1491 July Venice 32

"I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" Ezio Auditore winced as his hand was crushed in the younger woman's grip, his ears fared little better with her pained yells – mostly abuse aimed at him. "I will become a nun! I swear it! I will become a nun and never drink again – aagh! Bastardo!" When he had volunteered to be with Carlotta Rossi whilst she gave birth to his child, Ezio had expected it to be easy and with much less fuss.

"You are doing fine, one more push and this will be over, I promise you." The woman glared at the blonde giving her an encouraging smile and thumped her head back on the pillow; Leonardo had said that twice already. The whole situation was absurd! She had accompanied the inventor to Bartolomeo's barracks, he'd needed to do some maintenance on a weapon, not even a few minutes after arriving her waters had broken and this whole mess began. In her opinion there were too many people around right now, outside the door she could hear encouragement from the large mercenary, his wife was mopping at the sweat on her face, Ezio beside her and Leonardo at the end of the bed. "You are a little earlier than I expected, I was sure I had done the maths correctly...you are sure you were together just the once? Maybe before?"

The Assassin winced at a particularly hard squeeze on his fingers, "Leonardo, not the time!" He knew the blonde had been fascinated with Carlotta since she had become pregnant; documenting and studying her the entire nine months. It had been useful, she was one of his models after all and he'd given her shelter in exchange for studying her ever expanding belly. It had also been a way to keep her in Venice, keep Ezio's unborn baby within reach – to which Ezio was grateful for.

"Si, not the time!" Carlotta yelled and batted the cool cloth from her skin, "Once and never again - Dio perché mi!"

1491 January Istanbul

Yusuf Tazim was having a mini heart attack, considering it was his twenty fourth birthday he should be drunk and naked somewhere – not standing uselessly outside a door listening to his wife give birth to their first born. Was she alright? Was the baby alright? Why did he have to wait out here? He had gotten her pregnant, he'd seen every part of her body already, so why was this so different?

"Yusuf!"

No...no, he couldn't go to her...she would be fine, she'd promised him a healthy son and many more after. He believed that. The woman he'd known his entire life, who he'd married, who'd given him the strength to return from every mission alive, was going to be fine.

"Yusuf!"

"I am here!" He burst through the door and straight to her side, "Like a fat man to a bakery, I am here." he heard her laugh at that, a weak smile on a pained but otherwise beautiful face, taking her hand in both his, Yusuf kissed her knuckles affectionately, "What can I do, Sevgili?

"Have this baby for me?"

"...eh...anything else? Something not requiring me to lose my manhood or go through hours of agony?"

She simply panted and shook her head, "Just do not leave me."

"Like a fly to camel shit – I shall be by your side." This time there was no laugh but there was a distinct crack of his finger bone.

Venice

"Matteo? That was your brother's name, si?" Ezio caressed his tiny son's cheek as he laid in his mother's arms, sleeping like nothing was ever going to get him – and with Ezio Auditore as his father nothing ever would. "It sounds good to me..." he said it once more and nodded firmly, a smile on his scarred lips as he had a name for his first born son. "And this little one...," The Assassin gestured to the bundle in Leonardo's arms, "How about...eh...?"

Carlotta smiled as Ezio struggled to think of anything, letting the man take their son from her so that she could have some rest. "Duccio is a good name."

"No!" Both Ezio and Leonardo snapped at once, "Anything but that, bambina...it is just so..." Ezio couldn't think of a word foul enough to describe Claudia's ex fiancé.

"Alright, alright...how about...Oh! I always liked Gio." They looked at her for a long moment, "You know, it is Giovanni but shortened, I always liked it."

"That was Ezio's Padre's name." The artist said as he handed the baby to his father, "I think...I think it would be nice."

The man thought it over for a long moment, enjoying the barely there weight of his child and a yawn from his little one, "Si, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze."

"Hah, last time I checked we were not married and I have just spent a whole day in agony!" Carlotta said indignantly, "It should be Giovanni and Matteo Rossi da Venezia."

Istanbul

Yusuf grinned down at the baby in his arms, looking at every feature with wonderment, "Memnun oldum, Little one. We have waited and waited for you...like a dry well for the rain." He got a yawn from the bundle in his arms and grinned impossibly wider, "Your mother would appreciate it."

Speaking of his wife, Yusuf wandered back to the delivery room and let out a relieved breath to see silver eyes open and waiting expectantly for her son. "You had me worried, Sigili." He gave her the child and lounged by her side.

"I just took a nap, little Devrim made me tired."

"Devrim?" He asked and rubbed at the short beard he was starting to grow, "Yasmina, I thought you did not like that name? Ah! You tricked me!"

"Like a whore with crabs."

1511 Cyprus

Matteo walked a small circle on the spot, his arms thrown out as he gave a satisfied look to his twin, "Here we are! Constantinople, I told you we could trust that Captain!" He seemed proud of himself, straightening his robes out from the long trip and grinning like a fool, "Padre is going to be surprised!"

"Captain?" Giovanni said indignantly, "He was a pirate! We have been slaving away on that damn ship, for a pirate! You sold us into temporary slavery to get here! If Papa finds out – you are dead!" Giovanni stared at the other in horror, he did know what they'd been doing didn't he? How much trouble they were in?

Matteo blinked in confusion, looking up innocently at his twin, "Me?"

"Si, you! It was your idea to follow him out here, your idea to get on a pirate ship...we robbed a fishing boat...oh Dio...he is going to kill us. Bring us back with that apple thing and kill us again. We are dead." throwing his hands in the air, the younger paced back and forth irritably.

Matteo shrugged, "But we are in Constantinople."

"I do not think we are – I think we are in...China? India...probably France!"

"No, this is Constantinople." Matteo was certain, the nice captain had told him so.

"No...it is not."

The Auditore twins were what you would expect; handsome, mischievous, oozing with charm and trouble - much like their father. Matteo Auditore was first to be born, just a month after Ezio's thirty second birthday, his brother Giovanni Auditore, came just minutes after but the twin's birthdays were a day apart. Which, in Ezio's opinion, was a nuisance as they would have to throw two parties each year – which had to be identical or there would be headaches all round.

They were identical, this made life fun for them and hell for their victims, it made them efficient in teamwork and inseparable in everything they did. They both stood at just a little over six foot, sharing their father's amber tinted eyes but their mother's softer complexion and physique. Though both clearly men, their faces were not as strong as Ezio's, their bodies were leaner, muscle seeming to refuse to build on them but rather defining itself into lithe forms. Leonardo had once described them as birds - light and graceful with sharp talons. Their dark, brown hair was kept shoulder length, Giovanni liked to plait his whilst Matteo copied his father. Who had recently cut it all off...something about grey hairs. It was nigh on impossible to tell the two young men apart unless you knew what to look for – or your name was La Volpe, he knew them at a glance.

The real difference between them lay in their personalities, something Ezio and his closest friends had witnessed since the boys were babes, to anyone else outside the group the twins seemed exactly the same. Matteo was...well, he was his father's son. An outrageous flirt, large ego, an outgoing attitude when it came to having fun and being competitive – which usually meant Ezio had to stand there looking unamused, scolding his oldest on his behaviour, all the while trying to hide his amusement at the deed done. After all, Ezio had been just as bad at that age.

The younger brother was quite the opposite when left to himself, when he wasn't by his twin's side. He was quiet, almost shy and reserved. It gave the boy his own unique charm, people wanted to be around Matteo for the excitement and joy he would inspire and people wanted to be around Giovanni for the peace and tranquillity...especially women, they all wanted to look after him, to mother him. Ezio often thought Giovanni would have liked his grandfather and his uncle Petruccio, Giovanni channelled them well – Matteo was Federico and Ezio in one body.

Unfortunalty, Matteo often took advantage of his brother's shyness and took charge in most things – like getting them lost and following their father to a foreign country after specific orders not to. Leading to the current argument, "Well, where are we then, genius? I remember when you used to be more fun – what happened?"

"...Our mother died." He watched as Matteo's mouth jammed shut and how he physically sobered that this whole thing wasn't a joke. "We are not in Constantinople, Fratello."

"Mio Dio! Trust me!"

Laughter caught their attention as a man sat on the dock steps and watched the exchange. He wore the robes of an Assassin, a slight variation of the Italian style, more intricate with the designs and sash colours, a greyish silver instead of red and the classic white robe was a light mocha. His face was covered by a metal mask that bore no resemblance to an actual face. "Your brother is right, this is not Istanbul."

Matteo rolled his eyes at the stranger, "Of course it is not, it is Constantinople, no one mentioned bulls."

Another laugh came from the man and Giovanni sighed heavily, his head in his hands, "Matteo...Constantinople is Istanbul. Stupido..." Shoving his brother and capturing him in a head lock, Giovanni gave a pleading look to the other Assassin, "Please, we need to get to Istanbul, our father is there and we want to join him but this...moron, he lost our money to a pirate. We can work to pay our way but we need the right boat." Matteo elbowed Giovanni sharply in the ribs and pulled out of the hold, the two scuffling for a minute before pushing away from one another like indignant children.

The Assassin stood up and meandered up to them leisurely, "I am going back, I have room in my cabin and I am sure we can think of an arrangement – Are you from Italy? Mentor Auditore's Brotherhood?"

"S-si...I am Giovanni Auditore and this is my brother, Matteo." He bowed his head a little and gave a smile. His golden eyes watching as a darkly tanned hand reached for the mask and pulled it away, his eyes widened a little as the young man's face was revealed...why...why did his heart just lurch in his chest? It was the accent, had to be, or the silver eyes or strong jaw or...he needed to stop staring!

The Turk gave an impish grin, ignoring Matteo completely as his eyes met Giovanni's, "My name is Devrim Tazim, son of Yusuf. It is my..." He seemed to think his words through carefully, as if his Italian was bad, "Complete pleasure to meet you, Giovanni." A clearing of a throat made him glance at the other, "Oh and you too...uh, Duccio?"

00

Devrim's ship cabin was simple, a single bed in the corner, a desk and stool, a trunk to keep clothing in and a few support beams running through, "I got them to knock the price down because of the beams, we can put a few hammocks up on them though!"

"Excellent, I am going to have a nose around the ship...and maybe those cute girls too." Matteo gave a sly smirk and beckoned to his brother, "Are you coming?"

"I think I will stay here, I feel a little sick..." He saw his twin frown and drop his hand from the door handle, "You go, I will be fine after some rest." Once again Matteo opened his mouth to object but Devrim quickly shot in,

"I will look after him, Arkadaş, you Italian flowers wilt when so far from home." If not for his charming smile, Devrim was sure one or both of the men would have decked him for the comment, as it was Matteo rolled his eyes and left the two alone.

For a while they simply organised their belongings, setting up two hammocks and securing the room – who knew when a potential threat would turn up, "Look at this, I think it is an old...uh, I do not know your word for it but it is a good escape route."

"Only if it comes out of the wall." Giovanni gave it a push and the cabin wall opened on a hidden hinge, "I think this ship sometimes carries illegal cargo. This probably leads to the top deck or maybe a lost catacomb."

"...inside the ship?"

"Papa finds catacombs in all the strangest places, he took us into the Duomo once – Matteo was green when we got to the top! Have you ever seen how far vomit splats from that height?"

"That...that is disgusting!" the Turk threw his head back and laughed, his hood falling to his shoulders as he did so, "Hilarious but disgusting!" Still chuckling, Devrim squinted into the darkened passageway, vaguely aware that Giovanni was staring at him again.

For Giovanni was finding it hard not to, Devrim was handsome, the same build as himself but a little broader, his features squarer and more masculine. Black stubble and shoulder length, wavy hair gave him a slightly scruffy look, like he woke up in the morning and just went about his day...unlike the Auditore's who took at least an hour or so. Giovanni half wished the man had kept his mask on, the second he'd seen him his stomach exploded in butterflies and this nervous energy choked him. And then those silver eyes were looking at him, attractive lips moving – shit.

The Italian blinked quickly and took a deep breath, "Mi dispace, I drifted...what did you say?"

"I said; my mask is not metal, if it were and I were hit in the face, my nose would break or be introduced to my brain. Masks get broken all the time, they only serve to hide an identity." At the others confused, yet fascinated, look, Devrim smirked again, "You asked what the 'deal' was with my mask. Though you were thinking out loud, I realise that now. I do not like to wear them but I have a great resemblance to my Baba, except I am younger and far more handsome, anyway it stops the guards jumping on me faster than a flea on a dog."

Giovanni tilted his head to the side, "Your father does not need to hide?" He had to say something, anything really, just so he didn't look like a fool who was infatuated with that gorgeous accent.

"He is a little more skilled than I." they put the hidden door back together and stood, Devrim a little too close for Giovanni's comfort, making him take a step away – only to be followed. "How are you feeling? Still nervous?"

"N – nervous?" The younger assassin took a few more steps away, avoiding the tanned hand reaching for his head, "Do you mean nauseous? I, I am fine, sometimes I get a little...w-what are you doing?" he'd managed to back into a support beam and had the other barely a breath away, his face peering at him curiously.

Devrim grinned, "Hayir, I meant nervous. As to what I am doing – looking at you. Returning the favour as it were, for all the looks you have given me." he did just that, admiring the way a blush slowly crept upon olive skin. They were the same height, perfect for Devrim to notice pupils dilating in honey coloured eyes, giving him the courage to brush a thumb over day old stubble and follow an angular jaw, "You have such soft features for a man, your mother must be very pretty – not that you look in any way feminine! Just that I have glanced at your father and he has strong features." Giovanni gave him an eye roll and the Turk decided he was talking too much, "I struggle with your language, I can not express things like; Gözlerin çok güzel."

Swallowing hard, Giovanni avoided looking at the man, "I vostri occhi sono bei. Y-your eyes are beautiful...same as your fathers?"

"You know my language? And no, my mother's. Yours?"

"My father's."

Devrim nodded as nothing more was said, it was a little awkward standing so close to each other, "I am going to kiss you now."

"No, we are both men, I am not even interested, I like wome – mmph!" Well at least he'd attempted to protest...a little. The Turk's mouth was hot, his tongue as persistent as the Italian was to give him entrance and both pressed their bodies together like it could never be close enough. Giovanni pulled his mouth away suddenly, "Wait, wait! We are men!"

"Yes, if we were found out, you would be hung and I would be stoned to death," He bumped their noses and stole another kiss, "How old are you, Giovanni?"

"Twenty..."

"Have you been with a woman?"

"A few." Hands pulled Giovanni's hood down and began on the fastenings of the high collared shirt beneath.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"...it was...fine." His fingers twitched restlessly, indecisively until, Giovanni couldn't stop them from tangling into inky black hair.

"How many men have you been with?" A knee crept up between his legs and gave a firm rub. "Or are you pretending you are happy with faceless whores? I take it your twin does not even know about your taste...does anyone?"

Moaning quietly, Giovanni's head fell back against the beam to allow lips to trail beneath his chin, coarse stubble scraping against his throat, "Women to bed are far easier to find than men...and no...Matteo does not know." He was grinding down against Devrim's thigh, the man's voice exciting him with every deep, husky question, "A close family friend knew, L-Leonardo...he...he – Would you just fuck me already?"

Devrim chuckled, sending vibrations through the other as he began suckling against the skin of his neck, "As you wish, güzel. I promise to be gentle with you," His teeth scraped over Giovanni's neck, catching on a shallow ridge before the Turk found himself shoved forcefully away, hard enough to send him sprawling onto the floor. About to ask what the hell had just happened, his words died quickly in surprise as he saw the other sink to the floor, his right hand clasped firmly around the left side of his neck as if he'd been attacked. He looked...frightened? "Giovanni? Are you alright?" crawling over cautiously, the other man tried to figure out the problem but he saw none, just harsh, shallow breaths coming from kiss bruised lips, "Gio?"

"Hey, Fratello, those girls are fiery. The blonde is mine but the..." Matteo had waltzed through the door, too excited about his next conquest to notice the scene immediately, "Vanni, what happened?" He was by his twin's side with none of the hesitation Devrim was showing, arm slung over his shoulder and free hand holding the one cradling Giovanni's neck, understanding dawning in his amber eyes as he turned them on the Turk. "Did you touch his scar?"

"Scar?" There was no scar, was there? Though there had been a rough patch against his teeth before he'd been pushed away.

"Si! His scar! The on on his neck! What were you doing?" drawing his brother into him, Matteo glared daggers at the man, if he wasn't an assassin Matteo would have him gutted by now, "I swear if you were trying to hurt him – Brotherhood or no – I will kill you!" A pull on the Italian's robes made him look down at his twin,

"I...I...my collar was stuck. Devrim was helping and he brushed against it...it is alright – I am alright." straightening up, Giovanni took a stuttering breath and smiled meekly, "I am sure our new friend will...use his eyes more, next time."

Devrim sighed in relief at the heat still in the man's eyes as he looked at him, placing his hand over his heart, Devrim gave a lop sided grin and replied, "Next time I will be thorough in my examinations."