Prompts: #26. "I'll sleep under the sheets, you sleep on top of them." to #27. "Trust me, I have no interest in sleeping with you." to #28. "This is a one time thing." to #29. "Okay, so maybe it's a two time thing." onto #30. "This needs to stop."
"Do you think he's gonna come back?" A heavily inebriated Jo asked with wide eyes.
"Nah," replied an equally drunk Alex.
"But all his stuff is in here," Jo pointed out. "He's gotta come back for his stuff."
"Oh crap," Alex began laughing. "We need to get out of here."
"We can't drive. We're drunk," Jo shook her head, a laugh escaping as she fell back onto the bed. "Oh shit, what are we gonna do?"
"Grab some bottles from the mini bar and then we'll find a cab back to my place," Alex looked up at Jo, whose face was twisted into a disgusted expression. "Don't get any ideas, I have no interest in sleeping with you Hobo Jo. I just don't want you to go home alone and choke on your own vomit or something."
Jo gathered the bottles and stuffed them into an empty pillowcase (like a hobo, just needs a stick). She searched around for her purse and shoes, only to see Alex holding them up, "You looking for these?"
"Thanks," she grinned as she caught them. "Don't forget your tie! It's hanging on the bathroom door."
Jo and Alex giggled quietly as they opened the door and looked around to ensure that the coast was clear. They ran down the hallway, boarding the elevator as they collapsed in a fit of even more giggles. It took him a second, but Alex was finally able to calm his laughter enough to call for a cab. When they exited the elevator, Jo and Alex ran past the front desk quickly, hoping to avoid anyone that might've seen them earlier.
"You're gonna get us into trouble if you keep laughing like that," Alex pointed his finger accusingly at Jo, laughter still bubbling from his own mouth. "And I'm not gonna fake cry my way outta this one."
Jo took a deep calming breath and attempted to act natural as they walked through the lobby and out the doors into the cold December air. They waited outside, shivering in the cold for the cab that was on its way. Jo was trembling in her strapless dress and wished she would've brought the robe with her. Alex may have the reputation of being a jackass, but part of him felt bad for the intern standing next to him. She was actually a lot of fun to hang around, so for that reason, he decided to be nice. He removed his suit jacket and placed it on her shoulders.
Jo raised her eyebrows in surprise. Alex rolled his eyes, "Don't make it a thing."
Jo shrugged and relished in the warmth of his jacket. She thought about the events that led up to that moment and couldn't help herself when she began to chuckle again. The situation was absolutely ridiculous. She had spent the night drinking with her boss, getting drunk off her ass, teaching him how to fake cry, hijacked a stranger's hotel room, and now was on her way back to his house because she was way too drunk to get back home on her own. It sounded like the start of a bad rom-com and Jo's inebriated brain conjured many images that caused her laugh harder.
Hearing Jo laugh was not an easy thing. Jo's laughter was contagious. And maybe part of it was due to the fact that he was drunk, but Alex was sure that even sober, he wouldn't be able to resist joining her. It had been ages since he had laughed so hard he cried and Alex knew instantly that the woman standing next to him was someone he'd definitely like to keep around.
The cab finally arrived and Alex helped Jo into the backseat as he gave the driver his address. The drive was full of jokes and unintelligible speech that Alex was positive had the driver on the verge of throwing them out the car. When the driver pulled up to the house, Alex had sobered up enough to think to give the cab driver a nice tip for putting up with their craziness.
"I don't think I've laughed that hard in like… decades," a string of giggles left Jo again as she leaned against the side of the house, waiting for Alex to unlock the front door. "I think I did a full 20 minute ab workout routine."
"Lucky for you no one else is home to hear your absurdly loud laughter," Alex pushed the door open and ushered Jo through, his hand gently resting on her lower back. "Come on Princess, let's go upstairs."
"You're just trying to get me into bed aren't you," Jo narrowed her eyes at Alex, who rolled his eyes. "It's not gonna wo- Oh!"
Before she'd had a chance to protest, Alex had thrown Jo over his shoulder and began to walk up the staircase towards his bedroom. Jo let a squeal out, voicing her displeasure with her situation, "This doesn't mean I'm sleeping with you!"
"Then get your hand off my ass," Alex retorted, fingers squeezing Jo's thigh as he swung her back over his shoulder and settled her onto his bed. "I'll grab you a change of clothes, I'm sure when you inevitably puke you won't want it on your nice dress."
Jo bit her lip as she watched him search his dresser for some clothes for her to change into. For the first time, she actually understood the obsession that all of the girls in her class seemed to have with Karev. He was smooth, funny as hell, and actually kind of charming if he tried. Jo averted her eyes when he turned back to look at her in hopes that he wouldn't catch her admiring him.
"Were you staring at my ass?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"What? No," Jo scoffed. "I was not staring at your ass."
"Yes you were," Alex's face donned a shit eating grin. "First you grab my ass, now you're staring. For someone who claims that they don't want to sleep with me, you're doing a very bad job at making me believe it."
"I wasn't staring… I'm drunk and I zoned out. That's all," Jo attempted to make up a plausible excuse.
"Sure, whatever you say princess," Alex shook his head and tossed Jo an oversized t-shirt and a pair of boxers. "Put these on. I'll be in the bathroom, try not to break anything while I'm gone."
She stood in his bedroom for about three minutes attempting to get her dress off, when she finally gave up. Jo walked over to the bathroom door and knocked, "I need help."
Alex poked his head out the bathroom, "What? Why are you still dressed?"
"I can't get the zipper down," Jo frowned.
Alex huffed a laugh as he opened the door all the way, "Turn around."
Jo did as she was told and tried desperately not to think about the fact that he was standing behind her only in a pair of boxers as his fingers grazed her back. The breath hitched in her throat and she willed her heart to slow down as she felt him open the zipper slowly.
As soon as she stepped out of her dress she realized that heart flutter was actually bile climbing up her esophagus. Clad only in her panties, she shoved Alex out of the way and sprinted to the toilet barely making it before all the most recent contents of her stomach reappear. She jumped when she felt a hand on her back as Alex gathered her hair to keep it out of the line of fire. Once he's braided it and twisted it into a knot to stay up, he grabbed a wet washcloth and draped it on her neck while delicately rubbing up and down her spine.
Though mortified, Jo felt exponentially better and the heavy fog from her brain lifted just enough to savor Alex's gentle touch. While waiting to determine if a second wave of nausea is en route she slows her breathing, head and arms draped on the toilet seat.
"This is embarrassing," Jo groaned. "I just vomited all over my boss' bathroom in my underwear."
"Dude, don't worry about it Wilson. This isn't even the weirdest thing I've had happen with a girl in my bathroom," Alex rubbed her back.
"Why am I not surprised," Jo muttered. "Were you their boss though?" She counters and then added, "and now that you've seen me puke, probably best to just call me Jo."
"Stop thinking of me as your boss then," Alex offered. "Just think of me as Alex. Trust me it's easier. I used to live with Shepherd and the amount of times he and I found ourselves in awkward situations was insane. Outside the hospital, he was Derek, not my boss. Same goes here."
He left her side again only to return with the t-shirt he had given her earlier and some water. "Arms up!"
"Alex, I'm not a toddler, I can dress myself!"
"Jo, you couldn't even undress yourself. Now put your arms up and let's rinse out that puky mouth of yours."
Grumbling, Jo raised her hands in surrender while Alex pulled the shirt on while his fingers skimmed her torso. She immediately got goosebumps but didn't have time to dwell on the tingly feeling. As soon as the oversized Iowa wrestling shirt had covered her mostly naked self, he wrapped his arms under her armpits to lift her up from the cool tile bathroom floor. Steadily they made it to the sink where he had a cap of mouthwash waiting for her. Alex started brushing his own teeth, never breaking eye contact with Jo in the mirror, worried she's about to collapse or vomit again. Once she swished for the recommended 30 seconds, she spat and blew minty breath into his face. For reasons Jo can't gather, he didn't seem to be that amused but whatever this night can't get any weirder. She picked up the water glass from the floor and made her wobbly way over to his bed.
The date with the porcelain throne left Jo significantly more awake and coherent, or so she thought. Gathering herself and her water she stood up from his bed to go downstairs to pass out on what she hopes is a very comfortable couch in his den. Though she's not sure she saw any furniture when they made their way upstairs earlier… Guess she'll find out soon. She made it three steps towards the door before a wave of dizziness smacked her in the face. Frustrated, she mused that maybe sleeping here was the wisest decision. She was just being practical, not wanting to hurt herself or anyone else by falling down the stairs. Also, he said to call him Alex. If this were any other guy friend she wouldn't think twice about it. Resolute in her choice she clambered over to the other side of Alex's bed, lifted the comforter, and slid all the way under as the overhead light was suddenly way too bright.
Alex walked back in and seeing her braided bun peeking out from the blanket he started mumbling and grabbing his pillow and Advil from his nightstand.
Hearing the commotion, Jo flips back the duvet and asks, "What are you doing?"
"Getting my crap to sleep since you claimed the bed, Princess," he said rolling his eyes at the obvious and handing her three pills.
"Don't be a weirdo," she scoffed, "your bed is so huge we can both sleep in it without ever coming close to touching."
Considering the argument for a moment and the fact that the only other option is the floor, Alex drops his pillows and sighs, "Fine. I'll sleep under the sheets, you sleep on top of them."
"Already there, Mister. You think I want to rub up against whatever you have lurking in your bed linens?"
"Yeah yeah, just take one Advil now and put the other two on your nightstand for the morning. If you need more, it's on my side, just try not to puke on me if you grab it in the middle of the night. I've got some pedialyte in the fridge if you need it, just don't drink it all"
"You're a regular Prince Charming, Dr. Karev." Jo said, swallowing all three pills and shimmying back under the covers. "Mm your bed is comfy, I might stay here awhile."
"Don't even think about it, I enjoy sleeping alone and sprawling out," Alex looked over his shoulder, eyeing Jo as she nestled herself further into the blankets. For some strange reason, seeing her lying down next to him wasn't strange. It felt natural, as though they'd slept beside each other for years. He tried to ignore the feeling and turned so that his back was facing her.
After some time, Alex could feel her breathing even out, signaling that she was asleep. Finally, he allowed himself to relax. Ever since he'd lied down, his mind began racing with countless scenarios of what life would be like if he got to go to sleep and wake up with the woman beside him every morning. The thoughts almost made him want to join Jo in puking. This wasn't like him. He wasn't soft or hopeful. He didn't daydream about a life with someone who made him laugh until he cried. No, he needed to get over whatever the hell this was. He thought about those things for a bit longer before drifting off to sleep.
A few hours later, Alex felt someone poke him in the side. He swat the offending hand away as he turned in his sleep. The prodding got more insistent, and he groaned as his brain began to register that someone was trying to get his attention.
"Psst," the poking continued. "Hey, Alex."
"What?" Alex finally opened his eyes to see Jo staring back at him. "Leave me alone. I'm sleeping here."
"I just need your address. I'm ordering pizza and I need to tell the guy where to deliver it," Jo explained.
Alex turned over to look at the clock on his nightstand, "Jo, it is one in the morning."
"And?" Jo raised her eyebrows. "I'm hungry. We were so busy getting drunk at the wedding that we didn't really eat anything."
"You're a pain in the ass," Alex grumbled. "Give me the phone."
He listed off his address to the delivery person in the other line and was told that it would arrive in ten minutes. Alex sighed and rubbed the sleep out of his face, "How are you awake right now? You were completely wasted."
"I think the Advil and puking helped," Jo confessed.
"You're a mess," Alex shook his head.
"You think this is bad? Should've seen me in med school," Jo wriggled her eyebrows.
"Yes of course. Hobo Jo who is still learning how to be civilized," Alex teased.
"You're one to talk," Jo stuck her tongue out at him. "Might I remind you that you were the one who suggested the hotel room idea. Also, you're like what, seven years older than me? Shouldn't you be past this stuff?"
"That's... a fair point," Alex flopped back onto his pillow, closing his eyes as he attempted to fall back asleep. "How good do you think a pizza place is that's open 24/7? That can't be that great…"
"Are you kidding? Those are the best ones. They are greasy and great for hangovers. Late night taco places are really great too," Jo grinned.
"As long as you're paying, I'll eat whatever."
Minutes later, the doorbell rang. Jo searched around for her purse only to sway when she tried to get up and walk to the hallway. Realizing that she would probably hurt herself trying to make her way down the stairs, Alex sighed, "Sit down. I'll go get the pizza. Just give me your wallet."
Part of Jo wanted to protest, but realistically, she knew that there was no way she'd be able to make it down the steps and back up again without falling. Although she was not nearly as drunk as she had been when they first arrived, Jo was still tipsy enough to be off balance. She handed her wallet over to Alex and sat back down on his bed, waiting for him to bring the pizza up.
"You know, this actually smells pretty good. Not gonna kind did you order? " Alex commented as she walked back in the room with the pizza in hand. He opened the box and nodded his head in approval. "Ooh, stuffed crust meat lovers. Good choice."
He sat down on the bed and Jo reached over to grab a slice. Biting into the pizza, Jo moaned, "Wow this is incredible. Best decision I've ever made while drunk."
Alex wasn't sure if it was the leftover alcohol in his system, but something about seeing Jo getting pizza crumbs all over his bed sheets made his heart skip a few beats. He stared at her for a while, taking in her form. It was like he was seeing her in a new light. She was no longer the intern who had a crappy childhood just like him. She was Jo. He was finally seeing her for who she was and she intrigued him. She was beautiful; messy hair and pizza hanging out of her mouth.
"What?"
Jo's voice startled Alex out of his daze, eyes blinking as he tried to focus on anything that wasn't the woman sitting in his bed. He grabbed a piece of pizza and took a bite, shaking his head in Jo's direction as he spoke through his full mouth, "Nothing."
"Ugh close your mouth," Jo groaned as she finished off the piece in her hand.
They ate the entire pizza and discarded the box on the floor. The food had helped absorb some of the alcohol still in their stomachs and by the time they were done eating, they both felt significantly less drunk. So, there was really no way they could blame the following events on alcohol.
"Well now I'm much less drunk than earlier and I am absolutely wide awake," Jo fell dramatically back into the pillows, turning her eyes to him. Her eyelashes batted against her cheeks and Alex could feel his heart constricting oddly in his chest. "What is with that look? You keep staring at me like you're going to do something stupid."
"What if I did? Do something stupid I mean," Alex could hear the change in his voice as he speaks, his heart hammering in his chest as he locked eyes with Jo.
"Like what? How stupid are we talking here," Jo's own heart was beating erratically as she watched Alex with curiosity. His eyes were darker and she couldn't help but focus on the way his lips pressed together.
"Like this," Alex's lips were on Jo's in a flash, her fingers instantly came up to run through his hair as she gasped in shock. They stood like this for a minute more before Jo pulled back and met Alex's intense gaze.
"You and me… we work so good as friends and I don't wanna screw that up but… God I want you right now, so badly," Jo's tongue darted out to wet her lips and it was all Alex could do not to press his lips back against hers. "I've wanted you all damn night but this… this is a one time thing. Can't happen again, got it?"
"Got it," Alex affirmed and bent back down to kiss her again.
Jo had no idea how much time had passed, but no matter how much her lungs were screaming for air, she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Eventually, their kisses became more heated and Alex began to trail his lips down her neck. Jo gasped as he found a spot that she hadn't even known existed. In those few moments just kissing him, Jo felt more pleasure than ever before. She knew she wouldn't last long if he kept going like this.
Jo pushed Alex onto his back and straddled his waist, leaning back down to kiss him again. She felt his hands grip her hips tightly, encouraging her to grind against him. Suddenly, Alex sat up, allowing Jo to wrap her legs around him. She felt his hands wander up her—his—shirt and fiddle with her bra straps. Jo reached down and removed the shirt, leaving her in the fancy bra and panties she'd worn under her evening gown. In that moment, Jo was extremely glad she had chosen to wear a nice set. Alex let his eyes wander and felt himself grow consumed by desire. He bent his head forward and began to press kisses all over Jo's chest. His lips traced the straps of her bra and he reached behind to unclasp it.
Letting the bra fall, Jo suddenly began to feel self-conscious. This was Alex Karev. He was known for having been with countless women. Gorgeous women. Although she'd long since gotten over the majority of her physical insecurities, there was still a small part of her that was worried that she wouldn't be enough. That her body wouldn't compare to the rest of the women who'd found themselves in this same exact position.
She was about to cover her breasts with her arms when she heard Alex take a sharp inhale. He gently took them into his hands and began to press light kisses all over them, leaving her panting and breathless. It was insane just how aroused she felt. It was as though every nerve in her body was on fire. Jo's hands found their way to Alex's hair and pressed him closer to her.
"I'm not going to last much longer with the way you're using your hands," Jo's voice grew breathy, to the point she could barely recognize it as she let her eyes close in pleasure.
"It's okay, I'm planning on keeping you here for awhile," Alex's lips trailed up and sucked right below her ear, eliciting a low moan from her. "Especially if this is the only time I get to have you in my bed."
It's not even a week later that Jo found herself pinned against the wall of an on call room with Alex's lips on hers again, his hands doing wondrous things to her as she bit back moan after moan. They'd had a long day, they'd lost one too many patients, they'd been yelled at by angry relatives… those were the excuses that Jo was conjuring up in her head to explain the reason she found herself in this position again, despite insisting that what had happened after Bailey's wedding was a one time thing.
"Two times."
Alex's head lifted up from her neck, brows furrowed as he looked into her eyes, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Maybe, it's a two time thing," Jo answered breathlessly, trying to distract herself from Alex's hand that was still lingering on her chest. "After this… no more."
Alex nodded in understanding, his lips crashing back onto hers as his hands desperately pulled her scrub top away from her body. For how much she said she didn't want this, Jo couldn't deny that Alex made her feel more alive than anyone else she'd been with.
"Oh! Right there," Jo bit her lip as Alex's lips trailed down her body. She could feel the smirk he wore pressed against her hot skin. "Don't get cocky about it."
"I don't have to get cocky. I'm that good," Alex's smirk grew as he pushed Jo onto a bed. He helped take her pants off and slid her to the edge as he fell to his knees. He looked up at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "You might want to hold onto something, Princess."
Two months and seventeen hookups later—not that she's been counting—Jo figured that her resolve was shot. She couldn't explain how or why but her heart picked up its pace every time that Alex was near her now. She'd found herself sitting at Joe's with Steph and Shane that night, minding her own business when she had felt his eyes on her. Even across the room, her heart began to beat faster with just the knowledge that he was so close. She'd hastily made an excuse to her friends and bolted out the door of the bar before anyone could protest.
That had been 20 minutes ago, she was now pressed into Alex's mattress with both of their shirts strewn across the staircase, abandoned in their hurry to get upstairs and into bed together. Jo was trying to distract herself from the thoughts swirling in her head, but it was useless. She couldn't keep doing this because it was going to ruin her from the inside out. Everytime Alex's lips met her skin or their eyes met or their bodies moved in sync she had to stop herself from crying out her feelings, crying out how much she loved the man she'd fallen into this routine with.
"Stop," Jo tried to get the word out, but it came out breathy and quiet. Louder this time, she moved her palms to push against Alex's shoulders. "Stop, stop! I can't!"
Alex pulled back quickly, eyes following Jo as she pushed him away and leapt out of his bed. He ran a hand through his hair and took a steadying breath before speaking, "What? Did I do something wrong? You usually like when I—"
"No no, this needs to stop! We can't keep doing this, Alex. I can't keep doing this," Jo paced back and forth across the room.
"Jo calm down. Why are you freaking out all of a sudden?" Alex stood and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to stop pacing. "Look at me. What's going on here? Because I thought we were good."
"We aren't good," Jo shook her head and closed her eyes. "I can't believe I let this happen. I'm so stupid. I became another one of the stupid naked girls in your bed. This needs to stop because I don't think I can handle it when this ends."
"Why is this ending?" Alex asked, as if she hadn't heard him the first time he asked.
"Because I have feelings!" Jo shouted, glassy eyes taking in Alex's shocked face. "I have feelings! Way too many feelings. Dangerous feelings that just might destroy everything I've tried to build for myself here. I know to you, I'm just another one of the girls dumb enough to jump into bed with you, but I got attached. I have to end this, because eventually, you'll get bored and find someone better. One day, you'll find someone so much better than me and then it'll be too late for me to pick up the pieces."
Alex stood there stunned for a few moments. His jaw had dropped and his eyes were wide. He had no idea that Jo felt this way. For months, he'd been trying to deny the fact that he had fallen in love with her because he didn't want to lose this. He must've taken too long thinking about all the words he could say to her because she ripped herself from his grasp.
"God, I'm an idiot. I knew I would mess it up. I mess everything good in my life up. We work really well as friends, and I had to go and ruin it," Jo let out a defeated sigh, tears in her eyes. "I'm just gonna go. I'm sorry."
Jo was already halfway out the door, when she heard Alex call behind her, "Jo! Wait!"
She cringed as she turned around to face him, "Don't do this. Don't say that we can still be friends and we can forget about this, because I can't forget. I won't forget."
"That's not what I was gonna say," Alex shook his head. He took a deep breath and grabbed Jo's hand, pulling her back into the room. He closed the door and looked deeply into her eyes. "You didn't mess it up. You could never mess it up. You said you have feelings and so do I. You might be too afraid to say them out loud, but I'm... saying them."
Alex opened and closed his mouth dumbly. Jo stared at him with wide eyes, "I don't hear anything."
"Shut up," Alex rolled his eyes.
"Okay but..."
Alex narrowed his eyes, "I'm serious."
"Fine," Jo conceded.
"I love you," Alex stated. "I've loved you ever since that first night when you woke me up because you were hungry, so we ordered pizza and you got the crumbs all over my bed sheets."
Jo felt like the wind had been knocked out of her chest, "You—what? You love me? You love me?"
"Yeah," Alex nodded. He sighed and put his hands on either side of her face. "I love you, Jo."
"Woah," Jo croaked, eyes looking at him in disbelief.
Alex's face twitched into his signature crooked grin, "Yeah."
Jo's eyes flicked between his eyes and lips and before she knew it, she was being pulled into a breathtaking kiss. Her heart pounded as she allowed herself to get lost in the sensation. They'd kissed countless times before, Alex's lips on her was not a new sensation, but this kiss was different. Jo could feel the emotion behind it, could feel the truth behind Alex's words as they kissed each other with a hunger that hadn't been there before.
Jo pulled back from Alex, eyes taking in his face and the look in his eyes. She'd seen it before, when he'd meet her gaze while they laid in bed together. She hadn't been able to tell before, but the look was full of love, that same pesky emotion she'd been trying to push away all day, "I love you too, for the record."
Alex smirked, hands sliding up Jo's still bare chest as he pressed a kiss to her neck, "Does that mean we can get back to what we were doing now?"
A string of laughter escaped Jo as she dragged Alex back to bed, chastising him for his one track mind as they fell into the routine they'd become so accustomed to.