I decided this pair needed some love ;p basically porn with plot btw.

The heavy torrents of rain cleansed all remaining blood from Shay's clothes. He was thankful nobody would see him in the dark, sulking as he made his way home. Trudging on through the downpour, his hood barely made a difference to how the water soaked every part of his body. He shivered uncontrollably but refused to give in, knowing that if he stopped he would only have to spend more time in the rain. At least the cold and wet meant he could no longer feel the wound on his thigh.

The rain was suitable for the occasion. It had been Shay's first solo assassination –his target a slaver in Boston. It went forward without a hitch. The man was dead, the slaves in his estate were freed. Shay knew the killing was justified; the man had been trafficking human beings for years, keeping them in despicable conditions only to be later sold. It had been the right thing to do, there was no other way to stop men like that.

Despite this, Shay couldn't help but feel dirty. Yes, the slaver needed to be stopped at all costs. Yes, the men and woman in shackles needed freed. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about the act. He could still feel it. The way his wrist blade slid through flesh, warmth of the blood seeping into his sleeve and through his glove. The slaver choked as he died. The horrible, wet spluttering playing over and over in Shay's brain, louder than the rain in his ears.

He reached Davenport manor without noticing. For a few minutes, Shay just stood in the doorway. Sheltered from the rain, but still soaked through and dripping, he tried gather his thoughts. The task proved to be impossible. Every time he tried to justify his actions, all he could see was red. He wanted to be angry, to storm in and begin yelling. He couldn't bring himself to. Any rage he had dispelled into weariness as soon as it surfaced.

Shaking his head, he opened the manor's back door and stepped inside. He didn't care about closing the door quietly, and as soon he did a familiar voice came from upstairs. "Shay?"

Shay stayed by the door and waited until Liam appeared at the top of the stairs to reply. "Where's Achilles?" He asked, slipping his hood down.

Liam watched him carefully for a moment, trying to read the situation. Dressed in only trousers and an old shirt, Shay guessed he had been waiting for him. Finally Liam answered, "Gone with his wife and little Connor, remember? They'll be back next week."

Taking a deep breath in, Shay nodded slowly. "Right." What would he have even done if Achilles was home? Yell and swear and throw things? Say that he regretted joining the Assassins? He couldn't lie to the Mentor like that.

"How'd your mission go?" Liam asked, trying to keep his tone light as he descended down the stairs. He knew Shay better than anyone –and Shay knew he would quickly figure it out. "You're still in one piece, I see."

"The slaver's dead," Shay answered flatly. "I fulfilled my duty to the Brotherhood. If you don't mind me, I'm going to get raving drunk."

Liam lunged the last few steps between the two of them to stop Shay opening the door, gripping his arm tightly. "Whoa, hold on. What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Shay repeated, progressively getting louder. "I just killed a man, Liam!"

When Shay tried to open the door, Liam used one hand to hold it firmly shut and lean his weight on it. Pausing and staring into the dark wood of the door, Shay rapidly ran his options through his mind. He could push Liam away, which would probably result in only getting a few feet then being tackled out in the rain and mud. He could walk to the manor's front door, but Liam would follow and stop him there as well.

"Talk to me, Shay," Liam demanded quietly. "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"I told you. I just killed a man."

"You've killed men before."

"In self-defense. Those men would have killed me," Shay barely resisted glancing up at him. "Or you."

Liam drew in a deep breath. That was his reaction when he knew something was going to be difficult, Shay had heard him do it a thousand times. "Look at me." When Shay didn't reply or move, Liam repeated it, "Look at me, Shay." He always used Shay's name when he wanted him to do something. It was Shay's fault, really. He told Liam one day how much he loved hearing him say it, and now Liam used it against him.

Shay finally looked at him, frowning deeply. It difficult to stay irritated with Liam and he could already feel it disappearing.

"He was an evil man. Nobody deserves to be a slave, and it was his choice to continue that sickening line of work. In choosing that, he chose death. It's as simple as that."

"No," Shay grimaced, "I mean, yes, his work was disgusting. But it's not that simple." He pressed his fist against the door, feeling the uncomfortable pressure of his knuckles bending harshly. He would rather feel that than what was going on inside his head. "I cut his throat while he slept," Shay admitted, unable to keep eye contact with Liam and his voice barely above a whisper. "His wife is going to wake up drenched in her dead husband's blood." He was shaking again, and leaned heavily on the door to stop his knees from giving way. "The deed was necessary, but the method…"

Liam didn't reply to that. "You're getting the floorboards all wet. Come on, let's find some dry clothes."

Shay numbly let Liam guide him upstairs. Liam's room was dimly lit but warm, and Shay stood in the room's center, not wanting to get anything wet. Liam was digging through the chest of clothes that belonged to Shay. There wasn't a lot in there. This was Liam's room, but if Shay was staying in the manor, this was where he would sleep. The exact nature of their relationship was kept quiet, but he was certain most people around the manor knew. Achilles undoubtedly did, though never mentioned it.

Liam placed the clothes on the disheveled bed and indicated for Shay to wait. In barely a minute, Liam returned with a towel of sorts and immediately began to dry Shay's hair. Eyes closed, Shay silently let him, weathering Liam's half rough treatment.

"Why did you want me to join the Assassins?" Shay queried as Liam wrapped the towel around his shoulders. "You're the one who suggested me. Why?"

"Because you're a good man."

Shay couldn't help but scoff. "Good men don't kill people for a living."

"Then why stay?" Liam regarded him with hard blue-grey eyes, pausing to await Shay's response.

You're here. Shay didn't say it. Instead he grasped the front of Liam's shirt, pulling him forward with a yank. "Do you want me to leave, is that it?"

One of Liam's hands was on the back of Shay's head, fingers tangled in his damp hair. "A first assassination like that is never easy."

"You're not answering my question."

"This is about more than the assassination, isn't it?"

Shay wasn't sure if he wanted to punch him or kiss him. With a little force, Liam pulled him in and rest their foreheads together. Liam's skin was hot against his. "Does it get easier?" Shay choked out.

"No. The fact that you're feeling guilt, but can still acknowledge that you did it for the right reasons, is a good thing. It's what separates us from madmen. If you didn't felt nothing, that's what would be worrying."

Shay stayed quiet for a while, listening to Liam's breathing. Then he moved and rest is forehead on the skin between Liam's shoulder and neck, too unsteady to stand on his own. The hand on the back of his head tightened its grip and the two of them stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, Liam pressed a kiss to the side of Shay's head. "I wasn't joking, you know. You are a good man."

"Is anyone else here? Hope, Kesegowaase?"

"We're the only one's here."

Straightening himself at last, Shay searched Liam's face. He didn't find answers to his concerns, but he did find limitless affection and the sort of comfort he had never felt elsewhere.

"You need to get out of these clothes," Liam removed the towel from Shay's shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, then began unbuttoning Shay's coat.

Shay snorted. "Not even going to buy me a drink first, Liam?"

"You'll end up getting sick if you stay in these wet cloth– Shay, you're bleeding!" Liam exclaimed, hands immediately going to the wound. The blood had gotten on Liam's trousers as well. The cut stung when Liam touched it, but Shay's mind had been elsewhere for so long he had completely neglected it.

"I forgot about it."

"You forgot?" Liam shook his head, unable to stop the smile from spreading over his face. "You're a bloody pain in the arse."

"Thanks."

Shay had to remove all of his clothes alone while Liam left to locate clean bandages. Wrapped in only the towel, Shay went down stairs to find him. Liam had dragged one of the chairs in the sitting room all of the way up to the fireplace, and was heating some water over the fire. Shay slumped into the chair, but it was Liam who made sure the towel was arranged in such a way that Shay didn't bleed onto Achilles' furniture. When the water was warmed, Liam wet one of the smaller clothes and gently cleaned the wound. It was fairly clean anyway, the rain having made sure of that, but Shay didn't argue. The warm water felt nice, despite the painful ache of the cut. It was located two-thirds of the way up his thigh, on the outside. Shay had nearly very missed the sword belonging to one of the slaver's three guards, but his timing had been slightly off. That didn't usually happen. Shay went into a sort of trance when fighting –his body did all of it without needing his mind's directions.

When Liam was finished cleaning the cut, he began to bandage it. Shay watched his hands work, realizing that Liam was kneeling in front of the chair. It was more often than not Shay who was on his knees.

Liam had been Shay's first kiss. First everything, actually. Being five years younger, Shay had been introduced to sex when he was of an age by Liam. It had been chaste and experimental touches to begin with, and that had gradually grown into more. Even if they had both been with other people, nothing felt more real and intense than just the two of them.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Liam smiled up at him, having finished bandaging the cut. His hands lingered on Shay's thigh, and he stayed kneeling.

"What is it that makes you want to keep being around me?" Shay asked suddenly. "And don't you dare say it's 'because you're a good man'."

"Shay Patrick Cormac," Liam stood, his hands braced on the chair's arms on either side of Shay. "You are the brashest, arrogant, most reckless idiot I have ever met, and I adore you for it."

He had never said that before, not openly like that. He wasn't usually one for sentiment. Shay didn't know how to respond or what to think.

"But I worry about you," Liam admitted, taking Shay's chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You realize that, don't you?"

"You shouldn't worry."

"Saying what I should and shouldn't do won't stop me." Liam's thumb grazed over Shay's bottom lip, then his hand went to the back of Shay's neck as he pulled him forward into a kiss. For Shay, nothing else felt more like going home. He gave himself willingly over to the familiarity of Liam's demanding kiss. It left him aching in more than one way. Liam gently bit Shay's bottom lip, rolling it between his teeth, then pulled away. Shay didn't want to lose that connection, but Liam stood all of the way up and out of his reach.

"Are you still angry with what you had to do?"

In truth, Shay had briefly forgotten about the assassination. He didn't need to think to know his answer. "It was the right thing to do, that's enough for now." That might not have been entirely honest, but it was close enough not to matter.

Liam nodded, taking Shay's word for what it was. Shay expected Liam to pull him up, or lean down for another open-mouthed kiss. Instead, Liam returned to his knees. Shay's hips shifted in anticipation and a smug smile pulled at his lips.

"You like me down here, don't you?" Liam scoffed, his touches moving up Shay's thighs and his gaze fixed on Shay's. "You were ready to hit me twenty minutes ago, and now look at you."

Shay was literally melting underneath his touch. If it was anyone else, he would have been embarrassed at how quickly he was unraveling. Reaching his waist, Liam held both sides tightly and surged forward to kiss down Shay's chest. Leaning forward like he did, Liam's stomach and shirt brushed against Shay's half-hard cock. Feeling touch starved and wanting more of the comfort Liam's touches provided, especially after the day he had, Shay rocked up against him. Liam's immediate response was to pin Shay's hips to the chair and hold them down firmly. Even if Shay was in a position to struggle against it, Liam was physically stronger.

"What's that old saying?" Liam chuckled against Shay's chest. "Isn't it, 'patience is a virtue'?"

"Shut up."

"Now," Liam looked up at him, all his fondness and desire clear for Shay to admire. "Shay, that isn't a good way to talk to someone who's about to suck your cock."

Shay's breath caught in his throat and Liam couldn't have looked more pleased with him. All Shay could think was how thankful he was that he was already undressed. Liam still pinned him to the chair, but his mouth wandered, coarse stubble scratching Shay's skin, until it found a nipple. Teasing it between his teeth, the chuckle Liam gave when Shay swore vibrated through him. When he done with that side, he moved on to the other. Shay's squirming prompted him to being kissing lower and lower. He forced Shay's hips closer to the chair's edge and lessened his grip. With his new found freedom, Shay didn't want Liam to restrain him again and tried his utmost not to buck when Liam's tongue flicked over Shay's tip. It was more to gage Shay's reaction than anything and Shay was certain he didn't disappoint.

He bit down on his lower lip in concentration, humming his encouragement low. Hot lust flourished in his lower belly as Liam dragged his tongue from hilt to tip while holding eye contact. Any chance of staying still went out the window and Shay's hips half bucked as Liam's lips enveloped the head. Liam repeatedly flicked his tongue over the slit on Shay's tip, making him groan unashamedly. Liam's head began bobbing up and down, gradually taking more and more of Shay into his mouth each time. The heat and sensation threatened to overwhelm Shay, and his entire world centered on Liam. When Liam reached the point where Shay's cock touched the back of his throat, he only paused briefly before taking him all in. Shay's hand slid over Liam's shaved head, holding it there as he lifted his hips further up. Only a part of his brain could admire how Liam took him all without choking. The other parts were too lost in the completeness of how the wet warmth enveloped him.

With a few more strokes or sucks, Shay would have easily been done. He was so close already. He awaited it greedily, but Liam had other ideas. Pulling back and exposing Shay to the cool air, Liam stood up. Shay stared up at him incredulously, his sex addled mind unable to comprehend what was going on. "Liam?"

"Come on," he took Shay's hands and pulled him up. "Let's go upstairs."

He kissed Shay, pushing his tongue inside Shay's mouth as if to assure him that they were definitely not done yet. Shay could taste the bitter of himself on Liam's tongue and lips. As a reflex, Shay's hands went to the straining ties of Liam's trousers. When he tried to undo them, Liam took his hands again. "You've got too many clothes on," Shay defended himself.

"Upstairs," Liam repeated, releasing him and walking away. Feeling like a petulant child, Shay followed closely behind. It wasn't the first time he had walked naked through the manor –and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Aching to be touched, but not wanting to ruin anything Liam had in mind, Shay occupied his hands. He held both of Liam's hands from where he was behind him, letting Liam lead him back up to his room.

Once there, Shay released Liam and closed the door behind them. Shay wasn't worried anyone would return to the manor, not this late, but it felt right to have the door closed. It was safer, their affection was only for them, not the entire world.

Liam had gone immediately to one of the sets of drawers, and Shay soundlessly kept up behind him. He slipped his arms around Liam's waist, hands knowing from experience where the ties of the trousers were. Shay pressed a lingering kiss to the back of Liam's neck. When Shay did manage to get Liam's trousers undone, he could feel in full that Liam was just as hard as he was. Liam near purred in approval, but then remembered himself and turned around to face Shay. Cupping Shay's face between his hands, he kissed him. It was a distraction as he backed Shay over to the bed. Shay barely registered that his legs had hit something before his entire world was tilting. He landed on the bed with a grunt, briefly stunned. Liam threw the little bottle of oil down onto the bed then began methodically undressing. Braced up on one elbow, Shay watched him, absolutely enthralled.

Now naked as well, the first thing Liam did was check the bandage on Shay's leg. Shay impatiently decided to hurry things along. Pulled himself into the center of the bed, just out of Liam's easy reach, Shay exposed himself for all of Liam's viewing pleasures. "I'm yours," Shay told him quietly. "All of me."

It achieved the desired effect, Liam all but pounced on him. After a few fevered, breathless kisses, Liam pulled himself up into a kneeling position and rolled Shay over. Taking the hint, and being guided by Liam, Shay moved onto his hands and knees. He tried to control his breathing when Liam's oil slicked fingers found his entrance. One finger slide inside, making Shay arch his back and push against Liam. Evidently Liam had enough waiting and after a few moments before he pressed his cock against Shay instead. Carefully, he pushed inside. Regardless of how gentle he was, the pain still made Shay hiss a deep breath in. It was a weird sort of pleasure and discomfort that tinged up his spine. "You said something before about patience," he muttered. Liam just grunted in reply.

It wasn't long before they fell into a rhythm. Liam was his usual sort of rough and Shay loved every moment, pushing to meet every thrust. Shay whined when Liam halted his thrusts, buried entirely in him. When Shay realized what he was doing, he happily obliged. Liam held both of Shay's arms behind his back, pinning them firmly there. Shay's shoulders and neck, leaning against the bed, bore the brunt of his weight and Liam's rutting. He was very glad they hadn't done this on the floor downstairs.

Every time Liam thrust into him, Shay groaned, his cheek chafing against the bedding. His cock throbbed with heat and dripped clear fluid, but he couldn't move let alone touch himself. This only resulted in him becoming more and more vocal, his thighs quivering with need. The edges of Shay's vision blurred with white and he wished they could have stayed like that forever.

When Liam did slow, he was breathing raggedly and trying to control himself. He released Shay's arms, which had begun to ache and tingle. Hands against the bed, Shay pushed himself up, able to stretch his sore shoulders. Liam reached and gently slid his hand over Shay's throat. He paused, waiting for Shay's consent. Being held by the throat was the ultimate sign of trust for them; usually those hands were the instruments of death rather than affection. Shay nodded, too breathless to verbalize his agreement.

Tenderly, Liam pulled Shay up against him. His back arched even more, Shay leaned his shoulders against Liam's chest. Tightening his grip on Shay's throat ever so slightly, Liam buried his face against the side of Shay's head. Still inside Shay, Liam pushed up into him a few times before his free hand traveled down to Shay's waiting cock. The whimper that escaped Shay would have been embarrassing had he been with anyone else. Shay held on to Liam's arms, digging his fingernails in as Liam rapidly brought him to orgasm. Eyes squeezed closed and mouth open, a throat groan was ripped from Shay as he spilled over Liam's hand. It didn't take Liam long after that. He barely managed to thrust up into Shay twice before he shook and bucked one last time. His own moan vibrated though Shay, making his skin prickle.

They stayed like that for a time, unable to gather their thoughts. Suddenly Shay found himself laughing. Liam chuckled, more at him than with him. "What's so funny?" Liam murmured against Shay's neck.

"This is not how I imaged my night would go."

"I thought you may need some relaxing after today. You can thank me later."

Shay snorted, pushing Liam's arms off him. The sweat on his skin was cooling and making him a weird sort of cold when his inside felt so warm. After a few moments of cleaning themselves off, the two climbed under the covers of the bed. Exhausted and contented, all Shay wanted to do was sleep. Lying on his side with Liam's chest against his back, Shay very nearly did. But when Liam's arm around him tightened and Liam kissed his head, he knew he wasn't going to get the chance yet. "Shay," Liam spoke softly, "I wasn't lying before."

"About what?" Shay mumbled his response, taking Liam's hand and pressed his lips to the knuckles.

"When I said that I worry about you."

Shay sighed. "You shouldn't." When Liam didn't reply, Shay tried again. "What do you want me to say?"

"I'm not sure," Liam admitted. For a time, he stayed quiet. Then, "Shay, look at me."

Rolling on to his other side, Shay complied. Their faces were inches apart now, but they could barely see each other in the dim light provided by the one remaining lamp. "I don't want you to leave, you know," Liam murmured, hand on Shay's cheek as he kissed his forehead. His mouth stayed there as he spoke again. "I don't want you to leave me."

"I won't. I promise I won't leave," he whispered, and at the time, he truly meant it.

Shay never could keep a promise.