Alexander had reached the end of his ropes.
It was the third day and he had suffered enough…..
But telling that to his beautiful punisher was a different issue all together. He was the emperor for sure…but everyone seemed to have deserted him in the hour of need .
And where were his trusted companions when he had been making a fool of himself?
Goading him on….
He recalled the night of the party. He had organized it in honor of General Cassander's birthday. It's true that he had some misgivings about this son of Antipatros. But he was a friend nevertheless and Alexander cherished him.
The party was a grand success. It had everything Cassander liked. Nubile seductive court dancers, mesmerizing musicians, exotic magicians, loads of gifts, delicious mouth watering food and best of all ….abundance of sweet wine made from best grapes of the land.
It was the wine that led to trouble in the first place.
With his Phai by his side…happy and content ..Alexander had overindulged.
He didn't realize how much he had consumed until he heard a sound. Alexander turned his head to his side in time to see the most breath taking view of all. Hephaistion was laughing.
For someone so heavenly, Hephaistion's laughs were really rare. He let his expressive eyes do the talking most of the times. His eyes could show it all. Anger, love, exasperation, fondness and lust. A full blown Phai laughter caught Alexander off the guard. He kept on staring.
Dressed in an off shoulder sky blue chiton, abundant hair reigned with a thin gold band, eyes lined with kohl ….Hephaistion laughing at some obscure joke of Craterus. The shock of his laughter scattered his long hair all over his face….. partially hiding it from Alexander.
All of a sudden Alexander wanted to possess the beautiful man and hide him from the world. To kiss him… and eat him… and drink him at the same time.
An intoxicated Alexander had proceeded to do just that. The world around..the milling crowd…the snickering friends vanished from his consciousness and there was no one in the world except the two of them.
"Alex?" a surprised Hephaistion had uttered the moment Alexander touched his face.
"What are you doing my king?"
"Just want to touch you Phai!" Alexander had replied . He was too far gone to care about everyone else at that point.
He was drunk…but with Hephaistion.
His wayward hand had travelled from the eyes….to the tip of the nose..to the bow like lips…to the neck…and had disappeared under the chiton.
Hephaistion had gone redder with each progress of the hand. But he had jerked to action the moment they touched his nether regions.
All of a sudden Alexander found himself splashed with water in the face. His Hephaistion induced intoxication met a watery death .
Hephaistion had rushed out of the party in the face of laughing friends and a dazed King who anyhow had enough sense to follow him.
It had been three days since then.
No amount of apologizing.. pleading..requesting…love notes… poetry, rather poorly composed….gifts could appease the cyan eyed man.
"I had to have you Phai! I wish you would understand." He had written on a strip of papyrus and left for the dining hall.
Dejected.
Hephaistion had arrived the dining hall much later. He found his lover sitting in the middle of his companions . Hephaistion wanted the punishment session to continue. He was immensely angry at Alexander for such a public display of his affection. He was even more angry at himself for liking it and getting turned on.
It was a punishment meant for both of them.
But nothing prepared him for the sight that met his eyes in the dining chamber.
Alexander was staring aimlessly at the space was clear that he was lost in thought. Spotless white chiton….a thin band of pearls around the golden neck….unkempt golden hair shining from the lights around..
And suddenly something inside Hephaistion just broke. He approached the beautiful man who was lonely in the middle of a crowd…cradled his startled face within the palm of his hands and kissed him firmly on the wanted to devour Alexander.
The kiss broke as abruptly as it had begun…
Hephaistion leaned towards Alexander and whispered,
"I understand Alex."
Alexander smiled at last