rewinding history // @dreamingofmuses // youngblood
There was a time during Oliver's young life where he'd be the enactor of many pranks. Often, he would take his breaks as a chance to cause some mischief in Mark's family's manor, just to spice up his work day. His favorite would be to fashion a tripwire in front of the activity room for Mark and his friends, using some of the older maid's black yarn to blend in with the dark wood of the hallway floor.
Today was no different, and with a golden opportunity like this, he couldn't not do it again.
"Damien! Damien, can you come here? I can't lift this on my own!" Oliver called from the hallway, his face split into a grin and his red hair wild but slightly damp from the sweat of working outside during the summer. Damien came walking out, looking for Oliver as he went to cross the threshold. Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a yelp as the young boy tripped over the wire, the two hall tables jolting from where the string had been tied to their legs and pulled taught.
Oliver busted into laughter, snorting and cackling as Damien barely caught himself and stumbled to get his balance back. "Oliver!!" Came the giggling shout, and the boys started running through the hall in a chase. Damien, despite the near fall, was giggling as they ran upstairs towards Mark's room. It ended just inside on the bedroom floor, where Mark was getting ready to bring down some toys for him and Damien to play with. He was greeted by the sight of the freckle-faced red-head and the panting, raven-haired boy in a pile after a tackle gone mostly wrong.
"Wait, did you prank him again? No fair! Last time, you said you'd get me so I could watch next time!" Huffed Mark indignantly, dropping his wooden soldiers as he stamped his foot childishly, but the growing smile gave him away. Oliver gave a helpless grin of own as a reply, then he laughed when Mark joined the pile.
It's a memory that often, when life starts weighing heavy on his shoulders, Oliver remembers when he needs a smile.
