A/N: Okay, this is my first AC story. Whenever I've read an AltMal kiss, Malik was theone being kissed. SoI decided to give Alair some time to be surprised.

APOV

I leaned against the doorframe. Malik had his back to me, his stubby left arm dangling uselessly as the other reached for a book.

"Safety and peace, my friend," I said.

He paused as my voice registered in his mind, then he returned to his work. This made me smile—Malik al-Sayr was far too easy to provoke.

I bumped myself off of the doorframe, sauntering forward with a fox's smile. "Are you not happy to see me?"

"Leave me alone, Altair," he sighed. I knew he didn't mean it.

Crossing my arms, I stepped up behind him. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, really? What about?" He spun around and fixed me with an expectant stare.

"I came to… ugh, apologize," I started my rehearsed speech. The words tasted bitter in my mouth. I never apologized to anyone… but he really deserved it. "It was my arrogance that got Kadar killed, that—well, you know," I nodded to his severed arm.

"Don't act like you understand, Altair, because you don't," he blurted out angrily. "My brother did not ask for death. I didn't ask for this," he gestured to the empty space on his left. "It was your arrogance that caused this. But a simple apology won't make amends for it."

"Malik, what more do you want me to do?" I asked, my voice more pleading than my attitude. I could not believe I was doing this! I let my hidden blade slide down my wrist—something I did when I felt guilt or anger.

He noticed. "What are you upset about?" He advanced on me, forcing me back with a finger poked at my chest. His attitude was really pissing me off, but now was not the time. "You don't regret anything as much as I do."

Before long I felt the wall press against my back. On one side of me was a table, and on the other side empty space stretched on for a few feet until the door. I stared wordlessly until his luminous gold eyes. They betrayed him such rage… then it changed into something I didn't quite get.

He stretched onto his toes a little to match my height, then I gasped as his lips met mine. His tongue grazed lightly over my lips, begging for entrance. I opened my mouth against his and he accepted the invitation. He kissed me with a ferocity that surprised me. What surprised me more was the way I kissed him back. Our lips moved methodically against the others', enticing gasps and moans from us both.

Malik broke the kiss as I began to lose the ability to breathe. I stared at him in awe as heat rose to my cheeks. Trying to mask my embarrassment, I slapped him across the face. "What the hell?!"

With that l was out of the window, diving into a cart full of hay. And we both knew I hadn't meant it.