AN: Hi, all! It's been FOREVER, but I hope you enjoy this new story! Also, reviews do not seem to be posting to the site right now but I am getting them and will respond by PM. Just a heads up. Please enjoy this new piece.
"Come on, Phai! I have something I want to show you!" Alexander, the thirteen-year-old prince of Macedon, laughed as he ran through a field of flowers while clasping the hand of his best friend, Hephaestion.
"Xander, slow down! You will get hurt!" Hephaestion tripped in the grass as he tried to keep up.
"Come on, Phai! The tree is not far now!" Alexander ignored his friend and Hephaestion would have rolled his eyes if he did not fear for his life at the moment. Maybe he was the son of swift-footed Hermes instead of the deceptive Zeus… "There it is! There it is, Phai!" he pointed ahead, to an old apple tree that stood alone in the field of flowers. He finally broke away and ran the rest of the way by himself, immediately scrambling to climb up the knotted bark.
"Be careful, Xander!" still on the ground, Hephaestion called up to his friend.
"Come up, Phai! My surprise is here!" high up in the tree now, Alexander sat on a thick tree branch, his feet and legs dangling over the edge as he grinned down at Hephaestion.
"Oh ever-moving Aeolus, please keep him safe," the height of the tree making him dizzy even as he stood on the ground looking up, Hephaestion sent up a silent prayer as he kept his eyes on Alexander, who had plucked a small, ripe apple from the tree and was munching away happily, not at fazed by the height at which he was seated.
"Are you coming, Phai? I miss you…"
Even from this angle and height, Hephaestion could see Alexander's eyes widen as if sad that he was not with him, teasing him. Alexander continued to lick the sweet juice of the apple off the tips of his fingers as he looked down at Hephaestion, his differently colored eyes shining in the light that made it through the apple tree's leaves.
"Alexander…" Hephaestion growled under his breath, putting his hands on his hips before giving in and starting to climb. Alexander cheered and did a little dance where he sat, shaking the branch beneath him a bit.
"Alexander!" Hephaestion cried as he clung to the tree at the movement out of fright, looking down to see that he had already climbed a few feet up from the ground. He moaned quietly and went pale, turning his head to look back up at Alexander, "Help!"
As soon as Alexander saw and heard his friend's distress, he started to climb down the tree to get to him, "I am coming, Phai, you are all right!"
"Help me, please help me…" Hephaestion's voice shook as tears stood in his eyes.
"Shh…" somehow Alexander made it to him and was able to offer his back to him, "Climb on. I will carry you up there."
"Are you sure? You will not drop me, right?"
Alexander turned his head to give Hephaestion a small smile over his shoulder, "Never. Hop on. Hold on tight," he chuckled when Hephaestion's knees squeezed his waist and his arms wrapped around his neck, "Do not look down," Then the climbing began, one branch at a a time. Hephaestion mouthed a prayer against Alexander's back until the last branch came and Alexander helped Hephaestion sit against the tree's trunk, "Take a deep breath and open your eyes for me now," Hephaestion slowly did this to find Alexander watching him and holding his hand, "There you are. Do not look down. I am here. Are you ready to see my surprise?"
"Y-yes…"
"Look up at the branch across from you. What do you see?"
It was then that Hephaestion became aware of a buzzing noise nearby. Hephaestion swallowed thickly before answering, "A hive."
"And honey. Want some?"
Hephaestion closed his eyes again and nodded against the tree trunk. A few moments later, Alexander's fingers were rested against his lips, and it was on instinct that Hephaestion opened his mouth to taste the honey. He opened his eyes again when Alexander pulled away and watched as Alexander licked the rest of the honey from his own fingers.
Hephaestion stared at Alexander as he did this, oblivious to what he was doing to Hephaestion. Once the honey was gone from his fingers, Alexander looked at Hephaestion and smiled at him. Hephaestion blushed at the attention from his friend. The vision of Hephaestion's embarrassment on his cheeks made Alexander grin and readjust himself on the tree branch so that he could slowly crawl toward Hephaestion, causing Hephaestion to open his mouth in a panicked hope that he could warn his best friend, although he never got the chance.
He came so close that Hephaestion stared into his eyes, speechless. Finally, Hephaestion was able to drop his eyes, only to find that he was looking at Alexander's lips. His lips were a dusky rose, meshing well with his sun-kissed skin, wet and glistening with the remnants of honey he had just tasted. Hephaestion became fixated on them, so much so that he jumped a little where he sat when Alexander let out a little chuckle after realizing his friend's fascination.
"I- I- Sorry- I just-" he could only let out a tiny gasp and then fell silent as Alexander leant forward on his hands and kissed him, his eyes wide with the shock of it before falling shut in bliss. Alexander's mouth tasted slightly of sweat even though it was only a mild spring day, and honey. And something else that took a few more moments for Hephaestion to place. It was love.
Eventually Alexander pulled away, grinning at the sight of Hephaestion's flabbergasted features, "You are sweeter than honey, Phai. I can not wait to keep kissing you."
Hephaestion knew he sounded breathless as he spoke, reaching out to pull his new love close once more, "Please do…"
Alexander did not need further invitation and closed the gap between them again without hesitation. And this was how the rest of the day passed by, with the two young lovers discovering something new and yet as old as time.
AN: Aeolus is the overall Greek god of wind.