Chapter 4

Shaun was lucky that Desmond hadn't broken his nose.

The bastard had left a mark but the ice stopped it from getting any larger than the size of a golf ball. It was annoying that when he began to type, his nose began to throb and he had to stop, unable to concentrate on the tiny words on the screen in front of him more than the sharp pain. Next time they sparred together, he would really take the novice down a couple of notches – that punch had been pure luck. Desmond punched like a seven year old girl and that one hit - that was probably that of professional boxer or such - was completely spur of the moment. Shaun doubted the idiot would be able to pull that off a second time.

He would really regret having that luck.

Right now he had his elbow propped against his desk as he stared at the screen, watching a team of people intently. To be honest, it was quite boring. Watching these people live their lives, sometimes in danger but most of the time, hiding in shadows and evading the enemy. They weren't stuck behind a desk, typing into a keyboard and trying to ignore an idiot that was like a bipolar twat. He could be doing information on Subject Sixteen, which was at least a little bit interesting, but he was stuck watching through the eyes of the other Assassins, telling them where to go. He was telling other people how to live, with no thought on how to live his own life. Though like them, it seemed he lived through orders too.

"Hey Shaun, can I ask you a favour?" It was Lucy.

Without turning around, Shaun replied, "Probably not. I'm quite busy here, Lucy."

"But they're going on a break, aren't they?" She asked and Shaun focused on screen when he noticed they were sitting down and had sent him a message, saying that they were going to sit out for a while and relax.

"Ah, yes well, they'll need me when they come back, won't they?"

"But they said they were going to rest for a couple of hours."

"They did not!" Shaun snapped, but checked back over to his screen to see that they indeed, had said so. "Oh."

"So," Lucy smiled, folding her arms across her chest, "Would you do me that favour?"

Shaun sighed and swivelled around in his chair, stretching as if he were to touch the ceiling. "Depends on what it is."

"No, you'll do it. I want you and Desmond to get supplies. I feel like you two have gotten off on the wrong foot and I don't want it like that. Spend some time together, get acquainted and perhaps find out you might have something in common."

"For crying out loud, Lucy! This isn't like some friend finder mission or a date line! This is Desmond bloody Miles, Assassin that we rescued from Abstergo – which is not a happy place to be! I think it's best to lie low and let him run amuck in the Animus and get his work done, don't you think?"

"Animus 2.0, Shaun! How many times do I have to say that?" Rebecca cut in with a frown, walking past them to pick up a cup of coffee.

"Who seriously gives a fuck? I mean, come on-" Shaun began, but was immediately cut off.

"Don't talk about Baby like that!" Rebecca frowned as she took a sip. Shaun rolled his eyes and looked at Lucy again, begging her with his eyes that he wouldn't have to do it.

"Go out. You haven't seen the suns in weeks I'll assume – you really need some fresh air." Lucy said dryly, watching as Desmond walked back into the room. Just because of Shaun's actions earlier, she let him use the historian's bathroom. Secretly, Lucy wished that Desmond had left a mess of toilet paper for Shaun to clean up just as he was bursting for a piss.

"One of you can do it," Shaun rolled his eyes when he saw Desmond, turned back to his computer and minimized the window. He pulled up an internet explorer tab and began to type away, his eyes searching the screen for any information on strange happenings or killings on their local News webpage; secretly works of the blasted Templars. He couldn't get too immersed into it with Lucy standing over his shoulder. "What?"

"Please, Shaun? We'll owe you one... please?" She begged but to no avail, Shaun merely ignored her and continued clicking away. "Okay, if you want to play that game – I order you, Shaun. I am officially one rank above you and if you don't do this, I will kick you off the team." Lucy ended her threat with a giant smirk, her eyes shining with seriousness.

"Jesus Christ! Don't you think that sounds like a little too much, Lucy?" Shaun growled and turned all the way around, only to regret it. That face actually scared him.

"Just do it, Shaun." Lucy sighed and uncrossed her arms. Desmond raised an eyebrow as he walked past them and leaned against the counter beside Rebecca, picking up a cup of coffee.

"What are they arguing about?" Desmond asked, grinning as he noticed Shaun's bruised nose.

"Oh, nothing really. Shaun doesn't really wanna take you out but Lucy thinks you two could get along," Rebecca grinned at him, tucking a loose piece of black hair behind her ear.

"Us? Get along? Ha!" Desmond laughed and nearly spilt the black coffee on himself. Watching Lucy and Shaun argue among their selves wasn't very interesting, so Desmond turned to look at Rebecca, who had already started walking away to her Baby.

"When am I going back in?" Desmond asked, following after Rebecca. But his question was answered by Lucy instead.

"Just after you go to the store with Shaun," she smiled and turned around, patting an aggravated Shaun on the shoulder.

"Do I have to go?" Desmond accidently whined, turning around to be met by another one of Shaun's sarcastic grins.

"Oh Desmond, what are you, a tiny child? Come on, man up, it's just a stop by the shop and it-"

"Says the one who was just pissed about it a moment ago..." Desmond mumbled and set his cup back down on the counter and zipped up his hoodie. Shaun rolled his eyes and shut down his computer reluctantly, taking as long as he could to prolong their inevitable walk to the store as Lucy put it, mates. Shaun scoffed.

...

"What don't you like about me? Sure, I'm younger than you but that doesn't mean anything," Desmond frowned, wrapping his hoodie tightly around him. He had figured out that they were in mid November now, with the snow cold as it flitted down from the sky and onto his flushing cheeks.

Shaun had been rubbing his glasses every minute since they left the stronghold, trying to keep the snowflakes from landing on the lenses. He wasn't doing a very good job.

"Desmond…" Shaun said wearily, putting his hand to his forehead as if he were shielding his eyes from the sun- or in this case, snow. "Have you noticed that I don't really like anyone?"

Desmond tugged his wool cap lower over his ears.

"Well… There are only four of us in the apartment. I figured it was just luck of that draw that you got stuck with people you don't particularly like." Desmond watched Shaun rub his glasses again, smearing snowflakes across the lenses.

"I don't like anyone." Shaun repeated, squinting into the snow that had suddenly decided to come down with the intensity of a pit bull attacking a bunny rabbit.

Desmond grimaced.

"What are you, some angst-filled, emo teenager? 'Nobody understands me!'" Desmond fake whined, making movements to suggest he was cutting his wrists with a fake knife. Shaun rolled his eyes, and rubbed his glasses on his coat sleeve, trying to get rid of the streaks the snowflakes had left.

"Desmond, shut the fuck up. I'm not being a teenager about anything. I genuinely don't like people. I don't make a fuss of it, I don't flaunt it, and I don't make a big deal out of it. It's just how I am."

Desmond still wasn't convinced, though.

"That's retarded, Shaun. You're one of those people who has issues opening up and all that girly shit, right? You don't talk about your feelings because you are afraid of them. You are afraid people won't accept you for who you are, right?" Desmond smiled smugly, thinking he had hit the nail on the head.

Instead of answering, Shaun spun around, his fist spinning with him. A moment before Shaun's fist was going to connect with Desmond's jaw, Desmond shot his arm out, grabbing Shaun's wrist and stopping him mid-punch. Shaun's hand was so close to Desmond's mouth, he could feel Desmond breathing on him. Before Shaun realized what he was doing, he actually let himself enjoy the cool, short breaths from Desmond on his closed fist. It created a nice contrast between Desmond's comparably warm hand holding Shaun's wrist. For a brief second, Shaun thought about how nice it all felt. Once that brief second was over, he realized what he was doing, and ripped his hand from Desmond's, his face redder than the blood that Desmond had knocked out of him earlier today.

For a moment, they both stood there, Shaun feeling extremely awkward, hoping that Desmond hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. His face was burning.

Desmond was looking at his fist. "Holy shit…" He marvelled, examining his fingers. "How the hell did I do that?"

Shaun felt his embarrassment melt away slowly. As it did, it was replaced by amazement.

"You seem to be adapting to the Bleeding Affect quite well." Shaun awed, watching Desmond stare at his fingers - his very nice fingers, actually. Long and lean, and smooth hands it looked like, too…

Gah! Shaun blinked furiously, trying to snap himself out of it. What the hell is up with you today, Hastings? Shaun shook himself visibly, and took off at a fast walk, leaving Desmond to catch up.

"Hey! Shaun! Slow down!" Desmond's legs weren't as long as Shaun's, so he was having trouble keeping up. He felt like a child trying to keep up with their parent's long, powerful strides.

Shaun merely grunted in response, and sped up.

"Shaun!" Desmond shouted again, and this time, grabbed Shaun's shoulder and spun him around. He then put his other hand on Shaun's open shoulder, and looked at Shaun with a half pissed, half exasperated expression. "What the fuck is your problem?"

Shaun tried his best to ignore the fact that Desmond was only an arm's length away from him. He refused to acknowledge that Desmond's hands were on his shoulders, and that seeing Desmond's eyes flash like that was sort of intriguing.

Hot, you mean, Shaun's brain informed him. Intriguing is the wrong word. You just don't want to admit to anything.

Shaun whipped his head back and forth, and shrugged Desmond off without answering or looking at him. He could almost hear Desmond roll his eyes, and just decide to let it be. Shaun was extremely grateful for Desmond's weak will. Once more snow clouded his vision, Shaun decided to give up on his glasses. He took them off and put them in his pocket. At least he wouldn't have to look at Desmond anymore. Or not see him clearly, at least.

With Shaun's speed walking and lack of conversation, they made it to the store in record time.

"Hey, I know where we are!" Desmond exclaimed, excited to see a familiar landmark.

Shaun felt his stomach drop to the snow beneath his feet. As quickly and swiftly as he could manage, he grabbed Desmond by the shirt collar and dragged him into an alley to the side of the store. He then proceeded to slam Desmond up against the brick wall, and put his lips to Desmond's ear.

Desmond let out a chorus of loud protests, with "What the fucking hell?" Being uttered about half a dozen times alone.

"Shhh!" Shaun hissed. When Desmond wouldn't shut up, Shaun put his hand over Desmond's mouth, making sure no cameras or people were around to see them.

"Did anyone see us?" Shaun asked wildly, his eyes darting left and right like he was watching a tennis match.

"Uh… no?" Desmond tried to say around Shaun's hand.

"Be quiet, got it?" Shaun asked. When Desmond nodded, and he took his hand off Desmond's mouth, he then rubbed said hand on his slacks. Ugh, he though. Desmond germs.

"What the fuck is going on?" Desmond exclaimed. "I though you were going to rape me or something, Shaun. What the hell are you doing? This is ridi-" Desmond was cut off by Shaun covering Desmond's mouth again.

"You said you could be quiet, you tool!" Shaun hissed, looking around again. "Whatever. I'm not taking any more chances with that."

"Whutthefookisthgoonon?" Desmond asked mushily through Shaun's hand.

Shaun sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

"If you know this store, the Templars know you know it." Shaun whispered in Desmond's ear, hot and quick. "They'll be scouting everywhere for you, and I mean everywhere. If you took a shit in a port o' potty on the highway, they will be there. If you ate a piece of a pie at rundown diner in the boonies, they will know, and they will be there. They'll be everywhere."

Desmond tried to say something, but Shaun couldn't understand it.

"What?" He asked. Suddenly, he was doubled over, wheezing, having had the breath knocked out of him.

"I said," Desmond informed Shaun, straightening his rumpled shirt collar, "That I can't speak around your hand. Anyways, I've never actually been in this store. I just know of it. I know of a lot of places. I don't think the Templars can cover every place I know of. They're good, but they aren't that good."

Something in Shaun was telling him not to do it. Something told him to go back to Lucy, and try a new store.

A much bigger part of him, however, told him that he'd have to spend even more time with Desmond if they went back to Lucy empty handed. That was something that Shaun had no intention of doing. And besides, if Desmond had never been in the store, they were probably okay.

A momentary lapse in judgement never hurt anybody, right?

Authors' Notices:

brilliantmemories: Once again, the break is where we switched off. I wrote first, she wrote second. Anyways! Sorry for such a huge break... We both went away for a week, then I never really got my stuff back together and I just a giant writer's block. So lately, I've been having tons of trouble cranking out the works. Though, another chapter of No One Knows is halfway done and googleit6 will be starting the next chapter. So, hope you guys enjoyed because we're just getting started!

googleit6: Blame brilliantmemories for everything. It's her fault. Anyways, shovelling blame aside, I tried to write Shaun's whole physical attraction thing as not too overt. Because... Well... It will come into play later in the story, though I can't say much more than that. Long story short, it's a good thing Desmond and his ancestors look alike... And that they were all hot. Hope you guys enjoyed! See you next week! (Hopefully!)