A/N: Just some Leo/Ezio I whipped up. I really like the way Leo gets over-excited about things. He's so cute. X3

Disclaimer: I do not own Assassin's Creed, but I wouldn't mind having Leonardo for a night.

Fever

There was heat in Ezio's shoulder, but that was all. Every other part of him felt so cold, he could categorize his body by color. First, there was the bluish glacier white, which was what most of him felt like. Then there was the searing red of his shoulder, whence blood was trickling in a quiet, burning stream. He supposed that it burned so badly (really, it was its own pain) because of how cold the rest of him was, but the rest of him didn't hurt. Therefore, more than anything, the heat in his shoulder concerned him, though he also knew he should be concerned about his overall temperature. He had, after all, been swimming in the canals during a Venetian winter, with guards searching the banks. He had been underwater for the better part of two hours. Thankfully the darkness of that water had obscured his blood and left no trail.

Under normal circumstances, Ezio would have taken the guards easily, but as it was he could not move his arm, nor reach the arrow that was both preventing the movement and causing the burning sensation in the first place. He'd had to wait until they were gone, thinking he had drowned, to haul himself out of the water. It was not a pleasant experience. While the air was above freezing, it was cold enough to discourage Ezio from offering too much of his body to the wind. He gasped and coughed as he pulled himself upon the bank. From there he mustered his energy and shivered his way toward Leonardo's workshop.

When he reached it, he pounded upon the door with a shaking fist. While waiting for Leonardo to come, he placed his hands over his face in an attempt to still his body. It did not work. All the cold went to his teeth, and he bit his tongue chattering them.

Leonardo opened the door after what seemed like an eternity. He looked at Ezio in surprise. "You look half-dead!" he said. "Come in, please. Your lips are blue. I'll get you something hot to drink."

Ezio felt like laughing, because Leonardo had not even noticed the arrow sticking out of his shoulder, and that was the reason Ezio had come. Maybe if he were able to take it out he could risk going to the doctor, but with it in, it was too incriminating, and so he had fled to the only sanctuary he knew.

Ezio slipped past Leonardo into the workshop, and only when Ezio showed his back did Leonardo push him inside roughly and begin to talk about his shoulder. "God Almighty, what happened? Sit down, please. In that chair. No, the one without a back. What happened, Ezio?" He began to rush to gather medical supplies. Ezio opened his mouth to speak, but then Leonardo swore and called to someone harshly. "Enrico, get Ezio some hot lemon water. You like lemon water, don't you, Ezio?" He came to Ezio's side and began to peel back the cloth around his shoulder. He pulled it too harshly and Ezio winced. "I'm so sorry, my friend. Tell me what happened, please. Let me borrow your knife. Tell me what happened."

Ezio explained the situation as best he could. He left out the burning, but told about the cold. Leonardo was in the process of cutting away the cloth coiled around the arrow. It had soaked up some blood. Its removal pulled bits of coagulation away and the blood started fresh. Ezio felt it as a ray of heat. It felt welcome, however, so despite Leonardo's apologies, he did not mention anything.

"It's so cold," he said.

"Your skin here is very hot," Leonardo said.

"I am very cold," Ezio said.

Leonardo put the back of his hand to Ezio's forehead. "What a difference," he said. "Enrico, where is that lemon water?"

"Here, Maestro." A boy with dark hair came and delivered a steaming cup to the table. He quickly left again.

Leonardo handed the cup to Ezio. "Perhaps you should drink this before I work on your shoulder," he said.

"Perhaps you are right," Ezio said. He held the cup and over the course of the next few minutes drank its bitter contents down.

Leonardo wrote at his desk all the while. He occasionally glanced up at Ezio and looked at him with concern. Ezio was finishing the drink when Leonardo said, "I'm afraid you'll get a bad fever. You should spend a few days here."

Ezio shook his head. "I appreciate your hospitality, Leonardo, but I don't have the luxury of a few days. I have another target to kill."

Leonardo stood up. "Really, Ezio. How useful will you be when you're trembling so badly you cut yourself with your own weapons? At least rest here for the night. Tell me how you feel in the morning."

"All right."

"Now let me get that arrow out." He came near Ezio again. "If I rip your robe, you should be able to remove it and get into something dryer. I have a extra shirts and blankets." Absently he put his hand to Ezio's forehead again. "Still cold," he said, and then touching Ezio's shoulder, "and burning. What is this, Ezio? Why does your skin feel so hot here?"

"Is it infected?" Ezio turned his head to look. An infection would keep him down for days, maybe even weeks. Such time he could not afford to lose.

"It looks swollen. It might very well be infected, especially since you've been in the water so long. Can you move your arm?"

"No. I was thinking if you pulled out the arrow, I might be able to."

"This is a very deep wound, Ezio. I can't pull out the arrow until I establish how bad it is." He moved around to Ezio's front and reached to feel around his neck. Ezio felt uncomfortable, and pulled away before Leonardo could touch him. Leonardo looked down at him and opened his hands in exasperation. "Listen, Ezio. You have to trust me, all right? There are places around your neck that get swollen when you have an infection." He gestured to his own neck, near his jaw. "Will you let me check?"

Ezio nodded, and Leonardo proceeded. His fingers felt hot in comparison to Ezio's cold skin. Ezio felt heat rise to his face and wasn't sure he found it soothing.

"It's hard to tell," Leonardo was saying absently. Then he regained himself and said, "All right. I'm going to remove the arrow now. Be calm. The arrows the guards use here are inexpensive and won't stick."

Ezio calmed himself as he was told, but the sharp removal of the arrow still sent a shock of pain running through him. He gave a sharp cry and tried to move away.

"It's done, Ezio, it's done," Leonardo said. "How do you feel?"

"I would like to lie down," Ezio said. Weariness was suddenly beginning to rub at his arms, and Leonardo seemed to hear it in his voice.

"Would you like me to have a doctor come here?" he asked.

"That would be most appreciated," Ezio said.

"You might want to remove your assassin's robes, then," Leonardo said, "so that this place remains safe for you. Enrico"-he gestured to the boy who was lingering by the fireplace-"will bring you some fresh clothes. Perhaps just a shirt and some pants." He walked up to Enrico and placed some money in his hand. "This is for your hard work today," he said. "Return to your mother after you find Ezio some clothes and bedding."

"Thank you, Maestro!" Enrico said, and grinned.

Leonardo came back to Ezio and crouched before him. "You look like a wreck," he said with a small smile. "I will be back soon." He stood up and patted Ezio's arm, took a heavy cloak from the wall, and left. Ezio could only look at where Leonardo had touched him. The burning in his shoulder no longer seemed to matter, because his arm was scalding. He felt the unwelcome heat rise to his face again.

"Do you have a fever, Ser Ezio?" Enrico asked, coming forward.

"Yes, I think so," Ezio said, but his gaze remained fixed on his arm.

"Follow me, then, to the guest room, and I'll set you up with some warm blankets and a cool cloth."

Ezio looked at the door through which Leonardo had gone and then pulled himself to his feet to follow Enrico.