Working With Red

Sublimation and Status Quo

"Good~ morning!"

You immediately placed another pillow over your head to try and block out Oliver's cheerful voice as the boisterous blonde waltzed into your room, a huge smile plastered across his face.

"No," you whined, your voice muffled, "it's way too early." Oliver paid you no mind as he sat down on the edge of the bed, snatching the pillow from your face. You rolled over, pulling the comforter up over your head. Oliver attempted to yank away the comforter, but determined, you held on for dear life, squirming as you tried to kick Oliver off the bed from under the covers.

"(Y/N), you're acting like a child," Oliver commented, frowning.

"I may be old, but I'm still baby," you replied sleepily. Oliver sighed and shook his head as he released the comforter, cupping both hands around his mouth.

"Roy!" He called, his stoic voice echoing off the bedroom walls. You froze, pulling the covers back the slightest bit to peek out over the edge of the comforter suspiciously.

"WHAT?!" Roy's voice boomed from downstairs, his tone dripping with irritation.

"I need your help!" Oliver called back and shot you a quick smirk, which set your nerves on edge. A loud groan resonated from downstairs, and a few moments later, a fuming Roy appeared in the doorway. You hastily pulled the comforter back over your head, seizing the chance while Oliver wasn't paying attention. You did your best to block out their muffled muttering and huddled into the cozy bed, snuggling into your pillows once more.

Your comfort only lasted a few seconds as a pair of calloused hands grabbed your ankles from beneath the comforter. You let out a screech as you were suddenly pulled toward the end of your bed, soon finding yourself on the floor with both men standing over you. You shivered, not expecting the floor to be so cold.

"That was completely unnecessary," you muttered, scowling at Oliver, who had an undeniably smug look on his face. Roy just looked plain bored, his eyes wandering to the various corners of the bedroom as he waited for Oliver to dismiss him.

"I did what needed to be done," Oliver announced, folding his arms over his chest. Roy huffed. 

"You mean, I did what had to be done," he mocked, and unknown to you, your lips pulled down into a pout. Roy couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth turn up a bit in response, but it fell when he noticed how stupid you looked on the floor.

"Regardless," Oliver interrupted, placing his hands on his hips, "I wanted to talk to you about something. I know it's a little sudden, but we have an event to attend tonight." You frowned.

"What kind of event. . . ?" You asked cautiously. Roy eyed the blonde beside him; this was the first he was hearing about this "event," too. 

"It's just a little get-together," Oliver replied, holding his hands up in defense before you could even open your mouth to protest. "Well, technically, it's actually more of an. . . undercover operation." This triggered an immediate scoff from Roy, who shook his head as his muscular hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Ollie, she literally just got here last night. You can't send her out into the field yet!" He snapped. You warily rose from the floor and hovered at his side, your head bobbing in agreement.

"It's not a real mission," Oliver reassured, giving the two of you a serious look. "I just want to see the kind of skills she possesses so I know what I have to work with." Your gaze fell to the floor.

"So, like an evaluation?" You asked quietly, earning a confident nod from Oliver.

"Exactly," he said, "From what I can tell, you know how to handle a gun fairly well." He jerked his head over to the nightstand next to your bed, gesturing to the ACP resting atop it. "I'd eventually like to see you use those skills in a real-life situation, but this is just something super easy to test your level of experience." You replied with a slow nod, hugging your arms around your waist as you lifted your eyes to meet Roy's. They were cold and hard, per usual. 

"You're not seriously going to go through with this, are you?" He demanded. You only offered a little shrug, lowering your chin to your chest.

"I mean, it sounds kind of fun--"

"There's a fine line between 'fun' and 'dangerous,'" Roy grumbled, glancing back at Oliver. "I don't want to be responsible if anything happens to her, and she will not be paired up with me for this. I don't need a rookie as a liability." Oliver frowned, cocking an eyebrow at the boy.

"And yet, you trust Robin?" Oliver shot back. "He's only seventeen and you've been going on missions with him for a long time." This time, it was Roy's turn to frown.

"Because he's had years of training and actually knows how to fight!" Roy spat, turning back to you; up until now, you'd awkwardly been listening to their argument. "Don't looked so shocked. You haven't done anything to prove I should trust you. If you get in my way, I'll remove you; end of story." With that, Roy stormed out of the room, leaving the door wide open as he crossed the hall to his own room. You gaped wide-eyed after him, flinching when he slammed his door shut behind him.

Damn, what a hothead. You shook your head and turned back just in time to see Oliver burst out into a fit of laughter, placing a hand on his forehead. A deep blush quickly flooded your cheeks.

"I'm sorry," You murmured embarrassingly, not intending to say it out loud. In all honesty, though, you were far from apologetic.

"I mean, you're not wrong," Oliver replied with a wink, and you smiled. Oliver then breathed out a sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "Listen, I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't think you're ready for. I understand I kind of just dumped this on you, but I wanted to give you the option." You turned your attention to the floor as Roy's words bounced around in your head. You didn't want to listen to the boisterous redhead, but you had to admit he did have a point.

"But, what if I'm not ready?" You shook your head. "What if I screw up? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. How do 'missions' work? What if I can't follow--?"

"Hey," Oliver interrupted, placing his hands firmly on your shoulders. "Stop freaking out. You think I'd throw you out into the open without the slightest clue to what you're supposed to do?" He gave you a calm smile. "It's a very small mission, and you don't even have to worry about messing up. I just want you to trust your gut, okay?" Though you were still incredibly unsure, you replied with a slow nod, pinching your lips into a thin line. 

"Alright, then." Oliver moved toward the bedroom door. "If you'd like, you can hang around here for the rest of the morning. I'm having a colleague stop by later to help you get ready to execute." You froze, your eyes widening. 

"I-I have to execute someone?!" You stammered, your chest twisting painfully. "This is what you people call 'small'?!" The mere idea of killing someone set you on edge, and you suddenly began to fidget, your breaths becoming thinner as the thought became more apparent. Oliver immediately face-palmed, shaking his head at his own mistake.

"No! No, (Y/N), you don't have to execute anyone," Oliver cried in his desperate attempt to calm you down. 

"Nice going, idiot," Roy's muffled voice shot from across the hall, causing Oliver to scowl at no one in particular.

"(Y/N), I meant 'execute the plan'," Oliver clarified, and after a moment, you took a deep breath in an attempt to calm your twitching self.

"I'm sorry," you murmured, hanging your head. "I'm just. . . I know you're saying it's no big deal, but I'm nervous." 

"If you don't want to do this, I'm not going to force you," Oliver stated. "Honestly, you're not hurting anyone if you decide to stay here while we--" 

"No, it's okay; I want to do it," you interrupted, offering a weak smile. "What exactly do I have to do?" Oliver smiled, giving a curt nod in your direction.

"It'll all be explained later, I promise," he responded, ignoring the annoyed look on your face. "For now, just hang tight until this evening. Trust me, it'll be fun!" Oliver then turned and walked toward the door, pausing just before he stepped out into the hall to glance back at you over his shoulder. "You do have party clothes, right?" 

You shook your head. "Party clothes? For what?"