(no subject)
Title: The Eye Of The Beholder
Author: rolleson
Fandom: House
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: House/Cameron, Chase/Cameron, mentions of past House/Cuddy
Spoilers: Up to House's Head
Warnings: None.
Summery: Lunch, dinner, breakfast.
Notes: Part Six. The phytoplasma idea was from million_moments. It's a sort of bacteria found in plants. 1111 words.
i. You Can Never Be Too Careful
ii. Treading Water
iii. Illogical Maybes
iv. Irrelevant Changes
v. The Symptomatology Of Things
"And he had phytoplasma in his eye?" Cameron said, with that look of wonder that that House simultaneously adored and was annoyed by.
"First case ever!" he said with a grin, then he leaned over his desk towards her, "I didn't even think it was possible," he whispered, face close to hers, breath blowing strands of her hair, "but don't tell anyone that." He sat back in his chair and she was disappointed when he was gone from her space again.
She had brought lunch to him this time, it was easier, and they sat on opposite sides of his desk, eating half cold cafeteria food. It was nice just to be with him like this, she thought. Just enjoying his company as he enjoyed his puzzle.
"How did it happen?"
"He's a plant pathologist. Some how ingested something in the lab and was infected with this phytoplasma, made it's home in the small intestine," he explained, "lots of nutrients." He took a large bite of his sandwich and she smiled, she was taking in everything he had to say but mostly just listening to his voice, and watching the expressions on his face that she thought border-lined on glee. "Phytoplasma decides to take a vacations, they argue, separate, end up in different hotels."
"The eye and the brain."
"Exactly," she couldn't remove the smile from her face.
"That's amazing."
"I know!" She could just lean across his desk and kiss him. And she wanted to, it was an urge she was feeling more frequently. Whether she was in his company or not.
"If you discovered this, does it get named after you?"
"Like House's disease? I hope not," he said, frowning. "I want something cool named after me. Like a guitar." She laughed. "It'll probably be named it after the patient."
"What was his name?" It was a stupid question, she knew, but asked anyway, just to see what he came up with.
"Steve?"
"Steve's Disease?" she said, snorting with laughter, and then blushing bright red.
"That was cute," he said, smirking, "and no, not Steve's Disease," he added.
"Can't remember his name?"
"Never learnt his name. Now he's phytoplasma guy." She laughed again. She was kinda happy, like this, and hadn't realised that she may not have been before.
"I better get back to work," she said, standing up, so suddenly she almost knocked her chair over.
"O-kay," House said, "wanna do something tonight?"
"Can't, Chase is taking me out."
"Oh," he turned away from her, to his computer but she could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"We should go bowling," she said quietly.
"Maybe," he said, shrugging and still not looking at her.
"House..." she said, and he turned to look at her, with that look of longing on his face that always made her feel a little bit sick with want.
"Breakfast," he said, "let's have breakfast tomorrow."
"You and I have different ideas of what time breakfast is House," Cameron said, feeling a smile tug at her lips despite the sick feeling, "I'm pretty sure this is your breakfast."
"You may be right, but I could eat around ten if pushed."
"Eight," she said.
"This isn't a negotiation."
"Nine."
"Deal," he smiled, shaking her hand. It wasn't a negotiation, but he was willing to bend for her. Just a little.
*****
She pushed her food around her plate, her appetite gone and a perfectly good, perfectly expensive meal was going to waste. She wasn't really taking in anything Chase was saying, because she was thinking about House.
Her friendship with House wasn't just a friendship, at least for her. It had started out that way, she was sure, completely innocent (though, even she wasn't naive enough to ignore the flutter of her stomach when he had dressed her cut). The more time they spent together, the closer she got to doing or saying something.
"Allison?" Her head shot up at the sound of her first name, House never called her Allison, and forced a smile out.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
"Are you okay?"
No, she thought.
"Yeah, just...the ER was really busy today." With every lie she told, a piece of herself was breaking away. House would call her pathetic for being so melodramatic, but she felt it.
"Another pile-up or something?"
"No, nothing like that. A lot of people came to the ER instead of going to the the clinic."
"Idiots."
"Cuddy just needs to put more money into promoting it, that's all. I'm going to bring it up at the next budget meeting." Chase nodded, taking a bite of his pasta.
"House been giving you any trouble?"
"Of course not!" The words were out of her mouth quicker than she intended. He raised an eyebrow at her. "No, he's been fine. No one on his team can make coffee the way he likes it."
"He's an awkward bastard," Chase said. Cameron laughed.
"I like that about him."
"You like everything about him."
"Yeah," she sighed. Chase raised an eyebrow again but didn't comment on it.
Nor did he comment when she went home alone, telling him she had an early start at the hospital.
*****
They hadn't really said where they were having breakfast, but Cameron knew well enough they wouldn't be having breakfast at his place. So when he showed up at her apartment, she was neither surprised nor unprepared.
Breakfast, in fact, was all ready for him.
"God that smells good," he mumbled half to himself, following the smell to her kitchen, having shed his coat and handed it to her without a word, or a good morning.
He could feign tiredness for the lack of manners, blame it on being too asleep but she knew better and she was fine with that. Let him grumble though a stack of pancakes if that's what he wanted to do, as long as he was there.
Trying to sleep last night, she had managed to think herself into circles. She had two choices, leave Chase or stop being friends with House, because it had become too clear that she couldn't do both. She felt like she was cheating on Chase, the way she felt about House was more than she felt for the younger doctor. She had to make a decision, had to do something because she was starting to feel the guilt that could destroy her if she let it.
Chase loved her, but she'd made breakfast for House. Made pancakes for House.
"These are almost as good as Wilson's," he said around a mouthful of pancake. She smiled, her stomach doing a little flip.
How could she give this up?
Author: rolleson
Fandom: House
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: House/Cameron, Chase/Cameron, mentions of past House/Cuddy
Spoilers: Up to House's Head
Warnings: None.
Summery: Lunch, dinner, breakfast.
Notes: Part Six. The phytoplasma idea was from million_moments. It's a sort of bacteria found in plants. 1111 words.
i. You Can Never Be Too Careful
ii. Treading Water
iii. Illogical Maybes
iv. Irrelevant Changes
v. The Symptomatology Of Things
"And he had phytoplasma in his eye?" Cameron said, with that look of wonder that that House simultaneously adored and was annoyed by.
"First case ever!" he said with a grin, then he leaned over his desk towards her, "I didn't even think it was possible," he whispered, face close to hers, breath blowing strands of her hair, "but don't tell anyone that." He sat back in his chair and she was disappointed when he was gone from her space again.
She had brought lunch to him this time, it was easier, and they sat on opposite sides of his desk, eating half cold cafeteria food. It was nice just to be with him like this, she thought. Just enjoying his company as he enjoyed his puzzle.
"How did it happen?"
"He's a plant pathologist. Some how ingested something in the lab and was infected with this phytoplasma, made it's home in the small intestine," he explained, "lots of nutrients." He took a large bite of his sandwich and she smiled, she was taking in everything he had to say but mostly just listening to his voice, and watching the expressions on his face that she thought border-lined on glee. "Phytoplasma decides to take a vacations, they argue, separate, end up in different hotels."
"The eye and the brain."
"Exactly," she couldn't remove the smile from her face.
"That's amazing."
"I know!" She could just lean across his desk and kiss him. And she wanted to, it was an urge she was feeling more frequently. Whether she was in his company or not.
"If you discovered this, does it get named after you?"
"Like House's disease? I hope not," he said, frowning. "I want something cool named after me. Like a guitar." She laughed. "It'll probably be named it after the patient."
"What was his name?" It was a stupid question, she knew, but asked anyway, just to see what he came up with.
"Steve?"
"Steve's Disease?" she said, snorting with laughter, and then blushing bright red.
"That was cute," he said, smirking, "and no, not Steve's Disease," he added.
"Can't remember his name?"
"Never learnt his name. Now he's phytoplasma guy." She laughed again. She was kinda happy, like this, and hadn't realised that she may not have been before.
"I better get back to work," she said, standing up, so suddenly she almost knocked her chair over.
"O-kay," House said, "wanna do something tonight?"
"Can't, Chase is taking me out."
"Oh," he turned away from her, to his computer but she could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"We should go bowling," she said quietly.
"Maybe," he said, shrugging and still not looking at her.
"House..." she said, and he turned to look at her, with that look of longing on his face that always made her feel a little bit sick with want.
"Breakfast," he said, "let's have breakfast tomorrow."
"You and I have different ideas of what time breakfast is House," Cameron said, feeling a smile tug at her lips despite the sick feeling, "I'm pretty sure this is your breakfast."
"You may be right, but I could eat around ten if pushed."
"Eight," she said.
"This isn't a negotiation."
"Nine."
"Deal," he smiled, shaking her hand. It wasn't a negotiation, but he was willing to bend for her. Just a little.
*****
She pushed her food around her plate, her appetite gone and a perfectly good, perfectly expensive meal was going to waste. She wasn't really taking in anything Chase was saying, because she was thinking about House.
Her friendship with House wasn't just a friendship, at least for her. It had started out that way, she was sure, completely innocent (though, even she wasn't naive enough to ignore the flutter of her stomach when he had dressed her cut). The more time they spent together, the closer she got to doing or saying something.
"Allison?" Her head shot up at the sound of her first name, House never called her Allison, and forced a smile out.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
"Are you okay?"
No, she thought.
"Yeah, just...the ER was really busy today." With every lie she told, a piece of herself was breaking away. House would call her pathetic for being so melodramatic, but she felt it.
"Another pile-up or something?"
"No, nothing like that. A lot of people came to the ER instead of going to the the clinic."
"Idiots."
"Cuddy just needs to put more money into promoting it, that's all. I'm going to bring it up at the next budget meeting." Chase nodded, taking a bite of his pasta.
"House been giving you any trouble?"
"Of course not!" The words were out of her mouth quicker than she intended. He raised an eyebrow at her. "No, he's been fine. No one on his team can make coffee the way he likes it."
"He's an awkward bastard," Chase said. Cameron laughed.
"I like that about him."
"You like everything about him."
"Yeah," she sighed. Chase raised an eyebrow again but didn't comment on it.
Nor did he comment when she went home alone, telling him she had an early start at the hospital.
*****
They hadn't really said where they were having breakfast, but Cameron knew well enough they wouldn't be having breakfast at his place. So when he showed up at her apartment, she was neither surprised nor unprepared.
Breakfast, in fact, was all ready for him.
"God that smells good," he mumbled half to himself, following the smell to her kitchen, having shed his coat and handed it to her without a word, or a good morning.
He could feign tiredness for the lack of manners, blame it on being too asleep but she knew better and she was fine with that. Let him grumble though a stack of pancakes if that's what he wanted to do, as long as he was there.
Trying to sleep last night, she had managed to think herself into circles. She had two choices, leave Chase or stop being friends with House, because it had become too clear that she couldn't do both. She felt like she was cheating on Chase, the way she felt about House was more than she felt for the younger doctor. She had to make a decision, had to do something because she was starting to feel the guilt that could destroy her if she let it.
Chase loved her, but she'd made breakfast for House. Made pancakes for House.
"These are almost as good as Wilson's," he said around a mouthful of pancake. She smiled, her stomach doing a little flip.
How could she give this up?