Six doesn’t like him that way he’s sure of it) other than Six.

(his mother didn’t hold his hand gently like Six. Mono’s dad was just as bad too the most he would do was hum at Mono.)

(The kids at the burning building didn’t do any hand holding or hugging. Unless you were siblings otherwise, they just stared back. But here in this GOD-AWFUL forest he had a friendly Six, who held his hand back and maybe she’ll even hug him too?)

“oomf.” Mono fell forward, skidding his knees and legs into the dirt but his face smacked the tall grass. But he still held onto Six’s hand. She’s giggling softly and snorting like some pig. It’s a adorable sound that Mono likes. It’s so innocent and full of joy. At his downfall. “Where are you taking me?” he’s pushing himself up with his one free arm; Mono refuses to let go of Six at all costs!

Of course, Six doesn’t mutter out a answer, she just rubs a claw over his dirty knuckles and swings their clasps hands. She has a faint smile on her face and Mono smiles back even if he has his bag over his head. But what DOES answer Mono is a loud gunshot, it has him flinching into Six. She stumbles slightly from the bump but she doesn’t flinch. Clacking her sharp teeth, she has a smile before it fumbles into a grimace.  

“bad.” She gravels out, rolling her left hand (which is the hand Mono holds so he is also made to roll his wrist.) “Bad? How’s that bad?” Mono is a little worried—okay maybe he’s more than a little worried. WHAT DOES SHE MEAN BAD!? Giggling, Six pokes at his mask, it crinkles under the action and she moves forward.

TOWARD. The gun shot. Which is concerning, why would Six go towards—oh, wait she’s heading to her father. “Ohh, okay okay. I understand.” Mono says, pushing pass the tall grass.

He doesn’t understand but he will try for Six.

“WAIT I don’t think I’m prepared to meet your dad!” Mono shouts at one point. They’re at the edges of a swamp area, they stand on the port…. deck, Mono means. Six, sadly, let go of Mono’s hand and she hangs over the deck boards. She’s clinging to the wood like some sort of rodent but she swirls her head to look at him when he shouts. “What?” She whispers, scrunching her eyebrows. There Mono sees the other mole she has near her left eye. “Uhm, I—am meeting your father? DON’T GO in there! It’s dirty…” Mono is groaning, running his fingers over his paper bag.

But Six didn’t listen she let go of her hold and plopped into the muddy swamp waters below. She dipped her head all the way under before bobbing up like a mud fish. “Ughhh,” Mono whines, peering over and down at his friend.

She was so clean before!

Now Six is covered all over in muck and moss. “Come.” Six pulls her arms out, making grabby motions with her claws. Shaking his head, ‘no, no I REFUSE to get dirty!’ he points down the deck, it bends around the swampy ground. “I can walk over—AHHHHH-“But Six had lunged out of the waters and snagged his arms.

With some strength only Six owns she heaves Mono over her head and he splats into mud.

“My mask!”

Six bursts out into joyful laughter before dragging him farther under the mud.

Mono lets it, even if he should be worried that Six might be drowning him. She doesn’t instead she drags him across the waters, over some cliffs (really, they were hills but they had to climb up so they are cliffs to Mono. When he asked Six of her thoughts, she makes a frown then shrugs.)

“Why did I have to go through the waters?” Mono groans, sagging his shoulders as he trails after Six. She’s laughing softly, points to the deck that they left behind and makes a poor attempt of walking super slow. “I’M NOT SLOW!” Mono whines out, rubbing his mask.

It’s all dirty now, so he switches out for the raccoon hat he found. “ooo,” Six cooed out closing in on Mono. “personal space! Please!” but Mono’s pleas were not listened too at all, Six hounds in on Mono and grabs his head. She lowers it to examine the new hat Mono wears.  “Pretty.” Six repeats, patting the pelted hat then she squishes Mono’s face together.

She bares her teeth at him which makes Mono laugh nervously before they both freezes. Six doesn’t but Mono pretends that she does. There’s a fake yellow light shining on them and when Mono stiffly turns around, he is blinded by the light.

It lowers in a stuttering way before Six’s father is revealed in the shadows.

“uh ohhh,” Six says just as hell breaks loose.

The Hunter looks like some type of failed grim reaper as he cocks his shot gun and raises it to take aim at Mono.

(the boy that his DAUGHTER called pretty!)

Screaming, Mono dives into the tall grass, tugging the hand of Six.

She lets out a loud wheeze before they both disappear into the grass.

Dirt explodes everywhere were Mono once stood at. Pebbles hit Mono’s back but he bites back the sounds he really wants to make.

‘what the heck, whattheheck, whattheheck, WHAT THE HELL!?’

Six takes the lead after a few close shots, she claps her claws tighter around Mono’s hand as she drags him pass her Father. His lumbering around in the grass as well, waving his lantern around to catch sight of the two kids. Huffing and puffing as he tracks through the plants. Twice he almost caught Mono and Six with the light but Six ducks at the correct time and Mono follows behind her.

She knows her father, she’s been by his side as they hunted together so it was of course to Mono’s advantage to listen to Six. But then they meet a troublesome encounter. It’s the end of the tall grass and the Hunter is blocking their way from turning around and escaping that way. Six taps her hand onto Mono’s shoulder and points his eyes to a burrow between a tree’s roots.

‘There! That way!’ she says, eyeing her father’s light source, ‘Are you sure? What about him? What if I die?’ Mono rubs his hands together, circling his thumbs over his knuckles. Six doesn’t give him the comfort he needs and instead drags Mono out into the clearing and shoves him down into the burrow. He stumbles and trips into the rabbit hole, smacking his face into the roots but his instincts rush through him and Mono pushes himself farther into the burrow. Six is scrambling behind him and they hear two gunshots ring out where the entrance is.

“I DON’T THINK HE APPOVES OF MEEE!!” Mono sobbed out his palms are shaking and my GOD Mono feels sorry for any poor fool who wants to even meet Six’s father in the future. He hopes he doesn’t have too.

Six is laughing and she kicks her feet at Mono, shaking him out of his little mood.

He’s not crying or anything but Mono is shaken over the near death experience. “Huh?” He mumbles, rubbing the back of his hand over his face. Cleaning it of any dirt. “Hmmm, ok?” Six mutters, leaning over Mono’s back to rub her own hands over his hair sticking out.

“Yeah, maybe. I think. Your dad is scary.” He settles with before turning around and rubbing Six’s face back.

She allows it. Letting him clean her face and fix (trying too) her black hair. She grins and tugs the raccoon hat over Mono’s face and blinds him. As he fights the hat to let him see again, Six clambers over a wiggling Mono and takes the lead once he’s able too see.

She curls her hand forward, in a ‘Follow me’ type of way and steals Mono’s offered hand.

He smiles softly, preening under the kindness Six takes whenever he offers it.

‘Maybe she will come with me. Once we leave this forest.’

Chapter Text

Six takes the time to show Mono the many things Father and her had caught and made into trophies. From the mother pig to her piglets (the piglets had rolled over and into a tiny ditch below the stuffed mother pig. Mono commented on it saying, “oh, they fell.” Before stepping around the whole thing.) and the giant moose that stood among the oak trees. It’s tall and imposing, with its dead eyes and sloping antlers. Here Six preens and puffs her chest out in the awed look Mono wears, when he walks up to the legs of the dead moose. The side is ripping so there’s a lot of cotton overflowing and flooding the hooves, but it does its job at impressing Mono.

“Did you help catch it?” Mono asks softly resting a hand on the fur. Six mutters and mimics the sound of a bird, before she makes a poor attempt at reenacting how she helped.

‘I nipped it’s ankles! And I tracked it! Father shot it.’

Mono scrunches his noses at Six’s actions. “Uhhh, I think you said you tracked it? Aaannd bit it?” Six takes the answer with a shrug. Good enough.

They move on, leaving the prized caught behind. For Mono’s sake as he keeps glancing around into the shadows and every sound the woods make. Six does the same action she did under the tree roots and closes her claws around his hand.

No longer is it cold.

Mono is nice and alive.

“uhm, ehh.” Six squeezes the noises out of her throat, stopping at a small drop off. There’s boxes scattered around the open area, with NO tall grass for her to slither into. Mono is next to her in a moment, worried she might’ve been hurt. But he sees the problem at hand. “Ah, uhm. Father, there.” Six is forcing the long unused words pass her lips, even if it strains at her throat and stings slightly. She points a claw into the woods to their far left, there her father is standing at. Still as the other trees surrounding him but he grips the gun like a pro and it is aimed towards the open land. “He…wants you, cold.” Six wiggles her hand in the air, turning it one side then tipping it the other way. “Dead?” Mono supplies, shaking like a leaf.

Giggling, “Yeah, yeah. Uhm, won’t let him.” She whispers, rubbing her fingers over Mono’s knuckles.

She likes Mono too much for him to become a trophy.

“thanks.” Mono squeaks out, still eyeing Father.

He’s just STANDING there in the shadows without his lantern light on. “Can—can he not see us?” Mono pales when Six shakes her head then shrugs. She points at herself then the muddy tracks they left behind before tapping the spot on her cheek. The same spot Father has a hole in his bag. “what does that meeean??”

Six sticks her tongue out at Mono before leaping off the overhang. It’s time to get this show on the road!

To Mono its like being chased by the devil himself. But this time the devil is holding a gun and is solely wanting him dead, because to the Hunter’s eyes Mono is whisking away his only daughter.

Which, as Mono dips and dives behind boxes, he is sort of doing just that.

(The Hunter doesn’t miss his mark, firing at the boxes Mono hides behind before scrambling for the next still intact box. Wood is shattering in the air with each loud BANG that echoes into a dead forest. Six is laughing as she runs and leads the way. Mono is not laughing but screaming after each box is exploded.)

He is whisking away Six. For a better life! Mono swears as he starts to climb up the wooden wall of a shed? It doesn’t matter, he’s making a mad dash to climb up the wall and into the attic. Where Six holds her hand out to him with a grin. She pulls him behind her and runs across the attic with Mono in tow. She’s giggling and snorting at the running, even as her father BREAKS DOWN THE DOOR, GOD HELP ME!

“How is this funny?” Mono shouts out at Six, he’s tripped for the third time and the heavy breathing of a angry father has him stumbling up and running behind a too giddy Six. She only gasps out breathless giggles before shoving Mono into the gun shed.

As she locks the door behind them, does she start to worry. It’s a dead end and Father is clearly unhappy with how Six is helping Mono escape. “Uhm, uhm…” She mutters hearing the angry stomping of Father outside.

He circles the gun shed twice, a third time before he’s banging on the locked door with the butt of his gun. “Oops! OOPS!” She shouts turning to Mono.

(‘SIX!! SIX!! Open the door!’ Father says with each powerful swing. ‘You’re in TROUBLE.’ He growls out behind the door. One of the logs chips away.)

“Listen, Six I’m sorry.” Mono grunts out jumping up and clutching at the other shotgun hung on the shed wall. Six warily eyes her friend’s movement, she knows what need to be done. Father won’t let Six get away with the escapee act she pulled, and Father won’t let Mono live if he gets inside.

(Another crack is opened in the door, it’s not enough to let him get the barrel of the gun through so he drops it at his boots. It hits the door and then his ankle, but he can’t feel any of that. ‘SIX!’ he tries again. He can see the top of her head, and the boy who is robbing him of his family.)

“I’m super sorry, I’m sure you love him a lot.” Mono gasps out, yanking the gun loose and free. It clatters to the floor, between Six and himself. When he falls to the floor, by the trigger he nervously eyes the way Six’s father is reaching inside the locked room and grasping for the lock. “I—we can just run! We don’t have to do this!” Mono tries, seeing how Six doesn’t move at all.

(He cares! Does he? He still tends to her wounds when she trips in the woods. He doesn’t, even he knows he’s lying about it. He gives her a bowl of soup every time they catch something. Six has been chewing and consuming raw meat now, he caught her more then once eating a rat or anything small enough for her hands. Who is he playing? He failed as a parent when he tired to end it all that one day. He didn’t think about his daughter when he pulled the trigger.)

“I—okay.” Six mutters finally kicking forward. She knows how it must end. She was prepared for it, for awhile now. Pa has been telling Six to start running from Father. Mother hadn’t talked ever since Father stuffed the cotton into her head. Let’s not even bring up the angry words Ma yells from the attic or the sad way brother blankly investigates his plate. This was meant to happen. “Okay, it’s okay.” She tells a shaky Mono. He’s shaking as he holds the trigger.

The gun is loaded and with Six’s aim it’s ready to fire at the monster her father has turn into.

When he busts the door open, peeking his bag head into the doorway she gives the monster a wobbly smile. Before the ringing bang fires, she gives it a single, “It’s okay.”

BANG

Gasping, Six raises up from the floor. Has those guns always been this loud? Her ears are ringing, and her shoulders felt pulled. Turning her head, Six can see Mono laying on the floor as well, he’s shaking all over and he is slowly getting up also.

Slowly she peers over her thin shoulders and examines the gunshot in the door. ‘Oh Father,’ She sniffles moving to her knees. She wobbles towards the door and starts the motion of unlocking it. He’s not saying anything and Six is sniffling harder now. ‘It’s okay, it’s okay the Tall Man can’t control you now.’ She sobs out as she yanks the door open.

There he lay. Her beloved father crumbled under his legs and curled up at the base of the door. There’s no blood leaking out of his chest. Six’s ears is still ringing as she stumbles forward, claws outstretched as she falls into the open palm of Father. Even in his final moments Father was still reaching out to the door to wrangle the breath out of Mono. “It’s okay.” Six sobs out, pressing her face into the glove.

(Father stopped caring for Six. So even if he was shot to death by Mono and herself it doesn’t hurt too much. But in place of the monster Six still sees her father. The one that laughed and played with her in the beginning. But Father was slowly becoming a monster and Six KNEW this was going to happen soon. Even prepared the death of her father stings harshly.)

Father has gone cold. Still and now he’s also just like the trophies he made. Full of cotton, cold and leaking the stuffing. Mono is hugging her backside, arms looped under her chest as she heaves out her grief. He’s warm and so comforting in his warmth. Twisting around Six clutches to his coat.

He smells of dirt and mud along with sweat. But he’s alive and not a monster.

“I’m sorry.” Mono mumbles into her hair. His face buried deep into her nest of a hair. ‘It’s okay.’ Six clutches harder at Mono. Even if she’s sobbing and has tears falling out of her eyes she isn’t upset.

Father was becoming a monster.

She didn’t want Mono to die.

So she picked this option. To stop Father and let Mono live.

“I’m sorry.” Mono repeats again with a crack to his voice.

Oh, he’s crying too

Six gives the monster one last sad glance over. To the hat that lays crushed under a bagged head. The green coat that flutters in the winds and the angry hand that is reaching towards her. Then she looks at the gaping hole in its chest. Where cotton and stuffing starting to pour out and into the grass and mud. “It’s okay, Mon—o.” She strains out.

Six grabs his hand, it’s also small but it closes around her much smaller hand perfectly, and guides Mono back into the gun shed. She makes a clear circle around the gun they used.

(it’s her grandpa’s gun. He used it for when Father was her age, young and so new to the world.)

Mono makes a strained noise but follows Six. She lets go of his hand (She feels bad when Mono’s hand trails slightly after her claws before stopping) and starts her climb over the open window. “Come on.” She coaxes out, reach over the window still to help Mono up and over.

She can hear the beach from here.

It’s a soothing balm over her heart ache and as she drags a sad Mono into the sands she crashes.

Emotions are just too much, so she accepts her fall into the sand.

It’s soft and not as rough like the dirt in the Root Forest. Waves lap at he hair and arms as she just sulks there. A tiny speak among the scattered remains of broken TVs and other wooden objects. “Six!?” Mono calls out, falling to his knees beside Six’s head. His pants are soaked in salt water as he hovers over her.

He felt shitty, like a terrible friend for coaxing her into shooting her father. (he must remind himself that Six looked at peace when she raised the gun barrel. Like all her life she was prepared for that gun shot.) “Mmmfffhh.” Six groans out, not moving even as the water gets stronger in each pull. “Come on, at least sit up so you won’t drown.” Mono moves his arms under her shoulder, she hisses at it, but Mono tugs her up and forward.

Together they sit at the edges of the sea waves. Letting their lower half get soaked and soggy. “I…it was going to happen.” Six rasps out, sniffling under the roar of waves. Mono let’s six talk, as much as her limited throat will let her. She never lets out another sob nor another teardrop.

(He wasn’t the same, after he stuffed Mother’s head. It’s been bad. There in the forest. Days with no food. Eating the raw meat and slurping up the blood to get her fill of water. It had to be done. Even if she was soaking in blood.)

“Do you want to join me?” Mono whispers, wrangling his hair of any water. He chooses to clean himself in the salt water, as much as he could with Six watching him. He rubbed away the mud and grass clinging to him. His curls are starting to reform, as he sits in the sand drying off as Six rolls around under the water.

(he lost his socks and even the ones he meant to give Six.)

“mm.” Six answers, standing beside Mono and shaking like a cartoon dog. Mono wants to laugh but the fresh image of a sobbing Six has his breath hitching. “Sure,” Six settles down at Mono’s legs.

They spend a few days by the beach, soaking in the rays of sun bouncing off the water and calming down from the act of murder.

(Mono thinks of Six in the woods. Chasing her happy memories and then himself. Skirting around in the shadows of trees and by the static fuzz of broken TVs.)

(In another reality Six is helping Mono kill her Father with no remorse. Snarling at the wooden door. In a TV flicker, she’s there curled up in the sand staring back at Mono through the screen before shattering it with a rock.)

(all of it was real and in a shatter all those realities are no longer existing.)

Six watches the dazed way Mono spends the hours wonder the sandy shores. He stumbles over to the broken TVs and he’s pressing his palms against the broken glass. He mumbles words that sound foreign to Six. But then he’s off, staggering onto the next TV with hazy eyes. She can hear soft static coming from Mono as he drags his feet through the sands.

Chapter Text

Six is snarling and growling, making all the hostile sounds she can make. It just hurts alright! It’s been awhile since she groomed her hair. Mono tackled the task himself after they pushed the broken door into the ocean waters. He’s treading his nimble fingers through Six’s locks and when they get snagged by a knot, he (tries he really does) attempts to untangle the thing. It’s a long progress but it’s enough time to pass the hours by on the salt waters.

“I’m sorry! You just need to groom yourself more and then wouldn’t happen!” Mono cries out as Six flinches away from his palms. “Ow, ow ow!” Six snaps back but she still leans back towards him. Every rough pull Mono does he softly rubs Six’s head. Trying to tell her, ‘I care, I know it’s painful. ‘

He wonders if she understands just how much he cares about her.

“IS THAT A BUG!?”

“HAHAHAH!” Six just busts out into laughter.

The crunching of the insect shell is all Mono hears after that moment. It was a black beetle but Six pounced onto the thing when it tried to fly away. Looking like a cat Mono saw once in the Pale City. She didn’t have to eat the poor thing but whatever, Mono isn’t bothered over it.

Too much.

After finishing the grooming on Six (ah, she looks even more cuter with her hair fixed and one side pinned up with the rubber band) Mono started to work on his own self grooming. Using the water they’re surrounded by Mono cleaned off his coat.

His father gave him it with a scowl. Even the small hole his mother patched up is tended too with care.

Six is soaking up Mono, how weird he looks without the coat but also the movements he does everything with.

Next comes sticking his legs into the waters and scrubbing hard at the stains.

(berries, bugs, mud, grass smears and blood.)

Finally, he hesitates here, he removes the raccoon hat and gently places it in the middle of the door. It’s bobbing and softly rocking in tow with the waters. Mono didn’t want to lose another hat.

(he felt sad after he tripped and broke the toy TV hat he found. Then he was upset over the torn hat the nomes gifted to him after running away from a Viewer.)

Mono keeps his back facing Six; he can feel his neck growing hot under her gaze. “Uhm,” He fumbles with his words but presses forward. It doesn’t matter! It totally doesn’t bother Mono that he’s exposing his face and hair to Six.

He did the same thing when he was with the group of kids! Why would it bother him now?

(he worries that Six won’t like him face. His mother didn’t. Neither did the girls in that group. Okay maybe he’s just bad with the female group.)

Dipping his head lower, Mono starts his careful grooming. Afterall it’s hard to keep ones curls pretty in a world like this. Soaking his head (he hears a coo from Six) Mono gently runs his hands over his hair and gently—even softer than he was with Six—he detangles all knots.

He doesn’t have the correct items needed to keep his curls formed, but he makes do with what little options he has.

(gel, cream, oil all the hair products his father unfortunately coughed money over for.)

(not because Mono asked or beg—but because his mother had curls so Mono just stole some from hers.)

Mono flinches at the first touch Six gives Mono. He refuses to look over his shoulder and at the girl he’s traveling with, what if it ends the same way like all other times. There’s a pang in his skull which he thought was from Six but nope. It was just another reality trying to crash into Mono and mold itself into this current show.

(no, no. Stay in your line, didn’t your teacher teach you that?)

(teach?)

Six his cooing at Mono’s ear, it is distracting him from the scolding he was giving the reality. It causes gooselings to form over his skin and another flush to cover his neck. “Six, back up your too close.” He gently scolds next, leaning forward away from Six.

She does listen to Mono, leaning away from his personal space but he claws are tapping and dancing patterns into his back and then his hair.

“oh,” He squeaks feeling ticklish under the claw tips.

(the reality presses forward, trying to fit itself in Mono’s world. Whilst he’s weak and soft. Under Six’s claw tips Mono sees an image of Six grooming her hair back in her house. But it isn’t the wooden logs of a cabin but the paper walls of somewhere foreign. She’s still herself but she’s humming a tune and she has a strange comb between her fingers.)

Six taps and skirts around his neck. She sees how his neck brightens from a blush and stops as she eyes a few freckles here and there.

(the blood rush has Six grinding her teeth. The craving to dig her canines into flesh is strong but she won’t do it.)

Forgetting the rush of Mono’s neck (to bite and just chomp into his weak spot) Six zoned onto the curls and twists his hair hands. “uhh, m?” She mumbles, twirling her finger around a curl It cradles her skin softly, and follows her movement easily.  “My curls.” Mono strains out, still refusing to turn around. So far, its okay. Six doesn’t seem to mind how he looks as of now. (mono pretends that he didn’t feel the glaze of Six trail over his freckles like they were stars)

“curl?” Six repeats, still softly twirling each curl that stuck out of place.

At least she’s being gentle, Mono hummed, relaxing softly.

Oh, wait that was a mistake—next thing Mono knew Six threw all her weight at Mono’s back and dug her little talons deeper into his roots. “SIX!”

Even as Mono helped Six onto the beach (the other side of the Twisted Forest) his skull still tingled and fuzzed. From Six’s hands touching that far into his roots—he wasn’t used to other people messing with his curls.

Six isn’t treating him any different (however he catches the way she glares at the paper bag he now wears again. “Do you wait the raccoon hat?” Six answers in the way she spits at the sand. “Riiight.”) which is more than amazing!

On the sandy beach, Mono is fighting with the other reality once more. It worms and wiggles just below his eye (all it does is make half his vision blurry really) and has Mono stumbling slightly. “oh, Six I—I’m—” He’s stuttering, messing up his words. Tongue heavy and bones dragging him Mono, reaches one hand under his mask and the other one is held weakly to Six.

She’s a dot of blue in the sands. She’s far before that’s the only color Mono can see. Blue. Blue. Blue. Purple.

That purple is not this reality but the other one.

“ok? Okay?” Six is harshly hisses it at Mono. “huh?” He replies squinting his eyes at the girl. She has her head tied up in a neat little bun. Not a strand of hair is loose or out of place.

Is this his Six? Or another one Mono is allowed to see in this static mess?

Either way they’re both Six and still so adorable.

They’re molding into one being, which means Mono is slipping into his Static Walk. Has it been that long since he slept or did he not eat enough static left over?

“Oh, Six you still look nice in purple but ah—im going to uh,” Mono’s mouth mumbles and struggles to form around the info he NEEDS to tell Six.

She’s wearing a purple type of gown, it has many MANY folds and this weird pattern of eyes and nomes in gold threaded into it.

But every time Mono blinks it escapes his eyes and he sees the Six who wears a dirty blue shirt with concern painted on her face. So does the other Six but her face has this weird white paint on her face as well. (its not done, Mono thinks as he still struggles, I ruined the processes via his Static Walk.)

“What?” The two say—Twelve? – as both dig their talons into his arms. Trying to keep Mono up straight. “I—I need uhm, the broadcasted left over…uh what d you call it?” Then he crumbles into the sand. Wood, floor and maybe he even sees the rug.

It’s all one floor anyways, whether it’s the sandy shores he REALLY resides in or the wooden planks of the other Six.

Grunting, Six tumbles with Mono as well. He only falls halfway towards the sand before he does a weird twirl to avoid his tumble. (Six falls, so stunned that she doesn’t even have her fast reflexes to do what Mono just did.) When she sits up on her palms and knees Six sees how Mono is slouched into his shoulders. Head tucked close to his collar bone and he’s swaying.

He swings to a unheard rhythm that only he can see. His hands are closing and opening before he starts to emit the soft static Six caught sometimes. She jerks way then, backing up in the shore as Mono hums along to these unknown words.

It sounds okay but it’s not perfect like her music box.

“Moo?” Six whispers out, reaching a open claw to Mono’s coat. Her fingertips brush the edges of his coat and it’s like a trigger. Mono stumbles forward, legs dragging in the soft sand and he leaves behind a trail. “eh?” Six grins out as Mono dances along the waves.

At least it’s kind of like Mono is dancing to her. He’s heading for a broken TV that sits buried in the beach.

Six trails behind Mono slowly, stalking behind his swaying steps and soft TV like humming. “Ah! TTTT—VVV.” She snaps her teeth around the word, pronouncing it like her father showed her how in the shed. “MMMmmmmMMm.” Mono sings back; Six can hear the grin in his singing so she grins back.

Even as he stumbles into the air, arms circling around nothing like a hug and when he curls up and shivers for a moment.

BANG!

Even when Mono falls forward and smacks his face into the TV after all that.

“Ugh,” Mono groans out, rubbing his face. It results in him letting go of Six’s hand but she doesn’t seem to care. This Six has a mask on her face. Not a literal mask but the type that makes it seem like she all pretends to care for those around her. Mono is not excluded from her act.

She wears the purple gown— “Kimono.” She hissed—either way Mono thinks she looks Wonderful in it.

“What?” Six mumbles, tucking her hands under the sleeves. She still cares, deep down. Mono can tell. Even if she’s slightly older than him now, and sways to the ship’s movement in the ocean.

“Oh, I think I’ll be leaving soon.” Mono mumbles, turning to eye the door they stand in front of. “So soon?” Six coons out.

Six jerks away, jolting up when Mono pushes and struggles under her. (Six had dragged the unconscious Mono away from the beach shores and into the shelter of a tipped over trash can. Where, much like a cat she just flopped onto his back and knocked out.) She flops over onto the trash, which is just empty clothes and suits. “Wha—?” Mono’s voice is back to being normal. “Yay!” Six shouts, raising her arms up and waving them around. She wiggles into the suit jacket she’s on top of, happy Mono is back again.

(She didn’t mind the weird humming Mono kept singing this whole time. It sounded OKAY.)

“Six?” Mono groans out, rubbing his face. The paper bag was still on him thankfully. “Yeyeyeye, EH!” Six kicks her legs, wanting to burn the rush of joy she felt.

One kick hits Mono in the hip and he rolls over with the motion.

Whatever this is fine. It just means he had to deal with the two realities melding into one for a moment. Passing through each other and only effecting Mono as they rushed by. “Ugghhooofff, you never get use to it.” Mono rants, moving to stand up.

He feels full, so he might’ve had some left over static somewhere. When he watches Six scuttle after him Mono wonders if Six helped with it. (his face throbs and suddenly, no he doubts she really did help. Maybe she tripped him.)

“Skoole.” Six struggles to copy the words and vowels Mono had just said. “Sko͞ol.” Mono repeats stressing out the word for Six to properly say. He helps Six wiggle pass the chain-link fence, she giggles “no” out and then gently pokes his side.

Snorting, Mono shakes his head and tries one more time. “Schooool?” He drags out the O and even lifts his mask over his mouth to show Six. “Oooool?” Six echoes leaning forward a bit.

Shoving his mask back down and leaning away (Six mimics it too—trying to remember ‘Space! Mono is like Brother, both just really love their space FOR some reason.’) “Close, I’ll take it.” He settles with, holding out his palm.

She doesn’t hesitate to snatch his tan palm. Curling her claws around his fingers and Mono believes its fate.

How her fingers slip between his own perfectly and how Six gently rubs circles into his knuckles.

Okay, maybe Mono fell a little too hard for this feral girl.

She smiles brightly before tugging Mono forward.

Maybe she did too?

Chapter Text

“No, no I don’t like.” Six is groaning, leaning her head between Mono’s shoulder blades. They and snuck into the school building and now wonder the empty hallways with flickering lights. “Scary?” Mono questions stopping at a uplifted board. He feels Six shake her head, ‘No, duh.’ As Mono trails his eyes up and towards the trap bucket. Everything is rigged and ready to just smack into Mono.

(he wonders if it can kill him?)

Shuffling them both out of the crossfire, Mono triggers the bucket and watches the bucket swing down. Six has her arms circled around Mono in a backwards hug and she just REFUSES to let him go. He tired already, tugging at her hands and even swaying her off. But she clings on and digs her talons deeper into his coat.

At this point Mono just accepted the clingy Six.

“Soooo, you’re not scared. Then what is it?” Mono tires again moving forward once the bucket stopped swing back and forth. Down the hallway they shuffle, lights flickering and passing by stomped out fires. “LEARNING!” Six groans out, sagging her weight heavily onto Mono. His laughter echoes down the empty lock filled hallway as he stumbles forward. He almost falls but he skips a step and catches the fall.

(he wonders if Six was never homeschooled by her family and that she hated it.)

Six is giggling into his coat before dragging her feet. ‘Nooo, don’t go farther.’ She thinks behind her soft grin. But then she’s snarling and clinging harder at Mono.

He’s also freezing as they both see SOMEONE standing at the end of the school hallway.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” Six all but screams out and it scares the other kid away and deeper into the school. “Six, don’t swear!!!” Mono cries out.

After many, MANY traps being triggered and Mono dodging them all Six and him encounter another child.

Thankfully Six doesn’t scream again but Mono hears her soft hitches. ‘Ugly, ugly.’ Six mutters in the way she stiffens her spine. ‘WHY do they have giant heads? Like that? Ugh,’ She’s shivering narrowing her eyes.

This time it’s a girl whose sitting in the hallway. Chalk in hand as she scrambles eyes onto the floorboards. She’s giggling like mad and cackling some song?

Now Mono has been through many many realities and most had languages even he had too learn. But whatever this child is saying is lost to Mono. ‘Huh, what?’ he switches over to the wild, feral language Six taught him. She zones in on the movement, her pupils widening and contracting. ‘Ugly, nasty.’ She relays to him.

‘Not useful.’ Mono deadpans, shaking his head side to side.

He eyes Six’s evil smirk before she huffs. ‘Garbled. Stupid. Like prey.’

‘Sure?’ Mono puffs back, before looking at this glass-like kid.

Why is her head so bobble like?

Shuffling forward, Six let’s Mono free from her grasp to warily see what will play out. What she isn’t aware of was the other school kids tettering closer and closer behind her back. Why would she notice them when she’s worried this CRACK headed chick like harm Mono?

Mono only gets to lift a hand before a locker is slammed open and dropped onto him. “HEY!” His shouts are echoed inside the metal space and Mono bangs on the edges.

Six lunges forward, to help Mono but hisses as two….WEIRDOS stand on top of Mono’s box. They taunt her, waving their wrists by their ears. Six crouches low to the floor before she’s ranked backwards. It has her ankles fumbling for the ground and she snarls as three other UGLY fucks try to hold her down.

When she lashes out and she hears a glass like shatter does Six let out of gruff laugh. Another swing of her leg and there goes another poor soul that tried to jump her.

The little freaks surrounding her mutter and clank at one another before the boys above Mono’s box leap down and help drag a feral Six away.

(they wonder if their info is wrong? This thing is wild and violent just like them and sometimes it snarls a word they understand.)

(Six is busy trying to kick this one ugly fucking kid in the jaw. She wants to see them tobble over their skinny little ankles and crash into the floor harshly. Shattering their dumb little empty heads on the floor.)

Heaving the locker side up, Mono quickly rolls under and lets the heavy metal slam beside his arm. “Six?” he calls out into the empty hallway. Somewhere above him he can hear a wild type of snarl. ‘There she is!’ He thinks moving to stand. He stills his movements when he hears a cut off scream, glass breaking and then this deep evil type of laughter afterwards. ‘Yeah, that’s Six.’

Then starts Mono’s long and suddenly lonely journey through the school. Tripping the traps strung up by these Bullies and even smashing a few of their heads. So what if Mono had fun luring them into their own traps and watching their heads cave in. Pieces of their head and face shattered over the floors, tiny bodies laying still.

‘Is this murder?’ Mono wonders watching the fifth bully have their head shattered.

‘No, I don’t think so.’ Mono settles with pushing a ugly looking boy out the window. When he leans over the window still Mono can see the white empty inside of the bullies’ head all over the outside floor.

It’s raining outside.

‘Not my fault if they jumped Six and me.’ Mono agrees with grabbing ahold of a pipe. ‘They were asking for it when they stole Six and I’m just cleaning up after her.’ Mono lets out a shout of joy when he just barely smashes the bullies’ head in mid leap.

He hopes Six is doing well. So far, Mono is doing okay even if a few bullies do manage to tackle Mono into a locker. After a little scuffle between himself and a bully (there’s some other students too timid to join the attacks but they’re cheering on with their higher pitch voices) Mono is more then a little sore. He’s broken SO many heads it’s starting to become really dumb. Heaving out breathes, Mono switches out his mask for another one. It’s the rain cap he found just outside the schoolhouse. Brightly yellow and it allows Mono too to suck in air easily after each brawl with a bully. Those who cheer on the fights, encouraging each win hand Mono random objects.

Broken pencils. Pages with eyes drawn over them. Fabric and even their poorly graded schoolwork.

‘How do you get 2 plus 2 WRONG??’

Mono is pulling at his curls when he saw that one. He throws all these winner prizes out the open windows every chance he can get. They’re useless and NOT from Six at all.

So why would he keep them.

Mono presses forward in his yellow rain cap, following the sounds of something rubbing on a chalkboard. Maybe he will stumble into Six? Ruining a room with broken bullies surround her?

Whatever the case—Mono WILL get Six back.

Even if he has too murder.

Six is NOT having a fun time. She’s groaning and slamming her head into the desk table. The freaks tied a corse rope around her frame and have her trapped to a chair. It brings back memories of when she got in trouble back home, ‘Too the Corner!’ her mother would say after Six broke another vase.

The dainty face girl is leaning forward, toward Six and she chops off more of Six’s hair with the safety scissors. ‘No!’ Six huffs out, rolling her claws under the rope. Another ugly freak girl is grabbing the cut off strands and dips them into paint before throwing it at the wall.

Two boys are nearby, muttering to themselves and forming a plan. A cold hand yanks Six’s head back so the plastic scissors can cut more strands off. ‘Mono’s hard work!’ Gone with another snip.

‘I’m gonna crack your head open you bit—’

“GAH!” the ugly girl that was dipping the cut off strands gasps out; it halts all the other fake kids in the room with Six. It’s high pitch like a mouse and Six wonders if her teeth can cut through their necks like a mouse.

They’ve got silent, before they rush around the room. The girls are kicking over the buckets and the boys are roughly lacing up Six.

They do a decent job at avoiding her deadly swings but two get the action she bestowed on them. As they shatter on the floor and the tabletop, Six hisses out and sobs.

Her hair is no longer a even cut, instead one half is cut short below her jaw line and the other is in terrible layers. She snarls and lunges for another kid as the rope around her legs drag her over the floors. It cuts into her shins as she drags the boy over to her mouth and she BITES.

Nothing happens at first but then the neck cracks and when that happens, she lets go to slam the boys head into the doorframe they pass by.

The others are freaking out, waving their thing wrists and having the ones who drag Six hurrying faster.

Into a bathroom Six, goes where the bullies watch Six get raised up by her tied ankles. They start to laugh even as Six wrestles one into the air with her.

‘I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I’LL SMASH YOUR SKULLS ALL OPEN.’ Six snarls out letting go of her hold on the bully. Down they fall and into the tiled floor their skull is popped open.

The bullies scream and some laugh under all the sound Six sobs and she dangles in the air.

She just wants the warming comfort of Mono.

Even as blood rushes to her head and she starts to feel lightheaded.

‘I miss you.’

‘Look!’ Mono says, bringing a toy forward, it’s wooden duck. Six sneers down at it, before she taps one claw on the black eye. ‘Food!’ she states, she grins in the way Mono sags and sighs. She loves messing with Mono. Seeing the emotion, he expresses whenever she gets something wrong.

She’s smart and she knows he was trying to get Six to play games with him in this empty school room.

‘No, I—it’s a duck.’ Mono tires again offering Six the wooden toy. She drags her claws over the work before it brushes over Mono’s arm.

He shivers and gives a out a giggle. He’s ticklish under her featherlight touches. ‘Duck, Duck, goose?’

Chapter Text

      “You shouldn’t be here again.” Six mutters, leaning forward. She wears her yellow raincoat and it squeaks as the rubber rubs on one another. (how does Mono know it’s hers? Since when has Six owned anything yellow? Mono doesn’t recall this.) “What do you mean?” Mono asks, kicking his legs. He’s sitting outside of Six’s house, in her messy, overgrown back yard.

She’s giggling, showing her perfectly normal teeth before humming. “Well, you rarely stay this long.” She answers, pushing a plastic cup towards him. It’s starting to rain, and Mono didn’t bring anything to protect himself.

“That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be here; with you.” Mono huffs taking the cup. For a moment his vision blurs and he is holding a broken pipe. When he blinks again it’s just the cup he holds.

“Yeah, sure. Wait till my dad wakes up.” Six laughs, kicking her rain boot at Mono’s leg. “Oh, that explains it.” Mono’s hand shakes for a moment.

This…. this isn’t right.

This isn’t Mono’s Six is it?

She’s normal in the sense that she can talk like any other kid. She has a backyard with a fence around it, with the sound of the city around them.

This isn’t right.

     Six jerks awake sometime later, she’s not sure how long she was blacked out for. The only thing she knows is that the stupid school bullies have filtered back into the room. They’re loud and boisterous under Six.

(She feels like a prey trapped in one of the snares her father once set up. Strung up and dangling in the air.)

Each bully wears the same school standard outfit. White shirts, blue pants, or blue skirts. Shiny black shoes with their hair nicely tucked in. Some girls had this band keeping their threads away from their black dead eyes.

None.

Are.

Mono.

     Six is gasping, the blood rushing to her head is making her feel like there isn’t any air inside her lungs. Is this how father felt? When he laid in his own blood and dirt?

She’s clawing at her throat, leaving red marks before she tugs at her blue shirt.

Its too much. It’s not enough. It’s too much. It’s not enough.it’snotenoughit’snot enough it’s not enough—

Under her struggles, the bullies throw paper balls at one another.

Six rips a hole into her collar; gasping loudly.

One of the bully’s screech and then there’s a sink broken as others laugh and shout.

Six kicks her legs, they tug and yank on the rope keeping her up.

There’s a sound of a board creaking, then a metal clank echoing.

Six can’t gasp any more air in her lungs.

Blood rushes forward and Six is knocked back unconscious.

     Mono holds Six’s hand. They have the same sized hand this time, even if Mono knows this isn’t his Six. She looks confused as Mono tires explaining what he means. “Maybe that’s why your mom sent you out of town.” Six supplies, shocking Mono still.

There’s a muffled sound of someone walking around the pavement with heels on. When he looks around only them are here in this rainy night. “Huh?” He asks, straining his ears. (he’s in a Static Walk—which isn’t good because he was supposed to be awake and rescuing Six. The real Six.)

“Yeah, maybe you forgot?” Six nods, bringing a claw to her chin and taps her pale skin.

She’s just as pretty as his Six. So it’s normal that he flushes and glances at the pavement. It’s intact and not broken by ravines. No cracks formed by fallen buildings.

Are all Six’s this pretty?

There’s someone walking around and Mono’s heart speeds up because of it. For once it isn’t caused by Six. “Oh, how long ago was this?” His coat is getting soaked by the rain. This Six in front of him swings their hands once before tugging Mono forward. “About 3 years ago, I think. During my final years in middle school.”

Wait—how old is this Six?

“It was when I turned 12. Remember?”

Mono feels a breath puff over his neck, he shivers but refuses to look back. Why would he because no one is there.

“Right! Sorry, I must’ve missed your birthdays.” Mono strains out. He’s slightly worried that something is going wrong with his Static Self. They both know to avoid the Hot Flashes, why is Mono feeling something breathe down on his neck and the impending threat of being ripped away from this Six?

She’s talking about something; Mono watches the way her mouth moves and forms the vowels needed for whatever she was saying.

Breathe in. Breathe Out. Click Click Click. Slide. BAM. Click Click.

They’re all loud noises and it makes Mono stumble and almost trip. Six pulls on their held hands and saves Mono a face full of pavement water.

He can see her face clearly in this reality.

     Six tosses the oversized shirt at the bully keeping guard. It smacks the back of his head and he clashes into the tile floor. The blue shirt she wore is thick and heavy enough to cause the damage she wanted. Her white tank top is now the only thing keeping her warm in this cold bathroom. Snarling she tries kicking again and even swinging her arms.

She’s been passing out and waking up for awhile now. Each time she has Six always feels weak and shaky.

(she ignores the few times she spent her time awake sobbing and crying out for Mono. He never answers back.)

Her arms are shaking, and she lost feeling in her right leg. She needs to get out right fucking now.

Swinging her weak arms behind her head before moving them forward, Six is now rocking back and forth. It’s not enough for her to curl up and reach the knot that keeps her dangling high in the air.

(Mono is clearly doing something inside the school. Six can hear it in the dumb talk and movements the students do. They’ll all fast and panicky like a caught rabbit.)

     Her pinky snags on the rope but it’s not enough. Six falls back, her lungs are stinging in pain and she’s lightheaded again. “MONO!” She sobs out, tears making her eyes blurry and her salty teardrops run over her skin. They pitter onto the bathrooms dirty floor. Six is back to sobbing. She can’t even raise her hands up to cover up her emotions.

There’s a scuffle outside the bathroom and in floods the bullies once more. They push and shove one another. Hiccupping Six cries out for her only friend once more. Under the other kids her strained yell goes unheard.

In this room, everything is so loud.

(“Mono.” “Mono.” “Mono.” “Mono!” ……” Father.”)

     Raindrops leak and follow the curve of Six’s face. Mono lowers her raincoat hood more, just too see her pretty face. She stares back with her golden eyes before she gives Mono a small smile. Her two beauty marks are still in the same spot.

One by her left eye the other on the right edges of her mouth.

“What? Forgot my face already?” Six teases out, squinting her oval eyes.

Mono stumbles over his words. Do all Six’s have oval eyes? How unfair is it that it makes her face look even more wonderful. “I—I well I mean, I just wanted to see—but I do know,” His poor attempt at saving face is ended as Six throws her head back and snorts out a laugh.

“Yeah, uh huh Mon—oo.” Six snorts out, pushing him away.

But she doesn’t pull up her hood. She just ruffles her hair before holding out her palm.

Mono’s eyes blur and his vision becomes hazy as he accepts her kindness. “I know I’m pretty cute. But Father wouldn’t like too hear you say that out loud.”

As she leads Mono home (he has a home here? It’s not the same one in his reality however.) the pathway they take grows warmer and hotter. It’s all in his mind and WHAT THE HELL IS HIS STATIC SELF doing GOING towards danger?

“H-he wouldn’t?” Mono gasps out, flinching back as a drop of rain lands in his eye. (it’s not rain, he’s sure he heard something shatter.) “Of course not! I’m the ONLY daughter,” Six snorts out not bothering too see if Mono was okay.

(More raindrops hit Mono’s face. They sting and burn a bit. When he reaches a hand up to rub them away his fingertips come back bloody.)

     Six’s hair slowly becomes wet as they wonder down the block. There’s movement in the shadows casted by trashcans and the trucks parked. She doesn’t seem worried and continues to talk.

“Father would wrangle your neck if he saw you lowering my hood. Even Mother says I shouldn’t let you too close.” Her words are soft but every ‘s’ in her words become static filled.

(Mono flinches as something grabs ahold of his arm. It has deadly intent because he can feel it twisting his coat sleeve and the bruises surely to form afterwards. What’s happening outside of this other reality?)

There’s a thud from the edges of the shadows. Mono eyes the spot the sound comes from. They pass it and another thud is heard behind them. Mono can feel his static self-snarling before the strain of overworked muscles being pulled into a swing.

His arm jerks with the movement but he doesn’t ACTUALLY make the movement in this world. Six looks back, her golden eyes look like they’re glowing before he forces out a smile. “Sorry, my arms are just sore.”

She accepts it. “But I don’t mind you being close Mono.”

     Snarling Six swings her claws and slaps the spit ball away. This time around the bullies started to throw items or spit rolled up paper chucks at her. Like it was a game of who can hit the feral girl high up in the air?

An ugly looking girl wears Six’s blue shirt. It’s overly huge on her and it makes her stumble into her friends. They giggle back before yanking it towards them. ‘Mine!’ they all say in the way they toss the ugly girl to the floor and kick at her.

They’ve been fighting over her shirt for awhile now. Different kids would wear it then they’d get kicked to the floor and have it taken away by another greedy brat.

‘STOP!’ Six growls out stopping a toy doll from hitting her skull. When she correctly catches it between her claws every bully in the room makes a wild scramble.

She has a weapon now and like the saying goes—

Like Father, Like Daughter.

—Six never misses a shot. She winds up her left hand and then throws the toy doll. It slices through the cold air and hits bullseye. The boy crumbles to the floor, limps all tangled up and his head now missing.

Overall, the screeching Six gasps in air. Her stomach growls. Her left arm is shaking uncontrollably, and her nose is bleeding.

Six looses all her fight and fire. It burns lowly and flickers.

Another hour strung up.

(“mono…mono…mono…. mon—o.” There are trip wires being snapped somewhere close by. Six doesn’t hear it over her soft sobbing. The only comfort in this ruined bathroom that is her cage is muttering his name. When no one answers her, she coos out for her father. He always answers.)

(It’s a under ending loop of sobbing out two names. One name; no answer. Other name; no answer. Then Six is blacked out. It’s a loop of waking up, being pissed. Crying her eyes out and then calling.)

      “hey are you okay?” Six stands behind Mono. He stands in front of ‘his’ front door. The grass is trimmed to perfection. “Uhm,” Mono twists his index fingers as he eyes the door. He can hear the static hum of a news channel and a TV turned on inside. “It’s okay.” Six laughs, the rain on her faces makes it appear as if she’s been sobbing for the pass five hours.

Her words are fuzzy and sometimes they fade away into nothing. Six skips up the front porch stairs, her boots covered in grass and dirt.

As she talks, the words never heard by Mono, he can hear sounds from his world leak in. Mono hears the bullies. Their high-pitched squeaking and their heavy breathes as they run around Mono.

Her soft palms grab Mono’s face and Six is rolling his cheeks around. She forms a smile on his mouth before grinning and saying something.

There’s the crash of something being broken and Mono hears himself let loose a loud snarl. But he DOESN’T make the sound here. In this static filled reality.

(he flinches when he hears it. Did he really make that sound? His Six would feel proud no doubt.)

This Six just laughs when Mono flinches, thinking it was from the cold hands she has. She pulls away before knocking on the door for Mono. Static hum gets closer and closer there’s shadows dancing under the gap by the front door casted by the light from the TV.

It’s all hazy and blurry but Mono can see something blue in front of him. Oh, wait! That’s HIS Six! She wears that color of blue shirt!

     Grinning, Mono reaches forward and claps his hand around Six’s soft hands. She squeezes back. “It—It was wonderful seeing you again!” Mono rushes out, pass his lips that feel cold from the rain. He can taste ceramic dust and even blood in his mouth.

Six is blushing slightly, she glances away before focusing back on Mono with a hum.

“I hope we can see each other again.” He settles with, rubbing shapes into her knuckles.

They’re soft.

Untouched by hardship.

Not one bruise or cut on her hands and arms.

She’s smiling at Mono. There’s someone walking towards Mono, where the front door is at. Six lunges, her arms circle around Mono’s shoulder and she pulls.

She’s cold and fuzzy when Mono returns the hug.

“mono…. mono…mono…”

He laces his hands together when he pulls Six as close to himself as he can. She’s saying something, it makes Mono feel happy and warm even if these words aren’t meant for him.

They’re meant for him, will be meant for him and always are meant for him at the same time they aren’t for him.

“mono…. mono…mono…. mono.”

When he closes his eyes shut, taking in the soft flurry feeling of the alternate reality Six becoming untuned in his grasp; Mono can see the blue color drawing nearer with each step ‘his’ parent makes on the other side of the front door.

“mono…..Mono….Father…Father…”

He grimaces at the sight. It’s a porcelain doll, whose face is forever in a twisted grin. Crooked teeth on display as she stumbles forward. The doll had almost broken her glass-like head when she jumped from around the corner bend.

Mono snarls as she races forward.

That was Six’s shirt.

(“Of course, we’ll meet again! Now that you’re back in town again, Mono. I hope you got over your fear of the dark during your time away from me! Because Father isn’t going to be happy if he sees us out during the day! So, let’s meet up by the park—the one with the river bend. At night.”)

     Mono slams the axe down harder then he needed too. He’s snarling and huffing out deep breathes. His arms are strained, and his knees are wobbly.

But Mono stands tall in the hallway.

Faint whispers of the other Six trail over Mono. They ghost over his ears and it surges him forward. He steps pass broken shards that have sharp pointy ends. He kicks at the shards that have painted eyes and other facial features on them.

Mono watches the way the shard skid on the floor leaving deep marks in the fragile glass work. They all deserve the pain Mono brings onto them. He agrees with his Static Self; the one that went on a rampage and had Mono snarling like a feral dog.

He can feel the strain on his throat from all the animalistic sounds his Static was making.

‘Ouch you did a number on my throat.’ He transmits into the signal waves.

‘Yeah, yeah whatever.’ It pings back before the connection is turned off like a TV.

“father….Father…” The words are still echoing into the now empty war zone. (the hallway floor is littered with broken student heads. All shattered and completely unfixable.)

Forcing his muscles to work—move just a little faster!!—Mono stands at a bathroom door.

He can hear the sobs Six is making. It’s so silent inside the room. What horrors did she have to endure here?

(mono get’s a static image of the strands and clumps of hair forming a ugly painting of someone tall in one room. He remembers snarling before the memory is taken from him.)

“Mono…mono.” Six is repeating two words. Mono pushes his legs forward once more, even if they wobble and shake under strain. “Six! Six I’m here!” He calls back.

(Her heart jumps in joy, her lungs constrict under pressure. Six lets out a sob, her arms reaching to the floor where she can see the brown blur of her friend. ‘He answered! He’s here!’)

There’s laughter between the two. They tumble out from under the bed; Mono kicking and trying to escape his chaser. Six is built for chase, so she tackles him into the floorboards. The school room they play Chase in is devoid of anyone else.

She’s breathless from soft laughter and Mono is giggling as he wiggles free.

He stands up, twirls around to face a grinning Six before he makes a movement in the one language she knows.

‘Round two?’

‘I’ll win again.’

“Round three then?’

‘Sure, anything.’

Chapter Text

It took only two solid swings of the axe and Six was cut down from her hanging prison. Mono sucked in air through his teeth, when he turned around slowly there was his dearest friend spread over on the floor.

She had made a heavy thud when Mono freed her.

‘Sorry!’ Mono hisses out, stumbling forward on weak legs and wobbly knees. He tripped and fell next to Six on the cardboard. Six answers his hiss with her own garbed hiss too. ‘Jerk, you dropped me!’

But her claws reach out and she tangles her fingers into the coat Mono sports. ‘I’m glad you’re back.’ She says in the way she tugs Mono closer.

“Y—eah, me t—o.” Mono strains out, his throat is scratchy, and it pricks pain into him. Six snorts, rolls over and rubs her palms into her legs. Trying to get more blood flow back into the limps. Mono helps slightly, whenever Six allows him too, by rubbing his own palms into her back and shoulders.

The area that she landed on when Mono chopped her free. Nothing feels broken and Mono lets out a shaky sigh—happy he didn’t hurt Six any farther then a bump on her head and a bruise on her spine.

“my hair!!” Six cries out when Mono goes to check over her arms. It scares Mono and her jerks away assuming it was a cry of pain. ‘What?’ Mono is blinking, under his yellow rain cap. Six points and drags her pale palms over her black hair.

‘Oh, they ruined it.’ Mono is tracing the uneven cuts with his fingers. It’s a ruined mess of paint globs and mismatched strands. The bullies went ahead and gave Six a unwanted haircut.

She’s snarling softly, ruffling her ugly hair and huffs in her pooling emotion. “Hmm,” Mono mumbles unsure how he can fix this mess. Her right side was chopped into uneven layers and had purple paint globs on the end.

Six’s left side was the worst part—the length was now at her jawline with some spots reaching her earlobe. Twisting his fingers together, Mono reaches forward and flattens the parts he can.

The black hair fights him at some parts and then Mono gives up in a fit.

‘Sorry, need water.’ Mono rolls his hands, then tries to make the movement of water. Six hasn’t taught him that word in her language but he’s sure she made this movement before.

Angry golden eyes glare at Mono’s hands before she slaps his hands away. At first Mono is wounded, but he gets over it when Six does the proper movement for water.

‘Water. Like this.’ Then she glances around the bathroom before pointing to the broken sink in the corner. Mono eyes the broken pipe, it’s leaking a consit flow of water and it’s NOT ruined in any way.

“It’s filtered!” Mono cracks out, he grabs Six’s wrist (she makes a complain but lets him drag her) and they both stumble to the water.

Before Mono goes to wash Six’s hair, he ducks his face under the chilled water and just drinks.

He doesn’t care if the pure water is getting into his nose and making him snort and cough. After he takes his fill, Mono washes his face of any dust and sweat on his arms and face.

Six is standing nearby, squatting, and standing up. Sometimes Mono catches Six jumping up as well. She’s working to get her legs back in shape quickly.

(She’s trying to get feeling into her legs so when she catches the fuckers who did this to her can’t outrun her.)

‘Hm?’ Six stumbles with her grasp, the rain cap was thrusting into her arms and when she glances at Mono he is grinning. His face is just COVERED and LITTERED with freckles.

Six doesn’t hide her stare even as Mono flushes a pretty red. “Hold? For me?” Mono asks, his voice sound broken and strained.

Was he yelling a lot?

Before he saved her?

Six nods her head, gets a better hold on his hat and crouches down as Mono washes his hair. He smells of sweat (which is something Six is used to thanks to her time in the woods running around) and something only connected to broken electrics.

It’s a wiry smell and also a strong copper smell.

Sulfur?

Copperish, like the wires in the TVs Six breaks.

(Six used to chew on the wire cords. Not the ones PLUGGED of course and the taste that floods her mouth had her always doing it. Sometimes it only tastes of that electric copper. Other days it’s the tinge of a meal she’s never had before. On bad days, Six tastes flesh and meat, those times are never good.)

Rubbing her claws into the cap, Six places the hat over her head. Maybe it’ll hide her terrible hair cut? She’s embarrassed and sad over Mono seeing her with her new cut.

When Mono pulls away from the water, his hair is a darker shade of red. Palms rubbing his eyes, Mono blindly reaches out for his coat ends and dries his face.

Then he softly pats his curls dry. They’re coily and bounce with every movement Mono does. ‘Pretty! Pretty!’ Six stomps her feet into the floor, she’s 90% sure Mono doesn’t understand that action.

But she still tells Mono he looks nice anyways. ‘Your turn.’ Mono blinks his eyelashes of any droplets and then shuffles a shy Six in his former place. He removes the rain cap, places it to the side and helps Six sort out her hair.

This filtered water does better work then the satly waters before all of this.

The paint that dried in Six’s hair is scrubbed away. The parts that refused to listen are now flattened down and any knots formed in the black hair is detangled.

This time around it goes smoother.

Six is cooing at the fact and she even rumbles a purr. (Somehow, Mono is still unsure how this kid can make that sound.)

“Here.” Mono pulls loose a thick string from his shirt. It’s tattered and frayed so Mono doesn’t mind ripping a stripe out for Six. Then he ties the longer section of Six’s hair up and into a pretty bow.

(His father had taught him that. “You have to learn how to make a bow. You never know when you might need to wear a suit.” Mono watches his father fix his suit cuffs before they wander away from the party.)

Six is softly touching the bow Mono made in her hair. Then she touches the hair Mono had fixed and parted. ‘What did you do?’ Six scrunches her nose at Mono but he just gives her a lopsided smile.

He places the rain cap onto Six, mindful of the hair he pulled up and then he gives Six a soft pat on her new hat. ‘Ack,’ Six grunts out, slightly used to the new wight.

She’s worn other hats before!

Just, not whilst part of her hair up.

Mono snorts on laughter, before he offers his hand again. It feels like it’s been a whole lifetime and it also seems like it’s been years. Not hesitating Six slaps her own hand into Mono’s.

His hand is tanned, and her hand is a milky pale color.

Six enjoys the contrast in their skin tones.

Mono tugs Six over to the bathroom window, pulls her up and over the overthrown box and onto the windowsill. Together they pulled the windowpane up; high enough for them to crawl out of the room.

It’s a small gap with a thing board leading to one room to another. It’s still raining outside with soft mist forming on the schoolyard below.

There’s piano music filtering into the stormy air. Six is humming along to the notes, even as her hands get wet.

Landing into the room, Mono holds out his arms. Intending to catch his friend. He watches the way Six sticks her head into the window, stares down at Mono before she pulls away. “Heyyy,” Mono calls out, throat feeling better after the water.

“WAIT WAIT!” Mono yells out, seeing how Six just ran out of the window and jumped at Mono.

(Six took a running start them jumped into Mono’s open arms. He still caught her even when they tumbled into the rotting floor boards. She knocked the air out of his lungs. While Mono is gasping for air, Six is bursting out into laughter. Mono joins in after he caught his breathe back.)

(He hugs her closer and Six returns the hug. But she ditches Mono when she spots a piano.)

“Oh gross.” Mono gags at the poor frog the girl bully was cutting open. They had dropped the piano into the room underneath (Six was upset before she found out the keys still worked. She played a very VERY familiar tune and helped Mono kill the bully who held the key they needed.)

Six is standing on the other side of the gated doorway. Her claws curled around the flat metal. She stands on her toes, peering farther into the small alleyway Mono is stuck in. “Frog?” Six calls out, trying to see this thing Mono gags at. “You’ll love it.” Mono calls back, kicking the dead frog closer to Six.

It’s slimy and it smacks into the gate Six is at. Crouching out with a ‘awwweee’ sound Six stares at the frog. Mono joins her on the other side, crouched over the poor animal. Its guts are missing and there’s the rough gouges made by the blunt key. Mono hooks the key into his belt.

Six pokes at the pulled skin of the frog. Then her wrist is through the gate holes. “Six what are—” Mono watches with wide eyes as Six pulls the dead frog through the gate and stuffs the legs into her jaws.

“SIX WAIT IT WAS ON THE FLOOR!!”

‘Ew, ew , ew.’ Six is gagging in Mono’s ear. It’s slightly gross and Mono gags back slightly in a mocking way. She’s gagging at the sight of the Teacher. Who sits in front of a piano and tapping away at key notes. ‘Nasty, nasty. Ughh.’ Six contuties to say, sticking her tongue out and flashing her sharp teeth.

‘Stop it!’ Mono pokes at Six’s lip. She snaps her maws at Mono, making him flinch away before he makes a frown. ‘She’s ugly! Nasty! Smells old!’ Six complains, as Mono slips down onto the floor the Teacher plays at.

Mono stands behind the adult, as she scribbles away on her music sheet. It’s loud and scratchy, as Mono sighs at the way Six insults the lady. Six is standing up on the bookshelf, pretending to stand like a proper lady. Then she uses two of her claws to drag the corner of her lips into a smile.

All of it is mocking the pianist teacher who picks up on her improved song. At the first note played, Mono lets loose a loud snort. He slaps a hand over his nose and curls up.

‘DON’T LAUGH. DON’T LAUGH. DON’T ENCOURGE SIX. DON’T DO IT MONO.’

His shoulders are shaking as the beautiful piano notes play in the air. Under all the music notes Mono can catch the breathless way Six is also laughing.

The notes stop and Mono sucks in air. Holding in his laughter. Six is shuffling slightly. After a few pen marks the music starts up again.

Mono lets out one giggle and it’s all hell loose.

‘Help! I have to stop!’ Mono sends out the signal to his static channel. It answers back fast and Mono can hear the grin in it’s answer, ‘Sounds like a you problem.’

It takes wayyy longer then it should have; Mono lowered the walkway during the moments of song and he pauses whenever the Teacher stops. During those lulls Six tries to make Mono laugh again. She makes ugly faces, waves her arms around.

At one point Six even jumps up and down on the walkway. (thankfully she does it during the loudest points in the song. She almost tripped off the thing too.)

During all this Mono and Six made it to the other side of the room. Six gives Mono a hug when he makes the jump and she chitter softly. “Shhh!” Mono hisses at Six right as the Teacher stop her song.

The two kids huddle into the corner of the vent walkway. Holding onto one another as the Teacher stands up. She has a never-ending crooked smile and her hair is slightly messy. Strands of grey filter out of the neat way the Teacher brushed it into.

Six is back to gagging, she’s pointing at her own throat and snaps her jaws.

‘Whats wrong with her throat! Ugh, she’s so nasty!’

Mono snorts harshly into his nose, before covering it with his sleeve.

The Teacher grabs her music sheets, slams them into the piano. The papers are nice and neat and with a stiff bowlegged walk the Teacher stumbles out of the room. Her blown open eyes reminds Mono of a owl.

Wide and never missing any movement.

Expect—Six jumps up and lets out a loud cackle—this teacher missed the two kids mocking her right above her head. Six stumbles back down, onto the grand piano the Teacher was just playing on.

Mono leans over the edge, fondly watching the way Six jumps on the music notes.

She’s playing a poor attempt at her music box. She’s grinning and laughing at each fumble she makes in the music.

‘Join her.’ The static filters into Mono’s head. ‘Should I?’ Mono responds to the static. It wavers, chewing over his question. ‘Yes.’ It’s enough of a answer for him and Mono jumps down to join Six in her playing.

There’s laughter under each music key being played. Mono is giggling and more often then not he’s the one falling off the piano and into the floor. Six is cackling and snorting, her grin is wide at each tumble Mono makes.

Chapter Text

     They spent a few days there, inside the walls and vents of the school. Mono said it was because they had clean running water, Six argued it was because of the slop they feed the bullies.

Mono scratched at his chin when Six pointed that out. “Well, yeah! But—but also because they have filtered water!” Mono cried out, bashful when Six started to grin.

‘Caught ya.’ Her whole face said and she was prideful the rest of the day.

They took refuge in the vents—any rooms inside the walls that were empty. When Mono and Six encountered a room they wanted that had bullies they never backed down from the fight. 

Mono took to holding them down as Six reenacted her revenge; her claws grabbing their heads and with three swings, Six had their heads bashed on the floor.

It’s scary, seeing Six’s anger up close. Mono getting a perfect front seat to the emotion Six wields with each bully they kill together. Her mouth forms a open bare, all sharp teeth on display. She's snorting in anger and when she's bashing the heads into the floor she's snarling. Mono wonders what Six is saying in each snarl. 

‘Friends who kill together; stick together?’ Mono’s static half pinged to him one night. After Six tackled a bully and dragged them out the window by their ankle. The signal sounded amused, like seeing Six being so aggressive is normal.

‘So hostile, best stay on her good side.’ It sneers to Mono, he frowns and helps Six lift the struggling bully. They’re a tiny bully unlike the others. ‘I am on her good side! It’s not like the other realities—’

Mono started to send the signal back to his static half (which sounded a lot like his father currently) only to trip when Six heaved the doll like child out of his palms. She’s snarling back at the hissing bully and then he’s gone.

Like she swung an axe, Six threw him over head and out the window.

Their newest room is now empty and safe for them to spend the night inside of.

Six helps Mono stand up, her claws are gentle in pulling him up. She brushes her hands over Mono as she pats his coat free of any dirt and dust. Her claw tips tug over the edges of the paper bag and that has Mono turning to look at Six.

She still wears the rain cap. ‘Okay?’ She asks, moving her hands and wrists to ask.

It’s a wonderful thing, the way Six developed her own way of speaking. (because of her time with her father, running around as the hunter slowly stuffed his insides with cotton; loosing the ability to speak.)

Now Six is teaching Mono her words. It’s a long and frustrating process but the few times Mono says something correct Six is jumping up and down, clapping her claws.

     “Yeah, just tripped.” Mono fixed his crooked coat before they both glance around the new room they conquered. It’s another small classroom, meant for a tiny group of kids to be learning. However, the tables they sit at are over thrown and form two forts. Both on opposite sides of the room.

Both had crude drawings all over them. In pink and blue; flowers with birds and a occasionally a cat eating a mouse; sports of all kinds, with a dog chasing a rabbit.

Girls and boys.

“Girls vs Boys?” Mono asked, tipping his head slightly. During his exanimation Six and slipped her hand into Mono’s. “FIGHT!” Six gasped out, rocking on her feet. Laughing, Mono pointed to the balls scattered on the floor.

(you know, the ones next to the dead bully’s bodies? Yeah those.)

“I think they go into different teams and see who can crack the most heads open.” Six is nodding along, both Mono and herself know she’s only pretending to understand him.

(Mono assumes it’s because Six has always been the only girl in her family. Living her life out in the woods learning to be a fearsome tracker. With just her older brother to help her along, that’s why Six doesn’t understand the school game of Girls vs Boys. Mono hated those days, because no matter what version of the game every kid picked on him to get out. Volleyballs would smack his ribs, the flag tied around his wrist yanked away. No matter what both genders had it out for Mono.)

Six ended up picking the boy’s fort. She dragged Mono behind her, kicking everything in their way OUT of the path. Inside was covered with stuff dolls and pillows. No blankets but the pillows and toys make for a perfect spot to lay in.

Mono flopped onto his back, squashing a bunny toy under his weight and relaxed. It’s hella soft and warm inside the fort. Six is shuffling around somewhere. Moving and placing items in a way she liked it.

It’s not bothering Mono and when he watches his friend move it makes Mono’s eyes droop.

     This toy gets picked up, the limps flopping over Six’s arms. She drags it over to the other side of the fort room. Tripping and almost falling over the legs. She tosses it to the floor, gently moving its arms in a way she liked.

Then another toy gets picked up. An ugly pig looking one. Six takes one long look at it before flinging the thing over the fort walls. Mono snorts harshly, the sound has Six whirling around and staring at Mono. He’s grasping at his mask, where his nose should be and he’s really, really trying not to laugh!

Rolling onto his side (making sure to keep his so called ‘soft spot’ hidden) Mono curls up and tries to calm down.

It’s just that—Six only took one look at the pig doll before she chucked it over the wall. Deeming the item unworthy of her time. Mono lets out a wheeze, the weight of Six is shockingly heavy for a kid. “W-what?” Mono gasps out, grinning as he turns over. Six sat on his back, but as he rolled over Six allows herself to be half squash by Mono.

His shoulder lays on top of Six’s back and her legs stick out on the other side of Mono. “Funny?” Six whispers, wiggling her arms out from under her.

She doesn’t fight when Mono lays more of his weight on her back. Six lays on her stomach, her claws kneading into the toys under them both.

“Just the way you throw items.” Mono giggles out, getting comfortable on top of Six. Six starts purring, uninterested in Mono’s talk now. She’s clutching her left hand close, the right hand opened; then she closes her right hand pressing her fist into the soft belly of the stuff toy, her left hand opening now.

‘Cat, a deadly one. Tiger?’ Mono’s static half pings his head. The words bounce around his skull as Mono eyes the way Six kneads at the toys. ‘What’s a tiger?’ Mono responds back, closing his hands over his belly.

Six is purring loudly, her body heat is strong. Stronger than Mono’s and he can just fall asleep like this.

‘This—’ The static Mono is connected too distorts and the pixels in his eyes shift and form a large cat. It’s painted orange with black lines over it’s pelt like some sort of pattern, the eyes are golden and sharp.

(Six wiggles slightly under Mono. She shifts deeper into the toys and the new spot she finds feel better for her legs.)

‘Oh—’ Mono is humming softly, static leaking out of him and into the air. He’s busy talking to his static half. The tiger prowls around Mono in the channel, it’s large and the paws on the animal are just GIANT! ‘Watch this.’ The phrase is lagging, and the tiger displays their claws. Sharp, long and meant for killing.

Mono leans forward, as the tiger lowers its jaws to Mono’s height. Mouth open wide Mono counts the predator teeth it has.

(Six stops her loud purring, she’s still kneading away even when the static in the air makes her skin feel fuzzy. When she glances over her shoulder, she sees Mono idly moving a finger in the air. He’s tracing shapes into the space as he hums a song. Mono’s foot taps along to the beat.)

‘This is a tiger?’ Mono asks into the static, hand tracing the impressive teeth the cat has. ‘Yes, just like Six, no?’ The static wraps around Mono’s leg. ‘Yeah, maybe.’ Mono agrees, pulling away.

     When Mono stirs awake, the first thing he notices is the heat gathered at his side. Lifting his bag (which lets out more static) Mono sees how Six curled up into his arm. It reminds Mono of the old cat he found outside his house. The way Six is curled up and having all her limps tucked close.

Groaning Mono pulled he paper bag off his head and tossed it to the other side. Static filled the air, even more is pouring out from his mask.

It smells of rain and dirt, there’s also something else in the air. Whatever it is, Mono isn’t sure but what he does know is that he has breakfast now.

Scooping the air with his right palm, Mono gathers a good chunk of static filled air. Using one hand Mono makes a misshapen ball and chomps into the condensed static.

The static Mono often eats never has any taste. Even if it smells like it should. Still, Mono eats away at the static air. Six snoring by his side as he rolls the static into manageable spheres and eats away.

It tingles down his throat and numbs his lips. But he’s getting full with each bite. Mono can’t explain it really, how the static fills his stomach more then any real meal can.

Mono only knows that when broadcasting TVs are turned on, they filter out this soft kind of static, the same kind Mono leaks out when he enters his Static walk. That soft static is the one Mono often craves and eats.

Six slept through most of Mono’s breakfast. She’s still curled up in her spot even as Mono stood up. He’s brushing and patting his mask down. Fine dust is kicked into the air and left-over static scatters up in the air. He is one of the only two who can see the static. It’s exactly like the static that overlays the broadcasting TVs in the pale city.

Mono grabs at the loose static. They’re like strands and he tucks the mask under his arm. Turning and twisting these static strands in his palms. They loosely make a ball, not enough to form the shape Mono would like.

“What?” Six grunts out, uncurling herself. Mono turns on his heel, one hand holding out the oval static bundle and the other hand quickly pulling his bag over head.

His eyes are still all staticky, Mono knows this because the primary colors of this world pop. Better to hide his face away than scare Six with his eyes.

(they’re just like the TV screens around the city. Displaying the same images and static like them.)

“It’s what I eat. Remember? The left-over static I was talking about?” He points one finger at the bundle, even bringing it closer to Six. Her hair is all ruffled and she’s rubbing a fist into her eye. But she leans forward towards Mono’s outstretched hand.

She eyes his lighter palms before frowning. Mono’s hand is just fuzzy and glitchy like. “Oh, right—you uh, can’t see—well it’s okay.” Mono is stuttering before he brings Six’s hand to his fuzzy palm.

He slides her claws over his fingers, they tingle and when her palm slots over his open palm her whole hand becomes numb. “Ack,” She gasps, staring wide eyed at Mono. “It’s okay!” Mono reassures with a grin. His hand is also numb, and it tingles with the movement of the static ball.

“I eat this stuff; it feels me better then real foods. Sadly, it doesn’t REALLY have a taste to it. “Mono rambles, letting go of Six to gesture around between them.

As he drones on about the stuff, Six moves her claws to cup around Mono’s hand. The one that holds this so-called left-over static.

“It just…makes me full, kind of like how you love meat!”

Six glances up at the word, like it was some sort of trigger word for her. She’s sitting up, claws curling tighter around the numb hand of Mono and she’s eyeing him more.

Mono brings his free hand closer to his chest. Tucked in close and he’s staring back at Six as well. Maybe he shouldn’t have used the word meat. Her hunter father probably used the word meat her for to chase the rabbits and rats.

     Six is poised alert, ready to kick off her heels and chase down anything. Mono stifles his breathing slightly, watching the way Six slowly settles into her ‘tracker mode’. It’s strange but in it’s own form—beautiful.

Beautiful and deadly.

Her jaw is slightly parted and Six is inhaling deeply. Taking in all the smells and tastes she can gather with each deep inhale. The golden iris of Six went from a wide circle to becoming thin rings around her blown pupil.

(it reminds Mono of the tiger his static channel pulled him into to see.)

When nothing interesting happens, Mono not really moving, Six relaxes. Her tensed shoulders eases and her pupils return to normal. She gets interested in Mono’s hand once again and when she runs her claws over his exposed wrist does Mono suck in air.

He lets out the air in a shaky puff before he shakes Six off his arm. She makes a face at him. “Watch!” He thumbs the edges of his mask up, only revealing his mouth. Bringing the static up to his teeth Mono digs into his snack.

Six flinches at the tiny sparks made from the bite and she shivers at the sound it makes. “Ahh, what?” Six gasps out, eyeing the spot Mono ‘ate’. There’s less static in the fort and even less between herself and Mono. Six watches the way Mono chews and shallows something. Then he’s grinning and finishing off the static he was talking about.

“Ah, hm…mmfh?” Six mumbles pulling his hand away from his mouth. Mono is giggling with his mouth full. He keeps his mask up. Displaying him eating to a very wide eyed Six.

It’s nice showing someone something about oneself.

     Six is holding Mono’s hand again. She hasn’t let go since he showed her the static he could eat. She’s running her thumb over his fingers more and Mono is melting in the inside. “Come on, let’s leave finally.” The hallways are empty, all the kids are in the lunchroom. They can hear the kids screaming and throwing things. ‘Wasteful.’ Six snorted out, sticking her nose in the air and baring her teeth.

Mono’s surprised that Six was taught what was wasteful and what wasn’t.

“I agree.” Mono nods to Six. She’s grinning and swinging their arms between them. Then Mono is falling, and he hits his face into a floorboard. “oof.” Six calls out being tugged forward as well. She doesn’t fall like Mono but her shoulders joint aches with the pull. “uggghhhh,” Mono sits up, rubbing a hand over his bag head. It crinkles loudly under his action but there’s no blood thankfully.

One of these days there will be a cut made from him always falling. “Careful, gosh.” Six is saying tugging on Mono’s arm. She can hear someone walking around in the halls with them. Their heels are sharp, and it clicks cut through the silent hallways.

Better to leave then to see that ugly teacher again.

“Hey! I’m always…. careful…oh,” Mono started off strong but when he turned to look at Six his words slow down. “Oh no,” Six mutters, whipping her head around to see the danger. There at the archway behind them is the ugly teacher of the school.

Her shirt neatly tucked in her belt and her skirt free of any stains. She’s imperfectly clean of any imperfections. She has her hands folded Infront of her skirt, a thick wooden ruler in her grasp. The Teacher’s eyes are staring down at the two brats.

She’s got a crooked smile of politeness on her lips and then she’s stiffly walking forward. TOWARDS Mono and Six. “Yellow! Ugly!” Six shouts just as the Teacher screeches like an owl. “Ow, loud ugh.” Six complains before pulling Mono forward.

“Oh really!?” Mono stumbles after Six. She’s placing her steps perfectly, dodging all loose and uprooted board in their way; Mono struggles to be that good. His foot catches on every lifted title and floor

Six is back to laughing and giggling under the sound of bones breaking and joints popping. When Mono takes a chance to see what the HELL OKAY THE TEACHER IS NOT NORMAL AT ALL.

“Told you! Told you!” Six is laughing out, shoving Mono into a open vent. She crawls into the vent with Mono after he screams.

(the sight of the elongated neck of the Teacher has Mono scared. It’s WAY too long and the nasty sounds she makes as the skin is pulled tight and bones popped open will haunt Mono forever.)

     “Help?” Six calls out struggling to push a gate in the vent open. “yeah, yeah.” Mono pushes with his shaky arms and he digs his heels into the vent floor. Why is gate is so heavy?

BANG

BANG

BANG

Mono glances at the vent entrances and screams his lungs out. Six is also screaming at the sight. The monster who chased them through the hallway is stuffing her face into the vent as well. Any loose skin on her face is pulled back as she snaps crooked teeth at Mono’s ankle.

WHY IS EVERY ADULT HERE SO UGLY AND TERRIFYING?

The gate heaves open, letting Mono and Six crawl through the rest of the vent. Right as the teeth graze Mono’s coat ends. “NOT MY COAT!” He kicks a foot at the Teacher’s open eye and scrambles after a hurried Six. The screech the Teacher lets out has Six laughing. It echoes around the vent even as she climbs up the ladder inside the vent.

Mono follows the yellow rain cap Six sports. It’s the only bright thing in this vent Mono focuses on.

He pretends there isn’t a angry monster behind him. The bangs it makes as it snakes its long inside isn’t real. The hisses the teacher makes isn’t there either.

The hot breathing on Mono’s back as he jumps across a hole and into Six’s waiting hand was never really there.

They slide on a roof top. The rain pelts at Mono’s skin and he can hear Six rummaging around somewhere.

The metal sheet Mono slides against is cold and then the drop off has Mono splatting into a trash bin. “ugh, it’s full of ROT!” He whines, shoving fish guts off himself. Above the metal roof sheet, he can hear the crooked breathing of the Teacher. She clicks her teeth once and then she’s slithering back inside the school.

Mono relaxes inside the trash bin. Rain is soaking itself into his coat and his heated body cools fast. The Teacher had Mono overly warm from the activity of RUNNING AWAY.

The sound of thin bones being crunched on makes Mono lift his head to look for Six. She’s hunched over in the corner of the bin, mouth stuffed with fish chunks. Knowing she’s being watched Six whirls around to stare back at Mono.

“Are…. are you eating…rot?” Mono asks sitting up on his elbows.

“eh? No…” Six struggles to say her answer around the fish she’s consuming. “What!? Hey—don’t eat that!!!” Mono lunges forward to stop Six.

Just like a dog caught eating something it’s not supposed to be eating Six leaps away from Mono. Dodging all of his attempts at stealing away her meat.

Chapter Text

“Here!” Mono holds Six’s hand up high. They’re balancing on a board. It’s the only pathway across the ravine the two ended up on. The boards creak and settle under their light weight but Six is clutching hard at Mono’s hand.

“Ahhh,” She wheezes out stiffly walking across with Mono taking the lead.

“I would have never guessed you are afraid of heights.” Mono snorts out easily walking across the tiny walkway. The pit below him isn’t scary. The rain pouring making his feet slip isn’t anything to be worried about.

Six doesn’t agree because she is clutching at his hand held above their heads. (“For balance!” Mono had said lifting it up.) “Wait! Wait!” Six is shouting, her legs are stiff as Mono moves a little too fast.

Mono is laughing now; he dares to let go of Six’s hand and he twirls around to show it’s safe.

Six let out a cry and reaches for Mono.

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have done that.

On solid ground Mono is protecting his head with his arms. His arms are circled around his mask as Six hits his arms. She’s snarling and sniffling. “Listen, I’m sorry Six! I thought it was okay to let go for a moment!” Mono giggles out tucking his head closer. Six is tugging at Mono’s arm rocking him side to side.

“No! It not okay!” Six sniffles out before tossing herself at Mono.

He has to let go of his head to wrap his arms around Six in a hug. They lay in the wet pavement together. Six wraps her arms around Mono, wiggling her hands under his back and allows them to be squash between Mono’s back and the pavement.

She’s sniffling into his neck and Mono lets out a coo. “Hey, hey I’m sorry! I won’t let go next time.” Mono promises patting Six’s hair down. His hand come back soaking wet and slowly he sits up with Six still clinging to his shirt.

Even as Six gets wet in the downpour her skin is still hot. “Here, let’s go get you a coat.” Mono helps Six stand up. She squeezes his hand back when he goes to hold it. She’s wiping away her tears and wet eyes as Mono leads the way once more.

‘It’s alright, I GUESS.’ Six says back in the way she bumps into Mono’s shoulder with her own. Mono snorts at her answer.

“Oh how about this one?” Mono holds up a pink coat. It’s almost like the pink sweater Mono wore at Six’s cabin. “eh,” Six shrugs at the coat. To her it looks tacky. “Oh, maybe.” Mono tosses the clothing back into the open suitcase and goes back to digging. They ran into a alleyway stuffed full of suitcases. Most were opened with clothes of all kinds spewing out and into the rain.

Six is sitting under a suitcase, the lid providing her the shelter she needed from the rain. She’s letting Mono do all the hard work.

She perks up at the bright yellow coat Mono pulls out. “How’s this one?” Mono offers it to Six and watches the way Six gently runs her hands over the rubber. “It’s a raincoat.” Mono explains, moving the coat under his palms. The gathered raindrops slide right off the coat and it has Six cooing over it.

“I like it.” Six whispers reaching out to grab it.

‘Finally!’ Mono jumps on his feet watching as Six slides the coat over her head and sticks her arms through the sleeves. Mono helps Six lift the hood, as thunder rumbles above them. “There you go.” Mono is smiling under his mask.

Fondly watching Six adjust her hair. Gently, Mono pushes Six over and settles down next to her inside the suitcase.

It’s warm here with the other shirts and clothing. It’s warm and cozy as Six slouches onto Mono.

Together they wait out the storm under the suitcase lid. Buried under the clothing and sharing (Six’s) warmth.

Mono is sounding out the letters on the sign. It’s hung up outside the building they’re going to enter. Six watches as Mono uses one finger to help him as he slowly works out the hard word.

He’s been to school; they’ve taught him a lot of hard to pronounce words. But his one he is really struggling with.

‘Sound it out.’ His static half pings unhelpfully. Six is holding his other hand echoing the sounds Mono is saying as well. It’s a new word for her.

‘I’m trying!’ Mono broadcasts the words back to the static inside of him. It’s chuckling and then it’s gone. “Uhm,” Mono stops his attempting and sighs.

What is this word?

“This word here means art.” He points at the tiny lettering under the main word. Six nods along, “Aarrrttt.” She ends up hissing out the ‘T’ letter.

“I’m not sure about the rest, but if I remember right! This is where creative people go.” Mono gestures to the main front doors. He frowns at the boarded-up walls. “Huh?” Six whispers out swinging their hands.

Mono trudges forward, skipping over the steps that lead to the front entrance. There are carvings made inside the wooden doors. Lions and other big things take over the design. “Yeah! You can say your father’s work can go here too.” Mono looks up at the grand doors and traces the shattered windows in the door.

Six is fondly rubbing her hand over the wood door, it’s smooth and well sanded for those to touch. “Oooh, art.” She whispers stepping away to help Mono find a way inside.

They ended up going around the huge art building. Around the corner and pass three Viewers who stand in front of a old barber shop watching the TV through the window.

(Six had gasped and went to get closer but Mono pulled her back. “Bad.” Mono told Six, pointing at the adults whose faces are missing.)

When they worked a back window, open Mono flinched in surprise. Distantly and faintly he can hear a woman singing. Six was wiggling the window up farther before she as well stopped to listen. The singing was loud, and it never wavered in pitch. “Wow, impressive.” Mono mumbled turning around on his heel. The trash bin squeaked with his movement, but it stayed still under his weight.

Six lets out a whistle, which Mono whips back towards her. “You can whistle?” She makes a tightlipped smile before nodding. “Birds.” She shortly explains.

“Move outta my way!” Mono lets out a yelp, before roughly being pushed out of the way. Six lunges forward forgetting her hold on the window to help Mono.

He doesn’t fall off the trash bin thanks to Six but now the two of them are eyeing this newcomer who rudely interrupted them.

It’s a child the same size as Six stands at the window they were just pulling open. “Oh, kids!” They have a wide grin on before the kid ignores both Mono and Six. They turn towards the singing in the distant and hums along.

Who the heck just shoves another kid out of the way?

Mono rights himself, Six is still clutching at his coat. The two of them eye the other kid who seems to live inside the very place they wanted to go inside of. “Uhm, heyy.” Mono greets out slowly climbing onto the window still.

The kid turns to Mono’s call. Their face is covered in lavender tainted bandages. Blonde tuffs of hair stick out in random places. They don’t say anything back and Mono crawls his way into the dimmed room. Six is closely behind Mono but she jumps straight onto the flooring as Mono lingers on the box under the window.

The blonde child is still halfway out of the window, swaying to the singing lady. “uhm—” Mono raises a hand (the hope to maybe make another friend is bright) and this time the kid reacts.

“Oh! Right, right! Manners n’ stuff.” The child sounds distantly like a girl but at the same time Mono isn’t too sure.

“I’m Mono—” “Yeah don’t tell me yer names since it won’t matter.” The kid pushes away from the open window and points at their white shirt. It looks like it’s a cut up hospital gown; made to fit this tiny kid. “I’m Lloyd! But Doctor N.O says that isn’t my name anymore—so I GUESS my name is 13!” Lloyd has a bright grin on her mouth before she offers a hand to Mono.

A little offended Mono shakes the hand. “O—okay.” Assuming that’s all Mono and Six wanted 13 (Lloyd? Mono isn’t sure what name to use) turns back to the window and sticks half of their body out again.

The woman is back to singing outside.

Lloyd doesn’t seem to care that Mono and Six are leaving.

“Weirdo.” Six sneers when they round the corner. The room they broke into was a bedroom (highly Lloyd’s bedroom.) but the hallways they now wonder reek of paint.  “Don’t say that Six, that’s rude.” Mono mumbles but he does agree.

The child they meet in this place is a little weird. More so then other kids. There’s someone shuffling around deeper in the building. Mono can hear the thuds of shoes and the creaking of a cart. Six is back to holding Mono’s hand, glancing at all the paint cans and giant paintings hung up. “Ugh, fine.” Six agrees after passing another ugly painting.

All these paintings in this place (all the hallways they’ve passed, the rooms with modeling figures, the drying rooms) have paintings of disfigured people.

Six even stopped to laugh and mock on painting. The subject in the frame had droopy skin, eyes lopsided and a tiny bow. Mono had to cover his nose to keep in his snorts.

“LLOYD.”

The voice is loud and just as wheezy. It’s echoing from deep inside the art studio (it clicked in Mono’s head when they walked into a room just loaded with paint cans and brushes along with blank canvases.) Six scuttles on the floor, tugging Mono with her behind a row of knocked over paint cans.

“Ohhh,” Mono hisses in disappointment, lifting his right hand. Six peers over his shoulder and sees the paint covering Mono’s palm. “Green!” She jabs a claw into his newly painted hand.

Before Mono can correct Six that it wasn’t green but red a shadow drapes over their hiding spot. Six sucks in air and crouches lower. Mono can’t help but peek an eye over the cans.

Stumbling on marble shapes legs is a monster. Her long-crooked arms are dragging behind her pigeon like strutting. She’s making her way from one end of the hallway all the way over towards Lloyd’s room. When she finally passes by Mono’s hiding spot all Mono can smell is paint, dust and paper.

Six is sniffling her nose before she digs it into Mono’s arm. ‘Too strong.’

‘I know, she’s strange.’ Mono waves and rolls his palms at Six. The long-knotted hair of the monster woman leaves trails of paint behind her.

“Mama!” Lloyd’s voice can be heard shouting and then a loud bang afterwards.

“Should we be worried?” Mono whispers shuffling out from the hiding spot. The woman had already shuffled into a room. Faint whispers and labored breathing coming from the way Mono and Six came from. Six kicks her legs free from the cans, knocking over one and having it bust open on the flooring.

“Nah.” She settles with holding Mono’s painted hand.

Chapter Text

“What are you two doin’?” Lloyd’s sudden voice has Mono yelping and dropping the paint brush he held. Six snaps her jaws at Lloyd before she completely ignores the child.

Mono turns around and glances down the wooden beam he balances on. He had to climb the stacked paint cans to grab a key on the top shelf. “Huh? Where are you?” Mono can only see Six on the main flooring. She’s scribbling all over the floor with a purple marker. So far Six has drawn eyes, the signal tower and Mono.

“I’m right here.” A clawed hand grabs Mono’s ankle and it takes everything inside of Mono NOT to scream. Then comes Lloyd, she scrambles up the wooden supports and then squats behind Mono. She’s all teeth when her bandaged head looks at Mono.

“How can you see?” Mono asks before he can help it. He flushes under the paper bag, fingers rubbing at the edges. How rude of him, to ask something like that! What if Lloyd was badly scarred and just wanted to hide?

Lloyd snorts out a bitter laugh, then lifts the loose ends on her left side. A pale blue eye meets Mono’s view. There’s no scarring but it’s still strange how Lloyd tucks the loose end back over her eye. “Doctor N.O says I HAVE to keep it on.”

Then she’s pushing pass Mono, hands reaching for the key he needed.

“OH UH, DOCTOR?” Mono squeaks out loudly. It does what he needed it too since Lloyd stops their movement to reach the key.

(He doesn’t know this kid as well as Six. He isn’t sure this strange child will steal the key away. Afterall the monster knows their name!)

Lloyd freezes, then flops their hands in the air. The bandages around their left elbow becomes loose from the action. “Yeah! Yeah! I was mute y’know! But Pa didn’t like that.” She’s blabbing now, her attention on the loose bandages.

Mono shuffles pass, Six is growling and kicking items below him, then as Lloyd peers down at Six he stuffs the bronze key into his coat pockets.

(safe in his grasp. Away from this strange kid.)

Six pulls back her arm, a chalk clutched in her fist. “Oh—Lloyd you might want to back up.” Mono reaches out to the (girl?) but she just crouches lower to the wooden plank and sneers down at an angry Six. “Why? What is she gonna do?”

Six launches her weapon and SMACK it hits Lloyd right in the forehead. She’s on the wooden beam now, clutching at her bandages and grunting.

Six is cackling from below as Mono lets out a sigh. One hand rubs at his nose as the other helps Lloyd stand up.

When Mono drops down next to Six he steps in the drawing of the signal tower. Right next to his foot is a crudely done image of his father, in pink. “Oi, oi, oi.” Lloyd snarls out pointing a finger at a grinning Six.

She’s standing on the only blank part of the floor. “What type of crazy AIM was that!? I was so high up!” Lloyd shouts out swiftly waving her hands at the wooden beam. Six sticks out her tongue at Lloyd and blows a raspberry.

“EXCUSE ME!?”

Lloyd shows Mono and Six the way around the art building. She’s muttering and mumbling out odd facts (“this painting costs over 600$, me Mama never sold it since the family was too poor to buy it.” “Oh, this guy. He smelled of cigs and smoke. Ugly guy.” “I liked this kid Mama painted. She had a crackled open head but then again why would you want a kid made of porcelain?”) Six hisses back at each word Lloyd says. She’s getting more and more peeved each time Lloyd opens her mouth.

Mono keeps his mouth shut during this walk.

The last doorway they needed to leave from was a archway. It was strings of beads acting like a curtain. Mono can see the monster shape of the woman he saw in the very beginning. Paint cans are open and spilling everywhere on the floor.

She sits in a ‘pit’ like square—right in the center of the room. The lights are dimmed but one signal spotlight displays this monster.

“oh, Mama.”     “The Painter!”

Mono glances at Lloyd, they said two different titles at the same time. Six snorts and moves forward. She clambers over the fallen cans and over stacked canvases. They must make it to the other side of the room and open the window.

“Yeaahh, my mom.” Lloyd whispers kicking a foot into the spilled paint. The beads click together and the sound echoes into the room. The Painter jerks for a moment. Her paintbrush (which is just the ends of her knotted braids) leaves behind a stroke of white. “LLOYD!” She shouts out, dropping more paint cans.

They burst open and more colors leak out. “Mama! Mama!” Lloyd is grinning and they stumble forward, carefully avoiding the fresh paint. Six yelps and Mono watches as a paint brush rolls off the table and onto the floor.

Mono rushes forward, quickly following his friend. Six catches Mono when he had to leap over the stacked canvases and onto the table. She’s chittering softly at him as she tugs him up and over.

‘Hurry, hurry. She’s too loud…’

The Painter sinks deeper into her pit. Paint is slowly pooling into the hole painting her marble legs into a swirly rainbow. Lloyd skirts around the edges of the pit, stepping over the spilling paint.

She’s whispering to The Painter, even if her painted face creases into a frown. The make up on the Painters face cracks and shatters. The Painter leans down and looms over Lloyd. Her twisted and knobby fingers dig deeper into her braid ends.

“leave them!” Six hisses into Mono’s ear. He stiffly nods and together the two pull a heavy box out of the way and right under a closed window.

“Lloyd…. Lloyd….Doctor N.O…..warned…you….” The Painter rumbles out, her thin chest shakes with each wheezing word. Lloyd is bowed onto the floor, fingers almost touching the spilling paint. “Sorry! I didn’t know you where working!” Lloyd whispers.

(the painting is of a rich child. Wearing a lime green dress with her white hair pulled up halfway. The white smear is the only mistake on the giant canvas. The Pretender.)

Six is the first one to have her side of the window unlocked. Mono softly lowers her back onto the box, and he waits for his turn. Six shuffles under the window lock, once in the right spot she clasps her hands together and lifts Mono.

It’s a easy toss, Mono grabs the pane edges, unclasps the hooked lock and drops down.

A few papers are thrown onto the floor.

Six and Mono freeze, watching as the thick sheets flutter in the air before resting RIGHT at the edges of the pit. It soaks up the red and blue paint it landed on.

The Painter twists around, bones popping and crackling as she grabs the paper.

Six tugs Mono up and around so they can start yanking the window open.

Lloyd winces before scampering away. Perfectly avoiding the paint.

The Painter lifts the purple colored sheets before her face settles on the bright yellow raincoat of Six and the brown earth colors of Mono.

She screeches loudly, more cans of paint and wide canvases clatter onto the floor. Six slips and smacks her nose into the window. “ARE YOU OKAY!?” Mono shouts still pulling on the window ends.

Six lets out a animal like grunt before her claws wiggle under the window. They really NEEDED to open this window.

The Painter is lifting herself up and out of the paint filled pit. She’s screeching and getting tangled in her two long braids. Her marble legs are fumbling under her quick movement and her hair is getting more knots and even more paint gets soaked up.

Six yanks hard on her side, it creaks open and The Painter lets out a wail, like opening the window is hurting her. Mono tugs on his end and together the window slides all the way open. Mono and Six tumble out the window and they roll into a alleyway that reeks of mud and old paint.

BANG!

The Painter had thrown a pain can at the window, it hits the alleyway wall and the paint explodes everywhere.

Six and Mono get covered in the paint goo, blue is what how doses them. “wow, I’ve never seen an angry painter before.” Mono grumbles standing up and shaking his leg. Six is still sitting in the paint puddle, even when a arm reaches through the window.

It gropes around the window, never touching the ally floor. When she doesn’t find Mono or Six she lets out a scream and slams the window shut.

In the lull of the moment the unknown distant lady starts her song once more.

“Come on Six, let’s go find somewhere to wash this paint off.” Mono offers his hand and Six stands up finally. She grabs his hand and together they ditch the artist studio and Lloyd behind. Another big important building can house filtered water right?

Mono prays they also have hot and cold water.

Chapter Text

It took three days. Balancing across thin boards making a mock bridge. Climbing through broken windows and pass abandon apartments. Through the pouring rain and scavenging any leftover food they can manage to stomach.

Six proved to have the iron stomach for most foods. More then once did Mono catch Six biting into something raw (sometimes Mono swear whatever she caught was still alive.). She proved to be a skilled hunter. More so then Mono, who could only find stale bread and cold soup cans.

Six never refused the food Mono brought to the table.

She’d do a little excited twirl, like a happy dog before popping the cans open and dining with Mono.

(It reminds her of Family Dine Time. When Father would bring in the stew with the fire baked bread. This is just the same—only it was Mono who brought the food.)

Six often would disappear on Mono, whenever he turned his back to her. Those moments had Mono twisting his wrist in one hand. Popping the joints in his fingers and cracking his bones. It’s all stress related and during those quiet moments in the apartments or in the shelter of a trash bin Mono worried that Six finally hated his guts.

Chose to stake it out in the Pale City herself, not needing his help.

But Six came back, she always did before dropping a rat or mouse at Mono’s feet.

It was also unfortunate for him because that means Six gets to teach Mono how to skin and cut meat properly.   

(“I don’t need this skill!” Mono would whine, holding the rat out by it’s thick tail. Snapping her jaws, Six pointed the sharp fork at Mono. Up to her elbows she is covered in blood. “Yes, you do! Cut!”)

It also meant that Six got her favorite food. Meat.

She’ll eat away next to Mono wherever they chose to rest at. The paint that used to cover her now chipped away so that the old dried blood from fresh meat can cake her. The sight of Six being bloody made Mono lightheaded and sick.

He only ate the meat if it was his last choice.

It was normal for kids in the Pale City to consume raw meat. Those who got too sick from it never made it alive.

As much as he hated the taste, Mono still ate when he knew he had too. Six was always chirping in joy when he took a bit of meat.

‘Yay! Tasteful no? Like home.’

Six would say that every time Mono eat meat with her. The words made Mono mutter and thumb at his mask. They made him feel slightly better.

(Six never brought Mono the meat from humans. It was a type of creamy meat she used to eat with Father back home. It was the so called “Fancy Meat” and when Six caught anything human during her hunts she made sure to eat fast and quick. Mono would surely leave her if she saw this act of cannibalism. “Only prey. Only prey.” Six would mutter between each bite of human flesh. She had tears in her eyes at every moment she eats human flesh. The thought of Mono thinking she was a horrible monster stung too much.)

Every time they traversed through the pouring rain more and more paint would chip off. With each hunt Six left to do more of her coat came off revealing the bright yellow coat she now owns. Every trip and face plant into puddle had Mono’s plain brown scheme showing through.

Six would also offer help to pull Mono off the pavement floors.

‘Okay?’ she would ask every time glancing over Mono.

She’ll prod at every new bruise and cut on Mono until she got a clear answer. “Yes, only a small cut this time.” He mumbled rubbing his chin. He even lifted his new mask up to show Six. She peered under the ball (mask? She was still confused as to why Mono ripped a hole into the ball to see/ fit onto his head.).

‘Okay. Good.’ She would shove at his shoulder, tug the odd mask down and hold out her hand.

Mono found out quickly that her family did NOT show Six any sort of affection. When he would praise her for a neat action Six would get all bouncy and excited. Chirruping and whistling before shaking her self like a wet dog.

It’s all cute and it has Mono praising Six for the most simple of things just so he can see it over and over again.

Sometimes she’ll add a new action—like rolling her wrists and grumbling softly or she would just grin and glance away.

Mono got to hug Six often too. Admitting to his static half that he was fulfilling his own lack of affection too.

(Both Mono and Six never got hugs. Not from their parents and not from other kids. In any form of love—siblings, friends, parental love; No hugs.)

So he hugged Six as often as he could. Mono would squeeze Six and she would squeeze just as hard back. Her arms circled under his shoulders; Mono’s arms circled around the top of her shoulders. Six would giggle and hum with each hug.

Mono was a little too shy to let the hug last more then 2 minutes even if Six let her arms linger longer.

They held hands every chance. The only times Mono let go was when they had to climb a object or a wall of sorts.

Six only let go when she had to leave to eat or hunt food for them. She always let her claws linger whenever Mono attempted to let go. Fingers trailing after his tan hand before stopping.

She just wants to keep him close. What if he got killed when Mono let go of her hands?

(His hands are too soft. He can’t really defend himself.)

“It’s right there! See?” Mono points far into the main street way. The big building with a broken flickering plus sign was the place they needed to go towards. Six leans forward, tightening her hold on Mono’s hand. They stand on a bus stop bench the Viewer who used to be here is no longer here. Only the suit and hat they once adorned lay under the two kids feet.

Forever forgotten and never important in this never ending storm.

“Ah?” Six lifted one hand and points weakly at the hospital. Pass the gathering mist and through the rain drops she can MOSTLY make out what Mono means. “Yeah! Have you been to a hospital?” Mono asks just as a Viewer hits the sidewalk behind them.

Six eyes the dead body, the way it grows fuzzy and sort of glitchy.

“hmmm, no. I uh, born there?” She mumbles looking at Mono.

During their journey Mono had switched hats again. This time he wears a fedora type of hat. It has a wide brim to it, keeping Mono safe from the rain but it also EXPOSES his face a lot more.

His freckles bunch up with his smile. “Oh okay, I’ve gone there a lot with my dad.” Mono says jumping down from the bench.

Six follows behind quickly, feet splashing into a puddle. It hits Mono’s legs and he giggles as another Viewer lands onto the floor.

It’s closer then the other one.

“Come on! I know for a fact that place has running water! Ever had a warm bath?”

Even as they creep into the hospital Six keeps staring at Mono’s exposed face.  His eyes are green—no wait they’re blue, ah wait Mono’s eyes are a mix of the two? She can’t really tell what color they are since the wide brim of his fedora hat keeps them in constant shadows.

But she traces her eyes over each freckle she can spot. They’re much like the stars she would glimpse at pass the tree tops in the woods. Over the foot falls of Father and there the pretty twinkling stars would shine,

(It’s the shame with Mono. She would glimpse at these dots pass his hat. Over the curls of his reddish hair and there she can see the freckles on Mono’s face.)

“Hey, why are you in here?”

Mono froze, dropping the teddy bear he was holding. When he shuffled in  a full circle he can only spot the many toys here in the waiting lounge and Six. Her back was turned towards him, she was grumbling in a deep voice before moving the wooden doll around like it was talking. Then, she’ll wave the stuff rabbit in her other hand back at it and gurgle out in a different tone.

She wasn’t the one to ask Mono anything even if CLEARLY it was Six’s voice.

Oh, is he having another Static Walk?

“Hellooo? Boy with the rain cap? The one with the broken arm? I was talking to you.”

Six or maybe another reality of Six? Cooed out again. Mono blinked harshly, sat down where he stood and rubbed at his eyes. When he pulled away he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

He no longer stood in the waiting lounge with Six playing doll.

The room he was in was a strikingly powerful white room. A hospital room. Mono squinted his eyes and turned to the left, where a curtain was drawn back and a so-called-normal looking Six sat. She had her own section off part of the room.

Only on her right side there was a window with bright sunny rays filtering through.

It lit up her black hair and she frowned at Mono. “Hello? Are you mute too? Like that other kid with the wrapped up head? Ugh,” Six raises her lip in disgust before flopping back into her fluffy pillow.

She has a stuff moose in her bed.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were to my left.” Mono called out, this other Six was pricklier. But she gazes back at Mono when he starts to speak. “Yeah, sure. How’d you break your arm?” Six dismisses his words before pointing at his cast.

Mono follows her point and hisses. WOW he really did break his arm in this reality huh?

“O-oh, Uhm I think I fell out of a tree and broke it then.” Mono settles with, banking on his clumsiness. This Six eyes his cast, that’s colored blue before slowly nodding. “Why are you here?” Mono asks, rubbing his eye. He can faintly see his world. The main reality he is supposed to be at.

He hears Six let out a evil like cackle before proudly stating, “I ate raw meat! I wasn’t about to let some bully win a bet!”

Six watches Mono for a moment. It takes a moment for it to click before she’s ditching her toys to be entertained by Static Mono.

She makes sure to shut the door to the playroom. Can’t have him wondering around and falling into a ditch, now can we?

Static Mono is tipping his head back, the hat he wore falls off and lands on the floor. As he is swaying his arms to some unknown beat Six gathers the hat and places it safely on a table.

He’s humming now. Singing a song Six heard on a TV once. Giggling she circles Static Mono, much like a cat would to a mouse before humming some notes back at her friend.

He leans towards whatever side Six is at when she hums the note and mimics it back to her.

He has a grin even if his eyes are shut. There’s static slowly leaking out from his coat. It gathers at the floor like some type of slime.

“Mon—ooo.” Six coos out stepping closer. Her skin tingles and her bones feel light. She’s grinning when Static Mono turns his head towards her. He bares a soft smile. “SSSii—xxx?” He pops out sounding like a badly tuned radio.

Six laughs anyways and reaches for him.

Six is sticking out her tongue, the small glimpses of her sharp teeth have Mono relieved slightly. It just means this reality isn’t too far away from the signal his main world emits.  

It just means Mono might not have slept enough. Which means Mono might be stuck here—wherever this reality is tuned at longer then he would like.

Six’s Father and Mother stand at her bed. Mono can smell the pine and wilderness scent her father carries.

Her mother, however? She mostly smells of flowers and tea.

The Hunter lets out a bark of loud laughter, a eager Six joins in even if her mother just rolls her eyes.

Mono meets the eyes of Six’s mother and WOW OKAY she’s a pretty mother. He fumbles around, dropping the toy his own father brought him. (It was just a plain rabbit with a bow tie. He also hasn’t seen his father in forever and it was overall a shocking moment.)

“Sorry, are we bothering you?” Her mother speaks, grabbing the toy and giving it back to Mono.

He also figures out where Six got most of her looks from. Her mother. “Nope! That’s Mono!” Six cuts in before he can even talk to the woman. They both look at Six whose holding hands with The Hunter.

Mono connects the dots on where Six got her two beauty marks. And her sharp teeth from. Also, her claws. The man who stars back at Mono has him shaking. “Y-yeah. I uhm, broke my arm.” Mono whispers looking away from The Hunter.

He looks so normal. In his green shirt and hunter’s cap. It’s startling how Mono can clearly recall how he shot this man in the chest and all that came out was stuffing.

“From what kid?” The Hunter grunts out as his wife settles down next to Six. She’s smiling up at her, eyes full of love. Mono chokes on a cough to cover up his emotions. His broken arm starts to ache horribly. “I fell out of a tree, sir. Chasing a cat…” Mono mumbles, picking at his case.

Six snorts out a laugh, it doesn’t sound mean. The Hunter grins and ruffles his daughter’s hair. The mother softly laughs, and Mono lets out a shy chuckle.

(Six looks so happy here. With a normal loving family and the sting of killing his realities Hunter and whisking away Six doesn’t ache too much. Mono can sleep better knowing that AT LEAST in two alternate realities Six still has her loving family.)

Mono’s giggling and Six can’t help but let out a cackle. She’s dancing with Mono. Twirling around the room and swinging their arms as Mono hums out a song.

He eyes her with his TV static eyes. They glitch and fuzz out much like a lost signal TV but Six doesn’t care. His eyes are still fondly staring back at her and he has a wide grin to his face.

Even if Six accidently hit his arm into the table. He’s dancing along with her, following her steps and the tempo she set to his humming.

Each TV song he hums out gets broken with laughter and Static Mono only sings louder as they dance around the room.

‘I like this! This is fun! I like you!’ Six says, with each step and swing she pulls Static Mono into. He doesn’t understand her words, he only continues to hum and grin.

His eyes are static like the TVs but Six doesn’t care. They can dance together until Mono zaps back into reality.

‘I like you! Even your weird Static self.’

“Can we be friends?” Mono asks, sitting up and moving his fork to his mouth. Today it was beef merlot. It’s a perfect blend of veggies and meat. Six is chewing on her carrots when Mono asks the question. “ehhh, why should we?” She teases out, waving her fork at him.

Her cup of water titters for a moment, dangerously close to the edge of her lunch tray.

Six moves it away from the edge.

“Because I’ll give you all the meat in my meals?” Mono offers, he stabs the fork prongs into a hefty chunk of beef he has.

It’s pointed towards his new friend.

Mono already knew her answer was yes anyways. She had rolled her hand in the moment for ‘yes!’ just like his correct reality Six taught him.

This Six is gulping down her water, eyeing the food Mono was offering to her.  

“hmmm, sure but ONLY because I like you.” Six settles with before leaning far out of her bed to bite into the beef Mono offered.

Mono sticks the empty fork into his mouth, as Six leans back. The action isn’t weird to him even as he clears the food on his tray.

Six is rattling away on his left, her words muffled. It isn’t weird even as Mono finishes his sweet tea. Not to him at least, but then again, he’s never been normal.

‘I like you! Even your weird Static self.’

Chapter Text

Mono really hates this place. Six can tell in the way he holds one hand gently against the side of his head. The fedora hat he found sits lopsided since he is always gently rubbing his forehead.

Softly pass the curls of hair and his soft hands cradle his head.

She’s giving him a look that clearly says, ‘Are you hurt? Headache? Hit your head?’

But all her friend (puppy crush? Six faintly remembers her mother saying that about Father.) does his gently wave Six away.

“I’m, I think it’s nothing too bad.” Mono settles with when Six roughly tugs on his sleeve.

She grumbles and snorts before taking the lie. Mono grimaces at the lie he tells also before softly offering his hand.

‘Sorry for lying.’ He says fondly waiting for Six to accept.

There is something scuttling above them in the vents of the hospital. Six throws a hateful glare up at the vent entrances before accepting Mono’s chilled hand.

‘It’s alright.’

“AH!” Six yelps when all she can see is the skeleton of Mono. She rushes over, stumbling over claws and legs before she smashes her hands onto the black screen.

The bones are strikingly bright in a blue color. Mono raises his own palms up, all boney and thin and presses the bones at the same spot Six has her hands.

“Huh? M—mono?” Six cries out worried that somehow this screen wall has killed him.

Will it kill me too? If I wall behind it?

She is shivering and nervously she traces one claw over the shape of Mono’s bone structure. Starting at his hands that spray out under her hand then to his arms. “It’s okay Six!” Mono calls out from behind the screen just as she reaches his collarbones.

The screen flickers stuttering out a noise and it turns off.

The lingering glow of Mono’s bone structure is burned into the black screen and Six’s head. She is the daughter of a hunter. She knows what bones are and where they are. “Mono?” She whispers out weakly peeling herself away from the weird screen.

Flashes of meat, torn open from gloved hands or the gunshot wound come forth. The white of bone peaking out from the birds and rats she’s dragged back home. Human skulls scattered around.

Mono peeks out from the screen wall. He kicks the thick wire cord that is connected to it. The movement catches Six’s attention. She lets out a breath of air before bounding over to him. “it’s called a X-Ray.” Mono explains letting Six poke and touch at him.

He is clearly alive. No wound in sight.

Six does not answer Mono as he tries to explain how it works. She lets him move around pointing at the lever she pulled then towards the black screen. “It’s supposed to be used for like, broken bones or if something is wrong inside of you.” Mono settles with fondly tracing a hand over the black screen. He brings the other hand of his up and gently rubs at his head again. It pains him slightly but he lowers his hand once again.

Where his hand rests on the screen there is some black and white pixels forming. Mono pulls away and the pixels fade quickly. “Glad you’re not dead.” Six mumbles out when Mono goes behind the screen again.

She doesn’t dare to pull on the lever again.

She can hear Mono let out a snort before understanding.

(She is not used to advanced technology. Six comes from a hunter’s cabin deep in the woods. Only use to the older and more forgotten technology that the Pale City has dumped into the woods.)

(Mono wonders what type of technology Six is used too?)

“Come here, I’ll show you something.” Mono beckons from behind the monster like screen. Six knows what it is now but still. She hesitates on turning behind the wall like screen. She peers behind it and only goes fully behind the thing when she spots Mono.

He has a patient smile on his face. “Look, we can both look at our skeletons together.” Mono holds onto a remote. With some unknown buttons, still Six comes forward like a dog and stands next to Mono.

He is fiddling with the remote as she stares down the screen in front of her. The yellow reflection of her coat is bright and colorful.

When she slides her eyes over to Mono’s reflection all she sees is his brown coat. Everything else is a pixel mess. “Can—can I hold your hand?” Six whispers once things start taking a LITTLE too long. Mono stops his fiddling and turns slightly towards Six. “Oh, yeah sure.” He agrees right away, offering his left hand to her.

Six slips her right hand into his palm. It feels safer with him holding her hand, he even shuffles closer to her once she curls her fingers.

It warms her heart and even if this black screen in front of her scares her, Six smiles.

“Here we go! Ready?” Mono holds out the remote, gives Six a bright grin and then

CLICK!

The screen turns on and it makes Six jump. Her reflection is faint however the bright colors of her bones show through. “AH!” She yelps stepping away. It is showing her skeleton and it’s all too strange. “It’s okay, it’s just showing through you.” Mono rubs his thumb over her knuckles.

Her bones are slightly different from Mono’s. His is taller and more pristine.

Six’s bones are fit to her tiny size and her shins show the past broken cracks on them. Mono points to the mended wounds her bones had. “Did you break your legs? AND YOUR RIB?” His finger moves up and he pokes the screen.

Right where her lower right rib lays. “Yeah, long ago.” Six mumbles swinging their hands. The skeletons on screen swing their clasped hands. It looks like a cluster of bones.

“How?” Mono whispers pressing his palm deeper into Six’s skeleton image. “Well—”

Mono’s digging through the files in the kid’s room. They’ve figured out to get the key out from a stuffed rabbit (Mono said they had to burn the toy so that the key will be freed but Six easily tore the thing open and yanked out the golden key.) and took a elevator up onto the 2^nd level.

Six had also panicked with the elevator, unused to the feeling of going up and the shaft settling. Poor Mono had scratch marks on his arm and leg from Six climbing over him to get away from the weird feeling.

Now here he is, shuffling through pages after pages. Looking for anything that might give a clue on where the other energy plug could be. “Oh,” He pulls out a paper file, Six looks over quickly before going back to the toys. She is rattling a toy horse and with each rattle the music box inside would play a mini song.

“This is Lloyd’s file.” Mono came over, settling down next to Six. She ignores him and shakes the toy again. A few notes play. He leans against her side as he flips through the file, only being jostled by Six rattling the toy.

Six doesn't mind as Mono reads the pages. She listens to him breathing softly and the rustle of paper. Then she rattles the toy and the tune rings out. Mono sometimes lifts a hand to rub harshly at his forehead.

He's still in pain. Six rattles the toy harder.

“Okay, I think I have to go down this way.” Mono starts to say. Six nods her head still tugging on the mannequin’s arm. There is a bunch of mannequin parts string up on the ceiling in this room. Boxes piled around with extra hands, arms, and legs inside of them. “Six?” Mono calls out, she pauses on her objective and glances over to Mono.

He is standing by a closed door, the broken window being the only clear path to get through. “Mm?” She hums out letting go of the mannequin she was toying with. “The door is locked; can you toss me up?” Mono asks pointing above his head. For once he isn’t gently rubbing at his face in this room.

“Ah, mmhm.” Six coos out before rushing over to help. She clasps her claws together and waits for Mono to get ready for her to toss him up. When he's all ready Six does toss him up; Mono catches the edge of the window and pulls himself up and over.

Six lingers by the shut door. Claws idly pressed against it as she goes on her tippy toes. Trying to peer through the door lock to see Mono on the other side.

He’ll be back. She tells herself as she traces the door frame, wiggling her claws into the few gaps there are. Mono will be back with the light plug. Six tells herself as something hits the floor behind her.

Mono will be just fine, Six tells herself as she stiffly turns around eyeing the severed hand on the floor.

It curls up, fingers closed before it unfurls and flips onto the palm. Thick fingers keeping it up as it scuttles over the floor.

“Mono, mono, mononono.” Six coos out slamming her hand onto the severed hand. The bones shift and it’s fingers pop under the hit. She swipes a hand under it’s fingers and watch as it struggles to right itself once more.

Six has been ‘playing’ with the body part during Mono’s absent. She can hear him whacking away at something every so often letting out a terrified scream as well.

But she has been in this room during that whole time, even getting the door open for Mono. Finding entertainment in the severed hand. It will crunch up its pinky trying to make a threatening sound to scare Six away.

It does not work because she bit the joint off and now it has been trying to escape.

Like a cat Six would toss the thing around in the air and bat at the hand with her claws. She would even let the hand scurry away before pouncing at it and dragging it out with her claws.

This all reminds Six of her time hunting with Father. Playing with the baby mice, tossing the rats in the air, and even chewing on the feathers of birds. (The ones that have already been given her thanks and respect; but the urge to play and chew is so strong.) 

“Momomomomo mmmmm HAHAHA!” Six sings Mono’s name to the hand even as she chops off the ring finger. She hacks out the finger and spits it at the tile floor. It tastes of something fake and not real.

The hand is not real.

Mono lets out another terrified scream and the hand struggles even more under Six’s palm. She is pressing all her weight onto the hand and she even slams a knee into the knobby pointer. The bones under the finger breaks and it wiggles more.

This thing…this imposter human is not real.

Who made this thing?

Six snarls and lets out a hiss at the (hand?) dislocates the knuckles making Six’s hold on the thing a lot harder.

What type of monster is out here messing with nature and playing God?

Six slips on her hold. The hand has smooth leather hide as skin and Six has her chin slamming into the floor. Her mouth wells up with blood from nicking her sharp teeth into her tongue.

(Father is settling down into the dirt. His pants and gun flatten down the tall grass. He beckons towards Six who shys at the image of the deer bleeding on the ground. “Come over 6, it’s okay.” He whispers out gently running his gloves over the ribs of the buck. Six stumbles forward, her own boots catching on every twig and root. “Let me show you something important.” He coos out pressing 6 into his side. Father is warm and everything about him is quiet.)

Six lets out a snarl that shakes her spine. She is scrambling up on her hands and feet as the monster of a hand contorts and starts to connect its dislocated fingers a little ways from her. It's trying to get away and she will not let a fake thing live.

Six will stop this damn thing from existing. The will and act of playing God in natures way rubs Six in the wrong way.

(“what?” 6 whispers pressing her tiny body harder against Father. He has his hands clasped together and his head bowed close to the dead buck. He nudges his daughter, who slowly echoes his movement. “You’ve got to respect every kill, 6. It’s always best to show thanks to what nature gave us.” He mumbles giving his shaken daughter a smile. Her skin is pale, and it stands out in her camo-colored coat. The tiny rain cap we wears keeps slipping into her golden eyes. 6, his wonderful daughter, who is perfectly a mixture of him and his loving wife. “Respect…” She whispers fingers landing on the hoof.)

It’s the devil. Six is sure of it. From all the monsters she’s ever seen and to the twisted animals she’s caught this fake, imposter of a hand will perish by her hands alone.

(Since that day, even as Father slowly became a trophy blood replaced with string and muscles becoming cotton, 6 would settle into the dirt. Knees digging into the mush to pay her respects to the dead prey. It’s only fair, even as Father stumbles onward. ‘Sorry, he’s not himself.’ 6 would say closing the animal’s eyes and dipping her head.)

She does not see when Mono stumbles inside the room carrying the light plug. Six ignores him as she dives and pushes boxes out of her war path. He’s crowded onto the wall, squeezing pass a angry Six.

She is huffing and snarling. Snapping her jaws and letting her growls speak of her peaked emotion. Mono keeps quiet letting Six tear the place over and flip boxes over chasing something in the room.

He can hear something scuttling around. Just out of range of a very very furious Six. She’s chasing after it on all fours, where the object of her rage wiggles into a vent entrance. That doesn’t stop her, and Six rips open the gate. She slams her arm into the vent snags the thing and tosses it into the light.

“O—oh.” Mono squeaks out stumbling in his grasp on the light plug.

Its one of the nasty severed hands he had crushed in the other rooms. Six prowls the light sources, just toeing the edges. It’s contorting in the light, cracking its bones and it scuttles around in the light circle.

It cannot go into the shadows because Six is circling around the shadows.

Breathing heavily and deep. Her breath puffing out through her clenched teeth.

Mono shivers and curls himself up against the wall. (Somewhere in Mono’s static hazed memory Mono knows this look. It’s been directed at him before but not here—not in this reality. )

Six’s claws are spread and open, as she closes her circling on the hand. She is snarling deep and loudly, sounding just like the first time Mono encountered Six. The animalistic anger rattles Mono’s brain. Thoughts stalling and becoming blank at each snarl Six lets out.

Mono closes his eyes when Six bunches her legs. He turns away when she pounces on the hand. The plug Mono worked so hard to get and suffered through clattered to the floor. Mono covers his ears with his hands blocking out the sounds of Six attacking.

‘this thing was made to mock nature. Playing God is never a good thing and it’s up to me to get rid of it.’

“I’m sorry! I’m sooorrryyy.” Six is crying, clinging her claws onto the edges of his coat. Mono hums and twists the plug into the door. She has been sobbing the words repeatedly once she found out Mono was in the same room as her.

As the door rings and slides open Mono turns around and gives her a fond smile. She has fat tears running down her face and she’s still mumbling the words. “Six I already said it’s okay.” Mono whispers out pulling her claws out of his coat ends.

Six hiccups before she lets out a whine and the cycle repeat once more. “Six, listen to me! You just spooked me is all.” Mono laughs out pulling the crying girl in for a hug.

It didn’t just spook him, the whole act of aggression terrified Mono more than anything.

“I’M SOO—RRY!” Six cries out taking in a heaving breath and sobbing again.

Her crying this time around does not pull at Mono’s heart unlike the death of her father. This one just makes Mono smile wide and hug Six a little tighter.

She’s apologizing to him for being so scary.

“Six it’s alright!” Mono laughs out again feeling Six nudge her head under his chin. She’s just hiccupping now, tears slowly stopping. “6.” She mumbles tightening her hold on Mono’s back.

“Six?” Mono repeats confused. They untangle themselves and Mono takes the lead walking into the new hallway. “No, 6. My name.” 6 mumbles wiping her face. “S-I-X. Yeah, six.” Mono spells out the number before turning to his companion.

She shakes her head, then her shoulders. Lifting a claw 6 writes in the air tracing the number not the letters out.

What? What does she—oh OH 6!

“Have I been getting your name wrong this whole time?”

‘Yes.’

Chapter Text

6 jumps up, her hands cling to the handle and with her weight the slot slides open and the second light plug they needed gets launched into the air. Letting go 6 lands heavily onto the floor and goes scurrying after the item.

Mono is breathing harshly through his mouth, hands on his knee and sweating. 6 can smell it from her side of the bars. But she doesn’t mind, she’s also sweaty from the attack on the H A N D.

She slots the plug into the keyhole and the door keeping Mono away from her is opened.

“6, you would not believe the horrors I just went through!” Mono gasps out stumbling forward.

6 unscrews the plug as Mono comes forward. She gives him a fond smile, hugging the object closer to her and leans towards Mono as he wraps her up in a hug.

He doesn’t say anything for a while. Just hugs 6 close and takes in her smell. He’s all shaky and weak in the knees from the moving mannequins.

(he makes sure too not tell 6 about the moving mannequins. With how she reacted to the severed hands Mono is sure she’ll burn this place down if she catches wind of them.)

She snuggles deeper into Mono as he lets out a sigh. “I hate the dark.” He settles with, before moving forward. His shoves the flashlight back into his pocket and takes the other plug they need for the new elevator. “ah?” 6 chirps out screwing her plug into the slot alongside Mono.

Maybe he shouldn’t have told 6 that because she’s got this very foxlike grin on her lips now.

“Mmmmmaybe?” Mono stiffly settles with as their ride settles onto their level.

“uhhh, huh. Uh huh.” 6 mutters entering the elevator with Mono once the doors open. Inside the small space all Mono can smell is; dirt, paint, blood and sweat. Also rain but not so much. “We really need to get to the showers.” Mono mumbles tugging on the buttons on his coat.

Mono is wearing his newest hat. The head of a teddy bear that 6 ripped off per his request.

(when he dumped the cotton out to wear the head 6 gasped and gathered the stuffing. ‘Father! Father!’)

6 reaches over and flaps the teddy bear ears. She leans heavily onto Mono as the elevator goes up and up and up….

“Finally!” Mono gasps out dragging 6 forward and out of the hallway. The mannequins are either standing or sitting around in the hallways. Scattered about they like have nothing better to do. Mono flashes the beam of light over the label once more before entering the bathrooms.

6 frowns and chirrups out a sound Mono isn’t sure what it is. “Here you get this side and I’ll get the other!” He leads 6 over to the in-the-ground tub. It’s clean of any grime and the pit is perfect for kids their sizes!

The facets are easy to reach and control and as 6 fumbles around trying to get the water the right temperature Mono brings forth a yellow soap bar. Waiting for the tub to fill, 6 holds the bar sniffing it and giving her approval on it.

“You can wash here and I’ll be over there-“He points to the far end, 6 can’t see the tub Mono is pointing at but she nods and waves him away. “-okay! I won’t peak!” Then Mono off scurrying around all excited.

Her tub is slowly filling up and she can hear Mono getting his ready. “I won’t peak!” 6 shouts out into the room remembering to inform Mono that as well. She drops the soap into the water and turns off the facet. “Cool!” Mono shouts out.

“You smell like lemons.” Mono says leaning onto 6. They’re waiting to dry as they sit on a chair together. 6 isn’t wearing the raincoat. It is hung over the arm rest and she’s rolling her sweater sleeves up.

It’s a plain pink sweater with thick wool that Mono found in the hospital.

“mm mm, uhm.” 6 says, it’s lost in translation because Mono just laughs. “You, uhm.” 6 starts again leaning away from Mono. It makes him fumble, losing his balance before he tilts forward. He watches as 6 rolls her wrist opening and closing her hands.

She can’t translate the word fast as she’s sorting through all the words she does know and doesn’t recall.

But Mono waits patiently next to her, coat off and his shirt sleeves are also rolled up. “You—” 6 jabs a finger into Mono’s chest. He lets out a soft ow before she gestures in the air. “—like bark? Tree…three?” 6 settles with before leaning back on Mono.

“Oh, I smell like tree bark? Is that good?” Mono asks kicking his legs. 6 traces the faint scars on Mono’s exposed arms. His arms are blotted with bruises as well, she wonders how he got such injures. “yes.”

With a skip and a hop, Mono and 6 move forward. Skirting around the Doctor who crawls on the ceiling and out a window.

The Doctor eyes the yellow raincoat of 6 and the bandaged hat Mono wears. “Goodbye Doctor!” Mono waves at the monster, who only giggles out a snort and crawls away shaking the whole thing.

‘Grub! Grub! Bug, ugh.’ 6 snorts out pulling a grimace as she stands outside the hospital.

Mono slides next to her, feet spraying puddle water everywhere. They are back outside in the raining storm of the Pale City.

“Don’t be rude, 6. He’s nice most of the time.” Mono mutters before glancing around.

They’re slightly closer to his home and he can feel the thurming of the signal tower more. “Ugh, ugh, ack!”  When Mono glances away from the Tower (his home, when did he start to look at it? He hates the empty rooms and the feeling of no one there.) and towards 6 he’s watching her make a poor face of the Doctor.

Clearly, she doesn’t like the man.

Mono goes to scold 6 again when a sharp ring cuts through his head. “OW OW OW owowowow!!” he’s crumbling in on himself.

Knees slam into the puddle, as he doubles over and clutches at his new hat. 6 stops her mocking act and also falls to the floor. She’s chirping and making noises of distress.

Yellow arms wrap around Mono as he groans and whines in pain.

The static is grinding and overwhelming inside his mind. Grating on his ears and just making Mono shivering from the high pitch screeching it’s making inside of his head.

“Stop it! Stop it! I hear you!” Mono cries out curling his arms around his head. His fingers bunch up on his head pulling on his strands of hair.

6 is coiling her arms around Mono and she folds herself over him. Her yellow raincoat bounces off any rain pelting at Mono.

She doesn’t know what’s hurting Mono but 6 curls protectively around him either way.

‘I’ll protect you Mono, it’s okay! I’m right here! I’ll save you Mono. Where does it hurt? Please! It’ll be okay!’

Mono grunts in pain, harshly rubbing his palms all over his head and eyes. His ears are ringing, and he can’t hear anything other then loud white static that grates on his nerves. He can hear 6 talking at all.

What’s worse is now his vision is getting full of static too.

Ḿ̶̠o̸̢͂n̸̹͑o̶̩͂,̸̜͂ ̸̨̾M̷̯͐o̴̝̽ṉ̶̂o̷͉̊ ̴͎̓w̵̱̉h̵̳͂ȅ̴̦ř̶͉ḛ̶̔ ̷̪͘d̷̨͠ị̵̐d̷̘͝ ̸̭̏y̴͐͜o̷̺͊u̴̲̽ ̴̝͠g̴̹̎o̵̠̍?̴̱͗

OUCH okay yeah, Mono has a idea who this is now. The words filter pass the static filling Mono’s ears and they also faintly appear in his eyes. They’re distorted and messy lettering and if anything, it looks like Mono is seeing the words move across a TV screen.

Nearby there is a twisted gargled sound of distress.

Great, Mono is messing with the TV broadcasting now.

“Six—uhm, 6.” Mono whispers out. He’s blindly reaches forward hoping to get a touch of her comforting raincoat feel. There’s something squeezing his shoulders before the thing moves to his fingers.

They’re impossibly warm and it warms Mono from the inside up. He knows who this is, who kindly slots their fingers into his hands without question. “6, listen—listen to me I’m going to black out soon. Not—OW—not like before the uh, the Static walk.”

Mono can feel his own words becoming filled with static. He can’t see his companion through all the static haze that became a film over his hazel eyes. He squeezes her hands tightly.

“I’m—I’m going to be asleep for at least 3 days maybe. I’ll—I can’t THINK!”

Y̶͉̕o̶̟ű̶̖ ̷͉̋ǩ̴̫n̵̡̈́o̶̐͜w̴̲͝ ̷̐͜y̶͉͠o̶͖͌u̷͈͗ ̴͙̔w̵̼̒e̶̺̋r̸̗̒e̴͕̽n̶̺͒'̷̳ẗ̷̳ ̷̧͌ṣ̶̅ų̷̅p̴̽ͅp̵̯͆o̵̟̎s̴͓͝e̸̞͑d̷͎́ ̶̙̓ṭ̵̍ŏ̵̡ ̵̢͑l̵̟͗ḛ̶̀a̴̟͘v̴͔͒e̷̩͠ ̶͎̒y̴̛̪o̴͚͗u̴̡͝r̶̳̎ ̶͚̓r̴̳o̷̻ǫ̸̊m̸̞͝ ̸͎͊M̵̖̓o̸̜n̷̼͑ö̷̘́ô̶͍ọ̸͂o̵͚͌o̵̗

He feels 6 trying to tug him up to stand. He can’t not with the distorted words kicking up again. He stumbles through his words trying to fight his dad just so he can warn 6 about what will be happening.

“6, please get somewhere safe! I—there’s so many viewers here in this city I just want you safe. I’m—I’ll be fine.” He cries out tears leaking down his face pass the new hat he wears.

He shouldn’t have wondered so close to the Tower. He would’ve been fine longer if he just didn’t get to close to the fucking tower!

C̴̡̈ô̷̩m̷͉͛e̶̡͆ ̴̲͆ǫ̷͐n̵̨̽ ̴̦̔i̸̩͊n̷̩̑,̴͌͜ ̴̼͝l̸̢̋e̴̻t̶̓ͅ'̷͍͌s̵͉͒ ̸̞̆h̴̰͘ã̶̫v̷͉͑e̴͔̚ ̷̠̀a̵̞͝ ̸̟̍t̸̼̆a̴̬͘l̸̼͊k̵̬̅.̸̧̐ ̴̣̚N̵̾ͅǪ̴̈́W̴̠̒.̷̲

In the lull of his loud dad broadcasting into his head Mono can hear 6 crying out to him. It’s full of pain and worry. “It’s okay here, here I’ll help you find somewhere safe.” Mono mumbles because whilst he can finally hear his worried friend Mono still can’t see.

But he’s done this dance before. He always had whenever he sneaked out to see her.

Every time he escaped the Tower wondering to the one pretty TV that’s on the edges of town. Playing that wonderful tone.

Calling out to Mono every time he escaped his room in the Signal Tower.

B̵͇͒a̷͎͋c̶̹͊k̸̤̓ ̸̜͝s̴̗̿o̷̡͑ ̶̳̄s̸͕̅o̷̬͝o̶̍͜ņ̸̆?̸͍̎ ̴̝̈W̵̦̏o̸̠̕u̷͎̇l̶͔͗d̷̘͘ ̸̼͋y̸͈͗o̶̞̓u̵̖͝ ̷̩͠l̷̺͊î̸͖k̷̺̃e̶̲̓ ̸̠ẗ̸̻́o̸͔̔ ̸̦s̷̺͛e̴̙͗e̴̢͐ ̸́͜6̸͖͐ ̷͚͆a̵̦͠g̸̦̅a̴̼í̷̢n̸͍̈́?̴̝͌

6 settles down inside the apart. Mono is limp on her back but he only recently passed out. She sets him down gently in the room with a bed inside of it. The place is half way caved in on itself but this room plus the living room is still sturdy enough for her to spend a few days here.

She spends her time tucking the dusty blanket around Mono and making sure he won’t die from the cold air if she where to ever leave.

6 stands besides his new bed, she’s tapping her claws to the rhythm of his breathing. He sounds like he’s inside of a radio. White static sounds coming forth with every exhale Mono makes.

(she remembers his eyes—how they looked like a active broadcasting TV. She froze seeing how his eyes displayed the same images every other TV displays in the city.)

She’s stacking and piling stuff toys around him. She’s making him as comfy and nice as she can.

6 brings in more pillows and blankets, forgotten and empty clothes scattered around and lays them gently around Mono in a type of nest.

(When Mono was explaining his soon-to-be-blackout he would leak out static every time he opened his mouth. It made 6’s skin cold and unnatural like something wasn’t meant to be real was existing in front of her in replacement of Mono as he cries out in pain.)

A day goes pass, 6 has perfectly made a nest around Mono made of everything soft and comfy. She’s curled up next to him and slept most of the day hoping he’ll wake up when she does.

He doesn’t.

(6 holds tightly onto Mono. He’s stumbling forward and he’s tettering with every step he takes. “Ị̸͗ṯ̶̉'̶̢͂ś̸̢ ̵͊ͅo̴̳͝ḵ̶͑ȁ̴̫ȳ̵̖,̴̞͝ ̶̰̌ṱ̸͋h̴͕i̵͜͠s̶͔͋ ̵̟̈́w̷͈̎ḁ̵̐y̴̹̔ ̷̺͌w̴̨̌i̶̪̓l̷̊͜l̸̯̚ ̴͓̊b̷̟̐ḛ̷̈ ̴̧͋s̸̟̀ḁ̸f̴̩̚e̵̫̽!̵͓̓” She isn’t sure what Mono is saying at ALL. But 6 sticks close to Mono’s wobbly figure because there’s people watching them both.)

It’s awfully like that time Father also slept this long. 6 spends her awake hours wondering the ruined apartment. She explores every little nook and cranny she can find. She dragged out a few scared nomes too, she’ll gently hug them close and sob into their mushroom bodies.

(6 eyes each missed up adult that turn slowly to Mono as he stumbles by. The ones behind them slowly stumble after them like they can’t get enough of this walking TV broadcasting—but he’s not a TV! This is Mono! 6 glances away whenever the adults catch her eye. They glare hatefully at her with their no faces and missing features.)

The nomes are gently placed in the nest with Mono. They stumble for a moment, before laying down in the folds and wrinkles resting their mushroom cap heads on Mono’s body. “Help him?” 6 cries to them her voice strained.

They don’t answer her and 6 leaves to go hunt for something to drink.

(She tucks herself under Mono’s arm draping the limb over her raincoat hoodie. She doesn’t like the hateful steps the Viewers take to her but they stop when they get too close to Mono. He is still stumbling forward.)

She comes back on the 3^rd day bloodied and bruised. She can’t remember how this happened, but it doesn’t matter. 6 peers around the corner into the room Mono is sleeping inside of. He said he’ll be back on this day.

The nest is still the same there’s more nomes then she remembered and—

(Mono points at the place 6 needed to hide in. He can feel himself slipping already going into the Tower’s Broadcast to have a well ‘’Needed’’ talk with his dad. “Go over there, inside that apartment I’ll be right back 6 odne you eorry just be dafe.” With those final gargled words Mono is out.)

Chapter Text

6 softly settled herself down at the table. It’s the dining table in the ruined apartment. Dinner ware was placed in front of herself and when she looks forward at the head of the table there is another set of dinner ware.

A plate, fork, knife and even a cup. No napkins sadly.

She can hear banging happening in the kitchen, pots being moved, wooden spoon being stirred in the broth and the oven flame being adjusted. 6 turns to the seat beside her, it’s empty and there is no dinner ware for that empty seat.

Still 6 went ahead and stacked some boxes on it for Mono. If he were to wake up in time he can easily be at the correct level to eat.

6 waits patiently, her raincoat draped over the chair she sits in. She’s sitting like a proper young lady (her mother would be so proud for once her wild child is sitting correctly) with her claws clasped on the table in front of her.

This is unnatural.

“Sorry, what did you say you’d like to drink?” The man peeks back in, checking on the strange girl he found. 6 glances behind her, leaned off to the side so that they can both see each other. “uhm,” 6’s voice wavers, after going 4 days with no talking she’s gotten back into her mute self.

“Water?” The man offers seeing how the child clammed back up. She gives the slender man a curt nod and stares after him as he leaves.

It’s the man she would see inside of the TVs back home. The one that twisted Father and ruined him.

(“Me? Well, I’m Mono’s dad of course! Just call me Broadcaster! Everyone here in the Pale City does after all.”)

She settles back down into the chair, being proper and clasping her claws close once more. 6 fixes any crooked silver ware and then she just…. stares. She wants Mono in the room with her. So she doesn’t feel so, so alone.

The Broadcaster goes back to messing in the kitchen, 6 will give it to the adult, whatever he is brewing back there smells wonderful. 6 taps a pattern into the wooden table. ‘Mono wake up, the food smells good and I don’t think it has any meat.’

Mono does not respond to her words.

A spoon comes into 6’s view, she leans back slightly to let the Broadcaster fill up her dinner bowl with whatever food he made for the two of them. (Three? She hopes Mono will wake up and save her.)

“Here, I hear you like more meaty type of meals.” The thin man says with a never-ending grin on his face. 6 doesn’t answer him even as he gives her lots of meat and bones. After her bowl is nicely filled to the brim with meat and the broth the thin man fills her glass cup with clear pristine water.

She stares the Broadcaster down as he fills his own bowl and cup. His drink isn’t water, but it looks pristine and clean. “Dine in.” The man says with a broad grin gesturing to 6’s meal.

Thinking of all the manners Mother taught her and the beliefs Father informed her 6 bows her head to the meat in front of her, wiggles her hands before she grabs the spoon.

The Broadcaster is watching her every movement, with that stupid fucking grin will present on his wrinkled face.

He wears a broad rimmed fedora, that casts long dark shadows over his sharp pointed nose. 6 can’t see his eyes but she knows they’re following her.

She gets only one mouthful of the broth before the man starts talking again. “I’ve heard so much about you! Mono is quite the talker when it comes down to those he likes.” 6 swallows the soft carrots the thin man put into the stew. She chews long and hard on the veggie not answering this stranger.

What does he mean ‘I’ve heard so much about you!’ ?

Even with 6’s silence the man wears a broad grin—if anything it only grows wider as 6 chews on the meat. “Ah, Mono did say you didn’t like to talk often. That’s all okay with me.” The Broadcaster waves a hand.

It’s thin and the fingers are long. His skin is grey.

6 swallows a chunk of meat, it’s tasteful and perfectly seasoned with whatever the hell the adult put inside of it. It’s so well cooked the meat easily slides off of bone not needing any cutting or hassle with it. “It’s our second meeting you know, I know it’ll take more to get you to say something 6.”

She swallows the broth harshly; it goes down her throat cold because who allowed this stranger who has to bend lower to fit through a door to know her name?

She huffs a sound and goes for her water.

‘Mono? Can you please wake up? I don’t like your dad very much.’

The Broadcaster finally moves to eat his own pouring of stew. He grabs the fork not the spoon since his bowl has no broth in it. Stacked just as much meat and bones inside of it like 6.

She assumes that Mono takes after his mother.

“Yes, it took Mono forever to even explain why he was sneaking out of his room.” The man explains. His head tips down, his weirdly glowing pinpricks for eyes no longer on 6, so that he may see what he was doing with the fork.

He stabs into the beef and brings it to his mouth. 6 can’t see him eating or chewing in fact she can’t even hear the man eat at all.

She wonders if he is even eating at all or just playing pretend.

“After I snatched him up after the 12^th run he finally shouted out why.” The Broadcaster slouched in his seat (when 6 looks at the chair she’s thrown for a loop—how did the back of the chair grow that long?) he has a air of sadness. 6 sniffs harshly, leaning into her bowl and pretends she’s enjoying the wafting scent of food.

She is not because she was trying to sniff out this monster’s emotion. He isn’t sad more like—nothing.

6 scopes up a bone this time. She stares down at the milky white of it before she flips it to the other side. Sliced in half and exposing the marrow.

She can’t help the coo she lets out before she nimbles on the thing.

The Broadcaster lets out a chuckle, taking a REAL ACTUAL sip of whatever is in his cup. “How did I know you’ll love bone marrow?” He whispers into the cup rim watching as 6 chews at the bone slice. “But yes, Mono explained to me that he encountered you during a cycle and now he’s ruining the order of cycles!” The man slammed the cup into the table. The sound scares out a few eavesdropping nomes and they scuttle around the table legs.

They curve perfectly around the man and 6 drops the bone she was chewing for them. She gives a slight glare at the Broadcaster, he has some glit in him for he grimaces for a moment.

‘What is he on about? Cycles?’

“My apologizes 6 I didn’t intend on scaring your little mushroom buddies.”

6 responds to him with a grunt. She doesn’t care and watches as a tall nome stumbles over to her dropped bone scrapes. They prod at it with their root like arms before scooping the thing up and scampering off. “Mono is being troublesome is all.” The man starts once more after a few minutes of gathering his words.

‘Is he a talk host?’ 6 thuds her heels onto the box she sits on. She waits, listening pass this weird man whose shape glitches every so often.

‘…yeah.’

This time 6 jolts, slamming her knee into the table and the sound has the Broadcaster looking over at 6. His bowl is mostly bones now, he was eating-but-not-really. “Are you alright there?” He asks leaning his weird long body towards 6.

She frowns when the parent gets to close, trying to check over her without actually touching. She nods and hisses at him.

Mono is awake! He responded to me!

“Well, as I said—” The Broadcaster leans away, taking the sound of static away from 6, “—Mono has just been avoiding his duties is all. Out chasing his dreams AWAY from the Tower and myself.” The grown man growls bitterly the brim casting long shadows over his features.

6 frowns, ‘Are you awake? Okay? Are you safe?’ she taps away using the blunt end of the spoon. Mono doesn’t answer for a moment. ‘yes, I’m really sleepy however.’ Comes Mono’s soft thuds.

“But here you are 6! After you ran away from me the first time I saw you in a cycle.” The Broadcaster is still yapping away nonsense. He’s dumb, 6 settles with shoveling more of the food into her mouth.

She has to finish this up if she wants to see Mono again.

‘Where are you?’ Mono asks, his words echo into the hallway. ‘Kitchen, with…. your dad?’ 6 says hacking on a lettuce leaf. ‘Oh, wonderful.’ 6 snorts harshly, dropping her spoon to cover up the sound. All it does is make the man watching her stop talking for a moment before continuing. Mono sounds so sarcastic with his words like seeing his dad is the worse thing to ever grace the Earth.

“But you’re better behaved this time around. So I must propose the idea—how about you come with me to the Tower, 6?”

Wait. Hold the phone. WHAT?

Chapter Text

6 stops her movements. The slice of meat she was about to eat slides off the spoon and splashes back into the broth. “What?” The Broadcaster asks looking genuinely surprised at the reaction 6 gave. “It’s a nice thought! He likes you, so if you stay in the Tower, Mono won’t be so keen on leaving!”

‘What is he on?’ Mono asks his tapping getting closer to the kitchen. “He won’t be so inclined to ruin my cycles and he would be more willing to take my spot.” The Broadcaster grumbles out stabbing his fork into the stew broth.

“Ah?” 6 squeaks out the sound, gaping at the monster. The Broadcaster stops his movement before looking at 6. “Oh, you—that’s the first.” He mutters surprised that 6 can even make a sound this time around.

‘He’s annoying.’ Mono appears around the corner, out of view from his dad but he no longer has a hat. Instead, his face is clear to the world and his hazel eyes are no longer hazel.

His whole eyes are pitch black. “Dad.” He hisses out a clear frown to his face as he slides over to 6’s side. She doesn’t hesitate to coo out to Mono happily offering him a cooked carrot.

“Mono! You’re awake a lot faster than last cycle.” The Broadcaster watches how 6 lights up at the sight of Mono. He accepts the carrot she offers to him, chewing on it as he sits in the same chair as 6. She’s chirping and whispering words only the two kids know.

“What are you offering her?” Mono asks, his face is clearly upset and he ruffles at his curls to try and release the emotion as well.

All it does is ruin his hair and makes him more upset. ‘I help! I know how!’ 6 chirps out dropping her spoon to fret over Mono’s head.

He lets her even if his dad frowns at the touches 6 gives Mono.

What does he know? Mono glares back at his dad. Mom left him anyways, he doesn’t know anything about l—

“I was just offering 6 to stay in the Tower.” The Broadcaster swipes at his bowl, the plate food and other silverware fuzz for a moment before flickering away. He’s consumed everything in his swing.

“No.” Mono growls out reaching for 6’s spoon, he scoops all the leftover meat and veggies into his mouth. He will leave the bone marrow for 6 to eat since he has never liked the stuff. In his haste to just eat anything on the plate Mono almost chokes on the broth. 6 waves a hand around Mono's spoon trying to slow him down without actually touching him.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay. Slow slow.’ 6 mutters out close to Mono’s ear. The breath from 6 has Mono flushing for a moment. “Mono.” It goes away when his dad calls for his attention.

Mono glances up from the stew he’s consuming. 6 twirls a claw around and around a curl slowly reshaping the pattern. “What?” He grumbles out frowning.

The Broadcaster is always ruining his fun. He ruins every fun memory Mono has. His dad distorts every nice feeling he has with 6 just so that Mono can stay inside that ugly stupid Tower and broadcast the signal farther and farther.

A nome scuttles below the table. 6 is purring into Mono’s ear and curls. His dad stares on from the shadows casted by his hat. “She is going to that Tower.” His dad settles with reaching out for the whiskey cup.

It distorts for a moment before glitching itself into the man’s hand. “And I said she isn’t.” Mono hisses out throwing the spoon at his dad.

It unfortunately just passes through his dad and hits the chair he sits on. “Mono, Mono you know better.” Is all his dad says before taking a gulp from the cup.

The Broadcaster's words are mocking, as if making fun of his own son. What? can't even throw a object correctly? 

(Mono sits in the Tower, in 6’s room. The lights are a nice, dimmed purple and pink color. Her twisted and mangles arm reaches out for Mono, and the long claw fingers tap out a rhythm that sadly Mono can’t translate. She’s been in the Tower for almost 3 months and already 6 is losing her touch with reality. “sorry.” Mono sobs out wiping a hand into his teary eyes.)

6 stops her calming movement, half of Mono’s curls are back thanks to her work. She gently taps the tips of her claws along Mono’s hair and grins when he shivers from her action. He’s unhappy with his dad.

All she knows is that they’re arguing over her, the reasoning is unclear to her but hey—she wants to throw something at the Broadcaster as well.

(Monster 6 coos at Mono, her face hidden behind the massive curtain that is her black hair. It’s tangled and knotted up but Mono can never get it to stay untangled. “Maybe I should’ve fought Dad harder. That why you would still be normal.” Mono tells her. She’s hunched over standing on broken ankles and her knees keep bumping into her chest. The raincoat she wears looks spiky to Mono.)

The Broadcaster settles his cup on the table, folds his arms on the tabletop and glares down at his son and the girl Mono likes.

Mono leans back, not in fear or in submission but in a cautious way. Like he knows the Broadcaster can just steal away 6. So Mono shakes 6 lower, onto his shoulders and keeps her there.

She slithers a arm around Mono but the other one is reaching below the table. She’s cooing to the nomes.

“She is coming to that Tower Mono. She’s already been there.”

“I already said no! She WILL NOT go back there!”

He reaches for the cup of water, takes one gulp before also tossing the cup at his dad. It shatters on the chair but the man sits there unfazed.

(“Next time around.” Mono promises her, he reaches out and through strands of black hair. His hands touch the chin of Monster 6 who easily leans towards him. She’s rumbling the whole room she owns in the Tower. Purring. “I’ll be back 6, I’ll fix my mistake.” And he escapes the Tower. He runs towards the streets, scooping up his forgotten paper bag and shoving it over his head.)

The Tower rocks, it’s walls shivering before Monster 6 can be heard yelling. She’s not happy being left alone but it’s for her own good Mono chants making his way to the one TV he can control fully.

“Mono! Back so soon are we?” The TV stays on always. It brightens the LED lights inside when Mono draws near. The screams of a upset Monster 6 shimmers down. Only her music box rings loudly now broadcasted by the Tower.

He nods his head at the TV hanging dangerously on the edge of a fire escape. The apartment it clings too is curved and dipping towards the ravine right below it. “Yes, I want to go back again.” Mono whispers fondly tracing the TV framework. He stares fondly at the TV's paints that are deep browns of mud and the golden dull of lost ore. He found this TV one day when he escaped from his dad’s taxing work.

He does not want to be the next Broadcaster. (“No, no The Host man!” hiss dad corrected grinning broadly down at Mono.)

So, Mono escaped the Tower and went to the only safe place he knew of.

His mother’s old apartment.

Where her old items and even her old TV sat.

It flickers through many possibilities. All are Mono’s favorite.

He’s been through each and every channel it offers. Well, they’re not really channels but other alternate realities that Mono can travel into.

(he sees the channel where he and 6 met first through the hospital. Where he had broken his arm from a fight—not from climbing a tree—and where 6 got sick from eating raw meat. He eyes the channel where 6 is fully grown and one hell of a hunter who can track anyone. She first meet Mono when he was trying to get to The Nest and she laughed at his suit and tie. Mono spies the channel where he meets her in the Pale City first, she was left behind in an apartment and her hair was long.)

“The start again? When you meet her? When she bursts through the woods? Or when she steps foot on the Maw?” It asks, flashing images of the many 6’s Mono has encountered.

Many images of 6 that Mono has, had not and will encounter.

“The woods. The same channel where we shot the hunter?” Mono offers, tracing a finger over the image of 6 it stills on.--

“MONO.” The Broadcaster shouts out slamming a closed fist on the table. Mono blinks back into this cycle. He walked into this reality to stop his dad from stealing 6 away. He will do it correctly this time.

“I SAID NO SO FUCK OFF!”

6 pulls her arm back and SMACK a bundle of nomes slam into The Broadcaster. He fumbles and yelps as they grab at him soaking up the static image of Mono’s dad. “Run!” 6 giggles out pulling Mono out of the chair and together they hold hands and run into the rainy storm of the Pale City.

“What a doll, she is! I do enjoy seeing you two blossom. Enjoy your time together Mono. Till next cycle, enjoy escapism.”

Chapter Text

There’s a radio playing a song somewhere. Mono takes in the song that plays, even as 6 giggles and snorts away in laughter tugging Mono along using their hands clasped together. His hand is starting to get sweaty but 6 tightens her hold even as everything seems to be coming undone around them.

The song is slow and there’s a soft piano playing along with the woman singing. She’s singing softly and faintly Mono remembers the name of the song.

‘You Belong To Me’ from some lady called Courtnee Draper.

A old sounding song.

6 lets out a rather loud burst of laughter, Mono laughs along with her even as the Pale City shudders and shrivels closer to them both. He waves his free hand up at them and the buildings all back away, bending to his influence and they break down a easy path for him and 6.

She clambers up the fallen walls and other broken items even as The Broadcaster lets out a shout. Mono scrambles up with her, easily coaxed forward by her giggles and offered hand.

She’s always loved to play the game Chase.

This is… technically the same concept.

“Come on! Come on!” 6 giggles helping Mono up and onto the broken side of a apartment. Everything slows for a moment, it gets staticky and a pale blue tint takes over Mono’s eyes.

His dad is suddenly closer and well—that is to be expected from someone who can warp forward.

Mono stumbles up into 6, she laughs even when he almost trips her. “Down!” She chants not even afraid of the distance his dad is at.

(not worried that she can be taken away from Mono. Unafraid that she will be taken to the Tower where she would lose her freedom and will of mind.)

Mono refuses to let that happen.

With the added rain shower, Mono and 6 slide down the crooked apartment, they pass by Viewers who turn to watch them. Some reach out with their hands but never are they able to snatch the two kids out.

A new song is playing on the radio and it has butterflies forming in Mono’s stomach. It sounds so wonderful even as he is being chased by a angry parent.

‘Having fun there?’ His static self pings to Mono just as he kicks up from the slide and jumps onto a over hanging train cart. 6 easily makes the jump, she was a little twirl in place and chirrups a tune. Mono lets a giggle loose into the rain, he hauls himself up.

His dad is taking longer to catch up, trying to locate a close enough TV probably. Mono takes that moment to twirl in place just like 6 did. She eyes him before clapping her hands together and bouncing on her toes. ‘Yes,’ he tells the TV watching fondly as 6 lets out a happy whistle. ‘Yes. With her I always am.’

‘Keep going. To the edges of the beach then.’ The TV muses out, sounding overjoyed as well. ‘He can’t reach you there.’

Mono snatches 6’s hand just as she was about to start forward again. “Here, this way!” Mono laughs out dragging 6 behind him this time. She agrees with laughter of her own. They travel from one cart to the next, sliding over overturned luggage and other objects in their wake.

“I like you!”

Mono stumbles, almost tripping in his jump. When he turns around and looks up at the over hanging train there is a out of breath 6 still waiting for her turn. She hasn’t jumped down into the bundle of clothing yet on the floor of the Pale City.

He shakes his hands trying to get rid of the jitters of something unknown, known and yet not said. “Yeah?” Mono grins out holding his arms out for 6. She giggles, rubbing the edges of her raincoat. Mono can make out her shy smile. She bunches her legs and takes the leap.

Right into Mono.

“Oof!”   “I do!” 6 says into Mono’s face even as he scrambles to get from under her. “Me too! I like you too 6!” Mono says just as The Broadcaster shows up. He’s on the end of the sidewalk, slowly taking his time on catching these two kids.

“Really!?” 6 gasps out, like she can’t believe it. She kicks her legs free from the clothing pile and slides down the lump. Mono stumbles and just trips his way down. She hisses softly when Mono smacks his face into the pavement.

“Mono, come on now. Let’s get you home.” The Broadcaster is closer, using his drained energy to warp closer to his son. He watches as Mono gathers himself up from the floor, soaked in rainwater and scamper away with 6 giggling behind him.

( He pretends that he doesn’t get a flash of old times. Of when the city wasn’t broken and destroyed. When he meet her and when he confessed his feelings to the woman in this place. She had giggles and hugged him back. Just like how his son and this girl are acting.)

“Where we going?” 6 asks, pulling herself up, she has a nome clutching to her shoulders. The Viewers shy away, they had leaned forward to grab at 6 and Mono but now they curve away at the sight of the nome.

Mono didn’t question why 6 wanted them to carry the nomes but now he is seeing why. The Viewers (even his dad) hate being around the little mushroom guys. Mono clutches the long nome closer to his chest as he leads 6 through the city.

They had lost The Broadcaster along the way, he couldn’t get back the mob of Viewers that linger at the edges of the city. “The Ocean! It’s—my mom says it’s safe there.” Mono explains frowning up at a Viewer who almost bumped into him. They wore work clothes, but there are no more jobs here so Mono just eyes the fancy suit for a moment.

6 jabs her elbow into Mono and he turns to face her. “Why?” She asks scrunching up her face. She’s glued to Mono’s side, making sure to stay tucked under his arm.

Just to be safe.

Also, because she wants to be close to him.

“It’s where Mom is.” Mono sighs out a soft smile on his face. Dad never liked wondering down to the beaches, where his mom sits at. “She’s really nice, I think she’ll like you.” Mono hisses out, holding a hand to his forehead. There’s a sharp pain settling in and the nome in his arm wiggles around for a moment.

(Mono digs his feet into the soft sands. Holding onto the many wires that make up his mother’s throne. She’s tall and sitting in the beach. Many radios and minor technology scatter around her legs. She sits atop of a large broken TV. “Mono, it’s okay.” She coos out, a cold hand brushes through his curls. A song plays through her, deep inside his mother’s rib cage. —)

“Oh, mom?” 6 echoes, she clutches at Mono’s coat leaning away from the growing crowd of Viewers. They stomp angrily as the two passes. Some even claw at one another, shoving for a spot to look out at the far beach. They’re all here to see his mom, she’s one of the strongest signal boosts for the Broadcaster. Naturally the viewers of the Pale City fight for a perfect spot to see the signal in it’s raw form.

Unfiltered before it get’s leaked into the wires and then broadcasted out into the TVs.

The other main spot the Viewers like to stare at is the Tower itself but it’s not as strong as Mom.

“Back off!” 6 snarls out, she gives a decently powerful shove that makes a warped face Viewer stumble. “6 be careful.” Mono mumbles guiding her away.

The Viewer snarls back, before shoving at another adult.

‘Ugly! Hate them.’ 6 huffs out snatching Mono’s hand to hold. They slither through stomping feet and shoving adults until they reach the sandy shores. No Viewer steps onto the sand, they keep themselves on the pavement that splits the two.

“Mono?” His mom calls out, already knowing he was on her sandy shores. It was the opposite of where 6 came from. She stumbled off the raised pavement and fell face first into the soft sand. “Oh sorry, should’ve caught you.” Mono hissed out reaching down to pick up 6. She rolls her claws under the sand before sitting up with Mono’s help.

The sand makes her skin fizzle and tingle. But not in an aggressive way like The Broadcaster did when he leaned close to her. “Oh—ah!” 6 lunges forward, but the nome she carried was fast. It dodged her lunge and scrambled away between two rocks.

When 6 glanced over at Mono his nome has also ran away.

“Oh, well. I don’t think we need their help anymore.” Mono settles with helping 6 stand up. He is unaffected by the soft static in the sand and beach air. “Here, let’s go see Mom.” Mono whispers brushing any sand that clung to 6’s raincoat.

He’s standing there. Towering above the other Viewers who stare longing at the beach. “He’s there huh?” Mono’s mom leaned forward; her long curls tickled at his face. 6 is giggling and cooing somewhere below them. The Broadcaster is easy to spot, with his hat and fancy suit. He doesn’t touch the sandy shores, but he lingers by the edges for a while. When Mono blinks his dad disappears.

“oh 6! You’re just a doll,” Mono twists around on his seat. A chair stacked high on top of broken TVs and radios. His mother is cooing over 6 who is digging into the sand.

His mother looks like the X-Ray screen. Her skeleton shows through all else but stops just at her jaw. The rest of her face and back is covered with her long curls. But Mono can still spot the faint outline of her skin around the glowing skeleton.

“What are you looking for?” Mom leans down, a curtain of curls block Mono from seeing 6, but he hears her gargle out words.

When he jumps down from the chair (the static air becomes denser so he floats slowly to the ground without any pain) he can hear 6 trying to form words. “Ah, oh! Do you mean seashells?” His mom coos bringing a large see-through hand towards 6.

She flinches at the hand before calming down when the skeleton fingers bring forth the shells. ‘Yes!’ She chirps out even if all Mono’s mom does is giggle.

(The Hostess; Mono’s mother who was ditched in the far East beaches. The Broadcaster and the Tower itself had turned her into this. She’s forever exposing her skeleton like a X-Ray, only her upper jaw and curls appear normal. Her legs are tangled and tied to the wires of broken TVs and radios. She’s another transmission meant to lure in Viewers for the Signal Tower. But Mono’s dad is ashamed of what became of the one he loved. No one is allowed on the beach The Hostess sits in. Only Mono.)

Mono glances up when large curls pass over him gently. “Mono!” 6 cheers out placing a pretty seashell in his arms. The Hostess gives him a smile even if her lips are see-through and her perfect teeth show pass her skin. “My son! You’ve taken off your mask.” She points out before straightening her back. The wires over her legs shift and pull with her movement. There’s a song playing deep from inside her rib cage.

6 slides next to Mono, staring without any embarrassment at The Hostess. “Hahaha—yeah.” Mono snorts out before fondly looking over at 6. She’s covered in sand and even a few bits of seaweed.

(“You can’t go back I’m afraid.” The Hostess mumbles, rubbing a see-through hand over Mono’s back. She is using her other hand to pat 6 on the head softly. 6 purrs out a sound before humming. “Where else can she go? I don’t want to be apart from her.” Mono mumbles into the wires. “The Maw? Or perhaps another cycle is in order?”)

“I can’t leave her side.” Mono bashfully explains, helping 6 make a sandcastle. They have been running around free in the beachy shores his mother owns. Wires expand miles far into the shore before they burrow deep into the ground. “Oh, well you can’t stay here forever. What will she eat?” His mom calls out, she can’t turn around, so she yells her words out.

Mono sees the Viewers shake and shove at one another again. Spurred on with the energy The Hostess is out putting. She’s excited to have her son visiting along with a friend he made.

Mono rolls a clam shell around in his hands before giving it over to 6. She turns the peach-colored shell this way and that. “I—this feels familiar slightly.” Mono mumbles with a frown.

His mom lets out a laugh that makes the surrounding radios fizz and pop. “Familiar? I hope so! This is the 2^nd cycle you’ve done this!”

(“She’s getting hungry.” Mono complains to The Hostess. They both watch as 6 chases after the sea gulls. She can’t leap up high enough to catch the birds. “I hear through the radios that The Maw is a ship that can feed any desire.” His mom tells him gently coiling a finger around his hair. “But I won’t be able to go.”)

“What?” Both 6 and Mono say, when Mono looks at 6 she dropped the clam shell to stare at Mono. “I—uhm, I’m not sure what you’ll eat here.” Mono blurts out flushing under her stare. The wires hum with his mother’s laughter.

He’s embarrassed because The Hostess is watching and 6 is staring at his face. Which IS NOT COVERED.

“Leave? Beach?” 6 mutters reaching towards Mono’s hands. “I—I can’t uhm.” Mono holds her claws gently, thumb rubbing over her bruised knuckles.

(Mono lets out a deep sigh, watching as the boat drifts away from the dock. “Mono, don’t you worry.” His mother calls out from behind him. “She was hungry, The Maw is the safest place she go. Better then the monster your father would’ve turned her into.” Mono nods gently patting the radio she listens through. He can leave this city anyways. If he wonders to far from the area the Tower controls he’ll get to sick.)

6 frowns, unsure what he means. “Why not?” she whispers upset that they might have to split up. She doesn’t want to spend another day without Mono by her side. But her stomach growls and it grumbles in disagreement. She forces down the idea of eating humans. No she can’t do that with Mono watching.

“I get really sick if I’m away from the Tower’s control. Too far from it.” Mono explains pulling 6 closer. He already knows what will happen. This cycle and this talk have already happened before.

It has happened, it had happened, and it will happen. After all, as his mother said this is the 2^nd cycle Mono has dragged 6 this way.

She snuggles close to Mono, tucking her head under his chin. “Oh, home?” She offers wrapping her arms around Mono. Home? What home does she mean? He can’t take her to the Tower. No, never again.

oh.Oh. OH!

The Hostess lets out a loud bust of laughter, the radios echo the sound and the TV’s cackle with it as well. Oh dear, her son is clueless!

Chapter Text

His dad took up most of their travels. Larking in the shadows of bent buildings and behind the fuzz of TVs broadcasting the signal he controls. Whenever Mono veered out into the moonlight or into the flickering lights of street posts The Broadcaster would take his chances.

Chasing and persisting after Mono and the yellow that made up 6.

Viewers grabbled at them as well. Swinging their arms low and close to the level 6 and Mono travel at. Food became scarce and 6 would whine and grumble in pain. Mono was left with easy food in reach, just he can just easily reach out and grab the Left Over Static to munch on.

He was only able to pull food out from the TVs once.

When they where still close to the Hostess and he let 6 eat and chomp into each food Mono pulled out from the cooking show and through the glass screen.

He hasn’t done that in awhile.

Each TV is guarded now. Carefully watched over by clusters of faceless Viewers. They hiss and growl at one another before the tunes play again; suddenly they’re all friends and they huddle in close.

During the times they sleep, Mono reaches forward with a hand. It’s glitching and pops with static. He can reach inside of 6 and tune her stomach, but right as his fingers brush her raincoat Mono shivers.

He’s done that once before. In another reality but 6 never came back after the tuning.

Mono instead tugs on her raincoat close; curling up around her to sleep as well.

(She’s mute now, not speaking to Mono. The most 6 does is either whisper a soft ‘oi’ or just hiss at him to be more silent. The glitching remains of 6—what Mono tried to tune correctly—leans around 6’s shoulders. Shadows casted over her face, but Mono knows who that remain can be. It’s 6 and it’s the 6 Mono ruined—pulled apart but the two 6’s stay with him. He feels bad but they’re all together.)

Mono resists the urge to tune 6. He won’t do it again. He learned his lesson once.

It’s all he needed.

The two of them find hidey holes in walls, the floorboards, or even abandon rooms. They bundle up close, sharing the tiny warmth they have to fall asleep. It rains on even as The Broadcaster and Viewers hunt for them.

It is a simple yet terrifying life they have now. Mono cried to 6 one day, behind the sofa of two warped faceless Viewer. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you here.” He sobbed curling up and harshly rubbing at his tear filled eyes.

6 mutters and chirps beside him.

“We wouldn’t be on the run if only I was careful; you wouldn’t be starving so badly either.” Mono sniffled out, sadden over how thin 6 has became lately.

He can feel the bones of her rib whenever they hug. He stares more at her wrist bones that jut down.

It’s all his fault.

“Bleh, ugh.” 6 responds pulling Mono close. The Viewers garble and snarl, the TV is static looking for another channel.

She wraps her thin arms around Mono, the raincoat still clean, but her claws and feet are covered in snoot and mud. She purrs deeply in her chest when Mono returns the hug. They squeeze each other tightly and sway to the TVs music. “Like you. It’s ehh,” 6 snorts out her words have a sort of rumble to them.

She purrs deep inside her rib cage.

(“Did you know cats purr not only because they’re happy but also because they think it’ll help heal faster?” Mono glances up from his spot, he’s crouched over a cat who is deeply purring. It’s enjoying the sun and the wet treat Mono just fed it. “Oh really?” Mono asks, looking up at 6 who is leaning down to his level. “Hmm, yeah. Pretty neat huh?” She grins settling herself over Mono’s shoulders. He stumbles, using one palm to steady the both of them. “Wanna come over today? Dad’s not home yet.” 6 snorts out twirling a finger around a curl.)

After that moment Mono makes a effort to not feel terrible over their connected fates. He whispers to 6 about pass realities instead—anything really to convince himself that NO HE isn’t the worse fucking friend ever.

6 enjoys hearing the stories about her other self. She always perks up and settles deeply into Mono’s side whenever she hears about herself. 6 grins broadly when Mono talks about their alternate selves meeting or hanging out.

“I’m—!” 6 would start, wiggling a lot and even kicking her feet at the air to stomping them into the floor. “I’m glad—together!” She would chirp out waving her claws between herself and Mono.

Mono flushes and tugs the postal hat over his face to hide. He giggles in joy and 6 bursts out in joyful laughter.

Of course, nothing stays simple and happy for long.

(“6! 6! Are—I’m here—are you okay!?” Mono grabs at 6, she’s curled up on the floor and the pastel kimono she wore becomes bloody and slowly stain red. He slams down onto the floor in The Maw. There’s laughter and the scampering of somebody running away. 6 snarls deep and bares her teeth before flash angry gold eyes at Mono. “That FUCKER Truls just slashed my ear lobe!” Mono shoves her black hair out of the way. She continues to snarl and growl away like a tiger as Mono looks over the cut. It’ll scar deep and the cut runs from her left ear all the way into her cheek.

She looks furious.

“Here, hold this up to it.” Mono shrugs off his coat and bundles it up. Black claws grab the ball and press it harshly into her face. “Fucker. That bitch. I’ll—” 6 sits up, swings her arm and knocks over the potted plant nearby. There’s spatters of blood on the floor and wall paper. “The Geisha isn’t gonna be happy.” Mono sighs holding onto 6’s hand so she won’t destroy more things. Instead of bristling at her mentor’s name, 6 turns to Mono with bright golden eyes. “Mono, dear, help me teach Truls a lesson?” She coos out batting her eyes at him. “MMMM, ugh fine! You don’t have to do the puppy eyes.”)

6 is crying and she even hisses at Mono when he tries to help her out. She’s clutching at her left ear and her lower left cheek. A rat and taken it’s chance and attacked 6. She may be a skilled tracker and a novice hunter.

But she doesn’t know how to deal with a healthy and very much kicking rat. Who took it’s chance and bit 6 in the face. “MONO! MONO!” she cries out using her right hand to clutch and claw at Mono’s coat. She scratches up his back (thankfully protected by his shirt and the coat.) as he wraps a torn cloth around her left head.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! I’m here, 6. I’ll help you fix it.” Mono coos out remembering how to treat this wound. Every 6 Mono has ever encountered always end up with this deep scar.

On her left ear and her left cheek. Marred the pale smooth skin and left her face shiny and pink with a fresh scar.

‘Hate it. Hate rats. Ugh, HATE IT.’ 6 says after Mono soothes away most of the pain. Her golden eyes are puffy with recent tears. She still cries every so often. The wound is large and it’ll take days for it to fully heal. “Yeah? I’ll help you catch it?” Mono offers. He takes in 6’s bare face.

She’s still pretty even when the scar heals. Her golden eyes and long lashes haunt Mono’s dreams for a while. Even when 6 covers up her face again with her messy bangs. “You’re still pretty.” Mono whispers to her each time they curl up to sleep.

It rains forever in the Pale City. Even more when they get closer to the beach where the forest is.

(He’s a fool. A hopeless idiot. A real loser who just so happened to fall in love with her. Mono leans back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. It has cracks but it won’t crack open. He really had to go and fall in love with 6 even though he KNEW fully well KNEW that at the end of the bridge she would jerk her hand away and let him fall. “hmmm mmm.” Mono hums, blinking slowly. He’s getting sleepy, he also kinda blames his fate on the fate that The Broadcaster convinced 6 that Mono doesn’t and will never like her back.

The Flesh told Mono of the troubles his dad went to just so Mono can stay trapped here. “Hmm mmm. Hm.” The Flesh opens up a golden eye to Mono, it eyes him before it slowly rolls over to the corner of his room. Old drawings of himself and 6 hang in the room. When Mono looks over at the corner there sits a TV that flickers through the cycles. Ones where 6 never did drop him. “oh!” Smiling Mono scrambles out of the chair and to the TV.

He can be connected with his other half! The Flesh eye curves up in a mock smile, rolls it’s eyes and turns a blind EYE to the fact it helped Mono escape once more.)

“I’m not too sure how well this might go.” Mono grumbles, pulling the TV as close to the shore as he could. It’s close to enough where it might get wet and shut off. Which is the plan once Mono warps both himself and 6 to the other side and into the Root Forest.

Where 6 lived.

Where they will live.

“Eh, oh.” 6 shrugs not to bothered over it. She’s standing in the waters fondly staring into the mist. Home. She knows it’s there, behind the mist. She wonders if Father is still where they’ve left him. (Wounds from that day have long healed, she’s not to hurt anymore. If anything it just allows her a chance to bury him correctly.)

“Okay! It’s all ready! Just hold on tight and PLEASE don’t let go 6.” Mono presses his hands deeper into the flicker screen. 6 giggles, mockingly mumbles Mono’s words back before tightening her hug on Mono’s back. She even digs her claws into his coat.

It kinda stings his skin but Mono’s grateful. It just means a stronger cling to him. 6 won’t be lost to the signal when they travel.

This time.

(Mono claws at the flicker screen. He slashes at each passing channel. None of them have 6 in them and JUST GREAT WELL GREAT. He tugs harshly at his claws and pulls away from another fail TV. He’s crying even as Viewers draw close. Of course, at the age of 16 he loses 6! After four years of traveling through the Pale City THE ONE time they try to travel through the TVs he loses 6. Mono growls, rubs away his tears and stands up to look through another TV. He will find 6 and fix this mistake.)

Finally, Mono and 6 bursts through the TV in a field of grass. 6 tumbles and lets out a squeak when she rolls into the grass. It calms Mono hearing that 6 made it through. Sitting up, hat missing, Mono turns to the TV. It flickers pass many images before it dims and turns off.

For now.

“AH! Home!” 6 cheers out and when Mono looks over at her; she’s rolling around in the grass and mud. Those words mean many things. It warms Mono up and he jumps up before tackling 6. “oof! Fat! Fatty!” 6 fondly insults Mono before they wrestle and play in the grass together.

It means home, warmth, no rain, food and lastly—safety.

(6 finally let Mono help her out. She’s applying make up that no one will ever see—expect for Mono—whilst he brushes the comb through her long hair. It’s grown long these pass few years. “ugh, I hate this stuff.” 6 gruffs out playing the paint brush down. Her lips are a ruby red in the broken mirror. “You wear a mask anyways,” Mono laughs gathering half of her black hair to pin into a bun. “True. Maybe tomorrow I won’t wear it.” 6 huffs moving onto the next makeup to apply.

Mono perfectly ties her hair up. Just as 6 finishes her work and settles the white mask over her face. The Lady is presentable, and she can finally leave her quarters to oversee the Feast.

“Stay awhile?” The Lady asks tracing a black claw over Mono’s hat. “Hmm, lonely? Or do you just want to stargaze again?” Mono laughs out fondly staring at the golden kimono The Lady wears. “Why not both? Not like you’ve got anything to do.” She hisses out, Mono can hear the grin. “Sure, I can stay awhile.”)

Chapter Text

When they finally stopped playing (with leaves and twigs sticking to their hair not to mention the mud and grass stains) 6 softly cooed out. This is her home, where her family lived and where her father—

“Oh.” Mono heaves out feeling awful. This is also the same place where he shot and killed 6’s father. It’s a thought that upsets Mono.

Could he have gone another route? Let her dad live? Become the walking zombie he was slowly becoming. “hmff.” 6 shrugged, looking towards the beaten path that leads home. “Again, I’m—I’m sorry.” Mono whispered pushing himself off the mud and standing up. 6 takes her time instead. She lingers close to the muddy flooring, softly making noises.

When she’s collected herself up, 6 stands up and slowly takes the lead to where her father lays. Mono doesn’t complain. He easily slips behind the girl as she traverses the terrain.

She easily slips past the traps set up, making her way through bear trap filled lands and sudden drops into spikes.

It’s a wonder how Mono didn’t stumble into them and die.

When she waddles through the mud, Mono ruffles at his hair. He doesn’t want to get dirty. Mono turns towards the side where the dock is clearly at and sighs. They played in this swamp area. 6 had easily tossed him over her shoulder and into the muck below. When he focuses his attention back to the girl she’s busy waddling through the mud. She has one thing in mind and she will reach it. Mono trails behind her, following along via the docking.

6 gives him one lingering look, gives a soft scoff but presses onwards in the mud below. ‘Father said only he’s allowed ther.’ 6 huffs pushing broken branches out of her pathway. “Did he?” Mono asks feeling nervous. Will 6 demand him to get off? That it’s disrespecting her father’s rules since he’s gone now?

6 growls before slapping the mud, a frog is startled and leaps away. ‘yeah, but he’s not alive anymore so it’s….whatever.’ she settles with before accepting Mono’s help and allows herself to be pulled out of the muddy waters.

Mono cringes at the sight of 6 dirty. Her raincoat does its job because with one shake from 6 most of the wet muck is gone. With a hop and a skip the rest slides off and 6 continues forward. Toward the gun shed where Father should be.

It has to be done, his burial. 6 is worried and yet hopeful. She hopes he’s still there crumbled up by the broken door so that she can bury him.

Yet fear claws its way up her spine. What if Father is still there? Then she’ll have to stare at the horror she did. It makes her heart stutter and squeeze in pain. 6 doesn’t want to cry over Father again.

It was painful the first time and very heart wrenching seeing how dead Father looked. Having to stare at it again might prove to be too much. So, 6 sercetly hopes that Father wouldn’t be there.

By the door in a heap of stuffing and cotton. It brings forth the idea of what could even take Father’s dead body away.

He can’t decompose since most of him is stuffing anyways.

6 pretends that he’ll just be magically done; saving her from another heartbreak.

“It’s okay.” Mono’s voice has 6 turning her head towards him. They’re at the open field where Mono and 6 ran through. With broken boxes and shattered TV’s. “It’s okay 6, I’ll be right here.” Mono says softly grasping a claw in his own palm.

His hands are soft yet they no longer feel like he’ll break.

She sniffles, rubs a palm at her cheek and nods at Mono. She squeezes his soft-yet-not hand back before pressing forward. The grass is green and overly grown blocking her view of what may be Father.

Cold blood runs through her veins and 6 finds herself at the edge of the tall grass. One more step and it would be a clear way to seeing Father. She clutches at Mono’s hand whose standing with her, waiting for the brave moment that 6 steps forward.

She doesn’t. Not yet.

6 studies the shed door. It’s still busted from when Father bashed the butt of his gun against the door. Then slightly below the strikes there is the gun shot hole. The edges of that are shattered and splintered. It brings back the ear ringing 6 first had when Mono pulled the trigger.

Loud, a flash of white from the shot, and painful. Both to her head and heart. Just thinking about it has 6 wobbly on her feet. The forest breathes in with the wind and breathes out in a rush of strong winds.

She can’t smell rot or anything that she knows belong to death. Is Father really gone? Saving her the heart ache of reliving those painful memories.

Mono listens to the way 6 hitches in a breath, then takes one shaky step outside the safety of the tall grass. There the two gaze on the shirt The Hunter wore.

He’s gone, no body in sight only the clothing he wore that fateful day. “Oh,” Mono sighs out. 6 slips out of his grasp and slowly walks over to the left over clothing. His hat, the sack bag he wore and even the rope are also left behind.

Mono wonders how The Hunter disappeared. Yet, at the same time Mono clearly understood.

6 tended to her father’s left behind clothes. She clutches the forest green shirt together, for a moment she wraps the cloth around her, making sure to be nice and bundled.

It’s comforting in some way to her. It still smells of grass and pines—a scent that 6 associates with Father. But, unfortunately, the smell of old cotton and stuffing also clings to that scent.

She throws the shirt off, handing it softly to Mono who struggles to fold the large shirt into something easier to carry along. She moves onto the worn pants and the black boots, 6 doesn’t linger long on these items.

She gives them a soft pat, maybe a gentle rub and then she’s off to folding the pants up. She allows Mono to help her fold with a soft murmur.

She spends the longest when it comes to the hat, sack, rope and gloves her father used to wear. She lowers her raincoat hood (it’s been a good few days that Mono hasn’t seen her hair, and thankfully 6’s hair seems to be growing just fine. The mess those bullies made is slowly disappearing with time.) and promptly sticks her father’s cap onto her head.

6 kicks at the sack Father wore. Kicking the thing makes her gut tense and her brain to go hare wire for a moment.

Father wore it, so she shouldn’t be disrespecting such a object.

At the same time 6 scowls down at the bloody bag. He wore this bag when he shot himself in the woods years ago.

(Mono had explained it to 6 during their stay in the Pale City, when they where running away from The Broadcaster. “He was trying to escape it all. Just in the wrong way.” Mono settled with that, a frown on his face. “Leaving me.” 6 snarled out upset.)

“We can bury it.” Mono’s soothing forced 6 to stop her aggressive action. “Hah?” When she turned around Mono held onto both Father’s shirt and pants, safely tucked under his arms. Under her gaze Mono shuffled his feet deeper into the dirt and poked at his arms.

“We can bury his sack, with the left over cotton?” Mono squeaked out shifting his face away from 6. With her father’s hat on Mono can get a clear look at 6’s golden eyes.

“Cot…ten?” Glancing at her feet, 6 can see what her friend meant. With the clothing packed up, there in clumps and bundles are bloody stuffing. “AH!” 6 lunges forward, gathering in her arms all the red colored cotton she can find.

Before the wind picks up and takes away the remains of Father.

6 leads Mono back to the prized moose trophy. “This one?” He grunts out dropping the sewing kit gently at the hooves of the beast. “Hmmm mmhm!” 6 agrees gently prying the box open. It’s been three days since Mono brought 6 back to this forest.

During that whole time Mono trailed after 6, watching as she gathered what she wanted from where the Hunter laid and then making the trip here.

To this giant moose with it’s side still open and spewing out the stuffing.

Mono took a seat on a mossy rocky, knees brought close and he watched with tired eyes as 6 got to work.

Her plan was to stitch the moose back together and replace the cotton with the bloody remaining cotton of her father. The Hunter can finally be laid to rest (6 still sobs and cries over him missing, digging her face into Mono’s embrace) and he can finally be a trophy like he intended.

It took 6 maybe seven hours, Mono is guessing, to properly stitch the wound up, refill the missing cotton with Father’s cotton and then, the whole thing is finished!

6 clings to the side of the dead moose, idly brushing her hands through the rough pelt before letting go. She tumbles into the cotton-like-lake below and waddles out from under the moose.

Mono is there to grab at her thin wrist and pull 6 up onto the mossy rock.

Together they stare up at the beast of an animal. Birds are chirping and singing their songs even as the signal hums drone on in the distance.

The next few days are rocky. 6 spends her nights sniffling into Mono’s arms and he spends restless nights comforting the girl he likes. During the day 6 is tending to the traps, making sure they’re working and catching food for them to eat. She drags home the food, to Mono who has to cook themselves something.

He would prefer veggies or even more forgeable plants but he makes do. 6 hovers over his shoulders, eyeing as Mono makes soup or any other meal they must eat. She learns slowly as the days go on, how to mice the meat into chewable chunks. How to correctly season a slice and when something is cooked fully.

6 in turn teaches Mono skills he might’ve never learned if he never left the city.

Mono learns how to reload a gun (which he made sure to keep pointed AWAY from 6), how to reset traps and bear traps. Mono learns how to track animals (6 always laughs at him, not in a mocking way but in a joyful ‘Ah maybe one day you’ll be a master like me’ way.) and he learns which plants are safe to eat.

Berries, leaves, mushrooms, what plants are bad to touch.

It answers his long-ago question when Mono first met 6. What does she know? A lot of things that help benefit a hunting family.

On days where 6 catches nothing, only bringing home apples or pears from the trees Mono sits 6 down and they go at it in teachings. 6 proves what she does know. (She can write her name neatly, can even write the letters that spell it out and she can read a decent number of books.) 6 also proves to Mono what she does not know.

Like for one—math.

6 frowns, grumbles and scratches at her head when Mono pulls out math related teachings.

(Mono has been to private school, he knows a lot of math and English. His history is iffy at best and his science is worse off.)

Still, the two huddle together in 6’s room using both of their heads to figure out the math problems Mono knows. 6 shows a great interest in math, tracing a claw over the equations and the process for each answer.

(Mono, one late night after 6 fell asleep, recalls one alternate reality. In his hazy vision Mono can see it clearly; 6’s name proudly on the top of the school’s listing. Right under the title HIGHEST SCORE FOR THIS YEAR—she had scored a perfect 100 whilst Mono only scored a decent 87.)

“Snow?” Mono is standing at the kitchen window, the one he slipped through all those months ago. The rabbit pie he is making is slowly cooking in the oven (he had 6 spent weeks cleaning the mess left behind. In the kitchen. In the house.) and the flurries of white caught Mono’s eye.

Has he really spent a whole year here? Living inside the Hunter’s cabin with 6?

There’s shuffling happening outside the kitchen room. 6 is giggling and talking to the nomes that also take refugee in the cabin house. Her other family members have been moved per Mono’s soft pleading. (Mono doesn’t want to recall the nightmare of seeing the Grandfather stumble up onto shaky legs—all thanks to 6 prodding—and stumble out towards the neighbor’s house. 6 had her brother follow after her grandparent. Mono isn’t sure where the hell 6’s mom went.)

It’s been a whole year away from the Pale City. A whole year spent running around with 6 holding his hand. It’s been a wonderful year of Mono telling 6 how much he likes her.

She would chirp those same words back too, give a smile and that was that. Mono didn’t ask for anything more, he was happy with forever holding her hand and saying he likes her.

6 was happy with it too so Mono doesn’t press for anything more. Okay, wellll….he does ask for a hug or two.

“Oooh.” 6’s breathy coo made Mono jump in his spot. When he turns around she’s standing close to him hugging a rather tall nome close to her. It wiggles around in her grasp, waves it’s root-like arms in the arm before settling. “6! It’s been a whole year, it’s winter.” Mono explains pointing to the growing snow flurries.

She presses her face closer to the window. Golden eyes wide and sparkling as the snow piles up. The nome is also pressed close to the cold window. It gurgles something before wiggling once more.

It’s been a whole year of chasing his dream. Yet here it stands, cheerfully watching as the snow gathers outside their shared home. “I like you, 6.” Mono mumbles to his dream, slipping his hand into her claws. She snorts out a giggle, nods her head against the chilly pane glass.

A gold eye glances over at Mono before she too grins out a—

“I like you, Mono.”

It’s been a eventful year.

Chapter Text

“I’m going to be 13 this year.” Mono mumbled, the snow was thick in the forest even if most of the pine trees caught the snow. 6 whips around, the stick she holds gets thrown to the ground as she crowds closer to Mono.

They’re outside today, right before December is over enjoying the snow and the frosty weather.

Mono pretends that he never did slip and fall on ice three times today. TODAY that’s not counting yesterday.

“Ah, hm. 13?” 6 repeats the number a bit unsurely. She’s been more talkative thanks to Mono teaching her, yet still on off days 6 returns to her feral language. It also took Mono all of summer to find out how old this girl is.

She’s nine years old, when Mono was still 12. “So that means you’ve turned 10 already?” Mono scrunched up his nose thinking to work his thoughts. He was born near the end of winter—on a cold night. 6 was…. born also on a day?

She refuses to tell Mono if her birthday was during summer, spring, autumn or winter.

It’s safe to say, since a year has passed; 6’s birthday has also passed.

6 nods her head at him, confirming that yes, I am 10 now, whilst she digs her gloved hands into the snow. She’s trying to form a snow ball and Mono pretends that he doesn’t see her plans. “Happy Birthday 6.” Mono says into the cold forest. His words puff out into a cloud of frost and 6’s face flushes pinker thanks to both his words and the weather.

“Thanks.” She chirps out, standing back up and patting the snow ball down to form a better ball.

When she turns around, Mono tugs down his winter hat (It’s just the raccoon hat he found in the cabin—you know the one.) down and it keeps the cold flurries from hitting his head.

6 gives him a soft grin, less teeth and more of a fond look.

“Happy Birthday, Mono.” She lets her words fog out into the cold air. Mono gives a wobbly grin back, fingers twisting each other under the girls stare. “I like you, now FIGHT!” She shouts, scaring some birds awake.

“What?” Mono only gets one word out before his face is hit with a snowball.

6 is giggling loudly, the sound is music to Mono’s ears and it echoes in the forest. “Okay! Okay I get it now.” Mono snorts out brushing the remaining snow off of his face.

6 jolts in place before scurrying slightly farther away to safely stock up on snowballs. Mono is just as quick, bending low to the ground and trying to form the ammo. 6 can’t stop her giggles even as Mono gets the first throw.

She’s all smiles and flashing teeth under her yellow winter coat, the fur lining catching the snow being tossed.

They chase one another that whole day, pelting one with snow with joyous screams before the other retaliates with just as much snow. Giggles and laughter fill up the cold winter air.

Mono can get used to another year spent like this.

When the two kids finally stumble their way home, following fading footprints left behind in the snow 6 couldn’t keep her bright smile off her face. Her face was flushed a soft pink, thanks to the snow and thanks to Mono.

She tightens her hand holding on Mono when she feels him beginning to slip on hidden ice. “Careful, careful.” She purrs out, the words becoming distorted due to how loud she is purring.

6 can’t help it!

She’s just filled to the brim with joy and love.

Mono snorts rubbing the heel of his palm onto his cold nose and sighs out a simple “Thank you! I don’t know how you know there’s ice.”

They’re both shaking from the snowball fight, with melting snow clinging to their winter wear as they trek back home. 6 throws a lingering look towards the path leading to the moose.

She wonders how Father would’ve faired in winter, stumbling through heavy snow fall and if he would be there to keep her warm on chilly nights.

(Mono and 6 had resorted to cuddling during winter nights, under layers of fur blankets they’ll curl up next to next each other and sleep away the cold air.)

“Do you want soup today? Oh maybe some veggie stew will be nice…” Mono’s rambles took 6 out of her thoughts, they’re coming up onto the cabin they live inside of now. The fireplace is burning and it looks like everything 6 needs right now.

Warmth. Food. Mono.

“Veggie?” 6 whispers out still clutching at Mono’s hand as they step (STEP!) up the deteriorating staircase. She toes at the rotting wood, thinking of how she’ll be fixing it whilst Mono digs around in his coat for the key. “Yeah! It’s been awhile since I’ve last had any vegetables. I’ll be sure to add some bones for you 6.” Mono finally gets the key out just as 6 opens her maw to complain.

He pushes the wooden door open, a gush of heat smacks into both of them and 6 crowds in after Mono as he shuts the door. “Only bones?” She gripes out kicking her boots off as Mono sheds the murky green winter coat.

Mono snorts, shrugs his shoulders as 6 tosses her own coat onto the floor. “We had meaty stew last night—oh don’t leave your coat there; here.” Mono gets distracted quickly, his grabs 6’s yellow coat and his own from the floor.

6 softly watches Mono as he hangs the two coats on the hook rack right by the door. Stomping her boats on the mat she leaves them against the wall to stick close to Mono’s side as he does the same thing.

Their little home.

“Come on, let’s check the nomes.” 6 mumbles tugging Mono along even as he complains about needing to start cooking. “Also, it’s ‘let’s check up on the nomes.’ 6.” Mono settles with those words before switching 6’s hold on him.

He wraps her claws around his hand and together they walk into the living room where a set of nomes bundle around.

They’re the ones that keep most of the cabin’s basic appliances and plumping working. 6 doesn’t question it, Mono asked about it the first few months but later he too stopped asking.

The mushroom like nomes poke at their own respective pile of firewood, they sit or stand in a neat line waiting their turn to add the fuel.

(6 had proved that she knew how to start fire; Mono went on to, maybe perhaps, fuel 6’s interest in such element when he showcased the lighter.)

Mono brushed his knuckles on the mushroom caps on a few of the nomes as 6 tugs them along. They chitter and garble out waterlogged words. “Meat?” 6 asks as they walk into the kitchen. “Hmm, give me one good reason why I should add meat.” Mono gets to work, letting 6 mulls over his words.

Mono begins to worry that his words were a too confusing for 6 when she doesn’t answer right away. He dumps the cabbage leaves into the brewing water and twists around on his chair to look at 6.

She’s sitting on the island table, legs dangling off the edge as she stares at the ceiling.

Is…is she mulling over my words?

“I—!” 6’s loud voice makes Mono flinch, and she lowers her loud volume a moment. “I—I’ll uncover my eyes!” She leans forward, pointing to the fridge in the corner. She’s banking on the idea that with just that Mono will allow meat into the stew.

Her favorite food type.

“Only if you leave your face uncover for a whole week!” Mono turns the table back on 6 who grimaces with bared teeth. “Tonight! And morning!” She shouts out pointing a claw at Mono.

“A week!” He presses on slowly grinning when he sees 6 flush. “No! Uhm—” “Then no meat 6! Only bones.” Mono huffs out with a cocky grin.

She stares back at Mono, before grumbling and slouching into herself.

“UGH! Fine! Two weeks!”

Mono only asked for a week but he wasn’t going to complain.

Chapter Text

6 thumbed at the sleeve of her sweater. The thick wool smelt of spices and dust, it’s also somewhat poorly made since Mono made it. She’s not complaining but it’s funny watching as Mono struggled to make a wool sweater.

(he had read the many books and notes 6’s Grandma had left behind—even a little on the work Father left behind too. All just so he can make a gift in time to Christmas.)

She’s looking up at the door way, tilting her head one way before moving it to the other side. 6 had went ahead—whilst Mono snoozed away on the couch—and strung up a mistletoe. What’s Christmas without the iconic mistletoe anyways?

6 remembers watching how happy Mother got whenever Father got her under the plant. Grandpa and Grandma would snort and laugh when they where under it too. 6 was still too young but she does recall the forehead kisses Father gave her under the plant.

Mother would fondly rub over 6’s hair before giving her a kiss on the nose.

The mistletoe was something she cannot forget to hang up for Christmas.

(Idly 6 wonders how Mono spent his Christmas. Did he also hung up a mistletoe at home? Was his parents always happy and smiles during this moment?)

Thumbing at a loose wool thread 6 turned around and bounded over to a snoring Mono. It’s fine, whether Mono knew what a mistletoe is and isn’t, she can always show him anyways. 6 clawed her way up and onto the couch that Mono naps upon.

It’s covered in layers of pelted blankets and other quilted things they’ve dug up. The nomes that hang around Mono chitter and gargle before scattering away from 6’s pathway. She bats them away with the back of her hands, shooing them away from the bundle that is Mono.

“…6?” Mono groans out when her claws accidently press into his shoulders. When he rolls over rubbing a hand into his eyes. “Mono!” 6 responds cheerfully, then she yanks the pelted blanket he is using and slips under it.

6 clambers into the blanket, instantly being warmed by Mono’s body warmth and gets to getting comfortable next to Mono. He shivers at the cold skin 6 has exposed (her arms, claws, legs and face) that presses into his body. “6 why are you so cold?” he mumbles out lifting the blanket up to help 6 get comfortable.

Blinking away his tired haze, Mono nods at the rumbled ‘thanks’ from 6 as she curls up right next to his side.

Much alike to a feral cat turned domesticated.

It’s not a bad comparison!

Because really, 6 was more feral when Mono had first stumbled into her that fateful day. When she tackled him into slippery mud and her father dropped a cage on to him.

Now here 6 is, purring away curled up next to his side. Pressing her body against his own, all because she wanted to be close to Mono. He flushed slightly at the heat seeping into his shirt. They’ve been close before, other cold nights forcing them to cuddle to keep every limb nice and warm.

It’s not weird or odd to Mono. 6 is surely the same—what with the way she’s purring happily and snuggles deeper into Mono.

She sinks into his side like she was always meant to be there.

Mono flushes because he’s just so….so loved.

Loved in the way 6 is always cuddling next to Mono’s side even if the nights are not that cold anymore. It’s something so primal and yet not. She loves Mono enough to always sink herself into the space between his arms and rib cage.

Like a cat whose finally found the perfect sleeping spot.

Wiggling a bit, Mono finds his comfortable spot once more, chased by 6 also wiggling to have his ribs pressed into her, he sluggishly blinks up at the ceiling.

Thoughts of his time spent with 6 cling to his sleepy mind like cobwebs. Brewing behind his wary eyes and warming up his beating heart.

Thinking about 6 and every fun moment shared with her gets Mono’s heart pounding. It’s a happy feeling; knowing that finally in this new cycle Mono has caught his dream in his palms.

Safely snagged into his clutch where he won’t dare open incase the dream flutters away in a yellow blur.

So what if he may grow old and wary in the coming years?

So what if Mono might start looking like The Broadcaster; tall, lanky and meant for the TV.

He can deal with growing old here in 6’s cabin house.

Where she too will grow old just like him in coming years.

Where 6 too will start looking like her parents; a hunter underneath her pale skin always meant to track and maim prey.

Together they can deal with growing old here, under the roof of a shared cabin house.

Mono rolls over, a arm draped over 6’s shoulders and he pulls the girl even closer. His blinks are becoming slower and he spends more time keeping them shut. Mono can fall asleep like this.

Piled under fur pelted blankets, wrapping his arms around a snoozing 6 and smothered in her blistering body heat. She’s always had the higher body temp and Mono takes advantage of this; snuggling close to 6 so that he may steal some of that heat.

(Mono has always struggled with his low body temperature. Always standing close to 6 trying to sap some of her overwhelming heat.)

Over the bumps and ridges of pelted blankets, pass the shape of nomes also sleeping in the mound; Mono eyes the plant 6 strung up on the main doorway.

It’s still the lively green from when she plucked it out from the ground. Well, more like 6 had dug it out from a snow-covered shrub and then YANKED the parasite plant out from it’s host.

She looked so proud, like a peacock flaunting it’s feathers, as she lead the way back home.

He has half the brain to know what the plant is. With it’s slightly white spheres and mostly red circles bundled together by spikey leaves.

But Mono’s half way there to knocking out again. After roasting lamb (he isn’t too sure how 6 presented him a lamb leg eailer in the day. In fact, he’s more worried over where she got the meat and where IS THE REST OF SAID LAMB—HELLO!?, but the food he cooked filled him up and made him sleepy.

Eating always makes them sleepy, because the food is so good and with the life a kid lives in a nightmarish world like this—there is never any leftovers.

Humming Mono connects the name of the plant to said plant he was eyeing before he promptly fell asleep. With shadows dancing to the edges of his vison, dreams slowly forming in his eyes (or are they other realities Mono is to roam in for a bit?) Mono also loosely understands the meaning of standing under said hanging plant.

It’s a mistletoe.

Chapter Text

Mono stands under the mistletoe. It’s losing it’s spikey leaves as the days past and well, Mono isn’t too sure if December is full over and pass or not (at this point everything is just: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) but it’s still cold outside with piling snow.

So who cares if December has passed and it’s time to take down the mistletoe since it’s no longer Christmas.

He swirls the warm cup in his hand as he owlishly blinks his eyes at the plant. 6 isn’t inside the house, she’s out chasing some winter animals and terrorizing the birds. As the days pass and night falls 6 has gotten more and more angsty. Pacing around the cabin rooms, opening and shutting all types of doors and chasing the nomes. Something in her is changing and no longer can she stand still or just be idle.

Mono accepted that 6 will be outside more.

It’s fine, she’s more then equipped to handle the monsters outside after all. With everything they’ve experienced as kids ( Mono snorts into his cup, ‘kids’ he says as if more then one year has already pass. And well, soon that will be true. ) 6 knows how to stalk at dusk and treed the shadows.

So, 6 wonders the outskirts of the cabin. Climbing bark, hoping from branch to branch and attacking anything she can be able to take down and drag it back home.

Birds, rats, mice, vole, crows, rabbits, possums, fish, squirrels, and the like.

One day, maybe one year, 6 might take home bigger things like deer, bucks, those giant cranes they saw at the lake…..a bear?

But yes, 6 now explores the wilderness by herself. Rare days Mono goes hand in hand with her trailing after every jump and step she does. She’s always in a playful mood those days. Tugging on his sleeve and pulling him close on the logs.

The days Mono watches her from the cabin window Mono sees how much she’s started to change. 6 looses the grin she wears when Mono joins her. She bares her teeth at the world as she stalks around the pine roots. Claws idly lingering on hiding spots. Her golden eyes peering into every space in order to catch her prey.

Because on those days that Mono doesn’t join her suddenly everything becomes a prey. Mice too slow get trapped in her claws. Birds who don’t flutter up into the air high enough get pounced on with their feathers scattering in the air.

6 turns into the predator she was born to be. Using the skills her father taught her with tracking, sniffing out the animals and giving chase. Whilst she can handle a gun yet (Mono worries for that day) 6 makes up for it in her sharp teeth, claws and raw power.

How shocking it is, to see how strong 6 is compared to himself.

One cold night he watched 6 lift a log easily. The next morning Mono lifted the same log and he was in awe.

“What?” 6’s breath ghosted over Mono’s bare neck. Shivers raced up his spine and one hand clamped down on the exposed skin. “6, you’re back!” He turned on his heel, careful to keep his hot chocolate from spilling, and faced his crush head on.

The nasty scar on her left cheek and ear shined in the light along with her golden eyes. She blinks slowly at Mono before a slow coy smile spread over her lips. “Mo—no.” She pops out his name before pulling forward her recent kill.

A fat mouse whose tail is in knots. Mono wonders if 6 did that to the tail. “Spring will be here soon.” He says instead; best not think about the morally questionable things 6 does nowadays really. ‘Oh?’ she rolls her shoulder as an answer before just tossing their food to the side.

Her golden eyes trail up and eye the mistletoe they both stand under.

Mono peers down at the forgotten prey. “Yeah! Soon you can start wearing your rain coat again.”

Why did 6 toss aside the mouse? Normally she’s all eager to help Mono skin the food and slice the meat.

Did she not originally plan to catch the mouse?

6 nods her head faintly, before reaching out and grabbing Mono’s wrist. Since he isn’t looking at her. Mono is still staring holes into the mouse even as he moves on to talk.

6 isn’t really paying attention. Her eyes are zoned in on the mistletoe, it’s berries are a bright red with a few now starting to wilt. Slowly, her golden eyes slide down the doorway and falls onto a clueless Mono.

He’s yapping away about something, even pointing at the mouse every so often.

So clueless.

She certainly bit the thing alright.

From what Mono can see there is a chunk of meat missing from it’s neck. The killing blow that cats use for when they hunt. Mono can’t help the slight chill that passes through him. 6’s mouth is full of sharp canines that can main and tear into meat like melted butter.

To be hunted by 6 would be a nightmare in itself.

She can track anything and now she is starting to kill a lot of things.

Finding her spot in the food chain. With, of course, Mono by her side.

He feels another tug on 6, briefly he glances at the girl, who is sniffing the steam wafting up from his cup of hot chocolate. Without thinking he presses the mug into one of her hands and watches fondly as she takes a small sip.

6 is quick to stick out her tongue in disgust before trying too cool her expression when she caught Mono eyeing her.

“You don’t like chocolate?” He tilts the mug towards his side and peers at how much is left and –oh, 6 really didn’t just take a sip.

She took most of the drink. “Hmm, eh.” She mumbles distracted.

What is she distracted by?

Mono jumps in his skin when her claws circle around his jaw and just stays there. Mono can’t keep the laugh from escaping and it fills in the gap between them.

When…when did the gap between them get so little?

“6?” All Mono can see is gold and all he can smell is hot chocolate.

So clueless.

OH.

Chapter Text

6 has been enjoying the spring breeze. She wakes up early, press her mouth onto Mono’s forehead and off she goes running through the tall grass.

Digging to the cold dirt and uprooting wiggling worms. She dugs through any potted plants they have laying around and tosses the beetle grubs into the grass.

Bait for crows and woodpeckers. She doesn’t lunge at them when they land on the grass and peck at the bait she gives them.

Covered in dirt and broken roots 6 is back to racing around the wilderness. She spends her early mornings tossing bugs to the flock of birds, when noon hits 6 spawls out on the hill leading to the cabin and soaks in the warm sun.

Like a cat she stays there for a hour or two, taking in nature and its rebirth from the harsh winter snow.

When 6 has her fill she comes walking into the cabin and accepts the bowl of sliced fruit Mono offers. She settles down close to his side on the porch and together they eat the strawberries, watermelon and honeydew there.

Legs kicking in the dirt and they both watch the outdoors. Mono talks about what he has done while she was out.

(“I’ve cleaned the whole house. Fixed that hole in that one room. Made another pelted blanket, fixed some broken silverware. Learned how to stitch clothes better. Got a new cut from a unlucky trip.”)

Then she talks, gargles, mutters, chirps out her time out in the woods. He listens with wide eyes, his black eyes fondly tracing her fast movements as she stumbles through her butchered words. 6 is still trying to get a grasp on words. She knows all the words in her feral language, but speaking them?

HAH!

(“Feed the birds. Squashed a beetle….egg? Didn’t mean too. Splashed in the river. Fell down a hill and got a scratch on her knee. She likes Mono. She really likes Mono. Join me in the woods!”)

Placing their bowls on the fixed porch 6 takes Mono’s hands and the afternoon is spent with him.

Chasing birds, tracking mice and possums holding hands, slipping off the log and plunging into the mud below, wrestling and playing in the mud, taking a dip in the river and splashing each other with laughter.

When dusk hits, making pine trees shadows long and stectched out Mono takes 6’s hands in his own and they walk home together. For once there is left overs and the fridge is working well enough for the leftovers to last a few days at most.

Inside the cabin once night falls 6 eyes the height Mono is at.

He’s grown once again, growing and fitting more into the cabin then when he first settled into here.

No longer did he have to hop up the stairs. Struggle to open the doors, he can simply stand on his toes and pull on the handle.

They’re getting older and 6 purrs loudly when her meal is placed in front of her. Nomes gather around their own plate on the floor. Mono settles down in front of 6, flashing her a shy smile and together they get a meal like a family.

Bugs are singing in the night outside and when stars start to shine 6 finds her way into Mono’s arms and there in their shared bed she snuggles deep into him, falling asleep.

The days Mono wakes up early enough to join 6 are the better days. But also the worse, because the weather is always just terrible. Strong winds that stop birds from settling onto the floor, rainy storms that floods the muddy waters and rivers, thunderstorms that cut their days early.

It’s all okay, 6 isn’t upset or angry with the world. Instead the two still go running around in the grass and laughing.

Shared moments in tree tops as the winds threaten to shake them out of it.

Breathes mixed when the waters get to high as the rain seems never ending.

Pulled close as thunderstorms crack open the sky and lightening flashing the sky.

All spend with him.

With Mono who grins and laughs just as much as 6 when those awfull weather days happen.

Soaking wet and taking turns on taking warm baths (one just outside the bathroom door, which is missing so whoever is waiting makes sure to stare at the hanged paintings in the hallway never down into the room) and talking away about the days.

Once dried and dress they walk out the bathroom, do a small high five and the roles are switched. Until both are freshly cleaned and ready to sleep away the bad weather.

It’s all wonder moments that 6 gets to have with Mono.

Summer rolls in and the heat waves start.

6 spends more days at the cabin, laboring away with Mono in repairing the cabin. Nomes help out too, dragging over tools and material they’ll be needing.

Planks, hammers, nails, screws.

All the that sort of deal.

6 sleeps in, snuggled deep into Mono’s side until they’re both woken up by the sweat. Then it’s another summer day spend building and repairing in the hot summer rays. Tank tops and thin shirts are worn along with shorts.

Mono goes through all the colors, from yellow, blue, red and even orange.

6 sticks with the warm tones of yellow, red, orange and the odd brown.

Halfway through summer, after countless repairs and resource hunting 6 sees how tiny the nomes really are now. No longer are they half her size, instead she is starting to tower over the tiny mushroom kids. The mushroom capped things really stand out when they hand her needed items.

In the warm dirt, sweaty from the summer labor and the heat waves, 6 tugs one over to her lap and she holds it up. It gargles out what she thinks are words before waving around their root like arms. Strange little things that are basically cursed kids.

Everyone is aware of the curse that turns kids into nomes.

It’s the size of a small cat in her claws. When she lowers her arms, peers over the mushroom cap 6 looks at Mono who is hard at work on cutting a log.

He swings the axe up, over his shoulder and slams the weapon into the log. It slices through the chunk and two wedges are now made. Mono is sweating, rolling a shoulder into his face to collect the sweat and he grins at his work.

Mono has grown too. Taller and with more muscle, enough to easily swing weapons like nothing. 6 lets go of her grasp on the nome. It lets out a warple of a yelp as it is suddenly dropped high, it stumbles on thin root legs before scampering over to Mono’s side.

Where it joins it’s buddies on taking the wood Mono is chopping.

(He no longer grunts with effort when he slams the axe down. No longer needing to use his whole weight to swing the axe over himself. Instead the built muscles in his shoulders, arms and back are used)

6 lets her golden eyes linger on Mono’s exposed skin before flopping into the dirt behind her and sighing. It’s too hot to really think but she does know that Mono is becoming really nice looking.

“Hey, you’ve got uhm,” 6 stumbles on her words one summer night. The bug net in her claws is tlited this way and that before Mono glances at her over his shoulder. He’s getting broader….  “Thing on you.” She settles with. Her bangs have gotten longer too, now they cover her nose but she can still see the glowing bug that hugs onto Mono’s shirt.

“Thing!?” He gasps quickly standing up from his crouched pose. The clear jar of fireflies is jerked for a moment before he remembers to be gentle.

“Glow….bug?” 6 struggles again still staying in her crouched pose in the tall grass. “You mean…a firefly is on me?” Mono mumbles out the words before displaying the jar in front of him and glancing over his (toned) arms. “Where?” he asked twisting this way and that.

6 lets him suffer in his search, she goes back to watching the waking fireflies and she shuffles the bug net in her hands.

They go bug hunting together when both of them are too sore to finish the summer repairs and work projects.

“Here,” She grins out under the cover of shadows. She purrs at the trust Mono has in her when he leans close to her. She trails a clawed hand over his back then without warning she slams her palm into the bug.

“6 WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!” Mono shouts out the instant she pulls her hand away from him. Mono still trusts her enough not to smear the bug guts onto him but he still flinches away when she waves the dirty palm at him. “Look! Look!” She chirrups out and together they lean close to palm in awe at the firefly guts.

It faintly glows still before it fades.

Summer is also the time Mono gets to grow a lot of crops. He showed 6 one summer dusk how he has been getting the seed packets too. He drags her over to a TV that flickers on. Her first response is to snarl deep and loud and whilst she’s CLEARLY unwelcoming of the thing she allows Mono one chance and one chance only to prove why she shouldn’t throw a rock through the screen.

He calms her beating heart with gentle hands and then he steps over to the screen, presses one palm into the TV. Up to his elbow before he pulls out from the thing, it fizzles and pops before turning off when Mono has what he wanted.

Seed packets for corn.

6 grumbles and hisses before she mumbles her approval of the remaining TV on her island.

(Her island. She’s made it clear to Mono that this land was once owned by Father and now it’s been handed over to her. What about me? Mono had questioned, with a teasing smile. Ugh, fine it’s mostly mine and mostly yours too. She settled with giving him a kiss.)

6 helps Mono with his garden chores. She grabs the tools needed to make the beds needed for the seeds and leans onto the handle as Mono scatters the corn seeds into the dirt. He covers them back up as 6 carefully, carefully waters them with the watering can.

Together they grow corn for the first time.

And many other times every time summer rolls in with the heat waves.

Fall comes in with a sudden cold front. The crops Mono worked over gets killed that one day thanks to the cold and Mono huffs his anger. “We didn’t know.” 6 yawns out yanking out another dead plant.

When did she grow to like veggies?

“Wonder if I can have the TV transmit the weather forecast.” Mono mumbles out behind her.

“huh?” 6 croaks out looking over her shoulder.

Ah that’s right, its because of him.

After that they plant seeds meant for the fall weather. The chilling weather won’t straight up kill these new plants right away and 6 purrs deep in her chest when the first shoot of a plant reveals itself.

Mono hones in on his crafts. Making coats and other thick clothing for himself  and 6 as she drags home bigger game.

Deer, bucks, wolves, boars…..one day she even lugs home a bear.

“HOW!?” Mono shouts out pulling at his curls as he stares down at the animal. It’s not the biggest bear, it’s still young and yet….yet 6 manage to kill the thing. “For you!” is her answer before she’s pressing her mouth into Mono’s forehead.

A act of love. She really loves giving Mono forehead kisses and he connects that with how her old family used to show love that way.

“T—thanks?” Mono watches in bafflement as 6 grasps a paw in her (blackened) claws and drags the dead weight into the skinning shed. How—how did? Where….? Should he be worried about wondering bears?

He trails after 6, feeling weightless. “Bears are omnivores do you think they’ll go after my garden?” 6 echoes her laughter at the question. When he walks into the skinning room (the one where her father often worked at) 6 is already going to work on the bear she’d killed.

She doesn’t need to use any skinning tools.

Why would she need any use for them?

She has her unnaturally sharp fingers, she thinly and carefully cuts at the membrane connecting the meat to the pelt. Sawing it away with only her fingers.

As she gets to work Mono rolls up her sleeves (if she wears a long sleeved shirt/coat/ jacket you know) and grabs a tool.

He doesn’t have what 6 has so he puts her father’s tool back into work.

Together they make easy work out of the big kill. Saving all the meat they can from the bear and keeping its pelt. As Mono packs away the meat, gently folding the brown parchment paper over the prime meat Mono watches the way 6 glance over the bones.

She’s thinking of reusing them bones—for what Mono isn’t really sure of. What can one do with bones that large?

Scrape out the bone marrow, make bone soup…what other uses does large bones hold?

“We can sell…a place.” 6 mumbles placing the picked clean bear skull back onto the table. The place is stained with blood and soon they’ll have to give the place a good wash. “Your family used to sell bones?” Mono asks grabbing the cleaning items. Rags, water, soap, and disinfectant. “The Nest…daughter there…brat.” 6 ends the talk there growling out the word before taking ahold of the mop.

Mono wants to ask but he doesn’t.

He lets go of the subject and drops it.

One dusk Mono glances out of the kitchen window, the meat they took from the bear going to good use. It’s not beef stew but Mono can work with…bear stew.

He adds more veggies for himself.

But when he glances up he has a near heart attack at the sight.

6 is wandering back home but on her head is the small bear skull from a few days ago. “6!? WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!?” He pries the window open and leans half his body out to shout the question to his crush. She’s easily stomping through the brushes and pine roots using her father’s boots (being the age of 18, she can now fit into her father’s items like nothing. Mono is 21 and he fits much better into the shirts 6’s father wore but he doesn’t dare touch the ones she took claim of.) she’s waving a gloved hand around, before using the other one to lift up the bear skull.

“Mono!” She shouts out with glee, even if she looks like a monster.

He holds the door open for her as she slips on pass and gently sets the skull on the floor. She reaches over to Mono, forces his head lower and presses a loving kiss to his forehead. “Ah, 6….!” He grumbled out pulling away to wipe away the mud she smeared there.

She cackles, hands curled in for a moment before wiggling out of her many layers.

Father’s gloves get placed at the end table by the door. His heavy boots get stomped free of any caked-on mud and then she slips them off her feet. Father’s heavy hunting coat gets fondly hung on the deer antlers mounted on the wall.

“What where you up to?” Mono asks gently taking her clawed hand in his own. He eyes the black tips on her claws—recently her finger tips and toe tips have these odd black seeping into her skin. (no amount of washing makes it fade away.) 6 rubs a thumb into Mono’s knuckle before taking the lead into their shared home.

Home.

She settles into the broken couch in the living room and tugs Mono next to her. “Hmmm trap check up.” She grumbles out rubbing a palm into her chest. 6 breaks their hand-holding to examine her newest feature on her skin. “With the bear skull?” Mono snorts out stretching out his legs before leaning as far as he could on the back of the couch.

He food won’t burn, he made sure of it and even if he doesn’t check up on the food the nomes can handle it.

6 shuffles around for a moment before just flopping herself over Mono’s exposed stomach. “oof.” She snorts, before relaxing like a happy cat. “mmmm…no, humans? Yess.” She finally answers.

Mono doesn’t question farther. No, where they alive? Did you free them? Where are their bodies, 6? He’s long since learned to turn a blind eye on 6’s taste testing out in the forest.

Winter another year spent here in the wastelands. Here, under their shared cabin together. 6 hangs up the mistletoe again, she’s impishly grinning at it before slithering away. Mono eyes the plant, getting memories of past moments under the plant with 6 before snorting.

It’s a plant that Mono quite likes thanks to 6 now.

During winter they both have switched spots. Mono tracks the winter forest land, stomping over snow and logs with (his father-in-law’s? Mono ponders his relationship with 6’s family) boots. He resets the traps, fixes the bear traps, and handles the gun bestowed onto him (via 6 who did a whole important moment that very day) and brings home game.

6’s outfit also changed during this switch.

Out with her coats and sweaters, instead she wears this long robe (something wiggles at Mono’s brain—he knows the word doesn’t he?) that her mother owns. It’s thick and keeps her body heat well that 6 sports the outfit throughout all winter.

6 fondly keeps each outfit in mint condition. No thread gets loose. No stains or spots. No holes or punctures either.

“You look nice.” Mono quips out one day, after he places a boar down at 6’s feet. She’s wearing her normal outfit this time; a shirt and pants, but she throws a look at Mono. “I—I mean you ALWAYS do! But—like what, I meant you look nice with the other outfit!” He flushes under her sly look and tugs his raccoon hat lower over his eyes.

6 lets out a airy giggle.

She’s been lingering by the mistletoe lately. Winter is almost over and even if she’s caught Mono under the plant more times then he can remember; he can’t help but wonder what 6 is doing.

She’s also taken to keeping her claws (the black shade has spread farther up her fingers) hidden too. 6 murmured to Mono one night about how she doesn’t like the look of them.

Evil. Bad.

She had said and Mono holds 6 closer.

“6?” Mono steps under the mistletoe, the far of peanut butter he made is tucked firmly between his ribs and arm. He has a plan that might snap 6 out of whatever she is in.

She stills in the cover of shadows, however Mono sees the way her pupils widen at the spot he stands at.

He can even hear the purr building up. “Come here, I have two things for you.” Mono grins out waving his free hand at her.

6 eyes the mistletoe above, before lurking forward. Her hair was cut just yesterday so Mono can clearly see the glee in her face and blown eyes.

“Try this first.” Mono stops 6 fast, if he doesn’t do this now then he might forget about it. Her claws stop mid-air, a pout forming on her face before she huffs out a ‘okay.’. With her permission, Mono scoops out a chunk of peanut butter with the spoon and grins.

He lets her lean forward to sniff at the spoon, she makes a face before opening her mouth to complain.

Mono knew of course that 6 would complain over the mixture, in fact he was gambling for this.

She clamps down on the metal spoon quick, like a triggered bear trap and snarls a bit. Her nose scrunches up in hate at Mono before it instantly cools into a face of surprise. 6 pulls away from the spoon, smacks her mouth before she is distracted by the taste.

(she smacks her mouth open and close for a bit, trying to get the peanut butter and the image reminds Mono of a dog fed peanut butter.)

“What—” She’s still smacking her maw, sharp teeth flashing for a moment, “—is this?” 6 asks raising a hand to her mouth like it can aid her. When she realizes it won’t her hand falls onto Mono’s elbow to steady her. “It’s called peanut butter! I made it.” Mono explains already getting another scoop ready.

Smack smack smack smack

When the sounds finally stops Mono looks up with a bright grin as 6 finishes off the last bit of the first peanut butter. “I—” She mumbles trying to remember something. What was bothering her again? “It’s good, peanut butter?” She asks and accepts the second scoop better.

Back to smacking her maw she goes as Mono giggles and snorts.

“Yeah! I remembered how much you thought chocolate was bitter and I remembered about peanut butter! It’s not as hard to make like chocolate is, so for your Christmas gift I went ahead and made you some—”

6 lets Mono’s ramble fly over her head, she nods along like she’s listening as she swallows the remaining peanut butter. It’s really tasty and it causes her to really work to get the treat into her throat. 6 doesn’t mind, in fact it’s almost like chewing into human meat.

She eyes the jar that Mono holds, the only scoops taken out from the (butter? Jam? Spread? What is peanut butter?) is from what Mono fed her.

Oh.

Ohhh

Oohhh hohohoh this is going to be good.

In the middle of Mono’s rambles 6 snaps her fingers and points at the far. He follows her point before hums. “Have you? Tired any?” 6 rushes out her question, bouncing on her toes as she waits for Mono to answer.

He eyes the jar for a moment before looking at 6.

Is…is he figuring out her master plan?

“Ah, not yet. I wanted you to try it first.” Mono finally answers, he twirls the spoon between his fingers for a bit before he goes to scoop some peanut butter. To try it himself.

“Okay, okay!” Her words end with a giggle, and it’s there that something clicks in Mono’s mind.

She’s planning something but what is it?

He has the scoop ready for himself and before he can stick the butter into his mouth 6 snatches it first. She clamps her sharp teeth over the spoon and eats the peanutbutter before Mono can blink. “hey!” Mono groans out before pulls the metal spoon free.

6 snorts and smacks her maw for a moment before rolling her wrist and moving her fingers. ‘Do you want a taste?’ she asks with her fingers, bouncing on her toes.

All most there…..

Mono frowns before waving the spoon at 6. “Yeah! That scoop was for me!” he huffs out before his mock anger disappears. Before he can get another spoonful 6 grabs at his hand.

It halts his movements and it forces Mono to wait a few mouthful smacks before 6 explains her actions.

‘Oh? It was for you?’ she asks in the way 6 rolls her right shoulder and points at her mouth. “Yes! It was!”

Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.

‘Okay! Here!’ 6 grins out, allowing Mono a moment to read her words before she closes in.

All Mono remembers is her blown eyes and the taste of home made peanut butter.

Chapter Text

There was a human stuck in one of the traps. 6 shuffled on her boots unsure of what to do. Suddenly all those moments she watched Father smash the butt of his gun into a trapped human’s head is gone. They’ve….she hasn’t had any prime meat in a few years.

Since Mono and her took over the land given to her from Father.

(even if they’ve gained the land by killing Father.)

It’s not one of those dumb viewers she remembers seeing in the Pale City.

They have a normal face, not twisted or having skin folding in on itself.

The human weakly gurgles out to 6, spotting her figure standing in the shadows of a pine tree. Snow flutters down from the tree tops and the snow clouds.

6 can hear them mumbling out pleas, reaching a hand to her, gloves they wore asking for her help.

6 thumbs at the gun slung over her shoulders, she lowers herself to the chilled dirt, digging her nose deeper into the green shirt Father used to wear.

She studies the other normal human. Golden eyes hidden by her bangs skim over the winter clothes they wore. Who is this person?

Unfortunately trapped in her bear traps.

One dug into the right ankle of this human. Another is clamped down on its right knee as well. Snow around those traps are stained red. Something in 6 has her golden eyes flashing.

“help….” They mumble face deep in the piling snow. 6 wonders how long they’ve been bleeding out, stuck in the growing snow. “mmm?” She hums out prompting the being to weakly reach it’s hand to her.

The wooly beanie they wore is colored grey.

Mono would like it.

6 reaches forward, seeing the hand grow more alive now that 6 is moving.

She slaps the weak limp away, amused at the jerk it makes at her refusal to help and instead she snatches up the cap. 6 flips it inside out, fixes it and stuffs it onto her own head. She had to make sure the human wasn’t carrying head lice or anything.

“what…?” She hands it to this young adult. They’re really fighting to be alive, unlucky for them they’re stuck with 6.

Who is morally skewed just a bit.

“What?” She mumbles into the cold watching her words form into puffs from the cold air. The hand reaching for her falls into the ground before dragging over to the bear trap once more.

Numb fingers tug uselessly at the traps teeth before giving up again. Without the cap 6 eyes the red hair this person sports. Like those red squirrels 6 would shoot at, when they finally get enough willpower to move their face to eye 6 she’s shocked to see their eye color.

It’s a dark shade of green.

The redshot eyes glare at her. Like she’s some sort of monster.

How can she be a monster? Mono wouldn’t love a monster. She’s kind to Mono, bringing home game and sharing with him. She even shares kisses with him (only pressing her mouth to his forehead and maaaybe his jaw when he won’t bend down)—so no, she’s not a monster.

6 drags her eyes to the bear trap. She might be a little cruel not opening the teeth. Watching this normal kid-grown-young-adult grow cold but what can she do? She doesn’t want to share her space with anyone else.

She has Mono, her other family memembers’, she doesn’t want another person in her shared space.

So, she watches on as the person struggles to fight their growing numbness and the blood loss to live. “Fuck…..you.” They rasp at one point too weak to fight 6 as she steals more of their winter clothes. She bitterly snorts out a laugh before roughly twisting the scarf off them.

“Huh?” She mocks the male, when she took the outer coat off she noticed the broad shoulders, tipping her head close to him.

She dances her gloved hands along his shoulders, before taking a hold of one in her hand and the other settles onto his bicep.

He stills under her hold, shivering in the cold. 6 stills too, listening to the winter forest as she thinks over her actions.

She wanted to dislocate his shoulder for being rude and saying ‘fuck you’ to her. 6 didn’t do anything!

But….

She pulls away and out of the unknown males space.

…if Mono finds out he might not give her a hug.

6 settles into the roots of a tree, idly watching the male grow colder. She thumbs at the gun strap on her and drags her tongue over her gums.

It’s been awhile since she ate a human.

“Where did you find this!?” Mono sounds excited as he settles the grey wooly beanie over his head. He had recently cut his hair, back to how it was styled when 6 first saw him. She raises her palms, using them to give Mono his answer.

‘One of the neighbor’s cabins…I went to dig through them finally.’

She keeps her mouth sewed shut, the dull ache in her gums gone and her stomach full.

Mono drags her into a hug, she digs her cold nose into his exposed neck and snorts as he flinches.

Mono and 6 study her clawed fingers, the blackness seeping up from the tips have finally reached her knuckles. It looks like she got into black fabric dye and it now refuses to wash away. “It grow bit..” Mono groans out rubbing a hand over his face and frowning.

6 cooes a bit, flips her palm up and together they study that side.

She doesn’t tell him the reasoning behind it. 6 will keep that answer to herself and drag it into the grave if she has too.

She rubs a black tainted thumb over Mono’s unmarked skin.

“What do you think caused this?” Mono asks, so clueless to 6 holding her breath. She releases it slowly before curling her claws over his hands. He trusts her enough and lets 6 curl her deadly weapons around his rough hands.

Innocent hands.

She hums, making up an excuse to say before she shuffles closer and just flops her weight onto Mono. He grunts with some effort unprepared to carry her weight, one hand slips free from her claws and he uses it to support them both. “6?” He asks with a slight chuckle. “Father…had claws like…mine.” She mumbles into his chest.

There’s a moment of silence between the two. She settles deeper into Mono, testing his new found arm muscle before he finally reacts. “Wait—really?”

The next day 6 treks back into the forest, winding her way to the spot she found the other human. Around her age, where she had a slight feast.

Neat as a proper lady that’ll make Mother sing with pride.

The traps there are reset, 6 kicks some snow over the traps before nodding. The parts 6 didn’t eat had already been tossed into the ocean, she watched them bob and float for a moment before the waves dragged them away.

What Mono doesn’t find or see won’t hurt him. 6 rubs her black tainted fingers, popping the knuckles before fixing the gun on her back.

She’s not a monster. Mono tells her that every time she grumbles and has a off day. Mono holds her black claws gently and rubs a thumb into them.

6 is not a monster.

She struggles for a moment, huffing and puffing outside the cabin steps. The young moose (a teen, freshly hitting the age to start mating) she dragged put a strain on her own muscles.

She has them! Just not a lot unlike Mono. She grumbles in envy, unset that he can gain more muscle then she can.

But, that’s okay since 6 has her claws and sharp teeth whilst Mono only has his strength. Letting go of the hoof 6 slumps heavily onto her knees. This damn game she got is so heavy. “fuck….Mono!” She yells out his name, fixing the shot gun on her back.

She hears the scuttling of nome feet before she hears Mono’s steps. He opens the door, peers out into the snow flurries and stares down at 6. “Is that a moose?” He asks stumbling down the steps. She snorts, before nodding. 6 preens under Mono’s awed look.

It may not be a bear—but moose are still just as deadly.

He whistles (something 6 spent a whole day on teaching him) before helping with moving the game. “I know.” 6 says with her nose upturned. She doesn’t help with carrying the weight.

Mono easily picks it up onto his shoulder and walks to the skinning shed. “I’m just that cool.” She laughs out crowding into Mono’s broad back. He settles the thing onto the floor not minding as 6 basically shoves her front half into his back.

“Yeah, yeah.” He giggles tying up the hind legs to get the moose hung up. The skill 6 taught him all those years ago coming forth.

He doesn’t mind her cold claw tips slithering up his sides, only humming when 6 presses her nose into his nape. “What’s wrong, 6?” he asks tying the final knot to keep the moose hung up. “Nothing! Nothing….” 6 giggles out.

Her voice has a tilt of playfulness to it. Like a soft teasing. “What are you planning?” Mono asks slowly trying to think of what 6 can possibly do.

Nothing comes forth because the puff of laughter that hits his nape has Mono blanking.

“Just…scheming.” 6 whispers out and allows Mono to gather his scattered brain together. “W—what?” He airily chuckles out before leaning forward so fast he almost smacks his head into the tool table.

He’s laughing loudly and trying to stumble away from 6’s black claw tips. She clungs close, easily tickling at his sides and he just can’t escape her. She’s laughing loudly, the gun on her back is quickly thrown off and it hits the wall as she backs away from Mono.

He’s clinging to the table end, gasping cold air into his lungs before he eyes 6 on the other side of the shed. She’s stripping off all the extra layers of winter clothes. Mono knows why, since all that extra weight makes her slow…she wants to be fast and well—Mono takes his chance and quickly runs pass her.

6 struggles with the extra pants she has on before kicking it off and giving chase. She’s snorting and giggling as Mono leaps onto the porch floor and flings open the door. “6 wait! Pl-please hahaha I—we have to skin the—!”

(he doesn’t shut the door on 6, he leaves it wide open invitingly telling 6 that yes, he is enjoying this sudden game of chase)

When he turns around, hands up in a ‘I surrender’ gesture, Mono stills.

6 is there, filling up the space in the doorway. Breathing heavily and her golden eyes keep Mono pinned. She takes one step inside, slowly reaches behind her and shut the door. 6 goes so far to even lock the door.

“6?” He mumbles out with a widening grin.

She responds with a broad smile, lets out a low whistle and pounces.

6 is not a monster.