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The cold outside was brutal.
Six was grateful for the old yellow raincoat she’d found outside the School. Though it was now slick with water and something that looked suspiciously like blood, it still did a good job at keeping out the wind and rain.
As they navigated through the Pale City, she often took the lead, encouraging Mono forward when he hesitated. Things would be okay if they just kept moving. To stay frozen was to be paralyzed with fear, and to be paralyzed with fear was to invite death.
“Six, it’s getting late,” Mono whispered into the darkness. He huddled close to her side as they took a moment to catch their breath in a bleak alleyway.
Slowly, Six slipped her hand through his, a gentle reminder that she was there and that so was he. Then, she tugged him forward, and they went stumbling through the alleyway, searching for a place free from Viewers to rest.
Reaching up, Mono adjusted the yellow rainhat he was wearing, the one he’d found that happened to match her current outfit perfectly. “I don’t like how the sky’s looking.” That was a strange thing to say, though, considering the sky never looked good. It was always dark and cloudy and dangerous, but it paled in comparison to the eeriness of the city’s Signal Tower.
Wordlessly, Six examined the entrance of a crumbling building before ducking inside it. Without letting go of Mono’s hand, she led him further inside, wary of any Viewers that might be lurking about.
As they crept along creaky floorboards and tried not to jump at the slightest sounds, they made their way through the first floor of the old apartment building. A little bit of teamwork allowed them to use the rusted elevator located toward the back, and they both shivered as it crawled its way up to the top of the building.
When they’d finally found a spot to use for the night, Six couldn’t help but curl up on the floor, tucking her weary limbs beneath her chin. She didn’t even have the energy to freshen up after such a long day.
“Six?” Mono’s voice broke through the eerie quiet of the night. “I’m gonna go look for something to eat, okay? I might have to leave the apartment, but I’ll be extra careful, I promise.”
At that, Six’s eyes focused again, and she pulled herself upward slightly. “Food?” Her stomach rumbled as soon as the query left her mouth.
“Yeah,” Mono nodded. “Food.” He turned on his heel to leave, but she reached a hand out to stop him, wrapping her fingers around his ankles.
“Wait,” Six commanded, sitting up more fully. Shrugging off her yellow raincoat, she handed it to him.
Mono accepted the coat, despite the confusion now clouding his eyes. “But, Six? I have a coat.” He motioned to his signature trench coat, so large that it dwarfed his little body entirely.
With a pout, Six shook her head. “Wear mine.”
Neither of them had much energy to argue so Mono tugged his trench coat off and laid it at her feet, almost like a peace offering. Then, he pulled on her yellow raincoat. It was slightly too small for him, but she liked how it looked on him anyways, especially while he was wearing the yellow rainhat that obscured the majority of his face.
Wrapping herself in Mono’s trench coat, Six propped herself up against a wall so that she could have a full view of her surroundings after he left. As he crept out of the room in her coat, she snuggled even deeper into his. They should do this more often. She liked having a piece of him with her, even if he couldn’t be with her right in this particular moment.
As she fought to keep her eyes from sliding shut, she dug her ragged nails into the palms of her hands. She needed to stay awake; she needed to be ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
When Mono returned, they’d be able to properly barricade their little home for the night.
While he was away, she needed to be on her guard. Fighting without him was always a bit daunting, even though she knew she could handle herself alone if she needed to. There was something comforting about the fact that he wouldn’t leave her behind and that he would help fight her battles too if she needed him to.
So, with Mono’s trench coat wrapped snugly around her tiny body, Six kept her eyes glued to the little room’s entrance, eagerly awaiting her friend’s return. Occasionally, she’d inhale, exhale, desperate to quell her anxiety. She didn’t like the thought of him out there, alone and without her, the same way she didn’t like being here without him.
His scent clung to his coat, and it was a comfort to her.
Darkness fell over the Pale City like a weighted blanket, and Six found herself becoming more and more worried about Mono.
After some brief mental calculations, she came to the conclusion that he should’ve been done scavenging by now. He should be back here, where it was safe and warm, where she could look out for him too.
The more time that passed, the more worried she became, nervously scanning the entrance to the little room as she tugged his coat around her tighter.
And, when Mono finally came clambering back into the little room with an armful of supplies in tow, Six jumped up to greet him, his coat pooling at her feet.
As he shook water from his eyes, Mono dropped their supplies into a stack in the middle of the room. “Thanks for lending me your coat, Six.” He shivered as he pulled off her coat and accepted the thin blanket she handed him.
Six hoped that the small upturn of her lips was enough of an acknowledgement for him.
Then, after Mono had gotten changed, they set to work: barricading the room, sorting through the supplies, laying their coats out to dry, eating a quick meal, and getting ready for bed.
Tugging on woolen socks brought a wonderful sense of relief for Six, as did throwing her arms around Mono’s waist. Smelling his scent from his coat secondhand was such a different experience from breathing him in as she nestled closer in his arms. She found that she enjoyed the latter far more than the former.
“I missed you, Mono,” Six found herself whispering.
It warmed her heart to hear Mono whisper back, “I missed you too, Six.”