UPDATE: Hi, guys! I'm publishing a book with some stories that I created for the Greek myths, and this fic - with only a few changes - is among them, in its Portuguese version. So if by any chance you see the book, don't worry, it's not plagiarism.

Hey, everyone. This is just an idea that I had one while day drinking coffee: what if Alexander and his comrades also drank it? Just an idea really, without any pretensions of being historically accurate... I apologize for any English mistakes, the original story is in Portuguese (Um cafezinho).

I used Nicholas G. L. Hammond's book The genius of Alexander the Great to put the names of the places they mention... by the way, I recommend the book =)

Hope you enjoy the story!

Some coffee

Alexander was the first to arrive. The empty room with the table already set – the light that was coming in was that of a pleasant afternoon. Still wearing the uniform, since he had just arrived from a trip with his detachment, Alexander served himself coffee and turned his back against a wall. He had a few sips with a lost look in his eyes, when Hephaestion came in.

"Hail to you", he said with a light nod.

"Hail to you", Alexander answered raising his cup.

Hephaestion pulled a chair and sat down. With a sigh, he poured coffee in another cup, staring at the smoke that was coming off.

Alexander took another sip of his coffee and asked:

"How are things in Babylon?"

Hephaestion raised his eyes, sipped his coffee and said:

"Everything is going well. The Persians are fine administers, and in Babylon that is the central point, things are already well arranged."

Alexander nodded. They took some more sips, and Perdiccas and Leonatus arrived.

"Hail to you."

"Hail to you."

"Perdiccas, how is the situation in the Balcans?", Alexander incquired.

"A little turbulent. There are some revolt threats, but we can manage this. In Macedon, Cleitus says that things are the same as always."

"Which is, intrigues and conflicts between my mother and Antipater", Alexander said with an unworried look.

"Yes", Perdiccas gave back the look lightly shrugging and holding a cup. He was reaching for the coffee when Alexander asked:

"Leonatus, what about Afghanistan?"

"In Cabul they are adapting just fine", he said with an already full cup, "but in Partieia they are having some problems with the administration. They are not communicating very well."

"Hmm", Alexander said taking the cup to the mouth.

"Hail to you, my friends."

"Hail to you, Ptolomy", came the answer along with raised cups.

"Alexander, before you ask me", Ptolomy said spreading the palm of his hand, "Egypt is doing fine and at Siwah you still are the son of Amon."

Light laughter took place, while Ptolomy took a cup and served himself. Alexander continued to drink his coffee, Hephaestion seemed reflexive holding the cup with both hands and Perdiccas stared at the dregs of coffee in the bottom of the cup.

"It would be nice to see the region of Gordio again", Alexander said with a little smile on his lips.

"You are not going to make us cross the Hindu Kush again, are you?", Leonatus wanted to know with a funny look while he agitated the coffee in the cup.

"Two months after having crossed it? No, no", Ptolomy spoke with the same smile that the king beared.

"It is still going to take a long time for that to happen", Alexander completed.

"To this long time", Leonatus said raising his cup, being followed with smiles by everyone.

"I don't want to return to that cold so early", Perdiccas added.

"For that, we have our coffee to warm us up", Hephaestion joked.

"Yes, we shall carry it in our way back to Macedon!", Ptolomy affirmed with an elegant gesture.

Alexander laughed, returning to sip the coffee. While one man blew the hot liquid, another one agitated it, the other one sweetened it, another one almost forgot it in the cup… and like this they went on drinking and chatting.

"Does anyone have news from Tyre?"