Desynched
Gothic 1
G1: Well, so now I'm REALLY overloading myself, as I am very lazy and busy with school.
Kitti: Forgive late updates and short chapters, they are chronic.
G1: It's a terrible illness, this ADOST of mine.....(Attention Deficit-Ooh a Shiny Thing)
Chapter 1
Leonardo sighed and smiled at the sharp knock on the door, and turned to meet his favorite guest, but paused upon inspection. "Ezio? Why are you so wet?"
The assassin merely looked at his friend and scowled, lowering his hood from drenched hair. Leonardo grinned and spread his arms, showing innocence, as he stepped forward and helped remove the armor. The artist wiped down the equipment and turned in flushed surprise to find his friend naked, turned away, wringing out his clothes.
Leonardo slowly dragged his gaze up the man's perfect body, eyes following the line of muscle up the curve of the buttocks, into his back and shoulders, down his arms, as they flexed. The painter took a deep, shaking breath and spun on his heel to fetch one of his own night shirts. He tossed the linen to the younger man and turned away again, preoccupying himself with the armor once more.
Ezio wrapped a warm hug around his only true friend and heaved a sigh of relief. "Grazie, Leo. You have no idea what a wonderful friend you are to me." The assassin let go as the blonde patted his hands gently, keeping his face hidden in a curtain of hair. "Are you okay? You don't seem to be feeling so well."
"Si, I am fine. I am just feeling a little...feverish. That is all."
"Well, if that is the case, I am in need of bed rest, you could lay with me. Since we are both in need of it and you own only one bed." The rigid set of the engineer's shoulders worried the young Italian, and he massaged them soothingly, smiling slightly. "We are both men, are we not? It will be fine!" Ezio ran his hands slowly down his friend's arms, took one hand, and led the man to bed, where the artist was folded into the muscular frame of a wanted killer.
_-*-_-*-_
Ezio slept soundly, his face buried in the nape of his only true friend's neck, from behind, but said friend had no such luck. He lay restlessly in the arms of the man he loved and could find no release.
The assassin awoke and wrapped his arms tighter around the other man. "That was the best sleep I have had in years, thank you Leo." He murmured sleepily as he sat up, scratching vacantly at his linen clad chest.
"Really?" Leonardo asked incredulously, sitting up and turning to face his unrequited love.
Ezio nodded and smiled. "Si, I suppose you are the only person I am comfortable sleeping near. No, that doesn't cover it. I guess I can only truly sleep if I am actually with you. In your workshop is the only place that I ever actually rest. But with you in my arms, I haven't slept that comfortably in far too long."
"Mi dispiace, mi amico." Leonardo whispered, tears threatening at the corners of his eyes. The two slid out of bed, late in the evening, and as the assassin redressed, the artist set up a clean canvas. He lifted a piece of charcoal and slowly sketched his comrade's sleeping visage, a small smile gracing the corner of his lips, twisting the thin scar.
"Am I really that pretty, Leo? Or is that just how you see me?" The painter started, dropping his coal and clutching his chest, smearing black over the his white shirt. Ezio laughed and wrapped an arm around the other's neck in a loose headlock.
As the laughter died, Leonardo remembered the question and grimaced. "You really are that beautiful." A blush crept up his neck as he spoke. "You may never see it, but you really are quite a gorgeous specimen." He lowered his head, allowing his hand that clutched his friend's arm to drop, only to be caught in a calloused palm.
"Do not be embarrassed. Thank you, those are the kindest words I have heard in a long time. I will cherish them forever." He pressed a loving, friendly kiss to the fold of the engineer's neck and nuzzled in, breathing deep in contentment when a knock sounded from the door.
"Leonardo, have you forgotten our caffe chat? I'm coming in!" Sure enough, Antonio entered, carrying a large jug of the bitter, dark liquid. The host flushed deeper and wiggled free of his assassin friend to greet his new guest.
He bowed humbly, "I apologize, this evening has been interesting, it slipped my mind, as I so rarely get to entertain Ezio." Antonio lifted an eyebrow and smiled widely.
The thief opened his arms in welcome, as if he owned the place, and Ezio felt a pang of bitter jealousy. "It is truly a sight for sore eyes, you in Venezia! Welcome back!" The assassin dipped his head silently and tightened his bracer.
He turned toward the man he thought of as his own and smiled, failing to hide his distaste. "Well, I hate to run off, but I do have a mission." He left with that, not waiting for a response of any kind. The two remaining men watched in confusion.
_-*-_-*-_
"And Rosa chased him! Oh! Mio Dio! She chased Ezio, trying to get close, but he kept getting away! He was too fast and too disinterested in her! She leaped onto his back from a rooftop, finally, and kissed him!" Antonio yelled through his laughter, obviously drunk. "She kissed him and he THREW her! Do you believe it?! And when she swore at him he said that his kiss was meant for one person and one person alone! YOU, Leonardo! YOU!" The man slapped his knees in delight and slowly quieted down, giving his host a sultry look.
The artist shook his head and tried to laugh along, missing the odd expression and was completely taken off guard when he was shoved from his chair and pressed to the floor. "A-Antonio?" He whispered, having had the breath knocked out of him.
"I would share my kiss with you any day. If he wants you so bad, why doesn't he just take you?" The man asked rhetorically, lowering his mouth slowly to hover over the younger man's. Leonardo opened his mouth to protest, only to find a foreign tongue in the way. He squirmed and yelled, but the sound was muffled severely. Tears stung the corners of his eyes from the pain of the thief's hold of his wrists, and his struggling was to no avail.
Just as the artist decided to give up, two wraps came to his door, which promptly opened, signaling his savior. Ezio entered carrying a small muslin sack and stopped dead at the scene laid out before him. Antonio slowly kissed away from his captive's mouth, down the thin line of exposed chest, giving Leonardo all the room he needed.
"Ezio!" He flexed his fingers, trying to reach his friend, happy at the sudden arrival and soon to be intervention. The youngest man stood there, staring with his mouth hanging open slightly.
He turned and set the package on the supply table. "I think I will leave you two alone then." He said, voice choked, as he strode out, slamming the front door behind him. Leonardo stared at the vacated space and felt his eyes well with tears and sobbed slightly as those tears slid down his forehead. Deft fingers loosened the lacing of his tunic and breeches and all he could do was lay there and feel betrayed.
_-*-_-*-_
The next morning, Leonardo lay alone, naked, and cold on his workshop floor. He hadn't slept, afraid that Antonio would come back to finish what he'd started. The painter didn't know what to do; the love of his life misunderstood his predicament, their mutual friend had nearly raped him, and no more tears would come. He slowly sat up and wondered where the thief had wandered off to last night when he said he was going to get more liquor.
Luckily, he had wanted to replenish the alcohol supply before he could act upon the clothing removal he had performed. The engineer picked up his discarded clothing and placed them in a bin with other articles that were also in need of cleaning. He donned a new outfit and sat down at his table, only to lay his head down on the muslin package. He sat up and poked it, furrowing his brows as he tentatively unwrapped it. A slow smile spread across his face at the opposable wooden doll. He stroked it fondly and set it in a position to remind him of his love.
His face fell at the thought and he sighed, laying his head back on the table. Would he ever come back and give him the chance to explain? Two sharp knocks and the creak of the door had the artist on his feet, the previously occupied chair laying on its side, running forward to meet his guest. His breathing hitched as Ezio strode forward.
"Ezio! Er....T-thank you for the model, I love it..." The assassin merely nodded and edged passed the other man. Leonardo stepped aside, watching and wringing his hands together.
"I forgot my necklace." The assassin explained, lifting the leather thong off the table and fastening it around his neck.
He turned and strode away, almost to the door, Leonardo was losing his chance! "About last night-" he blurted, face bright red and hidden in his messy hair. "I didn't sleep with Antonio. I never touched him! He was drunk and telling me a story...a-and he..." The artist stared at his boots intently, wondering if his explanation had fallen on deaf ears or if those ears were even still present. A leather clad hand roughly grabbed his chin, tilting his head back, forcing his red, puffy, tear-filled eyes to meet the cold eyes of the assassin.
"And you just let him do this? You just let him touch you?!" The man's voice grew louder as he asked, anger rising.
The engineer shook his head in the strong hold on his face and sniffed. "You don't understand! He had me pinned! I thought I was saved when you got here, but you left! And he-and he-!" The elder began to shake rapidly and slumped slowly, allowing Ezio to take his weight and carry him to his bed. The younger removed his gloves and bracers, to comfortably stroke the sobbing man's cheeks lovingly.
He kissed away the tears and shed his armor, laying down next to the broken man, holding him tight and whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Once Leonardo had calmed down, Ezio had to know. "What exactly did he do to you? Did he rape you?" He asked, his voice darkening on the last question.
"What?! No! He...he would have, but he wanted to go get more...drink...He didn't come back after that."
"But what did he DO to you?"
"He...touched me...a lot...and stripped me...Th-that's all..." The artist averted his gaze, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Show me where." Leonardo looked up, eyes wide.
"Wah?"
"I said: Show me." The artist nodded slowly and started pointing to all of the places, but Ezio grabbed his wrist and shook his head. "I want to see." The blonde gave a curt nod and slowly untied his tunic and dropped it to the bed. He trailed a finger down his chest, indicating the line of kisses and a few hickeys. The Auditore gripped his friend's hips and leaned forward, pressing kiss after kiss along the traced path, much closer than necessary. He suckled and nibbled over the hickeys and sat back so he could be led to the next place.
Leonardo flushed insanely as he unlaced his breeches and slid them to his knees, allowing the cloth to pool on the bed where he knelt. "He didn't put his mouth anywhere else, so-"
"Show me where he touched you." The painter gulped and pointed at individual places along his inner thigh, and over his covered groin. The assassin lay his friend down on his back and finished removing the breeches as he slowly planted his lips in exactly the indicated spots. He reached up to pull down the undershorts, but the slim artist fingers were holding the waistband like his life depended on it.
"Oh, so he can touch you there, but I cannot?"
"He wasn't kissing me there!" He responded, blushingly wildly. Ezio sat back and folded his arms over his broad chest, opening his mouth as if to argue, but thought better of it.
"Fine, but I missed a spot." His voice dropped to a whisper as the sentence progressed, and he lay down to straddle the other man, lightly pressing their lips together. The artist parted his lips, but just as quickly as it happened, it ended and Leonardo was alone on the bed. He sat up and looked around, confused, to find the other man pressed firmly against the wall on the opposite side of the room. His chest was heaving, eyes wide, staring at his friend.
The older crawled forward on the bed, "What's wrong, Ezio?"
"Leo. I'm so sorry!" The assassin rushed forward, gathered his gear and was gone, leaping out the window even as he was fastening his armor. The engineer sat back and pondered the problem. Did the younger man not realize the shared emotion, did he think that it would not be reciprocated?
"Ti amo..." The pair said in unison, one cradling his own wounded heart on his bed, the other sailing over rooftops in the cool morning air, scared of the repercussions.
Author Notes!!!!!!!!!!!!
G1: So, this is my own personal form of entertainment, so if no one likes it, too bad, I want to continue it, no matter how long it takes me!
Kitti: Not to say that if you like you shouldn't let us know. We love it when our work is appreciated.
G1: What work do you do?! I'm the one typing her arthritic fingers to the bone!
Kitti: Watching you rub the pain and cramps out of your bruised and deformed knuckles takes a lot out of me! I think my job is MUCH more demanding!
G1: Review! Please! Give me more reason that self amusement!