for Chase

[misanthrope_md]

House was sitting on the bed in his room with his back against the wall and feet dangling off of the end, tossing the tennis ball up in the air and catching it.

He was feeling a little better today after the horrendous previous one. Chase had been right, of course; the pain had come back as soon as the morphine wore off, but he managed to sleep through the worst part of it, and today it had dissipated to the normal dull ache.

When he heard footsteps, he glanced up. "Miss me already?" he said to Chase.

Comments

[misanthrope_md]

House's expression remained neutral, somehow. "More than once. They... fucked more than once?"

[dr_robchase]

"Alcuin told me that it happened more than once, what 'it' was? I don't know," Chase admitted, voice low and hoarse. "But he said it happened 'times', not just 'one time'."

[misanthrope_md]

House nodded, looking at the wall beside Chase. "I dont' suppose he said when?"

[dr_robchase]

"Once before," Chase commented quietly. "And once because he was fighting with you and was upset, or something."

[misanthrope_md]

Okay, this time there was definitely a flash of something behind his eyes. Anger? Hurt? Maybe something bigger than that.

It was a long moment before he spoke. "Okay, so he fucked him again. After we fought. After I told him I just needed some time to think. Good to know."

[dr_robchase]

Chase just remained silent, watching House carefully, head bowed down, almost like he was waiting to get smacked. He didn't want to ask if House was okay, so he just stood there quietly.

[misanthrope_md]

"Could have been worse," House muttered. "He could have fucked someone new. At least he's consistent."

He grabbed the ball and threw it at the wall so hard that it chipped the paint.

[dr_robchase]

Chase flinched at the sound of the ball hitting the wall and closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry."

[misanthrope_md]

"Don't be sorry, it doesn't have anything to do with you," House said between gritted teeth. "Just... tell him to stay the fuck away from me."

[dr_robchase]

"Which one?" Chase asked to clarify, not wanting to be wrong about this.

[misanthrope_md]

"Oh, for christ's sake, Chase." House let his head fall back against the wall with a loud thump. "Both of them."

[dr_robchase]

Chase winced and took a deep breath, closing his eyes again. He didn't know what the hell to do and he couldn't exactly offer anything, not even a vessel of revenge. "Okay," he agreed.

[misanthrope_md]

House forced himself to look up at Chase. "Don't worry," he said sourly, "I'm not going to try to seduce you now, you can relax."

[dr_robchase]

Chase rolled his eyes. "It wasn't exactly a worry," he said in a deadpanned voice.

[misanthrope_md]

House frowned. "Why not? I seem to remember the last two times this happened, one of the first things I did was jump you. Both times."

He smirked, though it was somewhat forced. "And if I recall correctly, you weren't exactly adverse to being jumped."

[dr_robchase]

Chase gave House a smirk of his own in return. "We've gone over this. We have sexual tension and as much as I'd love to, you're in it for the wrong reasons and I have Jay."

[misanthrope_md]

"Uh huh." House grabbed the ball again, and threw it up at the ceiling, let it bounce down and caught it again.

"Do me a favor then and go find Phedre for me."

A beat. "That was a joke."

[dr_robchase]

Chase just smirked. "Either you're less funny or I'm not as brainwashed anymore."

[misanthrope_md]

"You're right, I don't think you're brainwashed anymore." House looked up at the ceiling again. He just felt... numb. "So you can tell me the truth. You think I'm an idiot, don't you."

[dr_robchase]

Chase stared at House, wondering what the hell had just happened, had House just asked him an honest question? He wandered into the room, sighing. "Honestly? I think Wilson is."

[misanthrope_md]

House sighed heavily. "Well that's a given. But you think I'm an idiot too, for putting up with it."

[dr_robchase]

Chase was silent and his silence was his doom on that answer.

[misanthrope_md]

"Fine, whatever." He grunted a little and let his eyes drop closed. "Well it's not an issue anymore."

It wasn't even so much the sex that got to House this time. But the fact that he'd done it again when they had yet to even resolve anything, when James could have, in theory, been trying to figure out how to make things right. Instead, he'd apparently just thrown in the towel, or he just really didn't give a shit about House, which was looking more and more to be the case.

He didn't know why he'd expected anything different. People are shit.

[dr_robchase]

"Okay," Chase agreed quietly. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

[misanthrope_md]

House shook his head. "Somehow I don't think you have anything that would help me too much."