House MD Oneshots + Imagines

The Results Of A Not-So-Normal Night (Gregory House x James Wilson)

"You think it'll be as good of a show as the one they did back in July?"

"Hm... No. It never really is- they put all the effort into that one every year. I don't see this year being any different."

"Yeah, you're right."

Fireworks blow up in the night sky as Gregory House and James Wilson sit together on the rooftop of their shared apartment, each of them with their own lawn chair and a milkshake in hand. The local community center decided to host a celebratory autumn fireworks show tonight, but neither of them wanted to go in person, so they opted for their usual post-work hangout spot; the roof.

House's milkshake is already gone. When they went to their spot to pick them up, said spot had come out with new seasonal flavors, so while House got a simple small chocolate shake with whipped cream, Wilson opted for some cinnamon cappuccino chocolate chunk concoction. The cacophony of unappealing flavors and textures sits in Wilson's cup, only a drink or two taken out of it. The rest is left to melt.

"Do you like it?" House asks, though he's already sure the answer is no.

"Mm, it's fine, yeah," Wilson lies through his teeth- not an irregular occurrence these days- to spare House's feelings, as House was the one who bought their shakes... Not that he'd care if Wilson didn't like it. It's not as if he made it himself, after all. Wilson, however, is not a man of few words. In fact, it seems impossible for him to ever answer anything with a simple 'yes' or 'no', so he over-explains like he always does. "Just a little shocking to the palette, you know. It's a warm flavor... Very spicy . It feels like it should be something hot, like a hot chocolate or a coffee, rather than a milkshake."

"We could go back and get you a new one," House offers even if he doesn't really want to. He would rather have Wilson happily sitting and sipping on his usual strawberry milkshake with cherry chunks rather than pretending to like this seasonal flavor that he wanted to try for the sake of being adventurous. "I wouldn't mind."

"No, no, it's fine," Wilson leans over to pick up his milkshake off of the ground and take a drink. Then, he forces a smile to hide the grimace as he swallows it. "Just needed some time to adjust to it. Really, I'm feeling talkative tonight, anyway. Not too focused on the milkshake."

"Is that so?" House murmurs and watches Wilson set the shake back down. A firework pops off in the sky; orange and red and white, shaped like maple leaves. The different colors reflect beautifully in Wilson's chocolate brown eyes as a cool breeze passes ripples through the gaps in their clothes. "Then what is it you're wanting to talk about?"

"I... Don't really know, to be honest," Wilson gives a half-hearted shrug and leans back into his chair so he can tilt his head back and stare at the blankets of stars, fireworks, city lights, and indigo-hued darkness that cover them in a layer of warmth and nostalgia. "I just wanted to chat with you a bit. It's been a long few days."

"You're right," House sighs and runs a hand through the windswept peppery locks on his head to get them out of his icy blue eyes. He needs to get his hair cut soon, he thinks. His mind drifts to the past week, which has been both hectic and incredibly slow in how it has gone by. Stupid patients, stupid students, stupid rules, stupid week in general. Thankfully, it's Friday, and they both have Saturday off. Unless they get called in for some sort of emergency with a patient, it should be a totally normal weekend. "It has been. I'm just happy it's Friday."

There's a pause in conversation, but it's not silent. Above them, the fireworks light up the sky in a fury of cracks and pops that resonate through the city. Below them, the bustling streets are riddled with the familiar zoom of tires on roads and the honks of angry drivers slamming the heels of their hands on their car horns.