The first time Connor meets his father is in 2012, in the temple on a day that's actually going well before Haytham shows up. It's a Sunday, Desmond's normal day off from the animus, which means all of the moderns are less stressed than normal. And everyone else- Altair, Ezio, and Connor- is there as well, which makes the day a little more interesting.
It's strange, actually. For years, Connor's been happy with just his mother and a few friends from his village. He doesn't really like being around people, and never has. But somehow, recently, he's been making more. First of all, there's Achilles- and however difficult the man may be to get along with, in the end Connor decides he likes the old man. Then there's the people around the homestead- every time one of them moves in, they make the place seem a little more alive, and they make Connor feel a little more alive, too.
But the people Connor finds himself growing closest too are the three that he occasionally shares a mind with. It's probably not surprising- walk a mile in another person's shoes (or body), and there's no way to avoid making friends. He's still not completely comfortable with Desmond or Ezio in his head, but he likes both of them. And he appreciates that neither of them pushes past where he wants them to go. And it doesn't feel strange at all when Altair is in his head. Connor thinks it's probably because he met Alair when he was very young. His thoughts are more like a childhood memory than anything else.
On this day, all four of them are in the temple, holed up in a corner out of sight of the moderns. The atmosphere is lighter than usual when Altair abruptly flinches. Desmond, who's in the middle of saying something to Ezio, stops and gives him a look. "What's the matter with you?" he asks.
"Ah-" Altair looks sideways at Connor, and taps his head. "Your father's in here."
Desmond and Ezio share a complicated look as Connor sits there, not at all sure what to do. Altair winces and looks over at Desmond. "Although judging by his reaction, he didn't know he had a son until just now."
Connor still doesn't move, just keeps staring down at the ground. He doesn't want any of this to be happening. He doesn't want to look at Altair and know that the father he hates is looking out through those eyes.
"What's he doing here?" Desmond asks. His voice is way too casual, like he's trying to pretend that there's nothing going wrong. "Last time it was dreams."
"This time I think it's just normal time travel," Altair says.
Ezio says something in Italian, and Desmond shrugs and answers in the same language.
"That doesn't make any sense," Altair says.
Desmond shrugs. "It's the apple," he says. "None of it makes any sense. I mean, he could sync with me pretty well last time."
"That time you fell off a skyscraper," Altair says.
"Well- yea." Desmond shrugs. "But I mean, he's done it once. Ezio's guess is as good as anything I have. Maybe now that he's been in my head there's no turning back."
"Perfect," Altair sighs. He hesitates, then looks at Connor. "Do you want to say anything?"
"No," Connor says. He looks Altair straight in the eye, knowing Haytham will see it. "I don't want to say anything."
"Hmm." Altair nods, and his frown deepens. "And I really don't think you want to hear anything he's saying right now."
"I don't." Connor shakes his head. He can imagine the kind of things his father has to say about learning he has an assassin for a son, and about learning he has a son in the first place. He wonders if Haytham even remembers sending his men to burn down the village all those years ago, and decides that he probably doesn't.
It's amazing how much anger is left, even this many years later. He slides out his hidden blade reflexively. It's just not fair that here he is, standing just two feet away- and Connor can't do anything about it.
"Connor-" There's a warning tone in Ezio's voice, and when Connor glances up at him, Ezio nods at the blade.
"He had my village burned to the ground," Connor says. He knows Ezio doesn't speak English, but he needs to say it out loud. "Don't tell me he doesn't deserve this." But he slides the hidden blade back into place. He knows he isn't going to do anything here, not while Haytham's hiding inside Altair.
So instead he says something that's supposed to be a threat but comes out more like a growl, turns his back, and walks away. He wants to pretend that he can just walk far enough away that he'll eventually find a place Haytham can't follow, but he's pretty sure now that's not true. Not even the future is safe anymore, not now that his father's been here twice. Once could have been an accident. Twice tells him this is going to become a habit. He probably shouldn't be surprised- now that Haytham can sync with Desmond, it's probably inevitable.
And that means it's only a matter of time until he wakes up one morning inside his father's head, or finds Haytham inside of his. He turns and kicks at a light stand nearby, knowing it's petty, knowing he's intangible and it's not going to have any effect, but he's too upset to care.
The kick doesn't do anything to the light, but Connor's toe is suddenly throbbing in pain. He glares at the offending foot and sits himself down on the floor in an out of the way corner. This day is going downhill fast.