;; 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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[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.

He tried to speak, to answer, but his throat still felt constricted. He lowered his head a bit from the elder's gaze, swallowed forcefully and finally managed to say something though the words came out weak, shaky. "I... I had a dream. A nightmare," he amended. The embarrassment was beginning to creep up on him but for the moment he still didn't care too much about the fact that he sounded like a five year old running to their parent for comfort. "And you -- you..."

Another swallow. Ezio lowered his head more, face now concealed by his hood. "I couldn't help it, I needed to be sure you were okay, no matter how ridiculous it was. I needed to be sure." He was basically rambling but his mind was still reeling. He couldn't bring himself to connect everything together and truly tell Altaïr what had drove him to his home in the middle of the night, not yet.

[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.

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr relaxed into Ezio's snuggle oddly quickly, perhaps more than just a little content. His eyes flickered back down when the soft, gentle song began on Ezio's lips. He watched.

"...Teach me," he whispered softly, not even sure what he was doing until he'd already asked it of the other.

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio took a moment to register the fact that he was being spoken to. When he did he opened his eyes and glanced up at Altaïr curiously.

"Mm?" The wordless sound somehow held a questioning tone to it, but he spoke soon after to clear up what it was he was asking. "Do you mean the song?"

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr's voice was soft, as if embarrassed of his request of the other. "...Yes."

[idkmybffdavinci]

Ezio seemed to hear the tone of embarrassment and smiled a little to himself at it. He nodded to himself before he spoke again. "All right. Then repeat what I say."

He decided going line by line would probably the best idea. It wasn't an overwhelming amount to take in that way and going word by word would have been too slow. "Ninna nanna di pace che invento," he started, speaking slowly and enunciating the words clearly for Altaïr as he did.

[bladeinthecrowd]

Altaïr nodded in response and listened carefully to the line that Ezio said carefully for him to repeat. Then, after a small moment as of him rehearsing the line in his head, he attempted to repeat the line back to Ezio. It wasn't quite as bad as Ezio's first attempt on Altaïr's language--he had been listening carefully to Ezio's accent for a while now--but neither was it anywhere near perfect. It simply was a decent mimicry of what he heard.

He frowned, and from the look of concentration on his face it was apparent that despite his decent first try it was not nearly good enough for his own expectations.