Chapter 2

"Morning, Wilson."

Wilson heard the familiar, cheerful voice coming from behind him as he stood in the lobby to Princeton Plainsboro Hospital and jumped slightly. He finished signing in at the desk, and began to turn around cautiously in order to greet House face to face.

As he spun around, the awkward memory of their parting after dinner the night before floated to the front of his mind. They had been inches from each other's faces when he had frozen with fear and bizarre embarrassment, forcing House into a quick, recovering hug. Wilson colored slightly at the memory as he realized that blunder would most likely haunt him to his dying day.

"Morning House," he finally spoke, running his hand through his hair as his eyes met with House's. It took Wilson a moment to realize how uncommonly close now stood in front of him. He reflexively took a half step back, his back colliding into the edge of the receptionist desk. He stood, slightly startled and trapped between House's body and the harsh, pointed edge of the desk, grimacing from the annoying pain his back.

"Get a good night's sleep?" House asked, not moving from his spot within Wilson's personal bubble.

"Y- yes, thank you," Wilson stammered. He felt his arms sliding back behind him as he scrambled to place his hands nonchalantly on the countertop of the table. He felt his hands slip slightly from the perspiration that had begun to develop on the palms of his hands.

"Not lonely?" House asked, scrutinizing his best friend in an attempt to convey a very obvious sexual reference.

"My dreams weren't..." Wilson muttered, gazing from House to the floor as he swung his arms to his sides again.

"Oh?" asked House, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Excuse me, Dr. Wilson," a woman's voice from behind suddenly fluttered into the conversation. Wilson craned his neck to look over his shoulder, giving the receptionist a weak form of eye contact.

"There are others in line," she said weakly, in a very poor attempt to get rid of the bickering couple.

"Oh, yes, I'm so sorry!" Wilson said, shuffling sideways to clear the front of the desk. House could only look on in silent amusement as Wilson fumbled to pick up his briefcase, adjusted his coat and then gave House a small nod towards the elevator.

"Right," House said as they began to walk, "my favorite place to be."

Wilson rolled his eyes, still recovering from his obvious lack of eloquence. Once they arrived at the elevators, Wilson jabbed the up button, then stepped back to stand alongside House. They stood in silence as they waited for the elevator, almost thankful for an excuse to move when the elevator on the left let out a ding and opened its metallic doors.

House entered first, Wilson trudging behind, pressing the floor button as he entered. Almost immediately as the doors slammed shut, Wilson spoke.

"House, I'm really sorry about after dinner last night," he began, turning his head slightly downwards and towards House as he spoke, denying House the benefit of eye contact.

"You could make up for it here," House said invitingly, bouncing his cane in his hand as he spoke.

"I was— what?" Wilson stopped mid-speech and performed a double take as he looked surprisingly at House. "No," he then laughed, "we're almost at our floor," he argued.

"The 'stop' button's here for a reason," House gestured with his head towards the familiar red button.

"You're willing to set off an alarm in an elevator just to make out with me!"

"What? Like you're not?" House gave Wilson a serious stare, beginning to x-ray his partner again.

Wilson smiled despite himself, almost mischievously, but he then shook his head in hesitance. "And if I am?" he finally contented himself with an answer.

"Then you should have no problem with this," House began to take a step towards Wilson, reaching towards Wilson's face with a fiery sense of desire gleaming in his eyes. Wilson remained rooted to the spot by the sudden heat of the moment and the excitement that was rising in his chest. He saw House's twinkling blue eyes growing closer, glowing with equal excitement and happiness. As Wilson's entire view was filled by House's eyes, he felt himself closing his own eyes, and his lips parting in expectancy. He could feel House's breath on his face, his hands at either side of his face – the moment was drawing nearer...

Ding.

Suddenly, Wilson felt House's breath pull away from his face as House's hands quickly fell from either side of his face, leaving Wilson in a vulnerable state, eyes closed and completely relaxed. However, Wilson opened his eyes as he heard the metallic doors clang open and House begin to exit the elevator. Wilson put a hand to his forehead in shock, still attempting to register House's cruelty, gasping slightly from the intensity of those fleeting moments. He almost forgot to exit the elevator as it began to close on him, forcing him to hold his hand out between the heavy metallic doors.

He adjusted his clothing as he exited the elevator, giving House's back his typical, annoyed stare. House must've felt Wilson's gaze scrutinizing his back because he turned suddenly, facing Wilson with a small, sideways smirk.

"Why do I have the feeling that was some sort of revenge?" Wilson say, throwing out his briefcase-free hand in an open gesture.

House merely said nothing, but turned around and continued walking down the hallway, opening the glass door to his office and vanishing behind it, leaving Wilson to continue walking down the hallway to his office door at the end.

As he opened the door and settled into his office, a slightly twisted, simultaneously horrifying and satisfying thought crossed Wilson's racing mind: he was going to have to go through a whole day like this.