Chase was still hospitalised when House pretended to attend to his father's funeral.
House made sure to get a day off from work for "personal reasons" without specifying the meaning of this; he had told Chase that nobody else could know about his father because he didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him or treat him differently. (By anyone, he especially meant Cuddy and that nosey Cameron). But of course, instead of actually going to a funeral that didn't really take place, he spent most of the day with Wilson, getting scolded for making up such horrible lies. It didn't matter, though, because House had at least convinced Wilson to play poker with him in the meantime.
"You're a coward, House," Wilson would tell him over and over again, "you can't keep hiding behind whatever lie you want the people in your life to believe."
"I'm a coward who finally loves and cares about someone," House objected, barely bothered to listen to his old friend, "and as you may know, love makes you do crazy things. So bear with me, please."
"You're not doing this because of love," Wilson snorted, "you're doing this because you have diagnosed Chase's problems to be psychological – and you have no idea how to deal with psychological. So instead you make up some lies so you won't have to face the real problem – that's why you're a coward."
"And that, Jimmy, is why you're a killjoy!" House teased him, completely ignoring the fact that the oncologist was probably right.
As House went on to pretend that he was busy grieving, Chase was still dealing with a thing or two back at the hospital. When it came to his ulcer, he knew that the antibiotics were beginning to work, very slowly. He was still in pain every now and then and sometimes, he'd still feel feverish and wake up from bad dreams. But he had to admit one thing – he was beginning to worry less about himself and more about House.
He was surprised to hear House speak about his father's death so openheartedly, especially because he had never really talked about his parents before – only when he wanted to complain about them, at least. Chase felt touched whenever he saw House putting up a brave face around him. He had told House that there was no need to do that; he wanted to be there for him and comfort him when he needed it. He had told House that he was sorry he couldn't go with him to the funeral. He really wanted to, but he had been told that the ulcer would have caused him too many problems and House had ordered him not to take any chances.
"Just stay here and focus on getting better, Wombat," House had said in a serious voice that made Chase feel even more sorry for him, "I'll be fine on my own, I promise."
Chase didn't know how to focus on getting better, knowing that House was going through this personal tragedy. He remembered his own father's death and how it had affected him – it wasn't something he enjoyed to look back on. It had been a painful period of time for him. When his father went away, he knew that he didn't really have any family left and of course, he didn't get to see his old friends back in Australia too often. It was as though his old life and all the people that he had once known didn't exist anymore. It was a very sad realisation to live with.
Having House in his life was the one thing keeping him going after the funeral. And now that the same thing had happened to House, he knew that he needed to be there for his lover as much as he could and offer him all the support he craved.
After all, that's what you do when you love somebody.
Eventually, Chase was told that he could get discharged in a few days. He couldn't wait to be home with House again; he didn't want to spend any more time apart. He was tired of sleeping alone in a hospital bed and now, he knew that he needed to wrap his arms around House at night, making them both feel loved and at peace.
The day before he got discharged, Cameron walked into his room in the middle of her break.
"So I heard that you can go home tomorrow," she said and smiled at him in a way that she had never done before, "I think that's great. It means that you're doing better, right?"
Chase tried to return the smile, but he also knew that she was only being this friendly because she feared that he was suicidal.
"Yeah, it does," he said, "I can't wait to get out of here. I never realised before what it means to be a patient in a place like this." He then joked.
"It gives you a different perspective, doesn't it?" Cameron giggled in a rather girly manner and it made Chase feel very suspicious. "Listen, Chase, there is something that I wanted to ask you. I hope you don't think it's too personal."
"Well, you and Foreman basically saw me puke blood the other day," Chase shrugged his shoulders, "so compared to that, I'm sure your question won't be too personal."
"Good." Cameron stepped forward and sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. "What I wanted to know is – are you happy? In life, I mean."
She looked quite serious when she asked him this; so serious that Chase no longer felt comfortable having this conversation. He didn't want his colleagues to think that he was suicidal and that they had to watch his every move whenever he had had a bad day.
"Look, Cameron, you really don't have to worry about me." Chase smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm doing just fine. I promise you that I won't end up back in this hospital bed. Okay?"
Cameron sighed, then nodded. "If you say so. But can you at least promise me that you will get help if you ever feel crazy and depressed again? I just want to be on the safe side, Chase."
"If it'll make you feel better, I promise." Chase gave her a friendly pad on her shoulder. "I would even call House and ask for his help before I would do anything stupid again. So please don't worry about it anymore."
Cameron crossed her arms and thought about it for a moment. "All right, you've convinced me." She jumped off his bed again. "If you'd be willing to call House first, I'm sure that you actually mean it this time."
"I do," Chase agreed, "and just so you know, I do consider myself very happy. But thank you for asking."
Cameron nodded as to tell him not to mention it. But looking at her Australian colleague who was probably very alone in this part of the world, she wondered what exactly Chase had to be so happy about.
CHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCH
"It's so great to have you home again, baby." House watched as Chase was standing by the stove, cooking dinner. "I missed having you around, you know? And I missed your cooking, too."
"Let me guess," Chase chuckled, "you've been stealing Wilson's food instead of cooking something for yourself while I was away?"
"Well, you know Wilson. He's a generous soul who doesn't mind sharing." House walked up behind Chase and he slowly wrapped his arms around the kid's waist. "But I still prefer my dinners with you. Because you always remember desert."
Chase grinned and shook his head at House, but the truth was that he loved it when the older man was being silly. He was relieved to see House in such a happy mood. He had feared that he might be depressed or that he would simply keep to himself.
Well, that he certainly didn't do.
House began to pull Chase closer and closer, kissing his neck. At first, the kissing was very innocent but as soon as he began to use his tongue, it had Chase trembling with delight. Chase let himself enjoy this. He tried to keep focus on the stove, but House was too distracting. The older man began to use his hands, and he felt up Chase's stomach and chest thoroughly. As House's thumbs stroke his nipples, Chase had to bite his lip and close his eyes for a second.
"I missed you…" He heard himself whisper and he realised that he probably sounded pathetic.
"Good." House breathed in his ear and pulled him closer once again. "That's all I wanted to know."
House let his hand move upwards. He let his fingertips caress Chase's cheek before forcing the kid to turn his head around – it worked immediately and the older doctor seized his opportunity to lean in and kiss his Wombat. As their lips were pressed against each other's, House wrapped his arm around Chase's body again, slowly trying to drag him away from the stove.
"Wait a minute," Chase panted as he tried to break the kiss, "the chicken will get burned if we keep doing this."
"I don't care." House told him and kissed his neck almost aggressively. "You're more delicious anyway."
Chase giggled. "Greg, you need to eat a proper meal. Come on, it'll only be another ten minutes."
"What if I can't wait that long?" House teased him and snuggled closer, burying his face in Chase's golden locks of hair. "I'm hungry now, you see."
"Yeah, after something else I think." Chase added.
Before he could even resist, House began to pull him further away from the stove and in a mere second, he had turned Chase around so that they were facing each other.
"Better." House lowered his head and looked at his Wombat mischievously. Then he went on to push Chase up against the nearest wall in the kitchen, trapping him completely so that the kissing could continue.
"Greg," Chase tried his best not to laugh, "the food…"
"What about it?" House grabbed a strong hold of the kid's hands in order to pin him further up against the wall.
"It will get burned." Chase could feel himself caving in. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"
"Right." House initiated another kiss like he didn't care. "To hell with it."
The couple kissed each other almost desperately. Chase felt House's tongue invading his mouth, but he did nothing to stop it. He let himself forget about the dinner and about House's change of behaviour. Even if this kind of eagerness seemed slightly out of place, it was still better than having House grieving over his father.
House's breath was so warm against his lips; Chase could feel his own heart beating faster and his knees getting weaker. He had surrendered completely. The feeling of House pressing his body close up against his own had him melting against the wall. He was certain that if House let go of him now, he would simply fall to the floor. He just wanted this warm, happy sensation to last forever. House's kiss was so insistent, so stubborn, but so satisfying and sweet.
It could have been the end of the world and he wouldn't have noticed. Everything felt so good – every problem had ceased to exist. Or at least it felt that way.
"Something smells burned." House whispered all of a sudden. Chase was still so occupied with the kiss that he didn't understand.
"Huh?" He grunted pathetically. He had kept his eyes closed all along, but now he opened them again. He must have looked awfully confused.
"Wake up, Wombat." House grinned teasingly. "I didn't put you in a coma, did I?"
"N-no…" Chase blinked. It didn't feel like waking up from a coma, but perhaps from a trance or a sweet day dream.
"Something smells burned." House repeated. "I bet it's the chicken." He pulled back a little bit and looked at the kid, grinning at him. "Your move."
"Right. Uh…" Chase cleared his throat and freed his hands from House's grasp. "I guess I better save what is left to save of the food."
House backed away from him, pretending to be a perfect gentleman. But as Chase stumbled forward as though he had forgotten how to use his legs, he chuckled devilishly. The kid's hair was all messed up, his cheeks flushed and his eyes full of desire for more – oh, it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen and he most certainly didn't want to leave it at this.
CHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCH
They ate the food that hadn't been burned in front of the TV, but as they were watching one of House's favourite shows, Chase turned quiet. House noticed his pensive expression and he got worried that Chase was thinking about Laura Hamilton and the hearing again. It was exactly that kind of thing that they needed to avoid if they wanted Chase's ulcer to heal.
He knew that he needed to distract the kid again and make him think about something else.
"You know… This show reminds me of something." House said cunningly, making sure that he had the kid's attention. "My father never told me that he loved me or anything."
Chase was obviously taken aback. "How does this show remind you of that? It's a comedy."
"I know, but comedies are always partly tragic when you think about it, aren't they?" House faked a sad smile and he could tell that this had Chase forgetting about whatever problem that was bothering him just seconds ago.
"Greg, I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye to your dad." Chase put away his dinner plate even though he hadn't finished. "I'm sure that he would have expressed his feelings for you if he had had a chance."
Chase was pretty careful when he snuggled closer to the older man on the couch. He let his hand rest on House's knee – a way of showing support, probably.
"Thanks." House was still trying his best to seem saddened. "It just hurts when I think about it. Me and my dad never really understood each other. He probably died thinking that I hated him."
"Don't say that," Chase whispered, "of course you didn't hate him."
House shrugged. "Does it matter now? He's dead and it's all too late. I don't know if I will ever forgive myself for ignoring his calls and picking all those fights with him."
"You have to forgive yourself. Otherwise the pain won't go away." Chase snuggled closer again and took House's hand in his own. "I think we need to talk about this some more, Greg. You seem really upset."
House shook his head melodramatically. "No, I'm fine."
"You're not." Chase insisted. "I can tell how bothered you are by this. Come on, baby, I must be able to help you in some way. Just tell me what to do."
House pretended to think about this for a moment. "Well, there might be one thing you can do."
"Anything." Chase said and squeezed his hand lightly.
"You can help me forget about it."
"What?" Chase looked into House's eyes. He wasn't sure if he was serious or not. "No, Greg. You can't just forget about it like that. You're blaming yourself for things that you shouldn't…"
"Yeah, yeah," House interrupted him, "I know all that. But the thing is, it still hurts too much. I don't think I can keep talking about it. Please, baby, can't you just help me forget? Can't you help me feel happy again?"
Chase supressed a sigh. "Well, if that's what you really want." He surrendered. "But what do you want me to do?"
House smiled playfully and kissed the kid's cheek. "I want you to follow me into the bedroom. When we're in there together, I'm never unhappy."
CHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCH
House was amused. Chase believed that he was doing this because House needed to be cheered up, but really, this was all for Chase's own sake. He was the one who needed this special treatment and he had no idea.
"It's time for desert." House said as he opened the bedroom closet. "And trust me, gorgeous, I'm still pretty hungry for more."
Chase couldn't help but to smile and feel amused by House's behaviour. "What are you looking for in there?" He kept his eyes on the closet that House was rummaging through.
"These." House said, holding up a pair of Chase's ties. "I think they will come in handy."
Chase raised his eyebrows. "My ties? What on earth do you need them for?"
"Like I said," House smirked, "it's time for desert."
He closed the closet and turned towards his Wombat. House couldn't help but to think that Chase looked better and better every day.
"I'm just going to ask you one last time," Chase said as he caught House staring at him, "are you sure that this is what you really want to do right now?"
Easy question. House knew he wanted it, but it wasn't just about his own desire. Chase needed it, even if he didn't realise it himself. He needed to feel pleasure and to smile and be happy again – he and House needed the intimacy so that he could be reminded that he wasn't alone.
"Yes I'm sure." House stepped forward and kissed the younger man's lips. "I love you, baby."
And then House threw him down on the bed. Before Chase had a chance to struggle, House threw himself down on top of him, once again bringing their bodies as close together as possible.
"You sneaky bastard…" Chase giggled, but was immediately silenced by House's kiss.
"We both know you don't want me to stop." House breathed against his lips, in a much taunting manner.
Chase wanted to tell House not to be so cocky, but then he reminded himself that House was in a difficult place and probably needed confirmation more than anything; in other words, this was not the time for playing hard to get.
"All right, show me what you've got." Chase kissed his lover back and wrapped his arms around House's neck. He intended to enjoy this all the way.
"That's the spirit." House grinned. "But first…"
He unbuttoned Chase's shirt eagerly, practically ripping it open when he lost his patience.
"Whoa, take it easy." Chase propped himself up on his elbows so that it would be easier for House to tear the rest of the shirt off him. "What's the rush?"
"I just can't wait to get my piece of sugar," House joked, "got a problem with that?"
Chase initiated another kiss and that answered the question. But when the Wombat tried to remove the older man's shirt, too, House quickly grabbed a hold of his hands in order to stop him.
"Nah-ah, not so fast." House changed his position so that he was sitting on top of the Australian. It was putting a lot of pressure on his leg, but he didn't care. He had, naturally, remembered to take his Vicodin. "I'm setting the pace, kiddo. After all, I'm better at taking the lead than you are, don't you think?"
"Fine." Chase rolled his eyes at him. "I guess I was wrong when I thought I was supposed to participate in this."
"Wait your turn." Was all House said.
He reached out for the ties on the night stand. Chase watched his every move and House could tell that he knew exactly what he was going to use them for. And as it turned out, Chase didn't even object when House used them to tie his hands to the headboard.
"There. You're all mine." House bowed down and kissed Chase possessively. "By the way, I should buy you some new ties after this."
"Why? Are you gonna rip these, too?" Chase asked him.
"No. I just think they are the ugliest colour I've ever seen."
Chase pretended to take offense by this, but it didn't matter to House. He thought to himself that this was the hottest thing he'd ever witnessed. Having Chase tied down to the headboard was a dream come true.
"There's something else we need." House whispered as he kissed Chase's neck and watched the goose bumps appear all over his tanned skin.
Chase closed his eyes as he felt House's warm lips caressing his sensitive skin. "What is that?" His voice was filled with curiosity.
"You'll see." House smiled devilishly. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't move, okay?"
"Very funny!" Chase huffed and smiled at the same time.
House went back into the kitchen and while he was away, Chase couldn't help but to feel slightly nervous. He knew that there was nothing to fear, but now that he was tied down to the bed, it only reminded him of his sleepless nights and the paralyses that he had experienced. It was the idea of not being able to move – or escape – that made him feel panicky.
He knew that he was safe with House, but he still would have liked to be in control of his own body.
House returned, with a sneaky smile on his face.
"Wait, what is that?" Chase blurted out when he saw what House was now carrying in his hands. "Is that whipped cream?"
"It's canned whipped cream," House corrected him, "and a bowl of fresh strawberries."
Chase frowned. "What do you need that for?"
"Isn't it obvious?" House took off his own shirt before crawling back in bed. "I need it for my desert."
He mounted Chase again, and without further hesitation, he picked one of the biggest strawberries and held it up to the kid's lips.
"Bite this," House instructed him confidently, "but don't eat it, okay? You're just holding it for me."
Chase wanted to laugh at this, but instead he just opened his mouth and House placed the strawberry in between his parted lips.
"Wonderful." House kissed his cheek with a loud smack. "You look great, baby."
He went on to shake the can of whipped cream before spraying some of it out on Chase's naked chest. As House began to spread the white mass all over the kid's abdominal and stomach, Chase trembled lightly.
"You okay?" House asked him casually, rubbing the whipped cream on his hard nipples.
"It's just… cold." Chase found it hard to speak without dropping the strawberry out of his mouth. "Really cold."
"I know." House chuckled. "Let me warm things up for you then."
The older man hovered over the Australian and without preparing Chase for what was going to happen, House began to lick the cream right off his stomach. Chase's entire body tremored immediately, making it look like he had a spasm. When House used his tongue to lick him all the way from the bellybutton to his nipple, Chase squirmed helplessly even though he tried his hardest to lie perfectly still.
"Let me guess – you're ticklish, right?" House teased him. "Even better!"
Chase wanted to say something, but all he could do was close his eyes and try to regain control of his own motions. House knew all his sensitive spots and he certainly took advantage of this; he licked his young lover mercilessly from the one nipple to the other, and then he moved downwards towards the bellybutton again. Chase shivered and felt the goose bumps appear all the way down his arms. But in a way, it was the most pleasurable thing he had ever felt. House's tongue was warm, his touches gentle, and every time Chase felt the older man's hot breath ghosting over his naked skin, it felt like time itself had ceased to exist. He had never before in his life experienced anything this sensual.
House licked him across the chest and continued all the way up to his throat. Chase could feel himself clenching his fists helplessly when House nibbled at his skin, biting him as carefully as he possibly could. Chase never felt any real pain; it was more like a sweet, stinging sensation. He didn't want it to stop. House kissed his neck as he moved away from the throat, and finally, his lips sought Chase's. In a rapid, swift movement House stole the strawberry out of Chase's mouth.
House made sure to bite the strawberry hard before eating it, and it pleased him to see that some of the juice spilled and landed on Chase's jaw.
"Do you want a taste, baby?" House took one of the smaller strawberries from the bowl and rolled it down Chase's ribs, making sure that it was covered in whipped cream. "Here."
Chase opened up his mouth once again and House fed him the strawberry. House let his finger trail over the kid's stomach, absorbing some more of the whipped cream and then he spread it across the young man's lips. Before Chase had a chance to lick it off, House pressed their lips together in a hot, passionate kiss, smudging the cream all over his own face as well.
Chase sighed sweetly, feeling more than content. As they broke the kiss, House reached out for a tissue on the nightstand. He wiped the remaining cream off their faces, but made sure to use his tongue to lick away the strawberry juice that was now running down Chase's neck.
"I've never felt so greasy in my life…" Chase muttered smilingly, and this had House laughing.
"We should do this more often." The older man joked and ran a hand through his Wombat's hair. "God, you're delicious. I could just eat you up!"
House continued to lick Chase's skin until most of the whipped cream had disappeared. He finished his little act with sucking a strawberry out of the kid's bellybutton, and he felt pretty romantic for having planned this whole thing.
"So," House remarked as he unzipped his own pants slowly, "you look like you have died and gone to Heaven."
Chase laughed happily. "Almost. At least I feel like I might be close."
House smirked; he felt pretty satisfied to know that his plan had worked. Chase looked completely relaxed, as though he didn't have a care in the world.
"Does that mean you want to return the favour?" House took off his pants and his underwear as well. "I mean, what I just did for you must have been pretty damn good. Am I right?"
"Oh yeah," Chase muttered quietly, sounding almost sleepy, "it really was."
House didn't notice how drowsy Chase seemed all of a sudden. He was too busy fooling around with the canned whipped cream.
"All right, I guess you've waited long enough, Wombat. I'll let you have your turn with me now." House sprayed some of the white cream on the very tip of his own erect penis. "I hope you still have some appetite left. Robbie? Did you hear what I said? I said I hope you…"
But before House could finish his sentence, Chase began to cough violently. House turned around on the spot and he found the young man wriggling in the bed, struggling to free his hands from the headboard. House rushed to his side instantly; as the coughing got worse, House knew that Chase was choking.
"Robbie!" He blurted out. "What happened? Did you get something stuck in your throat?"
Chase gasped and wheezed desperately, but he still couldn't breathe. "N-no…" He whispered pitifully. "It's the strawberries…"
"What? The strawberries?" House didn't understand a word of this. "What's wrong with the strawberries?"
Chase just kept on gasping and throwing his head back. House realised that if he didn't do something soon, the kid would pass out due to the lack of oxygen.
"I need my – my…" Chase could barely finish the sentence. The coughing only got worse.
"What? You need your what?" House hated to admit it, but his hands were shaking now. He would have liked to think that he of all people knew how to stay calm in a situation like this. "Tell me – what is it that you need?" He tried again, feeling oddly desperate.
"My Epi... Pen…" Chase wheezed helplessly. "It's… in my… messenger bag…"
House froze for a second. "Are you telling me that you're allergic to strawberries?!" He exclaimed accusingly. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that? I just fed you strawberries, you moron! Now I need to call an ambulance…"
"No…" Chase arched his back as though he was in pain. "No… I don't want to be… hospitalised again. Just give me… the EpiPen…"
Chase panted and threw his head back again. He couldn't speak another word, and so House rushed out of the room in order to find his messenger bag and forgot all about freeing the kid's hands from the headboard.
House searched through both the kitchen and the living room before finding the messenger bag in the closet in the hallway. He opened the bag and held it upside down so that all of Chase's papers and files fell out of it and landed on the floor – including the EpiPen, thank God.
House felt a sharp pain in his thigh as he hurried back into the bedroom, but he ignored it. Chase had bigger problems. Without even finding the time to pull down Chase's pants, House implanted the EpiPen in Chase's thigh – he immediately heard the kid gasp out in pain. But at least that meant he was still conscious.
"It's okay, you'll be just fine." House told him as he tried to make him calm down. "Try to take some easy breaths, baby."
House hovered over Chase's motionless body so that he could finally untie his hands. (The knots were bound too tightly, he realised). As he noticed that Chase's eyes were closed, House slapped his cheeks carefully. Luckily, Chase gasped again and this time, he was able to take in short breaths of air. After breathing in and out a couple of times, he regained full consciousness.
"You're okay," House told him again and finally, he managed to untie both of his hands, "you're okay, Robbie. Just breathe in and out for a while."
House lied down on the bed so that he could pull the younger man close and hold him in his arms. Chase was still too exhausted to speak, so they both just lied there in silence.
Damn it, House thought to himself and sighed quietly, we were so close.
CHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCHCH
An hour later, they were still lying in bed, side by side, not talking. Chase still sounded asthmatic whenever he took in a deep breath and his body was still trembling from exhaustion.
"I'm sorry…" He whispered all of a sudden, and House nearly started; he hadn't expected Chase to say anything at all.
"Don't apologize." House sighed tiredly and wrapped his arm around him again. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah. Thanks." Chase hesitated. For some reason, it all felt really awkward. There were still leftovers from the whipped cream on his chest. He knew that House had expected to get something more out of this little experiment and he felt sad to have ruined it.
"Good." House's voice was fairly emotionless.
"Look, Greg…" Chase propped himself up on his elbows – luckily, he had regained enough strength for this. "I really do have to apologize. I should have told you that I was allergic to strawberries. This was my own fault and I'm sorry that I scared you like this."
House exhaled heavily. "Well… Why didn't you tell me you were allergic? I told you to bite the strawberry for me and I even let the strawberry juice run down your jaw. It could have killed you!"
"Don't say that." Chase noticed that House was looking away from him, probably feeling guilty. "I have been told that I can eat a strawberry or two without getting sick. So I thought it would be okay. But for some reason, I just got sick anyway. It was my own fault for taking the chance."
"But I feel like an idiot now." House objected. "You never would have eaten the damn strawberry if I hadn't brought it to your mouth. You really should have told me."
"I know. I'm sorry." Chase snuggled close enough to kiss House on the shoulder. "I promise I'll never be this stupid again."
"Good." House still seemed pretty unsatisfied. "But I still don't understand why you couldn't just tell me you were allergic. Were you afraid that you might disappoint me or something?"
Chase hesitated. The truth was that he had been scared to disappoint House. He had seemed so eager and happy and Chase would have hated himself for ruining the good mood.
"I just wanted to go along with it." Chase answered him. "We were having such a good time and I didn't want to ruin it by making a big deal out of the strawberries."
"You moron." House finally looked at him – it seemed like he had him figured out. "You just didn't want to say no to me. Maybe you thought it would upset me because I've been more sensitive since my dad died. But you can't just go along with everything I say just because you don't want to disappoint me – especially not if it will make you sick."
Chase nodded. "You're right. I won't do it again. Please, Greg, don't be mad at me. We were having such a great time and now we're just lying here."
"Actually I should take you to the hospital." House said. "I should have called an ambulance as soon as you ate that strawberry."
"No, forget about the hospital. I'm fine." Chase snuggled closer in order to prove his point. "Besides, Cuddy will just think I tried to kill myself again and I don't want to make a scene."
"Are you sure?" House sounded pretty sceptical. "I don't want you to get another attack in your sleep."
"Yes, I'm sure." Chase leaned in and kissed House's lips. "Besides, who said anything about going to sleep? We never got to finish what we started."
House couldn't help but to chuckle sarcastically. "You're kidding me, right? You don't expect us to have sex after what just happened, do you?"
"Why not?" Chase shrugged and kissed House's lips again. "Or we could start somewhere else. We could have a nice, hot shower together. We're both still covered in whipped cream."
"Yeah." House laughed as he looked down at Chase's greasy chest and stomach. "I guess we are."
It was good to see House smile again. Chase climbed out of the bed, feeling much stronger already. He reached out his hand for House to take it.
"Come on then. Have a shower with me, baby."
Chase's smile was so cute that House simply couldn't resist. He decided to finally give up and quit acting so miffed. He didn't want to feel upset anymore.
"All right." He said. "But you have to promise me that you will be more careful in the future. You can't say yes to everything just because you feel sorry for me. I want you to be safe with me, do you understand?"
"I am safe with you." Chase convinced him.
"Good." House seemed to relax a little bit. "Because I still want us to enjoy each other's company and be happy together. And have sex too, I guess. If you're up for it, that is?"
"Of course I am." Chase pulled House up from the bed as he finally took his hand in his. House's thigh was beginning to feel sore, so he was grateful for the support. "I promise that I won't spoil the fun next time. I enjoyed this so much. I just want to be close to you again, Greg."
"Me too." House kissed Chase's cheek as he got back on his feet. "And we'll continue to have lots of fun together, I swear. Now, Wombat, let all the sex begin!"