"Oh, Ezio! How may I help you?"

It was the usual greeting, followed by his usual response. Revealing a tied piece of parchment from God knows where and handing it to Leonardo.

As always, the artist clapped his hands in excitement. Grinning, he would say, "So you found another one! How exciting! Come now, let's have a look at it." He would take the paper, unroll it on top of a nearby desk and examine the coded words for only a moment before exclaiming a simple solution such as, "There's nothing to it. Just move every other letter." or "This one is easy. Skip every other word and you got it!"

Then in no time at all, farewells would be exchanged and Ezio would be out the door.

…

Which is where Ezio was exactly at that moment. Standing there, right outside of his friend's workshop, decoded Codex page in hand. Unlike usual, he couldn't make his feet move or take his eyes off of the closed door he had just exited.

Actually, could he even call Leonardo a 'friend'? When had he ever visited just for the mere pleasure of seeing the man? As far as he could recall, never. Well sure, he had been preoccupied these past years with Lorenzo's frequent jobs and his mission to avenge his family's death, but...

"Crap," He hissed, finally starting to walk away from Leonardo's entranceway. It is possible that he had been a little too busy to keep up with contacts, though, it was a bit embarrassing once he started thinking about it. Countless times he has gone to Leonardo for assistance in his jobs, be it for Codex pages or upgrading his weapons and never, never, has he done anything in return.

If it were possible to hit yourself in the head without looking like a complete invalid, Ezio would have done it right then. Pocketing the parchment still in his hand, Ezio looked up at the sky. Slowly peaking out from the east were a few rays of sunlight, the dawn of a new day.

He could also add that he bothered the presumingly busy artist at the oddest hours of the day. Jeez, what a great friend he was.

As Ezio mentally kicked himself, in front of him an artist stall started setting up shop for the day. The shopkeeper was muttering darkly under his breath as he placed paintings and other items on display. Ezio, stumbling out of his inner turmoil, glanced into the small shop. Did he even have a painting by Leonardo? The embarrassment flushed his face slightly as he approached the shopkeeper, planning on inquiring if he carried one.

"...Picky artists and their tendency to procrastinate! Bah! Excuses, excuses, 'not enough models!' and 'I just can't get the pose right'! Just pick anyone off the damn street, why don't you...Can't be that hard...They're slowing my profits down...!" The man sputtered to a stop mid-rant when he noticed Ezio. Instantly, he replaced his angry frown to a costumer winning smile, "Oh, good sir, interested in a beautiful painting?"

Ezio had to force himself not to roll his eyes at the man's sudden change in face. He coughed, recollecting his thoughts, "Not right now, what were you saying about the artists?"

At this, the shopkeeper's face fell for a moment. Then brightening up the next. "You sure you don't want one? I'll tell you if you buy one! No less then 800 florins or my lips are sealed!" He was now grinning even wider then before as Ezio sighed, shaking his head.

"Fine, fine, do you have any of Leonardo Da Vinci's works?" He asked, already with several hundred florins in his hand.

The shopkeeper nodded his head vigorously as he started shuffling around in the back, "Ah, fan of Sir Da Vinci, are you? Brilliant artist, very brilliant. Here, I have just the thing for you right over here..."

"As you were saying, sir...?" Ezio started, gesturing with his hand almost impatiently.

"Oh, yes, of course, right, right," The man continued, pulling out a breathtaking painting to show the ex-noble, "You see, these masterpieces are surely wonderful works of art (and I advise you to take a good look at more). The artists who paint these are masters at what they do. However, the very artists are masters at procrastination as well. Apparently, the most recent and popular excuse is the lack of models. I don't exactly see how hard it is to stay in the same position for at least five hours straight..." His voice soon trailed off and he shook his head, resuming the duty of holding up the painting for Ezio to inspect.

"I can only imagine," Ezio remarked offhandedly. From having past experiences of having to hold still for long periods of time to escape from guards, he could sympathize with the models.

Changing the subject back to the painting in front of him, he asked, "What is this painting called?" It was an intriguing piece of artwork. The colors, the people...It struck him all the more that he actually knew the artist personally, the very hands that had created it. Well...To a point anyways.

Eyes lighting up at Ezio's silent awe, the shopkeeper replied, "'Adoration of the Magi', beautiful, isn't it? I'll part with it for...What do you say for 1,800 florins?"

Without much dwelling on the price, Ezio agreed and arranged for the painting to be sent to his family's manor. With a very fond good-bye, the shopkeeper watched the strange (but rich) man walk off distractedly, hoping the man would return sometime for more business.

As it was, Ezio was deep in concentration. The conversation had given him an idea or, to be exact, a recollection of his first arrival to Venice. Models...Poses...Shops...He couldn't help the grin on his face when he remembered the day clearly. He finally had the perfect way to thank Leonardo properly.

If he could recall clearly, there was a stall near the docks where Leonardo had seemed interested in a tiny wooden mannequin which one could manipulate into different poses. He had jokingly asked Ezio to buy it for him, but was soon interrupted by some thieves, a certain fiery one in particular.

Now the only problem was, Ezio thought solemnly, was finding that little hole in the wall again.

. . .

By the time the sun was well in the sky, Ezio finally stumbled upon the humble stall that held the wooden mannequin. It only took him all morning and getting lost a few times, finding the exact spot the ship from Flori had anchored, but he finally found it! He had to silently congratulate himself as he stood in front of the unmanned stall for his fortitude and memory.

He stood there patiently, waiting in front of the empty stall, eyes trained on the wooden figure. Also, it was good fortune that the doll was still there. Who knows what he'd have done if it had already been sold! Ah, but that also led him to wonder if anyone was actually interested in such a thing, Leonardo included.

…

Actually, Ezio began to wonder if the reason it had not been sold was because no one actually occupied the shop anymore. Above him the sun was starting to creep towards the west, the midday crowd beginning to thin as evening started to settle. Ezio shifted from one foot to the other, his patience wearing thin. It had been hours and he had yet to see anyone even come near the store. All around him, people just walked on by, pretending not to see the suspicious man in the white cloak standing in front of an empty stall with only a wooden doll on display.

When night fell and still no one appeared in the shop, Ezio barely registered the appearance of guards. He was much too irritated to really pay attention. After all, he had better things to do then to wait for a man who obviously wasn't going to show up! He had assassination contracts from Lorenzo de Medici to take on, Templars to stalk, and hell, breaking into some corrupt official's Palazzo was more important then this!

He shook his head from such thoughts. No, no, he was doing this for Leonardo and the man had helped him more situations then one. This was just as important and he should just be patient.

…

Another hour passed by and Ezio couldn't help but cross his arms or tap his foot. His lip was pressed into a thin line as he eyed the empty stall, his sub-conscious registering the now watchful guards behind him. He could hear the guards whispering among themselves, wondering what the hell he was doing, having stood there all day.

Ezio glared at the little doll. It was just a piece of wood, it couldn't really cost much. Maybe if he...No one would really miss it...Ah, no, Leonardo wouldn't...

His hand twitched slightly. Well, he's been waiting there all day. There couldn't be any harm...But the guards...Oh to hell with this! Ezio wasn't one for patience anyways. He already spent his limit waiting in front of this God forsaken stall all damn day anyhow.

Without much of a second thought, he swiped the mannequin off the shelf and pocketed it.

"THIEF!" Someone screamed. Ezio almost slapped a hand to his forehead.

"You there! Do you want me to cut off your hands?!" The rough voice of a guard shouted, making Ezio spin around. "Reveal what you hide in your pockets, thief," The man demanded, his hand stretched out. Two other guards fanned out, surrounding Ezio.

One of the guards drew his sword. "There's no where to run, so don't even try," He warned when Ezio did nothing.

For a moment, they were at a stand still. Ezio, surrounded by three guards with the empty stall to his back. Of course, for someone like him, this was nothing but a mere annoyance.

He bolted, shoving the guard on the right to the ground. Women screamed and men fled as Ezio dashed through the crowds. His ears trained on the shouts and curses from behind. Turning down an alleyway, he nimbly scaled the wall and jumped onto the rooftops. Unfortunately for him, a nearby archer spotted him and had already decided to fling arrows into his direction. Inwardly he cursed his luck as he lunged across to the next building, another archer on his tail.

They chased him half way through Venice until he was finally able to shake them off, swan diving into the nearest pile of hay...Or leaves. He couldn't tell in the dark, but it hurt all the same as he landed roughly in the mess of whatever it was. He had to hold in a hiss of pain as he had slammed his shoulder against the bottom of the cart, the same shoulder that sported a bloody arrow an archer had managed to aim. Though, in the end Ezio had walked (more like ran) away with a hole in his shoulder while the archer had fallen with a gash in his neck.

Fair trade, he thought darkly to himself as he sighed in relief when the guards finally let up. Biting down on a clump of cloth of his cape, he broke the end of the arrow and yanked it out in one sharp tug, the cloth muffling his shout of pain. Once the arrow was discarded, he spat out his cape and hopped out of the cart, pretending it was the most normal thing to just hop out of piles of flora. A few passersby gave him funny looks, but hey, at least he didn't have an arrow sticking out of him.

…

The starry night sky was absolutely clear as Ezio made his way to Leonardo's. It was probably almost five in the morning when he appeared on Leonardo's doorstep. His hand hovering above the door, almost touching the wood.

Maybe it was a little too early in the morning. After all, he was doing this to show his gratitude to the artist. What kind of gratitude would it be if he woke the artist up so early in the morning? Even if he did kind of go at lengths for a such a little doll...It was a good thing the bleeding of his shoulder wound had stopped as well, neatly hidden behind his half cape. Scaring the living daylights out of the pacifist artist wasn't apart of the gratitude thing either.

That's when a familiar voice called out to him, making him spin around in surprise.

"Ezio! What are–"

"Leonardo? Where were–"

Two, three more times they both tried to speak, but always their sentences overlapped each other. Eventually, they both paused for a moment, looking at each other in silence. Ezio spoke up first, "Where were you so early in the morning?"

Leonardo looked away, frowning as he scratched his head distractedly, "I was...At a particular shop. There was something I was eying for some time now and was planning on buying it, but the shopkeeper keeps odd hours so only now I had the opportunity to visit..." He sighed, his shoulders slumping a little, "But alas! It seems I was too late. The little figurine I wanted was gone. Apparently some fiend stole it earlier that day. How unfortunate is that? It was such a nice model too...The fool probably doesn't even know it's worth..." As he continued on, the usually lively man deflated more and more, dwelling on his misfortune. It was almost comical how the artist's mood easily reflected in his actions.

But that wasn't on Ezio's mind as he watched his friend sink lower and lower in a depression that, for some funny reason, made him feel guilty. "Indeed, how unfortunate," Ezio remarked albeit a little strangely. Not that Leonardo noticed in his despair.

Leonardo sighed, trying to shrug the situation off, though he wasn't entirely his usual cheery self. "Ah, but that aside, what brings you here to my humble adobe, Ezio? Another Codex page I assume?" He said almost flatly. Ezio cringed at the assumption. If that was the first thing that came to mind whenever Ezio was around...Really, what kind of friend had he been to Leonardo all these years?

Trying out a smile, Ezio gestured at the door, "Maybe we should go inside first? It is kind of cold out here." He noticed the slight shiver that had passed through Leonardo from standing too long in the morning's chill. With only a grunt of an agreement, Leonardo moved past Ezio and unlocked his door.

Once they were settled in front of the warmth of the fireplace, Leonardo inquired of Ezio's visit again. "So, this Codex page..." He started, still a little depressed from earlier.

Ezio, who had been staring absentmindedly at the flames, jumped at Leonardo's words. "Oh, right. About that..." Ezio then noticed Leonardo slump a little more and shook his head, "Actually, I don't have a Codex page with me." The artist looked up, obviously befuddled that the assassin had not come with that in mind.

"Armour is it?" Leonardo asked wearily, cocking his head slightly in confusion. Ezio shook his head, fishing out something from his side pocket.

"No...Er...You know that 'fiend' you were so kindly bashing earlier...?" The words came out awkwardly, because honestly, Ezio was very much out of practice with gift giving, especially for the same gender.

Leonardo nodded in acknowledgement with an eyebrow raised, if his suspicions were true..."Ezio, please do not tell me you..."

For once, Ezio laughed, revealing the wooden mannequin in his hand. "Yes, I did. But, I have you know that I actually waited five hours before I stole it," He said in his defense when he saw the look on Leonardo's face, "For you, my friend. I haven't exactly expressed my gratitude well enough for your generous support."

Leonardo looked at the doll then to Ezio, who was relieved to see that his eyes were lit with their usual brilliance, "You didn't have to, you know. I'm just happy to help." He smiled warmly, patting Ezio on the shoulder.

Ezio shook his head, "Please, accept it. It was no trouble at all." A lie, but Leonardo didn't have to know just how much trouble he actually went through for that mannequin. Nor did he have to know how Ezio felt that it was all entirely worth it to see him grin like that.

"Thank you, my friend. You have no idea how happy this makes me!" Leonardo practically chirped as he took the figurine into his hands. "This would help me much in my work! But, uh, Ezio, how exactly did you know I wanted this...?"

Once again, embarrassment tinged the assassin's cheeks red as he suddenly looked away. "I...Had remembered that first time we arrive in Venice. I recall you taking a liking to it and I decided to get it for you."

Leonardo's smile widened, "Oh, goodness, you remembered that? That's amazing!" He laughed, "You have a great memory! Ah, why don't I try this out? Do you mind staying for a little while so...?" The question hung in the air as Leonardo had no idea how to finish it. He knew that Ezio was a busy man, with his assassinations and all that. Yet...

Ezio's face was a blank mask as he made to stand. "I apologize but I must be going," Leonardo slumped a little. Then suddenly Ezio broke out into grins, "I'm only kidding, Lorenzo can wait a few hours." With a small cheer, Leonardo jumped from his seat as well.

Racing to the back of his workshop, he produced a blank canvas and easel as he chattered about happily. "Thank you Ezio! Thank you! Do you know how long it has been since I've wanted to sketch you? Now I finally have the chance! Oh, would you like something to drink? Maybe to eat? Did you say you were standing in front of that stall all day, yesterday? I'm sorry Ezio!" Leonardo cried, looking childish as he wrung his hands on a rag he was to use for painting.

The assassin couldn't help but laugh at the expression. "Don't worry, don't worry. I'm use to things like this. Ah, but lets not talk about that. I'm much more interested in the life of an artist, so, tell me, how's life Sir Da Vinci?" He asked playfully, lounging on the edge of the chair he was sitting at. He hadn't slept a wink for two days straight, he thought it about time to finally relax.

Leonardo scrunched his face as if he bit into something sour, muttering, "Oh, it's nothing as exciting as the life of an assassin, I assure you." He then started collecting his brushes and pencils before finally settling in front of the canvas.

"Hmm? Really? Why don't you enlighten me on that?" Ezio watched the artist begin sketching as Leonardo shot glances at the assassin. Quite surprisingly to both, it was easy for the two of them to fall into light conversation.

--

A/N: I know I should be working on other things, but I swear I couldn't get this out of my head when I first thought of it.

I'm debating whether or not to continue this, maybe Leonardo's version? Well, it all depends on the reviewers, if any. Thanks for reading!