(Based off of Little Nightmares II. That being said, this contains spoilers for the ending of the game. I legit wanna play the game but I'm no good with horror or stealth games, so I have to settle for watching playthroughs.

Also: This uses the theory that Six is the Lady, since Mono is the Thin Man and they're stuck in a time loop.

Edit: Does this even count as a oneshot--)

Two little figures walked down the hallway, their footsteps light and their fingers interlocked.

Ink glanced around wherever the light from his flashlight would reach. Sweat trickled down the front of his face, all thanks to the rush of fear and adrenaline he'd gotten from that crazy pursuit of the mannequins not too long ago. He hadn't told Error about that yet. Though he had his doubts that the other would want to hear about it. He already had plenty of nightmares from that place called the Maw, not to mention the hunter and the hell they'd experienced at the school.

"HeY... InK.... cAn I aSk YoU sOmEtHiNg?" Error spoke, and although he kept his voice low, it still echoed around them.

"Yeah...." Ink replied. Underneath the paper bag he wore on his head, he was smiling. Error hardly ever asked him anything! "What's on your mind, buddy?"

"FiRsT oF aLl, DoN't CaLl Me ThAt," he scowled lowly. "SeCoNdLy... WhY aRe YoU hElPiNg Me?"

That question made Ink falter in his steps a bit, but he was quick to regain himself. He moved the flashlight around, checking the walls and floor for any signs of danger or a way out. He really couldn't understand what Error meant by that question. He was so focused on it that he hadn't really acknowledged his bitter comment. Not that those kinds of responses were uncommon from the glitch.

"What do you mean by that?" Ink asked, hoping he wouldn't annoy the other.

"It'S jUsT.... yOu CoUlD'vE lEfT mE aS sOoN aS tHe HuNtEr WaS dEaD... aS sOoN aS wE hIt LaNd, YoU cOuLd'Ve LeFt Me..." Error began. "WhEn ThOsE 'sTuDeNtS' kIdNaPpEd Me, YoU cAmE tO sAvE mE... wE'rE bOtH cApAbLe Of SuRvIvInG oN oUr OwN, sO.... wHy?"

Ink let out a small sigh, slowing to a stop in his walking. Error looked up from the ground when he did that, a questioning look on his face. Ink turned his head around to face him, but because of the paper bag on his face he had to turn his body a bit too. He knew the glitch couldn't see it, but Ink was still smiling at him. He knew that Error was capable of surviving on his own. He'd made it not only out of the Maw, but out of some place called the Nest too. He was proud of Error for how far he'd come and all the challenges he'd faced.

"Well, Error... it's because you're my friend, even if you don't think I'm yours," Ink told him. "Even if you are grouchy and grumpy like a cat, I know that you'll do the same for me!"

Ink had been hoping for some kind of reaction from the other. Even a deep frown or roll of his eyes would've done the trick. But his face was still as blank as when he'd broken that one student's head into pieces with his bare hands. Ink sighed internally. Before all of this, before this hellish world came into existence in their once beautiful Multiverse, Error had been so lively. He would react to things in different ways, though mostly angry ways, not just blinking or nodding. Ink missed that. What had Error gone through to made him change so drastically?

But Ink wanted to lift his spirits up a bit. They had a long ways ahead of them, and they wouldn't be able to find their way out of this hospital/morgue if they were being all gloomy and distracted.

"Right?"

~~~~

Ink sat alone on the small chair, sniffling and crying into his knees.

He didn't know how long he'd been stuck down here. Had it been months, years, or just days or hours? He'd lost all concept of time, not that he really had much of any to begin with. It was cold down here, colder than it had been in the morgue or in the pouring rain. Everyone he looked, all he saw were the pulsating strips of flesh and the large eyes that stared into his being. His paper bag had been discarded long ago as a sign of him refusing to be the prey of this cruel world, but now he wanted it back. It would've provided at least a little comfort.

"H... h-he did it...." Ink sobbed to himself, not bothering to wipe away the tears on his face. "He dropped me... like I'm some old toy...."

Those final moments flashed before his eyes again. But whether it was the doing of his own self or the manipulative powers of the fleshy mass around him, he didn't know. He'd put all of his faith and trust in Error when he made that final jump, just as the one path out of the collapsing Signal Tower was crumbling under his feet. Error had caught him, but... Ink had sensed that something was wrong. He wasn't pulling him up. Error... Error had dropped him. A cold look of apathy and indifference on his face, empty eyes staring right into his.

His last words had been him screaming his friend's name as he fell into the dark abyss below.

Ink shuddered at the memory. All it did was prompt him to cry even more. He could feel the dozens of eyes around him watching him intently, observing his every action. He didn't care. Ink lowered his legs down from his chest, the fabric over his knees stained with his tears. His lip quivered as he gripped the edge of the seat, his whole body shaking.

"Why now? Why after we'd already come so far... why would he leave me behind?" Ink asked himself. "Did... did our friendship really mean nothing to him...? Was I just some tool for him to use...!?"

Ink grabbed the sides of his head, looking down in frustration. His breathing was picking up, thousands of thoughts running through his mind at once. He kept asking himself why Error would betray him. He kept making excuses for him, telling himself that Error hadn't meant to, that he was tired after the forced transformation of his body thanks to the Signal Tower's transmissions. He kept asking himself what he had done wrong, what he had done to make Error hate him more than he had before.

"P-Please!! I'll do anything!!! Error!!! Don't leave me here, come back!!! Come back for me, please!!! Error!!!! ERROR!!!!!! Please.... please.... I don't wanna be alone...."

~~~~

Error wiped his mouth as he stood up from the fallen body.

His raincoat, once a bright and clean yellow, was now covered with mud and old blood stains. But he had to satisfy his hunger pains somehow, even if it wasn't the cleanest or most moral way of doing so. He didn't even bother glancing at the dead rat as he began to walk away from it. Food was best when it was warm and fresh, unlike that bread and sausage he'd been offered in the Maw. Though he had to admit he was grateful for their offers, otherwise he wouldn't be here now.

...

What was that?

Error turned his head to the head. To his right there was a small stream, one that ran out from the city, it looked like. There was something moving along the surface of the water, floating along like the rafts he'd travelled on. He approached it cautiously, well aware of the horrific creatures that could be living in such a small stream. As he got to the edge of the stream, he got a better look at it. Was that...?

Error leaned forward and crouched down, reaching out towards the object. He grasped it and tugged it towards himself, trying to be careful to not rip it. He hoisted it onto the land by his side, trying to get a better look at it. It was made of brown paper and had two circles cut into the front, like a pair of eyes. The backside of it was completely drenched and soggy, and when it applied only the littlest bit of pressure with his finger, he tore through the wet material.

"ThIs.... ThIs WaS InK's...." Error whispered to himself. "He WoRe It BeCaUsE hE hAtEd HoW hIs FaCe LoOkEd AfTeR..."

A dark chuckle came from beside him. Error gave the distorted shadow a cold glare, unconsciously bring the paper bag closer to his chest. The shadow looked almost identical to himself; the same raincoat, the same eyes, the same height and shape... only they were entirely pitch black. He tensed up as the shadow reached over to try and grab the paper bag, moving it out of its reach. The shadow paused, turning its head back to face Error.

"YoU sTuPiD bUfFoOn," the shadow rasped, its voice a deeper and more glitched echo of Error's own. "YoU lEfT hIm To DiE. He'S nEvEr GoInG tO cOmE bAcK, aNd EvEn If He DoEs, He WoN't Be YoUr PrEcIoUs LiTtLe InKy."

"YoU dOn'T kNoW tHaT. YoU'rE lYiNg," Error said, though mainly to convince himself more. "ThAt'S aLl YoU dO. YoU'rE jUsT a CrEaTiOn Of ThAt StUpId ToWeR aNd NoThInG mOrE."

The shadow was quick to move. One second, the paper bag was safely brought up to Error's chest. In just the blink of an eye, the shadow had it, hovering in the air above him. Error looked up at it, his eyes wide. The shadow grinned down at him, sharp fangs glinting in the morning light.

"InK. Is. DeAd."

And it tore the paper bag into two.