Hephaistion felt ridiculous; completely undignified and humiliated as he slipped on the sheer black pants that looked so womanly, they made him want to hit somebody in the head in a really imanly/i manner. Ridiculous. Cleitus' idea was utterly ridiculous. But what other choice did Hephaistion have? He just wanted Alexander to love him again as he once had, to want to be with him and not with the dancing boys he so desired now.
"Gods! This better work," he thought to himself, his mind reeling with all the things that could go wrong, starting with Alexander thinking he was an utter fool and completely turning his back on him. Would he be able to live peacefully at Alexander's side if he was a mere merely a general to him, and nothing more?
He gave his head a good shake to rid himself of the negative thoughts circling round his brain and making him physically dizzy. He'd practiced with the boy and woman from the harem and he'd practiced hard. And it was harder than it looked, much harder. The way they instructed him to move his body, and concentrate on each part he was moving at the time, was actually enough to make him want to cancel the whole plan, but Cleitus had been by his side, pushing him back into the game. He'd have the black-eyed general's head on a platter if this all blew up in his face.
Once the pants were pulled on, and adjusted so he didn't feel like his member was quite so on display, he unraveled the braids in the front of his hair and ran his fingers through the soft strands, then put the gold headband and bracelets on to complete the costume. If only his father could see him now, he'd turn over in his grave, not to mention Phillip.
He heard the eunuch from the harem begin to play the flute and knew it was time to begin his performance. He exited his inner chamber to find Cleitus reclining on his bed, boots and all, on top of the silk cover. He shoved the General's feet to the floor as he walked by, ignoring the lusty look Cleitus shot his way and not realizing that even the boy had stopped playing to look approvingly at him.
"I would appreciate hearing no words from your lips, Cleitus," he warned, his eyebrows knitting into a deep glare. "Are you positive Alexander will be along shortly?"
"Aye. I set the trap with perfection, my dear Hephaistion. I mentioned I would be visiting you tonight and the King is nothing if not predictable, at least when it comes to his jealousy for you."
"I'm trusting that you are right, because I feel utterly ridiculous in this costume, not to mention in the prospect of what I am about to do." Hephaistion hung his head, his fingers adjusting the tight band that constricted around his waist.
"But you look ..."
"No!"
"... stunning, General."
"I will knock you on your ass should you make any more assessments, Cleitus. Now ..." he sighed. " ... let us begin before I change my mind, or rather, come to my senses."
Cleitus motioned for the boy to begin playing again, the beautiful notes filling the air and drifting enticingly down the hall through the open door. The general nodded to Hephaistion then seated himself in the chair closest to the desk, leaning back and crossing his arms.
Hephaistion took a deep breath and closed his eyes, clearing his mind until only the sound of the music filled his brain. He let his arms fall limply to his sides, fingertips caressing the soft fabric pressed to his thighs, body beginning to sway from side to side.
Cleitus sat mesmerized as he watched Hephaistion tip his head back slightly, eyes closed, his hips starting to move to the music. He knew better than to make any noise at all, but he dearly wished he could reveal some of the thoughts in his head at that very moment, lustful as they may have been.
Hephaistion started rotating his hips, the filmy, see-through pants swirling slightly about his body as he clenched and unclenched his bottom, the flat and firm muscles of his stomach seeming to move in one fluid motion while his hips gyrated and his shoulders slowly rolled. His body turned and twisted, muscles fluttering beneath his tanned, taut skin, long hair floating about him as he quickened his pace and suddenly opened his eyes, glancing seductively at Cleitus beneath his lashes.
Cleitus' mouth dropped open as Hephaistion's pelvis suddenly thrust forward and his upper body arched and rolled back up, serpent-like. The younger man felt his body become liquid while he worked his hips in slow grinding circles, one hand coming up to gracefully stroke the air like the head of a snake. His biceps rippled and flexed, abdomen rolling and pulling and stretching, arms moving like waves in the air, and his intense blue eyes never faltering from Cleitus'.
The music seemed to entice and free Hephaistion and all thoughts of humiliation and embarrassment left him, replaced by tranquility and beauty. He felt weightless and breathless as his body moved on its own, finding its own rhythm and taking him further into himself than he had ever imagined. His eyes rolled back in his head, giving in to the sensual vibrations that shot straight to his brain with every ripple and roll of his body.
Cleitus noticed the beads of sweat forming beneath the man's hairline, one escaping and winding its way down his chest, his black eyes never leaving it, his tongue coming out to lick his dry lips. The older general's eyes slitted and he felt his groin stir, as thoughts of licking the sweat from the Hephaistion's body flooded his consciousness, making the real reason he was there become unclear until ...
*****
Alexander couldn't believe he'd missed Hephaistion leaving. He blamed the boy who kept writhing and preening in front of him, and he blamed the wine he'd been forced to drink. Stumbling down the hall to Hephaistion's room, he prepared himself for finding Cleitus in his beloved's room. He was determined to put a stop to the affair this very evening. It was preposterous to think about Hephaistion and Cleitus in Hephaistion's bed, doing the things he definitely did not want to imagine Hephaistion doing with anyone but him.
He could hear the sweet sounds of a flute crawling from one of the rooms he was heading towards. He did love the flute and so did Hephaistion, perhaps he could have one of the flute players in the harem come to his room for a private performance for him and his beloved, after he expelled Cleitus from his lover's arms. As the melodic sounds got closer, he suddenly realized he was almost at Hephaistion's room and if he was not mistaken, his most-loved general's door was partly ajar and the music was spilling out from therein.
Thinking it would give him all the advantage if he caught his two generals in the act of coupling, he crept past the first door which was completely agape and moved the second door slowly open, pushing his nose tight to the frame. He was not prepared for what he saw and quickly shoved the door completely open.
Alexander was stunned at the sight of his boyhood friend, his beloved, his lover dressed in harem pants and nothing else, writhing and gyrating in front of Cleitus. Hephaistion's eyes were intent on the older general, his body only a foot from the man's gaze, his skin shining with sweat, the long strands of his soft hair sticking to his face. He watched as Cleitus reached out his hand and stroked Hephaistion's belly, his fingers running over the tight muscles then continuing on to his thigh.
"Hephaistion! What is the meaning of this?"
The younger man turned when Alexander cried out but did not stop his movements.
"Hephaistion, I insist you stop at once."
"I don't believe you were invited to this private performance," Cleitus spoke up, leaning forward in his chair. "Perhaps the general will honor you with a performance of your own, at a time when he is not already occupied."
"How dare you!" Alexander screamed, crossing the room in three wide paces and pulling on Hephaistion's arm.
"Get off me, Alexander!" Hephaistion hissed, ripping himself from Alexander's grasp and stepping back from the wild-eyed man. "This is my room. I will not have you manhandling me nor yelling at my guest."
"Your guest?" Alexander argued. "Since when is Cleitus considered a guest in your room? What has become of you, Hephaistion? Have you forgotten just who it is you belong to?"
Hephaistion moved so that he was nose to nose with the King, his eyes flaring with an anger he had never felt before. It took all his strength and power to not grab Alexander and choke the life out of him. "You speak of daring? How dare I do something you don't approve of? How dare I enjoy myself with someone besides your Majesty? What about you, my beloved? How dare you barge in here and treat me as mere chattel, as some sort of property you can control and lock away and only release when it suits you?"
Ignoring Hephaistion's words, Alexander turned to Cleitus, who was standing back from the sparring twosome. "This is not your business, General. I order you to return to your own room."
"I believe General Hephaistion wishes me to remain, your Majesty. We have not finished our activities for the evening, and I'm sure that even in our inebriated state you can understand my meaning." Alexander's fist collided with Cleitus' face before the final word escaped his mouth, the general stumbling backwards but righting himself quickly.
"Alexander!" Hephaistion screamed. "You cannot dictate who is permitted in my room nor can you pummel my friends whenever the mood hits you. Leave!"
Alexander stood stunned, his knuckles already throbbing from where his fist had connected with Cleitus' jaw. "Hephaistion, be reasonable ..."
"Out Alexander!"
With one last look of anger and lust, Alexander turned and stormed from the room, leaving a smirking Cleitus and a disheartened Hephaistion in his wake.
"Aye, that went well," Cleitus continued to smirk as he poured himself a cup of wine.
Hephaistion was speechless, he was completely speechless. "Wha ... are you ... are you mad? Were you not just present in this very room for what just happened? Do you not still feel the sting of Alexander's fist on your bruised face?"
"Was worth the pain, was it not?" Cleitus asked just before the cup was swept from his hand and he was shoved back into the wall.
"Did you have to push it so far, Cleitus?" Hephaistion fumed, his half-naked body pressing the general into the wall. "It was not in your mighty plan to touch me in his presence. The intent was to bring him back to me, not have him assaulting you."
Realizing he was behaving no better than his beloved, Hephaistion stepped away from Cleitus, his hands kneading his scalp then tossing the gold headband from his head and across the room. "I've been such a fool. He regards me as mere property now. Did you hear what he said? Did I forget whom I belong to? I am utterly destroyed, Cleitus."
The black-eyed general stepped from the wall and laid a hand on Hephaistion's shoulder only to have it shrugged off as the man lunged away from him. "I need to be alone with my thoughts, Cleitus. My apologies if I was too harsh. Please excuse me and allow me some time to be alone."
"Are you sure? I know your taking of me was a one-time agreement but if you require physical comfort, I would be willing to sacrifice myself to you again." Hephaistion turned abruptly, barely controlling his emotions and instinct to assault the general with his fist, at least until he saw the smirk on Cleitus' face.
"You'll surely be the death of me, Cleitus," he whispered, looking into the soft eyes of his friend. "But I do appreciate your control and humor in this situation."
"I believe things will work themselves out now, Hephaistion," Cleitus replied, his voice soft and concerned. "Are you positive you don't wish me to stay? I promise not to touch those seductive pants of yours or any body part beneath."
"Good night, Cleitus," Hephaistion smiled. "If I require anyone to take this evening, I shall turn up at your door, my friend."
Cleitus reached a hand out and squeezed Hephaistion's bicep. "Get some rest, Phai, you definitely deserve it after that performance. You can surely out-dance any of those boys that Alexander is so smitten with."
Once alone, Hephaistion threw himself to his bed, lying flat on his back looking up at the ornate ceiling. The point had not been to out-dance Alexander's boys, that was not the intention at all and if that was all his performance had brought about, then it had been a wasted effort on his part, had it not?
The only thing Hephaistion was sure of was that things had gone sorely wrong, utterly and completely, without a doubt ... wrong. He closed his eyes and let the tears that were begging to flow freely. He was feeling angry and humiliated and vulnerable and uncomfortable and destroyed all at the same time. His worst nightmares had been realized, his worst thoughts about what could have gone wrong, brought to life.
He considered getting up and taking off the constricting pants but found he did not have the energy to accomplish even that one simple task. He was exhausted both physically and emotionally; his body and mind feeling wrung out like a dirty old rag that had seen better days. His mind ached, his heart ached, and his body ached. Was there anything else that could make this day even worse? As if reading his thoughts, a knock sounded loudly on his door. "Go away Cleitus!" Hephaistion called out, sure it was the general back to check on his sanity. "I'm fine. I shall meet with you in the morning."
As the knocking continued, and Hephaistion regretted giving his page the night to himself, he rose up from his bed, faster and with more energy than he thought possible, and threw open the door. He was shoved backwards as wine-flavored lips crushed his and his body was roughly grabbed.
"Alexander!" he gasped, as the King's hands groped and fondled, his lips biting and sucking at Hephaistion's face and neck.
"I saw Cleitus leave," Alexander panted against the General's skin. "And I know he'll not be back. I'd hoped you'd give me my private performance now. My thoughts could not survive another minute until I saw you again in your costume."
"No!" Hephaistion screamed, shoving the King as hard as he could and watching as the man felt to the floor, the smirk of lust never leaving his face. "I will not be your whore, Alexander! I will not! You need to leave ... now ... my King."
"I shan't be going anywhere, General," Alexander growled, as wine-soaked drool escaped from one corner of his mouth. "I know what you've been up to with your scheming and games, you've no interest in Cleitus, he was merely a pawn in your plot."
"Cleitus is my friend, Alexander."
Alexander rose to his full height, pushing his shoulders back and holding his head high. "I may be a drunk and a man of deplorable character at this very moment but one thing I do know is that you have been with no other - neither man, woman or boy. I am your only, Hephaistion, and I always shall be."
Hephaistion suddenly felt all the blood in his body rush to his head, his ears throbbed and all he saw before him was redness. He threw his body at Alexander, crushing him to the floor beneath him, and flipping him to his stomach. With his chest pressed tightly against the King's back, he reached a hand down and tore at Alexander's Persian pants, managing to pull them down far enough that his ass was completely exposed.
"You were right with that statement up until a few days ago, my beloved," Hephaistion seethed against Alexander's neck. "But the truth is not as it once was, for I have learned many things from Cleitus. Would you like to know what he's taught me?" His hand worked at the waistband of his own pants, stretching it to free himself from the confinement of the material as his lover squirmed beneath him.
"This is a side of you I've not seen before, Phai, a side I just may find seductively exciting and lustfully bold."
Having freed his cock from the confines of his ridiculous pants, Hephaistion rubbed it against Alexander's crack. "I'm not sure you will find it so appealing when I show you what Cleitus' instructions were." He felt himself harden against Alexander's sweaty skin, his cock aching to be inside the man beneath him.
"Do you not need me to lift my hips, Hephaistion, if you wish to mount me properly? I never realized you desired to make love to me or I surely would have given you the chance."
"Given me the chance?" Hephaistion growled, grinding himself against Alexander's now-arching hips. "You've never even given me that opportunity. I believe you even told me once that Kings do not get mounted, they are always the ones doing the mounting."
Alexander chuckled drunkenly beneath Hephaistion's hard body. "Did I say that? Well, perhaps you never tried hard enough, Phai. Or perhaps you weren't meant to be the imounter/i. I've not minded being mounted, though it's only been twice that I have allowed myself to be taken."
Hephaistion's mouth dropped open, the movements of his hips and cock ceasing while his head whirled in shock. "You have allowed yourself to be breached?" Hephaistion jumped from the floor, his cock softening almost instantly. "You allowed one of your nameless, faceless boys to take you when you've never allowed me?"
"I'm allowing you now," Alexander replied, turning onto his back and shoving his pants farther down his legs so his hard member was exposed. "I can see it in your eyes, Phai. You want to be inside me and if that's what it takes for you to return to yourself, then I will allow it."
Tucking himself back into the tight pants, Hephaistion shook his head in disbelief. "I need you to go, Alexander," he said softly, turning from the man and heading for the still-open door. "If you have one drop of respect and love left for me, you'll go."
The smirk finally falling from his face, Alexander lifted himself from the floor and pulled his pants back around his waist. "I've not meant to upset you further, Hephaistion or make you feel less a man ..."
"Go, Alexander. I beg you, just go."
