Max Davies (familylaw) wrote in lazarustheic, @ 2017-02-15 00:47:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: max davies, character: siobhan davies, character: terence higgs |
who ? Terence Higgs, Siobhan and Max Davies
when ? Tuesday 14th February, after work.
where ? Beech Tree Corners.
what ? Valentine's Day.
warnings/rating ? SFW.
status ? Completed in Gdocs.
With Siobhan in the kitchen, Max had fallen into his familiar role of selecting a bottle of wine for the evening. He'd just opened a bottle of red - something a bit special he'd been saving - to breathe when he heard the pop of apparition from the next room. He smiled, pleased Higgs had taken them at their word about not needing to wait at the front door anymore. "Wine, Higgs?" he called, partly to let the man know where he was and partly - well - to find out if he wanted some wine. "I've just been in to check and Shiva says everything's nearly ready." The dining table was set, so with Higgs and food they'd have everything they'd been waiting for.
He set out two glasses, waiting for an answer before he added a third. That done, he turned to smile at Higgs as he walked in. "You don't mind if I do?" Ever since Higgs had expressed a desire to make sure Max enjoyed his company sober, Max had mostly abstained - but he felt they'd probably spent enough time together now without alcohol for Higgs to feel more sure that Max did, indeed, like him just as much either way.
"How are you?" he asked, because he hadn't really spoken to Higgs since their conversation on Sunday.
--
Higgs had been a little surprised by the invitation to spend Valentine’s Day with Max and Siobhan. He then realised that there was no real reason to be surprised, it was, after all, a day people who were dating tended to celebrate together. It had been a rather long time since Higgs had spent Valentine’s Day with anyone, and truthfully, even when he’d been with Sara they’d very rarely had the chance to spend the day together. In turn, this meant that Higgs didn’t really know what was expected of him. He supposed flowers, since every shop on his way to anywhere seemed to be packed with roses. Cut flowers, though, to Higgs didn’t really seem to scream ‘affection’, so he’d decided against them.
Instead, Higgs had bought a chocolate cake. An inoffensive one, opting not to get the one with garish hearts drawn atop of it. It was still quite a big cake, so Higgs had decided to apparate to Max and Siobhan’s, since they had said he could. When Max called out to him, Higgs smiled, following where the voice had come from. “Wine would be lovely,” he nodded before setting the cake down on a counter. “And no, I don’t mind,” Higgs added, stopping just slightly short of leaning in to kiss Max.
“I’m alright, thank you,” Higgs assured Max with a smile. He had been rather... ‘unhappy’ was probably a pretty good description, on Sunday, but talking to Gemma and Max and Siobhan had genuinely lightened Higgs’ mood a lot. He hadn’t spoken to Arran since, but it had only been two days, even Higgs’ eagerness to fix things tended to last longer than that. “I’m looking forward to tonight,” he offered truthfully.
--
Siobhan had finished the final touches on dinner while Max got the wine settled. She emerged from the kitchen to let him know that dinner was done and heard the sound of voices as she neared where Higgs and Max were having a chat. She smiled at the pair of them, more excited to have Higgs there with them than she could have expressed. It was still a very unique circumstance, but she was happiest when Max and Higgs were both in her company. Strange or otherwise, it was working. Siobhan thought that was all that really mattered.
"Dinner's ready," she told them as she entered the room, her smile broadening as she tilted her head and watched them. "Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you're both hungry."
--
When Higgs stopped short, Max closed the distance between them, kissing Higgs softly. It was, after all, Valentine's Day, and Max had already kissed Siobhan in a very similar manner, so it seemed both right and fair that he should kiss Higgs - not to mention the fact that he just wanted to. "You look - handsome." Max's tongue tripped slightly over the word, far more used to telling Siobhan she looked 'lovely'. It was true that Higgs looked as attractive as ever. "Is that for us?" he asked, gesturing to the cake with a smile. "Thank you." He brought a hand to Higgs' side, but before he could kiss him again, Siobhan entered the room and he paused to smile at her, then kissed Higgs' cheek in a way that, he hoped, promised more through attentions later.
"Do you need any help bringing it through, love?" Without waiting to be told, he stepped away from Higgs to take Siobhan's place in the kitchen, carefully levitating the food through and laying it out on the table while he let Siobhan and Higgs say their hellos and happy Valentine's days. Once everything was set, and the wine was waiting for them on the table, Max sat down and gestured for Siobhan and Higgs to join him. "This looks delicious," he told Shiva. "Thank you for taking care of dinner. And thank you Higgs, for coming." He smiled at the both. "I'm afraid I've been lazy and let you two do all the work."
--
The kiss Max offered Higgs was lightly and sweet, and Higgs smiled against his lips. “Thank you, darling,” he offered with a gentle smile when Max told him he looked handsome. “Yes,” Higgs confirmed, the cake was, of course, for them. As Max’s hand came up to Higgs’s side, he leaned in, expectant of another kiss, but rather received a peck on his cheek as Siobhan appeared. Max having kissed him hello made Higgs feel safe in taking a step closer to Siobhan, in order to lean in and kiss her hello too. “Happy Valentine's day to you, too, sweetheart,” Higgs offered with a smile.
Higgs joined Max at the table, giving a nod when he complimented the food. “It does look very nice,” Higgs agreed, eager to try the food. “Thank you,” he added giving Siobhan another smile, before Max’s comment made him chuckle. “I’m not sure apparating here was really very much work,” he teased. “But I guess I did buy cake.” Which he had had to go to a shop for and everything. Still, it hardly felt as if he had done a great deal of work. “Thank you for inviting me,” Higgs offered both of them.
--
"Yes, please," Siobhan said, though Max was already moving to the kitchen to assist with moving dinner to the table. She smiled at Higgs as he stepped in, returning the hello kiss easily. "Thank you," she replied.
Like Higgs, she moved to the table, joining them and settling into her chair. "I'm glad you two think so. Now, hopefully it tastes just as good as it looks." Siobhan thought herself a decent cook, so she wasn't all that worried about the way the meal might taste. "You haven't been lazy," she assured Max, laughing softly. "You did bring it to the table," she teased, flashing him a smile and giving her husband a little wink.
"Don't mention it," she went on, looking to Higgs. "We're glad you accepted. Neither of us can complain about lovely company."
--
Max smiled when they both assured him he didn't need to feel bad over having done rather less to contribute to the evening than either of them had. "Yes," he agreed. "I brought food to the table, with magic." He shot Higgs a small smirk. "My duty is done. At least until it comes to washing up." Which he would also do with magic. He tucked into the meal, complimenting Siobhan on her cooking, because it all tasted delicious.
After they'd exchanged more small talk, and were all at least half a glass of wine in, Max swirled the red around his glass as he looked over the two of them. "I don't mean to sound like a lawyer when we're supposed to be having a romantic dinner," he said. But, really, he was a lawyer, and they both knew that. "I thought we could consider some updates to our list, before we all get… distracted." He flushed, glancing at Higgs who, after all, they had spent quite a lot of time talking about getting naked.
"It's been over four weeks now," he said. "And I think we can all agree that touching when the three of us are together… went well?" That was the easy bit, really, which was why Max had lead with it. He turned his attention to Higgs. "You were uncomfortable with the idea of Siobhan and I… being together without you," he reminded him, not having had enough wine nor enough build up to the conversation to be more direct. "Is that still the case?"
--
The food was, in fact, as delicious as it had looked and Higgs nodded in agreement with Max when he told Siobhan as much. The small-talk had comfortably led them through half of the meal before Max announced that he didn’t mean to sound like a lawyer ‘but’ and Higgs chuckled lightly. “We’d never expect such difficult struggle from you, darling,” he teased before Max went on, noting the flash that appeared on his cheeks more to do with the conversation than with the wine they were consuming.
Higgs did blink when Max mentioned updating the list, a cold chill running through him at the thought that Max wanted to take things off of it, but then, as Max commented how their agreement of four weeks with no sex had come to an end, it was replaced with almost a relieved sigh. And then it sort of felt like being on a roller coaster when Max’s next question was about him and Siobhan having sex.
Very carefully choosing his words, Higgs looked from Siobhan to Max and then back to Siobhan. “I was uncomfortable with the two of you having sex because I didn’t think either of you truly enjoyed it,” Higgs commented almost painfully slowly. “If that is not the case, by all means, don’t let me stop you from having sex.” He truly wasn’t sure what else he was meant to say, Higgs was hardly going to ban two grown, married people from having sex with each other. If that’s what they wanted. It did make him wonder what the fuck he was doing there, in that case, then.
--
The conversation took a turn almost immediately and Siobhan's features softened a great deal as Higgs responded to what Max had tried to bring up. "You're not stopping us from doing anything," she was quick to assure Higgs. That wasn't — at least she thought it wasn't — what Max had really been getting at despite the way that the topic had been broached. "I think that Max and I have decided that there was a lot of truth to your opinion on the two of us being together that way." She looked briefly to Max, then back at Higgs once more. "We both think that, at least alone, there are needs that we can't meet." It still stung a little to know that she couldn't please her husband alone, but Siobhan understood and was glad that Max was honest with her rather than carrying on a charade in hopes that it would make her happy.
"That being said, we both quite enjoyed the three of us together," she went on. "I hope that you felt the same."
--
Max hadn't thought about how Higgs might interpret the way he'd brought the subject up. He'd just wanted to establish agreed upon facts before he started offering opinions and feelings. Fortunately, Siobhan jumped in to save him. Max shot her a grateful smile, feeling his admiration for her swell because he knew it couldn't be easy for her to admit that. "Siobhan's right," he told Higgs. It was difficult for Max to talk about, especially still mostly sober, but he forced himself to. "I don't want to never touch her again, but...I felt like I could offer her so much more when you were there too." Granted, they'd only had one experience, but Max was hopeful there'd be another, and that he'd feel similarly. He glanced at Higgs, remembering the way the man had pulled Max's hands to Siobhan's breasts. "I assume you don't mind that?" he asked, more quietly.
Now, realising how his words had been taken, Max had to be more careful with what he said next, lest either of them take it wrongly. He didn't think they would, but then he hadn't thought Higgs would misunderstand his earlier point either. "Siobhan and I also talked about whether we'd feel any jealousy over the other being with you alone," he told Higgs. "And we agreed that we both want each other to be happy. And that includes being with you, if you're willing." From the way they'd been making out the other day, Max could only assume Higgs was willing. He smiled, remembering the rest of their conversation. "And if it will make you happy." Because that was just as important.
--
Higgs felt like he was almost unnecessarily defensive about the whole thing and he didn't particularly like that in himself. It wasn't fair on him and it certainly wasn't fair on Siobhan and Max both of whom had responded to Higgs much kinder than he imagined he might've necessarily deserved right then. He knew that Siobhan found it difficult, the way she had had to suddenly acknowledge that what she could offer Max on her own physically was never going to be enough and Higgs felt almost selfish in the way he reacted. After a moment, he shook his head slightly, looking at Max. "No, I don't mind that at all," he replied honestly. "In fact, I find the two of you touching each other... well, it's not an unappealing thing to see," he commented honestly.
The thing was, Higgs had to admit that this was an odd thing to maneuver. He didn’t understand Max’s sexuality, because Higgs had never not fancied both men and women, so to him being gay logically implied that Max didn’t want women, but Higgs, through the experience they’d had, didn’t actually think that was completely the case when it came to Max and Siobhan. Perhaps he needed to remind himself of that more often.
Max’s assurance that they wanted Higgs to do things that made him happy, got a soft smile in response. “I think that being with you, together and separately, is definitely something I am both willing and happy to do,” he commented, his tone much softer this time around.
Reaching for his wine, Higgs took a sip before putting the glass back down carefully. “So is this conversation an agreement that now that the four weeks are over, we are nearing having sex?” Higgs asked to be sure that it was what they were saying. “I don’t require for us to--well, to put it crudely, fuck off the bat, but I’d like to know that perhaps more than kissing is... fine?” He said truthfully. Higgs really didn’t expect sex to instantly mean penetrative sex, but what they’d done, all three of them together, that had certainly been something that would probably be considered as sex by most people.
--
Siobhan felt a warmth rush through her as Higgs began to talk about how he felt when he saw the two of them touch one another. She wondered if he felt that same sort of warmth that she felt when Max's fingers brushed against Higgs's skin or vice versa. Unappealing was certainly the least she could say about that heat that she felt at the mere thought of it, let alone the flood of arousal that washed over her upon witnessing it.
The question that he posed had Siobhan glancing at Max for a moment. She didn't want to speak on his behalf, so she decided instead to speak for herself. Looking back to Higgs, she gave a gentle smile. "I don't have any problems with more than kissing," she told him. "I'm completely content to let the moment take us wherever it happens to take us. What's already happened, well, I'm certainly not going to complain if that happens again. Repeatedly would be nice," she said, a tiny flush flicking over her cheeks as she glanced down at her plate.
--
Max gave a sheepish smile at Higgs' question. "Yes," he agreed. "That would probably be the less lawerly way of putting it." After all, that had been Max's basic aim in bringing the conversation around to this topic, to make sure all three of them knew this was something they wanted, something they were allowed. He, too, flushed slightly at Siobhan's comment that repeatedly would be nice. It really would. "More than kissing would be… more than fine. In whatever combination, as far as you're concerned," he added to Higgs. Max had thought he would be worried that if Siobhan and Higgs were together they'd realise they didn't actually need him, but talking to both of them, spending time with both of them, he felt confident that - by whatever magical good fortune - they both wanted to include him.
"Right," Max said, returning his attention to his food. "I've said my piece. Unless there's anything else you two think we need to talk about? After all, they'd started so they might as well get through any more relationship talk now, before they retired to - another room. He glanced at Higgs. "I'm thinking about telling my father about us," he said. "Not by name, but - well, once I have, you'd be free to tell whoever you wanted." He hadn't quite made his mind up to do it yet, but the longer he put it off the longer he was forcing Siobhan and Higgs to keep secrets.
--
Higgs smiled at Siobhan’s reply and then gave a soft laugh when she added that things happening repeatedly might be nice. “I’m sure we can work on that,” he assured her teasingly, since it seemed very, very unlikely that they wouldn’t. Higgs did feel somewhat more like he was standing on a stable footing with this. Whether that would translate to them actually acting on it, he supposed, remained to be seen. But at the same time, Higgs felt like it would certainly be easier to judge.
As for whether there was more they needed to discuss, Higgs imagined that probably yes, but right then he wasn’t quite sure what that might be, and then when he did finally think of something, Max mentioned telling his father and Higgs blinked. “Do you want to do that?” Higgs asked almost surprised. “You don’t have to for my benefit,” he assured because really, Higgs wasn’t currently having any issue about who he could and wanted to tell. His siblings had both, more or less, been happy with ‘I’ll tell you later’, even if with Arran that hadn’t quite worked out like that. “I don’t mind if you tell him who I am,” Higgs added as an afterthought because he really didn’t care who Max found it appropriate to mention his name to, for as long as Higgs was aware that his name was being mentioned.
--
Siobhan was all for any combination of the three of them being together. So much so that the thought of it made her much less hungry than she'd been a moment before. She pushed the food on her plate around a little, but did manage to take a bite or two as Max and Higgs spoke to one another. Trying to focus on Max telling his father about himself instead of much naughtier things, Siobhan glanced at Higgs as he responded.
As she expected, Higgs was understanding and would have let Max take more time if he needed it. A soft smile spread over her lips, especially at his afterthought. "I don't think that either of us want to keep you a secret," Siobhan said, looking to Max for a moment. "As much as I think that telling him is a good thing and a step in the right direction, I want you to be comfortable with it, too, darling," she told Max.
--
"I'm never going to want to," Max answered. At least, he assumed he wasn't. Maybe, one day, he'd actually be proud of his sexuality, like the leaflets implied he was supposed to be aiming for, and then he would want to tell people. It seemed very unlikely, and Max certainly didn't think he should wait for that to happen before he took action. "He has to know sooner or later." It didn't occur to Max that perhaps he was pushing himself too fast, that if he carried on like this he'd make decisions he might regret. He did frown slightly when Higgs said he didn't have to tell his father for his benefit. "If I'm trying to keep it from him, we all have to be careful about who we talk to," he pointed out. "That's not fair to ask of you, and it means I can't tell anyone outside the two of you." And Roger, and Arran. "At least, not in the wizarding world." His cricket club didn't pose a risk of Maximilian finding out through them.
Max sighed, lowering his eyes to his plate at Siobhan's words. "Roger thinks he won't mind," he said, to Higgs since he'd already told Siobhan. "Or won't care, rather, which is slightly different. Until I tell him, I'm - stuck. I can't move forward." And if he stopped moving forward, stopped putting in the effort to improve, Max worried what the consequences would be.
--
“Yes,” Higgs agreed with a small nod when Max said that keeping it from his father meant that all three of them had to be careful who they talked to about this relationship. “But,” Higgs added seriously. “This is still very new, darling, and whilst I’m sure we all hope for the best, don’t you think that maybe it’s a bit too new just yet to tell everyone?” It wasn’t really a suggestion in as much as something Higgs felt should at least be considered. Personally, he really didn’t mind who found out, but he was also not the one married and whilst the society they lived in was unlikely to react terribly it still seemed a bit silly to rush when they really couldn’t make any promises for this effectively lasting very long.
The feeling of being stuck, not being able to move forward, that Higgs felt was a better reason than telling Max’s father for Siobhan and Higgs’ benefit. “If you tell him,” Higgs said reaching for his wine. “At least you know. No matter how it goes,” because Higgs did recognise that it very well could go terribly, but he honestly wasn’t sure there was a likelihood that if Max waited for longer it’d go any better.
Turning to Siobhan, Higgs gave her a considerate look. “Do you want to tell your family?” Higgs asked. She wasn’t quite in the same position as Max, but really, admitting to people that she was both married and dating someone must’ve been at least somewhat awkward.
--
Siobhan, as always, appreciated Max's honesty on the subject. She hoped for him that he would be proud of his sexuality as part of himself at some point, but she also understood that it wasn't something that could be turned around in a moment's notice. His concerns about both herself and Higgs and the difficulty they may have had keeping a secret when they didn't have to just went to show how compassionate Max was, as if she had any doubts.
She wasn't sure whether Max's father would care or would react the way that Roger suggested, but she thought that not having to hide, regardless of the relationship at play presently, would be good for Max. Keeping bits of himself inside for years no doubt had been hard and had an effect on him. She wanted him to be able to be free of that fear that someone — mainly his father — would find out. In the end, though, it was Max who would have to make that decision.
Siobhan, like she had with Max, appreciated Higgs's honesty as well. The situation still was very new and there were so many moving parts about it. They couldn't say it would last another day or another year or another moment with any certainty. They were still getting to know one another and the dynamic that was growing between them. He was right about the fact that Max would know, at least, if he did tell his father. Waiting wasn't going to make the blow any less difficult to strike.
The question Higgs posed to her had her looking up at him again. "I'm not ashamed of what's going on between the three of us," she said. "I would like to tell my family at some point, yes, but I can agree that the relationship is still very new. Regardless, yes, I would like to tell my family about this. I would like to share my life with them the way I always have."
--
"Do you think so?" Max asked, trying and failing not to look a little relieved when Higgs pointed out how new their relationship was. Though that had been his initial reasoning for not telling people, Max had since convinced himself it was all in his own interests, an attempt at self-protection. He'd felt selfish, which he didn't want to be anymore. Maybe putting it off, not forever but for a little while longer, would be what was best for all of them. Max assumed none of them wanted to tell people only to have the relationship fall apart a week later.
Taking a sip of his wine, Max nodded. "Perhaps it is a bit soon," he admitted. If Higgs thought so, Max didn't feel as much like he was deluding himself because he was afraid. "And there are people I could tell about … being gay without fearing they would gossip." Friends, the ones who were more progressive and accepting than Max had been until recently, were highly unlikely to break the news to Maximilian. As Roger had pointed out, his sexuality and his relationship - while linked - weren't one and the same. While Max was sure they would ask what was going to happen to his marriage, he also thought his friends would accept it if the answer was that he couldn't tell them yet.
He reached across the table to brush his fingers over Siobhan's hand. "If you want to tell your family now, you can," he assured her. Even if it did get back to his father, it was a risk Max was willing to take so that Siobhan felt she had people to talk to. While it was the 'right' thing to tell his father himself, Max wasn't looking forward to it and wasn't convinced him finding out from elsewhere could actually make things worse.
--
Higgs wasn't sure whether the question he'd posed about telling Siobhan's family really implied that she should or would be ashamed of what they had, more that her family presumably didn't expect Siobhan to date someone outside of her marriage. If she truly believed that they would handle it well and be supportive, Higgs trusted that, since he, himself, was sure his family would have no issue with him dating two people. In fact, his siblings and nan didn't really (apart from Arran, but Arran's issue truly seemed to be more with Max, or perhaps, more realistically, Higgs, and that really was an issue Higgs had been trying to solve for years).
Max agreeing with Higgs that maybe it was a bit too soon to tell his father about their relationship made Higgs nod, because it just did. Being gay, though, well, Higgs felt that was very different. "Maybe start with that," Higgs suggested gently. Telling friends ought to be easier than telling your father when you didn't expect that to go well. From what Higgs could gather, Max had spent a large part of his life worrying about what his father would think, and as much as Higgs trusted Siobhan's belief that her family would take it well, he trusted Max's that his father wouldn't.
"Don't feel like you have to for me," he told both of them. "I am not somebody who feels the need to shout about my relationships off rooftops, and whilst, no, I don't want to hide it, I also don't feel like that's what's currently happening?" Higgs really didn't. Perhaps introducing Max to his father as more than a friend the time they briefly visited would've been nice but it was hardly necessary, Higgs didn't feel like he was missing out by not being able to do so.
--
"I think that I may tell some friends first, too," she said, nodding a little. It seemed like the best step outward at the moment. Letting a few close people in before jumping into the deep end with her family. She wasn't certain of how her family would react to the situation, but ultimately, she'd already made her decisions. Their opinions on what she was doing or wasn't doing with her husband were just that; opinions. There was little they could say or do to make her feel differently. Nothing they could bring up was going to change her mind where Max was concerned and the relationship that they'd created with Higgs may have been new, but it felt good and Siobhan wanted to stick with it.
"I think that taking slow steps is probably best in that regard. I don't think that we could really call this being hidden either," she said, shrugging her shoulder. "When the time is right, everyone that needs to know can know. So long as both of you know how I feel about you, that's all that honestly matters to me." She looked over at Max and gave him a gentle smile. "I don't think that you have to feel like you're expected to jump right into the fire pit straight away," she assured him. "You telling your friends and me telling mine is a good place to start. We'll see how it goes after that."
--
Max nodded, feeling significantly less guilty for holding things up than he had done in some days. He did still worry that one of his friends would accidentally say something, that rumours would spread and reach his father, but Max was used to worrying, and while it wasn't comfortable it also wasn't debilitating. "I'm glad," he said, in response to Higgs saying he didn't feel they were currently hiding. "I don't want either of you to feel that we are, or that I'm not happy with the way things have turned out." Max really was, and he considered himself far luckier than he deserved.
He smiled at Siobhan, who'd said what he wanted to far more eloquently. "Yes," he agreed. "What's important is that the three of us understand. And I think we do." This conversation had certainly served to clear away a lot of Max's own doubts and guilts that he wasn't doing enough, wasn't being open enough. He finished off his food, setting his cutlery carefully to indicate he was done. "Anything else before we move… elsewhere? I'm a little too full for cake just yet."
--
Higgs laughed at Max’s announcement that he was too full for cake, as Higgs finished his own food, he couldn’t help but agree. As for whether they needed to discuss more things, the answer was ‘probably’ but Higgs felt that they’d spent plenty of time already discussing important topics and he much rather would now relax and actually enjoy Max and Siobhan’s company without discussing what-bes and maybes.
“Glass of wine in the living room, and perhaps then cake?” Higgs asked. “It’s your time to useful and magic the dishes,” he added teasingly, giving Max a smile that hopefully very much implied that Higgs was joking and despite Max saying he felt like he’d not done much for this dinner, Higgs hardly felt like that. After topping up their glasses and letting Max wave all the dishes off to the kitchen, Higgs nodded towards the living room with a smile. “Shall we then?”