'Those Eyes' (Derek Shepherd x Reader)

'beginnings'

"Go out with me." Derek says, letting go of your hand.

"What.-?" You look at him, a look of panic spreading across your face.

He picks his shirt up off the ground and slides it over his head. "You heard me. 8pm, tomorrow at Joe's?"

"I-. you're my boss." You reply.

"Yeah. I know. Go out with me." He blinks back.

"I.. can't. I'm sorry." You quietly mumble under your breath, your words barely audible, before turning and swiftly exiting the room.

You speed your pace down the hallway, the rhythmic thumping of your heart echoing in your chest. Eventually, you reach the tunnels, a communal space where residents gather for their lunch. Taking a seat, you urgently reach for your pager and dial Izzie's number, keying in "911" with a sense of urgency in the bustling atmosphere around you.

A minute passes, and then you witness her frantically darting through the tunnels, her face twisted in distress, as if a looming fear propels her hurried steps.

"You paged me 911?? What's wrong??" She pants.

For a brief moment, you remain perfectly motionless, your gaze fixed on the past moments and the empty space before you. You contemplate telling her about the sex part of it, and decide not to.

"He asked me out Izzie." You look up at her.

"Who?"

"Shepherd. Shepherd asked me out."

"Oh my god." She looks at you with a shocked expression. "What did you say? Did you say yes?"

"I just left the room. I didn't know what to do."

"You turned down a date with Dr. McDreamy?? Seriously??" She laughs.

All of a sudden, Cristina comes speeding down the tunnels; Meredith and Alex jogging quickly behind her.

Out of breath, Cristina turns to look at you.

"What're we talking about?"

You and Izzie turn to each other and turn back.

"Nothing." You say in sync.

You keep talking in attempt at changing the subject. "Where's O'Malley? Shouldn't he be here?"

Cristina sits down. "He's in the pit getting ready for the storm. That's what he gets for failing his exams last year." She chuckles and nudges Alex.

Meredith speaks up and hits Cristina playfully on the arm. "Don't be hard on him. You're an ass Cristina."

"The storm?" You ask in reply to Cristina's comment.

"The weather people forecasted a massive thunderstorm tonight. Happens all the time in Seattle." Izzie laughs.

Suddenly, your pagers go off.

"Ugh. Looks like they don't JUST want interns. I'll beat y'all to the pit!" Meredith yells as she pushes Alex out of the way and sprints up the hallway along with Izzie, you, and Cristina following.

You guys make your way into the pit and see a bunch of residents preparing. Left and right, they take towels, removing antibiotics from the locked cabinets so we can access them if the power goes out.

After helping, you realize that it's now 12:30am and decide to clock out for the night.

Maybe tomorrow will be different.

You go to the locker room to get your stuff and see Izzie in there.

"Heading home?"

"Yeah." You yawn.

"Same! Wanna walk out together?"

"Sure." You change and collect your stuff before walking out.

Arriving at the elevator, you reach out to press the button, glancing out the window. Lightning streaks the sky as the heavy rain patters on the sidewalk. As the elevator doors open, you see Derek, his hands casually leaned against the handles.

Fuck.

"Oh." Izzie smirks and looks at you. "I think.. I left something in the lounge."

Before your response forms, she swiftly runs away. You blink, processing the abrupt departure, and inhale deeply. You enter the waiting elevator, and as the doors close, you refrain from turning around, resisting the urge to glance back at him.

"Long day?" Silently, he moves closer, his steps purposeful as he positions himself just behind you.

"I guess." You respond, accompanied by the warm brush of his breath against the base of your neck.

His touch gently lands on your shoulders, his skilled hands tracing a soothing path up and down your arms. Pausing to breathe in the moment, you gather your thoughts before finally finding your voice.

"Derek.." You inhale and turn your head back. "I.." You meet his gaze, captivated by the allure of his bright blue eyes.

Before you can finish your sentence, the elevator jolts to a stop and every light goes out except one. Derek looks up at the elevator light that just turned off and moves away from you.

"What the hell?.." He groans while tapping random buttons on the elevator, as if he expects it to work. You start to panic and attempt to look through the crack of the doors just to see complete darkness.

"We're stuck between floors. They can't hear us. I can't be in here. WE can't be in here. I have to get out." You manage to let out between frantic breathes, trying not to fully freak out.

"Y/N," He says.

"What if we get stuck in here? What if they don't find us and the elevator stays like this?" Anxiety courses through you, and your hands start to fidget nervously in attempt not to break down in front of him.

"Y/N!," Derek grabs your cheek and looks at you.

"We're okay. You're okay." He clasps your hand in his softly while speaking.

You breathe in deeply, seeking calmness, and then exhale softly.

"I'm sorry.. I just-." You say, raising your eyes to meet Derek's.

His touch gently guides your face closer, your anxiety seeping away.  He deeply stares at you for a moment, his fingertip delicately tracing your lower lip, and with closed eyes, he leans in, allowing his lips to meet yours in a moment suspended in shared emotion.

You throw your arms up around his neck to pull him closer to you, and he wraps his hands around your waist. The kiss lingers for a minute, before you both pull away and rest your foreheads against each other.

"Derek.." You start to say.

The lights suddenly flash on and the elevator starts moving again. The sudden movements of the elevator makes you lose balance and Derek grabs your hips to stabilize you.

"We're moving!! Derek, we're moving!!" Your gaze meets his, and a giggle of excitement escapes you.

"We are,!" He looks back at you lovingly as the doors open.

Both of you walk to the lobby, and realize that it's still heavily raining. He walks you outside the hospital, and before you can walk away, he gently grabs your hand.

"Y/N," Derek says. "What does this mean?"