Posting this one a little early since I'm heading out for the weekend to the land of unreliable Internet. As usual, I own nothing House-related.

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"Hey." A rough voice woke House up a grievously short time after he had finally fallen asleep. "Wake up, man."

House opened his eyes, blinking against the bright light that streamed in through the balcony door. "What?"

"I've gotta take off." Johnny told him. "Got a recording session with Criminal Intent in a while."

"M'kay." House mumbled, turning back over to his left side and closing his eyes.

He heard a low chuckle and felt the mattress shift as a large hand squeezed his shoulder. "Just come on down when you're ready. I'll leave the address by your phone."

House murmured agreement and just barely heard the door close behind Johnny. The late night had turned into an early morning, and sleep was the only desire House had left. Johnny had managed to satisfy all of his others.

He drifted in and out of sleep for a while until his brain started inching toward functionality again. When he opened his eyes, it was late afternoon, by his best guess.

It was a guess that was confirmed when he glanced at his watch. Just after five o' clock. Damn. He couldn't remember exactly when Johnny had left, or even exactly what he had said. Something about a session.

His phone started singing 'Dancing Queen' as he lay there contemplating his next move. With a groan, he stretched across the bed to grab it off the nightstand.

"What?"

"Where are you?" Wilson's voice sounded baffled.

"New York." House answered. "Partying like a rock star."

There was silence before Wilson spoke again. "No, really. Where are you?"

House huffed irritably. "Seriously. I'm in New York, hanging out with Johnny Rocket."

Another pause. "Was that the guy from that concert you dragged me to a while back?"

"The one and the same." House replied. "And I thought you had a good time."

"Sure, sure." Wilson assured him. "Not something I'd do again, but…yes, it was a good time."

House rolled his eyes and promptly changed the subject. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Wanted to see if you were interested in getting together tonight, but…obviously you're busy living la vida loca."

House couldn't help laughing at that. "And Sam?"

"Sam's…" Wilson paused again. "…busy. She's busy."

Something about that didn't sound right to House, but he chose not to press it. "Well, hey, I'll be back tomorrow. You can bitch about Sam, and I can tell you all about my rock and roll fantasy weekend."

Wilson chuckled. "Sounds good. See you tomorrow."

House closed his phone and tossed it on the bed beside him. Perhaps he wouldn't tell Wilson everything. He was pretty sure Wilson wouldn't want to know about the hours of ridiculously hot sex he and Johnny were having.

The fact that House was putting 'hot sex' and a guy's name in the same sentence gave him pause. He tried to think of a time when he had ever thought of a man that way and failed.

Something was very different about Johnny, and not just because of who he was. It wasn't even that House found Johnny physically attractive, necessarily. Certainly not using the same criteria he would for a woman.

But the man had unlocked something very powerful from the moment he first touched his lips to House's. For the first time in a long time, House felt like something other than a middle-aged cripple. Someone wanted him, someone found him attractive, someone liked him, and for once, House didn't feel the need to push that person away or do something stupid to prove them wrong. If anything, he wanted that person closer.

The thought scared him a little, especially in the light of Johnny's casually tossed out comment last night. House had just begun to wrap his brain around the idea of a short term physical thing with Johnny when the other man had dropped that bomb about staying in New York for good. Now, House didn't know what to think.

He huffed irritably and pushed himself out of bed to find fresh clothes and hit the bathroom for a badly needed shower. Perhaps the hot water would clear the cobwebs before he met up with Johnny again.

His phone started chiming before he could do so, and he limped back to the bed to answer. "House."

"Well what do you know?" Johnny's rough voice had a hint of a chuckle to it. "It lives. You coming down here or do I have to drag you here?"

"Just woke up." House answered. "How long are you going to be there?"

"You've got some time." Johnny replied. "Things have hit a good groove down here. Think we're just gonna keep rolling."

House had to admit, the idea of hanging out in a recording studio didn't sound like a bad way to spend a Saturday night. "I'll be there."

"Cool, brother." Johnny's enthusiasm carried through the phone. "See you in a while."

House cleaned himself up in record time, even taking a few minutes to trim back his short beard. The thing was getting out of control, even by his standards.

Before long he was giving the studio's address to a cab driver and riding through the city, lost in his thoughts. This could be a phenomenal night, or a total disaster. There wasn't much room in between.

He entered the building and found the studio, quietly tapping on the door to alert whoever was inside to his presence. The door soon opened, revealing Johnny.

"Hey, man." He greeted House with a clap on the shoulder before guiding him inside, that hand moving to spread out between his shoulder blades. "You're just in time. Bella's about to lay down some vocals."

Now this was something House looked forward to hearing. He remembered the tiny woman's powerful voice from his first night here. The night he had gotten so high he was damn near floating when Johnny had leaned in for that first kiss. That first slow, sweet, intense kiss.

House had to shake off the thought, and Johnny threw him a baffled look. "You alright?"

"Fine." House found a nearby chair and eased into it, resting his cane in between his legs while Rex, Bella, and Johnny worked out arrangements.

Finally they were ready, and Bella entered the studio, putting on a pair of headphones that nearly dwarfed her, nodding to indicate readiness.

Rex started the backing instrumental, that crashing, thunderous sound that had impressed him at the club. Bella started about three measures in, her voice growling and soaring high above the instruments.

Rex and Johnny talked amongst themselves as they tweaked the sound. On the third try, both Rex and Johnny were finally satisfied with the results. Johnny hit the button for the microphone that communicated to the studio. "Alright, girl. Come on out and hear it."

Bella set down the headphones and exited the studio, her dark face lighting up when she spotted House. She immediately plopped down on his lap and threw her arms around his neck.

"Johnny said you were coming in." She spoke excitedly. "About time you came down to say 'hi'."

House was overwhelmed by Bella's enthusiasm. "Good to see you, too. You were sounding pretty good in there."

She shrugged and made a face. "I hate how I sound recorded. I'm way better live."

House silently agreed. Trying to capture the raw power of her live sound was like trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

"Aw, you don't sound that bad, girl." Johnny hit the playback button, looking thoughtful as he drummed his fingers to the guitar portion, bobbing his head to the rhythm.

Bella looked skeptical at first, but as the track played on, she seemed to agree. "Maybe we should ask our guest." She glanced over at House.

"Seriously?" House was surprised.

"Yeah, seriously." Bella told him as she rose from his lap. "I hear you ain't no slouch when it comes to this stuff."

House was a bit uncomfortable at the idea that he was a subject of conversation. He huffed a little and leaned back in the chair. "Can you play it again?"

Johnny nodded, and House tuned in much closer this time, resting his forehead against his cane as he did so. When the song ended, he lifted his head, directing his words at Bella. "When you guys played this live, seems like I heard more bass."

The statement sparked debate among the four of them, and Johnny finally added not only some bass, but dialed back the guitar as well. The final result had Rex shaking his head. "No, no, no. You went and roughed it up, Rocket. That's not what we're looking for."

"Some people like that." Bella threw out casually, giving House a teasing look.

"That's fine in some cases, girl." Johnny tossed over his shoulder. "But maybe not in this one."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and snorted derisively, even as she gave House a sly wink.

Rex and Johnny discussed and debated some more while playing with the instrumentals. Bella merely rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Looks like you made it for all the boring stuff."

House couldn't help but smile a little. "I kind of like the technical part. Haven't really seen it in action before."

The discussion started getting more heated, and Bella grabbed House by the arm. "Come on. It's about to get real hot in here."

House was just curious enough to follow the young woman, and the two of them made their way out of the building to the nearby bar and grill, where they took seats at the bar.

"I think we're safe now." Bella told him. "At least if things blow up, we won't get hit."

House had trouble imagining Johnny losing his temper with anyone. "Does this happen often?"

"All the damn time." Bella laughed. "Those two have been working together almost since Rocket started out. I guess if you work together that long, you're bound to get on each other's nerves." She shrugged as she looked over the menu. "They always seem to kiss and make up, though. Not literally, of course. Rex don't roll that way."

The person working the bar came to take their orders. After she left, Bella tilted her head curiously at House. "You came back. Why?"

House shrugged. He didn't want to admit just how lonely things had gotten in Princeton since Wilson had taken up with Sam. "Wanted to see if Johnny was serious."

"About what?"

"About…" House debated with how much to tell her. "…everything, I guess."

Bella nodded. "Well, I know I'm glad to see you. Rocket's a hell of a lot easier to be around when he's getting some regularly."

House met that revelation with what he hoped was a neutral expression. "So…is he getting some now?"

Bella smirked at him. "Maybe a little too much." She leaned in slightly. "You might want to slow your roll a little. You're gonna wear his ass out."

House thought the opposite was more likely. "Yeah, well, he started it."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Bella agreed.

House's phone chimed again, and he slid it open to answer. "House."

"Show's over." Johnny told him. "You and Bella can come on back."

House closed his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. "The coast is clear."

Bella sighed and drained her Sprite while House finished off his beer. "Alright, ready to do battle again?"

"Whenever you are."

House paid, and the two of them returned to the studio. Bella paused just outside the door. "You know, I know I'm giving you a hard time about Johnny, but…I'm real glad he picked you up."

"And why is that?"

Bella twisted her mouth thoughtfully before continuing. "You're good for his ego. He was kind of hitting a slump on this last tour. Guess it wasn't going so well."

"Well, so glad I could do that for him." House quipped.

"It's not just that." Bella told him, shaking her head. "I don't know. It's kind of hard to explain. I guess it's like…he wasn't doing a hell of a lot before that last leg of his tour. I think he'd kind of given up on everything. Then he met you and…boom." She gestured with her hands. "He's on fire. Been writing, throwing himself into launching this label, producing…all kinds of stuff."

House merely rolled his eyes. "So I'm some kind of weird muse. That's good to know."

"If by that you mean you gave him a creative kick in the ass, then yeah…" Bella grinned at him as she opened the studio door. "I guess you are."

House gave that idea a moment's thought, then shook his head as he followed Bella. There was something odd about the idea of being a positive influence on anyone.

Johnny turned his head as they entered, leaning back in the swivel chair. "Hey, y'all. Check this out."

He hit the playback button, and the sound almost gave House chills. Johnny and Rex had almost managed to recreate the live sound Bella wanted, and the result was nothing short of astounding.

Bella squealed and launched herself at Johnny, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did it again." She glared at Rex. "See, I told you."

Rex merely shook his head and sat back in his chair, directing his comments at Johnny. "Maybe I should just hand you creative control on this one."

"Sheeit." Johnny snorted. "Ain't no fun doing this stuff unless I've got someone to fight with every step of the way."

Rex let out a quiet laugh at that. "Alright, let's wrap this up. Pretty sure we've all got better things to do on a Saturday night."

Soon Rex left, and Bella glanced at House and Johnny. "What are you guys up to tonight? Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Don't know yet." Johnny gave House a look before turning back to Bella. "You got something in mind?"

"Thought I'd go check out Pushing Daisies." Bella answered casually. "Supposed to be pretty hot."

The name sounded familiar, and it suddenly dawned on House why. "Isn't that the bunch of kids we saw last night?"

Bella's eyes lit up. "So you've already seen them. What do you think?"

"They're good. I thought there was some potential." House gestured to Johnny with his cane. "This guy, on the other hand…"

"They're nothing but a bunch of damn kids." Johnny answered sharply. "Excuse the hell out of me if I don't want to have a hand in their flame-out."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Well, if you guys are interested, come on down. I'll be around."

With that she closed the studio door behind her, leaving House and Johnny alone in the room. House studied Johnny carefully.

"What the hell was that about?"

Johnny looked at him sharply. "You know."

House found a nearby chair and eased himself into it, the wheels turning in his head. "Okay, they're young. But they're damn good and you know it." He leaned forward. "You could teach them a hell of a lot."

"Yeah." Johnny snorted. "Like you said, how not to be a rock star."

"Will you just get over yourself?" House snapped. "So you didn't end up as the second coming of Clapton. Big fucking deal. Do you even realize how goddamn lucky you've been?" He huffed and thumped his cane on the floor. "Maybe you're in the twilight of your career, but at least you've had one. A damned productive one at that. And, on top of that…you've got the producing thing going on, you're starting your own label…"

Johnny leaned over the sound board, turning toward House. "Are you about done?"

"I don't know." House answered. "Any of it get through that thick skull of yours?"

A smile slowly curved Johnny's lips as he crossed the room, bending down in front of House and smoothing his hand over House's knee. "I suppose it did."

"Then my work here is done." House tried to affect a light tone, even as something was stirring in him at Johnny's touch.

"Don't think so, brother." Johnny's voice softened as he shifted to his knees and leaned in toward House.

House almost instinctively set his cane aside to allow Johnny to get closer to him, and the other man slid his hands around House's waist, resting them on his lower back before moving in for a brief kiss.

That brief kiss deepened and lingered as House leaned toward Johnny, his hand sliding to Johnny's neck, stroking the jaw with his thumb. Johnny let out a soft moan at the move, leaning into House's hand while wrapping his arms further around House's waist.

Johnny broke off the kiss, pressing another little kiss in the exposed space between House's collarbones before settling against House's chest with a little sigh. "You're alright, House."

House leaned back in the chair, unsure how to handle this moment that was unfolding between them. Eventually he rested his hand on Johnny's shoulder, absentmindedly stroking with his thumb. "Yeah, you too."

Johnny chuckled briefly and pushed himself to his feet, offering a hand to House. House waved him off and grabbed his cane to push himself out of the chair.

"So…" Johnny started. "Thought I might give Pushing Daisies a second look. Interested?"

House shrugged casually, even as he knew a smirk was crossing his face. "Only if you've got nothing better to do."

Johnny threw him an amused look in response, looking House up and down. "Not until later."

House couldn't help the little thrill that coursed through him as he gestured for Johnny to lead them out. He had to admit, it was damn good to be wanted, appreciated, and possibly even needed. Now if only he could keep from fucking this up, there might be something here, something more than he thought possible. House couldn't believe he was considering the possibility.

He chuckled a little to himself as he followed Johnny out. Johnny turned around at the sound. "You alright, man?"

House nodded. "Yeah, I am." And for once, House was telling the truth.

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