Log: You get a wedding and you get a wedding and you...!
December 31st (DURING BALL)
LEONARDO da VINCI + EZIO AUDITORE
(With bonus Claire Temple, Matt Murdock, Claudia Auditore and Abby Addams near the end)
PG-13 | COMPLETE
There was something to be said for large parties, and Atlantis always knew how to throw a good one. Both Ezio and Leonardo had avoided some of the choice beverages, Leonardo himself opting for something bubbly that tickled his nose. He wasn’t drunk, but was most certainly feeling good, absorbing the joyful sounds around them and celebrations going on. His mask was long since discarded, for the pleasure of being able to get a little closer to Ezio without stabbing either of them with it.
He hadn’t strayed far from Ezio over the course of the party, just purely out of a desire for (specific) human contact, even when they were both having their own in depth conversations with friends. Now, the artist stole the Assassin away, crowding him into a corner so he could steal a kiss and give the pair a moment of peace and quiet. “I did not expect the holidays to be as festive as they are, but I think my smile is permanently attached over the last few days, and getting to spend it with you, Claudia and Abigail.”
As an assassin, Ezio was always mindful of the people around him. But it was shocking how subtly Leonardo managed to occupy the bulk of his awareness. Even holding a conversation with someone else and with his fourth glass of champagne have gone, he was grounded by Leonardo’s presence at his side. It kept him warmer than the liquor, which he nearly spilled as he was thrust into a corner near the snow dusted windows.
“It is…” Setting the glass aside without spilling it took a moment, but then Leonardo had his full attention and a charmingly tipsy smile aimed at him. He’d lost his mask somewhere along the line. Between taking it off for kiss number four and five, he thought. Wherever it was, it wasn’t in the way now. He pulled Leonardo closer by his hips. “It is more than I would ever have expected. I don’t even know the last time I felt this content this time of year. There has always been too much work and too easy an opportunity to be maudlin.”
A little sound of contentment emerged from Leonardo’s lips as he leaned in far too close than what was appropriate for public, but didn’t care in the least. He had Ezio, and if anyone was bothered, they could go jump off a bridge - a short one, that was not lethal, but the thought was still there.
“I have been to many parties, but the ones with you always seem to make my happiness rise.” Oh, he was being a sappy drunk tonight, apparently. Ah, well. “With you having been my only family for as long as I can remember, it’s nice to have …” Leonardo gestured behind him, to Ezio’s sister, and their daughter, and friends. “All of this?”
Ezio smiled wider, eyes going soft with emotion. He leaned back against the wall behind him and stroked his hands from Leonardo’s tips to rest at the base of his spine. Thankfully, he was always a little sappy, so the cheerful inebriated version shouldn’t be too taxing for Leonardo to handle.
“You are my family too, you know. And mine is always going to be yours. But this…” He glanced over Leonardo’s shoulder and trailing a hand back around to reach for Leonardo’s face. “With you? It is more. You have been in my life for twenty years and yet every day with you still manages to be a wonderful surprise, maestro.” Having the grace to look embarrassed, Ezio closed his eyes and opened them slowly. “Forgive me, we have apparently traded in maudlin for aggressively sentimental.”
Leonardo leaned into Ezio, laughing against his lover’s shoulder. “You have nothing to apologize for.” And he really didn’t. It made his cheeks flush and his stomach tingle when he heard such words used for him, a desire that had always been there but never fulfilled until this place. He had already become so fond, for a great many reasons, but Ezio encompassed most of that. He had his own thoughts of sentimentality running around, with the knowledge that Claudia and Abigail wouldn’t be able to stay with them, and wanting to cling to tonight for a very long time.
“It must be the champagne.” His own was still tingling his nose, as he finished it off quickly and set it aside so he could hold his hand out for Ezio to take. “Will you dance with me? I am feeling sentimental, as well, with a desire to hold you.”
“Oh, yes, let’s blame the champagne,” Ezio smirked, easily moving into a dancing hold and stepping them both towards the window instead of the dance floor. It was quieter here. And the moonlight shone through, caressing Leonardo’s face as they slowly danced. It made Ezio smile as he lifted their clasped hands to kiss Leonardo’s knuckles.
“I know...I know this is all probably fleeting,” he sighed, some of his serious nature slipping through even in a romantic moment. “Abigail will go home to her family and Claudia to the life she has carved for herself. And I know the madness here will likely aggravate always and we have...lives they say we’re meant to still lead at home.” His face fell a little and he met Leonardo’s stare with uncertain eyes. “But I think I could happily stay right here with you forever, Leonardo.”
If anyone deserved a quiet (yes, quiet was questionable) place to live - and still with a war to win! - it was Ezio. He had been through so much, and likely with more to come. Leonardo was moved, both romantically and physically, as they continued to dance.
His spontaneous nature took over, and Leonardo pressed a kiss to the edge of Ezio's jaw. “Then we should do just that. We may not have forever, my love, but we have right now.” and right now, they both had a great deal of love and tenderness. They had joy and family and a most romantic holiday. Leonardo could easily say he had never been happier, which explained his next insane words whispered against Ezio's skin, “Marry me. Here. Now. While we have all of this and can remember this night as our most cherished.”
Maybe it shouldn’t have been such a shock - Ezio had only just been saying how surprising life with Leonardo was after all - but it still caught him just behind the ribs. He missed a step in their spin and ended up bumping them both lightly into one of the tables nearby.
“Merda, perdonami.” The words came out a breathless laugh. He held Leonardo a little tighter. “You are determined to always keep me on my toes, aren’t you?” Ezio’s smile grew and he loosed his grip on Leonardo’s jacket to reach for his face. “Do you mean it? Because if you mean it, I will walk us out of here right now to find someone to perform the ceremony. I guarantee I have vows on the tip of my tongue right this second.”
Leonardo laughed against Ezio’s shoulders, full-bodied and hard enough to make his own upper body shake as he chuckled. His face was flushed and he was a little embarrassed that his words came at such an abrupt rate, but he couldn’t regret the question given the answer had not been an outright objection.
“What would you do, if you did not have me to keep you on those toes?” Leonardo spun them around, continuing the dance even though they were both distracted. His smile was telling, though. “I would not say it if I did not mean it, Ezio. Though I have no ring, and no real plan for you, but I know with all of my heart that I would live a life worth so much more with you at my side. Having our family here makes me wonder why wait?”
Ezio was only mildly concerned their alcohol intake was playing a part here. Champagne or no champagne – he knew how he felt. How it rang from his heart as clear as a bell. He knew because it routinely terrified him. But this – Leonardo spinning them in a lazy circle and smiling his way through a proposal – it felt right. It felt like locking mechanisms in an Assassin’s tomb making that satisfying click as they opened to reveal their guarded secrets.
“Why wait, indeed,” Ezio hummed warmly. It looked like he was fighting back a smile, but it was more that he was trying to speak and needed it to not be a happy drunk haze of grinning. “I wonder if we can actually surprise Claudia. She was infuriatingly smug about suspecting we were involved all along.” Pulling them to a stop, Ezio sobered his expression and rested his forehead to Leonardo’s so he could speak quiet and close. “I don’t need a ring. Or a plan. I only need you.”
“I love you.” Leonardo stopped moving and let them have a moment to just absorb each other, and the decision that had just been made. He couldn’t stop smiling, even if it was to be serious, and finally just gave in and leaned forward to capture Ezio’s mouth for a kiss. And it was a kiss he could lose himself in, one that thoroughly distracted, and kept them firmly planted instead of rushing off. But his mind was moving a hundred miles a minute, and Leonardo was pulling away before long so he could keep the momentum going.
“We will shock her.” Leonardo linked his fingers through Ezio’s and tugged at his hand, looking over his shoulder now to see if he could find someone, anyone, that would know what to do next. “Let’s find Claire and Matt. They know things! They can help.”
Since he didn’t have enough time to return the I love you, Ezio poured the emotion into the kiss instead. He might have gotten a little carried away if Leonardo hadn’t started pulling him towards the other party goers.
“Wait, wait, hold on. There is just this one…thing…” He paused dramatically for a split second and then reeled Leonardo back in for one more kiss. This time when he broke away, it was with a slow, lopsided smile. Tomorrow, he might worry Leonardo wasn’t considering the life of impactful discoveries and art he was meant to lead at home. Then again, tomorrow, he might just roll over in bed and pull his husband in tight.
“All right, amore mio,” Ezio whispered. “Lead the way.”
Nerves and champagne were not a great mix. The extra two glasses as they’d toasted their surprise probably hadn’t been Ezio’s wisest choice either. But it was hard to kick himself too much. Getting Claire and Matt’s help had been shocking easily. Making the arrangements had taken a little time, but Claudia’s shock and eventual excitement had been worth the anxiety that had stewed in his gut just before telling her. The rings were, well, not great. But he kind of loved how hopelessly tacky they were. This was what happened when you married your best friend in the middle of the night.
The officiant with slicked back hair and a megawatt smile was saying a few nice words about love and taking risks together, but Ezio’s thoughtful gaze was locked on Leonardo next to him. Everything else suddenly felt distant except for Leonardo’s hand in his. A cleared throat jerked Ezio's attention back to the officiant leaning in towards them.
“You, uh, you fellas have vows of your own or do you want the standard ‘til death do you part’ spiel?” he whispered.
Leonardo was giddy and distracted enough to miss the question at first, grinning across at Ezio as he was. He’d skipped the extra champagne, outside of the toast, opting for a more practical application of finding rings. They were the easiest he could find in short notice, with the whispered promise that he’d make them custom rings later, that suited both of their tastes. A project that he could put a little love into, with excitement seeping through his pores.
The gentleman in the outrageously stylish outfit cleared his throat again before Leonardo finally nodded, and then shook his head, and then opened his mouth to speak and only laughed a little for a second. “I-Sorry, I think--” He cast a meaningful glance to Ezio. “I think we are good for doing our own.”
Leonardo gripped Ezio’s hand a little tighter, and blew out a long breath before starting. “Your love is like a dream that became a reality that spread through the stars. I have never felt more joy in my life or in my art than I do when I am with you. In your arms and in your life, I am safe, I am loved and I am whole.”
Leonardo stammering was a balm for the nerves still clanged around inside Ezio’s chest. He curled his fingers around Leonardo’s hand to pull it up over his heart and stepped a little closer as Leonardo's vows warmed him through. His smile grew so wide it hurt his face.
“My life has constantly sent me in unexpected directions…but none of them have made me as grateful as that stupid coin,” he laughed. Emotion made the next words lodge in Ezio’s throat. He had to take a moment before tenderly meeting Leonardo’s gaze and trying again. “Nothing brings me as much joy as sharing my life with you. All that you do and say, your passion and kindness and curiosity – you are my dearest friend, maestro. And the very center of my heart. I can’t wait to see where this life takes us from here.”
There was likely not a dry eye in the room (especially not Leonardo’s) when the costumed preacher cleared his throat a little and continued on, sounding just a tad bit choked up. “That was real nice- Er, rings?” Prompting Claudia to lean forward, offering the shiny gold up for them to take. “Alright, Leonardo, repeat after me-”
Leonardo held the ring up, hovering it over Ezio’s fingers, and repeated the preacher’s words with his own raw voice, hoping not to crack in the middle. “With this ring, I pledge to you my deepest devotion and love.” He couldn’t resist adding in his own flare, whispering at the end. “And all of my assassin gadgets are yours first and foremost.”
Ezio snorted a laugh, eyes dropping shut for a second. His heart pounded as he took his own ring from a smiling Abigail at his side. He repeated the words and put the ring on Leonardo’s finger. “I don’t have any gadgets for you, but I will always be your faithful errand boy. Even if it means fetching cadavers.”
The officiant stared on with increasing bafflement, but at least he looked amused. “Alright, well. Sounds like you two are a match made in...somethin’. I now pronounce you husbands! You may--”
Ezio jumped the gun, grasping Leonardo by the face and pulling him into a kiss.
“Yup, that,” the officiant laughed.
Leonardo was quietly chuckling at the same time as he was pulled into the kiss, which made the move a little less smooth than it would have been otherwise, but not much was better than wrapping your arms around someone that was laughing right along with you as you kissed. It felt like a blanket of happiness and comfort was wrapping around them, and the world ceased to exist as they were lost in their embrace.