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Description
They never showed something like fear. Neither was there a place for worrying about someone. That was something like an unwritten, unsaid rule of the assassins. And everyone, even the youngest novice knew. Some, only the most naïve, found out when they lost their left ring finger. Some on their first mission where nobody cared if they had to leave someone behind, even if it was a brother…

They'd cry for the lost afterwards, in the hidden. Where nobody was to see their weakness, their worry, their mourning.

Even though he knew all of this, Malik couldn't hide how worried he was at the moment, how scared.

"Altair! You're crazy! You lost your mind, for heaven's sake… We aren't ready to try it out… You are as good as dead!"

He stopped ranting as he saw the smile on Altair's face. It didn't calm him down – it simply made Malik breathless. All the emotions they weren't allowed to show in front of their masters… Fear, nervousness, worry and so much more were written all over his face, his eyes showing for once beyond the hood he wore just like any other novice. And there was also the same pride as always.

"What do you think would they say if they stood down there, waiting for me to jump… but I wouldn't? They'd never respect me…"

"You put your life on the line for simply RESPECT?!" Malik wanted to shout but he instead kept his voice low, not wanting to wake up any of their teachers in the middle of the night, "What if you're making a mistake?! What if you get hurt?! What if you DIE?!"

He looked onto the ground. He didn't want to see the pride in Altair's face, not if the possibility to survive this was so much smaller than the chance of dying…

Altair's boots were suddenly in his vision, even if they shouldn't be. He was slowly stepping closer towards Malik, until there wasn't much space between them. His hand touched Malik's chin, pushing in up so the black-haired assassin had to look his friend in the eyes, even if he didn't want to. He couldn't look away, their eyes locking.

"Don't worry, Malik…" he whispered, his voice surprisingly gentle, his eyes warm, "I won't die… I promise…"

Malik couldn't help but worry. He noticed something in the other's eyes… Fear.
He stepped forward, his body against Altair's in a second, arms wrapped around the taller body. He could instantly feel Altair's hands on his back, clutching at his robes, holding him tight for what seemed like an eternity to them. He could hear and feel Altair's heart, pounding at his chest like it wanted to jump out. He was trembling under his fingers.

"You won't die…"

Altair shook his head, his grip on Malik becoming even tighter, silent sobs shaking his body.

"You will survive it… You can do it…"

He nodded, unsure if he truly believed in Malik's words. As if the smaller one had known his thoughts, he shook him slightly.

"You will, you understand?"

The nod seemed to be more confident than the last one. Malik smiled.

"And if you don't…" he made a pause, not saying anything about Altair's body tensing, "I'll so beat you up in the after-life… Even if I have to do so in front of all the other assassins and even god himself… Then I won't care about their respect towards you…"

He heard Altair laugh. He himself had to smirk. He would have chosen another choice of words… but he didn't. It would have only made Altair snap at him.

Now the other assassin seemed to be calmer again, separating from him as if nothing had happened. He raised his hand, rubbing his eyes with the back of it.

Malik wondered for a moment if he had really shed tears right now.

Altair looked at him once again, his eyes determined.

"Thank you, Malik…"

"It doesn't matter… We are something like brothers, after all…"

Before he could even register the smallest of movements from Altair, he was already pressed against the wall of the tower they were standing in. Altair was mere centimeters from him, pinning Malik against the wall effectively. He didn't even dare to breath, hot puffs of air coming from Altair's mouth hitting his face, his lips.

"I… haven't been thinking of you as a brother… Not within the last few years…" he whispered, sounding somewhat breathless.

His next motion left Malik shocked. There were lips against his, moving against his. There was haste in the movement, something surprisingly close to panic.

But Malik didn't mind.

He kind of liked it to feel Altair so close – mentally as much as physically. He could feel the other's muscles move under his hands as he moved them up the other's back. He wasn't sure anymore, who was trembling – Altair or him. The motion ran through both their bodies. He was senseless. He simply didn't care about anything around them…

He moaned into Altair's mouth. The reason was as simple as it was disturbing Malik. Altair had simply bit his bottom lip, both of them tasting blood as they looked each other in the eyes. Malik's eyes were half-lidded, clouded by lust. They finally closed as Altair licked the blood away.

A shudder ran through his body. He had never been able to imagine himself getting aroused by the taste of blood. It was quite… unusual he thought, even for an assassin like him. But Altair apparently didn't care at all about it. He had his hands on Malik's hips, holding him in place in case he wanted to struggle – which he really didn't want to, if he thought about it even for a second. It felt simply right to stand here, kissing Altair like there was no tomorrow.

And there maybe was none, he reminded himself as he parted from Altair, eyes still closed. Because, if the other assassin made only the tiniest mistake, he wouldn't survive the night.

Malik could sense Altair staring at him. But he still couldn't open his eyes, emotions he didn't even know he still had overwhelming him all at once. He simply stood there, motionless, with his eyes shut tightly as he waited for Altair to do something, anything. Just move.

He did. But instead of talking to him or stepping away as Malik had expected – and at the same time had feared – him to do he started trailing butterfly kisses all over Malik's face. Malik had to smile as he felt the gently touches, tickling him slightly.

And only now, as he felt something wet on his cheeks, he noticed that he had actually been crying. And Altair was kissing away the tears.

"Don't cry…" he whispered warmly, surprising the other assassin with his gentleness towards him as he pressed his lips carefully against Malik's cheeks, "There's no need to…"

He wanted to interrupt Altair. But the whispered "But you might die!" hardly got past his lips, Altair's keeping them shut at once. There was patience lingering in the kiss now. Something he wasn't used to when it came to Altair.

Normally Altair wouldn't behave like this around him. He would be harsh, demanding.

Malik felt his hands on the side of his neck, the other one on his cheek, touches soothing the anger and fear in him.

"I won't…" the taller assassin muttered, voice as low as the whispers of the wind blowing through the windows of the tower they stood in, "I wouldn't leave you behind like this…"

His hand glided over Malik's jaw, fingers touching his bottom lip and whipping the blood off. Altair grinned as he licked the blood away from his thumb, tongue lapping out only long enough for Malik to notice. He shivered in return, aware of what Altair had meant to say with this single motion.

"I just marked you… And I'll come back…" Altair whispered, explaining why he had bitten Malik. Then he simply inched closer, bending towards Malik, hands on his hips once again. Malik bit back a gasp that wanted to escape his throat as Altair's breath hit his neck and ear.

"And when I do… I'll make you mine, Malik…"

Malik's heart seemed to stop beating in his chest, breath hitching in his throat.
But before he could say or stutter anything, Altair had already turned around, walking towards the wooden planks hanging over the cliff. Malik caught a glimpse of the determination in Altair's eyes, sighing relieved as he did. The Leap of Faith wasn't something you could do when you were scared. They knew it. They had known it before they kissed. And Malik was happy that Altair had done that, approaching him.

Because it had made their worries almost disappear. Their panic was gone now. Now there was only place for Malik to believe in Altair. He couldn't worry about him, and he wouldn't.

"Malik!"

Altair's call had made him snap out of his thoughts. He looked up, towards Altair who stood there, on the edge of the plank, back turned against him, looking down as he spread out his arms like wings. Malik saw his shoulders rising as he took a deep breath – and shouted.

"I don't do this because I want your respect – I ONLY WANT ONE THING!"
He jumped, Malik sprinted forward as fast as he could, legs still shaking as he looked over the edge – and saw Altair flying, looking up at him with a smile on his face.

"MALIK!" he shouted before closing his eyes.

His body landed exactly in the hay, disappearing in it. The novices which were standing all around the hay didn't move. No one did. Not even Altair.

"No…" Malik muttered. All air seemed to be pressed out of his lungs, leaving him breathless, suffocating.

As fast as he could he turned around, climbing down the ladder. He left the caste without anyone noticing, everybody either asleep or at the cliff where Altair was… Maybe dead. If he was, he'd be the one at fault. He could have held him back, not letting him jump in the first place.

He saw the sky above him for only a short moment, concentrating at finding a way to get down. He didn't know the way the others had used.

Malik didn't care. He simply got down the cliff as soon as he could, never noticing how his feet hurt after a jump from too great height. He kept running, coming closer to the other side of the tower…

The next moment he already saw the backs of some of the novices. No one had moved. No one was brave enough to look inside the hay to check if Altair had survived. But he would do so. Because he didn't want to believe Altair was dead without having seen his corpse.

"Altair!" he panted, breathless. He finally reached the pile of hay. Closing his eyes, he fell onto his knees. His head and lungs were about to burst, his whole body feeling more than a little sore. He'd never felt that kind of panic and fear before. He knew that it was a weakness. But he didn't have enough energy to keep it hidden.

"Go away…" he hissed, nodding at the novice who was the closest to him. The other assassins talked to each other for what seemed like an eternity to Malik. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want the others to know how he felt about Altair.

And all of them would notice as soon as Malik would start crying.

He was sure he would.

Everyone was gone as he stood up and limped the last few steps towards the hay. There still hadn't been a sound coming from Altair.

"A-altair?"

His voice was shaking as he slowly reached for the hay. There was rustling. Then a hand grabbed onto his, jerking him forwards so he fell right onto Altair who immediately clang to him, almost preventing him from breathing. It didn't matter.

Because Altair was alive, he was still there, holding onto him and shivering like he was freezing.

"God, Altair…" Malik groaned, hugging his friend and wishing that he'd never have to let go of him again, "You can't imagine how worried I was…"

Altair chuckled, voice breaking at his first attempt to speak.

"There… was no need… to worry about me… Malik…" he finally managed to get out, mumbling the sentence against Malik's chest, "After all… it was a Leap of Faith! And I had faith…"

He pulled Malik close, locking their lips in a kiss, relief washing over them as they just lay there. And Malik was sure he could have finished the sentence for Altair if he had gotten the chance to.

He knew that it wasn't some kind of god Altair had put his faith in… It was only Malik, no one else. Because no one else would have been worried about Altair the way he had been. Nobody would have cried before he had even jumped. And nobody would have been able to calm his nerves as fast as Malik could.

Description
They never showed something like fear. Neither was there a place for worrying about someone. That was something like an unwritten, unsaid rule of the assassins. And everyone, even the youngest novice knew. Some, only the most naïve, found out when they lost their left ring finger. Some on their first mission where nobody cared if they had to leave someone behind, even if it was a brother…

They'd cry for the lost afterwards, in the hidden. Where nobody was to see their weakness, their worry, their mourning.

Even though he knew all of this, Malik couldn't hide how worried he was at the moment, how scared.

"Altair! You're crazy! You lost your mind, for heaven's sake… We aren't ready to try it out… You are as good as dead!"

He stopped ranting as he saw the smile on Altair's face. It didn't calm him down – it simply made Malik breathless. All the emotions they weren't allowed to show in front of their masters… Fear, nervousness, worry and so much more were written all over his face, his eyes showing for once beyond the hood he wore just like any other novice. And there was also the same pride as always.

"What do you think would they say if they stood down there, waiting for me to jump… but I wouldn't? They'd never respect me…"

"You put your life on the line for simply RESPECT?!" Malik wanted to shout but he instead kept his voice low, not wanting to wake up any of their teachers in the middle of the night, "What if you're making a mistake?! What if you get hurt?! What if you DIE?!"

He looked onto the ground. He didn't want to see the pride in Altair's face, not if the possibility to survive this was so much smaller than the chance of dying…

Altair's boots were suddenly in his vision, even if they shouldn't be. He was slowly stepping closer towards Malik, until there wasn't much space between them. His hand touched Malik's chin, pushing in up so the black-haired assassin had to look his friend in the eyes, even if he didn't want to. He couldn't look away, their eyes locking.

"Don't worry, Malik…" he whispered, his voice surprisingly gentle, his eyes warm, "I won't die… I promise…"

Malik couldn't help but worry. He noticed something in the other's eyes… Fear.
He stepped forward, his body against Altair's in a second, arms wrapped around the taller body. He could instantly feel Altair's hands on his back, clutching at his robes, holding him tight for what seemed like an eternity to them. He could hear and feel Altair's heart, pounding at his chest like it wanted to jump out. He was trembling under his fingers.

"You won't die…"

Altair shook his head, his grip on Malik becoming even tighter, silent sobs shaking his body.

"You will survive it… You can do it…"

He nodded, unsure if he truly believed in Malik's words. As if the smaller one had known his thoughts, he shook him slightly.

"You will, you understand?"

The nod seemed to be more confident than the last one. Malik smiled.

"And if you don't…" he made a pause, not saying anything about Altair's body tensing, "I'll so beat you up in the after-life… Even if I have to do so in front of all the other assassins and even god himself… Then I won't care about their respect towards you…"

He heard Altair laugh. He himself had to smirk. He would have chosen another choice of words… but he didn't. It would have only made Altair snap at him.

Now the other assassin seemed to be calmer again, separating from him as if nothing had happened. He raised his hand, rubbing his eyes with the back of it.

Malik wondered for a moment if he had really shed tears right now.

Altair looked at him once again, his eyes determined.

"Thank you, Malik…"

"It doesn't matter… We are something like brothers, after all…"

Before he could even register the smallest of movements from Altair, he was already pressed against the wall of the tower they were standing in. Altair was mere centimeters from him, pinning Malik against the wall effectively. He didn't even dare to breath, hot puffs of air coming from Altair's mouth hitting his face, his lips.

"I… haven't been thinking of you as a brother… Not within the last few years…" he whispered, sounding somewhat breathless.

His next motion left Malik shocked. There were lips against his, moving against his. There was haste in the movement, something surprisingly close to panic.

But Malik didn't mind.

He kind of liked it to feel Altair so close – mentally as much as physically. He could feel the other's muscles move under his hands as he moved them up the other's back. He wasn't sure anymore, who was trembling – Altair or him. The motion ran through both their bodies. He was senseless. He simply didn't care about anything around them…

He moaned into Altair's mouth. The reason was as simple as it was disturbing Malik. Altair had simply bit his bottom lip, both of them tasting blood as they looked each other in the eyes. Malik's eyes were half-lidded, clouded by lust. They finally closed as Altair licked the blood away.

A shudder ran through his body. He had never been able to imagine himself getting aroused by the taste of blood. It was quite… unusual he thought, even for an assassin like him. But Altair apparently didn't care at all about it. He had his hands on Malik's hips, holding him in place in case he wanted to struggle – which he really didn't want to, if he thought about it even for a second. It felt simply right to stand here, kissing Altair like there was no tomorrow.

And there maybe was none, he reminded himself as he parted from Altair, eyes still closed. Because, if the other assassin made only the tiniest mistake, he wouldn't survive the night.

Malik could sense Altair staring at him. But he still couldn't open his eyes, emotions he didn't even know he still had overwhelming him all at once. He simply stood there, motionless, with his eyes shut tightly as he waited for Altair to do something, anything. Just move.

He did. But instead of talking to him or stepping away as Malik had expected – and at the same time had feared – him to do he started trailing butterfly kisses all over Malik's face. Malik had to smile as he felt the gently touches, tickling him slightly.

And only now, as he felt something wet on his cheeks, he noticed that he had actually been crying. And Altair was kissing away the tears.

"Don't cry…" he whispered warmly, surprising the other assassin with his gentleness towards him as he pressed his lips carefully against Malik's cheeks, "There's no need to…"

He wanted to interrupt Altair. But the whispered "But you might die!" hardly got past his lips, Altair's keeping them shut at once. There was patience lingering in the kiss now. Something he wasn't used to when it came to Altair.

Normally Altair wouldn't behave like this around him. He would be harsh, demanding.

Malik felt his hands on the side of his neck, the other one on his cheek, touches soothing the anger and fear in him.

"I won't…" the taller assassin muttered, voice as low as the whispers of the wind blowing through the windows of the tower they stood in, "I wouldn't leave you behind like this…"

His hand glided over Malik's jaw, fingers touching his bottom lip and whipping the blood off. Altair grinned as he licked the blood away from his thumb, tongue lapping out only long enough for Malik to notice. He shivered in return, aware of what Altair had meant to say with this single motion.

"I just marked you… And I'll come back…" Altair whispered, explaining why he had bitten Malik. Then he simply inched closer, bending towards Malik, hands on his hips once again. Malik bit back a gasp that wanted to escape his throat as Altair's breath hit his neck and ear.

"And when I do… I'll make you mine, Malik…"

Malik's heart seemed to stop beating in his chest, breath hitching in his throat.
But before he could say or stutter anything, Altair had already turned around, walking towards the wooden planks hanging over the cliff. Malik caught a glimpse of the determination in Altair's eyes, sighing relieved as he did. The Leap of Faith wasn't something you could do when you were scared. They knew it. They had known it before they kissed. And Malik was happy that Altair had done that, approaching him.

Because it had made their worries almost disappear. Their panic was gone now. Now there was only place for Malik to believe in Altair. He couldn't worry about him, and he wouldn't.

"Malik!"

Altair's call had made him snap out of his thoughts. He looked up, towards Altair who stood there, on the edge of the plank, back turned against him, looking down as he spread out his arms like wings. Malik saw his shoulders rising as he took a deep breath – and shouted.

"I don't do this because I want your respect – I ONLY WANT ONE THING!"
He jumped, Malik sprinted forward as fast as he could, legs still shaking as he looked over the edge – and saw Altair flying, looking up at him with a smile on his face.

"MALIK!" he shouted before closing his eyes.

His body landed exactly in the hay, disappearing in it. The novices which were standing all around the hay didn't move. No one did. Not even Altair.

"No…" Malik muttered. All air seemed to be pressed out of his lungs, leaving him breathless, suffocating.

As fast as he could he turned around, climbing down the ladder. He left the caste without anyone noticing, everybody either asleep or at the cliff where Altair was… Maybe dead. If he was, he'd be the one at fault. He could have held him back, not letting him jump in the first place.

He saw the sky above him for only a short moment, concentrating at finding a way to get down. He didn't know the way the others had used.

Malik didn't care. He simply got down the cliff as soon as he could, never noticing how his feet hurt after a jump from too great height. He kept running, coming closer to the other side of the tower…

The next moment he already saw the backs of some of the novices. No one had moved. No one was brave enough to look inside the hay to check if Altair had survived. But he would do so. Because he didn't want to believe Altair was dead without having seen his corpse.

"Altair!" he panted, breathless. He finally reached the pile of hay. Closing his eyes, he fell onto his knees. His head and lungs were about to burst, his whole body feeling more than a little sore. He'd never felt that kind of panic and fear before. He knew that it was a weakness. But he didn't have enough energy to keep it hidden.

"Go away…" he hissed, nodding at the novice who was the closest to him. The other assassins talked to each other for what seemed like an eternity to Malik. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want the others to know how he felt about Altair.

And all of them would notice as soon as Malik would start crying.

He was sure he would.

Everyone was gone as he stood up and limped the last few steps towards the hay. There still hadn't been a sound coming from Altair.

"A-altair?"

His voice was shaking as he slowly reached for the hay. There was rustling. Then a hand grabbed onto his, jerking him forwards so he fell right onto Altair who immediately clang to him, almost preventing him from breathing. It didn't matter.

Because Altair was alive, he was still there, holding onto him and shivering like he was freezing.

"God, Altair…" Malik groaned, hugging his friend and wishing that he'd never have to let go of him again, "You can't imagine how worried I was…"

Altair chuckled, voice breaking at his first attempt to speak.

"There… was no need… to worry about me… Malik…" he finally managed to get out, mumbling the sentence against Malik's chest, "After all… it was a Leap of Faith! And I had faith…"

He pulled Malik close, locking their lips in a kiss, relief washing over them as they just lay there. And Malik was sure he could have finished the sentence for Altair if he had gotten the chance to.

He knew that it wasn't some kind of god Altair had put his faith in… It was only Malik, no one else. Because no one else would have been worried about Altair the way he had been. Nobody would have cried before he had even jumped. And nobody would have been able to calm his nerves as fast as Malik could.