TITLE: Little Victories (4/25)
AUTHOR: enigma731
PAIRING: Chase/Cameron
RATING: T
SUMMARY: A collection of canon vignettes.

NOTE: Thank you to Vitawash for this Writer's Choice prompt!

24. Fluff (Writer's Choice)

Everything is ruined.

Chase is certain of this fact as he finishes his last case in surgery, changes distractedly back into his street clothes, drives home without seeing the cars, all of the narrow-misses surrounding him. Instead he sees only the boundlessness of his own jealousy, the blinding doubts which have led him to disaster this day.

As he unlocks the door, he is fully expecting to find a message from Cameron, dealing the final blow, or perhaps simply silence, most telling of all. When he finds her sitting on his living room couch, all he can think is that she has decided to end things in person. It is the first time she's used the spare key he's given her, and the sickening irony is not lost on him. They'd planned on dinner tonight, but after the mess he's made, that seems out of the question.

"Food should be here in a few minutes," says Cameron, not giving him the opportunity to speak first. "You wanted Chinese, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And I remembered to get you extra rice," she interrupts.

"Is this a joke?" asks Chase, feeling the tension shift into the beginnings of a headache, throbbing behind his eyes.

"Yes," says Cameron. "I ordered dinner because I'm planning to poison you." She rolls her eyes, finally looking at him. "Are you going to sit down?"

Swallowing, Chase sits, perched on the edge of the couch so that balancing is an effort.
"What are you doing?"

She glances at the television, and for the first time he notices that it is turned on, the evening news a constant drone of catastrophe in the background of their conversation. "Trying to have dinner with you."

"Why are you doing this? Why aren't you breaking up with me?"

Cameron turns toward him on the couch, pulling a throw pillow into her lap and fingering the edge of it slowly. The seam is becoming worn, a wisp of white stuffing just beginning to poke out. "And why would I do that?"

"Because-I embarrassed you," Chase stammers, struggling to articulate his own mistakes. "I accused you-"

"Of sleeping with House," she finishes. "You can be a real immature ass sometimes."

"I-I know," says Chase. "I'm sorry. But-you're not breaking up with me? Why?"

Cameron shrugs. "Why would I?"

"Because I'm an immature ass..."

"You are," Cameron agrees. "Sometimes. But don't you think I knew that before-what I was getting into?"

Chase simply stares at her, still unable to trust the fact that she might be less angry with him than he is with himself.

"You know, it is possible for us to fight and not break up, right?" Cameron smiles, and it is surprisingly gentle. "But if you want me to punish you..."

"I probably deserve it." Chase swallows, feeling a surprisingly immense sense of relief at the realization that they have survived their first true argument.

"Well, if it'll make you feel better." Cameron's smile widens, and then she is swinging the pillow at him before he has a chance to react, still lost in thought.

"Hey!" he yelps, surprised when it connects solidly with his shoulder. He's known her threat of punishment was mostly a joke, but it's the first time he has seen anything so outright silly from her, especially in the face of so much tension.

Cameron laughs. "Well if you aren't going to fight back..."

She lifts the pillow for another blow, but this time Chase ducks, grabbing his own pillow and swinging it to connect soundly with hers. Letting go with one hand, she snatches up the third pillow and clobbers him over the head with it.

"Hey!" Chase repeats, already breathless with laughter. "You fight dirty."

Cameron lifts the pillow to strike again, and Chase reaches out to catch it, not letting go when she attempts to pull it away. She simply tugs harder, stubbornly refusing to give up her weapon, until the old threadbare seam gives way, showering them both in fluffy white stuffing. Cameron lets go at last, laughing to the point of tears.

"You killed my pillow," says Chase, when he's finally managed to catch his breath enough to speak.

"Sorry," says Cameron. "Maybe that was my real plan to punish you."

"I'm sorry too," says Chase, but he means it.

"I know," she answers, softly. "I know it sucks to be scared."

She leans in to kiss him, bits of delicate white caught in her hair like snowflakes.