He is twelve when Red joins their ragtag duo.
His quiet nature complements Green's headstrong character and Leaf's cautious apathy. The dark-haired boy integrates smoothly into their little group, finding his niche as Green's damage control.
... At least, that's how things would have been ideally. The reality remains that Red's own silent demeanor, while fitting neatly into the group, clashes with Leaf's hardened caginess and Green's own fervent pushiness. To Green, Red is a necessary presence; they accept one another, and are closely competitive, with the ties of a friend between them to bridge the remaining gap between interests. Leaf's walls loom higher than ever, on guard to keep from spilling sensitivities of her family's ordeals to ever-caring ears. It breaks Green's heart to see that she still considers friendship a danger, and he hopes against hope that one of them can help her see otherwise.
In the end, it's Red who opens her eyes. While Green first finds the advancement unexpected, it comes as little surprise that he is the only one of the two of them able to muster the willfulness to force her head out of the sand.
Neither of them wants to act too aggressively with Leaf, for fear of shattering the already strained relationship that treads a permanent balancing act. But Red decides that a change must be made when, during one of their excursions to Viridian's ice-cream parlor in the heat of midsummer, he sees the dark, fading bruises that creep across her back and out from behind the riff of her loose-fitting tank top, accented by the glimmer of sweat and heat. They're days old, but fester and yellow at the edges, and look as though they haven't been cared for.
"Come here," he beckons her with a whisper, and they all know from the command in his tone that he is not to be rebuked on this. He hangs his vest across her shoulders to cover the dark stains on her skin, and the muffled fear in her eyes, the realization that she had underestimated her own injuries, strikes him. The two walk off to the side where they converse in whispers, Leaf interjecting with half-assertions and gradually shattering expressions.
"Who did this to you?" he demands immediately.
"No one."
Red sends her a sharp look and her eyes dart to her feet. "That's not an answer."
"No one," she insists. "It's fine." Her voice hushes, and she reaches to brush a lick of hair behind her ear. A deep breath makes her chest heave, her skin flushed from the heat. "It was stupid," she murmurs. Her voice breaks off, dying away like a radio on a weak signal.
His hand ghosts across her arm, settling at her wrist. The contact makes her shiver, hands contracting at the influx of heat. She pulls away and situates her arms directly at her sides, close enough that it looks like they're tied to her. Red isn't offended in the least.
He makes no pretenses as though he understands her situation. "Things are hard," he says quietly, "I know. But it's going to get worse, and if you won't let us be there for you when it does, you will break."
Leaf finds it in her, buried past the passive exterior and thinly-shielded sadness, to bite back her words and state calmly, "It's fine. I can handle this."
Red's lips thin, dark eyes narrowing. "Think of it this way," he reiterates. "You're going to end up seriously hurt one of these days and we know it. And you're going to need our help, whether you want it or not."
"I said I can handle it," she hisses. "It's nothing."
"Things are changing, Leaf," Red reminds her gently as she turns on a dime and starts back to the table. "Don't make yourself stay. You deserve better — I think anyone would agree."
(He glances meaningfully at Green, and he knows she understands.)
a/n and everyone's favorite legend joins the cast! kinda ooc. of course, I am altering the characters somewhat, just for the purpose of development. hopefully it won't be anything huge.