Decisions
Title: Decisions
Author: Aileb42
Pairing: House/Wilson
Word Count: 874
Rating: PG-13
Summary: This takes place a little while after 6.22 and 7.1, written for the Tic, Tack, Toe challenge at sick_wilson , the prompts are towel, microwave popcorn, and sidewalk.
Disclaimer: Of course the characters belong to David Shore and company.
Decisions
He sat on the couch, staring at the windows. The sun was setting, a golden light was streaming inside. He picked up the towel lying on the seat beside him, and wiped his face again, it was still so hot, almost hotter than it had been all day. He looked at the air conditioner, but he was too tired to get up. Besides, he needed to hear the sounds from the sidewalk below, the people walking by, engrossed in conversations he could barely hear, punctuated occasionally by a loud laugh or a child’s cry.
He sat there till the sun went down, and there was no more sunlight coming into the room, just a rosy glow left in the sky. The phone rang several times, but each time he just glanced at it, but made no effort to answer it. He didn’t have to look at the numbers, he knew exactly who was calling, Sandy, to tell him about the patients who took a turn for the worse, Sam, calling from some meeting, or her mom’s place, or her sister’s place, he couldn’t remember which one it was that night, nor did he particularly care. And House, but he didn’t want to answer House’s phone calls either.
Wilson sighed, and wiped his face with the towel again, and then forced himself to get up to get something to drink. He slowly walked over to the refrigerator, opened it, and looked inside. The cool blast of air was a shock on his hot face. But the refrigerator was almost empty, he hadn’t done much shopping lately, and Sam almost never did. It’s not like she was home much lately anyway. There was a couple of beers, and a half empty container of juice. He took out a beer. Then he opened the cabinet closest to the fridge, but it was almost empty too. He took out the box of microwave popcorn, opened it, and shook his head. The box was empty. He sighed again, a long deep, tired sigh, and he threw the empty box into the garbage can.
He turned off the lights in the kitchen, and made his way back to the couch. He turned on the TV, flipped through the channels quickly, but then he turned it off. He took several deep breaths, and sighed He sat there in the dark, the only light was from the streetlights, the only sounds were from the cars going by, and voices from the street, laughing and chattering, people on their way to someplace fun on this warm summer’s night.
He leaned back in the couch, and slowly drank the beer.
His heart jumped at the knock on the door. Not Sam. But it couldn’t be Sam, she had her own key, of course, and she said in the morning that might not be coming home that night, from wherever she happened to be.
“Wilson!”
He didn’t move.
“Wilson, are you in there?”
He sat there, and took a sip of beer. He heard the key turning, but he still didn’t move, he just stared at the lights from outside the window, as the door opened, and House made his way inside.
“I spent the whole afternoon looking all over for you. I called you three times. What the hell is going on?” House asked, as walked over to the couch.
“Nothing” Wilson said quietly.
“Something is obviously going on” House said, as he sat beside Wilson on the couch, right on the damp towel.. “I can’t remember the last time you went home so early, without telling any one. You never leave without telling Sandy.”
Wilson glanced at House, but then he turned away.
“House, I’m fine, I just needed to get away.”
“Away? Why? From what?”
“I just need to come home” Wilson said. “That’s all. I just needed to come home.” Wilson looked at House again. “But what are you doing here? I thought you had plans with Cuddy tonight. The opera, or something like that?”
“The ballet” House replied. “But forget about that. It’s you I’m worried about right now.”
Wilson stared at House.
“House, after all these years, please don’t mess things up with Cuddy. Not because of me. She’s more important right now, she has to be….”
House stared at Wilson too, then he turned away. He looked around the apartment, and then he picked up the can of beer from the coffee table. He shook it, the can was about a quarter full. He slowly drank some, and held the can in his hand, then he turned back to Wilson.
“Let me be the judge of who’s important right now” House said quietly. He drank one more sip of beer, then he put the can back down on the coffee table. House clasped his hands together for a moment, but then he unclasped them, and put his hand on Wilson’s arm.
Wilson stared at House, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Okay? I’ll decide who’s important” House repeated, as he slowly moved his hand up and down Wilson’s warm, damp arm. Then he moved closer, and he kissed Wilson on his lips, as the streetlights glowed through the windows, and the voices chattered and laughed from the sidewalk below.