Title: the trouble with the Nile
Disclaimer :Grey's Anatomy & its characters are the property of ABC & Shonda Rhimes
Summary: Alex's POV at finding Jackson and April having breakfast post Sloan's attempt at matchmaking
Rating:T for suggestive theme/cursing
AN: 3rd in 'the trouble with…' series. No spoilers. Unbeta'ed so all mistakes are mine. Next up will be Jackson's POV.
Alex is exhausted. After spending the night at the hospital monitoring Morgan's baby all he wants to do is hit the shower and then go to bed. The smell of coffee, bacon and pancakes greet him however as soon as he enters the house and his stomach gives an involuntary rumble. A smile breaks through and his exhaustion eases somewhat with the prospect of a home-cooked breakfast (one of the perks of living with Kepner he finds). He makes a detour to the kitchen and his smile fades as he takes in the scene before him.
That Kepner (still in her pajamas and robe) is busy flipping pancakes by the stove is not what dismays him. It is the fact that a shirtless Jackson is standing next to her. Perhaps if he'd been doing something productive or being helpful he wouldn't have minded their proximity so much (It doesn't occur to him to wonder why he is suddenly bothered by their closeness until much much later). But the dude's just standing there doing absolutely nothing but flex his guns. at her. And is that a smug smile on his face?
WTF?
All at once Mark Sloan's voice plays in his head as the attending tries to get Kepner to 'take one for the team' and he finds his hands clenching unconsciously. He can't help but wonder if perhaps the older surgeon had in fact been successful in his campaign somehow and the thought just turns his stomach. He coughs loudly to make his presence felt and is rewarded by a scowl from Jackson. For some reason the fact that his fellow resident is looking at him in annoyance cheers him up.
Kepner doesn't even flinch. She just looks at him over her shoulders and tells him to grab a plate while pointing to the stack of pancakes already sitting on the counter next to the stove. "Feel free."
He makes it a point to get in between the two when he moves to get a plate and smirks at his fellow resident, taking his time in getting pancakes from the stack as well. He is too busy smirking at Jackson that he fails to note that April has just taken another piece off the stove to place on top of the stack. Her arm brushes against his and he gasps as tingles shoot up his spine from the brief contact. That's right! Tingles! WTF! And did he mention that he effing gasps like some hormonal teenage girl and loudly enough that she gives him a quizzical look?
He feels Jackson's stare drilling a hole at the back of his neck and he knows he is blushing so he quickly drops his gaze and mumbles "Sore shoulder," as an excuse because what else could he do? He knows that he should feel like crap when her look shifts from confusion to concern at his lie but he's damned if it doesn't make him smile like a lunatic.
Seriously, what's that matter with him?
Of course Jackson chooses that moment to elbow him away from the counter with a muttered "You're hogging the stack."
His irritation turns to a grin though when Kepner turns to him and mumbles that she has liniment in her room.
"You offering to put it on me?"
The words come out of his mouth before he even realizes that he might actually be flirting with 'virginal' April Kepner. Yeah, he is so blaming this on lack of sleep because you know, what else could it be? Of course this should have been a 'what-the-f*ck-am-I-doing' moment complete with his crazy radar clanging loudly in his head because really, this is 'pathologically perky' April Kepner he's suddenly sending out vibes to and did he mention 'virginal' already?
But instead of making like the Road Runner as he is wont to do with virgins with messianic complexes he finds himself staying put. Because really, cockblocking Jackson?
Priceless!
(At least that's what he tells himself because yeah…the Nile is not just a river in Egypt.)