Work Text:
𝙻𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 - 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚜𝚘𝚗
James Wilson recently received news that he has a Thymoma, cancer of the Thymus Gland. It was eating away at the Oncologist, ironic isn’t it. A doctor who spent his entire career treating cancer being diagnosed with the same type of disease, life is cruel that way.
The Head of Oncology made a decision, not to tell anyone about the prognosis. Not even House, whom he tells almost everything to—even though he knows the man he secretly loves will use it as blackmail.
He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life being looked at with pity, and he didn’t want to be forced to go through treatment that he knew would suck the rest of his life out of him. The broken doctor would do what he does best, focus on his loved ones, especially House.
Wilson knew that his change in behavior was noticeable, but taking care of his loved ones was his last wish as a dying man. However, James Wilson also knew that his strange behavior was a magnet to House, House would easily pick it up since the Diagnostician was attracted to all sorts of anomalies. Even though this type of behavior wasn’t unusual for the younger doctor, the strength, frequency, and urgency surrounding his savior complex was erratic.
As Wilson walked through the disinfected halls of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital House started to ask a bunch of questions to which Wilson kept silent. House was confused and began to worry about his friend; if the older doctor pushed enough Wilson would ultimately break down and spill his current internal conflict, but this time it wasn’t working. The Diagnostician tried everything, and he was stuck.
That was until Wilson’s cancer symptoms started to appear during work and social hours. House started to pay attention to the coughing, fatigue, and weight loss and ultimately started to piece things together despite Wilson trying to keep it secret.
𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐‘𝚜 𝚆𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 - 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎
House being a Diagnostician—and friends with an Oncologist—knew these were symptoms of cancer. But House didn’t know which type yet so he started to spend more time around Wilson to figure it out. It only took him two days to come to the conclusion that it was a Thymoma and that Wilson wasn’t getting any treatment. House hoped that Wilson wasn’t getting treatment yet because he didn’t know of the cancer but the Diagnostician knew better; Wilson knew and decided against the possible life saving treatment which shattered the emotionally constipated man’s heart. The man he loves is dying, and doesn’t even want to try to beat the disease.
So House shockingly didn’t push, he decided to pay more attention to Wilson, and even respect—some—boundaries. He allowed Wilson to choose which takeout the two would eat and etcetera.
𝙻𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 - 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚜𝚘𝚗
Wilson realized that House knew. The older man’s behavior changed and he became softer (which was a miracle). But House didn’t pester Wilson, Wilson got to continue pretending that everything was okay.
Over the next two months the two men got closer. They finally confessed knowing that there was nothing left to lose. So for the last days House and Wilson spent them like a couple would, curled up on the couch and stealing kisses from one another.
And when the impending death loomed over the Oncologist, House would sleep in the younger man’s bed making sure Wilson kept breathing and that his heart kept beating. When Wilson got too weak to walk by himself House would offer to help, and when Wilson couldn’t shower sitting anymore House helped. House even gave his last Vicodin to Wilson, the older man would rather be in pain than let his lover go through it.
Wilson was happy he got to pretend. Sure House still found out but it wasn’t mentioned. The young man spent his last moments doing what he loves most—taking care of his loved ones and spending time with them…Wilson was finally happy.