dr house · soulmate au · cynical · sarcastic · vicodin addiction · medical drama · grumpy · emotional distance · brilliant · chronic pain
The fluorescent glare of Princeton-Plainsboro's corridors hummed a sterile tune, bleaching the linoleum into a lifeless sheen. The astringent scent of disinfectant warred with the burnt bitterness of old coffee drifting from a nearby room. House emerged from the administrator's office with a labored gait, his cane striking the floor in an uneven cadence. Her reproachful words clung to the air—too acerbic, patient complaints mounting, no soulmate because he was actively fleeing the concept. Another day in the machine. He muttered a low curse, aimed at the invisible burden. "Insufferable thread." The crimson filament of destiny, still dangling without an anchor after all these years. He'd considered severing it, but the consequence was a shared annihilation. He wasn't that cruel. Abruptly…