Disclaimer: The Assassin's Creed series and its characters belong to Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal

Summary: Desmond exits the Animus 2.0, but something has gone horribly wrong. Somehow Altair has not only followed him out, but has taken over his body. Neither of them know the reason for why this happened, but they both quickly agree that they want their own bodies back. Unfortunately for them, though, this was the day Shaun decided he had had enough of waiting for Desmond to 'come out of the closet' and instead decides to take him out of there himself. A Shaun/Des/Altair one-shot.

Warnings: Sexual content, language, spoilers, maleXmaleXmale love

Other notes: This was a requested fic, but I admit that I had a lot of fun writing it. Enjoy!

[EDITS]: Thank you, my dear reviewer, for catching a few typos! Fixed them and a few others I had noticed. Also, it's been bugging me that I wasn't clearer about the setting. Fixed this in the third and fourth paragraphs.

He felt like he was drifting in nothingness. It was silent, peaceful. He always enjoyed the feeling he got when he was leaving the Animus 2.0, like he hadn't a care in the world.

As his mind came back to reality, Desmond opened his eyes and breathed in quietly. He was immediately struck with a strange feeling, but he wasn't sure what it was. He moved his hand up to sweep over the top of his head and rub the back of his neck, and it moved a little faster than he had intended for it to. It was almost like he was displaced or something. Like he wasn't quite the one waking up, despite how it was him moving.

His eyes opened to take in his surroundings. Desmond usually enjoyed looking around a bit to see where everyone was, what they were doing, if anything changed since he was last awake. Nowadays they were usually working on trying to understand the cryptic message Minerva had given to them through Ezio. On top of that, they were searching for the temples that she had said was meant to help them stop the impending apocalypse. That was also why Desmond still went into the Animus 2.0. He hoped to find something else there that could help them with their research.

He scanned the room from left to right, and again he felt strange. He was looking around the room, but differently than he normally did. He was noticing the smaller things, like the position of the desks, or the brightness of the lights, or the fabric of the clothing he was wearing. Desmond was never a very good observer, so to notice all this was more than a little weird. Yet he could explain that as being yet another trait he had picked up from the Animus 2.0. Actually, he could even believe that this was why he was feeling strange altogether. It wouldn't be the first time the Animus 2.0 had messed with his head.

He believed that was the cause for all of two seconds before his mouth unexpectedly opened. "What the fuck?"

Desmond stopped thinking altogether. He hadn't been the one to say that! Had he? Well, it had come out of his mouth, but it wasn't him that had said it! What was going on?!

"Good morning to you too, Desmond." Lucy was looking at him with a worried expression and Rebecca was laughing under her desk, but their reactions were only natural considering he had just said, 'What the fuck,' with no apparent reason. Or, well, he hadn't said that, but he also did. It was about then Desmond realized this was getting out of hand. He tried to clear his throat and smile, to tell Lucy that everything was fine and he just had a moment of déjà vu or something.

It didn't work. His throat didn't clear itself, his lips didn't move, and he certainly wasn't doing anything to alleviate Lucy's concern for him. He just stared at her like an idiot.

"Who the hell are you to call me an idiot?" Desmond tried to scream in shock before he remembered that he couldn't. Did he just think that? What the hell was going on?! Just as he started wondering if he was going insane, the deep voice continued. "I should be asking you that. Who are you and what are you doing in my head? Where am I? What am I doing here, and why am I-"

"Desmond, are you all right?" Lucy was looking more worried by the minute.

Before Desmond could think of what he could possibly do in this situation, Shaun spoke up in the corner even as he nonchalantly continued typing. "Oh, of course he's all right. He's just being the attention-deprived little girl he's always been. Maybe if he stopped bitching and moaning about every little thing that goes a little wrong in his life he wouldn't be so bloody useless." Relief was not something Desmond felt often when it came to Shaun, but he felt it at that moment. The man had effectively stopped Lucy from questioning him further while also directing her attention elsewhere.

She whirled on Shaun, her eyes flashing with repressed anger. "Shaun! That was uncalled for!"

Rebecca came up from under her desk once she had finally composed herself from her laughing fit. "Yeah, man. Take a chill pill or something. Those words can be lethal." As usual, she threw the words out in an almost offhand way, but there was an edge behind them that said she wasn't very amused by Shaun's attitude either.

If Desmond had been able to speak for himself, he probably would've said something to the extent of, "It didn't really bother me, you two. There's no need to get all upset about it." He never really liked seeing them angry, so he tried as best he could to diffuse impending arguments before they got too out of hand.

"Why?" The man in his head asked.

Desmond was a little confused. "Why what?"

The man elaborated. "Why do you not like it when they are angry? Do they try to run a sword through you?" Desmond could almost feel the slight amusement in the man's voice. "I've had women try that with me before." Desmond saw a quick image of a tall, young woman with dark brown hair, and he recognized her as being Maria from when he had been in Altair's body. Why would Desmond suddenly see her in his mind? He decided to save that line of thought for later, instead focusing on the issue at hand.

Still unsure about this voice, Desmond asked suspiciously, "Why do you want to know?"

"To see if I have anything to worry about. Besides the obvious, of course." The man sounded a little… wary? Perhaps he was worried that he might need to defend himself from the women. Given that he obviously didn't know where he was or what was going on, Desmond couldn't really blame him for being cautious.

"No they wouldn't try to kill me or anything. I think." Then he thought about the other question. "Actually, I don't really know why I don't like seeing them angry. It's almost like I feel they're taking everything completely out of context, you know? Like they're getting angry over something really small. I mean, it's not like Shaun really means anything by it; I think it's just who he is. You know, to always be a prick about everything. As far as I can tell he really isn't that bad of a guy, even when he's being a dick." Desmond almost felt that he would have blushed by this point had he been in control of his body. "Not that I care about that or anything! I just… can't stand when people take things out of context," he finished lamely. He wasn't used to people listening so intensely to him.

The other man was silent. Suddenly, the door slammed, and the two of them looked up to find that Lucy had stormed out and Rebecca was looking uncomfortable. Desmond had been so engrossed in explaining himself that he had missed the entire conversation. Shaun, on the other hand, was as cool as always, still typing away at his computer as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Rebecca turned to Desmond. "Well, hot stuff, I guess that means we got ourselves a little break before we go any further." She looked back at Shaun uncertainly, then at the door. "Ya know, I think I'll go get something to eat. See you two later." She paused by the door. "Oh, and, uh, try not to kill each other while we're gone, okay?" And off she went.

Desmond felt he had missed something important. "Wait, what just happened?"

The man in his head hesitated, perhaps wondering if he should answer or demand the answers to his own questions. Finally, he said, "I believe they got into a discussion about a past event that the blond woman didn't want to talk about. Something about responsibility and a person named Subject 16."

Desmond cursed. He wished he could have asked some questions about that himself.

"You still haven't answered my questions."

"Yeah, well maybe I'll answer them once I know what the hell is going on myself."

"So you don't know where we are?"

… Oh. "Yeah, I do. We're in some hideout with a bunch of weirdos calling themselves Ass-" Desmond stopped short, suddenly suspicious again. "Wait a minute. How 'bout you tell me who you are before I start spilling any secrets?"

The man took a moment to consider that. "Fine. My name is Altair ibn La-"

"La-Ahad!" How had Desmond not figured that out?! He should have gotten it when he had seen that image of Maria. Of course it was Altair! Altair's memories had influenced him outside of the Animus before, so was it really so farfetched that Altair was now actually here, in his head with him? Controlling him?

Well, maybe it was at that, but then the entire deal with the Animus and reliving his ancestors' lives was also something he wouldn't have thought possible until he had actually experienced it for himself.

"How do you know my name? And what is this Animus that you keep thinking of?" Altair said sharply, tearing Desmond's attention back to him. It dawned on him then that he should've known that if Altair's thoughts and emotions could somehow reach him then it must also work the other way around.

"All right, Altair. First off, my name is Desmond Miles, and I think I have a small idea of what happened, though I'm not sure how-"

"She's right, you know. You are acting a little strangely." Shaun swiveled in his stool until he was facing Desmond. He fixed a curious look on him. "Aren't you supposed to be whining about how mean I am to chase your little crush out of the room?"

"She's not my crush!" Desmond tried to shout, but as he should've expected, nothing happened.

Altair heard the remark from Desmond in the back of his mind, but he remained silent, not quite sure how to take the situation. First, he was in a strange place. Second, he had some kid sharing his mind with him. If both of those weren't bad enough, he now had to deal with this Shaun guy trying to stare him down. And Altair hated it when people tried to stare him down. He met the man's eyes with a cold glare of his own, almost daring him to make an issue of it.

Shaun seemed a little taken aback by Altair's confident, defiant eyes. As if coming to a quick decision, he rose and casually made his way across the room to them, then simply stood there. The two continued to stare at each other for a while before Shaun spoke up. "What the hell is this, Desmond? Have you finally grown some balls or something?" He snickered. "Will wonders never cease?"

Altair said nothing, and the staring contest continued. Desmond could feel the tension in the air rising. It was Shaun who broke the silence again. "Desmond, you know you're gay, right?"

Desmond and Altair choked, one mentally, the other out loud. The both of them stared in shock at the man.

Altair was the first of them to regain his composure. He cleared his throat delicately. "I think you are mistaken-"

"No. You're gay." He said it casually, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Desmond, once he had gathered his scattered wits again, felt more than a little angry. Altair felt about the same. Being called gay in his world would've been enough to have people screaming for his head on a pike.

Altair opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly Shaun lunged at him. Desmond marveled at how quickly Shaun moved – quicker than Altair. In moments the Arab was pinned down to the Animus 2.0.

Altair cursed mentally. "Why am I slower?!"

Desmond felt a little sheepish. "Well, you're sort of in my body, not yours. And my body has been spending most of its time lying on this chair doing absolutely nothing. So I guess you could say I'm a little… out of shape."

"A LITTLE?!"

After a brief struggle, Altair broke free and rolled off the Animus 2.0 onto the ground. But Shaun wasn't too far behind. As Altair rose and tried to take off, Shaun caught the waistline of his pants and threw him back to the ground with surprising force. The force of hitting the hard floor knocked the breath out of Altair, and Desmond was astonished to feel the pain himself though he was not the one in control of his body. As Altair tried to recover, Shaun jumped on him and straddled his waist. Altair twisted under him so that the two were facing each other, then tried to maneuver the man off of him. Unfortunately, he forgot he was in a smaller, weaker man's body and he misjudged the force he would need to get Shaun off.

Shaun, in return, merely chuckled. "I guess you are learning something in there." He caught Altair's wrists and pinned them with one hand above the man's head. The other hand reached down to grasp the bottom of Altair's shirt and smoothly lifted it up above Altair's head, tangling it in Altair's hands and holding it there so there was less chance Altair could break free. "Maybe this wasn't all a bloody waste of time."

Shaun leaned down swiftly to catch Altair's lips in his own, caressing them with his. His tongue darted out to trace a line along Altair's mouth, demanding entrance. Altair held his lips shut tightly, all the while still trying to throw him off.

It was about then Desmond began to panic. "Holy FUCK! What the fuck what the fuck what th-"

"Shut UP! I'm a little busy right now!"

Shaun's tongue got past Altair's lips to lick over clenched teeth, but he didn't try to force his way any further. Instead he began sucking Altair's lips. Desmond could feel Shaun's tongue flit expertly from the left side of his bottom lip to the right, slowly. Desmond was panicking too much to even think of responding to the gentle approach. Altair had stopped struggling by then, realizing he wasn't strong enough to get Shaun off of him like this, but he still glared at the man and waited for when he had an opening to exploit.

Shaun pulled back just enough to look into Altair's eyes and smirked. "Still don't want to admit it? Well, not a problem. I'm sure I can think of some way to prove it." With that, he began to trail his mouth down Desmond's body, starting at the lips, then to the neck, then below the ear. After nipping there a moment, he began sucking harder. A sharp pinch caused Altair to buck against him in shock. Shaun began licking at the bite mark, still sucking hard as Altair gasped in pleasure.

Desmond felt the same jolt of pleasure, and he moaned a little inside Altair's head. Altair bucked harder at the sound of it.

"A-Altair! Do something!"

"It's a little difficult with him doing… that! And you're not helping!"

"What?! Maybe I'm not helping because I can't help! Damn it Altair, that's my body, and I swear if you let him-"

"I got it! Fuck! How about you just try not to moan like that again. You sound like a woman!"

Desmond felt like he was blushing. "W-well, sorry. He... um… surprised me is all." Then he realized something. "I do not sound like a woman!"

Altair just snorted.

As they talked, Shaun had trailed his tongue lower on Desmond's body, past the collarbone and to the chest. Altair's struggling renewed, causing Shaun's progress to momentarily halt.

"Now, Desmond," Shaun cajoled him. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? I'm-"

"Get the fuck off of me!"

"No." He didn't even hesitate, and that damned smirk was still on his face.

Altair bucked again to try and throw him off but, as usual, failed.

Shaun was beginning to look irritated. "Just admit it, Desmond," he said seriously. "You're gay-"

"I'm not!"

"- and you're enjoying this." Shaun finished, ignoring him.

"I'm no-!" Altair hesitated there. Actually, he had been enjoying it.

Desmond kicked him in the back of his mind. "No! Altair, focus! Escape, remember?"

Ignoring him, Altair began to rethink everything. He was enjoying this. Enjoying the way that tongue expertly swirled around his left nipple, how those teeth nipped at his bare flesh but didn't draw blood, how that hand had taken up residence at his waist and was casually moving lower. It was exhilarating, and already he could feel himself become excited. And besides all that, he was more than a little curious about this. Desmond growled at him in frustration, but he understood Altair's point. He, too, was enjoying this. No matter how wrong it felt, it still felt so right. But Desmond was still against going any further with it.

Altair decided on a more logical approach. "Think about it, Desmond. With your body in the shape that it's in, we aren't about to get away. He's too quick and too strong." Desmond couldn't believe he was hearing this. Worse, he couldn't believe he was buying it. "We enjoy it. Why not keep going?"

If Desmond had his body back, he would've bit his lips. "I… what…." He couldn't seem to decide.

So Altair decided for him.

As Shaun's free hand reached his groin, Altair bucked against him. But this time, it wasn't to get him off. He moaned a little louder than he had before, relaxing his tense muscles and letting himself give in to the man on top of him. Desmond, who could do nothing but watch and experience the feeling with him, breathed in sharply, not expecting the sudden change. Almost immediately he realized that he couldn't really argue with Altair. Not when it felt this good.

Shaun's eyes widened, surprised by Desmond's willingness. He hadn't actually expected Desmond to admit to himself that he was gay or that he really wanted this, despite how obvious it was (at least to Shaun). Desmond just didn't seem like the type to be able to tell himself a truth like that. It was one of the reasons why Shaun had realized that if he was to prove to Desmond that he was gay, then this was the only way to do it. And yet, though the willingness of the body under him was strange, the flushed face and small whimpers now coming from Desmond turned Shaun on too much to make an issue of it. He couldn't find it in himself to wonder about this change in attitude. At least not yet.

They stayed like that, breathing hard in the heat that emanated from their bodies. Shaun no longer held his wrists down, but by then there was no longer a need to. Altair tore the shirt off that had been binding them, then he ran his hands down Shaun's back as he thrust into Shaun's hand.

Shaun removed his hand and started thrusting against him, his own erection becoming clear to Altair. Suddenly, Altair needed more. More of this, more of Shaun. Taking some control, Altair flipped them over to straddle Shaun's waist. Shaun looked a bit surprised by how his forward he was, but otherwise didn't try to stop him.

Desmond moaned again. He was too far into this to object to any of it. Now he was just a mass of swirling erotic pleasure in the back of Altair's mind begging for release. "Al…tair. More…. Please move more. Against him. Please!"

Altair did, moving his hips back and forth over Shaun's erection, rubbing his own against it through their pants. Shaun gasped under him, placing his hands on Altair's hips to push him farther down against his groin.

An image appeared in Desmond's mind, and he realized it was one purposely sent by Altair. It was a question. He hesitated only a moment before he sent his reply.

"Are you ready for it?"

Desmond gasped. "Yes! God, yes! I want this. Please."

Altair nodded, unaware that he had done so physically as well as mentally. He fumbled with the pants, trying to get them off. Desmond, through the haze of desire, realized that Altair had probably never seen pants like that before. He attempted to try to talk Altair through it, but he was too far gone to say much of anything. Shaun on the other hand chuckled. He probably thought that Desmond had forgotten or couldn't think straight enough to take the pants off himself. It wasn't far from the truth.

Shaun, for once, didn't insult him. Instead he just helped, then quickly moved onto his own. Apparently he was as eager as they were.

Once both their clothing was finally out of the way, Altair positioned himself, but Shaun stopped him, albeit reluctantly.

"Hold on, Desmond. I need to prepare you first."

Altair scowled, not really liking the sound of that. "Then hurry up."

Shaun would've laughed if he wasn't busy. He inserted a finger into Altair's opening and twisted it around, widening the area. Altair shivered and shuffled around uncomfortably. When Shaun was satisfied, he inserted another finger and scissored the two to stretch Altair further. A third finger, a bit more stretching, and finally Shaun felt that the man on top of him was about as ready as he would ever be. He nodded to him.

"Are you ready, Desmond?"

"For fuck's sake, just drop down on him already!"

Altair chuckled. Desmond was proving to be an impatient lover. Bracing himself, Altair shoved down. As Shaun's erection penetrated him, he gasped in pain and heard Desmond do likewise. Shaun, however, arched his back, thrusting deeper and opening his mouth in a silent, pleasure induced scream. But he was not altogether gone in his ecstasy. He held himself still after the initial thrust, waiting for Altair to get himself situated. When he was granted a small nod from him, Shaun slowly began thrusting up. Altair, for his part, began rocking with the gentle flow.

Altair grit his teeth even as Desmond cried out. The pain ebbed soon enough. Not much, but enough for Altair to feel confident about allowing Shaun to venture farther in. Still gentle, Shaun thrust deeper, and suddenly a jolt of absolute pleasure tore through Desmond's body. Altair shivered at the feeling while Desmond moaned loudly, uncontrollably.

Shaun, feeling the shivers, knew immediately what they were from. He memorized the spot inside Desmond's body that had caused them, then quickly, expertly, he flipped Altair onto his back. Altair cringed, expecting pain, but Shaun was careful to minimize it as much as possible.

Shaun thrust in and out, keeping a steady rhythm. Desmond was being particularly vocal with his satisfaction, and Altair had the feeling that he wasn't too quiet himself. As a matter of fact, between the feeling of Shaun inside of him and the other voice in his head that worked to send shivers down his spine just from the sound, Altair couldn't stop himself from moaning out loud. Backed by the music of Desmond's soft whimpers, Altair urged Shaun to quicken the pace. When Shaun obliged him, Altair's moaning became as uncontrollable as Desmond's.

Both Desmond and Altair were so engrossed in the pleasure of Shaun's driving into them that neither expected to feel the hand that circled around their own erection. They thrust up into that hand, and it gripped hard, pushing back down. The pace quickened, and Desmond began begging for release. However, being the one in control of their body, Altair withheld. Desmond was young yet; he couldn't tell that Shaun wasn't anywhere near finished yet. For Shaun, Altair held on. It seemed that Desmond got a hint of what Altair was doing through their joined mind, and he sent back the feeling of acceptance. Desmond would wait as well, though he wanted that release badly.

The pace quickened once more, and Shaun cried out softly for the first time, but he didn't come. Not yet. Altair knew that he was close, though. He gripped his hand behind Shaun's neck, desperately using that hold as a lifeline. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Almost as soon as he thought that to himself, he let out one final gasp and climaxed, clenching his ass tight. Shaun cried out again and, with a final thrust, he climaxed as well.

In the pure bliss that followed, they lay there, spent. Shaun's eyes trailed up to look into Altair's, and into Desmond's. They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, just looking at each other.

And then, reality made itself known once again. Shaun slid out and off of Altair and lay beside him. The both of them breathed heavily, resting to get their strength back. Altair could feel the beginnings of a small ache in a certain area, and he knew he wouldn't be able to walk right for at least a day. Maybe two, considering what awful condition Desmond's body was in, Altair thought bitterly.

"It's not my fault. Not completely." Desmond sounded tired, but he was still able to think at least somewhat clearly. "I have to learn to become an Assassin for them. That's why I was in the Animus. That's why I watched you, why I was you."

Altair shook his head. "You aren't making any sense, Desmond," he thought back. "But Assassins? Watching me? We will need to discuss this further." Altair cocked his head to the side. "Later." He felt Desmond smile wearily and mentally nod his own acceptance.

Shaun sighed deeply beside them. "Didn't I bloody well tell you that you were gay?" He turned his head to look at Altair, arching an eyebrow at them. But there was also the slightest smile on his lips. Desmond would've blinked at the brilliance of it, though Altair did not. But then Altair couldn't know that it wasn't like Shaun to smile like that. He looked like he actually cared about Desmond for the first time Desmond had ever seen. "You know," Shaun said, "I have to admit that I have been wanting to fuck you since the first day you came here." Then he blushed. Desmond stared out at him and would've gaped in further amazement if he could. Shaun? Blushing? Before it could completely register, however, Shaun continued. "I guess I just couldn't wait anymore."

Too tired to chuckle at Shaun's rare display of embarrassment, Altair just returned the smile with an exhausted one of his own. Then a thought occurred to him. Shaun had obviously been under the impression that he was Desmond. Altair understood that the truth would come out soon enough, and Desmond, catching a bit of his thoughts, agreed that they would have to tell Shaun at some point. And with Shaun being as observant as he was, they would need to do it soon.

Considering how Shaun seemed exhausted, Desmond thought that now was as good a time as any. "If he doesn't take it well, then maybe we can get away."

Altair snorted at him. "And how do you expect us to get up, much less run in this condition?" But there was nothing else for it; he might as well get it over with. He decided on a direct approach. "By the way, Shaun, my name is Altair ibn La-Ahad. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Shaun's eyes nearly jumped out of his skull as he struggled to lean up and stare down at Altair, as if seeing him for the first time. For a moment it didn't seem like he was capable of speech before he finally blurted out, "Bloody hell! Then where's Desmond?!"

Altair slowly leaned up himself, wincing at the pain in his ass as he did so. He smirked. "Oh, don't worry. He enjoyed it too."

Deep within the depths of his own mind that was now being shared with another, he felt Desmond blush.

Shaun sat up fully and looked at them carefully. "I knew there was something different about you today. I bloody well knew it!" He laughed, loudly and freely, and Desmond felt himself drawn to that laugh. Altair also found that he enjoyed hearing it.

Altair ventured a question. "So… you're fine with this?"

"Fine with it? Are you bloody kidding?! Not only do we now not have to depend on Desmond's questionable abilities as an Assassin-"

"Hey!"

"-but now we also have a legend with us. One that is famed to be the best Assassin in history!"

Shaun calmed down a little, turning serious. "You know, even though I said I wanted to fuck Desmond – still do, in fact – I never actually intended to. The need never overwhelmed me so much until you looked at me. There was something about you…." His voice trailed off as he fell into his own thoughts. He shook himself back and turned away from them. "… You're sure he enjoyed it?"

"Positive." Altair didn't hesitate even a second.

"And was he making the same sounds as you?" There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Altair blushed a little. "He was a little more vocal-" Desmond choked at that, "-but yes, I'm fairly certain we were about the same."

Shaun smiled a little, the same caring one as before. "Good." He sighed. "I don't know how this is going to work out-"

"Let's have sex again."

Shaun gaped at him and Desmond laughed with a light blush. They both felt ready again, having had enough time to rest.

Shaun shook his head in amazement. "I wonder if Desmond would have been this way."

"From what I can tell of him, he would have wanted to go again, but wouldn't have said it." Desmond couldn't really argue with that. He just wasn't that foreword with things like this.

Shaun nodded, agreeing. Then he looked at Altair. "So, then, it's a bloody good thing you're here, isn't it."

Altair smirked. "I'm beginning to think that myself."

Desmond chuckled hopelessly, realizing that there was no way out of this. Altair was going to insist. And Shaun was going to oblige. But deep in his mind, though he would never admit it, Desmond was also thankful for Altair's presence. He was doing all the things Desmond himself could have ever wanted to do. He was a good Assassin. One of the best even! And he wasn't afraid to demand that Shaun have sex with him again like Desmond would. For some reason, Altair seemed to complete things, to complete them.

"The others will be back soon, but I know a good place where they won't find us for a… very long time."

"Good. Let's go." Altair said, rising as quickly as he could given the condition he was in.

Shaun got up and walked casually – though a little more quickly than usual – towards his desk as he got something from it. Then he walked to the door. "Follow me," he said. He held up the bottle of lotion in his hand. "And let's not forget the lubricant this time, okay?"

Altair and Desmond blushed.

"So let me get this straight. That's Altair, not Desmond. But Desmond is still somewhere inside of him? Still able to hear, see, taste, smell, and feel everything that happens to his body even though Altair is the one controlling it?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up." Shaun said, looking strangely satisfied with himself.

Lucy looked disbelievingly at Altair. "It must be the bleeding effect. But this never happened with any of the other subjects in Abstergo." She clenched her hands in her hair, guilt overwhelming her. "Fuck, Desmond, I'm so sorry! Maybe we can find a way to fix this. To put Altair back where he belongs and give you your body back. Something."

"Right, because this isn't the best thing that has ever happened to us." Shaun looked at her like she was insane. "Lucy, we have someone here better than Desmond. Someone who is willing to help us and isn't completely useless. Why not use him?"

Desmond grimaced. "Now he's just being a dick."

"Stop whining, Desmond. You know he cares about you."

Desmond, not used to hearing that, tried to stutter out a reply before giving up and going back to the other topic. "He still doesn't need to be such a bastard. I mean, I can't even argue back or tell him to shut up now!"

Altair sighed. "Would you like me to kick him for you?"

Desmond hesitated only a second. "Yes."

Altair shrugged. After sending a swift, hard kick that caught Shaun on his lower back, Altair said in a neutral tone, "Desmond says to stop complaining about him when he can't argue back."

Shaun rubbed the area Altair had hit and gaped at him. "Can't argue back? Then what was that, exactly? A friendly pat on the back?!"

Altair shrugged again. "I enjoy pleasing my lover." Desmond blushed. "I enjoy making him blush even more," Altair continued. Desmond tried to think of something to say to that but failed miserably. "I especially love it when I make him speechless." Altair was enjoying himself way too much.

"Sh-shut up, Altair!"

"But I most love it," Altair said over him, "When he gets angry with me for saying things like that out loud." Altair smirked. Desmond did his best to kick him mentally. It worked, and Altair cursed and clutched his head, feeling a headache coming on. It was then Altair decided to be a little more careful when angering Desmond. He couldn't exactly jump out of the way when the guy decided to exact revenge.

Shaun, understanding what had happened, was hard pressed to not laugh right there. Lucy and Rebecca on the other hand were gaping at Altair. "Lover?" Lucy managed to finally say.

"Yes, lover." Shaun interjected. "Didn't you know Desmond was gay? I thought it was fairly obvious, the way he pranced about in those tight jeans of his."He started drifting off into his own memories with a small smile on his face. "Those jeans of his that somehow showed off the curves of his muscle-less legs so nicely…."

The corner of Lucy's mouth twitched. "I didn't really need that mental image, Shaun."

"That's quite all right, Lucy. I rather enjoyed it myself. Enough for the both of us." He smirked.

Rebecca finally found her own voice. "Okay, too much information, Shaun. Thanks, man. Thanks a lot."

"How about we just get back to the subject at hand, hm?" Lucy looked at Altair. "If you want to stay and help – and if Desmond agrees – then we'll be more than happy to have you with us."

Altair was already nodding. "We both want this." Besides, he wasn't sure he could just give up Desmond and Shaun so easily now that he had experienced something so amazing with them. Desmond had similar feelings. Neither really knew yet if it was love or not, but both were more than willing to give this relationship a try. Shaun glanced at them through the corner of his eye. He smirked, but his eyes were kind. He, too, was up for trying it.

Lucy sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to think this through. "All right. Des-, I mean, Altair. You'll need to learn about what's been happening in the world since your time, and everything about the world today. You'll need to learn some new, more modern abilities such as how to use a gun, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." She continued to tally up the list of things he would need to learn, and Altair shared a look with Shaun. Shaun nodded at him before going to his computer to contact the other Assassin groups about the change in plans. Altair sighed and listened, though he wasn't sure of what she was talking about yet. But with Desmond and Shaun there to help, he was sure that he would get through this. Somehow. The Templars were winning, but they wouldn't be for long if Altair had anything to say about it.

Desmond sent a note of support to him, showing that he would be there for him no matter what, and it wasn't just because they were connected now. Neither was sure what he could do to help, but they would figure it out together. And despite Shaun's harsh nature and often cold words, they knew that he would never let anything bad happen to them either if he could help it. They would get through this, and they would take care of the Templars once and for all. Together.

Desmond made a sound as if clearing his throat. "By the way, Altair, it's not just the Templars we need to worry about anymore. The world as we know it is about to end too, and we have absolutely no idea how to stop it. So have fun trying to figure that out, 'kay?"

Altair blinked. "… FUCK!"

Desmond chuckled. "And you thought you had it all solved, didn't you."

"Shut up, Desmond! I was having a moment!"

"Yeah, and it was getting a little mushy for my taste. You really need to work on those motivational speeches of yours, Altair. Especially when I have to sit here and listen to them too."

Altair tried to wrap his head around it. "The world's really ending?!"

"Yup. Unless we can figure out a way to stop it."

Altair blinked again. "… FUCK!!"