Title: Something Different
Fandom: House M.D.
Characters: Martha Masters, Robert Chase.
Summary: Just a little Masters centric story. Masters is depressed after what happens in "Out of the Chute" and Chase decides he wants to do something about it.
Disclaimer: I don't own House or anything affiliated.
Author's Notes: I've had this in my head for awhile. Set right after 7 x 16 "Out of the Chute" I tried to keep Masters and Chase in Character but it's hard to tell if I succeeded =).
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Masters slowly walked away from the patient's room, the sound of the door sliding shut cutting off her final farewell. Thinking back she couldn't believe what she had just done. It had taken her hours to work up the courage to ask him out.
Now it was no secret that Martha Masters wasn't the most socially adept person in the world and okay maybe she was a little nerdy and weird but he had smiled when she awkwardly flirted with him. She sighed remembering the uncomfortable silence that descended on the room after she asked him.
Always worried about others she made up the excuse of it being inappropriate because he was her patient to save him having to make up his own reason why he wouldn't want to go out with her. Its okay she told herself after all the only reason she was interested in him was because her prefrontal cortex was telling her what an amazing male specimen he was.
Yeah even in her own mind that sounded weak. Deep down she knew that for once she just wanted to try going out with the dumb pretty boy.
Who was she kidding though her considerable intelligence and social awkwardness has always put her at a disadvantage when it comes to relationships. She has always been two steps ahead of everyone else, being 13 and already in college meant she never got the chance to experience just letting loose, having fun and doing all the things other people took for granted.
Well the case was over she might as well pack up and go home. It was Friday so even though she wouldn't be going out at least she would be able to get some rest and forget about this case.
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It was Friday night and Dr. Robert Chase was getting ready to start his weekend. Foreman and Taub had already left arguing about where to go for dinner. He laughed thinking to himself how much of an old married couple they seemed to be acting like lately.
Just as he was about to grab his coat he watched as Masters came back to the office with her head down and a dejected expression on her pretty face. Whoa did he just say that Masters was pretty, well okay he thought not said it but yeah he did say pretty.
Taking the opportunity to look at her as she gathered her things he had to admit she was pretty, her fashion sense was a little odd and her shyness made it so that people tended to overlook her. At first her presence annoyed him. It was no secret he and thirteen were good friends and he was even a little attracted to her so when she left and this medical student took her place it annoyed him.
Masters always needed someone to supervise her, watch over her, and teach her which is not what he signed on to House's team to do. The more time he spent with her though the more she grew on him.
He sometimes wondered what she thought of him. Ever since Cameron he knew he had been a little out of control, sleeping with so many women, but it was just his way of coping. Interestingly he hoped she did not see him as a player. He wasn't sure why but he wanted her to think better of him.
He knew that she had a crush on their latest patient, with all the stuttering and awkward flirting it was hard to miss. He knew she had gone to the patient's room to wait for him to wake up. Going by the sad expression she must have asked him out and he shot her down. For some reason this thought angers him.
He wasn't sure when it happened but he had started feeling slightly protective of their young med student. He knew expressing feelings like that wasn't his strong suit and he sometimes kind of acted like a jerk to her but it was just his way of showing he cared.
Oh crap being a jerk as a way of showing that you care, he really has been around House too long.
He suddenly has the impulse to try and cheer her up. They have never really hung out outside of work and he's not even really sure what she likes to do in her free time. This could turn out to be a very big mistake but she has almost finished gathering her things so if he wants to ask it's now or never.
"Masters do you want to go for a drink"
His voices makes her jump, she had been so focused on getting her things and getting out of the hospital she had almost forgotten Chase was still there.
He is asking her out for drinks, he's never done that before so why now? Did he know what just happened, oh god she must look like a lovesick school girl. What is she going to do?
She realized she must have been standing there for too long just staring at him because Chase was again speaking.
"Look if you don't want to it's fine I just thought since I don't have any plans and I don't think you do either it might be fun."
Fun, he thinks spending time with her might be fun. Her heart starts beating a little faster and she blushes. She has always thought that Chase was good looking what women wouldn't? It's just he always made it seem like he did not really like her very much.
Then again she's never been very good at reading people which is how she got into this situation in the first place so… wait how long has she been standing here Chase is talking again.
"Look Masters you're killing me here, if your eyes weren't open and you weren't standing up I'd think you just went into a coma, really it's okay if you don't want to go just say something."
She knows that this could turn out to be a big mistake, one pretty boy already shot her down today did she really want to try again. But Chase was so much more than that and she doesn't think he would ever try to hurt her on purpose and he was the one to ask her so he must want to spend more time with her.
Gathering her courage she says three words she hopes she won't regret later "I'd like that."