Prompt: Upset

Title: In Vino... II

Characters: Alexander x Hephaistion / Cassander

A/N: **Continuing from where we left of...

You guys must have read this already, but truth of the matter is I wasn't nearly satisfied with what I had written initially so I went back and changed a few things. Quite a few things... This chapter has gone through so many revisions in the past couple of days, and even now as I'm posting I'm still editing it a bit XD I will update the one posted on FF shortly. So I beg your indulgence once again, as here is the new and improved version of chapter 2. I suppose this is as good as it's going to get.**

It was not that Hephaistion disliked banquets, no. A hefty meal, proper entertainment, and a good solid buzz always made for a good invitation. But the ones that raged inside the castle until ungodly hours in the morning were not of the kind he was too keen on attending, especially not this time when he knew whose company it was he would be sharing it with.

But King Philip's prenuptial celebrations were not to be missed; Alexander made that very clear when he ever so subtly hinted at his own "untimely" absence if Hephaistion could not or would not be there.

Alexander had complained of been plagued by whispers echoing through the upper echelons of Macedon already keen on invalidating his legitimacy as Philip's son and heir. Now that the king was to acquire a new, not to mention younger wife, the more it seemed to amplify. It disgusted and unnerved him; he had tried to close his ears and his heart to it, but he found it impossible when he was being constantly thrown into the same company as those malicious, rumor-mongering pigs at every opportunity.

So, he bargained with Hephaistion that he would endure their venomous scrutiny as long as those clear pools of Aegean blue were close by, rather than be the obedient sheep walking into their trap without. Hephaistion could only come up with so many reasons to stay behind, especially since he knew how much Alexander truly wanted to please his father above all, so much so that he would suffer the injustice of being called the bastard son in his own house. And it was Alexander's stubbornness - or perhaps it was really just his charm that made for truly excellent persuasion - that inevitably made it an easy choice for Hephaistion: he had to go.

And so, the celebration went on as most Macedonian celebrations did. With a seemingly inexhaustible supply of wine one amphora after another, it was grand, blessed with sensational mirth, and seething with shameless indecent behavior. Such was the effect of the elixir of the gods when matched with human indiscretion, and it became even more potent when left in the hands of very capable, very naughty comrades.

Hephaistion attested to that as he nursed his cup he honestly didn't know how many times had been filled. Contrary to his initial misgivings about such affairs, he was actually enjoying himself. At the moment, he was in a hazy, cheery mood, and he liked it.

But despite the abundant merriment, Alexander seemed impervious to it. A palpable gloom had settled over him, and Hephaistion could not help but be concerned. While the prince had made it no secret that he opposed this union, he chose not to openly act on it - if at all - at the risk of disgrace. Tonight, however, his mask of diplomacy was starting to crack.

He couldn't have sacrificed more for his father's favor. Even Ptolemy at one point tried to temper the prince's melancholy but to no avail. Hephaistion thought that if only there was some other form of comfort he could offer Alexander more than just smiles and a few playful winks, he would not hesitate to give it. But for now, those little gestures of reassurance were all he was allowed.

When Cleitus announced he had found the perfect woman for Alexander, Hephaistion's eyebrow quirked but he mostly kept silent.

She was as beautiful as she was drunk, a fitting Macedonian maid to flirt with like the many that gathered around them; saffron-colored butterflies crowding in a small patch of flowery ground.

After awkward introductions, Antigone - as the woman was called - wriggled from Cleitus's hold to free herself. But as she was about to skip away, she noticed Hephaistion looking at her.

"Are you not Hephaistion," the woman grinned. "The prince's beloved?"

The boy blushed, a deep red staining of his cheeks that accompanied a somewhat shy, baffled smile. But before he could offer a proper reaction, she suddenly squealed in surprise as someone pulled her away.

"Of course he is," Cassander's words came out in a fluttering hiss, his eyes glimmering with brazen recklessness.

Hephaistion's own narrowed at him. "You're drunk,"

"And you actually didn't deny it." He pointed cheekily.

Hephaistion was silent. It was true that he readily accepted Alexander's affections, perhaps even without knowing it - and Alexander was the same as well - but they never flaunted it like most boys and men around them did. They felt their bond strongly resonate even without words and absolute even at any proximity that they didn't see the need to voice what their actions - subtle as they were - already told curious eyes.

But Cassander was one of the few from Pella who witnessed Alexander and Hephaistion's closeness blossom into what these myths were truly made of, and the allure it once held had not yet faded like a dream upon waking even as they grew up. It still felt as sacred then as it does now.

"Out with it already, you sly boy. We can't all be hallucinating when we see the two of you kissing around corners thinking nobody was watching."

Not that he particularly felt any moral obligations to desist from teasing him every once in a while.

Hephaistion groaned, his embarrassment burning the tips of his ears. He looked to Alexander but his attention was elsewhere, and realized with much dismay that he had to brave Cassander's audacity by himself.

"What's this, where's that clever tongue of yours?" Cassander sneered. "Or did you want him to answer for you instead?" The man continued unabashedly, inching towards Alexander's direction.

Why Cassander was even pursuing this ill-timed matter was beyond what even Hephaistion's imagination could stretch to. More importantly, the last thing he wanted was to drag the prince into something borne of inebriated pettiness when he had greater worries.

"Why do you shame yourself so, Cassander. Did your father also teach you to gossip like women?"

The man was surprisingly undeterred despite Hephaistion using the one weapon he knew he wasn't allowed to use.

"What he did teach me was never give up on things that I want."

"And what is it that you want?" Hephaistion challenged. 'To make you shut up.'

Cassander grinned with unmistakable mischief. "A kiss."

A perfect eyebrow arched. "In exchange for?"

"Me never attempting to steal one from you, especially when he's looking. "

Hephaistion could only glare at him. He now believed Cassander had loose pegs inside his head for thinking he could get away with something like that. Hephaistion was perfectly aware that his comrades licked their lips and followed him with their beady little eyes since boyhood, but what worried him more is how much this affected Alexander whenever he caught those stares lingering behind his footsteps. He never denied how this displeased him.

Hephaistion could only imagine what he'd do if one of these men actually acted on his latent desires.

But on the other hand, if he freely gave Cassander his chance, perhaps it would convince him to give up. At least that's one lecherous stare to deal with.

Perhaps.

"You incorrigible, shameless fool."

"I would be boring like you otherwise." Cassander replied with a smirk.

He didn't move. Not even when he felt the man cup his face. Hephaistion was rather surprised at the tenderness and the slight trembling uncertainty in his touch, a sharp contrast to the man's usual suave brashness. Why he really didn't resist was a question he decided to leave for another time, another place, when his mind wasn't dipped in the honey of the gods. For now, Hephaistion thought that if this would make one less concern for the already burdened prince, perhaps he could be forgiven.

But as soon as Cassander's lips touched his, he regretted it. For there was Alexander, looking at him with his eyes blazing with disbelief.

tbc

Edited. Decided to ditch the 500-word count limitation.