A/N: Hey everyone! So this is something completely new and different from me! This will be an actual love triangle fic! There will be AK2 scenes and Japril scenes and just because I'm a Japril writer, don't think that means that there will be a Japril happy ending. Everything is completely up in the air and I hope that shippers of both pairs will read this story!

This is a special birthday post for my pal tinyhuman02! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters!

Chapter 1 – The Pre-Game Show

Alex Karev stood in the doorway of his new kitchen and ate his favourite cereal straight out of the box. They didn't have any milk yet but he didn't really care. He looked around the living room and nodded to himself in approval. His new place was pretty nice if he did say so himself. It was spacious and open, had come pretty much fully furnished, and he and Avery had already agreed to split the cost of a flat screen TV, and a sound system if they could get a decent price. Kepner was crazy about the hardwood floors and laundry room, but he was just happy that it was fairly close to the hospital and he wouldn't have to sell his organs on the black market in order to pay for rent. His bedroom was pretty big too, bigger than his old room at Mer's anyway. It was weird that he had finally moved out of Meredith's frat house but it felt right, like it was the right time.

Derek and Mer were real adults now, and O'Malley was gone, and Izzie wasn't around anymore…yeah, he thought, it had definitely been the right time to leave that house.

And Zola was seriously killing his game. He couldn't bring any more chicks back there; he needed a baby-free zone.

He and Avery got along fairly well. They were pretty much polar opposites but they were able to talk about all of the important stuff: surgery, sports, food, and women. That was good enough for him. He had had his doubts about moving in with the red-headed trauma surgeon, but in the end, he didn't have any other options, and Avery was right. She cooked, she cleaned…and she had a really nice ass. That added up to a pretty awesome roommate in his mind.

At least she was nicer to look at than Avery.

Kepner's ass was the reason that he hadn't moved in the past five minutes. She was unpacking boxes of books and placing them in the bookshelf that he and Avery had assembled last night. The task required a lot of bending over and he had the perfect view. It also didn't hurt that she was wearing black yoga pants and a bright red tank top.

April knew that Alex was standing behind her without even turning her head. She could hear him rummaging through his cereal box. She could also hear him chewing, loudly, and she was trying not to let it get to her. "You could help me, ya know," she told him in annoyance.

"I could," he spoke through a mouthful of cereal. "But I'm good here. Thanks."

He grinned to himself as he heard her huff angrily. It was fun to get under her skin; he liked to see her feathers all ruffled. It was oddly attractive.

Sure, Kepner was annoying, but he wasn't sure when he had started to look at her like maybe he could put up with her annoying habits. Sometimes he thought that with a girl like April Kepner, the pros could outweigh the cons. She had really had his back during that botched bowel resection, and she let him hang out in her office without too many complaints. She cooked him food and did his laundry. She was a tad crazy, but she wasn't the brand of crazy that had gotten him into so much trouble in the past. She was crazy in an insecure, hyperactive, neat freak kind of way. Maybe he could deal with that. She had some great pros, besides the cooking and the cleaning, she was smart, she knew how to chug a beer, he liked how competitive and resourceful she was, and she was hot.

He had thought that she was cute when he had stupidly tried to screw her in an on-call room last year, but he wasn't sure when she had gotten so hot. The hair had a lot to do with her transformation, and he wasn't sure if she had started to work out, or if she had changed her diet, or if she had just bought a tonne of new clothes that fit her better. Whatever had happened, it had caused him to check her out more and he had realized that she had an absolutely banging body. He understood why that Lord of the Rings nerd had lied about chest pains so that he could see her again. She was cute in a mousy way and hot in a 'could easily be a secret sex kitten' kind of way. It was almost unfair. She had that great body and she didn't even know what to do with it.

He could certainly help her out with that, he thought mischievously.

He finally tore his eyes away from her when he heard the front door open and shut.

Avery waltzed into the living room wearing a pair of jeans and a grey sweater and carrying an armful of groceries. "Good morning," he greeted both of them pleasantly.

Alex looked at him curiously, he hadn't even known that the guy was out of bed, and apparently he had been shopping.

April smiled brightly at Jackson and returned his greeting while Alex mumbled grumpily. He still wasn't sure if he was fully awake, and his two roommates seemed so perky. He hated morning people.

He followed Avery into the kitchen and nosily looked into one of the grocery bags. "What did ya get?" He asked.

"Oh, some necessities, like milk and eggs, and I just figured that I would buy some things to make dinner tonight," Jackson answered casually. Last night they had ordered pizza and drank beer because April had been too tired from all of the unpacking to cook. He thought that it'd be a nice gesture if he took over the responsibility tonight. "Our first dinner in the new apartment, I figured I'd make it a good one," he shrugged.

Alex furrowed his brow in confusion. "You can cook?" His male roommate nodded. "You never cooked at Mer's."

"I never had to," the pretty boy grinned.

Jackson started to unpack the groceries and he smiled when he found the package of speciality tea that he had bought. He hadn't been able to pass it in the aisle without picking it up. "Hey April," he yelled. "I got that tea you like!"

"Oooh!" She squealed excitedly. She ran into the kitchen and playfully bumped her side against his. "Thank you, best friend!"

Jackson grinned as he held the box of tea above her head and chuckled as she tried to take it from him. She was too petite to even come close to reaching it.

Alex watched them interact with a bewildered expression. He and Mer never behaved like that, and he and Cristina definitely didn't. Kepner and Avery had a really weird friendship. They were close, and it seemed as if they had gotten even closer since she had become Chief Resident. Maybe it was because Avery was the only one that really listened to her.

Perhaps Alex had unknowingly disrupted something when he had accepted their offer to split the apartment three ways.

"Are you two screwing?" He asked bluntly.

Jackson and April abruptly ended their playful exchange and turned to him in shock.

"Excuse me?" April questioned in an extremely high-pitched voice.

Jackson was a tad calmer. "What are you talking about Karev?"

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "I just wanna know what I'm getting myself into," he attempted to explain. "Are you guys hooking up?"

The red-head's face and neck flushed and she quietly muttered, "No."

The dark-skinned man placed a supportive hand on his best friend's shoulder. "No, we're not," he stated firmly. "Not that it'd be any of your business even if we were."

April gently brushed Jackson's hand off of her shoulder and walked back into the living room without another word. She was too embarrassed to say anything else.

Jackson watched her walk away regretfully and he exhaled heavily through his nose. He punched Karev's arm with only a small amount of force and whispered harshly, "Why did you have to do that?"

Alex shrugged again. "I was curious is all. I wanted to know if I had to worry about finding you two half naked on the washing machine or somethin'."

Jackson rolled his eyes before he returned to unpacking the groceries that he had bought. However, he was still rather furious with the other man. Why did Karev have to be such an ass sometimes? What had just happened was a perfect example of why Jackson had been wary of inviting the guy to move in with them. Karev knew how sensitive and easily embarrassed April was and yet, he couldn't stop himself from pushing her buttons. The guy enjoyed seeing her squirm far too much.

And Jackson had to always jump to her defence. He had to. People unfairly gave her a hard time and he was always the first to cut in and support her, or throw a punch, whatever fit the situation. She was his oldest friend, and as Charles had once said, albeit jokingly, "Mercy West forever." They were all each other had. They had lost Charles and Reed, so now it was just the two of them. Him and her. She was the only person that he trusted to confide in, and she was the only person that would listen to him without judgement. He cared for her and he respected her. He truly valued her friendship and so he had to protect her. He wasn't sure if anyone else would anyway.

"You're such a douche," he finally muttered through clenched teeth.

Jackson didn't like the way that Karev treated April and he certainly didn't like the way the guy was starting to look at her.

Alex groaned in irritation as he placed his cereal back in the cupboard. "Do you want me to apologize? Okay, whatever, I'll apologize," he fumed.

He left the kitchen without waiting for a response from Avery and headed to Kepner's bedroom once he saw that the living room was empty. He politely knocked on her open door and waited for her to look up at him.

"So, uh," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry, or something."

April couldn't help but guffaw at his attempt at an apology. "It's okay, Alex," she replied genuinely. "Unlike you, I know exactly what I'm getting into by moving in with you and Jackson."

He looked down at his bare feet and grinned. "Right, because I'm dirty and gross, and apparently, I'm going to acquire syphilis."

On her way out of her bedroom, April brushed past him and gave him a wicked little grin. "From what I've heard, you already have."

Alex watched her walk down the hall with a smirk. He loved it when she took him by surprise like that. It was hot. When she did things like that, got a little feisty and gave crap as good as she got it, he couldn't help but think that she actually wasn't that annoying. She had some balls, and that was pretty attractive.

A/N: Please leave a review! This is so different for me, and a little out of my comfort zone, so your comments will really help! :)