Wedding Bell Blues
I know, I know, I should concentrate on my other fics and not on new ones, but this idea popped in my mind the other day while tweeting with LiaHuddy. So in the end we decided to co-write a series of ten (maybe more, who knows?) one-shots. Main topic is: proposals. Tehehehe, well, the title was a dead giveaway.
A big fat huge and cuddly thank you to my awesome-sauce beta Syd a.k.a partypantscuddy.
House strode through the clinic. His faithful cane guiding him through nurses and patients. He stopped at the nurse's desk and looked towards his girlfriend's office.
"Nurse Cora?" he called the woman at the desk. "What mood is the boss in this morning?" he asked not even looking at her.
"House, it's 2 in the afternoon. Morning is long gone by now." she glared at him. House looked down at her and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Anyway, she seemed in a pretty good mood." she commented with a smirk. "And no, please. Even though I, and everyone else for the matter, think you have something to do with her being such a happy go-lucky ray of sunshine, I don't need you to get into any vivid details about your sex life." she bit back not bothering to hide the playful smile.
House chuckled at the woman. Cora had been dating Wilson for a couple months now and they had gone out on a double date almost thrice a month. Cora had revealed herself to be a very snarky and House-like woman. No wonder she gets on well with Wilson.
"Yeah..." was House reply. Now it was Cora's turn to chuckle.
"So... she doesn't have any meeting scheduled for the afternoon and she hasn't left the office in at least three hours." she informed him. House merely nodded as he walked towards Cuddy's office. He stopped just outside the door and turned to face the woman he could consider a friend.
"Wish me luck." he mumbled leaving Cora with a raised eyebrow and a questioning glare.
When he opened the door, Cuddy didn't even look up. She merely waved her hand but didn't look up from the papers that filled her desk.
"Hi." he said. She smiled softly at him but kept reviewing the file she was working on.
"I can see your bra from here." he added, but this time she didn't smile nor reply in any other way. She hadn't heard him at all. Too busy working on some stupid budget report or whatever.
"I can so totally see your bra. It's the brown and pink lacy one." he continued. "The one you wore when we had sex in Wilson's office" he finished, not earning a reply of all sorts.
"I hope you're wearing matching lingerie underneath that very short, very tight and so revealing dress." House said once again.
"I set Foreman's tie on fire." Still no response from Cuddy.
"I fired Taub because he wanted to sleep with me."
"Thirteen admitted getting off at the though of you under the shower."
"I gave Rachel too much sugar this morning. She's probably bouncing from wall to wall now."
House sat on one of the armchairs at Cuddy's left. She seemed to have completely forgot about his presence. He sighed and looked at her. She was hungrily reading the file, scanning through the words, correcting the mistakes, whimpering when something was wrong and a solution was needed. House had never thought about how stressing her job could be. How many responsibilities she had on her shoulders. How much power she held in that petite body of hers. That woman was a true wonder. A great boss, respected and appreciated by all her employees. A wonderful mother, who deserved a real family. An amazing lover and a trustworthy girlfriend.
House kept looking at her for what seemed hours. Cuddy was so beautiful. Gorgeous body that even a twenty-something year old woman would be jealous off. Bright blue eyes that sparkled when the topic of the conversation was either Rachel or her boyfriend. Her soft lips were the same pink of her cheeks. Her dark hair that usually fell in soft curls on her shoulder, were now held by a pencil at the base of her neck.
"You deserve so much more than a crippled ex drug addict." the words left his mouth before he realized. "I wish I could give you more." he continued. He let a couple minutes pass by. Cuddy was still reading the file, oblivious to his presence and his words.
"In a couple years we'll still be together and Rachel will ask why we're not married. And I'm sure that you had wondered about that too, but you won't ask me directly because you're afraid I might walk away." he continued. "But I wouldn't. Because you are indeed a pain in the ass at times, but you do make me a better person."
He looked up at her but Cuddy seemed still completely oblivious. He stood up and walked towards the door.
"Just remember... your ass is mine." he said with a small, almost shy smirk.
As soon as he left, Cuddy looked up from her files. A big happy smile plastered on her face even though tears were running down her cheeks. She had heard everything he had said, but chose not to reply. He would have never said those things if he knew she was listening. She'd talk to him soon. Very soon.
She walked into the differential room. Chase and Thirteen were quietly chatting over a cup of coffee. When she entered they confirmed the patient's diagnosis.
"House got punched in the face." Thirteen said.
"Again" Chase added.
"What?" Cuddy shouted.
"He announced the patient's infidelity to her fiancèe. He got into a quite strong meeting with a fist."
"Oh god. Where is he now?" she asked more annoyed than worried.
"He's just entered his office." the younger doctor said, pointing to House who was now sitting in his chaise lounge.
"Better go check on him." she said before shuffling towards his office.
"Hi." he said while wiping some blood from his face.
"Thirteen told me you got yourself into a fist fight." she said, sitting in front of him.
"Yeah, I don't understand though. I'm such a kind and caring person." he joked. Cuddy smiled softly. She inched closer to him and started preparing the First-Aid kit.
"Let me do that." she said, wiping some blood from his chin. "Wow, that man knows how to punch. Your bottom lip is almost split in a half!"
"He's lucky I didn't get the time to punch him back. Wilson was all over me in milliseconds." he whined.
"Aww poor baby." Cuddy cooed. "It's going to hurt a little, but you already know that."
"I am a doctor, you know." he replied. "Thank you." he added earning a wide small from his woman.
Less than fifteen minutes later House was dozing off on his chaise lounge chair, while Cuddy looked through the files on his desk.
"You know, I was listening this morning." she started.
"You were?" he asked, opening his eyes.
"I was." she admitted once again. "And I know you're probably wondering why the hell I haven't replied but you have to understand that in this relationship I crave for you to be like that with me. To be completely open. To share all your problems and feelings."
"I kind of knew you were listening." he mumbled. Cuddy chuckled.
"No, you did not."
"You're right. I thought I could get away with that."
She walked back to him and sat at the bottom of the chair. She took his hand in hers and stroked his palm.
"I love you and nothing will ever change that." she said calmly.
"How cheesy." he commented.
"Oh come on!" she rolled her eyes playfully. "You know it's true."
"I know." he said.
He smiled as she inched closer to him and kissed his scruffy cheek.
"So, Cora. How are things between you and our wonder-boy of Oncology?" House asked as he limped to the nurse desk.
"Everything is fine." she replied. "Are you and Lisa coming over tonight?" she asked.
"Weren't we supposed to go out as in 'out'?"
"We were. I had chosen go-karts but James vetoed my decision. He didn't tell me why though." she explained.
House chuckled. "It's a long story." he said. "I'll have Lisa confirm later, okay?" Cora nodded as the Diagnostician walked towards the Dean's office.
"Hi." he greeted, receiving a smile.
He sat on the armchair facing the desk and sat there quietly for a couple minutes.
"House, what do you want now? You know I'm listening, so please... talk." she prompted
"We should officialize the thing." he said.
"What thing?" she asked, eyes still fixed on the file.
"This thing." he repeated moving his hands theatrically.
"I don't understand what you mean, House."
"Cuddy, you can be so thick at times." he sighed. Her eyes shot up from the file and landed on his face.
"You can't be serious!" she half yelled. "House... is this... is this..." she stammered.
"Yes, it looks like a proposal. But it actually is sounded more like me asking to have sex in your office to 'officialize' our relationship at work." he explained. "Not that I don't want to have sex with you right here." he added.
Cuddy was staring at him wide eyed and mouth agape.
"House, is this really what it looks like?" she asked.
"It is."
"Oh my god..." she whispered.
"If you don't want to, I can..." He started, but stopped when Cuddy threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Oh my god..." she mumbled again.
"I'm not god but if you really want to call me that again, I might start my own business curing people with words and miracles and..."
"Would you for once in your life shut up?" she hissed at him, gripping his waist more firmly.
"So..." he started again.
"So..."
"Are we really getting hitched?" he asked.
Cuddy chuckled and looked up at him. Her eyes were brighter that ever. Tears were adorning her cheeks and her smile could easily light up the room. House snorted at how cheesy his thoughts were.
"We are." she agreed pecking his lips, mindful of the stitches.
Almost an hour later he finally made his way out of his girlfriend's office.
"So... for tonight?" Nurse Cora asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Ask my fiancèe." House replied before limping out of the clinic, leaving the woman in pure surprise.
Leave a review on your way out :) prompt your dream proposal and we'll see what we can do :)