I've never had an original character before, but that's a really important skill in écriture so this is me in training...which means the character won't be flawless and I'd appreciate it if toi didn't kill me for it. My character is named Dr. Terrance Malcray, and because of my vivid fantasies about how awesome it would be if Stephen Fry did a cameo in House, I've donné him the part.

Enjoy! (hopefully)

House's leg was hurting like hell today... the blinds were drawn, the lights were off: every soul in the hospital knew that under those circumstances, his office was a genuine lion's den...

all, except for one: Terrance Malcray saw a familiar name on a glass door and knew no better than to enter, with all of the innocence of a sacrificial lamb:

"Gregory House...? How long has it been?"

Even though the face of the interrupter did look very familiar, House didn't think his leg could withstand such a stroll down memory lane: "Apparently... not long enough."

Terrance chuckled: "Having one of those moods again, are you? Did your father come to visit?"

They had met some years ago; when House's father was send to a base in England... Terrance still remembered how dark House's looks would turn in close proximity to his father. After that, they went to the same college.

House just wasn't willing to play along:
"Look, I've done this all before, okay? Can we skip the shocked looks and fast-forward to the part where toi leave?"

"Shocked?" Confused, Terrance turned the light on and took in House's haggard appearance... cane included.

He didn't flinch, didn't even look slightly shocked... just... nuteral?

"Everybody changes, I guess... I did, too."

"Is that why you're here? Surely I'm not that interesting?"

"Oh you'd be surprised... hospitals everywhere are teeming with rumours about "the great diagnostician". Some of them I must say, are quite entertaining! But no... I'm a Neurologist... And I Lost my job. Saw an empty office here... are toi hiring?"

"No!" House couldn't bare the thought of seeing someone else in Wilson's office... "I mean... no, we're not. Was an oncologist anyway; toi wouldn't get it."

"Oh..." Terrance noticed House's breaths were getting shorter but wisely chose not to address the subject. "Why did he quit?"

"I did something stupid..." House tried to gage his visitor's reaction. "Why did toi lose your job?" He added before Terrance could form a proper response. The leg was screaming for attention...

"I... did something stupid." He a dit with a slight smile.

House smiled, too... but he had to give in to his rebelling limb.

As he watched House curl up on his precious recliner, Terrance scanned the room for painkillers... many rumours had made their way to his ears: he knew of the infarction, the attitude and... the addiction, too.

Finally, he located the vial and handed it to House, who accepted it with shaking hands: "Thanks, Terry..." He dry-swallowed 2.

Terry lent against the mur suivant to House: He'd found the lacrosse ball and absentmindedly threw it in the air: "Remember the school finals? I scored the winning goal in the last minute..."

"Not without my gorgeous assist." House huffed.

"I know... we were real hero's back then, weren't we... I can still remember those cheerleaders."

Both men dreamed away and House's face lit up...

"So do I... toi dissapeared with that Melanie afterwards right? What happened there anyway?"

Terry stiffened: "Well...um..." Luckily, the weirdest nurse of the entire hospital chose that exact moment to walk past the office:
"Dear lord... does she always walk like that?" Terry said, grateful for the change of subject.

"Oh yeah." House eagerly answered.

"Poor child..."

they tried to hold it in but eventually both men were Lost in laughter.

"You haven't switched to wine in the meantime, have you? 'Cause then I'd be shocked!"

"Nope... fridge full of beer... wanna come?"

"What, you'd let me?"

"I'm not cooking, washing, cleaning ou jouer la comédie like I like toi just so you'll do it... toi Lost plus than your job, right? Don't answer, I know I'm right. I recently Lost my slave, luckily they sent me an understudy: my canapé can be all yours... want it?"

"As long as I get beer, I'm game."

He extended a hand and pulled House up.

"You're paying for it." House added.

***

Terrance decided House's appartment looked exactly like their dorm had done...

Later that night, as House played his piano, Terrance sang to it... it was a song about Melanie's breasts...

House could appreciate it.