Fandom: Assassin's Creed Special Note: AU. Alternate Universe. Inspired by Paramore's 'The Only Exception'.
Pairing: Desmond/Shaun Disclaimer: None of this is for monetary profit. I don't own a lick of the AC series.
Warning: The following contains FLUFFY MALE/MALE ROMANCE. If you're allergic to either fluff, male/male romance, or BOTH, re-acquaint yourself with the BACK button. Command your eyes.
He was at the edge of his rope, but willing to let go.
Just a short while ago, though, he wasn't ready to let go. He had no wish to let go of sanity, or whatever shreds of sanity he had left. He might not have lived in the lap of luxury, but his life was his own. His destiny was in his own hands. There weren't any stories or instruction manuals. Everything was at his command.
Until the moon shifted, and fate's tides darkened.
He was at the edge of his rope, dangerously close to falling into a vortex. His life had taken on the form of a never-ending tornado, forcing his heart to steer around agonizing boulders. His beginning was that of a humble bartender, living in a less-than-luxurious apartment, but his destiny led him into an emotional roller coaster ride. Battering robbers into submission on a rain-soaked, dark evening introduced him to the tales of Templars. The assailants on his belongings weren't mere thieves, according to the woman behind destiny's door. They were errant members of their organization, just looking for ways to relieve stress.
According to Lucy Stillman, he was much more than an ordinary bartender. He revealed strange occurences to her, confirming her beliefs on his weighty path. As of late, he had been wrestling with nightmares, seeing things no other human caught wind of. He caught glimpses of the past, and it wasn't the past he abandoned, long ago. He shattered glass without trying, awakened with the worst migraines, and saw phantoms in his living room. His guardian, and his very first friend, laid everything out on the table. She told him that he wasn't just seeing mirages-he was capturing a past that was an inextricable part of him.
He was a descendant of great things. Great, majestic, beautiful things. And she desperately needed him.
He was introduced to a world unlike any other-but it was a frail predecessor to what the future would bring.
Lucy revealed how Abstergo was hellbent on wiping out humanity. His talents, even in their immature state, would be a tremendous help in the battle for humankind's liberation. With that, he was drawn into yet another organization-the organization she was in charge of. He was introduced to sights, people and events he never could have dreamt of. He learned of his link to one of history's most amazing artists, Leonardo da Vinci. His ancestor, Ezio Auditore, was not only an Assassin but Leonardo da Vinci's lover! If that wasn't cool enough, the Goddess of Love (otherwise known as Minerva) blessed them with a baby girl.
Desmond's curiosity towards baby Aria was immeasurable. Shaun shut off that curiosity by giving him an awe-inspiring History lesson. Neither Leonardo or Ezio became pregnant, all of civilization knew men couldn't bear children, and Minerva pretty much played Mommy Stork. Sweet Leonardo was most likely thrilled, discovering his daughter on the doorstep of his workshop. It wasn't all apples and gumdrops, though. Leonardo and Ezio eventually set off together, on a brand new adventure to Constantinople. It took a long while, and a lot of effort, but the Master Assassin eventually persuaded his husband to aid another him in the release of another burden. Templar forces were out of control, consuming everything in their path. Legendary light from the past beckoned the Grand Assassin, warning him of grave destruction.
Ezio became restless, breathing life into an old saying: old habits die hard. Leonardo grew to be painfully heartbroken, Aria couldn't bear to see the gentle artist in such anguish-
And soon, artist and his morning song developed a connection to Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan. Otherwise known as d'Artagnan.
No one expected Shaun to be related to anyone, considering his unorthodox entrance into the Brotherhood.
His teammates could be surprised until the end of time, but that wouldn't change anything. It certainly wouldn't soften Shaun's symptoms, or give the little team the additional time they desperately needed. The world, as they knew it, was on the brink of destruction-and Shaun held an link to Louis XIV's greatest agent.
Not only that, but d'Artagnan was Leonardo's source of comfort.
The historian's ancestor, surprisingly, was a secret member of France's Brotherhood. Long story short, he had to keep a tight lid on things because of his connection to the King. He introduced Leonardo and Aria to his all mighty sovereign, they formed a formidable team, and the Keys to the Gate were sought. The Templars had unspeakable power in their hands, and Leonardo received clues on how to combat it. Aria and d'Artagnan did everything in their power to protect him, Minerva shed light on their path-
And that wasn't all.
As amazing as Shaun's story was, Desmond couldn't bypass how aggravating Shaun was. The tactician was an inexplicable, breathing entity that had adopted the form of a human man. At the beginning of their journey, both Assassins clashed at every opportunity. The bartender swore the historian was the world's biggest dick, Shaun despised every breath Desmond drew, and Lucy did everything in her power to soften blows. Unfortunately, team-building exercises only served to make things worse. During team breakfasts, the men on the team only thought of ways to claw each other's eyes out. But then...something happened.
Desmond saw Shaun smile.
The Britishman playfully insulted Rebecca on a frequent basis. Whenever he listened to the battles between historian and tech, Desmond felt an undeniably painful ache to make Shaun smile himself. But after a particularly sharp barb from Beccie, Desmond swore he'd do anything and everything to end his war with Shaun. The unorthodox Assassin gave off a smile so beautiful, it put every other treasure to perpetual shame. And his laughter? There couldn't have been more beautiful music. It was like listening to water trickle over stones.
As he expected, the Hastings had a long-time connection to Rebecca. Noticing a spark between the two, the tech pulled Ezio's descendant to the side. 'Go easy on him,' she urged with a playful smile. 'Lighten up. It may be in every Brit's job description to be an asshole, but he's just as scared and confused as you are.'
Desmond accepted those words as words to live by. He initiated an unspoken truce by cooking English muffins and scrambled eggs every night, giving them to an Assassin with unspoken hunger. He comforted Shaun one night, not knowing why he was in tears but giving his all to safeguard Shaun's sleep. Whenever the Hastings wasn't in the Animus, exploring d'Artagnan's life, Desmond aided his operations. Lucy and Rebecca exchanged smiles, watching their friends interact on a friendly, playful manner. 'Beats the living hell outta seeing 'em rip each other apart,' Beccie said on a particularly fun day off, listening to Shaun reprimand Desmond over the details of Alexandre Dumas's life.
Grinning, Lucy made a decision. The historian and bartender's names would appear on the team schedule at a much greater frequency.
For the fourth time that week, they were on clean-up duty.
Neither of them complained, though. Desmond said not a word in anger, and (surprisingly) Shaun kept a lid clamped on whatever complaints he had. Most likely because 'clean-up' meant time out of the Animus. Lucy asked them to make an earlier run to the cafe, but they enjoyed their time out of the Sanctuary. They enjoyed the little memories they built-together. and hopefully, they'd make even more memories that night. Another long Animus session had come to an end, chock full of clues towards the Gatekeeper's Keys. The Gatekeeper's Keys would eventually lead the Chosen One to humanity's salvation. The love between Leonardo and d'Artagnan rose to a feverish pitch, Aria celebrated her sixteenth birthday, and-
Shaun was bloody well exhausted.
"Can you believe it? She was actually an archaeologist! I actually pegged her to be a librarian, or something along this lines."
He exerted a sigh. He must've been awake for the last seventy two hours, always on edge and always peering over the side of a cliff. As beautiful as their Sanctuary was, and as amazing as his ancestor was, the tactician wished he could spend the rest of his life with closed eyes. Just when he believed he couldn't be any more exhausted, his body met a new low. "Never thought she'd turn out to be Lady Indiana Jones," his assistant prattled on, speaking enthusiatically about their latest exercise. Lucy had given the team a new prompt for the evening: share the most surprising secrets. Rebecca revealed her internship with the FBI, and she revealed her life as a treasure seeker. Currently oblivious to Shaun's weariness, Desmond continued down the road of surprises. He always spoke of the Stillman and Crane with immeasurable fondness, glowing as he reflected on the latest team exercise.
"And what's up with Beccie? Amazing, how she landed a spot with the FBI. She seems like someone that can't ever stay out of trouble. How did the two of you hook up, anyway?"
Back turned to Ezio's ancestor, Shaun stiffened. His hands were resting on the chair of his station, while he desperately hoped to keep himself afloat. Surprisingly, he evaded Lucy's wishes to spill anything during the exercise. But their star player was pushing him closer, closer to the edge. "We met at University," the historian said, his voice a soft, mournful breeze. Noticing the sadness behind the Hastings's voice, Desmond brought an end to his cleaning duties. He remained perfectly still, eyes on the other Assassin's back.
"We met during our college years, Rebecca and I. She...she met my brother, too. We were quite a team, the three of us. The Three Stooges, you Americans would say."
Shaun lifted his eyes to the unseen heavens. Desmond said nothing, feeling as if the heavens themselves were singing. The stars in the unseen sky were shining, glowing with the light they cradled Shaun in. "We were...the best of friends," the Hastings went on, speaking not only to the Assassin but to himself as well.
"We did everything together. We were rarely apart, only separated in sleep. Rebecca was as annoying as she is now, but...she was...our sister. Things were peachy keen for quite some time, but then...everything changed. It...it was as if my entire life went through one, happy eclipse."
"Shaun, if this is-"
The Hastings held up a hand. "It was amazing, how quickly everything changed," he went on, voice barely above a whisper. "It was like...watching the stars vanish, painted over by morning's glow. I met him, and everything turned topsy turvy. Everything stopped making sense. She saw the warning signs, but I chose not to listen. I thought everything was perfect, but it wasn't."
He slammed his netbook shut. "We could've been happy, the three of us," he went on, bowing his head. "Who knows? Maybe my baby brother would've ended up here, working with us. I'll never know because I screwed things up."
Desmond spoke one word in his most gentle, softest tone. "How?"
"I never listened. Chose not to listen. I thought he was my Prince Charming, and for a while...he was. As it turned out, though, he wasn't anything more than another one of Vidic's snakes. He was...he...pidgeon-holed me into...creating something. Forced me to use my talents...for the greater good, in his words. I kinda saw something was rotten in Denmark, and turned him down, but...when...he brought my brother before me, everything changed. I...I...even as he...he promised to let him go, if I obeyed his every command, but...I didn't. Piers...he told me not to grant that bastard's wishes, and I tried so damn hard not to, but..."
For a moment that was far too long, Shaun was silent. Desmond experienced the most savage, painful yearning to reach out and embrace him. So this is why you're always sad.
Now I know. I know, and...I'm sorry.
"Don't feel too bad for me," the tactician added, making a weak attempt to sound cheerful. "It wasn't all Hell's bells. It was over in moments, really. The blood-sucking bastard took my brother in front of me, I promised to give him his dastardly toy, and then the son of a bitch killed him. Just for fun. He then took me, and I added my very first point to my Assassin scoreboard."
He whirled around in a heartbeat, casting his arms into the air in a submissive stance. "There. Now you know everything. Fascinating story, wasn't it?"
Desmond spoke around a boulder that had lodged itself inside his throat. "When did all of that happen?"
"Three months ago."
The bartender grimaced, as if Shaun had gutted him. Fucking shit.
"How did you end up here?"
"I've got Rebecca to thank for that," the Hastings replied with a genuinely warm, hearty smile. Despite the sadness that consumed him, he was able to exude warmth over a certain batch of precious memories. Straightening up a pile of papers, he polished his story off for the night.
"She tried to warn me, about Abstergo and about him, but I clocked out on her. Luckily, she saw fit to rescue me from lifelong imprisonment, and brought me here. If it hadn't been for her, I would've chucked myself into the bottom of a river."
"I'm sorry."
"No need to be."
The historian wasn't any different from a rare, exotic creature. If approached in the wrong way, he'd bolt in a heartbeat. If he found a situation uncomfortable, he'd still bolt. It's like taking care of a unicorn, the bartender thought, grabbing Shaun's arm before he bolted from their haven. "I really am sorry," Ezio's legacy confirmed, gazing into the tactician's eyes. He had a firm gaze, a sharp and penetrating one-but gentle and kind, all at once.
"About your brother, about everything that happened to you... I really am sorry, Shaun. Wish...wish I could've been there to stop it."
The Hastings smiled, and in a single moment, Desmond discovered another world. He saw a world of stars, glittering high above lands that could only exist in dreams. He saw a world of unspoken emotion, and realized words couldn't possibly capture anything that needed to be said. "You'd best get some sleep," a gentle voice said, pulling away from the bartender's gaze. The smile on his face was frail, but undeniably warm and breathtaking.
"We've got a long day ahead of us. Nothing new, I suppose, but we'd better rest up all the same."
"Shaun!"
"What is it now?"
In a heartbeat, Desmond remembered. He remembered the nights Shaun spent in tears, mourning over an unknown nightmare. He remembered how Shaun's face lit up, while they shared the Britishman's favorite Disney movies. Shaun told him that fairy tales were the only things he could believe in. His escape from a reality that killed him, a million times over. He was particularly fond of Cinderella.
Desmond instilled all of his adoration, affection and compassion into two words.
"Good night."
The archivist's smile grew even warmer, brightening an immesurably cold night. He said nothing in response, but left a certain Assassin with overwhelming relief. A moment after Shaun's departure, though, he bit into his bottom lip.
I hope you're still alive, you motherfucking son of an asswipe. My Hidden Blade and I would like to meet you.
In a nearby room, two maidens exchanged a high five. "Great job, Desmond," the blonde goddess said, echoing her friend's thought.
"And fabulous job on bugging their earpieces. If it weren't for your amazing intellect, we couldn't listen to the adventures of our Princess and his Assassin."
"Ah, don't worry about it. It's all cool. We just gotta make sure future episodes of our fave show are even more exciting! Why don't we put them on watch tomorrow?"
"Might not be a good idea. Shaun's been on watch two times this week!"
"Aw, he won't mind. Not as long as we put him on watch with Prince Miles! Besides, it'll be a great way for 'im to rest up. We're all taking the day off tomorrow anyways!"
Lucy, right then and there, shut her eyes with a serene sigh.
Yep, who needs Disney when we've got Prince Miles on the job?