House/Foreman

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Pairing
Pairing: Gregory House/Eric Foreman
Alternative name(s): H/F
Gender category: m/m slash
Fandom: House, M.D.
Canonical?: no
Prevalence: rare
Archives: Foreman_House at LiveJournal
Other:
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House/Foreman is a rare slash pairing in the House, M.D. fandom. Reasons given for its rarity include the squick factor of a boss/employee relationship; the conflict between the characters; the differences in their ages; the fact that both characters have had several female love interests; and a generalized dislike of Foreman's character due to his arrogance. Some fans have also postulated that there may be a racial bias against including Foreman in fics, given that House/Chase and House/Cameron are both more popular than House/Foreman as 'ships.

Of the stories that have been written for the pairing, hatesex or the characters' conflict are often used as plot elements.

Relationship In Canon

The two men have an antagonistic relationship through much of the series, as Foreman tries to deny that he shares House's characteristics of arrogance, emotional distance, and a willingness to disregard human beings and quality of life when practicing medicine. At the end of the third season, when Foreman quits working for House, House objects and even goes so far as to ask him to stay: "You're an important part of the team, I need you." During the fourth and fifth seasons, House and Foreman begin working together on a more equal footing when House replaced his first team of fellows, and Foreman returned to work for him at an intermediate, supervisory level.

House and Foreman have shared several meals together, and House has offered to make coffee for Foreman. Foreman has treated House medically when House induces a migraine in himself.

House has shown considerable interest in why Foreman reacts to certain stimuli, as when he takes a case because Foreman doesn't want him to (Histories), or by goading him to drop the act of pretending to care for patients (DNR, Family).

Foreman As Boss

Foreman, though the least experienced of the original fellows, has taken on a more authoritative position relative to them in several situations. First, when Chase was censured for his involvement in a patient's death, Foreman was given control of the Diagnostics department for three weeks. House and Foreman clashed over the change in authority, with Foreman trying to run the department sensibly and House creating busywork for him and pranking him at every opportunity. (If the arc where Wilson moves in with House is taken as evidence of a trend, House uses pranks either to prove a point or to declare his love, depending on the fan's shipper tendencies.)

After leaving Princeton-Plainsboro, Foreman is the only fellow who continues his diagnostics career, becoming the Head of Diagnostics at Mercy Hospital. Foreman's three fellows are mirrors of himself, Chase, and Cameron. He tries to use kindness and encouragement in order to teach them diagnostics, but those methods don't come naturally to him. Though Foreman insists he is not like House, he resorts to House's tactics in order to succeed at his new job--which promptly gets him fired.

As the intermediate supervisor of House's new team, Foreman tries to conduct employee evaluations, but the new team quickly follows House's hints not to respect Foreman's authority.

Foreman has proved just as incapable of controlling House as Wilson and Cuddy.

Euphoria Arc

To date, Foreman is the only major character on the series to have taken up the mantle of Patient of the Week. In the first season, his infection with rabies was key to House's diagnosis of the patient; later, in the second season episode Euphoria, Foreman was infected with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis while breaking in to a patient's home. During Foreman's quarantine, House first refused to visit him. He hesitated over treatment decisions because he was unable to separate his relationship with Foreman from his usual snap decisions with regard to patient care.

After Foreman recovered from his illness, he believed that it was a sign that he should change as a person, and become happier and more accommodating towards House. House was amazed and upset at this change, stating that what he likes most about Foreman is arguing with him. He subsequently pestered Foreman until Foreman admitted that he hadn't truly changed, so that their relationship could continue as before.

Foreman Quits

Foreman has been likened to House throughout the series, starting most obviously in Poison (1.08). When Foreman realizes that he doesn't care about patients and is seen as a misanthrope in much the same way House is, he decides to quit in order to escape House's influence. House accuses him of loving the sort of medicine they practice and tells him that Foreman isn't interested in treating others well but rather in looking good.

House stalks Foreman's interviews after he gives notice, interfering enough to cost Foreman at least one job, showing that he wants Foreman to stay. He also goes to Foreman's farewell party (though he hides in the background rather than make his presence known). Once it becomes clear that Foreman won't stay even if House asks him to directly, House promptly fires Chase, too, and allows Cameron to quit without interference. It would appear to be sour grapes: if House can't have Foreman, he doesn't want anyone.

Other Relationships/Jealousy

House has often demonstrated that he is jealous when people close to him have relationships, especially romantic relationships, that he does not know about or control. (Examples include Wilson/Amber, Wilson/Cuddy, and Cuddy's attempt to choose a sperm donor or to go on dates without House's interference.) This is true of Foreman, as well. House mocked Foreman's collegial relationship with his previous boss, Marty Hamilton (episode 1.09, DNR). He also went to lengths to determine that Foreman was sleeping with Sharon, the drug rep (episode 1.12, Sports Night).

Foreman, for his part, has shown the most curiosity about House and House's relationships out of the three original fellows. This could be due to the fact that at the time of the pilot episode, Foreman had worked for House for the shortest period of time (three days). Foreman asks other characters to explain House's motivations to him in several episodes: Cameron (Pilot, Poison), Wilson (Socratic Method), and Chase (Fidelity).

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