So I was writing another story for AC2 which is MUCH longer than this, and then this plot bunny came up in my head. It seemed like a good enough plot bunny to write down, so I did, and voila. This is in a different style of writing that I'm trying out, but enjoy anyway. :D

Disclaimer: If I owned Assassin's Creed 2 at all, I would have said "screw history" and made Leonardo go 100% gay for Ezio xD So that means yes, I don't own AC2 at all lol.

Warning: Rated T for mentions of violence and homosexuality. Slight spoilers hide in the shadows for those who are still near the beginning of the game.

Ezio always wondered what exactly all his fighting was worth for.

It wasn't because he was so caught up with a lust and vengeance to kill. The eagle would never let his animal instinct of predation get the best of him. It was just that sometimes, he'd sit and think about the actions that he had committed throughout his life.

He didn't know it was for naught. It was definitely not that reason. Otherwise, he would have no life purpose, and he would have been just as low as the Templars that he hunted down.

Ezio had just completed another day of training with the master of thieves, Antonio, and was exiting through the door of his "office", as the older man liked to call it. Before he could exit the thieves' district though, Rosa stopped him just near the district line with a sly grin across her face.

They spent a good time playfully flirting with each other before Rosa decided to leave Ezio alone to tease him. She disappeared up a ladder and began leaping across the rooftops of the city.

As much as Rosa provided him with entertainment, Ezio came to the decision that she was not the main reason of his battles. Sure, the chemistry between them was fiery, but it was all playful banter.

Ezio decided to take the ground tour of the city and navigated through the mazes of the docks and around the labyrinths of the canals, enjoying the sights that he would rarely miss on the rooftops.

A flash of suspicious activity struck the left corner of his vision, and he turned to find a corrupt city guard harassing a young, middle-class lady. He caught bits and pieces of the guard saying something along the lines of taking her child if she didn't pay her rent, and the defiant mother held on to her child the best as she could. Unfortunately, the city guard was stronger, and it was obvious that the woman was losing the custody battle.

Before the city guard could fully pry her child away, Ezio swooped in, retracted his hidden blade, and thrust it into the guard's vulnerable neck, covering his mouth to prevent a scream. Before the woman could say a "thank you", however, a group of guards nearby caught Ezio in the murder and commenced chasing him throughout the city.

Though Ezio was a killer, he was committing the murders for the sake of those who were innocent and in danger. He was taught from his experienced Uncle Mario not to turn his blade against the innocent and followed that vow very carefully.

However, that was also not the reason that Ezio defied the Templars' power.

The Assassin managed to lose the chase on the rooftops near a major canal, and then thought of taking a short break. Ezio plopped himself on the edge of the rooftop and let his feet dangle over the myriads of crowds on the streets. He watched the sun set over the waters, making them turn sparkly hues of orange and yellow.

Suddenly, Ezio heard a cry of "Get down there or I'll shoot!" from an archer that was posed behind him, somehow forgotten by the careless assassin. Ezio sighed and dropped down to hang on the edge with his hands so he could ignore the archer's threats. As he was climbing down though, his foot slipped on a garden balcony that was still rich with dew, which caused him to lose his grip on the building and fall – right in the middle of another group of guards.

Ezio groaned, frustrated, as he entered another chase from the guards. He was done with all this fighting, tired of getting into senseless battles with guards. As one got in the way and attempted to ruffle the eagle's feathers, the assassin turned around and dove into a nearby canal. He paddled away as quickly as he could before he could hear the shouts of the patrolmen no more.

Ezio then remembered a crucial explanation as to why he continued with his intents. He knew that one of the main reasons was to avenge his father and brothers, who had died under the hands of Uberto Alberti the traitor. Even though they had died long ago, he could still deeply feel the pain of his loss as if their rigged trial had merely happened a day ago.

But even still, that was not the main reason why he fought with his enemies.

The moon was now beginning to rise over Venezia, and the streets slowly became more vacant as the citizens retired to their homes. Ezio contemplated about spending the night at Sister Teodora's and grinned about the thought of having the courtesans massage his bruised back. However, he had passed by the palace of the former Emilio Barbarigo, and then he knew from his navigation skills around the floating city that he was nearby his dear Leonardo da Vinci's workshop.

After a while of traveling, Ezio finally came to his destination and rapped his knuckles against the door a couple of times before entering, lowering his hood as he allowed himself in his lover's house.

Leonardo turned around from the painting that he was currently engrossed in and smiled cheerfully at him. "Ezio, my friend," Leonardo greeted, "how may I be of service?"

"Well," Ezio chuckled, "I've gotten into a scuffle or two in the marketplace today, and I was wondering if you have a remedy for my wounds."

"Sure thing," Leonardo replied, already going to his drawer to fetch a couple of medical supplies. Meanwhile, Ezio started the process of removing his entire arsenal of weapons and armor. They all slowly gathered in a pile next to his feet along with his cape as Ezio then began to peel his shirt off. His eyes widened as he noticed slashes and punctures across his chest that he didn't even felt during the day at all. As soon as Leonardo entered the living room with the first aid kit, his expression mirrored Ezio's.

"Ay ay ay, Ezio," Leonardo breathed, kneeling before the injured assassin.

"Mi dispiace," Ezio apologized sheepishly. "I didn't even know half of these wounds were created today. The only injury I remember getting was a bruise I got from falling off a building."

All the while, Leonardo could give no response except for a smile as he began to dress the wounds. Ezio's hand absentmindedly traveled to stroke Leonardo's light-brown hair, his fingers running through its smooth strands.

"You certainly know how to keep the guards busy," Leonardo remarked, grinning even wider. It was then that the engineer looked up to make eye contact with his assassino lover. His sky-blue eyes gleamed with a certain youth that Leonardo was able to retain throughout his years, which was accentuated by the soft freckles that dotted the tops of his cheeks. Along with his youthfulness, Ezio also noticed something prominent in the pair of lakes that he knew no one else could.

His whole entire world.

"Why do you get yourself in all this trouble anyway?" Leonardo asked curiously, breaking Ezio from his train of thought. Ezio smirked and leaned in to whisper into the engineer's ear.

"All for you, amore mio," was his response before he pressed his lips on Leonardo's cheek. Leonardo softly cupped the sides of Ezio's cheeks and moved his face so he could stare deeply into his chocolate-brown eyes. He proceeded to kiss him softly on the lips before he smiled again, this time lovingly.

Seeing Leonardo smile like that brought a unique joy to Ezio. He didn't know what, but it beckoned to him again as he returned the kiss to the painter, caressing Leonardo's mouth with his lips.

"Ti amo," Ezio murmured against his lips when he broke the kiss. The eagle leaned his forehead against the painter's, and he could feel Leonardo's breath flitter like butterfly wings upon his nose. The smile never faded from Leonardo's kiss.

"I love you too," Leonardo breathed before reaching in to kiss him again. Medical supplies and injuries were left forgotten as they became lost in caresses, touches, and kisses.

~*~*~*~

Ezio stared up at the ceiling from Leonardo's bed later on that night. Though they were lying down together on the soft mattress, only Ezio's chest remained bare. Leonardo was fast asleep next to Ezio; his head used the eagle's shoulder as a pillow, and his hand lingered on the valley of his sculpted but bandaged torso. Leonardo's quiet breathing tickled the side of his face, and his chest rose and fell to the rhythm of it against Ezio's ribcage. His iconic red hat rested on a small, square table nearby the bed, and his light brown hair was sprawled all over Ezio's arm.

It was there that Ezio found a solution to the dilemma that he was challenged with all day, possibly all his life. The answer had been so simple yet it concealed itself right under Ezio's nose.

He was fighting for the safety of Leonardo's life.

Ezio tried to find a better reason other for the one that was sleeping right next to him, but he could not bring one that could outclass his love. He then concluded that that was the thing that he had been risking his life for all this time.

Ezio chuckled soundlessly. He didn't mind that solution at all. In fact, that seemed the best one yet. He was glad to be Leonardo's knight. It made kicking Templar ass a lot more fun.

The assassin felt his eyelids gain weight for his fatigue and let them drop willingly. He then floated into the calm oceans of sleep with a small smile onto his face.

Translations:

Mi dispiace – I'm sorry

Amore mio – my love

Ti amo – I love you

WEWT! It's done! :D This was actually supposed to be only about 700 words long, but I'm too lazy even for that short of a fanfic lol. I'm pretty glad because I got this typed up in one day, and usually, my fanfics take me about two days to complete.

BTW am I the only one to notice that Leonardo da Vinci, in the game, has freckles? O_o It shows up in some scenes of the game with him, but it's invisible in other scenes as well. I'm either really observant or really insane, and I could be hallucinating like Subject 16. (I'm not insane, I'm not~ not insane-- *shot*) Either way, I decided to add the freckles detail anyway because I think Leo would look even more adorable with them c:

If you are looking for a beta reader, or otherwise, someone who can edit your stories to make sure they turn out even better, PM me anytime! I would be more than happy to do so and help members of the community ^_^

This is my first romance fanfic where I have a happy ending, but imo, I kinda made it sound cheesy. :o Thoughts? Constructive criticism? That's what reviews are for, and you can make one by pressing the little button at the bottom, right there v :D