Title: Broken Open

Chapter One: Are You Gay?

Pairings: Pre-George/Alex, mentions of George/Olivia

Summary: George has syphilis, AU "Save Me." Eventual George/Alex Slash.

[As much as I wish George was mine, he's not, and neither is any of Grey's Anatomy. Sadface!]

George approached Alex that day in the locker room, looking around to make sure no one else was in there. Alex was plucking his nose hairs in front of the mirror. "I know I'm pretty to look at and all George, but back up."

George wouldn't have any of that. He ignored Alex. "I need to ask you something."

"I'm waiting."

"Okay. I seem to be having this skin...thing going on like a...rash kinda thing, and I think I know what it is, but I can't get close enough to tell for sure," explained George.

Alex turned around to look at him. "Let's see it."

"It's kinda located in a private..." George indicated the place below his waistband.

"You're a doctor George. It's called a penis," said Alex. "You have a rash on your penis?"

George nodded awkwardly. "I think I can describe it. Um, it's kind of...red and..."

"Come on, show me your junk and let's get this over with," snapped Alex.

George looked around again. He untied his scrub pants slowly and awkwardly. He pulled them and his underwear down just enough. Alex crouched down. He stared at it for a long time before saying, "It's big."

"What is? The-- the rash?" asked George.

"No. Your penis." Alex smirked.

"What the hell?!" yelled George. He pulled the waistband of his pants and underwear back up, tying his pants again. George ran out of the locker room.

"It's syphilis, by the way!" Alex yelled at George's back.

It didn't help that they had to work together afterward. Alex presented the patient. "Patient presented with abdominal pain and blood in his urine. Once his work-up came back unrevealing, the neurologist suggested a cystoscopy."

"Reason?" asked Doctor Burke. He turned to look at George.

George was only slightly distracted by Alex. He had a job to do, and he was going to do it perfectly. "Looks like I gotta look inside the bladder."

While Burke and his patient talked everything over, Alex stared at George. George wondered if Alex was still thinking about his penis. He hoped not. It was kind of, no, scratch that, extremely unsettling. George couldn't help but look over at Alex. He felt like smiling, because Alex couldn't phase him. Alex smirked at George, and George looked away, focusing again on the patient.

Alex came over to stand beside George, at Doctor Burke's request. Alex could feel George's discomfort. It was with good reason too. He'd basically told George that he liked his penis. How stupid of him!

George swallowed and did what Doctor Burke told him to. He could feel Alex staring at him, probably wanting to see his big penis again.

Burke sent them off in two seperate directions. Thank God, thought George.

George talked to Izzie later. She found out that she had syphilis and trashed his girlfriend. George sat down on a desk. "Alex likes my penis."

Izzie laughed. "What?"

"Alex. He said my penis was big. And he smiled when he said it," explained George, the volume of his voice rising with every word.

"Calm down. I'm sure he doesn't like it. He's Alex. The SGHMW."

"SGHMW?"

"Seattle Grace Hospital Man Whore." Izzie nodded and took a drink of her coffee. "But if he smiled, that means he likes viewing your junk."

"Not helping!" yelled George. He ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Later, Alex and George were getting a CT scan for Burke's patient. Alex laughed. "I gotta say, George. I didn't think you had it in you. It's always the quiet ones. Who's the--"

"Shut up Alex," said George.

"Excuse me?"

"I told you to shut the hell up," said George, louder than before.

Alex sighed. "Who's the girl?"

"You must've had something like this before, right?" asked George.

Alex smiled. "I never talk about my penis with other men."

George came close to Alex's face. "But you do talk about other men's penises! You even like them, don't you? So how long has it been since you last had another penis to enjoy, Alex? How long?"

Alex sighed angrily, then left the room.

For the rest of the day, Alex was moved to someone else's service. He'd requested it of Doctor Burke. George couldn't believe it. He'd actually hurt Alex's feelings. He didn't even know Alex had feelings.

Alex walked down the steps later, and George joined him, to apologize. "I'm sorry Alex. Whatever I said that made you hate me, I'm so sorry."

"Go be a homophobe somewhere else, O'Malley," muttered Alex.

George stopped walking, letting Alex finish the length of the steps. He narrowed his eyebrows. To himself, he whispered, "Homophobe?"

Alex walked around at lunch time, trying to find a table. Geroge caught up with him. "Homophobia, the fear or hatred of homosexual people."

Alex didn't say anything. George sighed angrily and set his tray down on a random table. "Alex, you know you can tell me, right?"

Alex still said nothing.

"Are you--are you gay, Alex?" George asked.

Both Alex and George stopped walking. Alex turned to face George. George could see tears forming in the other man's eyes. He whispered, "I didn't want anyone to know. But then I thought, hey, O'Malley seems to be at least bisexual, so why not have a little fun? But no, you completely reject me. And not only am I rejected, I'm also avoided and hated by you. George the homophobic ass."

"Alex," said George. He lowered his voice. "I had no idea. I really am sorry. So sorry. I don't hate you. I really don't. If you like me, just let me know. Do you like me?"

Alex looked at the ground. "Yes."

George sighed. "Okay. I'm okay with it, see? It wasn't that hard to tell me, was it?"

Alex shook his head. George grabbed his tray from the random table. "Let's go eat lunch."

Alex nodded and wiped the tears out of his eyes. George and Alex sat down at the lunch table. Izzie told Cristina about George's syphilis. Alex made a joke about it. George didn't pay attention to them, until Alex said, "Everybody has a secret, just be glad your's is out in the open."

George knew Alex's secret. It felt good to know that he knew something no one else knew.

Later, George waited to get a penicillin shot from Alex. He had to get it in the softest part of his body, which happened to be his ass. Now Alex would have the picture of George's penis and his naked ass in his head forever.

Alex smirked. "Cute butt, George."

George felt the color and the warmth drain from his face. Alex could now picture George fully naked. Great, thought George.