Chapter Text
Sora sat on their bed, working on some math homework. Honestly, it was surprising that their parents hadn't forced them to get a tutor by now. Then again, according to overheard arguments, their family had reached a rough patch financially.
They knew their current situation was rough, but did they seriously have to fight, even when Sora was in the house trying to study?
They preferred quiet spaces, which was part of the reason why they never really bothered making friends; they were seen as the weird kid, but it made them happy to be seen as different.
(Even though it did leave them lonely sometimes.)
Sora finished their homework and set it down. They sighed as they set themselves under the covers. It was times like these that they just wished they had a family that would never let them worry about leaving. Where they didn't have to worry about school or real life issues in general..
And eventually, they fell asleep.
.
.
.
Sora groaned as they woke up, not in their room, but in what seemed to be a strange hospital type bedroom. Looking around, there was medical equipment like needles, various sizes of empty blood bags, an inactive heart monitor beside them, and sleeping medicine.
They felt the scratchy cotton sheets of a white hospital bed; the bed even had the button to call a nurse on.. if Sora didn't know any better, they would think they were actually in the hospital.
‘Where am I? Am I dreaming?? Okay.. don’t panic..’
They took deep breaths before glancing back at the call button on the bed.
‘Should I..?’
Sora decided to just go for it, and pressed the button, listening to the little beep.
‘Maybe if someone responds to the call, I could get some answers on where I am?’
They heard footsteps coming up to the door before it opened- ‘Okay… WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING!?’
Sora looked up and saw a tall figure with a needle for a head with an eye in the middle. It wore black gloves with a white outfit, black straps kept the outfit together.
“You’re awake! Wonderful, very wonderful.” The strange creature spoke softly, startling Sora. They weren't expecting it to be able to speak.
‘How is it able to speak without a mouth..? No, I need to figure out where I am first.’
“Where.. am I?” Sora asked the figure. He hummed before answering in a calm voice that Sora couldn't help but feel unnerved by.
“You are in a place called ‘MILGRAM’. Where you can let all of your worries fade away. Where you’ll never have to want for anything ever again. I am 05, and I will be taking care of you while you get settled.”
‘Milgram? As in the Milgram experiment? And what kind of name is 05?’
“What do you mean by ‘settled’?” Sora asked, their confusion rising by the minute. They sat up, being careful not to irritate any possible injuries.
05 looked at them before he closed his eye. Sora could tell he was trying to smile.
“Well you live here now, no? You must be shaken up after suddenly appearing here, and we want you to get used to this place.”
Everything was making Sora’s head hurt. “We? There are others here? And I already have a home-” Sora was cut off by 05, his voice was still soft but now sounded a bit commanding.
“There are 9 others. Now please stop asking questions. Your head will only hurt more.”
Sora became silent. They still had so many other questions, but it felt like their head would implode if they asked anymore. They made a slightly pained expression which the entity seemed to notice almost immediately.
“Ah, right! How foolish of me.. I forgot to give you your pain medication. Forgive me, Es.” 05 said as he handed Sora a tray with a cup of water and some medicine on it.
Sora ignored the strange nickname, they were more focused on drinking the water that was so graciously offered to them by whatever that… thing is.
For someone who seemed so calm, 05 sure was apologetic whenever he messed up, even if it was just a minor mistake.
‘Maybe he's just a perfectionist like me...’
“You can go now.. I’ll call for you if I need anything-”
“Promise you’ll call for me?” 05 cut Sora off even more. Sora could even hear a hint of desperation in his voice, a stark contrast to his soft voice from just before.
“I promise-”
“Good. Because I hate liars.” 05’s voice dropped, with a hint of venom which caught Sora even more off-guard. 05 then turned around and walked off back into the darkness of the hallway, shutting the door behind him.
Sora sat still for a moment, still stunned from the encounter. They leaned back slightly, letting out a breath.
‘Perfect. Maybe now I can gather my thoughts easier without that thing here.’
Sora tried to collect their thoughts, they prayed that this was all just a dream. Hoping that they would eventually wake back up in their bed.
But no matter how many times they pinched themselves, they just couldn't wake up.
“But 05! You promised me I could meet them when they woke up!” Sora heard a high-pitched voice say from downstairs.
‘Is that one of the “others” that 05 mentioned?’
Sora ignored the ache in their head and walked out of the room, they looked over the stair railing to see some..thing.
Her entire outfit was covered in pink sparkling hearts, her head had a big red heart with an eye in the middle, similar to 05.
The both of them looked up at Sora.
05 stared at Sora in confusion and slight concern. “Es..? what are you doing out of-”
05 was interrupted by an excited squeal; sShe picked them up and held them, like they were a doll. Sora was stunned from the sudden contact.
“You’re awake!! You’re so much more adorable in person!” The entity nuzzled against Sora’s cheek affectionately, hugging them tightly. Sora felt flustered and slightly embarrassed, especially since 05 was literally right there witnessing this.
“06. Put them down. They may have injuries. They might’ve gotten hurt when they got transported here.. I haven't checked yet.”
“Aww… you're no fun, 05!” 06 whined and put Sora down. 05 walked towards Sora and stared down at them. He sighed and leaned down so he was at eye level with Sora.
“Anyways.. Es. You’re supposed to be resting. What on earth are you doing out of bed?” 05 asked Sora in a soft, worried tone of voice, like they were a child who had stayed out past curfew. Sora actually felt a bit guilty for making the entity worry.
05 just hummed and stood up, not even giving Sora a chance to explain themselves.
“Nevermind, Es. You should go back to bed. Would you like me to bring some food? Tea? I’m sure I can find some-” 05 was cut off by 06, who walked up to him and glared like a child who was just told ‘no’.
“Oh, come on 05! You can't keep them holed up all day. You do say that daily exercise is good.” 06 pleaded to 05 while slightly shaking his arm.
‘Are they fighting over me?? Great... Just great.’
“I don't know.. They might have injuries, and I don’t want to risk possible further damage..” 05 said in an uncertain tone, his eye flicking over to Sora with a fond gaze. Like Sora was his whole world.
‘God, that eye is creepy.. And why do they keep calling me Es?? I’ll ask when they stop fighting..’ Sora started to step back, but was stopped by 06 grabbing their shoulder.
“Let me show them around even for a few moments? You know how excited everyone is to finally meet them!” 06 continued to beg. 05 huffed and walked off to the kitchen as he finally caved into 06’s persistence.
“Very well. But bring them back by the time it gets dark, or I’ll come get them myself.” 05 said with regret and a bit of irritation.
“Yay!! Let's go, Es! There's so much you need to see!” 06 exclaimed excitedly while dragging Sora out of the house., Sora faintly heard 05 calling out to them, telling her to be careful with them.
‘Does he think I’m made of porcelain? I can take care of myself..’ Sora thought to themselves, feeling a bit offended.
06 pulled them along the path, it was made of polished stone and slightly shined in the sun. 06 stared at Sora as they walked, as if to make sure they didn't run off. Sora then noticed the houses. There were lots of them..
“What's with the houses?” Sora asked, 06 chuckled before responding, her excited tone never changing.
“They are where the rest of us sleep, Es! You don't actually think we all live in one house, do you?”
“My name is Sora! Why do you keep calling me ‘Es’?” Sora asked, annoyed. Was it some stupid nickname because their name started with ‘S’? Or did these creatures genuinely think that ‘Es’ was their name?
“Do you not want to start a new life? That's why you’re here, isn't it?” 06 asked, looking at Sora like they had just spoken nonsense.
Sora didn't know how to respond. Sure, they wanted a new, better family, but they liked their name! Sora just sighed and continued walking beside 06. 06 noticed their disheartened expression.
“Aww.. don’t look so down! I promise you’ll love it here. We’ll treat you well here; you just need to get used to this place, and then you’ll never want to leave!” 06 said trying to attempt reassurance, or at least make them lighten up. Not that it worked.
They continued walking for a while before Sora noticed there were a lot of bees starting to surround them. They tried to shoo the insects away but they just kept on coming back. Sora felt annoyed. They hated bugs with a passion.
06, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She was completely unfazed by the bugs, calling out to someone.
“04! Come meet Es!” 06 barely finished her sentence when a girl with a bee drawing on her face appeared in front of them, and beside her was a boy with crying pitch black eyes. The bees immediately surrounded the two.
“01! This is a nice surprise, you usually never like coming outside!” 06 said eagerly, hugging 01 who nervously hugged back. 04 looked at Sora and shook their hand, making a buzzing noise like a bee. Sora was confused.
‘Is she trying to say something to me?’
As if he sensed their confusion, 01 spoke to Sora.
“Ah.. No one can understand 04 except for me. She said that she's very happy to finally meet you! And I’m happy to meet you as well, Es.” 01 said softly, excited yet nervous.
04 then buzzed again, more irritated and aggressive this time. 01 nodded slowly in understanding before looking back at Sora.
“05 wouldn't let us visit you no matter how many times we asked. He got defensive and said something about ‘making sure you get lots of rest’.. It made 04 really upset and impatient.” 01 explained, translating what 04 had said.
“Oh. Uh.. how long was I asleep exactly..?” Sora asked 01, who thought for a bit before answering.
“8 days..?”
“8 DAYS?!” Sora exclaimed. 01 flinched before nodding, moving closer to 04. 04 began to buzz again before she nudged 01.
“Yes... during those days, 05 wouldn't let anyone near you; he would act very irrational and always kept the door locked..”
“Even now he’s skeptical about letting you leave that room, let alone the house. You overheard that tiny quarrel earlier after all, Es,” 06 added.
Sora went silent. They were deep in thought.
‘How have I been asleep for 8 days..? Surely I couldn't have been that tired! Unless..’
They thought back to the sleeping medicine in the room they woke up in. Worry curled into their gut.
‘Did 05…? No. No, he’s unsettling to look at but there's no way.. I’m just being paranoid.’
“Anyways! Es, why don't we continue with the tour? There are still many areas to show you, and many more people you need to meet!” 06 said excitedly, pulling Sora away from 01 & 04. 06 yelled a cheery goodbye to them.
The two walked off to explore more. Neither one of them noticed the sharp blue eyes that followed close behind.