Oh, Bello Autore, do you promise not to eat me now:( But really, thanks everyone for the positive feedback…

And yes, Q, whoever you are, Michael does cry a lot. I'll try to fix that. And everyone who wants to see Michael and J.D. get together… well… you'll see! Just to make you happy, I'm as just as impatient as you guys to have them seriously kiss, but I'm not trying to rush anything.

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7

After J.D. had left, he had considered going to get a drink, perhaps get totally wasted, but he didn't think it would be right to show up at work the next day with a hangover, especially since he knew Michael would be there.

The next day, J.D. showed up late and with a hangover. He figured nobody would really notice, but he was sorely mistaken.

"Are you… hung-over?" Todd questioned when J.D. approached the nurse's station. He raised his hand. "Did somebody score last night? Huh? Huh?"

"I'm sure somebody did. But it wasn't me." J.D. moodily responded. Todd actually lowered his hand and frowned.

"Dude. Bad mood?"

"Yes." J.D. snapped. "So how about you scat and go break somebody else's hand."

That's why I hate hangovers! I get so mean!

Todd's shoulders slumped and he actually looked a little hurt. Carla walked up and saw J.D. looking ready to tear off a body part and Todd looking genuinely upset and shook her head to clear it.

"What's goin' on?" she leaned on the desk and looked from one man to the other.

"Nothin'." They both said at the same time. Todd shuffled off and Carla handed J.D. a chart.

"Perk up. You're not on for long today."

"Oh… whoopee." J.D. rolled his eyes and responded sarcastically before walking off.

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Michael was there of course… and nobody else. J.D. looked at the chart again and back up. In his dazed state, he hadn't bothered looking over the rest of the chart, which was suspiciously empty.

Uh, oh. I hope this isn't an intervention or something.

"Don't worry, this isn't an intervention or anything." Michael sighed. J.D.'s eyes widened.

Did he just… read my mind?

"So… what are we doing here then?" J.D. threw the chart in the direction of the empty bed, but missed, and there was an uncomfortable pause while they waited for the clatter to die down.

"Well… I had to ask you something and thought you would rather do it in private. I figured you didn't want to talk to me, so I had Carla help."

"Ah. I see." Was all J.D. could think of to say at that moment.

"Do you have a hangover? You went out after being with me and got wasted?" Michael asked and J.D. was having a hard time trying to figure out if he was seriously upset or not. J.D. decided to be honest.

"Um… yes?" J.D. flinched slightly, waiting for the explosion. Or the Hoover Dam.

"Yeah. Me too." Michael laughed and J.D. dropped his shoulders and breathed. "So anyway… I need my pants back."

:J.D. looks up as a giant shadow appears above his head. A 50 ton weight drops on him. Michael screams.:

"Your… pants?" J.D. smiled innocently. He had wondered when he would have to bring up what happened to Michael's pants. Michael smiled back. J.D. decided it could wait.

"Yeah. My pants." Michael stepped closer. J.D. felt the urge to step away… so he did. Michael continued to step closer and J.D. continued to step away until he was backed against the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, it seems you don't have them. I was going to leave, but you're kind of in my way." Michael straightened his back.

Whew.

"Oops." J.D. stepped away and Michael stared at him, apparently amused.

"Did you think I was going to…"

"Yeah."

"Did you want me to?" Michael raised an eyebrow. J.D. raised his back. He wanted to know what happened to Michael. He wasn't very shy anymore. He was also giving himself a chance to think of an answer to that question. He didn't want to say no for fear of sounding rude, but he didn't want to say yes and have someone open the door on them.

That was as good as his luck seemed to get these days. He needed to think of something fast.

"People are going to start wondering where we… or at least I… am. I should really go." J.D. put his hand on the doorknob, ready to open it.

"But really J.D. … I do need those pants back."

"Why, if I may ask?" J.D. tried to sound calm. He couldn't tell if it was working.

"Because…" Michael wet his lips. "They're not mine."

:J.D. sighs, barely recovered from the 50 ton weight. There is another shadow and J.D. looks up to see a 100 ton weight drop on his head. Michael crosses his arms and shakes his head. "Ow." Says J.D.:

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Not his? Not his! Not his! NOT HIS?

"Hey, Aeon Flux!" Dr. Cox snapped his fingers and whistled. J.D. jumped and pretended he was paying attention for the second time that week. "Look, I'm piss tired, so if you could at least do me the favor of doing a decent job at pretending to be paying attention, I would be ever so grateful."

"I'm…"

"Don't apologize. Just go." Dr. Cox motioned with his hand somewhere behind J.D.'s head.

"Go where… exactly?" J.D. tried to follow where Dr. Cox had been motioning, but all he saw was Elliot talking to Carla about something or other and then he saw Michael coming… "Bye!" Dr. Cox rolled his eyes. J.D. took baby steps in Michael's direction.

It's okay. Just tell him what happened to the pants. Just tell him you fell down a flight of stairs and ripped a giant hole in the leg… and spilled beer on it… and dropped permanent ink on it… I'm screwed.

"Hey, Doctor. Want me to check on a patient? Do a chart?" Michael asked carefully.

"I ruined the pants." J.D. blurted out and waited, again for the explosion. And explode he did.

"You WHAT!" he threw his hands in the air. Everyone turned in their direction, and J.D. looked around with doe eyes. He grabbed Michael's elbow and dragged him into an empty room and closed the door. "You… you… you were joking right?"

I wish. And why are there so many empty rooms around? Hm.

"Not really." J.D. looked to the ground. They were both silent.

"If… if… he finds out… he'll get… get so… mad!" Michael was pacing back and forth, his face red. He could already feel the tears coming which made him madder. Why was he such a crybaby! He spent all of last night convincing himself to act less shy around everyone, especially J.D., and now here he was, ready to cry.

"Wanna ditch?" J.D. blurted out.

"What?"

"We can go back to my place and see if we can fix it."

"You think we can fix them?"

"Probably not."

"Let's go."

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And yet another (short) chapter completed. Let me know what you think! And I promise they will get longer.