This is a companion piece to the prompt Prize (which is why that one is in this collection). This one is back to third persona nd is from Wilson's POV.

001. Beginnings

Realisation of Life

Wilson pulled into a parking spot out the front of House's apartment and turned off the engine. He sighed and sat there for a moment, staring out the windscreen at nothing in particular. He couldn't remember the last time a date had been so…awkward. It had seemed like a good idea at the time to ask Susan, a nurse in Paediatrics, out to dinner. He was getting divorced and for once it wasn't his fault, surely he deserved to have a bit of fun and Susan seemed like a good place to start. She was pretty, an excellent nurse and witty to boot.

But somewhere in the middle of the entrée, he'd realised that she wasn't just witty, she was a touch on the sarcastic side and he was bantering with her in much the same way he bantered with House. It was as though that realisation had smashed through his mind like a battering ram, taking down all his walls with it and letting him see the truth he'd been hiding for so long. Susan wasn't just on the sarcastic side of witty, she was also tall, nearly his height, she had brown hair and blue eyes. He wasn't on a date with Susan; he was on a date with the closest thing his subconscious could find to House.

Needless to say, the date became somewhat awkward after that. Not through any fault of Susan's. In fact, while she'd easily picked up on his sudden hesitancy, she'd been kind enough not to push. No doubt she'd taken it for an acute attack of post-separation, or perhaps mid-divorce, nerves. His relief when the dinner finally ended and he'd walked her to her car had far outweighed what had, in spite of his revelation, been quite a pleasant date.

He'd had plenty of time to think on the drive home and he'd been mildly surprised that it had been so easy to come to a conclusion. He wanted House and he was going to get him. He knew how House felt about him so he knew that wouldn't be a problem. He'd known for a long time. He'd just never had the courage to act on it. He'd wanted to be…normal. To be the perfect son for his parents who had been so devastated when his brother had walked out, never to return. But look at the cost of that rousing game of charades. Three ex-wives, all of whom hated him in their own way because he'd never really been able to commit to them. Because he'd never really wanted them. He'd loved them in his own way but he'd wanted…something else. He hadn't really known what until he met House.

Wilson took a deep breath and got out of the car. He had no idea whether it would be easy to convince House or not. He suspected the answer would be not. House liked making things difficult. It was his way of testing whether you really meant what you said, whether you really, truly wanted it enough to make the effort. It was annoying and frustrating but it was all House.

He walked up to the door and pulled out his key, quietly letting himself in. He walked into the living room and sighed. House was sitting at the piano, picking out random notes and, from the slump of his shoulders and the glass of scotch sitting on top of the piano, in a dark mood.

Wilson pulled his suit jacket off and draped it over the back of the sofa, adding his tie a moment later. He undid the top couple of buttons and rolled up his sleeves. He moved to stand beside the sofa, shoving his hands in his pockets. House didn't seem to realise he was there so he stood and watched the other man for a moment. He didn't really know what House was beating himself up about this time but he though it was about time he stopped.

"Hey," he said quietly, letting his amusement and his curiosity show a little.

As he watched, House started and turned to look at him. Just for a moment, Wilson saw House's eyes widen then he settled into his usual slightly sarcastic expression.

"Thought you were out with Sarah?" House said in a tone that was clearly trying to be a sneer.

Wilson gave a small smile; in any other person he might have labelled that casual interest. In House he wasn't sure but for his own purposes he was going to call it jealously.

"Susan," he corrected almost automatically before continuing wryly, "It didn't exactly work out."

House snorted. "She's female with tits out to here and she likes you. How can it not work out?"

Wilson definitely didn't want to answer that question just yet so he walked over and stood next to House, noting with satisfaction the minute reactions from the other man.

"She's not what I'm looking for," he said, stopping just short of making that a challenge.

"When has that ever stopped you?" House said sharply.

Wilson flinched; that was a little too close to the bone for his liking right now. He was well aware of the many mistakes he'd made in the past but right now he had no intention of responding to House's baiting. He had bigger fish to fry so he let that one go.

"Since I decided to stop lying to myself," he said with a mix of nerves and determination. He wasn't sure whether House would read into that what he wanted him to.

Apparently he hadn't since his only response was, "That'll be a first."

Wilson sighed and looked amused. This wasn't exactly going the way he'd hoped it would, which probably just about summed up most of his dealings with House.

"I knew you were going to make this difficult," he said wryly.

House grinned at him. "Difficult is my middle name."

It was easy to fall into their normal banter and Wilson let it happen, wanting to settle himself down a bit and see if he could get control of this conversation again.

He smiled back and said, "I thought it was John."

House raised an eyebrow at him. "There's a difference?"

Wilson laughed softly; it was an obvious dig at House's father and quite an accurate one in many ways. Like father, like son was true for the House men though Wilson was fairly sure both would go to their graves denying it. He also realised that the banter was another avoidance tactic and decided to take the bull by the horns. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to House's.

He didn't try to deepen the kiss, waiting to see what House's reaction would be. After a few moments he started to pull back. House hadn't moved and he wondered whether he'd made a phenomenal mistake, wondered whether he'd completely misread the tiny signals House had been sending for years, wondered whether he'd just destroyed his most valued friendship.

Just as he was wondered that last, House moved. He slid his hand around the back of Wilson's neck and pulled him back down, kissing him passionately. Wilson responded greedily, relief flooding through him for a moment before its place was taken by desire, lust and a certain giddy happiness.

When they finally separated, they didn't move far and ended up with their foreheads resting against each other. Wilson's eyes were closed and his hands were resting on House's shoulders.

"Why?"

House's voice was barely audible and Wilson could hear a wealth of questions in that one simple word. For a moment he debated how to answer, which question to answer then he smiled softly. He knew how to respond; by answering those thing he'd seen for brief moments in House's eyes over the years.

"Because I want you. Because I need you. Because I love you."

Wilson felt House shudder under his hands and he brought one hand up to gently caress one stubbled cheek, relishing the moment when House leaned into the caress. He could almost hear the thoughts and doubts and fears running rampant inside House's head and decided to put an end to them…at least for the moment.

He tilted House's head up and kissed him again, a warm, sweet kiss that seemed to last forever. Then he decided to explore, running a line of kisses along House's jawline. House's head tilted back almost involuntarily and Wilson smiled at that, turning his attention to sensitive skin just below House's ear. He licked the skin there, smiling again at the shiver that induced in the other man then he nipped at the skin, barely letting his teeth make contact, more a promise than a bite. House whimpered at that and Wilson felt a shiver run through his own body at the thought of having drawn that sound from House. He pressed a soothing kiss to the skin he'd just nipped and grinned at the second whimper.

Wilson shifted his mouth so that it was right next to House's ear and whispered, "I'm yours. I'm yours and I'm not letting go. You can't push me away and I won't leave."

He heard House's breath catch at that declaration and then House grabbed him and dragged him into a hard, searing, possessive kiss, full of want and need and love. Wilson moaned; it was the kiss he'd been wanting for a long time without even being aware of it and now he wanted more.

House wrenched his mouth away and they both whimpered then he whispered, "Bed."

Wilson somehow managed to push himself upright and he licked his lips. He saw something flicker through House's eyes at that then he turned and started walking towards the bedroom. He could hear House getting to his feet behind him and then the familiar limping tread. He let a smile grow on his face; he had what he wanted and he wasn't going to let either of them screw this up.