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The first thing Six noticed as she started coming to was the feeling of being crushed. The panic that set in when she realized she was pinned down was almost overwhelming. Her breathing became erratic as she struggled against the object. No matter how much she wriggled or thrashed, she couldn’t break free. It was too heavy.
Deep breaths Six, deep breaths . It was the best she could do to calm herself. Wasting her energy like this wouldn’t get her anywhere. She always prided herself on being a rational thinker. Being trapped wasn’t about to change that. She’d find a way out, she just had to think . She took the time to try and make out her surroundings. There’s so much dust in the air, she could barely see anything. A few feet away is a weak beam of light, flickering in and out of existence. It’s a little hard to make out, but it almost looked like it was coming from Mono’s flashlight.
Six felt her breathing start to turn uneven again as dread set in. Mono always kept a careful hold of that thing. How had it ended up like that?
She carefully scanned her surroundings again. The dust was finally starting to settle and she could now make out various forms littered throughout the room. Many were large, probably bits of the ceiling that had collapsed, but there were several that looked kid sized. Was one of those forms Mono? Had he been injured by the falling ceiling? Was he lying on the floor right now, life draining out of him? Or was he lying underneath one of the bigger forms, the life crushed out of him instead?
Deep breaths deep breaths deep breaths!
She started to shove against the object pinning her. Rational thinking be damned, she had to get out from under here now! She tried to call out for him but her voice caught in her throat. Nothing would come out. A burst of energy hit her and she began to thrash against the object. Come on, come on!
It’s still no use. Even the worry about her companion didn’t give her enough strength to get free. She stopped struggling and went limp, eyes looking to the floor. Her energy was drained now. She could barely even muster enough strength to lift her head up. Not that it mattered anyways, there wasn’t anything to see.
This was it then, wasn’t it? Mono was probably dead and now she was going to die too, from starvation most likely.
Six wanted to be surprised that the thought of not seeing Mono again was more upsetting to her than dying was. But truthfully, she had seen all of it coming long before this happened. There was something about that kid, his stupid little mannerisms and his stupid face that she’d never even seen, that was somehow endearing. Even when she had the opportunity to leave him behind she could never bring herself to do so. She actually liked being around him. All those promises she had made to herself- don’t get close to anyone, protect yourself first- had all gone out the window with him. And now, the object of her new affection was probably gone.
You’re pathetic, she scolded herself. She was reminded horribly of why she had made those promises to herself in the first place. Either your new found “friend” inevitably betrays you or they end up dying, both of which end up leaving you with a hollow feeling.
Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad.
…She could hear something start to pick through the debris. Probably a rat, there had been plenty of those throughout the city. Worse case it was a monster coming to kill her while she was trapped. She couldn’t even muster up the energy to care.
“Six? Where are you?”
Her head snapped up, heart pounding. Did she really just hear that or was her mind deciding to play a cruel trick on her?
There he was, standing only a few feet away. He had found his flashlight and was banging it against the palm of his hand. The light had completely died now and it wasn’t coming back on. She heard him sigh as he threw the flashlight back on the ground.
“Mono!” She called out with some difficulty. Her throat felt like it was closing up on her.
“Six!” He called back when he saw her. He quickly rushed over to her as she reached her hands out towards him. “D-don’t worry, I’m gonna get you out of there!” He grabbed a hold of her arms and started to pull.
It felt like he was going to pull her arms out of their sockets. But she could also feel herself slowly starting to slide out from underneath the object. She grit her teeth and ignored the pain.
“Almost… there!”
Six was yanked free hard enough that she practically flew over Mono’s head and landed on her stomach. The momentum was enough to knock Mono off his feet and he stumbled to the ground too, facing her. They stared for a moment before they both slowly got to their feet. Both of them appeared to be unharmed at least. Mono stepped forward and grabbed both of Six’s hands with his own.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” He said enthusiastically. Six is certain there’s a big dumb grin on his face.
She couldn't bring herself to respond, still trying to process the fact that he’s alive. Part of her wants to smack him for making her worry so much and yet another part wants to latch on and never let go. It was confusing and made her head start to pound the longer she tried to make sense of it.
An odd, yet not unfamiliar, stinging sensation started to settle in the corners of her eyes. No no no, not in front of him! Crying was something Six hadn’t done in such a long time. Honestly, part of her thought she just couldn’t anymore.
“... Are you okay, Six?” Mono finally asked. He brought one of his hands up and touched her cheek.
It was such a small gesture. It shouldn’t have affected her that much. But his touch was so gentle and his concern sounded genuine. How long had it been since she met someone who actually cared? Who wasn’t just going to stab her in the back as soon as they decided she wasn’t useful anymore? She couldn’t hold her emotions back anymore. The tears started to flow down her cheeks as everything finally boiled over. Mono yanked his hand away quickly and stepped back.
“I-I’m sorry, you didn’t say I could do that, I wasn’t thinking!” He stammered as Six reached up to touch the spot his hand had been. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”
The spot his hand had been holding still felt warm. She hadn’t wanted him to take his hand away. It made her feel all nice and fuzzy on the inside.
“I’ll just um, give you some space, o-okay?” Mono continued as he stepped away even further.
Oh no you don’t, she thought as she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her head into his shoulder. She couldn’t believe how helpless she was. So much for the ‘you don’t need anyone’ mindset. So much for being fine without any form of physical affection.
“S-Six, what are y-you…?” Mono couldn’t finish his sentence. His arms are up, well away from a hugging position. “What are-”
“S-stop talking,” Six managed between sobs.
“Y-yeah, sure.”
She continued to cry into his shoulder. Her annoyance started to increase the longer he went without hugging her back. She figured this display would make what she wanted kind of obvious, but nope, it all flew right over Mono’s head. He’s lucky he’s kind of adorable.
She gripped him a little tighter. C’mon, use your brain, this should be obvious!
“Oh! Do you… want me to hug you back?” He asked, finally getting the message.
Six nodded.
“And you’re definitely okay with that? Like, 100% okay?”
She nodded again.
Her crying intensified when he wrapped his arms around her. Why did her body decide to do this now? Why couldn’t this have happened when they weren’t in danger of being crushed any second? Better yet, why did this even have to happen at all?
Mono started to run small circles into her back. To try and comfort her maybe? It definitely seems like something he’d do. Whatever his goal actually was, the gesture made her heart feel like it was going to shatter into a million pieces. Six still doesn’t understand how he managed to turn out this way despite living in such a shitty world. She’s never met anyone quite like him. Oh, she’s definitely met people who pretend to be good, but none of them have ever been genuine. Mono would be the first.
“Are you doing okay?” He asked.
She shook her head. Nope, she’s absolutely not okay and she’s pretty sure she hasn’t been for a while. She is a master at burying her emotions after all. Apparently so well that even she wasn’t aware of them anymore.
“You uh, wanna keep hugging it out then?”
She nodded.
“Take as long as you want then. I won’t go anywhere.”
That particular sentence made her feel all kinds of weird. There was a strange fluttering in her stomach and her heart started pounding. There’s no way Mono can’t feel that too, it was beating so hard it felt like her whole body was shaking. It was a little scary but at the same time, Six felt almost giddy as a result.
…Oh. Oh no.
She’d seen something like this before, in her old group. Some of the kids were notorious for teasing anyone who had a “crush.” Six never really knew what a crush was back then, only that it was something that caused you to feel jittery and weird. It honestly sounded terrifying, even when the kid who had said “crush” talked about it favorably. It wasn’t until she was a little older when Six found out it meant you liked someone as more than a friend, in a romantic sense. She thought the whole idea was stupid.
Is… is that what was happening? It checked out; weird sensation in stomach, heart beating way too fast and now that she really thought about it, her face felt a little warmer too. All happening because of him.
… No! Nope, absolutely not, she was not getting a crush on someone! She just… wasn’t used to having an actual friend after so long. Yeah, that’s all, nothing more than that.
She took a deep breath and finally pulled away from the hug. “I’m good,” she said, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I don’t want to be here. More of this place could come down.”
“Y-yeah, good point.”
He held out his hand to her. The part of her still reeling from her “realization” was screaming at her not to take it. You already broke your promise not to get close to anyone, don’t make it any worse! But she ignored it and took his hand. Either way, it was too late for her. They slowly picked their way through the debris until they reach an intact door. Mono pushed on it with his free hand. It didn't budge at all.
“Darn, I was hoping it would just fall over like the other one did,” he said.
“Here.” Six let go of his hand and stood underneath the doorknob. She bent down slightly and cupped her hands out in front of her. “I’ll give you a boost.”
Mono stepped into Six’s outstretched hands and she tossed him upwards. He grabbed hold of the handle and the door swung open. It led into another apartment, one in much better shape than the one they just left. There’s an entryway into what looks like a playroom and a long hallway to their left. Six stared down the hallway while Mono checked out the playroom. It definitely looked safer in here, but Six couldn’t shake a weird feeling. It was the same feeling she got when they first entered this building. That something dangerous was going to happen.
“Hey Six, there’s a bed in here!” Mono called out.
She turned her attention back to him. “A bed helps us how?” She asked, walking into the playroom with him.
There were toys of all kinds scattered around. Blocks with letters on them, a toy train, some stuffed animals. It reminded Six of the room they found in the hospital with all the teddy bears. There were even a bunch of pictures hung on the wall like the hospital room too. A few of them looked eerily familiar to Six. She’s pretty sure she’s seen pictures like them before…
“I was thinking we could take a break,” Mono said, breaking her from her thoughts. He’s already climbed on top of the bed. “I feel like I could sleep for days.”
Now that he mentioned it, Six realized just how heavy her own body felt. How many horrible things had they outran since the last time they actually took a break? “Me too,” she replied. She climbed up onto the bed and settled down close to Mono.
“Oh here, I can scoot over a little for you!” He rolled a little closer to the wall and settled down on his side, facing her. “There, now you have plenty of room.”
The next few words were out of her mouth before she even had time to think. “Actually… Can I sleep next to you?” Never had Six wanted to slap herself as much as she did now. Didn’t she have more self control than that?
Mono didn’t reply. Six could imagine the confused look that was probably plastered on his face. Or maybe he would think she was just joking. Maybe she should play it off as a joke?
“A-Are you… wanting to cuddle?” He finally asked.
“I didn’t say I wanted to cuddle!” She replied indignantly. Her stomach started to do that weird fluttering thing again and she felt her heart start to pound again. “I said I wanted to sleep next to you. There’s a difference!”
“Okay okay, I believe you! I don’t mind, but…”
She couldn’t help the fizzled out feeling she got. “But what?”
“Uh…” He paused for a moment before continuing. He said everything slowly, like he was trying to be careful to pick the right words. “You just don’t seem like the kind of person to want to… sleep next to someone.”
“Yeah but… I guess I don’t mind if it’s someone I like.” And just like that she wanted to slap herself again.
“You like me?” He asked, voice a little higher pitched than normal.
“As a friend!” She yelled to drive the point across. It’s just friendly feelings she has, yep, nothing more. Don’t go getting any ideas.
“Ha, Six just called me her friend!” He sounded absolutely giddy.
“You’re a dork,” Six replied.
“A dork who’s your friend!”
“Ugh, I'm sorry I even said anything.” Six scooted over as close as she dared so she could lay down on her side, facing Mono. She reached out and took a hold of his hand. “Is it… okay if we sleep like this?” She asked, heart rate spiking again. She even felt a little shaky. Please don’t let Mono notice that.
“N-Not at all,” he replied, voice sounding as shaky as what she felt.
“You sure? You sound a little off.”
“Yeah, I’m sure! I’m just still a little shocked from the friend talk earlier, I think. I’ve never had someone call me their friend before.”
“You really are a dork,” she replied, trying to make light of the statement. It made her feel sort of bad though. Just calling him a friend made him all jittery like this. She wondered what would be worse, not having any friends at all or having a friend stab you in the back.
“And I’m okay with that,” he said.
“You would be.” She yawned and closed her eyes. It’s been way too long since they actually slept on something comfortable. Maybe she’d get some decent sleep this time. Although… should she mention the weird feeling she got in the hallway? It could be nothing, but she had decided to keep quiet about the other room and it nearly got them killed.
“Soooo, what do you like best about me?” Mono asked, interrupting her thoughts.
Six groaned. “I thought you said you were tired?”
“Oh, I am. I’m so very tired. But all this friend talk got me excited.”
“I know I’m using this word a lot, but wow, I’ve never met someone that was this much of a dork.” She sighed. Might as well humor him. “Well, you’re nice and you haven’t stabbed me in the back yet like the others have so that’s a plus.”
“I would never!” He replied angrily. “You tell me if we ever run into the kids who did that. I’ll punch them for you.” She didn’t miss how serious he sounded when he said that. She wouldn’t put it past him, not after everything that happened at the school.
“Ha! I’ll take you up on that,” she replied. Her eyes started to droop. “But seriously… you’re a good guy.” She yawned again. Sleep was creeping up on her fast. She’d mention the weird feeling later. She wouldn’t forget.
“R-Really?” He choked out. “You think I’m good?”
“Mmhmm.” Everything started to feel fuzzy. “A good friend…”
“Oh, you’re falling asleep, aren’t you? I’ll stop talking then.”
He sounded so far away. “No no, I’m still awake,” she mumbled, closing her eyes again. “You can keep talking…”
“Nah, we can keep talking when we get up. We deserve some rest anyways!”
“Mmm, yeah…okay.”
The last thing she was aware of before she drifted off was Mono scooting close enough to her she could’ve tucked her head under his chin. Anyone else tried to do that and she'd break their fingers. But Mono was her friend. He was a special case, she supposed. She could trust him.
For the first time in a very long time, she actually felt safe.