who ? marcus flint and terence higgs when ? saturday, 13th august where ? the burrow what ? higgs comes back for marcus’ engagement party status ? complete
The past, Higgs wasn’t even sure, two weeks? Had been hectic. Since the letter telling him about Johnny, Higgs had sort of just felt a bit detached from everything. He knew he should have given people more information about where he was or even that he was definitely okay, but... Well, Higgs didn’t particularly feel like he was okay and worrying people when they couldn’t help? That didn’t seem very fair. He’d got the invitation, though, to Marcus’ engagement-slash-birthday party and, well, it was hardly as if Higgs wouldn’t show up to that, no matter what his head currently felt like.
He’d bought an expensive bottle of champagne, unsure what one even really got people for their engagement. Champagne seemed like a safe bet. So Higgs had apparated straight to Ginny’s parents house, the party already having started. It was busy but it still didn’t take Higgs a great deal of time to locate Marcus. Clapping his hand on his best friend’s back, Higgs handed him the bottle, offering apology to the people Marcus had been talking to. “Speak to you somewhere quiet?” He asked quietly, giving a small nod of his head towards the end of the garden, which seemed to have a lot less people. Higgs owed Marcus an apology, and he wanted to be heard when he gave it.
--
Marcus was avoiding some particularly ‘excited’ Harpy teammates of Ginny’s when he heard Higgs’ voice in his ear and he took the champagne automatically. Who the hell turned down champagne after all. He had been having a rollercoaster of a few weeks, from dealing with his parents, to the Cup, proposing, and then getting the JOY of dealing with his parents again. But telling them before now had been the only way to get them to NOT appear here at this party and ruin things. It was becoming his life’s goal to limit Ginny’s interactions with his parents. And any other Weasley’s really. They seemed to not hate him - and he would like to keep it that way.
He nodded to Terrence and made his way over to the side garden, “Sure….” He wasn’t sure what Higgs was doing here honestly. He had been giving his friend space since the entire engagement heads up debacle. His birthday gift was still in his office - he just - he just didn’t know what to say to him. But if Higgs had it figure out - all the better.
~~
It would be very generous to say that Higgs had things figured out, but he had thought about what he wanted to say to Marcus. He certainly had had enough time to at least attempt to gather his thoughts. Higgs didn’t actually say anything until they did reach a distance that seemed safe enough from the rest of the party. Not necessarily because Higgs objected to anyone overhearing them, but just because it felt easier this way. “I owe you an apology,” Higgs said turning to Marcus once they stopped walking.
“The way I reacted to you being engaged? That was inappropriate,” Higgs told Marcus honestly. “Was it surprising? Sure. I’m not--” There Higgs paused, giving a small shake of his head. “I can’t say I’m still convinced getting engaged so quickly isn’t strange, but that’s not up to me to decide,” and it really wasn’t. “And I am happy for you. I’m glad Ginny makes you happy, you deserve that,” Higgs told his best friend. It was true. He may have meant what he said, but that didn’t actually mean that Higgs had had any right to say it. Especially not the way he had.
After a moment, Higgs gave another small shrug. “I hope you can accept my apology and my congratulations. Extend it to Ginny, too,” and there Higgs did mean both the apology and the congratulations.
--
“See, and I can almost see that you meant the previous statement.” Marcus said with a shake of his head and a soft sigh, “Thank you for the apology and for the congratulations.” He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head, “And no, it wasn’t your place. I still don’t get you - I really don’t. You are my best friend. You are like family….and….”
Marcus threw up his hands, “You know what - I am in a good mood. I am at a party, with my fiancee, her family isn’t trying to kill me. They have all but adopted my siblings...I am in a good place. So I am just going to say this…” Licking his lips Marcus let out a slow sigh, “I get where you are coming from with how you feel. About my current life choices. And I love that you are looking out for me. But I am not going to let that ruin this for me anymore.”
He held out his hand, “So we can agree to disagree on this one - right?”
~~
Higgs didn’t think he was in any way trying to ruin anything for Marcus. Had he overreacted? Yes. Had he done it maliciously? Harly. Higgs had never done anything in his whole life maliciously. Pointing that out, though, was clearly not important. If Marcus wanted to think that Higgs had set out to hurt him, well... Frankly, Higgs had no idea what he was meant to do with that. That, and Higgs really didn’t fancy explaining how he did still think it was sudden, but there were plenty of other reasons why he had said what he had.
“You’re my best friend, Marcus. Been my been my best friend since we were little,” Higgs said with a shake of his head. “I am happy for you. I am also worried for you. But I do trust that you are the person to make the best choices for yourself, I would hardly want to imply otherwise,” and really, Higgs wasn’t sure he had, but admitting fault had never been something Higgs struggled with. He owed up to the things he did and said, and he knew he hadn’t been fair, so an apology, a genuine one, was not hard to offer.
“I’m not sure what we’re agreeing to disagree on, but if that means we’re good, then I’m happy to do that,” Higgs said. “Drink champagne, party hard,” he added jokingly.
--
“You get no champagne until you tell me where the hell you have been. You have worried your sister, me and you know - people who care. And the dogs. You worried the damn dogs.” Marcus said with a small chuckle.
“I even pondered that you had followed the current trend of vacation with no notice - but you have already done the vacation part of things.” he nudged Higgs, “Is everything okay? I have known you forever, and something isn’t right. Well, I suppose you haven’t been ‘right’ since we were 12, but more so than normal.”
Marcus was genuinely worried about Higgs. Of the two of them - Marcus was more prone to vanish without a word. And for him to do so...Marcus rested a hand on Higgs’ shoulder, “Seriously - what is going on in that thick skull of yours.”
~~
At Marcus’ comment, Higgs gave a soft sigh. “I’m sorry for disappearing,” he said genuinely. Up and leaving hadn’t been ideal, but Higgs really wasn’t sure he could have done it differently. Practically, sure, but for him? Perhaps not. He did give a small laugh, though, when Marcus said that he hadn’t been right since they were twelve. “I don’t know what you mean, I’m a delight,” he teased, glad that they could. But then a more serious expression returned to Higgs’ face.
It was tempting to say that everything was fine. But the thing was, the thing that Higgs had become acutely aware of after his chat with Cassie at the wake, was that he wasn’t fine. It had been a very long time since Higgs had considered owning up to that. In a way, he didn’t want to bother Marcus, especially not today, but on the other hand, if the tables were reversed, Higgs knew he would want Marcus to tell him.
“A friend I served with died,” Higgs said. “I went to help his wife with the funeral and... just generally, I guess,” since he had stayed for a week after. “I’ve had a lot to think about. Still do have a lot to sort out,” Higgs explained before giving a small shake of his head. “I’m going to go and stay at my parents’ house for a bit. I need... I don’t know, something to anchor me, and that seems like the smart choice,” or at least he hoped it would be. Being at the house he grew up in, that should help, Higgs hoped. “I’m not... okay?” Higgs said after a small pause. “But I think I could be,” which at the moment was all he was really hoping for. “And you don’t have to worry about me,” he assured Marcus with a small grin. “Especially since I’m sure my sister’s going to kill me for having been away without a word for so long,” Higgs added more dramatically. His sister. Marcus’ sister. Probably Higgs’ wife, too. It was going to be a lot of angry women in his life.
--
Marcus was glad Higgs didn’t try to gloss it over - where he had been and why. He wanted to ask more - but the timing didn’t seem right. Not about the friend at least. But when Terrence opened up about not being okay - Marcus was glad he was finally seeing it. He had been willing to let Terrence work through whatever it was on his own….and he would be sad to see him leave the house.
But he also wanted his best friend back in better emotional shape, “I hope she kicks your ass. And then I am sure Pippa will want a peice….and Lucas too. But my brother will more than like give you the disappointed puppy face. I think you have earned the disappointed-Lucas-puppy face though.”
“I am sorry for your friends’ loss….If I had known I would have tried to attend with you. Or something. You shouldn’t have gone through it alone.” He held up a hand, “Even if you needed too - friends are supposed to be there right? “ He smacked Higgs on the back of the head, “So let me be a friend jackass.”
~~
At Marcus’ list of all the people who were going to be annoyed at Higgs, he gave a laugh, even if there wasn’t a great deal of humour in it. “Yes, I know,” Higgs agreed. He did deserve to be told off and had plenty of apologies to offer. It wasn’t the best approach, Higgs was aware, but he felt that at least being aware of it was a good thing.
Higgs nodded at Marcus’ condolences. It wasn’t much that could be said, Higgs knew, especially since he had just come back from extending plenty of those. And he did almost object to the claim that he shouldn’t have gone it through alone, but Marcus stopped him. It was stupid, Higgs knew. If Marcus had been in Higgs’ position, of course Higgs would have wanted him to come and talk about it, but it wasn’t always the easiest thing to accept when it was you personally concerned. “Thank you,” Higgs offered genuinely, pulling Marcus into a rough hug that they weren’t ones to really share, but Higgs felt was the most appropriate for the situation.
Pulling back, he gave Marcus a half-smile. “Go celebrate your engagement,” he told his best friend. “The inevitable future of all them ginger babies,” he added with a teasing smirk.
--
Marcus rolled his eyes at the hug and embraced him back, “Now that I know that you are still just Higgs….and not a completely different and judgey person - I can let you know that to make it up to me COMPLETELY - you will need to don dress attire and be one of my groomsman. So that you too can be completely uncomfortable and have to stand in front of people we don’t know all that well.”
He turned to head back into the party, “I expect to see your ass back there too - that way you can remind me who I REALLY don’t know and who’s name I am just forgetting.”
Saluting him with his drink, Marcus headed back towards the crowd, hoping that Higgs would be coming behind him.
~~
“I’d be honoured,” Higgs replied honestly. Marcus being happy mattered a lot to him, and his friend was right, that should have always been the most important thing. Higgs was glad they could work things out, and he really did feel honoured to be asked. “Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” he added truthfully. Something he could say with absolute honesty, since Higgs had managed to pull himself together to come here.
It would have been easier to just sneak off and disappear, but Higgs wasn’t going to that. Not that he particularly thought he had any idea who Marcus might genuinely not know here and who might have just blurred in with all the Gryffindor, but Higgs could at least give it a go. He’d stay for a bit, for Marcus, because it was his party and that was what friends did. And he probably also needed to go and be told off by his sister and Marcus’ siblings and probably also Lydia. What a fun party this was going to be for Higgs.