Chapter Text
House didn't go home that night. Well, atleast not right away.
He instead drove straight to a bar. He walked out of his car and entered the place. Normally he'd go to the pub he always goes to which is pretty close to his apartment, since if he gets wasted at least he can walk home. But this time he didn't want to see the familiar faces, the familiar place, because it all just reminded him of all the times he went there with Wilson, how the bartender always asked Wilson to pay the tab and not him, used to House not having any money with him.
This time around, he had got some money though, well, it's another one of Hourani's things that he "borrowed", House was sure he won't mind. And if he did, well he'll just pay off the bet by helping out with a patient once in a blue moon.
A bell rang when he opened the door and he looked around the place. It was nice enough. The walls and the ceiling were made from dark wood, probably ebony, and the floor was just plain-old concrete. There were plants everywhere and the lamps were very yellow-ish, which House couldn't help but appreciate after the long hours he spent in the painfully white lights of the hospital. He was at least glad that compared to other hospitals, PPTH doesn't have asylum-like white walls and instead has wood.
He sat down in the barstool, groaning as his leg protested against the high seat, and he faced the bartender. The man was full of tattoos, he had ginger long hair and an equally ginger beard. He looked up at House and away from his hands, which were busy with cleaning a particularly pesky stain on a glass. House tried to give a smile, but felt himself fail.
"Is there anything I can get you?" asked the barman.
"Bourbon." requested House.
The barkeeper nodded and grabbed a bottle and a glass then poured out the bottle's contents. He slid it down underneath House's nose. House just nodded in response and downed the glass immediately. He slammed the glass down and gave the other man a look, which the guy understood and poured him another one.
After the fifth time, the barman extended his hand towards House and House, not really thinking twice, already drunk, put his hand in his.
"The car keys man, not your hand in marriage." said the man and laughed.
"Sure" responded House as his hand went to dig into his pocket, from which he pulled out his keys. "But be careful, I've got my house keys there too and I'm not planning on sleeping out in the street" said House a little slurred as he downed another shot.
"How'd you know I drove here anyway?" after a few seconds House asked.
"I saw you pull up, man." responded the barman with an air of annoyance.
House just hummed in response.
"I haven't seen you here before. And you look like a regular drinker. What brought you here and rather, what drove you away from your usual place?" asked the bartender curiously.
"Can't a man just drink in peace without being interrogated?"
"Excuse me for being curious." said the man as he held his hands up innocently.
House sighed. "I just don't want a certain someone to find me, though I'm not even sure if he's looking for me. He always used to, but I fucked up and now he might no longer care" he confessed.
"If he's a good friend, I'm sure he cares."
"I wish he wasn't." and he downed another glass.
"Is that why you're in such a sour mood?"
"I've been in a sour mood even in my mother's womb" he attempted at a joke
"Does he not reciprocate your feelings then?"
"...Yeah."
"Damn, that's rough, man."
"Yeah.."
"–ggot," House perked up as he heard a voice say from afar.
He noted two men talking to his left, sitting at a table a few feet away from the bar, both looking at him and laughing under their noses.
"What'd you say?" House almost shouted, standing up and momentarily hissing at the pain.
"I said, you're a faggot." one of the men said as he stood up too and walked over, until they were almost chest to chest.
"Takes one to know one."
He didn't realize anything happened until he found himself on his butt on the floor, hands supporting him from the back and as he looked down he noticed blood dripping from his nose on his shirt. The man stood in front of him, fist bloody. House stood up, not caring about the pain and in retaliation he threw a punch back. A few fists were exchanged, it was all in a haze for House though, probably shouldn't have drunk so much. Before he knew it, it was over, and he sat back in the barstool while the bartender escorted the other man outside. Serves him right.
"-nyone to call?" House heard the barman say but only responded a few seconds later, as he realized the question was aimed at him.
"Huh?"
"Do you have anyone to pick you up, anyone to call? 'Cause I'm not giving you your car keys back, especially not in this state."
"Yeah" House said as he pulled out his phone and as he was about to dial Wilson, he thought better of it. Instead, he called Cuddy.
Cuddy arrived a few minutes later, irritation and drowsiness apparent in her features.
"House, what'd you do?" she said as she entered the bar, walked over to him, heels clinking on the concrete floor, and inspected his face with a hand on his jaw.
"Nothing." he defended.
"Alright, c'mon, let's get you home" she pat him on the shoulder and turned to the bartender for House's keys. House pulled out Hourani's mangled money and put it down on the counter. "Thanks." he said.
They walked out and went into House's car, Cuddy sitting down in the driver's seat.
"What about your car?"
"I can come back for it later," she said, voice tired, as she turned the car on. They rode a while in silence until Cuddy spoke up:
"What's up with you and Wilson?"
"Nothing's up with me and Wilson."
"House." Cuddy warned sternly.
"Okay, fine. Um, I may or may not have confessed that I have the hots for him."
Cuddy's jaw slightly slackened. She looked over briefly at him and then back at the road. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. House wasn't sure what to read from that response, alcohol coursing through his body, making his deduction skills lack in their usual speed.
"Okay.." she said with hesitation, clearly processing his words.
"Okay?" he repeated.
"And how did he respond?"
"I, I'm not sure. He said he's not homophobic, I think."
"Yeah but did you actually talk about his feelings too or did you just drop the bomb on him and leave before you could get an answer?"
"I-"
"You both need to talk. Properly."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"God, stop being such an idiot. You're the one who always complains whenever someone's acting like an idiot. Talk. To. Him. You hypocrite."
"Mom~" House said, all high-pitched, prolonging the word like a kid would.
After that, Cuddy didn't utter another word. She parked the car and threw House his keys, then she got a taxi for herself.
House opened the door to his apartment and took a deep breath. Ah, nothing beats the smell of home- the musk mixed with alcohol and chinese takeout rotting in the trash. He went over to the bathroom and finally looked at himself in the window. Huh, it's not even that bad. Just a slightly broken nose and a few bruises, but nothing serious. He undressed and took a bath. Then he rubbed in some cream he found near the sink into the wounds, wincing at the touch and went to bed, shimmying in his sheets, content at finally being in his bed after this tiresome day. Also because for the first time in a while he could go to sleep without excruciating pain coming from his thigh, and instead with pain that's all over his body, mostly masking the leg. Atleast it's a change. He fell asleep in a few seconds flat.
He felt like he was a teenager again, skipping school to go out with his friends, getting into fights with everyone over everything, buzzing and bursting with hormones, drinking alcohol to seem more mature and coming back late at night to his mom, who then tended to his bruises from the fights and always insisted he eat and drink some water.
Wilson woke up at 4am, his alarm clock still ringing, as he dragged his hand onto his nightstand and turned it off.
He stood up, stretching and peeling the curtains back to look at the still asleep world. He took a long shower, brushed his teeth, used dental floss afterwards, then dried his hair and brushed it meticulously. He made himself coffee with pancakes for breakfast and packed a salad and a sandwich for work.
He thought of House and what he was going to say to him when he saw him. He knew House wouldn't arrive until 5 hours later, yet still he couldn't help but want to prepare. He can't afford to fumble again.
He tied his tie, put on his coat and walked out, turning his car on and putting on the radio. Normally he'd like to drive in silence, to mentally prepare for the day full of sick and dying people, full of dealing with House, but this time he felt himself unable to sit alone with his thoughts.
Wilson clocked in at around 5am, nodding at and making small talk with the nurses, some just coming off the night shift, some still just getting settled in.
He made his rounds, greeting each and every one of his patients, of course skipping the ones who were still asleep until later. Then he unlocked his office and settled down, getting right down to the paperwork, that there was always more than enough to fill, being the department head and all.
Hours upon hours passed him by, and as he looked at the clock, he jumped from his desk as he saw it's 9am. House's fellows should be in by now.
Wilson walked in House's office
"We should get him on the IVIG." said Chase, hair slicked back, already in his white coat.
"And plasmapheresis" added Cameron, looking at a file through her black glasses she only wore sporadically.
Foreman was in the middle of taking his coat off, clearly having just arrived, and was listening intently, eyebrows furrowed. Then he took notice to Wilson's presence and was shortly followed by the other members of House's fellowship.
"Hey." greeted Wilson.
"House isn't in yet." stated Foreman, who chucked his bag next to the clothes rack and was putting on his hospital coat.
"No, I know." Wilson responded, making it seem as if he's about to say something more, but when he doesn't, Cameron started to speak.
"I don't mean to be rude, but then why are you here?"
"I'm actually not sure myself."
"Does it have anything to do with the fact that House told you he'd like to do you?" said Foreman with a smirk.
"Wha- he- what?! No! Wait, he told you about that?" Wilson spluttered, cold sweat running down his spine.
"Nope, but you just did." said Foreman fully grinning at Wilson. "Told you." he raised his hands and turned to Chase and Cameron, who just sighed deeply with disappointment. "Fess up" he told them, as he reached out his hand and with dejected expressions, they both handed him $200.
"Wait, you bet on your boss's love life?" asked Wilson, discombobulated.
"I knew something was up with the way he looked at you, so I made a bet, which these two morons signed up for, because they thought it was all part of your elaborate game of gay chicken. I was even more sure House actually confessed something by the way he's been acting recently. Simple math."
Wilson, with still his mouth slightly ajar, took a deep breath, steeled his looks and walked out rapidly, deciding to do clinic duty until House arrived. He needed a minute to process all this anyway.
As he was on the first floor in the clinic, taking a patient's file from the nurse at the front desk, Cuddy approached him from behind and tapped him on his shoulder. Wilson almost jumped out of his skin.
"Heard what happened with House," she started.
"Oh I'm not falling for that again, you're not getting money betting off of my life" Wilson turned and rolled his eyes at Cuddy, who gave him a strange look.
"What?"
"Foreman placed a bet about House and me."
"It wouldn't be the first time. The more time he spends around House, the more he's becoming like him, even if he doesn't realize it." Lisa paused for a second then continued "Did you know that House got absolutely wasted and got into a fight in a bar in the middle of nowhere yesterday evening? And I had to pick him up."
"I.. I did not." said Wilson, disappointed but not entirely surprised, since it sounded like something House would do.
"And he didn't call for you, as he usually would, because apparently he's deeply in love with you and you do not reciprocate."
"Hey, I didn't say I don't! He didn't let me talk!"
"I figured. So, you do then? Reciprocate?"
".. yes."
"God, then go tell that dimwit that."
"I was waiting for him to arrive to work."
"It's 1pm, he's not coming in." it was Cuddy's turn to roll her eyes.
"It-it's what?! 1pm already?! I'm going to his place right now." Wilson said, glancing at his watch and finding out that it is, indeed, 1pm, then he ran to his office, shucked off his coat and put on his outside coat, grabbed his bag, ran back down and passed by Cuddy, who shouted after him:
"Have a nice time!" with a grin.
House groaned as he inspected his nose in the bathroom mirror. I can probably set it right on my own, no need to pay money for it. He thought as he took a big breath. His fingers settled on both sides of the nose and he suddenly twisted it to the right. He shouted out "FUCK" as a crack could be heard and bam, nose fixed. It started to bleed a little, so he put some tissues up his nostrils and smiled at the mirror with a wink.
House spent the rest of the morning by playing video games and he ended up ordering some pancakes for his breakfast/lunch.
As he was sitting on the couch, a knock came on the door. He stood up, grabbing at his thigh and massaging it and then walked up to the door, opening it.
"You're not the hooker I ordered. Can I get a refund?" he joked as his eyes scanned the man before him.
"Ha ha, very funny House, can I come in?" Wilson fidgeted with his finger, and the fresh lack of a ring on it. House didn't notice it, probably still drowsy with the pain.
He didn't say anything, but moved aside to let Wilson in. Wilson quickly got inside, figuring he better get in before House changed his mind. Wilson looked the man over, his eyes landing on his nose.
"Very mature, getting into fights at bars." he teased.
"Did you come here just to lecture me? Because I've got enough of that from Cuddy yesterday."
"You know why I'm here." said Wilson cryptically.
"You-"
"No. This time I'm doing the talking and you just shut up. You confessed your love for me and ran away, you explained to me how you'd be okay with me abandoning you and you ran away. House, you're so self-absorbed, so self-centered, you didn't even take into account what and how I feel. So let me tell you, since you never gave me a chance." he looked into House's big sad blue eyes and continued,
"You are an absolute idiot."
"What?" House finally spoke.
"And I am too."
"..care to elaborate?"
"I'm in love with you too. I think I've always been in love with you, just didn't want to face it, so I went instead for any other person who'd give me love, hoping it would fill the hole only you could fill-"
"That's what she said." House interrupted, moving his eyebrows suggestively and grinning like an idiot.
"That's why I've been married three times and divorced three times." he said, supposedly ignoring House's comment, but still blushing a little.
"Divor- wait three times? You're getting a divorce with Julie?"
"Yes."
"Because of me?"
"Yes."
At that, House beamed and threw his cane to the ground, startling Wilson, and moved closer to him until he was pinning Wilson against the door. House grabbed at his cheeks, brushing his thumb over them, then looked him in the eyes, moved his head down and kissed him. The kiss was languid and chaste, which took Wilson by surprise, who was kind of expecting House to see kissing only as a means to an end. Wilson immediately kissed back, grabbing gently at the back of House's head and ruffling his hair.
"God, you don't know how long I've wanted this" Wilson says slurred and feels House smile against his lips.
"It's not God, the name's House"
"Shut up" Wilson said as he licked the other man's lower lip and deepened the kiss. House groaned into his mouth and pushed Wilson harder against the wooden door, the kiss turning more passionate each second.
Wilson moved his mouth down and started kissing House's cheek, jaw, neck, collarbone, then he pulled off and House whined at the loss of contact, cheeks reddening even more than they already were, clearly embarrassed by the sound he involuntarily made.
"Couch?" Wilson asked, panting, hot breath brushing House's skin, making him shiver.
House laughed. "Yeah, actually, I probably shouldn't have thrown away my cane, 'cause now you'll have to carry me, seeing as my knees are about to give out."
Wilson laughed back and threw an exasperated look. Nevertheless, he did exactly as House asked of him and hooked his arms under House's knees, carrying him bridal style.
"My hero." deadpanned House.
Wilson grinned devilishly and his lips met House's again, this time with more fervor and heat, knocking House's breath out of him as he threw him on the couch.
As they basked in the afterglow of their respective orgasms, cuddling and House's hand running circles around Wilson's stomach, Wilson spoke.
"Did you know Foreman put a bet on us?"
"Figured there might've been one."
"And you're okay with that?"
"He's learned from the best. Also, this reminds me, I need a few bucks to give back the money I stole from Hourani. He's supposedly pissed."
"When did that happen?"
"Yesterday. I didn't have money for lunch, so I stole his food and just in case of some emergency, some money too, which turned out to be useful since I ended up in a dire need to go to a bar that night."
"I see."
"By the way, I've been wondering," Wilson added.
"Hm?"
"That time you allegedly found my pager on the floor outside of your office, why didn't you just bring it to the front desk or just leave it there? You could've saved yourself the trouble and I know for a fact you're a practical man." inquired Wilson.
"Its beeping woke me from a nap, so I figured might as well see what the fuss was about."
"Beeping.. wait, you mean you saw Elean- I mean Ms. Smith that night?"
"Yeah, me and Eleanor had a fairly nice chat. She actually suggested that I should dick you down."
Wilson laughed. "She did NOT say that."
"Might have used different words, but I know that's what she meant in the end."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"About the dicking down? I suppose if I ha-"
"No, about you seeing Eleanor that night! I was worried she died with no one there to hold her hand, all alone, while I've been sauntering happily home without my fucking pager on me for the first time in my life."
"Well, it's not like I held her hand, so you were right about that. We just talked for a few minutes and oh, she said she wanted to thank you for everything, and I said I'd let you know, so, I guess now you know."
Wilson pushed him with his hips playfully. "Thanks for notifying me now, you bastard."
"Does that make the boy wonder big time oncologist feel a teensy weensy bit better about himself?" House teased.
"No, not really, just wish you'd told me sooner."
"Oh, come here." House tugged at his waist, pulled him up and kissed him.