Together
A.N. I've modelled what follows after House and Cuddy's thing in S7E1 'Now what?'. As in the episode, there is some sex talk (after a fashion) and light petting but no actual sex: it's the first chapter back and I didn't want to punish those who prefer to opt out of the steamy bits. The sex is coming, though. As always, I will clearly signpost it ahead of time. I know that this practice spoils the content, but 'tis the only way.
I'm on holiday for the next couple of weeks. The worst thing is that I won't even have the means to write anything. I dare you to re-read this story from the beginning by the time I get back.
Having typed up and signed the revised documentation, Cameron and House were sitting at the coffee table once again.
"So, if we each take a copy for our records, that should be all our bases covered". House handed one to Cameron and took another for himself.
"OK. I mean, I'll just dump it on your desk for now, because my paperwork is back at my place". She got to her feet.
"Fine. Would you take mine with you? Just stick it in my box of porn".
Cameron simply looked at him.
"What? If there's a fire that box is the first thing I'll grab".
"Hmm. Makes sense, actually", she laughed, leaving the room with their papers.
House, meanwhile, took a few deep breaths. His heart had started beating rapidly and his mouth dried.
Finally, inevitably, the situation had changed. And he was nervous.
Cameron returned and sat back down, though her foot tapped rapidly on the floor. Like him, it seemed, she was experiencing tense excitement. "So, um, does that conclude the formalities? Are we back together?".
"One last thing".
"Not more paperwork…", she sighed.
House turned his face to her. "Nope. I just have one question".
"Go on".
"You wanna be my girlfriend, Chicago?".
She reached for his hand, exhaling loudly before grinning. "Yep".
"So, can I hug you now?".
"Can?". She raised an eyebrow.
"Ugh. May I?".
Instead of answering, Cameron shuffled right over to his side of the sofa and embraced him, her arms splayed against his back. House at once buried his face in her hair, breathing in her smell, feeling the slow rhythm of her breathing. For both, it was a sensation both familiar and not, so many months had they now been apart. But it was one to savour. House was grateful for the early morning silence: he wanted to experience each little fragment.
Over this whole period he had kept an iron grip on his emotions, forcing down his attraction as best he could, and even those few times of great temptation had not resulted in any boundary crossing. There were a number of reasons for House's stubbornness in this regard, not least of which was the recognition that Cameron had made a great many sacrifices to oversee his care personally. It would have been very poor form to put her in an awkward position.
But now that iron grip, that almost grim adherence to propriety, collapsed. He didn't need to deny reality anymore. It was hugely liberating in a way that he could not have imagined all those months ago in Cuddy's office when Cameron had volunteered herself to be his live-in nurse.
"I missed you so much", he whispered.
"Not as much as I missed you, buster". Due to the awkward angle, she delivered these words into his shoulder, laughing thickly.
"Come sit".
"After all this, I really don't wanna crush your leg", she replied, though nibbling his neck playfully.
"No worries. I got extra padding now since I've not yet managed to shed my 'cripple' weight".
Cameron laughed, but she did allow him to tug her into his lap so they were face to face. "Hello", she beamed, touching her forehead to his.
"Crying again?".
"Lies".
"Hmm. Close your eyes".
She did so.
With the lightest of touches, he drew his lips slowly and carefully over the tear-stained areas, she smiling a little at the tickle of his light beard. This finished, he delicately brushed her eyelids and cheeks with his thumbs. "There", he murmured. "Perfect".
Cameron opened her eyes and their gazes locked.
House kissed first, meeting her lips softly. Only after a few seconds of gentle contact did he allow his tongue to enter her mouth, which opened willingly. His hands rested on her waist, just under her pyjama top, while hers scuffed against his stubble. There would be a time for frenzied passion, but right now each was happy with these simple explorations as they rekindled a love which, though it had not cooled, nevertheless needed its foundations hammered out once more.
"You can't imagine", purred Cameron into his mouth, "how many times I've wanted to do this while I've been living here".
"You and me both", he grinned.
"Hmm". Her hand snaked downwards, grasping him through his thin shorts. She was still sitting astride him on the sofa, being careful to take much of her weight in her legs. "What d'you wanna do now…?".
"It sounds like I should be asking you that question".
Cameron hummed again, enjoying the growing escalation in tension. "There are many things I would like to do. But, y'know, we're in a partnership now. It's in writing and everything".
"I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess…", his hands knitted in her hair, running the golden strands through his fingers, all while maintaining their kiss, "…that you want in my pants. My mom warned me about girls like you".
"Yeah, well, I can tell you right now that we're not leaving this apartment all weekend".
"Not even for a walk?".
"OK, fine", she relented. "Maybe we can go for a walk once you've fucked me hard once or four times".
The way these words were delivered so matter-of-factly caused House to swallow. "Right", he croaked.
"But there're a few things I want to do with you, and I've had them in my mind for ages. Not all of them involve actual sex".
The pair pulled apart ever so slightly, Cameron looking into his blue eyes and discerning the subtle shading as she had always loved to do.
"You have a list or something?".
"I absolutely do have a list", she nodded, completely serious. "To which I added over the months".
Given that House had just made her sign relationship paperwork, he didn't consider it appropriate to pass a sarcastic comment. But more importantly, it was obvious that she had been thinking about the immediate period post-reuniting, and the things they would do, for some time. And he was certainly not about to ruin long-held plans. "Alright. What's first on the list?".
Now she bit his chin softly. "I wouldn't say 'first', but it's probably the most recent addition: a bath".
"I dunno…sex in the tub is a bit tricky with my leg at the moment". He remembered that she had been the one to initiate this in London. If he didn't know any better, he'd think it a favoured setting of hers.
"No sex. Just a nice bath. You and me".
"I'm game if you go draw it".
"Well, obviously. Not letting your ham fists anywhere near my products".
"Ham fists?", he queried, bringing a finger up to trace delicately down her nose.
Cameron's eyelashes fluttered, and she had to clear her throat. "So", she said eventually, kissing him again before slowly disentangling herself, "let's go to the bathroom?".
Now it was House's turn to nod, allowing her to assist in hauling him to his feet. "Lead on, BB".
Twenty to thirty minutes later, nephrologist and immunologist were soaking together in the bathtub. Cameron was nestled against House's chest in such a way that his chin could rest on the top of her head, and his arms wrapped around her front. Every now and then, whenever he tried to shift himself, she quickly moved to close the gap.
"I'm trying not to, uh, poke you here", he whispered into her ear.
"Poke away". She wiggled again for good measure, and her mind went back to any number of times last year where they had sat together in his office chair.
"Tease".
"Serves you right for being gentlemanly all this time. I've been living under your roof for months and what do I get in return? Not even a glimpse of…", she reached around with her right hand, though still facing forwards, and clasped her object of reference, "…corporal House".
"I'm not a gentleman, Cameron", he sighed dramatically, fully aware that she was simply pushing his buttons. Nevertheless, he relaxed into the contact, the feel of her fingers both expected and not. He suspected that this strange paradox would only take a week or so to resolve itself. The prospect sent a twinge of excitement through his system.
"No? A model of indecency, are you?". She tilted to the side slightly, forcing his attention to her breasts.
"Maybe".
Cameron's hand sped up under the water. "So…if I asked you to fuck me hard right now…what would you say?".
"I would refuse. Because you said before that we wouldn't be having sex in this tub".
"…yet. We wouldn't be having sex in this tub yet".
House tweaked a nipple hard, such that she gave a sharp intake of breath. "Yet", he agreed.
"Hmm". Even though the water was hot, Cameron shuddered in anticipation of what was to come. But her discipline was strong. With a final rub, she released him, and sank back fully into his chest, taking both of his hands in hers. "Guess how many times I thought about us doing this".
"Really?", he grunted, completely relaxed. "Sitting in water?".
"Sitting in water", she chuckled. How typical of House to reduce their current activity to its starkest definition.
"Well, since I already know you're a tragic case with a seriously warped sense of attraction-".
"-it's like a giant hug", Cameron laughed.
"Hey. You can't laugh like that. You know perfectly well it turns me on".
"Yeah, well, not my problem, buster". Now she sniffed airily, as if disinterested in his plight.
"No?". Quick as a flash, he pinned her hands and legs and pretended to bite her neck like a vampire.
"No, no!", Cameron laughed again, and her squirming attempt at liberation was half-hearted, though not half-hearted enough to prevent some water sloshing over the side. Their slippery bodies collided freely for a few moments and corporal House was once more in the firing line.
"I'm due a promotion soon", he whispered once things had calmed down.
"Answer my question".
"How many times you thought about us bathing together? I mean, we kind of did already, though. In the shower".
Cameron held a finger aloft as House observed over her shoulder. "Not the same thing. Completely different medium, with its own set of fantasies to which we shall return in time".
Now it was House's turn to laugh. "Dude, it sounds like all you did in four months or whatever is imagine us having sex in various positions-".
"-in various places?". Cameron turned suddenly and looked up at him, their breath mingling. The phrase she had just finished on his behalf was one uttered during their first night together.
"Yes", he managed, dipping down to kiss her nose, which wrinkled in turn.
"That…would be an accurate assessment, dude. I think about you frequently at the best of times, but by this point I've not had sex for months. So, y'know, it all adds up".
"Well, I haven't had sex, either".
"Sure, but you've had outlets".
"Riiiight, and you haven't? You must've christened my couch once or thirty times by now".
No answer, though her hands flicked aimlessly through the bubbles before coming to rest over his own.
"Wait…". House drifted off before resuming once again, tone incredulous: "wait, hang on…you've been looking after yourself, right? You've been taking care of your personal health?".
"House, honestly, it's fine", she sighed. "I've had other things to be doing like caring for you, working, exercising. And, I dunno, this isn't my place; didn't want to be…doing that here".
"Cameron, that's ridiculous. How have you not gone completely insane?".
She reached up and patted his cheek. "Remember women are more evolved than men. We don't need it as much".
House shook his head. Her confession reminded him of a clinic patient a while back, a girl whose mother was convinced that she had some serious condition; epilepsy, perhaps. In the event, all it needed was a simple diagnosis of gratification disorder and for the child to be taught something about boundaries. He had lived all over the world, but trust Uncle Sam to instil in his citizens an awkwardness towards self-pleasure, the most ancient yet ordinary of human habits.
"You OK back there?".
"I need a drink. Help me up?".
Cameron stirred and made to hop out of the bath. "I can get it for you".
"No, you can't reach that high in my cupboards". House took her offered hand for support and stepped gingerly onto the mat. Then he grabbed a towel and wrapped it round himself while she sank back into the water. "I'll be gone long enough", he added from the doorway.
"Long enough for what?".
"Long enough for you to do what needs to be done, Dr. Cameron. Go ahead. Take some 'me' time. I'll watch TV nice and loud if it makes you more comfortable. Or you can turn your music up. Here, I'll help you along". He duly switched on her smart speaker and increased the volume.
"Are you being serious right now?".
"I sure am. Actually, forget the drink, I'll cook us breakfast".
"Why do you care so much about this?". As earlier today with the contract signing, she would not have landed on this conversation topic if she had a million guesses.
"Because…", he waved his hand in the air, "…because I've spent the last few months being poked and prodded, being helped round my own apartment, to my own toilet, being bathed and coddled, and even though I felt like crap in so many ways, you made me not feel embarrassed or ashamed. So it really hurts me that you've not been entirely free yourself".
"House…".
"No, Cameron. There's no embarrassment in this relationship. It was one of my conditions, remember?".
She remembered well lying in his bed and talking through their issues. At the time she had displayed a certain reticence, and House had shot her reserve down:
"There's no embarrassment within these walls, Cameron. I've shown you my leg, the one part of my body I'm most self-conscious about. If we're going to be together, we have to commit fully; we have to be honest. Do you agree?".
"Yes", she had replied back then.
But right now she simply nodded and smiled, utterly used to his idiosyncrasies.
"Excellent", he grinned. "Breakfast will be served after. I'm thinking we have a relaxed day in our PJ's. Maybe some food, TV, chilling, et cetera. You fine with that?".
"I'm totally fine with that", she beamed.
"Oh, and in answer to your earlier question, I reckon 'twenty-three'".
The door closed, leaving Cameron to snort to herself: "lucky guess".