Buon Appetito! RP for lieu_murphy

[cant_have_any]

Alright, so the pizzeria near the plaza wasn't exactly as cracked-up as House had made it out to be but the pride of New Jersey had been at stake. Besides, if Murphy wasn't familiar with his tall tales by now she was sleeping on the job. Romeo's was still a decent restaurant, one of House's favorites in fact, though most of his visits had either

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[lieu_murphy]

For once, by some small miracle or karmatic fluke, Murphy got done with work on time. It made her a little uneasy. If she finished work on time, it meant later something big, bad and bloody was going to go down. She also had a date, which meant her chances of getting called in late nearly doubled. Or maybe they only did that when both parties considered it a date. House wasn't going to call it that and she was fine with that. Half the fun was watching him squirm about it.

Getting out on time also gave her a chance to change from work. Not that she changed much. She pulled her hair back with a clip, leaving it half up, but that was really the only obvious change, the slick black slacks and flattering red sweater with heels wasn't much different from what she'd wear at work. It was just a little more form fitting, just a little more dressy than normal. She hoped it wouldn't put up all his red flags.

Being prompt, she was outside his door at seven and knocked. Probably be rude to barge in with her key.

[cant_have_any]

House took his time answering the door. He wasn't about to go to any great lengths that might lead her to believe that this was anything other than a casual dinner and, from his standpoint, a free meal that wouldn't be spent alone. He limped heavily towards the door, tie and jacket in one hand, the other braced against the wall to ease the strain on his leg. His cane, a sleek, entirely black number he'd bought last year, was still somewhere in the back of the closet. He doubted Romeo's would appreciate flames very much.

With a casual jerk of the handle, he opened the door and immediately turned away, pointedly refusing to stand on ceremony to compliment either her hair, her earrings or her shoes. When in doubt, he much preferred cold familiarity. Turning back towards the living room, he tossed his armload over the back of the couch and began tucking in his shirt.

Was proving a point worth all this?

"Mi casa and all that crap." Better to lower expectations right from the get go.

[lieu_murphy]

If she hadn't expected House to stay House, Murphy would have been seriously offended. Luckily, she had half a brain and knew how to use it. The only change House was going to make was probably be surlier than usual. Very third grade of him and since she had survived third grade, she'd survive him.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. It was hard not to smirk watching him tuck his shirt in. The sight of him, slacks, buttoned shirt, tie and a jacket clashed with her mental picture of him. It was a little startling, but mostly amusing.

"Considering I lived here for awhile, I figured that out already." She said, putting her hands in her pockets. "I'm glad you didn't shave. I might not have recognized you otherwise."

She was going to have way too much fun teasing him tonight. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice the devil horns.

[cant_have_any]

He replied with a glare and a mutinous look at the tie he was now reaching for, giving it one last attempt.

"Thought about it," he admitted, pulling the tie over his head. "Didn't want you getting the wrong impression."

There. He'd said it. Better to set the ground rules as early as possible. The one House wanted to make absolutely clear was that this was not a date.

[lieu_murphy]

All she did was grin. He really was getting worked up over this. It was kinda sweet actually. If it meant nothing, he wouldn't care what her impressions were.

She went over to him and started helping him with his tie. Clearly the man had no idea what to do with one.

"My impressions for the night are this, you're going to try to prove your point about pizza. You're going to be wrong, but that's okay, you'll survive. I'm going to enjoy watching you squirm and panic about this and probably provoke you for my own amusement. And if I'm lucky, you'll put out at the end of the evening."

Finished with the tie she stepped back, still grinning. "How's that work for you?"

[cant_have_any]

His immediate reaction as she stepped away was to reach a finger under the knot and try to loosen it. He hated these things.

"Fine, just as long as you don't mind if I spend the rest of the evening proving you wrong."

He went to the closet, one hand on his thigh, and began rummaging through the pile of junk at the bottom. Pushing aside a set of golf bags and more sports equipment, none of which had been used since his infarction but hadn't had the heart to throw away. Somewhere at the back, standing in an old umbrella stand, was a finely polished black cane.

[lieu_murphy]

"Stop messing with it." Murphy warned, "Or else I'm going to have to fix it again."

She put her hands back in her pockets and watched him dig through the closet. Interesting that he had sports equipment, even though he couldn't play. Sentimentality wasn't something she expected from him. Interesting.

"You'll try. We'll see how successful you are."

[cant_have_any]

"Hundred bucks says I win," he challenged, pointing the cane in her direction. Over the years the piece of wood had become an extension of himself, something that those who saw him on a regular basis no longer seemed to notice. For those who didn't know him, who couldn't guess what had made an otherwise able-bodied man a cripple, it was a source of fascination, something to be stared at.

He'd have to prepare himself for that on top of everything else tonight.

[lieu_murphy]

"Unlike you, I don't have a hundred bucks to waste." Even if her Lieutenant pay grade was higher than a uniform's, it still wasn't anything compared to what he made. Twenty bucks with Kirmani now and again wasn't a big deal, but she couldn't blow a hundred.

"How about we bet the price of dinner?" She offered, thinking it could be some sort of middle ground. Not that he did middle ground.

[cant_have_any]

"You call it a waste," he said, pulling on his leather jacket. "I call it good business sense."

He tossed his motorcycle helmet to her and pocketed the set of keys he'd left on the side table. "Hope you don't mind helmet hair."

[lieu_murphy]

She caught the helmet easily and flipped it around in her hands before tucking it under her arm. "Are you kidding? I was wondering how I was going to con you into giving me a ride."

She took the clip out of her hair and shook it out before pocketing the clip. It would just get in the way when wearing a helmet. "And, I can get us out of speeding tickets."

[cant_have_any]

"Are you actually giving me permission to break the law, Lieutenant?" He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking. She'd always pegged her for the moral, never-do-anything-against-the-rules type. He'd never imagined her as a petrol-head.

He opened the front door and limped out ahead of her, pausing in the hallway to lock the door behind them.

[lieu_murphy]

"When it comes to seeing how fast that motorcycle of yours goes? Yes." She smirked right back. It wasn't her fault she liked loud engines and fast cars.

She followed him out of the apartment, playing with the helmet in her hands. It had been way too long since she had last ridden a motorcycle in her opinion.

[cant_have_any]

He locked the apartment and led her out onto the curb where his orange Honda was parked.

"Let's get this over with."

He clipped his cane onto the side, a modification he'd made sure the seller had included when be bought it, and swung a leg over in one well-practiced maneuver. The physical acrobatics House had to perform every day to complete the most necessary of tasks was something he'd always grappled with since his infarction. Even the simple movement of opening a door had been difficult when he'd first returned to work, requiring more concentration than it should have in case he overbalanced and the cane slipped from underneath him. It was why he had put off buying a bike for so long.

[lieu_murphy]

Though she was tempted to roll her eyes at his continuing grumpiness, she didn't bother. Really, that was House's natural state and she was getting used to it. No point in complaining about what you couldn't change.

Instead, she pushed her hair back, swung a leg over the motorcycle and climbed on behind him. With the helmet on she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his middle. She knew how to ride passenger on a motorcycle.

[cant_have_any]

He took out a pair of black shades from the front pocket of his leather jacket and put them on. Turning on the engine, he gave it a few revs before speeding down the road and through the intersection. It was obvious that the bus crash a few months previously had done nothing to affect his driving or House's opinion of road safety.

What Murphy couldn't see was the small, secret smile tugging at the corner of House's mouth. Of all the things robbed from him, riding a motorcycle had been the one he most loved having back. Even after so many years the experience still thrilled him.

They arrived at the restaurant quite a bit sooner than they should have.