For the Future

[madimpossibledreamer]

Giovanni is fun to write but infuriating. His ability to come to wrong but completely reasonable conclusions with what he knows, throw a wrench in the works, and throw my plotting off kilter are unparalleled. I had stuff planned out and then he came along.  Maria, too, but it’s easier to run with her assumptions.

Main Points:
Assassin's Creed AU (kinda time-travel)
Chapter Summary: Giovanni and Maria have noticed something wrong.
Word Count: 1372
Rating: Teen (speculations about teen pregnancy, brief suggestive content)
Pairing: Maria/Giovanni (canonical for once!)
Ezio and Claudia are the topic of discussion but do not appear.

         “Ezio and Claudia are plotting something,” Maria tells her husband with a sigh, though it’s likely he’s already noticed, Assassin that he is.
         “They hope I do not notice,” he replies dryly, as if that’s possible. He smiles ruefully. “I would aid them, but there is only so much I can achieve if they will not come to me. I had hoped to show them they could ask me for anything.”
         She comes over to his side, fingers digging into muscles grown hard from the rigors of the day, and Giovanni leans back, breathing deeply and more clearly. “They care too much about impressing you, making you proud. I think the opinion of their father and mother is the only one that matters to them in the city.”
         Despite himself, the Assassin chuckles—for he is proud. Others would not agree, pointing out how much trouble his children are, and they are not wrong. In some ways, they are more troublesome and headache-inducing than his own work as an Assassin or banker, and yet he is proud and would not change them for all that.
         Merely hinting at the matter has done nothing. The way they both look at him—Ezio has long been a bit reckless, the foolhardiness of one young who believes he has nothing to fear from the world, and Claudia acts the part of a spoiled heiress, no matter that she has inherited her mother’s shrewd mind. For all that, there’s an age to them that was not present before. They have grown, and while most might celebrate and Giovanni knows it’s only a matter of time before his children age, he still mourns the loss of their innocence. There’s a touch of fear and defiance to their eyes, now. Questions of ‘does he know’ rattle around their brains, and, frustratingly, he both knows some and not at all.
         This he knows: Claudia has apparently heard Duccio, for all that he is promised, has begun to stray, and rather than become distraught she says she’ll win him back, but other than being seen with a man—and from a distance, as Federico was unable to see any more than that—and numerous letters directed to him, she has made little to no effort to win him back. And she is an Auditore. If it were a question of motivation or charm, she could have him eating out of her hand. No, she wants revenge, and is biding her time for some reason. He would step in, but she does not wish him to, and no longer because she is in love, and he will respect that.
         But this explains nothing of Ezio’s preoccupation, and he is all but certain this revenge on Duccio is not the only project on which they work together, nor the only secret they keep. And of course these new wary tendencies have a way of making a mockery of all Giovanni’s plans. He had planned on allowing Ezio to follow in his footsteps as a banker, considering Federico is a poor choice. Ezio gets just as bored, but at least he attempts to restrain himself and play less pranks, unlike his older brother. However, while Ezio has no training, it is clear his Gift gives him a clear advantage when it comes to the skills of an Assassin. More than once he’s managed to slip away from Federico, and while his oldest might retain some cheer in relaying the stories, praising his brother’s skill and his own teaching abilities, Giovanni knows each time it happens grates on Federico’s pride in his skills.
         “Do you think…” It’s unlike Maria to pause, and he hums attentively, placing a reassuring hand on her own. “...we might have a grandchild?”
         Ah, now there’s a thought he hadn’t considered. Sometimes, being a man has its...weaknesses, when it comes to considering possibilities. He considers that. Yes, given Ezio’s tendencies, quite possible, but—“Claudia helping him, though?”
         “If she was the only one to know the secret...if she could hold it above her brother’s head in order to bribe him in the future, perhaps on an elaborate scheme of revenge...quite possibly,” Maria suggests, with a tone borne of knowledge that suggests she might well have done the same, at her age. And...yes, he can see that, his proud daughter, flattered that the only one Ezio could turn to for help was her…
         Yes, it fits, but at the same time, instincts honed over decades, say not at all. Unless, of course, they haven’t been blatant enough about the fact that even a bastard would be more than welcome. Their maid is a former courtesan, for goodness sake! He says as much to his lovely wife, who looks thoughtful.
         But then...hmm. “If one of Claudia’s friends found themselves with child, and would not be welcome in her household, would he offer his aid without question?” It’s possible they’ve simply failed as parents to communicate, but barring that, they have likely not gone far enough to indicate that even such a circumstance with no blood relation, they would be welcoming—perhaps another servant.
         Maria sighs and shakes her head, smiling fondly, and leans down to press a kiss in his hair. “He would. Our Ezio has the biggest heart in all Firenze.” No exaggeration needed there, Giovanni thinks with pride—even his insults to Federico are loving.
         There is one more possibility the head of the Auditore has considered, and while it is not one that he likes, it is equally as likely, and it is not as if he keeps secrets from his wife. “Do you think he knows something of my work as an Assassin?”
         Maria stiffens and draws him to her all at once. “We have not spoken of it…” she breathes, and he nods.
         “No, but Ezio has his suspicions. He is aware that I act strangely for a banker—odd hours included. I had thought him content to wait for answers I suggested he would be given, but I may have been wrong.” He leans his head back into his wife’s shoulder, feeling the pull to forget his troubles exploring her body anew, and knows that it is not nearly that simple. “If he but found his curiosity required him to open one of the messages, or used his Gift to find something that should have remained hidden…” True, he had been using those errands to slowly ease Ezio into at least knowing of this life, but this is a sudden transformation, not a slow recognition, in the last few days, and not one Giovanni had controlled.
         “And he would likely guess that Federico knows, if he’s aware he’s being followed, and would not wish to bring Petruccio into this, but would wish to share the knowledge with another merely to confirm his version of events.” Maria finishes, by her tone feeling the headache that comes from their brilliant children. “And Claudia and Ezio would no doubt make each other worse. Oh, Giovanni. But surely he cannot be afraid that you would hurt him.”
         “I doubt it is that.” The Assassin might be enjoying having less sore shoulders, but he needs to see his wife’s beautiful face, so he gently pulls her around to the front, seating her on the desk in front of him. She comes willingly, amusement and worry warring in her eyes. “You said it yourself. Ezio’s heart is such that he might have difficulty understanding the necessity of it, what it is I do.” And that, that is the main reason he wishes Ezio not be involved. One that he could not make Mario see, even if he had all the words in the world at his disposal. Told of the truth, eventually, certainly, but to become an Assassin? He would make a great one, of that Giovanni has no doubt, and be all the poorer for it.
         “Can you think of any other reason why they might be acting this way?” he asks, for he can see none, and she shakes her head.
         “Very well. We will hope for the best and prepare for the worst. In the meantime…” He leans in to kiss his wife, who laughs and does the same.