Chapter Text
‘Unless you think Thirteen’s hot, then I’ll kick Kutner.’
Cameron was finishing up on the ER’s paperwork; it had been a slow night, thankfully, which meant less patients to worry about and less potential death to witness, but it also meant more time to think.
She had been a bit harsh with House. She didn’t miss his mistreatment, and she didn’t miss being belittled or reduced to her emotions— or worse, her body. But she did miss him in a way.
Still, what was done was done; she enjoys her time in her ER, and House has new fellows. The small, annoying booksmart man, the party fun guy, and the mystery number 13: Cameron’s sparkling new replacement. Well, ‘replacement’ was a bit harsh too, but that’s what she’d called her. Sharp, caring, and beautiful. Gorgeous, really.
Was that what annoyed her? That House could find a replacement so easily, that filled the space she’d left so perfectly? Or was it the feeling that the woman surpassed her, like an upgrade? Smarter, if she never shed a tear for the man; more beautiful, if the tingling she felt anytime they locked eyes was any indication. Those striking, ice blue eyes, with such an angle to them that made them…
What was that about? She was a taken woman. An engaged woman. Yeah, it was just annoyance.
Cameron looked over the last file and archived it before heading to the lockers. She was just pent up, she thought. Just needed a good shower and her comfy clothes to replace her stress-tainted scrubs. Just needed to get home to her fiance.
It wasn’t the first time she fantasised about women. Women were objectively pretty, and she had made her own jokes about getting with women to their old team before. Hell, House himself had announced to the ducklings that Cameron was, in fact, at least someone curious enough to hit that.
But it had been so long since the last time Cameron actually felt such a spark for another woman. No, right, it was just annoyance. Annoyance at how her absence wasn’t considered a big loss for the team; at how she had just been quickly forgotten over a younger doctor with a nicer face, nicer hair, nicer eyes… oh Cameron really liked those eyes. And how they looked at her… Looked at her?
Cameron blinked the mental image away. Still there.
“Are you alright, doctor Cameron?”
Cameron’s eyes went wide with realization, and a fair share of embarrassment. “Yeah, yeah, sorry I didn’t see you, I just…” was too busy thinking about you? She’s a stranger!
Those ice blue eyes crinkled just slightly to shine with that detached warmth of hers. “Tiring day, huh?”
Cameron just nodded, still a bit shocked. It was late, really late. She knew House never stayed past his legally-mandated hours ( oftentimes he never even did those ), and she knew from her years as his fellow that the team only stayed up when there were big, puzzling cases. And even that was a rare occurrence.
But there she was, the woman she’d been thinking about just seconds prior. In fresh new clothes— Cameron had just missed her shower; not that it mattered— and packing up her things.
She was thankful the fellow had given her an easy out. “Yeah, but isn’t it always tiring?” She attempted at the easy smile she gave everyone, the one so full of love for life that it just proved all the ‘too emotional for her own good’ talk.
“I guess you’re right… you ER ladies really are something else, huh?” Thirteen looked her up and down, appraisingly. A small smirk played on her lips.
Cameron just let out a small laugh. That wasn’t annoyance.
Thirteen grabbed her bag, and began to head out of the locker room. “Just don’t overdo yourself, doctor. As endless as it seems, even ER women have limited stamina.” There it was, that fox-eyed gaze paired with that faux innocence as she walked past her. “Have a good night.”
Yeah, House was right. She did think Thirteen was hot.
That was gonna be a problem.
Chapter 2
Notes:
Again as always, comments and kudos are what keep me posting!!
You never know when a comment will make someone's day ( me it will make my day )
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
She wasn’t crazy, was she? Thirteen had heard all about the head of ER: strong-willed, smart, reliable, a bleeding heart. Some just believed her to be House’s former token beauty ( and what a beauty she was ), but most knew she was the glue that kept the madman’s original team together.
Thirteen expected the whole ‘sweetheart’ thing to be a sexist exaggeration of the woman’s emotions, but that smile she had given her could turn dry ice into warm, spring water, she was sure.
It kept her up all night. Was hospital life eating at her sex life so badly that she was daydreaming about a single smile? It wasn’t like she couldn’t pick up anyone she wanted at the bar anytime, so that couldn’t possibly be it, right?
Thirteen gave another frustrated sigh as she combed through potential case files mindlessly. The woman was engaged for Christ’s sake, but something about that laugh just made Thirteen keep giving it thought. Something about it felt intriguingly queer to her, not at all like a laugh you’d give to a new friend, but instead to a new… no, that made no sense, there was no reason for doctor Cameron to crush on her when she had a pretty boy waiting for her at home every night. Though Chase did seem like a conceited little ass to her, if she was being honest.
She would bet all the money in her wallet that Cameron pegged that little man real good every time. That made her laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Thirteen looked up in shock to stare at Foreman’s signature eyebrow raise. “Don’t tell me you find dying patients funny now, House has enough psychopathy for this department already.”
Bingo. Maybe she couldn’t have enough insight on her own, but the third-wheeler duckling…?
She gave a small, uninterested shake of her head, letting Foreman’s perfectly good joke go unnoticed, much to his bemusement. “No… say, how long had doctor Cameron and Chase been together before they got engaged?”
This time both eyebrows shot up. “That’s specific. Don’t tell me you fancy Chase .”
“Oh, no, nothing like that.” Something like that, she thought. The horror her face showed at the idea of liking Chase convinced him, though. Chase was not her type in men.
“Good, because he’s hooked .” Foreman let out a small, deprecating chuckle.
“It just… they look cute together, but she doesn’t seem as hooked.” She tried. Hospital gossip wasn’t her thing, but she had to get some intel somehow.
Foreman sighed. “I think he was always after Cameron, even as she went through her whole… ‘in love with my boss’ thing.” Thirteen gave a grimace, and Foreman just nodded in agreement. “Cameron, I’m not so sure. I love her like a sister, so I say this with all the love in my heart but… she just settled after realizing his love wouldn’t be temporary.”
It was Thirteen’s turn to stare, eyebrows raised. She nodded slowly in understanding. That was news to her.
“Anyway, it’s none of our business. I’m only telling you this so that you don’t go around asking them, or worse, asking House . I don’t think Cam or Chase would appreciate the gossip.” With that, Foreman straightened the files in his hands and continued to read, firmly putting a stop to the topic.
“Right. Thanks.” She gave a tight smile, and continued pretending to read.
That sure was interesting info. It wouldn’t hurt to check if it was true.
Notes:
Of course Cameron pegs Chase, come on people
( Which isn't derogatory in itself, it's just derogatory to Chase specifically )
Chapter 3
Notes:
It may be of note that I watch this show in the latinx spanish dub ( my mother tongue ) and Thirteen's voice has a smoother, more suave timbre and range in spanish.
Cameron's too, but it tends to be gentler and more nurturing than sexy ( unless she's using her serious voice )
Gotta love 90s-2000s latin American voice actors
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Finally, a case had closed, which meant the fellows had some time before House found some other strange patient that piqued his morbid interest.
Thirteen knew what she’d do with her free time this time. After finishing her paperwork, she headed straight to the ER. It wasn’t busy enough that the immunologist wouldn’t have time for her.
“Doctor Cameron.” In her lower octave. Smooth.
Cameron jolted a bit, quickly turning around to look at the new fellow with clear surprise. “Thirteen, hello.” Face to face, she could notice Cameron was slightly shorter, nice .
“Hi.” She gave her a small smile, readying the excuse she had planned.
Cameron interrupted with her own tired, knowing smile. “Whatever it is, tell House I won’t do it.”
Ouch. Thirteen took a second to recover. “House didn’t send me.”
“But he wants something and you can only get the answer or fulfill whatever whim he has this time through me.” She was already focused on checking charts for some patient that was ready for discharge or something of the sort, but she was polite enough to do it while within Thirteen’s range, instead of cutting their encounter short.
Thirteen gaped a bit, a surprised smile clear on her lips. This woman was tough , but not in the usual, cutthroat way hospitals forced female doctors to be. She liked it.
“Actually, I had some free time and wanted to see if I could help here.”
Doe eyes, cute. Did her eyes shine with affection for any mundane act of service or…?
“And House didn’t send you?” A skeptical smirk. This man had a way of ruining trust, huh?
“ No , I just don’t want to sit on my ass while he watches that stupid soap opera and we wait for someone new to start dying.” Cameron kept weighing her options. Thirteen sighed. “Foreman knows I’m offering to help you today.”
There it was, another dazzling smile. “Alright, fine. Pick a chart and follow me.” Apparently Foreman didn’t lie, there was a sibling bond between them.
•••
Thirteen enjoyed her escape to the ER that day; it was busy, and stressful, and sometimes gross, really gross, but she felt helpful and invigorated.
By the time it was noon, she was exhausted. “Man, you weren’t kidding about every day being tiring.”
Cameron chuckled. “What was it that you said about ER women’s stamina?” This time her eyes looked like danger. Oh no, couldn’t be, this woman was engaged.
Still, Thirteen smiled like a lovestruck schoolboy at the memory.
She didn’t know how much time passed until a sound interrupted them, and then Cameron laughed again. “Was that your stomach?” Thirteen’s wide eyes just made her laugh again. “I don’t blame you, my first weeks in the ER made me feel like I’d pass out from starvation.” She looked at her watch, an easy smile on her lips. “Wanna go grab some lunch?”
Thirteen frowned. “Oh, I wouldn’t- I assumed you’d have lunch with your fiance…”
Cameron stared for a few seconds. “Oh, no, don’t worry.” A quick smile. “Let’s go?”
Thirteen’s heart fluttered. Trouble in paradise? Could she actually have a chance at a fling with the hospital’s beauty? “Sure.”
Notes:
Just for clarity's sake this fic won't have any Foreteen elements, sorry my guys I love and respect it but like I said this one's for the Camteen gays ( I also haven't reached the Foreteen arc in my current rewatch so I don't remember it rn )
Chapter 4
Notes:
Reminder that I misunderstood the start of S4 so in this fic Chase and Cameron are engaged not just dating!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cameron hadn’t seen much of Thirteen after her help a few days before. Sometimes they locked eyes coming into work, or passing near the lab, a small smile and a greeting here and there, but nothing more. Days were a blur for her, ER and all that; arriving at home tired, spending time with Chase. Rinse and repeat.
The ER kept her on her toes, let her feel she made a difference, like her intelligence let her be quick for those that needed help and her empathy let her be kind to those that needed comfort. But at home, things had started to feel strained.
Lately, she had started feeling more and more annoyed at Chase. And lately, a certain pair of eyes had started replacing her fiance’s in her dreams.
That night had been particularly troubling for her. So the following morning— paired with another slow day, much to her dismay— Cameron kept looking around to see if she’d spot that pair of eyes.
Unfortunately, she spotted a different pair of light blue. “You look jumpy today, doctor Cameron. Don’t tell me you started doing hard drugs again, addiction’s my special thing.” He gave her that sad whimper face he loved mocking everyone with.
She huffed. “Don’t worry, I’d still be missing the fucked leg and lack of morals to replace you.” She busied herself with some random files.
House took a peek. “Well, if it’s not meth, it’s gotta be real good to get you to vigorously check Ms. Morrison’s papers a week after she got discharged.” Cameron put the files away and made a mental note to scold whoever had been in charge of clearing charts that week before she tried walking away.
“And whatever it is, you really don’t want little ol’ me knowing about it…” he limped behind her with that annoying speed he somehow had anytime he was being particularly nosy.
Cameron turned around and gave him a hard stare.
“Hot, but I’m not really into blondes. Already told you it makes you look like a…” he stared back. Then he started smiling.
Cameron’s expression grew exasperated; that look of his was never good news.
“ Sex is a drug.” He started his line of thought.
“I do have a fiance.”
But Chase wasn’t recent, and Cameron wouldn’t hide him. “You’re cheating .”
“House!” Despite her anger, she looked caught. She felt caught. “I’m engaged .” She whispered, almost hissing.
“Yeah, that’s sort of a requirement for cheating.”
“I’m not cheating.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” He nodded with a knowing smile. “If you tell me who it is, of course. I sensed there was trouble in paradise; shame I didn’t get to start a betting pool.”
“I’m not going to entertain you.” She started walking away.
“Could’ve raised the stakes if I let people bet on the lover’s gender, too.” At that point, House was talking mostly to himself.
Cameron froze.
House noticed. Of course he noticed.
“ Oh! ”
“N-no- House!”
“You’re trouble missy!” If he had had good legs, he’d be jumping for joy.
Her voice went low in warning. “House, I’m serious. Nothing’s happened” a slip.
“ Yet. ” He completed, and she tried interjecting to no avail. “It’s ok, daddy loves and accepts you no matter what.” He pouted in mockery, before going back to his usual voice. “Just call me once something does; watching real life lesbianism’s on my bucket list.” With that, he winked and limped away, full of energy restored from making others miserable.
Cameron sighed, running a hand down her face. Sometimes, House stressed her way more than the ER did.
“You ok?” Cameron looked up, feeling blood rushing back to her face immediately as she saw the very reason she’d been troubled all day approaching her calmly.
She just hoped it wasn’t enough to make her blush. “Yeah, just…” another troubled sigh.
“He seemed chipper.” Thirteen crossed her arms, looking in the direction he’d just left in with nonchalance. Foreman did tell Cameron the new doctor was bisexual when he found out, but Cameron realized she didn’t need the secondhand information: something about the woman’s composure made it so ragingly obvious to her. “And you look miserable.” Thirteen looked back at her.
Cameron gave her a self-deprecating smile. “Thanks.”
“It’s ok, it doesn’t ruin your beauty.” Those blue eyes bore into her enough that she almost visibly trembled at the shiver she felt in her spine. “Wanna grab lunch?”
This wasn’t helping her case.
•• •
They had opted to eat at the cafeteria’s outside tables, to get some fresh air and avoid the bustling noise. Cameron was having a concerningly big coffee and a sandwich, and Thirteen had decided on a chicken salad.
“So what ‘whim’ was House trying to fulfill this time that had you looking so… ruined?” Thirteen started. They had been sharing amicable small talk while they ordered their food, but the visual of House leaving such a despondent Cameron behind had particularly intrigued her. And worried, if she was being honest.
Cameron looked like she almost choked on her coffee. “Oh, nothing, just… House being House.” she attempted at a laugh that was painfully forced.
Thirteen stared. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, don’t worry. Sorry I asked.” It was a bit awkward, mostly because Thirteen wasn’t used to offering one-on-one support, and was even less used to having that support be rejected. If Cameron was being honest, she did want that support, it just wasn’t a good idea to openly state ‘I’ve been thinking about you instead of my soon-to-be husband’ to a work colleague.
So instead, she relied on her like a fellow female friend, and gave some sort of answer. “It’s ok, that’s not what I meant. He just… noticed I’ve been having some trouble.”
Thirteen’s eyebrows furrowed with concern, and Cameron remembered that although the doctor put up a ‘heart of stone’ front, House mentioned in passing that she was actually quite caring. It warmed her a bit. “ Dangerous trouble?” Thirteen asked, clearly trying not to pry for too many details.
“Not dangerous.” Cameron distracted her gaze by playing with some lettuce that had fallen off her sandwich. She took a deep breath. “Remember the time we thought House had syphilis?”
Thirteen nodded, confused. She’d wanted to clock Chase in the jaw for being so infuriating with his fiancee, pestering her in public about who she’d slept with. But she wasn’t friends with Cameron, at least not yet, so she didn’t voice this and focused on listening.
“Well… Robert wasn’t exactly appropriate about how he asked if I had slept with House.”
“No, he was an asshole.” Thirteen stated plainly, picking at the chicken in her salad.
Cameron sighed, relieved. “I thought I was making it up.”
“What? No, he was way out of line.” She brought a tomato slice to her mouth. “If I wondered about my wife’s sexual partners, I’d ask her in private, not interrogate her in front of our colleagues.”
Cameron wasn’t sure if it was the surprisingly tasty-looking tomato, the use of ‘wife’ instead of ‘husband’, or the woman’s fiery confidence, but it took her a bit to collect herself. “Yeah… Yeah, well, House caught that Robert and I have been a bit distant, so he’s entertaining himself while he can.”
Thirteen tilted her head slightly, trying to understand the implication without judging.
“ Not by sleeping with me.” Thirteen nodded at that. “But he does think I’m cheating.” Thirteen’s eyebrows shot up a bit. “I’m not.” She nodded again.
“So… he’s entertained because he thinks you’re cheating… and you’re miserable because you’re not cheating?” Thirteen’s face grew more confused as she laid out the situation.
Cameron blushed a bit. She didn’t want to cheat on anyone, but the current person distracting her sure would’ve been a good option. If she had to choose. Which she didn’t have to, because she wouldn’t cheat.
Thirteen didn’t miss Cameron’s silence. “I see.” She smirked. “Robert chose a bad time to upset you.” For once, Cameron looked bashful. “Does he know he’s in the doghouse?”
Cameron frowned, as if reminded of a pest. “Yeah, I made that quite clear that day. I was letting it slide, but it came up again and he still thinks it was ok just because my sexual health relates to his.”
“Leave it up to men to miss the point.” Thirteen rolled her eyes. What a sight , Cameron thought. “And this not-cheating stranger… do they know?”
Cameron couldn’t decide if she was relieved or stressed about the vague pronouns. She shook her head; she hoped House’s fellows didn’t come with mind-reading installed, so she was willing to bet Thirteen did not, in fact, know. Well, now she did, but not the details that mattered.
Thirteen brought another forkful of lettuce to her mouth, covering her lips with her fist as she spoke. “Oh this is too good.” Cameron didn’t know if she meant the salad or the gossip; Thirteen didn’t strike her as the gossipy kind, but she sure seemed interested. “Are they attractive?”
Cameron looked back up, not realizing she’d been staring at the woman’s lips. “ Dreamy .” Bold, for a woman claiming she would never cheat.
“Wow, what are you gonna do about it?” Thirteen continued eating. If she’d noticed Cameron was talking about her, she didn’t show it. “Is… your relationship at risk?”
“N-no, no…” she looked down at her half eaten sandwich, and took a bite to give herself time to think. Was her relationship at risk? She didn’t feel as sure.
Her emotions short circuited again when she felt a soft hand rest on hers. She looked away from her sandwich and into the caring eyes she was feeling unnecessarily tender for. “Hey, it’s ok, you don’t need to figure it out right now.” Thirteen smiled a bit. “Sorry I pushed.”
Cameron just gazed at her for a few seconds. Then, she took a sharp breath to ground herself.
“What about you?” She mustered a smile. “Pursuing anyone?”
Thirteen let go of her hand and sat back, a playful smirk on her face. “Yeah, I’ve got my eyes on someone.”
Cameron couldn’t help the small pang of sadness, but she wasn’t surprised; Thirteen was young, a tad younger than she was even, and she was beautiful, it made total sense she’d be enjoying her love life.
“I’m not sure they’re interested, though.”
“Haven’t you made a move?” Cameron inquired. “You seem like the type to make the first move.”
Thirteen chuckled. “Do I?” Cameron nodded, amused but also intrigued. Maybe she could get rid of the strange, fluttering feelings Thirteen gave her if she lived out the excitement through the woman’s love life gossip.
To her misfortune, House’s curse followed her everywhere, and Thirteen’s pager went off, immediately putting an end to their lunchtime.
Thankfully, Thirteen seemed annoyed too. “Duty calls.” She claimed sarcastically, a sigh escaping her. “Thank you for having lunch with me, it was nice.” She offered a simple, genuine smile, and all Cameron could do was smile back and hope she didn’t look like a fool.
Notes:
For those confused about what 'the point' was that Thirteen says was missed: if your gf is having a potential STD scare, you ask her about it in private while also worrying about her, not interrogate/accuse her in public while forgetting she's also going through that scare. And if your gf's a doctor maybe trust that she hasn't freaked out bc she knows what to do! Chase surprised me in this scene, it shocked me that Cameron didn't snap for that but tbh she is the epitome of "tired while taking care of my manchild bf" nurturing type
Chapter 5
Notes:
Reminders that:
1. I misunderstood the start of S4, so in this fic Cameron and Chase are engaged and live together!
2. Kudos and comments fuel me to keep writing and posting like you have no idea!! If you'd like to read more, letting me know is your best bet!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
She saw Cameron again the next week. This time, it wasn’t for pleasure— well, it sorta wasn’t— it was late at night, so House was obviously nowhere to be found, and the team needed to consult an immunologist for the patient they were trying to decipher. Thirteen offered to go ask Cameron, which Kutner and Taub were fine with considering they found her a bit scary, and Foreman squinted slightly at but gave no resistance. To his eyes, the two were just becoming unlikely friends.
The ER was a persistent buzz. Not insane, like some days, but still overwhelming if you were a first year resident or a visitor. Thirteen walked in with ease, looking over the paramedics and doctors to find a particular one.
“Hey.” She greeted once she spotted Cameron; the woman was tending to a teen with a broken arm. Skateboard by his side, no parents in sight.
Cameron looked her way and smiled, before turning her attention back to the patient. “Working late again?”
“I could say the same to you.” She smiled back while approaching them.
Cameron finished up and gave the kid some instruction about proper arm placement and a small scold about his lack of safety gear. “Well, if I didn’t work late, Tommy here would’ve had to wait a whole night before he could have his arm fixed.” Tommy seemed like a champ, he had clearly already received his dose of pain meds, and was politely looking at the bantering doctors.
Cameron turned to Thirteen fully now, a radiant smile escaping her. “What’s got you here so late at night?”
“I’m afraid it’s not lunch.” She replied with an apologetic smile, handing over a case file; Cameron’s expression sobered up a bit. “House is busy catching some Zs or whatever it is he does when not committing malpractice, and the boys can’t agree on a differential.”
“And you think it’s autoimmune?” she opened the file, scanning it with practiced ease.
“I think it fits, the team just won’t agree to pursue the idea without an immunologist’s approval.” She sighed. “They just didn’t wanna give in easily.”
“Well, I would order an ANA just to be sure, everything in this chart could be explained by lu-”
A different voice interrupted her. “Got tired of bothering the OR folks, so you’re trying ER now?” Thirteen turned around to stare at the man deadpan. He couldn’t be serious right now.
“ Robert! ” Cameron frowned at him as if chastising a child. Chase didn’t look at her, clearly more interested in picking a fight.
“No, ER folks just have better insight.” Thirteen gave him a relaxed smirk before turning back to his fiancee, ready to ignore the guy. If he glowered at her, it was to the back of her head. “An ANA for lupus then, thanks Cam, have a good night.” She took the file back with gentle, grateful eyes, letting her hand linger on Cameron’s for a second too long to be casual, and left without a second glance.
Cameron’s chest fluttered at it, but she quickly turned to her fiance once the woman left. “What the hell was that?!”
“She annoys me.”
“She’s my friend. And you interrupted us, not the other way around.”
“Yeah, I noticed, Cam .” He all but spat her nickname at how the other woman had said it.
Cameron’s brow only furrowed further as she shifted her body to face her fiance more directly. “Does she really annoy you so much?”
Chase gave her an attempt at an uninterested shrug, the one that made him look like a spoiled kid.
Cameron sighed silently and deflated a bit. “I was thinking of inviting her over for dinner with us sometime…”
Emotion ran back up to Chase’s face. “Cam, no, I can’t stand her!”
“Why not?? I get along with her nicely and I don’t recall her doing anything to you, you could at least try !” She wasn’t upset like he was, her tone was closer to that of someone trying to plead their case. “... she hasn’t done anything to you, right?” she asked more quietly; she knew her fiance would’ve told her, but her resolve wavered a bit at the rigidity of his opinion.
He hesitated, not wanting to admit that he really had no substantial reason to hate her. “No.” Chase sighed, clearly not feeling any better. “My shift’s over, I’ll see you at home.” He planted a quick, almost loveless kiss on her forehead and walked away. Cameron just stared in disbelief as he left, new discontent adding to the pile of discontents her once-love-filled relationship was giving her.
Tommy was gonna have amazing gossip for his friends at school.
Notes:
If I don't make the lupus joke, am I even part of the community?
I'm taking early Thirteen + Chase interactions and running with them because Chase had zero reason to be as petty as he was with her from the get go and I love it he's such a spoiled brat
I don't really like it when some authors twist Chase's character to be abusive or neglectful towards Cameron bc at least until the first episodes of S5 he shows he cares a lot about being right for her, but let's be honest he's still a brat and has very questionable morals so he isn't an angel by any means, so I try to balance that out! We don't satanize Chase in this household we just bully him like he deserves
Chapter 6
Notes:
Reminder that I have no idea how the USA healthcare system or its clinic hours work! Let us all act like I do
Kudos and comments deeply appreciated as always!!!
Chapter Text
It was Friday morning. For Cameron, Fridays weren’t particularly special, considering her working hours were decided by the fickle beast that was the ER, but this one had a kick to it: this Friday, Cameron only had to cover the morning shift, and after that she had the rest of the weekend off. A rare occurrence; one she knew she’d have to make the most of.
Chase, instead, had surgeries scheduled for the afternoon and night, and then had a spotty weekend full of clinic rotations; but for once, or maybe just for the first time she’d noticed, Cameron didn’t mind that she wouldn’t spend time with him.
And while Cameron was perfectly fine spending time alone with a book or working out, she didn’t really crave alone time that Friday, much less an entire weekend. However, as luck would have it, none of her usual non-work friends were available, so after tiring all her hangout options during her lunch break, she decided to give up, pocketing her phone and going back to work for the remainder of her shift.
•••
She was halfway through the bargaining stage of the process of grieving her lonely weekend ( maybe if she chose a particularly good book or a set of movies she wouldn’t be bored out of her mind for three days, right? ), when she heard an unmistakable voice— low, silky, irresistible— speaking exasperatedly and only slightly above polite volume.
“House you can’t play with a woman’s life and treatment just because you think she might be chea-” there she went, chasing the man with such indignation that it looked as though she’d kill him if she caught him. Unfortunately for Cameron, the man cut off the lovely sound.
“I don’t think , I know.” Despite how threatening Thirteen turned out to be when she wanted to, House turned around to look at her like she was nothing more than an angered puppy. “And I can . Watch me.” He let out as he walked into the elevator, but stopped it from closing with his cane last minute. “Or actually, don’t, you’ll just hover and annoy. You have the rest of the day off, Thirteen, go drown in boobs or whatever it is you bisexuals do.” With that, he repositioned the cane to let the door close, while still blocking Thirteen from entering if she tried.
Thirteen stood in front of the closed elevator, presumably fuming. With her reserved and collected demeanor, a stranger wouldn’t be able to tell.
Cameron was torn between the visual of her new, gentle friend looking so upset and feeling sad for her, and the mental image of her new, magnetic friend busying herself with a certain someone’s pair of boobs, and feeling a particular kind of way about it. She glanced at the clock on the ER’s wall and decided, without really thinking about it, to approach the seething doctor.
“Day off, huh?” Her voice was sympathetic, joking about it only in an attempt to make the situation more manageable.
Thirteen’s gaze could freeze hell over and make it boil all at once. “I’m not in the mood for that right now.” She brushed the joke off coldly before looking away again. Coldly, but not cruelly; a warning.
Cameron shut her mouth immediately. She felt the danger in trying to push for a humorous reaction. She also felt a thrill, but decided to ignore it.
Before letting the silence become awkward, Cameron set her hand gingerly on the woman’s arm. Thirteen’s breath let her know she felt it, but the disinterested mask she showed everyone was still in place. “Sorry.” Cameron’s voice was gentler now; her usual empathy. “Whatever it is he’s doing, he’s done it before, and he’ll do it again.”
She looked back up, indignation simmering. “So that means I should just let him keep doing it? That’s not very goody two shoes of you-”
“ No, ” Cameron interrupted gently, “it means you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you fail to stop him.” Cameron’s calm tone finally helped Thirteen ground herself again. Looking at the woman, and processing her words, Thirteen was suddenly reminded that the doctor was older, more experienced, wiser. She stared for a second, admiration thawing her icy edges a bit.
She looked back down, this time a hint of embarrassment showing through. “Sorry. And thanks.” She raised her hand to where Cameron’s was still placed on her arm, squeezing it tenderly, maybe without thinking. It earned her a warmer smile from her new friend.
Cameron’s eyes were drawn to the watch on Thirteen’s wrist and was reminded she was still on the clock, as well as why she had actually approached.
She took a deep breath after a moment. “Hey, my shift ends in an hour, and I have the next two days off as well…” She started growing nervous as she realized what her sentence was beginning to sound like. “I-I know you don’t get along with Robert, but he’ll be busy, and you have the day off,” as Cameron began stammering and averting her eyes, Thirteen’s gaze grew surprised, “so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to com-”
“I’d love to.”
“... over for dinner.”
Silence buzzed almost like electricity as the two women gazed into each other. Had Thirteen agreed before Cameron could finish talking? Were they really such good friends and Cameron hadn’t realized? And more importantly, had either noticed they were still touching, one’s hand covering the other’s?
Thirteen seemed like the kind of person that took some time to get to open up; it was shocking that she even considered agreeing.
In her defense, Thirteen had shocked herself too. She blinked, only now realizing she didn’t let Cameron finish the sentence and was expected to reconsider with the new information. But of course she’d love to do anything that involved the woman she’d been crushing on for weeks now and excluded the man said woman was seemingly and exponentially growing tired of.
“Sure, I would love to.” She repeated, slower this time.
Cameron’s smile came back. “Great!! I’ll text you my address.”
“What should I bring?” She asked confidently. As both women recovered from the initial nerves, Cameron realized Thirteen’s expression had changed completely from ‘lethally dangerous’ to ‘lethally sexy’. But she couldn’t be sure Thirteen was flirting, she just knew she thought anything Thirteen did was sexy these days.
“Just your pretty face.” Cameron tried to infect herself with a bit of confidence too, without letting it sound too much like flirting; she didn’t want Thirteen to think she had ulterior motives, after all, she just wanted to spend some time with a new friend. She wasn’t sure it worked, though, because as she said it, her hand unconsciously stroked Thirteen’s arm ever so slightly, and Thirteen’s own hand instinctively tightened around it, as if pleasantly surprised. She decided to ignore that, too. “I’ll see you at 7.” With that, she turned around and went back to finish her shift, hoping the blush that surely crept to her face wasn’t noticeable when Thirteen could still look at her.
Once Cameron was out of sight, Thirteen let out a breath and a dazzled chuckle, stomach and fingertips tingling deliciously. What was this woman doing to her?
Chapter 7
Notes:
Kudos and comments are extremely appreciated, and show me there's an audience that wants to keep reading!!!
I tried to make their wardrobe match their characters but this is also just clothes I own, the dichotomy of man ( Sheep )
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cameron was setting the table. She had had a long, soothing shower— for the nerves that kept fluttering in her stomach— and was now dressed in a carefully picked outfit: creamy trousers, made of an elegant cut paired with a comfortable fabric; and a thin, black turtleneck that made no attempt at hiding Cameron’s figure. Cameron hoped the outfit performed one job: looking nice while being neither too formal nor too casual. There were also a lot of side gigs Cameron unconsciously hoped the outfit would perform, such as accentuating her physical appeal, and being easy to take o-
The doorbell suddenly made Cameron want to skip dinner and go vomit in the bathroom. What was she thinking? She could spend her Friday night alone, she didn’t need to invite Thirteen over. But she was a friend, right? And friends spend time together, away from the workplace. This was totally normal, she was ok.
Cameron took a steadying breath as she forced her legs to walk over, and opened the door.
She was sure she would’ve gone hypoxic if she hadn’t taken that preemptive breath. After that, she forgot how to breathe.
Lately, she had started getting used to imagining what Thirteen’s outfit looked like without the labcoat— and the answer was always ‘gorgeous’— but this was something else. Standing at the door was an option she forgot could exist: ‘Off-duty Thirteen’.
The doctor was wearing dark dress pants— similar to the ones she wore at work, only more form-fitting— and a sky blue button-up shirt that had no traces of professionalism: the first couple of buttons were nowhere near buttoned, and the sleeves were tastefully bunched around the woman’s elbows, as if it were their rightful place. At the cleavage ( not that Cameron looked, of course not ), a hint of black strap taunted her— was that a cage bra? Cameron quickly looked higher up when she realized what she’d been staring at, only to feel even more improper at the smirk that was waiting for her. And those eyes .
“Hey.”
“… Thirteen.” She sounded mesmerized.
Thirteen’s eyebrows rose slightly, which only accentuated the relaxed, hooded eyes that kept giving Cameron trouble. “Cameron.” She chuckled softly. “Sorry, is this the right address?” She added charmingly, taking out a small note to ‘check’ if she’d gotten the wrong apartment with the wrong tenant.
Cameron’s nerves dissipated a bit with her resulting laugh. “Hi. Yes, come in, please.” She stepped back to let her new friend enter. Thirteen could’ve made a fantastic joke about the phrase and tone, but decided it’d probably get at least one of them in trouble. She laid a hand on Cameron’s shoulder and leaned in to greet her with a cheek kiss that left both of them reeling a bit.
Thirteen decided to distract her eyes from Cameron’s face and body to look around. The apartment was big enough for two people— which made sense, considering there was a couple living there— and was nicely decorated. If Thirteen were a bit more like House, she would’ve noticed the decoration didn’t scream ‘happily ever after’, and just muttered ‘budding relationship’ with a touch of ‘withering from lack of water’.
Cameron closed the door behind them, and led them towards the living room. “Your place is lovely.” Thirteen mentioned the words every visitor mentions in every home, but they still felt sincere. She flashed a smile at Cameron that proved it.
“Thank you, I do wish I could decorate it a bit more, but relationships mean compromise I guess.” She said it with a joking tone, but it made Thirteen realize the place did not feel like Cameron. It did feel a lot like Chase, though. Which meant he was either an asshole, or an oblivious idiot. She wasn’t sure which.
“I guess they do” was the reply she settled on with a matching smile, but her hand tightened a bit at the previous thought. It reminded her she was carrying something. “Oh! Almost forgot.” She raised her hand slightly to bring Cameron’s attention to the bottle in her hand. “I hope you like sparkling wine. Couldn’t get anything stronger, one of us has a shift tomorrow and she does not want the hangover.” She added the last part with a laugh, which Cameron returned amusedly.
“I do, but you didn’t have to!” She said with a clearly grateful expression. In reality, Cameron was beyond relieved that she’d have something to relax with; she couldn’t imagine this night going smoothly if her nerves kept making her trip over herself, and she didn’t wanna test if Thirteen’s wit could save her every time.
Thirteen chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, but I didn’t know if ‘just my pretty face’ would last us all evening.” So she didn’t miss that. Cameron blushed a bit and busied herself with getting glasses.
Thankfully for Cameron, Thirteen didn’t have any intention of actually seducing her, it seemed, so the woman walked further into the place and settled herself comfortably but politely on the sofa ( queer sitting , one would’ve thought ), while Cameron came back and settled the glasses on the coffee table before handing Thirteen a bottle opener. “Thank you. So, what did you plan for the first night of your wild, never-before-heard-of, three-day vacation?”
Thirteen had said it with a friendly tone, but Cameron’s mind could only run rampant with the idea of what a ‘wild night’ with Thirteen could mean. With other women, of course, not with her. She would’ve tried distracting herself with Thirteen’s movements, but opening a bottle with the practiced ease Thirteen did it with without even paying attention to the bottle was objectively sexy, Cameron thought, so it was of no help.
She hid the thoughts with a smile, and handed Thirteen a glass to pour the bubbly in. “I actually didn’t plan much.” She sat next to her new friend. “My… usual hangout friends weren’t available, but I didn’t want to be alone tonight.” She took a sip of her drink once she had it. Despite Thirteen’s best efforts to try and not focus on Cameron as a sexual interest, her eyes locked on the woman’s lips as she drank. “This is really nice.” Cameron looked at her glass, none the wiser.
Thirteen desperately held onto her humour to distract herself. “Yeah, sorry, the store ran out of cheap boxed wine so we’re stuck with this.” She took a sip of her own to get rid of her sudden voice’s raspiness. Cameron laughed, once again seemingly clueless. “Your other friends bailed on you?”
Cameron shook her head, she was glad at the ‘other’ clarification. “No, they were just all busy when I asked; my lucky vacation was a last-minute rotation change.” Cameron skipped the fact that she didn’t have that many friends to begin with.
“Hey, what a coincidence, mine too!” Thirteen made a clear nod to the day off that was forced against her will, this time without a trace of the anger she’d initially felt. She clunk their glasses in mock celebration. “To surprise vacations.”
Cameron laughed. “To surprise vacations” she repeated the toast before drinking some more. It left a nice bubbling, cool against her tongue yet warm in her throat and chest. “I’m afraid I only planned dinner. Is that ‘wild’ enough for you?”
Thirteen acted as if she were thinking very hard, looking up and tapping her jaw. It was adorable. “Mmm… no, I don’t think so, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t meet the criteria for wild vacation.”
“Really? You sound like you know about these.”
“Oh I’m an expert . I know Kutner seems like the party animal because he’s a mess at the hospital, but I know a thing or two about wild times off duty.” ‘Adorable’ went out the window with the wolfish smirk Thirteen gave her. “Granted, my wild vacations are usually spent at bars.”
Cameron tried to avoid the very alluring tone the conversation was taking. “Playing drinking games?”
Thirteen burst out laughing. “I’m younger, doctor Cameron, but I’m not that much younger.” Hearing her name and title in a low voice did something to her, and she felt more and more helpless to the woman’s charm.
“Hey, drinking games can be fun!” Cameron nudged her knee with Thirteen’s to tease back, but the contact sent a thrill up her spine that backfired.
Thirteen raised an eyebrow. “Really?” Cameron nodded in response. “Then I change my statement: I’m old but I’m not that old, grandma.” The two women kept laughing, any initial tension long gone.
“I’m not that old, you just don’t know how to have fun!”
The bedroom eyes Thirteen instantly gave her told her silently she definitely knew how to have fun. Fuck . Thirteen reeled in the expression to give a more polite smirk, and leaned in, resting her elbows on her knees. “Alright, party girl, pick a game.”
“Huh?” Cameron was too busy trying to get rid of the heat quickly burning her cheeks.
Thirteen took a slow sip of her wine. “Pick a drinking game, we’ll play.”
Notes:
Taking bets to see what people think the pair will play ( please indulge me I'm so nosy I wanna chat about it )
Chapter 8
Notes:
The correct answer to the bet is: family game turned frat boy menace
Picked by my best friend in true menace fashion
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cameron felt a thrill at the situation. She was completely against cheating: it hurt old affections, and was sure to give a bumpy start to new ones. But that was alright, because she wasn’t cheating; she wouldn’t cheat.
Still, she felt anything she did with her new friend had a tint of forbidden to it. Maybe because her fiance didn’t like Thirteen, but there were other friends he didn’t like, and they worked through it nicely, so that couldn’t be it. Maybe it was because last time, Cameron felt loved and felt love for Chase, when they held hands and talked through their issues; and now, Cameron wasn’t too sure she felt either of those, or if they’d talk it through as comfortably as before.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she spotted what she was looking for. Among Chase’s rubble ( that she’d so desperately tried to organize time and time again, until she eventually gave up ) lay a box that’d made her laugh and enjoy herself in the past, but that the couple hadn’t touched in months. She picked it up and walked back to the living room excitedly, forcing herself to ignore the sadness of that last thought.
Thirteen was playing with the fabric of her shirt absentmindedly when she spotted Cameron approaching. She squinted at the box, and began laughing. “How is Jenga a drinking party game!” she exclaimed more than asked, but instead of Cameron giving her the now-predictable bashful blush she was growing alarmingly fond of, she smirked triumphantly.
“It’s not just Jenga.” She placed it on the coffee table as if claiming checkmate. Thirteen leaned in to read. It had ugly handwriting with worn permanent marker, so that the box read:
‘PARTY TRUTH OR DARE Jenga ® ’
It wasn’t a new iteration the brand had announced or even a knock-off, it was a normal, classic Jenga box, with permanent marker scribbled on it. It was worn at the edges, and the cardboard was doing all it could to keep its shape.
Thirteen glanced slowly away from the box. “ Party Jenga?” She looked at Cameron like she was the victim in a very strange horror movie about a hostage situation. Cameron couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her at the sight.
“It’s from Chase’s frat!”
“Your boyfriend, the wonder surgeon, was in a frat?” Thirteen stared, incredulous. It wasn’t that Chase wasn’t an asshole, he certainly had been one to her on more than one occasion, but he seemed more like a pompous lacrosse asshole than a frat boy asshole.
Cameron nodded eagerly, glad she wasn’t the only one amused at the thought. “He puts up this ‘proper church boy’ front; I didn’t believe him until he showed me photos.” Cameron would later notice she didn’t care to correct Thirteen for calling him her boyfriend instead of her fiance, and that she had been more excited about Thirteen’s reaction than about her fiance being the topic.
Thirteen blinked, taking the box in one last time, as if judging its intentions. Then, she shrugged, a relaxed smirk on her lips again. “Alright, I’m game.” She chuckled, and Cameron rushed to her place on the sofa, grinning devilishly.
As Cameron placed the bottle of wine on the rug to clear the coffee table, Thirteen opened the ancient box and let the Jenga pieces slide onto the free surface. She noticed the blocks were also scribbled on, some with pen, others with thin markers, and others were downright carved on.
She picked one up. “ ‘What’s the worst’- hey!” Cameron snatched the block before she could continue to read.
“That’s cheating!” Cameron stated good-naturedly.
“Well you’ve clearly played whatever this is before! I should at least get to get familiar with it before it fucks me in the ass!” Thirteen joked, and Cameron gasped before cackling.
Cameron started building the Jenga tower. “You’ve played Jenga before, it’s not that different.” Thirteen stared at her suspiciously, but started helping after a few seconds. “Each block has a truth or a dare written on it. If you successfully pull one, you get to direct it to another player.”
Thirteen looked horrified in an excited sort of way. “And if the tower falls?”
“You have to fulfill what the block asks of you.” Cameron shot her a conspiratorial smile as she set the last blocks on the tower. The way they were placed, neither could tell what foul future each block held.
Thirteen’s eyebrows rose in amusement. “Where does the drinking come in?”
“If you’re a coward, you can opt out of a question or a dare by drinking.”
Thirteen smirked at the wording; she noticed Cameron was competitive, by the way she taunted her, and assumed Cameron thought the same of her. She was right, of course.
“Alright.” Without asking, Thirteen reached for a piece in the middle of the tower, pulling at it without checking its stability. Bold move, sure, but she was known for pulling little stunts like that to easily impress women. She wouldn’t be trying to get in Cameron’s bed, of course, she didn’t want trouble with her asshole fiance, but the admiration was still nice to bask in.
She turned the block around once she managed to take it away from the tower, and read out loud. “ ‘Have you ever broken the law?’ Oh come on, I know this one!”
Cameron chuckled. “Well, I had already broken it before your boss made me, if it’s any consolation.” Both women knew full well that being House’s fellow entailed rule breaking.
“What, underage drinking?” Thirteen scoffed, smiling.
“Public indecency. My turn!” Cameron pushed at a block that was loose, and started reading before Thirteen could finish processing what she’d said. “ ‘Are you part of the mile-high club?’ ”
Thirteen blinked. “Wait, indecency as in naked in public or sex in public?” She hoped Cameron didn’t notice there was excitement in her voice. Cameron smiled and tilted the block in her hand from side to side while taking a pointed sip of her drink— despite not needing to, she’d technically answered—, refusing to give more details just to mess with her. Thirteen’s jaw dropped a bit, smiling, before she answered her question. “Yeah, you’d be surprised by the amount of stewardesses that want a little fun during the flight.”
Cameron’s eyes jumped out. “Seriously??” Thirteen nodded sagely to get a smile out of the other woman, and pulled at another Jenga block. Maybe this game could be harmless fun.
“Oh this one’s fun. ‘If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you do?’” She chuckled. “I bet the frat boys loved this one.”
Cameron laughed in tandem, before focusing on her answer. “Hmm… I think I’d have sex.”
Thirteen snorted. “Are you that curious about dick?”
Cameron laughed again, shaking her head. “I’m curious about what being with a woman must feel like.” Thirteen’s expression went blank with surprise at that. Was Cameron…? “I mean, if men love it so much!”
Thirteen nodded slowly, her smirk coming back. “It is good, trust me. There’s a reason I prefer my partners on the female side most times.” She finished her answer with a jesting wink. “You don’t need a dick to enjoy it, either; if you ever want pointers, just ask.” Cameron stared with a dazed expression, raising her glass to her lips absentmindedly to stop the mental image. Thirteen chuckled again after a few seconds. “It’s your turn, sir .” Thirteen mocked her inability to focus, but she wasn’t faring any better. The idea of Cameron with a dick— or the idea of just cis Cameron with a strap even— was taking up Thirteen’s attention at the moment.
“Oh!” She scrambled to find a block to push, a bit less gently than last time. “ ‘Two people must trade clothes for the rest of the day.’ ” Cameron stared at the block blankly before dropping it on the table and beginning to fuss with the hem of her turtleneck. Maybe it was the alcohol setting in, but she had no qualms with the idea of letting Thirteen take a peek for a moment.
Thirteen was surprised at Cameron’s decisiveness, but she supposed it made sense with how randomly straightforward she had proven to be now. She started unbuttoning the rest of her own shirt, eyes glued to Cameron’s figure, and a warmth spreading through her body at the view. She had to remind herself she wasn’t getting undressed to get laid this time, as much as she wished she had been.
Once Cameron’s turtleneck was out, she turned to look at Thirteen, and caught her staring. Instead of a scandalized reaction, she smirked, tossing the bunched up fabric to her face. “Shirt off, Thirteen.”
Thirteen chuckled, and tried her best to not focus on the perfume that lingered from the offending turtleneck. “Yes, ma’am.” She finished unbuttoning it, and took it off with such poise that Cameron could’ve thought she was receiving a professional strip tease. Thirteen dangled the shirt on a finger, offering it up to Cameron, but Cameron’s eyes were fixated elsewhere.
It was a cage bra; a black cage bra with straps that hugged each breast tantalizingly perfectly. She felt her mouth water, and a certain tingle somewhere south. She hoped Thirteen didn’t notice her shifting in her seat, or swallowing, and took the shirt, busying herself with putting it on.
Thirteen didn’t watch Cameron put her shirt on, too busy trying to get her head through the turtleneck, but once she had it on, she spotted the older woman finishing the… first half of the buttons. Thirteen wasn’t one to wear tight buttoned shirts, but she could see it was slightly tighter for Cameron around the chest. Cameron opted to leave the shirt half-buttoned, the same way Thirteen had worn it, only more tantalizing considering the fact that it was, well, tighter. Cameron wasn’t wearing the cage bra that wrapped up the outfit Thirteen had chosen, but her bra shone through either way, pale pink lace framing her chest gorgeously.
Thirteen didn’t wanna get caught a second time staring, so she busied herself with bunching up the turtleneck’s sleeves around her elbows like last time— it gave her an air of laidback sexiness she liked. While she was busy, Cameron noted sadly that she could no longer gaze at Thirteen’s chest, but the top’s black color made her eyes pop dazzlingly. And, well, the upside was that she already knew what was underneath the turtleneck now.
As soon as Thirteen finished and looked up, Cameron looked away. “Do we need to trade trousers too?” Thirteen asked, a bit wary, but managing to keep her relaxed front.
Cameron was suddenly aware of how much the game had affected her. The game, of course, not Thirteen. Anyone would get a bit wet at a sexual themed game, right? Not because of Thirteen at all. “No, I think just shirts is fine. This one’s comfortable, I may steal it.” She tried to reroute the conversation with a joke. It really was comfortable, though. “My turn right?” She picked a block quickly, and the tower danced a bit as the women froze up and watched in horror.
Thankfully, it stood still, allowing the game to continue.
She sighed in relief before reading. “ ‘Which sexual act are you best at?’ ” She reprimanded herself for the chosen block, but tried not to show it. Cameron was having a hard time with the path the questions were taking. Couldn’t they pull a funny dare? Something gross? She didn’t remember this game being so arousing last time. She picked her forgotten drink to take a sip, desperate to do something with herself.
“Eating out.” Thirteen picked another block, this time from higher off the tower. Bad time for her drink; Cameron started choking, coughing unceremoniously to save herself from drowning. Thirteen made it better and worse by patting her back, soothing the cough and warming the skin. “Woah, Cam, are you alright?”
Cameron nodded, her coughs slowing down. She was red, but Thirteen didn’t dare think it was her doing. Cameron reached for another block, trying to ignore the answer. Her seat on the sofa was starting to feel uncomfortable, so she shifted her hips a bit again.
Thirteen stopped her hand. “Easy, cowboy, it’s my turn.” She joked, and Cameron only got redder, but laughed a bit, feeling more at ease.
Thirteen read hers once she felt Cameron was feeling better. “ ‘Pretend the person in front of you is a handsome stranger at a bar. Try to pick them up.’ ” Their eyes locked together. Cameron took a deep breath.
Thirteen started feeling Cameron may be uncomfortable with her own choice of game. “We don’t have to keep p-” the words died in her throat when Cameron moved to sit closer to her, their legs barely a centimeter apart, her demeanor completely changed, but the blush still present.
She gazed into Thirteen’s eyes for a second after giving her a slow once over. Seeing Cameron in her clothes made it so much hotter. “Hi”, a coy, yet confident voice.
Thirteen gulped and felt like a Looney Tunes character, heart and eyes ready to jump out of her body. She tried to lighten her reaction and not focus on the direct view she had of the woman’s breasts from that angle. “That’s not a picku-”
“Your eyes are beautiful .” Cameron risked reaching out to her arm, softly trailing her nails on the bare skin, and watched it immediately get goosebumps. Without giving Thirteen any time to recover, Cameron bit her lip with a smile, and looked back up to the poor victim’s face. “ You’re beautiful.”
Thirteen only heard herself let out a heavy, troubled sigh. Traitor, she thought to herself. Even if she hadn’t given the obvious sign, Cameron had noticed Thirteen’s pupils dilated big time.
Cameron inched a bit closer, breath ghosting over Thirteen’s lips. “Are you alone tonight?” She made the last sentence sound exceptionally sultry, and, just when Thirteen was about to respond ( though let’s be honest, she would’ve simply gaped and stammered ), Cameron pulled away, reaching for a new Jenga block with renewed confidence. If Thirteen hadn’t been too busy getting her libido under control, she would’ve noticed Cameron was breathing erratically as well.
Cameron cleared her throat to read with a normal voice. “ ‘What’s the weirdest sex dream you’ve ever had?’ ”
Thirteen’s brain was going into overdrive. She tried focusing, but could only think about Cameron. About the countless times she’d appeared in her dreams simply because the woman was gorgeous. About how she made those general feelings grow more and more specific as she got to know her better. Thirteen debated on how to answer the question without turning harmless fun into serious talks, until she remembered her options, and raised the glass to her lips to drink, successfully avoiding the question. She drank half her glass rather than just a bit, welcoming the dizzying taste and the added courage.
Cameron threw her hands in the air. “Oh come on! It can’t have been that wild!”
Thirteen shrugged, making up an excuse on the spot. “My sexual fantasies are for my sexual partners; club members only, sorry.” She joked, and Cameron’s indignance calmed a bit with it, but was replaced with… jealousy? Cameron tucked the feeling away.
“Well I just picked you up at a bar! Doesn’t that give me club privileges?” Thirteen shook her head in response, and picked a block. She stared at it. Could she be a coward? Would she allow herself to be one? Would Cameron let her live it down if she gave up on the game?
Thirteen debated for what felt like ages to her. Surely Cameron would give up and opt to drink, no? She read the block. “ ‘m… moan for 10 seconds in the ear of the person to your right’…” She felt the heat radiate off her cheeks, and didn’t dare look in Cameron’s direction.
In her periphery, she noticed Cameron top her almost-empty glass off, and down it all in one go. Thirteen readied a sigh of disappointment-tinged relief at it. Then, when she noticed Cameron stand up, she assumed the woman had picked mercy, and the game was over. Which meant dinner time, and then pious goodbyes.
But then Cameron walked to the other side of the sofa, and sat on the armrest. Thirteen was now sitting to her right.
Thirteen felt her entire life and medical career flash before her eyes when she felt a hand rest gently on her jaw, and Cameron’s lips draw close to her ear. “Mmmm…”
Thirteen took a deep breath, eyes shutting closed.
Notes:
1. Thirteen being part of the mile high club because of the stewardesses is a direct nod to an old fic I found a while ago, here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5184260/1/Aeroplanes thank you early 2000s
2. I took the questions/dares from across the internet! Say thank you internet
3. The sir dialogue is specifically meant to imply Thirteen would be head over heels for transfem!Cameron do with that what you will ( except fetishizing trans folk, don't do that ). Thirteen's a simple woman with simple needs and those needs are bisexuality
4. It was not, in fact, Cameron's turn after they switch shirts, but who am I to blame them for getting distracted? ( Me I got distracted and realized my mistake when the rest of the chapter was already done )
Chapter 9
Notes:
This one's unbridled smut pals please be warned
Cucking Chase party 2025
Gentle reminder that Cameron is canonically loud in bed, Chase said so and she said she can't help it and we love that for her
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Ohh… god, so good…” Cameron was taking the dare. She noticed Thirteen’s knuckles turn white around the Jenga block, and smirked. She decided that, if she was to have fun with this, she’d go all out. Get a little payback for the lack of answer to the last question while at it, too. Payback for the annoyance she made her feel. Not jealousy for reminding her she fucks other people instead of her, no; not attraction, not at all, just annoyance. Giving a small pant against Thirteen’s ear, she risked sliding off the armrest, bending her leg and resting it on Thirteen’s lap.
She was immediately rewarded by Thirteen’s instinct to grab said leg, forgetting the Jenga block altogether, and holding onto the soft skin. Cameron felt a jolt of pure pleasure at that. “Ah!” A real moan.
“Mmmff, Thirteen…” she let her arms sneak around Thirteen’s neck, and noticed Thirteen’s breathing was growing very labored. At the nickname, Cameron felt a rewarding grip on her leg, and heard a groan escape Thirteen’s throat, clearly against her best efforts to control herself.
Cameron decided to try her luck again, and slid further into the sofa, straddling Thirteen, and feeling the younger woman’s other hand reach her waist to lock her in the position. “Mmm…” Cameron let out, this time involuntarily, and ground her hips slightly on Thirteen’s lap. What had the dare been again?
“ God , Cameron.” Thirteen pulled her down, gently yet firm, and felt Cameron’s hips buck against her, eliciting another groan from her.
“Hah…” Cameron was moaning inadvertently now, her forehead resting against Thirteen’s jaw. She was way more turned on than she had anticipated, and her thighs trembled a bit at the realization. “God…”
Were they too drunk for this? Was it uninhibited desire, or foolish recklessness? In either case, neither woman seemed able to pull away from the other.
Thirteen was still trying to control herself, a fact that quickly became of deep annoyance for Cameron. She arched her back, forcing Thirteen to open her eyes and notice the very alluring, half-exposed chest in front of her. She felt Thirteen’s hands travel down to her thighs, stroking them softly, and her hips bucked again, more erratically this time. “Hah… mm…” then, finally, Cameron felt a pair of lips against her chest. “God, yes…”
The ten seconds had long since passed. The Jenga game was entirely forgotten. All Cameron could think about was the warm lips kissing and licking her exposed skin, and all Thirteen could think about was the intoxicating scent and taste overwhelming her senses.
As soon as Thirteen ran out of chest area to kiss, she began trailing damp kisses up Cameron’s neck, feeling the moans vibrate against her mouth. “Nnn- Ah!!” A particularly loud one came as Thirteen tested biting the skin, and the grinding hips grew more insistent. She noted hazily that Cameron had begun unbuttoning the shirt she wore.
Once the shirt was unbuttoned, and Cameron had yanked it off herself, Thirteen used a single hand to unclasp the lacy bra. Cameron let out a needy moan that sounded more like a begging whimper, and it was all Thirteen could do to take the bra off and put her tongue to work there.
Cameron inhaled deeply. “Oh god you’re good.” She let out, hands trailing into Thirteen’s hair to encourage her sucking and licking.
And how Thirteen loved being told she was good. Her hands trailed lower, fingers caressing Cameron’s inner thighs as she continued her mouth’s work on her nipples, and she felt Cameron’s entire body shudder with want. The heat she felt on top of her lap was making any coherent thought go down the drain; she needed to take this woman.
She realized she wasn’t the only one when Cameron tilted her face up almost forcefully, placing their lips a breath away as she continued to pant. “Fuck me…” Thirteen looked into her eyes uncertainly. “I’ll- mmmnnn… I’ll… deal with my ex later…”
The groan that escaped Thirteen at the implication proved all they needed to know. Cameron leaned in to kiss Thirteen passionately, tongues quickly getting involved and moans coming out of both. In seconds, Thirteen had undone Cameron’s belt and zipper, and was ready to take off the creamy pants that had clearly darkened at the soaked center.
Thirteen wasn’t sure who did what, but in a blur Cameron had been tossed to the length of the sofa, and Thirteen was on top of her, Cameron’s now-naked legs wrapped around her.
As Cameron looked up at the woman, she noticed Thirteen’s expression had changed: the barely-restrained, polite woman now wore the sexiest bedroom eyes Cameron had seen; they made her feel wanted like never before, a dangerous thrill running through her entire body. She was in for a ride, and oh did she want it. Another moan escaped her at the visual, and Thirteen gave her a smirk in understanding, before busying her mouth on her neck again. “What are you doing to me, Cam?” Her voice was lower than usual, almost a rumble.
As her lips traveled down and focused on her chest again, Cameron’s moans grew. Thirteen could feel the warmth and wetness anytime Cameron’s hips bucked up, so it didn’t take long for her to sneak a hand down her thigh, inching closer and closer to the ruined underwear. Cameron’s sounds let her know she was really looking forward to it. Thirteen wondered if her fiance ever made her sound like that.
Slowly and deliberately, Thirteen placed a knuckle against Cameron— who jolted at it with a loud whine— and dragged it up until it reached her clitoris. “MMMmmnnnhhh!” Thirteen’s own hips bucked at the neediness, but she refused to give her more.
After a second of not moving, Thirteen heard what she wanted. “Thirteen, please…” She felt Cameron peppering her jaw with kisses, as if trying to convince her. Thirteen didn’t need convincing, but she sure loved knowing just how needy Cameron was.
After a moment, she was surprised to feel Cameron’s hands roam in search of the turtleneck, peeling it off the woman’s torso and tossing it mindlessly to a random spot in the apartment. Then, she felt Cameron pushing her back to a sitting position, and grew even more shocked when Cameron’s lips began licking and kissing at her jaw, then neck, and then lower towards her chest.
She looked down to enjoy the view, and saw Cameron pick a strap from the bra with her teeth, pull it back, and let it snap back to its rightful place. “Mmng…” Thirteen groaned and bucked up, and Cameron’s expression formed a satisfied smirk.
“You look…” she started, running her hands up Thirteen’s torso, and pausing between kisses to her chest. “ So good…” her fingers reached the still-clothed breasts, running featherlight circles across them, “in this…” she looked up with excitement when she heard Thirteen’s groans get closer to open-mouthed moans and sighs. Then, she unclasped the cage bra, only partly sad that she wouldn’t get to see it for the rest of the night, and gazed at the perfect breasts in adoration before returning the favour. The moans she heard in response were heavenly.
To Cameron’s amusement— but not surprise— Thirteen refused to give control, and so she felt her hands start moving against her bare thighs again, until one reached the center, giving a slow rub with just the right amount of pressure. “Oh god-” Cameron unglued herself from Thirteen’s chest, and her pants started coming in quickly again. She didn’t remember ever feeling this sensitive in the past.
This time, Thirteen’s fingers didn’t move away. She kept stroking Cameron over her underwear steadily, and continued at the same pace until she felt Cameron cling to her back for dear life, nails burying painful pleasure into Thirteen, just how she liked it. “Nnnngod j-just- hmn… put them… haah… i-innn…” Thirteen felt Cameron’s bucks coordinate a bit more, desperately trying to achieve her own request by pushing against said fingers, despite the barrier.
Thirteen pulled the underwear aside ( an easy task, considering it was just wet cloth at that point ), and stroked the folds gently once before letting her fingers find their way inside. Two in one go. “Oooohh yeeees…” Cameron ground her hips into the sensation, needily trying to get Thirteen to reach deeper.
Thirteen obliged, letting her fingers go deeper and deeper with each thrust as Cameron’s moans grew even louder. As she kept pumping inside, she noticed Cameron was soaking her own thighs, Thirteen’s hand and pants, and the sofa. Thirteen was sure she was dreaming.
Licking her lips at the sight, Thirteen decided to try a third finger, which went in without resistance. “Aahhnnn…” Cameron’s hips bucked, and Thirteen’s pace grew faster.
“God, you feel amazing…” Thirteen whispered against her neck, kissing, and felt Cameron tighten around her fingers at the praise.
“Hah… hard… mmmhh- harder!” Thirteen could only obey.
Cameron’s pleasure built up quickly after that, and Thirteen soon noticed the telltale signs of an incoming orgasm. She decided to slow down slightly to thrust more deeply, and soon Cameron’s moans reached a high, desperate pitch as her thighs began shaking uncontrollably. “Ahh! Haah! Mmmff-! Hnnn…!” Thirteen basked in the woman’s pleasured expressions, and thought she’d do anything to achieve that again.
Then, she felt the rewarding pain of Cameron’s nails scratching her back as they sought anchor, and of Cameron’s teeth, muffling her moans on the space between Thirteen’s neck and shoulder, huffing breathlessly as she clenched around her fingers in pure ecstasy. Thirteen wasn’t sure Cameron had done it purposely, but the pleasure she got from the pain paired with the spectacle nearly made Thirteen come herself.
She kept moving her hand— its pace slowing down gently— as Cameron’s moans grew longer and quieter, and she rode her orgasm out.
When Cameron let go of the skin in her mouth and opened her eyes again, lips slightly swollen and parted, Thirteen could read the request plainly on her expression, and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was slow, full of lust, and Thirteen thought she felt a taste of affection in it, too, when Cameron’s hands ran softly across her back, soothing the damage, before moving to gently cup around her neck and jaw.
She was stopped from processing the thought when the kiss broke and she felt Cameron whisper in a hoarse voice. “Can you keep going?”
A moan escaped Thirteen at that, and she immediately began kissing and biting at Cameron’s neck, pushing her to lie back down on the sofa, and slowly making her way down the woman’s body, giving her a clear answer.
When she reached her thighs, Cameron was moaning again. Thirteen started pressing kisses near her knees, and moved her way down, leaving a wet trail of goosebumps as she reached the center.
She let out a hot breath against Cameron, and watched her hips buck up desperately with a smirk. “ That good?” Instead of a flustered response or a whiny plea, Thirteen felt a leg pull her in full force, and gasped in surprise. “Bossy.” She chuckled, licking her lips for show, and pulled the underwear off with her teeth slowly, a self-satisfied smirk in place.
“Hurry up Thirt- haaaah…” Thirteen drew her tongue across Cameron’s folds slowly, smirk still clear on her face. She felt Cameron’s thighs tremble and try closing around her head. Yeah, she was that good.
And Cameron’s taste was addictive. Thirteen lapped at her leisurely, enjoying herself as Cameron moaned unbridledly. She wasn’t sure how used Cameron was to being eaten out, but with each passing second she began to assume that not much. That, or Chase was shit at it. Cameron seemed positively overwhelmed by the sensation.
For a second, Thirteen worried it might be too much for her. “Cam, are you alr-”
“Don’t stop.” was moaned out so full of bliss and need that Thirteen could feel herself get immediately soaked all over again at the sound alone. She placed her mouth on Cameron again, licking up until she reached her clitoris. Cameron bucked up immediately, and Thirteen had to push her down with her hands, earning another moan. This woman liked being manhandled.
She started licking circles against her clitoris, hands caressing the struggling thighs, eyes never leaving the beauty in front of her. “Mmmmhh… more… MMMF… more! Oh god- Thirteen… god, please…”
Once Cameron’s moans started reaching a higher note, Thirteen left a thigh alone, trailing her fingers across Cameron’s folds again, and thrusting into the perfect spot. Cameron’s moans became a blend of half-words, gasps, and encouragements. Then, when Thirteen decided to start sucking on her clitoris, the moans became so loud Thirteen almost felt bad for the neighboring tenants. Almost .
She doubled down on the intensity when she felt Cameron press more intently against her mouth, and felt hands pull at her hair in blissful desperation, her own moans joining the ambience, and providing a delicious vibration against Cameron. Soon, she felt the woman start shaking. “Come on, Cam, come for me.”
That did it. The next minutes involved the sweetest, dirtiest sounds Cameron had ever heard herself make. Thirteen indulged in the clenching around her tongue and fingers, moaning low notes against the woman pressed to her, until Cameron could no longer moan, and her body grew pleasantly tired of shaking.
Thirteen stopped with the last of Cameron’s jolts, pulling out gently, basking in the resulting aftershocks, and licking the wetness off Cameron, her mouth, and her fingers ( she had to wipe a lot of it off her chin as well, and decided to remember that to tease the woman later ). She waited for Cameron to catch her breath and decide the next course of action, a bit worried now that the situation began to set in.
Cameron opened her eyes, and they were, somehow, still full of lust. Fortunately, she was too tired, and just trailed a tender hand up Thirteen’s jaw, leading her to crawl back up, and giving her a slow, gentle kiss that neither noted the duration of.
Cameron broke the kiss softly. “Wow, that was… wow” Her voice was hoarse, throat clearly damaged from its previous activity. “I had…” she still needed to catch her breath. “ Never felt like that…”
Thirteen couldn’t stop the pleased smile that betrayed her feelings. “Yeah?” She stroked Cameron’s bare torso gently, and felt the woman shiver under her touch again, a small moan.
“Yeah.” She cupped Thirteen’s face again, leaning in for another kiss. Thirteen felt her heart soar, was she being affectionate after coming down from the aftersex? Was her statement about making Chase her ex true?
Thirteen broke the kiss before letting it rile them up again. “You have no idea how good you were.” She smirked, but her eyes still shone with something closer to romance.
Cameron laughed. “I think I noticed; your eyes looked black at some point.” Thirteen’s eyebrows shot up at the statement, before Cameron leaned in to whisper. “Your moans made it pretty clear as well.”
Thirteen felt a hand trail up her torso again, and she took a deep breath before sitting up. “Alright, sex demon, I do need dinner now.”
Cameron groaned in mock annoyance, and Thirteen had to gather all her willpower to not succumb to the sound. She took hold of one of the now-spent woman’s arms and pulled her up gently but firmly. “And you need to get dressed before you catch a cold.”
“I thought you liked the view.” Cameron smirked devilishly as she stood up to follow Thirteen. This woman was trouble.
Notes:
Dinner is SO cold at this point
Idk if I headcanon Chase as /bad/ in bed, a freak like Cameron wouldn't go back to him if he were bad let's be honest. What I do know is Thirteen has got to be way better
Again, kudos and comments are the way to tell me you'd like to keep reading!! Otherwise I have no way of knowing!
Chapter 10
Notes:
It's that time again: let's all act like Sheep knows how hospitals work
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cameron woke up surrounded by warmth, a warmth she hadn’t felt in months. Why didn’t Robert hug her like that anymore? Why was he doing it now…?
He wasn’t.
Cameron stirred slightly, memory coming back to interrupt the comfortable sleep she wanted to go back to, until she realized her current state was much more enjoyable. Around her waist, a slender arm rested protectively. Against her back, a warm, naked body curled around her own. On her neck, a soft breath caressed her skin. A delicious scent of perfume mixed with sex permeated her senses. Thirteen.
Cameron sighed contentedly, snuggling closer to her lover.
The pair had had a wonderful dinner after their little game-and-sex affair the night prior; despite her fear of having gone too far, Thirteen treated her wonderfully the rest of the evening, chatting about anything and everything, and giving each other glances filled with shared secrets, barely-hidden lust, and what seemed to be affection.
Then, when Robert texted her he’d sleep at the hospital due to another emergency surgery, the women decided it’d be a good idea to let the night extend itself. They could barely contain themselves, when they washed the dishes, when they put the bottle in the fridge, and finally when they half picked up the Jenga, abandoning the task when one gave the other a too-tempting look, in favour of making out as Cameron showed Thirteen the way to the bedroom to continue what they’d started.
Now, Cameron lay in bed truly spent— she didn’t think anyone had ever properly made her run out of steam before— limbs only slightly rested, and still feeling heavy with contentment from the night before.
After a few seconds, she felt the arm around her tighten slightly. “Good morning, beautiful.” She heard in a silky, alto voice that would’ve made her knees weak if they had the ability to get any weaker.
Cameron couldn’t help the smile that escaped her, so she turned around to plant a kiss on Thirteen’s own smiling lips. “Good morning, handsome.”
Thirteen chuckled lazily. “I like that. How are you feeling?”
Cameron nuzzled to her neck. “Like the softest elephant stepped on me and turned me into mush.” Thirteen let out a cackle, holding Cameron closer to her. “I mean it! I don’t think I’ve ever felt this tired.”
Thirteen’s laugh became gentler. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Oh you better.” They gazed into one another’s eyes for a moment. That wasn’t just sex.
Thirteen started growing nervous. “Any news from Chase?” Cameron’s face fell a bit.
“No, he’s gonna stay at the hospital all day I think.”
“What… are you gonna tell him?” Thirteen started drawing lazy circles across Cameron’s side, helping her feel supported rather than interrogated. She knew this wouldn’t be easy for either of them.
Cameron looked down, shame and anxiety starting to creep into her face. “I… don’t know…” She felt Thirteen’s hand stop, tension building up. “I will tell him.” she clarified quickly, looking back into Thirteen’s face to show she meant it. Thankfully, she felt Thirteen’s hand relax against her again, but she could also feel how the woman’s heart was still rushing in fear. “I just don’t know how. I think I stopped loving him a good while ago, but…” she searched for the words. “I’m not sure if he still loves me… I don’t want to hurt him.”
Thirteen knew her relationship with Cameron was barely existent, and that the woman’s engagement had years of history behind it, but even if the two women didn’t work out to become as strong as that, she didn’t want to try anything through an affair. Especially not if Cameron was, at the very least, a friend she'd grown quite fond of. She didn’t want to lose that.
She felt her anxiety dissipate when Cameron cupped her face. “I will tell him.” She repeated, and Thirteen turned her face to kiss her palm in silent gratefulness.
Cameron smiled widely at it. “Who would’ve thought the cold and mysterious number 13 was a softie?”
Thirteen grinned with suspicious eyes, slightly embarrassed. “Who would’ve thought the hospital’s bleeding heart was a freak?” To accentuate her claim, she pulled Cameron’s hips flush against her, and Cameron moaned a bit, proving her point.
“Well can you blame me?” She ran her hands through Thirteen’s hair, watching her eyes flutter at the feeling. “A certain, dreamy stranger makes it very difficult for me not to be.”
Thirteen cackled at the memory. “I can’t believe you called me dreamy to my face, you’re bold.”
Cameron was about to say something when Thirteen’s alarm went off. Thirteen groaned loudly. Cameron felt the sadness as well.
“Can’t you do something else to annoy him into giving you another day off?” Cameron gave her puppy eyes, and Thirteen chuckled despite how effective they were. When she noticed it didn’t work, Cameron flipped them over, straddling Thirteen and pinning her arms above her head in one swift movement. “Or at least give you the morning off?”
Thirteen couldn’t help the blush at the sight, but she knew she’d spent Cameron good last night, so it wasn’t difficult for her to flip them back around, pinning her to the bed instead. “Not unless I have a reason he finds ‘good enough’, and I’m not about to tell him I’m busy having fantastic sex with the gorgeous head of ER.” She still leaned down to kiss Cameron, slipping her tongue in and bucking her hips to give the woman some taste of pleasure. Or to get her pent up, either worked in her favour.
Cameron moaned. “Just tell him…” she panted as Thirteen started kissing down her neck. “You’re…” she lost her train of thought as Thirteen kept kissing downward.
•••
Thirteen arrived 45 minutes late to the hospital. Instead of making up an excuse she knew the team would see right through, she sat down on her chair and paid attention to the conversation. Thankfully, House hadn’t arrived yet.
“So you’re saying that the first movie isn’t the first movie?” Taub asked confusedly.
“No, the first movie isn’t the first story. See, when Lucas first…” Thirteen tuned the conversation out. Kutner was gushing about Star Wars again. She liked that boy, but he sure was a handful sometimes.
She turned to Foreman. “How’s the patient?”
Foreman sighed. “Didn’t House kick you off the case?”
Thirteen frowned, confused. “No, he gave me the day off. The day’s over, I’m back on the case.”
Foreman shrugged. “Cancer, but it’s very operable.”
Thirteen relaxed. “That’s good news.”
Foreman nodded. “She has surgery scheduled in an hour.”
Just then, House walked in from his office, looking at them as if he’d been watching through hidden cameras, which wouldn’t surprise anyone on the team. “Yes! The sexual tumors.” Foreman rolled his eyes and decided to go back to whatever paperwork he was doing. Thirteen looked up at her boss, confused but disinterested.
“She was cheating, I told you.” He grinned triumphantly.
Thirteen stuttered. “W-what? Who?”
House squinted. “Clearly, you know who.”
They stared at each other for a minute. With each passing second, House’s brain worked through new ideas, and Thirteen’s desperately tried to find the answer. Surely he didn’t know. He had no way of knowing; Cameron wasn’t even in the hospital that day. Then, it hit her.
“So she was cheating. And you risked her life to prove it.” Thirteen took back the reins of the conversation, acting laidback as always. Only House looked through the farce, smiling back. He did love how she always managed to save face; the prodigal daughter.
“I didn’t do anything! All we had to do was wait for more symptoms to prove my point. STD-induced cancer is no joke, Dr. Thirteen.” Thirteen rolled her eyes. It amused her a bit that House wouldn’t use her real name even when using her title, though.
House looked at the woman for a second longer before tapping his cane. “Go check on her before the surgery, she must be needing a woman’s touch after a day full of men.” He worded it purposely, clearly ready to begin mocking his fellows for the day.
Thirteen tensed up. She didn’t want to go to the OR, the head surgeon hated her for no reason. Or, well, he had a reason now, he just didn’t know it. Still, she knew it was futile to try and argue his decision— he definitely just wanted to mess with her— so she stood up with a sigh and began walking to the office door.
On her way out, House called out. “That’s a nice turtleneck you borrowed.” Thirteen stopped dead in her tracks, staring at her boss like what one could only describe as the classic deer in headlights. He smirked at the silence, and she gaped a bit before leaving without a word.
Notes:
I have a joke I want to make but I think I'll have House make it in-fic so I can't spoil it but just know it makes me very pleased with myself
I don't think Chase is actually the head surgeon he's unbelievably young to even be both a surgeon and an internist but his whole character design is inconsistent so he will be what I want him to be ( Barbie Girl )
As always, I excitedly await and appreciate any comments and kudos!!! They fuel me to keep going!!
Chapter 11
Notes:
WARNING:
Gentle warning for descriptions of trauma-triggered panic in this chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
On her way to the OR, Thirteen sent Cameron a quick text.
Question, why does House know I’m wearing your turtleneck?
She was about to pocket her phone when she got a reply back.
Fuck
Followed by another.
He just has an eye for things. An evil eye.
Thirteen laughed, glancing up to watch where she was going before texting back.
You sure you didn’t lend it to him last time you took on a lover?
She hoped Cameron spent the following silence laughing ( she did ).
I don’t think it would’ve fit him. It barely fits me.
Thirteen gave her phone one last smirk at the memory before she put it back in her pocket, and pushed open the door to the OR where the team’s patient waited.
Rotten luck. Chase was right there, his back to Thirteen, discussing some dosage of something with a nurse.
Thirteen’s blood ran cold, anxiety overcoming her every nerve and muscle. Irrational fear began clouding her. Cameron said she’d talk to him, everything would be alright for them! … Would it? What if she lied, and Chase tried to defend his pride? Or if she chose horrible timing, had already told him, and he was about to spot the culprit with the wounds still fresh on his skin? Would Chase be enough of a jerk to start a fist fight inside a hospital? It seemed like an ordinary thing to witness coming from House’s infamous fellows, past and present.
Chase turned around, and Thirteen felt blood rush to her arms and legs in typical fight or flight fashion. Which would it be?
It took Thirteen an embarrassing amount of seconds to discern Chase’s expression: detached, bored, barely trying to hide underlying annoyance.
“Here to tell another patient the Princeton surgeons don’t know what they’re doing?”
Thirteen blinked. Was he being… normal? Or. At least his normal self. Thirteen worked her jaw, trying to figure out how to respond to normalcy with normalcy.
Chase’s eyebrows shot up, clearly impatient. He crossed his arms. “What do you want, Thirteen?” He was the only person that managed to make her nickname sound like an insult. Or worse, like a meaningless number.
She reacted. “House… wants me to check on the patient.”
Chase mulled it over, and then deemed her explanation decent. He jerked his head to the side, pointing to where the patient would be; he didn’t seem like he wanted to fight if Thirteen wasn’t matching his energy, but he still wasn’t gonna be friendly. Thirteen kept her eyes on him as she walked over, like a wild, wary animal.
•••
Cameron spent all morning in bed, tangled in bedsheets she didn’t think she’d ever feel blissful in again.
Thirteen had gone above and beyond to pleasure her all night. Hands, mouth, tongue. Cameron usually enjoyed adding more spice in the bedroom, but for an unplanned night of passion, Thirteen had actually left her pleasantly surprised; Cameron didn’t even wish for sex toys or novel positions when Thirteen’s vanilla sex was that amazing. She could have it over and over again, and Thirteen gave her just that until Cameron couldn’t actually keep herself awake anymore.
She entertained small bouts of consciousness only to chat with her new lover, and didn’t properly move out of bed until around 12:20 pm, when her stomach reminded her that sex burns calories and her system needs those to live. She whined in her mind about how maybe, if House had given Thirteen more time off, she’d be having breakfast in bed. Princess treatment, she chastised herself; she was a big girl, she could take care of herself. The idea of Thirteen cooking breakfast in the morning ( or, well, noon ) sure was appetizing though, so she filed it for later.
She sighed, and dragged her body out of bed. As she threw on a baggy t-shirt and clean underwear, she felt her limbs complain with soreness, a delicious reminder of a night well spent. She smiled as she walked through the apartment towards the kitchen.
As she worked on cracking some eggs into a pan with bacon and readied some buttered bread, blissfully unaware, a nagging feeling started crawling up her back. In silence, with nothing but the sizzling bacon and butter, the room retold the stories that occurred in its past: a week ago, when a burnt toast was met with an ‘it was made with love anyway’ and a kiss to the forehead; weeks before that, when too much death clung to her bones and he’d caressed and kissed it away; a few months further back, when they watched movies they wouldn’t remember because they’d got distracted halfway; almost a year ago, when the couple had first stumbled in through the apartment’s doors clumsily, kissing and hugging and laughing.
Cameron didn’t realize she’d been spacing out until she felt her tears dampen her chest, where the t-shirt was too big to cover properly, and when she came back to her senses it was to the smell of crisp and smoke and the unmistakable stench of burnt eggs.
“Shit-” she took the skillet off the fire and used a damp towel to dissipate the rising steam, silently praying it wouldn’t set off the fire alarm.
A part of the eggs was still salvageable. The bacon had actually crisped nicely, if you liked the burnt edges. Some humorous part in her dark mind thought maybe she needed to go into depressive bouts more frequently if it got her to make her breakfast with such little effort.
She put her eggs and bacon between two toasts to make a sandwich, and picked a random mug to pour some coffee in. Robert’s mug. She placed it back with a guilty sigh and looked for some other mug Chase didn’t use.
Cameron ate her breakfast in heavy silence. The sighs that broke it made her feel disrespectful. There was something to be said about the barely-saved breakfast and newly-ruined engagement, some joke she could feel but not word. What was she gonna do about that? She’d told Thirteen she’d end it— and she’d wanted to, there was no other way Cameron would’ve allowed herself to ch— … but now, alone in her apartment, in her and Robert’s apartment, she felt miserable.
Was it that she did love him? No, she didn’t think she still loved him. With the walls whispering back memories to her, Cameron realized she felt quite different from when she first crossed that threshold— not domestic, or well-loved, but worn, and misplaced. Still, when she thought of Robert, her Robert, she felt a significant pain between her ribs that, while decidedly not love, was far from hatred. Sorrow, maybe. She had loved him, and she had loved being with him. Had she not? Their encounters, their banter, their laughter.
As tears began to rain on her plate, again, unbeknownst to her, Cameron realized there was a different pain in her chest too, with a much older name, one she didn’t dare stain with her now impure lips; had she not denied herself happiness for his death to be chaste, and meaningful? Stood next to his best friend during the burial, a proper wife till the end, a loyalty not even death could hope to do apart? Had she not cut ties with a man that promised everything to her back then, to protect the one she’d promised everything to, even once gone?
And now, was she truly sitting inside her own home, with traces of fingers and lips seared into her skin that she’d asked for, begged for, despite them coming from one that threatened to make her break someone else’s heart?
How could you.
Cameron didn’t register the noise as her own sobs, didn’t notice her nails burying into her scalp, holding her head as if trying to keep it from pouring more thoughts, more pain.
Monster.
And if Thirteen forgave her for her sins, would she go ahead and do it all over again to her? Could she bear seeing those eyes melt with tears, with heartbreak?
Liar.
It was all a daze. Cameron didn’t remember picking her phone, looking at the screen, typing, calling, she didn’t know.
She didn’t hear the door clicking open with the practiced but panicked ease of a makeshift lockpick. She didn’t hear her name being called out.
She felt the hands on her shoulders as if they’d just been wind. Then, the hug as if it’d been a misplaced blanket falling atop her.
Feeling came back to her with the burning in her lungs, the pain in her chest, and the icy blue that looked exceptionally warm.
“-meron can you hear me?” Cameron felt the next sob, and the next.
“Hey, you’re ok, it’s ok.” As soon as Thirteen noticed Cameron reacting to her voice, she focused on pressing the woman’s head to her chest, holding her firmly, as if keeping her there would seal Thirteen’s heart in place, impede it from escaping as it hammered loudly and violently against her ribcage. “You’re alright.”
Then, she felt herself be lowered to the ground, as if being swallowed by the earth, only gentler. She felt her hands dig and cling into clothes she would’ve recognized as her own if she’d been calmer.
She didn’t know how much time passed. She didn’t dare ask.
She felt the gentle rocking of her body, the warmth of an embrace, and soft, reassuring kisses on her head, when she finally felt like Cameron again.
“I can’t-” her voice still didn’t feel like her own.
Thirteen didn’t stop rocking them gently. She continued to pepper kisses that helped ground her.
Another sob. Some incoherent mumbling.
“I’ve got you, you’re alright…”
Thirteen didn’t complain about Cameron’s fingers gripping too tight, bruising skin on accident.
“He’ll hate me” she continued among sobs. “And I promised I would never…” her rambling continued between drowned wails, bits and pieces of thoughts she didn’t know how to chain together, couldn’t find the proper needle or thread. “And then I’ll leave you… and I don’t want your heart-”
Thirteen tensed up at that last part, flight response kicking in full force. If she hadn’t had a woman in her arms on the floor, she was sure she would’ve bolted without a word. Left the apartment, the hospital, the state.
Cameron continued to cry in cold arms for god knew how long, Thirteen’s well trained apathy beginning to slip in to prevent depression from winning over. She hated this, she hated trusting and hurting, she hated feeling. She hated gambling her heart away every single time to people who had years upon years of life left to live, not one soul caring enough to think she might not have enough time to gamble at all. Not that she was certain herself, but the terror loomed either way. That’s why she’d stopped trying, long ago.
But instead of running, Thirteen felt her body lock in place. As if the woman she held in her arms held the weight of the world in herself. She couldn’t possibly be in love, it hadn’t been anywhere near the time it took Thirteen to fall. Right? Then why couldn’t she run?
She was pulled away from her thoughts when she felt fingers digging deeper into her embrace, another painful wail breaking the cloud of uncertainty and fear that tried ingraining itself into Thirteen.
Then, another sob. “I don’t w…want your heart to break…”
Life came back to Thirteen’s withering heart like rain over fragile flowers. She hugged Cameron tightly, tighter than she had ever before; an anchor amidst troubled seas.
Maybe, just maybe, this time it was worth trying.
Cameron was too tired to notice Thirteen’s tears had begun mixing with her own.
Notes:
I would LOVE to hear if the breakdown / trauma trigger in this chapter reads properly! It reads true to me because it's written from my knowledge, but I care a lot about it feeling proper for the audience as well
Cameron needs therapy and I'm pretty sure she got it but trauma is trauma! Good luck girl!!
Fun fact the original file has the WhatsApp font for the text messages to make it more immersive but apparently AO3 doesn't support the font so it turned it back to Times New Roman
Fun fact two, if you start a skillet fire, use a damp towel, never direct water!
An ad for you: I started writing a cowboy AU Camteen fic to cope!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/69874771
Chapter 12
Notes:
Idk if waiting 2 days to post the next chapter after an angst chapter is evil when I've had this written and revised for like a week but it is what it is I needed to let Cameron's fears marinate a bit
Thank you so much for the comments last chapter!!! I'm really glad the chapter resonated and managed to cause the feelings it was meant to cause, it means so much to me and gives me a lot of confidence to touch similar topics in future writing!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thirteen felt specks of light bother her closed eyelids as she went through a deep, comfortable dream that felt like fear and something like home. It wasn’t a new day, it was barely afternoon, but her body felt like she’d already been awake for too long. Ached, despite the comfortable bed.
She stirred slightly, and realized she wasn’t alone. In her arms lay the reason she had a mean headache and a tired chest. Soft, angelic Cameron. Thought herself a demon for one shared mistake, made Thirteen suffer hell in only minutes. And slept like a saint in her arms, free from the horrors that plagued her when awake. Thirteen hoped she was having sweet, restful dreams about anything that wasn’t her, her fiance, or the mess that had brewed into a storm in such a short time.
She gazed at the woman for a few minutes before leaning in to plant the softest kiss her lips could muster on her forehead.
Much to her dismay, Cameron still felt it enough to wake up. She opened her eyes slowly, and once she noticed where she was and who she was with, she looked up into Thirteen’s eyes with so much sadness it threatened to make Thirteen’s heart explode. Then, a very faint, very tentative smile. “Good morning…”
Thirteen smiled softly, and leaned in to kiss the bridge of her nose. An affectionate in between; she wouldn’t cross the line if Cameron was struggling with setting it. “Good afternoon.” It made Cameron’s heart melt, and she immediately snuggled closer, burying her face into the warm spot between her neck and shoulder, and noticing Thirteen was still wearing her turtleneck. Thirteen wrapped her remaining arm around her, welcoming the cuddle. “Sorry I woke you.” The embrace was a sweet in-between of bashfulness and new affection, trying to figure out the step to take between ‘friends’ and what Thirteen was definitely starting to feel for her.
“... you should be at the hospital…” Cameron made no move to actually rush Thirteen to the hospital, comfortable in her place, though her tone was still defeated.
“You called. I told House something urgent came up; didn’t let him ask.” She began running her fingers through the woman’s hair, receiving a relaxed sigh at the soft massage. She decided to not mention she’d been terrified. Or that House noticed the horror in her face and had himself decided not to ask questions; for now at least.
“I’m sorry…” she heard tears strangling her voice again. “... I don’t remember…” she trailed off; it didn’t surprise her that she couldn’t remember calling, this feeling was a beast she hadn’t seen in years, but one she’d gotten to know well in the past. It was normal that she forgot things during a panic, despite how disorienting it felt.
“Hey, hey…” Thirteen untangled herself to untuck Cameron’s face from its hiding spot, and raised her chin slightly. “Enough tears and ‘sorries’, I heard you loud and clear.” Her voice was impossibly gentle and caring; Cameron didn’t remember ever seeing her like this. Almost unguarded.
There were some barriers that kept Thirteen’s heart protected at all times. Most, Cameron had been chipping away at in the past few weeks. One, Thirteen wasn’t certain anyone would ever get past. With her potential diagnosis, Thirteen had no business holding other people’s hearts— if she could deteriorate and die, if she could become violent and unloving, how could she deserve taking care of such a precious thing? At least, that’s what she’d concluded after years of watching her mother turn joy into tragedy. She didn’t want to be that for others. Still, as Cameron broke wall after wall, Thirteen started feeling maybe she could try to hold someone’s heart one last time.
Thirteen continued, tentatively. “You…” she let her fingers stroke Cameron’s cheekbone affectionately. She had started turning her feelings over in her mind unconsciously, as she’d ignored traffic lights and stop signs in terror; and she had mulled over Cameron’s words more purposely, as she helped a defeated Cameron to bed with sadness, and as Cameron slept in her arms in respite. She decided to try. Still, actually stating it had her feeling needles in her throat, thorns in her chest. “... don’t want my heart to break…” she noted Cameron’s blush, and felt her heart constrict and try to run, but continued; forced it to stay. To make it peek past the tall walls that overshadowed it. “And… I don’t… want yours to break, either.” She swallowed nervously, terrified of her own words. “We can figure out the rest later.”
Cameron was crying again.
“Oh, Cam, no-” Cameron clung back to her, sobbing inconsolably at the show of affection. Thirteen was glad— Cameron had understood her butchered attempt at saying ‘I do want to try something with you’— but seeing her so broken made her heart shrink in pain.
She debated explaining the whole ‘I may die and still don’t think it’s a good idea to give you the chance of suffering on my behalf’ part of the deal, but decided comforting Cameron was more important now.
They spent the rest of the afternoon in bittersweet embrace.
•••
A few hours had passed between short naps, companionable silence, and quiet, leftover sobs. They felt calmer, and more hopeful. It had been a good rest, despite the awful morning.
A loud stomach woke them up. Thirteen looked down at Cameron’s waking form. “Hungry?” Her voice barely rumbled past her half-asleep throat. She couldn’t feel her arm, and was sure she’d drooled on a pillow at some point.
Cameron tried to snuggle lazily to hide from the mid afternoon sun, still clinging to a turtleneck that now smelled like a mix of both, instead of just her. “mmm noo…” She complained, but another growl put her on blast. “... I didn’t finish breakfast.”
Thirteen considered scolding, but knew why Cameron hadn’t been able to. She did remember spotting a plate on the table when she got in, but it was the least of her priorities when all she had heard on the phone was wailing; she was beyond relieved it wasn’t anything life-threatening, but seeing Cameron in a panic still broke her a bit; she decided it was important to stay. “Alright, let’s go get you something.”
Cameron groaned with more energy as soon as the body holding her moved to sit up.
Thirteen laughed. “Come on, I need someone to share blame with if I burn the kitchen.”
“You’re a doctor, you can handle it” she managed to let out, half encouraging and half convincing. She just didn’t wanna get out of bed.
“Didn’t you hear Kutner set a patient on fire once? Doctors these days can’t do anything!” She managed to pull a smile out of Cameron at the joke, made funnier by the fact that Thirteen was closer in age to Kutner than to her.
“Fine, but we’re having pancakes.” She still didn’t move, eyes not even open yet.
“Not if I get there first. I’m thinking we can have lukewarm milk and unbuttered bread.” Thirteen was already standing up, smiling.
Cameron sat up and rushed to the kitchen.
Once there, Cameron began taking out bowls and pans, still lazy but with a hint of focus and excitement. Cameron often carried herself with poise, confidence, someone in charge. But watching that leadership in a baggy t-shirt, underwear, and messy bed hair made Thirteen stifle an endeared laugh. “How can I help, boss?”
“Do you know how to make pancakes?” She looked at Thirteen with a questioning smile as she continued to take out flour, eggs, and other ingredients.
“Does instant mix count?” Thirteen asked, smirking. She knew she’d be forced to take the backseat on this one. Cameron gave a small laugh. “Not today it doesn’t.” Thirteen deflated a bit; was she this hooked already, that she wanted to cook with her? To her surprise Cameron turned around with a smile, a more mischievous one, once she finished filling the counter with things. “But I still need someone to share blame with. You know, in case I burn the kitchen.” Thirteen laughed, and was sure joy shone in her eyes as she walked further into the kitchen. She was so hooked.
Notes:
I've seen SO many fics where Cameron wants pancakes and I do NOT know why it seems to be a collective take but I guess she likes pancakes???? It does seem fitting so!
I fear Cameron may be read as childlike here which is not at all the point; I just enjoy when mature responsible adults allow themselves to be more lenient/relaxed in their homes, trust me they love having that respite available
As always, comments and kudos keep me going! Let me know you do enjoy reading so I know I should keep posting!
ALMOST FORGOT reminder that I started a homestead/cowboy/outlaw AU fic for Camteen despite knowing nothing about cowboys! It's an enemies to lovers slow burn
https://archiveofourown.org/works/69874771
Chapter 13
Notes:
Chapter starts with fluff, as a treat
Also happy 13 chapters for Thirteen's fic let's hope she doesn't end up heartbroken in this one!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thirteen learned more about Cameron’s domineering side as they prepared the pancakes. The woman was a bleeding heart, sure— soft on the outside, comfortable for anyone to lean on—, but she had an unshakeable core. An iron fist in a velvet glove. No wonder she had a streak of making House shut up and listen and obey.
And she got Thirteen to do just that: ‘weigh the flour’; ‘mix in the eggs’; ‘careful with the milk’; ‘Thirteen leave the mix alone you’ll get a stomachache’. Thirteen really liked it. Well, except for not letting her eat the batter, but she’d done it anyway.
Thirteen knew she was a top, or at least mostly a top; she knew what she liked and how she liked it, and rarely let other women control her. So knowing Cameron— head of the ER, half of the most unruly man in New Jersey’s conscience ( Wilson shared custody of the other half ), and apparently, all-around leading girl— could bend and turn to mush in her hands, filled her with self confidence, but also something more. Something she was starting to label as affection without recoiling at the fear of it.
Thirteen forked two pancakes onto her plate; they were fluffy, lightly toasted, and smelled heavenly. Cameron put four on hers, then slathered them with maple syrup, and stared at them for a second.
“Is something wrong? I didn’t get eggshells in them did I-” Cameron stood up and walked purposefully to the kitchen cabinets, then sat back down with a jar in her hand: strawberry jam. She slathered some of that too.
It was Thirteen’s turn to stare. “That’s new.”
“It’s good.” with that, she cut a piece and started eating. “It’s even better with sausages, but I don’t think I have any right now.” She covered her mouth as she spoke, mouth still full of overly-sweet fluffiness.
Thirteen made a face. “Freak.” Cameron cackled, and Thirteen cracked a smile at it as she added what she deemed a less-freak amount of syrup to her pancakes and began eating her own breakfast. She’d say brunch, but she was sure two pancakes weren’t going to replace lunch for her. She also had already had breakfast, albeit it was just a coffee from the vending machine at the hospital.
“Ohhh these are good!” Thirteen’s eyes grew wide at the taste, they were, clearly, nothing like instant mix pancakes.
“I told you!”
“No, mine are good, your diabetes monster looks threatening.” She pointed at it with her fork, accusingly.
“It only has jam!”
“Powdered sugar, syrup, jam- We used extra butter!”
It was light, enjoyable banter. Both women were laughing, their company making the meal far more enjoyable than any pancake could, jam or no jam.
“You just refuse to admit I have better taste.” She continued to eat, clearly enamoured with the food.
Thirteen rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the big smile. “I think my taste is better.” She raised an eyebrow at Cameron after giving her a pointed once over, hinting at the fact that she wasn’t really talking about food anymore. As Cameron gave her a smirk and a starting blush at the implication, Thirteen stole a piece from the jam plate.
“Hey!” Cameron pulled her plate away, laughing. “Thief!” She waited excitedly as Thirteen brought the extra-sweet pancake to her mouth. “How is it?”
Thirteen made a show of judging it in silence as she chewed, face serious. “Five.”
“Stars?” A smug expression started to show in Cameron’s face.
“No, the amount of forkfuls it’d take to send me into a diabetic coma.”
Cameron feigned an offended face, but burst out laughing anyway. “That’s because it’s missing the sau- wait!” She rushed to the kitchen counter to pick up her older-breakfast plate— set aside so they could eat the pancakes— and came back with just the bacon. She cut it into pieces and put it on the pancakes. “There. Try it.” She cut a piece and raised it to Thirteen’s mouth.
Thirteen stared at it for a second. Cameron was growing really fond of how Thirteen judged inanimate objects as if they had ulterior motives. Then, Thirteen took the piece with her mouth and chewed carefully, as if she hadn’t made the dish from scratch with her, and Cameron tried not to focus on the visual of Thirteen’s mouth on her fork. Once the flavor set in she actually looked pleased, but quickly tried hiding it ( unsuccessfully, of course ). “Remind me to never kiss you again.”
Cameron threw a scrunched-up napkin at her, cackling. “Liar, you liked it!” She felt her stomach flutter wildly at the implication that they would kiss again.
•••
Thirteen and Cameron ended up eating from each other’s plates, Cameron using the simpler pancakes to tone down the sweetness in her food, and Thirteen acting like she hadn’t liked Cameron’s strange combination but actually enjoying it more than her own.
They were lounging on the sofa, Thirteen playing with Cameron’s blonde locks while she rested her head on her lap as they went through small conversations about things that weren’t really meaningful but felt nice, when Cameron got a text message. She decided gazing into Thirteen’s eyes and smiling at her was more enjoyable than whatever text awaited her, so she ignored it.
“What if it’s important?” Thirteen used the bit of hair held between her fingers to tickle Cameron’s face.
Cameron sneezed a bit when it reached her nose, and she chuckled. “It’s my day off, it’s not important.”
But another text ping nagged them. “Maybe it is important.”
Cameron sighed and grabbed her phone off the coffee table. She sat up almost immediately, seriousness invading her features. “Crap.”
“What is it?” Thirteen tensed up.
Cameron groaned and let herself fall against Thirteen’s shoulder. “Robert’s on his way, he needs an extra change of clothes before his rotations start.” Thirteen smiled a bit at how Cameron had started growing more open about how she really felt towards her fiance. “I don’t want you to go…”
“Well, until you tell him, I’m just your friend.” Cameron looked up to give her a stern, disapproving stare.
“I am gonna tell him, it would be painful to lead him on.” her voice was stern, Thirteen had drawn mother hen out of her cave.
She chuckled. “I know that. He’s the one that thinks we were busy eating spaghetti instead of p-” Cameron mock-swatted at her, as if scandalized.
“Thirteen!” She laughed, and Thirteen realized she missed her own name all of a sudden. Then, Cameron swallowed nervously, but Thirteen didn’t understand why. “Actually, he doesn’t know I invited you over last night.”
Thirteen raised her eyebrows and let out a whistle. “You sure you didn’t plan on seducing me from the get go? You sound like a professional.”
Cameron smiled again, amused. Then she sighed, and gave another troubled groan, anxiety rising once more. “I don’t want to see him, I don’t know how I’m gonna tell him.”
Thirteen smiled sympathetically at her, though a known nervousness started knocking faintly in her chest. “Well, which one matters more to you, that he knows you don’t love him anymore, or that you’ve…” Thirteen didn’t wanna say ‘cheated’ out loud, she knew it made Cameron feel antsier, but the only alternative she could think of was ‘found someone else’, which made Thirteen feel antsy instead. She didn’t wanna overinflate her ego and risk for it to get popped like a balloon later.
Cameron swallowed and sat upright, deeper in thought. “That… I don’t love him. Even if I hadn’t gotten closer to you, I didn’t feel happy with him anymore. If it wasn’t an affair it would’ve been a fight blown out of proportion, or worse.”
“So tell him that.” Thirteen hadn’t initiated any sexual or romantic actions since Cameron’s breakdown, but Cameron could see her desire to do it plainly in her eyes and voice. She felt fuzzy all over anytime she was reminded that Thirteen wasn’t just a casanova. At least not with her.
She took a deep breath. “Ok.”
“Oh, actually we still need to do something about those.” Thirteen pointed at Cameron’s neck, and Cameron’s hands flew to cover it.
“Did they bruise??” She hadn’t really looked at herself in the mirror yet.
Thirteen smirked, and it was the closest Cameron had gotten to seeing Sexy Thirteen again. “You did ask me to bite you. Repeatedly.”
Cameron smirked back, blushing embarrassingly at the memory. “No regrets. I do have makeup to cover them up, come on.” She tilted her head towards the bathroom, and stood up to walk to it, not looking back to check if Thirteen followed.
•••
“Does that look better?” Cameron turned away from the mirror and angled her neck for Thirteen to take a look.
Thirteen squinted at it. “Mmmm no.” Cameron had covered the ones she could see clearly to perfection, but some others were difficult to reach or look at, and so they weren’t as expertly hidden. “Gimme.” Thirteen took the corrector off Cameron’s hands, leaning in to apply more on a spot that was still noticeable. Cameron shivered a bit at the cold liquid— not knowing where it would be applied— and Thirteen grinned silently, continuing to try and keep it in her pants. She watched Cameron’s throat swallow at the contact of Thirteen’s fingers tapping the corrector into place over the bruise, and couldn’t stop her grin from turning into a smirk, but she reigned it back into a polite smile. “Setting powder.”
Cameron turned her face slightly to look for it on the bathroom counter, and passed it over. Feeling Thirteen’s fingers trail over the neck she’d bitten so deliciously the night prior was making her feel definitely-not-just-friends things, and she had to stop herself from a second shiver. She cleared her throat once she noticed Thirteen had finished. “How’s it look?”
Thirteen was still smiling; there was no way she wouldn’t notice the shivering or change in breathing when her face was that close to her neck. She looked up into Cameron’s eyes, and Cameron gulped. “It looks…” Thirteen got close enough to place her mouth there, letting her breath ghost over the skin. The makeup had a fantastic scent. “... like you want me to bite it again.” She let her teeth graze the skin ever so slightly.
A moan.
Thirteen chuckled and backed away. “Nope.” She looked into Cameron’s eyes again, framed by flush red. “You don’t want to lead Chase on; I won’t make you go against that.”
Cameron groaned. “I need to break up with him.”
“Yeah.” Thirteen did want to bite her neck again, kiss it and ruin the makeup; stopping was torture for her, too. But she felt satisfaction at Cameron’s statement, so she took that as her reward for playing nice. Well, sorta nice. “You also need more corrector, there’s another one here.” She stroked a featherlight finger right under Cameron’s ear, and heard her melt all over again.
Notes:
LISTEN listen pancakes with jam and sausages are good do NOT @ me on this I know it sounds weird, I was against it too until I tried it ok and while I agree Cameron has pancake energy she's still a freak she would try this when no one's watching and I know it
Cameron's a respectable department head by day and a freak in bed by night, of course she knows how to hide a hickey perfectly
Reminder that I have two other Camteen side fics that I update a bit more slowly than this one and would love you to check out and see if they're reads you'd enjoy!!!
As always, thank you kindly for comments and kudos, they let me know my writing is being enjoyed!
Chapter 14
Notes:
Ladies and gentlemen, Chase!
( the audience stays quiet )Fun joke time, I like to call this chapter "What Happens After Thirteen" ( this is chapter fourteen )
I hate puns please laugh
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I’m hoome.” Chase dropped his keys on the little key holder he knew well and tossed his bag by the entrance. He then walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge to pour himself a glass of cold water, completely overlooking the opened sparkling wine and the fancy leftover pasta. “Allison?” He tried again after not seeing or hearing his fiancee.
“Hey…” Cameron came out of her bedroom. She was properly dressed and showered now, wearing dress pants and a nice, presentable short sleeve button-up. It helped her feel in control. It also helped her feel the finality of what was about to happen.
Chase furrowed his brows confusedly, and let out a light chuckle. “Where’re you going?”
Cameron opened her mouth, but didn’t really know how to start.
“Allie, what’s wrong?”
Cameron closed her eyes at the nickname. The pain in her ribcage came back. It wasn’t love. She could do this.
She mustered all her strength with a deep breath before opening her eyes again. “We can’t get married.” She watched his eyes grow wider and his jaw start working, a mix of harmless confusion and seeded dread battling in his expression.
“What? Allison, wh- well not right now, but-” he let out another chuckle, this time less humorous.
“We can’t get married.” She shook her head.
Chase frowned, more sober now, brain trying to figure out the sudden, life-threatening puzzle; jumping through possibilities but clearly not finding any that felt too certain. He didn’t know if he was meant to be angry or pleading. “If this is about the House thing, Allison, I don’t really care about that, he didn’t even actually have syph-”
“I’ve realized I don’t love you anymore.” She clenched her teeth, jaw nearly locking up at the stress. There. Done.
…
Done.
“... A-Allison… what’s…” she could hear his heart begin to rumble as it broke into big shards, dropping heavily to the floor they’d once scattered love all over. A thick, hollow thud each; deafening, gut-wrenching, silent.
Cameron began tearing up, the one thing her clothes couldn’t hide. “I’m sorry, I love you but I’m just not… I haven’t been in love with you for…” she couldn’t say it. “I’m sorry.”
Chase stared in a mix of horror and confusion that matched the reality of having believed his love life was perfect. Finally, he spoke, voice filled with an indignance that was only pulled back by blindsided sorrow. “When did this happen, why are you suddenly- Allison what happened.” He didn’t know what else to ask. What did happen?
Cameron looked up at the ceiling, trying to not let tears fall. “... something… made me notice I haven’t been happy with you. I care about you, Robert, but…” she looked into his eyes. He deserved as much. A tear escaped her. “I don’t see a future with you where I’m happy. You don’t deserve me to lead you on.”
Chase’s eyes were glassy as well. “We can work through this, Cam.”
“You don’t deserve false hope.” She saw his throat bob. “And I don’t deserve to be tied down unhappily.”
They remained silent for a while. When Chase spoke again, his voice broke. “Le… let me try.”
Cameron closed her eyes in pain.
“I succeeded once, Cam, let me try. I love you, I can’t just- we can’t just throw this all away, we’ve been through so much. We can be happy again- I love you.”
That was the issue. Cameron looked down at her feet. Of course it wouldn’t be easy. This was her Robert. Buried himself in a nook beside her heart, like Foreman had, but different. Where Foreman was a brother, Robert had been… Cameron wasn’t sure it had ever been anything more than endearment.
“... At least let me… think about it.” She didn’t need to think. She needed to soften his fall. She always needed to soften his falls. “I’ll move my things tonight.”
He didn’t seem to be too present. He just stared, numb, feeling empty at the lack of an ‘I love you too’ in return. The first of many, if he knew himself. Somewhere, in both their minds, Tuesdays were remembered.
Chase felt a hole in his heart, like it had been shot at with a cannon. Cameron felt a hole in hers like a thorn had been taken out.
She handed him a bag she’d left by the counter. “I… packed your favorite rotation clothes. The comfortable ones.” The bag looked like it had been carefully made; if one looked inside, one would see that the clothes had been ironed despite being casual wear, and smelled of sweet laundry softener. One last act of love. When she noticed he wouldn’t grab them— couldn’t grab them— she swallowed painfully and left it on the floor between them, gingerly, as if the bag itself were the man she was shattering to pieces.
Then, in true Cameron fashion— House would’ve noted— Cameron approached awkwardly, and gave her ex a hug, full of old love and care and sorrow. Chase didn’t hug her back, but she felt his heart trying to hold onto hers, his tears trying to nurture their love back into bloom.
“Goodbye.” She planted a soft, chaste kiss on his tear-streaked cheek, then squeezed his arm with care, almost as if scared of wrinkling an old memory, and went back into the bedroom, locking herself in.
Notes:
This chapter actually hurts me, I don't hate Chase I just think he's a conceited little fuck that deserves a reality check and lots of therapy
Apologies for no Thirteen in this one! It didn't feel right to have Cameron keep Thirteen in there, I think Cameron would want for this to be her and Chase's ( heart wrenching ) moment. I have never watched Cameron break up with someone so I'm just guessing based on her character
Also apologies to all those who thought there was gonna be a fist fight involving Thirteen's knuckles and Chase's face, but don't worry I promise this isn't the last we see of him, this fic is nowhere near finished if I manage to pull the shit I'm planning
Chapter 15
Notes:
I didn't wanna dwell on Chase so new chapter already!
I worry the pace on this one may be a bit off, I apologize if it is!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Cameron spent the next few hours in bed, lamenting. As it turned out, being rejected hurt a lot more than rejecting someone. If anything, she felt… relieved. Which made her feel guilty. Really guilty.
Memories bombarded her mind with old feelings that no longer felt like beloved family photos, but now felt like flying arrows, hunting and piercing and tearing at her for her cruelty. She had done the right thing, at least with the breaking up. Still, it felt as though she had ruined the man. Destroyed a heart, a soul. Wasn’t she supposed to fix people? Comfort them?
She started getting a headache, and sensed the crawling, looming feeling approaching again. She didn’t want to go through this.
Cameron picked up her phone and dialed.
•••
Thirteen sat on the bed softly, trying not to stir the woman awake. She’d lockpicked her way in again, with permission ( sort of, but how was she supposed to enter if the person that invited her over fell asleep? ), and had left some simple groceries on the kitchen counter.
She was now gazing at the sleeping body of the reason she would probably become the subject of the most heinous rumours at the PPTH for the next few weeks, if House’s love for gossip could be trusted. It scared her a bit; trying dating again was scary in its own right— considering she seldom did it to begin with, potential incurable, terminal diagnosis and all that— but the thought of trying to date someone she already cared about while the entire workplace caught wind of it was daunting.
What scared her most of all was dying, though. Dying and leaving a stain of sorrow and grief on such a beautiful person’s heart. A heart that had already gone through so much, if the stories she’d heard in passing were true. She would need to talk about that with Cameron before they tried anything more serious, she thought. But for now, as Cameron began stirring awake, Thirteen noticed she just wanted to comfort the woman and help her through the hell she was currently living.
The thick layer of sorrow that rested atop Cameron was immediately lifted when she recognized the figure sitting by the edge of her bed. It left a lingering sadness, sure, but seeing Thirteen smiling at her made it feel worth it. “… I did it…” she offered a small smile that grew when Thirteen’s fingers ran through her hair gently.
“How are you feeling?” Thirteen’s voice was low, but not the sexy low Cameron had heard before; it was a gentle tone, a low octave that made the atmosphere feel undisturbed, like her voice was right where it belonged.
Cameron gazed at her with a contentment that felt a lot like peace. Hurting Chase had devastated her, yes, and somewhere deep in Cameron’s mind she knew she wouldn’t recover from her actions soon, but those actions also opened a door to… well Cameron wasn’t sure, but she hoped it would be an opportunity for something good. As she felt tender fingers and gazed into gentle eyes, Cameron realized she did want to try something beyond the nice, sometimes-steamy friendship the pair had been developing. “Mmm” she answered with a pleasant tone, unsure what to label what she was feeling.
Thirteen gave a light chuckle. “That’s good.” She let her hand trail to her cheek and stroked it softly. Seeing Cameron in such a relaxed state after the panic she’d witnessed surprised her, but didn’t dissipate all of her nerves; after all, a panic could happen again soon, she suspected ending an engagement wasn’t a quick battle. Especially not if all three people involved worked in the same place. That gave her pause. “Diiid… you mention me?” It was a curious question more than a scared one— Thirteen wasn’t too worried about what either case would mean for her.
Cameron shook her head. “I don’t need him hunting you down at work.” Thirteen smiled at her reasoning. “Plus he needed to get the facts straight; I would’ve broken up with him even if you hadn’t…” she didn’t know how to say it.
“Won the Jenga game?” Thirteen raised a mocking eyebrow, and Cameron cackled, wrapping her own fingers around the ones on her cheek to pull at them slightly, equally playfully.
“You did not win the Jenga game.” A small blush started creeping to her cheeks.
“Really?” Thirteen pulled an expression of faux confusion. “I distinctly recall receiving a reward.”
Cameron laughed again, looking away as she felt a deeper blush on her cheeks. “You’re incorrigible.” The sight made Thirteen smile widely. This was what she yearned for; the ease with which they laughed and shared memories— even if they were a scarce few— was something she wanted to nurture and help grow. If Cameron let her.
She assumed— hoped— Cameron did want her to try. The text asking her to come back so quickly after Cameron had ended her relationship with Chase let her hope. “I brought some stuff to cook if you want to eat something other than leftover pasta?” She tried, playfulness giving way to a bashfulness that made her feel ridiculous; Thirteen wasn’t one for bashfulness, she was one for direct words and confident actions.
Cameron’s eyes shone with excitement, but quickly dimmed again into disappointment. “I can’t, I told Robert I would move my things out today…”
Thirteen frowned. “Where are you staying?”
“I was looking at motels nearby, there’s some that have rooms available tonight, but they don’t look-”
“I have a spare room.”
They froze in place, electricity running through the air again. Was this a good idea? It didn’t feel like it, with their little slip— or several slips— it felt like a recipe for chaos and disaster. But then again, had any of their ideas been bad so far?
Thirteen tried to fix her sudden implication. “You could use it while you look for a place to stay, it’s safer than a random motel.”
Cameron nodded, almost too eagerly. “We’d be like roommates.” Sure, roommates.
“Sure, roommates! I mean it’s not like we’re not friends.” Definitely a bit more than that if they’d orgasmed together a few times, but Thirteen excluded that thought. “I can help you pack.”
The speed at which the conversation was going didn’t let either make second guesses, excitement quickly building momentum. “I have some boxes in the laundry room.”
Suddenly Cameron wasn’t sleepy anymore, and the pair got to work rather quickly.
•• •
Two cars were unnecessary for the move, considering there were things Cameron was more than willing to let go of in favour of not touching the memories connected to them, but Cameron still made sure to drive her car to the new apartment so as to make sure Robert didn’t find any traces of her, lest he took them as signs of her backing out from her words.
Thirteen’s apartment had good parking space, thankfully, so they could leave their cars near the building’s entrance. Cameron approached Thirteen’s car to help with the boxes— the woman had insisted on placing them in her trunk.
“Alright hand me a box.” She stated as Thirteen unlocked the back door. Thirteen gave her an undecipherable look at that, but reached for a box she’d placed there anyway.
“Here.” She placed the box in Cameron’s arms. “The lobby’s open at this hour, just place it somewhere on the floor and if someone bugs you tell them you’re with me.”
Cameron was almost too distracted by ‘being with her’ and what the other tenants would think of that statement. “Wait, this box’s empty!”
“No it isn’t.” She smirked, caught. “There’s toiletteries in there I think, or underwear.”
“Thirteen!” She used the box to bump into the woman lightly.
Thirteen just chuckled. “Keep it up and I’ll have the building ban your entry.” Cameron gave an indignant huff tinged with a smile, and headed for the lobby as Thirteen unlocked her car’s trunk, where the rest of the boxes lay.
•
Cameron placed the offensively-light box on the small lobby’s floor. It was quaint, nice, obviously nothing big considering it was just an apartment complex, but left a pleasant enough impression. She was about to head out to get more boxes when a man with a broom coming down the stairs startled her. “No one’s moving in today.” He was scraggly, and his wrinkles gave away that ‘annoyed’ was his natural state of being.
Cameron stammered. “G-good morning, no, I-” she swallowed. “I’m not new-”
He squinted at the box. “I don’t know you.” His tone was getting grumpier.
She gave an anxious smile, and took a breath to steady herself; she wasn’t the nervous young doctor she once was, there was no need to be scared. “I’m not a new tenant, I’m with” she paused to think, and realized she didn’t know Thirteen’s name. “Dr. Hadley; she lives here.” She was 90% sure she got the surname right.
The janitor’s face wrinkled impossibly further. “Hadley tied down? Bah.”
Cameron blushed. “Oh it’s nothing like that.”
The man eyed her for a second. “Then just make sure you keep it damn quiet, I’m tired of sex complaints, I’m a janitor not a zookeeper.” With that, he gave another grumpy mumble and continued to sweep the stairs.
Cameron turned around and got out of there, certain she didn’t want to continue annoying the man, furious blush burning her face. She was stopped in her tracks by the boxes piled by the entrance. “Thirteen, that’s all of them!” She complained.
“Sorry, I noticed you were busy making friends. Carlos is a darling, isn’t he?” She set down the last box on the pile. “It’s ok, you can help me get them up the stairs. We’re on the fourth floor.”
Cameron’s face fell. “You’re kidding.”
“Yeah, the elevator’s around that corner.” She pointed with a smirk; Cameron had been too busy fighting Carlos’s claims to notice. “It’s a bit janky, though, don’t trust the doors.”
•••
Thirteen placed the last box by the living room when she heard Cameron from the kitchen. “Your place is lovely, it’s so you!”
Thirteen chuckled. “What if I told you it came furnished?” She teased.
Cameron wrinkled her nose after thinking for a bit. “No, you did something to it. I bet it had boring beige sofas when you moved in, and ugly industrial curtains or something.” She was scarily right. “These match better, they suit you.”
“How so?” Thirteen asked as she began moving boxes to rest against a door Cameron assumed was the spare room.
“Well, I assume the messy room with the exposed brick is yours, that one screams ‘I’m a hot sex machine’” Thirteen’s eyebrows shot up with a wide smile at the brazenness of her statement. She was about to mock her new roommate when she spoke again. “But the sofas and curtains say ‘soft and gentle, with a surprisingly warm heart’. Doesn’t match what the architect attempted with the brick, but it matches you.” Of course, usually one’s bedroom was more private and insightful than the rest of the home, but they both knew well that Thirteen didn’t spend much time showing her one-night stands the living room.
Thirteen was surprised to feel a blush come to her face at that sentence, instead of the earlier one. “That’s-” she didn’t actually know how to lie to this woman.
Cameron leaned on the kitchen counter with a smirk that indicated she knew she was right. “So which one’s my room?”
Thirteen stared for a second before turning sharply to the spare room, still feeling a bit caught at the call-out. Not unpleasant, to her surprise; just shocked. “This one, but let me clear it a bit, I think it’s got some of my stuff.”
Notes:
The girls are U-Haulingggg
There was another Carlos in another Camteen fic I read recently so this is less-angry Carlos. I almost named him after janitors at my childhood school but they were all extremely nice and don't deserve this characterization