This is written at the request of a dear Echelon sister, LilyMoonOnMARS. I hope this is what you wanted!

This is pure, silly fluff. Not explicit, but very suggestive.

If there are historical inaccuracies, oh well. That isn't the point here.

Rating: T

The jungle was brutal. The dense vegetation made parts of it practically impassable, yet they had hacked and dug their way through. It had been tough on Alexander and his men. They had been rained on, plagued by snakes, bugs, and the oppressive and damp heat. Everything they owned was wet and their tempers had become short. Now, in Taxila, they were taking a well deserved break.

King Ambhi, whom they all simply called Taxiles, had welcomed them with open arms in exchange for aid against his rival, Porus. Alexander had been more than happy to accept his offer of troops and war elephants put at his disposal to aid in the battle. The bridge that Hephaestion and Perdiccas had been building to cross the Indus was completed, with Taxiles' help. All that remained was to march on Porus himself at the Hydaspes River.

At present, they were being treated with every demonstration of friendship and very generous hospitality. In return, Alexander had gifted Taxiles with gold, fine Persian clothing and horses. The men had spent the first few days there recovering their strength, sleeping for the first time in weeks on splendid beds with soft coverings instead of damp cots. They dined on fattened lambs and drank the finest wines the Rajah had to offer. They were treated to some of the local delicacies, some of which were things they had never seen before. Several new types of fruit, unusual root vegetables, even meat from some of the strange creatures that lived in the jungles were on offer.

Hephaestion sat cross-legged on a thick cushion, laughing with Perdiccas and Ptolemy and enjoying a plate of figs, dates and roasted lamb. The wine flowed freely and all the men were quite relaxed. He glanced at Alexander, who was sitting a short distance away and talking with Taxiles. Alexander seemed to be in a great mood. He laughed heartily and stretched his legs out in front of him, looking more at ease than Hephaestion had seen him in a while.

Hephaestion missed him. He saw him every day now that the bridge had been completed, but that wasn't what he missed. He missed their "alone time". There had been no time for that in quite a while. Alexander may have a wife and a eunuch to meet his needs, but Hephaestion had neither. He had grown quite tired of taking matters into his own hands most nights. It may have taken the edge off, but it was certainly not the same. Watching Alexander enjoy himself and hearing his laughter only made it worse. It reminded him of the times when they were together, alone, and could indulge in a little playtime of their own.

Alexander felt a pair of eyes on him, and knew without looking that Hephaestion was watching him. He knew what Hephaestion was feeling, as he had felt it himself all day. He wanted him, quite simply. Roxane was a duty, and Bagoas may have allowed him a much needed release, but what he really wanted was Hephaestion. Sex with his beloved was hot and sweet, passionate and gentle at the same time. Even when their lovemaking was frantic and rough, there was a tenderness to it as well. It was hard to explain really. No one else could make him feel the things that Hephaestion could.

He wanted that tonight.

He decided to have a little fun with Hephaestion to stir things up. He continued talking with Taxiles, but his eyes were on the brunette General the entire time.

Hephaestion felt Alexander looking at him. He looked up and met his gaze steadily. Alexander smiled, almost shyly, looked down at his lap, then back up. Hephaestion chuckled softly to himself. Alexander was flirting with him. He smiled a small, secretive smile and lowered his gaze as well. He felt like a schoolboy with his first crush, but it was fun. They had not acted like this in what seemed like, and probably was, years.

Taxiles had turned and was talking to some of his own men, so Alexander took the opportunity to turn up the heat a little. He was so going to enjoy this. He picked up his plate and began eating. He ate a bit of the roasted lamb and made a show of licking the fat from his fingers as he did so. He ran his tongue up his index finger before sliding it into his mouth, his eyes glued to Hephaestion's the whole time.

Hephaestion grinned at the suggestive gesture. Oh, so it was going to be like that, was it? He decided to sit back and see what Alexander would do next. This was a side of him that Hephaestion had rarely seen since their youth. He liked it a lot.

Alexander looked at the plate of exotic fruits in front of him and an evil smile slowly curved his lips. Perfect. He had found the perfect thing with which to torture his beloved.

He picked up a banana. He held the banana up, showing it Hephaestion, and then lowered it to his lap, holding it so that it pointed up and curved towards his belly.

Hephaestion nearly burst out laughing, but managed to control himself. There was no mistaking what that was supposed to represent!

A wicked twinkle in his eyes, Alexander took his other hand and ran his fingers up and down the length of the banana. He saw Hephaestion shift slightly on his cushion and smiled at him seductively. Alexander lifted the banana to his face and rubbed it gently against his cheek and nuzzled it with his nose.

Hephaestion was mesmerized. It had begun to feel slightly warmer in the room than it had been a short time ago.

Alexander slowly peeled back the skin on the banana, about two thirds of the way down. He lifted the fruit to his lips and carefully lapped at the end of it with the tip of his tongue. He kept his gaze locked with Hephaestion's. He slid the tip of his tongue down the length of the banana and back up before sucking on the end of it lightly.

Hephaestion had to remind himself to breathe. It was getting awfully hot in the room.

Alexander nibbled slightly on the end of the banana before sliding the whole thing into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it. He withdrew the fruit from his lips and then repeated the action.

Hephaestion swallowed hard. And speaking of hard…parts of him were reacting quite fiercely to Alexander's little suggestive display. He could not take his eyes off him.

Alexander smiled at him and then ran the flat of his tongue up and down the sides of the banana. He eased his mouth down over it again, taking it almost all the way into his throat before pulling it back. With mischief in his eyes, he gently bit the end off the banana, licking his lips as he ate the soft flesh of the fruit.

Hephaestion was sweating. He wiggled around uncomfortably and prayed to the gods that no one would notice that he has completely aroused. He rearranged his clothing to try and hide that fact. It had become unbearably warm and he felt light headed. Perhaps, he thought, because most of the blood had left his brain and pooled in his lap.

Alexander slid his lips down over the fruit before biting off another section and pulling the skin back a little further. He could not help but grin as he watched Hephaestion squirm and break out in a sweat. He finished eating the banana, slowly, and then made a show of licking each of his fingers afterwards.

Enough. Hephaestion could not take it any more. He was so hard it hurt, and Alexander looked entirely too smug sitting over there on his cushion. He inclined his head towards the door and shot a questioning look at Alexander, who nodded in return and grinned at him.

Alexander stood and addressed the men around him. "Gentlemen, I believe I will retire to my rooms for the evening. Stay and enjoy yourselves, please. Health to you all." He paused in the doorway and turned to look at Hephaestion, who was still sitting. "General Amyntoros, I would like to see you in my chambers please."

Hephaestion rose to his feet, careful to hide the fact that he was as hard as a rock. His voice was breathy and slightly husky. "Health to you, my friends." He hurried out the door right on Alexander's heels.

Ptolemy laughed. He had been quietly observing the little show Alexander had put on and he knew exactly where they were headed and why. Good for them, he thought.

Outside the hall, Alexander grabbed Hephaestion's hand and drug him towards his chambers, practically at a run. Once inside, he pulled the slightly dazed General into his arms and kissed him thoroughly. They drew apart when the need to breath became great.

A breathless Hephaestion grinned at Alexander. "That little performance out there, my Alexander…that was just evil!"

"Oh my dear Hephaestion, that was only to practice for what I truly intend to do to you." Alexander looked Hephaestion up and down with lust in his eyes. "I shall devour you, my love."

Hephaestion stood speechless as Alexander quickly rid him of his clothing and pressed him back against the wall. He completely forgot how to breathe when Alexander, the Great King, knelt before him. He watched in awe as Alexander reached out and curled his fingers around him, looking up into his eyes and licking his lips in anticipation. He closed his eyes and threw his head back as he felt a warm, wet mouth envelop him. His knees nearly buckled when the King began to use all the same maneuvers he had demonstrated on the banana on his hot flesh. His cry of release, he was sure, could be heard into the next kingdom.

After many breathless moments, he pulled a grinning Alexander to his feet. "Oh, Alexander…I cannot begin to tell you how you make me feel. And just where did you learn that? From that Persian boy of yours?" He chuckled. "It matters not. I am simply pleased you decided to practice those learned skills on me!" He pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed him deeply. It was obvious that Alexander was quite aroused himself.

Alexander reached for Hephaestion's hand and led him towards the bed. "Let us make love properly now. And after that, I think I should teach you those little tricks I learned so you may practice them on me!"

As they lay tangled together, Hephaestion noticed the bowl of fruit on the table next to the bed and smiled. He would never look at a banana the same way again.