Work Text:
Ezio Auditore wasn’t often one to be described as stupid. Many said he was clever, logical, and knew exactly when to strike and when to leave the fight. Today, however, this all changed.
“Ah! Ezio! Another codex page?” Leonardo said, hearing the door shut slightly behind him. He saw Ezio step forward out of the corner of his eye, still not saying anything, and Leonardo started to worry. “Ezio?”
He moved his gaze from the paper he was scribbling on, now staring at Ezio.
“Are you okay?” Leonardo asked, seeing his “friend” frozen in place, looking seconds away from collapsing.
“No,” Ezio replied, voice strained as if he was forcing the words out. He shifted slightly, lifting his arm, which was covering his chest, revealing his blood-coated armour. He took another step forward, before nearly tripping and collapsing, though Leonardo moved quickly, stopping him from hitting the floor. Well, as good as he could, considering Leonardo wasn’t nearly as strong as the assassin.
“I’m going to take care of you, okay?” Leonardo said. He helped Ezio to move to the desk, which Leonardo had to quickly clear of all random pieces of paper and writing equipment, before sitting him down and disappearing to find medical supplies. “What did you do this time?” He shouted from the other room. He wanted to keep Ezio talking, or perhaps just awake, depending on how bad his wound was.
“Tripped and fell. It was a s-silly mistake.” Ezio replied, his voice calm. Though he tried to hide it, Leonardo could hear the pain in his tone.
“Everyone makes mistakes, amore mio. That’s what makes us human.”
“I am not supposed to, though. I could have c-compromised the mission.”
“But you didn’t, did you?” Leonardo replied. “You got what you want.”
He walked back into the room, holding a bottle and cloth. He saw Ezio nod, and Leonardo smiled slightly.
“If you got what you want, then the mission was a success.”
“But you have much work to do, I’m sure. I’m stopping--” Ezio said, but Leonardo cut him off.
“Any time spent with you is not a waste,” Leonardo replied. “And besides, my drawing inspiration seems to have flown out of the window. I’m still searching for it now.”
“Ah. I will leave you in peace.” Ezio went to stand, though Leonardo quickly pushed him down again.
“I didn’t get medical supplies for you to leave. Let me clean your wound; you might have to stay the night if it’s as bad as I think it is.
An hour and several stitches later, Ezio’s wound had finally been cleaned and taken care of. He could have left if he wanted to, though once Leonardo pulled out the puppy-dog eyes and murmured a quiet, “Please?”, he found it difficult to force his body to move from the bed he was lying in.
“I guess I can stay a few extra minutes.” He replied, hesitantly. A few minutes turned into a few hours; a few hours of him watched Leonardo scribble, then shade, then paint; a few hours of cuddling, being splashed with excess materials when Leonardo moved his brush or pencil a little too quickly; a few hours of him wishing he could stay here forever.
There was no place that Ezio would rather be.