FIC: "Losing the Game", Greg House
Title: Losing the Game
Fandom: House
Character(s) or Pairing: Dr. Gregory House; gen
Prompt: 06. Theory
Rating: PG
Summary: House passes judgment, but he’s not always right.
Word Count: 1,104
A/N: Note that I’m a fan of the Giants. Thanks to amazonqueenkate for the beta.
House measures people, takes note of attitudes, makes decisions about them every day. It’s not a new behavior; he’s been doing it all his life, ever since his kindergarten self figured out how to get an extra graham cracker at snacktime by giving just the right big eyes to the teacher.
(Sometime soon after that is when he first had an IQ-type test, and skipped into first grade. No graham crackers there, but he had more to do. Looking back, not really a worthwhile trade-off.)
Judging people and making decisions about them is a big part of his job, too, which is what keeps his interest. How likely it is that Patient X had an affair, or that Patient Y is lying about his medical history, or that Patient Z had a do-it-yourself abortion. It’s only natural, he figures, for this to carry over into his everyday life.
Take Chase. House assesses him during the interview, and makes a few judgments. He’ll have plenty of time to see if they play out.Subservient. Usually, yes. But, as House figures out over the next few years, it’s not true subservience. Instead, it’s that Chase is laid-back and goes with the flow. The few times he disagrees, he’ll argue his case, and more often than not, he has a point.
Spoiled. The expensive clothes that he shouldn’t be able to afford, the easy acceptance of the salary Princeton-Plainsboro had to offer, the almost-lazy reticence while House questions him; they’re all clues. And when, after the interview, House fields a call from one Rowan Chase, the impression seems confirmed. But that’s not really the case; after Chase takes the job, the clothes are less high-class, if just as blinding, and the car is used, not the new convertible he should be able to afford if Daddy is still supporting him.
Lazy. The way Chase relaxed into the chair across from him, how he spent his first few days doing nothing; House thinks this impression, at least, is right. But then House watches him field a code, all concentration and precise orders, and he sees why Chase went into intensive care.
So House doesn’t win the game the first time he plays it with the new batch of fellows. He tries again, nearly six months later, when Steinman has finally finished (House couldn’t stand him after the first few months; Steinman turned out to be a name-dropper, and haughty in a way that only high school girls should manage, so House deliberately made his fellowship hell and was too sadistic to fire him), and House is interviewing again. He’s pretty much decided on one Allison Cameron; her résumé is fairly impressive, and House is sick of having all male fellows, anyway. The fact that she turns out to be gorgeous just clinches the deal.Coasting. It’s entirely possible, in House’s very jaded opinion, that she got through med school on looks and as little actual work as possible. Which is okay; House gets through his career on as little work as possible. However, when Cameron takes an almost absurd level of interest in the first case she has with House, a young woman inexplicably beginning to go through multi-organ failure, he has to concede that that was a stupid assumption to begin with.
Direct. At least, she seems so during the interview, answering his questions with a nearly-naïve level of honesty. But after a few months of watching and dealing with her, House isn’t so sure. If she’s cornered, yes, she’ll be direct, or if it’s in her interest, but otherwise, she tends to be evasive, even manipulative. Not a bad trait by any means, but an interesting one.
Damaged. This one persists for a long time-maybe better than a year. It’s originally his only real reason she’d go into medicine, and the whole dying-husband deal seems to confirm his suspicion. But he gradually realizes, after the date fiasco and her ultra-flexible code of ethics, that she’s more martyr than anything else, and above all, she’s doing it to advance herself, whether she realizes it or not.
By the time Williams is about to leave, House has pretty much decided the game is pointless. He conducts a grand total of one interview this time around, Foreman’s background making everyone else look like complete quacks, and it takes a few extra phone calls after he notices the tattoo during the interview to find out about the time in juvie. It’s out of habit more than anything else that he plays the game again, wondering if any of it’s going to be accurate this time.Goal-oriented. It’s pretty obvious, during the interview, that Foreman has decided he will get this job. If House hadn’t already decided he would, that might push him the other way, arrogance from someone besides himself putting him off. For the first time, House seems to be right, given the article issue and stabbing Cameron with the infected needle. Sure, he has a parasite in his brain, affecting his emotions and judgment, but the fact that he even considered it sort of proves House’s point. And hey, it works.
Hard working. It should be obvious from his résumé alone, but the interview only confirms it. Foreman’s full of questions about the caseload, opportunities to get published, that kind of thing, and House takes a sadistic pleasure in Foreman’s obvious boredom the first few days.
A lot like House. This one, House thinks cautiously, not willing to grant that accolade to just anyone. But between challenging House and his obvious insta-leadership, House has to admit maybe Foreman deserves it.
The thing about his last assumption about Foreman, House realizes nearly two years later, is that it doesn’t only apply to Foreman. It’s just most immediately obvious there. Look at Chase. He’s most likely to come up with a new approach, a seemingly unrelated theory. Previously just useful, that takes on new significance when House considers it this way. Or Cameron; that manipulative streak he’s noticed has gotten her exactly what she wants more than once, just as House got those extra graham crackers way back in kindergarten. Her manipulation is on a different scale than his big-eyed trick from all those years ago, smooth words and shrewd phrasing taking it to a whole new level, but she’s good at it. Not to mention the whole ethics deal.
As House half-watches a Giants-White Sox game-hardly worth watching, as the Giants have nothing-he muses to himself that he could quite possibly take over the world if he trains them right.
Even he finds the idea fairly terrifying.
Fandom: House
Character(s) or Pairing: Dr. Gregory House; gen
Prompt: 06. Theory
Rating: PG
Summary: House passes judgment, but he’s not always right.
Word Count: 1,104
A/N: Note that I’m a fan of the Giants. Thanks to amazonqueenkate for the beta.
House measures people, takes note of attitudes, makes decisions about them every day. It’s not a new behavior; he’s been doing it all his life, ever since his kindergarten self figured out how to get an extra graham cracker at snacktime by giving just the right big eyes to the teacher.
(Sometime soon after that is when he first had an IQ-type test, and skipped into first grade. No graham crackers there, but he had more to do. Looking back, not really a worthwhile trade-off.)
Judging people and making decisions about them is a big part of his job, too, which is what keeps his interest. How likely it is that Patient X had an affair, or that Patient Y is lying about his medical history, or that Patient Z had a do-it-yourself abortion. It’s only natural, he figures, for this to carry over into his everyday life.
Take Chase. House assesses him during the interview, and makes a few judgments. He’ll have plenty of time to see if they play out.Subservient. Usually, yes. But, as House figures out over the next few years, it’s not true subservience. Instead, it’s that Chase is laid-back and goes with the flow. The few times he disagrees, he’ll argue his case, and more often than not, he has a point.
Spoiled. The expensive clothes that he shouldn’t be able to afford, the easy acceptance of the salary Princeton-Plainsboro had to offer, the almost-lazy reticence while House questions him; they’re all clues. And when, after the interview, House fields a call from one Rowan Chase, the impression seems confirmed. But that’s not really the case; after Chase takes the job, the clothes are less high-class, if just as blinding, and the car is used, not the new convertible he should be able to afford if Daddy is still supporting him.
Lazy. The way Chase relaxed into the chair across from him, how he spent his first few days doing nothing; House thinks this impression, at least, is right. But then House watches him field a code, all concentration and precise orders, and he sees why Chase went into intensive care.
So House doesn’t win the game the first time he plays it with the new batch of fellows. He tries again, nearly six months later, when Steinman has finally finished (House couldn’t stand him after the first few months; Steinman turned out to be a name-dropper, and haughty in a way that only high school girls should manage, so House deliberately made his fellowship hell and was too sadistic to fire him), and House is interviewing again. He’s pretty much decided on one Allison Cameron; her résumé is fairly impressive, and House is sick of having all male fellows, anyway. The fact that she turns out to be gorgeous just clinches the deal.Coasting. It’s entirely possible, in House’s very jaded opinion, that she got through med school on looks and as little actual work as possible. Which is okay; House gets through his career on as little work as possible. However, when Cameron takes an almost absurd level of interest in the first case she has with House, a young woman inexplicably beginning to go through multi-organ failure, he has to concede that that was a stupid assumption to begin with.
Direct. At least, she seems so during the interview, answering his questions with a nearly-naïve level of honesty. But after a few months of watching and dealing with her, House isn’t so sure. If she’s cornered, yes, she’ll be direct, or if it’s in her interest, but otherwise, she tends to be evasive, even manipulative. Not a bad trait by any means, but an interesting one.
Damaged. This one persists for a long time-maybe better than a year. It’s originally his only real reason she’d go into medicine, and the whole dying-husband deal seems to confirm his suspicion. But he gradually realizes, after the date fiasco and her ultra-flexible code of ethics, that she’s more martyr than anything else, and above all, she’s doing it to advance herself, whether she realizes it or not.
By the time Williams is about to leave, House has pretty much decided the game is pointless. He conducts a grand total of one interview this time around, Foreman’s background making everyone else look like complete quacks, and it takes a few extra phone calls after he notices the tattoo during the interview to find out about the time in juvie. It’s out of habit more than anything else that he plays the game again, wondering if any of it’s going to be accurate this time.Goal-oriented. It’s pretty obvious, during the interview, that Foreman has decided he will get this job. If House hadn’t already decided he would, that might push him the other way, arrogance from someone besides himself putting him off. For the first time, House seems to be right, given the article issue and stabbing Cameron with the infected needle. Sure, he has a parasite in his brain, affecting his emotions and judgment, but the fact that he even considered it sort of proves House’s point. And hey, it works.
Hard working. It should be obvious from his résumé alone, but the interview only confirms it. Foreman’s full of questions about the caseload, opportunities to get published, that kind of thing, and House takes a sadistic pleasure in Foreman’s obvious boredom the first few days.
A lot like House. This one, House thinks cautiously, not willing to grant that accolade to just anyone. But between challenging House and his obvious insta-leadership, House has to admit maybe Foreman deserves it.
The thing about his last assumption about Foreman, House realizes nearly two years later, is that it doesn’t only apply to Foreman. It’s just most immediately obvious there. Look at Chase. He’s most likely to come up with a new approach, a seemingly unrelated theory. Previously just useful, that takes on new significance when House considers it this way. Or Cameron; that manipulative streak he’s noticed has gotten her exactly what she wants more than once, just as House got those extra graham crackers way back in kindergarten. Her manipulation is on a different scale than his big-eyed trick from all those years ago, smooth words and shrewd phrasing taking it to a whole new level, but she’s good at it. Not to mention the whole ethics deal.
As House half-watches a Giants-White Sox game-hardly worth watching, as the Giants have nothing-he muses to himself that he could quite possibly take over the world if he trains them right.
Even he finds the idea fairly terrifying.