A/N One-Of course, I just had to include a pandemic related one-shot! This was actually requested by a friend of mine, so Florence, I hope this is up to your expectation and that you aren't too bored in quarantine :)

A/N Two-I apologise for the lack of updates, my life is a little hectic right now as I started a new job! I should be back to updating regularly soon so I am praying that you lovely readers do not lose interest! Feedback is highly appreciated. I have FCD (Functional Cognitive Disorder) so I do apologise for any mistakes.

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Working from home was something that Cuddy could get used to. Even though she was sick, she had made herself an effective work set-up at the kitchen table. Rachel was with Arlene, as it was the holidays and Cuddy didn't want to get her daughter sick. During a pandemic, running a hospital from home had its challenges, but it was nothing that Cuddy couldn't handle. However, quarantining with House was something that Cuddy was attempting to handle but he was driving her insane. He would constantly whine that he was bored and Cuddy felt like she was living with a big manly child.

He would interrupt her zoom meetings or do something obnoxious somewhere else in the house and wait for Cuddy to scold him, almost like she would if they were at the hospital. House had displayed no symptoms but Cuddy had ordered him to quarantine as a precaution. There was only so much reality tv, piano playing and book reading that House could do each day. The weather was terrible so he couldn't even go out into the garden. He so desperately wanted to cook but that would be too noisy when Cuddy was in her meetings. She had a perfectly good study to work in but for some reason, she had strategically picked the kitchen table to keep an eye on House.

As usual, Cuddy was up early. With her covid symptoms, the cough had prevented her from sleeping properly as every time she laid down, she would have a coughing episode. Sleeping upright isn't the most comfortable but it was the only way that Cuddy could get some shut-eye. Skipping yoga, she made herself a light breakfast and some sweet tea while reading through some paperwork. About twenty minutes later, House appeared sleepily in the kitchen, in search of coffee.

"I know you went through my schedule," Cuddy said, without even looking up from her paperwork. Her glasses on the edge of her nose and fingers of her right hand curled around her mug.

"Sorry Boss. I needed to know if I could christen our new kitchen." House replied sweetly, mostly mockingly but Cuddy knew that there was some sincerity to the statement.

"Christen, how?" Cuddy asked, turning her head towards House who was rifling through the cupboard to find his mug. The maker beeped at the same time as House found his mug.

"I want to spend my time today doing something useful like cooking," House replied, pouring coffee into his mug that Rachel had given to him for father's day. Cuddy always buried this mug at the back of the cupboard to prevent it from being smashed as the cupboard was packed. House called Cuddy a 'hoarder' when they moved as she couldn't bear to let go of the old mugs.

"Okay… but what about all the ingredients you need? You can't go to the store."

"That's where Wilson comes into play," House said cheerfully and Cuddy rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

"You're dragging Wilson across town with your ingredients before he goes to work?" Cuddy questioned and House nodded with a mouthful of coffee.

On cue, the doorbell rang and House signalled for Cuddy to stay put. He shuffled towards the door, slipped on his mask that was hanging on the plastic hook by the door and opened it. There were two brown paper bags of groceries on the step and Wilson standing further back down the cobbled path. Wilson awkwardly waved at House who nodded and smiled almost thankfully at his friend. House watched his friend disappear into the morning fog. House bent down and picked up the bags. He caught his cane and hobbled back inside. He closed the door with his cane which slammed and shook the house.

Cuddy was eating an apple when House came in and dropped the bags on the kitchen counter. He pulled off the mask and it joined the bags on the counter. Cuddy watched him closely as he put things away in their places and stocked the fridge. After the ingredients were in their correct places, House left the kitchen and got dressed for the day. Cuddy was moving her paperwork and various other items into the study before getting changed. She still wore her work attire but didn't bother doing her make-up. She brushed her hair before putting it back into a ponytail.

Cuddy made some final adjustments to her laptop and then closed the door to her study. She debated internally whether to lock it but she decided against it. the sounds coming from the rest of the house were muffled and Cuddy let out a breath. One thing she had been worried about, was the sounds of House in the kitchen echoing around the house but she could barely hear him. Now she wondered if he was being quiet intentionally or the walls were thicker than Cuddy first thought. It didn't matter as she opened up zoom and waited for the donors to join. All her notes were stacked neatly to her left and she even had a document open so she could show the donors via screen share.

Meanwhile, House was humming along to Stairway to Heaven in the kitchen, which was playing on the radio that Cuddy kept on the kitchen windowsill for some unknown reason. The oven was preheating and he was already lightly kneading his dough before it was put away to rise. Most people would just dump the dough in the bowl, clingfilm the top and shove it in a cool place for it to rise but House never follows rules.

With the dough rising, House heated oil in a saucepan on low heat while he chopped onions and added them to the oil with a pinch of salt. After fifteen minutes, House quickly chopped with garlic and added that to the oil. Next, the tomato and puree were stirred with oregano and sugar. Once it had boiled, House lowered the heat and left it to simmer. He set a timer for 30 minutes. House had some spare time on his hands so he made Cuddy another cup of tea and quietly approached the study. He opened the door stealthily and he was met with Cuddy talking through some figures. She quickly glanced at him before reverting her attention to the screen. House placed the cup on the coaster that Cuddy had resting on the corner of the desk. She shot House a quick smile, her way of saying thank you and House smiled back before retreating.

The dough was finally ready and House worked the dough thoroughly and rolled it out. The radio station was now playing a tune that House recognised but he couldn't name it. He hummed along anyway and gave the sauce a quick stir. The next thing he had to find was the stick blender. He searched the pantry but it wasn't in there so he searched the counter cabinets and found it tucked behind a box of miscellaneous kitchen items. House plugged it in and worked the sauce until it was smooth. There were enough ingredients for House to make two pizzas. One for himself and one for Cuddy. This was an advantage as Cuddy usually had a veggie pizza and House would have meat lovers.

With one pizza topped and now in the oven, House could start working on the next one. The sound of Cuddy's feet padding closer on the wooden floor caught House's attention and he stopped mixing the dough for a second when Cuddy appeared in the doorway.

"I knew I could smell pizza. I thought I was just imagining things because I couldn't smell anything at all this morning." Cuddy commented, paying more attention to House's hands rather than his face.

"It's a good sign that you can smell. Stop staring at my hands, you weird woman." House teased.

"You have nice hands!" Cuddy exclaimed, somewhat defensively which made House smirk.

"And you have a nice ass but you don't see me staring at you while I'm having a conversation with you." House shot back and Cuddy rolled her eyes as she put her empty cup in the sink.

"No, but you do stare at Patty and Selma while we converse," Cuddy added smugly. When House didn't reply, she knew she had won this little tryst. House's hands were covered in dough and flour but that didn't stop him from grabbing Cuddy's hips and backing her against the counter. Her hands pushed at House's chest, a weak show of restraint. She didn't have long left of her break before she had to return to her meeting.

Cuddy had warned House not to kiss her due to her current medical situation but House acted like he didn't care. On the inside, both of them knew that House does care and was attempting to follow this tough rule. It was hard for House to show restraint even when Cuddy's health was normal, but he had been pretty good so far during their quarantine. He hadn't technically broken the rule when he kissed Cuddy's cheek last night. But now she was pinned against the kitchen counter, breathing heavily with House's lips millimetres from her, she was scared that she was going to do the reckless thing that she was preventing House from doing.

"House." Her warning came out breathy. Her chest was heaving and House bent down to nip her neck before pulling away and returning to his dough. Cuddy pressed a kiss to House's cheek before she turned on her heel and retreated to her study. She was two minutes late but made up an excuse about taking a call from one of her staff which everyone believed. The meeting lasted another half hour and Cuddy was happy with the outcome but she was hungry and in desperate need of a nap.

The house was oddly still and this stillness made Cuddy instantly curious. She closed her laptop down and plugged in the charger. She tiptoed down across the house and peeped into the kitchen where House was chewing a bite of his pizza while slicing the other. Knowing that House wasn't aware of her presence, she crept up behind him and snaked her arms around his waist while her head rested between his shoulder blades. He tensed momentarily but soon relaxed when Cuddy's hands slipped under his t-shirt to caress his stomach. Cuddy was waiting for some crude comment to leave House's lips but it never came. All he did was tap her arm and she stepped back so he could turn and hand her a plate that contained slices of veggie pizza. He remembers every topping she liked.

"Thank you," Cuddy whispered, reaching up to caress his stubbled cheek with her left hand. His soft gaze met hers and she felt herself getting lost in his eyes. The plate in her other hand was hot but she didn't mind it burning her hand. She was so close to giving in to temptation again. House was disarming her with his eyes and she was letting him.

"Tut, tut, Cuddy. Breaking your own rules is something I never expected to witness." House taunted. Cuddy took a deep breath, stepped back and rushed to the table. She just about managed to sit down and bite into a slice of pizza before she felt House's hands massaging her shoulders. She flashed back to the morning after she broke off her engagement to Lucas and slept with House. Cuddy could see herself wearing House's t-shirt, standing in the bathroom doorway with House massaging her shoulders.

His hands remained on her shoulders while she ate and she could feel herself getting sleepier by the minute. House was paying close attention to a knot in her neck and she nearly moaned when he worked it out completely. The plate lay abandoned on the kitchen table as House lead Cuddy to bed and they started the afternoon with a nap.