"Playing With Love"
WARNING: CONTAINS YAOI, SLASH, MALE x MALE, (etc.). IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT, DO NOT READ IT. Thank you.
Rated for language.
Pairing(s): Altair/Malik. Mentioned Altair/Maria and implied Ezio/Leonardo.
Summary: A modern AU story. Altair is tired of always fighting with Maria. He visits a past lover whom can't forget what he's done in the past.
Disclaimer: Altair, Malik, and Assassin's Creed rightfully belong to Ubisoft.
AN: ALTMAL IS MY ONE TRUE OTP. Q A Q I got a random inspiration for this while on Tumblr role playing Malik like a boss. Due to the various Altair and Malik pictures I've seen, this is what came out.
PS. I know the title is horribly out of place. I've been listening to "Price Tag" one too many times. Also- have you guys seen the new trailer for AC:R? FFFFFFFFFFFFF- I can't wait for it to come out! I will now die a happy camper.
"Why don't you go back to him then!"
It was the last words she screamed to him before kicking him out. They were always fighting. Day and night, they couldn't even stand in the same room without something to bicker about. It seemed Maria was on edge lately. Nothing he did pleased her anymore. He bought her chocolates; she would complain about the brand. He bought her flowers; she yells at him for rousing her allergies. It got to the point where he grew tired of looking at her everyday, just fighting with her. Maria's very presence annoyed him now, made him tired and exhausted. The funny part was that he couldn't even remember how their arguments start. He couldn't think past the screams and hurtful words. Altair couldn't recall how they often ended screaming at each other- how he ended up at a bus stop in the pouring rain.
The first few weeks of dating seemed like a distant memory. Everything was fine those first few weeks. But even then, he couldn't even call it real love.
He scrubbed his face with the heels of his hands, letting out a long exhausted sigh. It wasn't the first time Maria has kicked him out of the house. It wasn't even his house. Altair had always been a nomad. His home was never permanent. Why he agreed to move in with Maria was a reason far beyond him. It would take awhile for Maria to forgive him and allow him back into the house. But even when she seems to blow off steam, someone always brews up another pot for him.
The rain did not make anything much better. Altair was not a big fan of water and therefore, not a big fan of rain. He managed to keep slightly dry by waiting under a bus stop. It was around nine o' clock at night, the city bus usually didn't come this late. It was his only shelter for now. His only light source was the single lamp post that rested alongside a garbage can.
Altair pulled out his phone, the one Maria will probably call him on in a few hours, asking him to come back. But he won't this time. He just won't.
But no matter how many times he's told himself that, he knows he'll eventually come back. Like a loyal dog.
He pulls up the contact list, hoping to find someone who will let him stay for at least a few hours. Altair just didn't want to spend his night in the pouring rain. Most of the people in his contact list didn't even speak to him anymore. He's lost contact with most because he had been busy with Maria. And some others were Maria's friends, those that she programmed into his phone. His thumb scrolled down furiously, wondering why he had so much names when he barely spoke to any of them. He finally had passed the "N"s and continuing onto the "M"s. Altair's finger stopped at the only name listed in the "M" category.
Malik Al-Sayf: Call | Message | Add Ring Tone | Edit.
A rush of memories suddenly washed over him as his golden eyes stared at the name. Malik had been his best friend, college roommate, and ex-lover. They had grown up together. Shared so much with each other. Secrets, wishes, desires. It wasn't until their senior year in high school did they finally come out to each other and started a secret relationship. It lasted until their final year of college until Altair had cheated on him. It's been at least three years since he's last seen that man.
Malik hated him now. For cheating, running off with Maria.
There was also another reason. Altair was the cause of Kadar's death. He had been drunk from spending too much of his time at the bar. Despite the warnings, he drove home in the state that he was and collided with another car which happened to be Malik's. Kadar died moments after arriving at the hospital. Malik had his left arm amputated and all the while Altair only lost his left ring finger and earned scar on his lips from the accident. Malik never spoke to him again.
Is it not enough that you break a man's heart, but you take away the only thing that he has left?
He hadn't even apologized. It's been three years and he never apologized for ruining Malik's life. Altair buried his head into his hands, staring intently at the name. Malik. He missed him desperately. So much that his chest tightened and stung with pain he felt like he would have died on that spot. He's never known someone whose ever died of a heart ache.
Plenty of people have. He just didn't know any.
Altair's finger ghosted over the call option. He wanted to call Malik. Apologize. Scream. Cry. I was wrong.
When his conciseness finally caught up his actions, the phone had been pressed against his ears. He heard it ring. Once. Twice. After the third ring, Altair considered ending the call. Until;
"Hello?" The familiar sound of a voice that's been absent for far too long.
Altair's breathing stopped. His throat suddenly went dry and his heart was beating a mile a minute.
"... Hello?" Malik's voice had asked again.
He didn't answer. Altair's courage had flown out the door the minute the other man picked up the phone. He tried to get at least his name out, but he couldn't. He only sat, holding the phone tightly against his ear while he breathed into the receiver.
"Whoever this is, fuck off. I have better things to do." There was a small click indicating that Malik had hung up the other line.
The sudden sound of the dial tone suddenly became very loud to him. Altair hadn't even realized he was still sitting with the cell phone pressed firmly on his ear. He lowered it slowly and ended the call. The screen redirected him back to the address book and Malik's name. His golden eyes stared at it once more- as if in a trance. He thought about calling back but he stood up instead.
He needed to see Malik.
The white jacket on his back was soaked to the core. His dark jeans clung to his legs uncomfortably. He had his hood pulled up but it didn't make a difference in the pouring rain. Altair felt so heavy. Heavy with guilty emotions and rain water. He hated the feeling, he hated the water so much. His eyes stared at the familiar house in front of him. It was so familiar because it never changed. Not the color of the door, the windows, curtains, bushes, nothing. It was like he had taken a step back in time. To a time where he could walk through those doors without the fear of being murdered by Malik.
He knew this wasn't a good idea. Just turn back. Go back to Maria, like the loyal dog that you are.
But Altair's knuckles soon knocked on the dark wood of the house. There was a door bell, but he never used door bells. His heart was racing, some of the cause being he had practically sprinted here, slipped in rain water but got on his feet again. He was exhausted, filthy, and barely past freezing. He waited a minute, there was no answer. Altair knocked again, this time louder. When he heard someone yelling from the other side, he took a step back.
The door swung open to reveal the one armed man. He wore a simple white shirt covered by a black cardigan with the left sleeve safety pinned to his shoulder. His head was turned away from Altair, as if he were talking to someone else.
"-some in the pantry." Was what Malik said. Not towards him.
The man turned to look at the late night visitor in annoyance. But his expression quickly changed when those onyx eyes saw the man under the white hood. There was shock at first. His eyes nearly were gauged from his head. Malik's shock quickly turned to disgust and then visible anger. He wore a dark scowl on his features.
"You have some nerve showing your face back here.."
Altair hung his head, not even being able to form a sentence. Apologize. Apologize. But he couldn't. He looked at the black haired man with regret hidden in his gold eyes.
"What do you want?" Malik hissed lowly, "Have you come to cause me more grief?"
No answer.
"Or has that woman finally abandoned you and you hoped by coming here, I would take pity on you?"
Still no answer. It was clear Malik was becoming frustrated. His only hand clenched tightly at his side. It twitched and threatened to raise and connect with Altair's face.
"Why did you come back." The dark haired man demanded loudly with teeth gritted.
Nothing.
"Answer me, Altair!" By now, Malik was fed up at his silence. The furious man raised his fist. Altair didn't make a move to avoid what was coming. He readied himself for the punch being thrown at him.
But it never connected. Someone had pulled the one armed man away from the door frame. The man held firmly onto Malik's only arm as he pulled him away from the open door and away from Altair.
"Calmarti, Malik! What seems to be the trouble?" The man's deep voice sounded familiar in Altair's ears.
"Get the fuck away from me Ezio!" Malik's angered yell rung in his ears. He attempted to pull away from the bigger man's clenches to charge at Altair but made no progress. Malik let out a frustrated yell, glaring poisonously at the rain soaked man.
Altair looked at Ezio Auditore, his second cousin, in surprise. What was he doing at Malik's house? Neither of the two have ever been close before. Altair knew the answer to that question. He took one look at Ezio's open shirt and knew. Somehow, he did not want to know. Something stabbed him right in the stomach. So Malik was with Ezio now.
"Let go! Why did you come back Altair! Leave!" Malik's angered cries were heard again. Ezio grunted as he held the man back, looking towards Altair with furrowed brows.
"What is it, Altair?" His cousin asked.
Altair simply smiled dully, looking at Malik with sad eyes. "I came to apologize..."
Malik had stopped struggling in Ezio's grasp. Two sets of eyes stuck to the white hooded man almost bewildered. There was silence among the three, it lasted for a minute or two.
"Apologize? YOU came to fucking apologize? Three years I've waited and I've never heard you even whisper a word of an apology! Not even after you ran off with that whore! Not even after you took my younger brother away from me! The grief, pain, sorrow, you can't even BEGIN to imagine! And you come back after three years to apologize?"
Tears stained the one armed man's eyes. It was rare Malik ever cried. It was only the third time he's seen tears fall from Malik's eyes. The first time being when he had lost his mother, the second when he lost Kadar, and this was the third was when he had lost Altair.
Is it not enough that you break a man's heart, but you pick apart his pride piece by piece?
"Malik... I-" Altair started, looking at the hateful eyes of Malik.
"Leave."
He took a step back as if Malik's only word had been shot at him like a gun.
"Malik-"
"I said go! Don't ever come back here again. Go die on the streets!"
It's been five hours since Malik sent him away. In those five hours, Maria has tried to contact him twenty six times so far. The first six times were through text. And the other twenty was through calls. She's left over eleven voice messages asking him to come back and saying that she was sorry and wasn't mad anymore.
It was always a lie.
Altair never answered her. He stared at his wet cell phone as it lit up with Maria's name once more. Call number twenty-one. He let it vibrate in his hands. Until the screen went black. She probably would leave another voice message. Another one who wouldn't answer back to.
"Go die on the streets."
Malik's last words cut through him deeply. Each time it replayed in his mind, it added another open wound. He was cold and soaked to the bone. His fingers were wrinkled from being exposed to the rain. Maybe dying in the streets was what he was trying to do. He sat on the curb of Malik's house in the rain that hasn't let up. Why hasn't he gone away yet? He had no where to go. Altair did not want to return Maria. He was tired. He'd lost everything.
His home. His life. Malik.
If there was one thing he ever wanted to undo, it would be the day he was tempted by Maria. It was the day everything went downhill. He missed him- so much more then the other man could other imagine. And yet, he has caused the other nothing but grief.
"I'm so sorry, Malik..." His shaking voice whispered. He was so tired.
Altair's heavy lids closed over his eyes.
Altair's eyes slowly opened. It was dark, and warm. His senses seemed dull and his body ached. It felt like he had been drinking but not enough to even be drunk. He sat up, immediately seeing blankets fall from him. Altair stared at them in a confused manner. It took him some time to realize he was in a bed. And- he was dry with a pair of clothing that wasn't his. But he was alive. It was still pitch dark but a clock with red digital numbers told him it was four in the morning.
Where was he?
The room was a familiar haze to him. Like he's been this room before- but couldn't recall when. It wasn't Maria's house. Altair pulled the covers from himself and stepped from the bed. A sharp pain shot through his head causing him to wince in pain and curse softly.
Where was he?
Altair took a few steps towards the door, careful to tread as quietly as possible. He opened the door, peeking his head out into the hallway with wooden floors. It was quiet. Nothing was heard but the heavy rain outside. Whoever else was in this place must have been in bed as well. He took a step out into the hallway and shivered as his bare feet touched the cold wood.
The hallway was vagely familiar to him also. He couldn't remember when but he's been here before. His eyes widened when he recognized it. It was Malik's house. He was inside of Malik's house. There was no mistaking it. The hallway was the same. The walls. Even the small, ugly statue at the end of he hall Malik always complained about. Altair turned back to the room had just left. This room was familiar to him because it was once his room.
But it wasn't anymore. The walls were empty, no posters hung. The drawers were filled with empty space that would never be occupied again. The small closet that was once overflowing with clothes was now just left open with a single hanger inside. The room was so empty and sad. It seemed to be crying for him. He could hear Malik's past sobs echo through this room.
His head lowered towards the floor with a pained expression. Why was he in this house? Malik hated him, there was no way he would have taken pity on him.
"You're up."
Altair's head snapped towards the door quickly at the voice that rung in the air. It was pitch black, but he could see the figure at the door way. From the voice, he knew it was Malik.
His voice once again failed him as he stood there, intently staring at the dark outline of Malik.
Malik didn't speak again. Neither did. Altair didn't blink. He continued staring at the outline until his eyes burned. Then he blinked. Malik moved a few feet into the room.
"You're lucky. If you spent any longer in the rain, you could have died of hypothermia."
"Why..."
"Why? It was Ezio who saved you. You should thank him." There was no hate in Malik's voice. It seemed blank. Dull. As if the man was holding no emotions.
"I see..." Altair's head turned away from Malik's outline to stare at the barely visible white sheets of the bed.
There was a moment of silence between them. Before Malik spoke once more.
"I didn't want you to die, Altair." The man breathed.
"Why? I... ruined your life. I took Kadar from you. Cheated on you. How could you not want me dead?"
"I know... I should hate you, hurt you, kill you right now. But, I can't... I can't..." Tears again threatened to fall from Malik's eyes. Although he could not see, Altair could feel the grief in the man's eyes as the same pain stung in his chest.
"Malik... I'm sorry."
"I don't accept your apology."
There was a sigh heard, but he couldn't tell if it came from Malik or himself. They sat in silence once more. Altair's gold eyes watched the digital clocks as the minutes changed slowly.
"How long?" Altair started.
"How long what?"
"... Have you and Ezio been together."
He could feel the one armed man stare on him. Although his gaze never left the red numbers.
"We're not. He's only visiting with Leonardo for the week. They're staying in the other guest room down the hall."
Altair's head turned to look at Malik's outline in surprise. Now he felt foolish for making an assumption. But he couldn't help the overwhelming relief that washed over him. Why was he feeling relieved? It wasn't like he could ever have Malik back...
A small light suddenly lit the room dimly. It was his cell phone with Maria's name on the caller ID. In the small light, he could see Malik now. The expression of hurt on his face.
"She's been calling for hours now." Malik's tone sounded annoyed as he turned to leave.
"Malik, wait." Altair reached to grab at the other man's hand, but he forgotten for a short moment that the arm was missing. Instead he had grabbed a sleeve full of nothing.
"What do you want?" The one armed man didn't turn around.
If he didn't get Malik to forgive him now, if he didn't tell Malik what he felt- he could never live with himself from now on.
"I know there's nothing I can do to bring Kadar back. I know I've cause you so much pain. I regret ever meeting Maria. Ever running off with her. I know you think I'm saying this because Maria and I are not on good terms right now but- I love you."
"Altair, don't." The other man warned, not wanting to hear it.
But Altair continued.
"I never stopped, Malik. I was stupid. For ever betraying you. I've lived with the guilt for the past three years. I thought I could replace you with Maria after what I did. But I can't. I've learned now that that I can't replace you. I only regret that I've learned that far too late. I didn't know any more pain I could have caused you, but then I took Kadar. I know a sorry won't make you forgive me for your brother's life. But it's the only thing I have left. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm not asking you to take me back, but please, I only beg for your forgiveness."
A heavy silence grew between the two men. Malik did not speak a word for what seemed like minutes.
"I'm sorry, I can't." Was the final response that cut through his heart. He released Malik's sleeve, watching the man leave the room in silence.
The pouring rain couldn't hide the tears that fell from his gold eyes. It couldn't wash away the heavy feeling inside his chest. He staggered in the streets, having just left Malik's house without even thinking. He was soaked yet again to the bone. But he couldn't fell the cold anymore, his body had gone numb. Cars passing by honked their horn at him for getting in the way. The sun was just barely peeking at the horizon. And the rain was not even near to letting up. There were multiples of times where he fell from getting caught in the floods of water. But each time he got back up on his feet.
He made his way back to Maria.
Like a loyal dog.
AN: Sorry for the unhappy ending! It was suppose to end happy before, but I don't why I wrote it like this. I might make another chapter with an alternate ending. Yeah- this is seriously what my brain crapped out. FMLFMLFML. Reviews are always appreciated~ If you see any typos, gammer mistakes, and whatnot, I'm really sorry I fail. "orz