Chapter Text
Their journey to Ujiyamada wasn’t all that peaceful. At least two groups of bandits tried to rob them, all of them killed before they could even think of running away.
Desmond did try to reason with them and Altaïr even spent a bit of time asking them if they remembered Kaientaronkwen. Only the second group of bandits remembered him. They tried to rob him as well but he had kicked their ass, apparently.
Unlike Kaientaronkwen who let them go, Desmond and Altaïr killed every last one of them.
They were bandits and it was clear that they had no desire to turn a new leaf. It might be cruel and maybe they were overstepping their bounds but Desmond had no regrets. If he let them be, they would have continued with their bandit activities and hurt innocents.
Other than those two incidents, Desmond and Altaïr also got accosted by a few locals who were curious of their wares.
Prepared for this possibility, Desmond sold them bottles of chili oil, pointing them at the direction of the port they were in to tell them that if his boss learned that a lot of people would like to buy their products, they might consider selling more instead of just having a single cart as a traveling merchant.
It was a good cover, all things considered. It explained why they were there while also giving an excuse to why they had Kaientaronkwen with them.
Only one of the locals recognized Kaientaronkwen and he admitted that was because he was going to die soon because of some kind of incurable diseases so he just greeted every new face he met.
That somberness was cut in half by the man’s jovial exposition, giving Desmond and Altaïr a grin as he told them everything he knew about Kaientaronkwen, which wasn’t much.
He did confirm that Kaientaronkwen used the road they were on every year, coming and going every few months. It was the most commonly used road for those making their pilgrimage to the shrine of the Sun Goddess in Ujiyamada.
Of course, it would be related to the goddamn sun.
It was good information though and Desmond gave the man a small box of tea leaves that he was also selling. It was one of the tea leaves that setti made and caused a bit of pain relief in exchange for making one sleepy. Desmond called it ‘good night’s rest’ tea.
Right now, it was being used in Alamut as a kind of medicine and Desmond was just testing the waters if people would want something like this considering setti learned it from her mother who learned it from her mother.
It was less of a family recipe and more as one of the most well-known house remedies back home.
Putting aside Desmond’s future endeavors to bring in more capital to his home…
Ujiyamada turned out to be an interesting place. The sparse villages and settlements were pretty normal. They weren’t exactly welcoming but they weren’t completely hostile.
Many of them assumed that Altaïr and Desmond were traveling merchants that were interested in the shrines in Ujiyamada.
Shrines that were quite guarded, by the way.
The head priestess was either quite important to a very power family that was able to provide her with such detailed security or she was related to the ruling family in these lands because Desmond and Altaïr immediately clocked many of the people in the shrines as trained warriors even though most of them wore the clothes of civilians and priests.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to actually go inside the shrine. It wouldn’t have made sense in the first place.
There was no way that Kaientaronkwen would have been able to keep the transportation device a secret if he had to go through the shrine.
Unless he was allied with them…
But that was Desmond’s paranoia talking.
One of the glowing points that they saw from the holographic map would lead them deeper into the shrine though.
If his and Altaïr’s mastery of the language spoken around here could be trusted, they both guessed that it was pointing at a Piece of Eden, a supposed mirror of the gods or…
Something like that.
Their mastery of the local language wasn’t all that good so it could be a mirror or a glass… something along that line.
The other point of interest was further north and they followed the river north, a river the locals called ‘Isuzu-gawa’.
Would it be dumb of Desmond to guess that the car company ‘Isuzu’ was named after this river? Maybe it was founded nearby or… maybe they just wanted a name that was connected to the Great Shrine?
Desmond would probably never know.
It was an entertaining thought that passed the time as they both remained quiet as they reached an open gate that the locals called ‘torii’. Just ahead was a grand bridge that would help them cross the river.
To their left was a small path that led to the river itself, the road covered by large trees. That was the path they took and Desmond tapped Altaïr’s hand quietly.
Altaïr nodded to show he understood and Desmond closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
He connected with Aquila and guided the eagle to fly ahead, swooping down and slipping between two large trees. Desmond activated his Eagle Vision while connected to Aquila, letting the world turn to gray.
A few meters ahead from them, the trees grew denser…
But it became clearer that there was a path that cut through them.
Aquila landed on a branch of one of the trees that seemed to have grown to conceal what laid ahead. Below him, he could see the noticeable marks made by wheels coming and going, cut midway by the overgrown grass.
Desmond closed his connection with Aquila and tapped Altaïr’s hand once more. Altaïr silently handed the reins to him and Desmond led them to the path he saw with Aquila.
The trees were too close to one another that there was no way their cart could be able to squeeze through.
The wheel marks on the ground made no sense as well since it was around the same size as their cart.
Which meant there had to be a trick or something.
“I’ll feed the horses.” Altaïr offered, having reached the same conclusion Desmond did.
“Alright, I’ll go figure this shit out.” Desmond agreed. It was a good cover if anyone passed by. They would see Altaïr feeding the horses and Desmond could pretend to be either be peeing or getting wood to build a fire.
Desmond stepped forward as Aquila and Maud landed on different branches on the same tree. They looked at each other for a moment before Aquila flew off the tree and landed on a branch of another tree. Desmond chuckled but didn’t say anything. During their sea travels where Aquila and Maud were stuck in the cart, marking their own territories using blankets that Altaïr and Desmond had been using during their travels.
They were definitely not best friends but, at least, they were a little bit more cordial.
They watched Desmond as he looked around, using his Eagle Vision to try and figure things out.
There was a golden mist around one of the trees, about five feet away from where Altaïr was with the cart. The mist was about an inch above the ground so Desmond crouched as he blinked, deactivating his Eagle Vision.
There was something around this tree that he instinctively understood was ‘important’ but he couldn’t be sure why.
The tree itself looked normal from what Desmond could see. It bore neither any fruit nor flower like many of the trees nearby. The leaves looked healthy enough. There wasn’t any strange coloring or shapes that screamed ‘weird ass precursor shit’.
So…
Desmond pressed his hand against the tree and slowly moved his hand clockwise, making sure to not get injured by something like a splinter while still being able to feel the texture of the tree against his palm and fingers.
He felt a bump a fourth of the way through and he moved to take a closer look.
It was a small bump but it felt too smooth to be natural. He rubbed his thumb against it. It was definitely too smooth and it wasn’t the kind of smoothness he felt when he touched the smooth surface of carved wood.
Well… only one thing left to do, he supposed.
He pushed the bump as hard as he could.
And it didn’t budge.
Now, that was just embarrassing.
If it couldn’t be pushed then… maybe…
He pinched the bump between his point finger and thumb, taking a deep breath before pulling it.
Attached to the bump was something with a golden metallic sheen and once about an inch of it was out in the open, Desmond heard a click.
He let go as the bump quickly returned to its initial location and he stood as he heard the sounds of gears grinding and creaking from underneath him.
He walked back to the cart just in time to see the overgrown grass lower itself into an angle, showing a descending hole big enough for the cart to fit through.
Just about time too as Altaïr just finished feeding the horses.
“Alrighty… let’s get this show on the road.” Desmond said with a grin.
The road ended up being more of a slope that ended in a large circular room with some kind of lever at the end.
Desmond was going to assume that this was the teleportation thingamajig. They placed the cart in the middle of the room and looked at the lever.
The lever went up to Desmond’s neck and had a carved ball shape end the same size as the Apple. They couldn’t pull it at either direction so…
Desmond just pulled it up.
And it worked.
The path they entered from rose and returned to its initial location as the ground began to light up.
The horses huffed and tapped their feet so Desmond and Altaïr went to their sides, trying to keep them calm as the entire room was engulfed in the same light as the Apple’s glow.
The light only lasted for a second but it took a bit longer for them to actually see normally thanks to that flashbang.
They found themselves in a similar circular room but this one rumbled as it opened one of the walls to show them a path that would lead them outside.
And it led them into a forest that looked nowhere near where they were before.
There was no way he would know where they were so he had to take out the Apple and use it as some kind of GPS.
If Desmond wasn’t mistaken… they were somewhere in Canada. He wasn’t sure where in Canada exactly but somewhere at the southeastern part. That was the extent of what he knew of the geography of Canada, unfortunately.
Good news though!
Turin was about three to five days away from where they were, depending on how frequently they would rest their horses.
That wasn’t that bad, all things considered.
Aquila and Maud went on ahead to survey the area, making sure they didn’t come near any settlements or patrols. It wouldn’t do them any good making contact with anyone.
After the whole thing with Juno, Desmond planned to destroy the teleportation device back in Ujiyamada once they teleported back. As far as they could see, it only connected the two locations so destroying the one in Ujiyamada should make the one here just plain old ruins.
He was cutting off the most convenient way to connect to this continent but, if Desmond was being honest…
That was for the best.
The tribe probably wouldn’t appreciate if they tried to push their reasoning to them, especially once Juno was out of the picture.
This way, they could continue to thrive and live away from the machinations of those who came before and Desmond’s influence.
He didn’t know if that was the right thing to do but…
He thought it was the kind thing to do.
They slept outside, sharing each other’s body heat as they looked at the sky. The stars were quite different from the ones they would see in Alamut, a constant reminder that they were far from home right now.
“After this… we’re gonna have a proper honeymoon.” Desmond announced one night.
“That would be wonderful.” Altaïr commented softly, his eyes closed as he rested the side of his head against Desmond’s shoulder.
Desmond pressed his cheek against Altaïr’s curly hair as he whispered, “We’ll get a room and have sex for an entire day.”
At that, Altaïr let out a soft chuckle.
Unfortunately, the woes of having a drugged person on the back of the cart and the looming threat of an imprisoned megalomaniac put a damper on their sexual activities.
“We’ll get our children their own room so they don’t judge us too.” Desmond added, earning a quiet glare from Maud who had been perched on the roof of the cart while Aquila just let out an agreeing trill before continuing to eat his dried meats for the night.
“We should stock up on food.” Altaïr mumbled and Desmond could feel him slipping deeper into sleep on his shoulder.
He pressed a soft kiss on top of Altaïr’s head before whispering, “Yeah, we’ll stock up on supplies before we have a sex marathon.”
The sleepy chuckle that left Altaïr’s lips brought a smile on Desmond’s face that lasted throughout the entire night.
They reached the cave entrance of the Grand Temple on the fourth day of traveling. They would have reached it sooner but they both agreed to rest more regularly to make sure their horses would be healthy and ready for the return journey.
There were no guards posted around the cave or even nearby.
That wasn’t surprising.
The tribe and maybe even Juno weren’t expecting to hear from Kaientaronkwen until much later. As far as Desmond understood, Juno could only ‘see’ the outside world using any of her kind’s technology.
The only time Desmond and Altaïr were near one for their entire journey was when they used the teleportation device and he knew that the golden sand of his hourglass was gleaming. It was a clear sign that it was working to ward off any attempt Juno made to ‘see’ through the teleportation device.
The subdued Apple already showed that their theory held merit. If she was able to connect with the Apple, things wouldn’t have gone as ‘smoothly’ as it did with Kaientaronkwen.
That was why Desmond guessed that Juno didn’t learn of his existence until he met Kaientaronkwen back in Alamut since Alamut didn’t have any Pieces of Eden or any devices still operating.
Kaientaronkwen would have reported about him after he returned home. Juno’s downfall began when she believed that Desmond wasn’t going to do anything to change the past.
They left the cart by the entrance. If any of Kaientaronkwen’s tribe members find the cart, that was fine.
They could handle any ambushes they might prepare.
They wouldn’t hurt the horses. That wasn’t the kind of tribe they were.
Also… Desmond and Altaïr could just walk back. They just hoped that would be a last resort that would never come to pass.
Aquila and Maud hid in the tall trees, keeping watch while staying safe. If anything happened, they would tug on their connection.
Hell, it would be better if the tribe did try to charge the Grand Temple and Desmond could show them just how much of a bitch Juno was.
But Desmond knew he wouldn’t be that lucky.
Placing the Apple to open the Grand Temple felt a bit like deja vu but, this time, he had Altaïr by his side. He handed Altaïr the dagger Minerva gave him and they simply nodded at one another silently.
Things would be different this time around.
The wall didn’t open completely, something that happened in 2012 too, and they had to crouch to get to the other side.
The interior of the temple looked pretty similar to when Desmond first entered it in the future. There was no sudden painful headache that forced him into the Animus though which was nice.
The way towards the wall of light was more stable than he remembered. Maybe an earthquake or something similar would happen in the future and it would cause the noticeable structural damage that Desmond and his team saw back in 2012.
‘Back in 2012’? Was that correct?
Eh. It didn’t matter, he supposed.
Desmond and Altaïr barely walked into the Grand Temple’s main room when they heard Juno’s voice echoing all over.
“I should have ordered him to kill you when he reported about a ‘Desmond’ who knew his language.”
“Hello to you too, Juno.” Desmond said casually, patting Altaïr’s back as he said lightly, “I would like to introduce you to my husband. You know him already, right?”
“I do not have the patience for your childish rebellion, Desmond.” Juno’s voice spatted.
Desmond turned to stare at Altaïr and gave him an expression that simply said ‘can you believe the audacity of this bitch?’
Altaïr just shrugged. He only heard from Desmond about the kind of person Juno was so this sounded just how Altaïr imagined her to be.
“Do you know why I didn’t do anything, Desmond?” Juno finally materialized in front of them, her holographic image becoming a physical barrier between them and the door made of light.
Well…
Desmond walked through the hologram without any hesitation, ignoring the low growl he heard coming from Juno.
“I thought you understood how important it was for the future to remain the same!” Juno shouted as she followed him. Her voice grew softer and it reminded Desmond of someone talking down to a child for being too stupid to understand something they found utterly simple, “Desmond, think about this. Your death means the world will be safe and…”
“You didn’t die, did you?”
At those words, Desmond stopped walking. He kept his eyes on the door of light as Juno stepped closer, standing next to him as she cajoled in a sickeningly sweet tone of a mother trying to reason with her rebellious son, “You’re here now with a life of your own… with your own castle, loved by so many.”
She stepped even closer, her holographic hand hovering on top of Desmond’s arm, “This is your reward, Desmond. The fruit of all your labors and suffering… But this only existed because you did what you had to.”
Desmond finally turned to look at Juno as he said, “Hey, Juno…”
He smiled as he asked, “Who said I was going to do anything?”
A flash of gold and blue flew through Juno. Her head turned to look at the door of light where the dagger had pierced the door of light ahead of them. Juno’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth but no sound could be heard at all.
Desmond watched as the golden sand encased on the hilt began to disappear at the same time the door of light started to turn a golden color. The more grains of sand disappeared, the more the golden color spread until the entire door had turned gold.
Chains made of golden sand erupted from the door and clasped all around Juno and pulled her to the door of light.
Once her body hit the door of light, she disappeared.
A second later, the door of light blinded the entire room with an intense glow that forced Desmond to close his eyes.
“Desmond…”
He opened his eyes and yawned as his father drove the car the Brotherhood provided into the lower levels of a building’s parking lot.
“Sit up. Your neck’s gonna ache so bad later if you don’t.”
Desmond simply hummed as he continued to press his temple against the car window.
“Desmond.”
Desmond sighed and sat up. He opened the passenger seat’s compartment in front of him and took out a cheap-looking comb.
His father sighed this time around but he didn’t say anything as he parked near the bright doors that had the word ‘entrance’ moving left to right in various languages on a small screen.
Desmond combed his hair quickly before returning it to the compartment. His father had just finished parking when Desmond closed the compartment. They took off their seat belts in unison and left the car at the same time. The car let out a chirp as it locked automatically after they closed the doors.
“Stay still for a bit.” His father ordered as he fixed his collar and untied his tie before tying it all over again.
Desmond just let his father do what he wanted, he was the one that was worrying over nothing, after all.
Every member of the Brotherhood visited Alamut once they were fourteen. Many called it a pilgrimage but Desmond didn’t really care all that much about the ‘religious’ history of this tradition they had.
The best part was that this was an all expense paid trip and they got to stay at the absolutely best hotel (according to online reviews) in the city with free breakfast buffet every day. All Desmond had to do was spend an entire day answering an exam and getting interviewed in the main headquarters of Aquila Industries and they would stay there for an entire month, just being lazy bums.
In the eyes of the public, this was Aquila Industries yearly global test for their prestigious scholarship program (the official name was ‘Hilde-Maria-Malik Scholarship Program’ but everyone just called it the Aquila Industries HMM scholarship program).
To the Brotherhood, it also doubled as a chance for those that were born in the Brotherhood to tell the higher ups their plans for the future and to get help in case their family or community didn’t approve of their plan.
Once his father was finally satisfied of how he looked, he gave Desmond a nod and a squeeze on the shoulder that Desmond assumed was supposed to reassure him…
Honestly, his father looked more anxious than him.
They both walked towards the door and his father took out a card he received from the Brotherhood the day they checked into the hotel. He pressed it against a black box next to the door and they heard a beep before the door slid open soundlessly.
They entered what appeared to be a lobby with a guard standing by a podium with a hologram in front of him. He glanced at the hologram before poking it. A second later, he walked towards them, holding two lanyards with some kind of ID on them.
Desmond stared at the hologram. It had always been so cool seeing it. The holograms all over Alamut, the first country to ever make use of holograms in the world, was part of some kind of complicated secured network that the Brotherhood use.
Desmond only knew it as ‘MAUD’. He never really knew what each letter meant… if they even meant anything at all.
“Hey, Gavin.” The guard greeted his father with a one-armed short hug, the both of them clapping each other’s back a few times before stepping back, “Good to see you back. Everyone doing well on Vega II?”
“Of course.” His father nodded, “They wanted to be here to support Desmond but, well…”
“Ah, Brotherhood policies. Only one guardian.” The guard recited with an understanding nod before turning to Desmond, “So this is your son, huh?”
Desmond recognized that ‘your’ was said as a plural noun which he appreciated. He bowed slightly as he greeted, “Hello, sir.”
“Desmond, huh?” The guard grinned as he said, “Man, I would hate to be named after the greatest mentor in history.”
Desmond shrugged. He knew, at least, four more Desmonds that had a connection with the Brotherhood. The founder of Aquila Industries was, after all, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, the beloved husband of Desmond al-Dīn Muḥammad III.
Alamut was one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Also the smallest, only rivaled by the Vatican, known to the world for two things:
The leading research and development of technological advancement that was the corner stone of Aquila Industries.
And (one of) the oldest printing press in the world, Peredur Stories Printing Press.
Oh.
And the best goddamn chili oil according to the Brotherhood.
So yeah…
Desmond was super common around these parts and in the Brotherhood.
“Ah, here we go.” The guard handed one lanyard to Gavin, “Yours is already ready to go, of course.”
“Yours…” The guard kept holding the other lanyard as he smiled at Desmond, “I’m afraid I’ll have to type your name first before I can activate it.”
“Desmond Kenway-Banks, sir.” Desmond answered and the guard nodded as he typed it out on the lanyard, letting Desmond know that the lanyard had some kind of touchscreen function.
“Alrighty… all ready.” He handed the lanyard to Desmond, “Your dad will bring you to the castle but, once you reach the gates, he’ll have to stay behind. Our brothers and sisters are patrolling the castle so you can ask them for direction if you get lost. Not that you should since…”
The guard tried not to get close to Desmond’s personal space as he tapped the lanyard twice. The lanyard that had been just a smooth black surface showed Desmond’s name and his picture (the same photo Auntie Susie took while Desmond was standing in front the cleanest wall in their ship) before it changed to a simple map that had a blinking blue light in the middle and a blue line that Desmond understood immediately as the route he should take.
“… your ID has an in-house map. It only works when you’re here in Alamut but it’s been programmed to show you the shortest way to get to your exam room. You’re in exam room 1107.”
“Got it.” Desmond nodded before he wore the lanyard around his head.
“Alright. I won’t keep you two here any longer.” The guard grinned at Desmond as he said, “Good luck, Desmond.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Desmond waited for his father to finish saying goodbye before they left the lobby and they entered an elevator that led them to the ground floor of Aquila Industries’ main headquarters. A few employees greeted his father as they exited through the backdoor and they ignored the golf-car like vehicles parked next to the exit, walking the uphill path that led to Alamut Castle.
“Okay, there’s no need to be anxious about anything, alright? Even if you don’t get the scholarship, your mother left you an inheritance for your schooling, alright?”
“Are you talking about her ‘for the future Auditore banker in the family’ funds?” Desmond reminded him with a raised eyebrow.
“That was a joke. Your mother liked to joke about that sort of things.” His father tried to defend her, “Her parents wanted her to be part of the Auditore Banks since you’re distant relatives to them but, you know her, she decided to steal their car and went on a joy ride with her Auditore cousin instead.”
“Uh-huh.” Desmond simply said, having never heard that story but believing it did happen immediately. Last time he heard from her, she was somewhere in the Arctic, finding some secret facility or something for the Brotherhood.
He was raised by the crew of Vega II because his father, Gavin Banks, was unfortunate enough to be his mother’s childhood friend.
He was asked to babysit Desmond when he was only a few months old and agreed to be Desmond’s father after the ‘trial period’ was over.
Paperwork was signed to make it official and Desmond’s mother acted more like that whirlwind kind of aunt that visited once a year with the most interesting stories and the weirdest but charming souvenirs.
“I just want you to know…” Of course his father had to do this in front of the gates, standing there with such a solemn expression that the guards nearby weren’t even hiding the fact that they were watching at this point.
“No matter what happens in this exam, you don’t have to commit to any plans, okay?” He placed both of his hands on Desmond’s shoulders, “They’ll ask you if your plans change after high school too so-”
“If I say I wanna be a stripper after high school, that’s fine too?” Desmond joked, halting whatever motivational (for his own sake) speech he had planned.
Desmond saw the moment his father’s brain just bluescreened and he chuckled, patting the hands on his shoulders awkwardly as he said, “Relax, pop. I’ll do my best in the exam and then we’ll plan my education afterwards, okay?”
Truthfully, Desmond did want to get a scholarship. He wanted to pursue marine biology and Aquila Industries had an entire team focused on deep sea exploration which was what Desmond wanted to do since he was first allowed to go diving with his family. Getting the scholarship would open a lot of doors for him on that field.
But, for now…
“I gotta go. I don’t want to be late for the exam.” Desmond reminded his father as he gently pushed the comforting hands off his shoulders, “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Okay.” His father said, “Love you, son. Go kick their ass.”
“Love you too, pop, but I’m not going to kick anyone’s ass. That might disqualify me.” Desmond lightly joked before walking through the gates.
One of the guards scanned his ID using a device attached to his arm before opening a small part of the gate for him to get inside.
Desmond felt like he walked into the past. The castle was in pristine condition, three tall towers catching his attention immediately.
The three ‘pillars’ of Alamut.
The Scholar’s Tower where Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad rallied the best minds of their time to create the juggernaut Aquila Industries was today.
The Shadow’s Tower where the Brotherhood stayed and grew, hiding behind the great looming shadows provided by Aquila Industries.
And…
The Mentor’s Tower where so many great mentors had stayed, Desmond al-Dīn Muḥammad III, Ezio Auditore, Adéwalé, Haytham Kenway, Ratonhnhaké:ton…
Someone bumped into him and they both apologized at the same time but the man wearing a lab coat was already rushing to get into one of the towers. Desmond quickly found himself having to weave through more and more people until it was just pure instincts, his feet leading him to a less crowded area so he could catch his breath and get an idea of where he should go next.
The sound of a bird’s call caught his attention and he looked up just in time to see an eagle land next to a bed of red flowers.
“It’s not yet meal time, Lyra.”
Desmond must have made a sound because a boy around his age that had been crouching in front of the bed of red flowers turned to look at him.
Their eyes met and, for a brief second, he swore the sunlight caused the boy’s light brown eyes to shine like gold.
He stood, holding in his hands a bouquet of freshly picked red flowers.
And Desmond’s heart skipped a beat.
A gentle breeze caused him to close his eyes, carrying with it the fragrance of the red flowers.
When he opened his eyes, the door made of light had solidified, becoming a metallic golden door. The dagger shattered and fell on the floor like broken pieces of glass.
From where it had struck the door, a glowing circle appeared.
Desmond and Altaïr stepped closer to observe the circle, Desmond’s heart still beating fast from the vision he just saw.
Altaïr looked unfazed…
It was just him then.
He was the only one who ‘relived’ a portion of that future.
“Desmond…” Altaïr turned to look at him and Desmond could see the happiness in his eyes. He glanced back at the circle and realized it was a clock counting down.
Desmond took a deep breath.
It was done.
It was finally over.
His vision blurred as that thought rang all over his head.
It was over.
He was truly, completely free.
“Desmond…”
He turned to look at Altaïr, seeing the concern etched in his face. His lips curled into a smile as he said, “It’s okay. These are…”
Tears of joy?
Tears of relief?
Both and more at the same time?
Fuck it.
He grabbed Altaïr’s chest harness and pulled him close. Their eyes closed as their lips met.
It was going to sound cheesy and embarrassing but…
This was the kiss that felt both like their wedding vow and a promise of a brand new future together.
A future that Desmond had only seen a glimpse of.
He wasn’t sure if it was as bright as the future he just saw and…
That very thought was scary but it was also…
… absolutely brilliant.