Assassin's Creed Oneshots

Night in Monteriggioni

The Animus flickered open, Desmond reaching towards his face when sitting up from the cushioned time machine. Lucy chimed out, "Welcome back Desmond!" Desmond stood and shook his nerves out from the previous Ezio session, stress still lingered on his mind from Ezio's own stress due to Claudia's close call at the Rosa in Fiore. Desmond stretched and rubbed his hands against his arms, trying to fight against the cold Sanctuary they camped out in.

Shaun typed away at his laptop, sleep was absent from his schedule recently. The assassin's losing contact all around the world didn't sit well with the crew. Especially in the cold quiet cave below the Villa Auditore. Desmond approached Altaïr's statue, mind still foggy with Ezio's memories with the sudden wave of mystery and curiosity. He hadn't checked his emails in a while and it had been a while since he actually touched a piece of technology other than the Animus. Crossbows and swords weren't his thing.

When he typed in his password, his inbox pulled up and a message thread between the four of them from Shaun;

"Colleagues,

We have been cooped up in this dungeon for ages. I feel it's best for both our sanity and productivity if we go into town tonight and enjoy the local colour.

A bit of wine and maybe some music.

S."

Desmond started typing, intrigued by the mention of drink and the escape from the musty cave. He responded quickly with a, 'Yes and thank you' to get the point through. Shaun turned to the other three surrounding him, "It's almost 5. So it's now or never and I'm not sure how much longer I can sit in this scummy hole of a sanctuary." Desmond crossed his arms, "It used to be a lot nicer. Trust me." Shaun rolled his eyes and gathered himself, his body aching from his hunched stature. Lucy stood as well, shutting off her laptop, "I agree. Desmond, are you experiencing any visions or drowsiness right now?" Desmond shook his head, half lying. He was exhausted of course but the bleeding effect had become so present it seemed like a normality.

Rebecca cracked her knuckles and stretched when approaching the other three, "I'm ready, let's head out!" They all made their way up the Sanctuary's never-ending staircase, all collectively stretching out a long breath from the fresh air. The sky was prickled with stars and a slow moon as they all traveled to the streets of the town.

The bar they reached was a relatively unpopular bar, hoping to keep some sort of low profile while enjoying themselves. They all agreed beforehand to just keep their ear pieces in and leave their altered phones in the Villa. Desmond ordered their drinks, cute little wine glasses with garnishes matching all their tastes. Lucy and Rebecca stayed to their conversations, mostly about tech savvy things and certain serious topics for when they returned home. Shaun and Desmond dipped silently at the other half of the bar. Desmond questioned if he was even awake, his body stiff and mind wandering off again. Shaun snapped his fingers, "Des, don't fall asleep at the bar. You're going to get us kicked out." Desmond shook his head as he smirked and sipped more of his wine. He couldn't get his mind off of how much had happened in the past weeks, he still couldn't believe it. He was relieved to have such great people surrounding him and supporting him.

Still he felt trapped within a simulation.

Shaun finished his wine first, again. Desmond wasn't surprised, keeping up with those databases and monitoring Ezio's memories became so time consuming. The Brit bit down on his orange slice garnish, finishing it in one bite and looked to Desmond, "I'm put off by how slowly you're drinking. Are you sure you're okay?" Desmond nodded hesitantly grabbing his glass again and downing the rest with a squint in his eyes, "I'll be fine after a few more." Shaun raised an eyebrow and ordered two more glasses, shorter this time to refrain from overdoing it.

Desmond's glass slammed down onto the wooden bar, trying to freshen his mind. 'What will Ezio do next?' 'Claudia got initiated quickly.' 'Fuck Cesare, he's a dick.' Shaun noticed his odd silence again until he noticed the music kicking up into something they all knew, Fooled Around and Fell in Love was a classic road trip song they'd click on during their drive from Florence to Monteriggioni. The slow rhythm got them all in this sweet slow vibe they all enjoyed. Rebecca rushed to the dancing area, joining a few other people that lingered in the bar. Lucy followed Rebecca and swirled around her, tipsily rocking her head and shoulders to the music. Desmond smiled as the familiar tune played and the girls dancing made him smile a little wider, but what was to happen next confused him.

Shaun stood and held out his hand to Desmond, his bar stool swung around away from the bar. Desmond placed his hand slowly into Shaun's. The redhead shook his head and threw himself and Desmond to the dance floor, lost in the small crowd as the lyrics played back in their heads. Desmond wasn't sure what to do, Shaun took the lead by grasping his hands around Desmond's to forcefully place them onto his hips and then quickly resting them around Desmond's neck. Desmond smiled and rose tinted his cheeks, the undertone of the dance lights highlighting his features, "Are you drunk?" Desmond asked within the space between them, loud enough so they could hear each other. Shaun laughed and squeezed closer as they shuffled their feet to the slowness of the music, "Are you? You haven't retracted from my presence yet." Desmond smiled, his scar so visible within this light, "Well I like this song and you so it's a win-win I suppose." Shaun routinely rolled his eyes at the ditsy man.

Desmond sighed as the music flowed through the atmosphere. He pressed his forehead against Shaun's, leaning into his body while he hooked his hands around Shaun's hips. He let himself disappear within the music, Shaun, and the bar's aura. Shaun raised his hands from the lower of Desmonds neck to underneath his ears and pulled him in for their soft kiss. Desmond leaned into it without hesitation or resistance, naturally fitting his shape to Shaun's. Shaun smiled into the press of Desmond's lips. Desmond made sure to thank Shaun later for pushing the group to get out and enjoy their night.

The song faded out as Desmond pulled away from Shaun, his hands still hooked onto him, refusing to release. Rebecca and Lucy approached snickering playfully at their loving display, "I think we should be heading back. Can't be out for too long." Lucy noted, pushing her blonde hair back after it fell out of her bun from their relaxing night. Shaun released his grip on Desmond and dug in his pocket for a couple euros and slid them to the bartender before they exited.

The night sky had become painted with more stars and the moon was higher, the view back made the groups night complete. Desmond couldn't help but cling on to Shaun while they walked back. For balance of course.

Notes:

It's 3 am
But I miss Shaundes