Insert usual disclaimers here. Don't own House, own Matthews.
Avery slipped out of bed the next morning, lightly kissing House on the forehead. The man already barely slept as it was, and she had no desire to disturb him. She took a minute to appraise him as he slept. His salt-and-pepper hair stuck out at odd angles, one arm thrown across his face, the other laying across his bare chest. Even in sleep, he seemed to be thinking, his face scrunched up, twitching slightly. Does his mind EVER shut down? Avery thought how exhausting it must be to be constantly on.
As she ground coffee beans and measured water for the coffeemaker, Avery's mind ran over what House had said last night before they fell asleep. What if we were…serious? The question caught Avery off guard. She had to admit that even she had pondered the possibility before tossing it aside. Early on she had accepted that things with House would never progress much beyond their current state, and if she wanted more, she was definitely with the wrong guy. Now that House had mentioned it, though…that changed things a little. Just the fact that he had mentioned it at all tended to mean he had thought about it for a long time. He wasn't the sort of man to speak impulsively, not on personal matters, anyway.
Avery knew about Stacy, the infarction, and the fallout afterwards from conversations with Wilson. He didn't give her details, of course, but she managed to put it together. When she connected that with the allusions House made to his less-than-ideal childhood, it was no wonder he had trust and commitment issues. She decided she would just hang back and let House make up his mind about the direction of their relationship. Avery was fine with whatever direction it went, as long as it didn't end completely, although the idea that House might want more unnerved her a bit.
She was completely lost in thought when she felt House place a hand on her right hip, planting a kiss on the left side of her neck. He reached across her to grab a mug from the cabinet, filling it with fresh coffee and sugar. House took a deep sip, sighing appreciatively.
"Mmm…sweet and dark. Sounds like someone I know." He lightly nuzzled her neck again, taking in that sweet citrusy scent he liked so much.
Avery laughed softly, turning slightly to kiss House on the tip of his nose. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep." More often than not, the pain in House's leg woke him long before he was ready. Before Avery came along, he would spend an hour or so tossing and turning before finally giving up and heaving himself out of bed. His routine hadn't really changed much, but at least he had the added bonus these days of the promise of fresh coffee and the sight of Avery to greet him instead of silence and darkness. That alone was a great source of comfort to him, a comfort he was loathe to give up. It was a major reason why he had come to her place last night instead of going home.
There was more to his…relationship with Avery than the sex, definitely. The sex was beyond his expectations, had been so since that first night, when he could no longer resist her full-bodied charms. No, 'could no longer resist' wasn't quite right. 'Didn't want to resist' was more accurate. House had kept Avery at arm's length through the spring and summer, content to let her chase him, waiting to see how long she would keep offering him rides. It had all come together over pizza, during that wild thunderstorm. Her laughter, her smile, those deep brown eyes, her finger brushing along his lip when she removed that bit of sauce…
Damn. That had been quite a night.
Avery was on his mind ever since, and things had progressed to their current state. They would stay over at each others' places, convenience the deciding factor. She seemed to enjoy his place, where he would play piano, unwinding as he smelled the delicious cooking smells that now graced his kitchen. He knew she liked his singing, so he would throw in a bit of that, too, just to watch her reaction. Occasionally she would join in, her soft, mellow alto blending with his low, rough baritone in damn near perfect harmony. He didn't mind her place, either, even though he didn't have his instruments to occupy his mind and hands. Her place was a bright, airy, open space, filled with comforts, including that unbelievably plush bed. He slept better here than he did in his own bed. Not much better, but still, he'd take what he could get on that front.
House smiled to himself as he watched Avery move gracefully around her kitchen, the hem of her nightshirt just brushing above mid-thigh, her long legs flexing as she wandered around getting ready for the day. He leaned against the kitchen counter and just watched her. It was times like this that he wondered what it might be like to make things with Avery a bit more…permanent. Nothing crazy like getting hitched, for sure. He wasn't certain that Avery wanted to get married. If she had, House was pretty sure she would have done so already. But maybe she wouldn't object to…something more, but he wasn't sure what that something more would entail. He had barely touched on it last night before they fell asleep, trying to gauge Avery's feelings on the matter.
He didn't get much, and House wasn't sure if that bothered him or not. This wasn't a familiar situation for him at all. Things with Stacy had just sort of…happened, without much forethought. Yeah, and look how that turned out. The idea of moving forward with Avery scared him a little. No, it scared him a lot, far more than he cared to let on. He trusted Avery to a certain extent, more than he had trusted anyone in a long time, but something in him wanted to hold back, just a little, just in case she didn't return his feelings.
House decided that their status didn't really matter right now. She mattered to him too much to let her go completely, and if things never progressed past their present point, it would be okay. He needed more time to figure things out anyway.
You know what to do. Push the button and tell me what you think.