Chapter 9: The Morning After
A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to put up! By the way, I decided not to make April religious/regret sex with Jackson. We have enough of that in the canon, and I wanted this story to be pretty lighthearted and fluffy.
April stirred, eyes slowly sliding open after 8 precious hours of sleep. She looked down, confused. Why was she naked? Suddenly, it all came back to her. A smile formed on the redhead's face when she remembered the events of the night before. Talking to Arizona, waking Jackson up, and, well, that. She couldn't help but giggle at the memory. She, small town farmer April Kepner, was no longer a virgin. Ha, she thought. Now Karev can't make fun of me anymore. April peered over at the man lying flat on his back next to her; arms and legs sprawled out across the mattress and his mouth agape. Jackson looked like a different person in his sleep, less tense. April knew that Jackson always had a lot of pressure on him, being expected to uphold the Avery name in every way possible. Treading on eggshells under the watchful eye of Harper Avery was hard on her best friend. A loud snore coming from Jackson's mouth shook April out of her thoughts. The girl smiled at Jackson's open mouth, a tiny bit of drool hanging off his pink lips. April blushed as her eyes trailed downwards, taking in his toned chest and his treasure trail peeking out from under the covers. April had no clue how on earth she ended up losing her virginity to Jackson Avery of all people, but the more she thought about it, the more it all made sense. She and Jackson had been dancing around each other for years. Over the course of their friendship, they had learned almost everything there was about each other- hopes, fears, the works. April had given out her heart to Jackson, and she his. She watched as Jackson's eyes opened lethargically, bright sea green eyes shining in the sunlight filtering in through the window. He beamed brightly at her, using the smile he reserved especially for April. His real smile.
"Hey," he grinned.
April blushed slightly. "Hey there." Jackson leaned over to place a kiss on her mouth, lips melding into hers. His large hands slipped to her waist as they kissed sweetly, caressing her pale skin. April gazed into his eyes as he pulled away, a small smile on his beautiful face.
"Last night was perfect," Jackson murmured into April's ear. April couldn't help but beam. Her first time couldn't have been more amazing- Jackson was gentle, and passionate, and everything she had ever hoped for. He brought out the best in her.
"Yeah," April agreed.
"Let me take you out," Jackson announced suddenly.
April frowned in confusion. "Take me out?"
The man nodded. "Like on a date. We can get a reservation and dress up and everything." Jackson's face was bright, his sea foam eyes wide and hopeful. April smiled at the look on his face- the eagerness and pride in his idea evident in his expression.
"Yes. Yes, of course!" was April's happy reply. She couldn't help but smirk a little bit- who knew that April Kepner would lose her virginity before even going on the first date? If you had gone back and asked April six months ago whether she would be lying naked in a bed with her best friend, she would've turned purple and insisted that you were crazy. Yet here she was, wrapped in Jackson's strong arms as he smiled down at her. April couldn't keep her eyes from wandering down Jackson's body, taking in the sight of his muscles hungrily.
"Hey, Jackson?" April's voice came out deeper than usual as she placed her palm on his chest.
"Yeah?"
"I had a really good time last night."
Jackson smiled pridefully. Sex with April was the best he had ever had, despite her lack of experience. She was fiery and passionate, and while Jackson didn't normally go for virgins, it was amazing being the first one to see her like that. The first one to make her squirm. "Me too."
April cleared her throat and looked at him deliberately, a pink blush on her face. "No, I mean I had a really good time." Jackson grinned widely as he understood the meaning of her words.
"Can't get enough of me, huh Kepner?" Jackson teased, running his fingers down her bare stomach.
"Oh, shut up," April said breathlessly, pressing her lips to his hungrily as they fell under the covers.
April surveyed her reflection in the hotel room's giant mirror, examining her body closely. She had some vague memory of a sister telling her that you were supposed look different after you have sex for the first time, but April couldn't see any change. Same eyes and hair, same pale pink skin. The only differences in her appearance were the purple love bites trailing down her breasts and stomach, happy reminders of the night before. Her musings were interrupted when the reflection of a sweatpants-clad Jackson Avery appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"What are you looking at?" he asked, an amused smile on his face. April squinted at the mirror.
"Do I look any different to you?" she asked, eyebrows scrunching in concentration. Jackson raised his eyebrows, a smile on his mouth.
"Hmm…" he trailed off, letting his hands roam her body. There was something addicting about April's skin- Jackson couldn't resist touching and kissing it. He loved how easily it marked when he sucked on it, loved how she got goose bumps whenever his fingers brushed her stomach. April was a canvas, a clean slate just for Jackson. "Wait, I think I see something different," he said, fighting to hide a smirk.
"Really? Where?"
Jackson's hands drifted southward, finally resting between her upper thighs. "Here, but you might need to let me get a closer look." April's eyes widened before she swatted him away.
"Jackson, I'm serious!" April groaned. Jackson couldn't help but laugh at the look on the girl's face.
"What?" he asked innocently, a wide smile on his face. April's reply was interrupted by a loud banging on the door.
"Are you guys coming out or what?" Callie's booming voice sounded through the door. "Or are you too busy doing- Ow! What was that for, Arizona?"
"I told you not to say anything!" came Arizona's loud whisper. Jackson raised his eyebrows at April, who was quickly putting on a bra and tank top.
"I might've had a conversation with Arizona earlier last night…" April explained to the boy as she pulled on a pair of shorts and walked to open the door. A thoroughly chastised Calliope Torres greeted her, a knowing smile on her face.
"You're a woman now!" she smirked. April rolled her eyes. She definitely wasn't looking forward to the interrogation she knew was to follow. Arizona stood behind her, smiling apologetically.
"I told her not to make a big deal about it," Arizona said guiltily. Callie just looked at her wife in mock exasperation.
"This is a big deal! A very big deal. By the way, how big was the deal, if you know what I mean?" the Latina winked and gestured to her general crotch area.
April choked a little bit, her face blushing beet red. "I'm closing the door now," she announced, much to Callie's dismay.
"No, you're coming to lunch with us," Arizona said firmly.
"There's no way I'm getting out of this, right?" April asked tiredly.
The blonde smiled. "Nope, no chance."
April sighed. She knew better than to argue with Arizona Robbins. "Alright, let me go grab my stuff," she conceded. Callie grinned at her, clapping her hands like an excited child.
April slipped her phone in her pocket before turning to Jackson, who was waiting on the bed. "You going to be ok without me for a few hours?" she smiled.
"Hopefully I'll manage. I'll miss you, though," Jackson laughed. April smirked back at him, pressing a heated kiss to his lips before bounding towards the door.
"Ok, ok, we want details!" Meredith demanded as she sorted through the bread basket that had just arrived to their table. Callie had been unable to contain the news for more than twenty seconds after they sat down at the resort's restaurant. April's friends had been shocked- most of them had no clue she had even kissed Jackson. Cristina looked like she had just witnessed the second coming of Jesus Christ, and April was 99% sure that Meredith choked on her water.
"Well, I mean…" April said uncomfortably.
"Was it good?" Cristina asked, squinting disbelievingly at her.
"Yeah. Yes. Very good," April smiled. "He was… perfect."
"Now I'm going to gag," Cristina muttered. "I've got to admit, I'm proud of you. I need a new nickname for you now that I can't call you the Virgin Mary anymore."
"You could call her Jezebel," Meredith suggested. "Wasn't she a Bible character who had sex?"
April sputtered. "You are not calling me Jezebel."
Cristina waved her roll in the air. "Fine, fine. I'll think of something."
Arizona nudged April. "So, come on, tell us what happened!"
"Well, after I talked to you I went back to my room, and-"
"Did you do a strip tease?" Callie asked excitedly.
April raised her eyebrows. "Uh, no?" Ignoring the crestfallen look on her friend's face, she continued, "I woke him up, and told him that I was, you know-"
"Horny?" Meredith interjected. April rolled her eyes.
"Ready. And so we did it. It was sweet. He was a gentleman." April sipped her sweet tea thoughtfully.
"But seriously," Callie said. "Size estimate. Six inches? Five?"
"Not happening," April said.
"You're no fun," Callie moped, picking at her muffin.
"Jackson seems to disagree with you, Callie," Cristina smirked. "What about McHorny? We could call her McHorny."
Meredith nodded. "McHorny," she said pensively. "Not bad, not bad."
April was grateful when the food came, glad for an excuse to change the subject. "This looks good," she said quickly, looking down at her turkey club. Arizona raised her eyebrows.
"You're not getting off that easily, April," the blonde Pediatric surgeon said sternly as she dipped a French fry in ketchup. "Are you going to do it again?"
April looked down guiltily. "Well, I kind of already did."
Cristina's mouth dropped. "How many times?"
"Last night… and twice this morning…"
"You really are McHorny!" Meredith exclaimed proudly.
"She's just trying to make up for lost time," Callie explained wisely. "Twenty nine years with no sex? I would never stop."
"Oh, please," Cristina said. "You're practically in an on-call room 24/7 anyway."
Callie smirked at her wife, who winked back at her. April cleared her throat loudly, desperate for a change of subject. "Can you believe we have to go home in two days?" the redhead lamented. As much as she loved the hospital, the idea of going back made her cringe. She was honestly having the best time of her life on the stunning island. She owed Hawaii big time- if it weren't for the vacation, she and Jackson probably would have never gotten together.
"I know, it's crazy," Arizona sighed. "I love my patients, but it's been good not to see a dying kid for a few days." April put her hand on the older woman's shoulder reassuringly. While all of their jobs were tough, Arizona Robbins had it the worst. Pediatric surgery was the most emotionally draining of all of the specialties.
"Hey, at least you'll get back to Sofia," Meredith offered. The little girl was staying at Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey's apartment, no doubt having the time of her life. The happy couple was notorious for spoiling Sofia rotten.
"True," Arizona's face lit up.
The surgeons finished the rest of their meals, chatting about their kids and work. April ate the last bite of her sandwich, groaning. "I'm stuffed."
"Me too," Meredith agreed. "I'm going to go back to my room and change. Meet you guys at the beach in 30?" The other hummed their agreement, parting ways. April smiled as she walked back to her room, eager to see Jackson again. She found him reading a surgical journal on the bed.
"Hey there," he smiled at her, standing up to pull her into a kiss. April smiled against his mouth. Somewhere along the way, her life had become perfect.
"Mm, Jackson," she murmured as his hands slipped under her shirt. "We have to meet the others at the beach in twenty minutes." Jackson smirked, leaving one last kiss on her lips before pulling away.
"For the record, I'd much rather be here with you," he smiled. The past few days he'd had with April had been his dream come true- the sex was great, but that wasn't the only reason. He felt at home with April, like he could be his true self without fear of judgment. He wasn't sure when it happened, but his feelings for the girl had become much stronger than he thought. "April, I think I…" Jackson, what are you doing? Don't freak her out. You didn't even know you liked her like that until a few days ago, let alone- It felt weird even thinking the word. Love. Only four letters, but with more meaning than any other word in the English language.
"You think you what?" April asked as she changed into her swimsuit.
"Um, I think I left my swimsuit in the bathroom. I'll be right back." Jackson rushed into the bathroom, closing the door swiftly before looking in the mirror. I love April Kepner.
A/N: So there we go! I'm not sure how happy I am with this chapter, but I hope you like it. Jackson's feelings definitely escalated pretty quickly with the whole "I love April" thing, but I feel like because they were so close for so long, they've always loved each other. So yeah, sorry if it's out of character or anything. As usual PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY! Your reviews mean soo much to me. Thanks for reading!