A new start
Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, I only write for fun.
Warnings: Spoilers for episode 8x21 "Holding on". Pre-slash.
I owe the inspiration for this fic to fleurione on House Wilson Livejournal.
I want to thank my beta TrenchcoatsAreSexy for her help and support. And any remaining mistakes are my fault, not her's.
House closed the door and followed his friend into the living room. That had been a hell of an awkward moment. Both had realized that something was different now, that their relationship had taken a new course, and that had made them uncomfortable with each other.
A few seconds before, he had been so close to giving Wilson what he had demanded in the car. In the end, he had deflected, as he always did, and he had confessed to Wilson that he loved him without having to do it. That had avoided more awkwardness for both of them, as Wilson's answer had shown him. He had sensed that his friend had felt relieved to avoid discussing what had happened in the car...
His line of thought was interrupted by Wilson speaking.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" House asked confused.
"You haven't answered my question, yet." Wilson looked at House with an amused expression. It wasn't often that he caught House so obviously distracted.
House didn't remember what the question had been. Was Wilson talking about the question of how they were going to start? How was he supposed to answer that? He shifted, feeling uncomfortable again. He looked at Wilson and noticed, to his surprise, he didn't seem uncomfortable at all. Had he been wrong about Wilson feeling as embarrassed as himself with all this new situation? Or was it that Wilson didn't see it as a change to their relationship? He tried not to show the disappointment he was starting to feel.
"Do you have Oreos or not? I don't think is such a difficult question to answer."
House felt relieved. It was clear that Wilson was deflecting as much as himself. Thus, he hadn't been wrong.
"Yes, I do," he answered smiling.
"Then, why you haven't brought them over here, yet?" Wilson asked.
"Hey! Cripple here, in case you've forgotten. You know where they are," House answered, still smiling, while he sat on the couch next to his friend.
"And a sick oncologist here. So I trump you. Therefore, you bring the Oreos." Wilson was also smiling, and that made House to yield. He knew that, before, he would have been obstinate about it until Wilson had gave up and went to the kitchen. But now...
"Okay, you're right, you win." He stood up and started going to the kitchen.
"Oh and bring two beers," Wilson added.
House turn around and looked at the oncologist, annoyed.
"How do you expect that I bring two beers and a box of Oreos with only one hand? Because perhaps you're forgetting that I need the other one for something else." House shook the cane on the air to make his point.
"Right. I bring the beers and you the Oreos. Deal?" Wilson said while thinking that House were far better than himself in exploiting his weakness. Of course, his friend had had years of practice.
"Deal," House agreed, and he turned back to hide the smile that threatened to blow up his fake annoyance. Of course he could bring all the things, but he wasn't going to be defeated at his own game.
HWHWHWHWHWHWHW
For two hours they'd been watching TV and drinking beers. There was only one Oreo left.
House left his beer on the table and reached for it, only to find that his friend had had the same thought.
For a few seconds, they kept holding the cookie. It wasn't that neither of them wanted to renounce to their prize. It was that while holding it, their fingers were touching. Barely, but they were touching and neither was willing to broke the contact. It was comforting in a way. But, after a while, the situation became awkward and House let go the Oreo.
"You can have it." The diagnostician hated how subdued his voice had sounded. He was expecting some snide comment coming from his friend, but it didn't came.
"Here." Wilson's voice was also very soft, and House realized that his friend was offering him half an Oreo when he looked into his eyes.
With a nod, he took the half-cookie. Again, their fingers touched, and House let the touch linger one second more than necessary.
After that, they resumed watching the TV, but they were both unusually quiet. Ten minutes later, House put his arm along the back of the couch. His forearm was very near Wilson's head, but he didn't quite touch him.
Wilson could feel the heat emanating from House's arm and for a moment, he wanted to move his head back to touch his friend's arm and to feel that heat even more. Suddenly, Wilson was aware that they were sitting closer than they ever had. That warmed his heart.
HWHWHWHWHWHWHW
A little past midnight, Wilson stretched and stood up.
"I think it's time I returned to the condo," he said, yawning.
"You can stay, Wilson. You know that." House really wanted Wilson to stay, but he wasn't going to ask for it.
"I'm tired, but..." He looked at the couch with a degree of wariness that was immediately understood by House.
"You can sleep in my bed." He offered after a little hesitation.
"No, House. You can't sleep on the couch. Your leg..." Wilson denied right away, only to be interrupted by his friend.
"I wasn't thinking on sleeping in the couch. But I warn you: if you try anything I'll have my cane next to my pillow." House hastened to add, when he saw that his surprised friend was going to argue. But even he could hear the lack of threat in his own voice.
HWHWHWHWHWHWHW
It turned out that it was being difficult to sleep with Wilson by his side. In a way, he wanted to reach out to him, to touch him just to feel him, remind himself he was alive. But on the other hand, it felt too intimate as it was.
Lately, they were getting closer and closer and that terrified him a little. Because if this kept going that way, he was sure they would get physical sooner rather than later. He wasn't only scared about the change that being lovers would brought to their relationship. No, it was a lot more than that. Losing Wilson-friend would be terrible, but losing Wilson-lover would break him completely. I don't know what I'm gonna do without you, he had said to the oncologist at the restaurant. If things went beyond this stage between them, he was sure he wasn't going to outlast Wilson for too long.
But he wasn't sure he could avoid the direction they were heading. He had restrained himself for this long, because he had always thought that Wilson could never see him as anything else as a friend. But after Wilson's request in the car, the diagnostician knew the last wall between them had fallen down. Self-restraint was getting harder and harder to achieve. He wasn't sure that the knowledge of the non-physical pain he'd endure after his friend demise, would be enough to avoid anymore the physical part of this new stage in their relationship.
He felt Wilson shifting and then their hands were touching again. House felt the heat radiating from his friend's hand to his own. The heat went up by his arm and reached his heart warming it. He didn't take away his hand.
Ten minutes later, House was sleeping.
"Goodnight, Greg," Wilson said softly before falling asleep.