Always - Mono x Six - Little Nightmares

Chapter 16 - Old Times

(Artwork by Abhi Vpm)

Mono groaned, a sharp pain emitting from the back of his head as he slowly regained consciousness. He felt his face pressed up against cold stone as he forced an eye open, looking around at his surroundings. Mono heard the sound of water as it dripped down from the ceiling, creating an echo that reverberated throughout the room. Piles of trash could be seen all around him, and the room was dimly lit by a lightbulb. His eye was attracted to something that stood out amongst the rest of the dull, bland colors, something yellow.

"Six..."

He winced as he pushed himself up, his trenchcoat drooping down the floor as Mono's hand flinched upon contact with a wet puddle of water that he accidentally lowered into. His teeth chattered, Mono rubbing the back of his head as he got onto his feet, quickly rushing over to Six who lay on her side, unconscious.

"Hey..."

Mono stepped over to Six's side and crouched down, gently grabbing her shoulder. She immediately reacted by gasping, her eyes shooting open and pulling her body away. Mono raised his hands into the air as Six turned to face him.

"Oh... sorry..."

Six apologized as he looked up and noticed it was Mono who was checking up on her, not one of the Pretender's guards. She let out a sigh of relief as Mono looked up at the ceiling, the room being a lot bigger than he had once thought.

"So... where are we now..?"

She looked around, her facial expression displaying that she was just as clueless as he was. Shrugging, Six sat up and faced Mono as she expressed her ignorance.

"No clue..."

Mono rubbed his eyes, the sharp pain in the back of his head beginning to irritate him. He didn't want to look weak in front of Six, so he decided he would just endure it. His memory was jogged, the last thing he remembered being Veronica going after Seven after he was detained by a guard. Six yawned, stretching her arms out in a way that Mono found slightly adorable.

"Well, we might as well start looking around for Seven and Veronica."

Six stood up, holding a hand out for Mono who was still sitting on the floor. He shook his head, realizing that he had zoned out for a moment, and looked up, interlocking his hand with Six's as she pulled him up.

"Yeah... guess we should."

Mono realized that he was very nervous all of a sudden. It was the first time in a long time that he was alone with Six, though it might not be for long. He felt his heart skip a beat as Six glanced at him and gave him a slight smile, nodding her head and beginning to walk off to the side.

"The heck is wrong with me? I thought I got over this..."

The last time he had felt this strange was in the Pale City, since then he had gotten used to seeing Six. Mono boiled it down to them being apart for several months and pressed on, following Six with a slight blush forming on his face.

"Hello? Seven? Veronica?"

Six cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to their two lost friends. She became worried as she didn't hear a reply, though Mono felt weirdly grateful knowing that he could spend more time alone with Six.

"Shoot... where could they be?"

She turned toward Mono, who was caught off guard as Six's eyes sparkled from the glow of the lightbulb. He made the mistake of making eye contact with her and immediately looked down, murmuring to himself.

"You got any idea where they are right now, Mono?"

"Um... nooo..."

Six giggled as Mono unknowingly drew out the last word he spoke. She suddenly grabbed onto his hand and began to lead him toward the other end of the room where a wooden door awaited them.