Scared
Alex had always hated horror movies.
It wasn't that he was creeped out by the monsters or gore. After all, he was a surgical intern at Seattle Grace; he saw just as much blood in a horror movie as he did during a shift at the hospital. He didn't get startled or shocked when the killer suddenly came crashing through the walls or threw a sharp object through some victim--his heart didn't start racing until a patient's stopped.
Alex just hated the idea behind a scary movie
In those kinds of movies, the often naive victims always have to get bloodied up or killed by a seemingly unstoppable monster, like a vampire or a serial killer....or even an alcoholic abusive dad. And even if the victims survived and took down the enemy, they always had to make some sort of sacrifice, like watching their mother's heartbreak. The worst part was watching the slaughter, knowing that the victims were just so helpless.
The entire thing made Alex feel a little sick. And definitely very scared.
That's why Alex was pinned to the back of his seat in the theater, his hands gripping the armrest so tightly that his knuckles were completely white.
It was the first night Bailey's interns had off together in a while. In the spirit of Halloween, everyone agreed to go see a scary movie. Everyone except for Alex, that was. But the tall man knew any time he could spend outside the house or the hospital or Joe's was a gift, simple as that. Even if it did mean he had to see a damn horror movie.
Alex glanced down the row as the movie continued. Meredith sitting down on the other end of the five interns was looking very bored. Slasher flicks just weren't dark and twisty enough for her. Next to her was Christina, who was whispering frantically into Izzie's ear about how a cut to some region of the stomach wouldn't cause so much bleeding because of a lack of arteries. Izzie, who was watching the show through her fingers, just nodded in agreement and terror. as she stared at the screen. Between Izzie and Alex was George. He was just sitting there, eating his popcorn and watching the movie with interest.
Alex was sitting at the end of the row in the aisle seat, becoming more and more visibly panicked with every passing second.
Alex felt himself beginning to sweat and his hands began to cramp when he felt something heavy land on his lap. He looked down. it was George's hand, palm facing up.
He gave a George a confused look. George turned slightly to give him a small encouraging smile and a quick nod before turning back to the film.
Of course, Alex thought to himself. Of course George would be the one to give me his hand. Well, Izzie might too, but not without chirping about how she thinks I’m a nice guy that just acts like a jerk...you know, the things that people already know but really dion't need to say. Meredith, well, she would've laughed. And Christina, oh god Christina. She'd never talk to me again.
If there was one thing Alex had learned from those stupid horror movies, it was that you only win when you team up against the bad guys. There’s nothing wrong with a little teamwork and weakness among each other, even if your teammates were competitive interns in the top program in the country. It was the only reason why he did it. Well, that’s at least what Alex told himself when he made the decision.
Alex moved his hand down onto his lap and took George's hand in his.
For a couple of moments, Alex looked straight ahead, trying not to even do so much as look at George. After a few seconds, Alex gave up and sneaked a peak.
George was still focused on the movie; but if Alex could see George's face through the darkness enveloping them, he would have known that a faint smile crossed the shorter man's lips.
As the movie went on, Alex kept squeezing the hand in his lap when he felt the familiar pangs of discomfort and fear. Even when the lights came on and the credits started to roll, the two hands were still intertwined. As people began to crowd the aisle on the way to the exit, they took notice of the sight on Alex's lap and gave him weird or dirty looks. But Alex didn't care one bit
He wasn't scared.