A Year In Misery Almost Sort Of: Chapter Eighteen
Title: A Year In Misery Almost Sort Of
Chapter: Eighteen out of ?
Pairings: House/Cuddy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Don't sue me.
Summary: Cuddy recalls her past and the relationship she had with House during the college days.
Start from the beginning
OR
Cuddy wasn’t new to House’s devious ways. In fact, she almost expected them with every case he received. Even if it was his technique and his way of doing things, she knew she couldn’t let it slide. Even if it helped and cured the patient in the end.
So, time and time again, Cuddy would glare and scold, spy and yell, and then scold some more. However, it never bothered House because he knew he could get away with it in the end. That thought slightly bothered her, but she couldn’t do anything to change it because they both came to the same conclusion on the matter. More often than not, he was right.
She was studying for nearly an hour and a half. She had come to terms with the new peace she was experiencing in the med student lounge. As she yawned in the late hour, she lifted her eyes from her book and tried to hold back a smile when she saw him in the doorway.
“Hey, stranger,” she greeted and her smile broke through.
“Hey,” he returned, but didn’t enter.
“Where have you been?” she asked, her studies forgotten already. “I thought you deserted me.”
He smirked. “You were missing the love of your life, huh?”
“No.” She frowned. “But I did miss you.”
He jammed his hands into his pockets and took a few steps into the lounge. “I was suspended.”
“What?” She straightened in her concern and she suddenly wasn’t the least bit tired anymore.
“It was an ‘unofficial suspension’ because they can’t prove that I really did anything,” he told her and crossed to the table she was seated at. “I also have to live off campus now.”
“What did you do?” She gaped at him. “I hear the rumors, but I never believe them.”
He sat across from her. “Why? Because you think you know me?”
“I do know you,” she insisted.
“Right,” he agreed with a dubious raise of his eyebrows.
“What did you do?” she asked him again.
“If you know me so well, you should already know the answer to that,” he replied.
“I know you.” She shook her head. “Not the stupid things you do.”
He leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t think it was very stupid.”
“What?” She was dying to know and the suspense was getting to her.
He sensed this so he told her, with complete nonchalance of course. “I convinced one of my roommates he was dying and used him as a guinea pig in order to ‘fix him.’ He wasn’t too happy when he found out all he had was poison ivy.”
“You made him think he was dying?” Her mouth remained hanging open. “That’s...”
“Amazing?” he finished for her.
“Awful,” she corrected, her eyebrows drawn.
“Yeah, well he’ll thank me for it someday.” He leaned forward in his chair and his eyes fell upon her book. “What are you doing?”
“Studying,” she answered him.
“Oh, right,” he rolled his eyes, “because if you get anything lower than a hundred, you’ll kill yourself.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He gave her a shrug in reply and stood up from his chair. He looked to the doorway and then back at her.
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” he suggested.
“It’s wet outside,” she said.
“No, it’s not,” he replied.
She shook her head at him. “It was raining when I walked over.”
“I was just out there,” he told her. “It’s a little cold, but it’s not raining. Come on.”
“And go where?” She folded her arms across her chest, not entirely convinced. “The prop room’s off limits since we almost got caught.”
“You worry too much.” He headed for the doorway.
“Excuse me, but who just got suspended and kicked off campus?” she asked and slammed her textbook shut.
He turned around. “It was unofficial.”
Shaking her head once again, she slipped on her coat. “All right, let’s go. Who knows how long you’ll still be at this school anyway. Maybe they’ll kick you out before you can graduate.”
“They’re not that dumb.” He waited for her.
“Maybe not, but you are.” She passed him as she headed for the door. “Experimenting on a roommate? Really, House, did you think that was going to pan out well for you?”
He held the door for her as she stepped out into the moist air. She waited until he was alongside of her before she began to walk.
“It was going great until he got a second opinion,” he told her in response.
“You can’t make people sicker and play with their lives for your own amusement,” she said, frowning at him.
“Who said anything about making him sicker?” he asked, throwing his hands out. “I was just pumping him full of things to get a reaction.”
“You’re insane,” she replied and shivered against the cool air.
“How do you think we became so advanced in medicine and technology, Cuddy?” he asked. “Experimentation. I’m just joining in with Galileo, Edison, and Pasteur.”
She stared at him. “You really play by your own rules, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?” he turned the tables on her.
She paused. “No.” She didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “And it’s cold out.”
“Here.” He took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders.
She eyed him up. “Now, you’ll be cold.”
He shook his head. “I never get cold.”
“Then, why even wear a coat to begin with?” she asked, clutching tighter onto his coat.
“So I can pretend I’m a gentleman to get women to have sex with me,” he answered and placed his hands within his pockets.
“Smart ass,” she replied with a roll of her eyes.
“You asked.” He shrugged. “I believe in honesty.”
She frowned at him. “Since when?”
“Since I began lying,” he returned.
She let out a loud sigh and his eyebrows drew together as he stared at her.
“What the hell was that for?” he asked.
“I just...” She paused. “I get tired going back and forth with you sometimes.”
“Guess you’ll have to build up your stamina,” he suggested and took a quick left.
“Maybe.” She caught up alongside of him. “Though, it’s kind of pointless since the semester will be over soon enough.”
“You’ve been bringing that up a lot lately.” He didn’t look at her.
Her eyes burned into him. “So?”
He brought his eyes to her and spoke lightly. “Forget about it. Pretend we never have to end this creepy late night two person society we have going. It kills the mood when you bring it up.”
“Right,” she agreed, lying to him. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right,” he replied.
“Especially when it comes to poison ivy,” she said, giving him a smile.
“Poison ivy, black death.” He shrugged. “Same thing.”
“Yeah.” She kept the smile on her face, hoping it hid the fact that she knew that no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t forget that their time was running out.
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter: Eighteen out of ?
Pairings: House/Cuddy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Don't sue me.
Summary: Cuddy recalls her past and the relationship she had with House during the college days.
Start from the beginning
OR
Cuddy wasn’t new to House’s devious ways. In fact, she almost expected them with every case he received. Even if it was his technique and his way of doing things, she knew she couldn’t let it slide. Even if it helped and cured the patient in the end.
So, time and time again, Cuddy would glare and scold, spy and yell, and then scold some more. However, it never bothered House because he knew he could get away with it in the end. That thought slightly bothered her, but she couldn’t do anything to change it because they both came to the same conclusion on the matter. More often than not, he was right.
She was studying for nearly an hour and a half. She had come to terms with the new peace she was experiencing in the med student lounge. As she yawned in the late hour, she lifted her eyes from her book and tried to hold back a smile when she saw him in the doorway.
“Hey, stranger,” she greeted and her smile broke through.
“Hey,” he returned, but didn’t enter.
“Where have you been?” she asked, her studies forgotten already. “I thought you deserted me.”
He smirked. “You were missing the love of your life, huh?”
“No.” She frowned. “But I did miss you.”
He jammed his hands into his pockets and took a few steps into the lounge. “I was suspended.”
“What?” She straightened in her concern and she suddenly wasn’t the least bit tired anymore.
“It was an ‘unofficial suspension’ because they can’t prove that I really did anything,” he told her and crossed to the table she was seated at. “I also have to live off campus now.”
“What did you do?” She gaped at him. “I hear the rumors, but I never believe them.”
He sat across from her. “Why? Because you think you know me?”
“I do know you,” she insisted.
“Right,” he agreed with a dubious raise of his eyebrows.
“What did you do?” she asked him again.
“If you know me so well, you should already know the answer to that,” he replied.
“I know you.” She shook her head. “Not the stupid things you do.”
He leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t think it was very stupid.”
“What?” She was dying to know and the suspense was getting to her.
He sensed this so he told her, with complete nonchalance of course. “I convinced one of my roommates he was dying and used him as a guinea pig in order to ‘fix him.’ He wasn’t too happy when he found out all he had was poison ivy.”
“You made him think he was dying?” Her mouth remained hanging open. “That’s...”
“Amazing?” he finished for her.
“Awful,” she corrected, her eyebrows drawn.
“Yeah, well he’ll thank me for it someday.” He leaned forward in his chair and his eyes fell upon her book. “What are you doing?”
“Studying,” she answered him.
“Oh, right,” he rolled his eyes, “because if you get anything lower than a hundred, you’ll kill yourself.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He gave her a shrug in reply and stood up from his chair. He looked to the doorway and then back at her.
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” he suggested.
“It’s wet outside,” she said.
“No, it’s not,” he replied.
She shook her head at him. “It was raining when I walked over.”
“I was just out there,” he told her. “It’s a little cold, but it’s not raining. Come on.”
“And go where?” She folded her arms across her chest, not entirely convinced. “The prop room’s off limits since we almost got caught.”
“You worry too much.” He headed for the doorway.
“Excuse me, but who just got suspended and kicked off campus?” she asked and slammed her textbook shut.
He turned around. “It was unofficial.”
Shaking her head once again, she slipped on her coat. “All right, let’s go. Who knows how long you’ll still be at this school anyway. Maybe they’ll kick you out before you can graduate.”
“They’re not that dumb.” He waited for her.
“Maybe not, but you are.” She passed him as she headed for the door. “Experimenting on a roommate? Really, House, did you think that was going to pan out well for you?”
He held the door for her as she stepped out into the moist air. She waited until he was alongside of her before she began to walk.
“It was going great until he got a second opinion,” he told her in response.
“You can’t make people sicker and play with their lives for your own amusement,” she said, frowning at him.
“Who said anything about making him sicker?” he asked, throwing his hands out. “I was just pumping him full of things to get a reaction.”
“You’re insane,” she replied and shivered against the cool air.
“How do you think we became so advanced in medicine and technology, Cuddy?” he asked. “Experimentation. I’m just joining in with Galileo, Edison, and Pasteur.”
She stared at him. “You really play by your own rules, don’t you?”
“Don’t you?” he turned the tables on her.
She paused. “No.” She didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “And it’s cold out.”
“Here.” He took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders.
She eyed him up. “Now, you’ll be cold.”
He shook his head. “I never get cold.”
“Then, why even wear a coat to begin with?” she asked, clutching tighter onto his coat.
“So I can pretend I’m a gentleman to get women to have sex with me,” he answered and placed his hands within his pockets.
“Smart ass,” she replied with a roll of her eyes.
“You asked.” He shrugged. “I believe in honesty.”
She frowned at him. “Since when?”
“Since I began lying,” he returned.
She let out a loud sigh and his eyebrows drew together as he stared at her.
“What the hell was that for?” he asked.
“I just...” She paused. “I get tired going back and forth with you sometimes.”
“Guess you’ll have to build up your stamina,” he suggested and took a quick left.
“Maybe.” She caught up alongside of him. “Though, it’s kind of pointless since the semester will be over soon enough.”
“You’ve been bringing that up a lot lately.” He didn’t look at her.
Her eyes burned into him. “So?”
He brought his eyes to her and spoke lightly. “Forget about it. Pretend we never have to end this creepy late night two person society we have going. It kills the mood when you bring it up.”
“Right,” she agreed, lying to him. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right,” he replied.
“Especially when it comes to poison ivy,” she said, giving him a smile.
“Poison ivy, black death.” He shrugged. “Same thing.”
“Yeah.” She kept the smile on her face, hoping it hid the fact that she knew that no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t forget that their time was running out.
Chapter Nineteen