Mono tried to get to know the other kids since they all seemed so nice. Six wasn't exactly trying, but at least she was talking to them. Eventually, when a few hours had passed, most of the kids were napping. Even Six was taking advantage of the cozy fire and getting some rest. Mono, however, was wide awake, wanting to keep watch for the others as a good first impression. And not to mention, RK was keeping him company.
Although they weren't talking, he noticed every so often out of the corner of his eye that the kid was staring at him. And every time he tried to catch him in the act, he shriveled up and averted his gaze. But this time around, when he looked at RK, the boy continued peering at him from underneath his low-hanging fringe. "Um, is something wrong? You can talk to me, you know... I'm not scary at all." He inquired invitingly, remaining relaxed since he didn't think RK had bad intentions; he was probably just curious about him.
"You have strange eyes, and skin. You're the unhealthy kind of pale." The kid spoke up, which shocked Mono completely. He hadn't said a word to anyone until now, and he was so astonished that he didn't know how to react to his words.
"I guess...you could say that I'm cursed. But I'm happy, so it's okay." Mono replied with a gentle smile, and for some reason, RK looked away for a moment. Maybe he had triggered him in some way? "Am I really that pale?" He tried to get RK's attention again, and he was pleasantly surprised when the boy moved closer to him and put their hands together to compare their skintones.
"Like a ghost kid." RK remarked sheepishly. He gave Mono a weird vibe, but maybe it was just him being socially awkward like Six. Regardless, it was kind of charming.
They looked at one another quietly for a few seconds, and eventually RK smiled back at Mono, which made him feel much more welcome. However, the moment was ruined almost as quickly as it came. Thick, slimy, black eel-like creatures in a pack came slithering into the room from a hole in the wall. They went for the closest target, which just so happened to be the bandaged kid, and in an instant, she was struggling to breathe, squirming to get them off of her body. The others all woke up in an instant upon hearing her muffled screams.
Mono didn't know what came over him, but before he knew it he was using his powers to blow the leeches off of her. While she tried to recover, he finished them all off by crushing them. Every time he used his powers with such focus, his body gave off a static, glitched effect, and now, it was no different. Six was staring at him with wide eyes, frozen in place on the ground. She wasn't alone in having this reaction. While the boy in orange and girl in green tended to the bandaged girl's few wounds, the other three kids also looked at him without saying a word.
He was happy he was able to help the girl in time, and started to ask if she was okay, but before he knew it, he had blacked out and fallen. Thankfully Six caught him and held him.
When he came to moments later, he was immediately overcome with emotion because Six's expression was so distraught. "Mono...are you okay? Your nose is bleeding again." She held him securely, one hand under his head and the other under his back for support.
Blinking away the distortion in his vision, Mono tried to sit up, but failed miserably. "I'm okay, Six. Is the girl...?" He couldn't even finish his question, but there was no need. Six shook her head, not at his words, but moreso to dismiss his talking since he appeared to be in so much pain.
"She's fine, thanks to you." Six sighed in relief and brushed her thumb over Mono's cheek, the scratch from back in the Pale City. He reached up to grab her wrist and smiled warmly, causing her to blush like always. "God, you're so stupid. You seriously scared me." She pouted.
He finally managed to do as much as lift up with her help, but ended up having to lean on her afterwards anyway. Even if he was in pain, seeing Six act so...Six...gave him butterflies.
"Mono, you—you have psychic abilities?" The boy in orange spoke up, standing and walking over to him. Once he was in front of him, he knelt and looked incredulously at him.
"I—well, I wouldn't call them that. I'm different, but it's not psychic. I mean, uh, you guys can call them whatever. It doesn't really matter." Mono replied anxiously, not wanting to give away any hard details while explaining himself. Although he was so worried about giving a trustworthy answer, the kid in orange suddenly hugged him tightly. He was so stunned that he couldn't move.
"You're a good person... You saved a stranger's life without hesitation and endangered your own in the process." The boy pulled away after getting this off of his chest.
Mono honestly felt like he was going to cry from how happy he was, but he managed a faint grin. "But you're not strangers. I mean, I wish I knew what to call you all, but I trust you guys." He replied reassuringly. He wasn't expecting what happened next, but one by one they all started sharing their nicknames.
The boy in orange was Ray, the girl he had saved was Eliza, the humpback girl was Sunny, the girl in green was Pippa, and lastly, the boy in green was Guppy. Some of them seemed to be real names, but others were questionable. Mono was still appreciative that they trusted him enough to tell him.
After things calmed down and the boy in orange went back over to Eliza to make sure her bleeding stopped, Mono wiped his bloody nose on the sleeve of his coat since there really was no better option. When he looked back up, he saw RK approaching he and Six gingerly. The boy was frowning. "I really don't have a name. I've lived here as long as I can remember." He explained his dilemma, but Mono smiled at him regardless and thought of something on the fly.
"What if we gave you a name? What's your favorite thing ever?" He suggested supportively, watching RK's eyes light up.
"Um...I like...the stars, and constellations." He answered Mono awkwardly, unsure of what ideas the other had in store for him. "Corvus, Cygnus, Eridanus, Lepus..." He mentioned a few of his favorites.
Mono hummed in thought, trying to cultivate something both unique and normal at the same time. Before he could say anything, Six randomly muttered: "Rigel is the seventh brightest star in the sky."
RK nodded affirmatively at her comment. "Seven is my lucky number." He replied with a soft smile, making all the other kids stare in surprise. They had clearly never seen him like this before.
"Riley is almost an anagram... Ryan? What do you like?" Mono indulged him with a hopeful tone, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder when he noticed he seemed nervous about the decision.
"I like Riley. It feels like me." RK responded quietly, making eye contact with Mono and tearing up. "Thank you... You are too kind." He expressed his gratitude by giving Mono a big hug, and even made sure to include Six since she helped. When he pulled away, he stood up and looked down at his ankle, being immediately reminded of his fate. "I have to go. We will hopefully see each other again, Ghost Kid." After speaking, he smiled down at Mono shyly. Almost in an instant, he was gone from the hideout.
"Ghost Kid? What is that?" Six raised her eyebrow as she looked at Mono's face of admiration.
Mono shook his head and moved away from Six slightly, feeling bad for leaning on her so much. "It's nothing. Inside joke, you could say..." Even though he was being truthful with her, she seemed annoyed at his response. "What's wrong?" He frowned at her expression, concerned that she was angry at him for some reason.
Six's face flushed red when he pointed out her obvious displeasure. "N-Nothing..." She averted her gaze, but little did she know it actually helped him figure out why she was acting strange.
"Mhm..." He rolled his eyes at her blatant lie and pulled her hood down, being only slightly amused when she covered her face. "Six—" he started to comfort her, figuring she was jealous, but before he could speak anymore, she made eye contact with him and fiddled with his coat awkwardly. He figured she was too shy to say anything, so he pulled her into a hug. He wanted her to feel safe and sound, but she never seemed satisfied. Maybe it was the other kids stressing her out, but he still wouldn't let her feelings go unnoticed.
Minutes later when he felt like she had relaxed, he slowly pulled away. He was shocked when she suddenly stood up and looked at him with guilty eyes. "I need to be alone. Don't follow me, or else." She threatened him and then pulled her hood back over her head, walking off with her fists balled up at her sides.
Mono was hurt by her behavior, but he realized he couldn't really complain. She cared about him, but she had her moments, and he wasn't one to judge. When he looked back to the other kids, they were staring at him with caring gazes, especially Ray. "It's okay, I'm used to this. She's kind of a loner." He defended Six's attitude, smiling to make the emotions of defeat melt away.
"Do you like her?" Suddenly Eliza spoke up, holding her wounded arm but not even remotely worrying about her pain in the moment.
"I—well..." He froze as he thought about his feelings. He could easily deny it, but what was the point? Eliza was totally right. And Six wasn't going to hear, so why did he care? "Yeah. She's important to me. Ever since I first saw her, I knew she was special." He admitted his affection for the girl, surprised at himself for not getting embarrassed. "She's scary, but I think it suits her... Just don't tell her I said that. She gets upset when I call her scary."
Eliza giggled briefly and winced because of it, but thankfully Ray was right by her side making sure she was fine. "It may sound crazy, but I think she likes you, too. We girls can just kinda read each other." After making her point, she looked at Pippa, who nodded in agreement, and then to Sunny who did the same. "See?"
Mono felt encouraged by their confidence, but at the same time, could a girl like Six really ever love a boy like him? He was destined to be alone, after all, and she was probably better off without him anyway. "Maybe...I dunno. She's a mystery to me. I know she won't mention it, but she's had a hard upbringing, so there's no telling what goes on in her mind."
"She definitely likes you." To everyone's surprise, Guppy finally said his first words around Mono. He had a lisp because of his missing teeth, but it was honestly adorable. And after he spoke, he went right back to hiding in the shadows of his tattered overcoat. Mono was touched that these new friends of his had this much faith in his relationship with Six. It almost gave him enough courage to go find her, but he refrained since it hadn't been but three minutes since she left. He would tell her how he felt eventually. Find the right time.