Title: "Nine full Moons" – Chapter 1: A month before the first moon.

Author: too_beauty

Feedback: yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.

Pairing: Alexander & Hephaestion.

Rating: PG.

Category: Historical AU.

Disclaimer: I don't know the people involved; A&H belonged to themselves and to History, if not, Phai would be living in BA…

Warning: this is a MPREG fic, it means it will deal with male pregnancy, if this is not your cup of coffee, don't drink it.

Helios was just appearing on the horizon when the general felt the first cramp, bilis rose through his windpipe, reached his mouth and he could hardly made his way to the back of the room where the pot was. He brought up for a while, feeling a pang of strong pain, his head sank in the pot, one hand keeping his long hair away from his face and sweat covering his full body while drops fell down his temples.

- "By Zeus balls, no more drinking competition for me" he thought and convinced himself that he would never follow Cleitus again in any of his drinking nights. He entered yesterday because he was challenged, after being called a pretty boy and weak Athenian by the black general. In fact, the older general wanted Hephaestion to get drunk so he could have his wicked way with him. The general had fallen for the handsome companion when the later was around 12, once he was sent to Mieza - on behalf of king Philip- to see how the boys were doing, and since then Cleitus had tried to get inside the young brunette's bed, but he had always been rejected; the Athenian fell for the king when they were two sweet children and they have been together since then.

Hephaestion knew about Cleitus's infatuation with him and he did flirt with him when he was younger, but once Alexander got extremely jealous and he nearly speared him in the middle of a celebration; so Hephaestion stopped doing that and a long lovemaking night put his king's wrath out.

A second cramp harassed his body again and all the vomiting process started again; after the sickness was over, he felt as if the full Macedonian Army had stepped over him, and it was just very early in the morning. He decided to go to the near lake for a bath but after giving this a second thought; he realized that it wasn't a very good idea.

He left the inner chamber towards the main room and found his newly found secretary up and doing some writing.

"Joy to you, sunshine" Hephaestion greeted the young woman sitting at his desk.

LadyLight lifted her hand up to avoid his talking and after finishing a sentence, she looked at him and said:

"Joy to you too, General Hephaestion but you don't look so well. Sire, what can I do for you?"

"Could you ask Stephanos to run me a hot bath? I am not feeling very well this morning."

"Of course, anything else, General?" she asked while standing up.

"Yes, drop the General, it is just Hephaestion" he said smiling but seconds later, he was knelt down in front of the pot again.

LadyLight approached him with a wet towel and knelt beside him. Her heart was beating fast and she couldn't avoid looking at him lovingly.

-"Thanks, sunshine" he said whipping his mouth. "Bloody Cleitus and his drinking competitions."

- " Oh! So this is just a hangover; it is strange because you have never had one before." she added

- "Yes, I know, I blame also to an empty stomach"

- "or to an oblivious King …" she whispered.

Hephaestion looked at her in astonishment.

"Excuse me Sire, I shouldn't have said that" she said completely embarrassed.

"It's fine, you are the only one besides him that can read me so well, maybe Ptolemy too but he isn't as vocal as you are" he replied petting her head. "Go and find Stephanos, please"

After the bath, Hephaestion felt his stomach more settled and his head was not so numb, he was, in fact, surprised how well he was feeling.

He walked into the dinning room and the first thing he saw was Alexander and Bagoas, both heads close and whispering to each other. A bitter thing reached his mouth again but he truly knew this had nothing to do with his previous hangover.

"Joy to you, Sire, and to you too, Bagoas" the brunette general said while sitting at the other extreme of the table. Alexander lifted his head and his cheeks went reddish.

"Joy to you, Hephaestion" he said and looked at him with a strange look between love and pity.

The pages entered the room and left the food and drinks on the table. One of them approached the general and blushing asked him what he could serve him. Hephaestion looked at him and said:

"Just some warm milk and toasted bread, please Theo" and the young page blushed even more because the gorgeous general knew his name.

Alexander saw the exchange and a pang of jealousy filled his heart; they have been driving apart and he didn't know why, well, in fact he knew but he didn't want to let some things go, among them the Persian eunuch; and Hephaestion hadn't said a word about the toy boy so Alexander assumed that the situation between them would remain the same, but it didn't, the brunette general had led every single mission that took him far away from the king and stayed away for months, alone with his men and his group of builders.

When Theo came back with his morning meal, Alexander realized what Hephaestion was taking and so he asked:

"Why aren't you taking your usual breakfast, Hephaestion, are you feeling unwell?"

Hephaestion was about to reply when he was kissed on the lips by a very bold and happy Cleitus.

"Good morning, gorgeous! Are you feeling better? I really filled you up yesterday, didn't I?" Cleitus said and laughing loudly, he sat next to Hephaestion and caressed his lower back.

Alexander tensed his full body and Bagoas, sensing that, tried to make him relax but it was impossible, and the eunuch realized once again who the real owner of the King's heart was.

Cleitus whispered something into Hephaestion's ear and the general blushed as a lovesick teenager.

The king ate without taking his eyes from his two favourite generals, he really loved Cleitus and he also knew that he was the only one who could take his Phai away from him; he had been trying for many years but their love was stronger. But now the young king wasn't so sure and fear invaded his heart; he knew he wouldn't be able to cope with life if his Patroclus wasn't by his side but Hephaestion should also understand he was still curious about many things and that he couldn't stay in the same place for a long time.

Alexander noticed that Hephaestion was standing up and saw when Cleitus spanked him gently on his buttocks and smiled wickedly. Hephaestion gave him a sweet smile and told him "see you there."

The king's mind was running at an amazing speed, Hephaestion had given Cleitus one of his rare smiles and where was "there", the king wondered.

Alexander couldn't focus on anything else since that moment and he knew he should find the answers to those questions.

… and he got them, sooner than he thought he would.

TBC