His breath was warm on my skin as he passed his lips over the evening shadow of my cheek, breathing lightly as he did so, and pressed them against mine. He pulled his body back slightly so the counter was no longer digging into my back but not so far that the lengths of our bodies still touched. Wilson's right hand lightly travelled up my arm and his hand rested on the back of my neck, the fingers running smoothly over the close cropped hairs at the base of my neck.

I was the one who pulled away, my body chilled by the lack of body heat that was radiating from him. His lips were so soft it hurt to pull away but we shouldn't do this. This small simple kiss could ruin everything we've worked for. Stepping away, I turned my gaze away from him to stare at the door and the grain of the wood rather than look at the almost hurt expression on his boyish face. It was agony not to look at the one person that I may actually say I loved but I refused even when he softly called my name.

"House." Wilson said again. I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue. A pang of distress ran through me as he gently touched my arm but I kept my focus on the couch. "Greg, look at me. Please?" He ran his fingers over my arm again in an intimate gesture.

"Stop." I commanded in a low voice, brushing aside his hand. I tried to walk away but Wilson stepped in front of me to block my path.

"Can we just talk?" His eyes pleaded with me to stop and hear out what he had to say.

"We were until you practically assaulted me." Rather than look at his puppy dog eyes I focused in on his shirt, studying each stitch. The pain in the mutilated muscle of my thigh flared from Wilson's earlier attack so I put all my weight on my left leg to alleviate the pain.

Wilson held up his hands. "No touching." He promised.

"Don't do this." I said with a sigh as I ran the knuckle of my thumb over my forehead. "We only just got back to this point in our friendship. Don't ruin this for me."

"You're wrong if you think we were just friends after Amber died."

My body tensed and my heart sank automatically at those words. I forced my face into a blank mask as I spoke. "So what does that mean? You were just playing along? You didn't want to seem like a bad guy so you came back. Is that the real reason you came back? Tell me now so I can figure out whether to punch you and leave or just leave."

"I hope you don't do either but let me finish. I can't say you're wrong that I came back so I wouldn't seem like a bad guy. I know myself well enough to know that I'm a people pleaser-"

"Which is exactly why we would never work as anything more as friends. You could never come out to anyone especially if it you knew it would get back to your parents. It would disappoint them to know you play with another man's unmentionables and you're such a perfect son you wouldn't do anything to hurt them." I sneered, angry but not at him. I knew him well enough to know what he would do. I was angry at myself for even entertaining thoughts of the two of us together.

"How would you know that they would be disappointed? How do you know they wouldn't be happy for me? You've never even met them." "Wilson crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me with frustration.

"I met them at your last wedding. They came up to me after they gave you the traditional blessings." I leaned back against the counter, looking away as I recalled the conversation I had with his parents.

"Well, what did they say?"He asked expectantly.

"Enough to let me know that they wouldn't be particularly pleased of you were involved with someone of the same gender especially me. Not like I was thinking of it at the time, you had just gotten married." I wouldn't admit it but their casual words actually stung me enough so that I had hastily made an escape from the wedding a few minutes later.

"I don't believe they would disapprove." Wilson said incredulously. "In fact, I'll call them." The frustrated expression fell from his face and was replaced by a small smile almost as if he expected something great to happen.

"Wilson, stop. Don't ruin things." I lunged for him as he reached in his pocket for his cell but he quickly jumped out the way.

"I'm not. I'm fixing things." He replied, running out into the kitchen to use the island as a barrier.

"Telling your parents you're gay doesn't fix anything. It just complicates things and they're just as likely to write you out their will."

"Shows how much you know, they refuse to right one." He said quickly before holding up a hand for silence and placing the phone to his ear. "Hello? Hey, Dad. How are you?"

"Wilson, let it go." I hissed, stilling reaching for the phone.

He ignored me except to wave a hand for silence. "Can you put Mom on to?...Thanks.

"I swear if you say anything I'll key your car."

"Have fun." He replied with a grin. He was obviously excited by this whole affair and apparently hadn't thought of any negative consequences. "Hi, Mom. I have something to tell you."

"Goddammit, Wilson. If your parents hate you after this don't blame me."

"I love someone and I really mean it….Who? Greg House... yes, the jackass of a best friend you met at my wedding." I could hear his parents' voices from where I stood though I couldn't make out what they were saying. And as they spoke the smile slipped from Wilson's face and he began to start sentences only to be cut off. I would have felt sorry for him if I hadn't already warned him.

He shoved the phone in my direction. "Here." He muttered sourly.

"This is your fault. Don't drag me into it." I said shaking my head slowly.

"You were wrong; they're not disappointed."

"Yeah, that's obvious by the look on your face."

Wilson shook his head. "It's not that. They think… just talk to them and you'll see." He put the phone on the island, waiting for me to pick it up.

"Hello?" My mouth was suddenly dry and I felt like I was two again and in trouble for something I didn't do.

"Hello, Greg." Wilson's dad's voice was gruff on the phone, a stark contrast to Wilson's mom's soft feminine voice.

"Hello, sir. Hello, Ma'am." All of my father's strict rules and military influences decided to come flooding back at once. My back even straightened a little.

I could hear the Wilsons laugh quietly on the other line. "There's no need for such formalities, Greg." Wilson's father's voice softened on the other end of the line.

"Yes, sir…I mean…ok." I stammered a reply.

"Greg, James hasn't manipulated you has he?" Wilson's mother asked in a soft velveteen voice.

The question was so unexpected I didn't know what to do but laugh. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilson." I apologized quickly, looking up to see Wilson crossing his arms and a frown set on his features. "Mrs. Wilson, I wouldn't have been surprised if you had asked if I had manipulated him."

"And from what I hear you are quite the manipulator but James unintentionally manipulates people." Wilson's father said roughly. "Oh, we're sure he means well but we don't want anyone else getting hurt like his ex-wives."

"So you're not upset?" I asked incredulously. I didn't even think of their concern for my emotional well-being.

"Oh, Gregory, you must be thinking about what we said at the wedding but I assure you we didn't mean it seriously." Mrs. Wilson told me gently.

"You told me you were thankful Wilson was getting married and was 'spending his time more productively'. You also said you hope none of my maniacal nature rubbed off on him." I was frustrated suddenly that they thought their words so frivolous. "I also overheard you tell your husband that you thought I was, and I quote, 'mentally unstable'." Which technically I was but not every detail of my life needed to be shared.

"They told you that?" Wilson whispered skeptically. Without another word he quickly walked around the kitchen island and grabbed the phone from my hand. "Mom, you told him that? Why would you say something like that?" He paused, hand perched on his hip and his face contorted in quiet fury.

"Wilson, calm down. It's not like I haven't heard worse." As much as I hated his parents words I didn't hate them and I refused to be the one to strain this relationship of Wilson's.

"No, it's not alright." He snapped. "I always stand aside when people walk over you but I'm not doing that anymore."

"I'm a big boy, James. I think I can take care of myself." I replied casually as I leaned against the island to take the weight off my bad leg.

"Fuck that." He growled sullenly before resuming his conversation with his parents. "I don't know what you were trying to prove but I can't believe my own parents would say such things. You taught us to be polite and here you are doing the complete opposite."

"You do realize you just called your parents hypocrites, right?" I sighed. He turned his back to me as he listened to them speak. He paid such full attention to what they were saying he didn't see me come around until I had already pulled the phone from his grasp.

"Please, excuse your son." I said calmly, cutting through their ceaseless chatter. No wonder Wilson paid such close attention, you had to if you wanted to make out anything intelligible. "He's slightly emotionally due to his recent confession of love."

"No, Gregory, he's right. I apologize for what was said." Mrs. Wilson offered the apology for the both of them. "We're not opposed to you two being a couple."

"We're not a couple." I responded immediately and without thought. Wilson's shoulders slumped a little at those words. She probably still thought I was mentally unstable but I wasn't going to call attention to it.

Mr. Wilson laughed loudly on the other end. "So what do you call each other? Husbands? Lovers?" He laughed again as I expressed my surprise at his choice of words with a snort. "Trust me, we are well aware of our son's sexual exploits. You two are more of a couple than anything else."

I smiled lightly. "I suppose if you look at the dictionary definition of the word then Wilson and I would be considered a couple."

"Good. We'll leave you now. But, Greg?" Came Wilson's mother's soft voice.

"Yes?"

"You know James so this won't come as much of a surprise."

"What is it, Mr. Wilson?"

"Please, call me Maria. Gregory, when Wilson proposes and if you say yes you will have a proper Jewish wedding, right?"

I held the phone out a foot from my ear as her husband practically howled with laughter and ignored Wilson's baffled expression.

"She wants to add an ex-husband to the list." Mr. Wilson said after he quieted down some.

"It's a reasonable concern." She combated. "After all, I probably won't be getting any grandchildren. The least I can ask for is a wedding done the right way."

"Mrs. Wilson, I don't think it could be considered a proper Jewish wedding."

"Please, you'll try and memorize some Hebrew blessings won't you?"

I laughed softly. "I don't think many children pertains to us."

"Greg, I don't know how many marriages I can take. Let's make this a good solid one."

"Mrs. Wilson, no one said we were getting married."

"Married?" Wilson's eyes widened as he spoke. "Who told her we were getting married?"

"I promise to do the whole 'according to the law of Moses' and everything if that's the way things turn out." I said, ignoring Wilson's demanding gestures for the phone.

"But you'll do it right?" She persisted.

"Maria, leave the boy alone. What will be will be." Her husband said with a sigh.

"When I put the ring on his finger I'll do it proper and say 'Harei'at mekudeshet li betaba'at zo, kedat moshe v'visrael'."

Wilson's mother clapped her hands in joy. "Wonderful, Gregory. Now I can rest easy."

"Mazal tov to the both of you."

"Mazal tov." She repeated after her husband. "And, please, don't be shy about visiting."

After I hung up, I stared at the phone for a minute, unsure of how exactly I felt.

"House?"

I looked up sharply and met Wilson's gaze. "They said mazal tov."

"Great." He beamed. "It doesn't absolve them of what they said but it's still good."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "It's over." Brushing past him, I tried to make my way to the couch but he stepped in my way. "God damn, Wilson. What now?"

"Did mean what you said?"

"I often mean what I say. You should try it sometime."

"I'm serious, House. When you told my parents we were a couple, did you mean it?" His gaze was steady but he looked unsure, almost afraid of my answer.

I didn't say anything. I just stared back until he looked down, staring at the floor in disappointment and moved aside to let me past. When I didn't move he looked up at me again, brown eyes filled with hurt and disappointment.

"You have to be the biggest manipulator I've ever met." I laughed softly and tenderly kissed his lips.

"Were they right? Did I manipulate you?" Wilson asked with a smile.

"James, you couldn't manipulate me if you really tried."

AN- Yes, I know, it took forever for me to put this up but I was sick...very sick. And for those of you reading my other House fic I'm working on it so don't worry.