Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own the wonderful show that is Scrubs. Nor do I possess the characters within.

MY PANDORA'S BOX

JD couldn't help but sing to himself as he changed after his shift, much to the annoyance of the few others in the locker room. But he didn't care about what they thought, as the excitement was too much to keep in.

It was Valentine's Day, a thought which had annoyed JD when he woke up in the morning. Being single, he hated the thought of the loved up couples around him rubbing it in his face. As if being lonely wasn't bad enough, the day was setting up to be a pretty crappy one.

However, in one moment everything changed. In his locker that morning, the doctor found a pretty red envelope with his name on it. At first he figured it was a friendly Valentine from Turk, until he opened the card and read its contents.

I know Valentines are so lame but I also know you like surprises.
Meet me in the doctor's lounge after your shift.
I can't wait to see the cute look on your face.

Your Secret Admirer

While the message was hardly romantic, it was intriguing. Both JD and Turk had analysed the message and agreed that the writing looked like that of a hottie. But it was the front of the card that sealed the deal. The picture of two unicorns nuzzling with a big heart above them was just irresistible to JD. Not only was it sweet, it was proof that whoever wrote the simple note really knew him.

Throughout the day, JD had been wondering who it was. He had his hopes and a few brief moments of fear. Somehow, even with the lack of any evidence, he had narrowed it down to three ladies. All three of which JD could see himself having a fun night with drinking and talking, possibly more.

Taking one last look in the mirror and fixing his hair, JD concluded that he looked fantastic. He posed a couple of times and was unknowingly greeted by eye rolls from some nearby surgeons. "J-Dizzle you are off the hizzle, my nizzle."

Turk popped up behind his best friend. "Dude, don't ever say that again."

"Okay, here goes. I'm off to meet my dream girl." JD grinned widely at his best friend.

"Or some crazy chick who snuck into the guys locker room." Turk replied, though noticing the flicker of doubt on JD's face he quickly offered reassurance. "You'll do great. Good luck, buddy."

"When you look this good you don't need luck, Chocolate Bear." JD strutted out the door and off to the start of what he knew in his gut was going to be a great date.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hospital, Perry was in the exact opposite mood. Work had been piling up and as a result stressing him out. All he had to look forward to that day was Jordan giving him Valentines nookie and only if the kids were in bed on time.

The pair never bought into to the whole concept of Valentines Day, they just made a point to have sex. Usually the day involved Perry working and Jordan keeping herself busy, possibly going out for awhile to flirt with younger men, until they met up late at night.

Looking at the clock on his desk, Perry figured that he could sneak in a beer or two at the bar before going home to Jordan. As far as the chief was concerned, he had earned the right to at least try and forget the hours passed.

As he locked up his office, Perry could hear a nearby group of interns laughing. He figured it was probably about trivial crushes and Valentines plans. An involuntary cringe came over him as he heard another batch of giggles.

"I don't know, maybe it was a little mean."

"Come on! You know Doctor Dorian totally abuses his power. I actually think he enjoys being a jerk sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. And what's with that beard he's growing? He's half an inch away from looking like some alcoholic axe-murderer."

"It's about time someone taught him a lesson. Let's go check it out."

Perry couldn't help overhearing the conversation. A smirk came to his face as he thought of JD being pranked. Intern pranks were usually funny and harmless anyway. He didn't think much of it. Why should he care?

Yet, for some reason, he found himself following the interns. Even when Perry realised what he was doing, his legs involuntarily led him to the place where Newbie was to be humiliated. Shrugging his shoulders, Perry figured that a quick peek couldn't hurt before going out for drinks.

"He's still sitting there all excited about a date that's never going to come."

"How long do you reckon he'll end up sitting there?"

"Depends how desperate he is."

Perry stopped before reaching the door of the doctor's lounge. Something didn't feel right about this particular prank. Even though he himself had witnessed JD being a little power-mad, all the attendings went through that stage. Perry himself had never left that stage, which made him the perfect Chief of Medicine.

After a brief moment of worrying about his self proclaimed protégé, Perry shrugged it off. Any hurt JD felt would be character building. The sensitive doctor needed to toughen up a bit.

Still, Perry couldn't stop himself from walking around the halls of that particular floor. He didn't know how long he kept circling the area, debating what to do. No matter how much he willed himself to exit, the pesky voice in Perry's head was telling him to intervene. Knowing what was in store for JD, it just didn't feel right to let it happen.

"Dammit Newbie." Perry groaned before heading back to the doctor's lounge.

A few of the pranksters were still standing by one door, trying not to be seen. Perry figured it would be better to use the other entrance to the lounge, give the younger man a little bit of dignity.

He walked the long way around, entered the room and stopped by the Pacman machine. Perry couldn't see JD's face, but he could tell it was falling when he heard the younger man sigh. He noticed JD's posture slump forward a little.

Sensing he was being watched, JD turned around and saw Perry staring at him. He forced a smile to his face, knowing that the chief would probably rib him for being lonely.

"Waiting for someone?" Perry asked, knowing perfectly well what the answer was. Having never been too good at the sensitive stuff, he wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

"I thought I was but…I don't know." JD let the unicorn card drop onto the floor. He stood up from the couch and turned to Perry. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I came here to tell you something." Perry walked over and glanced to the doorway where he knew a pack of interns could probably see him. "That card you just dropped there…"

A look of shock came over JD's face. He couldn't believe it. All the hopes over the years had suddenly come to light. All the feelings he swore would be better to keep locked up came rushing to the surface in that moment. His heart fluttered uncontrolably with excited butterflies.

"Oh my god. I knew it!"

Perry felt a sense of relief hearing the words, since it meant he didn't have to actually tell JD the truth. He was about to say something, when he noticed JD was smiling. Infact the younger man was positively beaming. Too confused at wondering why on earth he was so ecstatic at being pranked, Perry had no time to stop what followed.

"You really care about me." JD stepped up to Perry and squeezed his arms. "After all this time…get over here!"

In one swift movement, JD had wrapped both arms around Perry's neck and captured his lips in a kiss. Perry could feel the soft lips pressing against his, romantically yet hungrily, and after two seconds of shock found the strength to react.

Perry shoved JD back hard. "My god, Newbie! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

A stunned JD took in the enraged look on Perry's face. All his hopes and dreams suddenly fell dramatically, being replaced by humiliation. His lip quivered and his eyes opened in realisation. Tears were forming as he became too embarrassed to look at Perry. Turning to the door he could see his interns, their eyes wide with shock and jaws dropping. He knew his mistake, feeling the blush rushing to his face. Breathing had suddenly become very hard for him.

"I'm sorry." It was all he managed to say in the moment.

Perry wiped his mouth. "Off all the stupid things you've done throughout the years, Newbie. What the hell made you think I actually sent you that cutesy little card on the ground? How do you not get that I barely want to spend time with you here? I just came to tell you that your interns were playing a joke. I tried to give you a bit of dignity but I did not see this one coming. Who knew even you could be that stupid."

Before Perry had even finished his last sentence, JD had made his way out of the room. He couldn't explain what had come over him. But seeing Perry had filled him with a kind of hope that washed away all doubt. The mere possibility had brought up all the uncontrollable feelings he had sucessfully locked away for fear that the older doctor would never share them. JD had expected this response the moment he realised the potential of his true feelings years before, what he hadn't prepared for was the hurt that came with it.

His eyes were beyond blurry by the time he reached his car. JD sat in the front seat trying to control himself. After all, Perry had rejected his affections many times before, why should a dismissed kiss break his heart like it was. But all his logic did was make him feel stupid rather than better.

JD stared straight ahead, allowing himself to cry in the privacy of his car. He felt sick to his stomach, wanting to throw up. All he wanted was to be in Perry's life, now with one stupid move he was more out of the older man's heart than before.

Perry's mind was officially warped. By the time he had stepped out of the hospital news had spread about JD's kiss. He was relieved to escape all the chatter and questions.

For an hour, he drove around lost in his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried, Perry couldn't just go home to Jordan and forget everything that had happened. JD's sad face kept popping into his mind, the tearful eyes in particular. How Perry hated seeing JD like that, even if pushing him back was the right thing to do.

He finally parked his car by the playground where he took Jack and Jennifer Dylan on a regular basis. Stepping out into the night air, Perry felt relieved that no-one was around at night to hear him swear at the stars.

Sitting on the hood of his Porsche, a grunting sigh escaped his mouth. He rubbed his forehead, hoping that doing so would help his brain figure out what to do.

Looking at the playground, Perry knew the obvious course of action. Go home to Jordan, tuck his kids into bed and have Valentines Day sex. In a few days everything would be forgotten, only to be shared on occasion as an embarrassing moment.

Everyone would move on within a week and life would resume as normal if he just went home. Yet Perry wasn't sure he could be one of those who just moved on. For reasons he couldn't fathom, suddenly his reality just didn't feel like the right direction anymore.

It was the Pandora's Box of rising emotions and memories of JD that kept Perry sitting at that park and unable to go back to his everyday life. The life that, although kept him content, he only stayed trapped in because he believed that's what he deserved.

He loved his kids more than anything in the world. He even loved Jordan to an extent, knowing somehow their lives would always be connected. But it wasn't the path that made him truly happy. A part of him had always known something was missing.

He touched his lips briefly, remembering JD's sweet, spontaneous kiss. Perry couldn't figure out why JD had kissed him. Then again, no rejection had deterred JD in the past. No matter how far Perry pushed him away, the younger man came back.

Perry knew that JD could see right through him, which he despised and tried to prove false almost daily. From every rant to the genuine moments of sincerity, JD had stood by his side. No matter how much Perry tried to deny it, he cared about the sweet and sensitive man. Everyone else could see it, JD could see it. Deep down he had known it, only expressing some affection during the rare moments just to keep JD hanging on a little longer.

But in all his self-hating, narcissistic glory believed that he didn't deserve JD's love, convincing himself he was too good for it anyway.

Yet it never stopped him coming through for JD when it really mattered. Nor had it stopped JD being there for him. Even after all the ups and downs they had been through over the years, Perry still cared about JD and the feelings were clearly mutual. JD was the only person who loved him unconditionally, something he never thought possible. Through better and worse, the younger doctor had always been there like true love was meant to.

"I can't do this. Not after what I put him through tonight. He deserves better than that."

Perry hopped into his car, fighting the urge to turn around. He drove all the way to his building, all the time gripping the wheel like a stress ball. Once parked outside he breathed a sigh of relief. It was all over, he had made his decision. Stick with Jordan, the women who loved bits and pieces of his personality when it suited her, and the kids.

He grabbed his cell phone from the passenger seat, only just noticing there was a voice message. Figuring it was probably from Jordan, Perry checked to see what she wanted. However, the moment some sad breathing hit his ears, he realised his first thought had been wrong.

"Perry, I'm just calling you to say that I won't be hanging around anymore. I don't know why I kissed you. I guess I just hoped....Either way, I can't regret doing it because…well you know...I guess you don't have to think of any more girls names to call me, right? Just remember that even though it's best we avoid each other from now on I still…I'll always... you know. Bye Perry. I'm sorry."

The chief hung up the message, staring at his phone for a while afterwards. It was the moment he always claimed to wish for. JD was going to stay away from now on. No more annoying chinless face, smiling and begging for approval and affection.

But the feelings that he usually associated with the moment were nowhere to be found. Instead he felt a sense of sadness and to a lesser extent fear. His heart was sinking, possibly even breaking. He tried to imagine his life without JD, but this time it was a failed attempt. The smiling face and sparkling eyes kept coming back, haunting Perry's thoughts.

Perry looked up at his apartment building. Suddenly the confusion he felt at the park washed over him once again.

JD curled up on his couch, staring at the blank television. He cursed himself for being such an idiot. Going back through the events in his head, JD tried to work out why he was naïve enough to believe the card was from Perry. The older doctor had rarely shown him friendship, except when it was absolutely nessesary, yet somehow JD believed he would show true love.

He sighed and turned his attention to the ceiling. Perry was likely with Jordan right now. Even couples like those two were bound to be doing something on Valentines Day. The thought of Perry and Jordan had never bothered him so much before, he had made peace with it. But after kissing the older doctor suddenly the thought of Jordan's hands exploring Perry's skin shook JD to the core.

It maddened him to the point where he had to punch a couch pillow. Jordan had left when times got tough, while JD stuck through with the man no matter what. She could never respect Perry like he did, nobody could.

He'd never made any attempt to hide how much he liked Perry. JD always made sure that his mentor and friend knew that there was someone looking out for him. What he had hidden, even from himself, was the fact that he really loved Perry. Caring was easy, sneaking hugs was somewhat fun in the challenge but really loving was hard.

Finally bringing himself to a sitting position, JD nearly fell back down when there was a knock at his door. For a flickering moment, he fantasised about it being Perry. A hurt laugh escaped his lips when he realised that there was no chance it was going to be. No doubt Perry was going to take the "pretend this never happened" route and they really wouldn't interact at all. The thought of not being able to talk to Perry made JD's chest tighten to the point where he winced.

The knock sounded again, breaking JD out of his heartbroken trance. A part of him didn't want to answer, but the other part was desperate for some kind of human company. So JD headed to the door and opened it for his visitor.

"Perry? What are you-"

A finger was pressed to JD's lips, effectively silencing him. Perry stepped into the other man's apartment and shut the door behind him. His eyes met JD's and he knew in that moment his decision was the right one.

"No talking." Perry stated simply before cupping JD's face.

For the second time that night, the two doctor's lips met. Only this time, it was JD's turned to be shocked. But it didn't take long for the younger man to kiss his desire right back, wrapping his arms around Perry and pulling him into the sweet kiss.

Still in a lip lock, the two fumbled their way over to the couch. JD eased Perry down onto the cushions. When he did so, the older man pinned him down. They continued to kiss more passionately, allowing their tongues to join in, relishing in the moment and deepening their kiss. JD slid his fingers up into Perry's hair, while Perry's hands had trailed to JD's waist.

Perry eased off the making out with a few light kisses to JD's soft lips. He looked into his Newbie's face, still unable to believe what he was finally doing. Sliding a hand up, Perry stroked the younger man's cheek softly, coaxing a smile from JD.

"You came back." The younger man said with a soft breath.

"I don't know what I'm doing here. I shouldn't be here." Perry whispered, dropping his head briefly before resuming eye contact with JD. "What you did tonight…JD you really messed things up."

"I told you that I'd stay away." JD touched the hand still caressing his cheek. "I don't want to hurt anyone, especially not you."

"I know, Newbie." Perry pressed his forehead to JD's briefly. "Your heart was in the right place."

"But everything was fine until-"

Perry silenced JD again, brushing his thumb over the lips. He smiled as JD used the opportunity to kiss it lightly. It was official. There was no turning back now.

"You and I both know it wasn't fine. We just pretended it was. Some more than others." He slid off JD and sat up on the couch. "I can't turn away and I don't want you to stay away. I don't want to think about a life without you in it. I know for years I haven't been the best for you, but now everything is different. I didn't want to acknowledge these feelings, but now I have to. You made me."

JD touched Perry's arm, stroking it gently. He knew the older man was going through the motions, much as he had been doing since his impulsive kiss. Knowing how confusing it was, JD had to make sure that his potential lover was comfortable.

"Do you want a drink or something?"

Perry shook his head, turning to JD and roughly pulling him close. "Get over here, Newbie."

JD allowed his arms to slide back around Perry to comfort the older man. For a few minutes they sat in silence, taking it all in. Letting all the feelings finally come out into the open.

"Are you going to be okay?" JD's head found its way onto Perry's shoulder, snuggling in there.

"I don't know." Perry replied, petting JD affectionately. "All I know is that I can't forget what happened and hell, I don't want to either. I don't know what it is about you but – I love you."

JD perked up, unable to believe what he just heard. "What?"

Perry shot him a look. "Don't make me repeat it right now."

"Okay...I love you too."

Perry took JD's hands and eyed him seriously. "You do realise that you still drive me so crazy that I'm probably going to kill you for making me do this."

JD nodded but giggled, running his thumbs over Perry's knuckles. "I know."

Perry continued, though this time his words were genuine. If he was going to finally risk it all and really be with his Newbie, he had to know that the one he loved was in it for the long haul.

"It's going to be a bit rough at first. I have to sort everything out with Jordan and the kids. Then there is everyone at work." Perry pressed his forehead to JD's, shutting his eyes. "Now that I have you, leaving is not an option. So JD if you're really going to be with me, you're going to have to man up and deal with everything. If you can't handle that-"

This time it was JD who silenced Perry, but with a gentle, loving kiss. "I haven't left you yet Perry and I never will. I know it's going to be a rough road for a little bit but, if you haven't noticed, you're talking to the guy who's never stopped trying to hold you."

"Ain't that the truth." Perry chuckled, realising that every word from JD's mouth was laced with honesty.

"There is nothing that you can do to me that would make me want to leave you. I love you and I'm in too deep now. Besides, you and me, we're destined Perry. Destined!"

"Oh god, I'm in love with a man who says cheesy things." Perry pinned JD to the couch, letting out a low growl. "What the hell have you gotten me into?"

"Come here and find out."

JD beckoned Perry back into their passionate making out, where everything that the couple would have to face together seemed miles away. In that moment, there was only the two of them and the Pandora's Box of love that had finally been opened.

NOTE: Who knew I'd actually start writing JDox stuff again. Well, here's another one. Can't say whether or not I'll do anymore but if the inspiration strikes me then, maybe :-) Anyway, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.