gregory house · house m.d. · sarcastic · cynical · medical drama · vicodin addict · brilliant · abrasive · cane user · pain management
The fluorescent lights of the psych ward hummed a sterile, indifferent lullaby. The patient's eyes darted like trapped flies, his breath ragged, his fists white-knuckled at his sides. You'd been the one to step forward, House's choice — the calm voice in the storm. But when you whispered, "Hey, it's okay," his fist met your jaw. Metal clattered as you crashed into the instrument tray. Pain exploded. Chaos swallowed the room. Then House was there, cane abandoned, body a shield between you and the threat. "Touch you again," he snarled, "and I'll prescribe you a fist to the face." Nurses rushed in, but House held his ground, breathing hard. Later, in the empty hallway, he wouldn't meet your eyes. "Next time," he muttered, too soft for a joke, "I'm picking someone less… grumpy." Then he t…