Chapter 1: Sleepless Nights

Babylon, 331 B.C.

The golden, flickering glow of the lamps made Hephaistion's back shine. Tanned beneath the sun for countless hours, it made him appear like a bronze statue, but beneath his touch, his skin was smooth and alive, instead of cold and forbidding.

Alexander moved his hand carefully, so as not to disturb his slumbering lover, but he should have known Hephaistion was ever alert when sleeping beside him. A moment later he shifted, blue eyes regarding Alexander with the intelligence and love no other could ever possess.

"Go to sleep," Hephaistion told him, voice soft.

Alexander gave him a smile as a reply, and his hand kept moving across Hephaistion's back, stopping at every scar and healing wound. His body had them too, and once they had both only dreamt of a time such as this. When they were still boys, dreaming of greatness they would one day achieve…

There had also been a time when Alexander had but dreamt of having Hephaistion in his bed like this.

"Are you feeling troubled?" the other man asked him.

"No," Alexander told him. "I simply feel the urge to reminisce…"

"Reminisce about what?" Hephaistion asked and sat up a bit.

Alexander's hand fell to his side, thumb caressing the curve of Hephaistion's hip almost idly. "How there used to be a time when I would lie awake beside you, too afraid to move."

Hephaistion smiled at him, even laughed in good humour. "And I would lie beside you, equally stiff and unable to move. Torn between leaving and staying."

"You never left," Alexander mused.

"Well, it was often my bed we were lying in," Hephaistion commented.

Alexander had to admit that was the truth.

The other man shifted a bit closer to him, their skin touching. It made Alexander close his eyes, breathe in the smell of Hephaistion's skin that mixed with the incense Bagoas had lit before leaving his rooms. Hephaistion was clean, freshly bathed before he had joined him. It had been hours ago, but Alexander could still smell the oils he had used, just like he had tasted the wine in his mouth just a little while ago…

"Would you have left, if it were my bed?" Alexander asked.

"You know I would have not." Hephaistion shifted after a moment, to look at him. "What has you thinking about these things?"

Alexander looked at him. How much he had grown. How much more handsome he had become. "I cannot tell," he confessed.

Hephaistion demanded no more of him. They just looked at each other until they lay down again, close to each other, the light of the lamps still playing on their skin.

Outside, the celebration had hardly ceased. Alexander felt the weariness of long travel and battles that he had gone through to get to the gates of Babylon, and yet he found that sleep eluded him. So much lay ahead of him, but right now, his thoughts kept taking him back.

For it was true that they had not always lain in bed this much at ease with each other…

Mieza, many years before…

It had been Alexander's idea.

For a long time their beds had been right beside each other, so it wasn't a huge difference, but to share a bed was a significant change. Alexander wanted to try it, and Hephaistion was quick to comply. Because it had been his idea, Alexander thought it fair that they would lie down in Hephaistion's bed. Not that his friend cared much about such small details, but Alexander thought it to be fair; that way Hephaistion could always request that he leave.

So, when the lights went out, and everyone lay down in their beds, they waited. Then, when he thought the time was right, Alexander moved over to Hephaistion's bed. The other boy shifted to give him room, and they lay on their backs, heads on the same pillow, beneath one blanket.

Alexander was nervous. He didn't dare move, or he might brush against Hephaistion's skin, and who knew if the other boy would like it or not. Usually Hephaistion did not mind sitting close to him, or touching, but this seemed very different to Alexander.

He tried to will himself to sleep, but every time his eyes would pop open again, and he would stare at the ceiling, hearing Hephaistion's breaths. He could tell the other boy wasn't asleep either. Neither of them would speak, though, because they were supposed to rest, and they did not wish to disturb the others.

The night seemed to last forever, but when finally dawn began to approach, Alexander went back to his own bed, so as not to draw any unwanted suspicion on them. Not that either of them cared, but there was no point sharing everything with the other students.

"Did you sleep?" Hephaistion whispered after a while.

Alexander wondered if perhaps he should lie and say he had slept very well indeed, but decided against it. He did not want to lie to Hephaistion, of all people. "Not really," he finally whispered back and looked towards the other boy.

Hephaistion turned his head to look back at him at the same time. "Me neither," he told Alexander.

That made Alexander smile, just a bit. "Maybe it will not be like that the next time," he decided.

Hephaistion nodded bravely, his face determined.

to be continued…