Chapter Text
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2TH, 2007 (18:00 EDT)
House is losing his mind, or at least, that’s what Wilson says. It’s been over a month since he fired Chase - and Foreman and Cameron quited - and he hasn’t seen his soulmate since that night. Except he did and he does.
It has happened three times now. Once in the hall, another one at the cafeteria and then in front of his own office. Wilson says Chase accepted a job offer in Arizona and Cutthroat Bitch can’t see an accent, so maybe, just maybe, his friend is right.
It’s not uncommon for broken-up soulmates to go insane. His hallucinations could do way worse than walking around, looking pretty. They don’t even talk.
Until they do.
House is drilling his potential new fellows for a diagnosis when a very familiar voice comes through the speakers of the OR. “Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome.” They all look up and here he is : Chase’s ghost, now available with its sexy not-so-british accent. “Raises red blood cell count, causes masses on the organ. One of the masses is a pheochromocytoma, causes a neurological episode and a heart attack.”
Is it bad that House finds Fake Chase hot?
“Do you see a blond guy who still has peach fuzz standing up there?”, he asks Number 39 - Doctor Taub - who looks slightly intrigued by the question as he nods.
“This is a close procedure. Gallery is off limit.”, House proceeds to inform Real Chase, as he starts planning his revenge against Wilson. His soulmate doesn’t even blink as he replies : “Not to the surgical staff.”
And that stings, even though it shouldn’t. House fired Chase. Cuddy didn’t. The younger doctor has the qualifications to work in at least three others of PPTH departments. He should have seen it coming.
“You’re gonna hire that guy instead of us?”, Taub asks, as he keeps studying House.
House looks up again and catches Chase’s gaze. He wishes but his soulmate slowly shakes his head. Of course, it can’t be that easy.
“Not a chance. I love you guys.”, he finally answers and when he checks the gallery again, Chase is nowhere to be seen.
House is tempted to run after him.
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“I have to say, calling Arizona was a nice touch.”, House says as he corners Wilson near a nurses station a few hours later. His friend closes his eyes briefly, probably brassing himself for what’s to come.
“I thought you could use the lesson.”, Wilson answers as he starts walking away and House follows. “Sure. Obviously there is nothing wrong with tricking a doctor to question his mental capacities. It’s not like I have people’s lives between my hands on a regular basis.”
“Is there a reason we are having this conversation?”, the oncologist asks and House stops him with his cane again. “Does he still live with you?”
“Are you jealous?”, Wilson replies, looking way too amused, before he adds : “No, he doesn’t.”
“What about Cameron and Foreman?”, House asks. He hasn’t seen their ‘ghosts’ walking around the hospital but, one surprise is enough. “Cameron works at the ER. Foreman is in New-York.”, Wilson says and House frowns.
“Sometimes I can’t remember why I hired them in the first place.”
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House isn’t expecting to see Chase enter his office that same evening. It’s almost midnight and he looks ready to go home - wherever that is - in his fashionably discutable civilian clothes. House looks around the room for a clue that he is dreaming.
“Did you change your mind?”, he asks after a moment of them looking at each other in silence.
Chase shakes his head and says : “I wanted… Nevermind. Have a good evening.” He turns and is almost out the door by the time House stops him : “Wait.”
Chase looks back at him like he regrets ever thinking talking to House was a good idea. Like he thinks his soulmate is about to break up with him all over again. Instead, House says : “Can I take you out to dinner?”
The irony.
He gets a small smile for his trouble, though. And House finds his own lips stretching when Chase replies : “Nope. But you can ask me again tomorrow.”
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH, 2007 (17:30 EDT)
“House, why am I here?”, Chase asks, looking both annoyed and bored out of his mind, as he leans against the teacher desk of the amphitheater, next to Foreman. “What this isn’t entertaining enough for you?”, House shots back, faking offence.
“I have to be back at the OR in twenty minutes. Looking at your new fellows peeing themselves wasn’t what I had in mind when I agreed to meet you here.”, Chase complains and House frowns slightly. He is in fact wearing scrubs.
“What did you have in min-”, he starts before Chase raised-eyebrow tells him what he wants to know. A Cheshire-cat-like smile stretches House lips. “Oh, you minx.”
House is torn. His gaze travels from Chase to his new team, whose members are watching them like they aren’t sure if they should take their exchange at face-value... or not.
“Yes, we are soulmates.”, House tells them, his tone full of sarcasm and suggesting he is expecting their surprise but they never get to doubt him as Foreman throws his arms in the air and Chase protests by calling his name, before he adds : “We had a betting pool!”
“Oops.”, House says, not looking even so slightly apologetic. “How much did you two lose?”
“A lot.”, his ex-fellows answers at once.
“Do you think we are idiots or something? How much time did it takes you to figure it out?”, Taub asks Foreman, out of curiosity - and because he doesn’t have anything to lose after today.
“I never did. Neither did Cameron.”, Foreman replies, like Taub is naive to think they could have done any better. Taub still looks doubtful while Thirteen looks like this is the best thing she has heard since putting a foot at PPTH. The others are more uncertain.
House is about to ask her ‘why’ when Wilson decides to get him back on track, calling his name and giving him ‘a look’. “Right.”, House sighs. When he thinks he could be having sex right now.
He turns towards Terzi. He had planned to play with Taub first but, can’t be bothered anymore. He is on the clock.
“Doctor Terzi, would you please stand up?”, House asks. She smiles as she does so but he can tell she is suspicious. And still really hot.
“Nice.”, he comments, looking at her and he can feel the moment Chase’s attention is on him. House doesn’t even have to look back to know his soulmate is currently glaring. “I’m right here.”
“I know. This is why I wanted you here.”, House replies, catching Chase’s eyes over his shoulder. “So I would remember you are just as hot but also a good doctor.”
Chase doesn’t look convinced nor happy and when House turns around, neither does Terzi. Well.
“You’re fired.”, House tells her and he almost looks sorry as he watches her storms away. There is a brief silence before he adds : “Everybody else, please exit quickly and don’t be late tomorrow.”
Foreman and Wilson don’t need to be told twice and most of the fellows are out the door before Chase accepts House arm around him, except for a laughing Kutner that Thirteen has to drag outside the amphitheater.
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 2007 (23:00 EDT)
Christmas festivities are still going strong in the hall and House just performed a Christmas Miracle. The day could have been worse. His old and new fellows are hanging out next to the christmas tree.
The last ones look even more intimidated when he joins them and puts an arm around Chase, who does the same and kisses him. Uncaring of their audience.
“What?”, House says, defiantly when he catches Thirteen’s gaze on them. “You guys look good together.”, she answers, unbothered by his attitude.
She is the first and probably only one to think so but it’s still nice to hear, not that House tells her as he rolls his eyes… to better hide his smile in Chase’s stupid hair a moment later.
“We socialized. Now can we go home?”, he asks his soulmate, as exasperated as he is hopeful. “Don’t you want to open your present?”
“I already know what my present is.”, Chase laughs, one of his hands finding its way in House’s hair. He isn’t one for PDA and neither is Chase but he suspects his wombat lover is half drunk on spiked eggnog. “Are you impatient to open yours?”
“I’m the one asking to go home, am I not?”, House answers, dramatically enough to get another laugh from Chase.
House endures another ten minutes of this, because Wilson joins them, before he menaces to leave without Chase.
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MONDAY, DECEMBER 25TH, 2007 (00:45 EDT)
House is lying naked in bed, Chase - just as naked - snuggled against his left side, his head on House’s shoulder. He can tell his soulmate is about to fall asleep but knows he won’t be able to unless he does what he has to do.
“Wanna open your present now?”, House asks, not daring to look at Chase. He can feel him blink as his lashes graze his skin. “Didn’t I just do that?”, he replies, sleepily.
“Well I could still bring it back to the store if you don’t -”, House tries again, as he picks up said present from his nightstand. “I thought you didn’t do presents?”, Chase interrupts him, sounding confused, as he props himself on his elbow.
“I made an exception.”, House says and Chase pouts : “I don’t have anything for you.”
“Doesn’t matter.” House rolls his eyes before placing the small box on his chest in front of Chase, who looks at it like it’s about to explode. “Open it.”
Very carefully, Chase unties the ribbon and opens the box to find another one inside of it. The velvet kind which usually contains jewelry. He looks up at House who merely encourages him to keep going.
When he does open the box, Chase finds two platinum rings.
He gapes at them for a while before he looks back at House : “Are you serious?”
“Of course not.”, House replies, flippant. But he betrays his nervosity a second later as he takes Chase’s ring out of the box and orders : “Give me your hand.”
“Yes.”, Chase says, sounding breathless and looking like he is about to cry. Not what House is going for there but he probably should have seen it coming. He does feel his own throat tightens as he puts the ring on Chase’s finger. “Good?”
Chase nods and kisses him, taking House by surprise, as he was about to get his own ring out of the box.
Chase does put it on his finger eventually.