A/N: This is a sequel to my story Probability. I hadn't planned on writing a sequel but I got two reviews on my last story suggesting I continue. (Which proves I can be talked into writing anything rather easily.) This will probably remain a one-shot unless someone suggests something they'd really like me to write and I actually have the inspiration to make it happen.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own House or Wilson or American Idol or the song American Pie or anything else I may have referenced in this story.
James Wilson stood outside of House's apartment with a case of beer. He kept raising his hand to knock on the door only to let his hand silently fall back to his side again.
'What if House had only been joking?' Wilson kept wondering. He was about to knock on the door but quickly pulled his hand away and took a couple of steps away from the door.
'He was just joking. I should go.' Wilson took a step and paused. He couldn't shake the image of House's smirk from his brain. House had looked happy, gleeful, giddy. Had he been happy at the thought of Wilson coming over? 'No, stupid. He was happy because he knew you would take him seriously and bring beer. He was gleeful because he knew you would doubt yourself. He was giddy because he knew you would torture yourself, pacing in front of his door, nervous like a teenage girl.' Wilson thought to himself.
Wilson looked at the case of beer in his hand. It was starting to get heavy. He had to make a move. He went to knock on the door only to pull back at the last minute again. He resisted the urge to swear as he backed away from the door.
Why was he so nervous? If House had been joking, what did it matter? It wasn't so unusual for Wilson to come over with beer. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. It's not like he dressed up or anything. He was still in his clothes from work. He came straight to House's apartment, only making a small pit stop at a convience store to pick up the beer.
Wilson was going to knock on the door this time. He stepped up to the door, with his hand raised again...
"The door's open! You're letting the beer get warm! Stop acting like a scared girl and get in here!" House shouted from in the apartment.
The shout had caused Wilson to jump. He looked around nervously and wondered if House had placed a hidden camera out here as well. What if he had some hidden in the apartment? Who knows where else in the hospital cameras could be. If he put one in his office and the conference room, Couldn't he have already put a camera in Wilson's office? This was House after all.
The door flew open. House stood there smiling. "How many years of formal education have you been through? You still don't understand the concept of a doorknob?" House asked. He turned and pointed at the doorknob. "It's a simple concept. If you turn this thingymajig, you can actually open the door and pass from one room to another..."
Wilson stood there with a dumb look on his face. He found himself feeling terrified. House was still in a good mood. House was smiling and teasing him. House might have actually been serious before.
House rolled his eyes and put his hands on Wilson's arms. He gently pulled Wilson into the apartment. "See, once the door is open, all you have to do is move your feet..." House closed the door and looked at Wilson. Wilson was frozen in terror. "You're letting the beer get warm..." House said as he grabbed the case from Wilson.
Wilson was shaken from his frozen state as he followed House to the kitchen. "How did you know I was out there?" He asked as House put the beer in the fridge.
"I have my ways..." House said in a mysterious voice.
Wilson tensed. He was sure House had a camera out there now.
House saw Wilson tense and rolled his eyes. "Relax. I heard you pacing. You're really not as quiet and stealthy as you think you are." House said, handing Wilson a beer.
Wilson relaxed as he took a sip of beer. This was just like any other night. What had he expected? For House to jump him as soon as he walked through the door?
House took a beer for himself and motioned for Wilson to follow him. Wilson felt nervous again. What did House have planned?
House walked into the livingroom and let himself fall on the couch. Wilson stood there feeling confused. "What's wrong with you tonight? Sit down." House said.
Wilson went to take a sip of his beer but ended up finishing it. He held up the empty bottle. "Need beer." He said softly before retreating to the kitchen.
What was he doing? He was acting spastic. House's words kept running through his head. 'I could go all math geek on you and explain all the calculations proving it's inevitable.'
Inevitable. Was it really inevitable? House was his best friend, and he did love him in that sense. Did that mean taking it further was inevitable? He grabbed a beer. He also grabbed one for House. Maybe the best course of action was to see where the night took them.
House looked surprised for a second when Wilson sat down and handed him a beer. He smiled and took the beer. "Decide to relax a little?" House asked.
"I had a rough day after you left." Wilson said. It was partially true. He didn't have to tell House that worrying about this encounter had him all torn up inside, though House probably knew.
House was looking at Wilson seriously. He definately knew what had been bothering Wilson. Wilson hated that look. He knew that House was examining him like a puzzle. Wilson hated just being a puzzle to House. "Though, I happened to catch Cameron and Chase leaving the janitor's closet looking very ashamed of themselves." Wilson said, changing the subject.
House smiled. "Now if only Foreman would do something like that so I can mock him relentlessly... but he's smarter than Cameron and Chase. They were so obvious, they might as well have been having sex on Cuddy's desk."
Wilson almost choked on his beer. "You do mock Foreman relentlessly."
"Yeah, but it's more fun when it's about sex. People get so weird about sex. It tends to increase the embarassment factor." House said with a shrug. He stood up and walked to the kitchen.
Wilson stared at the beer House was holding before him when he returned. House dropped the beer on the couch next to Wilson before sitting down. "Okay. I'm going to sit here and drink while I watch TV. You can sit there like a deer caught in the headlights if you want. Or you can talk about what's bothering you. Or you could at least pretend to be normal and drink your beer."
Wilson watched House flipping through channels on the TV. Wilson was being stupid. This was House. He was hanging out and drinking beers with House. Why was he making such a big deal about it?
House glanced at Wilson and smiled when he saw Wilson open his beer. He returned his attention to the TV. "Oh! American Idol is on!" House said, setting down the remote. He leaned back and looked content with his beer.
"Why am I not surprised?" Wilson asked.
"It's great. My favourite part is the auditions and they rip into all the terrible people who have talent... but this part is good too. I'm totally voting for Sanjaya." House said.
Wilson looked confused. House sighed. "How is it everybody likes you? You never know any of the good things. What do you talk to people about?"
"I just never got around to watching American Idol. So... who is Sanjaya?" Wilson asked.
House cheerfully talked about Sanjaya's magical hair and something called a 'ponyhawk', and talked about the other contestants. Wilson began to relax some more. This was just like any other night.
They continued to drink beers and joke around while they watched American Idol. By the end they were pretty drunk.
"I could totally do better than that! I could be a rock star!" Wilson said. He started to sing the chorus for 'American Pie' into his empty beer bottle.
House laughed. "Why'd you pick that song?"
"It was the first thing I could think of. What should I sing?" Wilson asked.
"I think you shouldn't sing. Just sit there and look pretty." House thought Wilson did look good. During the course of the night he had loosened his tie and untucked his shirt. His hair was messed up too.
"What?" Wilson asked, looking confused.
"I just realized how you get girls to drop their panties for you. You are sort of handsome."
Wilson could feel himself blush slightly. "The rumpled vunerable look works all the time." Wilson left and returned with two more beers.
"I have a rumpled look too." House said.
Wilson nodded. "But you lack the vunerability factor. See, I'm attractive when I'm all neat and ready for work. I am nice and listen to people. Then, if my hair falls out of it's place, or my shirt comes untucked and I look like I do now, it gives a sense of vunerability. It gives the illusion that I care so much and the job wears away at me that I can't bear to keep up my perfect appearance."
"So you don't really care?" House questioned.
Wilson frowned as he thought about it. "I do care... sometimes it just feels like no matter what I do, I'm playing into someone's perception of me. Like I'm playing a part. I'm James Wilson, boy wonder oncologist. I'm your typical American good boy. No matter what I do, that never changes. That's what people want to see." He sipped his beer and looked away.
"Even though you've cheated on your wives, you're still perfect. Women are still falling at your feet." House said. Wilson looked down and House could tell that the comment had bothered him.
It was silent between them. "There's a reason that everybody thinks your a good guy." House finally said after a few minutes. Wilson looked at him curiously. "It's because it's true... Hell, to be friends with me, you must be some sort of saint."
"House..." Wilson said softly.
"No, it's true. After everything I put you through. Here you are. You came here tonight with beer. Anything I want... hell, anything I even hint at wanting... if you can do it for me, you make it happen." House grabbed Wilson's tie and pulled Wilson closer. He pressed his lips against Wilson's. Too suddenly and too quickly for Wilson to respond.
House pulled back the smallest bit. They're lips almost touching still. He was still holding Wilson's tie tightly. "That's why you came tonight, isn't it? Because I wanted it."
Wilson tried to think, tried to breathe. He wasn't quite sure what to do. "I guess... I guess I was curious... I wanted to know if it really was inevitable..." Wilson said before closing the space between him and House.