The name didn't just make him feel giddy, it also had some kind of influential power over Jackson. If Sloan asked him to get coffee, he would say "Hell no, get your own coffee," but when Sloan subconsciously tacked "babe" onto the end of the request, he couldn't retrieve it fast enough. It was weirdly manipulative for someone who still had no clue he was doing it in the first place. It made him agree to things that, usually, he would never do in a million years and the control that an oblivious crush had over him would scare him if it were anybody else, but it was Mark. And it wasn't really a big problem, so what if he got Mark a few cups of coffee, that wasn't that bad he could deal with that, Mark couldn't make him do anything too severe.
At least that's what he thought before he woke up in bed with him.
His sleep muddled brain panicked immediately when he felt the extra weight that was pressing down on his chest. When he saw that it was Mark curled up in his arms, face pressed into his chest and hands wrapped around his clothed torso, his panic faded. The events of the prior few hours resurfaced in his mind as he gazed at the peaceful man's face, soft snores emanated from his throat with every deep breath. It was adorable.
He couldn't help but smile a little at the memory of what led to this exact moment. With the lulling sounds of Mark's breathing and the comforting weight surrounding him, he let himself sink back into the memories.
A Few Hours Earlier...
Jackson felt the familiar pull of exhaustion on his eyelids as he finally stumbled out of the OR after an unbelievable 15 hours of emergency surgery. His back hurt, his eyes stung, he couldn't feel his fingers or feet, but he felt amazing. They had just saved someone's life, that thought kept bouncing around in sluggish brain making him feel unstoppable.
A quick glance at Mark told him that, now that he was out of the OR, he let the full force of his exhaustion weigh down his shoulders. Dark circles appeared underneath his bloodshot eyes, staring meaninglessly at nothing while he struggled to lift his heavy limbs. When he leaned heavily against the wall waiting for Jackson to finish scrubbing out, he fell asleep and nearly tumbling to the floor. Thankfully, Jackson had been checking the man out and noticed when he started to tip forward and was able to catch him. Jackson reveled in the feeling of his head buried in the crook of his neck and the strength of the hand that gripped his waist to keep his balance.
"Okay, let's get you to bed, yeah?" He felt as Mark slowly nodded his head, still pressing his face into Jackson's shoulder. "Yeah, okay, come one," he said pulling the older man out of the scrub room and to the nearest on-call room. The dead weight of the other made the pain in his back exponentially worse, and the confused looks he got on the way made him flush in embarrassment. But he was too tired, in too much pain, and too concerned for Mark to really give a damn about what the random hospital staff thought.
It felt like an eternity before he finally reached the on-call room and pushed open the door. He kicked the door closed before shuffling to the bed and slowly lowering the sleeping man onto it. After making sure that he was securely laid in the bed, he stretched out his aching back, surprising himself with the satisfying crack that echoed through the room. He leaned over the unconscious man, slipping the pager off his waist, placing it on to the nightstand before moving to his shoes. Making quick work of the white laces, he slowly pulled the shoes off his feet before tossing them on the floor. Jackson then spent a solid 5 minutes struggling to get the covers out from under the man and over him, amazingly he stayed asleep throughout the entire endeavor.
After he was successfully tucked in and sleeping soundly, Jackson took a minute to just admire him. He watched enamored by the peaceful expression that softened the harsh lines of his features. He was glad that he was able to find some release from the constant expectations and drama that followed him around during the day, even if it was only during sleep. His hair was endearingly tousled, the usually well-placed strands instead curled into his face, making him look younger. He had to hold himself back from leaning forward and kissing his loose lips and running a hand through his hair until all the strands were back in place.
Looking at the sleeping man-made Jackson's exhaustion much more prominent, he wanted to slide into the man's strong arms and fall asleep alongside him. But he knew he couldn't sleep in the middle of his shift, afraid he might miss any particularly intriguing cases to any of the other residents. Letting out a small sigh he started turning back towards the door, with full intentions of chugging a whole pot of coffee before going back to his grueling work.
But before he could even take a step, he felt a hand grab onto his scrubs and weakly pull him back. Jackson turned to look at the other and has to lean a tad closer to hear the older man whisper, "stay here," his voice heavy with sleep. Jackson took an experimental step away from the bed only to feel the loose grip tighten and pull him hard enough he nearly fell over. Mark managed to slide his eyes open just enough so that Jackson could see the brilliant blue color when he whispered, "please, babe?"
Jackson melts at the adorable scene in front of him, and the added use of the pet name made him putty in Mark's hands. "Yeah, okay," he softly replied, that satisfied Mark and caused his hand to go limp and his eyes to drift shut. He untangled his hand from the fabric to quickly lock the door before returning to the older man's bedside again.
Slipping off his shoes and placing his pager beside the other, he pulled the covers down and slowly slid into the bed. He almost moaned at the feeling of his sore body sinking into the mattress. His body singing in pleasure at finally getting a break from continually standing, moving and running. Once he was lying comfortably, he felt Mark curl around his body, wrapping his arms around his torso and resting his head against his chest. Who knew the standoffish man was a cuddler, not that he was complaining. Jackson had no intention of falling asleep, but the comforting body heat of the other man coupled with his exhaustion made him fall asleep instantaneously.
Back in the Present...
The sound of Jackson's beeper going off shook him from his memories and back into the present. He quickly silenced it before the annoying noise could wake up the other man, it was apparent he needed his sleep. He read the page and sighed heavily when he realized that it was April asking where he was, that he had missed a fantastic case and he better get down here right now if he wanted any part in it.
He briefly felt disappointed at the loss of a good case before he glanced down at the sleeping figure that was still using his torso like a body pillow. Looking at the sleeping face pressed against the skin right above his heart made it impossible for him to feel like he missed out. He would take cuddling with Mark over a case any day, he never felt more peaceful or relaxed before in his life.
But as much as he would like to stay here for the rest of eternity, life calls, or rather pages, and he can't avoid it for much longer. As careful as humanly possible, he untangled Mark's arms from around his torso and lifted his head so that Jackson could slip out without disrupting him too much. He grabbed a pillow from a different bed and arranged it back in Mark's grasp to give the allusion that he had never left. Tying his shoes back on, he got one last look at the handsome man cuddling a pillow before grabbing his pager and quietly leaving the room.
