𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄

thirteen; the rat in the attic conundrum

(mention of HIV related to patient + references to neglect)

{☀️🌩️}

"Will you hurry up?" Vickie exclaimed, banging her hand against House' bedroom door. "C'mon, we gotta get going!"

The door creaked open, House' head popping out so fast it caused Vickie to jump back in shock, "Sunshine, if you wanted to get into my room all you had to do was ask."

"Please, I'd break in before I'd ask." She rolled her eyes, though a smile quirked up her lips. Vickie turned -missing House' smirk- and walked back toward his living room, where Wilson stood with a hand on his hip and checking the time with his other. She called back to the diagnostician, "You know, you take even longer than me!"

"You were fifteen minutes late this morning." Wilson pointed out, remembering how he had to wait in his car in front of her building the entire time she was finishing getting ready. Vickie shot him a betrayed look at his words and threw one of the take-out menus House had laying around at him.

"Perfection takes time, Jimmy." She told him pointedly, brushing some baby hairs away from her face -being mindful of the little white stars she'd drawn on with make up.

"Alright, children, stop your squabbling," House said as he limped into the living room. He took his cane from where he'd hooked it around the top of one of the cabinets and accepted his backpack that Vickie held out to him. "I am ready to go!"

As the three of them filed out of apartment 221b and out onto the street, Wilson thought this to be the perfect time to lecture the two of them on tardiness. "-and it's not just that. My time is valuable too, you know," he was saying as Vickie closed the door behind her and used her key to lock it up. "I can't just dedicate all my time to hauling you two around all day and -you're ignoring me, aren't you?"

"No." Vickie said absentmindedly, though her eyes were focused on fixing her hair using the window. At that same time, House had said, "While looking for my newspaper, efficient huh?"

"Over here!" Came a new voice.

The three of them turned to see a young man, maybe a little younger than Vickie, leaning against Wilson's car. In his hands was House' newspaper, from which he was reading.

"Hi, Calvin!" Vickie smiled and gave the man a friendly wave. House quickly took ahold of her hand and lowered it. He kept a grip on her hand as he sighed and said, "Dr. Wilson, I want you to meet my stalker"

"Your waiting room sucks." Calvin said as the three of them walked over. Vickie nodded in agreement, she herself had pitched many ideas to Cuddy on how to create a prettier and livelier waiting room, but the Dean of Medicine said they were all impractical.

"I am not treating you." House told him, while Calvin examined the trio in front of him; Wilson at the back looking intrigued, then Vickie smiling, as always, and House glaring at him. Calvin gave them all a pointed look, "What, because you're a closet-case? Love this little threesome, by the way."

"Eh... that's not- we're not- eh... together."

"Please, you wish." Vickie smirked and gave Wilson a cheeky wink that had the oncologist chuckling.

"He is so self-loathing," House said, referencing to Wilson as he let go of Vickie's hand to grab the newspaper from his stalker. "Well, we've got to go now, so maybe see you after work-"

"No, no, no! Ah..." he hurried to stand in front of the diagnostician and pushed a large file into his hands. "Nobody... can figure out," he pushed out a large breathe, "What's wrong with me."