Disclaimer - I'd really love to take credit for House's genius and snark...but sadly, it cannot be. Don't sue.
Song is Build Me Up Buttercup by The Temptations
Why do you build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, baby,
Just to let me down (let me down),
And mess me around…
And then worst of all (worst of all),
You never call, baby,
When you say you will (say you will),
But I love you still,,
I need you (I need you)
More than anyone, darlin',
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, don't break my heart.
Chase sighed. He really wished he'd known what he was getting himself into when he started this…this…thing with House. It could hardly be called a relationship. Hell, it could hardly be called a thing. It was mostly just House screwing Chase over and being a general pain in the ass, and Chase taking it like he always did, passively and with no complaint. Oh, and he was pretty sure House was only in it to mess with his head.
He really was a masochist.
The thing was, Chase was stuck. He really was. He didn't have the heart to leave him, but it was breaking his heart to stay with him.
He sighed again. He had to figure something out. Okay, reasons to leave…numerous. Where to start? House never called. House was an ass. House never let anyone care about him. House was an ass. House was always with Wilson. House was an ass. House was a sadist. And did he mention that House was an ass?
"I'll be over at ten," you told me time and again,
But you're late,
I wait around and then (bah-da-dah),
I went to the door I can't take anymore,
It's not you,
You let me down again (hey, hey, hey!).
Baby, baby, try to find (hey, hey, hey!),
A little time, and I'll make you mine (hey, hey, hey!),
I'll be home,
I'll be beside the phone,
Waiting for you…
Ooo-oo-ooo (ooo-oo-ooo).
House was late, too. He had said he'd be over at ten, but he wasn't. Now, Chase would've called, but he figured that House was sitting on his couch watching some sort of game with Wilson. Which was what he was supposed to be doing with Chase. It was also supposed to be what he was doing with Chase on Tuesday night, too, but House, of course, ditched Chase to go out for a few beers with Wilson.
House just never had time for any of his commitments except Wilson and work. And the only reason he ever even went to work was so he could harass Cuddy. House never even had the decency to tell Chase when he was going to be late, or just not show up. Not that Chase had ever expected it in the first place.
Now he was simply waiting for House to call and cancel, sarcastically and without an ounce of actual remorse, as he did every so often.
Why do you build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, baby,
Just to let me down (let me down),
And mess me around…
And then worst of all (worst of all),
You never call, baby,
When you say you will (say you will),
But I love you still,
I need you (I need you)
More than anyone, darlin',
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, don't break my heart.
Chased checked the time. 11:30. He sighed once more, and was just about to resign himself to another night alone and hunt down his emergency stash of vodka when the doorbell rang.
He raised an eyebrow, doubtful. Was it even possible…?
"Pizza!"
Chase stared at the young, pimply faced, delivery boy. He had long, greasy black hair, and wore a spiked necklace. His red Pizza Hut jacket was torn, and the black and white Ramones shirt hidden underneath had a stain that looked as though it's source could either be ketchup or possibly blood. The kid stared back.
"It's $17.86," He said slowly, as though he were speaking to a child.
Chase came out of his daze and pulled a twenty from his wallet.
"Keep the change." Chase muttered irritably, shoving the bill into the kid's waiting hand and took the pizza, slamming the door behind him with his foot.
He fought the urge to scream.
House was an ass.
To you I'm a toy,
But I could be the boy you adore,
If you'd just let me know (Bah-dah-dah),
Although you're untrue,
I'm attracted to you all the more,
Why do I need you so?
Baby, baby, try to find (hey, hey, hey!),
A little time
And I'll make you mine (hey, hey, hey!),
I'll be home (hey, hey, hey!),
I'll be beside the phone waiting for you
Ooo-oo-ooo (ooo-oo-ooo).
Chase sighed. Another day, another disappointment.
"Hey, Wombat!"
Ah, here comes the resident disappointment now. Chase took a deep breath, steadying himself for the fall he knew was coming, and spun on his heel.
"House." he said, eyebrows raised and face set in an expression that said, 'get it over with already.'
He'd been through this with House so many times in the past few months, he knew exactly what to expect. House would say he'd be over at ten, and they'd go someplace 'nice.' Or perhaps they'd sit at Chase's apartment and watch a game or a movie or something.
"Your place. Ten."
Yeah, right. Because that was ever going to happen.
"Yeah, House. Ten."
Not in this lifetime or the next.
Chase shook his head as House turned away, that smug smirk placed firmly on his face. Now he knew he was being played.
But, no, if he really thought about it, he would've realized that he'd simply been a toy in another one of House's games the whole time.
Chase looked back to all the times House had said he'd call or be over as he walked back to the exam room he had holed himself up in for the day. Every time House had made plans in his short, blunt manner, he'd always turned and walked away in the direction of Wilson's office with a that same smirk he'd worn on his face just a few moments ago.
He bit his lip. Why was he putting up with this? Sure, the few times they'd had sex was amazing, and the first date was actually kind of nice, but was it truly worth all of the pain?
Why was he so attached to House?
Chase wasn't sure as to why, but he did know one thing. It was going to be another long and lonely night by the phone.
"Why do you build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, baby,
Just to let me down (let me down),
And mess me around,
And then worst of all (worst of all),
You never call, baby,
When you say you will (say you will)
But I love you still,
I need you (I need you),
More than anyone, darlin'
You know that I have from the start.
So build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, don't break my heart."
Chase hummed the song his mother used to as he walked through the door of the diagnostic department, early, as usual. He hung his leather jacket on the coat rack and placed his bag by his chair, still humming. He put on some coffee and sat down with his morning crossword, still thinking about what had happened the night before.
House had actually shown up.
Over an hour late and half drunk, but he'd shown up.
And Chase had finally found the strength he'd been trying to find for four months just as House was stumbling toward his kitchen, looking for a beer. He'd found the strength to do something he wasn't sure he'd done since he was sixteen and his father told him that he was going to go to medical school, because the all mighty Rowan Chase was paying for it. It was probably the only time he'd found that kind of strength in his entire life.
"House." his voice had come out sharp, as though he were reprimanding a child.
House's head had popped out of the refrigerator, eyes searching for the source of the noise, looking for all the world like a lost puppy dog. Which was definitely not a look House wore often…or, you know, ever.
For some reason that one pitiful little look only fueled the fire in Chase's normally cold and closed off heart.
"Get out."
House stared. "What?"
"Get. Out."
House stared. "What?"
"You're started to sound like a broken record." Chase said. "Which makes me sound like a broken record. Now, get out House!"
House's hazy eyes cleared a little, but he was still staring.
Chase sighed, frustrated. "I'm sick of being your toy, House. You never do anything you promise that you will, not that I expect you to anyway. You never call. You never have time for whatever the hell we're doing here. You're wasting your time, and you're wasting mine as well. I'm not going to sit around and wait for you to break my heart with your's and Wilson's little joke!"
House looked shocked, and his face was blank, but he nodded his head slightly and his bright blue eyes had a glint of something in them. Something that almost looked like pride.
Chase shook his head as House walked out his front door. Impossible.
House was such an ass.
Chase shook his thoughts away as the object of them walked through the door. 'Early, too.' He thought. What could possibly be House's motive for coming in early and trying to stare at him subtly from the corner of his eye? Trying being the key word. Chase kept his eyes on his puzzle and decided that he'd really rather not know. Why? Because, knowing House, it would only end badly.
Because House was an ass.
"I need you (I need you),
More than anyone, baby,
You know that I have from the start,
So build me up (build me up),
Buttercup, don't break my heart…"