;; PAPER hearts can't WIN this time

[idkmybffdavinci]

Who: Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad (bladeinthecrowd) and Ezio Auditore da Firenze (idkmybffdavinci)
What: When a nightmare makes Ezio wake in a panic the young assassin seeks out his elder for comfort.

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[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr was having a hard time trying to get himself to sleep tonight, his mind busy and active every time he went to lay down and only causing him to shift and turn in anxiety and boredom. His mind was preoccupied with matters of the Brotherhood and improvements with the Creed and how to discover the secrets of the Piece, anything but relaxing for much need sleep that he should have been getting currently. With this frustration uttered in a small sigh from his lips the Hashshashin rolled off his cot and stalked out of his room

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio found himself in a much different place than when he'd first come to Altaïr's time. This time he was in a small village towered over by a rather large stone keep, its dirt streets silent in the middle of the night save for the sounds of animals in their stables. The houses were constructed much differently here. But he payed little attention to any of this, his gaze sweeping over the area, searching for the man he was looking for.

Even though he kept chastising himself in his mind for this kind of behavior he couldn't keep his anxiety from steadily growing the longer he went without any sign of Altaïr. The images of the nightmare lingered in the back of his mind as he continued to search almost desperately for the other, trying to keep himself calm with little success.

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr practically found himself falling asleep as he gazed up at the moon. He thought of returning to his room but he was afraid the walk would wake him back up and start over all his anxious thinking so he decided against it. It would not be the first time he had fallen asleep underneath the open sky.

He made himself comfortable in a corner, only once glancing down at the city briefly before he moved--there was a flash of white in one of the streets but it disappeared so quickly that Altaïr merely associated it with his imagination and the nighttime aura. He settled in for the night and returned his gaze to the moon as he began to drift off.

[idkmybffdavinci]

Unfortunately he probably wasn't going to get much time to settle in and sleep

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr was startled just as he fell asleep by the soft cry and before he could even comprehend that he was awakening from such the arms wrapped around him. In an automatic reaction from thinking he was being pinned he struggled against the hold, flailing about as he tried to get the other off him. He managed to grab hold of the other's clothes and push him away.

The look on his face was angry but turned instantly into confusion and wondering when he saw who his would-be attacker was. He took a moment to calm his own body before addressing the strange appearance of the Italian. In the time this took a few things about the other registered belatedly, such as the desperate sound of the cry at the beginning and the uncontrollable shaking of the nobleman's body when he'd been pressed against the elder assassin.

Frowning, Altaïr attempted to pin Ezio's eyes with his own. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you here?" A brief pause. "...What is wrong, Ezio?"

[idkmybffdavinci]

With some effort Ezio was pried away and the Italian didn't even register the angry look that he was given at first. He was still too overwhelmed with relief. Because despite the fact that he'd continued to try and tell himself that he was being ridiculous and that Altaïr was just fine -- which he was, if tired -- there had still been that what if that had refused to leave Ezio alone until he'd confirmed it for himself. He was still shaking slightly when he was pushed away, when Altaïr spoke to him, but it was much less than before

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr's brow furrowed as he listened to Ezio's jumbled explanation. He had had a scary nightmare in which something bad had happened to the Hashshashin was about the jist of what Altaïr got from the sentences. As he watched Ezio's form and demeanor shrink more and more, and felt the slight shivering continue, his expression began to soften.

Releasing a small sigh, Altaïr pulled the other back to him, gathering the frightened nobleman in his arms and patting gently, if a bit awkwardly, on his back. "It is fine, Ezio. Everything is all right. I am fine, you are here with me now, and all is going to be perfectly well. Shhhh, now." He muttered softly to the other in comforting passages.

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio burrowed himself against Altaïr when he was pulled close, one arm going about the elder assassin's neck while the other hand simply held onto one of his shoulders. He released a shaky breath as he heard the other murmuring to him, felt the arms encircle him, trying to calm down. He closed his eyes and settled himself against Altaïr, gripping slightly at his robes. Almost as if afraid if he didn't that something would happen.

After a few minutes he managed to calm himself for the most part, the shivering stopping and his mental state more stable than it had been before. Now he was left with his embarrassment to deal with; the embarrassment that he'd been so affected by a dream and ended up burdening the other with his inability to deal with his own dreams. It was childish and he'd known it, knew it now.

Nevertheless he didn't pull away from Altaïr, though he did speak softly again. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like a child."

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr seemed genuinely worried at the other's state as he calmed the Italian down as best he could. It didn't seem right, to watch such a prideful and confident man suddenly loose it all to a simple dream, a bad one to be sure but a non-reality nonetheless. Whatever had happened in it, it must have been horrible. Perhaps a fear born of experience if Altaïr had to guess.

He held on gently, and yet tightly, to the other for as long as it took. When he felt the other begin to relax he loosened his hold. But by no means did he let go.

"...It's all right, الحبيب. Whatever it was--it deserves no apology."

[idkmybffdavinci]

"Even though I woke you up?" Ezio asked sheepishly in turn. He was almost surprised he hadn't taken some sort of wound for startling Altaïr in the middle of the night like this. God knew he felt bad for ruining the Hashshashin's chance for rest because he found himself unable to.

Even if Altaïr had let go of him it wasn't likely that the nobleman would move away. He was comfortable right where he was, curled into Altaïr's side, safe in the knowledge that the nightmare had been just that. No matter how embarrassed he felt he wouldn't move away unless absolutely necessary or if he was requested to move by the one who held him.

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr sighed, the mention of having actually been asleep reminding him of his earlier troubles with it. But though Ezio might have ruined a good thing when it had finally come to him, Altaïr could not be mad at the young man in his arms no matter how long he dwelt on the lack of rest. It troubled him to see the other this way and if Altaïr being awake to hold him made it all better then so be it. He would suffer--so the other didn't have to.

He shook his head from side to side. "Even though you woke me up--it does not matter. I am just as content this way." He tugged towards himself just a little on the other. "More so."

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio shifted as he was pulled closer, happily following the tug that Altaïr exerted on him and moving closer, enjoying the warmth he could feel coming from the Arabian and the comfort he felt at being held this way. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Altaïr's shoulder, a small smile quirking one corner of his mouth.

"I can't tell if you're just saying that to make me feel better or not," he responded quietly, opening his eyes again to look up at Altaïr briefly before his eyes turned skyward. The view was breathtaking up here, he had to admit that much.

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr was silent for a moment. "Perhaps a little bit of both," he finally replied. He smiled briefly at Ezio and even slipped his hand beneath the cowl of the other assassin to ruffle through his hair. He closed his eyes but reopened them just a notch in time to notice Ezio's first expression upon seeing the stars.

He tilted his head upwards as well. "...It is my favorite view from the Keep."

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio laughed lightly at the answer, the smile growing a bit. When Altaïr ruffled his hair there was a moment before he tugged his hood down with one hand, allowing the Hashshashin to get to the dark strands of hair easier without the clothing in the way. He kept his eyes on the sky as he did and settled back into Altaïr once the motion was done.

At the commentary about the view the nobleman let out a soft, contemplative hum before he responded. "I can see why. It's beautiful." The view of the night sky was beautiful in Italy as week but for some reason it just seemed more... natural here. Unmarred by tall rooftops and smoke and the bustle of people still walking the streets late at night...

[bladeinthecrowd]

With the hood down the enticement of Ezio's long hair was too much to pass up and the Hashshashin buried his free hand into the dark locks as soon as he had full access. He gave him something idle to do with his hands, although his other remained wrapped around Ezio's waist where it kept the other pulled in close. This was what contentment was, wasn't it? He felt content, at peace with the world despite all its troubles, and free to just enjoy the moment.

He nuzzled his chin into the top side of Ezio's head and turned his eyes back to the sky. "Yes... it is."

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio hardly minded having his hair played with; was quite used to it by now, honestly. When he felt Altaïr's chin come to rest on top of his head Ezio smiled more, sharing in the other's contentment unknowingly. It had been a while since he'd felt like this as well and he enjoyed it.

Even if the reason he'd come here had been childish... the end result was well worth it.

He turned his gaze away from the sky in order to bury his face against the junction of Altaïr's neck and shoulder, closing his eyes once more and relaxing. He began to hum softly under his breath again, a tune that was long familiar to him and quickly beginning to become familiar to the Arabian he rested against: the lullaby he had sung a few times for the other now.