I wasn't going to write this, but these two little stinkers would not go away. So blame it on them! It was going to be a drabble but the puppies were having too much fun to stop.

It sure didn't seem this complicated when he was planning it, but he had underestimated a couple of things, those being the squirming, wiggling bundles of puppy energy in front of him. It had seemed so simple, just a little private celebration for Hephaestion for his birthday. No fussy or big party had been arranged, just Alexander and the puppies.

The stool was already in the middle of the room and all it needed was the sweet honey cake that Alexander had the cooks make that Hephaestion loved so much.

Now all that was left to be done was to decorate the puppies with their ribbons.

This tiny task had been taking forever with no cooperation at all from the furry bundles of orneriness. He could only do one imp at a time and the other tried to 'help'. He would no longer get one tied and the other would untie it again, thinking his master had invented a wonderful new game. This went on for several tries with him pushing the helper away. Finally he decided to keep them separated.

He tied one to one leg of the stool and the other to the opposite corner of Mt. Stool. He kept the ropes holding them short enough so they couldn't reach each other and told them to sit. Satisfied that he could now get the ribbons on them both, he went to work. He wasn't King of the world for nothing. If he could defeat entire armies, he could handle two little puppies.

Even holding one squirming bundle of fur was challenging. He never knew his little head could turn around so much and he swore he suddenly had ten paws. About the time he thought he had it on, the puppy would collapse completely and lay on his little back and bat at Alexander's hands. Patiently lifting him back up and trying to keep his hands and ribbon away from the little sharp teeth and mouth, he tried again to tie the bow.

After several attempts and much swearing he finally had one of his charges done. Telling the first very sternly to sit, he moved to his brother on the other side of the stool. This one went a little better and he sat back on his legs to proudly look his work. Looking to his right, he saw a first puppy sitting quietly looking at him with the untied end of his bow hanging out of his mouth.

More swearing followed and Alexander moved back to retie the first ones bow, glaring at the second to make sure he behaved.

He finished just in time to hear a soft knock on the door. He told the puppies to sit and put the cake on top of the stool, telling them to sit again, just to be sure. Alexander opened the door and smiled at Hephaestion.

The puppies took one look at Hephaestion and took off at the same time to greet him, dragging the stool behind them. The cake went flying off the stool and overturned on the floor, splattering all over. The puppies each claimed one of Hephaestion's legs eagerly trying to climb up it.

"Happy birthday", said Alexander shaking his head, looking like he had been through a long hard battle and lost.

Hephaestion laughed loudly and reached down to pick up the puppies, handing the other to Alexander.

"Make a wish, Hephaestion."

Hephaestion smiled back at his friend amid many wet kisses he was getting from the puppy attacking his face, taking awhile to decide what he would wish for.

"I wish that damn stool would have been destroyed instead of my cake." He said finally, "It seems to have developed a life of it's own."

Looking at the mess on the floor, the puppies showering them both with kisses and then back to Alexander, Hephaestion knew he had the world here in this room.

What else could he possibly want?