Regardless of how tense things were between Mono and Six, their closeness urged the girl to relax more quickly, and she had plenty to tell him. "Oh, dude, before I forget—and I definitely will forget—guess where this boat is headed?" She changed the subject abruptly, trying to not only take attention off of her flushed face but also to clue her friend in on what she had learned.
Mono was flabbergasted by the quick flip in tone, but he indulged Six and shrugged at her question, his expression carefree because of their previous joking around.
"The Pale City, genius! You seriously couldn't guess that?" She berated the boy playfully, moving to sit directly in front of him so they could make eye contact if she felt like it. "Apparently, all of these people are survivors from there. They escaped when things got bad. Miss Julie told me." She shared this information excitably, perhaps somewhat out of restlessness.
"That's pretty convenient. We can bring Pericia back to her mom then." He replied nonchalantly, though he quickly learned his lesson when Six pouted, visibly annoyed at his attitude. "Sorry, I just... I can't believe we're safe yet. Just a feeling in the back of my mind, you know?" He explained his lack of enthusiasm, sighing deeply because of his bummer thoughts getting the best of him.
Six rolled her eyes disobediently, realizing what she had to do if it meant Mono would lighten up. She scooted closer to him and grabbed his hands gently, which caused him to blush yet again, even though she wasn't even doing or saying anything embarrassing. "Weren't you the one who said we can overcome anything as long as we're together? We're a team, right?" She referenced his own words from an earlier time, solidifying what he truly believed.
The boy nodded affirmatively after a minute, although he was even more flustered than before because of her confidence. "I really wish I could hug you right now..." He admitted to his clingy nature, then looking down at Guppy still clinging to him so she understood his struggle.
"That's okay." She snickered and let go of his hands, scooting back over next to him so she could embrace him from the side. "You know, I can be sweet if I want to. Just don't expect me to do this a lot."
Although Mono was comforted by her warmth and reassurance, he was admittedly a little distracted just thinking about the future for them...for everything. He couldn't keep quiet any longer about what was on his mind; "Six...I know it'll never be a good time to say something like this, but I-" he cut himself off, flinching as the girl pulled away from him abruptly and stared at him with those piercing eyes of hers underneath her bangs.
"Hold up. Before you say anything, just give me a second." Six took a deep breath in slowly as to not hurt herself, then releasing the breath the same way. "Mono... I heard you when I left the campfire. I can't keep it a secret anymore. It has literally been killing me." She admitted this all faster than she could think, and while Mono was stunned and about to comment, she shushed him immediately, her whole hand over his mouth rather than one finger. "We shouldn't talk about this right now, but since we have nothing but time for the next few days..." She trailed off, removing her hand from his face slowly.
To make up for her being bad with words, and just generally not being the best communicator, she grabbed his hand and leaned closer to his face, prepared to give him a peck on the lips—Unfortunately, Guppy woke up and interrupted, so she awkwardly moved away and pretended to be doing something else, her face burning with shyness.
"You guys are loud..." The younger boy complained with a slightly whiny voice, crawling away from Mono towards Riley, who was barely a foot away. He snuggled up with him instead, to which Riley smiled invitingly and looked over at Six knowingly. They could literally all hear what was going on between Mono and Six, and it was embarrassing.
"We aren't stopping you guys from kissing. Just pretend we aren't here." Riley teased the two lovebirds, causing the other kids to giggle, besides Pericia, of course.
Six glared at the boy with her eyes narrowed, grinding her teeth so she didn't say anything offensive. "No way I can do that now that I know you nerds are watching." She folded her arms over her chest in a pout, eventually looking back at Mono with a conflicted gaze. He pretty much had the same expression.
"It's fine, really. You two already act like a married couple." Pippa contributed to the teasing, but to everyone's surprise, Six stood up rather abruptly and stormed over to stand in the middle of everyone.
"Sure, whatever. I'll go ahead and say it: I'm not ashamed to have a big fat crush on Mono. I just wish I didn't, because feelings are hard. Is everyone happy now?" She blurted the truth out passionately, her face red despite her wave of confidence. Once she got no reply, and it was silent, she turned on her heel and started walking away, eventually jogging as effectively as she could in such a long kimono.
Mono, naturally, was at a loss for words because she had just confessed something so serious in front of everyone; he was impressed and embarrassed at the same time. And since Six was gone, everyone was looking at him now, so he stood up. "I'll go after her..." He said this with a sigh, knowing it's what they were all hinting at with their gazes. Afterwards, he ran in the same direction Six had gone, following her out of the room. When he caught up to her, she was out of breath and leaning against the wall right outside. He approached her slowly, frowning at her aversion towards emotion. "What did you mean, 'feelings are hard'?" He questioned her cautiously.
Six furrowed her brows and leaned her head back against the wall, her heart racing from the pressure. "I'm scared—that's what I meant. I'm scared of losing you." She admitted this sincerely, which only caused the boy to step closer to her.
"What? Why?" He spoke incredulously, feeling slightly offended for some reason that she would be so pessimistic when she had cheered him up so effectively just ten minutes ago.
She shook her head dismissively, as if trying to get rid of her negative thinking. "Because, you and I both know...that nothing lasts forever." She didn't seem very convinced herself, but regardless, the tables had turned from earlier.
Naturally, Mono was stunned by her honesty, and her words made him feel helpless. "Then, all that stuff you said...?" He frowned widely, and finally Six appeared regretful.
"Dude, I was just trying to cheer you up. I hate seeing you upset." She covered her eyes momentarily, tears threatening to fall from them just from the sheer amount of stress she felt. "I'm so terrified of the future. What if I turn into that crazy lady? That's all I've been thinking about. I killed one of my friends on accident!" She sensed herself getting worked-up with grief and tried to relax, but she was shaking from it. "Veronica was always nice to me. She always just wanted to be my friend. And to be honest, it really freaking hurt my feelings when she questioned my loyalty. I don't know why, but I lost control, and if I had just tried a little harder to hold back, she might still be alive." Strangely enough, Six was being extremely transparent with her emotions, appearing distraught and nauseous just mentioning her weakest moment.
The boy watched and listened to his best friend quietly, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder to get her to stop panicking. "You just have to make it up to her from now on. Before she fell unconscious, she still called you by that nickname, so I know she didn't hate you. Just trust me." Mono reassured Six with some knowledge that only she was unaware of; thankfully, she was touched by his words and was no longer agonizing, although she was still conflicted.
"Mono, why do I feel so strange now that she's gone? I don't know how to explain it... It's like, my heart aches, and my tummy is empty—not like hunger, but dread." She clenched onto her kimono, feeling a shortness of breath just describing her 'symptoms' to her friend.
"Well, it sounds like how I felt when my dad passed away. You're mourning, and that's normal. It's a good thing." The boy explained her complex feelings using an example from his own life, and while she was still visibly sad, she was finally calm, which is probably what led her to do what she did next:
Six turned around to face the wall, immediately losing the ability to keep her tears from falling. She sniffled and hiccupped as she tried to conceal her light sobbing. She frantically tried to wipe away the streams from her face to keep it dry, but to no avail.
While the crying was healthy for her to get out of her system, Mono still couldn't bear to watch Six be hurt, so he turned her around and hugged her tightly. When she clung to him desperately, he knew he needed to speak; "I know things haven't always been easy, but we have the ability to shape our futures. Not many people living in this world have that. We can't take our good fortune for granted." He gave his reasoning for his positivity, then continuing with a newfound determination. "It's okay to be scared, but I truly believe we're free to live like normal kids. We've come so far—No way we're giving up now."
Even if he felt like a broken record with how many motivational speeches he'd given, it still had just as much charm as the first one, because Six tightened her grip on him and weakly smiled, rubbing her face on his shoulder to hide the evidence that she had been crying.
He held her for as long as she needed, and when she finally retracted, she was flustered by how vulnerable she had been, as well as how serious Mono looked. "I can always count on you to make me feel better. You give amazing hugs..." She complimented his dedication, always finding new ways to admire the boy. She didn't think being by his side would ever get old.
Regardless of if Mono wanted to smile and celebrate a small victory, his expression did not falter; he backed up slightly and grabbed the girl's hands gently, holding them with such purpose. "Six, I want to be the person who guides you to that brighter future, so..." He lowered himself down onto one knee, using his right hand to reach into his pocket and pull out not a ring, but a super small chain link that had fallen off of his coat a long time ago. When he was looking back into her eyes, he finally wore a nervous smile as he slipped it onto her ring finger. "When we get older, let's get married. Then, I can officially be with you for a lifetime."
Six didn't understand what Mono was doing until those words left his mouth; where she had grown up, she was never exposed to such hopeless romantic settings. And yet for some reason, all she could do was stare at him in childlike wonder; she was starstruck, and also speechless that he had so much confidence. Eventually, when he stood up, she smiled against her will and tried to shake off the embarrassment she felt, particularly in her face. "Okay then, you weirdo. In ten or so years, we can get married. But you can't blame anyone but yourself if you get sick of me. You're gonna be stuck—" She tried to scare him away from the idea playfully, but he interrupted her by cupping her cheeks and giving her a big smooch on the lips.
The kiss was quick, but it was perfect. When he pulled away, she was frozen from shock, most likely overheating. He was shy too, but he didn't let that stop him from speaking. "I wasn't planning on leaving anyway." Mono replied nonchalantly, a big dumb grin on his face, as Six would call it. "Let's get back to the group. You need to rest, right?" Without waiting for a response, he grabbed the girl's hand and interlocked their fingers, dragging her along back to the group.
As they walked, she lagged slightly behind him and stared at the ground because of how flustered she was. Eventually, she glanced at their hands and caught sight of the 'ring' he had put on her, cracking a smile because of it. "Where did you even get this thing? It's not even the right shape." She questioned him sheepishly, and he glanced back at her as he continued walking.
"Oh, it fell off my coat like, forever ago, and I kept it in my pants pocket in case I needed it. That definitely wasn't planned...I just remembered I had it and decided to pretend it was a ring." Mono truthfully explained the random engagement, and it caused Six to giggle, which was the best thing he could hear right then, so he was content.
"You're such a dork. I'm glad I met you." Her response was mellow and serene, the most soothing Six had ever sounded. The fortitude of their relationship would only be strengthened thenceforward.