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“Wake up Pretty Boy...”
“I'm already awake”, Ezio smiled softly and pressed his cheek deeper into the pillow while Leonardo's fingers moved down his spine and the mattress dipped underneath his body weight when he leaned closer, placing a kiss on Ezio's ear. “So it seems”, Leonardo whispered and Ezio could feel his lips curling into a smile against his skin, hand moving up and down Ezio's side in a soothing manner.
“How did you sleep?”, he purred and Ezio rolled on his back, blinking up at Leonardo hovering above him, hair tousled from sleep. This was a rare occasion. Ever since Leonardo could afford to live from his art he had quit his job as a teacher at the local art school and chose his own working hours – this meant he usually didn't get his day started before noon and worked till late the night, saying it were the evening and late night hours he was creative the most. So yes, him waking up before Ezio and at such an early hour -although it was already past nine, it was a Saturday after all- was a very rare and special occasion Ezio wouldn't want to miss.
“Good”, he murmured, voice heavy and sluggish from sleep and he swallowed thickly. “I sleep always good when you come to bed with me”, he added and it was a little side blow which made Leonardo almost flinch. It was no secret Ezio didn't like it for Leonardo to spend his time at the studio till four or five o'clock in the morning. He wouldn't mind it if it happened only a few days a week or month – but it happened every day, the weekends too and Ezio missed falling asleep with the familiar weight of Leonardo's body pressing up against his back.
“It's going to change”, Leonardo told him and Ezio had heard the words too often now as if he could believe him so he just shrugged. “Yes I know”, Ezio said, “after exhibition, right?” His words sounded sharp, maybe a bit too sharp as Leonardo's fingers curled above his skin and Leonardo pulled his hand away just a second later.
“I've worked the last three years for this exhibition Ezio, I've explained it to you many times. When it's done I'm able to spend more of my time with you.”
“You make it sound like as if I'm a stressed little housewife”, he huffed and pulled his arm underneath his head, eyes set on Leonardo's pale chest.
“You're no housewife but you do sound a little stressed. I've thought you slept good”, Leonardo pondered and his fingers sprawled across Ezio's stomach.
“I did – there are just nicer ways to wake up. I swear I can't hear the word exhibition anymore”, Ezio murmured sourly and Leonardo leaned down, kissing him above the heart.
“Me kissing you is not a nice way to wake up? I'm hurt Pretty.” Although Leonardo continued drawing small circles across Ezio's stomach and around his navel, his tone held a certain note.
“No it is nice, I didn't mean to ruin it, it's just-”
“It's just you had a few pretty rough days”, Leonardo whispered knowingly and nuzzled Ezio behind one ear. “I'm surprised you kept it so well together for so long after everything which happened.”
“I tried not to think about it too much”, Ezio admitted eventually and closed his eyes, letting Leonardo take his wrist while he climbed on top of him, straddling his lap, taking his other wrist as well and guiding them above his head.
“But it's nothing you can ignore. Malik is probably one of your oldest friends and he and Kadar has been a part of your life for a very long time now...”
“It's nothing I can ignore”, Ezio nodded and he watched how Leonardo put the cuffs around his wrist, the ones which were already hanging on their bed frame so they were always in reach if needed – and they were needed quite a lot.
“But I could try to help you feel better for a little while”, Leonardo hummed and framed Ezio's head with his elbows as he leaned down after he'd closed the cuffs, his long hair creating a curtain around them, shielding them from the outside world as he kissed Ezio.
“I... I guess there's nothing I could say against it”, Ezio breathed once Leonardo pulled away and sat up on top of him. He placed both palms on Ezio's shoulder, head tilted to one side. “No I guess there really isn't Pretty Boy”, Leonardo smiled down at him.
“But you're not trying to tell me you think sex is the answer to everything?”
The look on Leonardo's face was priceless, shocked and all wide-eyed and Ezio bit his tongue when it turned into almost furious but the storm never came. “Why would you think this is about sex?”
“For once...”, Ezio hummed and pulled against the restrains holding his wrist up above his head. “And two...”, he nodded at Leonardo, his eyes roaming across the artist's chest.
“This is not about sex Ezio. If you think I'm going to let you come after I allowed you to have so much fun with Altair yesterday you're very, very wrong. I don't even know what makes me more angry. You thinking I'm trying to comfort you with sex or you thinking comforting you with sex is the only thing I know to make you feel better.”
“I didn't mean it like that-”
“You meant it exactly like that”, Leonardo said and his eyes narrowed at Ezio and there was a cold lump forming in Ezio's stomach, its cold spreading like ice crystals across his body. And the morning had started so good...
He felt his cheeks reddening and lowered his gaze in shame. Leonardo had good intentions, no way Ezio could deny that and he wasn't even sure why he'd said it in the first place. Maybe he was just looking for a fight to release some of the stress which had built up inside of him these last couple of days. He'd tried to hold it back so he could be there for Leonardo and Altair, but really, in the end it only made it worse as he'd forgotten about taking care of himself completely.
“My apologies sir”, he whispered eventually, quietly.
“Apology accepted”, Leonardo muttered and his nails traveled gently down Ezio's stomach. “But tell me then how to make you feel better - and don't try to hide anything from me.”
“This actually makes me feel better”, Ezio admitted in a soft manner. “I just thought I...” But he stopped himself from talking.
“But you thought just what?”
“I don't know”, Ezio shook his head.
“You don't know or you don't want me to know Pretty?”, Leonardo purred and started kneading Ezio's side, his fingers traveling down across the skin and muscles.
He slipped his eyes shut and took a deep breath, “I don't know sir... I really don't. Maybe I just need a break.”
And Leonardo's movements stopped. “A break from what?”, he asked softly, sounding almost... afraid.
“I don't know.”
“You do know”, Leonardo said sternly. “Why don't you want to share it with me?”
“So you don't have to worry.”
“You're such an idiot sometimes.”
Ezio's eyes snapped open. “Thank you.”
“No, you really are Ezio. You can tell me – I'm worried about no matter what, I'm probably more worried if you don't tell me, so now... spill it.”
Ezio thought for a moment and he almost couldn't stand it how Leonardo was glaring down on him but when his gaze softened, so did Ezio's chest, the tight knot tied around his heart slowly vanishing. “I think I need a break from life.”
Leonardo looked shocked for a second, then incredible sad. “I didn't know you feel this bad-”
“You make it sound as if I'm suicidal and believe me, I'm far away from it. I just... can't you take a few more hours off and come earlier to bed at night?” Ezio was almost pleading now.
“I can't”, Leonardo shook his head and Ezio's whole body slumped as his hope was crumbling right in front of his eyes. “Not with exhibition this close and going to open soon”, he whispered. “It's going to change Ezio, I promise.”
“You said that so many times already”, Ezio answered truthfully. “We've been together for too long now. It's always been like this, you know? I don't want you to stop working or to go back to that art school to have regular working hours – but I want to see you more often. There have been weeks I only saw you when you were working and drawing me and while we spent our time together then it's not the same you know?”
Leonardo looked dumbfounded for a few seconds, maybe even minutes and he didn't move for the longest of time. “And here I thought I always took good care of you...”, he whispered eventually and now Ezio remembered why he hadn't told Leonardo before – he couldn't stand the sight of how crushed he looked.
“You are taking good care of me, don't think that. And I bet if Malik's accident hadn't happened it would have bothered me but I would have been able to endure it but- too much has happened the last couple of days and I simply have no strength anymore. Not to keep going for the both of us.”
“You want my support”, Leonardo said and sounded a bit surprised because the answer to Ezio's trouble was so simple and yet he wondered why both men hadn't been able to name it just a few moments earlier.
Ezio smiled a little and nodded, “Yes I want your support.” Leonardo reached for his cheek, cupping it and his thumb stroke across it down to his lips.
“If that's what it needs to make you happy you will get plenty of it”, he murmured as he leaned in to brush his lips in a faint kiss over Ezio's and new warmth blossomed in the man's chest.
“That would be actually... pretty great”, Ezio muttered and sucked a sharp breath in, his eyes following Leonardo's fingers as he made to open the cuffs. “No”, Ezio shook his head, “you can leave them on.”
Leonardo's eyes rose while a smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. “Oh really now?”
“Yes”, Ezio nodded with a smile, “I've heard the rumor master wants to make me feel good again and to help me relax...”
Leonardo flashed him a full blown grin now. “Oh I think your master can arrange that, Pretty Boy...”