House's glee was spreading. Amber showed it too, a second after she'd answered his question, its significance seeming to hit her a moment later. Foreman glared at House, still catching up. By the time Amber blurted out mirror syndrome, Foreman had figured it out, and he could feel a blush heating his face. Fuck. Like he needed that spread around--it was bad enough that he felt that way. Amber had been the one to talk to him first, to ask him out to her bar, to take him back to her place, to--to fuck him, for Christ's sake, and then, a day later, to dump him the second she'd found out he might be standing in her way at work. This morning he'd been following her around like a kicked puppy, with apologies and flattery, as if he was begging her to reconsider, or at least not hate him for what he'd done.
Foreman couldn't help clenching his hands the more House taunted him. Every word served to show him what a dupe he'd been, a pathetic idiot acting like he had a hope--like he was the hero in some kind of bodice ripper, and things might improve if he just tried hard enough. Hadn't his life told him that didn't happen? He'd been smacked down too often in the last few weeks, but he'd thought he understood why, professionally, he was untouchable. He'd never had that kind of trouble romantically. With women he wanted. And it wasn't just that he wanted Amber--he knew she'd been interested too, that she cared, otherwise she wouldn't have dumped him so spectacularly on Friday. It was fucking unfair, but he thought he'd had a chance, however dim, of making it right. Obviously he didn't--he'd been mooning like a lovesick teenager, that was all. Act professional? He couldn't even stop himself from complimenting her, reacting to her, when they were in the middle of a fucking differential.
Now Amber was laughing at him too, and Foreman could see a smirk on Taub's face, Thirteen lowering her head to hid her smile, and Kutner grinning at him unabashedly, as if he was watching his favourite soap opera. Foreman was so pissed off he almost missed the change of House's expression, the sudden hungry, assessing stare as he leaned forward. Foreman still had his stony glare, and he could shut House up when he really needed to, but when Amber's laughter cut off abruptly, Foreman's attention went to her automatically, his eyes widening slightly. It was too late to warn her. House's gaze flicked to her quickly, and then he started grinning in earnest.
"Oh my God," he said, looking back and forth between them, gaping like he'd just heard the most astonishing, hilarious thing in his life. "Seriously?"
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Foreman couldn't help clenching his hands the more House taunted him. Every word served to show him what a dupe he'd been, a pathetic idiot acting like he had a hope--like he was the hero in some kind of bodice ripper, and things might improve if he just tried hard enough. Hadn't his life told him that didn't happen? He'd been smacked down too often in the last few weeks, but he'd thought he understood why, professionally, he was untouchable. He'd never had that kind of trouble romantically. With women he wanted. And it wasn't just that he wanted Amber--he knew she'd been interested too, that she cared, otherwise she wouldn't have dumped him so spectacularly on Friday. It was fucking unfair, but he thought he'd had a chance, however dim, of making it right. Obviously he didn't--he'd been mooning like a lovesick teenager, that was all. Act professional? He couldn't even stop himself from complimenting her, reacting to her, when they were in the middle of a fucking differential.
Now Amber was laughing at him too, and Foreman could see a smirk on Taub's face, Thirteen lowering her head to hid her smile, and Kutner grinning at him unabashedly, as if he was watching his favourite soap opera. Foreman was so pissed off he almost missed the change of House's expression, the sudden hungry, assessing stare as he leaned forward. Foreman still had his stony glare, and he could shut House up when he really needed to, but when Amber's laughter cut off abruptly, Foreman's attention went to her automatically, his eyes widening slightly. It was too late to warn her. House's gaze flicked to her quickly, and then he started grinning in earnest.
"Oh my God," he said, looking back and forth between them, gaping like he'd just heard the most astonishing, hilarious thing in his life. "Seriously?"