[log] Titled [closed]

[rubikscomplex]

Characters: Gregory House and James Wilson
Location: Building 132
Date: Evening of 271
Summary: House meets up with an old, dead friend... who is older and more dying than he last remembers.
Warnings: Probably discussion of torture, body horror, cancer, death, and PTSD.

[Where House has asked Wilson to meet him is little more than a nondescript, empty storage shed with a nondescript, sealed trapdoor. It's the entry point to the underground tunnels, though, which should make their lives easier for travel. The doctor has been pushing himself, so they're just going to have to sleep on cold, uncomfortable concrete for the night, but this certainly wouldn't be the first time for House.

He's there when Wilson arrives, curled up in a corner of the shed, reading over his tablet in the dark. The most immediate thing Wilson might notice about House is that his fashion tastes have taken a turn for the hobo-esque. He's wearing a pink scarf and there are pink gloves at his side. He's wearing several layers of coats, and there's a heavy pack at his side that has a hammer propped against it.

He's actually been maintaining more of a stubble than letting his beard grow out fully, so that's not too different. House is thinner than before, though, his eyes more sunken into dark circles for the lack of sleep.

When Wilson opens the door, House immediately grabs for his hammer and holds it in a way that indicates he's about two steps off from throwing it. He turns the tablet so that the light is illuminating the doorway, though.]

If you start sprouting tentacles, I'm murdering you. [He's joking. Mostly. He's really waiting to see if this an anomaly opening the door or actually Wilson.]

Comments

[onlytwothings]

I know, right?

[ House's reaction gets a laugh out of Wilson. ]

That's what I wanted to say when I found out. But yes, I'm completely serious.

[ No, it was for fraud and Dominika's green card. And money did factor into it too, eventually. ]

There was mention of you getting some $30,000 if you and Dominika managed to convince immigration that you were a happily married couple.

[rubikscomplex]

Green card marriage. Fun. [Okay, money makes more sense. $30,000 isn't a lot, but he doesn't make as much money as some of the doctors at the hospital. He's too much of a liability.]

So, I'm living with a hot babe in a sham marriage... you're dying. I lost my original team. With Cuddy, not with Cuddy. Any other great news about the future?

[onlytwothings]

[ This is the part where Wilson just hesitates. Because he already knows he's painted a bleak picture, so why add to it? Maybe some things are better off left alone.

Still, this is House he's dealing with, and he won't let a sleeping dog lie, especially if he knows said dog has information he's not talking about. ]

I think I've spoiled you too much already. Besides, why depress yourself further?

[rubikscomplex]

I know my dad's dead. That's something to celebrate, at least.

[onlytwothings]

[ Well. That sets off a memory in Wilson's head. And it's not one he's sure he should mention either, so he tries to cover up anything that might be mistaken for a thought coming to mind. ]

Sorry, House, I forgot to bring the drinks.

[ Morbid humor? Perhaps. But House is probably the only one that Wilson can resort to that with. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[There's a long pause.]

Got a bottle of amaretto in my pack.

[So it's a liqueur. It's the closest House has at the moment to real alcohol, though.]

[onlytwothings]

Really? And how long have you been carrying that around?

[rubikscomplex]

Couple-a weeks. One of the kids found that and a bottle of absinthe for me. Absinthe's gone, but hey, fake-coke and amaretto. What's not to love?

[He can't move just yet, though. Not while Wilson is so close.]

Maybe gimme some space and I'll go get it.

[onlytwothings]

Huh. Got your own little errand runners? I guess that must be nice and convenient for you.

[ He moves over with just the hint of an eye roll. Leave it to House to already have people willing to do things for him. ]

Sure, why not? Let's make this a real reunion between friends.

[rubikscomplex]

I told you I have a team.

[Actually, he traded for that booze, but never mind.

House pushes himself up and half-stumbles over his own feet before getting back to his pack. He doesn't look at Wilson as he moves, but he's listening and the other man will be able to make out how tense he is in the dimness. However well he can disguise things with his tone of voice his body is more of a giveaway for how on edge he still is.

It's only a moment to pull out the amaretto along with his flask. He drains the water that's left in there in a few gulps and pours the soda he'd popped the top on into it. He follows that up with a liberal helping of the amaretto.]

To your health.

[House takes a swig and pulls a face.]

Disgusting. But it's alcohol.

[He holds the flask out to Wilson.]

[onlytwothings]

Clearly your skills of persuasion have never been better.

[ He's not sure whether to be repulsed or impressed. In reality, he's neither, because this is par for the course with House. When House gets up and leaves, Wilson shifts slightly so he can follow his progress, still wary that they might have a repeat situation on their hands.

He really doesn't like how tense House looks, any more than he likes how useless he feels in light of everything that's happened. But hey, at least they have alcohol, right? ]

My health, huh? [ Wilson makes a face of his own, but he just takes the flask without further comment. ] Cheers. [ He takes a drink from it and frowns. ]

Not the best concoction, but it's better than nothing.

[ Wilson makes sure to savor it in all its disgusting glory, because who knows when they'll have alcohol again? ]

[rubikscomplex]

[Not for a good long while.]

Drank the whole bottle of absinthe that came with it in one night. That was a party.

[He'll take the flask back for another swig.]

When they bring you back from the fake dead, they screw with you. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes it's mental. Just hope you get the physical ones.

[onlytwothings]

Wow. [ Wilson sounds halfway impressed and halfway embarrassed by House's choices. But then again, he supposes with the rather bleak outlook, he can't quite blame the other man either. ] When you party, you really party.

[ Then he levels him with a look. ]

You're kidding. So you don't just die, but you die and get saddled with some physical or mental ailment on top of everything else.

[ Great. ]

[rubikscomplex]

Only lasts a couple of days. But it sucks.

[He offers the bottle back to Wilson as he ticks off his deaths and the subsequent losses on his fingers.]

Blind, couldn't lie, motorfunction in my leg, couldn't talk or write, got off scott free on one of 'em, but half the town got murdered that night, and everything reset. [We're up to five and moving on to his other hand.] Couldn't make decisions or refuse orders, complete hearing loss, sanity... and sense of balance. Some of those were way easier to deal with than other.

[onlytwothings]

Sounds like a real barrel of laughs.

[ He takes the bottle back and is about to take a swig of it when House starts listing the various death prices he's had. As he goes on, Wilson's desire to drink disappears. ]

House, you've- You've died that many times? [ Wilson mumbles something that sounds like a couple of choice swears. ] I'm not sure I even want to know, but were all of those deaths murders? [ From what he's heard, accidents can happen. This place isn't exactly safe. ]

[rubikscomplex]

Please. [He gives him a look as he snatches the bottle back. If you're not going to drink, Wilson, House will.] Only five of 'em. [House's tone is dismissive, but he's pretending to be more blase about it than he actually is.]

[onlytwothings]

Only five- [ This time it's Wilson giving him a look. ] That's five too many. I know it's expecting too much for me to hope that you won't get yourself murdered so often now that I'm here.

[ Or murdered at all, but House does what he wants, and Wilson's not dumb enough to think that his presence is going to change that. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[Wilson might be surprised at the actual sway he has. Not that House is about to let on for that.]

Two were by the same guy and he's a psychopathic murder clown, one was a quantum monster thing that killed a bunch of people all on the same night, and another was a kid being mind-controlled. So it's basically more like one legit murder. Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm not planning on dying any time soon.

[onlytwothings]

[ He certainly would be if he knew. It's just that he's gotten used to House's belief in doing whatever it takes to solve the puzzle, and apparently, that includes dying multiple times. Although he personally can't see how being murdered leads to any useful solutions. ]

Oh, like knowing who did it makes it better. I don't think this is something you can minimize, and I wish I was surprised that you're trying.

So what are you planning to do to fill that void?

[rubikscomplex]

I'm not still dead, so yeah, I'll freaking minimize it. [That's snapped. He settles himself down and tries to pass it off as nothing once more.]

Tch! At the moment I'm planning to drink. You're way more annoying than my rosy memories of you. Aren't you the least bit interested in the ones that weren't murders?

[onlytwothings]

[ Wilson's response is to just ball his fists and glare. He's not even sure why he's angry, because he can see that House is alive, but- It bothers him knowing House has died as many times as he has, and he's just sitting there being flippant about it. ]

Fine. I'm interested. You're probably going to tell me about them anyway.

[ His tone's a little clipped, but he's at least still listening. ]

[rubikscomplex]

[Ignoring the obvious frustration for the moment.]

Experiments in the morgues around here. You featured in three of them. At least your anomaly did. I have vids.

[onlytwothings]

Oh, good. And what did my anomaly end up doing? Don't tell me I- it killed you too.

[ He can't even go there. Making the connection between himself and an anomaly that looked like him is too much. ]

[rubikscomplex]

Got it in one. [House shrugs.] You had more tentacles a couple of the times. Wanna see?

[At least he has the edited vids that don't have the sounds of him screaming his head off.]

[onlytwothings]

[ Wilson rubs his forehead with one hand. This conversation is giving him a headache. ] Well, now your earlier comment about tentacles makes sense. I wish that it didn't.

[ He shakes his head. ] Why am I not surprised that you got video of it? And realizing I'm going to regret this, let's see it.

[ If he went through the trouble to get video, Wilson might as well play the attentive audience and see it. ]