literature

Memories Ch5

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Apocalypse

Shaun Hastings x Reader


Shaun stood next to you at the counter, brows flat over his eyes as he glowered. "That's all you're getting? Fries and a milkshake?"

"It's what I've been hankering for." You gave him a haughty grin, daring him to make some form of challenge. You shoved his shoulder. "Now order my meal, old man."

He growled something inaudible before fixing his glasses on his nose. He ordered hamburgers for the group and a salad for Rebecca who was apparently vegan. You filled the cups with soda then helped carry the paper bags out to the vehicle, Shaun fiddling to get the keys out of his pocket.

"Fries and a milkshake," he grumbled again, dropping down into the driver's seat with one of the bag's in his lap.

You sat down and began rifling through the bag for your fries. "Hot, salty french fries with cold, chocolaty milkshake..." You popped the lid off of your cup and dipped a fry into it, shaking yours shoulder in anticipation. "Best combination known to mankind."

"That. Is. Revolting." He snagged a few fries from the bag and munched on them as he drove out of the parking lot towards home.

You tilted your head back and dropped a few fries into your mouth, the sweet and salty marriage tasting so delicious. "Have you ever even tried it?"

"No, but honestly, I can imagine. Fantastic imagination, really. It's a result of incredible genetics." He threw you a quick disgusted glance before returning his attention to the road. "Honestly? How can you eat that?"

"With my mouth, that's how." You smacked your lips just for emphasis.

He narrowed his eyes at you, a shake of his head, before turning his attention back to the road.

"Shaun Hastings, are you judging me?"

"Yes, actually, I am." He shifted in his seat, snapping up a fry. "In fact, every morning before breakfast I sit down and get my daily 'judging' into my schedule. You happened to be the first one of my list."

"Only before breakfast, huh? I always imagined you savored it as a midnight snack too. Sitting alone in the darkness of the cave, staring at us with resentment while we sleep."

"Ah, real cute." He chucked one of the fries at you. "Let me just write that one down for a later reference, shall I?"

"Awe, Shaun. You think one of my jokes are cute." You grabbed the fry from your lap and dipped it into the milkshake.

"Ugh, there will be no living with you now."

"Eat it." You shoved the fry towards his face causing him to swerve the van a little.

He pushed your hand away. "Are you mad? You realize I'm driving, yeah? You aren't blind, are you?"

You lifted your chin a little. "That's fine. We're almost there and when we stop..." You gave a quick wink before turning back to your fries. "I'll get you then."

"How'd I manage to get stuck with a twit like you, I'll never know." He grabbed a few more fries and munched on them, turning down the dirt road towards the cave.

"Don't kid yourself. You love me."

"Hah!" He parked the van and threw you a challenging look. "If anyone it'd be you in love with me. Don't think I hadn't noticed all your touching and secret innuendos around me."

Before he could pull the keys out you placed your hand on his, drawing his full attention. You leaned across the console between the two of you, tantalizingly close to kissing him. "You certainly haven't asked me to stop."

Shaun swallowed harshly, jerking the keys out of the ignition and jumping out of the van.

You snorted, getting out of the van as well and looking over the top at him. You lifted your hands in mock surrender. "Fine. You want me to stop?"

Shaun opened his mouth to say something then let his gaze flitter away. "That's not what I'm saying. No, yes. It is what I'm saying."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't really tell. Was that a yes?" You lifted a hand and then the other, weighting them both. "Or a no?"

"You're not a child." He pointed an angry finger into the roof. "I shouldn't have to explain the importance of professionalism."

"Have you forgotten that I'm not even technically an 'assassin'? I'm a young adult caught in a web of conspiracy." You tilted your head, all too arrogantly. "I'm just here to the fun and the food."

"So, we should, what? Simply give in to our primitive nature?" He tossed a hand towards the hood of the van. "Should I bend you over and fuck you right then and there? Have my way with you?"

Someone cleared their throat and drew both of your gazes. Desmond's brows were high on his forehead, his lips pulled between his teeth. "Becca thought maybe you guys needed some help..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess not?"

"It's not what it sounded like," blurted Shaun who was ten shades of red. "I was only--Dammit all, the both of you." He snatched up the food bag and headed towards the cave.

"Hey, now." Desmond threw out his hands. "What did I do?"

You chuckled softly, enjoying the sight of Shaun's ears being prickled with pink. You lifted the paper sack in front of Desmond. "Lunch?"

"What was that all about?" He took the bag and dug around in it as you both walked the rocky path towards the innards of the cavern.

"Oh, just..." You shrugged your shoulders. "Having fun embarrassing Shaun."

He laughed as you both stepped across the main room. "Right. You liking him has nothing to do with it, huh?" Desmond pulled out his burger and set the rest of the food onto William's desk.

You went to speak but the words were caught in your throat.

He gave a nod of his head, taking his first big bite out of the burger. His brow wiggled a bit as he walked over to Rebecca who was already working on her salad.

You didn't think you're feelings for Shaun had been that obvious. Obvious, yes, but not enough for everyone to notice. That was both Rebecca and Desmond who were aware. William, as quiet and observant as he seemed, most likely knew. Shaun, of course, the poor bastard. He knew. Or perhaps he thought you were only joking with him, that it was all some silly game.

You sat down at your desk and tried to pretend Shaun wasn't hiding his face by hunching over his computer screen. You finished off your fries and shake while reading through some of the data that Shaun had collected. Desmond's ancestry was fascinating enough, leading all the way to Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad of the Levantine Assassins and Ezio Auditore during the Renaissance. Each page was a delight to read. Shaun's notes and retorts made it all worth it.

You glanced over at him, noting that he looked much calmer than earlier, his shoulders were relaxed and his body wasn't as tense. "Hey, Shaun." You took one of the pages over to him. "I'm having a really hard time understanding this. Can you read it for me? Outloud."

"Certainly. Let's take a look here..." He took the paper in hand and began looking over the first paragraph.

"Outloud," you reminded him, trying to hurry him up before he could gripe about it. Or, more importantly, realize your trap. Shaun's notes read outloud in Shaun's delicious accent... You tried so hard to supress the smile that was trying to run free.

"The illegitimate son of a notary and a peasant woman, Leonardo da Vinci was raised in Tuscany. Like many destined to be superstars, he had no surname... Vinci being the town in which he was born..." His brows began furrowing. "Hold on... This is one of my codex pages. What was so difficult to understand about it?"

You raised a nonchalant shoulder "Nothing. I just wanted to hear you read it."

"Ugh, of course." He turned and faced you in his seat. "You realize I actually do work around here, don't you? People count on me."

Before he could argue further you leaned forward and pecked a quick kiss onto his cheek, his eyes locking with yours. "Thank you." You gently grabbed the paper from his hand and sashayed back towards your desk.

You had only just sat down when Shaun's hand grabbed hold of your elbow and he hissed against your ear, "That's enough. Outside. Meet me there."

You chuckled, hardly caring for the note of irritation in his tone or the heaviness in his march for the exit. You followed lazily behind him, watching as he paced at the mouth of the entrance. "If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask."

"No more. We're done." He threw his hands down as if throwing away the situation all together. You hadn't really seen him this angry before which wiped clean your smile. "There are Assassin's out there dying every day so that we might stand a chance against Abstergo. Desmond." He threw a finger towards the mouth of the cave. "Desmond risks his life every time he gets into the Animus because there isn't enough time. The apocalypse is getting closer each day."

You closed your parted lips and pressed them thin. You didn't have a reply. No snarky comment or even a laugh to shrug off the situation. You didn't realize the real situation because no one had explained it to you. People dying and risking their lives? Apocalypse?

"We are at war with the Templars." He grabbed hold of both of her shoulders, his voice still angry but softer than it was. "We're at war and we're losing. If we don't stay focused, the Templars will end all of our efforts."

You gave a few nods of your head, swallowing the tightness in your throat. "You're right. No more games." You even attempted a smile and headed back into the constant hum of the cavern. But once Shaun was at your back the smile fell away.

Your thoughts were riddled with confusion and fear. You didn't entirely understand who Abstergo was. You recalled the word Templar from Shaun's manuscript who was now Abstergo but you didn't exactly know what their modern counterpart did. And what the hell was the apocalypse about? How could anyone cause or stop something like that?

You had to find out. You flipped through every page of Shaun's manuscript and read every nitty gritty detail. You turned to the internet, researching wildly through whatever files you could snag from Abstergo. Shaun had been right. Assassin's were dying all over the world. The Templars were winning the battle through money, power, and technology.

"Finish it tomorrow." Rebecca placed her hands on your shoulders and pulled you away from the monitor. "Whatever it is, it can't be more important than sleep." She guided you over towards the sleeping bags. Shaun and William were already asleep and as you scanned the area for Desmond, you noted that he was still in the Animus.

You silently laid down and stared up at the high ceiling above, the bland mix of blacks and grays and the ever so appealing stalactites. And then there was that incessant humming, the constant droning noise from the machines and the cave walls. You could even feel it when you pressed your hand flat against the floor like the purrs of a very large and angry beast. You jerked your hand away, rubbing your palms together in hopes to wipe away the chilling uneasiness it left behind.

You curled up onto your side and looked at the large beats that Rebecca wore. No wonder she slept easy. Your arm made for a poor pillow as you agonizingly fell asleep to the plaguing thoughts of an impending apocalypse. But it wasn't the apocalypse that haunted your dreams. It was the hot desert heat, the sand that stung the back of your throat. The sweat along your skin turned cold as the tunnel's shadows closed in around you.

He stood there waiting for you, sweet and gentle smile on his lips but you knew otherwise. You knew what was going to happen. You knew this man was going to kill you. But you walked to his side all the same, speaking muffled words about the meeting up ahead. It came quicker this time, his blade sinking through skin and muscle, cracking against bone. His hand clutched the back of your neck, forcing you to stare into the dark shadow that hid away his eyes.

You gasped and shuddered, sitting up quickly and frantically searching. You were back in the cave with Rebecca sleeping soundly next to you. Shaun and William were also still sleep, both of them looking somehow too peaceful in the ominous setting. You couldn't stay in the cave. You needed fresh air and if that meant going outside in the wintry cold, then so be it.

You shuffled to the cave's entrance, your hand wandering towards the place where your ancestor had been stabbed, checking just in case there might have been blood. It had felt real, the blade so cold and sharp. You had to know why. Why did he kill her? Why did she trust him so much? Who did she choose over him? Why?

You strolled towards the RV, slipping inside of the cold and empty vehicle. It wasn't the best place to sleep but it was better than the cave any day. You buried yourself beneath the covers of the bed in the backroom, delighting in the security of having a bedroom door, four walls, and a roof over your head. You forgot about Shaun's words, about Abstergo and the apocalypse, you forgot about the horrible events in the Animus, and you forgot about having lost everything you owned for just a short while.

This took me way logner to upload than it should have XD I'm finally getting back into writing now that home and work are sort of beginning to fall into normalcy
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