So I know it's been half past forever since I've updated this one. Hopefully this nice long update goes a ways toward making up for it. As usual, I don't own House.
# # #
Johnny kept his distance from House for the rest of the afternoon. It was clear the other man was in no mood for sympathy, and Johnny had his own work to do, anyway. He had more than enough material to start recording, but he had learned long ago that having a little on reserve never hurt.
His phone started vibrating in his jeans pocket, and he set his guitar aside to dig it out. "Rocket."
"Johnny, my dear boy." Mick's lilting voice caught him by surprise. "Hello."
"How the hell did you get this number?" Johnny nearly barked.
Mick merely chuckled. "I have my ways. Are you in the mood to play tonight?"
"What've you got in mind?"
There was a brief pause before Mick answered. "Thought I'd bring you up for a couple of songs. You know, as a special guest. We'd make quite a pair, you know. You could even try out some of this new material you've been going on about."
Johnny watched as House limped heavily around the apartment, his facial expressions ranging from utter bewilderment to deep thought to a sort of resigned, barely contained anger. "I don't know, man. I'm still kind of beat from last night."
"And since when would that ever stop you?" Mick laughed heartily. "I seem to remember when you could go all night…and then go all night."
Johnny rolled his eyes. "Man, I keep telling you. I was a kid then. I sure as hell haven't gotten any younger."
"At any rate, give it some thought, love." Mick continued. "You've got a couple of hours to make up your mind." There was another pause. "I know I'd love to share the stage with you again. We had some damn good times, you know."
"I know." Johnny answered with a short sigh. "I'll get back to you, all right?"
"All right, then." Mick replied. "I'll see you tonight."
Johnny shook his head as he closed his phone and stuck it back in his pocket. Mick was his usual arrogant self, always sure that Johnny would never say no. The funny part was, Johnny was actually considering the idea. Playing with Mick the previous night had brought back some great memories, and sharing the stage with him would bring back a few more. Johnny couldn't see the harm in going.
House gave him a sharp look as he finally stopped pacing and dropped himself on the couch. "Friend of yours?"
"Mick." Johnny explained. "He wants me to come back tonight, sit in with him on a couple of songs. You want to come with?"
House shook his head. "Think I'll stay behind. That's more your thing than mine."
"You sure?" Johnny was reluctant to leave House here by himself. "Should be one hell of a show."
"Already saw it twenty years ago." House answered harshly, picking up a medical journal from the coffee table and stretching himself out along the length of the couch. "No need for a repeat."
House's words stung, but damned if Johnny was going let him know that. "Suit yourself." He told House as he placed his guitar in its case and gathered up the sheet music he'd been writing.
He could feel House's eyes on him as he made his way down the hallway to the bedroom, pulling out his sheet music folder and tucking the paper inside before returning to the living room.
"Don't feel like you have to come back." House threw out almost casually, though Johnny could hear the edge in his voice.
Johnny took in a deep breath before answering. "Pretty sure I'll want to, man."
House glanced at him as if he were searching for a deeper meaning in Johnny's words. "You don't have to." He told Johnny firmly.
Johnny was at a loss. He had no intention of staying in Philadelphia all night, but it almost sounded as if House didn't want him to come back here.
He let out a huff and shoved over a random pile of papers to sit facing House. "Look, man, you want me to come back here tonight or not?"
"Do what you want. It doesn't matter to me." House answered, his eyes back on his medical journal.
"The hell it doesn't." Johnny was surprised at the fierceness of his own voice, and he took a moment to calm himself before speaking again. "Look, you're pissed at your friend. I get it. Doesn't mean you get to take it out on me."
House glared at Johnny over his glasses, but otherwise didn't respond. After a long silence, he returned to his medical journal. "Have a good time, and don't play with any strange boys."
Johnny let out a brief chuckle, pushing himself off the coffee table. "They don't get much stranger than Mick."
The corner of House's mouth quirked upward, and Johnny breathed a small sigh of relief. Maybe House was still upset with his friend, but at least he was no longer taking it out on Johnny.
Johnny dug out his phone and found Mick's number to return his call. The other man picked up on the second ring.
"So you decided to come." Mick greeted him. "Excellent."
"You knew I would." Johnny answered. "What time, man?"
"We're just setting up for rehearsal and sound check." Mick told him. "If you leave now we should be ready when you get here."
"Sounds good." Johnny agreed. "See you soon."
Johnny closed his phone and shoved it back in his pocket before closing the case on the electric. It wasn't the one he would normally use in performance, but there was no time to go back to New York for another one. This one would have to do for tonight.
As he prepared to leave, he glanced back at House one more time. "Last chance if you want to go."
House huffed and rolled his eyes. "Just go."
"I'll be back for my stuff." Johnny ventured.
"It'll be here." House answered. "I wasn't going to leave it on the steps."
Johnny rounded the end of the coffee table and kneeled next to the couch. House threw him a sharp look. "What?"
"Nothing, man." Johnny carefully plucked the medical journal out of House's hands and leaned over to press a firm kiss to House's lips, evoking a muffled gasp of surprise from the other man.
Johnny took the opportunity to slip his tongue into House's mouth, only slightly surprised to find House responding with equal force. He slid a hand up the front of House's t-shirt, running his fingers through the rough hair, thrilling to the rough sounds that came out of House in response.
He climbed onto the couch between House's legs, his other hand joining the first to push House's t-shirt up his body. Johnny broke away from House's mouth to press a series of kisses all over his chest.
"Thought you were leaving." House's voice was ragged as his hand stroked the top of Johnny's head.
"In a while." Johnny answered casually, pushing House's shirt up further until the other man pulled it off and tossed it aside.
Johnny plunged in again, capturing House's lips with his own and pressing his body hard against House's. House responded with a soft grunt and arched upward, his hands moving under Johnny's shirt and running up and down his back.
Soon those same hands started to move to the front, fumbling to undo the buttons on Johnny's shirt. Johnny pulled away from House, settling back on his knees to watch as House carefully undid the buttons, a serious expression on his face.
It was slow torture for Johnny, and he wanted nothing more than to get rid of all the clothing that separated them. As House continued to work at his shirt, Johnny reached down to undo House's belt buckle before unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans.
Finally House finished unbuttoning Johnny's shirt, and Johnny pulled it off, paying no attention to where it might have landed. He immediately turned his attention to tugging House's jeans and boxers off his body, watching as his semi-hard cock sprung out, a drop of pre-cum glistening on the tip.
Johnny wrapped his hand around the other man's rapidly hardening flesh, brushing the tip with his thumb before proceeding to stroke him into full hardness. House let out a low moan, his body arching off the couch as his hands slid to Johnny's own jeans.
As soon as House had him unfastened, Johnny quickly pulled the condom and lube out of his pocket and shoved his jeans and boxer briefs down. He was already hard, and for a brief moment he wished he could fuck House right then and there, with nothing between them.
He shook off the thought and ripped open the condom, rolling it over himself before popping the cap on the bottle of lube, coating his fingers and easily sliding two deep inside House's hole.
The other man's eyes went a little wide at first before falling shut, the brief moment of tension passing as he seemed to relax into Johnny's ministrations, and soon Johnny added a third, opening House up further.
He pulled out and shifted slightly before starting to push into House. The other man shifted under him, and Johnny pushed in further, feeling House's muscles tense up around him for a moment before relaxing.
Johnny took advantage of the moment, pushing the rest of the way in as House let out a rough groan, clutching at Johnny's back.
"You alright?" Johnny murmured as he started pumping slowly into House.
"Yeah, fine." House growled roughly, his lips brushing against Johnny's collarbone.
A small moan of pleasure escaped Johnny's lips, and he tilted his head back to allow House greater access. House's lips continued along the bone and up his neck, his breath suddenly warm and soft in Johnny's ear.
"Harder." House whispered roughly.
Johnny answered by rocking harder and faster into House, thrilling to the gasps and groans that followed, feeling the other man wrap his arms tighter around him as he felt himself getting closer and closer to coming.
He slowed down for a moment in an attempt to keep himself from coming too quickly, evoking something like a whine from House. It was all Johnny could do to keep from laughing a little at the man.
"Don't worry, brother." Johnny told him as he leaned down for a quick kiss. "You'll get yours. Just taking a breather."
House didn't answer, but Johnny could feel his chest heaving, his hands running up and down his back. Soon Johnny started again, his body pressed hard against House's as he pumped furiously into the other man, his arms hooked under House's shoulders, feeling the tension in House's body build again as he got closer to his climax.
His body shuddered under Johnny, and he let out a strangled sound as Johnny felt the warm stickiness shoot between them. A few more thrusts were all that Johnny needed, and he unloaded with a low groan, finishing with a hard kiss to House's lips before resting his head on the arm of the couch.
They lay there for a few moments recovering, and Johnny could feel House's hand resting on the small of his back, his thumb stroking almost absentmindedly. For the briefest moment Johnny wondered what it might be like to simply lay here forever, away from the madness that made up the business end of his life.
The thought caught him by surprise. Of course Johnny knew he would never give up the business entirely. It was all but in his blood. But perhaps there was something to the idea of having a real home base, having someone to come home to.
"Move." House's grumbling voice and shifting body pulled Johnny out of his thoughts. "Gotta pee."
Johnny reluctantly pushed himself off House and found the other man's jeans that had ended up crumpled at the end of the couch. House tugged them on and stood up, frowning briefly at the cum that was splattered all over his stomach.
He shook his head and sighed, grabbing his cane and limping heavily down the hall to the bathroom. Johnny couldn't help but feel a tiny twinge of guilt. One of the things he'd always enjoyed about sex with men was being able to get rough. Most of the men he'd encountered were more than tough enough to take it.
But House was different. The man didn't seem to object to much of anything during the act, but it was obvious that he moved around a lot slower afterwards. Johnny couldn't help but wonder if House hurt more than he let on.
The idea that he gave a damn surprised Johnny. What had started as a quick and dirty fling not so long before was rapidly morphing into something Johnny was sure he would never allow himself to have again. He wasn't sure he was capable of feeling whatever he was feeling anymore.
He sighed and peeled off the condom, knotting it and tossing it into a nearby wastebasket before finding his scattered clothes. A shower would definitely be necessary before he headed back to Philly.
The bathroom door was open as he passed through, and Johnny poked his head in to see House leaning against the sink, shifting his weight off his right leg. On impulse, Johnny entered the bathroom and moved in behind him, resting his hands on the other man's shoulders.
"You alright?" Johnny tried to make it sound casual.
House gave him a sharp look in the mirror before rolling his eyes, but otherwise didn't answer. Johnny was tempted to push the point, but decided against it. It wouldn't do any good anyway.
"I'm going to get in the shower real quick." Johnny ventured. "Wouldn't mind company."
Johnny thought he spotted just a hint of a smirk flashing across House's rough features, but the other man merely shook his head. With that, Johnny started the water and climbed in, letting the warmth wash over him as he focused on his upcoming night.
It was a thrill to perform with Mick again after so many years, but it also dredged up a lot of memories that Johnny would have preferred to keep buried. While he wouldn't go so far as to call the man his first love, Johnny did experience plenty of firsts with him. He wasn't kidding when he told House that he had learned virtually everything he knew from Mick.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he completely missed the fact that House had joined him until the other man wrapped his arms around Johnny's waist.
"It's not always about you, you know." House's voice held a note of resignation. "And I don't need anyone else to hover over me."
Johnny reached down to touch House's hands, leaning back into him ever so slightly, enjoying the closeness between them. "Fair enough." He answered, letting his hands curve around House's forearms. "I just…you know, don't want to add to the pain."
House let out a derisive snort, resting his rough cheek between Johnny's shoulders. "You don't."
Johnny turned in House's grasp, taking the other man's face in his hands and leaning in for a long, lingering kiss. House seemed startled at first before relaxing and pressing back, his hands spreading out over Johnny's back.
After what felt like a lifetime, House pulled back and regarded Johnny with an amused expression. "Keep that up and you'll never make it back to Philly."
Johnny let out a little chuckle. "Wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it?"
"Not for me." House responded. "For you, on the other hand…"
"Yeah, I know." Johnny suddenly regretted making any kind of commitment to Mick. He gave House one more quick kiss, letting his hand drift along his stubbly cheek. "So am I welcome back tonight?"
House gave him a quick nod as he stepped out of the shower, a slight smile lighting his rough features. "I'll leave the door unlocked. Just come on in."
Johnny let out a long sigh of relief as he finished his shower. Suddenly, he couldn't wait to get this quick gig over with.
# # #
Johnny stood at the backstage door of the club just over an hour later, willing himself to settle down before he finally flung open the door and made his way inside.
Mick poked his head out from one of the dressing rooms, greeting Johnny with a teasing smile. "There you are, love. We nearly started without you."
"Got distracted." Johnny shrugged, setting down his case and flipping open the clasps, trying to be casual and failing.
Mick let out a short laugh as he fiddled with a few notes on his guitar. "I imagine you did. And a rather tall, handsome distraction he is."
Johnny could feel the blush instantly spread over his cheeks as Mick laughed even harder. "No need to be embarrassed. It happens to everyone."
"Not to me." Johnny muttered as much to himself as to Mick. "Not like that."
Mick sighed and unplugged the guitar from the small amp. "Your story, love. Shall we get started?"
Johnny nodded, strapping his guitar around him and following Mick up to the stage, where the other members of the trio had already set up. The bassist greeted Johnny with a quick smile and a handshake. "Good to see you again."
"Same…" Johnny couldn't recall if they had been formally introduced.
"Andy." The bassist prompted him in a pronounced twang that spoke of the deep South. No wonder Mick had fallen so quickly for the young man. He'd always had a thing for the variety of American accents.
"Andy." Johnny repeated before turning to Mick. "So what have you got in mind for tonight?"
Mick looked thoughtful as he tuned up his instrument. "Well, you did say you had some new material. Wouldn't mind hearing a little of that."
Johnny shook his head. "It's not ready for an audience yet. Still got some fine tuning to do."
"Always the perfectionist." Mick regarded him with an affectionate laugh. "Fine, we can blow the dust off a couple oldies. Whatever suits your fancy."
Johnny frowned thoughtfully, racking his brain for the songs that he and Mick used to play together, barely aware of what he was playing in the meantime.
"Is that 'Wild Heart'?" Andy suddenly blurted out. "Dude, I played the hell out of that CD when I first got it."
Johnny was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts. "You must be one of ten people who bought that one. That's the album that got me released from Elektra."
"Seriously?" Andy looked incredulous. "It's some of your best stuff. Why the hell would they do that?"
Johnny shrugged. "Didn't have a single on it. It was purely a business decision."
"What a bunch of shit." Andy grumbled. "That album was pure genius."
"Glad you think so." Johnny laughed a little, although he remembered being hurt and angry at the time. It was bad enough that he had still been grieving the death of the man who had inspired most of that album, but to be put out on his ear as a result had almost been too much.
"You know what else I loved?" Andy continued. "That one you did with Jeff Wheeler. 'The Blackbird Sessions'? Fucking amazing, man."
Johnny almost froze at the mention of the man's name. That had been an amazing time, and even now Johnny could barely believe how perfect that collaboration had come together. Of course, Jeff had been convinced that their personal chemistry had a good deal to do with it. Who knows? Maybe it had.
"Damn shame about the way he went out." Andy went on. "That band ain't been the same without him."
Something in Johnny wanted to snap at the kid for being so fucking clueless, but Mick smoothly interjected before he could do so. "Yes, well, good times and all that, but let's just settle on a couple of songs, shall we?"
"Yeah." Johnny growled, his previous good mood now gone. He played a few chords, letting his mind wander back to House's take on 'Wild Heart'. If he could remember how it went…
"That sounds a little different from what I remember." Mick commented casually.
Johnny shrugged. "House was playing around with it one of the first times we got together. I was thinking about recording it again."
A slow smile spread over Mick's rough face. "I think that would be lovely. Would exorcise a few demons, right?"
"Maybe." Johnny managed to choke out, surprised by his own emotional reaction. He swallowed hard before speaking again. "Fuck it, let's throw it in."
"I like the way you think, love." Mick beamed with something like pride. "Anything else you'd like to go with?"
"You pick something." Johnny answered, finally feeling a sense of calm settle over him.
"Hmm…tough decision." Mick turned to Andy. "What about you, love? Any requests?"
Andy looked thoughtful before his face lit up. "'Shelter From The Storm'."
Johnny rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"
"What?" Andy answered defensively. "It's a great fucking song."
Johnny shook his head. "I was young and stupid when I wrote that one."
Andy opened his mouth to argue when Mick intervened once again. "Here's the thing about Johnny, love." He explained. "Even though he's one of the greatest songwriters to walk the bloody Earth, he's convinced his work is crap. You'll never convince him otherwise."
"Go to hell." Johnny snapped.
"It's true." Mick replied sharply.
"It's not." Johnny argued. "Some of my songs are just more…personal than others."
There was silence on the small stage for a moment before Andy spoke again. "You're right. 'Shelter From The Storm' is real personal. But that's why it's so fucking great, too. Because it's not just some random bullshit love song. That shit came from the heart. You can just tell."
"You have no idea." Johnny answered quietly.
He let out a short sigh and shook his head. "Fine, let's do it. We'll need to rehearse it. I haven't played it in forever."
Andy's face broke out in a wide grin as he threw an arm around Johnny's shoulders. "Cool." He pulled back almost as quickly, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, man. It's just…you know." He let out a little puff of air, glancing down at his bass. "Guess I ain't used to playing with my heroes just yet."
Johnny couldn't help the small smile that he knew was spreading across his face. "I hear you. I about had a heart attack when I found out Mick wanted me on his tour."
Andy looked a little wistful as they tuned up and prepared to rehearse. "Man, that must have been a hell of a time."
"It was." Johnny nodded in agreement. The entire tour had been unforgettable in many ways, and not just for what had happened on stage.
Soon they started rehearsing, tweaking and working out arrangements, and finally Johnny felt as if the majority of the bugs had been worked out of his songs. He was still on edge at the idea of playing them publicly, but perhaps Mick had a point. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to get some of this stuff out of his system once and for all.
# # #
After rehearsal and sound check, Johnny ducked outside for a quick smoke before the show. He was soon joined by Andy, who leaned against the wall as he cupped the lighter in his hands.
"Mick explained some stuff about you." He started casually. "I didn't mean to upset you earlier. I just, you know, don't always think before I start running my mouth."
"It's cool, don't worry about it." Johnny took a long drag on his cigarette.
They were silent for a long moment before Andy spoke again. "I just can't imagine losing someone like that. I mean, if something happened to Mick…" He shook his head. "I don't even want to think about it, even though I probably should."
Johnny let out a short laugh. "I don't think you've got much to worry about. He used to tell me that fucking the young ones kept him young."
Andy's eyes went a little wide, and he smiled slightly. "So Mick wasn't bullshitting me. You two really had a thing going on."
"A hundred years ago." Johnny told him.
"Still, man." Andy shook his head. "The thing is, I can kind of see it. You two are real similar in a lot of ways."
The stage door opened and a young woman in a headset poked her head out. "Five minutes."
Andy sighed and took a final drag on his cigarette before tossing it on the ground and crushing it with his foot. "Guess it's showtime."
Johnny nodded, taking a few more drags after Andy went inside. In the darkness, he let his thoughts wander.
It was odd how a couple of songs could bring back such a tide of memories. Not just of playing with Mick, but of the long crazy ride that had been his relationship with Jeff Wheeler.
He had been in love with the man. Madly, seriously, crazy in love with the man to the point that he had almost let Jeff drag him down into his madness with him.
Johnny supposed he had subconsciously decided not to allow himself to fall so hard again. It had been easy enough to avoid, since he had spent the years since bouncing between recording studios and the road, a wandering soul with no place to call home.
It had all been fine and good until House had shown up. Johnny couldn't even say for sure what had drawn him to the man, what had him so willing to risk his heart again.
This wasn't what was supposed to happen. This thing between he and House had somehow developed a life of its own, and Johnny felt as if he had long since lost control of things.
He huffed irritably and threw his spent cigarette to the ground, flinging the backstage door open and making his way to the small backstage area, listening to the tight trio work its way through its set.
Johnny smiled a little at some of the unfamiliar songs. Clearly Mick had some new material in the works. Good. One thing about Mick, he never rested on his laurels, even though he damn well could if he wanted.
"So I ran into an old friend of mine here last night." Mick was telling the crowd. "Perhaps you know him, too. Bless his heart, he agreed to play a couple songs with me." He turned his head stage right, where Johnny was waiting. "Come on out, Johnny."
Johnny strode onto the stage with a confidence he didn't feel, picking up his guitar and strapping it around his neck and leaning into the microphone. "Long time no see, brother."
Mick let out a laugh. "Just saw you at rehearsal, love. Your memory's going."
That got a laugh out of the crowd, and Mick launched into one of the songs he and Johnny used to do as an encore. The crowd joined in on the chorus, and Johnny could feel the old rush go through him as he and Mick played together. It was almost too perfect.
They ended the song, and Mick nodded to Johnny. Johnny took a deep breath and stepped up to the microphone.
"Mick and I were talking a little before the show, and he convinced me to bust this old thing out." He explained. "Now keep in mind that I haven't played it in a few years, but I figure a lot of you won't know the difference anyway."
With that he closed his eyes and started the opening notes of 'Wild Heart', surprised to hear more than a few cheers and whistles around the small room.
Mick soon joined in, just as they had rehearsed, the new arrangement working surprisingly well. Andy's quietly thumping bass and the light drumming rhythm wove in, providing a solid background to the notes that soared out of both Johnny's and Mick's guitars.
Johnny shut his eyes tighter as the crowd cheered louder, letting the emotion that had brought this piece out of him in the first place wash over him. Memories of Jeff in his prime, before the drugs had taken over, while he was still beautiful and brilliant and charismatic, drove Johnny on as he brought the piece to a conclusion, letting the closing notes ring out in the small club.
There was brief silence before the crowd exploded into applause and cheers, and Johnny felt Mick sidle up to him and throw an arm around his shoulders.
"That'll be up on YouTube by the morning, love, believe that." He whispered. "Your star will be on the rise again before you know it."
Johnny didn't care about that. He was too emotionally wrung out, letting out a shaky sigh and returning Mick's gesture.
After the crowd settled down, they played one more of Mick's old favorites before Mick handed it over to Johnny again.
"Now this one's a little different." Johnny explained. "Mick's bass player kind of insisted on hearing this one. Apparently he hasn't listened to the album enough for his liking."
He glanced back at Andy with a quick wink while the young man rolled his eyes and grinned.
'Shelter From the Storm' was a rare one for Johnny. He wasn't given to writing love songs as a general rule. It was one that had practically written itself as Jeff began his downward spiral, back when Johnny still thought he could be saved. How wrong he had been.
It was taking everything Johnny had to get the words out, and it was only then he realized just how much he had held in all these years. His heart was breaking again as he belted out the chorus. "Wherever you are, wherever you go, I'll be your shelter from the storm…"
He barely heard the cheers and applause, barely felt Mick's arm around him as he was guided off stage, his guitar still strapped around him. It was only when he was placing the guitar back in its case that he felt himself return to any sense of reality.
As he closed his case, he looked up to see Mick standing before him, something like a sympathetic expression on his face. Before he knew it, he found himself gathered into the older man's arms, his face buried in Mick's neck.
"It's alright, love. It's alright." Mick spoke to Johnny in soothing tones, rubbing up and down his back.
"The hell it is." Johnny growled. "I thought I was over all this shit."
"Some things never really leave you, no matter how deeply they're buried." Mick told him, pulling back and taking Johnny's face in his hands. "There's nothing wrong with letting yourself feel, right?"
"Right." Johnny answered in a resigned tone, though he sure as hell didn't agree. Feeling meant hurting, and he didn't want to hurt. He'd hurt enough.
Mick gave him a meaningful look that made it clear he didn't believe Johnny before quickly changing the subject. "Thank you for playing with me again. It was…quite wonderful. We'll have to do it again sometime."
Johnny couldn't help giving him a little smile at that. "I think I'd like that."
"Excellent." Mick smiled broadly before releasing his hold on Johnny. "Now then, if I know you, you've got quite a bit of pent-up energy to release. I suggest you go back to that man of yours and shag him absolutely senseless. I know I'll be doing the same with mine before long."
Johnny let out a short laugh and gave Mick a quick hug. "I just might do that." He picked up his guitar and started to make his way to the backstage door when he ran into Andy.
The young man barely looked at him, clearly nervous. "Sorry, man."
Johnny was a little confused. "What for?"
"For pushing you to do 'Shelter'." Andy blurted out. "I…I didn't know it was that personal for you."
Just a few minutes before, Johnny would have given Andy an earful. Now that he had settled down somewhat, he took a deep breath and shifted his guitar to his left hand so he could extend his right. "It's cool. I think I worked out some stuff tonight." He fixed Andy with a slight glare. "I hope you enjoyed it. Don't think I'll be playing it again anytime soon."
"Don't blame you." Andy quickly answered, gripping Johnny's hand and shaking firmly. "And thanks. Hope I get to play with you again."
Johnny smiled a little. "You just might. We'll see."
With that the two men parted ways, and Johnny stepped out the backstage door into the cool night air, finding his way back to the Mustang and making his way back to Princeton.
The apartment was dark when he arrived, so Johnny quietly entered and locked the door behind him. He set his guitar case near the piano and made his way back to the bedroom, stripping down to his boxers before climbing into bed next to a snoring House.
The other man shifted slightly in response, snorting and moving in closer without fully waking up. Johnny was almost glad at that. He was emotionally worn out, finding himself simply content to have House close to him.
"I'm real glad to have you to come back to, man." He murmured. "Real glad."
Silence was the only response from the other side of the bed before House fell into snoring again. Relieved that House didn't seem to have heard him, Johnny found himself joining House in sleep, his mind finally going blank as he faded out.
# # #
Thanks for your patience, as always. Please be so kind as to read and review.