012. Grey

Lifting The Mood

House stood in front of the glass door that led out onto the balcony he shared with Wilson and stared at the grey, drizzling clouds. For once the weather outside matched his mood perfectly. He couldn't seem to shake this funk he was in and to be perfectly honest, he wasn't really trying. Wilson would have hauled him out of it, probably in a manner House wasn't quite expecting but would inevitably find rather funny, but Wilson was away at a week-long conference in California and wasn't due back for another day.

House scowled at the weather outside and his barely-seen reflection in the glass then abruptly pushed the door open. He limped out onto the balcony, slower than usual in deference to the slippery concrete, and stood next to the balustrade. The drizzle was chill and in spite of its lightness, it was relentless and quickly soaked through his clothes. He ignored the cold and the dampness and continued to stare, the grey mood settling more solidly over him.

"You really are an idiot sometimes."

Startled, House spun around then had to hurriedly grab for the balustrade when his feet slipped a little. When he'd recovered he looked in the direction the voice had come from to find Wilson standing in the doorway giving him a look that was a mix of exasperation and fond amusement.

"What are you doing here?" House said sharply.

The amused look on Wilson's face intensified and he said, "Well, I work here."

House scowled. "You're supposed to be at a conference."

"Cancelled," Wilson replied. "There was an outbreak of food poisoning and all three of the final day's key note speakers got it." He shrugged. "I came home early."

"Why aren't you sick?" House said ungraciously, feeling strangely unsettled by Wilson's unexpected reappearance.

"I don't know," Wilson said thoughtfully. "I ate the same meal. Maybe I've got a better stomach." He paused and grinned. "I eat in the cafeteria here so I guess that might be right."

House fell silent then turned and faced outwards again, ignoring the man behind him and the subsequent sigh.

"House, what are you doing?" Wilson said softly.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" House snapped.

"It looks like you're trying to get a cold," Wilson said mildly. "I'm not sure why you're doing that since you hate being sick and we hate you being sick because you become even more of a miserable bastard than normal."

House grunted and shrugged but couldn't summon enough interest to answer. He heard Wilson sigh behind him again then a moment later he was surprised to feel a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned his head just enough to see that Wilson had come out onto the balcony and was standing just behind him.

"What's wrong?" Wilson asked quietly.

House shrugged again and shook his head briefly before looking back out over the grey, wet vista; how the hell could he explain what was wrong to Wilson when he didn't know himself?

"Ah," Wilson said as though he understood anyway.

House kept expecting that warm hand to disappear and for Wilson to leave him to his brooding. Instead, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wilson come round to stand next to him, the hand leaving his shoulder. He then received a third surprise when Wilson cupped his cheek and turned his head so that he was facing the younger man. Wilson looked at him for a long moment, his face calm, then his hand slipped around to the back of House's neck and he pulled him in for a kiss.

House's eyes drifted closed as he relaxed into the kiss. There was no heat or need in it, just warmth, caring and something so indefinably Wilson that House unaccountably felt his grey mood starting to lift. He took his free hand off the balustrade and rested it on Wilson's hip, feeling the heat of his body and relaxing a little more.

The kiss drifted to an eventual end and they separated though they remained close. House slowly opened his eyes and found Wilson watching him calmly. Only his eyes betrayed his nervousness and even that faded when House smiled, a rare, genuine smile full of warmth and thanks.

"Now we're both wet," Wilson said with soft humour. "Let's go home."

"Sounds good," House said, still smiling as he followed Wilson inside.