Work Text:
The Princeton Plainsboro lobby was unusually calm for a weekday morning. Wilson liked these rare quiet moments. He had a coffee, a file under his arm and a sense of contentment he had not felt in years. Ever since he and House had decided to try dating, his mornings had a new warmth to them. House never admitted it, but Wilson occasionally caught him watching with a soft look that vanished the moment Wilson turned around. It made Wilson’s heart ache in the best possible way.
He sipped his drink and flipped open his file, mind drifting to the way House had kissed him goodnight in the office the previous evening. Quick, but sincere. Gentle in a distinctly House way. They were keeping it private for now. It felt good to have something that was theirs alone.
He did not hear the approaching footsteps until someone cleared their throat beside him.
“Doctor Wilson. I have been meaning to introduce myself. I am Doctor Halvorsen. New visiting oncologist.”
Wilson looked up. Tall, immaculately groomed, bright smile. The type who radiated confidence in a way that bordered on self satisfaction.
“Nice to meet you,” Wilson said politely. “Welcome to Princeton Plainsboro.”
Halvorsen leaned against the counter in a way that felt a little too close. “Everyone told me you were the best in the department. I can see they failed to mention you were also the most charming.”
Wilson blinked. Oh no. Oh absolutely not. The man was flirting. And not subtly.
“That is very flattering, but I am actually on my way upstairs,” Wilson said gently as he adjusted his file. He tried to shift away, but Halvorsen stepped a little closer.
“I would love to get coffee with you sometime. You seem like someone worth knowing better.”
Wilson opened his mouth to offer a kind but firm decline.
He never got the chance.
A cane tapped sharply against the floor behind them followed by a familiar voice that carried enough attitude to fill the entire lobby.
“Wow. This is adorable. Are we shooting a commercial for tragically desperate physicians or is this just a hobby of yours.”
Wilson closed his eyes. House. Of course.
Halvorsen turned, confused but trying to hide it. “And you are…”
“Someone who is very tired of watching you flirt with my partner,” House said without a single pause.
Wilson inhaled sharply. “House.”
House did not look at him. His eyes were locked on Halvorsen with the intensity of a territorial cat who had spotted something trespassing on his favorite piece of furniture.
Halvorsen laughed uncertainly. “Your partner. Right.”
“He means me,” Wilson said, a little helpless, a little warm in the chest despite the scene unfolding.
Halvorsen blinked between them. “You two. Really.”
House stepped closer, his expression nothing short of triumphant. “Yes. Really. And since this was apparently not obvious enough, let me demonstrate.”
Before Wilson could fully process what was happening, House had gently curled a hand around Wilson’s tie, tugging him forward with surprising tenderness. Wilson felt the familiar spark at the base of his spine just before House kissed him.
It was not rushed. It was not showy. It was deliberate, warm and far too intimate for the lobby, but Wilson melted into it all the same. House kissed him like he was something precious, something he was proud of, something he refused to let anyone else touch.
Wilson’s hands came up to House’s waist without thinking. House’s thumb brushed his jaw. Someone gasped nearby. Halvorsen took several stunned steps back.
House finally pulled away, but only enough to keep their foreheads touching for a second that made Wilson’s knees feel loose. When he looked at Wilson, there was no sarcasm, no armor, only sincerity.
“You good?” House said softly enough that only he could hear.
Wilson nodded, smiling helplessly. “Yeah. You surprised me.”
“You were being hunted by a peacock,” House muttered. “I intervened.”
Wilson laughed. “You got jealous.”
“I did not,” House said immediately. “I simply recognized a medical emergency. Excessive flirting. Highly contagious. Had to neutralize the source.”
Wilson shook his head with affection that threatened to spill over. “House.”
House looked at him, really looked at him, and something warm flickered in his eyes. “Fine. Maybe I did not like seeing him talk to you like he had a chance.”
Wilson touched his arm, gentle. “You know you do not have to worry about that.”
House swallowed. “I know. Still hated it.”
Halvorsen cleared his throat from a safe distance. “I see. Message received. Loud and clear. I will be on my way.”
He fled faster than Wilson would have thought possible.
House looked smug. “That was satisfying.”
“House, you cannot just kiss me in the middle of the lobby.”
“You liked it.”
Wilson’s cheeks warmed. “That is not the point.”
House leaned in, voice low. “It kind of feels like the point.”
Wilson gave up entirely and pulled House in for the briefest second kiss, barely a brush but full of gratitude.
House froze, then softened. “I could get used to that.”
“You already are,” Wilson teased.
House scoffed. “Never. I refuse.”
But his hand stayed on Wilson’s waist.
Wilson let out a breath he did not know he had been holding. “So what now. Everyone probably saw.”
House shrugged. “Then we let them. I am done pretending I do not want to kiss you whenever I feel like it.”
Wilson felt every word settle warmly in his chest. “I love you.”
House blinked. His voice went quiet. “I know. I am working on saying it back without short circuiting.”
Wilson smiled. “You just did. In your way.”
House grumbled, but his hand squeezed Wilson’s hip.
“Come on,” Wilson said. “Let’s go to your office before someone else starts flirting with me.”
House smirked. “Over my dead body.”
They walked toward the elevators, House’s hand brushing Wilson’s every few steps, a small touch that felt like something permanent forming between them. The jealousy, the kiss, the moment of honesty, all of it settled comfortably into the truth they had been circling for years.
House hit the elevator button and glanced at him sideways. “You really are mine, right.”
Wilson linked their fingers. “Completely.”
The doors slid shut with them standing side by side, closer than ever, hearts finally aligned in the open.