007. Days

A Kiss Is Just A Kiss

Two days, seven hours and twenty-four minutes.

Precisely two days, seven hours and twenty-four minutes ago, Gregory House kissed James Wilson.

And precisely two days, seven hours and twenty minutes had passed since Gregory House limped out of James Wilson's office and that was the last time Wilson had seen him.

He tried calling. There was no answer. Not at his office. Not at his home. Not even on his cell phone.

He'd gone over to House's apartment. No answer to the door. He used his key. There was no one home and the bedroom showed signs that someone had packed in a hurry. Wilson had finally wandered back out into main room where he'd found a note propped up against a glass on the coffee table, one that he'd missed on his first pass through the room. The note had his name scrawled on the front. He'd carefully walked over and picked it up, opening it with an unreasoning sense of foreboding.

Gone away for a few days. Needed to think. So do you.

I'm sorry,

GH

Wilson stared down at the note for several minutes before walking over and picking up the phone.

"Lisa, where's House?…When?…Why not?…When is he supposed to be coming back?…He what?…Yes…Yes…Yes, I will…Thank you…Bye."

Wilson stared down at the note again as he put the phone down and sat down on the couch. He wondered briefly why House had apologised. Was it about the kiss? He snorted; of course it was the kiss. What else had happened between them? But why was House sorry? And what did he need to think about? The kiss? Wilson fervently hoped it wasn't the kiss. He'd been surprised when House had leaned in and claimed his lips so fervently and so passionately in the middle of the argument they'd been having but he certainly wasn't upset.

He'd certainly kissed back after getting over his shock so he wasn't sure why House would be sorry about the kiss. He sighed and leaned back on the couch. Of course House would be sorry. House didn't know that Julie had walked out on him six days ago and that her lawyer had called him only an hour before the kiss had occurred. Which incidentally was why the argument had occurred. He'd been feeling frustrated and angry with himself and when House had turned up in a belligerent mood it hadn't taken much for him to snap, particularly when he hadn't wanted to tell House the reason for his own mood.

House did have a point that he needed to think…that they both needed to think but right now he didn't know what House was thinking. He knew what he was thinking. He wanted another one of those kisses. In fact he wanted more than just kisses. Hell, he'd had two days to come to that conclusion. He'd liked that kiss and he'd gotten more out of it than any kiss from any of his wives. Which was odd really because he'd never thought of himself as being gay…or even bisexual. He'd done a little bit of experimentation at college but while it had been okay, it hadn't really been anything that would set the world on fire so he'd just come to the conclusion he was straight and gone on from there. Although three failed marriages would probably cause some people to debate that supposed straight status with him.

It had also just occurred to him that he and House did a lot of what some people might term flirting which probably explained those rumours that periodically ran around the hospital about them…usually around the time they got a new influx of interns and nurses who weren't used to the way he and House interacted. Except what if they really had been flirting? What if House had been flirting with him and he'd sort of been unconsciously flirting back because that's just what he did when someone flirted with him? Well, that's what he did when a woman flirted with him.

He let out a small chuckle. That was probably something he should never tell House…that he was treating him like one of his women. Then again, if House had been flirting with him and he did mean something with that kiss, then maybe he should tell House because he generally had sex with his women.

That did bring something else to mind. His wives had generally turned a blind eye to his philandering…at least for a while. But House wouldn't. If this was what he thought it was then there would be no cheating or there would be no more House. He dropped the note next to him on the couch as he considered that. Could he do it? He'd never been able to before but then he rather supposed he had better motivation now. He didn't want to lose House as his friend no matter what happened. Would that be enough to keep him from wandering? Did he want to take that risk?

Wilson sat in thought for several minutes then nodded to himself. Yes, he did. And he was done thinking. He knew what he wanted. With that decision he felt himself growing tired. He snorted; that was no great surprise. He'd hardly slept the last couple of days, wondering what was going on and where House was. For a moment he contemplated grabbing a nap on the couch then he smirked. No, he was going to use House's bed. He planned on ending up there anyway so why not start now?

With that amusing thought Wilson stood and walked into House's bedroom. He quickly stripped down to his boxers and slipped in between the cool sheets. He buried his face into one of the pillows and breathed in the scent of House. He chuckled at his own actions then settled in more comfortably and drifted off to sleep.

House shifted his overnight bag into a more comfortable position as he slammed the car door shut. He limped into his apartment building and made his way up to his apartment. A few minutes fumbling with his keys, his cane and the bag had the door open and him inside. He let the bag fall to the floor and made a mental note to deal with it later. He limped further into the room and looked around. The first thing he noticed was the note he'd left for Wilson was now lying on the couch. Well, that told him one thing…Wilson had been here.

He made his way into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, opening it and downing the contents in three long swallows. He momentarily debated calling Wilson but then tossed that idea out. He was tired, his leg was aching and he really didn't think he had the patience or the desire to deal with what had happened right now.

Not that he regretted kissing Wilson. Or at least he hoped he didn't. Or more accurately he hoped Wilson didn't regret it. Okay, he really hoped Wilson had liked it and wanted more but he'd settle for keeping their friendship intact. He leaned against the bench and tossed the empty bottle towards the trash. He didn't even react when the bottle went in; his thoughts were too full of what had happened.

He'd been in a fairly foul mood. He'd walked in on Cameron and Chase in his office with the blinds closed. The scene he'd walked in on had been pretty tame; they'd only been kissing after all. Nevertheless it had dampened what had been a reasonably good mood very quickly. In fact after he'd had some time to think he wasn't even sure why it had put him in a foul mood. Contrary to popular opinion he didn't like Cameron…at least not in that way. He thought she was a good doctor when she concentrated on what was wrong with the patient and he liked her when she was being a good doctor. But he didn't like her in that way. And he wasn't after Chase either. Chase was certainly pretty but he was also a bit of weakling. His behaviour when Vogler had been at the hospital was proof positive of that. It had taken nearly twenty-four hours to figure out a reason why he'd reacted the way he did to seeing Chase and Cameron kiss and he wasn't even sure if he was right. He'd reacted because he wanted to be kissing someone. Not Chase or Cameron though.

So he'd taken his foul mood out and straight to the cause of it…or part of the cause of it. Which had turned out to be possibly a very bad idea. Because Wilson hadn't been in the best of moods either and instead of reacting to House's snapping with humour or just a curious look and a chiding comment, he'd snapped back. House wasn't exactly sure why Wilson had been in a bad mood but he had a fair idea it probably had something to do with Julie. Wilson only got into those kinds of moods when one of his marriages was in danger of falling apart. So they'd snapped at each other then progressed to yelling then something had really snapped inside House and he'd grabbed Wilson's tie and pulled the younger man towards him.

The kiss had been bliss. Hot, heated and passionate. At least on his side. And just when he'd been about to pull away, Wilson had started kissing back. And that had taken it to a whole new level. Then sanity had returned…at least for him. He was kissing his best friend. His only friend. His straight friend. He'd pulled away with a jerk and quickly limped out of the room. He knew it wouldn't take long for Wilson to recover and he knew he needed to think about what he'd just done. So he'd gone to Cuddy and basically demanded some time off. He had to make a few threats but she'd finally agreed…and he really didn't want to think about how long she was going to hold it over his head.

So he'd driven until nearly midnight then pulled in at the first motel he found. He needed to think and that would do just fine. Unfortunately his two days of thinking hadn't really achieved much. He knew he'd enjoyed that kiss, he knew he wanted more and he knew he didn't want to lose Wilson's friendship. Beyond that he had no further conclusions. It all rested on Wilson and how he'd reacted.

House sighed and scrubbed his face with one hand. He gripped his cane tightly with the other and limped towards his bedroom. He was tired and needed his Vicodin and some sleep. It was a measure of how tired and dispirited he was that it took until he'd pulled off his t-shirt and was sitting down on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes and jeans to realise that his bed was in fact occupied. It wasn't difficult to recognise who was tucked underneath his sheets and comforter but he just wasn't sure why Wilson was sleeping in his bed.

He laid a hand on the covered shoulder and gave the sleeping body a small shake. "Wilson?"

The sleeping man made an indistinct noise as he took a deep breath and turned over.

"House?" Wilson said sleepily, blinking in the light. "You're back."

"Obviously," House said in a tone lacking its usual bite. "Why are you here?"

"Was tired," Wilson mumbled.

"You usually sleep on the couch," House observed warily.

"Like it here," Wilson replied. "Come to bed."

House sucked in a sudden sharp breath at that invitation then slowly, almost as if in a daze, he pulled off his shoes, socks and jeans. He paused long enough to pull the small bottle out of his jeans pocket and swallow a pill then he crawled under the sheets. The bed was warm and the moment he got settled, Wilson shifted over and curled around him as thought he was some kind of large teddy bear. He froze for a moment at that then he slowly forced himself to relax and pulled the younger man closer. Wilson made an indistinct pleased sound and snuggled even closer.

"Sleep now, talk later," Wilson mumbled as he drifted into sleep again.

"Yeah," House said, feeling oddly unsure.

He thought he'd lie there awake but in fairly short order, sleep had claimed him as well.

When House woke he felt warm, well rested and decidedly comfortable. This confused him at first since he could count the number of times the latter two had happened since the infarction on one hand. Then he remember everything that had happened in the last few days and in particular what had happened before he'd gone to sleep and he opened his eyes.

"Morning," Wilson said and House looked over to find his friend lying on his side, head propped up on one hand. The bedside light was still on and illuminating the room.

"Is it?" House asked carefully.

Wilson chuckled. "Just. It's nearly one in the morning."

"Ah," House said. "You're in my bed."

"Yes," Wilson replied then he looked a little worried. "Is that…okay?"

"Yeah," House said, his voice slightly hoarse.

Wilson grinned warmly then paused for a moment before leaning over and kissing House. He broke away before things could get involved.

"You're not going to run away again, are you?" he said with a half-smile.

House swallowed hard before answering. "Uh, no. Besides technically I didn't run away, I just limped really fast."

"Semantics," Wilson said with amusement.

"I love semantics," House replied.

Wilson rolled his eyes. "I know." He paused and eyed House with warm amusement. "Wish you'd stayed though."

"Really? I thought my note was pretty accurate," House replied.

Wilson thought about that for a moment. "Hmm, you might have a point. I did think a bit."

"And your conclusions?" House asked.

Wilson snorted. "I'm here…in your bed and I just kissed you. What do you think they were?"

House blinked. "What about Julie?"

"She left me six days ago," Wilson replied.

"Ah, hence the mood the other day," House said with understanding. "I thought it was due to wife problems. Didn't think she'd left though. Thought you were trying to work things out."

"I wasn't successful," Wilson said dryly. "Though I'm not sure how convincing I was in the first place."

"Oh?" House said, raising an eyebrow.

Wilson gave an odd half-shrug. "I don't think I could ever deliver what she wanted. You know, be the kind of husband she wanted." He gave House an intent look. "So…we know why I was in a bad mood that day. Why were you in a bad mood? And why did you kiss me?"

House shifted uncomfortably, wincing as his leg complained. "I walked in on Chase and Cameron examining each other's tonsils."

Wilson blinked then comprehension dawned and he frowned. "I thought you didn't like Cameron?"

"I don't," House said wearily.

Wilson smirked. "Is it Chase then?"

House scowled. "It's neither of them."

"Ah yes, that's right…you kissed me," Wilson said, his smirking widening.

"Yes."

"You…kissed me because you saw Chase kissing Cameron?" Wilson said, looking both amused and curious.

"Yes."

Wilson considered that for a moment. "Hmm, guess I should be nice to those two next time I see them."

"What?" House said incredulously.

"I liked that kiss," Wilson said with a heated grin. "I want more kisses. I want…well, I want more."

House looked blank. "You do?"

Wilson shifted over until he was plastered against the side of House. "Oh, yeah," he said in low voice as he bucked his hips fractionally.

House sucked in a breath. "Are you sure you know what you want?"

Wilson gave another one of those odd shrugs. "I messed around a little in college. Didn't seem that exciting. That kiss has made me rethink a few things." He grinned again. "Want to convince me I was wrong?"

House closed his eyes momentarily. "Love to," he said hoarsely.

He wrapped one arm around Wilson and pulled so that he was half on top of his body, studiously ignoring the way Wilson made sure that neither of them bumped his bad leg. He snaked his other hand up into Wilson's hair then pulled him down into a hard, desperate kiss. Wilson moaned into the kiss and ground his erection into House's hip. House's hand immediately slipped down from Wilson's waist to his arse, gripping hard and pulling to gain the friction he wanted on his own hardening cock. Wilson moaned again and ripped his mouth away.

"God…I must have been…doing this wrong in college," he gasped.

"You were…young and…stupid," House agreed as he kissed his way along Wilson's jaw.

Wilson gave a breathless laugh that turned into a whimper as House gently bit his earlobe then swirled his tongue around it. The whimper then turned into a needy whine as House moved his other hand down to Wilson's hips and gripped hard, grinding their bodies together mercilessly. Wilson let House drive the pace as he all but smashed their mouths together. There was no finesse involved; it was all tongues and teeth and hot, wet need interspersed with gasping breaths and muttered curses and entreaties until House tore his mouth away and bit out a savage, desperate "Jimmy!" as he came. The tone of House's voice and the bruising tightening of the hands on his hips sent Wilson over the edge with a wordless cry. He slumped where he was, half on top of House, and let his forehead rest on House's shoulder.

"Definitely did that wrong in college," he said fervently when he felt able to speak again.

House snorted. "Of course you did, it wasn't with me," he said, his voice lazy and content as he wrapped one arm around Wilson and let the other hand drifted up and down his back.

"That was an observation, not a boost to your already capacious ego," Wilson said with amused exasperation.

"Hey, you're the one who said it. I can take it however I like," House replied.

Wilson was about to answer back when House shifted slightly underneath him and drew in a sharp breath. Wilson reached for the bottle sitting on the bedside table and slid off his lover. He opened the bottle and shook out a pill, offering it to House silently. House took it and swallowed it then he snatched the bottle back and placing it on the table. He then hesitated for a moment before curling up around his lover and resting his right leg on top of Wilson's legs.

Wilson pulled him close and sighed. "We should clean up," he murmured.

"Need to wait," House muttered, his face buried in Wilson's neck.

"I know," Wilson replied. "That's what I meant."

"No smart comments then?"

Wilson was silent for a moment. "I think taking one then was justified but I'm not going to say any more because I don't want to get into an argument with you right now. Right now I want to bask in smug satisfaction for a while then I want to clean up. After that, it's a whole new ball game."

"I didn't know sex was done to a timetable," House said, amusement lacing his voice. "And how easy will it be to distract you when the new ball game starts?"

"Don't know," Wilson said, ignoring the first comment. "You'll have to find out."

"I love a challenge," House said.

"Yes, you do," Wilson replied with relish.

House pulled himself up enough to look Wilson in the face, smirking at the smug expression he found.

"Finish your basking," he said as he carefully rolled over and sat up. "I want to take up that challenge."

With that House grabbed his cane and started limping towards the bathroom. Wilson watched him for a moment then with a grin, he crawled out of bed and followed.