I’ll give the series a good rewatch and come up with some good “missing scene” prompts, but for now I have a real weakness for rescues. I’d love to see Leonardo coming to Girolamo’s rescue and vice-versa. Pre-rescue whumping can be offscreen but would be greatly appreciated. ;) And somehow, some way, I desperately want to see an OT4: Leo/Girolamo/Zo/Nico. As long as you’re still taking prompts. :) Thank you again for considering them. :D *hugs*
Title: HEROES
The wet gurgle of blood is loud in the silence of cathedral. Leo twists the knife in his hands, hearing something crack. He lets the other man slump forward onto him, knees only buckling slightly under his weight. Leaning in, he whispers against the dying man's ear. "I promised you I would kill you if you hurt him, didn't I?" Slowly unsheathing his blade from the man's body, he pulls away, letting the man fall onto the marble tiles, a dark pool growing under him.
"Artista."
Leo turns away from the stillness of the man's body. Riario is curling around the leg of the altar, eyes unfocused and fevered. In the torch light, "Artista, please..."
"Close your eyes Riario. I'm taking you home."
****
Zo looks up from where he is mulling by the fire. Wordlessly, he hurries to help Leo with Riario. Together, they bring him to the small bed of blankets, laying him down gingerly.
"Go find Nico. He's taking too long." Zo says, examining the extent of Riario's bruising and cuts. Leo hesitates, indecision evident in the lines of his body.
Zo tries and fails to hide his wince at the way Riario's torn clothes are stuck to his skin, dried stiff with blood. He looks up at Leo, eyes weary with the restless nights they had spent searching for the man. "Go, Leo. You need to calm down your mind. You being you right now is not going to help anyone."
Leo looks up, and a moment passes before he is nodding as he slips away.
He bumps into Nico as he is hurrying back with his bag of poultices and herbs. "Where were you? We got him back." He wraps an arm around the boy's shoulders, guiding him under a hidden archway.
"How is he?" Nico asks, folding himself close as they cut through the crowd.
"Not good." Is all Leo says and they fall silent, focusing on getting back to the den as quickly as possible.
Riario is clean and resting under a thin blanket when they return. Leo catches Zo's eye over the top of the curls on Nico's head as he rushes to Riario. He nods, lips thin in acknowledgement of how hard it must have been for Zo to deal with the aftermath of Riario's stay in the towers.
Nico brushes away stray strands of dark hair that stick to pale sweat damp skin. Zo and Leo watch quietly as their youngest toe off his shoes and lie close next to the unconscious man.
"I'll get something cooking shall I?" Zo says in an almost whisper.
Leo falls into step behind him, walking with him to the fire he'd built in the pit. Slipping his hand into his, he brings it to his lips. "Thank you." Is what he says, brushing repeated ghost trails of his lips against Zo's knuckles.
The hand that cups his cheek is gentle, drawing him close into an embrace. Leo closes his eyes in the waves of relief and exhaustion that washes over him. He lets himself linger for a moment longer before pulling away to walk back into the room.
Nico is still as they have left him, but Riario's eyes are open, staring at the ceiling as if they will unravel the mysteries of the world if he stared long enough.
"You shouldn't have killed that man. It was... It is a foolish move. They'll never stop coming after me now." He says, voice low and rough from disused. The 'they're never going to leave us alone' is explicit and unsaid.
Leo takes a seat on Riario's other side. He waits until the man turns his dark gaze to him. Gently, he leans down, pressing a kiss onto Riario's lips. It is chaste, sweet and carrying every reassurance and relief that Leo can never say to him.
"I think we are more than capable of handling them." Leo says shortly when he leans back against the wall. Riario does not answer him, choosing instead to take his hand.
The sounds of Zo pottering about in the kitchen carries through to their little sanctuary. Nico's hair glows a pale almost white gold in the sunlight streaking through the windows. Leo watches as Riario drapes his spare arm around Nico's shoulder, and he knows they'll be fine.
(a/n: Hope this satisfies, love. Thanks for the prompt :3 Do come back when you have another one you'd like see filled)
