Crimson Red

Rubrum egestas clamat

(Y/n) softly dozed to the pleasant lullaby (G/n) hummed. It had been a long day of working through pages of math, but now he could finally relax on his grandmother's lap.

The only time he was truly safe... was when he was in her loving arms.
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Crimson red pooled beneath his grandmother's slit neck, her lifeless eyes wide in a final moment of shock and fear. Nausea immediately began to churn his stomach as (Y/n) frantically backpedaled with tears streaming down his cheeks.

All color left his face when his back made contact with something firm. Terrified (e/c) eyes slowly lifted to meet apathetic yellow-green ones in turn.

Oliver's arm snatched (Y/n) by the waist as quick as a viper's strike, an Italian stiletto tacky with blood pressing just above the raven clasp of his cloak. A (s/t) hand reflexively shot up to grab onto Oliver's wrist.

"Tsk tsk tsk... my mercy isn't something to take for granted, toots. Why didn't you stay put or get lost like a good little rabbit?"

"Why... d-did..."

It was a miracle the shorter male could keep his breathing steady when his eyes eventually landed back onto his grandmother's bed. Her... her deathbed.

Oliver's grip on his waist tightened.

"Keep your mouth shut. I have enough work cut out for me already, and I shouldn't even be doing what I'm about to do."

(Y/n) struggled against the blonde's hold when Oliver began dragging him backwards.

"That's enough, Grant. I can take it from here."

The taller stopped in his tracks, yellow-green eyes glancing back. (Y/n) couldn't help following his gaze. A tall man stood in the doorway of (G/n)'s cabin.

He was even taller than Oliver and his dark hair hung just above his tailbone.

"Boss. What brings you all the way out to Lindow?"

"I was in town for some... business. I called in to check on you, but you didn't answer your raido. Decided to come see what had your attention."

His umber eyes narrowed in on (Y/n)'s trembling frame, still held captive in Oliver's grasp.

"And what a surprise it is that my favorite soldier would be the one to find the runaway brat. Very impressive, considering I hadn't even sent out an order to capture him yet."

A vile smile spread across his heavily scarred face.

"Keep up work like this, and I just might make you a capo in time. Hell... I'm starting to think you could even surpass that useless son of mine."

Oliver's face remained blank as his gaze briefly lowered to the (h/c) in his arms.

"Thank you, sir."

It admittedly took a moment for (Y/n)'s brain to catch up.

"You... what do you want from me?"

The ravenette scoffed.

"Nothing. It's what I want from that skank you call a mother. It wasn't enough that she made my brother a filthy deserter, but she had the audacity to borrow money from us and never pay it back."

Umber eyes seemed to glare through (Y/n)'s very soul.

"Now she's killed one of my capos after all their financial aid and fled."

There was severe tension in the air, as if this man's hatred couldn't be contained within his body alone.

"Well... I won't be walking away with nothing but an empty bag and a corpse. You'll be her payment now."

(Y/n) had never really been any good at masking his fear. The wicked look on the ravenette's face painfully confirmed that fact.

"Ward, load him up. I wanna be home by dawn."

"Right away, sir."

"Ward" took him from Oliver's arms, lifting him into a princess carry. They nodded to one another before Ward carried him outside.

The (h/c) could do nothing as he was taken away.