Oh what do you know? More smut! Go to my profile as usual for the link to my AO3 to read the smutty version of the chapter.
Chapter 36: Covert in Cyprus
Three days passed, Altaїr slowly healing and Malik barely putting up with his mostly feigned neediness. Malik eventually was unable to keep him confined to his bed, so he allowed the man to wander about the Bureau. As soon as he had freedom, Altaїr seemed to spend as much energy as he could pestering the Dai as he struggled to work. Malik had to constantly remind himself of the loneliness he had felt over the winter. He should appreciate the man while he could. But damn, how could he work when the needy man could not keep his hands off of him? More than once Malik found himself incapacitated by a wandering hand, teasing him until he grew so flustered that he forced the man away.
It was only at night that Malik allowed the man to have him completely. Though true to his word, Altaїr was gentle with himself so as to not tear open the carefully stitched wounds strewn about his body. Even with all of that, the two certainly were able to satisfy their cravings for one another.
More time passed and soon a week had transpired since Altaїr made his pained entrance into the Bureau. Malik found them settling into a pattern that was almost sickeningly domestic. For all of his achievements and expertise, Altaїr still did not know a thing about cooking, so it was up to Malik to prepare their meals. It was strange, making meals for two after struggling for months to remember to only prepare enough food for one. After Kadar had died, he had continued to make enough food for two at each meal, so stuck in the habit. It had been so painful to come to terms with making a single serving that returning to serving two was like a breath of relief. He had not realized how much preparing food for others satisfied him.
It helped that Altaїr was almost too vocal in his gratefulness. Malik knew he was still trying to make amends. Each gesture of thanks that was a little bit too excessive, each touch that lingered just slightly too long dug deeper into Malik. The man was struggling so hard to get the forgiveness he had already received. But Malik knew that he was doing this as much for him as for himself. He needed to forgive himself and all that he did was a mad attempt to satisfy that desire.
All Malik could do was accept the man with grace, though he did not hesitate to snap at him if he grew too insistent. He had his dignity to uphold, after all. These small spurns struck Altaїr deep, though he did his best to not let his reactions show.
There was tension, yes, but no matter what tiffs they got into during the day, Malik more than welcomed him to his bed when evening fell. They held each other, they made love, and they fell asleep in one another's arms. It was bliss after so long of being apart. Malik slept better than he had in a year with his back pressed to his partner's chest, the man's bandaged but still strong arms circling about him and holding him close. It was all he could ask for, though he knew the man still wanted to do more for him. It was a futile want, for he did not see the simplicity of Malik's true desires.
Another day passed. Malik was just settling into his afternoon cup of strong tea when strong arms circled his waist. He grimaced at the action, double checking the Bureau entrance for the shadow of an approaching Assassin or informant. Seeing none but still wary, he turned and pressed the man away gently, though kept his hand on his chest.
"What do you want, Altaїr?" His tone was neutral, not letting the usual bite enter his words. The man had his hood pulled up and over his head, his expression blank. That made the pit of Malik's stomach sink. For the past week, Altaїr's actions had been playful and needy. Now the underlying tension was almost overwhelming. "Altaїr?"
In a swift move, Altaїr swept in, pinning the Dai against the desk and pulling him into a ravishing kiss. It was heady, so desiring that it left Malik breathless. When he finally forced himself to pull away, Altaїr let out a despairing sigh. "I should have told you before. I got word before I came here that the Templars have bought Cyprus from the Crusaders. I have been meaning to go there to force them to relinquish their hold on the land."
Malik was taken slightly aback by the words, still reeling from the intense intimacy that had just transpired. "You did not tell me this why? Did you think I would have sent you off to go do it immediately, even if you had not gotten injured?" His tone conveyed the absurdity of the notion.
"I do not know how long it will take, Malik. Months, a year?" Concern laced his every feature and still he refused to relinquish the embrace he held on Malik as if he were afraid to get pushed away. Malik did not even dare toy with the idea of spurning the man.
"So you are delaying this on my behalf? The Brotherhood comes before me, Altaїr. You of all people should know that." Malik gripped the front of the man's cowl, voice stern. "I am not as weak as you think."
"I do not think that you are weak," Altaїr replied, just as stern. Malik knew the hidden message beyond those amber eyes, though neither of them would voice it. They had missed one another. They had wanted to be in each other's company for as long as they could before their duties tore them apart yet again.
"Stay one more night." Malik did not care that he was commanding his Grand Master. In that moment they were equals, just two men, two lovers. "But then you have to do your duty to the Brotherhood as its leader."
Altaїr cupped a hand behind Malik's neck, drawing him in close. "I will return as soon as the mission is complete." That evening, they made up for any lost time that lay behind them as well as in the months to come.
Thus Altaїr left for Cyprus. The letters were even sparser than before, the information in them leaving much to be desired. Altaїr wrote of his accomplishments, though never gave details. Malik took this in stride, knowing that the man only left out the details in case the letters were intercepted. He did not even sign the letters with his full name, just a simple scrawl of his initials. What was more worrying was Malik had no way of sending a letter in return. Altaїr was traveling around in utter secrecy, in enemy territory.
Malik continued on leading in Jerusalem, sending Assassins out on missions as they came. As each one dropped into the rooftop entrance, his chest would give a jolt only to sink once again as the men who entered his office were not the one he was wanting. Only about every two months one of the Assassins would present him with a sealed letter from his beloved partner. He would wait until evening to read them, locked away in his quarters far from the prying eyes of the visiting Assassins.
Yet another winter came and went as the months dissolved away. A full year transpired since Altaїr had graced his Bureau. The only reassurance that Malik got was the short letters and the knowledge that the man was as skilled as he was wise. Malik trusted him to stay safe, fully knowing that he was in treacherous territory doing dangerous work. It was this trust that carried Malik through the year, never stooping so low as to be reduced to moping. Sure, he missed the man. He missed him every day, but that did not stop him from carrying on. He had had plenty of practice carrying on in the months after Kadar's demise. This was only different in that this time Malik knew that the one he was missing would return.
And he did.
Late afternoon was falling over Jerusalem, the shadows lengthening and darkening. Malik was busying himself about the Bureau, straightening the cushions and lighting the oil lantern on the counter. The day's heat was rapidly receding as the cool of the night washed over the silent Bureau, the echoes of the street bustle settling as the citizens of Jerusalem retired to their homes. Malik was lighting a cake of incense on the counter in the office when the pleasant silence was interrupted by two light feet landing just outside. The overly familiar jingle of weapons rattling in their scabbards was like music to Malik's ears. He did not feel his heart leap in his chest. That habit had long stopped. In truth, Malik did not quite know what to feel.
Altaїr stepped into the office, his face shadowed and obscured by the hood pulled far over his head. Malik took in his appearance in one sweeping look. His robes were new, though the belts he wore about him were the same, a bit worse for wear. He approached swiftly, not to the opposite side of the counter as was his usual, but immediately went around the backside. Malik simply watched as the Assassin stepped up to him, forgetting the incense and turning to meet him. Hands fell about his shoulders, gripping with such need, such lust that it took the breath out of Malik's throat.
In the next moment, he was being swept into his quarters, the lamp he had so recently lit retrieved and hung on its hook on the wall. As much as Malik had been unconcerned for Altaїr's wellbeing while he was away, this sudden and strangely quiet manner in which Altaїr was going about put him at a slight unease.
"What is this, Altaїr?" He asked of the man, watching his every move. At the question, the Assassin stopped and moved to stand before him again, seemingly at a loss. "A year gone in Cyprus and now you return with no word of welcome?" As if these words pulled him from his thoughts and into action, those lusting hands were at his shoulders again, pulling Malik flush against Altaїr's front. Malik's lips were caught in a desperate, biting kiss and he willingly succumbed to the passion. Before long, Altaїr pushed Malik down onto his bed and fell unto him, ravishing his body as if he never again would have the chance to.
Malik welcomed the passion, but voiced his qualms. No matter how much he wanted the lovemaking to begin, he knew of his responsibilities. "We cannot do this now; I have to watch over the Bureau."
Altaїr paused only momentarily. "I closed the grate."
Malik allowed a grin to cross his lips as devious hands swept down his front, seeking out more intimate territory. "So now you are thinking ahead? What happened in Cyprus to make you so vigilant?"
"Do not speak of Cyprus. I need you now." The words were sharp, but so filled with need and desire that Malik dared not question him.
Altaїr was heavy on top of him, a familiar weight, though more so as he had not removed his weapons. Just what happened in Cyprus to make him so desperate for Malik? Though Malik was no less desperate. As soon as he had fallen into the man's arms, all trepidation melted away and he succumbed to his wild urges. He set everything aside, his thoughts about the Brotherhood, his business that transpired within these walls, even his slight disdain for Altaїr's high office that stole him away for so long. It was just them, seeking out a primal release and needing to be as close as they could as soon as they could.
AO3 for smut!
They were soon back in the enveloping embrace of two lovers long gone without the other. Heavy breaths gave in to softer rhythms, biting kisses becoming fleeting gentle touches.
"Safety and peace, Altaїr," Malik spoke softly, breaking the companionable silence that had fallen between them.
"Upon you as well." Although the man did not smile, Malik heard the warm-heartedness of the words. This was punctuated as the man pressed a possessive kiss to his jaw.
"Your letters left much to be desired in way of what transpired in Cyprus. Perhaps now you can tell me the tale." Malik immediately regretted those words. With a sigh, Altaїr pulled himself out of their comfortable embrace. Malik was sad to feel it go. He then began the slow and meticulous process of removing the belts and scabbards that secured his weapons about him, setting them carefully aside. It was like a ritual, each belt removed precisely. Malik knew the process well from the days when he wore the field Assassin robes.
All the while, Altaїr began relaying his story. "The Templars left for Cyprus from Acre and so I followed them from there." He spoke of the trials in Limassol, of his arrival in Kyrenia and his discovery by pirates. He described his successful assassinations of key Templars, leading him to infiltrate Kantara Castle and the hulking man he battled there. He roused resistance and then infiltrated yet another castle, Buffavento. "There was a crazed woman there," Altaїr said, "her nails were like the claws of a beast. I have seen men and women robbed of sanity before, but she was different. She was dangerous and in such misery that I had to end her life." This appeared to trouble Altaїr, but Malik simply sat and waited for him to go on.
Altaїr indeed continued, speaking of how he stopped the Templar abuse of the people and of how he faced the twins Shahar and Shalim. "It was going to be a fair fight," Altaїr explained, running an agitated hand through his short hair. "But then she had to run away and leave me to fight both of them."
The mention of a woman caught Malik off guard. "She?"
Altaїr seemed to stop, expression closing off. After a long moment, he continued on carefully. "Do you remember when Robert de Sable was supposedly here in Jerusalem?"
"Of course I do. A woman stood in his place." The realization dropped over Malik's head like a bucket of water. "You don't mean to say that the same woman was there in Cyprus."
Altaїr nodded, though reluctantly. "The same. She caused almost more trouble than she was worth."
"She is a Templar, of course she is trouble." Altaїr was far too sympathetic for the woman and Malik made his opinion of the matter known.
"She revealed to me the location of the Templar Archive," Altaїr responded almost sharply in her defense. "I defeated Bouchart, the man I had been hunting, within it. Unfortunately, it collapsed under cannon fire."
"So you were unable to gather information from it?"
"None. I was going to leave the Apple in the vaults of Limassol but that too failed."
Malik sat back and scratched at his chin. There was one piece of information still held back. "What of the Templar woman?"
"She renounced her loyalty to the Templars." He was carefully neutral in his words.
"You left her alive?" Malik did not bother to suppress his shock and disapproval of the action.
"There was no reason to kill her and I thought it best to add her strength to the Brotherhood."
That made Malik reel but he caught himself. He had trusted this man thus far. There was no reason to stop trusting him after this simple decision. Malik dropped the issue, knowing that this conversation could spring into a heated argument. That was exactly what Malik did not want for their first evening in each other's company once more. "So you kept the Apple. Were you able to establish a stronghold for the Brotherhood in Cyprus before you left?"
Altaїr nodded, seeming relieved at the change in subject. "Cyprus is liberated from Templar control and I have sent some men over to ensure it stays that way. I did notice a change in the Templar's pattern while I was away. It seems that they are withdrawing from the eyes of the public."
Malik took this information in, mulling it over for a moment. "Should we do so as well? Will we not lose influence?"
Altaїr shook his head, appearing to already have come to some conclusion about this. "We will work in the dark, beyond the public eye. We can still do the same work, but we will do so in secret."
It was quite a change that Altaїr was proposing. "That would mean abandoning our fortresses, relocating our Brothers."
This Altaїr agreed with. These were all things that he had already considered and planned for. "We will abandon all but Masyaf. Our Brothers will go into the cities and work from within them. You will play a much bigger role in the years to come." With those words, Altaїr rested a hand on Malik's shoulder. It was companionable but more than that, it was trusting. The touch lingered, the intimacy of it not going unnoticed.
No matter how much Malik trusted Altaїr as the leader of the Brotherhood, he still needed reassurance. "Are you certain this is a good move?"
Altaїr's words were strong in their conviction. "The Templars will not attack us with armies, they will infiltrate the rulers of the lands. We must work in secret to stop this from happening. War will not save the people. This battle is best done with words and a blade in the night. The world is changing, Malik. We must change with it."
Malik stared deeply into those amber eyes, covering the man's hand atop his shoulder with his own. "Cyprus has truly changed you."
Altaїr pressed forward, closing the distance between them once more. "Perhaps." Their second consummation of their reunion was much gentler, much more indicative of their longtime longing for the companionship they had left behind. It carried long into the night, neither caring about the loss of sleep that would inevitably plague them the following day.
End Notes: So sorry for missing last week's update! Schoolwork got the best of me I'm afraid. The good news is that next week is the last week of the quarter and I already have half of the next chapter written. So you should be getting a regular update again!
Stay tuned for next week's exciting installment of Silent Discourse: Time in Turmoil! Featuring time jumps and whatnot!