Ezio had rarely had the opportunity to pace outside of a place of healing. The people who got hurt in his life tended to die before anything like that could take place. This one wasn’t allowed to do any such thing, of course, and he had been assured - repeatedly - that Leonardo’s injuries were of the recoverable kind, but until he saw him with his own eyes, he intended to wear down the tiles outside of his hospital room.
A nurse passed by and suggested he stop clenching his teeth if he wanted to avoid a headache, which made him stop moving long enough to take a few deep breaths. They weren’t calming in the least but they appeased the woman. Once she wandered off, Ezio gnashed his teeth back together and creeped up to the door of the room to try to peek inside.
The door burst open and he stumbled back a step. He was awkward in his anxious heartworn stress in a way he never was any other time. Thankfully, the doctor witnessed his tense arrival and gave him a patient smile.
“He’ll be fine. You can go in now, Mr. Auditore. We can discuss his follow-up care after I see to another patient.”
Ezio needed no further push to drive him sprinting into the room.
Leonardo probably shouldn’t have greeted him with a dumb, drunk-like grin on his face, but the pain meds had kicked in and he was feelin it. Them. All of them. His arm was in a temporary cast up to the elbow, and bandages wrapped around his midsection and neck.
“Ah, my love-” His accent was a little thicker than usual, and head lulled slightly as he let it rest gently against the pillow behind his head. “There you are! I had told them you were going to be unhappy. But look-” He waved his uninjured arm, his left. “The good one is still fine-- Merda, where were these medications the last time I was injured? I think I am flying.”
Ezio felt something inside his chest unclench at the sight of Leonardo smiling, even as obviously medicated as he was. It came right back as he took a good look at him, though. Moving close to the bed, he raised a hand toward the stitches on Leonardo’s neck, reconsidered along the way, and settled his slightly trembling hand on his husband’s cast instead.
“Bethany said they would likely give you morphine since the healers are overtaxed. You are not in pain? Are you sure?” He shifted his hand from the cast to Leonardo’s forehead, smoothing his hair back away from his eyes. “Unhappy is a severe understatement just so we’re clear.”
“Mmm,” Leonardo held up the little clicker in his casted arm, waving it just a fraction of an inch. “Is that what- Of course. I do not remember that conversation, I think I was half out of it, but-” He was rambling a little, unable to help it when his body was medically relaxed. It was an unusual feeling, for someone who was normally so excited and tense. “They gave me this device to click when I feel any pain, it is remarkable.”
His head lulled to the side a little, so he could look at Ezio through lidded eyes. “I will be fine, you know. I will probably have a very cool scar on my neck, even! A true warrior.”
Huffing a little laugh, Ezio combed his fingers back through Leonardo’s hair in a soothing repetitive motion. His expression probably wasn’t all that soothing, however. Furrowed brow, chewing on his bottom lip. The shields he’d spent nearly twenty years perfecting were worn thin. Not that they’d ever been particularly thick where Leonardo was concerned anyway, but he didn’t bother hiding his concern behind any kind of calm facade.
“When it is healed, we can talk again about whether it looks cool or not.” Ezio couldn’t argue that some scars were attractive, but this one was still too fresh. “Until then, I hope you are ready for me to be painfully overbearing. There will be fretting, whether either of us likes it or not.” He tried for a little self-deprecating smirk, though it darkened almost immediately. “When I am not hunting these creatures down, of course.”
Leonardo’s head lulled a little more, and he attempted a dopey grin. His good hand reached up to pat Ezio’s hand, missing once as he lightly smacked himself in the forehead before finally hitting his mark. Pat, pat. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but mostly just came off as slightly awkward and comical.
“I like when you are overbearing. I like--” He smiled again, almost losing track of his thought. “Everything about you.” He didn’t know when they were going to let him out, and was too sleepy and drugged to even really focus on the level of fear that would eventually accompany going home alone if Ezio was working-- so that was pushed to the back of his mind. “Please be careful? They are-- well, terrifying.”
Leonardo’s drunken behavior pulled a helpless smile out of Ezio. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Leonardo’s forehead and then one to his mouth. “I like everything about you too, maestro. I…merda, I hate that you were frightened.”
It made his blood run hot enough that anything had managed to hurt Leonardo while he was not altogether far away. Knowing it scared him too made Ezio see red. Driving both hands up and over his hair, he ended up with them linked over the back of his neck. “I am so sorry we didn’t catch these things in time to prevent this, but I swear to you, they will not get near you again.”
“Mmm,” It hurt for Leonardo to move or strain his neck, so trying to reach up and keep Ezio in for more kisses was impossible, but he did manage to hide his wince with his minor attempt, and another less-stealthy approach was made to hit the clicker button in his hand as a reaction.
He settled back with a minor pout, hoping the medicine would work it’s wonders even as he tried to reach for Ezio to calm his Assassin husband. “It is not your fault, Ezio. I have the utmost faith in you that you will stop them, and prevent anyone else from being attacked. I promise you, I am fine.”
Ezio was hyper aware of Leonardo on a good day, so the not-so-secretive dose of medicine made his eyebrows snap together immediately. He stroked a hand up Leonardo’s arm and rested it on his shoulder. Normally he would’ve kept going and curled his hand around the side of his husband’s neck but the wound there left him hovering in uncertainty.
“You are very much not fine. But I will try to have faith you will be fine soon enough.” He glanced down at the bed and made room to perch next to Leonardo’s hip. “Will you be stubborn about finding someone to watch out for you while I hunt?”
Fumbling around, Leonardo found the remote for the bed, and slowly pushed it to rise into a more upright position so he wasn’t looking up at Ezio so awkwardly. It twinged at his ribs, but the morphine was largely coursing through his body and left him relaxed as he used a hand to caress Ezio’s side.
“I am patient, at the very least, for you to solve this,” Leonardo’s voice went soft, and he smiled at his husband in a more gentle way than dopey, trying to stay focused on the topic at hand. At the suggestion of a nurse, he laughed and let his head fall back against the pillow. “That depends, can it be someone attractive that can also hand me paint brushes and tools?”
“Not too attractive,” Ezio squinted with the hint of a tease. He would need to get back out there fast, but leaving Leonardo like this warred with everything inside of him, so he simply covered his husband’s hand and squeezed. “I will see who is available. Who we trust to keep an eye on your injuries and still protect you if need be.” It had better not be needed, but Ezio tried hard to be prepared for all eventualities these days. His reckless youth was far behind him. If there were too many more attacks, their nurse options would be limited, though, no matter how carefully he handled this.
“Did you see anything that might be helpful in our search for this beast?” he asked, quickly holding a hand over Leonardo’s thigh in an apologetic gesture. “I will understand if things were too fast and too stressful.”
He would have loved to protest that he did not need protecting, but it would have been for naught, and Leonardo knew it. He was not a fighter. His cheeks even blushed at the thought that had he been a fighter, perhaps he would not be putting Ezio through this worry. He would have been able to fight back. “I do not wish to put anyone out--” To make them a babysitter. He didn’t want to be too against the idea, so he left the latter out and merely frowned, thinking too hard.
“I could sketch for you. Human, not an animal. Pale, tall. He grabbed me from behind, and the strength in just that grab was--” Leonardo blew out a breath. “Not of an average human.”
“Bene. Command is certain they are vampires of a particular breed, but an actual sketch of one could prove useful. And I know your mind’s eye is as sharp as they come. I will go find pen and paper.” Ezio stood and moved back to the head of the bed. He grasped the uninjured side of Leonardo’s neck, gently even still, and leaned over to press their foreheads together. He had to tell himself he was coming right back. Even then, he lingered for a long moment.
“Did I mention how very relieved I am that you are alive?” His smile was a little somber as he pulled back, tension still in the crease between his eyebrows. He stepped towards the door, eyebrows raised to make a point. “I must insist we keep it that way, maestro.”
Leonardo missed his moment to steal a kiss, but made a silent and solemn vow that he would get to do it again as soon as Ezio returned. And even in thanks for bringing him supplies. So he smiled after his husband, nodding in agreement. “Provided you bring me charcoals as well. And perhaps a few different kinds of pens, I would be happy to meet my end of that agreement.”