Title: My Person (10/10)

Author: scones_better

Rating: R to be on the safe side

Genre: Romance (with dashes of light angst)

Summary: When JD take care of a special patient, he discover a part of himself he didn't know about. JD/Cox

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money out of this. If those characters were mine, they would be, very, very gay.

AN: So this is it! Final part! I had fun writing it, I hope you will enjoy it. I tried to tie in as many things as I could, to make this full and complete. I huge thank you to sosaith, who has been a consistently giving and forgiving beta. I learned so much working with her! You have no idea how much cleaning she does to the story; it wouldn't be nearly as nice to read without her. A huge thanks to my girlfriend who always read my chapters when I'm worried about them not being to par and for always being so honest about what needs to be fixed. And finally thank you all for reading this, commenting, criticizing and encouraging me to continue. This is the first, full-length story that I finish, and to me it's a huge accomplishment. I learned so much about writing, discipline and planning with this. I encourage anyone who has the urge to write, to try it out! Here it goes ;)

On a side note: Sorry for the delay! There was communication problem. I hope you will all have found it worth the wait.

My Person

Part 10: His Home

"Are you quite done yet? You've been in there for half an hour!"

"I want to look good!"

"Retha, do you know that the pulchritude of your hair isn't related to the quantity of mousse you put in? In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is inversely proportional; the more damn mousse you put on, the worst it looks."

JD got out of the bathroom, glaring at Perry.

"Well looking at your hair, permit me to be skeptical at how reliable your input on this matter is."

"You are so going to regret saying that tonight."

"Oh, am I now?"

Perry kissed JD briefly on the lips and gave a small pat on JD's ass, enjoying the little squirm the younger man made. Perry never got tired of it.

"Don't make our guests wait too long okay? It's not polite for the hostess to be late."

***

JD and Perry had dated three months before announcing it to anyone. They had wanted to test their relationship first, knowing that the moment they would be open about it, a wave of questions would come their way. Not to mention the explanations they would have to give and the arguments they would have to fight.

The transition from coworker and friend to dating went pretty smoothly. Perry was still surprised at how natural it all felt: Watching TV with JD, arm wrapped firmly around the younger man's shoulders, not just laying behind him like he used to do, stealing a kiss or two in the supply closet, and even daring to hold his hand when they walked outside, away from the hospitals prying eyes. Perry was still feeling a bit uneasy about it, he had nothing against someone being gay or bisexual, he just never had thought he would be the one dating a guy. He had also felt insecure about his masculinity, but all it took was one person giving him and JD a disgusted look for Perry to stand straighter and hold JD closer, just as protective and confident as he would have been with a woman. What surprised Perry the most was that as a general rule people didn't seem to notice the two men. The few that did, either glared or smiled, and that Perry could easily deal with.

But eventually, they came to the realization that being open or not wasn't a choice anymore. They were actually working pretty well as a couple. The first person they told was, at Perry's request, Jordan. If JD and Perry were going to be as serious as they claimed, JD was going to be involved in Jack's life, if Jordan consented to it, of course. It was for that reason that he had contacted her and requested they meet. She had been feisty about it, unsurprisingly, but when he mentioned that it concerned Jack, she had accepted bitterly.

The day finally came, and Perry stood there with JD. The kid was a nervous wreck, nothing unexpected there… It had taken Perry a while to convince JD to be present during the confrontation. JD had yelled "She will skin me alive and feed my leftovers to crocodiles!" But a few sugar coated words (which hadn't work all that well) and the promise of sweets and candies (that really sold it) had coaxed the younger man into saying yes. Perry was just as nervous, but he needed his fight face on if he was going to do this. Besides, JD was being enough of a wreck for the two of them. Jordan had come in, without knocking and with an air of smug entitlement. Noticing JD's presence, which she hadn't been warned of, she glared sternly.

"DJ, you are going to have to scoot. Perper and I have to talk."

"Actually Jordan, I asked him to be there." Jordan raised an eyebrow at that.

"Awwww, aren't you cute. You're so scared that you need moral support. You are such a girl!"

Perry took a breath and saw, from the corner of his eyes, JD struggling not squirm or fidget.

"I want JD to be part of Jack's life."

"What the… Perry, don't make me waste my time. You know I have no problem with DJ here being a babysitter, he such a girl already, he's a natural at it. You better not have made me come all the way here for this."

Perry rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was proving harder than he had hoped. Perry then felt JD's fingers intertwine with his, giving a little squeeze for courage. He was flabbergasted at how daring the younger man was being. He should have expected no less, knowing the kid's loyalty to the ones he loved, but he also knew how terrified JD was of Jordan.

"Perry and I… We are a couple."

Jordan blinked twice then started laughing. When she saw Perry pull JD a little closer to himself, not letting go of JD's hand, her laughter quickly died.

"DJ, go away. I need to talk to Perry. Alone."

Jordan's voice was low and not a little hollow. Perry nodded to a terrified JD. The younger man left the apartment quickly, glancing back to Perry before leaving. It became very quiet in Perry's apartment. Jordan slowly walked toward Perry, circling him in a way akin to a bird of Prey. He, on the other hand, stood strong and still. Jordan, after a few quiet torturous minutes, finally stopped in front of him.

"What is this bullshit? You tell me you're in love head over heels with this girl, so much so that you won't have sex with me, and then, a few months later you try to tell me your dating the skinny brat you've spent most of the past few years complaining about? A boy, no matter how girly he is, too. You know, you have more than exceeded your time for mid-life crisis and I have had enough of your selfish superficial antics."

"It was JD I was talking about. I never referred to him as a woman during our conversation, you did. And it's not a mid life crisis thing Jordan. You know I would never ask for anyone to be in Jack's life if it wasn't serious. I'm hoping for a home run here… I love him, Jordan. I love this man."

Jordan took a step back and observed Perry.

"No."

"Jordan."

"I said no."

"Jordan!"

"…Fine."

Perry was surprised to see tears well up in her eyes: it wasn't the reaction he had expected. Screams, swearing, threats and blackmail would have been his bet. Perry realized in that moment, that he hadn't taken her into consideration and while he was not nice person, he had known Jordan for so many years and he owed her a bit of dignity and sympathy. He walked toward her but she held her hand out to keep him at bay, using the other to rub the tears away.

"I think… I was just hoping that you and I could still be together. That we could be this sickly cute family, with the father and the mother and the kid and the whole white picket fence shit. But, I felt you moving on… And I should have moved on too. After you told me you were in that deep, I thought, you'd get over her, well him, like you usually do. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I feel like vomiting just thinking it but … I'm happy for you, Perry."

"Well now, who's the softy?"

"Hey you have nothing to say, you're a big poof now."

Perry couldn't help but to scoff.

"I'm not. It's just…"

"Him, I know. You always talked about him so damn much, I should have known. Scrawny little bitch."

Jordan smiled. She had regained all her composure and had pursed her lips with superiority. And then, her face became serious.

"He can be part of Jack's life as long as you are sure your thing is going to last a while. I don't want Jack to get attached then heartbroken over your and DJ's stupid selfish asses. Oh and DJ doesn't get to dress him either, am I clear? In fact, I have veto on all he's going to wear from now on."

"Jordan, you can't… that's just cruel. Think of the kid for God's sake!"

"Those are my terms!"

Perry sighed. Little gay sailor outfit for Jack it seemed.

"Agreed."

She had left not long after that. A few days later, JD had told Perry that Jordan had cornered the younger man, making him swear to be good to Perry and Jack, with the promise of horrible things happening to him (JD had not wanted to repeat them out loud) if he failed to do so. Trust the witch to still have a heart deep down.

Perry hadn't told JD, but he was glad Jordan had taken Perry's side. There were so few people who would worry about him ending up hurt over this relationship. They probably would expect him to be a total bastard and crush their innocent, sweet JD. He couldn't blame most of them; he had cultivated his jackass façade for pretty much all his life after all. But it didn't mean that this relationship wasn't terrifying him to the bones. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone, not JD, not his shrink either, but he could think it to himself. In the middle of the night. Alone. In the dark.

It still counted.

***

The first time they had sex (Perry still refused to call it "making love") it had been a month in their official relationship. It had taken days of tip toeing around each other, dropping hints and innuendos in their conversations, and long longing looks before any of them dared to do anything about it. They had come close a few times, but the minute they were starting to cross from heavy make out to a more sexual place, something would come up: One of them would be on call, or Jack needed something or one of them chickened out at the last minute.

Perry could feel the tension building between them, as every touch they shared grew charged with need. It even started to show at work, nothing that people really noticed, but Perry and JD could clearly read it in each other's body language. Perry had never thought that passing a chart could be so sexy or that plugging an IV could be such a turn on…

One evening, they were sitting on the couch, watching sport. Well Perry had been following the match and JD had asked questions, trying his best to be part of the experience but quickly showing his lack of knowledge on football. That match over, Perry found himself kissing JD. The younger man broke the kiss, making Perry grunt and pull JD closer. He wasn't done just yet. But JD pulled back again and Perry was left with no other choice than to ask him what was going on. Some things never changed, regardless of the gender of your partner.

"Out with it."

"I want to have sex with you. Now."

JD was blushing deeply but his face showed a strong determination. Perry could see it had taken the younger man a lot of courage to be so direct. The older man rose up, pulling JD with him.

"Fair enough."

JD kissed Perry with a force that surprised the older man. Perry had wanted to have sex with JD for a while, but the whole sex with a man part made him hesitant. It wasn't because he was scared no; it was because Perry had an ego. He was good in the sack, no matter what Jordan claimed, and while he knew what felt nice and how the male body worked, he had never touched another man that way before. Perry Cox didn't want to be mediocre.

And JD must have understood seeing how he was taking control of the situation pretty clearly. Perry soon realized they had been moving while kissing, his legs hitting the border of the mattress.

"JD…"

"Do you want this?"

"Hell yes."

"Well then, let's just have fun, okay?"

JD smiled, his casual, easy, and slightly goofy smile, and Perry believed him immediately. JD pushed him down on the bed, following him quickly to kiss Perry. The older man clearly felt the hardness of the younger man make contact with his own, and seeing how that alone felt pretty darn good, he knew he was not backing off of this one.

It had been messy, clumsy and occasionally awkward, but more than that, it had been mind blowing. Perry had forgotten how good sex could feel when you loved the person you were doing it with. Sex with Jordan had always been excellent; they were both good at it, but it would never have felt as nice otherwise. Angry sex was amazing, but after a while, being so mad and bitter at the other person slowly sucked the fun out of it. While Perry and JD's first time hadn't been perfect, it had left Perry more satisfied than he had been in a while. Afterward, they both had lain in bed, quietly, catching their breath. Perry could feel JD's hesitation and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep properly until that was cleared up.

"I don't spoon."

Perry stated clearly and could feel JD become still next to him. He pulled JD until the other man's head rested on Perry's chest.

"That's as cuddly as I'll get. No hair playing, no endless nuzzling and no fingers tracing skin."

He felt JD smile and giggle against his chest.

"I'm not THAT girly."

Perry was surprised at the soft laughter that that comment brought up in his own throat.

"Next time, you'll be begging for me to call you a girl's name."

JD scoffed. "We'll see about that."

They fell asleep not much later. Perry sleep's was calmer than it had been in years.

***

A week after they had outed themselves to Jordan, JD had come to him with a determined expression on his face, trying to hold himself straighter and taller. Perry knew by now that it was JD's "confrontation" face.

"Perry. I want us to come out at work. All our friends are there. I don't want to sneak in the closet for kisses anymore. Not when Carla and Turk get to make out wherever and whenever they want!"

"Okay."

"I won't take no for an answer, I'm tired of – Wait, what?"

"Okay."

JD had slung himself over Perry, pushing the older man's newspaper from his hands, covering him with kisses and "thank you, thank you, thank you…" Perry, for once, hadn't minded JD's exuberance. Not one bit. Especially not when he got to trail his fingers all over the younger man's back and back. He couldn't help it; it was one of his favorite spots on JD's body.

It took two weeks of Perry procrastinating before JD had had enough and insisted that "Today, we are coming out, I don't care if someone crashes!" After Perry's glare, JD had quickly added, "It's a figure of speech!" in his squeaky voice.

It was not that Perry was avoiding the situation, he wasn't a coward after all, but he knew the moment they came out, the whole hospital would be after him with different levels of threats and blackmail tactics and he just wasn't in a hurry to be there.

Perry was dropping a chart at the nurse station, JD by his side. Carla, Gandhi and Barbie were around and Perry could see JD's determined expression.

"Guys, I have something I want to say. Hum, I mean that Perry and I want to say. I mean Dr. Cox… Actually, Perry would be more appropriate in this situation, seeing the nature of the conversation."

"Oh for God's sake JD, can you be more of a blabbering, giggling, embarrassed schoolgirl? I mean, I know this is big news for you and yours gals, seeing how one of your biggest dreams came true, but would you just say it and be done with it? Some of us have work to do!"

JD went silent and Perry felt a tiny bit guilty. He knew how nervous the kid was, and his speech would certainly not help.

"I don't see you helping and this seems to concern both of you." Ah. Gandhi to the rescue.

"Don't be so harsh with Bambi." Carla, always so caring.

"Don't listen to him JD, he just has a stick up is frickin butt like every morning or the moment you take more than five minutes to say what—."

Barbie added her babble to the whole noise chaos. Perry was so going to whistle if it didn't quiet down real soon.

"PERRY AND I HAVE BEEN DATING FOR 3 MONTHS!"

JD had blurted it out and, of course, everything became silent around the nurses station. Perry tapped his forehead with his fingers, willing the beginning of a headache away. He almost never had those anymore, not since he had started dating JD. He never told the younger man because he would never hear the end of it. JD still had a puppy's enthusiasm, the difference was that, now Perry didn't want to kick it as much, preferring banter and teasing over torturing and humiliating.

"WHAT?"

Gandhi had backed away, joining a very surprised Elliot and an only mildly stunned Carla.

"JD that's not funny…" "DR. COX?" "I knew it!" "I have to tell Mr. Roberts!" "Did he say?" "Does he mean, dating dating?" "Dr. Cox is gay?"

A buzz of gossip and questions quickly rose, not helping Perry's headache. The older man made his signature whistle to bring a halt to all the chaos.

"No, JD isn't joking, yes, we are "dating dating", whatever that's supposed to imply, and no, I'm not gay. Now that all of you no-lifers' gossip mill is filled up and has made your very, very, boring life more entertaining, go back to what you're supposed to be doing, which is healing people, and I know, most of you are only half-decent at it, but together we can manage not to kill too many patients."

Perry had watched everyone scatter away, everyone but Carla, Gandhi and Barbie.

"That includes you people."

Perry walked away, new chart in hand. Hell was going to unleash really soon.

***

Perry let out a sigh. Everyone kept staring at him, but, thankfully, they scattered away the moment he caught them in the act. Perry walked to the sink and started cleaning his hands when he felt someone's presence.

"Hello Gandhi"

Perry didn't turn around, simply staring at the black man's reflection in the bathroom mirrors.

"We have to talk. Man to man."

Ah. Gandhi was at least playing the right cards. Perry had always respected that aspect of the other man's personality.

"Man to man."

"My best friend is in love with you."

"Yes."

Perry answered smugly. Even if it wasn't a question, he had given an answer because he wanted Turk to know just how grounded Perry was.

"You love him back?"

"…Yes."

Perry turned around, glaring at Turk. If he was trying to be serious and all godfather-y he was failing. But then, Turk moved forward and grabbed the front of Perry's scrubs.

"Hands off, I already said I don't do men. Well, except for your forever best mate."

"Listen you jackass, I don't know why JD loves you, I really don't, but it makes him happy. As long as he's happy, I will suck it up and suffer you, but trust me when I say this, if you hurt him, I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands, son or no son. Understood?"

"Fair enough."

Gandhi let go off Perry who brushed off his scrubs casually.

"I have a patient who needs a consult in room 204. Try not to make me wait will you?"

Perry left, without glancing at Turk. He had expected that. He was just glad it was over. He knew he probably could take the other man down easily, even with their age difference. The difference was, he would regret it the next morning when his body would ache from the unexpected effort. Perry sighed; he was slowly accepting his age. And making the right decisions.

***

The consult with the patient of room 204 went smoothly. Gandhi had been professional and Perry and he were acting like nothing had happened. The patient was scheduled for an exploratory surgery and so Perry moved on to his next patient.

The older man was walking toward the next room when Kelso crossed paths with him. Seeing how Babo was almost never out of his office, Perry knew something bad was happening. Great, just what he needed, more shit.

"Perry, a word."

"I don't have time Babo, I'm working."

Perry was expecting Kelso to tell him he already knew the whole speech and he should change "his thing" as he putted it. Instead, he was faced with a very stern glare.

"So am I. Follow me. Now!"

Perry raised doubtful eyebrows, but still followed the man to his office. Kelso closed the door and, it was in that moment that Perry noted Ted's absence. The lawyer was part of the décor so often that him not being present made the room feel somewhat odd and bare.

"Sit."

"Babo, what is all this? I need to be taking care of my patients. You might have forgotten what it was like, seeing how you are locked away here all day, but people like me, are here to do their jobs and not only stop those sorry excuses of interns from screwing it up, but actually teach them too."

"Perry, while I do occasionally enjoy our bantering, this is no time for play, so shut your yawper and listen to what I have to say. I don't usually listen to gossip much, what you people do with your pathetic personal lives is of no interest to me. Unfortunately, the rumors I've been hearing all over this morning as brought up some concerns. While I have no idea how you, of all people, ended up with Dr. Dorian, I just want to make something very clear: you had better handle this relationship like a gentleman. I do not want to ever be in the position of having to choose between you and Dr. Dorian. Am I clear?"

"Yes."

"Now scram, I have a chocolate and orange zest muffin calling me."

Perry left the room, and walked. He walked all over the hospital. He took the stairs up. He didn't stop until he reached the roof. He didn't go up there often, and it hadn't been his goal. His goal was just to walk until he was alone.

He hadn't thought about the consequences: if they were to break up... JD was loved and cherished by almost everyone in the hospital, and he was an excellent doctor. If the situation degenerated, Perry was pretty sure Babo would have a hard time explaining his decision regardless of whom he chose. Perry was the more experienced doctor but he was the least loved. JD was young and the hospital needed a strong head, which he wasn't. Perry never thought he would feel that bad for Kelso.

"…you better handle this relationship like a gentleman."

***

"Will this day ever end?"

Perry rubbed his temples. There had been three crashes on his lunch break, and the constant staring was becoming more and more of an annoyance. If something good didn't happen soon, he would probably snap and strangle someone.

"Here."

Carla gave him a coffee and a smile. He knew that smile. She wanted to talk. Great. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

"How did that happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"Don't be like that. You. JD. Dating? I never thought you'd be with a man."

"That makes two of us."

Silence.

"Are you happy?"

Perry turned to Carla with a surprised expression.

"Yes… Yes, I am, actually."

"Good. And just so we are clear, if you hurt Bambi, I'll never forgive you."

"Your husband gave me a speech in that vein. He was much more colorful in his choice of words though."

Perry placed the cup on the nurse station counter and turned to walk away. Carla's voice made him stop.

"But if he hurts you… I'll give him hell like no one has ever given him before."

Perry smirked, even though Carla couldn't see his face. He gave a faint nod and then went on with his work. He wouldn't want to be in JD's place if something like that happened. The Latina woman could do serious damage.

***

JD was talking to him animatedly, but Perry was only half listening. Barbie kept glaring at him from her spot near the nurses station. Normally, he would simply have ignored her, but she had spent most of the day following him and was slowly moving toward the "stalker" territory. Perry did not fancy having his Porsche tires sliced open by a crazy blonde.

JD gave him a peck on the cheek and then ran to Gandhi who was waiting for him with open arms. Perry would have grunted at that, his possessive side always strong, but his need to deal with Barbie trumped any jealousy he might have. He walked toward her, with his trademarked crazy eyes. He was going to fight fire with fire. Her eyes quickly switched from glaring to surprised and then, terrified. Determined, but terrified. She stood firmly, high up on her heels, twitching her head and blowing her bangs away from her face.

"Barbie, I know I'm easy on the eyes, but you have to get it in your pretty, blonde, caked, head that you have moved too slow and that I'm taken now. And I know what you're thinking, how can I choose JD over your stunning bimbo's look, but the answer is very simple, JD isn't completely cuckoo and that definitely trumps any mini skirt you might ever where. So now, it's time you go home, drown your sorrow in chocolate and Grey's Anatomy, and move on."

Barbie blinked once and then glared at Perry. She stabbed her finger in his chest as she spoke.

"Be good to him."

She left. It was Perry's turn to blink. Where was the long, insane, weird speech with the mention of a relative's suicide? Well, he wasn't about to complain, he always preferred it when people used the short and straightforward road. He also knew that if Barbie was being so focused, it probably meant that not only did she meant it, but that she would go crazy on his ass if he did any harm to JD. Great, another crazy lady in his life, just what he needed. Jordan was more than enough.

Things eased back to normality after a few weeks. JD and Perry occasionally showed signs of affection, and they left together more often than not, but otherwise, life at the hospital had changed very little. It had taken some time before people stopped glaring at Perry and stopped watching his every move, but after they realized just how happy JD seemed to be and that, no, Perry wasn't just toying with the boy, they left them alone. It helped that Perry was a tiny bit softer now that he was with the younger man. He was by no means sweet or nice, but, to those who knew him since his debut, he seemed more relaxed. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

***

It was their six-months anniversary. Perry was waiting for JD, who, as always, was taking his sweet sweet time. People probably expected that two guys dating didn't make each other wait, but JD was and had always been very girly, which meant he spent as much time grooming himself, as the average girl would have. Perry fought the urge to smash his hand on the horn of his car and repeated to himself like a mantra: "He's not late, you're early, and this is an important evening." He grabbed the box of JD's favorite sweets that he had bought for the kid and placed it on the back seat so no one would sit on it. Perry hated waiting. It made him feel neglected or unimportant which his ego really didn't like. It also made him stew in whichever thoughts or mood he was in and that wasn't very good either. Right now, it was the third time that he had mentally talked himself out of giving JD's his gift, breaking up with the younger man, freaking out about their age difference or just the fact that they were such polar opposite, rationalizing himself by comparing himself to nervous guy which was frankly pathetic, talking himself back into giving the gift to JD, and feeling sure about his decision once more. Then, time would pass and he would start all over.

"I'm such a pussy."

"Hey! I resent that!"

JD had apparently walked out of his building and slipped in the passenger seat without Perry noticing. The younger man was now pouting at him, which always meant Perry was torn between smacking him and kissing him.

"'You all set?"

"Yup! Where are we going?"

"Not telling."

"What? Oh, come on! That is so like you—"

"I can just cancel the evening if it's too much for you to handle."

"No."

"Well, just sit back then."

The first few minutes of driving were in silence. Perry had feared for a second that he might redo the whole process of changing his mind, but that was without counting on JD's inability to ever stay quiet more than five minutes. The kid was in the middle of one of his inane ramblings when Perry looked at him.

"What?"

"You look good"

"Oh. Th-thanks."

JD was clearly surprised and flattered, if a bit shy.

"You look good too."

"I know."

Perry smiled cockily and JD's prissy demeanor melted away. The younger man slapped him on the arm in exasperation with Perry's gigantesque ego. Perry finally parked himself in the 24h breakfast joint he had brought JD to after his break up with Harrison. Perry felt it was the first time they had shared an actual moment together and thought it would be the appropriate place to celebrate their anniversary. Perry was a man yes, a virile one at that, but he was also a romantic, and knowing JD, he felt that this effort would be appreciated.

"Oh! The breakfast place! I really wanted to come back here. They make the best hot chocolate ever!"

Perry chuckled and got out of the car, remembering to pick up the box of sweets in the back. He discretely tucked it away in his jacket and walked toward JD, who, as always, curled his fingers against Perry's. The younger man wasn't as clingy as Perry had expected him to be, he was clearly trying hard and he was actually improving, but JD still insisted on holding hands. Perry always rolled his eyes, but he actually enjoyed the gesture. It made him feel grounded.

They entered the place and they were seated at the same table they had the first time. Perry ordered his usual western omelet with hash browns and black coffee, and scolded as JD ordered a hot chocolate with his chocolate chips pancakes with whipped cream and a side of crispy bacon. Not only was this not very healthy, it would ruin his gift. Although, JD seemed to have no limits when it came to sweet things.

They talked about the day, argued about interns, JD shared some gossip, Perry shared some anger, and they laughed and bantered plenty. It was all so comfortable and normal that Perry had a hard time believing it was real. Dysfunctional couples had surrounded him all his life: from his parents, to Jordan and a few weird ex-girlfriends… Yet, Perry didn't find himself trying to run away from this peace and quiet, but embracing it. It wasn't like he hadn't had to fight for it, but it had been all worth it.

After their table was cleared, Perry took a deep breath and pulled out the box of sweets and set it on the table, in front of JD.

"What is that?"

"6 months…"

"Oh. Oh! But I… I didn't buy you anything."

Now Perry was the one embarrassed. Was JD really shutting down this gesture of affection? It was the last time he was doing this, that was for sure… He hadn't thought long enough; this was a horrible mistake on his part and he should know better by now.

"Never mind, I'll take it back."

"NO!"

JD held onto the box for dear life. He opened it, and Perry looked away, waiting for JD's reaction. No sound came from the younger man, and Perry grew worried. He turned to face the kid and was met with a huge grin.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Don't make a big deal out of it."

"You are giving me keys to your place! It's a big deal!"

JD was munching on one of the sweets, looking at the set of keys like it was made of gold. Perry had slipped them in before wrapping the box.

"You always end up at my place and it gets annoying always having to stop what I'm doing to greet your precious little ass. Besides, there's no way I'm letting go of my place for your crappy rundown apartment when mine has plenty of room for the two of us, and Jack when he comes to visit, and frankly, I'm just tired of doing the back and forth between your stupid place and mine."

"I'll start moving in the next day we have off, okay? How about you help me out?"

JD was clearly untouched by Perry's derogatory comments, proof of their growth as a couple.

"Fair enough."

JD grabbed Perry and kissed him roughly. JD then whispered in Perry's ear:

"I have a great idea of how to use those, so how about you drive us back to our place so I can try it out..."

JD smiled cockily. Perry was still surprised at how daring JD had grown to be. He clearly wasn't seeing Perry has Dr. Cox or a Mentor anymore, but as his lover and partner. He wasn't embarrassed or shy, or afraid to take initiative as much either, for which Perry was more than thankful.

Perry paid for their meal and drove back to his, their, place as quickly as he could without breaking the law. JD had dragged him to the bedroom without taking a break, and had fulfilled his promise.

After what JD did to him that night, Perry made sure to have a box of those sweets around the house at all time.

***

They had their first major argument not long after JD had moved his stuff in.

"I will not indulge you and Gandhi's weird fetish like Carla does, sweet motherly figure that she is, it's about time that both of you grew out of it and if a five year old can live without his teddy bear, I'm sure you two grown up men can survive without a dead stuffed dog. I refuse to have this sick, putrid, hairy thing in my place and you better take care of it yourself or the next time you'll see it, it be in ashes in a trashcan."

"It's my place too now! And you can't ask me to abandon Steven! Where will he go? He can't fend for himself!"

"He's a ratty stuffed dog that probably belonged to a crazy old lady, and I won't have its corpse laying around our living room!"

"How is it our place if you don't let me put any of my things around!"

"You placed your girly DVDs on my shelves!"

"My girly DVDs? Coming from the nearly 50 year old man who has the complete collection of every movie staring Lindsay Lohan, I think that's pretty hypocritical!"

"Hypocritical? You have been trying to change the whole place! I'm already not fond of compromise but let me tell you that trying to paint the walls pink, and don't try to call it "salmon" it's fucking pink, is not compromising, it's you pushing your horribly girly taste on me."

Perry, in his anger, had grabbed "Steven" and thrown it out the window.

"MURDERER!"

JD had rushed to the window and then out the door. Perry watched the younger man pick up his intact stuffed dog from above. That damn thing had more lives than a cat. Perry looked around his, no their, place and sighed. He was being an ass. He was afraid of change and letting go. He couldn't keep saying no to all of JD's demands. He was not going to let the kid paint the walls pink but he could let him have the damned dog and add some new elements to his admittedly very stern apartment. JD was full of life; it was normal that he felt unwelcome in such a cold, restricted place.

Perry went down and stood behind a sitting JD.

"I'm sorry."

"You tried to kill him!"

"It's a stuffed dog! His already dead!"

JD turned his head and glared at him.

"… But he can stay." "I want you to stay" was what Perry meant.

JD was standing in close to him now, holding his dog away from Perry.

"I won't make anything pink."

And he hadn't. The place was filled with frames, pictures, and a few personal objects. JD had incorporated new materials and fabrics that brought softness and warmth to the cold cement and silver of Perry's initial décor. It looked nice, balanced, and Perry had mocked JD by saying that he had missed his calling and that he should have gone into decorating instead of medicine. He received a stern look for it, but he knew the younger man wasn't taking it to heart.

The next day, Perry bought a pink bathrobe and pink bath accessories for JD. He still refused to put pink on the walls, but he could let the younger man have it in other forms. Besides, JD's "girlyness" was growing on him. JD had a spine, strong opinions, and didn't let Perry walk all over him. So if the man wanted to wear pink, Perry really didn't mind. And, he kind of liked it when JD smelled of lavender...

The next night brought another first: JD had asked him to take him. Perry had been surprised to say the least when he had heard the words "Fuck me, oh please, Perry." But he had obliged, letting JD guide him trough the preparation. It was a whole new world of sensation, and even if Perry hadn't enjoyed it, but dear god had he enjoyed it, he still would have wanted to repeat it, just for the noises JD had made. They had sex until early in the morning, when they finally fell asleep, completely spent.

***

"Look! The big monkey's back is all grey."

"It's a gorilla and he's what we call a silver back. It means that he's the boss and that's why he looks angry at the other gorillas: he's saying I'm the biggest and strongest! But he also takes care of them too."

"Like daddy?"

"Like daddy!"

JD turned and winked at a glaring Perry. In truth, Perry was very happy. JD and Jack were on such good terms lately.

It hadn't been the case at first.

Perry had feared that Jack would reject JD for being a man and not wanting his "daddy" with someone else than his "mommy". As it turned out, that wasn't the problem. No, what Perry had completely overlooked was that he had been training his kid to be mean and disrespectful to JD for the past few years of his very young life. This meant that Jack thought he had a free pass whenever JD was concerned. The first couple of time had been funny, but Perry realized quickly that it was a problem. Jack couldn't be left with JD alone: Jack always ended up creating a humongous mess and throwing epic tantrums. JD tried really hard, and he often excused the child, but Perry had none of it.

Thankfully, Jack, being so young, quickly re-learned how to behave, and was now very fond of JD. After all, JD was still a kid in many ways, and he had no qualms about playing pretend games, making silly voices, and putting puppet shows on. He never overshadowed Perry and quickly learned to put his foot down too. Perry had insisted that JD be like a second dad rather than a "nice uncle", and he had to be part both of the good sides and the bad sides of parenthood. That included punishing Jack for his bad behaviors. Thankfully, it didn't happen too often, but JD clearly had a hard time with it. He was so damn sweet and loving, he always felt terrible after saying "no" to Jack. But JD also brought sensibility in Jack's life. While Jordan had improved on that side, Perry was still learning to open himself, and Perry was thankful for JD's presence. The younger man would often calm him down, and remind him that Jack was still a toddler, and that he couldn't understand everything yet, not in the way an adult could anyway.

Perry knew things were much better now because Jack always looked forward to going to see "Daddy and JD" and always asked Jordan if JD would be there, because sometimes he had a shift on the day Jack visited. The toddler would often pout and be disappointed when that was the case. At first, Perry had been hurt by it; he had felt like JD was stealing Jack's affection away. But any inkling of envy disappeared on one afternoon:

"What are you doing Jack?"

"Drawing"

"Can I see?"

"Yes."

"Is that you?"

"Yes, with Mommy and Daddy and JD and Steven... It's my family!"

"The dog could better…"

"Daddy!"

Jack had frowned at his dad's comment. Perry couldn't help it: he still couldn't bring himself to lie and coo in ecstasy in front of the horrible scribes his son had made.

Since that day, Perry had felt more than at ease with the whole situation. Perry followed Jack and JD to the next exhibition: tigers. Jack was excited by the "big cats" and it made JD smile. And both of them made Perry smile in turn.

***

Today was their first year anniversary. They had been living together for almost six months and had not only survived it but had actually enjoyed it. Perry was still astonished by it all. He walked toward the bathroom, impatient as always.

"Are you quite done yet? You've been in there for half an hour!"

"I want to look good!"

"Retha, do you know that the pulchritude of your hair isn't related to the quantity of mousse you put in? In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is inversely proportional; the more damn mousse you put on, the worst it looks."

JD got out of the bathroom, glaring at Perry.

"Well looking at your hair, permit me to be skeptical at how reliable your input on this matter is."

"You are so going to regret saying that tonight."

"Oh, am I now?"

Perry kissed JD briefly on the lips and gave a small pat on JD's ass, enjoying the little squirm the younger man made. Perry never got tired of it.

"Don't make our guests wait too long okay? It's not polite for the hostess to be late."

"Oh come on, they wont be here before another good fifteen minutes. By the way, we are out of red wine, would you go get some at the store? And if you just go now, we both won't lose time listening to your speech about me being a blonde air-head who always makes you work."

Perry glared but still grabbed the keys and went out to buy some wine. He knew for whom it was, and that made it less of a hassle. It took longer than he had hoped, construction had made him take many detours, but he finally got back to their apartment. When he got in, the noise reached his ears: laugher, light arguments, discussion and giggles were all coming from the kitchen slash dining room (his apartment was big, but not THAT big after all). He noticed many pairs of shoes by the door, and added his to the pile before going further in the living room. Perry didn't show himself right away, wanting to contemplate the picture before him. Jack was making Isabella giggle, held tight by a chattering Carla. She was having an animated conversation with Barbie and Jordan. JD was filling up Harrison's glass (It had taken some time for Perry to accept the fact that Harrison was still JD's friend. The first time Harrison had visited, Perry had tried to punch him straight in the face.) and Gandhi was talking with Harrison's boyfriend Mathias.

Perry never had thought that this place would be filled with so many people, especially not so many happy people. Perry waited for a few minutes; maybe he could sneak by unnoticed and hide in their room until the party was over? He had a great medical report that waited for him on the nightstand… He started chanting his mantra "I'm invisible, I'm invisible, I'm invi—" but was cut short by JD who had, of course, spotted him right away. JD always found him, saw him or recognized him no matter where, when or how many other people there were around. He shouldn't be surprised anymore: it was like that before they dated and it was worse now that they were a couple. But Perry was a desperate man, who could blame him for trying?

"Perry is back!"

"Finally! So what's the big news?"

"Well, today celebrate our first year together, but there is bigger news. Perry and I wanted to wait before we told you this, okay fine, fine, I wanted to wait and Perry was kind enough to shut up about it… Remember the research we had been working on? Well we thought we had found out the problem but we had to expand our research to a larger number of patients… Turns out we were right! We are going down in medical history!"

"Congratulations!"

"That's great!"

"Brilliant!"

"A toast! A toast!"

Perry was pushed down into a seat by a firm hand: JD's. Perry could have easily freed himself, and would have done so in a heartbeat a year ago, but he knew by now that if he just sat and survived the party, it would make JD happy. That, somehow, had become important to Perry. He knew from dating Jordan, that if he had been more present she never would have strayed. Perry had always made her feel like the least important thing in his life, he was determined not to make the same mistake with JD.

Someone served Perry a beer and he slowly relaxed. No one was pushing him to talk, they all made sure his glass was always full, and just when he was about to complain about being hungry, delicious food was served to him thanks to Carla and Mathias' exquisite cooking skills. Perry laughed at one of Harrison's deadpan comments and it downed on him: He didn't hate these people. Throughout the year, he had slowly eased into the idea of having them invade his space, his boyfriend (Turk, Carla and Elliot always took him out, visited, or phoned…) and his life. He didn't complain half as much as he would have a month ago when JD planned "get togethers" and even found himself helping from time to time. He didn't feel the urge to strangle any of them, with the exception of Barbie who always managed to annoy the hell out of him. But, she was in all her horror, the exception that confirmed the rule. Perry found himself listening to the conversations and while they were still insipid and silly they didn't bother him as much as they used to. He still found the city boring, the hospital a rat-hole and the interns to be brainless zombies, but something had changed. He didn't hate it here anymore. He had people he tolerated and whom tolerated him in turn. He had a family, one that some might judge, but Perry would snap their necks in half if they said anything. He also had people he liked enough to consider friends that he could admit to care for, once in a blue moon.

Perry, after over forty years of shit, hell and crap, was finally home.

AN2: This is the final part. There will be NO sequels to this story. Hope you liked it ;)

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