“I’m glad you are too,” Leo said hugging him back, “Just… excuse me for a moment,” and Malik let him go. He quickly went back into the living room and Malik heard him talking to Lorenzo and William but he didn’t really care to hear what they were saying. He pressed his hands up to his face, rubbing tired eyes with his palms. “Malik,” Leo was back and Malik pulled his hands away and his glasses set crookedly across his nose. “What happened?” he asked and fixed Malik’s glasses since he was incapable of doing it himself it seemed.
“It’s a long story,” Malik sighed.
“Tell me,” and Leo dragged him back to the living room where they sat. “Malik,” he said worriedly.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Malik groaned sitting back tiredly.
“Well why don’t you just start at the beginning?”
Malik nodded slowly, ““Truthfully I don’t know if I could even stay awake to tell it,” he said tiredly.
“Well just start, burdens are often easier shared,” and Leo reached out and clasped his hand. “I would happily share it,” he added when Malik hesitated.
When he said that it was like a dam broke. At first Malik didn’t know where he was going, he was just talking at first trying to get it out. Leo just sat there, listening and holding onto his hand, squeezing it sometimes almost like a reassurance. He literally told Leo everything except for what Altair had told him about the Rifters because there was to much to tell for that, to much everything he could barely understand. He barely remembered Altair’s threat that if anyone but he or Shaun breathed a word of it Altair would kill them. He thought it lost the feelings in his fingers for a moment when he told Leo about the second deal he’d made and watched his face flicker through emotions though he didn’t say anything, no accusations, no questions, nothing and Malik was grateful for it. The rest was easy then and Leo’s face only became strained again when Malik told him about why he wanted to go with the Rifters and then again when he explained the Templars who’d almost been able to kill them.
He was growing tired, he hadn’t done so much talking for so long it seemed, since you didn’t want to open your mouth to much out in the desert or sand would fly in. But it wasn’t just that, he was emotionally tired too, mentally tired. He was just… tired. He felt a bit like Altair, he wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again because to have to keep on going was almost more painful than death.
“Malik,” Leo said gently and Malik closed his mouth and the sound of his own voice ceased for the first time in what seemed like days. “I think you should go to bed,” he patted Malik’s hand. Malik just blinked at him in a slow tired way from behind his glasses, “You can tell me the rest in the morning.”
“I can’t sleep,” Malik grumbled.
“Why? Malik you’re practically asleep where you sit,” Leo squeezed his hand. Malik told him and closed his eyes and like he expected he saw the five Rifters standing there in the desert like some sort of foretoken mirage. “When was the last time you slept?”
“I can’t remember. Rest maybe, but not sleep,” he shook his head.
“I’ll be right back, you stay right here,” he patted Malik’s hand and hopped off the couch. Malik sagged into the couch and his eyes drifted closed though he didn’t see the Rifters beyond the fence, this time it was Altair. He was just… perfect and flawless and brave and strong and handsome and-
He shook his head opening his eyes and sat up strait.
He needed to stop doing this to himself.
Leo came back then and shoved a cup into his hand, “Drink,” he ordered, “You sound parched.” Malik didn’t argue, he drank and only then realized how thirsty he was and drained the contents of the cup in a few seconds.
“Thanks,” he said putting the cup on the table as Leo sat down again. “Where was I?”
“The fence I believe,” Leo said sitting in quiet, partially rapt attention. Malik just nodded and started again but he hadn’t even gotten to the part about Des before he felt his tongue become heavy, his eyelids slammed shut and he tipped forward.
He was vaguely aware of a pair of hands catching him and the words, “There there Malik,” spoken in a soft tone near his ear as a hand patted his hair, “Rest now.”
Re: Clipped (20b/?)
“It’s a long story,” Malik sighed.
“Tell me,” and Leo dragged him back to the living room where they sat. “Malik,” he said worriedly.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Malik groaned sitting back tiredly.
“Well why don’t you just start at the beginning?”
Malik nodded slowly, ““Truthfully I don’t know if I could even stay awake to tell it,” he said tiredly.
“Well just start, burdens are often easier shared,” and Leo reached out and clasped his hand. “I would happily share it,” he added when Malik hesitated.
When he said that it was like a dam broke. At first Malik didn’t know where he was going, he was just talking at first trying to get it out. Leo just sat there, listening and holding onto his hand, squeezing it sometimes almost like a reassurance. He literally told Leo everything except for what Altair had told him about the Rifters because there was to much to tell for that, to much everything he could barely understand. He barely remembered Altair’s threat that if anyone but he or Shaun breathed a word of it Altair would kill them. He thought it lost the feelings in his fingers for a moment when he told Leo about the second deal he’d made and watched his face flicker through emotions though he didn’t say anything, no accusations, no questions, nothing and Malik was grateful for it. The rest was easy then and Leo’s face only became strained again when Malik told him about why he wanted to go with the Rifters and then again when he explained the Templars who’d almost been able to kill them.
He was growing tired, he hadn’t done so much talking for so long it seemed, since you didn’t want to open your mouth to much out in the desert or sand would fly in. But it wasn’t just that, he was emotionally tired too, mentally tired. He was just… tired. He felt a bit like Altair, he wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again because to have to keep on going was almost more painful than death.
“Malik,” Leo said gently and Malik closed his mouth and the sound of his own voice ceased for the first time in what seemed like days. “I think you should go to bed,” he patted Malik’s hand. Malik just blinked at him in a slow tired way from behind his glasses, “You can tell me the rest in the morning.”
“I can’t sleep,” Malik grumbled.
“Why? Malik you’re practically asleep where you sit,” Leo squeezed his hand. Malik told him and closed his eyes and like he expected he saw the five Rifters standing there in the desert like some sort of foretoken mirage. “When was the last time you slept?”
“I can’t remember. Rest maybe, but not sleep,” he shook his head.
“I’ll be right back, you stay right here,” he patted Malik’s hand and hopped off the couch. Malik sagged into the couch and his eyes drifted closed though he didn’t see the Rifters beyond the fence, this time it was Altair. He was just… perfect and flawless and brave and strong and handsome and-
He shook his head opening his eyes and sat up strait.
He needed to stop doing this to himself.
Leo came back then and shoved a cup into his hand, “Drink,” he ordered, “You sound parched.” Malik didn’t argue, he drank and only then realized how thirsty he was and drained the contents of the cup in a few seconds.
“Thanks,” he said putting the cup on the table as Leo sat down again. “Where was I?”
“The fence I believe,” Leo said sitting in quiet, partially rapt attention. Malik just nodded and started again but he hadn’t even gotten to the part about Des before he felt his tongue become heavy, his eyelids slammed shut and he tipped forward.
He was vaguely aware of a pair of hands catching him and the words, “There there Malik,” spoken in a soft tone near his ear as a hand patted his hair, “Rest now.”
Thankfully he didn’t dream.