A/N: I felt that Leonardo needed to tell his side for once… Poor guy's been pushed every which way… Or perhaps he needs to keep silent.
"Mio Dio! Ezio! What happened to you?"
Ezio looked at Claudia, who was accompanied by two mercenaries and his Uncle Mario. He didn't have the strength to speak, so he just sighed.
Leonardo jumped down off of the carriage and began to talk. "Borgia nearly caught Ezio, three guards beat the living daylights out of him, and Borgia expects Ezio in Roma in a few days." The artist left out the parts that he betrayed Ezio and set up the scenario.
"Those damn Templars…" Mario growled. "Okay, let's get you inside so we can get you fixed up, nipote." He and Leonardo and one of the two mercenaries carried Ezio inside, taking him to an empty bed and laying him down.
Ezio gasped, the pain shooting through his body again. "Cazzo…" He silently said.
"Ehi, prende il suo asino e lo ripara qui dentro!" Mario yelled out of the room, and a servant with bandages ran into the room, running up to Ezio.
"Come, Leonardo." Mario waved to Leonardo. "Let's leave him to rest."
Leonardo looked at Ezio, reluctant to leave.
Ezio nodded to Leonardo before closing his eyes and passing out.
"Si." Leonardo followed Mario.
"How did Borgia find Ezio?"
"I… I don't know." Leonardo shrugged. "I saw Ezio take a carriage, I assume heading here, to Monteriggioni. I decided to follow him, and guards came up to the carriage and began to beat him up, Borgia nearly killing him."
"Why didn't he?"
Leonardo worried his lip. "Well… I told him to stop."
Mario stopped and looked at Leonardo, surprised. "He listened to you?"
Leonardo sighed. "Si… he did."
"Why?"
Leonardo looked away. "Because… He trusts me."
Mario grabbed Leonardo's collar. "What are you telling me, you've been working for Borgia this whole time?"
Leonardo lay limp in Mario's grasp. "I haven't been working for Borgia, I've been spying on him, relaying the info to Ezio."
Mario seemed considerate of what the artist said. "Okay then," Not relinquishing him, "Why did you have to follow Ezio? Couldn't you have ridden with him?"
"We got into… a bit of a spat…"
Mario raised his eyebrows.
"Ezio found out I was working with the Templars, and he flipped out, nearly getting killed by some guards, then took off. He was angered with me, so I knew I wouldn't be able to confront him."
"How'd he find out? I trust you didn't tell him like you told me."
"Well…" Leonardo blushed, trying to figure out a way to say what he wanted to say. "He saw my pendant," Leonardo pulled out the pendant to show Mario. "And he flipped seeing it."
Mario turned loose of Leonardo. "Why are you blushing?"
Merda. Leonardo put the necklace back. "Eh… no reason." He began to walk away.
Mario grabbed Leonardo's arm. "What is it you are not telling me? I know it has something to do with Ezio getting hurt. What is it?"
Leonardo sighed.
"How did he see the necklace?"
"It fell out of my shirt."
Mario stared at Leonardo. "It fell out of your shirt?" He asked, confused, until he began to put two and two together. "You… You bastardo! You and Ezio? My nipote?" Mario punched Leonardo in the face. "You keep away from my nipote, you hear me you disgusting bastard? You must have tricked him into your sodomitist ways!"
Leonardo fell to the ground, holding his bruised cheek. "Shit…"
Mario kicked Leonardo, then growled and stormed into the villa.
Leonardo sat up, cursing himself. He stood up and tried to go inside the villa. "Ezio's going to kill me." A mercenary who saw the ordeal stared at Leonardo, but he let him in anyway. He began to walk into the room that Ezio was in, but stopped outside the door, listening.
"Nipote… what's gotten into you?"
"Uncle, what are you talking about?" Ezio asked, able to speak. His voice was weak though.
"You and Leonardo… intimate…"
Ezio coughed. "What? How do you know this Uncle?"
Leonardo wanted to be engulfed by the ground at that moment.
"He told me how you found his Templar pendant."
"Oh…"
"Why? Ezio?"
Ezio didn't say anything.
Leonardo decided he'd be the lion he was and enter the room, though he was scared as hell, afraid of the assassin's uncle.
"You, get out of here, Sodomite!" Mario growled at Leonardo and began to push on him, shoving him to the ground.
Leonardo didn't fight back. He crawled back into his shell that he called home, avoiding the evils of the world around him.
"Uncle! Stop!"
Mario continued to attack Leonardo.
"Uncle!"
Leonardo opened his eyes and looked. Ezio was holding Leonardo's hand, kneeling in front of him, to protect him.
"Ezio…"
"I love this man… and I don't care if you like it or not. Okay?"
Leonardo gasped, his throat suddenly dry.
"And I thought I was mad at him because of how I found out he was with the Templars… but honestly… I could care less. I love him."
Mario sighed. "Ezio. Why?"
"I don't know why him, why a man of all people… but that's what happened. He's never intended harm on me. He's tried to play both roles, persuading Borgia to not kill me, attacking the guards that attacked me. He's been looking out for me, more than I really knew…" Ezio fell to the ground.
"Ezio!" Leonardo jumped up and kneeled over Ezio. "Are you okay?"
Ezio was unconscious.
Leonardo sighed and helped return Ezio to his bed.
"I'm sorry Leonardo." Mario apologized.
"It's okay. I'm used to the beatings."
Mario raised his brow.
"The guards back in Florence grew accustom to beating me. What seemed like just for shits and giggles." Leonardo sat on the bed next to Ezio.
The aides in the room left, seeing Ezio was okay. Mario and Leonardo were the only two remaining in the room with Ezio. "How long?"
Leonardo's stare was broken by Mario's words. He looked up from looking at Ezio. "Excuse me?"
"How long have you and my nipote been in a relationship?"
"Eight years."
Mario nodded. "I'll leave you alone with him."
Leonardo nodded, a silent thank you.
Mario sighed and left the room.
Leonardo looked at Ezio. "Thank you for standing up for me… considering the shit I've done to you."
Ezio seemed to groan in response, but he didn't speak.
"I love you, Ezio." He kissed Ezio's lips, then crawled into the bed next to him, hugging the unconscious assassin, before going to sleep.
