Insert usual disclaimers here. I also don't own Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Gamera.
# # #
House awoke the next morning, last night's memories still fresh in his mind, thanks in part to the odd dreams that had interrupted his sleep. His attempts to go back to sleep proved pointless, as usual, and he tossed the covers aside to stumble toward the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.
He had considered calling his mother last night before realizing that not everyone in the world was a night owl. After filling a mug with sugar and coffee, he carefully made his way out to the living room and flipped open his phone to call her.
"Hello?"
"Morning, Mom."
"Greg!" Blythe's voice was bright and cheerful upon hearing her son's voice. "This is a nice surprise. Is everything okay?"
House twisted his mouth in amusement before answering. "Yeah, Mom. Everything's fine. Just called to...talk, I guess."
There was a brief pause before Blythe spoke again. "You never call just to talk. What's going on?"
House took a long drink of his coffee before replying. "I was thinking about coming down to visit for Christmas...if you weren't busy, that is."
On the other end, Blythe broke into a warm smile. "I would love to see you. Do you know the last time you were home for Christmas?"
House couldn't remember, and didn't care. It had probably been in his college years, and House was sure it had ended in some sort of fight between himself and his father. Small wonder he had managed to block it out. "Doesn't really matter, does it?"
Blythe sighed a little. "No, I suppose it doesn't. So, have you made any plans yet?"
"No. Figured I'd talk to you first." House opened up his laptop and his Internet browser, already checking flights as he and Blythe talked about nothing in particular.
"Well, as soon as you get some details, let me know." Blythe took a sip of her own coffee, debating asking her next question. "So...will you be bringing anyone with you?"
House froze, not sure how to answer. "I...don't know. Haven't really had a chance to ask him."
Blythe's curiosity was piqued. "Him?"
"Yeah, you know. Tony." House was puzzled. He hadn't talked to his mother about his break-up with Anthony, and he wasn't sure why she would assume anything different.
"Oh." Blythe paused awkwardly. "I...thought you two had broken up."
House's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who told you that?"
Blythe sighed. The cat was out of the bag now. "Your friend called me. Robert, I think his name was. He has some sort of accent that I couldn't place."
Chase. Of course. Little weasel. "Yeah, that'd be him."
"At any rate," Blythe continued. "He told me you weren't handling it so well." She could feel the lump in her throat as she recalled the phone call. Chase had assured her that House would be fine, but Blythe could tell that there was more to the story that the young man wasn't telling her.
"That was an understatement." The words fell out before House could stop them. "But it's okay now."
"Are you sure?" A note of worry crept into Blythe's voice. "I wish you could tell me these things."
"I don't want to worry you." House answered, cursing himself for saying anything in the first place. "Nothing you could do about it anyway."
"You keep saying that." The worry changed to something like hurt. "I'm your mother. I want to help you."
"Yeah, because you did such a phenomenal job when I was growing up." House snapped, almost immediately wishing he could take the words back. He pushed himself from the couch and paced around the room. "God, Mom...I'm sorry."
"No, you're right." Blythe couldn't deny the truth. "I turned a blind eye to things that I shouldn't have." Her voice went soft. "I'm your mother, and it was my job to protect you from hurt. I failed in that regard."
"You didn't fail..."
"I did." Blythe's voice grew insistent. "And I know there's nothing I can do to change that now. However...I'm very proud of the man you've become."
"Really?" By now House was in the kitchen, pouring another cup of coffee and leaning against the counter.
"Of course." Blythe continued. "You're at the top of a difficult field, you head your own department, and you solve the unsolvable. It's not an easy road you've chosen, but you've done well."
House couldn't help but wonder if his mother was only talking about the professional part of his life. "I've always chosen the hard way. God forbid I take the easy way for anything."
Blythe laughed gently. "Indeed. Where's the fun in that?"
"Exactly." House found himself chuckling a little as he glanced at the clock over his stove. "I've got to go do that working thing."
"Okay. Call me when you get your arrangements worked out." Blythe paused for a moment. "I'm glad you called, and I'm even gladder that you're coming to visit."
"Yeah, me too. Talk to you soon."
"I love you."
House froze at the words. "I...love you, too. Bye." He quickly closed his phone, stunned at the direction the call had taken. It was the last thing he expected her to say, but oddly enough, he was okay with it. He was even starting to look forward to the visit with his mother, and House found himself wondering what else might come out of it. The idea scared him a little, but for some reason it felt like a necessary thing. There was going to be more to this visit than simply reconnecting with his mother, House knew that much.
He sat down in front of his laptop and finalized his arrangements, already knowing he wasn't going to ask Anthony along. It just seemed like too much, too soon, and House wasn't ready to reveal so much of his past. He had revealed enough already. No sense taking the chance of freaking the younger man out. Not that much would freak Anthony out anymore, but still. For the time being this seemed the best way to handle things.
# # #
Wilson lifted his head when he heard the familiar sound of wood hitting his office door. "Come on in, House."
House entered, a sober expression on his face as he eased himself down on Wilson's couch. "You might want to find someone else to spend Christmas Eve with. I'm not going to be around."
"Oh?" Wilson's eyebrows shot up in interest. "Spending Christmas with Tony?"
"Nooo..." House halfheartedly glared at Wilson. "I'm going to visit my mom."
"Uh-huh." Wilson nodded in understanding. "And Tony's not going with you."
House huffed irritably. "Kind of soon for all that, I think. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's got a family to visit."
Wilson squinted in mild confusion. "You haven't talked to him about this yet?"
"Should I?" House looked baffled.
Wilson cringed internally, trying not to let it show externally. "You...have a lot to learn about relationships."
"Says the thrice-divorced man." House countered.
"Yeah, that never gets old." Wilson merely rolled his eyes. "Just talk to the guy. You might be surprised at the reaction you get."
House twisted his mouth in thought. "I don't want him to come with me. Not this trip, anyway. There's too much...stuff I have to do while I'm there."
Wilson was still a little confused, but if House had made up his mind, there was little Wilson could say to convince him otherwise. "Do what you think is best. And tell your mom I said 'hi'."
"I will." House rose from the couch and limped toward the door. "See you for lunch?"
"Of course." Wilson answered absentmindedly as he returned to his case files. He shook his head as House left his office. The older man was definitely behind the curve when it came to relationships. Good thing he was a quick learner. Wilson had a feeling that Anthony wouldn't hesitate to guide House in the right direction.
He heard a gentle tap on his office door, and Wilson instantly knew who it was. "It's open, Lillian."
The neurologist entered with a wide smile. "Am I interrupting?"
"Never." Wilson returned Michaels' smile with one of his own. "What brings you this way?"
"Oh, I had a file to drop off to the department head." Michaels spoke casually. "And making sure we were still on for tonight."
"Sure." Wilson was once again a little confused. "I've had the tickets for a couple of weeks now. Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Good." Michaels seemed visibly relieved. "It's just...I saw House coming out of here and...you know." She shook her head. "I suppose I'm being a bit silly."
Wilson rose from his desk and wrapped his arms around Michaels, kissing the top of her head, taking in her soft scent. "I think he's got his own thing going on."
Michaels smiled a bit against Wilson's chest. "I'm so glad to see him and Tony back together. They're such a good pair."
Wilson chuckled softly as he released Michaels. "You're a hopeless romantic, you know that?"
"I hardly think I'm hopeless." Michaels pushed herself up on tiptoe to leave a brief kiss on Wilson's lips. "And I think you like the romantic in me."
"I do." Wilson was warmed by Michaels' words and actions. "See you tonight."
She left Wilson with a warm smile, closing the office door behind him. Wilson chuckled to himself as he returned to his work. There was nothing hopeless about that woman. Nothing whatsoever.
# # #
A knock at House's door jolted him awake. Between PT, his counseling session, and clinic duty, he was physically and emotionally worn out. No wonder he had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had laid down on the couch that evening. "It's open!" He bellowed from the couch, not quite ready to move.
The door opened, revealing Anthony and a stack of DVDs. He frowned in concern when he spotted House sprawled out across the couch, already in sleep pants and a worn t-shirt. The older man almost immediately pushed himself into a sitting position. "Before you even ask...I slept like shit, I had a stupidly busy day, and I'm fine. Now, what did you bring me?"
A small grin danced across Anthony's face as he pulled out one DVD from the pile and presented it to House with a great flourish. "Only all three Gamera MSTs on one DVD."
"Get the fuck out." House immediately grabbed the DVD from Anthony's hand and examined the homemade cover. "These haven't been released on DVD. Where the hell did you find this?"
Anthony merely shrugged. "I know people."
"You are the man." House curled his fingers around the case and limped over to find the Thai takeout menu, handing it off to the younger man. "Pick something so I can call in the order."
Within the hour, the two men were settled in on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, deep into the movie and their food. House was amused when Anthony quoted the dialogue almost line by line.
By the end of the second movie, Anthony was stretched out along the length of House's couch, his head in House's lap. His eyes were starting to drift closed, and House found his attention drawn away from the movie and toward the man that was falling asleep on him.
House shut off the DVD player and brushed Anthony's bangs out of his eyes before moving to caress his cheek with a rough thumb. The younger man's eyes fluttered open, revealing their brilliant emerald green as he gave House a sleepy smile.
"Bedtime?"
House chuckled and smiled a little in return. "Kind of looking that way. Guess we've got all weekend to watch the rest of the movies."
Something in Anthony warmed at the thought. Of all the times he and House had spent together, these were the times he had missed the most. He pushed himself off the couch and started gathering up containers and beer bottles, taking them to the kitchen while House shut down the rest of the apartment for the night.
Anthony found House already cocooned in the covers, knowing it didn't necessarily mean he was asleep. He slipped in beside House, not the least bit surprised when the older man wrapped an arm around his waist and curled up as close as he could to him with a rough sigh.
"What's going on?" Anthony asked him gently as he covered House's hand with his own, intertwining their fingers.
A simple question, to be sure, but one with a very complicated answer, House knew. He wasn't quite sure where he wanted to start. "Talked to my mom today. I think I'm going to visit her for Christmas." He ventured.
"I take it this isn't a regular thing for you." Anthony glanced over, barely able to make out House's face in the darkened room.
House twisted his mouth in response. "I haven't been since...I don't even remember when. I'll bet she does, though."
"You can count on that." Anthony laughed softly. "The first Christmas I saw my mom after my dad died, she told me exactly how long it had been, right down to the details."
House snorted at that. "So you're seeing her this year, too?"
"Nice segue." Anthony turned and kissed House on the forehead. "And yes. That was my plan, anyway."
"Seems like a good one." House paused briefly. "Not that I don't want you along, but...you know. I've got a couple other things that I want to do while I'm there, and...I kind of need to do them on my own."
Anthony had his own suspicions about House's plans, and his heart swelled with pride at the older man's inner strength and determination. "This wouldn't have anything to do with what you were talking about at dinner last night, would it?"
"Maybe." House's voice shook a little. "Like I said, I've got a couple of things to do."
Anthony released House's hand, rolling over to face him while slipping an arm over his waist. "Do what you need to do. I'll have my phone on me if you feel like calling me while you're there."
House pulled himself closer to Anthony, pressing his body fully against the younger man and capturing his lips in a long, soft kiss. He broke away from Anthony, spreading his fingers out along his lower back. "Good to know you've got my back."
Anthony wanted to tell him that he had always had House's back, but he was sure House didn't necessarily see it that way. Not that Anthony could blame him. Instead he simply curled against the older man, lightly rubbing his back. Finally he spoke again. "Will you be back in time for New Year's?"
"I planned on it. Why?"
Anthony shifted again so that he looked House directly in the eye. "I was thinking...we should go to Jake's thing. If you're still interested, that is."
House looked puzzled. "Are you sure? We could always do our own thing."
"I'm sure." Anthony lightly kissed the tip of House's nose. "This guy's probably going to continue to be a part of your life, and by extension, a part of our life. Might as well get over myself and get to know him a little."
House was surprised. "That's mature, even for you. What's gotten into you?"
Anthony sighed thoughtfully before answering. "I want us to work out, and anything that gets in the way of that is something I don't want. Jealousy seems like one of those things."
"Sounds suspiciously like you're thinking...long term. You sure you're ready for all that?" House couldn't help mocking the younger man a little.
"About as ready as you are." Anthony teased in return.
"You're in trouble then." House responded, a little quieter this time. "Maybe I won't ever really be ready."
"I can't speak for you, but..." Anthony trailed up and down House's spine with his thumb. "I've got the rest of my life. I'm in no hurry. What about you?"
House looked thoughtful, momentarily distracted by Anthony's caress. "I suppose I've got some time myself. I'll check my calendar and get back to you."
Anthony laughed and squeezed House around his waist. "You do that. I'll be around."
House closed his eyes, feeling himself drift off as he curled Anthony close to him. Things weren't perfect by any means, but somehow he was getting more comfortable with that. Maybe things didn't have to be perfect to work out.
It was an odd thought for House, but he simply chalked it up to being sleepy and not thinking clearly. He pushed it aside, preferring instead to enjoy the nearly perfect moment that was unfolding as he fell asleep, tangled up with the younger man that lay next to him.
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