Wow! Here we are the last chapter. It really has been quite a journey. It's been two years sense this was first published! I really want to thank all of you who stuck through with me, my bad updating and horrible spelling/grammar errors.
Almost a year had passed since Leonardo had donned a dress and pretended to be a woman. In the streets of Venice where filled with people getting ready for the wonders of Carnival to begin again.
After the fiasco with pretending his alter ego had gotten married, Leonardo had helped Ezio "exchange" letters with Lisa. This involved Ezio giving Leonardo a letter, which he told Ezio he would send off to Lisa. Rather than sending the letter to a woman who did not exist Leoanrdo would open the letter read it then compose his own reply, after the correct amount of time had passed he would give the letter to Ezio. At first he tried to keep the letters from Lisa short and angry but Leonardo could not resist the way the brunette's face would light up when he gave the assassin another letter. Thus a surprisingly large number of letters had been exchanged between the two. In each letter Ezio would ask Lisa to leave her husband for him, it was hard to Leonardo to keep writing no, especially because after each letter the assassin would sit on one of the workbenches and sigh on and on about Lesa's most recent denial.
On this day before carnival Ezio was particularly depressed.
"How was what I did so much worse than how Nicola treated her?" The assassin's fore head rested on his crossed arms causing him to speak at the worktable at the work table.
"You have asked me this question at least a thousand times. All I can say is that you probably broke her trust, you should be happy she still talks to you," Leonardo stood at his easel painting away on a large canvas. "Why not think about something happier? Like when the next time Rosetta and Lovino will be in Venezia?"
"That will not be for a rather long time," Ezio sighed, his shoulders lifting up and down with his breath.
Leonardo ignored his friends moping. "I do wonder if Lovino and that boy ever saw each other again."
Finally the brunette lifted his head from his arms. "Flower boy?"
"Oh yes," Leonardo turned to Ezio, "When she was here this boy who sells flowers at the market fell in love with her, he asks about her whenever he sees me, which is not often. I think the last time was more than four months ago. Maybe next time she is here you could contently have a mission that requires going to the market?"
"Trying to solve other people's romantic problems, Leonardo?" Ezio smirked.
He shrugged in response. "Why not? I think they would make a good couple. Now," he went back to his canvas, "If you are going to loiter around my workshop you might as well be useful. Go get the broom from where ever it is and start sweeping."
"Yes sir!" Ezio did a mock Roman salute as he jumped up from the table. Looking around the workshop he decided to start in the most reasonable place, the cupboards that sat periodically throughout the workshop. The first few tries revealed nothing but art supplies, random pieces of wood, and half finished inventions. The next one held books. It was not till the fifth try that he found something. That something was not the broom.
When the assassin opened the thick wood door his eyes landed on a red dress. The garment was balled up in the corner of the otherwise empty cabinet, left and forgotten. Slowly Ezio reached out one hand and pulled the dress out. "Leonardo, why do you have this?"
Leonardo did not turn from his painting. "Have what?"
Ezio held up the dress and took in the beautiful garment of the woman he loved so dearly. "Why do you have this dress?"
The artist stopped mid stroke. Gently he lowered his hand and turned to face Ezio. There was only one dress he could possibly be talking about. "Oh, it was, uh given to me by Lisa she said I could let one of my customers have it or use it for a painting…" He felt it was a good enough explanation.
Ezio gave him a skeptical look then glanced back in the cubbord noticing the red mask that had been sitting below the dress. He picked it up and took it in for a moment. "You know, Lisa was very tall…"
"Uh, yes she was," Where was Ezio going with this?
Ezio took a step toward Leonardo. "And she was blonde, and very smart."
"Yes, she was," Leonado nodded quickly. Ezio was being rather intimidating.
"She had a manly laugh, and did not have a curvy body," Ezio took several steps forward backing Leonardo up against his easel. "I often thought she reminded me a lot of you."
"E-Ezio I do not understand what you are trying to say."
The assassin stopped and looked down at the dress and mask then up at Leonardo. His face was agonized. "Why?"
"Why what?" Leonardo almost squeaked.
"Why did you not tell me the truth? Why did you not tell me you where Lisa?"
The artist's entire body deflated, he pressed his hands against the fabric behind him, carless of the paint smearing on his hands. His blue eyes settled on the red dress. He could never look Ezio in the eye again. This was the end, the end of everything. He knew. "I just… I have been in love with you for a very long time and Lovino said it was a great plan and I just went along with it. I can understand if you hate me now. You don't have to talk to me ever again if you do not want to! I did something totally unforgivable and I am sorry, but as I said you don't have to forgive me." He felt tears begin to slide down his cheeks.
"Why would I leave?"
Leonado's eyes jerked up. "What?"
"Why would I leave?" Ezio was smiling.
"But I-" Leonardo started but Ezio cut him off. "How many times did I tell you that I would do anything to have Lisa back?" Leonardo opened his mouth to speak again but Ezio spoke too quickly. "Yes, you lied to me, and yes you are not a woman, but I did not fall in love with Lisa because of her looks. I fell in love with you because of how you are. I am a little angry and a little weirded out." The assassin lets out a little chuckle and reached up to wipe Leonardo's cheek. "But I think we should give this a chance."
Leonardo stared at Ezio eyes wider than plates with a jerk he there his arms around his friend and began sobbing. His hands left splotches of paint on the white robes but neither man cared. Never had Leonardo expected Ezio to want him. He had expected Ezio to never speak with him again, or at best a strained friendship. This was almost too much for him to believe, he wanted to slap himself to make sure he was not dreaming. All he could do was whisper thank you over and over into Ezio's shoulder.
Ezio wrapped his own arms around Leonardo and make hushing noises and occasionally kissing the side of Leonardo's head.
I want you all to know that there is no need to fret, because as you can see this story is part of a series so there is more to come! I already have the sequel all planned out it will be shorter than this first one, but I do have other stories planned after the first one, and I will, hopefully get better at updating in a timely manner. I'm almost 20, I should be able to write three pages for a fanfiction every week!