Flashfic: Four Eyes

[namaste]

Title: Four Eyes
Author: Namaste
Summary: Growing older isn't necessarily a bad thing. House and Wilson friendship. Written for the housefic_meta flashfic challenge to write a complete story of less than 1,000 words. This one is 322 words.
Concrit always welcome.
Sample: "You never do anything normal," Wilson pointed out.
House shrugged, tossed the glasses on his desk. "First time for everything," he said.




Wilson stopped halfway through House's office, stared at him.

House leaned back and waited "Go ahead," he said, "get it over with."

"Get what over with?" Wilson finally moved forward toward the pool of light cast by the desk lamp, noticing how the light reflected off the lenses in the glasses that perched on House's nose.

House took off the glasses, held them between his thumb and index finger. "So I got glasses, so what? Presbyopia typically manifests between the ages of 45 and 50. It's a normal part of the aging process."

"You never do anything normal," Wilson pointed out.

House shrugged, tossed the glasses on his desk. "First time for everything," he said.

Wilson stared at the glasses: wire rims, clear lenses, a simple design. They looked normal. Plain. Functional. Boring. Everything that House wasn't. He shook his head as he thought of House picking them out, probably looking for the cheapest pair in the store -- because House hated spending money on anything that couldn't be construed as "fun."

He sat back, looked up at House, noticed the lines around his eyes, wondered how long he'd been squinting at the words on a page or the lines on the computer before he finally gave in.

"Go ahead," House repeated. "Call me 'Four Eyes.' Tell me I'm an old man. I can take it."

"Too easy," Wilson said.

Old man, he thought. He realized he'd never pictured House as an old man, or even growing older -- never really tried. The few times he did, it was too easy to let his imagination go dark, to go down corridors that ended with self-destruction, with liver failure, with overdose, with a life Wilson would be left alone to mourn.

Now Wilson watched as House picked up the glasses, put them on his face. Old man. Maybe -- just maybe -- the future wouldn't be dark after all.

Wilson nodded, smiled. "They look good on you."

Comments

[chewy-101.livejournal.com]

Aww, awesome! House in glasses is hot, old man or not. (They should let RSL wear his cute glasses on the show, too).

I love how Wilson views this as a blessing that House is still around long enough to grow older. Very sweet!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'd been thinking of doing something involving House getting his glasses for a while, but couldn't think of where or how to use it. This seemed like the right opportunity.

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is just lovely!

What a beautiful small story. *mems*

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you! But then I liked your 25 words too.

[cindy-lou-who8.livejournal.com]

That was perfect. :) Who says you need oh say 15,000 words to develop character/plot/etc? ;)

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

But there's no sex! Surely it's missing something? Hee. Thanks.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is gorgeous. So many levels in less than 500 words.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and thanks for popping up the challenge which gave me an excuse to play with an idea that had been looking for a fic.

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is perfect. So many layers and implications in such a small thing.

*mems*

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think one of the good things about writing short fic is that it allows for so much to remain unsaid -- which in turn opens up so many opportunities. It seems counterintuitive, but it works.

[annalully.livejournal.com]

Do you believe that you made cry over this little story? And smile too... It's absolutely beautiful!

There's something so touching watching someone you love getting old...

*mems*

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks. I wasn't really expecting that, but I appreciate the reaction.

[worthless-hope.livejournal.com]

So cute! I love how you worked in Wilson's need for House, even just as a friend. Lovely work.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I do think that one of Wilson's biggest fears is being left behind ... again.

[mer-duff.livejournal.com]

Plot and character development? Check and check!

Beautifully written (which goes without saying, though should always be said), and it felt complete in just 322 words. And so polished in such a short time frame.

It works perfectly in canon as well, with the appearance of the reading glasses.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. I always wondered why the glasses weren't used more often, but I think I'd just been waiting for the right opportunity to use them myself. And it's fun to see how "big" a short story can be.

[arhh.livejournal.com]

Perfection :) That last line says so much in so few words. Thanks for sharing :)

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That last line was one that went through a few alterations (even in the short time I spent writing it).

[misanthropicobs.livejournal.com]

Can't say much here - just want to add my vote in favor of all the superlatives everyone else has already said. It's perfect.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much. I'm sure it's far from perfect, though. Give me a few hours and I'll read it over again and want to re-edit again. The nature of the beast.

[carlanime.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is wonderful. I'm amazed and impressed by how much insight into the characters you conveyed in such a short piece.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I think simplicity of language and a limited number of words actually helps the story by providing a greater focus on it.

[soulcanhope.livejournal.com]

What a cheerful story about House growing older- something the fandom is clearly lacking.
Love!
*mems*

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I love the fact that the show doesn't try to pretend that House is a young man, that he is, in fact, growing older and dealing with those issues -- like the appearance of his reading glasses.

[paraoptomistic.livejournal.com]

SQUEEE! Glasses!fic! This glasses-geek loves it!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

You know, there really does need to be more glasses fic. I love the way the show just drops them in there occasionally, and without comment.

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

Ah, but can he take the compliment as well as he can take the teasing? There's the real question. <3 <3
Lovely, especially Wilson's musings.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Heh. I'm sure House doesn't see it as a good thing, and he probably knows how to deflect teasing more than enjoy something positive.

[poeia.livejournal.com]

I love it. House sees the glasses as a sign he is getting old; Wilson sees them as a sign that House might actually get old. Such a tiny little shift in perspective that makes all the difference in the world.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Everything is in the perspective, isn't it? While neither is an optimist, I think Wilson is the only one of them who is open to the idea of hope.

[makeitstopjamie.livejournal.com]

Aw! That's so cute! I love the optimistic spin on aging:)

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and you know what they say -- getting a year older is better than the alternative.

[ranrata.livejournal.com]

Great as always. Made me smile =)

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Glad to be of service.

[diysheep.livejournal.com]

Or maybe just the future...

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Ah, the future is very tricky place, isn't it?

[valn.livejournal.com]

Delightful! How nice that House is waiting for ridicule while Wilson is so pleased that he's planning to grow old. Very touching.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I was originally going to do something with Wilson teasing him, but then this interpretation took over.

[npkedit.livejournal.com]

Lovely little piece. You can't really go wrong with House and glasses, but you did it soooooo right.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I've mulled over concepts for a glasses genesis story ever since they first turned up, and this is the one that finally made it out.

[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is so lovely. I like House's bravado in inviting the teasing (and the easy familiarity in him doing that with Wilson) and brightness of Wilson's hope that "the future wouldn't be dark after all."

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I figured if anyone was going to give crap about his glasses, it'd be Wilson ... but then I thought, what if he didn't? What he if thought it was a good thing?

[genagirl.livejournal.com]

Another winner! I love the dual idea of aging - how it makes Wilson happy.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Only Wilson could find something to celebrate in failing vision.

[travlncarrie.livejournal.com]

You know, sometimes, the shorter stories are just better :-) Nice.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Heh. I was reading a review of the Irish novelist Sebastian Barry's latest book in which they mentioned the way Irish writers -- especially him -- can hone the word choice down to the simple, true and direct which create an intense mosaic of emotion. Not that I'm capable of that, just that it's something worth pursuing.

[bmax67.livejournal.com]

I think Wilson would love to be able to watch House grow old. As you mentioned in your fic, it sure beats the alternative.

And House in glasses= Hotness!

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- and I love the glasses too.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

So warm. Wilson facing House's mortality is very sad, but how very much him to take glasses as a sign of hope.

[namasteyoga.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think Wilson has faced House's mortality many times, but never in such a ... normal ... fashion.