house M.D.

The Wee Small Hours

Youd both settled for a quiet night in, which was fine as far as you were concerned. You had no qualms about having House all to yourself, even if he wasnt necessarily with you mentally. It was no surprise to you really, you knew if he was working on a case hed keep mulling it over until hed figured it out. What you hadnt quite expected though, was that youd wake up at three oclock in the morning to find his side of the bed not only cold, but empty. Hed slipped under the sheets with you just a few hours ago, and it appeared he slipped out of the very same sheets without your knowing.

You laid in the darkness for a second, fingers stretching out to grasp the cold linen sheets. Eyes squinting as you listened to the quiet noise coming from the next room. Your sleep dazed mind taking a few seconds to register that the sound was coming from your missing boyfriend. Pulling the covers off yourself, you padded across the floor as quietly as you could. Stopping at the entrance to the main room of the apartment, a small grin crossing your features at the sight before you.

He sat on the couch, legs resting on the table and crossed at the ankle, while he flipped through the pages of a book with more care than youd ever witnessed anybody handle anything. His glasses he hardly ever wore were teetering on the bridge of his nose as his eyes scanned across every word that covered the page he was reading. He always looked doubly focused when trying to solve and come up with explanations for things. His brow would furrow and his lips would tighten into a firm line while he concentrated.

The light that highlighted the pages his eyes would quickly scan over, outlining his features and bringing out the strands of his hair that had turned silvery around his temples. The small gleam that shone off the plain silver frames that encapsulated the lenses blinking when he reached up to lower the glasses and rub at his eyes. And suddenly, without even bothering to give a glance in your direction he spoke.

If you want an autograph or a picture, all you have to do is ask. His usual snarky bite a touch more playful with you then it ever would be with anybody else. A laugh left your lips as you moved closer to him, make any more comments like that and someones bound to think youre arrogant.

Turning slightly, you could see the smile that turned his lips upward, a reaction that you almost always had little to no trouble eliciting from the usually pessimistic man, stare at other people like that and someones bound to think youre rude.

Mhm, but youre the only one Id ever consider staring at... the words leaving you along with a quiet yawn, before you moved to sit next to House on the couch, the cool leather hitting your bare legs causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. The reaction not going unnoticed by House, who peered at your legs before glancing at you over his glasses, after a comment like that Im gonna have to assume that those - he motioned to your goosebumps, were caused simply from you being in my presence.

Totally you played along, scooting closer to him in an effort to absorb some of his body heat, its the glasses, they get me every time.

Ill have to commit that to memory.

His blue eyes closing tiredly for a second before taking the glasses off and rubbing his eyes, you could tell he was tired, he moved slowly and slouched, a hand rubbing at his eyes. It was no use telling him to get rest though, as you knew hed resist all your efforts to get him back in bed for shuteye. Instead you decided to just let him keep searching for his answer, he wouldnt stop until he found it anyway, his natural penchant for being obsessive exhausting to anyone else. You kissed his cheek, moving to stand and make your way back to bed before his hand latched onto yours.

What? You turned, looking at his wide eyes that had hours ago lost all their shine, stay with me?

His request more of a question than an actual request, you blinked back at him for a few seconds as you weighed your options, he could be out here for anywhere from thirty more minutes to three hours, cmon, Ill put the glasses back on.

He made a show of putting them back on, a childlike smile making its way onto his features as he peered over them at you. Finally the jocular expression hed fixed you with made you buckle and you sat back down, your legs moving out to stretch beside his on the table.

The glasses win every time. He joked, moving his attention back to the book that rested in his lap, his long fingers dancing on the edge of the page as he anticipated turning it. You watched him repeat these simple actions of turning the page, fingers dancing at the edge, eyes skimming over the words that each new page offered before it all began again. You had no doubt that he already knew the information he was reading, but you didnt question him, it was all part of his process.

After about twenty more minutes though, you found your eyes growing tired, your head resting on Houses shoulder as you curled up into his side. Eyes fighting to stay open as wide as his seemed to, but it was to no avail, they soon shut, closing out the book as they did so. At his notice of this House simply smiled, placing the book he read onto his lap before reaching over to grab the blanket youd been covered with before you went to bed. Covering you with it, he placed a small kiss on your brow bone, before picking up his book back up.

///

When your eyes finally opened back up, the first thing you noticed was the terrible kink in your neck. Caused from sleeping with your head rested on somebodys shoulder no doubt. That same somebody, having apparently also fallen asleep sometime, when you didnt exactly know. But, you were glad hed finally fallen asleep, it was usually a case of just allowing him to wear himself out. Any suggestion that he go to bed and get some rest was normally met with a stubborn attitude accompanied by him calling you, mommy.

Now though, he looked so strangely peaceful despite his uncomfortable position, you wanted to let him continue to sleep. He so rarely had a good sleep, his mind always going, leaving you unsure if it was a choice or not. Glasses askew on his face and book still wide open in his lap, the sight making you want to smile and laugh. You just allowed the smile though, doing your best to move as slowly and carefully as possibly so you didnt disturb him. It seemed it was impossible not to disturb him though, because at the slightest hint of motion a yawn left his lips and his eyes opened drowsily.

Blinking a few times before opening his eyes widely, he glanced over at you still wrapped in the blanket before offering you a small grin. Your eyes locked and you offered him a warm smile, leaning back against him when he pulled you back, resting one hand on his chest and your head on his shoulder. The slow and steady beat of his heart against your palm relaxing you even further. That was one of the things you so loved about House, the two of you could just simply enjoy being around each other without talking all the time. His arm came around you, holding you close to him, as his fingers traced patterns on your exposed skin.

You know - he began, his quiet tone drowned out by the sudden screaming ring of the phone. At this he rolled his eyes, leaning forward begrudgingly to pick it up and cease the noise.

Is someone dying?

He always had the most lovely way of answering the phone, his biting sarcasm making a laugh rise out of you. For six thirty in the morning he was more witty than anyone else youd ever known. The sound of your laugh causing him to wink at you slyly, before looking at the wall with his usual unreadable expression. You watched in awe of him as he joked and questioned whoever was on the other end of the phone, the conversation ending with him abruptly hanging up.

Everything ok? You asked, watching as he headed down the hall quickly towards the bedroom, itd be a lot better if everyone I had the so called pleasure of working with wasnt an idiot.

He reappeared, rolling the sleeves up on his button up shirt that hed rushed to pull on. His response earning him an eye roll from you as you began buttoning his shirt for him, what am I unable to use my hands now?

He teased, smiling down at you as he waited for a response from you, its highly possible, since youll be at the hospital all day you may want to check in to getting your hand eye coordination checked out.

Buttoning the last button, you ran your hands up to his shoulders, pecking him on the cheek before leaving him standing in front of the door with a quizzical expression, I cant even get a proper kiss around here?

Maybe later. Sending a wink in his direction before he smiled at you, shaking his head before shuffling out and quietly closing the door behind himself. If he knew half as much as he thought he did about reading people, he knew for certain that hed be getting his proper kiss when he got home that night.