"You know what you're asking is a completely unrealistic and manipulative thing to ask, right?" Wilson asked as House's grin faded upon hearing the word 'manipulative.'

"Of course I do," House replied with a wink. He leaned against the kitchen counter, doing everything he could to hide the hurt that came with the word. "One of the reasons that you finally popped the question."

Wilson huffed and almost pouted, knowing that House was somewhat correct. Not that Wilson particularly enjoyed being manipulated by his husband, but instead, he enjoyed having mental battles with someone who could match him. Although House had never manipulated him to get something as permanent as a tattoo before, Wilson would rather be manipulated out of more money than getting a tattoo. There had to have been something more personal in mind to try to get him to get a tattoo than House was willing to let on.

"Why… a tattoo of all things? You know I'd never…." Wilson trailed off, trying to study the look on House's face, but couldn't make out where his mind was out.

"Because why not?" House said nonchalantly with a slight shrug, twirling his cane in his hand the way he did whenever he needed to find something to fidget with.

"A tattoo of what?"

"That's the surprise."

"Then absolutely not."

House looked away as he mumbled something under his breath, his face turning pink.

"What was that?" Wilson said, not able to hear the answer.

"A wedding ring!" House shouting suddenly, causing Wilson to jump slightly.

As soon as Wilson's brain could finally process House's words, his face turned red. A wedding ring? Seriously? They each already had their own physical wedding rings; Wilson was the one who constantly wore his ring, while House only wore it on special occasions. In fact, if he were to ask House right now where his ring was, he wouldn't be able to tell him right away; in that sense, House should be the one getting a tattooed wedding ring. Wilson had no idea where this was coming from, but if House was in a vulnerable state right now, then there was no way he would get an honest answer from him. That didn't mean Wilson wouldn't try to push him into talking.

"Never mind, forget it!" House snapped, embarrassed by how long Wilson had gone without talking. He felt like he needed to take control of the situation.

"You were just trying to butter me up and trying to manipulate me, and now you're upset?"

"You didn't say anything…." House mumbled.

Wilson paused again, trying to decode House's motives. Right now, it felt like his emotions were jumping all over the place in a way that Wilson couldn't easily follow, which meant that House was about to have some sort of episode.

"Are you manipulating me, or are you actually upset?"

It was House's turn to not say anything, only letting out a huff of frustration since Wilson wasn't following him right. Typically, Wilson was either with him or a couple of steps ahead; now, it felt like he was trailing behind him, just like everybody else who interacted with him. Wilson felt the same way; in terms of understanding, he was always at House's side, holding his hand and leading the way most of the time. Someone needed to lead House down the right path, even if they both go down a wrong shortcut once in a while.

Wilson couldn't decode fast enough as House began to limp out of the kitchen and back into the living room without giving him any chance to speak.

"You're being serious?" Wilson concluded as House plopped down on the couch.

House ignored him as he lay down across the couch, turning the TV on in order to drown out any attempt that Wilson used to try to talk through this.

"No. We're not doing this," Wilson said, sounding like he was talking to a child rather than his husband as he turned the TV off so they could talk without any distractions. "You're upset," he stated as he sat on the coffee table in front of him. He had to outright tell House what he was feeling in order to get him to open up. "Talk to me instead of bottling it all up."

"I'm not upset," House stated but saw the stern expression on Wilson's face. It was one that practically screamed don't you dare lie to me right now. "I'm not that upset. Better?"

"You're moving in the right direction."

"And you're killing me."

"Just tell me what's bothering you."

House was silent. Great. They were playing this silent-guessing game.

"You were just trying to manipulate me, and you're pouting."

Silence.

"You want me to get my wedding ring tattooed when… you barely wear yours?"

Silence.

"Am I wrong?"

Silence. Yet, House looked away.

Did House enjoy this guessing game with Wilson, or did he go nonverbal and unable to catch it quickly enough? Wilson hoped not… Whenever House goes nonverbal, it could be difficult for him to get him out of that mindset.

"Can you please just talk to me, Greg?" He said gently as he ran his fingers carefully through House's hair. "Okay…." He whispered when House shook his head, becoming overwhelmed. "How am I supposed to know what's going on if you don't talk to me?"

Silence.

Wilson was thankfully a master at reading House by now and knew exactly what buttons to push to get him to open back up.

"Why should I get my ring tattooed when you never wear your ring?"

House only huffed in response. At least they were getting somewhere.

"Because…." House mumbled. Wilson didn't say anything, only staring at him, waiting for him to speak. "Because! It's like…." House started again but quickly trailed off, not knowing how he wanted to phrase his words.

Thankfully, Wilson knew exactly how to help.

"Want to bounce off ideas?" Wilson asked softly as to not trigger any sort of meltdown.

"Because… it's like… forever…." House mumbled.

Now, it was Wilson's turn to be silent again. Forever. What was that supposed to mean? They were already married, and Wilson didn't want anybody else but him. It was wearing Wilson down by how often he had to reassure House that he wouldn't leave him. He understood where he was coming from, though; the difference between how House was raised and the fact that Wilson had three divorces was a bit of a record. Hell, Wilson was the one who practically dug his own divorces by spending more time with House than them. House joked endlessly that Wilson needed to prove that he loved him and wouldn't leave him for someone or cheat on him.

"Forever? What do you mean?"

"Tattoos."

"They're permanent, yes."

House reached out, carefully grabbing Wilson's left wrist, and held out without saying a word. The touch was so gentle and unlike anything House had ever done before that Wilson couldn't move, even if he wanted to. Wilson carefully stroked his hair, hoping to catch eye contact with him, but he refused to look up, which was fair. It was his episode, so House would choose how he would cope.

"It's okay…." Wilson whispered, his thumb stroking House's temple in case he had a headache.

House began to fidget with Wilson's wedding ring. It was sort of a comfort that Wilson had it on; he was committed to him and only him. While this was true, this only caused House to frown.

"What's wrong?"

House pushed himself to sit up, wincing at the pain in his leg.

"Careful. Let me-"

Wilson reached to help him sit up fully, but House only swatted his hand away.

"Hey, what-"

House removed the wedding ring from Wilson's finger before inspecting both the ring and his finger.

"Stop. What're you doing?"

Wilson didn't understand this entire situation. How off the rails this was becoming concerned him, and he didn't know where his mindset was or where this was going. Was House going to be petty enough to withhold the ring unless he got it tattooed? Where was this paranoia coming from? Why did it hit so hard suddenly?

"You have three different scars where your ring sets," House finally responded, almost sounding groggy.

"Okay? And?"

It's true, even if it hasn't crossed Wilson's mind, he did have three small, almost unnoticeable scars, one each from his past wedding rings. The first scar was from the ring, which had a slight, sharp edge scraping into his skin. The second was when his finger had gotten smashed into a door. The third was when Wilson's third wife literally yanked the ring off his finger, leaving a small cut.

These small scars weren't fair to House, or at least that's what he believed.

Wilson's ring finger had a memory of every marriage except theirs. If he had a ring tattooed, it would last forever while covering those nasty old scars that deserved to be erased.

"Our ring didn't give you a scar."

"Is it supposed to?" Wilson questioned, still completely confused about what was going on underneath the surface of House's fears.

"When I took your ring off, it left a mark that'll go away in a minute," House started to explain, finally out of his nonverbal state. "You had three marriages and three scars because of them."

Still, Wilson was confused about where he was going with this.

"And…?"

"And… you don't see it?"

"See what?"

House huffed and rolled his eyes.

"If you used your words and not talk in riddles, we could resolve things much easier, Greg."

"Three divorces. Three scars. When you take our ring off it leaves a small imprint before it vanishes. Kinda saying that our marriage is up in the air."

Wilson took in what House was trying to say. The metaphor he used almost made sense, but the fact that he was the one who came up with it was the craziest part. This must have been weighing on him before their marriage if House was able to remember the barely visible scars on his finger.

"Greg… how long have you thought about this?" Wilson asked softly, wanting him to know that he wasn't upset.

House only shrugged as he continued to fidget with his husband's ring between his fingers, feeling the smooth edges. What else did he have hidden deep in his invisible emotions? Everything he had brought up this evening now made sense. The 'manipulation' act he tried earlier wasn't manipulation at all. House was looking for some sort of comfort as he 'joked' about Wilson getting a tattoo as some sort of step in a puddle.

Wilson put his hand on the back of House's neck, having him look up at him.

"Are you scared that we're not going to be forever?" Wilson almost whispered.

House only stared at him, as if debating what he wanted to say. Debating if he wanted to tell the truth. Would this be a sign of weakness? Was he being too clingy? God, he could never be straight with his emotions like other people.

"It's okay to tell me how you feel, y'know? I'm not going to be mad."

House only stared him down, looking for any trace that he was lying.

And he couldn't.

"I'm…." House started slowly. "Don't want… you to go."

"Where would I go?" He pressed on gently.

He wanted to hear more but didn't want to accidentally push House away. Wilson sighed quietly, running his hand through House's hair again in hopes of calming his nerves.

"Leave. I don't… you need to stay."

Even though Wilson sometimes wanted to shake the words out of him, he knew he needed to be patient. It could take days, hours, or sometimes even minutes until the full could finally come out.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Wilson continued to stroke House's hair in hopes of getting him to finally open up. He sighed, knowing exactly what House was trying to say, but he was the one who was going to have to say it.

"You suggested I get a wedding ring tattooed… because it'll be permanent—forever," he quickly corrected, knowing that using the same words House had been using would make him more heard. "You're scared we may get a divorce otherwise?"

Wilson prayed that he was reading House's metaphor correctly. Otherwise, he'd only cause more walls to build up between them about the subject. That was the last and worst thing that could happen right now. However, the way that House was looking at him, almost with puppy dog eyes, was telling Wilson that he was in the ballpark.

"I think that's sweet, hon, but… it concerns me that you would even think that I'd do anything to hurt you-"

"Because I've been there through all of your divorces," House interrupted, his tone turning a bit snippy now as Wilson was starting to get into an emotional state that he wasn't ready to face.

Wilson had to resist the urge to scoff, as House only knew the surface of what he went through with the divorces.

"That's different-"

"How? How is this… how am I any different?"

"You're different because you're you. I wanted you!" Wilson was starting to pray further that House would believe him because it was nothing but the truth.

"Then why do you bounce around so much?" House's question told Wilson that it must have been weighing on his mind for far longer than he had thought, and that broke Wilson's heart.

Wilson sighed, having a quick self-reflection.

"Because I… was always so…." Wilson wanted to choose his words carefully so there wasn't any room for House's anxiety to squeeze through any cracks. "Unhappy with myself. I didn't want to… admit who I was."

House was oddly silent and no longer looked at him. Did Wilson say something wrong? Did House not believe him? Times like this is when Wilson wishes that House could express his emotions and use his words. The only thing Wilson could do was continue to stroke House's hair and fight the urge to shake him. All he could do was wait for House to form the words on his own.

"Which means…?" House finally asked, looking up at him with that same puppy dog look.

Wilson paused, trying to piece together what he wanted to say. He was also afraid to admit who he was out loud, even though he and House had been married for almost a year at this point. He couldn't be scared—not right now. He needed to be brave to make sure that all of House's fears would dissolve.

"That I'm…." Wilson hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, as if making the anxious thoughts go away. "I'm gay. I thought that I just wasn't with who I was married to, y'know… but who I really wanted was… was you, Greg."

What was House feeling? That was hard to decipher since he had been taking so long to process his words as his heart was pounding in his ears. Even though they've been together for a couple of years, it was the first time that Wilson ever said it out loud. Maybe that had been why House had been so paranoid. As badly as House wanted to play all of this off as an elaborate joke, he couldn't do that mentally. Every emotion he brought as crumbs to the table was nothing but the truth. This was a real, raw moment between them that needed to be talked about.

Without saying anything, House buried his face in Wilson's stomach, looking for some sort of comfort, which Wilson couldn't say he had ever done before. He was even more shocked when he felt his arms wrap around him tightly and pull him in closer. Wilson couldn't help but freeze. Never would he expect House to do this, and it certainly did catch him off guard. House had a small physical connection capacity, but he rarely showed it. When he did, it was definitely warranted. House was more of an actions over-words lover. In a way, Wilson was the same way. Sure, he knew his way around words, but that's all they were. Words. Actions meant more to him than words, so he and House fit together like a puzzle.

Finally snapping out of his own thoughts, Wilson wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in closer.

"I love you and only you," Wilson spoke his truth, running his fingers through House's hair. "Is… getting a tattooed ring really the only solution?"

House couldn't help but chuckle softly with his eyes still closed.

"No, I believe you."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. I…." House trailed off, trying to fish the word from his brain. "I…."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Wilson said with a smile, holding him closer if that was even possible.

"Shut up. I… love you, okay?"

"Okay," was all Wilson could say back with a huge smile, as it was rare to hear the words. "I love you too."

"Are you sure you want this?" The tattoo artist asked as he put on a pair of gloves. "Hand and fingers aren't exactly the ideal starting tattoos."

Wilson glanced at House, who had a grin on his face as he looked at the new tattoo on his own left ring finger. Never did Wilson ever think he'd ever get a matching tattoo with anybody, let alone a tattoo in the first place anywhere on his body. He trembled slightly but kept a brave mask on, even though the tattoo artist could see through it.

"I'm… I'm sure," Wilson told the artist, hoping he didn't sound like he was being held hostage as he wrapped the tattoo stencil around his ring finger.

House was beaming at the answer.

Forever. They were going to be together forever. What started off as a half-joking yet paranoia episode based on trust turned into something real. They were going to be together forever! This only proved it.

Wilson winced as the tattoo gun began to buzz, and as much as he wanted to back out due to being afraid of the pain, he knew that he couldn't.

The moment the needles pierced at his finger, Wilson couldn't help but tightly close his eyes and let out a loud, pained groan, still trying to put on a brave face but was failing miserably. He was getting a tattoo. A real tattoo that would forever be on his finger. He tried to even out his breathing with exercises to try to calm himself down. Still, between the constant buzzing in his ears and the pain that he couldn't escape from, there was no way that was happening. He knew how much they would hurt to get, especially at the location, but he never imagined that it would feel like somebody was slowly sawing off his finger with a rusty, dull knife.

As much as he wanted to pull away, Wilson was in too deep and needed to show his commitment to his husband. To try to subside the pain from his mind, Wilson bit down on his knuckle and closed his eyes. Tiny little needles. That's all they were. Individually, they wouldn't be painful, but thousands of them digging into the skin, feeling like they're dragging around the bone? Terrible.

"All done," the artist declared, setting the tattoo gun aside and removing his gloves.

"All done?"

Wilson looked down at the new tattoo that would now live on his finger for the rest of his life. The more he looked at it, the more perfect it became—unusual but perfect for them.

House leaned over, keeping Wilson steady as he was a bit wobbly as he stood up. It was amazing how getting a tattoo affected the body.

"Okay?" House asked, a glimpse of worry on his face. He was almost scared that Wilson already regretted the choice.

Since Wilson could see that worry, he smiled at him as he gained his balance.

"Okay."

Wilson carefully interlocked his hands with House's looking him in the eyes as he smiled.

Perfect.