Pain.

With a few muttered curses, he forced the fog of sleep away bringing him to feel the sore and ache which wrecked his entire body. Why did he hurt so much? And what exactly happened? It took him some thinking before he could bring back small fragments of some fight. And that he was thrown off the side of a building.

Just another day in the life that the thief lived in.

La Volpe cracked open his eyes, and groaned as the light filtering through the window was all too blindingly bright, resulting in a steady throb of a headache. He was quick to bring a hand to his face, immidiantly touching fevered, sweat soaked skin. If he could see his own face, he'd know how his cheeks were heated until a light scarlet.

Dispite the fact he felt he was sweating, he was cold. And as soon as he had managed to ajust to the light, he still had a heavy blur in his vision. Regardless, he still tried to sit up, until white hot pain flared in his chest and sides, what would of been a scream came out as a shuddery gasp.

Then a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to barely make out a woman's face. Upon meeting her eyes, he heard her say, "Please, just rest." So he let himself lay down again, breathing shallowly because it hurt too much to yawn or even take a deep breath.

The woman continued, "Everyone else is asleep." Which made him confused, it was day time right? Why were they all asleep? Then the hand begun to trail up and away, the area on his shoulder where it had rested breifly seemed frozen now without the extra warmth from her. "How do you feel?"

"I'll live." He answered simply. "Just sore is all."

"La Volpe?"

He hummed as a responce, unable to come up with anything else to say. Clearly his vocabulary had failed him with his foggy mind and the now dulling down ache in his rib cage.

"Do you have feelings for me or something?" She asked. Almost seeming to force it out as if it were all so very awkward just bringing it up.

He craned his neck a little so he could see her standing over him, gazing down with knowing gold eyes. "If you mean that I care about you, then yes."

There was a moment where neither spoke a word, the only sound was the gentle snore of those around them. Until she questioned, "But what do you mean by that?"

He shook his head, shutting his eyes with a sigh. "I don't know... I don't know how I feel about you." Before he could even comprehend it, he was rambling and unable to stop the steady flow of words coming from him. "I mean, I like you, but I don't know in what way. I don't know how I should and... I don't know if it's right to like you in some ways that I keep thinks. It's just confusing and... I just don't know..."

Once he relized that Ezio hadn't responded to this, he had started to panic. Had she left, thinking he had gone insane? The turrent of questions were suddenly set to a halt as a hand, so much smaller than he knew it should have been, and so delicate that he was afraid that if he put even the slightest of pressure that it would shatter, took hold of his own. He looked up again, violet eyes meeting gold as he was at a lose of words.

With her free hand, Ezio brushed her bangs out of the side of her face and behind an ear, not looking away for a second. "Maybe no one has to know." Then her fingers brushed out from beneath his palm and up his wrist. "Or maybe this can just be a one time sort of thing and the moment I'm myself everything will be back to normal."

"Ezio, are you suggesting that-?" He found himself cut off as a small kiss was laid on his cheek.

"Is this why you've been so strange around me, Volpe?" She asked, her voice so calm and gentle that it was all to inviting.

It took a moment to asked as he seemed too stunned by the skin where Ezio had kissed him seemed to tingle with a burn. Was he... blushing? "I guess it is... Is- is it a bad thing that I'm not denying any of this? I mean, we shouldn't, should we? This isn't right. At all. And..." At least this time he was able to stop himself from saying the rest of his thoughts outloud. What was with him today? He couldn't help but babble like a senseless idiot around her now. His inner thoughts nagged at him, knowing that what ever it was he was feeling towards his now womanly friend was wrong, and that it couldn't last. But yet, another part, which seemed so caught up in this moment alone only wanted all of it. Wanted to admit it, and wanted to give into his own feelings. Get a hold of yourself! This shouldn't be happening!

"La Volpe?"

"Yes?"

"You find this very awkward, don't you?"

"I thought you would."

"I know. It's just strange." She then leaned in closer, just so her face was right infront of him now as she was pulled over him. "This is all confusing, and I feel things I don't remember feeling. Is it wrong? I don't know."

"Ezio, I-." But he was without words. There was nothing he could say as the younger moved away.

"It's alright, amico mio." She was walking down the hall now, but she turned breifly as she added. "I don't want to make you do anything that we may both regrete later."

Was that it? For some reason, he kept looking back at the longing which her voice held, as if she had wanted him to answer more honestly than he had, and for him not to hold back on his opinion on this. But yet, he was wonder as well, why did they both feel this way, and was it suppost to happen this way? Whatever was causing this, was this it's intent? He couldn't be sure.

All that was certain was the realization that dropped like a stone in the pit of his stomach. He had a chance to get what he seemed to desire for some reason, and he turned it down.

Yeah, ending here. Had a fluffyish moment here. I'd of made this go even farther, but I decided on making it extremely awkward and Volpe babbling. From a majority of you, you wanted me to keep Ezio a girl for the fluffiness. I can't say I blame you.
Now, I will also add, that there is a LOGICAL EXPLAINATION for their sudden attraction and such. And you'll find out soon.

Oh and another thing, I posted a bunch of chapters and I don't know if you guys are reading or not (cause I'm not getting any feedback), if you all suddenly don't like this fic then let me know so I can end it now and stop your torture.