House felt disappointed when Thirteen made no move either to take the file or to talk about her weekend. He rolled his eyes when Foreman piped up from behind him, and he dropped his hand to the side, the folder slapping against his leg, when Foreman continued. His words made House turn to look at him, wondering if he was actually going to go there, partially surprised when he did, posing the oh-so-innocent question about his weekend. House was beginning to wonder if the candidates were beginning to catch on to what they'd been leaving unspoken; they probably were. Foreman was right; they weren't that stupid, but House couldn't really bring himself to fully care. So many people thought enough shit about him--true and untrue--and another handful of people making assumptions about him hardly made a difference. Three of them would be gone soon, anyway, and now that Foreman had upped the stakes, House felt compelled to push back, caring less about what everyone else would think and more about proving his point. Foreman was avoiding this, and if House hadn't been talking, he would be avoiding him, too.
House could practically hear the dare behind Foreman's words, and his mind burned with Foreman's parting words before he had stepped out of Foreman's apartment--You're a coward. He figured Foreman was playing a game of chicken, that he was banking on him not going through with his veiled threat to expose exactly what he had done on Saturday. He was tempted to leap straight to the juicier parts of the story before Foreman could interrupt, blurt it all out in a rush and not give a damn what the rest of them thought about it. It would be more dramatic, but it would rob him of any chance he had to really fuck with Foreman's head. Plus, if he deflected and offered no answer about himself at all, it could raise suspicions and turn the focus onto him. He didn't give a shit about what they assumed about him, but he'd rather keep Foreman on the hot seat, not himself, which left him with the options of being crudely honest about himself--a move seldom believed--or lie before moving on to Foreman's weekend. They would all probably brush off the lie as quickly as they brushed off the honesty. Foreman's reaction was tougher to call, but House doubted Foreman would push too far, mar his own image so willingly. Foreman cared a hell of a lot more about what his colleagues thought of him, and House would be extremely surprised if Foreman kept pushing here, but he anticipated an interesting show-down the next time he and Foreman had a room to themselves.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-12-02 12:27 pm (UTC)House could practically hear the dare behind Foreman's words, and his mind burned with Foreman's parting words before he had stepped out of Foreman's apartment--You're a coward. He figured Foreman was playing a game of chicken, that he was banking on him not going through with his veiled threat to expose exactly what he had done on Saturday. He was tempted to leap straight to the juicier parts of the story before Foreman could interrupt, blurt it all out in a rush and not give a damn what the rest of them thought about it. It would be more dramatic, but it would rob him of any chance he had to really fuck with Foreman's head. Plus, if he deflected and offered no answer about himself at all, it could raise suspicions and turn the focus onto him. He didn't give a shit about what they assumed about him, but he'd rather keep Foreman on the hot seat, not himself, which left him with the options of being crudely honest about himself--a move seldom believed--or lie before moving on to Foreman's weekend. They would all probably brush off the lie as quickly as they brushed off the honesty. Foreman's reaction was tougher to call, but House doubted Foreman would push too far, mar his own image so willingly. Foreman cared a hell of a lot more about what his colleagues thought of him, and House would be extremely surprised if Foreman kept pushing here, but he anticipated an interesting show-down the next time he and Foreman had a room to themselves.