This is a fic I wrote for my friend Katelynn, who had been having a rather difficult week at our ridiculous liberal arts college. This fic serves a couple of purposes: to interpret the inclusion of Yusuf in Suleiman and Ezio's plans (which really isn't discussed much in Revelations), and to touch upon the secluded life that Suleiman lives in. It might be a little OOC, but I like this pairing. Everything is Yusuf/Suleiman and nothing hurts.
Can I also just point out how sad it is that Suleiman (and Ahmet!) are not included in the Assassin's Creed character list?
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
WARNING: NSFW
In all of the years the Yusuf had lived and served Konstantinyye, he had never been called into the presence of the prince, or even been allowed within the walls of the palace. Yet tonight, he found himself being summoned from his bed by the Janissaries and led down the darkened streets of Istanbul to the gate. "His Magnificence requests your presence." was all that they would tell him when he asked, and so he could only assume one of two things: either he was a dead man, or he was a very lucky one.
One by one he was led through doors of various sizes, through halls that seemed to be built for the sole purpose of distracting passersby with their beauty. He had never before seen such abject opulence in his life, and he thought that Paradise-if such a fancy existed-likely could not measure up to it. Finally, the Jannisaries stopped him in front of a final door, surprisingly plain when compared to its surroundings.
"Is this my final destination, arkadashim?"
"His Magnificence will receive you at his leisure." Yusuf raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I certainly do not doubt that. Nevertheless, I would rather be in there with His Magnificence than out here wondering what he wants." The Jannissaries remained stonefaced as ever, but it did not take long for a young woman, long of limb and dressed in flowing skirts, to open the door. Bangles of gold clinked on her wrists and ankles when she bowed.
"His Magnificence will now receive you."
Yusuf allowed himself to be strung along once more, this time by the beautiful servant girl-who he realized shortly upon entering the presence chamber that she was not a servant at all, but a concubine: he had been led into a harem, likely belonging to the prince's uncle. He resisted the urge to stare as she led him carefully over the limbs of resplendent women in various states of undress.
"You must forgive the prince for meeting you in this place. It is the only way he knew to prevent spies or intruders. Only he and his uncle are allowed in this place...and now you, I suppose." They reached what seemed to be the back of the room, but the young harem girl, bowing once more, gently pulled back a heavy tapestry, revealing another hidden chamber. Yusuf began to realize that this place had many secrets, and he was unsure whether he should feel excited or concerned.
This room was more like a study than a harem, and had clearly been furnished by the Prince himself to serve as his own private presence chamber. It was terribly clever, Yusuf thought to himself, to use his uncle's own pleasure to his advantage. There was only one chair, pushed neatly under a desk stacked with books and documents, many of them quite old. The rest of the room was lined with pillows, and upon the largest of these sat the Prince himself, looking over what appeared to be a map of some sort. He had not even seen him come in, he was so engrossed in his work. Such scholarly pursuits were charming, but Yusuf was not sure how effective they would be when he was seated upon the throne.
"Your Magnificence, the assassin is here to see you." Suleiman's eyes darted up to meet Yusuf's, and he rose, laying the map aside and welcomed him closer.
"Ah, you are Yusuf Tazim? Come, sit." He turned back to the girl. "Bring hookah and drinks, Berna." While this was being done, Yusuf sat down gingerly upon one of the cushions, startled by their comfort. "Forgive me, I do not know if you smoke, but I needed her to be busy for a while. It will give us time to talk." Suleiman sat next to Yusuf and smiled. "Berna has been here since I was a small child. I trust her, but I do not trust those who might wish me harm to treat her well if she does not tell them what she knows. It is better if she knows nothing at all."
"You are a thoughtful prince." Yusuf observed, leaning back against the wall. "It is a surprise-a pleasant one-to see."
"If a prince is not careful of his subjects, how can he be called a prince?" Suleiman chuckled a bit. "I do not put much stock in the work of...Machiavelli, was it? His words may carry loudly, but for me they are as weightless as a feather pillow."
Yusuf laughed. "I see you are not just a scholar. You have a sharp mind, like a well-whetted blade." Suleiman raised his brows in curiosity.
"Have you been examining me, Master Tazim?" The assassin shrugged.
"Perhaps I am, Your Magnificence. It has been a long time since one of my own have been allowed to set foot in this place, yet you and those who came before you have made a great impact upon us. The tables have been quite imbalanced for some time, and I want to get the measure of you, for you will be sultan someday." Suleiman leveled his gaze at Yusuf.
"I understand. I have tried my best to establish a relationship between your people and myself. I, unlike my uncle and father who cannot see past their hatred of each other, understand that it is only by you that this place remains free and peaceful." At that, Berna returned with several other women, bearing a large hookah and ewers of water and wine. "Ah, thank you, Berna." She and the other girls bowed and took their leave. "Now, before I can do that, I need to know something."
"Anything, Magnificence-well, almost anything."
Suleiman smirked. "I do not expect you to reveal to me all of the secrets of your trade, so you can relax. What I do want to know is whether or not I can trust Ezio Auditore da Firenze." The silence of the room became suddenly apparent to Yusuf, and it buzzed in his ears.
"The Mentor?" The Prince nodded, heaving a sigh and lighting the hookah. He prepared it for himself and took a small puff of it, letting the smoke spiral up to the ceiling. Yusuf could not help but enjoy the way it seemed to caress his cheek before disappearing into the heavy air.
"Yes. I need to know if I can divulge to him certain pieces of information. I have plans of my own for the crown of Konstantinyye-not for myself, at least not yet, but for my father. I know that my uncle's loyalties are questionable, and I know that my father is a tyrant. But I think you would agree that my father is the better choice for both of us." Yusuf nodded. "Whatever the outcome, I had to get a second opinion, and as far as I know, you are the only man in the city who really knows Ezio Auditore."
"Well, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is trustworthy. He wants nothing more than the stability of the Creed and peace for all. He wants what you want, from what I can surmise." Suleiman sighed in relief.
"I knew it." Suleiman's cheeks flushed in pleasure and Yusuf felt a pang of envy in his chest. The Mentor had been here before, he could tell, and Yusuf had been told nothing. He could not help but feel slighted, and he could not help but notice that Suleiman took a great deal of pleasure in speaking of Ezio. "You can guarantee this, yes?"
"Of course; you have my word." Yusuf took the other hookah pipe into his hand and filled his lungs with the fragrant smoke, letting it escape the corner of his mouth before he spoke again. "But...might I offer up to you my services as well?" Suleiman took a sip of wine and raised an eyebrow.
"I assume you will be serving me as you serve your Mentor, yes?"
"Yes, of course, Magnificence, but...I feel as if I have been excluded from these affairs. I am still the head of Konstantinyye's guild, even with the Mentor residing with us, and yet I have been told nothing, and I have done nothing to assist this movement against these serpents that have somehow nested here. I...love this place, as you seem to do. Allow me to serve you as well as I may."
"Well, I certainly cannot refuse such an earnest offer." Suleiman smiled, his lips a dusky pink from the stain of the wine. "When next I speak to your Mentor, I will instruct him to inform you of everything he knows." Yusuf nodded.
"I thank you, Magnificence." Reaching for a glass of the fine wine, he pulled back with a start when Suleiman rested a finely-boned hand upon his arm.
"Master Tazim, I...am sorry if I have offended you." His eyes met with Yusuf's, and the assassin could not help but notice that they were much darker even than his own, and they drug him closer as if being pulled into a bottomless pool. "I was being cautious, but you are right. You deserved to be included just as much as Ezio."
"Think nothing of it." Yusuf's voice was low, and rumbled in his throat as he spoke. What he was doing was suicide; no doubt the last person to approach a prince with such familiarity lost more than his life. But he was drawn to him: he was an attractive youth, to be sure, but he was wise far beyond his years...and he was not resistant. After all, it had been the prince who had reached out to him. Could he recoil? Taking the prince's hand from his arm, he pressed a soft kiss to the palm. It smelled of incense and lavender, a heady scent that bade Yusuf to pursue it.
"M-Master Tazim..." The prince's voice held vulnerability, but not distress; nevertheless, Yusuf ceased his ministrations for fear of his own life. He would not gain the prince's trust only to lose his life.
"Forgive me, Magnificence. I presumed too far." Suleiman chuckled softly.
"Yes, I suppose you did." He picked up his end of the hookah and took another pull, this one much longer, then pressed his lips to Yusuf's, passing the smoke to the assassin's mouth. The effect was intoxicating and instantaneous; it was enough to make him forget about everything but the warm lips upon his and the sweet fumes escaping in intricate curls between them.
Yusuf gently eased Suleiman back into the pile of cushions beneath them and pushed his tongue between the prince's lips, allowing the remnants of the smoke to pass into the air. A soft moan rose in Suleiman's throat and he wrapped his arms around Yusuf's neck, pulling him even closer, mindful of the sharp edges of his armor against his skin. "Y-Your Magnificence..."
"Hush," he whispered against his ear. "You may call me Suleiman when you are here."
"I do not understand..." His voice shook as he pushed the silk robes away from Suleiman's body, flushed pink with arousal. "You do not know me. I am your servant, nothing more. What has caused you to-" Suleiman pressed a long finger to his lips, silencing his protests.
"We are in a harem, assassin. This is a place built for unrestrained pleasure. Do you think my uncle knows the women he beds here? Or cares to know them? No one will question this. As for my reason..." Suleiman nuzzled into Yusuf's neck as he unbuckled each of the many belts around his waist. "I know how you have suffered for this place, suffered in ways that even your Mentor has not suffered. I admire you, Yusuf, and yet I envy you." Sliding the scarf from around his head, Suleiman ran his hand through Yusuf's curls. "I am trapped in this place like a bird in a cage, but you are free to do as you wish."
Yusuf smiled and pressed another soft kiss to Suleiman's lips before straddling his waist. "Then allow me to unlock the gate, Your Magnificence."
Suleiman nodded and helped Yusuf push the heavy armor off of his shoulders, disregarding the loud thud of the metal plates on the floor. He shivered for a moment at the sudden touch of cool air, but it did not last long, for Suleiman's lithe form wrapped around his, and his determination was rekindled. He ran his hand over Suleiman's chest, reveling at how soft it was-softer than any woman he had ever touched. Such was the life of a caged bird, he thought to himself, to never have his feathers ruffled.
"Yusuf, ah...I cannot wait much longer." Yusuf smiled at his impetuousness.
"Very well, Your Magnificence. I must do as you command." He knelt between Suleiman's legs and, taking a small breath, enveloped his manhood in his mouth. He practically felt it jump at the sudden sensation; he could only imagine how sensitive the prince was, having been so inexperienced. Withdrawing slowly, lips still wrapped around his stiffening shaft, he flicked the soft tip with his tongue before dipping it into the slit, tasting the salty precome that had gathered there.
"Y-yes...nngh!" Suleiman writhed beneath him, unable to contain the moans and sighs of pleasure that bubbled up from his throat. Yusuf teased him further, grazing his fingernails over the inside of Suleiman's thighs and massaging the muscles that twitched and tensed with each motion of his mouth over his cock.
"You must relax, Suleiman." Yusuf whispered and, wetting two of his fingers in his mouth, pressed them gently against the tightness between his legs, easing them inside whilst the other hand continued to stroke his member. Suleiman cried out from the sudden pain but did not protest. "Trust me, Magnificence; this will make it far easier in the long run." He scissored his fingers, slowly stretching the knotted muscles as he replaced his mouth around Suleiman's manhood, sucking harder as he pressed deeper and deeper inside. "Does that please you?"
Suleiman had lost the ability to speak, it seemed; he merely nodded and groaned, his head thrown back against the pillows. Yusuf smiled and kissed his stomach, then rose and fetched a flask of oil from one of the many small tables in the harem. He poured it carefully onto his hand and rubbed it onto his own cock before discarding the bottle carelessly onto the carpeted floor.
"Are you...certain you want this?" Yusuf positioned himself over Suleiman and caressed his cheek.
"We are too far in now, Master T-Tazim. Trust me when I say...I need this. Please continue." The pitiful pleading of the prince was all the encouragement he needed. With the greatest of care, he pushed himself inside of Suleiman's tight body, shuddering at the intense pleasure that washed over him.
"Ahh, m-my God..." Yusuf was no novice to the sex act, but it had been a long time since he had been with anyone, never mind someone this young. Every nerve in his body seemed to hum with pleasure, and it took him a good while before he could move. Slowly, he moved his hips back and forth, stroking Suleiman as he built up a steady rhythm. The prince caught on quickly, matching Yusuf's thrusts as best as he could, splayed out on the cushions.
"F-faster, Yusuf, please..." Yusuf had gone beyond reason now. His thrusts grew more frenzied with each movement against the prince's body. He abandoned Suleiman's cock and gripped his hips instead, bracing himself as he climbed closer and closer to the edge. "I...I am going to...nnngh!" Suleiman's climax was enough to drag Yusuf along with him, and he collapsed against the prince's damp chest as he emptied inside of him. The two laid there for what seemed like hours, their sweat and fluids mingling and drying on their skin. Finally, Suleiman's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he reached up, carding his fingers through Yusuf's hair again.
"Did I free you, Magnificence?" Suleiman laughed softly.
"Yes, if only for a little while." He slowly rose to a sitting position and allowed Yusuf's head to fall into his lap. "You will have to return soon, assassin. We have so much to discuss, now that you are part of my design."
"Mm, indeed. I look forward to it." He murmured against Suleiman's stomach, kissing his way down as he spoke. "But not right now."