He's only forgiven for sleeping with Jordan after Perry takes him roughly in the on-call room late one night. It is, he supposes, a case of 'what's good for the goose, is good for the gander' like his Nana used to say.
Except he and Perry keep doing it – in the on-call, supply closets, and one very memorable time in one of the operating theatres – and the poor goose is probably feeling pretty left out.
He's not quite sure what it is they've got going on – it's not like they're in a real relationship – well – except Perry has given him access to his fantastic library that's allowed him to finally get a leg up on Elliot during rounds – and sometimes Perry talks about what he thinks of the hospital, the state of healthcare, and humanity in general that's not as sarcastic –
Then Jordan comes back and drags him into the ladies restroom (his reputation will never be salvaged!) and informs him that whatever he's doing with Perry has to stop –
Because Perry hasn't got twenty years to get his career straightened out – he's got a few years at best before he'll be trapped as just as another attending in some shitty hospital when he could be doing bigger and better things – running the whole damn place if he wants to.
He starts to tell her that Perry's not some toy that she gets to dress up and play house with when she's bored – then he remembers those conversations – remembers all of Perry's plans for Sacred Heart – plans to bring it out of the stagnation Kelso's led it into – to ally them with one of the local universities –
He restarts his romance with Elliot, kissing her in front of Perry and things go back to the way they were before… and really, they're both happy without each other so really Jordan was right – and they obviously didn't love each other because they wouldn't be happy, now would they?
A few years later, in the aftermath of Tracy and the transplant patients, he realizes that Jordan has a tendency to discard broken toys –
And that all the dreams and aspirations for someone aren't worth anything if you're not going to be there to support him after he falls – and falls far. Then tries to bury himself deeper because teaching him to accept success still hasn't taught him to accept defeat without self-flagellation.
It takes him awhile to go over to the apartment – because part of him is angry about him showing up drunk – at selfishly trying to ruin the life that JD tried to give him.
He goes to him, after all the others fail and Jordan has bailed out.
Perry won't look at him, trapped in a cruel egocentric cycle of self-pity and self-loathing. He looks like he's fallen out of a distillery – his skin sticky, hair oily and reeking of stale sweat and alcohol.
Thousands of variations on the utterly true platitude rest behind his teeth, 'You did your best'… but he keeps them in check, knowing that Perry will reflexively throw another spade of dirt on his own grave in response.
He moves the bottle of scotch aside and sits on the coffee table in front of Perry – forcing their eyes to meet.
"It's okay," He says softly, before pulling Perry into an embrace that the other man does not return.
The dams finally break in great heaving sobs as he presses a kiss to the man's sweaty temple –
It isn't enough to love someone when they're on their on the top of the mountain – you have to love them when they fall all the way to the bottom.
He guesses it is love.