Mark Sloan yawned, then closed his locker. It had been a long shift at the hospital and an even longer week, so he was looking forward to heading home for a good night's sleep.

It had been the hottest week in years and they'd had the cases to prove it. A near endless stream of heatstroke, sunstroke, respiratory problems and more had come through the doors of Community General's ER department. That, combined with three doctors out on sick leave, had left everyone working extra shifts.

He headed for the staff room, intending to grab a cup of coffee to keep him awake long enough to make it home in one piece, and was surprised to find his prot‚g‚, Jesse Travis, face down at a table, sound asleep. Mark winced at the angle of the young man's neck, then glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Jesse," he said softly, shaking the sleeping doctor's shoulder. "Your shift ended nearly an hour ago. You should be at home. In bed."

Jesse moaned and shifted slightly. "Tired," he mumbled, then was asleep again.

Mark considered the problem while he drank his coffee. Jesse had been working even longer than he had and it showed. Certainly, the young doctor couldn't be trusted to get himself home, even if a cab was called for him. And knowing Jesse, he wouldn't sleep long enough before a sense of duty had him running to check on BBQ Bob's, the restaurant he co-owned with Mark and his son.

In fact, Mark knew of only one way to make sure that Jesse would get the rest he so desperately needed, and that was to take the young man home and see to it personally.

Decision made, he rinsed out his mug and put it on the drying rack, then went to shake Jesse's shoulder again. "Jesse, you need to get up," he said gently.

"Nuh-uh," was the mumbled reply, making him smile fondly. Jesse sounded like a little boy when he was tired, younger than his years.

Not giving up, Mark grabbed Jesse under the arms and physically hauled the man to his feet. His back didn't like it much, but it was the only way. Then he guided him towards the door.

Jesse didn't fight him, but he never opened his eyes and Mark wasn't sure that he even really woke up enough to be aware of his surroundings before Mark eased him into the passenger's seat of his car and buckled him in. After that, he was completely dead to the world again.

Chuckling softly, Mark climbed behind the wheel and put the car into motion.

* * * * *

Jesse was *still* out of it by the time Mark pulled into the driveway. Mark got out, headed around to the other side of the car and opened the door. "Jesse," he said. "We're home. Time to go to bed."

This time, with the promise of bed, it took less effort to get Jesse upright and moving towards the door. Mark leaned him against the wall while he used his keys to unlock the door. Then he steered the young man inside.

Mark headed for the stairs that led down to Steve's rooms, and for the first time, Jesse opened his eyes, blinked and looked around. "Not home?" he said, sounding a little confused.

"Yes home," Mark said. And it *was* home. His home, to be precise.

Jesse frowned. He could see the young man returning to alertness. "Um, is there something wrong with my place?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Then why am I here?"

"Because," Mark said, "if you sleep here, I'll *know* you've gotten enough rest."

"You don't trust me?"

Mark considered the wounded expression for a moment, but wasn't blind to the amusement twinkling in the back of those still sleepy eyes. "In this? Not for a second."

Jesse smiled wryly. "Busted," he said, then raised a hand to cover the huge yawn that he couldn't quite suppress.

"Enough," Mark said, yawning himself. "Let's get you into a bed before you fall over."

Jesse was halfway down the stairs before he protested again. "I can't sleep down here," he said, stopping suddenly.

"Why not?" Mark asked patiently.

"Because this is Steve's place."

"He won't mind. I'm sure."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Then where is *he* going to sleep?"

Mark gave him a tiny push to get him moving again. "If you weren't so tired, you'd remember that he was loaned to the feds for a case in San Francisco. He won't be home until next week." And as he recalled, Steve'd had some pretty caustic things to say about that, the feds and his Captain as he'd packed his bags.

"Oh. Right."

They'd finally reached the bedroom and Mark was relieved to find wasn't in too bad of shape. Steve had cleaned and it even looked as if he'd changed the sheets on the bed before leaving.

Jesse sat down on the edge of the bed and started to fumble with the laces of his shoes. When the first one hit the floor, Mark decided that Jesse could handle the rest on his own and went in search of his *own* bed. After all, Jesse wasn't the only one who was exhausted.

* * * * *

Jesse's brief moment of wakefulness was fading fast as he undressed. He couldn't remember *ever* being this tired before, even back during his university days when all-night study sessions had been the norm.

When the last of his clothes were dumped in an untidy pile on the floor, Jesse pulled back the covers and crawled into bed. This was nice, he thought to himself. He hadn't had the time or energy lately to wash clothes, clean his apartment or even make his own bed.

The bed, though, was large and comfortable, with sheets that were crisp, cool and clean. And as he dropped his head onto one of the huge, fluffy pillows, he imagined that he could smell a hint of Steve's favorite aftershave on them.

He fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

* * * * *

It was nearly midnight when the cab carrying Detective Steve Sloan pulled up in front of the beach house that he shared with his father. Unsurprisingly, the building was dark.

Steve got out of the air-conditioned car and immediately broke into a sweat. Despite the late hour, it was so hot and muggy that he had trouble breathing the thick air. The driver pulled his suitcase out of the trunk of the car and he pulled out the money for the fare, then waited while the driver printed out the receipt for his expenses. In the meantime, Steve stifled the urge to yawn. He hadn't slept in nearly forty hours and he just didn't have the energy for it.

It had been nearly two weeks since his Captain had ordered him to pack his bags when a case he was working on turned out to be tied into a federal case, and if they hadn't caught a lucky break he'd still be in San Francisco.

It hadn't really been *that* bad, though. Along with everything else, he'd been acting as liaison between the feds and the local cops. The head of the SFPD's Special Investigations Unit in particular had been quite the character. Steve had gotten along well with the man. The feds were a different matter, but then they usually were. But he'd missed his home, his partner, his father and his friends. Phone calls hadn't been enough, and between his work and theirs, they'd been pretty damn sporadic.

But now he was home. He'd get a good night's sleep -- and day's, at this point -- then an evening with the people he cared about. Maybe dinner at BBQ Bob's. After than, he would be feeling more like himself again.

Steve unlocked the front door and went inside. He dropped his suitcase next to the door, then his jacket and holster -- not very secure he knew but he was too tired to care -- on the sofa and headed for the kitchen.

The fridge was surprisingly bare for the Sloan household. Things must have been really hectic if his father, the original health nut, hadn't found the time to buy groceries. Steve grabbed the jug of orange juice and shut the door. A moment later, the now- empty jug was sitting on the kitchen counter and he was headed for bed.

He didn't bother turning on the lights when he got to his own space. There wasn't much point since they would just need to be turned off again within minutes. Instead, he stripped down to skin in the dark, and crawled into his oh-so-welcoming bed.

He closed his eyes with a happy smile, pulled the other body close and went to sleep.

* * * * *

It was nearly noon by the time Mark woke. It left him with barely enough time to shower and dress before heading back to Community General for his next shift. He felt better for the night's sleep, but was very, very glad that he was up for two days off after this shift. He'd finally have the chance to do some of the housework and shopping that he'd let slip.

Jesse, on the other hand, was off until the next day. He planned to check that the young man was still asleep, then leave a note telling him to make himself at home, assuming that he woke up at all that day.

After showering and getting dressed in what were probably his last clean clothes, all Mark needed was something to eat to make him feel completely human. He headed for the kitchen, trying to remember if there was *anything* edible left there.

Something tugged at his mind, though, setting him on edge as he passed through the living room, but he put it down to lingering fatigue. Then he stopped in the kitchen doorway, his forehead furled in puzzlement. He could have sworn that he had a not quite empty jug of orange juice in the fridge, but there was an empty one sitting on the counter.

Oh well, he thought to himself. Maybe Jesse had woken up thirsty in the night.

The bread in the keeper was only slightly stale, so Mark made some toast and washed it down with the last of the milk. Thankfully the milk was still a few days short of the best before date.

Still, the cupboard was definitely bare. He grabbed the list he'd been keeping from the fridge and checked it. He added a couple more items, then tucked it into his pocket. There was an all- night grocery he could stop at on his way home.

Note to Jesse written and posted on the refrigerator door, Mark headed for the door. He was still hungry, but he decided to stop on the way to the hospital.

Then he stopped in his tracks, finally noticing what had been bothering him earlier. In the corner, near the door, was a suitcase. A very *familiar* suitcase. One that should have still been in San Francisco. Turning around slowly, he saw the jacket, barely visible from his position on the sofa, and he grinned in delight. Steve was home.

Then his grin faded again as he realized what that meant. Steve was home, but he'd put Jesse to sleep in Steve's bed, so where was Steve?

A check downstairs answered that question. Steve was in his bed. With Jesse. And while that could be attributed to not wanting to kick a friend out of bed in the middle of the night, the way they were tightly entwined made Mark's eyebrows climb up towards his hairline.

He shut the bedroom door softly, then tiptoed back upstairs again. He could have woken them, suggested that Jesse take *his* bed while he was at work, but there didn't seem to be much point. They looked quite comfortable where they were.

But, he thought wickedly to himself as he locked the front door behind him, he wished he could be there to see what happened when they woke up. It would probably be... interesting, to say the least.

* * * * *

Jesse drifted in that lovely place you went to when you were waking up but still partly in the dream realm. He felt fully rested for the first time in nearly two weeks and it was wonderful. It also left him wondering just how they'd kept the hospital emergency room running without any accidents due to fatigue. On the other hand, they'd had no choice. Medical emergencies didn't stop happening just because a few doctors got sick. They had to keep going or shut down the hospital altogether.

However, Richardson was supposed to be back that day and the other two by the weekend, so life was finally going back to normal. Or at least what passed for normal at Community General.

Still not ready to open his eyes and admit to the world that he was awake, Jessed turned over, then froze as he was pulled a little closer to the large, warm body that was wrapped around him. Eyes still shut, he frowned and tried to remember who might be in bed with him.

He hadn't been seeing anyone regularly since breaking up with Susan, one of the nurses at work and a prime example of why dating co-workers wasn't a good idea. For that matter, though, the last time he could remember being in bed with someone this much larger than himself was university. Claire had been an Amazon of a woman who could break him in two without working up a sweat. He still missed her. As for Peter... Well, if Peter ever turned up in his bed again, he'd kill the bastard with his bare hands. Peter had been his last male lover and had dumped him in the most unpleasant way possible, leaving nothing behind but a lot of bad memories.

Jesse finally decided that there was only one way to find out just who he'd ended up in bed with and cracked his eyes open. Once they'd adjusted to the late afternoon light filling the room, he opened them completely and found himself nose-to-nose -- or more nose-to-chin -- with Steve Sloan.

Now he was wide awake. He felt like he'd been drenched by a bucket of ice-water. Now he remembered Mark bringing him home and putting him to sleep in Steve's room. He *also* remembered Mark telling him that Steve wasn't expected back for at least another week. So why was Steve here and how did he get *out* of the bed without embarrassing himself? Especially considering the fact that he was naked, had a morning -- or afternoon -- erection and a bladder that needed emptying, and fast.

Steve seemed pretty deeply asleep. There were dark circles under his eyes and signs of strain on his face. He'd talked to Steve on the phone a couple times while he was in San Francisco. While the man hadn't been allowed to talk about any details, he'd sounded frustrated by the case and even more so by the Feds he had to work with.

Jesse reached up and used a finger to smooth the lines between Steve's eyes, then froze when he realized what he'd just done. Luckily, Steve didn't wake up. However, the lines did disappear. The big guy sighed and smiled, then relaxed into an even deeper sleep.

Taking that as his cue, Jesse started to wriggle away. It wasn't that he minded his position: he'd forgotten how nice it could be to be held by someone larger and stronger than himself, and it was even better having Steve be that someone. Steve was his best friend, and if he were honest about his attraction, hot as hell.

Unfortunately, he *really* needed to go to the bathroom. Steve, however, didn't seem interested in letting go. He grumbled in his sleep and clutched Jesse a little closer, letting the smaller man know that he wasn't the only one with a morning erection. He couldn't see it under the covers, but he could definitely feel it pressed against his hip. It felt a little short, considering the man's height, but thicker than average.

Jesse gasped as one of Steve's hands then the other moved down to grab his ass. He was pulled even closer and Steve started to knead his ass. Steve's hips were rolling in a lazy, sleepy motion and he buried his nose in Jesse's hair.

"Jesse," he sighed happily.

Jesse jumped at the sound of his name coming from the sleeping man. The sudden movement made Steve's hands stop their pleasant - - and very arousing -- movements. "Jesse?" he said again, only this time he sounded a little more awake.

"Yeah?"

Steve's eyes opened and he stared down at Jesse with an expression of horrified shock that might have been hysterically funny if the situation weren't so... critical. Jesse wanted to reassure the man that everything was fine, but his bladder had reached the point of imminent explosion. "Bathroom," he said in a very strained voice. Steve immediately let go of him and he shot out of the bed, heading for that blessed room at a run.

He made it just in time. He moaned in relief as he let loose with a yellow stream that felt like it was never going to end. He couldn't remember *ever* needing to go that bad. On the other hand, a glance at the clock ticking on the window sill told him that he'd been asleep for nearly twenty hours.

Finally, the stream slowed down and stopped. He gave himself a shake to get rid of the last few drops, then realized that he'd run into the bathroom still naked. He grabbed a towel off the rod and wrapped it around his waist.

Not sure that he was ready to face Steve quite yet, he moved over to the sink and washed his hands while he peered at his reflection in the mirror. He still looked tired, he noted, but not quite as bad as what he'd been waking up to for the last week. He splashed some water on his face, then used a finger and some of Steve's toothpaste to clean the worst of the fuzz from his teeth.

That done though, he didn't have any excuse to stay where he was. Sure, he could take a shower, but that wouldn't be fair to Steve. The poor guy was swinging in the wind out there. So now what. Did he go out there and pretend that nothing had happened?

Jesse stared at his reflection, considering that, then laughed. Hell no! If there was any chance that Steve wanted him, he was going to grab it. Suddenly it looked like the object of several years of lustful fantasies wasn't quite as unattainable as he'd thought. Assuming, of course, that what had just happened wasn't just an aberration. Maybe Steve was just having a weird dream, one that he would *never* consider acting on.

Nah, he wasn't going to think that. Sure, he might be about to make a fool of himself, but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. The trick was to think positive. He straightened up, checked to make sure that the towel wasn't going to fall off, at least not before he *wanted* it to, and left the room. Time to talk to the big guy.

He found Steve sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He'd pulled on a pair of sweatpants while Jesse was gone and their clothes had been picked up and carefully hung over the back of a chair.

"So," Jesse said, trying to sound casual. "I thought Mark said you weren't going to be back for another week?"

"That's what I thought too, last time I talked to him, but we caught a lucky break yesterday." He still hadn't looked up. The guilty look was almost cute on him.

"Well, you certainly won't find me... us complaining. We missed you," Jesse said brightly, trying to lighten the mood. He sat down next to Steve, bouncing lightly as his butt impacted the mattress, then leaned over to bump shoulders with the man. It was something he'd done before, although not while mostly naked in the man's bedroom, but this time Steve flinched.

"Jesse," Steve said, finally straightening up. "I am really, *really* sorry. I had no right to... to..." He stopped and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Jesse rolled his eyes. Slightly guilty was cute, but a guilt trip definitely was not. He'd only seen the other man on a guilt trip a couple of times before. It wasn't a pretty sight. "Give me a break," he said, putting a little acid in his voice. "You weren't awake and I'm sure you had no reason to expect to wake up with me in your bed. Heck, it wasn't exactly someplace I'd ever expected to be, but your dad apparently doesn't trust me to look after myself when I'm tired." He chuckled softly. "Actually, I like having someone worry about me like that."

Of course, God only knew what Mark would think if he knew what was going through Jesse's mind now. He scooted a little closer. "But tell me, do you usually moan my name in your sleep?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively while inwardly praying for all he was worth.

"Jesse..."

"Were you dreaming about me? Do you dream about me often?" Jesse lowered his voice into a husky -- well, as husky as he could get -- and seductive growl. Oh yes, he wanted to seduce Steve. Had wanted to since the day they met. He'd just never been able to work up the nerve to try before. Fatigue. It had to be the fatigue that was making him do this, even if he *had* just slept for most of a day.

"Jess..." This time the response was breathless. The sound was making him so hard that he felt like he was going to explode, and the look on Steve's face told him everything he needed to know. He might be making a fool of himself, but neither one of them was going to care.

"Do you dream about having me in your arms, naked and begging? Begging to be touched? Begging to be sucked? Begging to be fucked?" He moved to straddle Steve's lap, staring into his eyes. Steve's hands came up and waved in the air for a moment before coming to rest on his hips, holding him, not pushing him away.

"Jess..." This time it was more a moan than anything else, and Steve's blue eyes had gone dark. Jesse grinned in satisfaction, then grabbed the back on Steve's head to pull him into a hard kiss.

Steve's mouth was open and he took full advantage of it, exploring the man's mouth with gusto. He needed to brush his teeth, but that was okay. It was still *Steve*, and he was kissing Jesse back.

Finally, Steve got over his surprise. Jesse groaned as Steve pulled him tight and took over. Finally, he pulled away, gasping for breath, his fingers still tangled in the other man's hair. "Well, I guess that answers that question."

"Yeah. Now the question is, do you?"

"Dream of you? Think of you? Ever since I came to Community General and met you for the first time. Anyone ever tell you that you are seriously hot?"

"Anyone tell you that you are seriously cute?" Steve shot back.

He laughed, a little rueful. "You know, one of these days I'd like to be the one who's 'hot.'"

"Oh, don't worry. I think you're hot. *Seriously* hot. In fact, you're so hot I could fry an egg on your hotness. You're so hot-- "

Jesse was laughing by this point. It was a nice feeling, laughing with someone. Sure, he did it a lot with Steve and that was nice, but it was even nicer when pressed chest to naked chest with the man. "I'm so hot you should hose me down," he suggested, sitting down hard on the man's lap, grinding himself against Steve's erection.

Steve moaned, then grabbed his hips to stop his little lap-dance. "You are asking for it, you know," he said, practically nose-to- nose with Jesse.

"Yeah, I am," Jesse shot back. "So what do you plan on doing about it?"

Steve grinned. "I'm going to give it to you." A moment later, Jesse was flat on his back on the bed and his towel was flying through the air. Steve was on top of him, propped up on his elbows to keep from crushing him. The feel of Steve's cock pressed against his, separated by only the thin fabric of the man's sweatpants, was exhilarating, and Jesse bucked up against him. The only thing that would feel better would be if that well-worn barrier was gone.

"Get those off," he said harshly, reaching down to push the pants down over Steve's hips. When he couldn't push any further, he pinched the material between his toes and tried to pull them down that way. It didn't work very well, but Steve finally started to help, and the sweatpants quickly headed in the same direction that the towel had gone before it.

Oh yes. *Definitely* better without the fabric interference. Jesse's eyes almost rolled back in his head as Steve's cock slid against his, a dribble of pre-cum keeping the friction to just the right amount.

Then Steve was kissing him again, and if Jesse's hands hadn't been busy he would have pinched himself. It was all starting to seem too good to be true. Maybe he was still asleep, and this was all a dream brought on by overwork and the heat.

Then Steve zigged while Jesse zagged, and their noses collided. Hard.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

Nope. Not a dream. His nose was throbbing too much for that.

That last little bit of worry taken care off, Jesse decided it was time to stop thinking. Instead, he shifted to wrap one leg around Steve's hip to pull the man even closer. Steve responded with a sexy little sound that was half groan and half whimper, then started humping even harder. Jesse responded with his own growl and humped right back.

It was all so damned good that there wasn't any chance of it lasting long. Every inch of skin felt like it was tingling, and when climax came, it started at his toes and his hair, then worked its way from each end towards the center of his body. There, it all came together in what had to be the mother of all orgasms.

Dazed and completely limp, Jesse just lay there as Steve worked to his own orgasm. He wanted to help out, but he couldn't move to save his life. Instead, he lay there, twitching with every thrust from above, basking in the warm after-glow, until there was a gush against his groin and Steve's weight dropped fully on him.

A moment later, Steve rolled off of him, allowing Jesse the luxury of breathing. A corner of the sheets scrubbed against his still-sensitive flesh, cleaning away the fluids of two orgasms from his groin. Again, Jesse wanted to do something to help, but when he tried to move even a little bit, it was like his body was made of lead.

"You alright?" Steve asked, his voice sounding a little foggy too. His task finished, he collapsed next to Jesse.

"Oh, yeah," Jesse breathed, halfway asleep. Twenty hours of sleep obviously wasn't enough, since one orgasm was enough to knock him out again. In fact, his eyes were already shut, and he felt like he was floating on air.

"Good," Steve said, yawning. Then he tugged Jesse closer and wrapped his arms around him.

"Yeah," Jesse whispered. He snuggled a little closer and gave up the fight to stay awake.

* * * * *

When Mark got home, he was nearly as exhausted as he had been the night before. The only thing that had kept him going was the knowledge that the staff was back to full strength and that he had a whole weekend off. That thought had buoyed him through the drive home and the stop at the grocery on the way.

It took him nearly ten minutes to unload the groceries and put them away. For the first time in weeks, the kitchen was fully stocked. The house was silent. Steve and Jesse had probably woken up and gone out to their restaurant for dinner. However, Steve's suitcase was still sitting in the living room.

Mark considered the battered piece of luggage. Then he shrugged and picked it up. He would take it downstairs and put it into Steve's room before he headed to bed.

The door to the bedroom was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and leaned in to set the suitcase on the floor against the wall. Then he heard a soft snore and froze.

He turned his head and blinked in surprise. It seemed that Steve and Jesse *hadn't* gone out after all. In fact, they were in bed, curled around each other exactly the way they'd been when he'd left that morning. He could almost believe that they'd slept the entire day if it weren't for the heavy smell of sex in the air. Now *that* was a surprise. He hadn't realized that Steve was attracted to men.

Then an unexpected movement broke him out of his surprised daze. Steve's eyes were opened and he was watching him with a sleepy but worried expression. Mark didn't miss the way Steve's arms tightened protectively around Jesse. Nor did he miss how Jesse mumbled in his sleep and moved closer to Steve.

The smile was threatening to split Mark's face in two. He raised a finger to his lips, then waved at Steve. His son's expression relaxed, then his eyes closed again.

Mark backed out of the room and closed the door behind, careful not to make a sound. He tiptoed up the stairs before allowing the chuckles to bubble out of him. That morning he'd been thinking that he wanted to see their faces when they woke up and realized that they were in bed together. Now he was glad he hadn't.

But he was happy with the results, even if he was more than a little surprised. Jesse had been like a son to him since his arrival at Community General. And now... now he would be more like a son-in-law!

Mark laughed. He headed for the kitchen to start making dinner. His boys would be hungry when they woke up.

THE END