-A romantic filler chapter. I feel like this story has lacked a bit in romance shit compared to the first version. So this was for shits and giggles. EzioXNarina lovin' is always nice.

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Chapter 21

Little Luxuries

There was hell tearing up in the sky, kicking up dark storm clouds. Thunder. Rain. A storm. The darkness was swallowing me, the tall shadows looming, threatening, reaching out to me. Everything was spinning, but my path was the only sturdiness in it all. Fear was gripping my heart, but it wasn't from the shadows. I was pushing them away, prying through them. Through the spinning darkness, my eyes were pinned on a platform, huge and foreboding. On it stood three figures, standing in a way so it was from tallest to shortest. The Auditores. But I couldn't move fast enough—the rain had turned the ground to mud, sucking me in. But I fought through, finally pushing through the last of the shadows, stumbling down to the ground. I desperately pushed myself up, not wanting to be swallowed by it all. I had to save them. I staggeringly stood up, leaning against the platform, the rain slicking my hair in my eyes. When I looked back to see if the shadows were about to consume me, I saw no shadows, but a sea of red. Blood. Bodies. Death. Ready to swallow me, chasing after me. I quickly went back to the platform, reaching up to grip onto the edge. But I stopped and stared. The three figures had disappeared and only one remained. A dark haired man with hair of night, dark dazed eyes and sun kissed skin. Only one word came to my mind. One name.

Malik.

I woke up with a start, gasping silently for a gulp of air. My eyes darted around the dark room, landing on the window, dim night light making the glass seemingly glow from the walls. Rain was pelting against the glass in the same pattern as my heartbeat.

Malik. Who was Malik? Why was I dreaming of a man named Malik? I rubbed my eyes, shivers running down my spine when a image of the sea of blood came back. It was so red...

There was a movement behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. A dark figure lay next to me, rising and falling in an even rhythm. His chest was bare, dusted with hair that slimmed down the line of his torso. One of his arms was stretched over his face, covering his eyes, his scarred lips parted as even breaths fell through. His other arm was trapped under me, hooked under my waist.

Careful so not to wake him, I quietly sat up, the sheets under me rustling. Putting my legs over the edge of the bed, I sat and stared out at the rain, my mind already losing slivers of the dream.

Malik. Why did it sound so familiar?

My stomach broke my reverie, growling out loudly. There was no getting back to sleep, so I decided that I could go for a midnight snack. Finding my clothes, however, deemed impossible in the lack of light, so I instead used the discarded blanket deposited on the floor, wrapping it around my shoulders. Once I had stumbled through the house and had found something to eat. I made my way back to the bedroom.

I walked in and found Ezio sitting up in bed, hair a mess, tired golden eyes pinned on me. A large smile appeared. "Salute."

"Salute" I smiled back, suddenly bashful as my stomach fluttered with butterflies.

"Mind sharing the blanket? It's cold."

"Oh, I can see that."

When he gave me a harsh look, I only smiled. Then I went to him and he pulled me down onto the bed, into his lap. His hands pried into my cocoon of warmth, finding my skin, his cold fingers leaving electric trails wherever they touched. It was all a pleasant blur, really: my legs falling around his hips, his hands running up my back, mouth at my neck. It was crazy how quick the spark ignited, how my bodily humors came to life and my cheeks flushed from more than shyness. I lost hold of the rain, the dream, the man naked Malik among our breaths, our touches. For all I cared, it was just Ezio and I in the entire world.

My next wake up was much more pleasant, not driven to force from a terror. The rain had stopped by morning, but when I peeked through my dark lashes, I saw that the skies were still gray. The nice part was Ezio's lips at my ear, whispering soft words. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't Italian, but instead French. God, that was sexy, the way the foreign words rolled off of his tongue. I didn't even care if he was calling me dirty names—it sounded so sensual. I ended up smiling warmly, eyes closed, humming in pleasure as I pressed back into his strong hold, the haven of his arms, skin brushing against skin.

One of the fluid sentences came to a slow, breathy end, my name weaved into the words in a low, dark voice. Oh, the things his voice did to me! It was with no shame that I admitted to myself that Ezio had figured out how to play me. Or maybe he had known all along and was now just letting his fingers pluck the strings.

His soft lips were at my neck, pressing kisses and foreign words to my skin. I was tempted to turn around in his hold and wrap myself around him once more, surprised by how I was never sated. But then the words began to make sense, transforming into Italian. "You should go get me breakfast," he murmured like he was saying sweet nothings in my ear.

But the magic was lost.

"Get it yourself. I'm not your slave," I grumbled, rolling away and dropping off the edge of the bed, landing on my feet.

"Please?" he whined as I stood up.

"I'm going to go get my own food." I found my breeches crumpled by the wardrobe across the room, and I stepped into them and pulled them on, going on a search for my shirt. "You can come with or starve. Your choice."

"You drive a hard bargain," Ezio muttered, laying back on the bed, sighing. "I guess I have no choice, then. The real question now is whether I get dressed or not..." The suggestion trailed off and when I turned to look at him, he had the silliest, most suggestive smirk.

I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head and turning away. "I don't know. It is still pretty cold."

It was meant to be a jab at him, but he only smirked and replied, "I can tell."

Aware of his meaning, I turned around, embarrassed and finding the salvation of my shirt at the end of the bed. As I fished the shirt over my head, I heard him crawl off the bed, his footsteps plopping on the floor. I let the material hang loose around my hips, not wanting to try and find my belt.

I suddenly stopped, becoming insanely aware of Ezio's presence behind me. I heard the material brushing against his skin, the way his breaths fell from his lips. For some strange reason, it all rendered me motionless, my eyes pinned on the wall.

What was supposed to be said? I wasn't stupid enough to think that it had been just a fuck—no, there was something between Ezio and I. But what, exactly? And would I be satisfied with whatever it was? How much did I want, exactly? I knew I was in deep, far deeper than Ezio was.

A jump jolted my body when his hands landed on my shoulders, running down my arms slowly. I felt his chin press against the top of my head, his body bumping up against mine. I closed my eyes.

"What are you hungry for?" He asked in a whisper, hands entangling with mine.

I swallowed back the knot forming in my throat. "Ah, just some...fruit and bread, I guess."

"No feast?" His head dropped, his clean shaven jaw brushing against my cheek.

"No feast." My fingers tightened around his. "Just...something simple sounds perfect."

"Indeed." He moved away, turning me towards him. I didn't know what he was about until his bent his knees slightly, one arm going to my waist as his shoulder nudged at my hand. Putting my arm around his shoulder, he allowed his other arm to go around my knees, lifting me up into his arms. We both knew that my legs weren't broken and that I could walk just fine. But we didn't say anything, aside from my pleased hums, as he carried me through the house.

Once we were in the dining hall, he carried me to the table and set me on the polished surface, my legs dangling over the edge. Warmth fell from him and cascaded over me as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine so that he could stare into my eyes. His golden irises were filled with so much intensity, so much loving warmth that I nearly felt the need to sob. Perhaps he had looked at his other women in such a way, but it melted away my insecurities. I was the only woman right then, and that was the important factor.

"You seem troubled," he murmured after a moment of gazing into the very depths of my soul. "Is it because of last night?"

"No," I lied, my eyes dropping, the security scattered.

Of course, he wasn't convinced. "Look at me." I did almost reluctantly so, despite how beautiful I thought his eyes were. "Narina," he said expectantly, and I realized how irritating it was to be in love my best friend.

My eyes closed as my body shook. There it was in words. Love. I had always known it, but I hadn't accepted it. "I don't know," I whispered, but he lightly conked his forehead against mine before I could continue.

"Look at me," he repeated. He was making this insanely difficult. When I did look up, his brow was furrowed, scarred lips pulled into a small pout. "What's on your mind?"

I took a deep breath, but made sure to stay staring into his eyes, the color making my insides turn to mush. "I'm just...wondering something."

His hands landed on mine. "Si?"

"I just...well..." When had it gotten so hard to talk with him? "This whole thing. What will it change?"

"Change?" He made it sound as if it were a foreign concept.

"Between us. I mean...what was it, exactly?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, simply staring intently. Finally he said, "What was it to you?"

I frowned. "That's not a fair question. You know what it was for me."

"Do I?" He smiled despite my opposite expression. "Tell me anyway. It would be nice to hear it for once."

Strange chagrin washed over me, and I glanced down again. "I just want to know if it was...more for you."

"Oh?"

"You aren't going to throw me aside like the others, are you?"

He actually started to laugh. Laugh! Leaning away, he was shaking his head like he was in utter disbelief. "Are you stupid?" He asked between chuckles.

My cheeks flushed with anger. "What is that supposed to mean? You know last night meant everything to me, that I would never trust anyone else anyway! God dammit, stop laughing!"

"Ah, mi dispiace, my sea nymph; you are just being absolutely absurd!" He leaned away, taking a step back. "Fruit is what you wanted, right?" He turned on his heel, heading towards the back kitchen.

I was panicked—no, that is not the right word. Furious. Bewildered. Terrified. "Ezio!" I cried out, exasperated and desperate to hear his truth. He was surprised by some tone in my voice and he turned back abruptly, all traces of teasing gone. Please, please tell me I wasn't alone. "I know this isn't a big deal for you," I reminded him, my voice off, "but now you have to tell me: was it more than just another conquest?"

Ezio was completely serious this time, actually looking surprised that I was asking the question again. When he smiled just as before, though, I felt the need to scream—I didn't want his charming words. I needed the truth. He walked back to the table, leaning over me again as his breath caressed my face. Kissing me once, he said in a soft voice, "You will always be mine, Narina."

"And?" I leaned away, not being persuaded by his deep voice. "What does that mean? Dumb it down for stupid little Narina, would you?"

It was actually almost fun to watch Ezio squirm, to force him to say the right words. He was smart though, thinking about his answer carefully, taking his time. "Last night meant..." he paused. "It meant a lot."

My eyes closed, thinking that maybe he felt intimidated by my gaze. "How much?" I pressed, almost smiling, turning his little game on him.

His hands went to my face, holding me steady as his mouth molded to mine again and again. "More than ever," he murmured. "I promise. You're my best friend—you always will be."

I pressed my lips together, stopping the string of kisses. "So, that's it? Friends with benefits?"

"Narina." My name made my eyes open, and I gazed into his eyes. One of his hands twisted back into my hair, our foreheads bumping together. "You know there's more to it and you know that neither of us can put a word to it."

Sure I could. Mine word was love. But what was his?

I suddenly didn't want to know anymore, knowing that my heart was on the verge of being shattered. I hoped for too much.

"I know." I pressed a kiss into his lips, then squirmed aside. "Let's eat—I'm starved."

He stepped away, allowing me room to jump down off of the table. Before I could move around him, he stopped me, blocking me from my path to the kitchen. "Stay. I can get it," he offered, hand at my stomach.

We stared at each other, his face seemingly worn from our conversation. Despite his clean shaven face, he looked older, tired. I guessed that he was emotionally drained, not having to go through such discussion since Cristina. The name made me look down, away from his gaze. Those thoughts would have to come later—not now, when the day was still so young and my chest was filled with such warmth. "Grazie," I murmured.

"Narina," he muttered, hands going to my shoulders. "Please." I glanced up. Please? Please what? I opened my mouth to try and convince him that it would be fine. He cut me off by pressing another kiss to my mouth "I'll get the fruit," he said, backing away and heading to the kitchen. I stood there for a long moment, leaning back against the table, the rain pelting against the window just across the room.

"Want to go for a horse ride?" Ezio asked as I stood to go throw the remains of our fruits out the window.

"It's raining," I reminded him. "I don't want to get all wet and cold just to get sick again."

He remained at the table as I went to the window, opening the shutters to a persistent beating of rain. Quickly dropping the scraps, I closed the window and went back to the table. Ezio was turned in his seat, staring at me intently. "Then what should we do?"

We had spent most of breakfast discussing what kind of things Ezio used to do at the house as a child. Since we were much too old to not feel silly playing pretend and the sky was pouring, all that there really was to do was read books. Despite the dreary day, reading didn't sound like much fun.

I stood behind him, folding my arms. "Let's go play on the beach," I said, the thought falling right from my lips.

Ezio lifted a brow. "But it's raining. And the sea is probably rough—we'll be sprayed or swept into the tide."

He was right. I thought for a moment longer before I smiled. "Well, let's go run around a bit in the rain until we're cold, and then we can use that as an excuse to make a fire and get all cozy and warm."

He looked as though he were about to object, but stopped and smiled. "Good idea." He gave me no choice, launching to his feet, flinging me up over his shoulder as he carried me through the house. "Aren't we going to at least dress warmer?" I asked, seeing that he was skipping the hallway to our rooms.

"And get more clothes wet than necessary?"

I tried to pout, but a laugh overpowered the expression. "I suppose you are right," I admitted as he swung open the door, a rush of cold air swirling around us. "Although it will not be my fault if you get a cold!" The smell of the rain and mud overwhelmed my senses as Ezio walked down from the door, into the pelting rain. He didn't go to the shore, for the waves were jumping high, so he took us out by the road. Before he even sat me down, I was near soaked. My bare feet buried themselves into the mud, the goo squishing between my toes, cold water creating puddles in the craters of our steps.

When I looked up at my assassin, I laughed outright, seeing that his hair had been wet enough to hang down in front of his eyes, making him look like a drowned cat. At my teasing laugh, Ezio grinned evilly, bending down to scoop up a handful of mud. I knew exactly where that was going, and I turned and made a run for it, through the slashing rain, ignoring the coldness of it all. The mud clod caught me right in the back, though, stinging a little, but I was already too numb to feel the worst of it. As I reached for my own handful, I saw that I had already splattered mud up my legs, my breeches spotted with dark spots. Turning, I chucked the good sized mud blot right at Ezio, who had advanced after me. It hit him square in his face, and, although I laughed for a sudden moment, I rushed forward, spewing my apologies. But as I stepped forward, Ezio wiping slowly at his eyes to peel off the mud from his vision, I saw the playful spark in his eyes. I couldn't make a retreat though, and he lunged at me, knocking us down to the watery, muddy ground.

Mud water got in my eyes, momentarily blinding me as Ezio and I rolled around in a fight for the win. Flipping him over on his back, I pinned him down to the ground, and for once, he didn't fight back, giving the battle to me. With his huge wrists in my hands, I stared down at him, breathing in the exertion, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much.

Ezio was smiling back at me, soft yet touching his eyes. His skin was prickled in goosebumps, his chest bare and only clothing soaked clean through, clinging to his body and leaving nothing to the imagination. Not that I needed imagination anyway. From our wrestling match, he was nearly covered in mud, his skin painted a charming dirt brown, but quickly being washed away in lines from the rain drops.

I sat there for a long time, straddling him, shirt soaked so that the white was completely see through, my thumbs rubbing patterns on his skin, searching his eyes for some hidden truth that I didn't know I was searching for.

His hands broke from mine easily and he held my waist as he sat up effortlessly, making my weight shift to my core as I settled in his lap. With my fingers trailing down his dirty arms, I gave him a small pout. "Why must we always get so dirty during a rain storm?"

"I don't know for sure," he replied, smiling. "Maybe because the rain can wash it all away, too."

I quirked my head. "Good point."

He leaned his head forward, pressing his lips to my muddy cheek, his hands traveling up my back slowly. I brushed the wet hair from his brow, the droplets of water trickling down my arm. Shivers ran up my spine as his tongue flattened against my neck, the warmth of his breath mixing with the coldness of the rain.

"We should get inside," I managed to say, rolling my eyes when I saw his pout. "Before we get sick."

He sighed like he was giving up some great opportunity, but he helped me get on my slippery feet. With an arm around my shoulders, mine around his waist, we made our way back towards the house.

In the main sitting room of the house, Ezio knelt to spark a fire to life, taking only moments with the broken chair from the night before as the kindling. I was shivering where I stood, a puddle forming around me as my hair hung in dark, heavy slabs around my shoulders. When the fire roared to life in the hearth, I immediately surged forward, holding my hands out to the flames.

Ezio stood next to me, breathing a heavy sigh. "The simplest things are, as I am finding, truly the best."

"Aren't they?" I smirked. "Little luxuries are often the most satisfying."

"Oh?" His hand was at my shoulder, turning me towards him. As I faced him, his other hand reached forward, clamping into the front of my soaked shirt. "Then let's get you undressed."

I laughed. "Did you just call yourself a 'little luxury'?"

He gave me an innocent look. "We need to hang your clothes up to dry—and so that you can warm your skin from the fire."

"Oh." I hid my smile, seeing what game he was playing. Without much more of an invitation, he lifted the shirt up over my head, tucked it under his bare arm, and then stepped forward to help me step out of my breeches. I tried not to seem shy, but it was odd standing in the open naked while Ezio spread out the clothes in front of the hearth. I was even more bashful when he dropped his own drawers, flopping them by mine. Then he shook out his dark hair, sending droplets everywhere as he swung his head back and forth. "God," I laughed, dodging the spray. "You're like a dog!"

"Like Pifo?" he asked with a laugh, touching at the short spike of his chopped hair.

"I guess so." I smirked. "You sometimes irritate me enough to be so."

"Ouch." He reached out for me and I met him halfway, finding that security and confidence in his strong arms, his warmth. One hand rested on my head, the other at the small of my back, holding me to his chest as he slowly rocked us back and forth. Our skin was slick, sliding against each other as I reached up around his neck, holding so tightly onto him as he kissed my skin.

His hands slid down my back, creating blazing trails of fire. "This is more," he whispered in the spot just below my ear. "I promise, Narina."

"I know." My fingers ran through his already drying hair. I didn't care about what it meant anymore. Total lie, of course, but I didn't want to worry about it right then, because I knew that, being alone in that house with the best friend that anyone could have, being in love with him—it was as good as it was going to get. I would worry about the details later and worry about feelings and meanings. If I gave it time, it would work itself out. For now, it would be a simple luxury.

Okay, before you all kill me because this took so damn long for such a short chapter, understand that life has been hectic and I've been in the shittiest writing moods ever lately.

And, one other thing, this chapter was pulled completely out of my ass, alright? It was basically a filler chapter. But I've already explained that in the top Author's comments. The only thing in this chapter that really relates to the plot is the dream sequence at the beginning.

ANYWAY! An update, if any of you care:

These past few weeks, my friends Tyler and Tad (the same Tad that I talk about in the first chapter) have asked me to be their roommates for next year, which is super awesome. We went apartment/house shopping last Friday, and, I shit you not, we found the perfect place to live next year! We move in the 1st of April! :D I'm getting out on my own, guys, and it's literally making me want to piss myself from the excitement and the sheer terror of it!

Also, I am still madly in love with Mass Effect. No regrets.

Well, anyway...

Special thanks to a friend of mine, Alphastorm07, who is writing an awesome Assassin's Creed Modern AU with Desmond. Check it out! He's a sweetheart and deserves the love! :)

Thanks for the read! Please review!

-Mismatch-lover