summary: Connor gently coaxes his father to dance with him.
Thetwo of them were in Haytham’s summer manor. Connor was here on the pre-textthat Haytham was concerned that his cat - also named Connor - was sick, butthat the CEO was swamped with too much work to come and drop off Connor the Catat the clinic and would someone please drop by to see what was wrong? Connorhad gone as none of the other staff members at the clinic had the courage toactually deal with the powerful businessman’s docile and friendly feline, asthey feared what would happen if they did something that accidentally made thecat sick, or did something that Haytham disapproved of.
SoConnor had been assigned to care for his father’s cat - a fact that Connor hadbeen entirely unsurprised about, and he had eagerly taken on, as it allowed fortimes like this. Connor the cat was fine, he had eaten some of the live catnipthat grew on the edge of Haytham’s property and been high as a kite, staggeringinto doors and meowing mournfully whenever he couldn’t see his master… Whichwas why Connor the cat was currently curled up asleep on Haytham’s desk, havingfallen asleep purring on his laptop. Vet Connor had been incredibly amused athow his father had been at a bit of a loss, as the other had tried to removehis cat from his laptop, only to get mewled at pathetically until Haytham lethis pet back up onto his desk.
Connorthe vet had pulled out all of the catnip he could find, as per Haytham’srequest, and had put it in the yard debris, making sure to secure the lid sothat his feline counterpart didn’t get into it and into more trouble. He hadfinished about ten minutes ago and had been quietly enjoying watching hisfather deal with his cat. Haytham was currently working on his phone, as hislaptop had been claimed by his cat, who had only just gone to sleep.
Therewas an amused lilt in his father’s voice, as Haytham asked “How long are you goingto stand there and watch Connor and I?”
Theyounger man startled a little, as he hadn’t realized that Haytham had beenaware that he was there, as he had thought that he had come in silently “Notfor too much longer. I hadn’t wanted to interrupt you while you were dealingwith your cat. I don’t think he wants you to work at the moment. Or he likesthe warmth of your laptop.”
“Mmm… Sitting on my laptop is his favorite way of getting my attention, when he thinksthat I’ve been ignoring him for too long.” The head of Abstergo responded,still sounding rather amused.
“Whendid you turn on the radio? I don’t think it was playing earlier.” Connor askedcuriously, having noted the sounds of smooth jazz playing. It was rather faint,but the young man could still hear it.
“Youhave Connor to thank for that. I could turnit off, but he cries so sadly when I try to leave… Particularly since he wasunder the weather I couldn’t deny him the comfort of my company.” Haythamanswered with a sigh “Did you get all of it, or do I need to keep Connorindoors until the rest of it is cleared out?”
“Idug up all the catnip I could find on your property, so he should be safe. “Theveterinarian responded, moving closer to Haytham, leaning over the back of thechair and pressing a kiss to one of Haytham’s cheeks, humming along to thesound of the music. The piece changed and the impulse to dance along withHaytham filled the younger man. “Haytham?”
Theolder man lightly kissed him back before responding “Yes, Connor?
“This is a really nice song… Do you… Would you… I mean…” Connor sighed, shakinghis head a little and feeling more than a little foolish. “Do you want to dancewith me?”
Thesmall, amused smirk on his father’s face widened a little and the CEO nodded,getting up, carefully pocketing his all-important phone and walking over to theother “Is there any particular dance that you have in mind, or would you rather dance slowly, as this song is a little too slow to waltz or tango to?”
"I’dlike to dance slowly with you, please.” Connor responded, a small smile appearingon his face as he waited for Haytham to come into the more open hallway.
OnceHaytham was close, the older man placed one hand on one of Connor’s hips, theother laced with one of the vet’s. Connor mimicked his spare hand’s placementand the two of them shifted closer to one another until they were cheek tocheek. Connor allowed his eyes to close half way as they began to slowly swayin place, enjoying the feeling of being pressed close to Haytham.
Aftera little while, a quiet chuckle left Haytham’s lips, and Haytham pressed atender kiss to his lips as theycontinued to dance slowly in place, despite the fact that the song on the radiohad changed to an upbeat pop song “You are feeling affectionate today.”
“I’vemissed you. It’s been a couple of weeks since we last saw each other.” Connorresponded earnestly, cuddling a little closer to his father “And I know thatyour cat has as well. He yells at me when I come in, because I’m not you, andhe cries when I leave, as he doesn’t like being alone. Connor’s independent… But it doesn’t mean that your cat doesn’t also need your attention and love.”
“I have begun to learn this, dear. I will make sure to pay more attention tohim. I promise.” Haytham responded, nodding a little, and pressing a gentlekiss to his lips “Have you decided whether or not you want the Mayor’s oldhouse or not? I don’t think that your apartment allows pets.”
“I think I do want it… And the apartment building does allow for small pets, soConnor would… Connor could come live with me there, when you’re not here asplane travel is stressful for animals, but I worry that there might not beenough space in my tiny apartment for him to roam as he’s used to.” Connor respondedhonestly.
“Verywell then, I shall make the arrangements… And you do make an excellent point. He does like to wander, although he always does find his way home. I am gladthat my Connor does not get lost easily.” Haytham responded “Then again, therewas a reason I got the RFID chip, so that if he ever did get lost, that I couldfind him again easily.”
“Ihope that you don’t lose him, as losing a beloved pet can be… Hard.” Connor responded,lightly pressing another light kiss to one of the other’s cheeks, well awarethat, as per usual, his father wasn’t justtalking about the cat. It bothered him less than it did when Haytham had firstre-entered his life.
omg those prompts, omg, I've been trying to figure out which could be the most positive one but I think I'd really like to see #6 or #3 for Conhayth? If you don't mind, that is. :3
@aridette
A/N: I knooow! It’s such a striking prompt set and I’d be delighted to write one for you~ :3 I hope you enjoy it!
Warnings: minor character deaths, templars are assholes, angst, canon-typical violence
Pairing: Conhayth
Word count: 3,911
based on the prompt:
3) “I’m useless to you now.”“Oh please, you were always bloody useless. I love you anyway.”
Connor and his father had been working together forseveral years. Haytham had come to him months ago, with a letter in hand and athunderous expression on his face. The Templar Grandmaster had stolen a pieceof correspondence from General Washington – which would have infuriated Connorhad not the information on it caused the anger that had been coursing throughhis veins at the time to turn from his father to the rebel leader himself.There was horror in equal amounts as well – for according to the letter writtenin Washington’s own hand - the other had been culpable for the burning ofseveral native villages, including his own, towards the end of the seven yearswar. His father had warned him that Washington might do the same thing again,as some of the native tribes had sided with the British against the Patriots ina desperate gamble, hoping that they would enforce the treaty boundaries thatthe colonists not only ignored but blatantly disregarded and violated on aregular basis.
There were tribes who had sided with the Patriots,and more still who had decided to remain neutral during this conflict, but allWashington could do, if he was found out to have ordered such a thing was toclaim ignorance as to whether or not the village was friendly or enemy, andunable to stop his men in time, if they had been an allied or neutral villageor not. That information had brought the two of them together. That sharing ofinformation from his father – who could have just as easily hidden thisinformation until he, Washington and Haytham were all conversing with oneanother to reveal that bit of information – prompted Connor to confess why hehated Lee so much. Some of his anger had faded when he knew for a fact that Leehad not been the one to set fire to his village. He still wanted justice forbeing screamed at and choked as a small child but… His desire to actually killLee had diminished. Particularly when he found out that the Templar also had awife and twin children to whom he was devoted to and fought both wars toprotect them. As for Washington… The man was a symbol of the rebellion and oneof the most visible Patriot leaders, and killing him would cause a great dealof chaos.
The two of them had grown closer as they had workedtogether. Much closer. Connor remembered the long, tiring ride from a smallfrontier village that the two of them had stayed in overnight on their way fromaiding the Patriots to Boston with a warm fondness. It had been a couple ofyears ago, and Haytham had brought him to the other’s Bostonian home, pressinga kiss to his lips as soon as the door had closed behind the two of them andtheir horses had been stabled. That had been the first of many kisses. Some hadlead to sex and others had lead to the two of them being wrapped up in one another,off to sleep before they could do much more than kiss.
Connor knew that his recruits were understandablyhesitant about working with the Templars, but as the war against the Britishcontinued and the Colonial Templars proved themselves to be trustworthy andhelpful allies, the divide between the Brotherhood and Rite – at least in theEnglish Colonies – began to heal. More than that, it was interesting just howwell some of his recruits and his lover’s people. Connor was currently inBoston, checking on Duncan, Stephane and Clipper. A small frown appeared on hisface as he realized that none of them were at their usual haunts – and none ofthem were on missions. Connor asked of them to friends and acquaintances oftheirs, and not a one of them could say where any one of the three of themwere. Connor had come from Homestead, and they would have sent a messengerpigeon if they had reach the (small) stronghold that would have reached him onthe road.
However the longer he wandered the streets,searching for his recruits, he heard of a public hanging. The city wascurrently under control of the British, and several supposed Patriot traitorshad been caught and were to be executed in less than an hour at fortIndependence. Connor ran as fast as he could to the fort, intending to see ifthis was a trap, or if actual patriots had been captured. If the latter wastrue, Connor needed to find and rescue them before they were killed. It wouldbe easier if his recruits were with him, but that was likely what they weretrying to do – rescue the Patriots before they were killed.
Connor could not get into the fort as the guardswere on high alert – and from their sharply polished accents, had just arrivedone of the recently arrived supply ships straight from the heart of the BritishEmpire. He would not be deterred, so he hid behind a stack of boxes andwhistled lowly, waiting patiently for one of the guards on patrol to come overand examine the source of the sound. Once one of the guards did come over,Connor killed him swiftly. He knew that the sound would attract the attentionof the other guards and dispatched them just as quickly.
He scrambled up the side of the fort, keeping lowon the wall as he moved from one spot of cover to the next, searching for theentrance to the cellblock, where the prisoners would be kept just until theywere dragged out to be executed (and Connor knew this from miserableexperience). Unfortunately, there was a crowd of only half-willing (from themuttering he heard around him. Connor had pulled his hood up so that his facewould not be seen) citizens, waiting for the prisoners to be dragged forwardsand executed. Connor counted six nooses hanging and a terrible premonitionflashed before his eyes.
But… That couldn’t possibly be true! His recruitswere skilled fighters and good at escaping guards. More than that, each of themwere local leaders of the areas of the city that they lived in and were bothwell loved and protected by the citizens around them. But his fears wereconfirmed as one by one, his recruits were dragged up to the front of crowd byguards, a noose tightened around each of their throats. Like hell was Connorgoing to allow this to happen! His body was moving before he could reallythink, a smoke bomb in his hands as he leapt onto the platform, throwing thedistraction device down so that it obscured the sight of everyone around –including the shouting guards. He knew that time was precious, so he started tocut down each of his recruits, handing one of them a knife after he cut themdown and their hands apart so that they could help him free the rest.
By the time the smoke cleared, all six of them werefree and each was moving as fast as he or she could manage, heading for arooftop. Connor leapt and scrambled up to a roof, before turning around andgrabbing Stephane, who he had heard stumble and gasp behind him. Horror filledthe young Mentor as he realized that the Frenchman was gurgling in pain as hewas stabbed through by the bayoneted rifle of a smirking redcoat, who proudlywore a Templar cross. Connor threw the dagger he had been holding at the smugbastard’s neck, hoping that if it didn’t kill him, that it would at leastdistract the other from firing for a few moments.
His eyes scanned for the others – Clipper was makingdecent time and Duncan was right behind him. Dobby had already disappeared intothe crowd. Jacob… Jacob had gotten cornered by several guards and Jamie hadturned back to help. Connor drew his pistol and shot the guard who had beenclosest to the two of them, killing him with a headshot. He reloaded his pistolswiftly and shot one of the guards who was aiming a rifle at Clipper. Just ashe killed that guard, another pistol shot rang out and… Duncan stumbled, andfell.
Clipper turned and dove after the former priest,out of Connor’s sight. The mentor ran after his recruits, determined to try tosave at least some of his recruits. By the time that he had gotten to Jamie andJacob as the two of them were closest, each had defeated a half-dozen guards, butthey just kept coming and coming. Both of them looked bedraggled and neither ofthem had any armor and were armed with the knife that Connor had given him anda sword pilfered from a dead guard each.
Jacob spotted Connor as he started to close in onthe guards, shaking his head and shouting “You need to run, Connor! They’reafter you! We’ll fight our way out of this.”
Jamie nodded and tried to get the younger man torun, able to disarm and kill the closest guard to the three of them “Go,please. We will run after you do. Duncan needs help.”
Connor was unhappy about leaving the two of themthere. He tossed Jamie – who had a hand free – a smoke bomb and ordered “Stayalive and run as soon as you can.” and did as his recruits asked, trusting themto do as they had promised him.
He reached Duncan, Clipper and Dobby fightingseveral dozen guards and just managing to dodge the bullets of severalsharp-shooters who were posted. Duncan had been hit in the gut and was bleedingheavily. The former priest was fighting like a man possessed – then again,given where he had been shot, all Duncan could do was hope for was a quickdeath. Clipper was aiming for one of the enemy sharpshooters, and managed toget off a kill shot.
Dobby called up to him “Connor, they are lookingfor you specifically, get out of here! We can handle them. You’ve trained uswell. Get out of the city if you can manage it, as fast as you can.”
Connor protested “I can help you fight, and –”
He was interrupted as he heard an officious,British accented voice call out “First rank, ready, aim and fire!”
Dobby lunged and grabbed Connor as the man spoke,twisting so that she shielded him with her body as a dozen musket shots riddledher body, spraying Connor with her blood, but protecting him from harm. Shechoked out “Run, Connor. Please! You’ve lead us, and you have the ability tolead others. Stay safe, and stay alive. For us, aye?” A small smile appeared onher face as her eyes closed.
Connor gritted his teeth as a dark glare appearedon his face as he prepared to charge the line of red-coats to kill those whohad taken the life of one of his dear friends. A hand landed on the back of hiscollar and he was yanked into one of the barracks.
When he whipped around to face who had grabbed him,it was a bloody Jamie. “Mentor, please. You need to run. Templars fresh fromEngland have arrived and they managed to track each of us down and capture usin the night. They have a strange Object in their possession – a golden baubleof strange and terrible power. You need to survive this so that our order cansurvive. We’ll be right behind you. I promise.”
“… Fine. But the rest of you better survive. I willnot be able to finish this by myself.” Connor growled back, trying to get Jamieto look him directly in the eye. He wasn’t going to be the only one to survivethis, if he had to carry two of his recruits on his back while they kicked andscreamed in protest. With a steadying breath, the two colonial Assassinsrejoined the fray, with Connor reluctantly freeing as Jamie went after the seaof red-clad soldiers, helping to keep the foot soldiers at bay while Clipperdealt with the sharpshooters.
By the time that Connor had gotten back to theBoston safe house, he was near the point of collapse. It had taken him hours andhours to get back. There had been dozens of guards everywhere, and Connorpartially waited for one or more of his recruits to also escape fortIndependence, watching the walls and hoping that they would make it as well. Hehad very nearly went back into the fort, to try and rescue at least one ofthem, but their utter insistence on him escaping alive kept what were quitepossibly all of their final wishes honored.
He collapsed in the foyer of the small house,closing the door and groaning softly. He had a couple of small sword cuts froma surprisingly swift guard captain who had come upon him suddenly a little overan hour ago. He had killed the guard captain – who was shouting for assistance– and managed to hide until the guards had stopped searching for himimmediately. The injuries hurt quite a bit, but were not life-threatening. Whathurt more was the fact that his recruits had been caught and killed…Possiblyall of them… By and on the orders of Templars.
He had trusted his father and lover… And this iswhere it had gotten him – his fellow Assassins slain – he should have listenedto them when they said that it was a bad idea to try to ally with the Templars.That it could only end in pain and misery. That his piece of shit father wouldbetray him when it would hurt the most, and by the spirits, it was true. Theyhad been right and had paid for his miscalculation with their lives.
As if summoned to inflict maximum pain, Haythamappeared from the doorway on the far end, looking immaculate and untouched byeverything as always. He frowned a little at Connor’s disheveled andblood-covered state, asking with a look of mockingly false concern on his face,and voice deceptively worried “Connor, what happened?”
Connor glared daggers at his father, barely managingto stand –he was so exhausted and the rage and betrayal was causing his limbsto shake – biting out angrily “As if you don’t know. I’m useless to you now.”He would never again trust the other, and he certainly wasn’t going to beanother one of the other’s pawns.
Haytham huffed a little, coming closer and daring to put a hand on hisshoulder. “Oh please, you were always bloody useless. I love you anyways. Areyou done being strangely overdramatic and ready to tell me what happened?I just got a frantic message from John, saying that one of your recruits hadbeen captured by the new regiment that had arrived earlier this week fromEngland.”
“Do not. Give me that. LIE! The captain of theguard was a Templar, and there were more in the group of soldiers! They knewwho each of my recruits were and how to find them! How could they have knownthat, if you or one of your people hadn’t told them.” Connor hissed, eyesnarrowing to furious slits as he tried to wrench away from his lover’s grasp,swaying a little and staggering into Haytham. He was more injured and exhaustedthan he first realized. He had to get out of here, he had to get away fromHaytham before he passed out and was easy prey for the Grandmaster –not thatthere was much left of his Brotherhood – and little that Haytham did notalready know. Except…
Except the location of Davenport Homestead. He hadyet to bring the other to his – to his Brotherhood’s - oasis of safety and calmin the colonies. Part of it was that they all had to be in full agreementbefore they took any Templar there… And partially because he worried whatHaytham might do to the small, peaceful village, as the other meddled. It waswhat Templars did.
“I did not give them the names and locations ofyour recruits, Connor. I would never betray you in such a way. I have beenbetrayed at such a level, and I would never do so to another person… Especiallysomeone whom I love as dearly and care as much for as I do for you. I do notknow how they got that information but… I arrived here in Boston an hour ago,after I had gotten a message from Pitcairn, saying that one of your recruitsmight have been detained by some of the regiments who have recently arrived. Acouple of the men and commanders are Templars, but they are not under my commandand as of yet, none of them have reported to me to ask what the standing ordersare, nor how to interact with Assassins here.” Haytham answered truthfully,steadying his heavily injured son, hoping that Connor would believe him.
Connor stared hard at him, trying to decide whetheror not he was going to believe Haytham. Achilles’ mistrustful words rattledaround in his mind. But there was the years that they had worked together,loved one another (or at least, so Connor had believed they had) to bring aboutpeace and prosperity. There had been more than a couple of times when it mighthave been to Haytham’s advantage to betray Connor’s trust… but Haytham hadn’tdone so. He had even censured Lee for what the volatile Templar had done to himas a child, and promised that once the war was over, and his usefulness as aperson of import within the Patriots waned, that he would allow Connor to seekjustice for his crimes.
“I…” He activated his second sight, and Haythamshone a bright, soothing blue. If his lover had betrayed him, then the otherwould have shone a bloody red in his vision, whether Connor knew it for certainor not. He clung to Haytham and buried his face into one of the other’sshoulders, trembling a little “I… I saw three of them fall. The… The otherswere surrounded and… They begged me to run. I wanted to stay and fight but…Jamie… Told me that one of these new Templars was in possession of a goldenobject of terrible power… and that they were after me specifically…”
“… For now, let us hope that your other threerecruits survived. You need to get cleaned up and rest. We will deal with therest of this when you have healed. I will have my people gather information. Iwill speak with them later this afternoon, if you would like. Or…” Haytham pausedas he continued to gently pet Connor’s hair. He had started to do so whenConnor had first started to cling to him tightly. Haytham’s other arm hadwrapped around Connor’s waist, trying to help the other to keep steady andclose. “Or tomorrow, if you would rather I stay close tonight. I can send acouple of pigeons to the others, as there is a coop on the roof of this house.Which would you prefer?”
“… I… I would rather you stay close tonight.” So hecould watch Haytham. So that he knew that Haytham was safe. If his father diedor was captured today as well… Connor shuddered a little at that thought. Hehad lost more people whom he cared for than he had ever wanted to again today.
“As you wish, Connor.” His beloved murmured,pressing a kiss to Connor’s forehead as the other deftly carried him up to oneof the bathrooms. “I was just about to take a bath, so the water I hot, but youneed it much more than I do. Do you know how much of that blood is yours?”
“Most… Most of it is other peoples. Mainly… MainlyDobby’s. There was a… A firing squad and she…” Connor couldn’t say it, abjectmisery and guilt flashing across his face.
“Protected you, so that you would survive?” Haythamoffered quietly as they entered the bathroom. There was a large, claw-footed tubnear the fire to help retain the water’s heat. As Connor started to stare atthe fire and tremble more, Haytham tugged his lover’s chin down so that theslightly taller man was looking him directly in the eyes. “Connor… Today hasbeen a terrible day. Losing… Losing so many people at once is a hard thing toswallow. But you need to focus. In order to avenge them, and to make certainthat their deaths were not in vain.”
Connor nodded absently, tugging off his clothes –he was covered in blood, and he desperately wanted to get clean – not that hewould ever be free of the sights of his friends deaths in such a violentfashion. “Yes, Haytham. You’re right, of course I just…” Connor hadn’t criedsince he was a small child. It was one thing that the fire seemed to haveburned from him. But he was closer than he ever had been, to breaking down intoa sobbing mess.
“Take your time, Connor. Let me help you, andtogether we will get to the bottom of this. Those responsible will be killedfor trying to disrupt what we had been able to do here.” Haytham responded,voice firm but caring as he guided Connor into the bath. “Would you likesomething to eat, or a bit of tea to drink? How long has it been since you havehad anything?”
“I have not eaten anything since… Since before Iheard about the hanging, and that was in mid-morning.” Connor answered, voicesounding to him. As if another person was speaking, rather than himself. Hewould need to contact Aveline and tell her what had happened, so that shewasn’t caught off-guard. With a shake of his head, he snapped out of thestrange mental daze he had gotten into. Haytham was right. He needed to focus.“Could British Templars be trying to interfere with the war, now that they arehere? Would their interests align more with the Empire in which they live in,rather than with you, and their fellow Templar brethren in the colonies?”
“It can happen that different sects of the TemplarOrder find themselves on opposite sides of war. Generally we try to worktogether, rather a lot like different chapters of your Brotherhood worktogether, despite differences that their country of birth have. But it wouldnot surprise me if that was the case.” Haytham responded, a small sigh escapinghim as he shook his head. “I will bring you something to change into. Wash upwell, mm? I’ll make certain that there’s something here for you to eat.”
“I… Thank you rake:ni.” Connor responded, curlingone hand around one of Haytham’s arms, gently tugging the other closer to himand sitting up a little in the bath to kiss the other on the lips for a coupleof moments, enjoying the simple but loving gesture before letting go.“You are welcome, Ratonhnhake:ton. I will be backsoon.” His lover promised, staying until Connor had settled into his bathbefore leaving to get what he had said he would.
((This one got kinda long. I hope that you enjoy it!))
@aridette
Connor woke up in a strange place. Specifically on a cot, and there was a stranger who was stirring a large black pot. He blinked a little as he slowly sat up, noting that the person was an elderly woman in all black clothes. He knew that colonists wore all black as a sign of mourning. He cleared his throat as he sat up, suppressing a hiss as the world spun unpleasantly around him.
“Good morning, my handsome, strapping young lad.” She called out, voice oddly hoarse sounding, “I found you out in the forest covered in more weapons than an old woman like myself can shake a stick at. I’ve set them on the table over there. I must say, I’ve never seen a Knight quite like you before.”
“… Thank you, but I am not a knight.” Connor murmured, trying to place her accent, having never heard it’s like before. The last thing he remembered was-
Aveline had asked him to help her track down a piece of Eden that the French Colonial Templars had recently procured. Connor had tracked the ship it was supposed to be on, stalking the courier as the other made his way through Charleston. He silently counted until the courier was completely hidden in an alley before leaping onto the hapless French Templar, stunning the man and grabbing the bag.
His father’s voice rang out, amused and exasperated “and just where do you think you are going with that, Connor?”
The young Master Assassin cursed himself for freezing one the spot rather than fleeing… But they were also allies at the moment. “This French Templar has something that an ally of mine would rather not stay in their hands. I have it and will be leaving now - and I have barely injured him.”
“Ah, but this other ally of yours wanted was being sent to me- and by your expression, I take it that they didn’t see fir to tell you that, son.” The Englishman purred, moving closer to the still motionless Connor.
The bastard had probably done that on purpose so he couldn’t help the reaction that he had to his father acknowledging that part of their relationship in front of other… not that very wide-eyed French Templar was doing anything but keeping very still. “… And this will not end up in an enemy’s hands?” He managed out, squinting suspiciously at his father.
The older man smirked a little as he leisurely walked towards the two of them clapping Connor on the back “Of course not.”
A bright light emanated from the bag, blinding the pair of them./
… Arguing with his father of a Piece of Eden. “Where am I, ma'am? How did you find me? The last thing I remember was speaking with my… My father.” Connor asked softly, a worried frown appearing on his face.
“You were alone, bathed in golden light.” The old woman explained, “You were sent to the forest I live in by magic. Perhaps you will be able to help me. There’s a pair of rotten little monsters who keep eating my house! If you could catch and stop them I’d be very grateful.”
“Very well, I’m good at track and I’ll deal with these monsters of yours.” Connor responded, nodding a little.
“Wonderful! IF you can catch them for stew, I’d be delighted!” the old woman responded with a cackle of delight.
The Assassin nodded and carefully got up having to bed over some as he had hit his head on the roof. He rubbed the back of his head, smelling something sweet. “I shall do my best.” With that he left the small hut his hand sticky from the handle of the door. He made sure to grab his weapons before he left.
HE lightly tasked his sticky had as he realized it was sweet, as if he’d touched sugar or honey… was… was her house made of sugar and ginger bread? He could see her shed, which had been partially eaten. The bites were small, and nothing had been consumed above the height that a ten year old child could reasonably reach.
Connor also found barefoot tracks in the mud, consistent with the tracks of a pair of children. His heart constricted painfully at the implications of this- and that the old woman wanted to eat them was ghastly. He activated his second sight, the children’s tracks painfully were easy to follow.
It didn’t take Connor more than a couple of hours to track them down. The two of them were talking quickly to his father, their eye wide and pleading as the older of the two of them- a girl no older than twelve begged. “P-please sir! We need you to guide us back to the village! Our parents took us out into the woods last night and we cannot find our way home. We tried to use bread to find our way home but-“
Haytham huffed, looking away from the children cutting off the rest of her speech impatiently “But the birds ate the rail, you tried to leave. You two also found a house made out of ginger bread and ate some of it because you were hungry. An old witch appeared and tried to capture the two of you but you managed to escape. We are likely still close to that house and the witch and if the two of you split up, your brother will get captured by her.”
“… You are being rather cruel towards them father.” Connor rebuked quietly. “And there is an old woman who currently lives in a partially eaten home made out of sweets.” She also apparently wanted to eat them for some twisted reason. Unless the old woman didn’t know that children culpable for the destruction of her edible property? A couple of white rabbits hopped out of nowhere and sat on his feet.
A blue jay had landed on his father’s shoulders as the Templar rubbed one of his temples with a hand “I am aware that they are telling the truth. We should let the tale unfold as it should while we find that thrice cursed thing that sent us here. How The Book of Eden ensnared us both I don’t know. Neither of has touched the wretched thing.”
“We are not abandoning these children! We need to get them back to their village at least so that they will be safer. Then we can search for the thing that brought us here.” he wanted to ask what the other meant by letting the story unfold, and why Haytham had said all the things he had, but would ask later when they were away from the children..
“… You do not understand the situation. These two children are called Hansel and Gretel.” Haytham stressed the names as if that were supposed to mean more than the fact that his father had gotten the children to tell him their names.
“How did you know our names, Sir? d-did our parents ask you to find us Gretel asked, her eyes large and hopeful.
”… No they did not.“ The Templar Grandmaster eventually said "You two must be bold and brave in the trials ahead. Stick together and you will overcome them. My son and I cannot help you, for we are lost in these woods, looking for the way to go home. We were brought here by a cursed magical object and we must find it again so that it doesn’t harm anyone else. If you find a river or stream, there will be berries and fish to eat.”
Connor hesitated before handing Gretel, who was older- a knife, hilt first as well as apiece of flint .He instructed them on how to use the flint and prepare a cooking fire that wasn’t dangerous. “I am sorry that there isn’t more we can do. Butter berries will make you sick, so if the berries you taste is bitter, spit them out and wash your mouth.” he moved away from the two kids. Connor didn’t want to, but some unseen force was pushing him away from the pair.
The Templar-Assassin pair walked silently through the woods, both of them using their second sight to find the Piece of Eden that brought them here.“… How did you know their names, if the children didn’t give them to you?”
“Because we are in a fairy tale. The Book of Eden traps those who try to use it in a fairy tale story. This one is about the pair of children we just saw, their parents abandoned them in the woods-” he told the rest of the tale, “It’s implied that they stay at the witch’s house and tend the guards that surround it after she dies. I want to find the Book before the story ends, as we will be placed into another. This is one of the shortest, but the size of the story means that the world we need to search is small.”
“… Oh. So will the flint and dagger I gave them vanish when we leave?” Connor asked, spotting a glittering, golden object in the distance. “How long do we have?”
“Several weeks, as the witch will lose patience at the fact that Hansel isn’t gaining the weight she wants him to by then. As for that… I don’t know much about how the Book works and what it means when we interact with the characters is known for certain. But there is a rumor that we can affect how the story is told for a time by the actions we take in the story… How long and if that’s true…” Haytham shrugged a little. “That I do not know for certain.”
“I see… and I think that the Book is over there, through that large tangle of brambles. It’ll take days to cut into the clearing if there is one and fire is dangerous. But I… I did not wish the Book and neither of us touched it before it pulled us in.” Connor responded, frowning a little. Not looking forwards to hacking his way through to the book. Some of the thorns were easily over an inch and a half long.
“Yes, but that is our best bet as fire could be dangerous for a number of reasons as the Book will torment us more if w feel fear while trapped in the story… and Fire is also an invitation we do not extend.” Haytham explained a patient expression appearing on his face.
“…Ah.” Connor replied, unable to stop himself from fidgeting. “… How do you know of my aversion to fire?”
“I am a highly observant… and I know that Ziio…” Haytham swallowed, pausing in his speech as if her name caused him pain. “… She died in a fire.” The Templar drew his blade and struck powerfully at the brambles, cutting a large vine down.
“… She did, but I never told you that.” Connor growled quietly as he drew his tomahawk and started to cut through the thick, thorny brambles.
“Johnson told me recently, and I’ve seen the way you shift and cringe when close to flames. Your hands also shook as you told them how to the campfires safety. IT’s nothing to be ashamed of.” His father murmured voice kind and understanding, rather than condescending.
“Oh… She loved you until the day she died. Mother told me your name and I… I wanted to find you.” Connor admitted quietly. The brambles weren’t as bad as they first appeared.
His father’s eyes widened in shock at his words, and Haytham stumbled into the brambles- and could’ve gotten tangled, but Connor darted closer to Haytham and steadied the older man before he fell too far. “I… Oh… I still care for her as well. Thank you for telling me son.”
The two of them went silent after that as it took them several hours to jut the path they needed to get to the golden book. The brambles seemed to have gotten thinner after they had spoken the air clearing around the two of them somewhat. Surely that was just a coincidence?
They reached for the book at the same time, finding themselves back where they’d started. The French Templar was staring at them intently- it seemed as though their trip had taken a couple of moments in the real world.
“… It is said that the Spirits of Those Who Came Before possess the bodies of the persons whose souls are taken by the book. B-but nothing happened when it tried to take your souls! H-how is that possible?!” The French Templar demanded.
“… I was not told that aspect of this Piece of Eden. I have a number of questions, and you /will/ answer them. The truce between our orders does not extend to you.” Haytham demanded silkily, staling closer to the hapless Templar.
“… We should take him to a more comfortable place. He’s traveled so far, father.” Connor murmured, coming up behind the trembling French Templar, placing the hand that didn’t hold the bag that held the Piece of Eden on the other’s shoulders, holding onto him tightly.
Yes, of course. I believe your ship has something that would be suitable for our new… guest.“ Haytham smirked "I shall take that so you can… Subtly bring our new friend.”
“It would be, but Charleston isn’t a port city. We can use the tunnels to get to the one where I had to leave my ship.“ Connor pointed out, handing over the bag.
"To the tunnels! And it’d be wise for you to speak truthfully to us.” The Templar Grandmaster advised as they set off for the closest tunnel entrance.
The two of them had gone to a hotel, paying in cash for two rooms and both of them in disguise. Shaun and Rebecca were out on a grocery run and would be sharing the other room. They were on the run – as they always seemed to be – from the Templars, dodging around large cities and when they had to use unencrypted phones, they used burner phones once to other numbers that were used a handful of times before being deactivated.
William was arguing with the front desk lady about something after he had paid for the room, so Desmond had trudged over to the room that matched the card and slid the keycard in the slot, waiting for it to beep and enter the room, closing it carefully behind him. He performed the standard checks that one did in a hotel room – that there were enough pillows and blankets, that the sheets were fully clean and that there were no listening devices or other technological bugs that might watch or listen to them, double-checking with his second sight. Desmond found it incredibly useful that his second sight did allow him to easily spot such things… And to his relief, there was nothing dangerous to them in the room.
There was a window in the room – large enough for the both of them to escape out of if necessary, and as they were on the third floor and there wasn’t an easy way to climb up there – if you weren’t an Assassin at least – it should be fairly safe. Desmond opened the window enough to breath in some of the fresh air, smiling a little as he looked at the charming little town that they were currently in. His left arm twinged a little and he rubbed the skin, glad that his arm had mostly healed from the damage that had been done when Juno had been released. Lying bitch had told him that his death would be instantaneous and painless. It had been neither, and though Desmond had tried not to scream in pain as the electric energy stabbed into his body, he was unable to stop himself. The memories of what had happened a few months ago started to remind him of what he had very nearly lost.
Desmond hadn’t expected was his father to appear out of nowhere and wrench him away from the eye, the Sword of Eden in hand as he struck Juno down just as her consciousness was about to escape the confines of the Temple. His father’s face had been twisted into a protective snarl as he struck her down, hissing “Did you really think I would sacrifice my son to you, you miserable phantom! Or that the others would not have a contingency plan in place, when you tried to escape? You have been manipulating humanity for far, far too long, and your shadowy reign dies here!”
Juno had screeched angrily and coughed, struggling against the blade, her eyes blazing with fury. She started to fade along the edges, but seemed to be still clinging to what little life she had left “And what of the world? Killing me dooms almost all of your people to a fiery death, and it will be on your shoulders William Miles. Your daughter was willing to sacrifice her life to save humanity as it is. I would be there to guide your squabbling, warring people to a greater unity. There is still a chance to save your people. Join her in death and I will survive.”
“You are wrong on a number of things. First and foremost you blind bitch, Desmond is my son and I am proud of all he has done. He… You have sacrificed much in order to save humanity, and this possibility was something that was only very recently found to be the best bet for humanity to survive and be free. Juno would not let you leave the Temple once you entered, which is why we didn’t tell you. That and… Finding the Sword of Eden proved to be difficult. I… I didn’t want to raise your hopes up falsely, son. The world is safe, it is you who will die this day. The Reign of the Precursors has long since come to an end, and you are nothing but a dying shade.” William growled again, twisting the blade and activating it’s ability, forcing the lightening to pulse through Juno, causing her to scream and shatter into thousands of pieces of strange code. He was holding onto Desmond protectively, helping the younger Assassin stay on his feet.
As soon as the last fragments of Juno had vanished, William let the Sword drop to the floor, holding onto Desmond and pulling the other into a tight embrace. “I have been a shitty father, and a poor teacher. But I love you, Desmond. You… You wanted the freedom to fly and run as you pleased… Which is why I did not have the others pursue you as ardently as they could have, after you ran away. There is medical help beyond the door and I will make sure that both the Apple and the Sword will be hidden separately and well. You have done wonderfully, Desmond.”
Desmond knew he had been half-delirious from the pain, couldn’t help the broad grin that appeared on his face. The praise that his father had lavished upon him – and that his father had called him son and stood up to what fancied herself as a goddess to use his chosen pronouns… A small giggle escaped him. “You… You called me son… You… You love me…” He hugged the other back as best as he could, his left hand hurting more than he had ever thought it was possible for it to hurt.
“Of course. You are my son. I never said it enough, and that is a terrible failing on my part. But Desmond.” There was sternness in his father’s tone. Warning and a frown that meant that Desmond was In Trouble. “Do not die on me. Do you hear me? You are stronger than this. I believe in you. We found a way to overcome the Precursors, you will not succumb to their desire to have you dead.”
“… I’ll try, dad. It… It hurts so much.” Desmond responded, realizing that the blackness that had been at his fingertips of his left hand was starting to spread up his arm and he was suddenly so cold… Darkness was starting to eat at the edges of his sight as well, and panic seized him. Desmond had never been able to fully verbalize any of the reasons why he had run from the brotherhood. From his father. No one else was n the room, and as he was pretty sure that he was going to have to disobey Bill’s order about dying, he gave into the impulse that he had been fighting against at different points since his dad had come crashing back into his life. He leaned in closer to William and went up on his tip-toes and kissed the other on his lips. They were alone and as he was probably going to die anyways, he wanted to taste the person he had been fantasizing about since he was fifteen.
“I… I love you too. Jus’ … Not the way that I’m supposed to.” He whispered after the brief kiss, pulling away from his visibly startled father. “… Sorry…” With that, Desmond could not fight the darkness eating at the edges of his vision anymore and passed out in his father’s arms.
Desmond had woken up, of course. In something that looked very much like a hospital room. In a sense, it had been, but it wasn’t from a recognized hospital, but rather the medical ward of one of the few permanent Assassin Bases in Europe. They had flown him in from Italy to wherever he was. He knew that from the helpful – and sarcastic – note that Shaun had left him at his bedside. His blades had been taken from him, but were next to the note on the bedside table. There was an IV attached to his uninjured arm – as well as an explanation as to what the hell was being put into his veins so that he didn’t rip the drip out as soon as he was aware enough to do so.
… Not that Desmond would have done that. Probably. But the precaution and the explanation had been nice. They had kept him bedridden for two weeks – and hadn’t put him in the animus once. Bill had been absent those two weeks, needing to put out metaphorical fires all over the world as the head honcho of the Brotherhood. But Desmond had seen Shaun and Rebecca almost every day, and Shaun had actually been nice to him… Which probably meant that the acerbic Brit had thought that he was at death’s door or something.
He had healed well, and after a couple of awkward and private conversations with his father once they had left the base the two of them had come to an agreement. They would… Explore Desmond’s… Desires for William, carefully. If either of them felt uncomfortable, both would back off, and Desmond would be the one to initiate things of a more intimate nature. Desmond was just glad that Bill hadn’t rejected the notion and locked him up in a mental facility and thrown away the key … Although the Templars probably would have found him sooner or later that way. The fact that his dad was willing to even consider indulging his illicit wants was… It was a marvel that Desmond was quietly grateful for. He just hoped it wasn’t because he had helped to save the world or anything like that as he didn’t want to push the physicality that he wanted from his father if Bill truly didn’t want it.
One train ride where Shaun and Rebecca had flown on ahead to set things up where they had a private sleeping car had served to show that Desmond’s dad was absolutely up for anything that he was, given that after Desmond had kissed Bill again and asked the other to fuck him, William had enthusiastically indulged him. Even with his increased healing ability, some of the marks that the older Assassin had left on him had only just healed by the time they had caught up with Shaun and Rebecca. Not that Desmond had minded wearing the hickeys that Bill had left on his neck.
“I thought that you were going to take a shower as soon as we got in.” Bill called out, waking Desmond from his daydreaming. There was a note of concern in the other’s voice as the older man walked over to him.
“Huh? Oh… I was but… It’s a nice view and I got lost in thought. My own thoughts, not one of the others’ this time.” Desmond responded, knowing that his father was worried about the Bleeding Effect. Whatever Juno had been attempting to do while slowly killing him, it seemed to have stripped Desmond of most of the Bleeding effect. Occasionally he did see people who were hundreds of years dead, or hear the voices of his ancestors’ loved ones… But it was much less often than it had been before he had nearly died.
“I hope those were happy memories you were thinking of. I was able to get Shaun and Rebecca’s room on the other side of the hotel from ours, so that we have privacy. The walls here are rather thin, but so long as we are quiet… If you like, we should be able to indulge in being alone in a room together for more than an hour or so.” Bill remarked, voice dipping into something close to a seductive purr.
Desmond shivered in anticipation, a small smile appearing on his face as he turned to face his dad and moving in closer to the other and pressing a kiss to the other’s lips, humming happily at that “I think they’ll be grateful for that as well… As I saw Rebecca grab a box of condoms and wave them at Shaun with a grin while we were at that convience store this morning. You should have seen the way Shaun flustered. It was really funny. But I saw them kissing a bit after that – not that they saw me.”
Bill scoffed a little and chuckled “I see. Unfortunately I need to check on a developing situation. A potential descended of Shay Cormac has been found by Abstergo and if they’re able to go through that man’s memories…”
“They… They’ll show his memories as a game, something worse than when they bastardized the memories of Mentor De Grandpere’s life. Neither one of them deserve that.” Desmond responded with a growl, an unhappy frown appearing on his face.
“… You know of who Cormac is… How?” William responded, a rather surprised expression appearing on his face.
“Haytham knew him, and I did see a couple of memories of him as Haytham. I found out more through Connor – he and Aveline found out what happened to the then New World brotherhoods and why when Cormac confronted the two of them after the revolution was over for a couple of years. They… They very nearly came to blows, but Connor looked too much like his father for Shay to be able to strike fatally. Not that he knew who Connor was to his grandmaster at that point.” Desmond explained quietly. “I… I’m gonna have a shower and then see if I want to go swimming. If there’s anything I can do to help…”
“I’ll tell you. Be safe Desmond.” Bill assured him, watching the younger man leave.
~
Hours found Desmond in his father’s lap, with the other’s fingers deep inside of him, twisting and teasing him as he moaned and gasped into Bill’s shoulder, shuddering at the pleasure that the other was sending through his body. “Ah! D-daddy! P-please! Ngh…I-it feels so g-good!”
“It’s supposed to, my son. I enjoy having my fingers so deep inside of you, the way you clench around me… And the sounds that you make, soft but oh so sweet… There’s a good boy. Let the pleasure take you.” William instructed, voice gentle but firm as he continued to move his fingers in and out of his son, pressing a kiss to the other’s lips.
Desmond continued to writhe and gasp in his father’s lap, his fingers dragging down the other’s back as he tried to keep himself from being too noisy “A-AH! D-dad… Ngh… P-Please!” He was trying to ask the other to fuck him, but every time he tried, more nonsense escaped him instead.
“You’re so wet for your daddy… Hmm… I’m quite flattered. You’re getting close to coming, aren’t you? Then again, I have been teasing you for some time. I’m glad that your stamina in this is improving wonderfully. Not that I mind making you come several times. You make the cutest noises and faces when you come. That’s it… Good boy… Do you want me to fuck you properly, or would you rather I take you with just my fingers?” Bill asked, continuing to tease his son, a playful smirk curling on his lips.
Desmond whimpered and gasped, wanting to plead for the other to fuck him properly, but every time he tried, Bill’s fngers would tease him and he would lose all sense of coherence “I… Daddy… Please! Nghaaah! Want… Want you… Please! Ah…. You’re… so hard… Do-Don’t you want to…?”
“Don’t I want to what, Desmond? Be specific, son.” William instructed with a wicked smirk on his face. His fingers continued to tease and move inside of Desmond, as he patiently waited for the other to respond.
“Fuck me! W-with your cock, d-daddy! Please!” The younger Assassin begged a bit louder than he had meant to, clapping one of his hands over his mouth, a worried expression appearing on his face. The walls of the hotel were concerningly thin, and while there wasn’t anyone in the adjoining rooms, Desmond could not say the same for the hallway.
“Shh, shh. You must remember to be quiet Desmond, but you have been so good so far. If that is what you want, I am happy to indulge you.” Bill purred, gently pushing Desmond away just far enough so that he could undo his belt and pants with one hand, pulling out his rock-hard cock. He had also pulled out a condom and a small bottle of lube from his pants with the hand that currently wasn’t inside of Desmond. He held out both things to the younger man, saying “Unless you’d rather I take my fingers from you, you will need to prepare me, as I do not want you to be sore. This is a reward, not a punishment after all.”
Desmond blushed a little, but nodded eagerly, moaning and nearly dropping both the condom and bottle of lube when bill teased his clit with his thumb. “Y-yes daddy!” He fumbled with the condom and lube for a bit, his father’s very gifted fingers distracting, but he managed to roll the condom onto the other’s cock and slick it up carefully – having remembered to put a bit of lube in the condom to make sure that it didn’t break. Both of them were clean, but neither of them wanted to deal with other potential consequences of their actions, either. Once the other’s cock was properly ready, Desmond scooted closer again, sitting up on his knees as his father’s fingers left him, moaning behind a hand as he slowly sank onto his father’s cock, shuddering and moaning in desire and delight.
“You are so gorgeous and handsome, son. And you feel incredible around me. Move when you are ready… Even though I want to flip us over and fuck you into the mattress, you have been such a good boy, as I promised, tonight is for you.” Bill praised again, pressing loving kisses to the other’s lips and face. This was far from the first time that they had been together, but with Desmond’s healing factor, the other would always be virgin-tight every time, which was one of the reasons why Bill was always very careful when stretching the other for him.
“T-thank you daddy!” Desmond responded with a bright grin, kissing the other back before steadying himself a little. After a couple of moments he put his hands on the other’s shoulders, shifted his knees a little and started to ride the other’s cock, moaning and gasping in time to the rhythm that he was keeping, moaning and gasping every time his father’s cock filled him up completely, a soft whine escaping him when his motions had the other’s cock nearly leaving him entirely.
~
A pleasurable haze of time later, the two of them had finished, showered and were in their bedclothes. Desmond was cuddled into his father’s chest, a small smile appearing on his face. “Thank you. tonight was wonderful.”
“You are welcome, and I thoroughly enjoyed tonight as well.” William responded back earnestly, brushing a finger along one of Desmond’s cheeks tenderly. “We need to sleep – we will have to head off early tomorrow. Cormac’s descendent is in one of three Abstergo facilities and Rebecca can hack into the closest one which will tell us for certain where they are. The closest facility is three days by car.”
“… We save the world and yet the Templars still continue on. But at least we don’t have to deal with Juno.” Desmond responded with a sigh, shaking his head.
“Yes, but the world continuing as it is… Is a good thing. The brotherhood will be able to overcome the Templars, and that… Newly acquired ability of yours should help us find the Pieces of Eden – if you want to go hunting for them. I won’t make you.” Bill responded quietly “… The templars won’t leave you alone, but if you don’t want to kill, I won’t force you to.”
“I… Thanks dad. I want to help the brotherhood. To continue fighting but I… I don’t think I can kill. I… I hesitate too much and that will get me killed. But I’m pretty good at getting people to talk to me. As a good bartender should be able to get his patrons to become chatty and sociable so that they’ll drink and stay longer.” Desmond responded, a determined expression appearing on his face.
“I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Desmond.” Bill responded. The two of them talked about nothing much for a little while longer before falling asleep.
Type: Ficlet
A/N: Fluff... FLUFF EVERYWHEREEEE <3
After all these days, I couldn’t resist to Ezio. God, he might think that I am falling for his charm...*gross sobbing* Not that I am not... I am a whore for Ezio
Little Fancy Vocabulary-Translation from Italian
Amore- love
Amore mio- love
Buongiorno signora Flavia!- Good morning, Miss Flavia!
Buongiorno signore Flaviah!- Good morning, Mister Flaviah!
Mi dispiace- I am sorry!
Signore- Mister
Da quando ti conosco la mia vita è un paradiso- Since I met you my life is a paradise
The sunlight that was creeping to her dark-lit room was adding up to her frustration, suddenly every single natural thing angering her. Getting up from her desk, she paced fast to the direction of the window, pulling her F/C curtains closed, letting little light in the room. The movement was made fiercely and the fabric screamed in protest, but the H/C girl could care less.
She could feel his gaze boring into her back, waiting patiently for her to calm down so they could start over once again.
Her shoulders were moving up and down slowly, matching the movements of a beast that was trying to become civilized.
“Amore mio...”Ezio trailed off, his voice a bit more flirty than usual; knowing that something like that would soothe her. The E/C young woman shut her eyes tightly, her breathing low.
She was so jealous of his flawless accent. So smooth and simply perfect, it was something that she was trying very hard to obtain, but couldn’t.
“Ezio... I can’t do this!” She murmured, completely disappointed.
“Oh no... Y/N, please come here!” He sat on the second wheel-chair in front of the wooden desk, waiting for her to come and sit next to him so they could start over.
She gritted her teeth and sat stiffly on her chair, squeezing the pencil in her hand.
“Okay, let’s do it again,” her flirty best friend muttered, giving her a small encouraging smile.
And that made her feel awful every single time, thinking that Ezio was pitying her.
“Buongiorno signora Flavia!” Said Ezio, making sure to emphasize the words and speak like he was talking to a child.
Y/N scowled, understanding the meaning behind his tone, and she repeated unsurely; “Buongiorno... Si-Signore Flaviah!”
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ezio fighting back a smile and a huge laugh to erupt from his throat.
Frowning deeply, she huffed and turned her chair so her back was facing him, her arms crossed in her chest.
“Yeah, laugh all you want. It’s not like your english is perfect either!” She defended herself, feeling offended and very, very hurt that he was reacting that way. It was stupid, thinking that by having Ezio teach her Italian she would get to spend more time with him and perhaps make him see her in another way, like she was home. Now, she could bet that she had made things awkward!
It was stupid to think that he would like her.
“Amore?” He asked, confusion lacing his voice at her angry tone. What had happened to her again?
“Do not call me that!” She hissed, her foot hitting impatiently the floor. She knew that she wasn’t his love, and it hurt.
She knew that she could never be his love, because Ezio had other girls around him. Prettier girls, better girls, more experienced girls.
The Italian refused to let this slip away, determined not to let his best friend feel horrible.
“Mi dispiace, Y/N...” He told her, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder. The gesture didn’t make her cringe, so he took it as his cue to continue.
With his other hand, he slowly moved the wheel-chair so the H/C girl was facing him, giving her time to back away if she wanted to. But still, there was no reaction and that worried him.
“Hey... You don’t believe that I meant that, do you?” He asked her, his voice soft. He surely didn’t want to push away his love interest, especially after everything they had been through together.
“I was just messing around!” He added, a nervous chuckle escaping his throat.
Her frown only deepened, and Ezio realized how his words sounded to her; like he simply had to laugh at her efforts.
“Y/N I am sorry!” His accent was thick, something that didn’t make sense since he pronounced English words like they were Italian. He was nervous, it was obvious, and he was feeling guilty, until the female finally spoke.
“It’s just that I am a bit scared… And it makes me much worse than what I should be…”
“What do you mean?” he asked, his brows furrowing. Was she scared with him?
The girl continued hesitantly. “I honestly thought that I would be terrible but I still tried. However, you started talking in Italian as expected, doing it so freely and refreshingly, that I got a bit distracted and then got nervous because I hadn’t actually heard a thing of what you said…”
Ezio’s scowl gradually turned into a proud smirk. Realizing what she had blurted out, Y/N blushed furiously, trying unsuccessfully to fight it away.
“I know that I am distracting, amore mio,” The man started, and Y/N let out a small squeak. He knew, and she was so embarrassed! “But maybe what you need is a small break with that distraction…” He murmured, his voice getting lower as he stared in her eyes intensely.
Y/N’s breath stopped for a moment; was Ezio truly flirting with her? Sure, he was calling her “amore” and such, but he never tried to truly pull a move at her, respecting the boundaries there ought to be in a friendship.
She didn’t know who leaned in, but what she knew was that her frown softened into a calm expression as Ezio kissed her gently.
“You are already my home, Y/N … Da quando ti conosco la mia vita è un paradiso…”he breathed and laced her fingers with his, closing his eyes with a content sigh.
“A paradise?” She raised her eyebrow, understanding what he was saying more or less. “Do not lie, signore Auditore!”
Ezio opened his eyes surprised, only to meet her smirk. “You should have seen your face! I got it Ezio! I said a word right!” She beamed at him proudly. Perhaps she could make it, right?
The assassin couldn’t help but kiss her lips again and hug her close to him while she was trying to escape, her giggling filling the room. He loved her and she loved him, but their Italian lessons would have to wait, because the love lessons were coming first.
