ticcyyy: (Default)
ticcyyy ([personal profile] ticcyyy) wrote2009-01-26 11:26 pm
Entry tags:

Boundaries (Hugh/Lisa RPF; PG-13)

Sooooo... I'm officially going to hell. Or I would be, if I believed in such a place.


title: Ticcy Has Lost Her Mind Boundaries
pairing: Hugh/Lisa RPF
rating: PG-13
disclaimer: I certainly have no clue who Hugh Laurie and Lisa Edelstein are beyond their public image. Nothing to be taken seriously here, folks. No disrespect is intended towards Hugh, Lisa or anybody else.
notes: This was originally meant to be for the porn battle but I felt much too uncomfortable writing RPF smut... but ended up with a completely self-indulgent fic, regardless. And this really is mindless self-indulgence. Set post-SAG awards, naturally. Obviously, if RPF bothers you, don't read.

P.S.: I place partial blame on [livejournal.com profile] austen, [livejournal.com profile] katernater, [livejournal.com profile] another_myself, [livejournal.com profile] chippers87 and [livejournal.com profile] hihoplastic, all of whom were no help whatsoever in discouraging me and my first foray into RPF. Ilu guys. ♥


summary: Fame is a lonely occupation.






Boundaries
by Ticcy



It's been a long day.

Award ceremonies always are, often starting as early as eight in the morning for hair appointments, make up, last minute dress fitting for any wardrobe adjustments, scheduled interviews, the red carpet... Not to mention the award ceremony itself and the after party. Lisa loves to party but after a full several hours of being crammed into high heels, posing for photos and keeping a smile plastered on her face through interview after interview of being asked the same questions over and over, she's more than a little exhausted by the end of the night. She's not exactly young anymore, either, even if she still feels it most days.

And poor Hugh, she thinks to herself fondly as she watches him close the door behind him. Ever the self-depreciating introvert, being forced to socialise at every turn. She studies his lined, weary face while he tugs his bow tie loose, a feeling of affection for him spreading warmly in her chest. She hadn't really asked if he wanted to come back to her hotel room; he'd more or less tagged along after asking what she was doing for the rest of the evening. He has his own hotel room to go back to, of course. She suspects he's opting for her company for the mere fact that they're familiar with each other and Hugh's a lot lonelier out here in the States than he lets on. She appreciates he likes spending time with her, even despite the times she knows she gets on his nerves. Fame is a lonely occupation: everybody wanting a piece of the rich and famous without giving a single thing back in return.

She kicks her shoes off with a sigh and plops down on the end of her bed. Her body aches in all the places it always does when she's strapped into an expensive, uncomfortable gown for too long. Her legs are particularly achy. She leans over to give her tired feet a rub. "So glad to be out of those shoes."

"Better you than me," Hugh agrees.

"You really think so? I think you'd look darling in a pair of these." She scoops up her shoes by the straps and holds them up, dangling them from her fingers.

"Hmm," he replies in a disapproving tone that makes Lisa laugh.

She drops her shoes back to the floor and leans back on her hands with a sigh, watching Hugh idly walk further into the room while unbuttoning his collar. "You talked to Jo yet?"

He nods, tucking his bow tie into his pocket. "Quick phone call after the ceremony."

Lisa waits for Hugh to say more and she frowns slightly when he offers nothing else. She understands the pressure a busy acting career can put on a relationship, but she's never been in the position Hugh is in. Away from home for years on end, family in another country. Not to mention being thrown into the limelight the way he has and having to cope with a work schedule more gruelling that she could possibly fathom. "How's she doing?" Lisa asks conversationally.

"She's good. A bit disappointed she couldn't make it, even though she hates publicity. Very pleased that I won."

"We're all pleased that you won, Hugh."

"Yeah, well." He shrugs dismissively and pushes his hands into his pockets.

Not for the first time in all the years she's known Hugh, Lisa has to bite her tongue against telling him all the reasons why he should be pleased he won, why he deserved to win. She knows he won't listen to her. He never listens to anybody when it comes to that kind of thing. "Why are you so self-depreciating?" she wonders aloud.

Hugh frowns. "Is that a trick question?"

She gives him a look, then pushes herself to her feet. The plush hotel carpet feels heavenly underneath them, after being trapped in high heel for so many hours. "No. I'm just curious."

He shrugs again. "Afraid I have no answer, in that case."

She takes the few steps from the bed across to him, fighting back an urge to hug him. Hugh's never been an overly affectionate man and he's never welcomed affection easily, but Lisa has always been the affectionate kind and often finds it hard to restrain herself from offering it to those who mean a lot to her. She manages to hold herself back from him, though extends her hand towards him. He extracts a hand from his pocket and Lisa snags his pinkie loosely with hers. "You're so frustrating," she tells him. "Don't you get frustrated with being so self-depreciating?"

"All the time," Hugh replies. "Terribly frustrated. But I wouldn't be me if I wasn't perpetually frustrated."

Lisa lets out a throaty laugh. "That's true. I can't argue with that."

She gives him an affectionate smile, her heart warming again at the affectionate half-smile he returns and she steps closer into his personal space. She's greeted with the smell of his cologne and cigarettes, a scent so familiar to her after all the years of working with him. She smiles again when she feels his pinkie squeezing hers, then arches up onto her toes to place a light kiss to his cheek. Lowering back to the flats of her feet, her eyes meet Hugh's and after a moment of staring at him she slowly rises onto her toes again and presses another kiss to his cheek, a little closer to his mouth. Then another, even closer, noting his eyes close when she's right at the corner of his lips. Hugh turns his face towards her ever so slightly and Lisa dares to let her mouth ghost over his. With his eyes closed, she can't tell what's going through Hugh's mind but she wonders if he can hear her heart racing a loud six-eight rhythm in her chest. She touches her mouth to his and closes her eyes as he responds, just a light and lingering kiss.

Letting his pinkie go, Lisa stretches her arms up and tentatively wraps them around his neck, feeling his hands rest politely on her hips. Just like Hugh himself, the kiss is polite and careful and she opens her eyes when he seems to hesitate and then pull back.

"We really shouldn't," he says quietly.

"I know," she replies, her voice just as quiet.

She can't help smiling a little guiltily at the equally guilty smile Hugh gives her. She leans back up and presses a gentle kiss to his lips, watching his eyes slide shut again, and soon finds herself getting caught up in a kiss that leaves her with a beard burn over her chin and her breathing a little quicker. The kiss breaks for only a second, Hugh diving back down to her for another kiss, his hands now not as politely cupped over her ass and his tongue tasting hers. Lisa pushes her hands into his hair and grips onto the back of his head, hunching up into the kiss. She takes a few steps back with him urging her backwards, his hands now travelling up over her bare arms. He touches her with an uncertainty that seems to mirror his own self-esteem and not just his uncertainty of the situation; it's almost as though he's afraid of touching her in places he's not allowed.

"It's okay," Lisa says when he pulls back with a shake of his head, not just to reassure him but herself. This is her colleague, after all, and crossing a boundary like this with a colleague is never a good idea. In attempt to lighten the intense moment, she lets out a soft, self-conscious laugh. "It's okay, Hugh," she says again.

"No, it's not," he replies. He drops his hands away, before lifting one back to his face to rub his lips, maybe trying to rub away the evidence of the kiss. Lisa's not sure what he finds funny, but he let out an ironic snort and scratches his head. He appears flustered, unsure, awkward. His face is coloured and the vein on his forehead stands out as though he's suddenly stressed. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For..." He gestures between them, then waves his hand about. "I, uh. Just. You know." He waves his hand between them again.

Lisa tsks in exasperation and reaches for his hand, clasping it in both of hers. "Hugh, it's okay. I'm sorry. I am." She clutches his hand to her chest, wishing she could get across to him that he need not beat himself up over every little thing he does. She's suddenly lost for what to say, though. The only thing she can think of that's safe enough to broach is tonight's SAG awards. "Focus on tonight. You won. How exciting is that?"

"Lisa--"

"You deserved it."

"But--"

"No 'buts'." She stubbornly squeezes his hand and tries to encourage him with a beaming smile. Focusing on the guilt of what the kiss they just shared wasn't going to do either of them any good. It was after all, Lisa tells herself, just a kiss. Hugh, on the other hand, could never seem to function without beating himself up over something. Sometimes, she wants nothing more than to slap him for being so self-conscious and self-defeating. Other times, she wants nothing more than to shower him with praise, though she always holds back because she knows how uncomfortable that makes him. There'd been times she'd done just that and it had resulted in little more than Hugh making a remark that was delivered with just the right amount of sharpness to stun her into silence and make her feel two inches tall.

"Come here," she says lightly after an awkward pause, pulling Hugh to him. She doesn't want him to hurry off in a fluster and she doesn't want what just happened between them to linger like a white elephant. Hoping that he'd accept her attempt at clearing the tension, she wraps her arms around his waist. To her relief, he lifts his arms around her shoulders. She settles her cheek to his chest and for a long few moments, she just stands in his enveloping embrace. This is what she should have done originally, just hugged him. They would have probably avoided that unexpected moment altogether if she had.

"It's been a long day," she says after another pause, just for conversation's sake.

"It has." A beat, and through the silence Lisa can almost hear the cogs in Hugh's head turning, trying to process the kiss they'd just shared. "I should probably head off."

Inwardly, Lisa sighs and she closes her eyes. Sometimes her own spontaneity was her own undoing, coming on too strong when she doesn't mean to or giving into an impulse that she hasn't thought through properly. She really hopes this doesn't come between Hugh and herself. The relationship they have is too special and important to let a momentary lapse of reason to ruin it. Not to mention they still had to work together.

"Okay," she finally answers, reluctant to let him go. Not just because she feels guilty for what just happened but because it feels inexplicably comforting to be held by someone who matters to her. Fame really is a lonely occupation, right down to the basic things that come so simply to others like intimacy. Loosening her grip on him, she pulls back with her head lowered, too uncertain to meet his eyes until she feels the unexpected brush of stubble against her forehead, along with the gentle kiss of his lips. Lisa turns her head up to look at him and a flood of relief moves through her as he takes her hand in his long enough to give it a firm squeeze.

"See you tomorrow," Hugh says. He hesitates. "Again, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Lisa replies quickly. "Please. Don't be."

He squeezes her hand again with an unconvincing smile. "Sleep well."

"I'll try."

Hugh steps back and turns away. Lisa crosses her arms over her middle and watches him venture towards the door, offering a final rueful smile to him before he slips out of the room.


end.

[identity profile] nitsa-maro.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE YOU!!!

[identity profile] ticcyyy.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, at least somebody does! Some people don't take too kindly to RPF. And I can totally understand why, which was why I spent two hours debating whether to post this or not. Ha!

Thank you, darling!

[identity profile] connor-ireland.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:31 pm (UTC)(link)
It's really good!!!! I love it!!!

And don't worry about those people. You're doing no harm by writing this and if they want to read it, so they can skip it and don't read them right??

[identity profile] chippers87.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Perfect. I take full responsibility in encouraging this, you know. :) If you're going to write RPF about Hugh and Lisa, I think this is the best and most respectful way to go. Of course, it's impossible to write concrit : "I really like the part where you had Lisa ask about Jo, as I have the ever-so-slightest girl crush on her. If you ever do this again, you should that again." LOL

If nothing else, you're filling quite the gap in the market. There's so many Hugh/Stephen, Hugh/RSL, Hugh/Jen fics out there, where's the love for Lisa?

I think it's the first time I've been happy to say, "So, I'll be seeing you in hell..." :D

[identity profile] mad-carrie.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm officially going to hell.

YAY! That's great news! Hell is where the party will be. ;)

Anyway. This is the second RPF I've ever read and I love it. I can't help but ship them and I'm glad you've put down in words what I am anxious to imagine. It is wrong, but sooo right.

I love you, really. You've made my day.

[identity profile] elphie84.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm glad you've put down in words what I am anxious to imagine. It is wrong, but sooo right.
Couldn't agree more on that one sweetie.

[identity profile] u-fisch.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I am always a bit uncomfortable reading RPF fics. But yours is really sweet and respectful. Thank you!

[identity profile] wanderlonely.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Awwwwwwwwwww I think you did a nice job!

[identity profile] lisa-grey.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Apparently there'll be a party in Hell!I'm coming,too!
This is so beautiful!Even though I love happy endings,this is so awesome it meakes me forgte about it!

[identity profile] lauriefied.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 01:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I love RPF, especially Hugh/Lisa fic and this was just perfect. I don't like reading about sex and I don't like cheating, so this was the best and most respectful way to go (as chipper87 wrote earlier).

Thanx!
ext_151084: (House Coffee)

[identity profile] gt22.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
I love it! Great fic - I love Hugh/Lisa RPF :)

You posted it on a RPF com if people don't like RPF they shouldn't be there!

Hope you write more! :)
ext_72259: (H/C kiss)

[identity profile] milena-barbosa.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
It's just a fic. Not like it will happened because you write.
Who dislike just don't read.

I love it, we ship them, so who cares?!?
It's just platonic.

[identity profile] marychalloner.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 02:22 pm (UTC)(link)
this fic just encourage my huli whishes!
it's perfect and I feel so damned to whis they could hook up even in real life.. thanks God you write fan fic!:D

[identity profile] hansolo5.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 02:32 pm (UTC)(link)
L O V E you.
I am neither a Hugh/Lisa shipper, nor particurarly a House/Cuddy shipper.
I am not against RPS; only against BAD RPS.
And that's not exactly the case.
That's what I mean when I tell you always make my day!

[identity profile] eowyn127.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)
OK... i'm not use to ship them really... but WTF they're so damn cute <3
yes we'll going to hell for that.
Amazing, deep, lovely fic.
love it!
thanks for sharing :**

[identity profile] mrowrr.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
VERY well written! if anyone can get away with writing RPF it's you... :)

[identity profile] saedulaque.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
'A momentary lapse of reason' happens to be my favorite phrase ever, and the title of my favorite album ever ;) Thank you for incorporating it in this beautifully written piece!

[identity profile] lauriestein.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
You are officially at least 73 kinds of awesome, and this is just one of the reasons why!

And if we are all going to hell, the company is going to make it one hell of a road trip!

[identity profile] icarus-abides.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
You know, deep down I think we all want to be dirty and RPF this in a totally innocent (yet oh-so-wrong) sort of way.

AND I LOVE IT!!!

[identity profile] bammel.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL

RPF

LOL

This was very sweet. ♥

Hell is going to be a very lulzy place, btw.

[identity profile] austen.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
This was perfect. So sweet and a little angsty and I could definitely picture it happening. Their relationship is the kind that would never be completely lovey-dovey and sappy and perfect, and I think you captured that here.

Now I'm totally going to have to write more. Damn it.

[identity profile] hihoplastic.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
SEE? And you were all worried. ;) Everyone's going to hell! So it's all good :D

I totally can't decide which version I like better, omg. They're BOTH good. AGH. YOU. YOUR FAULT.

hee, ♥!!!

[identity profile] topaz-eyes.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
All the cool kids live in hell, you know. XD

This was sweet--I love the momentary slippage of boundaries.

[identity profile] elphie84.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm grinning like an imbecile, this was so perfect. I love the bittersweet in it, God.
Kind of glad that we are all falling into this, I know it's no excuse but it does make me feel less insane. Thank you this was fantastic.

[identity profile] gayfortinafey.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
DAMN. That was good! :)

Gods. That must have been so hard to write! RPF is hard too write!

(Anonymous) 2009-01-26 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
This is perfectly lovely: Quiet, respectful, realistic, and poignant. I hear Hell is delightful this time of year!

--blacktop
ext_150236: (Default)

[identity profile] asus2004.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I've never read any RPFs in my life before, but damn after the SAG awards I feel not so guilty anymore for shipping them. I know it's so wrong, I just can't help it anymore, lol xD

YOur fic is awesome. It was hot but still respectful. Loved it ♥

[identity profile] hannahharriet.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, your ICON.

Count me in on the ticket.

[identity profile] huddy4chris.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I think I just died.... that was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sweet!!! And that kiss on her forehead....*melts*
anr: (Default)

[personal profile] anr 2009-01-26 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
This is fantastic -- completely realistic. Loved the writing, and the kiss was beautiful.
ext_150842: (Stephen)

[identity profile] murli486.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 09:32 pm (UTC)(link)
I clicked on the cut in shame because of what I was about to read, but... I loved it, I really did. It seems RPF works out when in the right hands :) See you in hell, though :P

[identity profile] blinkbackatear.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I love it! It was sooo well written! Please post many many moooore!!

[identity profile] button-lip.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

Tired of reading my own Huli fics (in Spanish) and now I have the opportunity to read someone else's work.

Amazing! And hell is wonderful this time of the year! I have been there for two years now, and I highly recommmend it. ;)

[identity profile] hannahharriet.livejournal.com 2009-01-26 10:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Awwweeeesome.

This is very real. There's nothing as bad as bad RPF. Bad fanfic is bad, but bad RPF is just...gross. And this isn't a case of this, of course. It could totally happen, and I love that about it. Not offensive or "wrong" feeling in any way. :) And it's awesome writing, with a great analysis of these two people from what we, the fans, get of them.

Thank you for posting, because it was awesome.

P.S. - I had issues posting my first PRF too, about a year or two ago, but I've found that if you write it a. respectfully or b. "artistically" (as in sctipt or movie or vignette like), generally people enjoy it and don't find it offensive. I've got an overly active mind, and sometimes writing's the way I've got to get thoughts out of my head, and RPF is sometimes the outlet for that. I think it's an okay thing to write if you just look at it in a certain light.

Okay, ramble over. :)

[identity profile] ernesztina.livejournal.com 2009-01-27 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C. I ♥ You! :D Thank You!:)

[identity profile] crumpled-up.livejournal.com 2009-01-27 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
YOU ARE GOING TO HELL.

ACTUALLY, WE'RE ALL GOING TO HELL.

I was talking to [livejournal.com profile] athenaraven about how we're totally going to hell for trying to stop ourselves from shipping these two. Then you put this out here and--yeah, I'll be joining you in hell.

This was quite excellent. Love, love, love the ending. And Hugh for being so self-depreciating. :P ilu for doing this because now we all feel slightly less guilty. ;)

[identity profile] hughlisafan.livejournal.com 2009-01-28 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVEE IT I have no problem with RPF especially Hugh and Lisa...Write somemore

[identity profile] drnihilism.livejournal.com 2009-02-01 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
Just found this fic and I want to tell you I enjoyed it very much! Thank you for writing it.
And, I don't believe in hell, so please go on writing. :D

[identity profile] darkchild1283.livejournal.com 2009-02-01 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I sooo want to go to hell with all of you!

Huli is love...geez, if you can survive their hotness hell´s going to be a walk in a very kinky park!!!

Love it...more please...

[identity profile] lesaubergines.livejournal.com 2009-02-03 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
Hell's gonna be swell!

[identity profile] catharticmuse.livejournal.com 2009-02-04 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
This was incredible! It was totally respectful and so sweet, I've read it like five times now, I can't get enough.
ext_151068: Hugh Laurie exhaling smoke, probably the to best things in life. (Default)

[identity profile] szoszo.livejournal.com 2009-02-05 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
:(

[identity profile] sadpie.livejournal.com 2009-06-15 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
Whoa, how awkward lol. I'm not usually a fan of RPF, but this was fantastic! I think it was really realistic too.

[identity profile] rachelhouse.livejournal.com 2009-09-11 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
I'm so proud to say I'm going to hell, and you are making the trip so much pleasurable, thank you!!!

[identity profile] mirandascully.livejournal.com 2009-11-29 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
My first HuLi fic ever! At first, I thought it'd be uncomfortable to read a RPF, but yours was so nice and well-written and respectuful...I've loved it!
Now I also know that there's no harm in such a thing. After all, it's a work of fiction that we all enjoy for what it is: a good fic. Thank you!

[identity profile] mirandascully.livejournal.com 2009-11-29 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, and...we're all going to hell, but, hell, if it was worth it!

[identity profile] morningwalks.livejournal.com 2009-12-27 10:03 am (UTC)(link)
it was a really, really good read (: There was so much depth in it, even though they just kissed, and you did Hugh & Lisa justice yo. Write more? hehe, i love HuLi chemistry <3