Title: The End of an Era
Pairing: House/Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (from Angel the Series)
Rating: PG-Slash implied
Summary: House remembers a friend from his past
Warnings: If you don't like the idea of an Angel/House crossover than please don't read it. This has been self-betaed, which I have been told is a bad thing, but I wanted to try something new so I put this out there early. Also I own none of the people mentioned in this story, they belong to the wonderful men from Mutant Enemy and Bad Hat Productions.
Author/artist notes: I blame my Angel Season Five DVDs for this one. I sat there watching them after House the other night and thought the idea of House being a Watcher who never finished his training thus hiding from the Council would be a good one. With that was born my first House fic ever, so please enjoy or not! This is also a one shot based in a universe I may write more about if anyone is interested.
It arrived three days ago and from that moment on it sat on his desk mocking him. It didn't just mock him with its crisp white paper and loopy handwriting, but also with the news it carried.
The very lines seemed to scream out, We've got bad news that will totally screw up the rest of your life and we don't give a damm." To his credit, House had only crumpled up the Letter of Doom three times without throwing it across the room. But after each time, he had smoothed it out again and reread each word.
House would have been the first to admit that he hated thinking about the past. In fact he would have rather have had a heart transplant, than have to open up about himself to anyone else, even Wilson. But there had been one person, House could have opened up to, if he had given himself a chance.
They had first met, when House's contacts from his old life had alerted him to a young man fighting vampires in New Jersey. Curious despite himself, House tracked the hunter down and invited him out for a drink. He was not expecting to meet a young Watcher dressed in tight leather and calling himself a Rogue Demon Hunter of all things.
But Wesley's willingness to overcome his failings and become something more, slowly won over the cranky cripple with the fake accent and drinks became dinner and a movie. By the end of the evening, House found himself offering the young man access to all the circle's contacts and resources any time he needed them.
Over the years, the two men shared stories about their lives, work and loves as they traded information and dusty old books. When Wesley attempted to take his employer's son, he had planned on bringing him to House for safe keeping, but ended up empty handed in the doctor's office with a big smile across his throat instead.
That was the first time, House ever thought about kissing the younger man, simply for comfort's sake, or so he told himself anyway. But he let Wesley walk out of his life with a joke, figuring the last thing he needed was more confusion and pain.
And when Wes decided to venture out on his own, House provided him with people, equipment and anything else he needed. It made him proud to see the young man finding his own way and shining like a real star in the midst of the fakes ones of Los Angeles.
The change from friendship to something more came after Wesley's last visit. Distraught over the idea he might have shot his own father, Wesley had come back to House looking for comfort. That then led to drinking, which led to kissing and finally the bedroom.
It may not have been the best sex either one of them had ever had, but it served it's purpose and Wesley went back to work feeling better about himself, while House felt like crap on toast. But none of that would ever matter again, because the bright young star he had grown to love was dead in an unwinnable battle against the minions of hell.
Raising his glass of whiskey to the night sky, Greg House toasted his former friend, and one time lover. "To Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, may your star in heaven never burn out," he said.