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Just One Week, 7/9
Back 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
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By the way, what happened to the "sweet non-con"? Did you delete it?
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I'm not sure he's unbelievable. In the show he's faithful to Cuddy to the point of avoiding the happy ending with the masseuse, but the Tracy arc suggests he's not totally opposed to adultery. As for being shallow and an asshole, I think that's definitely IC, and I like him that way. And as far as I can tell he's not lying very much in this fic, except as far as the cheating is involved.
He's _not_ lying in this chapter.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
"Did you delete it?"
I deleted it now, leaving an ETA to keep the comments understandable.
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Cheating is lying. He did not lie to Wilson, right, but he is constantly to Cuddy here - the phone conversations are shudder-inducing ugly from that point of view. So far he seems not to be worth (as opposite to what Wilson said last episode for example, and imho) either Wilson's not Cuddy's love. Maybe that is what I miss in this story - I miss any description of a House who is worth anything (but being sexy in the eyes of two people), if I did not know the series I would think this a very ugly person (actually very Tucker-like). Just my perception! So my gripe is with how little you leave me to believe him to be a better man and it's depressing. But realistic. That is a compliment to your writing.
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I really, really didn't mean this to be self-sufficient. I expect readers to know what makes House love-worthy.
House is lying to _himself_. He has convinced himself that this one week is not cheating. As you can see by the fact that, now that the stay in Baltimore is over, he doesn't want to have sex with Wilson anymore. Illogical? Maybe. But as coherent as I could make it.
And I don't write well, but my beta reader does :-).
Thanks again for the time you took with this.
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Wilson is feeling too guilty himself to be angry at House. He has always felt to be the one responsible for House's (mis) behavior anyway.
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Exactly.
Everybody is angry only at House, but I feel this underestimates Wilson's free will. Wilson repeatedly chose to get along with House's idea. He could have reconsidered on Tuesday morning, or during the phone call from Cuddy on Tuesday after lunch.
What they did may well have been wrong, but they both chose to do it.
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I think you always have a choice, and you're responsible for your choices. House's behavior towards Wilson was devious but not dishonest. I think both of them should feel guilty towards Cuddy.
"I guess Wilson is feeling it would have been better to not know than to now be taunted by the memories."
A very good question, indeed.
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