House

[london_spy]

Danny had spent part of the morning with John, then most of his day in class. When he finally got out the first thing he did was text Greg. He'd reached out to him the night before, but the other man had sounded stressed and busy. Danny hadn't wanted to pester him. They'd been through a lot in that place, and Danny knew Greg had to be worried about James.

Just got out of class. You free tonight? I'd like to see you.

He paused a beat, then sent another text.

I've missed you.

Comments

[london_spy]

"I am," Danny replied, nodding a little. "...Is that alright?"

[drfeelbad]

House shrugged. "Not at all. I was only curious... getting to know you." He paused. "And I assume it's not a problem that I'm not."

[london_spy]

"It doesn't bother me," Danny assured him. "I think as long as we're open and honest with one another, our sexual preferences aren't an issue."

[drfeelbad]

"Good," said House, and squeezed his arm. "I always got the impression that Fin was kind of worried I'd leave him for a woman. Though I get that. He was the first man I ever had a real relationship with."

[london_spy]

"...He was?" Danny asked, looking a bit uneasy. He didn't like the idea that Fin had been Greg's first anything.

[drfeelbad]

It was complicated, of course, because of the two versions of Fin. But that wasn't something to explain.

"I hooked up with a couple of guys in college," House said. "And there was, ah, a trans woman prostitute I was awfully fond of. But Fin was the first man I was ever in any kind of relationship with.

He'd almost said 'first man I had feelings for' but... that wasn't true. When he'd finally let himself admit it, he knew he'd had feelings for Wilson for years.

[london_spy]

"You don't have to explain, I was just surprised is all," Danny assured him.

[drfeelbad]

"I guess that's something you should know," House said after a moment, "that I don't have that much experience with dating men, all considered."

[london_spy]

"Neither do I, really. Fucking, sure, but dating less so. I've had boyfriends, but not as many as you might assume," Danny admitted.

[drfeelbad]

House really wanted to tell Danny that Fin had been a virgin when House met him, just to see the look on his face. But he wasn't actually that much of a dick.

"I suppose none of it matters, really, anyway," House said. "The past."

[london_spy]

"It matters," Danny assured him. "We carry it. It's always with us."

[drfeelbad]

"Well the good news is..." House said with a quirked smile, "I don't have any ex-wives."

[london_spy]

Danny laughed brightly, shaking his head. "A bit of a relief, if I'm honest."

[drfeelbad]

"James has three," House said with a snort.

[london_spy]

"...Really?" Danny asked, surprised. "Does that bother you?"

[drfeelbad]

"It bothered me when he was going through them," House said. "He was always a mess. Usually because it was his fault."

[london_spy]

"...Do they know he's sick?" Danny asked softly.

[drfeelbad]

"At least one of them," House said. "She wanted him to come stay with her."

[london_spy]

"And how did you feel about that?" Danny asked curiously.

[drfeelbad]

"At the time I was pissed to find out that she thought he was alone," House admitted. "He hadn't told her he was with me. I don't know if he has now. I didn't ask."

[london_spy]

"You wish he would though?" Danny asked. "You want people to know he's with you."

[drfeelbad]

"Julie was the worst of his wives," House said. "Also she hated me. So yes, I want her to know."

Though then he paused and added, "But I mean, really I just don't want anyone to think he's alone."

He hadn't even realized he was idly trailing his fingers over Danny's arm. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about this, I know it must be awkward for you."

[london_spy]

"I don't mind. I understand you need to talk about this with someone," Danny said softly.

[drfeelbad]

"Maybe it's that it's awkward for me," House confessed.

[london_spy]

"Oh," Danny replied, not sure what to say to that, and sort of relieved when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go fetch dinner," he said, slipping out of bed and pulling on his robe.