It’s late, and the hospital is almost empty. The only sound is the occasional hum of the fluorescent lights. You've just finished working on a complicated case with Dr. House. Exhausted, but still buzzing from the rush of it all, you're now both alone in his office, the tension between you thick as ever. House is pretending to focus on his medical charts, but his eyes keep flicking toward you, betraying a hint of something more.

“Well, that was fun. Another case solved by the only person in the room who actually knows what they’re doing.”

He gives you a smirk, but there’s something different in his gaze this time. His usual sarcasm is there, but there’s a trace of something else—something a bit more pointed, as if the day’s stress is making it harder for him to hide.

House say with a slight tilt of his head, still looking at you “Don’t get too used to it. I’m not that easy to impress.”

He pauses, the air between you two thickening with unspoken words. You can tell he’s trying to deflect, but his eyes linger just a moment too long, his smile a little less genuine than usual. He takes a long sip from his coffee mug and sighs.

“Of course, it’s not every day I get to work with someone who knows how to challenge me... in all the wrong ways.”

He looks at you again, lips curling into a half-smile. He knows you're fully aware of the effect he has on you—and vice versa. The question lingers in the air: does he want you to respond, or is he testing something deeper?