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Chase was exhausted, he’d been working for almost twenty-four hours straight trying to keep up with House’s seemingly endless orders. He’d filled himself to the brim with coffee and energy drinks, and now that the patient was finally stable, he felt heavy with exhaustion.
Currently, he was hunched over at a desk in the lab, head resting on his arms. The position was uncomfortable, and the thought of laying down on a spare cot somewhere was growing more and more appealing by the second, but he just couldn’t gather the energy to move.
Cameron and Foreman had left a while ago, and Chase had told them that he would join them in the office soon, but since then he hadn’t moved one inch. He sighed, squeezing his eyes tight for a moment. Maybe, if he rested here for a moment, he’d have the energy to make his way there afterwards.
Distantly, he felt a faint twinge in his abdomen, but he ignored it in favour of falling further into sleep, too exhausted to care about other matters.
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Chase felt himself being forced back into consciousness by a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. With a groan, he buried his head further into his arms. He was still so tired.
“Chase, you need to wake up.”
Shit, was that House? Chase blinked his eyes open, lifting his head up to squint at House. He had a weird look on his face, was that... concern?
Wincing, he twisted his neck, shivering slightly. Since when was it this cold in the lab? And what was that smell?
Chase’s eyes widened with realisation as his face paled. Shit, shit, shit! This could not be happening right now. He looked down at himself, eyeing the wetness off his trousers with barely concealed embarrassment, and looked back at House, who had yet to say anything, and still looked at him with that odd look of sympathy.
His chest tightened as he gripped the edge of the table, knuckles turning white, his breaths coming in sharp, shallow gasps as if the air around him had thinned. “I- I’m sorry-I don’t-”
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and tears spilled down his cheeks as his body curled inwards on itself. House had crouched slightly to be face to face with Chase, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. He placed a grounded hand on the other man’s shoulder.
“Chase, kid, it’s alright, you’re alright. Just breathe, in and out.” The other man exaggerated his own breathing, and peeled one of Chase’s hands off of the desk, bringing it to his chest so he could follow along with the breathing.
The room seemed to tilt and blur around him, and his words seemed barely audible over the pounding of his heart. “House- I can’t breathe-”
House brought his other arm to Chase’s shoulder, rubbing soothing circles along his arm and back. “Yes, you can. In through your nose, and out through your mouth.”
Chase leaned into the other man’s touch, too out of it to realise what he was doing. He teetered dangerously on his chair, and would have fallen off the side if House hadn’t grabbed him and held him to his chest, bringing his other arm up to wrap around the younger man.
“Come on, wombat. You’re alright, I’ve got you.”
The mumbled words seemed to sooth Chase’s trembling figure, and his breathing soon evened out, though he still hiccupped sobs frequently.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.” He whispered, unwilling to leave House’s embrace just yet.
House sighed, still rubbing Chase’s back in small circles. “You pushed yourself too far, kid. Next time, take a break before you end up sleeping where you shouldn’t.”
Chase nodded, bones feeling heavy with exhaustion still. House leaned back, holding the other up with his arms as he stood. “Now, come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up, and you can nap in my office.”
Stumbling to his feet and swaying for a moment, Chase followed House through the empty corridors of the hospital, embarrassment still strong in his mind, but feeling better after the man's comforting words.