Warning: Yes! This is an –M– Chapter.

CHAPTER 182

 

— Sing for me –asked Hephaistion and his lover chuckled.

 

— It is my birthday; shouldn’t I be the one asking to be pampered? –said Alexander but his beloved kept looking at him as if he hadn’t said a word, his elbow resting on the edge of the tub they were sharing. His again long gold-bronze hair was up in a ponytail and, thin damp locks were attached to his slightly blush cheeks and neck. 

 

A hot bath was a luxury the hipparch loved as much as other men loved gold or beautiful women, and he considered this night to be truly a gift; being able just to lay in the hot water, peacefully with his lover all by himself. “Peaceful” that was a luxury even greater than a hot bath; for them a moment of peace had become as rare as the most precious of pearls. Their days and nights were always eventful and, in 2 more days, when they marched again to cross the Hindu Kush, this time to enter a mysterious, unknown and, undoubtedly, dangerous land, Hephaistion was sure his time alone with now young conqueror of 29 years old would be close to nonexistent.

 

But he did not want to think about this now. 

 

— It may be your birthday but I want you to sing for me –his beloved insisted.

 

The bathroom not as big or sumptuous as the ones decorating the royal palaces at the great Persian cities but it was nice; the place was full with candles, not oil lamps so privileged in domestic use because they were brighter, but beeswax candles. Tonight was not about being practical, tonight it was about intimacy, and the fickle light, along with the soft perfume floating around gave the place a magical atmosphere. Hephaistion had no idea of what had the servants done here but the bathroom smelled deliciously, as if they were sitting in the middle of a garden and, for a moment, the hipparch was sure that if he closed his eyes, he would be able to hear the wind, swinging the flowers to release their perfume. 

 

— Phai, I am 29 years old now –said the King as if this were self-explanatory.

 

— So? Does that mean you forget to sing once you are 29? –Alexander sighed.

 

— Why don’t you sing for me, for a change? –those words made Hephaistion laugh as if an invisible hand were tickling him.

 

— When was the last time you heard me sing? –asked his beloved, still laughing, and that left Alexander thinking.

 

— I think it was at Mieza –had it truly being that long? The King was amazed of how quickly time passed.

 

— Then, I am not surprise to see you have forgotten how I sing…if you can call what I do “singing” –Hephaistion smiled, bending one knee up amidst the sound of water in motion.

 

— You always say the same thing –Alexander complained— And since it is my birthday I want you to sing for me.

 

— Are you sure?

 

— Positive.

 

— Are you really, really sure? Because once you hear me there is no way you can un-hear me –the hipparch warned him.

 

— If you sing first I will do it later for you –the King assured him.

 

Hephaistion smiled.

 

— Fine.

 

To say his beloved could not sing was a very polite way to say the gods had cursed him with the most horrible singing skills in the history of mankind. It was truly shocking to see someone so beautiful making such terrible noises and, before the song ended, Alexander asked for mercy. 

 

— All right, I get it. You can’t sing –the King’s ears thanked the end of their martyrdom.

 

Hephaistion laughed.

 

— I told you.

 

— I just don’t get it –Alexander shook his head, truly puzzled by this revelation— I like your voice, you have a pleasant voice, especially when we make love –he grinned— Why can’t you sing?

 

— What can I say? I can’t be good at everything –his beloved kicked him under the water, disturbing the smooth surface— Your turn.

 

Alexander sighed again, there was no way of avoiding this; it was not that he did not like to sing it was just that he was no longer use to do it. His voice was not meant to sing, it was meant to shout orders and lead his men into battle, but…if it were for Hephaistion…

 

— Fine –the King accepted.

 

Hephaistion was lost in his voice, listening dreamily, smiling like a fool, in spite of himself; relaxing and looking like the happiest person in the world. He was inflamed with that intoxicating joy that surrounds people in love. Crazy people, stupid people…there were so many way to call people in love and all this just because they believe blindly in someone, thinking the loved one is perfect even if he has all the defects of the world invested in him. The hipparch smiled, even if he wanted with all his forces to look serious but, in those moments, all traces of dignity were resting inside the trashcan.

 

— I had almost forgotten how good you were –whispered Hephaistion, his voice claiming louder than his words how much he had enjoyed this.

 

— Did you like it? –Alexander moved closer, creating small waves on his way. But the blond did not wait for an answer and cocked his head to kiss him and claim his prize. His beloved smiled against his lips and surrounded his neck, trapping him in a sweet, slow and profound kiss.

 

Neither wanted to leave the other and they clung to this kiss as if their life depended on it. 17 years together and each kiss they shared were always different, always as if it were the first time they did it. Perhaps it was because the love their share was not ecstatic, it was like life itself, always changing, always evolving, but always there. Love, as they came to understand it, was like them, stronger after years of hardships, scarred maybe, but unbreakable.

 

Alexander released his lips and Hephaistion panted looking for air. They held their gaze while the King took his beloved’s arms, releasing himself from the embrace, sliding them slowly through his own shoulders until he only held his hand. He kissed Hephaistion’s palm with devotion, caressing it with his lips, sliding them over the length of his wet fingers to finally kiss the wrinkled tip of each one. His beloved smiled enjoying his kisses over his wrist, tasting the skin and sending sparks through all his body, all while the blond’s fingers helped him to explore the length of his arm, stopping every time he found a scar. 

 

Hephaistion noticed now tender his lover was over the marks that years of war and innumerable battles had left on his body. Every single scar had a story of it own, some more spectacular than others, and a few more he could not even remember how he had gotten. He said nothing and relaxed under his touch, a touch that could make him feel as the most precious thing on the universe. Alexander’s lips sliding up, tasting the water beaded over his creamy skin, reaching the particularly nasty scar of a wound that almost cost him his arm after the battle of Gaugamela.

 

It covered him from his shoulder all the way down almost reaching his elbow, not because the arrows had not been that big but because doctor Philip had to cut deep in order to take care of the damage tissue. This had been one of the most painful wounds he had suffered during those 8 years of campaign…

 

8 years… –thought Hephaistion in a dream like state, completely relaxed thanks to his lover’s caresses and the hot water— In a few moths, it would be 8 years since we crossed the Hellespont…It has really be that long? So many years and so few at the same time for all the things we have accomplished here…

 

But the thread of his thoughts was cut when, that wound that once served to cause him pain was now washing his body under waves of pleasure, feeling Alexander sucking the skin, licking the scar while his fingers slid over Hephaistion’s collarbone, following the path down over his sternum. The King’s lips left a trail of kisses over his chest until he heard Hephaistion sighed and moaned softly when he reached his nipple.

 

The way his beloved reacted to pleasure, always so sensitive and ready to received it was one of the thing that could drive Alexander crazy, and he felt his own body burning and reacting while he brushed the tender skin of Hephaistion with his fingers, drawing circles around before finally licking it, pushing the bulb with his tongue, sucking it, encouraged by every sound leaving that sweet mouth.

 

The hipparch leaned his weight back against the tub and spread his legs, bending the knees up; he moaned again when he felt the King’s body pressed against him, it was delicious, and the urge to keep feeling the blond like this made him surround his waist with his legs, throwing his head back, closing his eyes and feeling tickles every time his lover’s teeth brushed his nipple. But, suddenly, that luscious warmth that had his body melting and dissolving disappeared and his body felt cold and abandoned when Alexander moved away.

 

He groaned in protest and opened his eyes, he was going to complained when he felt his lover’s fingers again, this time over his legs, sliding up and down, the King’s kisses over his knee while his fingers merged into the water looking for his calves before coming up again, finding a sensitive spot behind his knee that made him moan softly. 

 

— You are unusually tender tonight –whispered Hephaistion, he did not dare to speak louder, fearing to break that spell that had fallen upon them.

 

— I want to pamper you –Alexander answered, 2 cute red spots burning his cheeks, taking his fingers under the water, following the strong muscles of his beloved’s thigh, all the way up to heaven.

 

— I thought…Mm… –the hipparch shuddered when his lover pinched softly his groin. It was a strange sensation, the hot water and the King’s caressed, everything mixed with the heat running through his body and his oversensitive skin— Since it was your…Mm…birthday, you wanted to be… 

 

Alexander kissed him and Hephaistion moaned again. He couldn’t get enough of his lover, he wanted everything, every single thing he could give him…And the hipparch shuddered violently when he felt the other’s fingers inside him, he could not tell in those moments which one was hotter, he or the water; it would not surprise him if soon they began to see vapor going all the way up to the ceiling.

 

— Mm…do that again… –Hephaistion panted, feeling his lover’s fingers rubbing his hot spot. 

 

— Are you ordering me now? –the King teased him with an arrogant, lazy smile. His beloved looked at him through heavily lidded eyes, his face blushed and his lips parted, looking for air.

 

— If you don’t do that again…I…I will kill you –Alexander laughed and obeyed, brushing over and over again that spot that made Hephaistion’s body dissolved in burning desire, twisting against him, splashing water around them.

 

The hipparch abandoned himself at the mercy of his sensations, moaning with force when his King ran his free hand up and down his hard desire. It was too much. Alexander bent over to kiss him, parting his lips even more to invade him, drinking in his breath and the sweetness of his mouth and he felt again his beloved’s legs surrounding his waist, dragging him closer.

 

Hephaistion, with his weight against the tub, took him by the arms, looking for something to cling to when Alexander was finally inside him. He panted, moaned and sighed while his lover advanced slowly, making him shuddered, the muscles of his legs tense until he felt the King resting completely inside him. He sighed almost musically while a warm heat invaded him…

 

This is how it has to be –he thought, his last coherent thought before he found himself lost under an avalanche of sensations.

 

Alexander lunged inside him and the sudden movement arched him, it hurt but the pain was nothing compared to what he felt every time his lover thrust, back and forth, sometimes almost coming completely out before charging again. The water overflowing through the edges of tub while Hephaistion rocked his hips to match his lover’s rhythm, feeling the pleasure growing inside him at every move. The King took his beloved’s legs over his shoulders and the hipparch moaned with all the force of his lungs, feeling him so deep that he appeared to touched the very core of his soul.

 

Alexander looked for his lips again, stealing the scarce air reaching his beloved’s lungs, feeling Hephaistion’s hands taking his arms with force, rubbing his thumbs over his skin in a dreaming state where he did not even know where he was, where nothing besides feeling cared anymore. The King felt lost in that overwhelming sea of pleasure and lifted him by the hips even more, the water escaping while he took his hands to his beloved’s butt to massage it.

 

— Alex! –the hipparch cried and Alexander thrusted inside him faster and harder.

 

Hephaistion tore his throat in screams, groans and sighs, calling the King constantly, muttering nonsense, moving his hips to keep the pace with him, he felt his body tensing in a heady pleasure, the heat clouding his reason until he could not take it any longer... His lover moved frantically, lunged one last time before everything ended in a long moan…

 

The King lingered inside him, taking his long legs down, slowly, looking into his beloved’s eyes, panting, both with flushed cheeks, damp hair and swollen lips. It felt so right to be like this, Alexander could feel himself complete having his soul mate so close, not knowing where his own body ended and where started the other’s. It was like a dream that neither wanted to end. Hephaistion rested his forehead against Alexander’s and looked for his lips to kiss again, moaning softly when he finally moved out.

 

— I thought…you wanted… to use the wine… –panted Hephaistion between kisses. They were so close that their chests touch every time they breathe. 

 

— I wanted but…—Alexander moved away, sitting and resting his elbow in the edge of the tub— The only thing I want now is to enjoy being with you –he confessed— I don’t know if we… would be able to do this once we are in India…I guess there would be another time for that wine. 

 

His beloved smiled and kissed him, taking a moment to catch his breath before speaking again.

 

— Alex, can I ask you something?

 

— Of course.

 

— Why do you want to go to India?…And don’t give me that shit that its to be the true  Master of all Asia because I know you better than this –said Hephaistion, making the King laughed.

 

— I can’t fool you my love –the blond kissed his shoulder— And I wouldn’t want to do it, either.

 

— So? What’s the truth? –his hipparch insisted, caressing his cheek.

 

— I want to achieve something that no one had ever done –said Alexander— Cyrus never conquered India, Darius I stretched the borders of his Empire close to the river Beas but it did not last. Phai, I would be the first to achieve such a thing. My ancestor Herakles went to in India. Can’t you see? I have to do it. I want to see, with my own eyes, the end of the world.

 

Hephaistion knew all too well that glint in his lover’s eyes. This was the adventurous Alexander, the one who would do things because he wanted to be the first and, also because people said they were impossible. Sometimes the hipparch wondered if this was the main reason of why the King had tried so hard to seduce him when they were teenagers, because it was impossible, because his friends said he could not do it.

 

— Ever to strive to be the best, and outstanding above all others –his beloved quoted Achilles and the King smiled. Hephaistion would be always the only one who could understand him— If you want to do it you know I will follow you, even to Hades.

 

Alexander kissed his hand.

 

— I know –he said.

 

— But, you have to be aware that India would be nothing like the Persian Empire –his beloved warned him. Lately Hephaistion did not agreed with many of his King’s actions and, even if Alexander felt he had to go to India, his hipparch, thinking in a more practical way, thought this campaign would be nothing more than a waste of resources and time.

 

And lives –thought Hephaistion. The main difference between Alexander and him was that, where the King was always following his dreams and looking for exciting adventures, his beloved was practical and always keeping his feet on the ground— And this is exactly why he always achieves the impossible, because he follows his dreams even if for the rest of us is not worth doing it...

 

— Alex, we know nothing about India –said his hipparch.

 

— That is an exaggeration –answered the King— We have Scylax’s of Caryanda, Herodotus’ and Ctesias’ manuscripts about India.

 

Hephaistion looked at him through narrowed eyes.

 

— Alex, with all due respect to these guys but, do you actually believe a word of what they wrote? –he questioned his lover— About men with dog’s heads and tails, the fearful anthropophagous beast the martichora, pygmies whose penises hang down to their ankles, eight fingered archers with ears large enough to shade them from the sun, and, wait this is my favorite, a tribe where babies are born without anus, only acquiring this after puberty (1) –he said with such seriousness that the King laughed— As I was saying, we know nothing about India.  

 

— We did not know much about the Persians either.

 

— We have a history in common with the Persians –Hephaistion insisted— They invaded Greece, Greek mercs have been working for Great Kings for ages. What do we have in common with India? Nothing! We don’t even know how large it is, and I don’t have to remind you that part of our success here was that we always knew the terrain and... 

 

But Alexander did not let him finish, he kissed him, making his beloved leaned against the tub again.

 

— You worry too much –he whispered between kisses— As long as you are at my side nothing bad can happen.

 

— You give yourself too much credit –the King laughed again and Hephaistion sighed— I trust you and, after this night, I won’t question this campaign again but, there is one more thing I want to say. 

 

Alexander gave him a smacking kiss.

 

— I’m listening.

 

— Your men are tired –said the hipparch— They have been tired for a very long time, first the Thessalians and your veterans wanted to get back home, and they did, but now everyone wants to go home –this time Alexander looked as if he had tasted something sour. He knew this but did not like to be reminded of his men’s desire to head back— What I am trying to say is that you need to be aware that, if this campaign turns out to be particularly dangerous or complicated, you will be in trouble because the men don’t understand why are we marching against India and they are tired. 

 

Alexander nodded slowly.

 

— I will keep that in mind.

 

This time it was Hephaistion the one who nodded. He did not want to go to India but, as he said, he would follow Alexander always, even to the very end of the world.

 

— Now, lets get out of here because my hands are all wrinkled –the King smiled and obliged.

 

XXX

 

— Phai? Phai? 

 

— …Mm?

 

— Are you sleeping? –whispered Alexander lying at his beloved’s side. He had a couple of hours trying to sleep but, when it was clear that he was not going to accomplish it any time soon, he shook his beloved softly— Phai?

 

— I was –muttered a half sleep Hephaistion before rolling to rest on his side. He opened one eye with difficulty and found his lover fully awake— What?

 

— I can’t sleep –the King informed him.

 

— And? Do you want me to hit your head until you do? –grumbled his hipparch. It was difficult for him to fall asleep, usually he suffered insomnia and had to spend hours staring at the ceiling so, when he finally reached the real of Morpheus, he did not take well be waken up, not even by Alexander.

 

— I was thinking, do you want to make love again? –this time Hephaistion opened both eyes.

 

— What?!

 

— I told you, I can’t sleep so I thought that maybe… –he moved closer amidst the rustle of sheets until his beloved felt against his thigh how eager he was to make love again. 

 

— I correct myself, you already hit your head –said Hephaistion, rolling again, showing him his back.

 

— Phai, its my birthday –Alexander complained.

 

— That was yesterday, I am sure its almost dawn now –muttered his beloved, his eyes closed.

 

The King fell silent and Hephaistion began to fall asleep again, too tired and spent, too eager to fall again in Morpheus’ arms that, when he felt his lover’s hands between his legs, the first he thought was that he was dreaming. It had to be a dream of open palms running up his thighs under his tunic, reaching his butt, fingers burying in his creamy skin until they found its way inside his warm entrance. He opened his eyes again. 

 

— What the hell are you doing? –he asked with all the intention to turn and face him but, before he could do it, Alexander thrust inside him.

 

It was so sudden, so unexpected and he was still so sleepy that his own moan sounded strange to him, as if the sound had come from another’s mouth. The King surrounded his waist and took him with surprising force, both lying on their sides, his head resting on his beloved’s neck, hitting his skin with every moan that left his permanently opened mouth. Hephaistion shuddered from head to toe, feeling as if fire were running through his body at each lunge, feeling his heartbeat quickening and his own arousal coming to life.  

 

— You are…Mmm…out of your –the hipparch panted, the friction inside him was stealing his reason— Freaking… mind…Mm…

 

— Complains? –Alexander teased him, feeling that he touched heaven every time he was inside his beloved.

 

As an answered Hephaistion moaned louder and that ignited the King’s senses. His beloved clung to the sheet of the bed, hearing only their moans and sighs, the cracking of the bed and that particular wet sound of skin against skin. His disheveled hair covered his blushed face and Hephaistion bit his lower lip. This was on his top 10 of the Strangest Ways to Wake Up, but after a while he was no longer complaining.

 

It took Alexander a while until he felt satisfy and then, as soon as he was lying again at his beloved’s side, the hipparch punched him.

 

— Ouch! What was… that for? –he asked panting, trying to catch his breath.

 

— For waking me up –Hephaistion complained. They fell silent and then, both burst in laughter.

 

They could not stop and, every time one of them wanted to, he just had to look at the face of the other to start laughing again like a pair of fools. It took them a while before they could finally stop and, when they managed to do it, their stomach hurt as if they had been doing exercise for hours.

 

— Phai…—said Alexander after long minutes of silence, catching their breath— I don’t know what will happen in India but…you can be sure of one thing –he turned to look at him, holding his gaze—I will love you always, no matter what.

 

— I know –Hephaistion smiled, looking for his hand to interlace their fingers— We will come back together from this adventure. 

 

And the King sealed that promise with a kiss. They would come back together.  

 

XXX

 

(1) Peter Green. Alexander of Macedon, p 380