rivers_bend

Title: Sleepwalking
Author: river
Rating: R
Summary: A serendipitous concurrence of House and Wilson both discovering they want more from their relationship.
Words: ~3500
Disclaimer: Someone else owns them. They get the money and the tv crew. More's the pity.
Warnings: Almost no angst. Reference to Angelina Jolie's breasts.
A/N: because the sleepwalking prompt was too damn good to pass up.



Wilson woke with a start from a dream in which he was standing barefoot in a snowdrift. For a moment he was face to face with a shadowed snow monster before he realized it was himself. For the third night in a row he found himself in the bathroom of his new apartment. Feet on the icy tiles, face in the mirror illuminated by the streetlight out the window. What am I doing here?

Wilson splashed his face, brushed his teeth for good measure, and made his way back to the bedroom. As he climbed under the covers, he realized that the bathroom door was in the same place relative to his bed as Greg’s bedroom door had been relative to the sofa. He tried not to dwell on that as he attempted sleep.

House woke up on the sofa again, leg and back in agony, TV muttering in the background. The pillow didn’t even smell of Wilson any more. Why do I keep doing this to myself?

He stopped in the kitchen for a glass of water to wash down the Vicodin on his way to bed. It was always harder to swallow them when he’d been sleeping.

Wilson thought he had left sleepwalking behind with spontaneous erections and his mother waking him up for school. She’d always teased him that he was trying too hard to get somewhere fast and he just had to be patient. He thought it was probably best not to consider where he was trying to get to now, although the thought that he might have been patient too long already flitted through his mind.

* * * * * *

House could smell the coffee as he opened the door to the conference room. Cameron was the only one to look up as he came in. She looked worse than he felt, if that were possible. He hadn’t been able to fall back asleep after climbing into his empty bed despite the Vicodin and the fact that after 6 years he should be more than used to empty.

The first thing Wilson did on reaching his office was switch on the coffee machine. He’d managed to fall back to sleep 45 minutes before his pager went off and he arrived at the hospital looking well groomed as always, but feeling exhausted. He’d seen the patient the nurse had paged him about, spoken to her family and arranged for a series of further tests. Now he desperately needed to sit down and ingest some caffeine.

“What the hell happened to you?” House assumed Cameron would know he was addressing her though he was busy pouring himself a cup of fuel.

“My apartment was broken into. I was up half the night with the police.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Chase actually sounded concerned.

“You didn’t bother to ask.”

“Do we have any patients this morning, or should we let Doctor Cameron tell her tale of woe?” House tried to muster some curiosity about the crime committed. His thoughts were on his own reasons for a sleepless night however.

Cuddy knocked on the door.

“Thank god,” Foreman muttered, not quite as under his breath as it might have been.

* * * * * *

Wilson was on his third cup of coffee when the door to his office banged open. “Have we had the ‘knock, knock’… wait for it… ’come in’ conversation yet this week? I wouldn’t want to bore you if we have.”

“If I knocked it would just confuse you. This way you know it’s me.”

“House, you are… never mind. What can I do for you?”

“I am what? The best house-mate you ever had? So much fun to be around you can’t live without me? Going to let you buy me lunch?”

Wilson laughed, and was worried it was nervously.

House considered Wilson’s laugh. “Seriously though, I’m waiting for labs. I need potato chips. You’ve been in here for at least four hours. You need fresh air.”

“How do you know how long I’ve been in here?”

“I’ve been spying on you. How do you think I know? Little birds fly in and tell me? You are aware that’s only a saying.”

“You’ve been spying on me. Really?” Wilson looked somewhat nervously at his closed blinds.

“Relax. Stand up, bring your wallet. Food!”

“You do know you’re not like other people, don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a superior being, sent from another planet to show you all the error of your ways. Now chop, chop. Let’s go. I need to be back in time for General Hospital.”

* * * * * *

Wilson accidentally found himself following House into his office and settling down with him in front of the television. “I have charts to write up.”

“Shhh. It’s starting.”

Wilson thought he would stand up and head back to his office, but it seemed he had as little control over where he went when he was awake as when he was asleep these days. Instead he watched Greg watching TV and thought about the phenomenon of somnambulance and the relative locations of doors and sleeping surfaces.

House concentrated on General Hospital and not at all on the feeling of Wilson’s eyes on the back of his neck. He didn’t wonder for a minute what the younger man was thinking. Definitely not.

“I think you should come visit your dvd player,” House said during the first commercial break.

“I was thinking I might pick it up. Take it back to my new place.”

“Hmmm. Well. No, I think a visit is more appropriate at this point. You don’t want to rush things. It leads to embarrassment, regret in the morning…”

“But it’s my dvd player.”

“Wait. Look who I’m talking to. You never consider the morning after. It’s always the instant gratification with you. Never looking at the long game. Start here. Go slow. Turn over a new leaf. A date first. Maybe two. Then you can think about taking the dvd player over to your place.”

Wilson sighed. “And does my dvd player expect gifts on this date?”

“A movie would probably be appropriate. Maybe beer.”

“I see. Did it happen to mention what movie it was hoping for?”

“It wants you to choose tonight.”

“Of course.” Wilson’s legs finally decided to listen to his brain and he stood and made his way back to his office. The rest of his afternoon was taken up with paperwork and consultations.

* * * * * *

At 6:45 the delivery boy was just leaving. Wilson held the outside door for him. House was grinning in the doorway to his apartment in a not entirely reassuring fashion.

When House held out his hand, Wilson thought for a second he was meant to take it. He realized just in time that House probably just meant to take either the movie or the beer. Wilson held on to both and House ushered him into the apartment.

“What gifts did you bring then?”

“Debbie Does Dallas.”

“Don’t you think porn is a bit much for a first date?”

“Ah, but this isn’t a first date, is it? We already have an established relationship.”

“That we do. I just didn’t know you thought we’d reached the porn stage.”

“I meant me and my dvd player.”

“Well I meant me and you.” There was that grin again.

Wilson decided it was time to change the subject. “Actually it’s Gone in 60 Seconds.”

“I was hoping for longer than that…”

“House! Will you just open the beer? The food is getting cold.”

They sat next to each other on the couch, take out boxes littering the coffee table, beer close at hand. Wilson’s mind played with the fact that he was more aware of House sitting three inches away than he was of Angelina Jolie in a tank top. This is a new development.

House was less concerned with his awareness of Wilson’s proximity as it was his intention to get him in even closer proximity before the evening ended. He feigned ignorance of Wilson’s sidelong looks and pretended to be engrossed in the antics of Nicolas Cage and his crew. The cars were pretty cool so it wasn’t too difficult.

House wondered at Wilson’s timing when he paused in the middle of a car chase to make room for more beer, but used the opportunity to edge closer to Wilson’s seat on the couch.

When Wilson came back he lost his balance and nearly sat on House’s lap. “Sorry. Too much caffeine and not enough food today I think.”

House put a hand on Wilson’s thigh. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’ll find any excuse to brush against me.”

Wilson looked down at the hand on his leg. Long fingers, pale against the black of his pants, confident that they belonged there. He wasn’t sure they didn’t. “House?”

“Are you going to press play again? You have the remote control over there.”

“I… yeah.” Wilson hit play and the car chase continued.

“Will you look at the tits on that.” House raised an eyebrow in Wilson’s direction. Wilson still hadn’t taken his eyes off the hand on his thigh. In the absence of a complaint, House left it right where it was.

Wilson put the remote down and as an experiment put his hand on Greg’s. The fingers tightened on his leg briefly and then shifted to fit between his own. I’m holding hands with Greg House. We’re sitting on the couch watching a movie, and we’re holding hands. Both men had their eyes firmly fixed on the action on screen.

House wanted to smile. He wanted to slide his hand further up Wilson’s leg. He wanted to turn and pull off that damn tie, and loosen Wilson’s collar and push him down on the cushions and kiss him. He did not want Wilson to get up and leave however and so he satisfied himself with running his thumb along the edge of Wilson’s fingers.

Wilson could see for himself that Greg was merely brushing against his hand, but House might have been running his thumb along Wilson’s cock for the reaction it got. Wilson tried not to gasp. His hand pressed Greg’s against his leg. Wilson had not felt this horny since… well, it had been a while.

House sneaked a look at Wilson. Those huge brown eyes were looking at his profile as though willing him to turn and look back. He kept his face turned towards the TV. “Have you had enough to eat?”

“Damn you Greg.” Wilson pulled House towards him by grabbing a fist full of t-shirt. Their lips collided harder than either man was expecting and they both jerked backwards. Wilson released Greg’s shirt and put a hand on the back of his neck, House twisted his fingers into Wilson’s hair. This time when they kissed neither one pulled away.

Still holding Wilson’s mouth against his own, House shifted so he could pull his legs off the coffee table and get closer. He started tugging at Wilson’s collar and James pulled back to catch his breath and loosen his own tie before House strangled him.

“You’re not much better at taking them off than you are at tying them are you?” Wilson no sooner had the knot undone than Greg was attacking his buttons.

“You…” Greg kissed him again, “are wearing entirely too many clothes.” His fingers paused in their mission of undoing buttons to pluck at the t-shirt Wilson was wearing underneath.

Wilson solved that problem by pulling t-shirt and shirt off over his head in one movement, tossing them in a tangled heap somewhere behind him. House ran appreciative hands over his chest and shoulders, at the same time pushing James backwards so he was lying half on top of him.

James was plucking ineffectually at the hem of Greg’s t-shirt while at the same time trying to pull him closer. House pushed up so he was balanced on his hands and his good knee and Wilson managed to get the shirt up and over Greg’s head. House nearly fell off the couch trying to free his arms. He winced.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah.” House did his best to hide the sharp intake of breath as a result of moving his leg again. “Can we take this to the bedroom?”

“Absolutely.” Wilson slid out from underneath Greg to give him more room to maneuver.

House rolled over and sat up, reaching into his pocket for his pills. He dry swallowed two and pushed himself off the couch. Wilson put a hand on Greg’s waist, running a thumb down his stomach. House resisted the urge to shiver.

“Wow.”

“Wow?” House was curious.

“Yeah. Wow.” Wilson had a huge grin on his face. “Didn’t you say something about the bedroom?” James used the hand on Greg’s torso to push him in the direction of the bed. His own feet knew the way intimately.

Greg started to sit down on the bed but James stopped him with a hand on the waistband of his jeans. “Can these come off?”

House hesitated for a brief but noticeable beat. “Yours too.”

Wilson moved his hands to his pants, letting Greg deal with his own clothes. He considered turning out the light but didn’t want to assume that was the cause of House’s hesitation. Besides, he wanted to see more of this man whom he had been looking at, but not really seeing for the past several years.

Both suddenly shy, now that they were naked, by mutual and unspoken agreement they slid under the covers. Lying on their sides they faced each other. Wilson put his hand again on his friend’s hip. A smile lit his whole face.

“What is it with you and my waist?”

“I don’t know. But I like it. A lot.” He slid his hand along Greg’s hip bone towards something he suspected he might like even better. He was right.

Greg half gasped, half groaned as Wilson’s hand closed around him. Putting an arm around Wilson’s ribs he pulled him close. His lips were met with welcoming heat. James shifted his hips forward so they were cock to cock, chest to chest. Both men explored the other’s back with eager hands as they pressed closer together. Tongues tasted, advanced, yielded.

As they kissed and caressed and fondled, the sheets moved further and further down. When House kissed his way down James’s neck and ribs and pushed him over onto his back there was nothing covering the view. His breath caught for a moment. Grinning as Wilson seemed to preen a little under his gaze he said, “You’re shockingly ugly you know.”

Wilson laughed. “I’ve been told that before.”

“I’m sure you have. I mean look at you. Muscled bits and hard bits and…” House licked the most prominent hard bit and it twitched in response. “Well, ok, I like at least one of the hard bits.” As if to prove his words he took the whole of it into his mouth.

Wilson thought his brain might explode as House swallowed around the head of his cock. “Fucking… Fuck!” After that he could only gasp. Just when James was sure he couldn’t take any more, Greg stopped.

“Wha…” Wilson was shaking with suspended tension.

House kissed the inside of Wilson’s thigh. “I want you to fuck me.”

“You… I… Oh!”

“Is that..? Will you?”

Wilson put a hand on Greg’s hair.

“I’ve never…”

“Never? All those women and none of them..?”

Wilson blushed in a most appealing manner.

House moved up to lie beside him. “How sweet. You were saving yourself for me.” Wilson detected a note of pleasure under the sarcasm.

“Apparently so.”

With uncharacteristic optimism House had stopped at the drug store on the way home and so the necessary accoutrements were close at hand. Raising an eyebrow in Wilson’s direction, House waited for the nod in response before tearing open the condom and smoothing it over Wilson’s still hard cock. He pumped a palm full of lube and warmed it by rubbing it into his own hard-on before turning his attention to Wilson’s.

Greg turned on his side facing away from his best friend. James pulled him closer with a hand on his stomach then put his hand out palm up. “Give me some of that.” House squeezed a dollop into Wilson’s waiting hand.

House felt a kiss on his shoulder and then cold slick fingers slid down the crack of his ass. Pulling his leg up he pushed back into them. House fisted his cock and felt a finger slide into him causing the excitement, dulled a bit by dealing with questions and condoms, to come back all at once. “Fuck me.” He sounded more forceful than he’d intended, maybe even needy.

House felt Wilson shift slightly behind him and then a lightning pain followed by fullness, heat, friction, pleasure.

“Oh god,” Wilson whispered in Greg’s ear as he pushed in further.

House’s grip on himself tightened as he felt Wilson slide slowly out and then push in again, further this time. Suddenly aware this was James behind him, House reached back to hold him closer.

James had not imagined anything like this sensation. It was like fucking a living liquid fire. He wanted the heat to go on forever. The rhythm of fucking felt like breathing.

House felt a hand close over his hip again and James smiling against his neck. He was definitely going to have to get to the bottom of the waist thing. Then the sensation of being slowly and thoroughly fucked took over and he forgot everything else.

Wilson was enthralled by the shape of this man he was holding. The play of Greg’s abdominal muscles under his hand sent a jolt of desire up his arm. The tension in the muscles of Greg’s shoulders under his cheek telegraphed a need which James read and fed back to him. His last rational thought before James gave himself over to the push and pull and friction, was the realization of how long he’d been wanting this. How long they’d both been wanting this.

House felt James speed up and he thrust back against him in response. He felt Wilson’s orgasm as a shudder and a sudden stillness. James tightened his grip on Greg’s hip briefly before going completely limp. House pulled away and rolled over to face James. Wilson’s shallow rapid breathing was the only clue he was still alive. All fine motor control seemed to have left him.

“Jimmy?” House rested a hand on James’s face.

“hmmmmf” One of Wilson’s exhalations, possibly containing a kernel of response.

“You ok?” House took James’s hand and interlaced their fingers.

“Mmmmhmmm.”

“This is a good thing?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“Ok.” House thought he saw a flutter of Wilson’s eyelids. He gently squeezed the hand he was holding and got a twitch of a smile in response.

“Wowww.” A full smile with that, and one eye cracked open.

“A popular word with you this evening.”

“Well, wow. Yeah.” With some difficulty due to his only just returning higher brain function, Wilson freed his fingers from Greg’s and moved his hand back to Greg’s hip.

House ran his fingers through James’s hair, pulled him forwards and kissed his eyelids, his nose and finally his lips. The last got more response than he was expecting. James seemed to be getting his breath back.

Wilson returned his hand to Greg’s erection. “You need… some attention.”

“And what did you have in mind?”

James seemed to have regained the feeling in his hands and was doing a good job making use of them. “Something like this?” He took the sharp intake of breath as assent.

“You are a man of many talents James Wilson.” House was a bit breathless, but still coherent. James worked to change that.

It wasn’t long before James’s talented hands had House tipping over the edge. He captured Greg’s groan in a kiss.

* * * * * *

Wilson woke with a start from a dream in which he was sleepwalking. He’d ended up in Greg’s bed. Then he heard the breathing next to him and remembered. His conscious mind had finally caught up. He had been thoroughly rewarded for his patience.

Wilson got up and went to the bathroom. He splashed his face, brushed his teeth and smiled to himself in the mirror.

House woke up in his bed alone, his leg and muscles he hadn’t remembered he had, aching. The TV muttered from the other room. The whole bed smelled of Wilson.

He reached for the Vicodin on the bedside table. He heard footsteps, the TV clicking off, and then he saw James silhouetted in the doorway holding a glass of water.

“I know they’re harder to swallow when you’ve been sleeping.”

House swallowed the water and the pills gratefully as James got back into bed. Tonight, neither man had trouble falling back to sleep.