Now He Knows – Ezio/Leonardo
Ezio and Leonardo would waste years upon years without ever knowing it. Both considered the other their oldest and dearest friend, and neither wanted to lose what they already had.
After relocating to Rome, Leonardo was employed by the Borgia family, and accepted only because he dared not to otherwise. This meant that he and Ezio could not continue to meet as they had before.
Still, they managed to meet without anyone finding out they did. That way, Leonardo could provide Ezio with weapons and information about the war machines he had to build for Cesare, and Ezio in turn made sure the plans and machines themselves were ruined.
Leonardo was a kind and compassionate person, and Ezio knew that it hurt him to build the machines which would only aid in killing even more innocent people.
So Ezio did it not only to ruin for Cesare, but he did it for the man he loved.
Both Ezio and Leo struggled with keeping their feelings to themselves.
Neither wanted it to stay like that, yet neither wanted to drop a hint to the other is case they would find out what it meant.
But one time Ezio slipped. They were sitting on one of their benches and Leonardo had just given Ezio the climbing glove.
"Now nothing will be out of my reach," Ezio said, and thought 'except you and your love, anima mia', finishing the sentence in his mind.
Leonardo seemed unaffected by the remark, but what was invisible on the outside was hidden inside.
'Did he really just say that?' Leonardo thought to himself, 'and did he really mean it the way I hope?'
Later that day, when Leonardo was in his workshop alone, he thought back to the sentence Ezio had said, and wondered if it was a hidden meaning behind the words.
For a moment, the artist had been convinced he'd heard a yearning in those words, but concealed so well that he was uncertain as to if it had really been there, or if it was just a wish of his own heart; a trick played on his mind.
So Leonardo pretended there was nothing unusual about the remark, and treated Ezio the same way he had done all the years they had known each other.
Years later, Leonardo revealed his secret to Ezio.
They were on one of their benches, on a hill under some trees creating shade and privacy, when the artist told the assassin that he was working on the painting of a woman.
He told him how fond he was becoming of it, and Ezio had teasingly replied that he wished Leonardo wouldn't get too caught up in it and let a beautiful woman distract him from helping Ezio.
It was then Leonardo slipped.
"Do not worry, Ezio. Women provide little distraction."
It took the inventor two seconds to realize what he had just revealed about himself, but he could not find it in himself to regret having done so.
Certain he had misunderstood the message revealed by his friend, but wanting it to be true; he pretended not to understand what it meant.
"I don't get it," he said, not daring to say what he wanted. He instantly regretted the tone of his voice, knowing what would happen next depended on his reply.
The assassin had meant to say it in a tone that was incredulous, not the way he said it in, which made it seem he did not understand what the artist meant.
He felt like he stood on the edge of a cliff, nearly suspended as he waited for the reply of the man he loved, certain he had just ruined everything.
What happened next was not anything Ezio had ever expected.
Leonardo looked around, making sure no one could see them, and then he leaned in to kiss Ezio.
Ezio froze, not daring to believe what was happening, almost believing he had simply fallen asleep on the bench and it was all a dream.
But he realized it was all real. The lips on his, which he'd imagined feeling for so many years, felt too real to simply be a wish of the heart.
So he reached his hand to cradle Leonardo's head, and he closed his eyes, deepening the kiss.
Sensing Ezio's hesitance, Leonardo was ready to pull away and apologize. His heart was already ready to break, not wanting to deal with the loss of such a dear friend.
So when Ezio responded, deepening the kiss, Leonardo was surprised.
They both broke the kiss at the same time, both needing to breathe and knowing it was dangerous to continue like this, especially out in public.
Leonardo drew a shaking breath, wondering what to say now.
Ezio beat him to it.
"I love you," he stated, and in his voice Leonardo heard relief and hope.
Looking into Ezio's eyes, Leonardo replied "I love you too." The artist's voice held certainty and it rang so true when he spoke the words that Ezio stopped breathing for a moment.
"Meet me at La Volpe Adormentale tonight," Leonardo said to Ezio in a hushed voice.
As he got up to leave, Ezio could see the various emotions in his eyes; a hint of excitement, worry, yearning, and - most of all - love.
Later that night, while Ezio waited inside the thieves' headquarters, Leonardo was outside, pacing nervously.
The hours which had passed from when he left Ezio at the bench had passed painfully slow, and he had been unable to concentrate on any of his projects.
Instead, he had ended up drawing sketches of Ezio, both as the young man he had been when they first met, and as the mature man he now was.
Half an hour later, the artist stopped his pacing and finally went inside.
He instantly spotted Ezio amongst the crowd, even though he was sitting in the back room. Leonardo took a deep breath and walked over to him.
On the table there was a bottle of wine and two goblets. The bottle was already half-full, a clear indication that Leonardo was not the only one who was nervous.
Ezio was lost in thought, certain that Leonardo regretted his actions from earlier that day and had decided not to come.
So when a hand was placed on his shoulder and he heard his own name, he almost jumped up.
Instead, he turned to the source of the voice and found himself looking into the blue eyes of the person who had been on his mind for hours upon hours.
"Come," Leonardo said, taking Ezio's hand, guiding him to one of the upstairs rooms.
No words were spoken between them, but the silence was not a bad thing. It was as if the air between and around them was filled with their emotions: nervousness, affection, excitement and love.
They didn't pause at the door.
They didn't pause when they reached the bed.
They didn't pause when they started undressing.
They didn't pause until Leonardo was naked and Ezio wore only his underpants.
Ezio suddenly turned shy, not knowing how to move on from that point. He had only been with women, and seeing a naked man in front him was something so strange and yet natural that he had to stop and just look at the other man.
Sensing his hesitation, Leonardo went over to sit by the suddenly shy assassin, understanding why he stopped.
"It's okay, amore mio," he whispered in a comforting voice. "Take your time."
"We have wasted enough time, luce mia; I do not wish to waste a second longer."
When they kissed this time, it was without the hesitation and slow wonder which had filled their first one. This was filled with raw lust and need; with feelings which had grown continuously throughout the years.
They broke the kiss when they needed to breathe, and as Ezio moved to remove his last garment, Leonardo took over, wanting and needing to touch the other's skin.
When his hands moved over Ezio's hips, he felt the other man shudder.
Gently pushing Ezio back so he sat on the bed, Leonardo removed the other man's underpants and looked upon him.
Seeing the lust and love in his eyes, the artist climbed on top of Ezio, and started kissing and licking his throat, jawline and collarbones. Then he kissed his lips again, and they were lost in the heat of the moment; lost in their love for each other, and in the feel of bare skin against bare skin.
Ezio let Leonardo take control, but he wasn't participating less himself.
Kissing Leonardo turned out to be so natural, that Ezio stopped wondering how far they would go and how they would go about it. Instead, he enjoyed every kiss and touch.
When Leonardo brought their cocks together, Ezio moaned the artist's name. Amazed at how good it felt, he bucked his hips to get more friction; needing the feel of the other man's cock against his.
"Leonardo…"
"I know vita mia, I know."
The artist told Ezio to turn around and stand on all fours on the bed, and the assassin complied.
"This will hurt amore, but there is nothing I can do to help it. Just let me know when you are ready for more or if you want me to stop."
And so Leonardo wet two of his fingers with saliva before slowly pushing one into Ezio's tight hole, slowly moving it in and out. Before long, Ezio pushed back against him, and Leonardo understood that meant he was ready for more.
Pushing in another finger, he started scissoring, and added a third finger before long.
This time he took a little longer, so it would not be as uncomfortable for Ezio.
"More…" Ezio pleaded, and growled at the empty feeling when Leonardo pulled his fingers out.
When he felt Leonardo's cock at his entrance, he moved back, signalizing he was ready.
Leonardo pushed in slowly, inch by inch, though it took him great effort not to simply push into that warm heat. He could deal with a few more seconds, he thought to himself; after all, he didn't want to hurt Ezio.
When he was buried all the way, he pulled almost all the way out before moving in again and again and again, slightly faster and harder each time.
He quickly found a rhythm, and when Ezio shifted his hips, he hit him at the perfect angle.
They both cried out; Ezio because it felt so good, and Leonardo because Ezio suddenly clamped down around him.
Leonardo could feel himself getting dangerously close to release, and apparently Ezio felt the same, for he reached back for the artist's hand, guiding it down so both their hands closed around Ezio's cock.
Ezio took control, pumping their joined hands in time with the thrusts.
"So close," the assassin moaned, and started moving faster against Leonardo.
The artist felt the same, and so he bent over Ezio and turned his head around so he could kiss him. When Leonardo bit slightly down on Ezio's bottom-lip, the other man shuddered and came, crying the artist's name.
Hearing his name screamed in ecstasy from the man he loved, followed by the clenching of muscles around his cock made Leonardo follow him mere seconds later.
They collapsed on the bed, Leonardo pulling out as he lay down beside Ezio.
For a while they rested there in each other's arms, and they fell into a light sleep, only to rouse again an hour later.
They dressed, went downstairs to eat and drink and then stumbled up to the room again, undressing one other as they fell towards the bed, limbs tangled.
And all through the night, the artist showed his assassin the pleasures of being with another man.
And when they woke in the morning, they smiled at each other, happy to finally be together after so many lonely years.
They shared a brief kiss, and fell asleep again, exhausted after the previous day and night.
The last thing they saw was the love in the other's eyes, and their last thought before falling asleep was shared; 'Now he knows'.