Well, after a long day at classes, plot bunny decided to annoy the life out of me and so this idea was stucked in my head since a day or so ago xD

This is a Prequel to "A rose for your Thoughts", sort of Altair's POV.

Warnings: A drunk Altair, ninjatypos, prolly some bad english grammar and so on and so forth.

Of Roses and Cowards

By: Ellyzeller

It wasn't really about getting drunk.

Because hell, even he knew it was against everything he'd been taught. It didn't require a lot of brain to figure it: If you get drunk, you'll lower your guard. If you lower your guard, you can get killed. Easy as a pie.

"You're not from around" he almost fell back in surprise at the sound of a low, sultry voice behind him, but he didn't, because being an assassin meant to be subtle.

And he was a skilled assassin, but in ways unknown to him, a beautiful woman managed to walk in front of him –in the middle of the day- without being noticed. And he had to frown and curse himself mentally at the streak of mocking remarks his mind could form and associate to one serious Rafiq if he was to find out about this incredible event.

This of course wouldn't happen because it was the Dai's fault that Altair was distracted in the first place.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to get you some water?" called the woman's voice again and he had to stop and take a moment to gaze at her.

She was beautiful. Black, long hair framing a delicate yet serious face with skin the color of peaches and eyes so dark that he spent a full minute gazing at them. In addition, somehow the first thing he thought about her was that she looked like Malik, and almost groaned in frustration when he caught himself stating in his mind that the Dai was far more attractive than her.

And then she giggled and handed him a cup with water, walking across from him and sitting at the edge of the well, suddenly deciding to take a full scale observation of the man in front of her. And he couldn't have felt far from unnerved, almost shivering at the intensity her eyes seemed to have, admiring every detail on his clothes and what little of his face she could observe. He refrained himself from closing his eyes when a stray thought crossed his mind and he wished her eyes were not hers but Malik's, feeling a wave of heat rushing down his spine and… then her sudden laugh jostled him out of his reverie.

With ease he sat straight and tried to collect his thoughts. After what seemed an eternity, she smiled gently and took the cradle she was carrying, walking a few steps forward and stopping in front of him, smiling again and digging with a hand under the fabrics covering the cradle, taking out of it after a few seconds the most beautiful white rose he had ever seen, offering it silently to him.

"Just give it to her and tell her your feelings," she explained at his probably shocked face, barely repressing a giggle. "I'm sure she'll fall for such a handsome man." She added with a mischievous grin, and suddenly he was thankful for the shadows his hood casted over half of his face, because he felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"He's not—" he shut his mouth as suddenly as his mind registered the use of the male pronoun and his eyes darted to hers, only to find the same intense gaze mixed with amusement and a hint of… he didn't venture to find out what exactly was that, for at the next instant he stood and walked away from her.

"Wait, please!" he heard her yell and walked faster, only to stop immediately after she ran in front of him and blocked his way. "Please, just listen" she pleaded and then without noticing it he nodded.

"Tsk, this cannot be happening" he scowled and frowned when she just stood there catching her breath, never letting her eyes apart from him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of red fom some guards approaching and almost kicked himself for what he was about to do, clamping his hand over the woman's mouth and dragging her to an alley.

"Can we talk?" she pleaded, and told him of a place not so far where they could talk without calling unnecessary attention. "I know what you are, you protect us and I want to help instead." She beamed at him.

He let out a heavy sigh and nodded again, only talking to command her to lead the way, he would follow some steps behind.

When she obediently complied, he took his time to stand in front of her, and check for guards, motioning her to start walking, glancing a little downwards to find her eyes and fighting his urges to run away from the place and protect her from being seen with him, because after all she was innocent.

Too late he discovered she really wasn't.

It was after he had drank at least two bottles of whatever strange liquor they had bought along the road, and pouring half his heart out that he really thought about how useful would it be to confess to Malik in this state.

"Are you drunk already?" He huffed and glanced away, taking in his surroundings and deciding it was safe enough after using the Eagle Vision once. He sighed tiredly and his face set on a mask of seriousness, gazing at the woman. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about your secrets, assassin." She whispered in a low voice, winking at a dumbfounded Altair, who had to ask his fair share of questions to the strange woman.

After setting that she was to be trusted (and under the influence of another bottle of the effective liquor) he kept telling stories about the dark haired Rafiq.

"Then by what you have told me he trusted you a lot." She said after a while, handling him another bottle of said liquor. He drank a full goblet, because really, who cares if he gets drunk for a night?

"Malik, probably" he thought with a grimace, while listening from Elian (that was the woman's name, he believed, from what she said before at introductions) rambling about his "love" for the Dai at Jerusalem. "He probably hates me, actually" he murmured, and couldn't get the pained tone out of his voice, nor ignore the ache in his chest. "I wronged him and practically killed his brother" and again, he couldn't care less if he was confessing this to a complete stranger, because at the moment, the only thing he really wanted was to get rid of the toxic sadness and anguish he felt from the memories of a year ago. True, Malik had talked to him after a while, and after some months more they even returned to his usual bickerings and interaction… but deep down he was almost asphyxiated by the remorse he felt every time he took a glance at Malik's long gone arm, even if the Dai waved it off with some lighthearted joke and said it was long since forgotten. Even if once he really had a breakdown and between some comforting whispers Malik had said it was forgiven too.

It was then he had started longing for the Rafik's voice, or the way his eyelashes fluttered lightly while he slept at the back room at the Bureau. It was then he felt guilty to discover himself thinking of how soft Malik's lips looked every glorious time he spat a vicious remark at him, and even more so when once, he happened to catch him in the middle of a bath and how he had envied those unworthy droplets of water cascading down a firm and tanned chest and his eyes followed with sinful torture all their way down his abs and then—

"Are you even listening?" Elian asked from across the table and he watched her with slightly unfocused vision, only to nod slowly and register that this time he was really drunk. She looked at him with something akin to glee painted in her face and handled him a big bundle of… something, covered in a silky red fabric. "Give these to him, and tell him whatever is you desire to tell him, and make sure to think out of the box."

Whatever she meant with that, he wasn't sure.

"Why are you doing this?"

He had to blink twice to confirm that the woman was not at her seat, or nowhere around really, so he set his resolve to going straight to the Bureau and finding Malik and kiss him into oblivion… or until the Dai kicked him away, but he was feeling oddly positive right now.

And then he glanced at the bundle, and found himself grinning like an idiot when he discovered there were at least two dozens of the same white roses like the one from before.

With some patience he blended into the shadows the buildings provided with the sun beginning to set, avoiding with ease all the guards in his way, finally reaching the Bureau, and setting to be as silent as possible.

And it wasn't that difficult being a trained assassin, so he made his way from the roof entrance, walking past the Dai's quarters, catching a glimpse of Malik's bed and stopping dead in his tracks.

"Think out of the box"

He grinned even wider and took ten roses out of the fabric, walking slowly to the low bed.

It was surely the alcohol, and he was definitely and utterly drunk, but he sure took his sweet time spreading white rose petals over the whole surface. And "oh, look at that, Malik has incense here" And he was torn between lighting some and leaving the rest of the roses there, wait for Malik to come back and work some magic or actually go in-

Some noises came from the front room and he reminded himself of his main purpose, deciding at the last moment to go back through the roof entrance and deliver the roses in person.

So he leapt out of the building and climbed down the side, darting towards the main entrance, taking a few breaths and feeling nervous and excited and afraid and "Oh, to hell with it" he put a serious face, took down his hood and grabbed firmly the bunch of white roses with both hands, walking at what seemed slow pace into the room and stopping at the sight of Malik's back towards him, obviously too concentrated on a document or map to even notice Altair, who was smiling fondly at the oblivious Rafiq, feeling a mix of emotions that for a brief moment took his breath away.

With the same silence he put the bundle of roses in the counter, suddenly too ashamed and afraid to even talk, and with an unnoticed bow he walked outside, perching himself on the rooftop to rest. It was later when he heard some loud voices coming out from the bureau that he decided to jump down and found himself frowning with slight disappointment at the sight of two really scared novices running away the building with a well known bouquet of roses in between their arms.

Oh well, not everything can go according to plans, he thought bitterly, and with slight tipsy steps went into the Bureau again.

And there was his Dai, with his back still towards him, and he was craving to get closer and put his arms around him and whisper one and a million things to him, but found himself rooted to his place, only giving the usual salute.

He almost heard Malik sighing in annoyance, making him smile and barely suppress a snicker because he really understood now; he would be deeply ruined and lost if not for his Dai.

His Malik, who almost tiredly remarked him to find something better to do and how he should be training, but he was enjoying himself, and his previous positivism was slowly coming back.

Something on the floor took his attention away from the Dai's strong, desirable back and he crouched and grabbed it, rolling it between his fingers and then an idea hit him and at the next moment he didn't cared about anything else and practically threw himself against the other's back, taking the previously found stray rose and caressing Malik's neck with it, biting back a groan when a gasp found it's way out of his Dai's moist, desirable lips.

"If I can still snuck up on you, training is not that necessary." He purred against Malik's ear in a low, deep voice, relenting on every shiver rocking the other's body and not liking at all the little space left between their bodies so he pressed himself flush against Malik, enjoying every second of holding the other's body, frowning when he felt Malik squirm and letting go just a bit, smirking in victory when his gaze stopped at his Dai's bright red cheeks, and feeling his very breath ghosting over his almost touching lips.

"You're drunk" stated Malik with irritation and disappointment, and he felt like a bucket of cold water was thrown over his head, and the know at his stomach made itself unbearable, and he cursed and kicked himself for even thinking it was possible for Malik to love him back. So he took his last chance, and with a sad smile sealed their lips.

And heaven melted with earth, the desert rested in calm, and it was like being drowned in the most sweet and lethal poison, because now that he'd tasted what Malik's lips felt like, his dreams and desires would center only in that dark haired man, and the longing and want would be his death.

So when they separated he really didn't want to let go, and felt the luckiest man in the whole world when Malik didn't separate too. And he heard the other complain about how he never sneaked up on him and he had to crush their lips again because it was like torture to not do so. It made him lost focus of time and feel lightheaded and dizzy and honestly he didn't care either, because finally Malik was kissing back.

Then the kiss was over and he confessed his lack of courage and necessary use of alcohol to man up for his confession, never getting too far from Malik's face, resuming his caress with the white rose tracing random patterns on the Dai's cheek, almost laughing when his eyes went wide at the object and him sneaking in.

Before Malik could start his rant, Altair was eagerly kissing him again, tangling his hands around the other's neck and deepening the kiss, almost moaning when their hips connected and clumsily directing both towards the back room, sneaking his hands under the Dai's robes because it was getting too hot and Malik could appreciate some air.

And when he felt Malik's hand pulling at his sash in return, he was thankful about having thought of the bed before and already was thinking about putting it to good use.

"Thinking out of the box, eh?"

Oh he would make sure through the night to teach Malik how to do it too..

-FIN-

There bunny, are you happy? Please don't tell me now you're planning to perform aerial assassinations with Muse-chan, ok?

Reviews, please, or Cesare and De Sable are going to start removing haystacks and hidepoints and bunny, Altair and Ezio won't have fluffy things to fell on D: