Chapter Text
"Merry Christmas, House!" Cameron said as she walked by House who had been trying to get out of the hall before she noticed him. The brightness of her smile might as well cause skin cancer. "Have any special plans for tonight? Family in town? Exchanging presents?" She rambled on.
"Nope," House replied, popping the P and walking away from her. She followed. "Please tell me you weren't planning on inviting me to some stupid Christmas thing." The way the younger doctor's face flushed a bright red told him that she had in fact been planning on doing that. It took everything in him to suppress a groan.
Just when he thought he was doomed to a boring conversation with Cameron he spotted a tall handsome oncologist, his favorite oncologist. A wicked grin appeared on House's face as he made his way to Wilson as quickly as he could, Cameron still right behind him. Wilson was leaning over the counter talking to some nurse. It was probably a new one considering she wasn't shrinking into her paperwork at the sight of House walking over. He watched as she twirled her long blonde hair in her perfectly manicured fingers. Of course it was a blonde nurse. Wilson went weak at the knees around blonde women;it was almost repulsive. Wilson was putting on a charming smile and fiddling with the file he had meant to hand off to the stupid nurse he was drooling over.
Clearly, House had a woman problem. One he could easily fix.
Once he, and Cameron, made their way up to Wilson House slipped his arm around the man's waist and leaned his head on the man's shoulder. House smiled when he felt Wilson jump from the contact. Wilson tried to take a step back which only made House hold on tighter. "Hey there, baby. Almost done with your shift? I've been thinking about our dinner plans all day." House said in a sickeningly sweet voice, looking up from Wilson's shoulder to see the annoyed look in those big brown eyes.
"I thought you... You have plans with Wilson?" Cameron muttered, looking at House's hand on Wilson's waist. Suddenly embarrassment flooded through her brain and trailed down her spine. Foreman joked that House would sooner sleep with Wilson than sleep with her. But he wasn't serious. Maybe he was.
Wilson rolled his eyes and looked to the nurse as if trying to silently apologize for the idiotic interruption. Ms. Blonde-Nurse just gave an awkward smile and said, "Oh um, Dr. Wilson who is this?" Shifting her gaze to House who had set his cane down to put his other hand on Wilson's chest, messing with his ugly red tie.
"Vanessa this is Dr. House," Wilson answered, exasperated. "I'm sure you've heard of him from the other nurses. He's the head of diagnostics upstairs."
House held out his hand to shake hers. As soon as she took his hand he squeezed it hard, letting a threat slip from his eyes. She winced a little and tried pulling her hand back. "Pleasure to meet one of the loverboy's nurses." Wilson's body tenses as the pet name slipped from House's tongue.
Wilson grabbed House's hand and gave him a warning glance before smiling at Vanessa and saying, "Sorry for keeping you. We have to get going. Merry Christmas, Vanessa." The nurse smiled awkwardly again and let it fade from her face as she left. Cameron was long gone too. Wilson held House's hand tightly and dragged him around the corner so he could scold him without feeling like he was on a stage for the entire staff. "What is wrong with you?" Wilson hissed through his teeth.
House smiled, taking advantage of his two inches on Wilson to look down at him. Wilson gulped slightly but kept the glare in his eyes. "You have an addiction you know. I'm just helping a guy out." House shrugged.
"Helping a guy out? I thought you were helping your 'loverboy' out." Wilson let go of the other man's hand and folded his arms. "I thought I told you to stop making our coworkers think we are gay! Chase started up a damned betting pool."
It was true that most people thought they were gay. Even the nurses that slept with Wilson thought he was gay. Chase didn't think they were gay but if there was a reason for a bet in the hospital, Robert Chase's name was attached to it. House would be upset if he didn't constantly use it to his advantage. He and Chase constantly made deals to cheat and split the earnings. Most of the bets were about House anyways so it wasn't very difficult to cheat their way into the money.
"You place a bet? We would win you know." House smiled. Messing with Wilson was always the best thing he could be doing with his time. "Only we know the answer."
"That what? We aren't gay? Why would anyone believe either of us after that little display?" Wilson pinched the bridge of his nose. He eventually just threw up his arms saying, "I don't have time for you right now." Wilson pushed past House and made his way to the elevator. House stood there without dropping his grin.
Wilson ignored him as best as he could for the last few hours of their shift. He ignored pages knowing House didn't have a patient with cancer and that any 9-1-1 page wasn't serious. He sat back in his chair and glanced over the mess of paperwork and patient files on his desk. After a bit more work he decided it was enough and that he could finish the rest of it the following day. As Wilson went to stand he thought a bit too hard about what day it was. Julie was Jewish and they never really celebrated Christmas together. Not in any traditional or religious way. They did have dinner together and sometimes exchanged presents if they felt like it. Last year he skipped going home to Julie to go home with House instead.
The memories of last Christmas were ringing in his brain, too loud to escape. It was the last holiday season he ever had while he was still with Julie and he actively chose to go home with House instead of her. He didn't regret it either. He smiled at the thought of House pointing out that neither of them celebrates Christmas and at the distant sound of piano keys followed by the smell of Chinese food. The night was filled with laughter and the pleasant sounds of House playing Silent Night on his piano while Wilson sat close by on the floor.
"Damn it..." Wilson muttered.
House buried his free hand in the warm pocket of his coat, already annoyed at the cold he was about to walk out into. His car was parked in his handicapped spot which was as close to the door as it could be, but it wasn't close enough. He often complained about it to Cuddy who always yelled at him to get out of her office. Before he could get to the door a firm hand grabbed his shoulder. A smile threatened his lips instantly. House turned around to lock eyes with a very out-of-breath Wilson. "Done with your shift, loverboy?" He mocked.
"Let me drive you home. You drive like hell in the cold." Wilson said softly, letting go of the man's shoulder. "We have er... Dinner plans? Remember?" He smiled at House the same way he was smiling at Vanessa only a few hours ago. The look he reserved for the women he slept with. Except this look had more in it. It reached his eyes, his entire face, his entire body even. This wasn't the look he gave to Vanessa. This was a look crafted entirely for House.
House silently held out his hand and waited for Wilson to take it. They walked out into the snow, Wilson making sure House doesn't slip.
"Chase is about to make so much money."