Just One Week, 7/9
Mar. 20th, 2011 08:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
damigellaBack to Chapter 6
Author's note and reminder: The whole fic was beta read amazingly well and fast by George Stark II, who corrected the language and saved me from some blatant OOC's. You can't imagine how much better it is because of that.
Chapter 7 Saturday evening
As soon as they were back on the interstate House called Cuddy.
“Hi. We're slightly late, but there's no traffic and I should be with you for dinner."
“Your sister is coming over with your mother? And they're spending the weekend?”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll see you Monday morning in the hospital.”
He snapped the telephone closed, sighed, and turned to Wilson. "Can I come and have dinner at your place? Mine looks quite depressing now that I mostly live at Cuddy's".
Wilson said “Sure” but didn’t smile back, keeping a concentrated expression while overtaking a huge truck which seemed to have trouble staying in its own lane.
********
Once they arrived, Wilson ordered pizza and beer, which they ate in front of the television, enjoying a General Hospital rerun together. That is, this is what House thought, until he noticed his friend’s deep, unbroken silence and untouched food. When the soap was over, he didn’t try to find something else, but switched off the television altogether.
Wilson was sitting on the couch not in his usual position, relaxed and close to him, but in a corner, muscles tense, not leaning on the couch with his back. He looked at Wilson’s eyes and just asked, “What’s wrong?”
A surprisingly long silence followed. Wilson didn’t look back at him, but rested his forehead on his palms. Finally a few words hesitatingly filtered out. “House... we have to talk.”
“About?”
“Last week. Us.”
“Last week is over and there's no such thing as us. We had a clear agreement and I expect you to keep your part of it."
Wilson clearly tried to calm himself down with a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry, House. You're perfectly right, of course. I should have refused from the beginning.”
“Why? Are you feeling very moral now, after all the times you committed adultery in the past? Or does it only count if it’s same sex? Or your boss is involved?”
“No. I should have refused because... because I love you. And as much as I enjoyed having sex with you, it wasn’t worth how much I suffer now at the thought that I was basically your... your... unpaid whore.” Wilson was obviously fighting tears. “I told myself that it was just one week, and that for one week I could pretend you were mine. Pretend Cuddy didn’t exist. That you loved me. I deserve no respect. Not yours, not Cuddy’s, and certainly not my own. I... I hate myself now.”
House felt guilty. He realized that Wilson had tried to say that before, that he would have understood if he had thought of anything else but his own selfish pleasure.
He moved closer, put an arm around his shoulders and forced himself to speak. “Wilson, you are not... a whore. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was… just sex. Fun. And it was just one week.”
Two brown eyes looked directly in his. “I only wish we could be together. That you would love me, not just want sex with me. Then it would be right. It would be beautiful.”
“It may not have been right but it was certainly beautiful. But I love Cuddy, and you know it and knew it. I just took what I felt I had a right to, but I'm otherwise a faithful partner.”
“I know.” Wilson paused. Then he asked, in a low voice: “Can we sleep in the same bed tonight? I... I won’t touch you. But I got so used to feeling your warmth near me.”
House nodded his assent.
Chapter 8
Author's note and reminder: The whole fic was beta read amazingly well and fast by George Stark II, who corrected the language and saved me from some blatant OOC's. You can't imagine how much better it is because of that.
Chapter 7 Saturday evening
As soon as they were back on the interstate House called Cuddy.
“Hi. We're slightly late, but there's no traffic and I should be with you for dinner."
“Your sister is coming over with your mother? And they're spending the weekend?”
“Okay, I got it. I’ll see you Monday morning in the hospital.”
He snapped the telephone closed, sighed, and turned to Wilson. "Can I come and have dinner at your place? Mine looks quite depressing now that I mostly live at Cuddy's".
Wilson said “Sure” but didn’t smile back, keeping a concentrated expression while overtaking a huge truck which seemed to have trouble staying in its own lane.
********
Once they arrived, Wilson ordered pizza and beer, which they ate in front of the television, enjoying a General Hospital rerun together. That is, this is what House thought, until he noticed his friend’s deep, unbroken silence and untouched food. When the soap was over, he didn’t try to find something else, but switched off the television altogether.
Wilson was sitting on the couch not in his usual position, relaxed and close to him, but in a corner, muscles tense, not leaning on the couch with his back. He looked at Wilson’s eyes and just asked, “What’s wrong?”
A surprisingly long silence followed. Wilson didn’t look back at him, but rested his forehead on his palms. Finally a few words hesitatingly filtered out. “House... we have to talk.”
“About?”
“Last week. Us.”
“Last week is over and there's no such thing as us. We had a clear agreement and I expect you to keep your part of it."
Wilson clearly tried to calm himself down with a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry, House. You're perfectly right, of course. I should have refused from the beginning.”
“Why? Are you feeling very moral now, after all the times you committed adultery in the past? Or does it only count if it’s same sex? Or your boss is involved?”
“No. I should have refused because... because I love you. And as much as I enjoyed having sex with you, it wasn’t worth how much I suffer now at the thought that I was basically your... your... unpaid whore.” Wilson was obviously fighting tears. “I told myself that it was just one week, and that for one week I could pretend you were mine. Pretend Cuddy didn’t exist. That you loved me. I deserve no respect. Not yours, not Cuddy’s, and certainly not my own. I... I hate myself now.”
House felt guilty. He realized that Wilson had tried to say that before, that he would have understood if he had thought of anything else but his own selfish pleasure.
He moved closer, put an arm around his shoulders and forced himself to speak. “Wilson, you are not... a whore. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was… just sex. Fun. And it was just one week.”
Two brown eyes looked directly in his. “I only wish we could be together. That you would love me, not just want sex with me. Then it would be right. It would be beautiful.”
“It may not have been right but it was certainly beautiful. But I love Cuddy, and you know it and knew it. I just took what I felt I had a right to, but I'm otherwise a faithful partner.”
“I know.” Wilson paused. Then he asked, in a low voice: “Can we sleep in the same bed tonight? I... I won’t touch you. But I got so used to feeling your warmth near me.”
House nodded his assent.
Chapter 8