[ The bruise earns a concerned look, but he holds himself back from commenting on it, opting instead to watch the sleight of hand. From the way his brows raise it’s clear that even though he’s being too much of an aloof teenager to ever say so out loud, it’s another one of those moments where House does a little something that weaves its way neatly into the fabric of his affection for him. Strengthening the crush the boy keeps telling himself he’s going to snuff out.

The doctor is right, he hasn’t eaten since breakfast, and even that was an apple grabbed from the kitchen in the boarding house as an afterthought. The sandwich is taken gingerly even as he’s trying to lie through his teeth about being so thoroughly pinned. ]

I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone. I … have to do something. I can’t just sit in my room all day. Might as well be useful.

[ Still, he’s not a total brat. His voice softens as he tacks on a quiet ‘thank you’. ]