I cling onto you like driftwood after a shipwreck, Iâm the old battered warship and you are my anchor that holds strong and true through a howling storm.
@especiallyhaytham snapped open my third eye and coaxed me from the shadows to bring some Shay/Gist content with me
Warnings: implied incest, fluff, mentioned character death, modern AU
Summary: Gist and Shay reflect on some of the things that had brought them to where they are today.
Birthday ficlet for @aridette! I hope that you enjoy it
âYou seem to be rather pensive, Shay. Is something bothering you?â Chris asked, a concerned frown appearing on the blondeâs face as he shifted loser to his husband, pressing gentle kiss to one of the otherâs cheeks.
Shay, who had been staring out of a window, lost in thought as his hands had been making part of dinner, shook his head and kiss Gist on the lips. He was tempted to pull the other into his arms and hug him, but as his fingers were still buried in the meatloaf that heâd been making... That probably wouldnât go over well, in addition to being very unsanitary. Heâd put the potatoes he planned to make into mashed potatoes in a pot with water earlier and the water was heating up well ... I was just thinking about stuff anâ things, is all.â
Shay packed the meatloaf into a tin and popped it into the already hot oven. He caught the concerned frown on his loverâs face and added âNothing bad, I promise. Itâs just... If someone told me when I was younger that I would have married a templar, I would have laughed myself silly. Iâm glad that things turned out the way they did, though.â
âI know what you mean. If someone had told me that I would end up falling in love with a former Assassin Iâd have thought they were messing with me. Iâll never forget the day we first met, my gallant hero.â Gist murmured, teasing his Shay a little âAnd how wary you were of Monro.â
âOh hush you! Theyâd have killed you, if I hadnât stepped in! I was wary of him as I didnât trust that the devious Templar had in mind for me. Not that I would have tried to leave for the brotherhood then. Especially then, when their betrayal and utter disregard so fresh in my mind. Not that Iâm eager to join them now, mind.â Shay sulked, sticking out his bottom lip a little in a subtle pout. He huffed a little as he washed his hands and dragged his husband in close, resting his chin on one of Gistâs shoulders.
âHey, your hands are still wet!â The blonde playfully protested, shifting a little in the younger manâs arms. Despite his words, Chris wasnât trying all that hard to escape.
âMuahahaha! Vengeance is mine!â Shay cackled, a mischievous grin appearing on his face.
âOh dear what a terrible turn of events! I guess that I should -â Whatever the blonde was about to say was interrupted by a loud hissing sound that startled the both of them.
It stopped just as suddenly as it had started but Shay tugged open a kitchen cabinet, using the door as a shield as he pulled gist downwards with him, covering the blonde with his body as they both frantically looked for the source of the sound. The hissing sound came again before dying out and Shay realized what it was. A bush appearing on his face "... The potatoes are boiling over a little. Iâll go grab the lid so that the water cools off a little.â
"... Ah... Youâre right of course. All of a sudden, I am understanding why Haytham pushed us to come this small town for a couple of years, anyways.â Gist remarked lightly, looking as sheepish as Shay felt.
"Itâs his way oâ making sure that we stop jumping at our own shadows as weâve been on quite a few... Intense missions in the last few years, I think. And the paperwork that he has us work on helps me at least feel useful during the week.â Shay remarked as he grabbed the lid and checked how cooked the potatoes were. They still needed quite a bit of time still.
âI agree, but given how harsh Birchâs tutelage was... Itâs a bit surprising that Haytham pushed us to relax. He used to be rather a stern task master when we were all younger.â Chris murmured as he got up from where Shay had half-hidden him.
âIf by that you mean an ornery bastard who was going to work everyone including himself to an early grave, aye. But Connorâs done him a lot of good.â Shay snarked back, watching the water boil and internally deciding on whether or not to adjust the heat a little or not.
âShay, how could you say that?! Heâs our grandmaster and to say... Okay, while that was true itâs rude to say it out loud.â Gist faux admonished, affecting a scandalized tone of voice and expression.
âAnâ whoâs here to tell on me? Just you.â Shay pointed out, dark brown eyes still shining with playfulness.
âThatâs true... And youâre right about Connor being good for Haytham. Iâve never seen our grandmaster so content for so long, once Connor settled into his apartment permanently. Although Iâm not sure what all those two get up to...â Gist responded, frowning little bit as he thought about the slightly...Odd relationship the father and son duo had.
âAs long as they are happy, and no one is getting hurt itâs none of our business. We were really worried for a while that Connor might leave again, like he had when he was younger. Haytham and Connor were fighting something awful for a while, there.â Shay grumbled. He knew a bit more than most about the nature of the pair of Kenwayâs relationship, but the two of them were consenting adults, and Shay wasnât one to judge right from wrong in regards to such things.
"Thatâs true... I didnât know that they had been fighting for a time... But I suppose that happened while I was off on that months-long undercover mission?â Gist responded, sighing quietly âAnd given how stubborn the pair of them are, Iâm not surprised. I am glad that I missed that as our dear Grand Master would have been in a really bad mood and I am glad to have avoided being ordered âNot to smile like an idiot all of the time.â Or something like that. No one has yet told me what happened to Charles when I went on that week-long mission to help our French counterparts update the security on the shroud last year... And he was just gone. No one seems to want to talk much about either.â The blonde gently prodded.
âI hadnât realized you werenât there for that mess... âCourse you mighta helped talk him out of trying to do something so stupid as he actually respected you.â Shay grumbled, rubbing his face a little before letting out a long sigh âConnor had finally finished moving back to New York all the way and had settled in. Theyâd also managed to finish settling whatever arguments that they had been fighting over for the past few years.â Shay paused for a couple of moments to make sure he was phrasing things in a neutral way, as he really didnât like Lee and never had. "Anâ Connor, bless his heart, came up to Haythamâs office that Monday morning, as his father had forgotten to grab anything for lunch and the grandmaster didnât have a lunch meeting to go to.âÂÂ
Chris smiled a little at that. It fit the young Veterinarianâs personality to do so, and as Connor worked a couple of buildings over in the veterinary clinic that was subsidized and run by Abstergo, the young man had the chance to do so. âThatâs very sweet and sounds like Connor, but what does that have to do with Leeâs absence?â The clinic was partially running to engender good will from the public at large as all including the most difficult and expensive treatments were priced only a little above at-cost for the clinic. The clinic offered free spaying and neutering services as well as the option to put an RFID chip inside oneâs pet in case the animal got lost or was stolen. The clinic had been very successful so far and Haytham was looking into opening a couple more.
âI was getting to that Chris, be patient, love.â Shay chastised a little, pouting bit at the interruption âSee, Charlie had been hoping to capitalize on Haythamâs lunch time to weasel his way into a sneaky possible lunch date... But Connor showed up and prevented Lee from being able to ask - Especially since Connor made those really delicious meat pies for lunch in addition to his devastatingly effective puppy-dog face. So Connor and Haytham went to the rooftop garden for a little picnic... Lee was really annoyed about that âAs you know as well as I do how covetous he was of the grandmaster and Haythamâs time. So when he found out where they were he went storming up to the gardens in a towering temper. Half an hour later, Lee comes back angrier than ever, but with a plotting look on his face too.â Shay continued, pausing for a moment ĂąâŹâ both for dramatic effect and for another breath.
âIâm guessing that whatever plan Lee had cooked up backfired badly on him?â The blonde asked, wincing slightly.
âYep. He tried to blackmail Connor into doing god knows what. Lad didnât take that well and promptly told his father... And Haytham ordered the entire building to clear out for several hours but that theyâd be paid in full for the time off. I got a text an hour into it and helped to clean up the blood. Lee had accused Connor of being an Assassin sent to seduce Haytham and to do something in exchange for Leeâs silence Haytham didnât say and wasnât gonna ask and I am happy not knowing.â Shay finished.
âConnor. An Assassin?â Gist sputtered.
âSo Lee claimed.â Shay responded with a shrug and a grin. It was one of the most ridiculous things heâd ever heard too.
âThe same young man who still cries after work when he has to put an animal to sleep? Who canât lie his way out of a wet paper bag?â the blond muttered in utter disbelief.
"The very same." Shay remarked lightly, amused that his beloved seemed to be just as surprised and disbelieving of the claim as he had been. "Ziio had a couple of friends who were loosely connected to the Brotherhood, and taken together with Connor's stubborn nature and less than Templar leanings, Charlie thought it was a great idea to accuse the boy of being an Assassin. I don't know what he asked Connor in exchange for his silence, but Lee didn't expect that Connor would tell his dad about it, as he's not one and was very confused as to what an Assassin was and who these Templars were and why that was so important?"
"Ah. I am guessing that part of Haytham's displeasure was that he had to explain to Connor what the Brotherhood and the Templar Order were, putting him further in danger than before. Is Connor a member of the Order, or is he simply allied with us?" Gist responded "... Well, I suppose part of that entirely depends on Haytham's willingness to want Connor in on this darker aspect of life."
"He's in training, though he's not going to be a fighter. It's not in his nature, though he's got quite the talent for code-breaking and putting together all the little bits and hints of information out field agents gather to reveal the grander scheme that the Assassins in one area or another are planning before it's executed so that we can head them off." Shay responded, a small smile appearing on his face as he reflected on how far the young man had come in the year that he had been made aware of the shadow war that had been raging for over a thousand years. Connor was very determined to help them in any way they could, happy to finally understand what it was that his father had been hiding from him. "Did you know that Connor did have a couple of suspicions that something odd was going on?"
"It wouldn't surprise me. Connor is highly intelligent and can be very observant when it comes to everything but when someone is romantically interested in him." The blond remarked lightly.
"Actually, about half the time he's being flirted with, Connor does realize. He's told me...But he feels uncomfortableĂ Â about trying to tell whoever it is that he's uninterested, so he pretends he doesn't notice while hoping that they will go away and find someone more receptive." The Enforcer corrected "He told me about it after I rescued him from a particularly... Focused person who was trying to get in close with out beloved Grand master and felt the best way to do that was to date his sweet, oblivious son... As for what he thought was going on, Connor thought that Haytham and the rest of us were LARPing - given the funny clothes we were wearing. And LARPing is Live Action Role Playing - like Dungeons and Dragons, only you dress up with a bunch of friends and actually act out the battle scenes and stuff."
Chris laughed at that, his bright eyes shining with mirth "I can understand where Connor might get that false assumption - and if Haytham were into such a thing, I have no doubt that he would try to hide it, rather embarrassed as he might be with such a nerdy side to himself... and the battle scenes might be a good way to train our recruits. I'll be sure to mention it to Haytham in passing, to see what he thinks of it."
"Haytham was made aware of the impression Connor was under and sighed for a while. If you do that, he'll know that I probably told you and then the both of us will be in trouble for teasing him like that... But it would be a good way for those who have neutral family members to explain why they have such things, if they're discovered... So if you want to endure growling about teasing him, be my guest, love." Shay responded, leaning in close and pressing a kiss to the other's lips before checking their dinner, finding that the potatoes were ready and began to mash them. Homemade mashed potatoes always tasted so much better than the dry, tasteless flakes.
"I will." Gist responded, a small smile appearing on his face after he happily responded to his husband's kiss. "Need a hand with that, or do you want me to cut up the veggies for the salad that we're having alongside the rest of this?" While some might think that being able to speak with your partner about such things was a boring and mundane task, the fact that they were able to be so domestic was a gift that the blond would always treasure.
"I've got the potatoes nearly done, so if you could cut up an onion and have it soaking in water, that'd be great. The meatloaf is going to take another twenty minutes or so to cook fully. I hope you like it, have you ever had it?" Shay responded curiously. He knew that gist was born in England, though he had moved to America at roughly the same time as Haytham had - quite probably as one of the other's group of Templars. There had been a recent purge and the Assassins in the US had been growing far too arrogant and had too much power... Which was true, as Shay had been part of the brotherhood when Haytham had first moved to America. But things were so much better now.
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Shay had been acting a little bid oddly all day. Chris couldnât quite pin down why the other might do so. After all, The Morrigan was in good repair, they had just gotten into a friendly port and had finished a mission for The Order. They had been given the afternoon off â as well as told to take the next few days off as leave, to do with however they pleased.
Chris was about to head off to find a tavern to get some good, hot food and some strong drink to enjoy. As quartermaster, he had been the one to parse out the crewâs wages, while Shay went off to get the supplies that they needed. That had taken both of them all day, and Gist was looking forwards to a warm night in a nearby tavern.
Shay called out to him before Chris could step off of the Morrigan â they were two of the few still left on their lovely lady. âWait a moment, Gist. Iâd like to talk to you for a bit in my cabin.â
âAs you wish, captain.â He responded, dutifully following the other into his personal quarters, stopping dead in shock as he took in the changes that had taken place in the cabin. All of the arms and armor had been stowed away elsewhere, and the navigational charts and maps were carefully rolled up and placed along the far wall of the cabin. There were two comfortable chairs set across from the main table in the cabin, candles lighting the room in a warm, flickering glow. Two plates filled with all of Chrisâ and Shayâs favorite foods, and there was a short barrel of rum along with two tankards full of Chrisâ favorite stout.
â⊠I am not certain if you remember the date correctly but⊠Today is the day that we first kissed anâ admitted that we cared for one another more than just good friends.â Shay revealed a little shyly, gesturing vaguely to what he had done to the room as he spotted the confused expression on Gistâs face. âSince we were at port, I thought that we should celebrate together. If⊠If you want to, of course.â
A bright grin appeared on the blondeâs face as he tackled his beloved, leaning into Shayâs solid frame, pressing loving kisses all over his loverâs face âBy the father, youâre absolutely right! Â I am sorry for miscounting the days, love. This is wonderful, darling. Thank you for the surprise.â
Shay beamed happily in response, holding Chris closer and kissing the other back, humming contentedly. âI am glad that you like it, Chris.â The two of them embraced for a time, and Shay offered quietly âShall we eat? Iâm half-starved⊠Though Iâd rather not let you go so quickly...â
âWe could eat on the bed⊠Then again it might get a bit messy.â Chris mused, chuckling a little as he shifted towards the food. âWe should probably eat it before it grows cold. We have all night and the next few days to cuddle, if you like.â
âThatâs true. I do not mind not doing much for shore leave, but staying close to you.â Shay answered, reluctantly letting, heading to the desk to eat as well.
âChris? Dâyou remember that romantic boat trip raffle that we put our names in to see if we could win it?â Shay asked, hazel eyes sparkling brightly.
âYes, I do. The drawing for that was supposed to be this morning, right?â Gist responded absently. The freelance nature photographer had been incredibly busy for the last past month and a half, getting the shots that one of his wealthiest clients had wanted. He had come home an hour ago and was just starting to relax enough to start trying to fall asleep.
âYeah! And we have the winning ticket! Dâyou wanna go, or would you rather take the cash prize? I know youâve been really busy.â Shay offered, he would really like to go, but not without his loving husband.
âLetâs go! I finished my latest project today, and a romantic cruise sounds fantastic.â Chris grinned, sitting up. âwhen do we leave?â
âTomorrow, itâs a three month cruise. Iâll call the people! I⊠I did back some for both of us, but I didnât want to assume.â Shay responded, quickly calling the sweepstakes people, vibrating a little with excitement.
âIâll finish packing while you talk to them. The all have laundry services so we donât need too many clothes.â Chris responded still smiling. Shayâs enthusiasm was infectious.
âThanks love! Happy Valentineâs Day, by the way, I had a special dinner planned and I was going to make it⊠Unless youâd rather go out?â Shay responded, fidgeting a little as he stared uncertainly at his beloved.
âI would be delighted to help you cook dinner tonight, so that we can enjoy our Valentinesâ Day together as we like.â Gist responded with a warm smile, wandering over to his husband and kissing the other on the lips briefly before heading to their room to finish up the packing while he heard Shay speak to the raffle people.
