HUGE DISCLAIMER: The entire 3 last paragraphs are credit to John Green. The last quote is from Looking for Alaska, which I just finished and I found the quote so good I knew it would fit them both so well. So complete credit goes to him, I just adjusted it to be for our beloved two :)
Enjoy! This is a one shot, tell me if I should really turn it into a two shot but I very much doubt I will (I have commitment issues) Hope you like it, anyway. Please R&R!
The pile of charts in front of Jackson seemed endless. As if every time he finished one 10 more would appear. This kind of work was reserved to interns, not the head of the hospital, but he wasn't in the mind to do anything else. After blowing April off, she had plans with Matthew anyway, he'd also blown of Stephanie- who broke up with him.
It wasn't much of a heartbreak, really. He always knew it wouldn't last, them ending was inevitable.
So that's how Jackson Avery; fancy plastic fellow and owner of the hospital, as April would put it, ended up doing intern work at 11:30 pm on a Friday night.
He was in the middle of checking the post ops of a very boring boob job (which seemed to be all he was getting lately) when his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Avery? It's Joe. Kepner's wasted, you need to come get her." The familiar bartender spoke.
"What? Just call her boyfriend."
"Tried. She said she only wants you." And that made Jackson kind of happy, because in her drunken state April chose him, not her boyfriend, but him.
So he dropped his very boring boob job chart and headed over to the bar right in front of the hospital, to get his very drunk best friend as he would try his very best to get her home.
"April?" He called as he walked into the bar, only to find the redhead slouched over the counter, a lot of empty glasses surrounding her.
"Come on Joe, one more! You're no fun! Seriousl- Jackson, you made it!" April cheerfully smiled as she spotted her best friend (was it still appropriate to call him that?) standing at the door, making his way to her.
"Come on," Jackson couldn't help but grin at her drunken state, because it wasn't very often April Kepner got wasted. "I'm taking you home."
"Oooh" April giggled as she tried to stand up and wobbled slightly, until Jackson securely put his arm on her waist, paid Joe and they made their way out of the bar.
The cold autumn air fell onto them, and he couldn't help but put his jacket on her bare, shivering shoulders. They fell into a comfortable silence, but Jackson's arm was boring holes into her skin and every touch felt like it was tingling.
When they finally reached his car, April hadn't sobered up. She was actually ten times more drunk, as she kept giggling and stumbling.
Jackson sat her down in the passenger seat, smiling to himself but noticing the sad frown that overcame her face. "What's wrong?"
"Do you not like me anymore?" April whispered, chewing on her bottom lip, which drove him crazy each time.
"What?
"Jackson, you can't not like me. You're my best friend, you're all I have." She said in a tone that clearly showed she didn't mean to say what she just had, but she was too drunk to realize.
That made his heart pang. Mainly because he knew that he was the reason why she was so sad, and also because she was the most important person in his life too – only difference is he'd been too much of a coward to say it.
"April, I will never leave you." Jackson took her small hand into his and started driving out of the parking and into the small, lonely streets of Seattle.
She looked beautiful. Her red hair was effortlessly curled and the way her eyes glistened in moonlight's reflection gave him goose bumps.
"Can you roll down the roof?" She smiled, suddenly back to her giggly drunk self. "I want to feel the fresh air."
"It's cold." He pointed out.
"Please?" She pouted, and that's when he lost it because the way that her bottom lip was so plump and pink, and the way they were so dangerously close…
"Fine."
So he rolled down the roof, and April put her small pale arms in the air, the wind gushing through her hair, and she laughed. A real, genuine, laugh. She seemed so happy, so carefree. This wasn't neurotic April, this version of her was so much more relaxed and at ease. She was simply… breath taking.
Jackson found it hard to concentrate on driving when the red head who'd been the ghost of his thoughts for as long as he could remember was finally letting go and blossoming into such a beautiful and captivating person.
"You're beautiful." He blurted out, and instantly felt like bashing his head into the steering wheel for breaking her out of her daze. But then again he felt an overwhelming rush of happiness when she smiled one of those smiles again and lit up like a Christmas tree. Damn, she was so perfect.
"I'm drunk." April simply stated, looking out of the window into the familiar street, meaning they had finally arrived at her apartment.
He parked outside, and opened the door for her, but when he realized she could hardly walk two steps, he gently scooped her up and brought her inside.
She felt safe in his arms. Because they were the arms she'd cried into, and hugged, and seen sweaty and full of lust. They were familiar arms.
He felt like it all just made sense when he held her, because she was so small and he was so tall and all he ever wanted to do was hold her close and not let go.
Jackson lied her down on the bed, making sure to put her right in the middle because of course, he knew exactly where she liked to sleep. He watched as her eyes fluttered close, and just as he was about to leave a hand grasped his.
"Am I.. am I going to be alone forever?" She questioned so innocently he felt like kissing her pale cheeks.
"What?"
"Matthew..we broke up." She continued.
"April," His tone shifted, it was soft, yet underlined with caution. "Any person on the planet would be lucky to have you."
"You promise?" Her voice was small, and tired, and he knew she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning. But for one, small moment, he liked the way it was just him and her.
"I promise." Jackson kissed the top of her head, and watched as her eyes nearly instantly closed, dozing off into peaceful sleep.
Just like that. From a thousand heart breaking questions to asleep in seconds.
It kind of hit him that she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. The way her red hair perfectly accentuated her hazel eyes, and the way she'd looked back in his car, with the wind blowing in her face and the breathtakingly beautiful smile she'd given him… She was simply the most beautiful person he knew.
He wanted so badly to lie down next to her in bed and hold her tight. Not fuck, light they'd previously done, just sleep together in the most romantic and innocent sense of the phrase.
But he lacked the courage and she was neurotic. He was hopelessly plain and she was endlessly fascinating. He was scared, a coward even, while she was breathtakingly insecure and beautiful at the same time.
So he walked towards he couch, thinking that if people were rain he was drizzle and she was a hurricane.
