Author's Notes: This is a companion piece to prompt #085. She - they're out of order because they worked better this way. It should hopefully be fairly easy to work who the 'he' is referring to in this one except for the last three sentences - you can take those any way you like. grins
084. He
Melancholy Hope
He stayed.
He stayed and he picked up the pieces…twice. House didn't know why he stayed, what reason he had for putting up with everything, with the sarcasm and the cruelty he was occasionally capable of, with the moods, with the smug superiority…but he stayed. And he smiled and he bantered and he admonished and he worried. That annoyed House on occasion but he accepted it from him as he would accept it from no one else.
Now he was standing there in the doorway, suitcase at his feet, an odd anguish on his face, asking for a place to stay, an ear to listen…a piece of his heart?
He almost sent him away. Sympathy was not his forte, compassion was not his way…risking himself was not what he did anymore. But then he smiled wryly, painfully and he let him in.
Because he had stayed.
Because he cared.
Because he loved.