#ezio x leo

[ball-pen]

Ezio and Leo

[tendebill]

I FINISHED IT1!!!!!!111!!! took me long enough lol. i struggled a bit towards the end, but i think i like the final result ^-^ no more big detailed drawings anytime soon though. i am too tired to spend another [X amount of hours] on a piece like this tbh

recording of my process below :D!

fun fact: the file for this got so heavy that my laptop almost ran out of space (its fine now i had to delete some shit but i pushed through), so i had to stop recording the timelapse about 1/3 through shading ezio lmao

[sammylikesyaoi]

Fic inspirata dalla canzone Tango di Tananai

Dal testo:

"- I sentimenti o l'amore più in generale sono il più spaventoso dei salti della fede. Ed io non ho avuto il coraggio di lanciarmi. Lo faccio adesso, nel buio di questa caverna, con il peso del mio destino che mi preme sul collo. -"

[xruffyx]

Hello 👁️👄👁️

I bring you Ezio x Leonardo.

I replayed AC2 in autumn and I immediately fell in love with Ezio and Leonardo (I actually had played only Brotherhood and Revelations back in my childhood so I never really got to know Leo as a character). He is sooo adorable and loving, I just can't.

A couple of news:

- For now I am pausing my Patreon page. So officially I'm on the break from art. Maybe in the future I will reopen commissions first but there are no dates for now. At the moment I want to focus on recovering from art burnout.

- Diz boyz r gay

[sulfies]

Thankyou so much😭✨ New AC likers united💪🏻 I do feel like I should say sorry to the regular sane Ezio x Leo, Malik x Altaïr and Desmond x Shaun shippers bc Im not rlly into those 😭

Woah dude your art is just so kdjdkfjlglg freaking perfect !!!! 😳

I absolutely love your style and It’s scratching the inside of my brain and kickstarting my ac obsession once again 🎉

I also absolutely love your ideas on the bleeding effect still in place when Desmond travels back in time 🤣

You can thank the Steam discounts for getting me in lol, Yall gonna make me cry from love 😭✨ ty so much im glad im getting ppl to obsess over it again bc I have read like all the good fics and need new ones so im hoping I can subliminally get some of yall to write new stuff/jk 😌

And yess Idk why, I love the bleeding effect, its one of my fav parts of Desmonds story n tropes. I just think there is a lot of missed opurtunity for tropes, jokes, misunderstanding and good ol fandom crack.

Ik most of the fandom likes to ,to put it nicely, coddle Desmond bc my man needs rest but I like my men traumatized, boredline insane and one thing away from a total breakdown. I think bleeding effect adds like frosting on a cake 😌👌🏻

Things like:

Desmond not knowing if some of the crowd he sees in rennisance italy is real or his bleeding effect bc its so familiar.

Desmond getting info from a merchant only to realize its a bleed right after or running from non real guards.

Him getting modern day bleeds like seeing seeing Shaun or Becca randomly at a desk.

Him having to ask Ezio what year it is bc sometimes he sees him w out or with a beard.

Him randomly missing and not knowing how he got where he did

Him getting confused why the "memory" isnt fastforwarding forgetting he isnt in animus

[teecupangel]

So I know you typically ship Desmond with his ancestors but I was curious about ships with others. The ones I typically do are

Desmond x Kadar (Sweet boys need more love)

Desmond x Malik (The sass master will stand resolute to protect Desmond.)

Desmond x Leonardo (If Ezio can't see that Leo is into men then Desmond will give Leo all the attention and love he craves and more)

Desmond x Shay (Shay just needs someone who understands what he had to deal with.)

Feel free to do a little paragraph for each or more.

Like I have with Malik, having him being a devout Muslim and Desmond respects that. Or Desmond at garage sales will buy the computers, game systems whatever and let Leonardo have all the fun he wants with them. Or with Shay, actually wanting to spend time out on The Morgan if Shay has it. These are all modern day.

I can and will ship Desmond with anyone and everyone XD

Desmond x Kadar

This is a pairing where it’s mostly sweet and fluff until the angst hit with the whole “he only thinks he loves me because I look like Altaïr.” Kadar would assume Desmond is being distant because he doesn’t feel the same way. Altaïr and Malik suffer for the balance of the world.

Desmond x Malik

For Desmond x Malik, @saberamane and I talked about it here. The main point is that Altaïr has to suffer through this. If Kadar is alive, he will be supportive but also a little shit who would absolutely try to cliché his way to getting his brother a happy ending. Bonus point: people don’t know Desmond is a different person and think Altaïr and Malik are in a relationship.

Desmond x Leonardo

It would be funny if, the entire time Desmond and Leonardo were flirting/courting each other, Ezio just thinks they’re becoming really reeeaaaalllyyy close friends. Leonardo doesn’t say anything because it feels too awkward to say something. Desmond doesn’t say anything because he wants to see just how long Ezio would be oblivious.

Desmond x Shay

If this was modern day, I still like the idea of Shay betraying the Brotherhood in some way like resigning from whatever company the Brotherhood was and getting employed in Abstergo. Talk of work is off limits because Desmond is either trying to not become part of the Brotherhood’s company or is integral to the company already. Most of Desmond’s friends like Shay as a person but likes to joke about asking Desmond to sabotage Abstergo using Shay or dump Shay. Desmond never takes it seriously and it’s like… an ongoing joke that seems so callous and rude to other people.

[eludin-realm]

Character Name Ideas (Male)

So I've been browsing through BehindTheName (great resource!) recently and have compiled several name lists. Here are some names, A-Z, that I like. NOTE: If you want to use any of these please verify sources, meanings etc, I just used BehindTheName to browse and find all of these. Under the cut:

A: Austin, Aiden, Adam, Alex, Angus, Anthony, Archie, Argo, Ari, Aric, Arno, Atlas, August, Aurelius, Alexei, Archer, Angelo, Adric, Acarius, Achilou, Alphard, Amelian, Archander B: Bodhi, Bastian, Baz, Beau, Beck, Buck, Basil, Benny, Bentley, Blake, Bowie, Brad, Brady, Brody, Brennan, Brent, Brett, Brycen C: Cab, Cal, Caden, Cáel, Caelan, Caleb, Cameron, Chase, Carlos, Cooper, Carter, Cas, Cash, Cassian, Castiel, Cedric, Cenric, Chance, Chandler, Chaz, Chad, Chester, Chet, Chip, Christian, Cillian, Claude, Cicero, Clint, Cody, Cory, Coy, Cole, Colt, Colton, Colin, Colorado, Colum, Conan, Conrad, Conway, Connor, Cornelius, Creed, Cyneric, Cynric, Cyrano, Cyril, Cyrus, Crestian, Ceric D: Dallas, Damien, Daniel, Darach, Dash, Dax, Dayton, Denver, Derek, Des, Desmond, Devin, Dewey, Dexter, Dietrich, Dion, Dmitri, Dominic, Dorian, Douglas, Draco, Drake, Drew, Dudley, Dustin, Dusty, Dylan, Danièu E: Eadric, Evan, Ethan, Easton, Eddie, Eddy, Einar, Eli, Eilas, Eiljah, Elliott, Elton, Emanuel, Emile, Emmett, Enzo, Erik, Evander, Everett, Ezio F: Faolán, Faron, Ferlin, Felix, Fenrir, Fergus, Finley, Finlay, Finn, Finnian, Finnegan, Flint, Flip, Flynn, Florian, Forrest, Fritz G: Gage, Gabe, Grady, Grant, Gray, Grayson, Gunnar, Gunther, Galahad H: Hale, Harley, Harper, Harvey, Harry, Huey, Hugh, Hunter, Huxley I: Ian, Ianto, Ike, Inigo, Isaac, Isaias, Ivan, Ísak J: Jack, Jacob, Jake, Jason, Jasper, Jax, Jay, Jensen, Jed, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Jesse, Jett, Jimmie, Jonas, Jonas, Jonathan, Jordan, Josh, Julien, Jovian, Jun, Justin, Joseph, Joni, K: Kaden, Kai, Kale, Kane, Kaz, Keane, Keaton, Keith, Kenji, Kenneth, Kent, Kevin, Kieran, Kip, Knox, Kris, Kristian, Kyle, Kay, Kristján, Kristófer L: Lamont, Lance, Landon, Lane, Lars, László, Laurent, Layton, Leander, Leif, Leo, Leonidas, Leopold, Levi, Lewis, Louie, Liam, Liberty, Lincoln, Linc, Linus, Lionel, Logan, Loki, Lucas, Lucian, Lucio, Lucky, Luke, Luther, Lyall, Lycus, Lykos, Lyle, Lyndon, Llewellyn, Landri, Laurian, Lionç M: Major, Manny, Manuel, Marcus, Mason, Matt, Matthew, Matthias, Maverick, Maxim, Memphis, Midas, Mikko, Miles, Mitch, Mordecai, Mordred, Morgan, Macari, Maïus, Maxenci, Micolau, Miro N: Nate, Nathan, Nathaniel, Niall, Nico, Niels, Nik, Noah, Nolan, Niilo, Nikander, Novak, O: Oakley, Octavian, Odin, Orlando, Orrick, Ǫrvar, Othello, Otis, Otto, Ovid, Owain, Owen, Øyvind, Ozzie, Ollie, Oliver, Onni P: Paisley, Palmer, Percival, Percy, Perry, Peyton, Phelan, Phineas, Phoenix, Piers, Pierce, Porter, Presley, Preston, Pacian Q: Quinn, Quincy, Quintin R: Ragnar, Raiden, Ren, Rain, Rainier, Ramos, Ramsey, Ransom, Raul, Ray, Roy, Reagan, Redd, Reese, Rhys, Rhett, Reginald, Remiel, Remy, Ridge, Ridley, Ripley, Rigby, Riggs, Riley, River, Robert, Rocky, Rokas, Roman, Ronan, Ronin, Romeo, Rory, Ross, Ruairí, Rufus, Rusty, Ryder, Ryker, Rylan, Riku, Roni S: Sammie, Sammy, Samuel, Samson, Sanford, Sawyer, Scout, Seán, Seth, Sebastian, Seymour, Shane, Shaun, Shawn, Sheldon, Shiloh, Shun, Sid, Sidney, Silas, Skip, Skipper, Skyler, Slade, Spencer, Spike, Stan, Stanford, Sterling, Stevie, Stijn, Suni, Sylvan, Sylvester T: Tab, Tad, Tanner, Tate, Tennessee, Tero, Terrance, Tevin, Thatcher, Tierno, Tino, Titus, Tobias, Tony, Torin, Trace, Trent, Trenton, Trev, Trevor, Trey, Troy, Tripp, Tristan, Tucker, Turner, Tyler, Ty, Teemu U: Ulric V: Valerius, Valor, Van, Vernon, Vespasian, Vic, Victor, Vico, Vince, Vinny, Vincent W: Wade, Walker, Wallis, Wally, Walt, Wardell, Warwick, Watson, Waylon, Wayne, Wes, Wesley, Weston, Whitley, Wilder, Wiley, William, Wolfe, Wolfgang, Woody, Wulfric, Wyatt, Wynn X: Xander, Xavier Z: Zachary, Zach, Zane, Zeb, Zebediah, Zed, Zeke, Zeph, Zaccai

[okumurajaqueline]

En Día de San Valentin Mi miejor amigo me regalo uno de sus juegos de Xbox 360 y Me encanto el juego de Assassin's Creed 2 no lo pare de jugar durante 4 dias xD y si shipeo a Ezio con Leonardo 7u7 Espero que les guste Uwu

Speedpaint : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk2ALq7p8r8

Mi Canal de Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRSfSOo1Wr6ik_2t_Q2_rdA/videos

Mi Deviantart : http://okumurajaqueline.deviantart.com/

Mi Pagina : https://www.facebook.com/Artist-Okumura-Sempai-1670407243188600/?ref=hl

Mi Tumblr : http://okumurajaqueline.tumblr.com/

Mi Twitter : https://twitter.com/Okumurajaquelin

[kenconffetti]

some quick doodles of the favs 

[straight-into-the-animus]

Anyone else just sometimes

Forget we're interacting with real people in Assassin's Creed

Like I ship a number of pixels with a painter and very now and then I'm reminded he was one of the greatest Rennaissance artists and making fanfic of him screwing an fictional Italian and yknow what? I don't feel ashamed.

[ball-pen]

ezioleo

[tendebill]

If you're still taking requests, perhaps Ezio and Leonardo taking a nap in a haystack together?

crawling out of my cave to bring you another messy soft ezioleo request >:]

requests are still open btw but i won't be forcing myself to do them/rushing to do them, so be patient if u request anything

[sammylikesyaoi]

Prompt Day 9 -> It's not Me, it's You

Fandom: Assassin's creed

Ship: Ezio Auditore da Firenze x Leonardo da Vinci

Summary:

"Era ormai notte fonda quando Leonardo tornò nella sua bottega. Dopo un'intera giornata di rifornimenti per le sue opere e i suoi studi, l'uomo venne accolto dal silenzio e dall'oscurità accogliente di quelle mura."

[sulfies]

Favourite non-desmond couple? (Because let's be honest. It's difficult to choose one single Desmond couple to be the best)

I like a lot of the "they actually interacted" ships aswell like Malik x Altaïr and Ezio x Leonardo but I dont have a favorite between them bc they each strach a different itch lol

Malik x Alt gives me the angst i need

Ezio x Leo gives me the fluff

Lolol

[teecupangel]

Related to the Velociraptor!Desmond thing: what would Jurassic Park look like? Like would Desmonds be in it?

The “Desmond becomes a Velociraptor and ‘accidentally’ made the world call velociraptors as ‘Desmonds’” idea.

I’m gonna go for the OG Jurassic Park movie for this one for no reason than I love that movie XD

Yes, ‘Desmonds’ will definitely be in it and they would be promoted to hell and back because Desmonds are the most well known ‘dinosaur’ in AC world thanks to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting titled “Desmond”.

This also sparks a lot of ‘controversy’ because Jurassic Park PR admitted they enlarged Desmonds from its cute turkey-size canon size to… well, their size in the movie. The art world is generally appalled because why would you change the size of one of the most popular and well known old world ‘animal’? For what?

PR team says it’s a way to showcase what the team in the Park can do as well as to give people a better view of the Desmonds since turkey-sized Desmonds could be considered too slow.

Of course, this turns into a huge uproar loud enough that the PR team had to fly two experts into the Park to get some good graces… at the same time Dr. Alan Grant’s grandchildren visits him.

Now, we can have an initial of two ‘guests’ for this one:

1. Keep it purely Modern Day:

The guests are Shaun Hastings, a professor who is one of the leading experts of Da Vinci’s works (not just the artworks but his journals and inventions), and his assistant who introduces himself as “Just call me Des.”

2. Make it a sorta maybe reincarnation AU:

The guests is an artist and the leading expert on Leonardo Da Vinci’s style and life, Leo, who is rumored to be Leonardo Da Vinci’s descendant and his ‘bodyguard’ Ezio Auditore.

(1) has Desmond and Shaun pretending to be art expert (Shaun would say HE IS an art expert) and assistant who are really there to check if the Templars had any hand with this. (Technically, yes? They tried to get a partnership with Grant but Grant rejected their offer but they still want the technology behind the cloning of dinosaurs)

(2) Ezio is an Assassin who has the same mission as Desmond and Shaun in idea (1) but Leo is really just his BFF who may or may not know about his Assassin affiliation.

In (1) they learn that the Desmonds have a ‘you’re one of us, our leader’ vibe when they see Desmond and Desmond has no fucking idea why this is happening to him and he is embarrassed because he’s named Desmond and the Desmonds count him as one of them.

In (2) Desmond the Desmond actually wakes up as one of the cloned Desmonds and recognize Leo and Ezio. He leads the Desmond pack in this one.

(I just realized your ask could have just been how different the movie is but instead I went off-tangent with an AC x Jurassic Park AU. Anyway, Desmonds would definitely be there but they won’t be turkey-sized and that would cause an uproar. Shaun hates the movie just because of that little thing and everyone teases him for it)

[storytimefromthecreed]

To Love From Near and Afar

His hair was lighter, and his face more lined. It had been years since they’d last spoken, but had it really been so many? A blade in the crowd, Ezio stood entranced as Leo chuckled with his workers and took a step back to investigate his experiment. When he smiled, lines creased at his eyes and remained at his cheeks. It looked like he’d smiled many times over the years. Good, Ezio thought to himself, that was the intended affect. Let Leo think he’d left or perished, anything that would keep him safe.

His heart tugged in Leo’s direction, and Leo looked over his shoulder for a moment. Just a moment. His eyes searched the crowds, and the smile frozen on his face faltered. Ezio remained motionless, blending into the crowd easily. Someone called his attention, and Leo returned to his work. Ezio smiled, it was good to see him safe and well, but he’d stayed too long. He left for the evening.

As he lay awake that night, his heart tugging him in the direction of Leo, Ezio thought of what he could do. Playing this game for years had taken a toll on him, and he didn’t know how much longer he could go without speaking to Leo. Touching him, kissing him.

Rolling out of bed, Ezio bound for the door. Once more and then never again, Ezio told himself. I just need ensure his safety, and I’ll never see Leonardo de Vinci again.

Finding his way to the workshop took some tries as Leo always moved around and Ezio was trying to remain in the shadows, but he found it. The candlelight flicked shadows on the street, and Ezio poked his head to the window.

In the small room, was Leo. In one hand, he held a piece of paper while in the other a pen. He spoke to himself as he fiddled with his work, and Ezio found himself transported back in time. They’d do that all the time. With Leo working on a Codex page or assisting Ezio with whatever he needed, Ezio would sit in a chair and watch Leo work and talk a million miles an hour. If Ezio tried to help, he would receive a slap on the back of his hand. “You’re going to break it.” Leo remarked, then tilted his head. “Yes, hm, maybe? You know what? I’m overthinking it.”

“I’m not going to break anything.” Ezio rubbed the stringing hand and pouted, “How do you know what I was doing?”

“But then why would….Ohhhh, that’s genius. Well, of course it’s genius. It would have to be, otherwise I’d not have so much trouble with it. I wonder,” Leo tinkered with his toy. “Because you’re clumsy.”

“What?” Ezio’s jaw dropped and he mouthed some words before settling on, “I’m an Assassin, Leonardo. I run around the city, fight evildoers daily, I am not clumsy.”

“When you’re being an Assassin.” Leo kept working, etching a design, keeping his eyes on it. “When you’re Ezio Auditore, well,” his eyes flickered to Ezio’s and he winked, “you often leave some things left to be desired.”

“I-” Ezio’s pout intensified and his cheeks went red. “Well, I… don’t know what you need me here then. Since I break all your precious,” he gestured around vaguely, “...stuff.”

Leo finished his sketch and set down his pencil. Then, he crossed over to Ezio and laughed, “To brighten the room.” Ezio’s blush deepened and Leo kissed him. “I’m only teasing, my love. Now please, sit there and look pretty.”

Ezio fought his smile and kissed Leo once more. “Fine, fine,” he rolled his eyes, acting like this was the worse job in the world when in face he loved nothing more. “Just because you asked so nicely.”

Now, watching Leo speak to himself as he worked, always working, Ezio’s heart tugged once more. Stronger now, from the nearness and the memories, tears sprang into his eyes and Ezio took a step back. Silently saying goodbye to his love, Ezio straightened, turned, and promptly tripped.

The clang of paint cans made him wince and the rope tightening around him wrapped him like a caccoon before dropped him to the ground. The air left him and Ezio groaned. Light surrounded him as the door opened and before he could speak, he was being hit. “Leo! Leo!” He moaned between swats to the head. “It’s me! It’s Ezio!”

The hitting continued as Leo said, “Oh I know exactly who this is! You no good-! I can’t believe-! All this time-!” Too angry to finish his sentences, he stopped and began setting this paint cans straight and untying the Assassin.

“Wait,” Ezio kicked off the ropes at his feet. “You knew I was there?”

“You make it rather obvious.” Leo gestured to his clothing and let down a hand. Taking it, Ezio was helped up and brushed off. “Years, Ezio, years.” When Leo had worked on straightening Ezio’s collar, he slapped him on the back of the head again. An angry quip rested on Ezio’s tongue and his explanation died when he saw the tears in Leo’s eyes. The corners of his mouth were pulled into a quivering frown, and Ezio saw that he had been using his left hand. Before he could comment on this, Leo continued, “Didn’t you think of what I was going through? Waiting day in and day out for you to arrive? A letter, a note? Anything?”

“Leo-” Ezio said softly.

“Do you know how hard it was? Not knowing if you were ok? If you were….”Leo closed his eyes and crossed his arms. His right was slower than before and Ezio frowned.

“Are you well?” Ezio breathed, already knowing the answer.

“And you just left.” Leo breathed, opening his eyes so the tears spilled. “You’ll say it was to protect me or that your work needed you, but you…you couldn’t tell me? You… couldn’t say goodbye? After all we’ve been through? I didn’t get a goodbye?”

“Wait…” Ezio examined the scene once more. The paint cans, the ropes tied from the roof. “Did you…did you make this trap for me?”

“Well,” Leo swat away Ezio’s hand when he tried to brush his tears away. Palming his face, again his right hand moving slower than his left, Leo explained, “I couldn’t prove it was you any other way.”

Ezio opened his mouth to say, well, anything. You could’ve told me? How? Ezio was hard to track these days. You should’ve let me go? No, that hurt too much. So, he just did the only thing he could. He took Leo’s hands and kissed them. Leo tried glaring up at him, but he missed the contact so much all he could do was muster a frown. “I’m so sorry. It was wrong for me to believe this was the best thing for you. For us.” Ezio breathed, “I’ve just…life hasn’t given me the best track record for the ones I love. Leo, you know this. I-I couldn’t have anything happen to you. I had to keep you safe.” Leo was silent a moment and Ezio squeezed his hands. Leo squeezed back, his right weaker than his left, and Ezio’s heart fell. “I tried very hard to keep you safe from the harm of the outside world, and it seems there are some dangers that not even I can save you from. What is it?”

Leo poked his chest, his mood growing lighter. “Don’t think you can just return here and sweep me off my feet, Ezio Auditore.”

“To be fair,” Ezio chuckled, feeling like they were picking up right where they left off. Like no time had passed. “You’re the one who sweep me off my feet.”

They looked at the trap once more and Leo laughed, “That was a bit dramatic on my part, isn’t it?”

Ezio shrugged, shivering from the night chill. Leo pulled him inside and closed the door. “I expected nothing more from the brilliant mind of Leonardo de Vinci.” Though the room was miles away from their home, it felt like the one he’d spent so much time in. Paintings lined the floor, some unfinished, some drying. Inventions hung wildly in the air, making him cock his head to try to understand them. Finally, his eyes went to the chair, his chair, and his smile fell when he spied the medicine there.

Leo’s eyes watched him, and he confessed, “It happens, Ezio. We’re older now, and it makes sense. I can’t imagine I’d be creating forever.”

Tears ran down his face as he realized all the time he’d lost. “You’re sick?”

“I’d rather not waste more time on it than it’s worth.” Leo pushed him into the chair and began his work again. “Now, tell me of your adventures.”

“Leonardo.” Ezio tried to raise, but Leo made to stop him. Then, he just took his hand. “What can I do? How can I help?”

“Ezio,” Leo kissed the back of his hand and looked at his work. Tears dripped to the table, and he wasn’t really looking at the map. “There are some things that even a hero like you can’t fight, Ezio. There is no point thinking of what we could or should have done, and there’s not point fighting the future. All we can do, is be.”

As the words hit his heart, Ezio rose and took Leo’s hands. The inventor finally looked at him and wept. Ezio pulled him to his chest and kissed the top of his head, his own tears falling into his hair.

Ezio stayed for years, considering this his early retirement. Leo and he enjoyed many picnics under sunsets, cold nights spent wrapped in blankets as Leo explained the stars and Ezio watched his face animate. Many love filled nights, and love filled days, when they had the chance. Dancing in the rain, Ezio singing terribly and Leo begging him to stop but then begging him to start again. They lived with love in their hearts up until the day Leo lay on his bed. He was weaker now, his hair taking on a blonder hue. They held hands and when a doctor came in and asked who Ezio was, Leo simply stated, “He’s a king, can’t you see how regal he is?” The doctor left them and Ezio cried. He’d thought he’d wept to his life’s content, and now this? With a shaking hand, Leo cupped his face, his thumb brushing away his tears. “Ezio, I need you to do something for me.”

“Say it,” Ezio breathed, tasting his tears on his lips. “Anything, and it’s yours.”

Brushing the tears from his lips, Leo memorized his face. “Keep fighting.”

“What?” Ezio rubbed his eyes. “Leo, I don’t get it. I don’t understand.”

Leo sighed, looking over the man he loved. “You’ve grown from a naïve young man to a hero before my eyes, Ezio, and I’m so lucky to have had you by my side all these years. To have loved you and be loved by you. If I could go back, I would change nothing. Now, listen closely.” Leo’s voice dropped as he was too weak, and Ezio leaned in to hear better. He pressed his head to this temple, and remained there. “There are going to be times when it’s going to be hard. When you think yourself alone and don’t want to get back up again. But you must. Not for me, for you. Promise me. Promise me you’ll keep fighting.”

He couldn’t speak, so Ezio just held Leo’s hand in both of his, buried his face in it, and nodded.

When Leo passed, Ezio bid well to the assistants who’d became his family, and told them the Assassins would be lucky to have them. Dawning his robes, he noticed they were tighter. They must have shrunk while hanging, he thought to himself. Then, pulling himself out of retirement, Ezio continued on. It was just as Leo had told him. It was hard, and some days Ezio felt he could disappear into the shadows and never emerge, but he kept fighting. He fought for Leo until he knew how to fight for himself.