| |
The Purpose of Ties
by Keil
"Rubik's complex?" House said with irritated incredulity as they walked down a hall of the courthouse. "And you're here for moral support?" He twisted his undone tie in his free hand as he glanced over at Wilson with a scowl.
"Who else was going to come?" Wilson asked, one corner of his mouth twitching upward in a half smile.
House shook his head and moved steadily down the open hallway, the pair's steps echoing unevenly off the walls and high ceiling. His gaze fell momentarily to Wilson's collar, and the neat Windsor Knot of the blue and -- was that orange? -- tie that poked out beneath it. "Speaking of a history of mental illness in every family..." He shot Wilson a look from under a drawn brow, pausing ever so briefly to balance on his good leg and jam the cane into Wilson's calf.
"Ow!" It wasn't quite enough to hurt, or even to trip him up, but Wilson made a show of keeping his balance. House pretended to look contrite, and eyed Wilson's tie again. "What?" came Wilson's exasperated demand, his brown eyes levelling on House. They stopped near an alcove that was home to a very plain looking drinking fountain. House had been staring at his tie since they'd arrived that morning.
With a roll of his eyes, House leaned back against the wall, letting his cane rest beside him as he reached out and tugged at the knot of Wilson's tie. Wilson's eyebrows lifted slightly and he smacked at House's hand, trying to straighten the tie again.
"Oh come on," House said with a smirk, obviously not about to let go. "I thought you'd have gotten the hint by now." He lifted his other hand to wave his own tie at Wilson, who just stared at him. "We can be anti-tie buddies, it'll be fun!"
Wilson couldn't help but laugh. "That just sounds like we had a bad Asian restaurant experience," he protested, tugging to no effect. Finally he let his hand drop.
"I can't believe Julie bought this for you," House said, staring again at the bright blue striped diagonally with thinner bands of white and, yes, that was orange. "Actually, what I really can't believe is that you're wearing it." He ran his thumb over the fabric, which was far too fine for the atrocious design it carried.
With a shake of his head, Wilson sighed. "Yeah, well, neither of us are really paying much attention any more. But can I have it back now?"
House made no move to release the tie, instead appeared to be studying it very seriously. "Women these days," he said scornfully. "No proper appreciation when it comes to the function of ties, the intentions they can convey if worn appropriately. This is definitely not a power tie. It doesn't even match your complexion." Without lifting his head, his eyes shifted upward to meet Wilson's.
"It's not meant to be --" Wilson protested, but broke off, knowing that arguing over what his tie was, or wasn't, was not going to get him anywhere with House. "Let go, Cuddy's going to kill you if this is just another attempt at shirking your clinic hours, you know." He tugged on his tie again as the last of the footsteps died out in the empty corridor.
"I, on the other hand --" House continued, apparently not paying Wilson's threat of Cuddy any mind. "-- am quite the connoisseur of tie functionality."
At this, Wilson choked out a laugh of disbelief, as today had been the first time he'd seen House in a tie in, well, possibly as long as he could remember. "You're joking, right? Of course you're joking, you don't even --" And then he was being pulled forward by the neck, and then pushed backward, sideways, against the back wall of the alcove. His last thought was that it was quite a nimble move on House's part, and then House's mouth was against his, and that particular train of thought was obliterated.
House leaned into Wilson, placing the hand that wasn't still grasping the other man's tie against the wall for support. He hadn't ever pegged Wilson to be one for cologne, but he caught the faintest scent of sweet spice that couldn't be detected from any less intimate position. He inhaled deeply through his nose, finding himself wanting to remember it as he began to pull away. Except that Wilson had grabbed his collar and was dragging him back.
Wilson tightened his fist around the fabric, and House pressed harder against him, his stubble scraping the skin around Wilson's lips as their mouths clashed, opening against each other. House's mouth was hot and demanding, harsh but soft all at once, and Wilson was just trying to keep up. He hooked his free fingers into the top of House's pants, feeling the warm leather of the belt pushing into his palm. He felt the tension of the tie pulling against his neck disappear, and House's hand slip under his suit jacket to press against his side. The contact drew a small sound from Wilson, the warmth transferring so easily through the thin fabric of his shirt.
Smiling briefly against Wilson's mouth, House opened his eyes and pulled back slightly, letting his hand linger just a fraction longer. The other man's eyes slipped open more slowly, and while his breathing slowed, he stared a very smug looking House in the face. Wilson swallowed thickly, and straightened himself against the wall as House stepped back and grabbed his cane.
"Here for moral support," House shot over his shoulder after he'd turned and started off down the hall.
Wilson pushed himself away from the wall and stepped out of the alcove, glancing around slowly to see the corridor was still empty but for the two of them. He wiped his palms lightly on his suit pants, and caught up with House as he was about to step out of the building.
"Wilson?"
"Err, yeah?"
"You can fix your tie now."
Through a sudden fit of coughing as they walked towards the car, Wilson reached up and tugged the knot back into place.
Please post a comment on this story.
Legal Disclaimer: The authors published here make no claims on the ownership of Dr. Gregory House and the other fictional residents of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Like the television show House (and quite possibly Dr. Wilson's pocket protector), they are the property of Fox Television, David Shore and undoubtedly other individuals of whom I am only peripherally aware. The fan fiction authors published here receive no monetary benefit from their work and intend no copyright infringement nor slight to the actual owners. We love the characters and we love the show, otherwise we wouldn't be here.
|
|
|