Picture Puzzles Part 12
Title: Picture Puzzles Part 12/?
Rating: NC-17
Paring/Grouping (whatever you want to call it): House/Wilson/Chase
Disclaimer: Don't own them, as we all know.
Summary: House worried can be both good and bad.
Warnings: Mention of abuse in the past to more than one character.
Beta:
saara_zaara
(Part 11)
****
Chase stayed still as he woke to a quiet, but heated, discussion over his head. He cracked an eye open to watch.
"House, there has to be something that would work besides the Vicodin."
House shrugged. "Tried a lot of stuff, Wilson. Most of it makes me feel like crap. Etodolac gave me an ulcer. Indomethacin makes me so drowsy I can’t see straight. I can’t function like that."
Wilson sighed. "Then what do you want to do?"
"I don’t know."
Wilson rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I don’t know what to tell you. If you aren’t willing to try something different you’ll be back to popping pills like candy in no time."
House blew out a breath and started to answer when Chase rolled onto his back and opened his eyes.
"Maybe you should try something besides medication."
House and Wilson glanced at each other before both focused on Chase.
"Like what, Robbie?"
Chase brought up a hand to scrub through his hair. "Hmm. Well, I have an idea, but I want to talk to Wilson about it first."
House’s eyebrows rose. "Why? Afraid of what I’ll say?"
"No. Have to make sure he’ll agree to help with it." Chase sat up and dropped his hand to his lap. "No point in telling you if he objects."
House nodded. "Okay, Robbie. While you two are out get some ice cream. I’m in need of sugar."
House got up and limped from the room. Chase turned to Wilson.
"Sorry."
Wilson shook his head. "We’ll talk in the car."
****
Wilson turned the key in the ignition, but made no move to put the car in gear. "What’s your idea?"
"I think if we could get him less tense the thigh wouldn’t hurt as much overall." Chase fidgeted with the hem of his coat. "Massage would help, but to get him to let us do that would take more trust."
Wilson nodded and put the car in gear. "How do we get him to trust us? He’s having a lot of trouble with some of the things he’s pushed himself to do as it is."
Chase turned his head to gaze at Wilson. "What happened after I passed out?"
Wilson blew out a breath. "He threw up. I cornered him into saying it was mostly the taste, not the position."
"He wasn’t doing well with the position either." Chase turned to watch the road. "The only thing he said that didn’t happen was rape." Chase leaned his head back against the headrest. "Given the things he doesn’t like I’m thinking that we’ll have to work on simple touches before anything else."
Wilson pulled into a parking lot and threw the car into park. "Tell me what you think he doesn’t like."
Chase glanced at Wilson. "He won’t leave his hand under someone else’s for long. He doesn’t like being touched in general, but he likes touching." Chase closed his eyes. "I think he probably was forced to sit still or sit and play piano while the bloody bastard did whatever he liked to him."
Wilson laid his hand on Chase’s clenched fist. "And we know that just sounds are bad, that talking seems to help. What else helps?"
"Staying still or putting yourself into a position where you can’t touch him." Chase unclenched his fist and turned his hand up to lace fingers with Wilson. "He’s training us, you know."
Wilson blinked. "What?"
"He’s training us to call him only the one name. To hold still for him. To tell him we belong to him. He’s doing his best to make us pass out." Chase opened his eyes and turned to look at Wilson. "He’s teaching us how to handle him. That when we finally get the chance to do things to him we have to make sure he knows he belongs to us, that we call him by only the one name, that we never trap his hands, and that he’s going to need to pass out."
"Oh. Shit, I didn’t even think about it that way. I mean, I know you’ve been pretty passive, but I thought that was mostly because of me."
Chase smiled grimly. "I’m not being passive just because I don’t mind it. I know that being passive is helpful for him. It’s helpful for you to learn too." Chase shrugged. "I like to be forceful too, just not that often. I can’t do that with him and I don’t know whether it would bother you."
Wilson put the car back into gear and started driving again. "Nothing we’ve done has bothered me so far." Wilson glanced at Chase. "I don’t think it would hurt him to see you being forceful towards me."
Chase squeezed Wilson’s thigh. "Not too sore?"
Wilson smiled. "No, I’m not that sore."
Chase nodded. "Okay, I’ll think about it." Chase took his hand from Wilson’s thigh and ran it through his own hair. "He’s using his sense of sight to override the signals his sense of touch are giving his brain."
Wilson blinked. "You mean he trusts us because he can see us, not because he thinks we won’t hurt him?"
Chase frowned. "Not exactly. He trusts us or we wouldn’t be sleeping in his bed. His body doesn’t trust us. His body still thinks it’s going to be hurt and tenses. He uses the visual as part of how he relaxes." Chase tucked his hair behind his ears. "If we got him blindfolded and then started him touching one of us, while the other touches him, I think we could build enough trust for massage to work."
Wilson thought for a few moments. "It might work, but how do we get him to agree to a blindfold? We could bribe him, I suppose."
Chase smiled. "We dare him to try it. If he does he gets something, I just don’t know what to offer him."
"Between the dare and the bribe he’d do it. We’d just have to watch him closely so he doesn’t freak out." Wilson pursed his lips. "Let me think for a while about the bribe. He can surprise you on what he’ll accept sometimes."
Chase nodded. "Can we stop by my place before we go back?"
"Yeah, sure. I’ve got to stop by my place as well."
****
House finished hanging Wilson’s clothes. If they dare say anything I’m claiming they did it and just don’t remember. House leaned against the wall beside the closet and gripped his leg as a spasm rippled through the thigh. Damn. I really need to take something. House gritted his teeth and panted through the flare of pain as the spasm lessened. No. I’m not taking anything unless they see it. Stupid motherhens. Bet Wilson checked how much morphine I have left.
House limped over to the bed and collapsed on the cover, leaving the cane behind in his haste to lie down. I have Vicodin behind the bedside table. If it weren’t for Jimmy and Robbie I’d already have dug them out. God, I’m a coward. I don’t want to see how disappointed it’d make them. Stupid feelings. Stupid pain. House craned his head to check the clock. They’ll stop by their places, so probably another twenty minutes. I can last that long. House shifted onto his side. I can last until they get here.
****
Wilson let them in and held the door for Chase. The younger man had insisted on getting a flavor of ice cream he’d never heard of before. Wilson just hoped it was something that House wouldn’t mind. Of course, I did get him the peanut butter chocolate crap he loves, so he probably won’t even notice what Chase decided on.
"House?" Wilson couldn’t see him, which meant he was either in the bathroom or the bedroom. Wilson raised his voice to be heard in the bedroom. "House, we’re going to put the ice cream away. Do you want some now?"
"Let Chase put it away and come here, Wilson."
Wilson exchanged glances with Chase. "I’ll go see what’s wrong. I’ll yell if I need help."
"Yeah. Sure." Chase took the bags Wilson held and headed into the kitchen.
Wilson headed into the bedroom. "Hey. What’s going on?"
House lay on the covers of the bed. "I haven’t taken anything."
It took a moment for Wilson to process what House meant. "Well, okay. If you need a painkiller what do you want?"
House glared at him. "We both know the answer to that stupid question, Wilson."
"No Vicodin. Not unless you start feeling like you need morphine."
House stared at the ceiling. "Don’t tell me what to do, Wilson."
Wilson sat down beside House. "Fine. If you wanted the Vicodin you would have already taken some. I know you have some around here somewhere."
"Find out Chase’s idea?"
Wilson sighed. "House. I don’t care about your stashes as long as you don’t try to overdose. I don’t like it, but I’m not going to take them away."
"The idea, Wilson."
Wilson rubbed the back of his neck. "It’s a good idea. It’ll help, I think. You’ll have to let him see your thigh, though." Wilson tugged on the outside edge of House’s sweats. "You’ve been hiding it."
House pushed himself up. "Not hiding. I don’t care if he sees the scar."
"Clothing is a kind of armor." Both men looked at Chase standing in the doorway. Chase crossed his arms. "You aren’t comfortable being that vulnerable with me. It’s the same thing with kissing me."
Wilson frowned at them both. "What are you talking about?"
House rubbed at his right thigh and sighed. "I haven’t been kissing Robbie very much."
Chase sat down next to Wilson, near House’s feet. "I’m not complaining. Just saying that you’re not to where you trust that we aren’t going to harm you."
"Wilson won’t tell me your idea."
Chase lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile. "He hasn’t decided how to bribe you into agreeing to try it."
"Why wouldn’t I try it?"
"Wilson thinks you’d be too scared."
"Hey!" Wilson hit Chase on the arm.
House snorted. "Scared? I don’t think so. We’ll try it."
Chase cocked his head. "Without hearing what it is?"
House grinned. "I can do whatever it is." House’s expression became thoughtful. "Unless it involves spinach. Then it’d be a no."
Chase blinked. "No, no spinach. Want to try it now?"
House pushed on Wilson until he stood up. "Sugar first, weird ideas after. Wilson can get the ice cream out."
Wilson muttered under his breath and left. As Chase started to stand House grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
"You worried about the kissing, Robbie?"
Chase shook his head. "You’ve known him a lot longer. Besides I like watching." Chase started to pull away, but House held firm. Chase stared at him. "I know that you are fighting your instincts on practically everything. Whatever makes you comfortable is what we’ll do."
"It isn’t because I’ve known him longer."
Chase sighed. "Then what?"
House dropped his head to his chest for a few seconds.. "You aren’t scared or unsure of the physical things, but you are afraid of not belonging. I’ve been mainly focused on marking you."
Chase nodded. "It’s working. I know that I’m important to you."
House shook his head. "Not just important, more than that." House considered for a moment. "I still can’t say it."
"Then it will wait." Chase tapped House’s knee. "Do you ever make sounds or do you just talk?"
House blinked. "I can’t. My making sounds is bad." House swiftly got up, grabbed his cane from beside the closet, and limped from the room.
****
Chase wandered out a few minutes after House, having taken time to silently curse the bastard that had hurt the older man. House had taken his end of the couch and was eating straight from an ice cream container. Wilson was dishing ice cream into a bowl from the container House held, battling with House’s spoon for room.
"If you eat all his ice cream you get to go get more."
"This is good stuff, Wilson. What’s it called?"
"I don’t know. Chase got it."
"Gold Medal Ribbon. I like the caramel in it."
House turned his head to look over his shoulder at Chase. "You like peanut butter and chocolate?"
Chase came around and sat down in his spot. "I tried it in the store. It’s pretty good."
Wilson made a face as he handed the bowl he’d fixed to Chase. "You are both weird."
"That coming from the man that likes marshmallows in his ice cream."
Wilson sat back with the bowl that he’d filled from his own container. "It’s good."
"Crazy man."
Chase nearly dropped his bowl as he laughed. Wilson leaned forward and threw a marshmallow at House.
"Hey!" House picked the marshmallow off his shirt. "If you’re going to throw food, warn a person first."
"Where’s the fun in that?"
House reached across Chase and dumped a spoonful of ice cream on Wilson.
"Hey! House!" Wilson got up, sat his bowl down, and stripped off his shirt. "Not nice, House."
"You started it."
Chase snorted. Both of the other men turned to look at him.
"What?"
Chase pulled his spoon from his mouth. "You both sound like children."
House dabbed an ice cream covered finger onto the end of Chase’s nose. "Takes one to know one."
Chase swiped at his nose with his hand. "Waste of perfectly good ice cream."
House leaned forward far enough to share a look with Wilson. "Robbie, take off your shirt."
Chase’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"
House smiled. "It’ll be fun. Trust me."
Chase rolled his eyes, sat his bowl on the coffee table, and stripped off the shirt he’d worn to go out. "Oh, that tone of voice inspires trust. The expression of pure evil that normally goes with it is decidedly missing."
House laughed. "Just lean back, Robbie."
House took a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Then he leaned in and kissed Chase on the shoulder using the trapped ice cream to cool the younger man’s skin. Chase gave a surprised yelp and leaned towards Wilson.
Wilson took a half spoonful of his ice cream and let it drip onto Chase’s chest and began to lick at the drops.
"Bloody hell." Chase pulled back towards House. "I’m not an ice cream treat, you know."
House pulled back and swallowed his mouthful of ice cream. "We know that, Robbie. Would you rather put Wilson in the middle?"
"No. I’d rather just eat." Chase ducked his head and focused on his ice cream bowl.
Over his head Wilson and House traded looks as they tried to work out just what had happened. House shrugged at Wilson and tacitly decided they could talk about it later. They ate quietly. Once House was done he sat the container on the coffee table.
"Let’s try Robbie’s idea."
Chase and Wilson exchanged a glance. Chase took and put the remaining ice cream away. Wilson disappeared into the bedroom. When Chase came back to the couch he urged House towards the middle.
"Here, move over, please. Put your left leg up on the couch and turn so your back is towards me."
House slowly did as he was asked. Wilson came back with a t-shirt in hand.
"Here we’ll use this, it’s the one you had Robert wearing. It ought to smell like you both."
House cocked his head. "Still haven’t heard this idea."
Wilson sat in front of House. "You agreed to it anyway. We’ll stop if it gets to bothering you too much." Wilson quickly folded the t-shirt into a long compact strip. "We’re going to blindfold you and then let you explore me while Robert touches you."
House’s breathing hitched. "Blindfold, Wilson?"
Wilson smoothed the cloth in his hand. "Just the blindfold, House. We aren’t going to restrain you in any way. Just get you to focus on your skin and everyone touching. We won’t go below your waistline this time. Chase will only touch your back and sides, he won’t even reach around you. I won’t even move." Wilson tugged on the hem of House’s shirtsleeve. "Your choice. We try this and see if we can work up to massage, or I go find one of your Vicodin stashes and you take a pill."
House sat very still for several long moments. "We try this." House pulled off his shirt and dropped it over the back of the couch before snatching the t-shirt from Wilson. House tied the makeshift blindfold around his head and stilled. "Feels stupid, Wilson."
"You’re fine. Robert isn’t going to touch you until you touch me."
House reached out and bumped into Wilson’s arm. He flattened his hand and ran his fingers up and down the outside of Wilson’s shoulder. Wilson watched as Chase laid his right hand on House’s shoulder blade and just held it there. House stilled for a moment before starting to move again.
"Good, Greg. See, you’re doing fine." Wilson flexed the muscles House’s fingers were touching. "You can do more than touch my arm."
House frowned and slid his right hand across to roam Wilson’s chest. He brought his other hand up and rested it at the base of Wilson’s neck. Chase began to move his right hand in small circles on the shoulder blade as he laid his other hand on House’s ribs alongside his spine.
"Someone talk." House’s voice sounded strained.
"You’re okay. It’s just Robert at your back. I’m not moving. You’re doing fine. Let yourself relax, Greg."
House settled a little further into the couch. "I can feel your voice with my hand, Jimmy."
Wilson smiled. "That’s great, Greg. I’ll keep talking and telling you what Robert is going to do, okay?"
House nodded and started to move his right hand more.
Wilson kept up a running commentary as Chase moved from House’s back up to his shoulders, first just rubbing lightly at the skin, then kneading lightly before returning to rubbing. Wilson watched House closely and let both men continue touching until House’s hands started to tremble.
"Robert’s going to stop now, Greg. We’re done for now." Wilson pulled the blindfold up and off House’s head. House sat and blinked at him for a few moments. "You okay?"
"Okay. Move." House pushed on Wilson until he stood up and let House drop his left leg to the floor and turn towards Chase. "Good idea, Robbie." House pulled the younger man into a kiss. "Want your bite mark now?"
Chase studied the slightly glazed look in House’s eyes before smiling. "Okay."
House tapped Chase on his right hip. "Here, okay?"
Chase nodded, stood up, pushed his sweats down enough to expose his hip and turned so House could reach him.
"Jimmy, hold Robbie."
Wilson wrapped Chase in his arms and nuzzled the skin at the base of the left side of Chase’s neck. Chase relaxed back against him. House leaned forward and licked a spot just above the hollow of Chase’s hip. Then he bit down. Chase moaned quietly.
"Like that, Robert? He likes marking you, showing you that he claims you." Wilson tightened his hold on Chase. "Think about what he’ll be like when we mark him. Panting, holding himself still for us."
House pulled back and ran a thumb across the bite as he gazed up at the other two. "Good, Robbie?"
Chase looked down at House. "Good. You?"
House used his cane to push to his feet causing Wilson to pull Chase out of his way. "Tired. I’m going to sleep a while." House limped away.
****
House sat on the edge of the bed and watched his hands tremble. You are fine, Greg. Your shoulders felt better when Robbie was done with them. Jimmy held still just like he said. You need to quit freaking out. You’re fine. House lay down and stared at the ceiling. The part of your brain upset by the touching is much smaller than the part that’s upset that they aren’t in here with you.
House rubbed his hands across his face. I’m turning into a sap. Talking about my feelings, ugh. Stupid phobias. Stupid feelings. House dropped his hands and sighed. They are waiting for you to say it’s okay to come in. You want them. It’ll be fine. Quit being a coward, Greg.
****
After House disappeared into the bedroom, Chase turned his head to look at Wilson. "Does he want us there or not?"
Wilson let Chase go. "I don’t think he knows. We’ll wait until he yells." Wilson plopped on the couch and pulled on Chase’s hand to get him to sit down. "What was wrong with playing with the ice cream?"
Chase tucked his hair behind his ear. "You don’t play with your food."
Wilson’s eyebrows climbed. "What about how we’ve been feeding you the last couple of meals?"
"We were teaching me eating is good."
"What about what were we doing during lunch at work before Cameron showed up?"
"We were eating."
Wilson nodded. "Okay, but House was stealing my food and giving it to you. That’s not playing?"
Chase nose crinkled. "No, that’s House being a motherhen."
Wilson laughed. "Oh. That’s a good one. You have to tell say that to House, please. I want to see his expression."
"I’ll make sure you have a camera when I do."
Wilson smiled and nodded. "That’d be even better."
From the bedroom came House’s voice. "Quit avoiding me and get in here!"
Wilson and Chase smiled at each other before going to join House.
*****
A/N: Gold Medal Ribbon is my flavor of choice along with a scoop of the cholcolate/peanut butter flavor ice cream I couldn't remember the name of for the life of me. The two pain meds mentioned really did give me those side effects. I spelled them like they appear on the labels of the bottles.
Prize for
empressaurelius of choosen food item, ice cream, starts appearing here and will continue to appear in later parts.
Prize for
wombat_hug of choosen kink, blindfold, starts appearing here and will continue to appear in later parts.
Hey,
scoutdaniels, I haven't forgotten you. I promise. Because of what you asked for it'll be a few chapters yet, but it will happen. ;)
(Part 13)