Hot-Dogs' Smiles
Title: Hot-Dogs' Smiles
Pairing: George/Alex
Word Count: 1500 +
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete; Possibility of sequel.
Summary: George and Alex meet up after Alex has been gone for two years.
Author’s Note: This is set about seven years in the future with mentions of character death. Written for the 8th prompt, but it's late because I was out of the state.
Disclaimer: I don’t own nor do I make any money.
Alex Karev was shocked. He watched as George O’Malley put two hot dogs on and plate and into the microwave to warm. He took a seat on one of the bar-stools at the counter. “How have you been?” he asked, watching as the light from the setting sun streamed through the glass doors of the kitchen in the O’Malley house.
George looked at Alex, catching the double meaning behind the question, “I’ve been good. How was Africa?” He turned away, pulling two colorful plates out of a cabinet.
“It was good,” he watched as George moved to the fridge and pulled out a tupperware of tomatoes, “I’ve missed this place a lot more than I thought I would.”
“Really?” George replied, his eyes catching Alex’s and holding the other man’s gaze. He sat the container on the counter, standing opposite the other man.
“Yes,” Alex whispered, reaching across and placing his hand over George’s.
Neither man moved until the loud beeping of the microwave caused George to jump slightly, knocking the tomatoes off the counter. He was able to grab the closed container before it hit the floor and when he looked up it was into Alex’s smiling face, “What?”
Alex watched as a blush tinted George’s tanned cheeks, “Your reflexes have gotten much better since last time I saw you.”
George moved away from the counter, towards the microwave over the stove, saying “A lot has changed since you were last here.” He pulled the plate holding the hotdogs out and placed one on each of the two colored plates.
“I’m sorry,” Alex murmured his voice barely audible. He watched as the other man pulled a handful of small tomatoes from the container and placed them in a triangular shape on the plate above the hot dog.
George just shook his head against what Alex had said, sitting the two plates on each side of the other man before calling out, “Hal, Carson, dinner is ready.”
The patter of small feet could be heard running down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Uncle Alex!” two excited voices called out.
“There’re my favorite boys!” Alex replied, getting up from the stool and kneeling down. The twin boys raced to him and wrapped their small arms around him, he wrapped an arm around each of them as well. He then lifted them up, pretending to grunt with the effort, “You two have gained some weight! What are you feeding them George?”
George watched Alex lift the boys up and deposit each of them onto a stool, pushing them as close to the counter as possible. He saw the smile Alex gave each of the boys as he ruffled their dark hair.
Alex caught George’s gaze, his smile widening on its own accord, “Very nice smiles there boys,” he said, gesturing to the plates.
“Daddy doesed it,” the quieter of the two boys, Hal, replied before popping one of the tomatoes into his mouth and eating it.
“I don’ like 'em,” Carson said, pushing the three offending tomatoes to the far side of his plate and picking up the hot dog to take a bite from it.
“Carson, use a fork,” George said, pointing to the fork beside the boy’s plate.
“Yes daddy,” Carson muttered, grabbing the fork unhappily and trying to cut the hot dog with it.
Alex watched as the small boy tried numerous times to cut the food, unsuccessful each time, before he moved to take the fork from the youngster, “Want me to do it?”
“I’m a big boy Uncle Alex, I can do it,” Carson replied, “Me and Hal will be four!”
“Yeah! We’re gonna be four!” Hal stated, ecstatically. He looked at Alex with doe eyes that the older man could remember vividly from his internship at Seattle Grace, “Will you come to our birthday, Uncle Alex?”
“Of course I will,” Alex replied as he sat between the two boys, Hal on his left and Carson on his right. Carson had finally cut his hotdog up and Hal was just finishing his last tomato.
George took a seat in the last empty stool at the far end, beside Hal. He felt a jolt go through him at Hal’s next question.
“You won’ leave, like mommy?” the boy asked, looking up at Alex.
“I won’t leave again, Hal. I swear I won’t leave you guys and your dad again,” Alex replied as he settled his arms across the backs of each boy’s stool. He felt fingers intertwine with his on the back of Hal’s stool.
“Pinky-promise Uncle Alex?” Hal questioned.
George felt his heartbeat quicken as Alex nodded to Hal’s question, moving his arm from behind Carson, and holding his pinky finger up for the boy to wrap his own around. He tightened his fingers around the other man’s hand momentarily.
Alex looked over Hal’s head at George after the small boy returned his attention to his dinner. He gave the other man a small smile, watching as it was returned.
The twins were soon given a bath and put to bed, neither wanting to let Alex from their sights. But after Alex promised to take them to the park the next day as soon as they woke up, both boys willingly went to bed.
Alex followed George into the kitchen, pulling two wine glasses from the cabinet as George got a bottle of wine from the fridge. He took the seat George had sat in during the boy’s dinner, watching the man pour them each a glass.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help when Callie passed away. I wanted to be here for you,” Alex moved to grab the glass George held out to him and was comforted by the warm fingers that wrapped around his.
“Were you serious about what you told Hal?” George questioned, holding his breath slightly.
“Yes,” Alex replied, “I will never leave you and the boys again.”
George was unable to push away memories of the nights of the boys’ first year, when Callie was sick and Alex spent every moment helping George take care of newborn twin boys. He recalled the strong voice coming from Alex as he sung Hal to sleep. He knew that if he tried hard enough it was likely that he could find the tape of lullabies the other man had recorded before leaving for Africa.
“Alex, I’m sorry,” George stated as he pulled Alex’s glass from his grasp. He placed both glasses on the countertop before moving to stand in front of the other man, hands on the man’s thighs, “It was wrong of me to have you leave. I should have told Callie that things changed, and you shouldn’t have left for Africa.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Alex replied, placing his hands over George’s, “I’ve missed you. And the boys.”
“They’ve missed you as well. I’ve missed you.”
Alex moved a hand to George’s face, pulling his face close, “What will you tell them?”
“That their Uncle Alex is now their second Dad,” George replied, he brushed his lips softly across Alex’s, “As it should have been since they were born.”
“I could never take Callie’s place. They loved her and I’ve already missed half their life.” Alex pulled back slightly, letting his hand fall.
“Callie wasn’t there in the beginning and she stayed at her parents’ house most nights even after you left,” George reminded Alex, “You were the only one who could make Hal sleep. That tape was almost worn out from how many times I played it for him.”
Alex remembered recording all of Hal’s favorite lullabies onto a tape before he left for Africa. He had been so worried that the toddler wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t here when Callie died George. I’m sorry that I left you and the boys to face that alone.”
“You know as well as I do that Callie wasn’t as attached to the boys as you were. There was always a distance on her side towards them,” George stated, looking away from the handsome man in front of him, “They were so happy every time you sent pictures and presents. A phone call from you made them happier than a visit from Callie ever did.”
Alex could still remember the day the boys were born, the happiness he felt for George when he was able to hand the first baby, Carson, its father. He also remembered his own happiness as he held Hal because Callie couldn’t.
He could tell that he would be a big part of the boys’ life when Callie announced to George that she was moving back in with her parents. Alex found himself living in the guest room of the O’Malley house for the next year.
He knew that George wouldn’t get a divorce from Callie; he knew the other man didn’t believe in divorce. So he never attempted to start a physical relationship with him. He had been in love with the other man for over seven years and they had their first kiss a few moments ago.
Alex stood up abruptly, wrapping his arms around tightly around George, dropping a kiss on the slightly shorter man’s forehead. He felt arms snake around his waist, and a sigh of air brushing against his neck.
The two men lost track of how long they stood like that, but Alex pulled away reluctantly, “I should go.”
“No, you should come to bed with me,” George replied, “I want you here for a long time. I’ll even teach you how to make hot dog smiles.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” Alex murmured as he pulled George into a chaste kiss.
Extended Author’s Note: I was inspired by the picture on the prompt. And with last week’s episode, I figured writing Alex as a paternal person wasn’t too far-fetched. So tada!
A Time Line to Rid Confusion:
2007: George and Callie got married.
2009: Callie gets pregnant. Alex and George are good friends.
2010: Hal and Carson are born. Alex moves in, Callie moves out.
2012: Alex goes to Africa.
2013: Callie dies in a car accident.
2014: George and Alex got together.