S7 EP9

HIS TOUCH SENT SPARKS throughout her body as his fingertips traced along her arm; slowly, softly, until he intertwined his fingers from the back of her palm.

The air was chilly and the sheets were rumpled by their grasps. The long trail of kisses up her spine only made her bury her face deep into the pillow as her voice muffled into it. And when he reached the sweet spot that he was so familiar with, he nibbled on it, watching her wriggle under him while his smirk grew.

Her neck was wet with kisses-his kisses; his and only his.

When their lips connected, it was bliss. The fluttery down their stomachs like it was their first; the lightness up their heads like they were above the clouds. He held her neck the way she loved and she tugged his hair the way it made him groan.

"Oh god, Mark..."

"Mm... I always have loved the way my name rolls out your tongue."

❦

NORAH INHALED SHARPLY as she nearly fell off her bed when her alarm blared next to her ear. Her eyes flew open and she reached to slap the clock, only to actually fall off the mattress and land on her front. She picked herself up from the carpeted floor with only three words in her mind:

What the fuck?

She grabbed her towel down from the back of the door before swinging it open, only to be greeted by the glaring ceiling lights and Derek who raised a brow at her. "You look like hell."

Uh, no, I haven't been through hell, so...

"I feel like hell," she yawned, rubbing her puffy eyes, "But in this state, I can't really say I look hot."

"I got the Philips grant, by the way," he announced and her eyes went wide, "For the Alzheimer's trial."

"Holy crap-congrats!" she spoke while closing the door behind her, staring at the proud but tired grin on his face. "I'd hug you right now, but uh... I might end up falling asleep on your shoulder."

He chuckled, "Go get ready for your night shift. Don't kill anyone."

"Psh, have some faith in me, Derek."

"You look like a zombie right now, so I'll stick with 'don't kill anyone'."

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH, JACKSON, APRIL, Alex, Lexie and Meredith headed into the hospital together. The night in the hospital was not as loud as the day and they were quiet from their still sleepy selves while they stood in the elevator.

The group of residents walked towards the group of attendings who were waiting for them; some blinking their eyes open while others stifling back a yawn. Norah felt like she was jolted awake at once upon seeing Mark who was frowning at the group.

"Did you just yawn? Was that a yawn?" he questioned April who quickly covered her mouth as the tears pricked her eyes.

"Don't tell us that you're tired after getting to sleep all day," Teddy deadpanned.

"It's not as easy as it sounds," April reasoned.

"Not easy? Not-" Bailey scoffed at her and she quickly shut her mouth. "When I was a resident, I actually worked for a living. I did every other night call for five years." The residents silently groaned to themselves at the attending's bragging.

Mark handed the cup of coffee to Norah who accepted it with a soft 'thank you' and a grateful smile on her face. The attendings and residents raised their brows at their brief interaction; Callie smirked at the both of them.

"There were days that I didn't go home for 72 hours," Stark spoke up from the nurses' station behind them, "I loved it."

"As you trudged through the snow while you whittled your own scalpels," Alex added in a lowered tone, causing the residents to snicker and Norah who was close to choking on her cappuccino.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that, Karev."

Bailey interjected before they could carry their conversation further. "Uh, Karev, I need you to follow up on my post-ops," she handed him a stack of files and a thick binder, "And here, take this research, divide out all the fistula cases."

"Avery and Little Grey, Hunt is waiting for you in the pit," Teddy notified before heading to the elevators.

"Alright. Try not to screw up our patients," Callie added with a smile, "Good night and good luck."

"We'll be over at the bar," Mark informed the group that was already dispersing, "Try not to need us." He gave Norah a quick wave before walking off, the resident lifting her cup of coffee in response.

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH WAS ON HER second slice of pizza, reading a magazine while she crossed her legs on top of Alex's. She flipped it to the next page, scanning her eyes over the words interestedly and took a bite off the food.

The door opened quietly and April entered the room, closing the door after her. "What are you doing in the attendings' lounge?" she asked, "You could get in trouble."

"Pizza?" Norah gestured at the box in front of them.

"No, thanks," April shook her head, "I have stupid teenage patients who superglued themselves together so their parents can't tear them apart."

"Mm, that sounds romantic," Meredith stated and Norah nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, more like moronic," April scoffed, shaking her head stressfully, "I have no idea how to get them apart without taking off half their skin."

"Try acetone," Alex suggested.

"Try going away," she snapped back.

"Acetone, water, soap," Norah informed, "Works like a charm. Trust me."

"Thank you," April returned a smile before turning around and heading out once again.

Norah leaned back against the couch when her phone's notification rang. Out of curiosity, she checked her phone, seeing an attached picture from Timothy. Her eyes went twice their size while she blinked at it.

"Wanna hear something disturbing?" she asked and the two others looked at her curiously, "Cristina's bartending at Joe's."

"What?!" Meredith's eyebrows shot up at once. "How do you know that?"

Norah turned her phone to the two of them, showing them the picture her brother had taken. Alex broke into a laugh while Meredith had her jaw dropped. "Oh my god..."

"Yang's bartending. That's freakin' awesome," Alex sniggered at the picture of Cristina pouring liquor into shot glasses. She was wearing a denim jacket with her hair tied up, makeup on her face and large earrings dangling. "I need this picture. Send me this picture, Norah."

The brunette smirked and did so immediately, forwarding the image to Alex's number while she leaned back against the couch. "What's Tim doing at the attending's party?" he questioned.

"Oh, he isn't attending their party," she replied, "He's on a streak."

"A streak?"

"He declared that he'll only be sleeping with men from now on," Norah shrugged in response, "He's distracting himself from..."

"Lexie," Meredith finished the sentence and the brunette nodded with a sigh.

"Dude, you gotta get them back together," Alex stated while she ate the last bite of her slice of pizza, "They make sense." The two women quirked a brow at his input, but both nodded in agreement.

"You know what doesn't make sense?" Meredith spoke through a mouthful, "Cristina bartending."

❦ ❦ ❦

"YOU GOTTA TRY DRINKING lesser at a bar," Timothy ranted as he guided a staggering Callie to her bed, the latter mumbling something incoherent and he sighed. "Because if you start to sing again next time, I'll cut off your fucking vocal cords."

"God! I hate being drunk," Callie rambled while he helped her while she struggled with her boots. She leaned back, dropping down on the bed. "You think it's gonna make you feel awesome and happy, but it just makes you feel tired and gross."

"Happiness is fucking overrated," Timothy muttered before pulling the boots off with some effort, "Geez, why the fuck would you wear these? It takes like, fucking forever, to take off."

"You know, you swear like a truck driver," she mumbled.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He tossed a glare before placing the pair of boots aside by the dresser. He threw the laundry into the basket before turning on the air conditioning in the room.

"You need anything?" he asked, "Water? Snacks? A shoulder to cry on since your life's pretty fucked up right now?" he wiped the tears off his eyes after a yawn, sitting down by the edge of the bed, "More booze, maybe? Bourbon?"

Callie sat up on the bed next to him, staring at him for a long time. "I need... sorbet."

"Sorbet?" he turned to her confusingly, "Mango or raspberry? It'll take a while, though."

"No, Tim... Sorbet," she emphasised on the word, "A palate cleanser. Sexual sorbet."

Timothy stared at her for a long while, feeling the booze getting up his head. "You sure about that? We're both pretty fucking drunk, and I... I don't wanna take advan-"

She gripped on his flannel, pulling him closer. "One night. No strings attached. Palate cleanser for both of us," she assured, "I'm sure."

With a kick of the alcohol in their system, they fumbled under the sheets.

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH WAS FAST ASLEEP in an on-call room, hugging a pillow between her legs. The door swung open and was slammed against the wall, causing her to startle up instantly. She blinked a few times before seeing the familiar face closing the door behind him and caught her breath in relief.

"Didn't the night shift end already?" Mark asked as he walked over to her, "Why are you here?"

"My patient... Well, I just can't leave her alone until the uh, next shift resident comes." Partially-true. The full truth would be including the fact that she was waiting for her session with her therapist, and that she was lazy to make another round trip back to the house. "Which is in... What time is it now?"

"Eight."

"In an hour, then," she let out a long exhale and buried her face into the pillow. She moved over, closer to the wall, giving him a space to lie in next to her. "What about you? Why're you here and not working?"

"My shift starts in two hours," he informed, covering the blanket over both their legs.

She lifted her head to him with furrowed brows before turning to face him. "Then... How come you here this early?" she raised a brow at him before searching for his legs under the blanket.

He rested his hand under his head as he thought about her question. To be entirely truthful, he was not sure either. An honest reply would be because he wanted to spend time with her, but he did not say that; not exactly, at least.

"To watch you sleep, duh," he shifted closer, allowing her to rest her head against his chest.

In the long moment of silence, they drowned themselves in their separate minds.

She thought back to the morning before she fell out of bed. What a dream to have, honestly.

The man in question was now right next to him, making her feel all the things she had once known. His presence alone had always been enough to drive her to a level of frenzy; it was intoxicating.

The way she was made him feel as though he had a mix of glee and warmth tying knots in every nerve in his body; she was driving him insane all over again.

"Your heart's beating very fast." Her voice was soft and breathy, but her words were the truth. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs as his hand traced against her back.

Lub dub... lub dub... lub dub... lub dub...

"Has it always been this fast?" Another question he could not answer to, not directly. But when she nestled her head deeper into his chest, he could feel the steam blowing out from his head.

"Why do you think it's racing?" His question to her question was an appropriate response; suggestive, even.

She lifted her head to look at him, only to find him already staring back at her. Close proximity was always something that messed with their minds. She saw it, behind those pair of blue eyes, was a strong desire-the lust.

Her hand left the side of his waist and travelled slowly up to his chest, resting right above where his heart was found. The beating under her palm was something else, the rhythm was a new type of high.

She leaned up to him and pecked on his lips, pulling back and his head trailed along.

His breathing was heavy as they stared at each other on the small bed; she was staring into his eyes, but he was staring slightly lower from hers-the dilating of his pupils was enough to tell it all.

In the long moment of silence, their separate minds were driven back to a joined destination.

When her fingers curled and tugged at the back of his hair, their lips connected into one; his hand that instantly went to the side of her neck sent sparks of bliss shooting in every direction.

It was not coated with craving and desire, but instead, it was slow and tender, spanning to make up for the time lost. They felt the way they melted into each other's arms, how their breathings were synchronised; everything was just right.

❦ ❦ ❦

S7 EP10

TIMOTHY POUNDED ON the door to the apartment repeatedly at five in the morning. The door opened, revealing Mark with a toothbrush in his mouth, staring confusingly at the younger man.

"Nor's here, right?" Timothy asked. The moment he received a nod, he pushed past Mark and kicked his shoes aside. He headed straight to the bedroom, slamming the door shut, leaving the owner of the apartment to be even more confused than before.

Norah stirred in her sleep when the bed dipped, except she knew it was not Mark who had laid back down next to her. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see her brother who was just about to poke on her cheek to wake her.

"Tim? Whaddup?" she queried but watched as his mouth gaped open before he gulped back his words.

"I broke my pledge," he finally confessed.

She cocked a brow at him, "And you felt the need to come here and tell me that?"

"No, no... It's er..."

"Spit it out, baby bro."

"I slept with Callie."

Norah's eyes went wide as she blinked rapidly, ensuring that she was awake and not dreaming a conversation with her brother on a bed. Timothy, who was cuddling the comforter in his arms, stared back at her with a nervous smile.

"Wow."

"Wow? Fucking 'wow'?"

Norah yanked the comforter away from him before covering it over her face, her legs kicking him off the bed. "I just hope you used protection," she murmured, but her voice was muffled and he grunted when he fell to the floor.

❦

MARK, WHO WAS BRUSHING his teeth by the sink in the kitchen, was watching his bedroom door unamusingly. It felt like forever before the door to the bedroom swung open again.

Timothy finally walked out and closed the door behind him silently. "She's having a date with me tonight," he told Mark who spit the toothpaste in his mouth into the sink.

"Why?"

"Because she's my sister...?"

"I mean, like, what's the occasion?"

"There's no occasion," Timothy shrugged back with a smug look on his face, "You're dating her so you're stuck with me, too, Mark. Go with it."

Mark wanted to throw him out of the apartment and make sure he never came back. Then again, he could not exactly throw him out since he's chasing his sister...

❦ ❦ ❦

MARK STALKED OVER TO the ICU after Norah had received an emergency page from Lexie. The younger resident frowned a little when she saw the attending approaching her.

"I-I paged Norah, why are you here?" Lexie questioned.

"Because she's going into surgery and she sent me here to report back to her," Mark told the resident who was tapping her foot nervously, "And had I mentioned that I'm hopelessly in love with her?"

"The whole hospital knows that."

"That's great," Mark grinned before querying, "So, what's the emergency?"

"I need a favour," Lexie caved, "A nurse hates me."

He raised a brow at her. "You're a resident. I'm sure all the nurses hate you."

"Yes, well-ugh," she tossed her hands in the air, "C-Can you please just talk to him, smooth things over, so that when I go to take my patient back to radiology and get his drain put back in, he doesn't make a scene?"

Mark thought for a long while, just as he did that morning. A light bulb lit up above his head and he smirked back at the resident. "Fine. I'll talk to him. But you're going out with Timothy tonight."

Lexie stared at him, her brows knitted into one. "That's not-why are you meddling in my love life?"

"Because the guy who loves you is stealing my girlfriend from me."

"She's his sister," she deadpanned.

He shrugged before asking, "Do you still want me to talk to the nurse of yours?"

She gave in with a heavy sigh. "Fine," she glared at him before turning around to peek through the ICU doors, just as the nurse in question stood in the middle of the hallway. "There he is."

"Eli? Wow. Alright, fair enough," Mark sighed before walking through the doors. "I just hope those kids get back together, fast," he mumbled under his breath while approaching the nurse.

"Eli! You got a second?" he asked and the nurse nodded, "Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but I know better than to mess with you on your turf, so do me a solid nod, act as if we're having a big debate here."

Eli did as told, turning to the attending curiously before Mark resumed, "'Cause Dr Grey over there, she agreed to go out with my girlfriend's brother if I talk to you. He's interfering with my relationship, and I need him out of it in the best way possible."

"What's in it for me?" Eli questioned, tapping a pen on his charts.

"Seahawks, Sunday, box seats."

"Parking?"

"Of course."

"Mm-hmm," Eli turned to face him interestedly before raising his voice, "Unless Dr Bailey herself orders that drain put back in, I..."

"Now mention that she's the second-best resident I've known," Mark lowered his voice into a whisper, "Second, not first."

"...I don't care if you think Dr Grey is the second-best resident you've ever seen come through this program."

Mark nodded satisfactorily, "I understand, and I respect that. Thank you."

He walked out of the ICU, meeting the eager eyes of the resident with a fake disappointed look. "Well, I did what I could. I'll have Tim pick you up at seven."

"What?! That's-"

"Don't yell at your attending, Grey," he stated calmly with a smirk on his face, "I'll have Tim text you the details."

Lexie was beyond furious, yet she had a hidden smile behind her eyes at the thought of the date.

❦ ❦ ❦

NORAH WAS SITTING ON the floor in between two tall shelves of medical records. She had folders and binders laid out, surrounding her like a mini fortress.

Mark saw her sitting in the middle of a pile of papers. He stepped into the narrow space and she lifted her head to him. "What time do you get off tonight?" he asked, "We're going on a long-overdue date."

She raised a brow at him, "Tim's bringing me out."

"No, he's not. Not anymore," he declared while stepping over the folders and taking the seat next to her; she stared back at him curiously. "He's going out with Grey."

"He is?" Norah piped up at the mention of it, a grin settling on her face when she saw the pleased look on his. "Oh, wow, you set them up?" she chuckled, hugging his arm, "Did you only set them up because you don't want me to spend time with my brother?"

"Um... Maybe...? I mean, I can't just throw him out every time he..." he trailed off when she snorted. "What?"

"Mark Sloan is intimidated by the cheeky grin," she narrowed her eyes, "I'm impressed."

He returned her with an unamusing look, lowering her head back on his shoulder. He watched as she flipped through the many pages and paperwork in the quietness.

It finally felt like they were back in their old ways; the fuzzy feeling in his chest made him smile, unnoticed to himself. He placed a kiss on her head before muttering, "I've missed you, Laurie."

She lifted her head to him again, staring at the bright blue eyes; the way she looked at him made her feel warm and safe. She leaned upwards and caught his lips in hers, feeling his grin in their kiss.

"I've missed you more, my love."

━━━━━

If (by any chance) you feel like their relationship are mending too quickly, I can assure you it's because I'm combining episodes in one chapter 😀