AN: I'd just like to say that my medical knowledge is zero, zilch, zippo so it is probably not the best idea I write a Grey's Anatomy fic but I couldn't help it so just kind of, bear with me on it and if you spot any mistakes…er…don't tell me? Ahaa

Also, I think Avery not knowing the answers to these questions makes him seem like the worst doctor ever but that's just because I don't know any of that shit so just imagine they're the rarest diseases ever or something! There's also a reason for his stupidity that I'll explain in other chapters. As always thoughts are italics!

A Kiss In The Night

Mark groaned as once again Jackson got another question wrong. He ran a hand over his face, sweeping away some of the weariness and annoyance he felt.

"You're better than this Avery!"

"I know I am. Damn it!" Jackson cried out, crossing his arms and slumping back onto the couch like an annoyed five year old before glugging some more beer. He'd only had two bottles so Mark knew it wasn't the alcohol that was affecting him.

"Right, list all of the symptoms of a pulmonary edema. Now."

Jackson ignored him for a moment before leaning forwards, resting his hands under his chin and concentrating. Mark watched him from the other end of the couch and was about to ask again when Jackson started to answer.

"Excessive sweating, difficulty breathing, pale skin, er….I...anxiety!" Jackson answered, turning towards Mark and smiling before wincing at the look on Mark's face.

"You forgot coughing up blood."

"Fuck!"

"What is wrong with you man? You can do this, you know this stuff."

"I just…I….don't know…"

"I'm telling you, you need to get laid. This is getting serious."

"Shut up." Avery said, shaking his head and looking away.

"No really, you need some release and then that way you should be able to concentrate on this stuff. Go out, find somebody, get it out of your system and then get back in the goddamn game!"

"I told you before, I don't have the time."

"And I told you before, there's always time."

"Whatever. Look, I gotta take a leak. Be back in a few minutes."

As Jackson got up from the couch Mark couldn't help but run his eyes up and down the doctor's figure, taking in the t-shirt that clung to his upper body and defining his slim but toned chest and stomach. He noted the jeans and the way they clung to his hips and ass, curves running into straight lines that sent a shiver of lust down Mark's spine. He shook his head and chuckled at himself as he finally tore his eyes away.

Things with Julia had been stale lately, going from hot and exciting to boring and hopeless in the space of a month. They'd grown apart and even the sex had become non-existent. A few months later and the relationship was still puttering along even though it was ending. They both knew it but neither of them wanted to be the one to break it off. Mark had had numerous chances and thrown each one away, finding some excuse to back out of it. He wasn't even sure why he was being like this but for the moment it seemed he was stuck.

Then there was Avery. Jackson Avery who was desperate to pass his boards and needed all the help he could get. From a medical and tutoring point of view Mark had been happy to help, Jackson was eager and smart and he had taken him under his wing. Then something had started to happen and now Mark was pretty sure he was falling for the resident. He'd already gotten over how he thought of Jackson as Jackson in his head but called him Avery to his face. He'd find himself staring at him at odd moments, thinking of him when he actually had time to think and then there were the lustful thoughts. He'd be scribbling notes onto a chart, something important that needed his full concentration and then bam! His mind would take over and there'd be an image of Jackson, naked and spread out on a bed, always stroking some part of himself, just staring at Mark. There had been more than one occasion where he had had to sneak off to the toilets to clear these images out of his head. He'd found they wouldn't leave until he had taken care of the hard problem down below.

Then there were the times when Jackson came over to his apartment and one of them would end up cooking a meal and they'd end up drinking together after it. If you took away all the studying, medical questions and different trauma scenarios they discussed and ran through during the meals and drinks, the experiences themselves felt so close to dates that Mark was often left feeling a little dizzy after them.

He held himself back, partly because he was technically still dating Julia but mostly he didn't want to ruin what they had. After Derek, Jackson was his best friend and even now Derek didn't have as much time for him what with being busy with Zola and Mark understood that, Sofia was a handful at the best of times. That was just how it was but the relationship with Jackson, the friendship, it was nice and he didn't want anything to destroy it. He enjoyed their 'study sessions' or their 'dates' or whatever the Hell they were called. But on the other hand, he desperately wanted Jackson. Wanted him in a dirty, hot and passionate way that actually made him blush whenever he thought of it.

Studying the cue cards he tried to distract himself but when Jackson came back from the toilet he couldn't help but admiring that figure all over again enjoying, just a little bit too much, the muscles on Jackson's arms and how his jeans strained against his thighs as he walked.

"Did you hear me?" Jackson asked, waving his hand at Mark as he sat back down.

"Yeah. Wait, what? No, I didn't." Mark replied, shaking his head and bringing himself back.

"I asked why you were all red?"

"Oh, er, you know, just the heat and everything." Mark answered, stumbling a little over his words. He saw Jackson glance out the window where the night was thick with heavy rain and an icy wind then back to him.

'"Right. Okay." There was silence for a moment, one that seemed to span a lifetime whilst Mark furiously thought up another excuse. Before he could think of one however Jackson spoke. "I think that maybe we should start over. Take it from the top and run through it again."

"Avery, that's the second time you've said that."

"I know. Just…one more try!"

"Look I do-"

Please, Mark, I just need to go through it one more time and maybe I'll have better luck."

Mark sighed and shook his head, staring at the bottle in his hand. He glanced up at Jackson and knew it was a bad mistake the moment he saw those big baby blues flashing the puppy dog look. Damn it, he thought to himself and before he knew it he was agreeing.

"Alright, alright. But you go get some beer."

Mark sat back and started gathering up the cue cards but soon found himself eyeing Avery's ass. He watched as the resident bent over and searched through the fridge before grabbing a bottle and popping the caps off. Another shiver of lust coursed through him as Avery drank some of his beer, large swallows making his throat constrict and his Adam's apple bob. A brief image flashed into Mark's mind, his tongue sliding slowly over that lump before moving upward and tracing Avery's strong jaw before slipping back down towards that mouth, his tongue caressing those full lips before pushing past them and into that hot wet ca-

"You okay?"

Mark jerked as he was pulled from the fantasy and heard Avery's voice. He looked up and saw the other man standing before him, holding out the beer, his eyes wide with concern.

"You blanked out for a little and you're blushing again."

Mark grabbed the offered bottle and took a large gulp of his beer, avoiding Avery's eyes which somehow meant that his own travelled downwards and stopped at the crotch that was only a couple of feet away from him. His mind started to wander as he stared, noting the bulge that he could quite clearly see and was easily within an arms reach. Before another image could take hold he shook his head and forced out a laugh.

"Yeah I'm good and I wasn't blushing. It's just, you know, the heat." Jesus back to that excuse! "I'm also wondering when you're going to show me that you're actually a doctor, that you actually went to medical school and give me a correct answer."

Jackson gave a chuckle and laughed before crashing down onto the couch and sighing. He threw one arm over the back of the couch and drank some more beer before turning to look at Mark and smiling.

"Alright, one more go."

A couple of hours later and they had reached the final card. Mark wasn't hopeful, Jackson was doing terrible once again and both of them were feeling the frustration. As he read the card he was pleased to see it was a moderately easy question and he was pretty sure that Jackson could get this one. Happy in the knowledge that they'd end this session on a good note Mark looked up at a sullen Jackson and grinned.

"Okay. You've got this! Give me the five definite symptoms of Liver Disease."

"Well, there's the jaundice and there's two types of that. Yin and Yang obviously. Then you've got your digestion and appetite where the patient will stop eating and lose a lot of weight. Er, third can be light colouration of stool. Next you have, er, next is…" Jackson paused and massaged his head with his hands. Mark could see him thinking, his heart sinking as he watched the other man struggle. "Oh! Bloating and distention! Bloating and distention which is caused by hepatomegaly or ascites. Then there's polydipsia and poly….erm, poly…fuck I know this! Polysomething, polysomething, poly fuck it! I can't remember." Jack groaned before falling back against the couch and covering his face with his hands.

Mark sighed and threw the card down, finishing off his beer in one last gulp.

"It was polyuria. Frequent urination. But look, don't sweat it too much. You got everything apart from that and you were pretty close!"

Jackson ignored the encouragement and sat there, angry and annoyed at himself. Mark decided against more sympathy, knowing it'd probably only piss him off more. He considered seeing if Jackson would want to run through some of the cards again before he glanced at his watch.

'Shit! It's 3:30! I'm in work in four hours. Fuck." Mark jumped up, groaning internally at the small amount of sleep he'd receive.

'Oh, Sloan, look I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up, I didn't even realise the time.

"It's alright." Mark reassured him and to his surprise he found out that it was. He didn't mind because the hours he could have spent sleeping had been spent with Jackson. Fuck, he thought, I've gotta stop falling for this guy. "Look, if you want you can stay here, crash on the couch if you like then we can ride into work together. You know, just for the convenience. I mean, it might be a little difficult for you to get a cab at this hour anyway right?"

"You don't mind? I mean, if you're okay with it then yeah I'd love to." Jackson said, nodding his head and glancing down at the couch.

"Nawh, it's fine. I'll go get you a blanket." Mark told him before heading off to hunt down a blanket that'd be warm enough. He'd had to almost bite his tongue from suggesting to Jackson that he could climb into bed with him rather than the couch and he'd almost said it too. Thankfully he'd been able to hold back and now he'd get the pleasure of seeing him first thing in the morning. He grabbed a spare duvet from his cupboard and headed back down the hall and into the living room.

"Here, you can use this. You know where the bathroom is, there's juice and stuff in the fridge if you need it and my bedroom is just past the bathroom door on the right. You know, just in case you need to give me a shout or something." Mark added hastily as Jackson gave him a funny look at the bedroom directions. "I'm gunna be waking up at 7 so I'll get you up then too yeah?"

Jackson nodded and smiled at Mark. "Thanks. For helping me study and letting me stay and…just thanks."

"No problem." Mark responded, they stood there for a few moments. Jackson looking slightly awkward and Mark wanting to rush over and just kiss him. Finally he broke the silence. "Well, goodnight."

"Night."

Mark turned and headed for his bedroom, resisting the urge to run back and drag the man to his bed. He bit his lip and clenched his fists and somehow made it back to his room without so much as a backward glance. He shut his door and leaned against it, sighing and letting his head fall. Weariness hit him and he almost fell over. He was tired, so tired. Dealing with Sofia, Callie and Arizona, Julia, Jackson's studying and both their careers and the direction they were going was getting too much for him. He managed to strip his clothes off and wearing only his underwear slipped under his covers. Sleep took him before his head had even hit the pillow.

Mark's eyes flew open as a cramp in his bladder hit him, he groaned quietly as the urge to pee took over his whole mind. Throwing back the covers he staggered out of bed and managed to reach his bedroom door which he flung open. The cramp eased a little as he headed towards the bathroom, enabling him to walk a little straighter. As he reached for the handle, however, it turned and the door opened from the other side. Mark tried to slow down but fell through the doorway and right into a topless and pantsless Jackson. They both gasped as they collided, bare skin meeting bare skin in a hot kiss as they stumbled. Mark pulled back when he regained his balance and the cramps flew from his mind as he took in the sight before him. The harsh light of the bathroom revealed Jackson's underwear clad body, his skin a hot caramel colour and his well-defined muscles looking chiseled and strong. His eyes travelled upwards, over his chest, up that long neck, over his face and into those blue depths. He saw something then; just a glint but he saw it. Lust and want and need and a lot more all rolled into those blue orbs. Before he knew what was happening Mark had rushed forwards and pressed himself up against Jackson who gasped as Mark's hands cupped his jaw. Both inhaled a shuddery breath, eyes locked, chest's rising and as they fell their lips met. Neither was sure who made the first move but they both suddenly found their lips pressed together, a soft kiss yet hard and wanting. Jackson's hands came up and rested on Mark's hips, his grip light and soft. A couple of seconds passed by where there was no movement, no breathing, no noise except for their own two beating hearts and then one, again neither was sure who, opened their mouths just a little and that was all they needed. It grew fast and hot, lips slipping against the other before tongues were introduced and forced to fight one another. For a couple of seconds Mark claimed dominance but before he could push into Jackson's mouth he took control back and forced himself into Mark's. They tasted each other and moaned as it flooded their mouths. Hot, wet, passionate. They knew nothing other than the other's mouth on theirs.

Mark was in Heaven, his heart beating hard in his chest and when Jackson pulled back he assumed it was simply because he needed air. However when Jackson's mouth didn't return to his he opened his eyes and was dismayed by what he saw. Jackson's eyes were wide, this wasn't any puppy dog look, this was utter fear and seeing it frightened Mark.

"Wha….what? What's wrong?" He asked, still breathless from the kiss.

"We…I….shouldn't." Jackson spluttered, also breathless. He stepped back out of Mark's grip and took a deep breath. "We shouldn't be doing this. I can't. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I…no." Mark tried to explain but before he could get any further Jackson pushed past him and headed for the living room. "wait, no, wait. It's fine. Honestly, please wait."

Jackson didn't look up as he grabbed his clothes and threw them on. Mark could hear his panting and was worried; he could also hear his own blood beating in his ears and it drowned everything out. He shook his head, still trying to explain but Jackson was now fully clothed and heading for the door. He chased after him, not wanting this to happen, never even imagining that this could be happening.

"Hey, seriously, just wait." Mark cried out and sighed with relief when Jackson stopped at the door, his head down. He caught up to him but before he could do more than reach out Jackson had pulled the door open and turned to him.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I'm going to go. Bye." And with that he fled out of Mark's apartment, leaving the door hanging open. Mark stood there for a few moments, debating whether to chase after him some more or let him go. Numbly he closed the door deciding to leave it, wondering how the night had ended like this, how their kiss had ended like this. He sighed and started to head back to his bedroom and as he did he remembered why he had woken up in the first place. After relieving himself he climbed back into bed and lay wide awake, pondering what had happened, Jackson's reaction and what would happen later that day. He felt sick as he thought of how things would be between them now but he was sure Jackson had wanted it, there had been a look in his eyes as they had stared at each other and he'd kissed him back! For a whole 30 seconds he had kissed him back damn it and there had been something there! Hadn't there? Are you sure you didn't just imagine it and take advantage of him? His inner voice teased. Mark rolled over onto his side and lay awake until 7am came. As the incessant buzzing of his alarm clock rang out and seared through his brain he sat up and dreaded what the day would bring.