Title: "The Persian Campaign"

Author: Baliansword

Chapter: 17, "Loving Anew"

A/N: Here is another sensual and loving chapter, between two lost souls, which were lovers. In this chapter, they are going to discover one another once again. However, it is not as graphic as the last sexual scene. I've toned it down to preserve the ice in cokes out there everywhere!  I hope you all enjoy!

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He watched him sleep for some time after entering the room. He was curled up on the bed, still fully dressed, and still completely beautiful. It had been useless to try to get him to sleep in the last hours. Yet now he was sound asleep. Alexander crawled onto the bed and put an arm over Hephaestion's waist. He rested his forehead against his back, and listened to the mellow breathing of his lover. Hephaestion didn't stir at first, but then upon feeling Alexander's arm over his waist, moved his own hand to meet with Alexander's. Still quite asleep he took his hand and held it loosely with his own. Alexander kissed Hephaestion's hair, and with his other hand lightly began to rub his back. He knew that it would not wake him, but would ease his tensed muscles. He missed this, just lying with him. No words needed to be spoken to make things better. All that he needed was already with him. Just the comfort of having him within his reach was enough. Alexander lightly rubbed the back of his neck but did so in a fashion that he hoped would not waken Hephaestion. It had been so long since he had slept.

"Hmm," Hephaestion said as he pulled Alexander's arm closer to him. Alexander therefore moved closer, closing the remaining space between. His chest was pressed firmly against Hephaestion's back, and his hips were firmly pressed against the curve of Hephaestion's backside. Alexander held his hand still and the other he used to pull Hephaestion's hair away from the back of his neck. He then lightly rubbed the sides of his neck, feeling the tension slip away from Hephaestion as he held him.

There was something about the way that he touched him now that had changed. It was softer, delicate, as if Hephaestion were a precious metal that could bend and break at any moment. He was precious, held higher than anything else in Alexander's mind, and he needed him. He needed him not only as the sun needed the stars. Alexander needed him like a man needed air to fill his lungs with. Hephaestion was the one that kept him alive in this world and he couldn't let go of him. He couldn't let him slip away from him like sand in an hourglass.

"What are you thinking," Hephaestion whispered as Alexander lightly placed a kiss upon the back of his neck. He should have let him continue to kiss him but the words just seemed to flow out of him. Alexander continued to kiss that back of his neck for a moment. This was what Hephaestion remembered Alexander as when he would dream about him. He remembered Alexander, as a younger boy, kissing him like this in Pella before his mother had come between them. He had been waiting for this tenderness to return, and was glad that it had. Yet id had taken so much to get to this point. He only wondered what would happen when everything went back to normal. Hephaestion let go of Alexander's hand. He then turned over, facing Alexander, and draping his arm over Alexander's waist as he did to him.

"I love you," Alexander said as he stared into the cerulean depths that he loved so much. He reached out and ran his fingers over Hephaestion's cheek. He touched him tenderly, feeling the youthful flesh beneath his fingers. Hephaestion let his lower lip begin to pout as it always did when he was most relaxed. Alexander ran his thumb over Hephaestion's lower lip, and he slowly began to lean closer to him, and he began to kiss Hephaestion, moving his thumb away only when it became necessary. He kissed him passionately, covering all of Hephaestion's mouth with his own. He took his time, slowly moving, breathing him in as he kissed him. Alexander broke the kiss when he knew that Hephaestion would be breathless, and the truth was, he was breathless too.

Hephaestion stared at Alexander, telling him with his eyes that he wanted him to kiss him again. So that was what Alexander did. He drew himself even closer to Hephaestion and began to kiss him as he had done again. Alexander could not remember ever kissing Hephaestion with so much depth. Never before had he been able to feel each and every shiver that went up his spine, the heat rising in his thighs, or the way that the air around them seemed to disappear, leaving them surrounded by only the heat that was emitted from their bodies. He left Hephaestion's lips, tenderly leaving light kisses on his lips before completely withdrawing. Alexander stared at Hephaestion once more, running his fingers over the line of his jaw, feeling the hair that was beginning to grow there.

Alexander then put his hand on Hephaestion's shoulder and began to slide the chifton away from him. Alexander pushed the chifton away, and then began to kiss Hephaestion's shoulder. As he did he lifted himself up so that he could be slightly over him, making it more comfortable for the both of them. Hephaestion breathed out an euphoric sigh as Alexander ran his tongue over his flesh, kissing it only after doing so. He sucked lightly at the flesh. Hephaestion tilted his head back, his eyes rolling back slightly, as Alexander began to kiss his neck, just behind the ear. The weakest part of his body was there it seemed, and Alexander could make him do anything if he kissed him there.

"Ah," Hephaestion gasped out in a faint whisper as Alexander kissed him there again. As he did he ran his lower chest against Hephaestion's. The contact drove Hephaestion all the wilder. Alexander licked the back of Hephaestion's earlobe and then began to kiss him there as well. It made Hephaestion gasp again, and he quivered under him. Alexander began to pull the rest of Hephaestion's clothing away as he brought his lips back to Hephaestion's. Hephaestion put a hand on Alexander's back, digging his fingers lightly in as Alexander sucked at the center of his throat. He then moved to his chest. Hephaestion put a hand in Alexander's hair and held him as Alexander kissed his chest. The lower Alexander got the more that he wanted to reach out for him. Alexander slid up Hephaestion's chest, brushing his lips against his again, his hair touching Hephaestion's chest here and there.

"Just feel it," Alexander whispered against his lips, telling Hephaestion that tonight was only for him. He didn't have to do anything for Alexander. This was enough for him. As he moved to the side of Hephaestion's neck, working his way back to that one spot that drove Hephaestion wild, he slid his hand down Hephaestion's chest. He made sure to touch him only lightly, teasing him, but at the same time bringing him great pleasure. His hand slid down to his thigh, which had become the warmest part of Hephaestion's body. Just as he began to suck at the spot behind his ear he ran his hand over Hephaestion's hardened length.

Hephaestion was breathless, trying to inhale, but he couldn't. He was surrounded with pleasure as Alexander slowly moved his hand around him. At first he was just stroking him, but he then lightly began to move each finger, lightly bringing Hephaestion to a new level of gratification. Slowly he went back down Hephaestion's chest, leaving a trail of warm kisses in his absence, his hair gliding over the rippling muscles. Alexander wrapped his mouth around Hephaestion's length, and moved his hand to Hephaestion's sacs. He had the other hand on Hephaestion's chest, rubbing him, and eventually entwining his fingers with Hephaestion's for he'd grabbed his hand. At the same time Hephaestion let out another soft breath as Alexander folded his tongue around him and then slid it up the length of his erection.

It was blissful and it was like nothing he'd ever felt before. He felt himself reaching his climax, and he squeezed Alexander's hand to let him know. Alexander didn't leave him though. Instead he stroked Hephaestion's hand with his thumb, relaxing him. Alexander massaged his sacs in his hand, and at the same time did the trick with his tongue again. It was then that Hephaestion could no longer stop himself from crying out Alexander's name in a breathless outcry. Alexander took all of him in though, still licking and lapping at Hephaestion.

Hephaestion sunk down, breathing helplessly. Alexander rested above him then, kissing his chest, licking at his hardened nipples. Hephaestion met Alexander's lips when he lifted his head and kissed him passionately. His head was back to spinning and he didn't know if it was because of the act of what they had just done or if it was the poison. It didn't matter though, because he had Alexander. Alexander continued to kiss him, everywhere that he could, and Hephaestion let him. He let out another breath of air, trying not to fall back to sleep, but if he wasn't exhausted he now definitely was. Alexander didn't mind at all, he understood. He whispered for Hephaestion to turn over onto his chest and Hephaestion did it without asking why. Alexander began to massage his back, making sure that he did it lightly, and he knew that it would cause him to fall asleep.

When he thought that Hephaestion was asleep he lay back down next to him. But Hephaestion was not yet asleep. He lifted himself up and put his head on Alexander's chest. He then lay back down on his stomach, Alexander's arms holding him close and keeping him safe, and he then fell asleep. Alexander held him for some time before he pulled a blanket over the both of them. He too then slowly drifted into the land of sleep.

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His eyes opened and he glanced over at Bagoas. The Persian was standing, mixing another salve. Cassander was sick of salves. In the last hour Bagoas had come in at least four times to rub some new salve over each and every one of his cuts. He thought that it would be better if Bagoas just poured the ingredients into the tub, then he could just lay in the salve. Most of his flesh needed to be covered, so it would be rather practical. He rolled his eyes and slowly turned his head to the side. At least his tongue didn't hurt anymore.

"One more," Bagoas said as he came closer to the bed. Cassander sighed and sat up, pushing the blanket away from his body. Once again he had to pull his robe open, exposing all of his body to the Persian. It wasn't shyness that made him turn red. It was the humiliation of seeing his mutilated body. Bagoas didn't seem to mind though. The Macedonian couldn't know that Bagoas found the wounds rather attractive really. But Bagoas didn't blush, didn't speak, so how could Cassander have known?

"Do they teach all Persian eunuchs these skills," Cassander asked. He gritted his teeth as Bagoas touched his chest. Glancing down he saw the burn marks of the candle wax, and the red swollen flesh that had been torn back. It was enough to make him want to vomit. So he found himself throwing his head back and pressing the back of his head against the pillow. If he thought that his cheek and tongue hurt, he would think of this, and the rest of the pain would be numb. However, his cheek was still the worst wound on his entire body.

"No," Bagoas answered, knowing that Cassander had meant to insult him. He was rather used to it. Cassander had a way of insulting everyone. Yet Bagoas knew enough to know that his insults were a way that he protected himself. Just as Bagoas would let his eyes drift to the ground and stand in silence. This one would look you in the eyes and tell you what he thought of you. It was an interesting idea, but it seemed to work for him. It had kept him alive this long.

"How hard are you going to jab your fingers in there?"

"I'm not even touching it," Bagoas said. In all truth he had stopped putting the salve on his chest just moments before Cassander had asked. What he felt now was just the salve upon his skin. This one would burn a little, maybe leave a tingling feeling, but would help the new skin grow faster. The wound would heal faster this way. It still amazed him how these western civilizations didn't know anything about medicine. This was perhaps why they killed the men in their legions that were badly injured, because they didn't know what to do. Bagoas had seen some of the men that Alexander's doctors had ordered to die a swift death by the break of the neck. Bagoas could have saved many of them.

"It feels like it."

"Well," Bagoas said as he took a wet cloth and draped it over the cut on his chest. He didn't say anything else. Instead he stood and took the remaining salve back to the dresser. He set the bowl down and then glanced over at Cassander. It was hard to understand him. This was a man that ran from a pain that wasn't inflicted by a sword. It was from something else, an emotion wound that ran deeper than all of the others. Bagoas thought for a moment, and wondered why it was that Hephaestion was the man that seemed to hold both Cassander and Alexander together. He had be near Ptolemy during the feast a few nights ago, and once drunk, Ptolemy told of how the son of Zeus had fallen hard for the son of Aphrodite.

Bagoas did not know much about the Greek divinities. He couldn't even begin to name them all either. But he knew that Zeus was the supreme ruler of the Greek gods. It was also apparent to him that Aphrodite was their goddess of love and beauty. Bagoas had heard that Alexander thought that he was the son of Zeus. But it was not true, at least Bagoas didn't believe it, because he felt like a mortal would. There was far too much pain for Alexander to be a god. Hephaestion had to soft a heart, too pure a soul, and he could not be the son of a god for this. Gods would envy the extent at which Hephaestion felt. Cassander, on the other hand, might be a god.