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George doesn’t know when retaliating against Alex being annoying goes from eating the last of his cereal to interrupting him with a kiss.
It’s a steady progression -- his irritation smooths out for fond rolling of eyes and shoves to the shoulder. He can’t remember the last time Alex genuinely annoyed him. He used to be able to name at least ten different ways Alex had bothered him in the past twenty-four hours and now he’s lucky to count the instances on one hand after a month.
It starts with the unnecessary late-night sleepovers during lockdown in front of George’s TV where Alex would doze off, head against George’s shoulder. As the months grow longer, George finds he would miss Alex’s warmth if he didn’t stay. It’s easier to lean over Alex to switch off the bedside lamp and settle in for the night. Or that’s what he tells himself when it starts happening every week.
Eventually, Alex is always sleeping over. George slips into the habit of calling his room their room and it sticks. Alex makes George buy him a new pillow (really George, this thing is as flat as your ass) and George only threatens to kick him off the lease like twice.
It’s perfect.
--
One day Alex is waffling on about something that literally doesn’t matter and he’s clearly getting himself worked up over it so George leans up in the middle of Alex’s sentence and kisses him. He’d been staring at Alex’s lips for the past five or so minutes while he talked and something in him just told him to go for it.
His stomach sinks like lead when Alex seems confused, fingers pressed to his mouth. George is about to make the most awkward apology of his life when Alex is suddenly crowded into his space telling him to do it again.
So he does. Again and again and again until they’re breathless against the couch and full of nervous laughter.
“What was that about?” Alex asks after situating himself mostly into George’s lap.
“Thought it’d make you shut up,” George grins, the self-satisfied smirk Alex absolutely hates. Alex mutters about how much of a fucking asshole he is, but he’s tucked into George’s side and the words lose their venom.
“Not sleeping in our room tonight,” Alex sounds indignant like George has done him a great disservice. George just hums and presses another kiss to Alex’s hair.
“You can’t just do this to me,” Alex grumbles, but he tilts his head to give George better access as he kisses down his jaw. He is only human after all.
“Whatever you say, Al.”
When George finds Alex asleep in their bed two hours later, it’s too easy to tuck the blanket back around him and kiss his forehead.
He doesn’t see the smile that crosses Alex’s face when he turns around to go to his desk.
--
Things continue pretty normally after their weird revelation, but George just fills the space between them with more outward affection. He’s shit at words and even worse at reading the room. So he does what he knows will make Alex smile whether that be him wrapping his arms around Alex’s waist from behind or dropping a kiss on Alex’s cheek when he checks on him during the day.
His favorite moment is when he sneaks up on Alex making his stupid burgers at 5 AM and he gets a startled “Georgie!” when he kisses the back of Alex’s neck.
Georgie?
Shut up, you scared me.
Aw, Alex, is that what you call me in your head?
I said shut up.
--
It takes another month to define who they are to each other. They don’t really see anyone else, including each other sometimes. Their conflicting schedules have Alex curled in bed while George is working on a new video or Alex filming the same TikTok transition for the fiftieth time while George is getting ready to sleep.
One evening where Alex’s morning meets George’s night, they lay in bed facing each other. Time like this is rare when they’re both awake enough to talk. George thinks this is why he asks Alex what he is to him.
“What do you want us to be?” Alex flips the script on him which he does often and George hates it. He hates how the words dry up on his tongue and he’s left thinking while Alex watches him too closely.
“I don’t know,” George admits, idly spinning the ring on Alex’s left hand. “I just like kissing you.”
For once, Alex surprises him with the kiss. It’s chaste and barely there, but it’s comforting all the same.
“Good, because I like kissing you, too,” Alex’s smile is small, a mutual understanding passing between them.
“Now that we’re done being gay, go be productive,” George breaks the moment, shoving Alex out of bed.
“I think you’re forgetting something,” Alex replies, leaning back towards George.
“You’re a menace.”
George kisses him anyway.
There’s nothing else he’d rather do more.