HIGGS, terence. (higgles) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-10-05 00:07:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !thread, character: phillipa flint, character: terence higgs |
who ? pippa flint and terence higgs
when ? tuesday night
where ? marcus and higgs’ house
what ? cuddles and sneezes
status ? complete
Higgs had to wonder whether getting a cold the week he signed divorce papers was some sort of a sign. If it was, he had no idea what it was a sign of. He had been honest when he’d said to Pippa he didn’t know how he felt (other than sneezy). It also really did feel like an end of an era, which perhaps wasn’t very surprising after five years of marriage, no matter how much of it they’d spent actually together. Higgs still loved Alicia, he couldn’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t, but this was... final. It had to be. The reasons were all mixed up in Higgs’ head but he still felt like this was the right thing to do.
Pippa’s offer had been kind. Higgs wasn’t sure he really needed her to come over but quite honestly, he did want her to. Yesterday he hadn’t told anyone he’d signed the papers, having needed a while to adjust to the idea but today had come with a cold and everything just felt... dramatic. Which Higgs was well aware it wasn’t, but as he cuddled down under a pile of blankets, a mug of herbal tea securely in his hands, it just felt dramatic.
When Higgs heard the sound of apparation, he peeked through his blankets. “Just follow the sound of sneezing, Pippin,” he advised. “There is a man buried under all these layers, I promise,” Higgs added before actually sneezing. “Well, if men are built of sneezes, at least.”
--
To be fair, Phillipa didn't show up in her pyjamas due to the fact that they were still in her room at that house. She had no need for such things at the cottage, and didn't really want to put on the silly onesie she'd gotten for their house pyjama parties so she put on leggings and the coziest shirt she could find before making her way to where the sneezes were beckoning her.
“Are you sure you're in there somewhere?” she asked, stopping to look at the giant pile of blankets that, presumably, contained her friend. Leaning down, she lifted one of the layers to peek inside. “Hi.”
--
“Hi,” Higgs replied looking up at Pippa before shuffling slightly to make space for her in his blanket cocoon. “Do you want tea?” He asked her with a small wave in the direction of the bedside table where a teapot sat. If Pippa did want tea, Higgs was sure they could just accio another mug. He’d offer her his but that would probably make her ill instantly, rather than the slow kind of infection Higgs was most likely going to spread by being in near proximity to Pippa.
Somewhere from inside the blankets there was a meow and Higgs frowned. “I’ve lost a cat,” he told Pippa pathetically. “Or maybe the cat lost me. The details are unclear,” mostly, Higgs just knew that at some point Pushkin had been by him and now he no longer was. The meowing, however, did give clues to the fact that the cat was still somewhere in the layers of blankets.
--
“No, you keep your tea,” Phillipa said, shaking her head as she climbed inside his nest of blankets. It was so warm and cozy there that even without being sick it would be quite nice. She summoned herself a bottle of wine and glass to drink from before tilting her head at the muffled meow.
“Your cat probably just explored into a dead end of blankets,” she murmured, digging around a bit before coming up with the kitten and passing it over to him. “There. You've tea, a kitten, so many blankets, and a rather superb cuddler if I do say so myself. You'll be better in no time.”
--
Higgs accepted the kitten that Pippa deposited in his lap rather happily, stroking his fingers through Pushkin’s soft fur. “It’s really very nice,” he assured her, moving in closer so he could bump his shoulder against hers before propping himself up against the vast amount of pillows more comfortably. “I stole the pillows from your room,” he told Pippa with a small shrug. “I ailments required more pillows,” Higgs explained before taking a sip of his tea.
“I don’t even know where I got this stupid cold,” he told her rather affronted as if somehow knowing who had given it to him would make Higgs feel better. “Do you think divorce can give people colds?” Higgs had never attempted a divorce before, so he couldn’t say that it didn’t. But he did assume his divorce lawyer would’ve told him if this was the case. “Maybe I’m suffering a delusion,” he decided realising how silly he sounded.
--
“You stole my pillows?” Phillipa asked with mock annoyance before giving his shoulder a nudge in return. “Not like I was using them.” She uncorked her wine with a flick of her wand before pouring out a glass and turning her attention fully to him.
“I don't think divorces cause colds,” she said, pausing to take a sip of her wine. “Though to be fair, I’ve not done much research on the subject. Seems like an odd side effect from signing papers.” She tilted her head in thought before smirking softly. “Want to blame Marcus for it?”
--
“It’s your own fault for getting such comfy pillows and then abandoning them to the faiths of--” Higgs sneezed and then frowned. “What are we? Housemates? Co-habitants? I would say brothers, but I’m not sure Marcus would ever steal your pillows. He might demand they attend his bed on their own accord, though,” Higgs added with a smirk that matched Pippa’s when she suggested that they blame Marcus for Higgs’ cold.
Shaking his head slightly, Higgs took another sip of his tea. “I don’t think he deserves that. Probably,” he added teasingly. “I’m okay,” Higgs said more seriously. “Well, I guess as okay as could be expected. It feels weird,” it did. “And it’s not like she has to sign them, so this might go on forever,” and by ‘forever’ Higgs meant another three years at which point he could divorce Alicia whether she agreed to it or not. Or so the divorce lawyer had explained to him.
--
“I will accept the blame for my pillows being comfy,” Phillipa replied with a laugh. She gave a hum as she thought, unsure of what she should call them. “Yes, what are you lot, anyway? Housemates works on two fronts, both here and as my Slytherin brethren. Let's go with that one.”
Sipping her wine, she listened. It would be strange if it didn't feel weird, she supposed. They'd been married, so having something finite putting an end on it… that was big, even when someone thought they were ready. Or so she assumed. “I think it's brave,” she said softly. “Taking such a big step like that, making a hard decision.”
--
Higgs handed Pippa his mug of tea so she could--well, put it somewhere, which allowed Higgs to then slide down lower on the bed, into the pillows, lying down next to Pippa as he put Pushkin carefully between them. Reaching out, Higgs draped his arm over Pippa’s legs, before tilting his head upward so he could look at her better. “I think I prefer ‘Slytherin brethren’ to be honest,” he told her amusedly. “It seems more... representative,” Higgs offered with a slight grin.
That grin did then disappear when Pippa said she thought it was brave of him, to start the divorce proceedings. Maybe it was, Higgs didn’t know, but it didn’t really feel like that. “Wouldn’t it have been braver to try to save my marriage?” Higgs asked honestly, opting to look down at Pushkin rather than keep looking at Pippa. It was hardly as if Higgs expected her to judge him, knew Pippa wouldn’t, but it was still something that did play on his mind, the question of whether Higgs had just failed rather than actually made any sort of appropriate decision.
--
“My Slytherin brethren,” Phillipa agreed, setting his mug outside the blankets so it didn't accidentally get knocked over somewhere inside. She stayed still until he settled, then let her hand rest on his back, stroking idly over it as he spoke.
“No,” she said, giving a shake of her head even though she knew he couldn't see her. “Brave because you did what you needed to do even though it wasn’t what would be the popular choice. It probably would have been easier overall to leave things be, keep going with what was already there. But you wanted things to be better, and did what you felt was necessary to start getting there.”
--
There wasn’t really any objection that Higgs could give to what Pippa said. Or rather, not any he felt validated in giving. Higgs knew that he wasn’t in a great place right now (overall, not currently, because actually, right now was quite nice, apart from the sneezing), and the divorce was the best outcome both for him but also for Alicia. Whether she accepted that or not, Higgs did think that long term she’d find happiness where he couldn’t offer her any.
“Thank you,” Higgs said finally, looking back up at Pippa. “You’re a very good friend,” he told her honestly because Pippa was. “I don’t know how I’d cope without you,” he added. That, too, was truthful, even if most likely something Pippa was well aware of. “Dropping everything to come and watch me be ill whilst you drink wine under a pile of blankets,” Higgs said more teasingly, a gentle smile playing on his lips. “I’m not dragging you away from things you rather be doing, am I?”
--
“You simply wouldn't,” Phillipa said with a sigh, smiling teasingly down at him. She knew she was there for him in ways perhaps not all friends would be, but she knew he would do the same for her. Besides, they weren't mere friends - they were family. Her hand kept moving over his back, fingers tracing random patterns into his shirt.
“Oh don't be silly,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I’m capable of leaving the house every now and again when I’m needed elsewhere.” Viktor would be there when she got back, after all, and he was well aware that Terence was an important person in her life. “And you say drinking wine under a pile of blankets like it's a bad thing…”
--
Pushkin, as in agreement with the fact that Higgs’ world would simply collapse in on itself without Pippa, meowed and Higgs grinned at both the cat and Pippa. “It would be a very sad existence,” he assured her seriously. Higgs neither could nor wanted to imagine his life without Pippa in it. She had always been there to support him and Higgs hopped he had always been there for her to return the favour whenever she might’ve needed it.
“Hey, now,” Higgs said shifting slightly. “We do not judge wine drinking, here in the land of cuddles and sneezes,” he informed Pippa before a wide smile appeared across his face. “So you going to tell me about what’s so great you’ve left Marcus and I behind?” He asked a teasingly. Higgs honestly was in no way offended that Pippa had, well, if not moved out, then gone away for a bit. The only concern Higgs had was whether his friend was happy, and so far she seemed to be.
--
“I would certainly hope there was no judgment as I was under the impression that was one of the cornerstones of our friendship,” Phillipa said, grinning down at him and bringing her hand up to ruffle his hair slightly before smoothing it down.
Taking a sip of her wine, she smiled against the edge of the glass as she considered his question. “Well… everything? I mean, you very well know back when I first moved in here I was mostly gone anyway, so it's quite the same as that except… officially so? I don't know how to put it without sounding stupid.”
--
“It is,” Higgs confirmed with a nod and followed it up with a sneeze. “We’re very understanding, us, the Slytherin brethren,” he assured. Then, shifting again, Higgs pulled Pippa in closer before grinning at her. “You can sound stupid,” he told her both because she could and because Higgs really doubted Pippa would or even could.
Watching Pushkin attempt to climb into Pippa’s lap, Higgs smiled. “It’s nice to see you happy,” he told Pippa honestly. “Even if you aren’t living in Belize so I could visit you in Belize,” Higgs added with a teasing tone.
--
It wasn't as though she needed his permission to sound stupid, but Phillipa was glad to have it. “I don't know, I just… didn't know I could feel like this? Or be this happy? It feels ridiculous, and I’m sure I sound like some dumb teenager that doesn't know what they're talking about but, I love being with him. I can be myself, even the not great parts. We can sit together and do nothing and it feels a hundred times more relaxing and calm than anytime I do it on my own. See? Babbling and stupid.”
She set her empty glass down to be able to help the kitten onto her lap, smiling as she felt it purr. “No, not in Belize, but I’m sure I’ll go there again for you to visit.”
--
Higgs couldn’t help the smile that settled on his lips when Pippa said she hadn’t realised she could feel this happy. Even if it felt ridiculous and teenage-like, Higgs thought it was rather adorable. “I think,” he said slowly but with amusement in his tone. “You’re discovering what feeling in love is like,” he told her gently. “It’s a nice feeling,” Higgs added because it was. He might’ve been going through a divorce, but it hardly stopped him from remembering just how nice feeling in love could feel.
Watching Pippa pick Pushkin up and assure Higgs she could go to Belize just so he could visit, also made him grin. “Maybe you can try a variety of countries,” he suggested. “You know I’d visit wherever you were,” Higgs added truthfully.
--
It was nice to have that reassurance from him, because truly Phillipa had no idea what being in love was like - or hadn't, until it slammed into her like a runaway train. She smiled to herself at his words, her fingers tracing up the back of his neck and playing idly with his hair. “It's a very nice feeling,” she confirmed softly, scratching gently against his scalp.
“I will travel to all the places and you can pop round for a visit whenever,” she agreed, before pressing a kiss against the top of the kitten’s head. “Might as well, since I’m fake unemployed.”
--
“Oh, yes,” Higgs nodded, leaning into Pippa’s touch. “Must keep up the appearances,” he confirmed before giving a soft sigh at the way her fingers felt in his hair. It was odd. Not the touch itself, no, that was very pleasant, but the way Higgs seemingly had forgotten what soft touches even felt like. Touches that brought no attachment or demand.
Moving his hand up so he could pet the kitten in her hands, too, Higgs gave a smile, and then a sneeze. “Thank you for coming over,” he offered genuinely. “I promise I’m not actually broken,” he added jokingly, but perhaps there was an amount of humour lacking in that statement. “It’ll pass,” Higgs promised, not even all that sure what the ‘it’ was. His divorce obviously would pass because that was how these things worked, but Higgs assumed that the odd feeling towards it would, too.
--
Phillipa kept her fingers running through his hair slowly and gently, wanting to give him some kind of comfort, however little it may be. He was going through enough without being sick on top of it all, and there was only so much anyone could take. While she was sure he knew she would be there for him no matter what, it was nice to have the opportunity to show it every now and again.
“I never thought you were broken, Terence,” she said, scrunching her nose at him. “You have a lot going on, and it can't be easy to deal with it. But you're not alone, you know? Never alone, so long as I have anything to do with it.”
--
“No, never alone,” Higgs agreed with a nod. He did know that Pippa was there for him and Higgs was sure she knew he would be there for her as much as he possibly could. They also had Marcus and Gemma, their own little family. One which they were successfully building outwards, Higgs thought, what with Lucas’ baby creation and Marcus engagement. Still, the core of it, the four of them, and especially Pippa and Higgs, those were things that stayed the same and that knowledge pleased Higgs quite a lot.
Giving a small yawn, and then a sneeze, Higgs sighed. “You’re going to get a cold, you do realise that, right?” He asked. Obviously, Higgs was rather hopeful that like Ginny, Pippa could will colds to not near her, but he wasn’t sure how realistic that possibility really was. “Are you going to stay?” He asked somewhat hopefully, but Higgs would, of course, understand if Pippa had more pressing matters than a slightly ill man with an impending divorce.
--
As important as Phillipa considered her actual brothers, Terence was right up there with them. As protective as she was of Lucas, she was of him - just in a bit of a different way. They both needed the occasional cuddle, so that was the same, but she knew just like there was always the three of the Flints, there would always be Terence and her.
“I will not get a cold, thank you very much,” she replied, scritching her nails against his scalp. “I will remain perfectly healthy despite your best attempts to sneeze all over me.” She smiled softly as she brushed his hair back from his forehead, looking down at him. “I’ll stay.”
--
Higgs laughed at the sheer determination with which Pippa informed him that his sneezes were not going to make her ill. “Good,” he confirmed with a nod. Higgs honestly believed that if Pippa deemed it inconvenient to be ill, she was, in fact, not going to get ill. At her confirmation, he gave a soft smile, pressing his nose against Pippa’s leg. “Thank you,” Higgs offered with another sneeze.