In the morning, he woke up late. Salai had already left the bed. He exhaled softly and almost fell back asleep when he heard a loud roar.
Like a spring, he was out of bed and down the stairs. He froze when he saw Malik in a snarling match with Altair, the other man held back by Ezio. After several minutes, he chuckled, and silence fell over everybody.
"And you!" Malik shouted, pointing at the artist. "What were you thinking, letting that inside of your house!"
He started laughing harder. "Malik, meet Altair. This is Ezio's older brother."
"Yes, I can see the same pigheaded idiocy. But Ezio learned quickly."
He coughed into his hand and smiled at his friend. "He attacked me last night, thinking I had taken Ezio as a pet."
Altair threw himself against his brother, and Malik glared at the man. "Even more of a reason not to keep him. I happen to enjoy Ezio's company. He seems nice enough."
"Please stop riling him up. He will reopen his stitches."
"Novice," he spat toward the man. "I wanted to tell you we know who owned Desmond."
There was silence. Altair went rigid, and Ezio stepped around him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Malik looked at the middle brother and gave him a sad look.
"A man by the name of Warren Vidic had him."
Leonardo shuddered at the sound of the brothers' growls in unison.
"He tried to forcefully take Desmond from the hospital last night. The man is crazy."
Ezio howled, his fists clenching.
"He managed to escape, though not before harming Desmond. I do not think this will be the last we see of him."
Ezio snarled viciously, punching the wall with his good hand. "When I get my hands on him, it will be the last he sees of anything!"
Malik shook his head. "He seems intent on taking the boy back. Godsend plans on moving him out of the hospital earlier than planned. They hope that he follows."
"Why?" Altair snarled.
"So then they can catc—"
"I hope he stalks Desmond, and it leads him right into my hands! I will rip the man open and bury him alive!" Ezio shouted, and Leonardo looked shocked at the amount of bloodlust the man was giving off. "I will not rest until my tongue has tasted his blood," he growled, and Leonardo watched the challenging staring contest between the brothers.
"I will have revenge," Ezio spat.
Malik moved passed them and to Leonardo's side. He whispered as he led him into the kitchen, "He will be sent here, to Hastings' house, the rehabilitation center here."
"How bad are his injuries?"
"I do not know the full extent, but I know that he is in a coma for now. He has lost an eye, I believe I heard. His leg has been amputated and replaced with a robotic one, and his arm is in a cast. He was malnourished and his temperature was just above the point of death. They found him in the corner of the man's basement. The leg that was amputated had been caught in a bear trap chained to the wall, and decay had spread through the entire thing. The boy was still conscious when they found him, so we have hope of him surviving. The poor thing took six hours to coax out of the hole he had dug for himself. The floor was dirt—dirt! And the boy had lined his little spot with blankets Vidic had left when he sat in front of the boy to talk to him."
"How is he alive?" Leonardo was astonished.
"By the grace of God."
"Or the malicious will of Satan," Leonardo said, his voice hardly louder than a breath. "I do not know which one at this point."
He felt Malik pull him into a hug. He then realized he was crying. "Malik," he whispered. "I hope for their sake…"
"I know, Leonardo, I know. We can only pray and wait."
"What did you say to him?" Ezio growled from the doorway.
"You do not need to know right now," Malik snarled.
"What else do you know about our brother?" Altair snarled back.
"Like I said, you do not need to hear it right now. Leave it alone, and you will know in due time."
Ezio walked over briskly and took Leonardo from Malik's arms, wrapping him in a tight hug. He snarled defensively at the one-armed man and murmured in the artist's ear, "It will be all right, Leonardo."
It was several hours before he had calmed down enough to stop crying. Even Altair had moved closer and placed a tentative hand on his back. He straightened and took a towel from the sink to blow his nose. He shook his head and looked back at Malik, who was sitting at the table, looking worried. Salai was crouched on top of it, looking upset.
"Are-are you sure?"
Malik nodded once, and Leonardo couldn't stop the tears as he whispered, "How could they do such things to a human?"
Salai hopped off and walked over to the artist, pressing against him and placing his ear to his heart. "Maestro, let us forget whatever has made you so sad. You are worrying all of us. Come and teach Ezio and me how to paint."
Leonardo wrapped the boy in a tight hug. "Salai, never think that you are not spoiled."
Salai smiled warmly and hugged the man. "I am reminded every time I take your blueprints and use them for kindling."
Leonardo pulled back, looking scandalized, and Salai smiled innocently. "They are very good for starting fires."
The artist gave him a bewildered look and sighed, rubbing his eyes once more. "What will I do with you, you pest?"
"Give him a good thrashing," Malik suggested as he rose. "It would serve him well. Either way, I will leave you to your business for now. If you need me, my door is always open."
He bid farewell to Malik as he herded them into the studio and gathered the easels and paints. He moved one in front of Ezio and the other for Salai.
"Altair, why don't you sit and relax for a little bit? I need to check the stitches once I get these two started. Here, Ezio."
He slowly set them up and got them practicing; Ezio asked, "What did he tell you?"
Leonardo offered a weak smile and placed a hand on his arm. "Nothing that will help you right now."
He spent the majority of the day helping Ezio and Salai, working on his own commissions, and avoiding Altair. It became their routine over the next several months, beginning every morning with a visit from Malik. Even though he and Altair never got along, Leonardo could see a bond beginning to form between them, and he couldn't help but feel good about it. Altair slowly learned to trust the artist, and eventually, ended up modeling for the man when he had some spare time to work on something else. Several times, he found Altair asleep on one side of him, and Ezio—like every night—curled up at his other. He found himself enjoying the often-quiet presence of the eldest sibling, who seemed to enjoy the life the house was filled with. If Malik was over, Altair was surprisingly compliant and often posed with his enemy, and more than once, he had found them fast asleep in front of the fireplace in his studio.
Ezio teased them mercilessly the next day with Salai, and Leonardo watched their bonds grow closer too. He was pleased at how well the two brothers were learning to get along, but in the back of his mind, he could not get rid of the thought that Desmond might never wake from his coma.
They gathered together for breakfast almost a year later, near the anniversary of the men being bought. Leonardo had prepared a quite meal for them as he surveyed the men eating. Ezio and Altair had fleshed out and become quite muscular. They were swift and light on their feet, coming and going as they pleased, looking into how to get into Gasheen to see Desmond. Altair was training under Operation Godsend, but Ezio was required to continue working with his once-broken hand. He was becoming a brilliant artist, Leonardo would think to himself as he watched him work. The sunlight caught on the silver necklace Altair wore: a proud reminder of Operation Archangel.
He shook his head as he watched the sunlight fill the room. It was only a matter of time before he, too, joined Operation Godsend. He felt his heart be tugged on. He didn't want them to leave, and it seemed that Malik didn't either. They had heard nothing about Desmond for several months now, and he could feel Ezio leave the bed sometimes in the middle of the night. He would crawl out the window and climb onto the roof, and Altair would join him.
"Leonardo, what is the matter?"
He jolted from his thoughts to see Ezio standing in front of him. The man cupped his face in his hands. Leonardo offered a small smile and shook his head.
"It is nothing, my friend."
"It cannot be 'nothing' if there is a tear rolling down your cheek."
Leonardo laughed half-heartedly and went to wipe it away, pulling from Ezio's grasp and turning to busy himself with cleaning. "It is nothing. Do not worry."
There was silence for a few minutes before he heard Salai ask, "You're leaving us soon, aren't you, Ezio and Altair?"
Leonardo froze in the middle of cleaning a pan. It lasted a few seconds before he busied himself again.
"Why do you say that, Salai?"
"Because all you've ever thought about is your brother. Don't think we haven't noticed."
"It is better that they do, my child," Leonardo whispered. "It will give us more room for new pets to free."
"But you didn't get rid of me."
"I would not dream of getting rid of any of you, but it is inevitable that they will leave. They are not like you. It is best that you accustom yourself to the thought now."
"No!" Salai screeched, rising and slamming his hand down on the table. "I will not! They are my family! Even if they don't think of us as family, I think of them as mine, and I would not leave my family for a brother that was in a coma deep in the heartland of the frozen barbarians!"
He didn't bother to look as he heard Salai run off, slamming the door behind them. He continued washing the dishes under the warm water, trying to calm himself. He heard Ezio take a seat at the table and some soft murmuring he couldn't distinguish over the rush of the water. When he was done, he shut the water off and dried his hands, his back still turned to the other two in the room.
"I am going to find Salai—"
He felt Ezio's arms slip around his waist. "That is what you were crying over?"
Leonardo smiled. "I was not—"
"Do not lie to me, Leonardo. I know you well by now. That is what you were crying over? You think we are leaving you?"
Leonardo chuckled and placed his hands over Ezio's as the man rested his chin on his shoulder.
"No, Ezio, I know that you are leaving us. I have seen it in your eyes when you look at Salai, heard it in the way that you talk to others, and felt it in the shift of your aura. You will leave us. Your brother means much to you."
"We will take him and bring him here," Altair said.
"There is not enough room," Leonardo replied. He felt Ezio pull him closer.
He murmured, "I have seen your bank accounts. You are planning on buying a bigger house."
Leonardo scoffed. "Idiot. I will not upgrade. This is the perfect house for me to live. On my duty as a member of Operation Archangel, I am creating a budget for you to move on from our funding and the extra money from my commissions."
He felt Ezio's fingers tighten their hold. "What if we chose not to leave, and return with Desmond here?"
"I have told you: there is not enough room in this house."
"What would it take to let you let us live here?"
"One of you would have to live with Malik, while one shared my bed, and the other, Salai's."
There was a long silence before Ezio let go, and Leonardo pulled away. "Now, I am going to find Salai. I will be back."
And by the time he did, it was near sunset, and the young man was sprawled on a protruding beam on a house. Leonardo couldn't help but admire his ability to climb.
"Salai, come home."
He met the gaze of the redhead, who scowled. Leonardo opened his arms.
"Please, for me."
After a few seconds, the young man climbed down and walked into the artist's open arms.
"I do not want them to leave, Maestro."
"I know, my boy. Neither do I, but mourning the future will do us no good. We may as well mourn our deaths. Let us go home."
Salai followed reluctantly. When they got back home, they found Malik, Altair, and Ezio sitting in the studio.
"You're crazy. I'm not living with that," Malik said as he pointed at Altair.
He pulled Salai back, hoping they weren't noticed.
"Please, Malik. Just until I can get Leonardo to move into a bigger house."
"Why can you not come live—"
"Because he belongs here. But if we cannot come to an agreement, then we will have to leave."
There was silence for a few minutes. The artist's thoughts were rolling at a thousand per second. Salai broke free from his grasp, running into the studio and catching Ezio off guard as he hugged him.
"Do not leave, Ezio. I don't want you to."
Leonardo stopped in the doorway, looking at Salai sadly. Ezio slowly returned the hug before Malik rose. "Fine. I will move him in. But you," he shot a glare at Leonardo, "owe me big time for this one."
Leonardo looked shocked. He hadn't expected Malik to agree to it.
"Besides," Altair said, not even looking at the man, "you cannot even tie your shoes. You need someone to look after you."
Malik bristled. "Watch it: you're living with me, and I am not afraid to punch you in the mouth."
A smirk tugged at the corner of Altair's lips. "A kiss with a fist is better than none."
Leonardo chuckled.
"I will pick him up tomorrow. He can torment you tonight."
The artist smiled warmly as he walked with Malik to the door. As they left, Malik told him to sock Altair, hard, in the gut for him, and Leonardo only laughed. After he closed the door, he yelped as he was turned around and pushed against the door. He felt someone kiss him. By the time he pulled back, he realized it was Ezio, smiling at him suavely and leaning in close.
"We can stay, now, right? We can build an attic, and move Salai and Desmond up there. I am sure they will get along. And then, you will have two rooms for liberated pets."
Leonardo smiled warmly as he felt Ezio kiss him again. When he pushed him back, he saw Salai making horrified faces at them. He chuckled as Altair came out and placed his hands on his shoulders, guiding the boy up the stairs. Ezio kissed him again and followed them shortly after, pulling Leonardo to bed.
The next morning, as Ezio helped him finish cleaning, Altair and Salai were talking quietly at the table. The door slammed open, and Ezio and Altair were immediately on the defensive before Malik came careening around the corner. His eyes were wide, and his clothes were askew.
"Leonardo! Get your hat on!"
Leonardo looked worried. "Wh—"
"Now!"
The artist jumped and rushed out to the front hallway.
"You three lazy asses get moving as well!"
Malik pushed past him and walked briskly outside. Leonardo jogged up to him, the other three close behind.
"Malik, what is all this about?"
The man started running down the sidewalks. "Desmond!"
At the name, the other four started running faster, following the man through the city. Eventually, they came upon a large, walled in, Victorian manor. Malik was panting.
"Here?" Leonardo panted.
There were several moments of heavy breathing before Malik straightened up and brushed himself off. "Desmond. Desmond has been here for the past several months."
Ezio whipped up. "What?"
"This is the rehabilitation center for our area. Desmond was transferred here about five months ago. I made a call directly to the hospital, and they said they called us five months ago with word he had been sent here."
"How did we not know!" Altair growled, and went to grab the wall to climb over, but Malik held him back.
"Don't. Look closely. See the camouflaged fencing? It's electrified to keep people out. Like Vidic. Who intercepted our call."
The kids on the other side of the street scattered when they heard Ezio's snarl.
"He will rue the day he was born when I get my hands on him."
