Just in time. Thank God, finally September 21th! I wanted to finish this story a long time ago. I'm really sorry! :-)
House was about to go AWOL but since he couldn't risk pissing off Cuddy again, he stayed and ended up vacuuming the entire house while Wilson was busy lawnmoaning.
Finally Cuddy released them at half past two in the afternoon.
"Same time next week!", she told them.
House and Wilson walked back to their car respectively motorbike.
"I still have my stuff at your place. Shall I pick it up or can you bring it on Monday?", Wilson asked carefully.
House looked at his bike and thought it over for a moment.
"Can't bring it on the bike. You can get it later", he mumbled.
It was an awkward situation and an uncomfortable silence built up. Both of them wanted to say something but they didn't.
"Ok, I'll come around 7 tonight", Wilson finally said and got into his car. House watched him leaving.
"I'll be there", he whispered and left as well.
Wilson let himself in at 7.15 pm. He lay down the key on the couch table.
"I doubt it I will need it again", he mumbled.
House looked up from his piano and stopped playing.
He got up, took his wallet and got some bank notes out.
"3000 dollars if you tell Cuddy that we are ok", he explained and offered Wilson the money.
The oncologist looked confused. "Are you nuts?"
House shrugged. "Why?"
"You want me to repair our friendship for money? You can't be serious!"
"I don't want to make good with you. I want you to pretend that we are good!"
Wilson shook his head. "Unbelievable. Just give me my stuff."
"It's all over the place. You'll find it", House told him and sat down on the couch.
He observed his guest picking up his laundry and other things. Finally Wilson entered the bathroom and now House followed him.
Wilson got his toothbrush when suddenly House grabbed his right wrist and chained him to the towel rail on the wall next to the sink.
"What the hell? House! Let me go!", the oncologist yelled.
House smirked and shook his head.
"You should have taken the money!", he told him and left his bathroom.
Wilson sat down on the edge of the bath tub and thought about his current situation. Knowing House he was not really afraid but rather annoyed. He wouldn't end like the victim in Misery but it would probably take a while to get out of this. When Wilson could hear the piano he decided it was time to get help. So he searched for his cell phone when he remembered it was still in his coat that he had lay down on the couch 5 minutes earlier.
"HOUSE!!!!", he yelled now. "House, get in here!!!"
But the diagnostician kept him waiting. Wilson got really pissed.
House on the other hand had a problem. He had known that Wilson would deny taking the money but it was worth trying anyway. Taking the oncologist hostage had not really been his plan but rather a kneejerk reaction.
Now he was not really sure about his next step. So he returned to his piano and thought it over. His yelling colleague he ignored completely.
Finally he shut the piano lid and got his Vicodin out. He had to do something so he visited his prisoner half an hour later. Carefully he opened the door and popped in his head always ready to dodge a flying shampoo bottle.
Wilson still sat on the bathtub edge and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing, House?"
"We should have known this is going to happen from the start", House told him.
Wilson looked surprised. "You actually want to talk? Like a real conversation?"
House shrugged and sat down next to him.
"Obviously the only way to make this go away."
"So, go on. What's your point?", Wilson said.
"It's easy. I hate being around people all the time, you need to analyze every single moment of your life or better my life. So even spending time with my best friend gets annoying sooner or later. And the week was really long."
Wilson was confused. That made actually sense.
"So we are still friends?", he asked him now.
House smirked. "Are you still an idiot?"
Wilson pursed his lips. "I think so, yes."
"Good. Would be a shame to lose you as a friend", House admitted.
"And it's not all bad about being friends with you", Wilson went on.
"Oh thank you. For a moment there I was worried. So, no pity friendship?"
"No. Who else could I have fun with at monster truck races? And nobody could feed my addiction for neediness better than you."
House smiled and brought out an almost empty pill bottle.
"Speaking of addiction, I could use a refill. So you brought your prescription pad?"
Wilson rolled his eyes and sighed. "House…"
House shrugged. "We can't have fun with monster trucks as long as I'm in pain."
"First you get me my freedom back, then we will drown these damn handcuffs in the river so this will never happen again. Then you will pay for my dinner since we lost to Cuddy because of you and then we can talk about your pills."
House looked confused. "I thought I have to invite Cuddy for dinner when we lose."
"Nevertheless, you will pay today!", Wilson insisted.
That was it. No long discussions about the incidents of the past week concerning their friendship and no heartbreaking apologies. Both were fine with it, they would probably never speak about this again. Well, maybe they would but there wouldn't be any hard feelings.
House agreed on inviting his friend for dinner, unfortunately he realized the lack of his wallet when it was time to pay the waitress in the diner.
"Stupid me, I must have forgotten it", he smirked.
Wilson rolled his eyes. "Typical. Wouldn't recognize if you didn't", he told him and brought out House's wallet. It wasn't the first time House tried this one so whenever the diagnostician would forget to bring his wallet the oncologist would bring it for him.
Finally Wilson dropped him off at home. "Have a good night. I'm glad I don't have to spend the night with you again", the oncologist told him.
House nodded. "Yeah, that's what you say now but you'll cry yourself to sleep in your cold, empty bed", he replied.
"Then you can collect the sheets that are wet with tears for your shrine", Wilson suggested.
House grinned and left the car. "Don't get married on your way home!"
Two days later House was supposed to cover his clinic hours in the afternoon. So Cuddy did her usual routine. She asked the nurses whether the diagnostician had shown up for his duty.
"I saw him around 10 minutes ago", the nurse told her. "I think he is in exam room 2."
"Let's hope he's got a patient in there as well", Cuddy mumbled and went over.
She opened the door and was surprised. Not about the lack of a patient but rather about the presence of the head of oncology. For a moment she was relieved about the obviously repaired friendship but then she got angry again.
"House! What are you doing?", she yelled.
House threw her an innocent view.
"I do as you told me, I get it in order", he explained.
Cuddy sighed. "So it's either you guys being in a fight and not talking to each other or it's you guys being friends and not doing your jobs?"
Wilson nodded. "Guess that's it, yes."
"Well, I like it better that way. Now get your asses up and back to work!", she told them and confiscated once more House's beloved TV.
"And this time I'll keep it!"
"Damn it, the company only produced one of them. I'll never be able to replace it", House mocked her and grabbed his cane.
"Go back to work!", she told him and left.
"I see you later", Wilson told his friend and went back upstairs.
Cuddy approached House again while he was looking for an interesting file.
"It's nice to see you two being friends again", she told him. "How did you do this?"
House shrugged. "We are adults and men. Took us only five minutes."
Cuddy smirked. "Whatever it took, I'm glad it worked. Anyway, are you still interested in that dinner?", she asked him now seductively.
House raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, let me think. During the last week you chained me to Wilson, a stair rail, got me into prison, stole my food and money and made me clean your house. No, I don't think so. Goodbye!", he told her, turned around and called out the name of a patient. Together with an old guy he vanished into exam room 1.
Cuddy was confused but she would have to find out about this later because she was late for a meeting.
Few hours later House waited for Wilson in front of the elevator. They wanted to go bowling in the evening. Luckily the last week had not caused any permanent damages.
They had 7 more Saturdays to cover at Cuddy's place and since House had been able to convince Wilson that the lost bet was not his fault alone they agreed on calling their own bet a tie. Wilson would have loved to see House and Cuddy going out on a date but after House had threatened him with coming up with new rumors about Wilson's nasty private life the oncologist had promised to end his matchmaker ambitions. Plus that way he could avoid cooking for House for a month.
And there was a lesson in that story for them as well. They were best friends that's for sure. And they had a strong friendship going on which was obvious since they still had a frienship after that week. And neither of them could walk out of it because they couldn't be without each other. But they would never forget that this friendship was only a pleasure with enough free time for both of them.
"I still miss three of my boxers", Wilson announced when they crossed the hall in front of the clinic.
"Yeah, I keep them in my secret Wilson shrine. They match perfectly with the ties I stole from you two weeks ago."
One of the nurses held out a form for House to sign so they stopped at the nurse's counter.
Cuddy stood in the clinic and looked over. She was wondering whether House would start another try and was disappointed since he was obviously leaving for the day.
Wilson saw her standing there.
"So what about you and Cuddy?"
He received a glare from House and went on immediately.
"I won't give you any advice it's just curiosity."
House smirked.
"That woman nearly ruined our friendship. I think we all are better off with the status quo."
Wilson shook his head.
"Oh House, you...", he sighed but the diagnostician interrupted him.
"Excuse me nurse. Did I ever tell you about the odd stuff I found in Dr. Wilson's closet recently?"
"I get it", Wilson told him to shut him up and they left a disappointed nurse behind who would have loved to hear the latest gossip.
"Cuddy and I are not ready yet", House mumbled on their way out.
Wilson chuckled. "Probably. Maybe another 10 years and you give it another try."
But probably it wouldn't take that long. Because they didn't just leave behind a disappointed nurse. Their boss was sad, too. Cuddy didn't know if it was just another game of House or if the diagnostician had really lost his interest in her. She was really sad when she saw him leaving in a good mood with Wilson and she decided that it was now her turn to chase him for a while….
Thank you for reading! :-)