A girl unknowingly becomes the 'main character.' To avoid death, a boy strives to become her 'love interest.'
"I've found you," he breathed, his jade eyes lighting up just a bit. He knew this didn't guarantee anything- plots as violent as this one could go in any direction- but at least he was no longer just another nameless character. His backstory was interesting enough to garner attention and perhaps a bit of sympathy (though whose wasn't, these days?) and he figured he was attractive enough to at least keep as a friend, and from that position he could propel himself further into the heart of things- into the heart of this girl who was looking down at him rather worriedly, trying to size up the wound that was bleeding through his shirt (really, he should have been a bit more worried about it, but this was the moment he had been working for for years and he knew he wouldn't die from something as trivial as a shoulder wound now).
Things were bound to become trickier from this point on- whether he ended up playing the quiet, slightly mysterious character or the friendly rival or the helpful adventurer, he knew he had to remain as honest as possible. Lying, while easy and usually acceptable to do to lesser characters, would undoubtedly end up foiling him and probably killing him if he did it to this girl- the main character. He'd have to answer any direct questions of hers as cryptically as possible.
Even this victory, though, could end in his death. If he became important enough, his death would be put off for a while, but in the end he might still be killed to increase the tragedy of it all. Nameless civilians were one thing, but a familiar character's death would prove the reality of it all and could serve as the make-it-or-break it point for the main character. No, he needed to become too important to kill- friends could still be caught at any time. A love interest, on the other hand, was a valuable role. While it was a very hard role to play- a lot of it was left up to luck, and neither of them could fully realize it or act upon it until the climax or else it would be given room to grow sour- it might just end up giving him immunity. After a short mental debate, he decided on a quieter character. Events wouldn't progress as quickly, it would keep him just out of friend-range for while, and it would make the main character take an interest in him and the secrets he might be keeping- of which he had a fair few. The trick to this was to not be sucked into it all; he was in control of his fate now and he did not want to lose that grasp.
He winced as a sharp stab of pain from his shoulder brought him back out of his mind. Finding the brown eyes of the main character once again (they seemed kind, that was good), he put all of his remaining strength into a small sigh of "Thank you," before finally giving in to the darkness at the corners of his vision.
Things were bound to become trickier from this point on- whether he ended up playing the quiet, slightly mysterious character or the friendly rival or the helpful adventurer, he knew he had to remain as honest as possible. Lying, while easy and usually acceptable to do to lesser characters, would undoubtedly end up foiling him and probably killing him if he did it to this girl- the main character. He'd have to answer any direct questions of hers as cryptically as possible.
Even this victory, though, could end in his death. If he became important enough, his death would be put off for a while, but in the end he might still be killed to increase the tragedy of it all. Nameless civilians were one thing, but a familiar character's death would prove the reality of it all and could serve as the make-it-or-break it point for the main character. No, he needed to become too important to kill- friends could still be caught at any time. A love interest, on the other hand, was a valuable role. While it was a very hard role to play- a lot of it was left up to luck, and neither of them could fully realize it or act upon it until the climax or else it would be given room to grow sour- it might just end up giving him immunity. After a short mental debate, he decided on a quieter character. Events wouldn't progress as quickly, it would keep him just out of friend-range for while, and it would make the main character take an interest in him and the secrets he might be keeping- of which he had a fair few. The trick to this was to not be sucked into it all; he was in control of his fate now and he did not want to lose that grasp.
He winced as a sharp stab of pain from his shoulder brought him back out of his mind. Finding the brown eyes of the main character once again (they seemed kind, that was good), he put all of his remaining strength into a small sigh of "Thank you," before finally giving in to the darkness at the corners of his vision.