Title: Caring & JealousyAuthor: Megan/mmorgan317 or pisces317Rating: PG-13Summary: House and Wilson form a romantic relationship while House is caring for an injured Wilson. As their relationship progresses, he gets jealous of Wilson's attention to the nursing staff and accuses him of cheating. A Hurt/Comfort. Fluff and (hopefully) Angst filled fic.Spoilers: Moving the Chains spoilers.Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowingAuthor's Notes: I started this fic as a donation to "Kicking it Old School" but, as is the way with my fics, it slowly eased into a slashy fic so I've decided to make it its own thing. So the first chapter is loosely based off Season 6's Moving the Chains episode.
Chapter 1:
Wilson didn't even know what had hit him. The last thing he knew was he and House had been walking to a table to enjoy lunch, talking about Foreman and his brother and now he was on the ground while the remnants of his lunch rolled across the cafeteria floor. He looked up to find Lucas, Cuddy's boyfriend, with his leg sticking out.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was my leg sticking out?" He asked faking concern. "You see, I was distracted by trying to think of something funnier than fire alarm sprinklers going off in the middle of the night. Any ideas?"
Realization dawned on both men; shock registering on Wilson's face while a sneer appeared on House's.
Wilson moved to stand only to collapse back onto the floor with a pained cry. In all the "excitement" of finding out who was playing pranks on them, he hadn't felt the burning throb in his ankle but he did now and it hurt.
He blushed when he noticed that almost everyone within seeing distance of him was peering over at him curiously. He hadn't meant to cry out but the pain had caught him by surprise.
Being mindful of his injured ankle, Wilson tried to stand again and actually managed it while he waved off curious and concerned looks from people around him. He noted with no small sense of satisfaction that Lucas' face was one of those set in concern; obviously he hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt during his pranks.
House limped up to him after setting his own tray down on an empty table. He'd heard the noise of Wilson's tray clattering to the ground behind him and had turned only to find Wilson on the ground and Lucas looking at them both with amusement on his face.
He'd listened to Lucas' ramble with a plan already forming in his mind, trying to think of the pranks he could play on the other man. He was the master prankster after all wasn't he?
He hadn't noticed Wilson trying to get off the floor until a pained cry greeted his ears. The diagnostician looked over at his friend and found him sitting on the floor loosely clutching his ankle. He noticed that Wilson seemed to be examining the injury while blushing furiously at the attention he'd gathered.
When Wilson started to get up again, House had almost told him to stay on the floor until someone had taken a look at the oncologist's ankle but showing that amount of concern for another human being just wasn't his style, even if it was Wilson. While he made his way over to Wilson, he watched closely as his friend stiffly got off the floor and leaned on the closest clothed chair, careful to keep as much weight as possible off his injured leg.
"You okay?" House asked gruffly, careful to keep any concern from truly reaching his voice.
Wilson looked up at him and offered a small smile when he saw the worry in his friend's blue eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay." He answered as he gingerly lowered his leg to test his ankle. He gasped as pain shot through it, reverberating through the tips of his toes to his knee. It was a sprain though probably not a bad one, he concluded silently to himself.
Lucas, who had been watching the two men's interaction and listening intently, continued to sit in his seat but eyed Wilson critically. Inwardly he felt bad, he hadn't meant for either one of them to get hurt (not counting the scratch on House's face of course) but he hoped that outwardly he had managed to keep the mask of indifference on his face.
"What the hell?" Came a familiar voice, causing all three men to jump. Cuddy came strolling up to them, her five inch heels click-clacking away on the cafeteria linoleum. Upon noticing the mess that had been made and the attention they were getting she'd guessed that they were responsible for it all and wanted answers. "What happened?"
"I fell," Wilson answered, albeit a little hesitantly, "and dropped my tray in the process."
Cuddy surveyed the mess, confirming that he did in fact drop his tray. That didn't however explain why all three of them were in the cafeteria talking to each other, and if she had a guess not too friendly-like either. She took in the guilty look on her boyfriend's face and decided to hazard a guess. "You're not naturally clumsy." She began, "The only times you've had an accident is when someone else has helped you to."
The three blushed deeply but the only reply she got was, " 'Had an accident' what is he a puppy?"
She turned to House, "Well that would help support your 'Wilson's a puppy-dog' theory wouldn't it?" She turned to Lucas, "What happened?"
"He fell." Lucas answered putting on an innocent face while waving a hand at Wilson.
"He left out the part where HE made Wilson fall." House put in. Normally he wouldn't have said anything but since Wilson had been injured because of the action he wasn't about to let it slide. Granted, Wilson wasn't seriously injured, probably twisted his ankle, but still, he doesn't allow anyone hurting his friend.
Lucas and Wilson both blushed deeper at House's admission though for different reasons. Lucas blushed because he had been caught and would more than likely be in trouble with his girlfriend. Wilson on the other hand blushed because House pointing out the reason meant that Lucas would more than likely tell Cuddy who had bought the loft out from under her and he knew she'd be upset with him for that.
Cuddy's face stayed in the stony expression it had been since she'd started talking to them. She let out a heavy sigh and gazed at them all; clearly something was going on and she'd have to play mediator to figure out what. "My office, all of you." She commanded in her best administrator voice.
"Go get a set of crutches and we will." House commanded right back.
"Why do you need crutches? You weren't the one that fell." She answered, her brows furrowing and her grey-blue eyes shining with concern and curiosity.
"I didn't say they were for me." House countered with his 'you're an idiot' expression on his face.
"They're for me." Wilson admitted quietly. "I sprained my ankle when I fell." He told her, using his left hand to motion to the mess.
Cuddy had to repress the urge to smack herself in the forehead at this point. Great! "Of course you did." She commented, inwardly wincing when she saw a flicker of hurt cross Wilson's face. "Sit down in that chair while I go get a wheelchair."
Wilson straightened his previously hunched posture, "I don't need a wheelchair," he objected, "I probably don't even need crutches. Just a cane."
"Don't be an idiot." House snapped lightly. "You can't even put weight on your ankle."
Cuddy eyed Wilson clinically for a moment. She could have laughed when she noticed that House was right, Wilson was doing his best not to put weight on his right leg and used the closest chair to stay upright. Of course he was right, she admonished herself, he notices everything when it comes to Wilson. "I'll go get the crutches." She answered softly, deferring to Wilson's pride rather than practicality. An injured ankle wasn't necessarily grounds for a wheelchair anyways.
"Thanks." Wilson told her, still standing. He didn't really want to go to her office to explain but he didn't want to stay in the cafeteria any longer than he had to either so he stayed standing, hoping that she'd return quickly.
The scraping of a chair being dragged across the linoleum caught Wilson's attention. House had hooked the curved end of his cane around a char and had pushed it towards Wilson, "Sit." He commanded firmly though not unkindly.
Wilson thought about objecting but was nudged into the chair by said chair being pushed into his knees. Once seated, he folded his arms somewhat petulantly and stretched his long legs out in front of him.
"Let me look at your ankle." House ordered while he grabbed a chair for himself.
"House, I'm fine and I can wait until we get to Cuddy's office." Wilson placated almost imploringly. "Oh, look! Here's Cuddy with the crutches." He chirped when he spotted the Dean of Medicine.
House turned around to find that Cuddy was indeed walking hastily in with a pair of crutches in her hands. Her assistant, Charles, followed beside her, memorizing whatever she was instructing him to do.
Grudgingly, House stood up and helped Wilson to do the same. Lucas eased himself off his own chair and stood relaxed next to the other two. He'd made a move to help Wilson up but House was faster and threw him a look that dared him to come closer and find out what happened if he did.
Cuddy handed the crutches over to her Head of Oncology then, without waiting to make sure they were the right height, spun on her heel and headed for her office stopping only to throw each of them a glare that commanded them to follow.
Lucas followed obediently, she was his girlfriend after all, and was the first to leave. House made sure Wilson was set before he started his own limping walk behind his boss. Wilson tested the crutches. He'd never had to use them before and therefore wasn't used to maneuvering them and himself. Once he got the hang of it, he was able to catch up to the group with ease, ignoring the concerned looks from nurses, colleagues, and even House's team.
They made it to her office without much trouble and filed in singularly with Cuddy at the end, holding the door open for them and waiting for her assistant to return. She'd sent him to grab some supplies so they'd be able to examine, wrap and ice Wilson's ankle. Though she felt like she was demoralizing him by doing so, she knew it needed to be done.
She didn't know if Wilson was the kind of man who had a high pain tolerance, though years of friendship with House would suggest it, but with any person if they weren't able to apply weight to their injured ankle without pain to hinder it would signify they were hurt badly enough for aide.
Charles arrived, quickly handed her a hospital bag and then went over to his desk. Normally he would have been annoyed at being sent on a 'gofer run' but he liked Dr. Wilson enough so that he didn't want the man to be in pain and therefore obliged with his boss' request.
Cuddy walked into her office and took in the sight before her. Lucas sat slouching in one of the chairs in front of her desk while House had taken the other one and was sitting opposite Wilson, who was on the couch, currently arguing with the oncologist about examining his ankle.
"House, I already told you I'm fine." Wilson objected.
House ignored the protestation and grabbed Wilson's right leg, propping it on top of his left. "Yeah, that's why you needed crutches to get here." He argued while he untied Wilson's shoe. He pulled the shoe off quickly earning a pained yelp from Wilson. While he pulled the sock off his friend's foot, House inwardly winced at how swollen the ankle and foot were and briefly wondered if he could have been more gentle with taking the shoe off. He quickly dismissed the idea; Wilson's shoe was stiff leather and wouldn't have come off easily no matter how gentle anyone had been.
Cuddy strode in, leaving the doorway, and sat down on the coffee table next to House, opposite Wilson. She took the ice pack and compression bandage out of the bag and laid them gently on her own lap. Like House, she inwardly winced at the tennis ball sized ankle and the accompanying swelling around it.
House ignored Cuddy's presence beside him and concentrated on his examination of Wilson's ankle. He palpitated his friend's foot first to determine if the swelling was from the ankle or if it was injured as well. Content with the lack of response he was getting from the oncologist while he performed his test, House moved on to the ankle.
He firmly held on to his friend's calf while he manipulated the foot, turning and bending the injured ankle to determine what was damaged and how bad. He had to restrain himself from wincing every time Wilson let out a pained noise and was grateful that his friend seemed to be trying to restrain himself from making them.
Reaching out, House grabbed the compression wrap from Cuddy and began applying it to Wilson's ankle. "You need to get an X-Ray and MRI but this will help for now." He instructed; his hands gentle and steady as he finished wrapping. He hadn't realized that he'd held on to Wilson's foot longer than necessary until said man gently lifted it off House's lap.
"I'm fine. It's not that bad." Wilson cooed while he straightened up and laid his ankle back on the floor. He was thankful that he still seemed to be blushing from the entire incident so that no one could see the blush he'd acquired from the feeling House's touch elicited.
House gave a Cuddy a look then both of them stood up. Cuddy grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and placed it on her vacated spot while House moved his chair out of the way and sat back down on the coffee table. He grabbed Wilson's right leg then gently yet forcefully placed it on top of the pillow next to his left thigh.
A cracking sound filled the air then Cuddy placed the instant ice pack on top of Wilson's ankle. "So," she began as she sat in the armchair next to the couch, "what's going on?"
"Nothing." All three men answered harmoniously.
"Right, you three decided to get together for lunch even though you two," she pointed at House and Wilson who hadn't moved from their previous positions, "do not talk to him and are mad at him." She finished mockingly while pointing a finger at Lucas.
"Well, you know how it is," House began, "we were in the cafeteria, we saw Lucas and asked him to join us."
"Uh-huh, you're forgetting the part where he tripped Wilson on purpose." She responded, reminding him of his earlier words.
"Just a prank." Lucas offered lightly.
Cuddy's eyes went to slits at his words, "You're the one who's been pranking them." She announced coolly. Lucas' blush was all she needed. "I thought I asked you not to retaliate."
"Well, I didn't think a little bit would hurt them." Lucas offered weakly, blushing slightly at the glares from all three of them. Cuddy let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head.
"Wait, you know?" Wilson squeaked confused.
"Yeah, I do." She answered eyeing him blankly. She was happy to see shame and embarrassment in his eyes but didn't let him know.
"I-I-I-" Wilson stammered.
"You're a jerk, yes we know let's move on." She prompted more heavily than she meant to. She wasn't really mad at him, it was just a place to live after all, but she wanted him to squirm a bit.
Wilson tried to hide the hurt that etched itself onto his face but he noticed Cuddy's eyes soften slightly and knew he hadn't hid it that well.
"Well, now that that's settled," House said, taking the ice pack off his friend's ankle, "we have to get to radiology."
"Nothing's settled." Cuddy retorted.
"Sure it is. You know what's been going on and what happened." House replied lightly.
Cuddy opened her mouth to counter-argue but she quickly shut it realizing that House was right and she had no motive for keeping them there. "Fine, go to radiology." She ordered grumpily. "But you three had better behave like civilized adults towards each other from here on out." She warned earning a snort from House and Lucas and an eye roll from Wilson.
House stood up from the coffee table, grabbing Wilson's shoe and sock then helped pull Wilson up. He handed the oncologist the crutches and waited for him to lead the way.
Wilson grimaced lightly when he stood up and the blood rushed to his injured ankle but took House's cue and began to head to radiology, grateful when Cuddy opened the door for him.
When House and Wilson had gone, Cuddy walked up to her boyfriend. "I appreciate the gesture of the pranks," she cooed, wrapping herself around him, "but please don't next time."
"Oh, come on they were funny." Lucas argued with a smile.
"I'll admit that the fire sprinklers were funny but the rest weren't. The opossum could have bitten Wilson and House could have been hurt a lot worse than a scratch from the bar coming off the wall. Not to mention that Wilson could have been hurt a lot worse than a sprained ankle." She admonished.
"They're jerks." Lucas dismissed.
"Yeah they are," She agreed, "but they are also my friends."
Lucas acknowledged her statement with a small head nod and a kiss. "So, dinner?"
Cuddy laughed thickly, "Sounds good. What do you have in mind?"
"Well," Lucas answered coyly, "I was thinking take-out in bed."
She smiled appreciatively before she disentangled herself from him, "Sounds perfect." She answered as she began to gather her things for the night.
They walked out, hand in hand and eager to get home. They had things to do tonight.
