Wilson sat at his desk, his eyes flicking back and forth between the computer screen and the pile of paperwork in front of him. The office was quieter than usual this afternoon, with most of the team out on lunch breaks or in meetings. He had been working alongside her for a few months now, and although they'd only recently started dating, their connection was undeniable. He had always admired her intelligence, her dedication, and the warmth she brought to the office. Lately, though, it had become hard to ignore the growing attraction between them.

As she walked past his desk, Wilson's heart skipped a beat. She smiled at him in that way she always did, a mixture of friendly affection and something more. He smiled back, his thoughts momentarily distracted. She leaned over his desk to offer him some files, her perfume sweet and comforting, making it even harder for him to focus on the task at hand. For a brief moment, Wilson lost his train of thought, his eyes lingering on her a little longer than they should.

In that split second, he realized he needed something from her, a detail he had been working through in his head for a while. He reached out to grab the file she had handed him, but his words spilled out before he could stop them.

"Thanks, mommy."

The words tumbled from his lips before he could think, and his face immediately turned a deep shade of red. His heart nearly stopped as he processed what he had just said. Why did I say that? He thought, mortified by the slip-up. His mind raced, trying to come up with any explanation to make the awkwardness go away.

She paused, standing just a few feet away, her expression unreadable for a moment. Wilson's palms began to sweat as he frantically tried to recover, but nothing seemed to come to him. His brain was still tangled in disbelief that he had just said that, he had meant to say something entirely different. He glanced up at her, the heat of embarrassment flooding his face.

"I... I didn't mean that," he stammered, trying to clear the tension. "I'm sorry. That was... definitely not what I meant to say." His mind was still scrambling, unable to fully process the mistake.

House, who had been seated nearby, overheard the slip-up and looked over at Wilson with a raised eyebrow, clearly holding back a chuckle. Wilson shot him a desperate glance, hoping his friend wouldn't make things worse. But House just smiled slightly, as if to say, "I'm not touching this one." Wilson's embarrassment deepened. He knew House could sense his discomfort, and there was no way to get out of this without some kind of awkwardness lingering in the air.

The silence between them stretched out for what felt like an eternity. Wilson found himself unable to meet her eyes for a long moment, the weight of his blunder sinking in deeper. He could only imagine what she was thinking, he felt like a fool. He hoped she would just brush it off, but he had no idea how she might react. The office had gone quiet again, but it seemed louder than ever to him. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"Please, don't let this be weird," he thought, though he wasn't sure if he could convince himself, let alone her.