The Mafia's Targe

Nathaniel -
Nathaniel Farrel shyly waved farewell to Mrs. Lavender, an old lady that was the owner of the local library he worked at. The lady gave the boy a timid smile, the skin around her eyes wrinkling as she reminded him to lock the door for safety purposes. With a nod, he waved her off quickly so he could get back to work. He needed to focus if he was going to finish the late night shift without driving himself wildly insane. Slowly, the library had begun to close off, the only two people still inside the store being a frequent customer, Lucas, one that was very handsome if Nathaniel dared to think about him.

He had a crush on the tall and lean boy ever since Lucas cooly entered through the glass doors of the library, making all the girls stop and swoon over the sweetheart. That day, the aura in the library seemed to change, as if the atmosphere was flipped upside down. Instead of cigars and toxic air, it suddenly smelt sweet, like peppermint, a scent that allowed access to Nathaniel's lungs. It made him want to see the boy every day. To his dismay, he couldn't. Nathaniel still remembered the first book Lucas had borrowed ; Little Women, the tingles he felt on his shoulder when the taller boy tapped on it as an attempt to earn the worker's attention.

He had asked Nathaniel for his assistance, seemingly lost already while trying to find the book he wished to read. With a flustered face and sweaty palms, Nathaniel had hurried to helped Lucas find the book, tugging at the long sleeves of his favorite red sweater that was now drained of color from being washed too much. He hadn't even looked the taller boy in the eye, sneaking glances at him only when he wasn't close to him.

Ever since that day, Nathaniel had watched and liked Lucas from afar, gushing over his kind and gentle persona towards everybody he encountered, a small and friendly smile plastered onto his face as if it was there permanently. It amazed him that he had never seen Lucas without that boyish smile. But Nathaniel was aware that he didn't have a chance to win Lucas's heart. He was certain that the taller boy was as straight as a pole, the sight of Lucas winking at the lady customers tugging at his heartstrings.

Plus, Nathaniel was too small and short to even be likable by both genders. He was underweight too. Sporting a 5'3 as his height, he would go unnoticed as he roamed the streets. But throughout his life, he had learned to accept his physical self. It didn't matter that nobody loved him romantically, because he had Mrs. Lavender's black-furred kitten, Satan. The mewling kitten's nickname was Rumplestiltskin, one that Nathaniel had blessed upon the kitten. Satan was a little devil, always walking around Nathaniel's feet which made the boy attempt to be careful to not step on the kitten. That only resulted in his tripped over though, or bumping into something from lack of attention.

Lucas's goodbye that echoed through the empty but large building brought him back to reality, his eyes widening as he forced a shy smile upon his lips. « H-Have a nice day- I-I mean night ! U-Um goodnight ? » Nathaniel blurted out, his glimmering eyes wide as he scolded himself for being such a klutz. Lucas chuckled in amusement, waving to him before he trudged past the glass doors.

Nathaniel smacked himself, cheeks flushed in pure embarrassment. He loudly scolded himself, gritting his teeth. He always embarrassed himself in front of Lucas, and he hated that flaw of his. He ignored the embarrassing moment, for now, his tinted cheeks still bright red.

Feeling alone suddenly, Nathaniel began to feel the regret within him rise up. He was regretting taking the shift. He was exhausted from sorting out books all day, needing the extra cash to support himself in his small apartment. Plus, he just couldn't say no to Mrs. Lavender's puppy dog eyes when she asked him to take the shift. She was desperate too. So, without hesitation, Nathaniel agreed.

Nathaniel was a boy of many talents. But the fact that he had no social skills whatsoever had landed him in a decent yet not so amazing university. He had recently graduated and was now working at the library, taking as many shifts as he could to earn as much money as he could from such a low paying job.

Nathaniel loved drawing, having hung up many of his art on his walls, admiring how the colors mixed together to great newer shades, some darker, some lighter. He adored it, thankful that he had such a beautiful talent.

He sighed to himself, resuming the organization of the books he had to organize alphabetically. Since Nathaniel was very short compared to other boys, he had a gigantic ladder to help him reach the upper shelves.

With a groan, he climbed it, a few books in his hands that needed to be shelved. When he climbed up the ladder, he would sometimes look behind him to see if anyone was there. Although the store was locked and safe, he was paranoid that someone or something would randomly pop up and devour him.

He placed the books onto the shelf, shuffling to rush back down onto the flat ground. Then he repeated what he did. It was late at night and Nathaniel was yawning every few seconds, his baby blue eyes appearing a bit redder than usual. He had on a very drained red sweater that kept his small body warm throughout winter.

Nathaniel had moved onto the books that started with the letter G when he heard hushed murmuring outside the store. He was confused ; it was almost 3.AM. He shrugged it off though, assuming it was some teenagers messing around, spray painting some walls.
Just when he was about to step down from the ladder, he heard the glass doors creak open, a rough voice lowly speaking, « well that was quite easy. »

Valentino ---

With his two best men beside him, Valentino Amore stepped out of his shiny, black Porsche, his shoes hitting the solid ground in a fast pace as he signaled his men to stay close behind him. He needed a quiet place to speak to a rival gang member on the phone. It was a very relevant topic they had to address as soon as possible, and the streets were full of wasted teenagers. He didn't want those brats to eavesdrop on anything, so talking out in the open, even in the furthest streets, was out of the question.

He glanced around the street, detecting a place that was excellent for his circumstance. He nodded to Zaire and Jackson, pointing at the library they had parked a few seconds away. Plus, it was beneficial because the library was the quietest place they knew. It was unplanned, very much so, but it was peaceful. Valentino moved towards the glass door, running his fingers through his well-groomed, blondish curls. He looked in, eyes piercing into the store.

« Let's go, » he said, not seeing any lights on inside. His voice was low yet still strict and deep. The crimson curtains were drawn inside the library, but he could still perceive a peek of the inside. Cocking his gun in his hand, he forced the door open with a noisy, grimacing creak. His eyes widened imperceptibly in astonishment. It wasn't even locked.

He snickered darkly in amusement, stepping inside, placing the blinds aside so he could pass. « That was easy, » he said emphatically, free of anybody hearing him.

His dark, almost black eye darted around the building, studying it. His eyes held anger, whenever and wherever, no matter the situation. Valentino had light brown curls with blonde streaks, always combed and taken care of correctly. He shaved commonly, loathing facial hair. On his right hand, he had a dulled rose tattoo that he got when he first formed the gang ; Tainted Rose.

Zaire and Jackson chased behind, looking around to see if anyone was watching. Jackson shut the entrance behind them, turning the keys that were left in the lock.

Valentino instantly began pacing, dialing Tyler's, his former member's, number. « Mother fucker, c'mon fucking accept the call ! » He thundered, his voice echoing through the library.

When Tyler finally picked up after several rings, the two started chatting about a criminal they had to kill. Tyler wasn't very fond of Valentino, but they both hated the son of a bitch. After all, Tainted Rose never killed without a legitimate reason. Valentino trodded around the rug, his fingers brushing against the various books as he shared his plan with Tyler.

Meanwhile, still on the ladder behind a few shelves, was Nathaniel, trembling like a leaf. He was too afraid to move, but he had an advantage ; the boys hadn't noticed him yet.

Collecting himself up, telling himself that he could escape, he nonchalantly got down the creaky steps, making him hold his breath as his heart thudded against his ribs. He was terrified, lowering one foot at a time, stopping after each time his feet felt something solid. While he was on the last step, his knees buckled, making him stumble onto his bottom.

Valentino froze as he heard the sound of someone whimpering and something falling down, looking at Zaire and Jackson. Slowly, a wicked grin made its way onto his thick lips, his eyebrows raising. « Guess we have a mouse here, listening in on us, hm boys ? » He chuckled humorlessly, clasping his gun tighter.

« Zaire, you know I hate mouses, right ? » Zaire nodded, « yeah, you really do, » he replied emotionlessly.

« Exactly. So little mouse, get ready to play a game of hide and seek. »

Zaire---
Nathaniel stood up, stroking his hurting behind as he clasped a hand over his lips so his indifferent breathing wouldn't be the reason that the boys spotted him. He ran away from the chuckle that escaped past the two boy's lips, Valentino making no sound, but having a tremendous smirk plastered on his face.
« Come out come out where ever you are, » he taunted, his smirk growing as he heard a small whimper coming from the further shelf on the left side.
He looked at Jackson and Zaire, his eyes glimmering with sadism. « I'm going to have some fun with the mouse. You two pretend to search, perhaps make some bizarre noises. » The two nodded, running off to do as their feared leader and friend said.
Valentino sneaked towards the shelf, his arms behind his back, gun in hand as he simpered like a Cheshire cat. He scraped the back of his gun onto the shelves, trying to alarm the person as much as possible.
He didn't know if he was a girl or a boy. He hadn't observed Nathaniel and didn't know that he was indeed a boy. « C'mon little mouse, I just want to play. » His tone sent shivers down Nathaniel's spine, making his skin crawl because of how much dominance he had laced in his voice.
With buckling knees and a trembling body, Nathaniel inaudibly shuffled to the other shelf, his breath hitching in his throat when he realized that he was facing Valentino's back. He had on a ruby red button-up shirt and black pants, an identically black belt finishing it. Nathaniel's eyes watered as he stood there, shaking all over, frozen.
Valentino halted in his tracks, laughing darkly, sending electric shocks through Nathaniel. His rapidly pounding heart thudded like a thundercloud inside of him. His cheeks were highlighted with a red blush because of how much he was drained of energy, yet he had to run away from the gangleader in front of him. Despite his knowledge, his feet denied to sprint away.
He felt as if the two humongous shelves near both sides of him were caging him with the monster in front of him. Valentino turned around on his heels, face twisting into an impassioned expression that made Nathaniel want to be six feet under.
Nathaniel had never seen such a gorgeous, such a god-like face that looked like it belonged to an art museum. Valentino's onyx eyes pierced through him like a speedy arrow, long eyelashes making him feel weak. He looked too perfect to be a human. It was almost as if he was sculpted by God.
Valentino took a heavy step towards his prey, bringing his gun forwards. After taking a few steps towards him, he faked a pout, a crease forming in between his eyebrows. « Aww, turns out the mouse actually is a kitten, » he traced Nathaniel's jaw with his cold gun, Nathaniel's eyes swirling with absolute and pure fear.
He was sweating, eyes watering yet he couldn't take his eyes off the boy in front of him. « How adorable, » he taunted, stepping closer to him, making his prey step backward until his back hit a wall. Realization seemed to slap him across the face, hard. He was trapped.
Nathaniel found it tougher and harder to breathe as the clock ticked away. His vision was becoming blurry, making him blink fastly to regain it.
It was all tumbling down on him, the clammy sweat piling up in his back, the tangled knot growing in his stomach, the dryness of his mouth, his eyes pleading for the handsome boy that was caging him for mercy. He felt unsteady, light-headed as if he was on the brink of passing out.
Instead of pleading, little mewls escaped past his bitten and swollen lips, the broken skin close to bleeding. « Panicked now, are we ? » From Valentino's point of view, he had never seen someone like the kitten before. He was pure and innocent, and he was sure of that.