A Challenge a Day

by Katling

This is a series of ficlets written for the housefic50 and fanfic100 challenge prompts. They are all HouseWilson and range in rating from K to M but will be rated M overall.

173. Mate

033. Mate

Vernacular

House liked teasing Chase about the occasional pieces of Australian vernacular that lipped into his speech from time to time. Mostly it was just pronunciation but often Chase would throw in a word or two that would just invite mockery. And sometimes House knew Chase threw in a word or two that he knew would invite mockery just to watch the reactions of his team mates and House himself.

The day he'd tossed out the description of his trip to the beach as a kid where he'd worn thongs was one of House's favourite memories. The gaping faces of Foreman and Cameron had looked particularly gormless, not to mention stunned. And House had been able to tease Chase incessantly about what kind of thongs he'd worn – lace or satin. Chase had protested and blushed and back-pedalled with an adeptness that House had thoroughly approved of, particularly considering that House was almost entirely certain Chase had used the word deliberately knowing that he would know what was really meant while Foreman and Cameron didn't.

Of course, sometimes the whole word thing went the other way and again House was often convinced that Chase knew what the word meant to an American audience, he was just having a little fun. The word root had led to one of those circumstances. Chase had struggled to contain a fit of the giggles when a patient told them that she'd been at the football rooting for her team when the symptoms had started. When Foreman had confronted Chase about it later, Chase had rather gleefully told them what the word meant to an Australian. House had then had the opportunity to mock all his ducklings when Chase laughed, Cameron blushed and Foreman looked startled.

But today Chase had used another word that had House watching him with narrowed eyes, unsure of what the young Australian had meant by it. Chase had, with a glint in his eyes that House didn't quite trust, called Wilson his 'mate'. House knew the meaning Australians attached to the word but he also knew Chase well enough to be able to know when the younger man was yanking his chain. And he was firmly convinced this was one of those times. That look in Chase's eyes was amused, knowing and mischievous.

It made him wonder what exactly it was that Chase knew. And what meaning he was ascribing to the word 'mate'.