My favourite Alex ship is obviously, obviously Galex. That’s not even a question. Galex is probably in my top five favourite ships of all time, so that one is very easy. For them, I think Alex’s love language is physical touch, with a strong secondary of quality time. Alex understands love through bodies being close: holding George, touching his jaw, kissing him, tracing him, knowing the exact shape of him. I feel like Alex needs to physically reconnect with George after distance - to feel like he can breathe again because George is in his arms, and in the way he thinks through George’s body so intimately and reverently, noticing his chin, elbow, hipbone, knee, ribs whenever they might be sitting together, having sex or cuddling. But Alex also really needs undivided presence. George, on the other hand, is acts of service with a secondary of words of affirmation/reassurance. He loves by doing: picking Alex up, keeping duplicates of everything Alex might need, buying Alex’s new stuff, having food ready in the fridge, packing both their things neatly, planning around logistics. His care is practical and anticipatory. He tries to make Alex’s life easier. But what George seems to need is often verbal reassurance. He would be the one who suggests the exercise where they write down five things they love about each other, and Alex repeatedly thinks George needs reminding that he is enough, wanted, desirable, and loved just like this.

As for other Alex ships… honestly, I don’t know if I properly ship anyone else with him? Of course the plant influencer fic did manipulate me into being a little bit of a Malex girl, so if we look at that dynamic, I think their love languages would clash in a really interesting way. Alex’s main love language would probably be quality time, with a secondary of physical touch. He needs someone to be there with him, properly there. Someone choosing to spend time with him without making him feel like an obligation. And because he’s often jokey or avoidant about saying what he actually needs, I think physical closeness becomes a way for him to ask for reassurance without having to fully verbalize it. Max, on the other hand, feels more like words of affirmation, with a secondary of acts of service. I think Max needs things said plainly. He doesn’t necessarily pick up on emotional subtext the way Alex might hope he would, and he can be so practical and literal that reassurance has to be direct for him to fully trust it. He needs to hear: I want you here, I like you, you’re doing well. But he also shows love by doing things: fixing problems, making something better, remembering specific practical details, trying to help in the way that makes the most sense to him. So I think the tension between them would be that Alex wants presence, while Max wants clarity. Alex might feel neglected if Max doesn’t instinctively offer enough quality time, while Max might feel uncertain if Alex only jokes around instead of saying what he means. But once they figure each other out, I think it could be really sweet: Alex learning to actually say the reassuring thing out loud, and Max learning that choosing to sit with Alex, stay with him, and give him his full attention can mean as much as any grand declaration.

Then Carlos/Alex is a dynamic I think could be really fun and that I’d consider reading, even if I don’t really actively ship it. With them, I feel like their love languages would actually be pretty aligned. Carlos also feels like a quality time guy to me. Look at him with his friends. He goes everywhere with the polycule. He simply cannot leave them alone ever, ever, ever. So I feel like Carlos/Alex would just be very attached-at-the-hip, always around each other, probably also with a lot of physical touch. I don’t know if I have a super specific Alex-with-Carlos answer beyond that, because I think they’d work pretty similarly in that way.