I am truly sorry for the delay. May and June were hell for me with exams and my involvement in leading prom. Now that summer has arrived I will have the time to update more frequently. – Author

Chapter 4

Back at his home, Leonardo sulked up to the second floor clutching his wet clothes. He hung them on the balcony connected to his room and gazed out at the city slowly waking up. He wished to admire the beauty for a little longer, day dreaming about a day when he could watch the sun rise with Ezio, but his stomach was in no mood to allow him to stand still. A loud resounding growl pushed the romantic thoughts from his mind and replaced them with hunger. Leonardo's previous mission of obtaining breakfast was now reinstated and he left his workshop in a hurry with hopes to cease the rumblings of his stomach.

It wasn't long before Leonardo found a small café with a quaint terrace serving breakfast.

'Perfect. This will do nicely.' Rather than trudge groceries back to his house and make the effort to prepare a meal, one served to him piping hot and ready to be digested was much more appealing. Leonardo was seated by a young man, who gave him a welcoming and gentle smile. Leonardo blushed as the boy set down a cup of caffe in front of him. He thanked the boy and smiled back, noticing the waiter himself redden at the gratitude.

"Buongiorno Leonardo. How are you this morning?"

Sister Teodora had managed to sneak up behind Leonardo and greeted him with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Leonardo jumped. Teodora giggled.

"Ah! Sister Teodora, buongiorno to you as well. You gave me a quite a fright just now." Leonardo calmed his racing heart, not used to being surprised by so many women so early in the morning. "Won't you join me for some breakfast?"

Sister Teodora smiled and accepted the offer. Leonardo did not notice himself but the men from other tables were cursing his good fortune. Sister Teodora's business was well known with the men in Venezia. Her courtesans made many a wife angry but still pleased the hearts (and bodies) of many Italian men. Teodora's own beauty was a sight to be marvelled and the men at the nearby tables all shifted their gaze to her.

Sister Teodora was another of the few women that Leonardo would allow himself to befriend. Her business did not bother him in the least (as he was no feminist) and she herself was a very intelligent woman with whom Leonardo could converse with to the same level as Antonio.

The waiter returned and blushed at Leonardo's guest, took both their orders and scurried off to fill them. As the two conversed over the latest political squabbles and their current business, breakfast arrived and they both gave the young waiter a gentle smile and continued talking. The waiter went deep red, never having served such a beautiful couple before. A small crowd had formed at the cafe, young ladies and men all wishing to get a table in the café close to the sparkling pair.

"Leonardo, it has been wonderful catching up with you but you must tell me, what is troubling you? I can see it in your eyes; don't try to cover it up now." Sister Teodora was right. She could see Leonardo's worry over his unrequited love for Ezio. And when Leonardo blushed and tore away from her piercing gaze, she smiled and chuckled to herself. A low cooing from the young ladies in the café watching the conversation floated away with the hustle of the morning crowds. Leonardo was quite the hit among them.

"Alright then stay quiet. I believe I know what's troubling you anyway." She gave him a wink and a small uproar from the men in the café drifted into the crowded morning streets as well. Neither of the two noticed. Leonardo's creeping blushed deepened.

"Y-you do? Ah, no it's not what you thi-" Sister Teodora cut him off.

"Grazie for the meal, Leonardo. It was wonderful seeing you again." Sister Teodora got up and left quickly before Leonardo could finish his sentence. The men the in café seemed to filter out with her, leaving Leonardo alone once again. He sighed and wondered to himself if his feelings for Ezio were really that obvious. Thinking about Ezio for only that brief moment flustered him and when the waiter returned to collect the plates and leave the bill, he noticed that Sister Teodora had left him with her half of the check. He tsked but didn't mind paying for her. He wasn't attracted to women but he was still a gentleman.

After thanking the redden waiter and leaving the café, it was nearing midmorning. Leonardo still had plenty of time before the party later that day. Even though he was finished his main project, Leonardo had other projects he could finish but remembering the events from the day before, he had promised himself to sketch a portrait of a certain nude assassin.

Ezio laid sprawled out on his bed at the Palazzo Della Seta. He had woken up early and taken some time to clean his assassin armour. Polished, scentless and pristine, it had taken a few hours to clean. Now Ezio had found himself with nothing to do. Practicing his techniques was always an option and learning new moves from the thieves was also a thought that had come to mind, but he felt that it wasn't really necessary. He had explored every inch of Venezia, collected every eagle feather, and plundered from every hidden chest. There was nothing left for him to do adventuring wise. Ezio struggled to remember what he used to do every day before he was an assassin. After some thought, the only answer that didn't remind him of his former family was courting the various young ladies of Firenze. But that was when he was young, handsome and carefree. Sure Ezio still had dashing good looks but had his ways with women remained? He didn't have a problem with Rosa but she wasn't always around, and Ezio was never one to be tied down for too long. He needed to find a distraction, anything to keep him busy during his 'vacation'. But first things first, there was something else that Ezio needed more than a lady friend at the moment. And that was something to wear.

Parading around Venezia in his underwear certainly would attract attention from the female crowd, but also the guards as well. Ezio would have to do the one thing that almost all males feared most. Clothing shopping. In the past his mother and Claudia would buy or make clothes for him. He knew nothing of fashion or what would fit him. He cursed mentally and trudged around his room, muttering. It wasn't as if he could simply send a bird to Monteriggioni asking for Claudia to send him clothing. He couldn't leave his room in his usual assassin attire as the fabric was still drying in the light breeze near the window (close but not close enough that anyone could see the suspicious outfit). Well if it was just the male thieves in the palazzo, then would it be so strange for him to walk around shirtless? He could simply borrow a thief uniform until he got more 'fitting clothes'.

'Alright then, I'll just find Antonio and borrow a uniform. Simple as that.' Ezio left his room in search of Antonio, who was sure to be in the palazzo somewhere. Once in the hallways, Ezio overheard Antonio's voice immediately in the courtyard, which was then followed by a large amount of giggling. Antonio, as it turned out was entertaining a few girls himself, currently in the midst of a joke. As the girls laughed away, Antonio looked up to spot Ezio.

"Ezio! Good to see you awake...ah you seemed to be lacking clothing this morning..." As this point, the group of girls stopping laughing and all whipped around to stare down this man who Antonio addressed as 'lacking clothing'. Normally something like this wouldn't faze Ezio but instead he was actually taken aback at how embarrassed he felt. A small blush crawled along his cheeks as he waved and crept back into his room. Maybe the assassin armour had protected his ego for so long he felt naked and defenceless without it.

"Well to each his own...Now ladies would you like a special tour of the city, by yours truly of course?" The girls giggled and made their way out of the palazzo, arms latched onto Antonio, as he began to guide them through a city wide history lesson.

Ezio, now back in his room, decided that his previous plan wasn't as bright as he thought. The standard thief uniform would most likely not even fit him, since the majority of the thieves were lean and thin. Ezio was built and much larger in comparison. With no options left, he had no choice but to call on Leonardo for help again. He quickly scrawled a message on some parchment, and tied it to the messenger pigeon in the room. After freeing the pigeon on the balcony, Ezio sat and waited for the response.

Leonardo was in the middle of dissecting a fresh corpse when he heard a small rapping at his window. Rushing over to see the cause of the distraction, Leonardo was surprised to see a messenger pigeon. It wasn't often he received messages by pigeon so he rushed to untie it from the bird's leg. The pigeon waited patiently for Leonardo to read the message.

Leonardo,

I'm sorry to bother you if you were busy but I'm in a little bit of a...situation. Can you bring me something to wear per favore?

Ezio

Leonardo didn't really know what to make of the strange note. The first thing Leonardo questioned was why Ezio needed clothing. The second: where he would even bring an outfit in the first place. It didn`t matter however. What did matter was that he would be able to see Ezio again and so soon too. It made his heart flutter and his mind run wild with devious thoughts and lustful fantasies of Leonardo helping Ezio undress. Leonardo wasted no time putting away the corpse for now and rummaging through his closet for an outfit that would fit Ezio. Since he had visualized Ezio's impressive form so many times, he had a good idea of his general size and since the two were about the same height, finding pants that fit wouldn't be a problem either. He picked out a simple outfit, dark pants, a long sleeved white shirt and a blue-green vest with a belt. He imagined Ezio wearing this as he examined his choice. It was perfect, reminding him of the time they had first met in Firenze, how sexy he seemed carrying the paintings. Leonardo blushed and gathered up the clothes. In a hurry to rush out the door, Leonardo almost forgot about the pigeon still waiting patiently on the window sill.

"I would assume that I could find Ezio at the Palazzo Della Seta?" The pigeon, in some strange way seemed to understand Leonardo and gave a sort of nod as it flew off in the direction of the palazzo. Leonardo followed after. Soon he would get to see his beloved Ezio again.

Jogging through the bustling morning streets, Leonardo arrived at the palazzo in record time. He rushed in, following the steps up the room he had found Ezio in the day before. He blushed as a flash of an intimate memory raced across his mind. Arriving at the large wooden door again, he was sure to knock this time.

"Ezio? Are you there? I've brought you some clothes." Silence. Then...

"Entrare." Ezio's voice rang out clearly and Leonardo smiled as he turned the door knob. He was greeted with another sinful site of Ezio, not naked this time, but still baring some skin. Leonardo tried to hold back his excitement as he watched Ezio petting the cooing pigeon from earlier.

"Ciao Ezio! I've brought you something to wear. Please try it on, to make sure it fits..." Leonardo's mind couldn't help but spin various fantasy webs as he watched Ezio stand and walk over to Leonardo to accept the outfit.

"Grazie mille, mi amico. You have no idea how fortunate I am to have you around." Ezio laughed and began to pull on the pants.

"Scusa, I hope you don't mind me asking, but, why ever did you need me to bring you clothing?" Leonardo couldn't help but be curious, his genius always needing to be expanded.

"Ah well it's quite a funny story actually. Lorenzo has gifted me with some time off and I thought it wouldn't be appropriate to wear my armour for the time being, but..." Ezio chuckled, "I found myself with nothing else to wear! I couldn't have gone out to purchase clothing not wearing any myself, now could I?"

'I wouldn't have minded seeing that.' Leonardo thought to himself. "Ha ha. Yes I suppose you are right Ezio. Well, how does it fit?"

Ezio, having finished changing, admired himself in the nearby mirror. "Not bad, Leonardo. You have excellent taste, just like my sister. It fits perfectly." Ezio turned around and flashed Leonardo a smile. It was to die for, and made Leonardo's heart melt inside.

"Ha! I feel young again." The outfit reminded him of the times back when he would play around with his brothers and roam the streets of Firenze as a young man.

"You still are Ezio." Leonardo began to laugh and Ezio soon joined him and the two exchanged a heart felt moment.

"How can I thank you Leonardo? You do so much for me." Leonardo's mind quickly went from blissful happiness to greedy thoughts.

'Now that you've tried on your clothes, let me undress your beautiful body.' Is what he wanted to say but he couldn't let Ezio know. He tried his best to hide his explosive blush but red still seeped through. "Think nothing of it Ezio. I'm always happy to help you." He turned to leave and became sullen, letting out a low sigh. "I'll see you soon perhaps? Arrivederci Ezio." Leonardo left quickly, his thoughts soon darkening with the knowledge that Ezio would never be his. As the door slowly opened then closed, Leonardo had left before he could have noticed the pink spreading across Ezio's face. As Ezio stared at the door Leonardo had just exited through, he wondered to himself.

'Did Leonardo just look...cute...for a moment there? No, no that can't be right.' Ezio shock the thoughts from his mind and looked in the mirror again, stroking his ego at his handsome appearance.

"Bene, time to hit the town!"

Leonardo walked back to his workshop, heart threatening to burst out of his chest. Had Leonardo heard Ezio correctly? He was given time off, a rare thing for an assassin to possess. Leonardo didn't worry about the details at the time. His mind was only focused on one thing, the knowledge that Ezio would be within his reach for a while. He could see him at any time he wanted. Well not any time but he could change that. Ezio was staying with Antonio at the Palazzo Della Seta. Ezio could be staying with Leonardo. He had a spare room and had no problem letting Ezio use it. The only problem was convincing Ezio to leave the thieves guild to stay with him. He knew that Ezio didn't like to owe Leonardo anything, always trying to compensate Leonardo with money or some kind of favour for his services. But he really didn't mind helping Ezio if it meant he could see the man that made his heart skip beats. He wanted Ezio to stay with him. He wanted Ezio. It was sinful and wrong in the eyes of the public but that didn't matter to Leonardo. He was fairly good at covering up his personal life and even if the masses caught wind, the rumours would die the moment something juicier came along, which it always did.

When Leonardo entered his workshop, he just remembered that his night gown was still lying out on the balcony. Surely it was dry now. He hurried up to his room and threw open the balcony door. The night gown was missing.

"Oi Leonardo~ Up here!" Rosa sat perched on the roof across from Leonardo's balcony, holding Leonardo's night gown and cap in one hand, waving the other to gather his attention. Leonardo couldn't help but be a little peeved.

"Dammit, Rosa! First my day clothing and now my night gown?" Leonardo shouted across the garden at Rosa, who simply smiled coyly and waved the night gown, teasing Leonardo.

"Yup! Part Two Leonardo! Catch me and you will get your clothes back and a special surprise!" Rosa yelled back at him, standing up and sprinting off in the opposite direction, bounding gracefully from rooftop to rooftop.

"WHAT?" Leonardo was getting sick of Rosa's surprises but couldn't really do anything but to play along. It was his favourite nightgown and hat after all. First Leonardo had learned to leap from pole to pole across the canal, now he would learn to free run on the city's buildings, an action which he knew was discouraged by city guards. He looked to the side and noticed a ladder that had been conveniently placed where it hadn't been before. Quickly he climbed it to the roof of his workshop and began to run after Rosa.

Leonardo stumbled, trying desperately not to fall and break his neck; he was after all, at least two stories (maybe more) above the ground. Leonardo knew that there was no way for him to keep up with Rosa but she herself knew this as well, and seemed to slow her speed, letting Leonardo catch up to her just before sprinting ahead out of his reach.

"Rosa!" -huff- "This is ridiculous!" -huff- "Give me back my night gown!" Leonardo had difficulty keeping up but was beginning to notice how quickly he had gotten the hang of free running. Or maybe it was just because the path Rosa took was easy enough for Leonardo to navigate without killing himself. Rosa just laughed and flew across the roof tops like the graceful thief she was. Suddenly she turned a corner around a building and disappeared out of sight. By the time Leonardo got to where she had just been, he could not find her. The curtain of a roof top garden flapped in the breeze and caught Leonardo's attention. He swore he saw a giggling thief crouching inside. Leonardo snuck up as quietly as he could, and dove in.

-SMACK-

A nice head collision into the other side of the hiding spot caught Rosa's attention. Leonardo's body landed on top of her and pinned her as she held her gut roaring with laugher.

"Looks like you found me Leonardo. Well done! You may have your clothes back." Leonardo rubbed the forming bump on his temple and growled at Rosa as he snatched away his nightgown and hat.

"Perché Rosa? Why do you torture me so?" Leonardo pleaded as he stood up, still gingerly rubbing the bruise.

"Torture? Ha! Never! Do not fret Leonardo, it is nothing but training." Rosa smirked and helped him out of the small hiding spot.

"Training for what, if I may ask?" Leonardo hoped there wouldn't be any more 'training session's' after this one, but his hopes were soon dashed.

"If I told you that, then this wouldn't be any fun would it?" Rosa giggled and turned, ready to leave.

"I am not having fun." But Rosa was already leaping off into the distance. Leonardo sighed. With his head pulsing, Leonardo opted to walk back to his workshop, finding a ladder close by and climbing down. Ironically, a city archer only noticed Leonardo just as he was climbing down the ladder, yelling at the man to grow up and stay on the ground.

All the exercise caused Leonardo's stomach to growl in unison with a nearby clock's chime. Noon. He would pick up a few groceries on the way home. Soon he would need to be getting ready for the party.

'Wait, hadn't Rosa said there was a surprise if I succeeded?' A chill ran down Leonardo's back. He had had enough surprises for one day.

Once again I am sorry for the delay. Expect the next chapter out before the 9th of July. Please let me know how I am doing. Long reviews make Leonardo take his clothes off. - Author