He is fifteen when he has his first real fight with her, a pained argument backed by the sound of fireworks and whistling branches. As Leaf stumbles away from him, breaking into a dead sprint a few steps later, Green's hands clench helplessly at the fencing by his waist as he contemplates whether to chase after her or let her be.
Eventually he sags against the wood, the last of the fireworks illuminating the winter sky behind him. Leaf probably doesn't want to see him at the moment, he reasons — not after he broke her heart like he did. He tries to convince himself that this is a good thing, that she needs to learn to survive without him as her family continues to splinter at the edges.
But the truth is that this hurts Green, more than he ever thought it would. He has always known the day would come when she would have to leave him behind.
He has dreaded it his whole life.
The fireworks have faded and the smoke has fizzled up to dye the sky a dreary gray by now, and finally, Green comes to a decision. Leaf has told him before that her family is none of his business, but she has also told him to do what he wants. What Green wants right now is for Leaf to find the happiness that comes in fiction, and if he has to meddle to make it happen, so be it.
Green swallows the shards of his broken heart, pads into his home for the phone, and punches in zero.
"I'd like to connect with Pewter, please," he says, and as the tone dials out, he forces his heart back down his throat and breathes.
a/n so this'll be the last chapter for a while. the story will be picking up in a completely different swing next time, and i'll be taking a bit off to get things ironed out! thanks for reading thus far.