Running (FOUR SWORDS FANFICTION!)

Green's Point of View

"Vio, you can't keep doing this to yourself, you need to sleep."

He ignored me, flipping through his book. It was like the cover was attached to his hand, was a part of his hand, like he was physically unable to put it down.

"Vio...we can't save him if you die from exhaustion."

He scowled. "A couple nights without sleep won't kill me, Green. It's not like I can sleep anyway."

"But you need sleep."

"So do you, why don't you go get some and leave me alone?"

"Only if you get some too."

"Then I guess both of us aren't sleeping tonight," he said. "You could at least be quiet—talking so loud isn't going to put me to sleep."

"I'm not even talking that loud."

"Red and Blue are trying to sleep though," Vio said. As if on cue, there was a loud swear from their tent and a moan. "Never mind."

"Vio, this isn't healthy."

"Neither is being dead, but you don't seem to care at all that Shadow isn't breathing, so I don't care if it's healthy or not, Green Bean."

"Vio, what's wrong?"

He seemed to glare right through me before slamming his book shut. "Shadow hates my guts. He doesn't want me to revive him."

"What do you mean?"

"I made out with Blue and he found out." He swallowed. "I think he said he was going to discuss it with you and Red..." Vio blushed.

"Oh, right, he did bring up the whole...polyamorous thing." I felt myself blush. I sat down next to him. "Did Shadow not take it well?"

"At all. He's pissed. I think he'd be okay if I had told him before I made out with Blue, but..." He sighed. "It was stupid. I didn't understand my feelings and I hurt him. He looked so, so..." He swallowed and stared off into the distance. "Betrayed. I really hurt him."

"He'll...He'll come around, I'm sure. I mean, he loves you."

"Not at the moment."

"Well, I love you. We don't really get to hang out too much, you're always too busy reading and...I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I should stop doing it and make more time to hang out with you."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

He closed the book and rubbed at his eyes. The bags under them were massive—I wasn't sure how much sleep he had been getting. "Guess we should sleep, huh?"

"Probably." He sighed, stood up and tucked it beneath his arm. I stood up too. "Was that little girl around him when you saw him?"

"Yeah, that's Aki, Shadow found her."

"He just...found her?"

He shrugged. "She's got a knife, also."

"Why? She looks like she's, like, eight."

"I think she's twelve or thirteen or something, Green."

"But still, she's so young. Never thought Shadow to be the type to even tolerate kids."

"I was pretty surprised too, but he's been pretty nice with Aki." He sighed. "Dear Goddesses, I'm tired."

"I told you to sleep!"

"Well, I didn't."