Work Text:
He keeps seeing Red everywhere. Or, at least, Green thinks it’s him; it’s mostly color-coded flashes in his peripheral vision. He tries to message Red about it, and doesn’t get a response. Somehow he’s less than surprised.
He slices through another kobold with a frown, hating this game, hating the fact that Leaf roped him into this, hating that he has no idea where either of them are. He’s fighting his way up to the highest point of his world, praying that Red is working on a way for him to get up to his first gate. He sees something at the mountain summit that looks like stairs. He’s sort of wary of them, but it’s not like he has a choice if that’s what Red’s decided on. Red has alchemized a wide collection of items for him, but none of the things he’s asked for and nothing he wants—naginata instead of machine guns, arm guards instead of flak jackets. This isn’t a movie, Green types angrily, You’re going to get me killed, and Red responds by alchemizing him a long padded coat with an Eevee on the back.
Wrong game, Green snaps, but he wears it anyway.
Leaf hasn’t responded in a while, but her last IM said she’d be fine, and she’s smart (and crazy) enough to take care of herself. Besides, Green’s got other problems. He sees a flash of red, again, and his grumpy expression morphs into a scowl.
"Are you stalking me?” Green calls out, and he sees the person pause. Red peeks out from behind a large boulder, the ocean water lapping at his feet. His eyes flick over Green’s outfit—halfway between a Tokyo gangster and a samurai film—and smirks. As he walks over, Green jams his hands into his pockets, frowning. “I thought you were still—what are you even doing here?”
Red just shrugs. “I’m supposed to be.”
"What are you ev—"
Red lunges forward suddenly, tackling him to the floor and knocking the wind out of him. Together they slam into the wet sand, and Green yelps in pain as Red’s weight lands on his ribs—but that can’t drown out the roar of noise as a column of fire shoots up from the place where he was just standing. The heat makes his skin prickle, but in a moment the fire is gone.
"Be careful," Red murmurs into his hair, sprawled out on top of him.
Green’s cheeks are flushed red from the fiery deathtrap that nearly killed him. That’s definitely what it is. Red rolls off of him, brushing his pants off as Green rises to his knees, one arm wrapped around his aching ribcage, the other still clutching his polearm. “You knew that was going to happen?” Green demands. “How did—”
Red gives him a small smile that makes Green’s question die in his throat, and then vanishes.
Green gets to his feet, gaping at the spot where Red was just standing. A moment later his brain catches up and he nervously shuffles to the side, remembering the fire. His world, it seems, is determined to keep him moving.
He looks up to the mountain peak and sees that the staircase has gotten significantly taller. “All right,” Green says, swinging his naginata over his shoulder, “I’m coming, Red. Just watch me.”