Ezio knocked on the door and almost collapsed sideways into Leonardo when he answered it. The recently obtained codex page had been heavily guarded; he was dripping blood from several flesh wounds and he had been running from those bastards for well over an hour.

Venice was just so beautiful at night, he thought, panting heavily as he clutched at the stone floor of the workshop.

"...another one! Well done Ezio! ...Ezio?"
"Huh... I..."
"Are you okay?"
"L-Leonardo, they, it was.."
"Hey, it's okay. Relax! I'll have it decoded within the hour," said Leonardo, helping him back to his feet.
"Th-thank you... I.." Ezio attempted to say, but he suddenly became lost in a cold, yet soft cloud, as dark as...nothing. As dark as a vast expanse of nothingness – and nothing was that dark.

*

He woke up amidst a pile of soft blankets in the small room where Leonardo usually slept. He stood up, though with great effort, and opened the curtains, giving himself a glimpse of Leonardo bent almost double across the table.

"Leonardo," he said, walking towards his friend.
"Ah, you're awake. I won't deny that I was a little worried about you."
"Have you finished decoding that thing yet?"
"Yes. I need only a few more minutes to finish making it..." he laughed.
"Well, what is it? I thought the page held instructions to fix my hidden blade."
"Well... yes, but the page didn't... " his voice trailed away.
"What?"
"Well, uh... it's... uh..."
"Yes?"
"Some kind of... medieval sex toy,"
"Oh. Right."

Ezio's heart sank. He needed to have his hidden blade fixed, and quickly, if he was at last going to claim revenge for what was practically the murder of his father and brothers. He was sure that specific page would have been the most guarded, but this – God knows what those Venetian authorities were into! But he hade another feeling – it was strange. He couldn't identify it through the dismay. And why was Leonardo bothering to make that thing? Purely because of what it cost Ezio to attain it, or... well, he wasn't sure he wanted to think of the alternative just yet.

A knock at the door brought him to his senses.
"Aprire questa porta! We know you're in there!"
"Ezio!" Leonardo whispered, "stay under that table. I will be just a moment."
Ezio did as he was told, hiding under the table. Through the gaps in the elaborate table legs, he could see Leonardo open the door and be forcibly dragged out of his house.

"I must know of Ezio Auditore's whereabouts! We know you were close to that family!"
"No... I haven't seen him for a very long time," Leonardo replied confidently.
Ezio felt a sudden rush of affection for his friend. He could have just turned him over, to save his own neck. But then he heard a dull thud and a cry of pain, which surely came from his friend. He stood up, shaking.
"This will change your mind, eh signor?"

In Ezio's mind there was only one course of action – save Leonardo. He took a knife from the table and ran out after them. There was one guard standing over Leonardo, who was curled awkwardly on the floor. Ezio felt another rush of emotion for his friend as he charged at the guard and plunged the knife straight through the back of his neck, just enough that there was a slight metal protrusion on the other side. The guard's scream was quickly reduced to a faint guttural whinge, and then to mere blood, soaking warm across Ezio's arms and the courtyard flagstones.

He withdrew the knife and held his arm out to Leonardo, but he was already on his feet.
"Ezio..." he started, looking into the younger man's eyes. "I don't know how to thank..."
"No, thank you. You could have just handed me over to them and.." he faltered. The world was spinning a little. He staggered slightly towards Leonardo.

"Are you alright?" his friend asked, laying a warm hand lightly on Ezio's blood soaked shoulder.
"Yeah, I... I think I've just had enough of the city guard for one night." He staggered forward again, and Leonardo caught him in his arms.
"Let me take you inside," he said, and half walked him, half carried him back to the comfort of the workshop. He helped Ezio onto the bed and began to remove his leather shoulder guard so he could tend to some of the wounds from his previous fight; they were still steadily oozing blood through his shirt. He rested one hand on Ezio's chest and slowly unbuttoned the scarlet stained shirt.

Whatever Ezio was concerned about at that moment, it wasn't his physical health. He felt the cold stinging as Leonardo dabbed at the slashes that decorated his chest. Their eyes met for a moment. And in that moment – everything. Leonardo's emotions rose up inside him, threatening to tip him over the edge; and Ezio's gratitude.
"Leonardo, I-"
"Kiss me."
"I... what?" he was shocked. But how could he refuse when his friend had been so ready to sacrifice himself to ensure Ezio's safety? Leonardo just looked at him, his gaze never shifting. Ezio returned the gaze as he drew nearer, and gave him what was intended to be a brief, friendly kiss – but Leonardo's hand was at the back of his neck, preventing him from pulling away; he was tilting his head, his eyes closed, the two passionately sharing the same breath. He started to dig his nails into Ezio's chest, catching one of the wounds and causing him to gasp with pain – and a hint of arousal. His breath was ripped out in an uneven rhythm; he wanted it now, and he knew it.

Leonardo looked at him apologetically.
"I, uh... I never showed you what I managed to make from the codex instructions!"
"Do we have to do this now?"
"Yes."
He disappeared for a moment, and returned with something that shimmered when it caught the light.
"A pair of ...bracelets... a special kind. They're fastened together, see? The codex page suggests...suggests that..." he blushed.
"Suggests what?" sniggered Ezio, "I wear one and you wear the other and we're together forever?"

"No," Leonardo replied, a sudden purposefulness about him. He sat back down beside Ezio.
"It suggests you wear both of them."
"Huh?"
But Leonardo was already forcing his left hand into the handcuff and dragging him closer to the metal posts of the bed. He pulled the connecting cord around the post and forced Ezio's right hand into the other handcuff. He then wrapped an arm around Ezio's back and pulled him into a deep kiss, and with the other hand raked his nails slowly but deliberately into the chest wounds. Ezio gasped again and started to violently return the favour, almost biting and sharing Leonardo's deep but quick breaths. Eyes still closed, Leonardo's hands wandered up Ezio's neck and tugged the ribbon from his hair. He grabbed handfuls of the younger man's hair and continued the kiss. Ezio wished he could have the use of his hands.
"I'd return the favour but I'm a bit tied up here," Ezio laughed, but his voice was weak with need for his lover.
"I have plenty of time to see how talented the hands of the assassin are... "
He snaked his hands towards the assassin's belt and removed it in one fluid movement. Ezio kicked off the rest of his clothing as Leonardo slowly removed his own. Ezio reached up to begin another kiss but Leonardo placed his hand over his mouth, kissing his neck instead. He gently kissed and nipped his way lower, finally taking his lover's smooth erection in a strong grip, causing him to shudder with pleasure.

Now, he really wanted it.

He tightened his grip and bit into Ezio's thigh, slowly sliding his hand up and down. Ezio began to whine with arousal and longing. He had always been an impatient guy.
"Please," he begged, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Leonardo shot him a seductive smile and continued his work; he wasn't done playing. After what seemed like an age, he clawed his way back up Ezio's body, deliberately catching as many of the slashes as possible. Tears stung Ezio's eyes – he needed the older man now, needed the pain, needed the pleasure – needed him completely.

Leonardo kissed him briefly and thrust into Ezio's entrance without warning. He cried out.
"G-geez Leonardo!" He spluttered, "Have you never heard of foreplay!?"
He got no answer, only Leonardo's hand clawing harder at his lacerated chest, his eyes closed behind his swinging hair, moving faster. He bit into Ezio's collar bone, causing him to gasp.
"Leonardo-!"
Leonardo paused and sighed deeply, looking into Ezio's eyes.
"Now?"
The submissive assassin nodded mutely, unable to speak through his desire.

He pushed into the younger man again with even greater force, both of them gasping this time. Ezio arched his back, moving his hips with Leonardo, who returned his hands to the assassin's throbbing cock and squeezed.
"I-" Ezio struggled in his handcuffs and Leonardo's action threatened to push him over the edge.
"Love-"
"You." Leonardo finished, pushing harder and faster, moaning loudly; Ezio wildly screaming like a bitch. Both moved more and more erratically and reached a climax at exactly the same time. Leonardo merely panted, steadying himself; Ezio shot everywhere, writhing and gulping the air.

Leonardo allowed himself to fall forward onto Ezio's chest. The assassin kissed his forehead gently.
"Maybe you did fix my blade a little..."