HIGGS, terence. (higgles) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-07-07 22:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: phillipa flint, character: terence higgs |
who ? pippa flint and terence higgs
when ? thursday evening, 7th july
where ? marcus and higgs (and pippa)’s house
what ? talking? (because apparently Pippa's doing rounds)
status ? complete
Higgs didn’t actually want to talk. But he was also well aware that he had been the one to bring up the topic (at least it had seemed a fitting time) and Pippa didn’t tend to be someone who let him get away with things like that. It had been actual weeks since him and Alicia had talked about moving back in together and Higgs still felt bad about it. She had asked him to think about it, but Higgs didn’t really need to. He didn’t feel comfortable promising Alicia that they could move in, at least not right now. To Higgs it seemed far more important to take their relationship slow and build up from nothing. They had rushed through everything the first time around and that really hadn’t worked out too well, so doing it again just seemed rather foolish.
Pippa’s room was a small walk away from Higgs’ (or Marcus’s for that matter, fitting somewhere between the two sides of the massive house), and once Higgs had got there, he gave a light knock against the door, pushing it open carefully. “It looks nice,” Higgs commented looking around. It was a good idea to let Pippa do whatever she wanted with the room, make it hers. She deserved to have a space that felt like home, had to compensate somehow for living with him and Marcus. Walking over so he could take a seat at the end of Pippa’s bed, Higgs made himself comfortable, before glancing down at the trousers he was wearing. They just about counted as pyjamas, he supposed, even if the t-shirt he had on proudly proclaimed him the property of the British army. “Yeah, I don’t think I actually own pyjamas,” he offered her honestly.
--
Phillipa was well aware that his response had been less than enthusiastic about coming to her room. Maybe he shouldn't have dropped such a gem of a topic out of nowhere if he didn't want to get roped into a conversation. She’d changed out of her work clothes and into the ridiculous pyjamas she'd gotten - per his request. So it made her raise an eyebrow when he came into her room wearing what looked like normal clothes.
“Oh so I had to acquire pyjamas but you didn't bother to?” she asked, grabbing a pillow and shifting to be lying on the bed with her feet toward the top and her body propped up with the pillow beneath her chest so she could look at him, the hood of her pyjamas managing not to cover her eyes. “Proper rude, Terence.”
--
“That’s me, the rude guy,” Higgs confirmed with a laugh. Pippa’s pyjamas were rather spectacular, he had to admit. When he had originally suggested they have a pyjama party he hadn’t quite meant it literally, but the outcome had been so amusing, Higgs hadn’t felt the need to correct himself. “I’ll acquire some animal-like outfits for the actual thing,” he promised with a small grin. Honestly, Higgs didn’t even know where one got things like that, but he was sure that either Pippa or Gemma would be perfectly capable of informing him of such places.
Giving a small boop to the top of the hood of Pippa’s outfit, Higgs leaned his back against the bedframe. “So your brother said you use the house like a glorified storage facility,” he informed Pippa. “We have noticed you only coming and going at night,” Higgs told her, before raising an eyebrow slightly at her. “When you do come home,” he teased lightly, because despite Marcus’ feelings on the topic, Pippa was a grown-up and thus more than capable of making whatever choices suited her best, and if those involved sleeping elsewhere when she felt like it, well, that was certainly up to her.
--
“You'd best do or I'll be quite disappointed in you,” Phillipa replied, grinning softly when he booped the top of her head. She looked ridiculous, she was aware, but that didn't really matter. It wasn't like anyone was there but her brother and Terence, and they'd seen her look worse.
Scrunching her nose in response, she shifted so she could sit up and pull her pillow into her lap to hug instead, making it easier to look at him. “I didn't realize I would be spied on so thoroughly,” she said, giving him a look. A playful one, but still a look. “I'm here during the day, but you lot are at work. And I'm a very busy and in demand person, it's not my fault my presence is required out and about at times.”
--
“We’re not spying on you,” Higgs replied with a small dismissive wave. “We’re just concerned,” he said because that did feel a lot more accurate. “And not even about whether you want to come and go as you please, just whether you’re okay,” he explained since, at least he, personally, really didn’t mind what Pippa did for as long as she was happy doing it. The break in at her flat had been worrying and Higgs felt justified in wanting to check up on her. He really was very glad she had taken him up on his offer, even if keeping an eye on her meant perhaps being accused of spying on her. Which he really wasn’t doing, at least not consciously.
“Why you are, yes?” Higgs asked somewhat suspiciously. “Or you’d tell us if you weren’t?” He hoped she would. Higgs was never very sure of what exactly the relationship between Pippa and Marcus was like, since it was also none of his business, but he did think that him and Pippa were close enough that she’d tell him if something wasn’t okay. “You’ve looked happier as of late,” he told her honestly.
--
It was fair of them to be concerned. At least, in hindsight it was. Phillipa knew the past few months had been a bit… rough, in her life. There had been too much out of the ordinary happening, and while each event seemed to be less concerning as the previous ones, it didn't stop them all from being bothersome. So what if the intruder in her flat had only folded her clothes? They'd gotten into her flat.
“I'm okay,” she agreed gently, reaching over to take his hand and squeeze it. “If I wasn’t, I would certainly let you know. I promise I'm fine, I'm not doing anything dangerous, not lighting things on fire, or causing explosions somewhere.” She smiled softly at the last bit of what he said, shrugging a shoulder. “I have? That's good, I suppose…”
--
Higgs smiled and gave a soft ‘good’, when Pippa confirmed that she would let them know if she wasn’t okay. “I never thought you were,” Higgs told her teasingly. Pippa, as far as Higgs was concerned, was never trouble. She was good at being aware of things, or at least this was always the impression Higgs got from her. He trusted her to know what was best for her, and if that meant doing whatever it was she did, whether he knew what it was or not, then so be it.
“It is good,” Higgs agreed. “Looking happier tends to imply that you are happier,” he explained amusedly. “And that’s always a nice thing,” Higgs concluded. “I want you to be happy,” which seemed like a rather redundant thing to say because it was most likely rather self-evident, but it wasn’t going to hurt to highlight it.
--
There was certainly hope now that Marcus knew things that he would be less prone to keep such a watchful eye on her comings and goings, but Phillipa was smart enough to know there was no way he would ever stop entirely. That was the trouble with big brothers, she supposed. Terence, at least, never seemed to be as horribly concerned as Marcus. If he had been, she wasn't sure she would have been able to move in.
“Thank you,” she said after a moment, bringing her hand up to tuck her hair back behind her ear. “I very much want you to be happy, too.” She reached over to poke him lightly in the chest. “You deserve to be.”
--
Higgs smiled when Pippa poked him, giving a small laugh at her proclamation that he deserved to be happy. “I’m not unhappy,” he told her honestly. Perhaps Higgs couldn’t outright claim to always be happy, but then, who could, really? He didn’t feel unhappy. Sure there were things he was concerned about, but again, that probably went for everyone. “And my levels of happiness are highly increased by your animal like pyjamas,” he assured her before reaching out to flick the hood again.
“What even is it meant to be?” He asked genuinely not sure what the animal was. “A type of squirrel?” Probably not. Perhaps it wasn’t even meant to be a real animal, but Higgs wasn’t sure he had ever seen a magical or fictional one that resembled it.
--
“Alright, but not being unhappy doesn't necessarily mean you're happy,” Phillipa replied, rolling her eyes. She knew that middle ground well, though she hadn't quite realized how much time she'd spent in it until she started feeling… actually happy. Then again, happy could be a dangerous place. One misstep and the crash would be worse, further to fall than when one was simply living in the middle between.
“I have no idea,” she admitted, shifting her pillow out of her lap to look down at herself. “I got the first thing I saw that I thought would qualify for pyjama parties. I don't think it's a squirrel because it hasn't a tail…” She plucked at the front of it for a moment before looking over to him again. “But I'm glad it makes you happy. I'll need to find more, then.”
--
“No, I suppose it doesn’t,” Higgs agreed with a shrug. “But I’m not particularly saddened at my not-unhappy state?” He offered since he really wasn’t. There were things that made Higgs happy and quite a lot of things that he didn’t feel in any one way particularly about. That seemed rather reasonable, at least to him.
He nodded when Pippa confirmed that she, too, wasn’t sure what the animal (if it even was that) was meant to be, but that she didn’t think it was a squirrel. Yes, Higgs did suppose tails were quite crucial in making a squirrel. “Yes, you should,” he agreed. “I would very much enjoy photos of all of us wearing them,” Higgs told her with a grin. It would be both ridiculous and also quite adorable, the Higgs-Flint siblings all dressed up as mystery animals.
--
“As long as you're not sad.” That really was the important part, after all. Besides, she lived there now, and that meant more happiness in general. She would make sure of it.
“Perhaps we’ll do a family Christmas card this year with a picture of all of us in our animal pyjamas,” Phillipa mused, grinning at him. “Happy Christmas from the Flint-Higgs family…” She nudged the hood back off her head and smoothed down her hair. “I'm sure everyone would love them.”
--
“Definitely not sad,” Higgs confirmed. He really wasn’t sad, so it was hardly an untruth. Perhaps there were things that could make him more than unhappy, but that was perfectly acceptable for now.
At the suggestion that they could have a family Christmas card, Higgs couldn’t help but laugh. “Who would we even send it to?” He asked. “I mean, my parents would love one,” because they really would. “But I’m not sure yours would quite have the same level of appreciation,” he added, since, really, the Flint parents were... different from Terence and Gemma’s, to put it nicely. “I still think we should do one,” he told her because the thought of it was too amusing not to.
--
“No, mine wouldn't like it,” Phillipa replied, wrinkling her nose. She didn't know quite how much they would care, but at the very least she could picture their disapproving faces. Maybe that was reason enough to do it. The family they'd made away from their parents was much nicer than the one they'd been simply born into, and wasn't that worth celebrating with a Christmas card?
“Oh, of course we should. We could send it to friends - Marcus and Gem have their teammates. Hell, between the lot of us it would probably get put in the paper at some point. Happy Christmas, indeed.”
--
It was true, Gemma and Marcus had a lot of teammates. And Higgs supposed he had work mates and ex-soldier friends he could send the card to. “That’s decided then, we’ll do a Christmas card, all dressed in animal pyjamas,” Higgs confirmed with a laugh, before ruffling Pippa’s hood affectionately.
“I’m glad you’ve moved in,” he told her honestly and probably repeatedly. Higgs really was glad Pippa was there, even if it had originally been so him and Marcus could make sure she was doing alright. Even if Pippa came and went as she pleased, mostly at night, Higgs still felt better for her being there.
--
“You get to be the one to tell Marcus,” Phillipa said with a grin. He would probably be the toughest sell with the remaining siblings, as she didn't see Gemma or Lucas putting up much of a fight. Even still, she could see Marcus relenting quite easily, especially if she got him a good animal.
“Thank you,” she replied softly. It was a tad weird, being there, for many reasons, but she was glad they'd had a room they were willing to let her use. “I appreciate you letting me move in. There's been too much strangeness going on… it's better to be here, I think.”
--
Higgs laughed when Pippa told him it was up to him to let Marcus know. “Oh, I look forward to it,” he said teasingly. Higgs was sure that between him, Pippa, Lucas and Gemma, Marcus would be left with no choice but to wear an animal-like onesie and take a photo with all of them together. It’d be nice, Higgs thought, their own little family.
“Yeah,” Higgs agreed with a nod. It was better that she was here, there wasn’t really anything else he could add to that. When it seemed that Pippa was more than happy not to talk about what she had originally suggested Higgs came over for, he reached out to give her shoulder a little shove before getting up from the bed. “I need sleep, Pippin, not all of us can stay up late doing god knows what,” he told her teasingly, but also gave a demonstrative yawn with it. “Good talk,” he added, because it sort of had been?
--
Phillipa watched as he got up from her bed, raising an eyebrow at him but smirking all the same. It was true, she kept very different hours than people with what could be considered ‘normal’ jobs, but she liked that just fine. She shifted up onto her knees to be able to slip her arms around him for a quick hug, brushing a kiss against his cheek.
“Good talk,” she agreed, pausing to look up at him. “Though sometime, when you're not so needing of sleep, I'd like to hear more about this thing with your wife.”
--
Higgs returned the hug easily, smiling when she pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Sure,” he replied but had absolutely no intention to bring it up. She hadn’t asked and Higgs didn’t really know what there was to say about it. He could probably explain, but frankly he wasn’t sure he even knew what he was explaining.
“Sleep well, Pippin,” he told her softly, before departing from her room, making his way back to his own bedroom.