HIGGS, terence. (higgles) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-11-18 19:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: max davies, character: siobhan vaisey, character: terence higgs |
who ? siobhan vaisey, max davies and terence higgs
when ? friday evening, 18th november
where ? higgs' house
what ? another dinner
status ? complete!
“Siobhan…” They were almost ready to go, both dressed in clothes they hadn’t worn to work, Max carrying another bottle of wine while Siobhan fetched her dessert from the kitchen. It was the third time Max had started a sentence intending to tell Siobhan just how much he didn’t want to have dinner with Higgs. There was no getting out of this one, of course, not at this late stage, but if Max just told Siobhan how bitterly he’d felt towards Terence at school then she’d know not to arrange a third. For the third time, he stopped himself. There was no explaining the animosity without telling her what Higgs had said, and Max just wasn’t prepared to do that. “You look lovely,” he said, instead. At least that was true. Max had always loved the way Siobhan looked, and she’d only improved the longer he’d known her.
When she came close enough, Max wrapped his free arm around her waist and pressed a kiss into her hair. “Are you ready to go?” He would so much rather they be eating just the two of them, or with Roger, or even any of Siobhan’s other friends. He hid that feeling as well as he could as he prepared to apparate them once more to the house Higgs shared with Marcus. Max could only hope the former Slytherin captain was equally absent this evening as he’d been last time.
--
While Siobhan could sense that Max didn't openly love spending time with Higgs, she didn't know the reason why. He hadn't voiced his concerns and so she'd carried on treating Higgs like any of her other friends. She enjoyed spending time with the man and thought he was very friendly. She thought that if Max spent more time with him, the friendliness would weigh on her fiance until he came to the same conclusion that she had; Terence Higgs was a nice man.
Work had been stressful that day. The shower she'd taken afterward had helped with the aches, but she was still more than a little frustrated even after she'd gotten dressed and readied herself for the meal they'd share with Higgs. She didn't want her mood to be visible, however, so she put on her usual smile and fought down the eagerness to crawl under the covers and avoid everyone and everything. It was just dinner, she'd told herself. She'd made it through the last one without raising any flags and she was sure she could do it again this time.
Max's compliment made her smile a little more honestly. "Thank you, Sweetheart," she replied, leaning into his touch and humming appreciatively at the bit of comfort it brought to her. "Yes," she said, nodding as she gave herself one more look in the mirror, making sure every hair was perfectly in place. "Are you?"
--
If Max had realised how willing Siobhan might have been to crawl under covers and cuddle, he’d probably have tried to convince her to cancel. He wouldn’t even have felt that bad, not about inconveniencing Higgs. They could have said they were ill, blamed Roger and his germs. Sadly, Siobhan’s smiles were a little too convincing. “I am,” Max agreed, keeping the ‘ready as I’ll ever be’ to himself. It wasn’t Siobhan’s fault that Max didn’t like Higgs. It wasn’t even her fault the man kept inviting them to dinner (and that Max really didn’t understand). All she’d done was accept an invitation in good faith.
Keeping an arm around Siobhan, Max apparated them to the house, only letting go after he’d knocked on the front door. Maybe he should have prepared conversation cards, because he still had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to talk to Higgs about. At least the beginning was easy. He forced a smile when Higgs answered the door. “Evening,” he said. “I hope we’re not too early.” They were certainly more likely to be early than late. “We brought you some wine.”
--
Whilst ‘excited’ probably wasn’t the right word to use, Higgs was looking forward to the dinner with Siobhan and Max. Especially Siobhan, since she seemed genuinely nice, but if last week had been any indication, Higgs thought that Max could actually be a good conversation when he wasn’t behaving like a child. Perhaps giving the man food that he actually enjoyed rather than attempted to pretend to enjoy would help. This was why Higgs had asked Siobhan what sort of food Max liked. When she mentioned steak, Higgs had jumped on that because he knew he could make a good steak. To go with it, Higgs had roasted some vegetables and made mash and all the food looked rather lovely by the time Siobhan and Max arrived, with only steak still needing cooking.
“Just on time,” Higgs assured with a smile as he let the two of them in, giving Max a thanks for the wine. Just like last week, Higgs led them through to the kitchen, nodding towards the table for them to sit, before he went to find a corkscrew for the wine. “We’re having steak,” Higgs informed them. Siobhan, of course, knew they were because her and Higgs had discussed it already. “How do you like yours?” He asked both of them so Higgs could set about cooking the meat.
--
Siobhan smiled, taking a moment to set the cheesecake that she had made for dessert down before sitting at the table beside Max. "Well-done," she replied to Higgs, giving him a little smile. She let Max answer for himself. "It smells wonderful in here," she told Higgs. It did smell superb, really. Despite that, though, her stomach felt very knotted up and she wasn't sure how far into the meal she was going to make it. Vegetables and mash and steak. All very heavy foods that she could almost feel increasing the width of her hips and the pooch of her stomach.
Once more she plastered on a smile and pretended that everything was going just swimmingly. "Did you have a good day at work?" she asked, deciding that was a good place to start conversation. Focusing on Higgs and how his day had gone was much better than thinking on her own.
--
Max had hoped Higgs wouldn’t make curry twice in a row. If he did, it was either out of pure spite or a total lack of imagination. Steak was miles better. Max would never have thought to credit Higgs with actually asking what he might like and rather put it down to lucky coincidence. “Medium, please.” If he’d been alone, or with Roger, Max would have asked for the steak medium-rare, but with Siobhan sitting next to him he was content to have it medium if it was more comfortable for her. “Can I help open the wine? It should breathe before we drink it.” Luckily, as far as Max was concerned, Siobhan had brought a red tonight, which should go well with the steak.
After receiving a nod from Higgs, Max took the offered corkscrew and opened the wine, leaving it in what seemed a safe spot on the counter before he sat down next to Siobhan. “Looking forward to the weekend?” he asked, as a follow up to Siobhan’s question. Even though Max liked his job, he still prefered weekends. He assumed most people did.
--
Higgs gave a nod when Siobhan told him she liked her steak well done, starting by putting that on first, before he gave another nod at Max’s question, handing over the corkscrew. “I didn’t have a bad day at work,” Higgs replied locating a plate. It was true. He wouldn’t go as far as to necessarily call it good, but he hadn’t ended up being held up by needing to sort out one thing or another, which was quite a nice change. As for the weekend, Higgs shrugged. “I’m working tomorrow,” he offered. “Crime, evidently, never sleeps,” Higgs added jokingly. Saturdays were great days to do raids on potential drug dens, so Higgs had discovered. What a thing to know.
Putting his own and Max’s steaks on to cook, Higgs glanced over his shoulder to look at his guests. “What about you two? How’s your week been?” He asked.
--
"Mine was challenging," Siobhan settled on. She could have talked about how difficult it had been or how she'd been going non-stop from the moment she'd gotten to work, but she didn't want to bother either of the men with the troubles of her day. "I'm glad it's over," she admitted. "I'd much rather be here with you two having some wine than thinking about work," Siobhan said, smiling gently at both of them.
--
“Ah.” Perhaps Max should have expected that Hit Wizards wouldn’t have the same regulated work week that he did. “Do you get a regular day off during the week, or does it change?” There were many reasons Max wouldn’t have been a healer, but the constantly-changing shifts were definitely one of them. It was hard enough that he couldn’t necessarily predict when Siobhan would be available, he didn’t want to think about how much worse it would be if his own schedule could be changed at a moment’s notice. He reached for Siobhan’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze to wordlessly assure her that wine would be ready for drinking soon.
Straightening the knife at his place, Max shrugged. “My week was alright.” He hadn’t had to go and see Jun, or deal with any of his other more troublesome clients. “My brother’s come down with a cold.” And was being, as ever, a total brat about it - but Max wasn’t about to say that to Higgs. “I’m hoping we’ll avoid it.” Usually, Max ended up visiting to take care of Roger, and thus getting sick himself. This time, though, Roger had Daphne to look after him.
--
Higgs wasn’t sure what ‘challenging’ meant in the context Siobhan offered it, but since she said she rather not think about work, he let it slide. Higgs was perfectly happy to offer a distraction from a bad, or at least demanding, work week. “It does change,” he offered in response to Max instead. “Mostly I work Monday to Friday, though, so it’s not too bad,” Higgs explained. “But particular cases come up and, well...” He trailed off since the rest of the sentence was rather obvious, Higgs presumed.
Poking the steaks, Higgs deemed them ready, plating them up before taking Siobhan and Max’s plates over, returning once for his own, and then settling down at the table with them. Plating out the vegetables, Higgs nodded at Max’s comment how he was hoping him and Siobhan would be successful at avoiding the cold Max’s brother had. “I had a terrible cold a while back, so my sympathy to your brother,” Higgs commented. Of course, his was mostly dealt with by Pippa and Pushkin’s effective skills at cuddling.
“Your steak should be well-done,” Higgs said turning to Siobhan. “But let me know if it’s not enough, I can put it back on,” Higgs added. He was quite sure that it should be fine, but some people didn’t want even the slightest pink in their food and Higgs wasn’t sure whether it wouldn’t have that.
--
The gentle squeeze to her hand and the silent reassurance made Siobhan feel a little better. She gave him a soft smile of appreciation and returned the squeeze with one of her own. Once he'd let go, she tried not to watch the way that he straightened his knife.
She nodded at the mention of Roger being ill. "Yes," she agreed. "I'd like to avoid it, but if he isn't feeling better soon, I might have to pop over there and see if there's anything I can do to help," she said, mostly to Max. She was sure that he knew she'd be doing such regardless of the possibility that she could become ill in doing so. Roger may not have been the most wonderful sick person to cross her path, but she cared enough for him that it didn't much matter how he acted when he was ill.
Not one to complain overmuch, especially about food because it drew too much attention to her plate, Siobhan shook her head. "I'm sure it's just fine," she told Higgs. Once everyone's plates had been dishes out and Higgs had settled in, Siobhan set to cutting her steak into the smallest pieces she could without looking silly. The more pieces there were, the easier it would be to pretend she had eaten a lot.
"Do you ever have slow days, Higgs?" she asked. "Or are you pretty much busy every time you go in?"
--
“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” Max said dryly, thinking of the fuss Roger had kicked up because he deemed Max to be insufficiently sympathetic. “If you’d also like to send him some fudge, you could easily become his favourite person.” It wasn’t a serious suggestion, and Max didn’t remotely expect Higgs to actually send Roger anything. Especially as, for all Max knew, Higgs literally didn’t even know Roger’s first name.
Cutting into his own steak, Max discovered it was (irritatingly) perfectly cooked. “You’ve done very well,” he assured Higgs, because it was polite to do so when he’d cooked for them. He turned his attention back to Siobhan, shaking his head slightly. “You really don’t have to. He’s going to get better in a few days whether we do anything or not, and the pepperup will deal with most of the symptoms.” If either of them was going to go, it should be Max. Though past experience suggested it was quite likely to be both of them, since Max could hardly deny that Siobhan had significantly more knowledge (and a much better bedside manner) than he did.
The wine should be ready by now, so Max levitated it over and poured for himself and Siobhan before holding up the bottle in a questioning gesture to Higgs. “Is your department very big?” he asked. He knew very little about the actual capture and containment of criminals - he didn’t even work in criminal law.
--
Higgs was pleased when both of them assured him their steaks were cooked just right. For a meal that was so simplistic in theory, Higgs was well aware it was also one which people often found fault in, so he felt rather proud of himself to have both Max and Siobhan confirm that they were happy with it. Higgs could only presume they were telling the truth, of course. He would’ve thought that perhaps it’d be a silly thing to lie about but last week he had watched Max eat a curry he clearly found too hot, so there was that.
“Some days are slow,” he replied to Siobhan’s question with a nod and a thanks to Max for the wine. Taking a sip, Higgs gave a small shrug. “It’s not a big department, nowhere near as big as the aurors or anything,” he explained. “We’re more like a special force unit?” He offered. Higgs wasn’t sure how to explain it other than comparing the Hitwizards to a SWAT team, but then he had no idea how much Muggle references either Max or Siobhan would recognise, since Higgs was quite sure neither of their families were very into mingling with Muggles.
Having a bite of his steak, Higgs washed it down with another sip of wine before turning to Siobhan. “Have you got any siblings?” He asked since last week he’d told them about Gemma and now Max had mentioned his brother. Higgs thought Siobhan had siblings, from what he could recall being mentioned by Pippa and Marcus, but he might be mistaken.
--
"I'll make sure that he gets plenty of sweets," Siobhan assured her fiance. "Though, I'd wager that I'm pretty much his favorite person already," she teased. She was sure that she was at least a little way up on Roger's list of people he found pleasing.
"I don't mind," she said. She was positive that Roger's sick personality was capable of rubbing Max in a way that would likely just have them sniping at one another and that wouldn't get them anywhere. "We'll see how the potions do, though." She would likely still head over to see if he was doing better in a day or two. "Thank you," she said with a smile at the wine. At least she didn't have a problem with taking a sip of that. It was a good distraction from the food that seemed to span over the plate so much that she felt sick to her stomach at the thought of ingesting it all.
She made a valiant effort at taking a bite whenever either Max or Higgs happened to be looking in her direction, though most of her time was spent moving the food around on her plate to make it look as though she'd been eating it. She was thankful for the conversation about siblings because it gave her an excuse to do something else with her mouth. "I do," she said, nodding. "Two. Brothers. Callum and Aidan." Being the only girl was surely the reason that her parents were so looking forward to the wedding that was coming. It was different, her mother kept telling her, for daughters. As much as she felt pride at the thought of her sons marrying, she didn't get all the frills like she would with Siobhan.
--
Max still didn’t think Roger needed sweets. If anything, the sugar was more likely to make his throat worse than better, not to mention the way his energy would crash afterwards. Daphne’s method of providing him soup seemed much more sensible. Max didn’t actually expect Siobhan to agree with him, though. “You’ll only encourage him,” he said mildly. He would have agreed that Roger liked Siobhan much more than he liked Max, but it didn’t exactly create a good image of their family so he refrained. He was, also, aware that a conversation about Roger wasn’t very inclusive of Higgs.
“Will you be able to take time off over Christmas?” Max asked Higgs. He knew how difficult it could be for Siobhan, and was grateful she’d managed to get the full length of their planned holiday off without much drama. He was looking forward to the trip, as he always did. Daphne would add a new element, but Max trusted Roger when he said his girlfriend would be able to get on with both Max and Siobhan, so he wasn’t anticipating it being a problem. “The publishers I was in today have already decorated, which seems a bit premature.” It had been rather disorientating, flooing into an office bedecked with tinsel and large reproductions of their anticipated Christmas bestsellers. “They have to work ahead, of course, so they’ve already sent most of their seasonal material to print.”
--
Higgs smiled when Siobhan explained how she had two brothers, though, from the way she spoke, Higgs got the impression that she rather viewed Max’s brother as her own, too. He didn’t know how long Siobhan and Max had been together, but from the way they were around each other, he presumed quite a while. Obviously, they were engaged, but as Marcus had demonstrated, that did not always indicate a long relationship. Rather than asking, since Higgs wasn’t sure whether they knew each other well enough for those type of questions, he moved on to answer Max’s question about Christmas instead.
“I’ll get some time off,” Higgs confirmed with a nod. “As terrible as that might sound, no one wants to do raids on illegal potion factories over Christmas,” he shrugged. It was true. Not that the DMLE gave criminals a holiday, too, hardly, but there was certainly just less activity over Christmas. Or so Higgs presumed, at least, since it would be the first Christmas he’d be working. Still, as far as Higgs was aware, no one particularly cared to stay on duty over the holidays. He’d volunteered to cover a few of the shifts, what with not having any small children unlike some of his colleagues.
Giving a small chuckle against his wine glass, Higgs shook his head slightly when Max said he’d already seen placed decorated for Christmas. “People really get into the holiday spirit,” Higgs commented. “A bit too much, methinks,” he added with a smirk.
--
Fine with moving the conversation onto Christmas, Siobhan smiled. She was looking forward to decorating, perhaps not tomorrow, but towards the beginning of December she would likely at least try to find the holiday spirit. She'd always been a fan of Christmas and enjoyed the togetherness it allowed. She was looking forward to the first Christmas they'd have in their new home and, though she doubted it was going to be this Christmas, it was still a lovely thought.
"At least you get some time off," she said. "I know how difficult it can be to manage when you've got a job that is important." She'd been through the same sort of situation in trying to get time off. Luckily she'd managed to request it early enough that she hadn't been forced to fight too hard for the length of time that she needed for the Christmas getaway that they did every year.
"I'm looking forward to decorating," she admitted. "I would at least like it to be the same month as the holiday before I start decking the halls."
--
“It was disconcerting,” Max agreed. “Lots of lifesize pictures of snowy lanes and candlelit Christmas trees. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting in November.” Max was also looking forward to enjoying Christmas with Siobhan in a house they actually shared - though, he wondered if they would continue to go skiing with Roger. Given the choice, Max would’ve kept up that tradition at least until they had children to worry about.
Following a mouthful of steak with some wine, Max raised an eyebrow at his fiancee. “Are you implying my job isn’t important?” he asked her, with no trace of actual offence in his voice. He understood that, while important, the practice of law was not a profession that tended to involve emergencies - especially since he didn’t practice criminal or family law. ‘Someone is using my lyrics without permission’ was, generally, a problem that could wait until office hours.
“Come December, you can decorate my flat as well, if it will make you happy,” Max offered. He had a few odds and ends of Christmas decorations, but they had no cohesive theme and he never knew how to arrange them to make them look right. “What about you, Higgs?” he asked. “You and Marcus have a lot of space here to work with. Planning on a real tree?”
--
Higgs couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him when Max accused Siobhan of implying that his job wasn’t important. He was quite sure that Siobhan hadn’t meant it like that, nor did he in any way believe that Max was truly offended at her words. “I’m sure what she means is that your job is important in a different way, darling,” he assured Max with a smirk, reaching to take a sip of his wine, before giving Siobhan a wink. “Not as important as being a Healer, though,” he added. “None of us can compete with that,” which was in many respects very true.
As for having a Christmas tree, real or otherwise, Higgs wasn’t really sure. He had no particular idea of how Marcus felt about Christmas since it wasn’t exactly an issue they had ever had to discuss before. “I can’t say I’ve ever been in charge of Christmas decorations,” he admitted. Mostly either Higgs’ mum and sister had taken that role or Alicia had in the one Christmas they had actually spent living together. It had never been much for lack of wanting and more due to the fact that Higgs hadn’t been around for many Christmases. “I guess a tree might be nice?” Higgs offered. “I’m not sure I’m a Christmas kind of guy,” mostly because, again, Higgs hadn’t been around his family or friends much around Christmas time.
--
Siobhan was in no hurry to give up the tradition of the holiday away. They didn't have children at the moment and there was no need to say goodbye to that part of their life just yet. In fact, even when they had children, it would be a nice little getaway that they could look forward to with their uncle Roger. It was something that she expected she and Max would eventually chat about either way.
"Oh, no!" Siobhan said, shaking her head. "Not at all, darling. Your job is quite important. What I meant was that you perhaps have more leniency on when you can take a vacation. Many professions make it quite difficult to get a day off if you don't schedule it months in advance." She, of course, hadn't meant to imply that he wasn't doing an important job. She thought he was plenty important. She laughed a little as Higgs came to her rescue with a compliment. "Oh, you," she said, waving it off and shaking her head. "There are a million other healers. It's just no one wants to work on Christmas."
"Don't tempt me, love," Siobhan said, eyes on Max again. "I'll have your whole flat looking like the North Pole on December first." She grinned at him, broadly, mostly in teasing. Still, she wouldn't complain about having more space to get her decorating bug out.
Hearing that Higgs wasn't really a Christmas sort had her looking at him curiously. "You could always start up a tradition," she said. "Those can be quite fun. Max and I always go skiing over the holiday with his brother. It's quite lovely."
--
For a moment, Max had almost forgotten quite how much he disliked Higgs. They’d been making pleasant conversation, the food was good, the wine was even better - and then Higgs had to ruin it by calling him darling and reminding Max of exactly why he didn’t want to be here. He even wondered if Higgs was doing it deliberately, bringing them both here so he could show Max up in front of Siobhan with his ridiculous, inaccurate suggestions. He didn’t say anything, but his expression turned far sulkier. He wasn’t even mollified by Siobhan’s assurance that his job was important. “I know,” he told her shortly, because he hadn’t been serious about thinking she’d insulted him.
He did smile when she threatened to turn his flat into a winter wonderland. “Feel free,” he said. “It will get me in the mood for skiing before we go.” Max didn’t think he was ever not in the mood for skiing, but he wouldn’t object to a reminder in his flat in the weeks leading up to their holiday. Important or not, he did still have to get a lot of paperwork done before he checked out of the office for the festive season.
“What about your family?” Max asked. Wasn’t Higgs married? He’d said something at the last dinner which had implied he was, Max thought. Even if he wasn’t, he had a sister and a father, and quite likely a mother - though Max never assumed as much. “Your sister’s not married, won’t she want to spend Christmas with you and your father?”
--
Higgs didn’t miss the way Max’s demeanour changed at his use of endearment, which, honestly, Higgs hadn’t intended to use. Whether accidental or not, he had very little intention to apologise for it. If anything, every time it made Max sulk like a child just made it more amusing for Higgs, which, probably, wasn’t very friendly, but Higgs failed to see what the actual issue with it was that Max seemed to concentrate on. Perhaps if he told Higgs, he’d reconsider, but as it was, Higgs wasn’t going to attempt to stop himself.
“You must take pictures if you do turn Max’s flat into a Winter Wonderland,” Higgs told Siobhan seriously, but the smile that broke across his face rather betrayed that he was joking. Somewhat. Higgs wouldn’t actually object to seeing Siobhan’s, no doubt, excellent attempts at Christmas decorations. Perhaps he’d be inspired to give more of a shit about Christmas (unlikely).
Higgs frowned slightly when Max specified Higgs spending Christmas with his dad but not mum. “And mum, I do have one of those,” he said with a small shake of his head. “And I guess, yeah, Gemma and my parents will probably want to do something for Christmas?” Higgs really had no idea. “I might go stay with my nan for a bit,” now that seemed like a good idea. “She lives in Wales, so it’ll be a nice, wet Christmas,” Higgs added with some amusement. It’d be better than the three Christmases in a row he’d spent in terribly hot African countries.
--
The shift in Max's mood was almost palpable. The air between the three of them shifted and it took all Siobhan had in her not to comment on it. She didn't because she loved Max and there was no need to prod at him in front of Higgs for reasons to why something so small bothered him so much. For now, she left it alone, glad that he was at least moving the topic along so the conversation wouldn't come to a standstill.
"Oh, I will," Siobhan assured Higgs with a laugh. "Especially if I go all out. Have to make sure that my handiwork is captured for all eternity," she teased.
Siobhan looked at Max when Higgs corrected him. She assumed it was because Max was so used to only spending Christmas with his father that he hadn't mentioned a mother in regards to Higgs. She hoped it wouldn't turn into a mess over that little slip, but Higgs went on with the conversation, thankfully.
"Are you close with your nan, then?" she asked, hoping to keep the conversation train moving along. The more talking she did, the less she actually had to eat.
--
Max didn’t talk about his mother. Not even to Roger, or Siobhan. And yet when Higgs corrected him to point out that he did have a mother, Max felt so needled by the whole thing that he had to say something. “I find it’s safer not to assume,” he snipped. “The tiny amount of inconvenience you feel at having to clarify is insignificant compared to the pain it would cause someone who then had to address that they didn’t have a family member, and why.” Not that it ever caused Max pain, of course. He was only thinking of others. He and Roger were far from the only people in the world to have lost a parent, whether to death, divorce or something else entirely.
Had it not been for Siobhan, he might have left then. Of course, had it not been for Siobhan he wouldn’t have been having dinner with Higgs in the first place. Glancing at her plate, to judge how long this dinner might yet be expected to carry on for, Max felt his heart sink slightly. She’d hardly eaten at all, and though she had been doing a lot of the talking, Max suspected there was something more going on. He reached out to briefly cover her hand with his, giving it a squeeze. “Whereabouts in Wales?” he asked. “If it’s in the North you might get snow, rather than rain.” While he waited for a response from Higgs, he stole the largest of the remaining vegetables off Siobhan’s plate. If asked, he had a lie ready about how it was his favourite and he hadn’t gotten any, but he knew that Siobhan would prefer he not call attention to the action unless forced.
--
Higgs frowned at Max’s comment, for a multitude of reasons. If Max had just said that he didn’t have one parent, Higgs would’ve apologised. In retrospect, he could see how his reply could be a bit brash. However, that wasn’t what Max said. In fact, what Max did say, to Higgs, struck as an rather spectacular attempt at undermining Higgs. “I would certainly agree if you hadn’t been the one to introduce that specificity, Max,” Higgs told him honestly. “I can only apologise if you find I’ve been inconsiderate, but as a lawyer, I’m sure you can appreciate that in that particular instance you rather set that up for me,” he informed the other man calmly before taking a sip of his wine. Higgs was more than happy to own up to his mistakes, but not when he was lead into making them.
Putting the glass down, Higgs almost unintentionally followed Max’s gaze to Siobhan’s plate which was... a mess. Higgs wasn’t sure how else to describe it, since ‘untouched’ certainly didn’t seem appropriate. With the exceptional faux pas he had already made, Higgs rather opted for just answering Siobhan and Max’s questions about his nan instead. “I am close with my nan, yes,” he confirmed with a nod. “She’s an excellent person to ask for all types of advice,” he added, before giving a small chuckle. “Apart from baking. Don’t ask her for advice on baking,” he advised, no matter how unlikely either Siobhan or Max were to consult Gladys on such things.
“North-ish,” Higgs added regarding Max’s question. “Not North enough for snow, really. She lives in Barmouth, so just on the coast,” which was lovely, if wet and a bit cold a great deal of time over the winter months. “Where is it that you go skiing?” He asked because there was no reason not to. At least that, Higgs thought, would be a safe topic since it had already been introduced.
--
Siobhan could feel the dinner taking a downward spiral, circling the drain as it descended rapidly. She didn't see it getting any better when Max snapped out his reasons at Higgs. She wanted to run for the door then, but it was when Max reached out to squeeze her hand that she realized she'd been caught and her worries shifted away from the conversation that was going on now and the one that would likely begin once they'd gotten home.
She was appreciative of the way he moved the conversation on and tried to hide her lack of eating with a quick sleight of hand. She wasn't sure if it had really done the trick, though. She made a silent prayer that her secrets wouldn't be uncovered until she was ready to give them out. Thankfully, Higgs seemed content to talk about Wales and his nan. Siobhan much preferred these topics to any that involved her plate.
Opting to let Max respond to the question, she took a bite of her steak to at least make an effort to show her fiance that she was eating something. Maybe if she said she wasn't feeling all that well, he'd believe her.
--
“As a lawyer,” Max responded, unable to resist the temptation to rise to the bait, “I speak with precision. I asked after the two family members I know that you have, to save you the pain of having to correct me if I had said parents when you only have one. Being lucky enough not to have lost a parent, it costs you nothing to clarify. I won’t apologise for not knowing whether or not your mother was still in a position to be included in your Christmas plans, nor for not assuming. If you take offence to that, I’d be very interested to hear your reasons.” Though, Max was well aware he wouldn’t have any actual patience for Higgs’ reasons.
He watched the movement of Siobhan’s fork out of the corner of his eye. He was glad she was able to eat something, but wished he could take her home immediately where she might feel more comfortable. It was that which made him push his own irritation with Higgs aside. He still wouldn’t admit to being wrong, because he didn’t think he had been, but he didn’t need to escalate the situation. “This year we’re going to Switzerland,” he answered. “Our usual chalet was booked, so I’m not sure quite what to expect. I’m sure it’ll be lovely.” Skiing was always lovely, and Max had no reason to believe he wouldn’t like Switzerland. “Just, perhaps, lovely in a slightly different way.”
--
It was hardly as if Higgs took an offense at what Max had said. In fact, Higgs struggled to imagine many scenarios in which he’d take actual offense to something Max said. He didn’t agree, however, that ‘parents’ was somehow more difficult to correct than the blatantly strange situation in which Max referred to two out of three of Higgs’ family members. He would’ve carried on, too, Higgs thought, if it hadn’t been for Siobhan. Or rather the lack of anything that Siobhan had said. Higgs had no idea what her difficulty with food was, but he was struggling not to notice it now. Him and Max were doubtfully helping by discussing logistics of how one should or should not refer to someone else’s family.
“Switzerland,” Higgs nodded, very obviously completely moving over the family-related discussion. “You both must be quite good at skiing then? Doing it every year,” Higgs commented. “I did a training session in Norway a few years back,” he explained because that seemed like the easiest bit to go to with. “Got dropped off in the fjords and had to make our own way back. Learned how to ski pretty quickly,” Higgs said with a small chuckle. It had been by far one of the most harrowing training sessions he’d ever been put through, but that was hardly the point.
--
The more the two men talked, the less Siobhan wanted to remain where she was. The conversation was turning more negative by the moment and she had to admit she was thankful that Higgs took the time to move away from family related things onto Switzerland and skiing. At least those two were easier to focus on than the tension in the air. She forced down another bite as Higgs talked about training in Norway.
"I can only imagine," she said, laughing softly. "You learn quickly when you don't have much of a choice." Being tossed into a situation had certainly been the go-to for learning in many professions and she wasn't surprised to hear that hers wasn't the only one that thought learning on the job was a good method. "Do you get to travel often?" she asked.
--
“Siobhan’s better than me,” Max said easily. “Something about natural grace and balance.” Max had done most of his embarrassing falling over when he was much younger, thankfully, and the only person who’d been there to laugh at him had been Roger. He was competent now, even quite good, but Siobhan still made skiing look as easy as her dancing, a skill to which Max could only fruitlessly aspire.
Max finished off what was left on his plate, not sure he could take more from Siobhan’s without drawing undue attention. Needing something to do with his hands, he topped up his wine, and tilted the bottle towards Higgs in an offer to do the same. “I’ve never been to Norway,” he said. “I’ve heard they have some interesting Christmas traditions. Something about a giant straw goat. People keep being arrested for burning it down.” Max had only heard about it in passing, but spoke as if he was sure of his details.
--
Higgs bit his lip before he could comment how he was rather sure Siobhan was better at a great deal of many things than Max. Mostly because it would’ve probably sounded more offensive than teasing given their currently precarious position of thin ice. Instead, he nodded at Max’s offer of trivia. “I think I’ve heard of that,” Higgs commented, because he truly did think he had heard of it. “My experience of Norway, unfortunately, did not involve a great deal of cultural exploration,” he admitted. “Unless you count snow. I did experience a lot of that,” which he supposed was, at least partially, part of Norway’s culture.
“I got to travel a lot when I was in the military,” he replied to Siobhan’s question. Seeing Max’s empty plate, Higgs got up, clearing his own plate, which was mostly finished, and then Siobhan’s, without a comment of how hers looked barely touched. “Don’t get to travel much now,” he admitted. “Though, perhaps in comparison that’s not such a bad thing,” since Higgs wasn’t quite sure going abroad on UN missions counted as travelling. Once he’d cleared Max’s plate, too, Higgs returned with the cake Siobhan had brought. “This looks great,” he told her honestly.
--
Max's compliment made her smile. "You flatter me, darling," she told him, laughing softly. She enjoyed skiing very much and was looking forward to it almost as much as spending time with Max and Roger. Feeling better now that the conversation seemed to be shifting away from difficult topic, Siobhan relaxed. She took a bite or two more of her steak.
When Higgs began clearing away the plates, she worried a little that her barely touched food would bring his attention and questions. When he didn't speak on it at all, she only just held back a relieved sigh. "I'm sure traveling for leisure is quite different," she said, nodding. "Are you more content to stay in one place or do you miss the traveling?" she asked. Higgs's compliment on her cheesecake earned him a smile. "Thank you," she said. "I hope it tastes as good as it looks.
--
Max smiled, far more pleased to hear terms of endearment from Siobhan’s lips than from Higgs’. “I’m quite certain that’s part of my job description as fiancé,” he said easily. Even if his praise was, perhaps, slightly more effusive than the difference between their skiing skill levels really merited, it wasn’t a hardship. Siobhan deserved all the flattery in the world, as far as Max was concerned. “If Higgs wants a completely unbiased account of your talents, I’m sure he has more common sense than to come to me.”
Like Siobhan, Max was relieved when Higgs didn’t mention the condition of her plate. Relieved and surprised, since Higgs seemed to enjoy giving his opinion of things that didn’t concern him and which he didn’t understand. “I’m sure a holiday is very different from what you’re used to,” he agreed. “The best part about skiing is being able to go back to the chalet at the end of it.” Max enjoyed the actual skiing too, of course, but nothing quite compared to hot chocolate and blankets with two of his favourite people.
--
Reaching to cut the cake, Higgs laughed at Max’s comment. “I’m afraid Max is right, sweetheart,” he assured Siobhan. “Though, I don’t doubt that you are excellent at skiing,” he added placing a rather small slice of cake on Siobhan’s plate. Higgs had no doubt that Max was unlikely to be able to provide an unbiased view of Siobhan’s talents, though, there was something very endearing about the way he talked to Siobhan anyway. Higgs thought he rather preferred that to an unbiased opinion.
Putting slices of cake, bigger than the one he’d given Siobhan, on his own and Max’s plates, Higgs leaned back into his chair with a nod. “Yes, I don’t imagine holidays are the correct way to describe my travel experiences,” he admitted. “And I’d lie if I said I’d ever been to a chalet before,” well, Higgs had definitely been in tiny houses surrounded by snow, but a ‘chalet’ sounded far more pleasant than the sort of ‘camping houses’ he’d experienced when tracking. Then again, his skiing experiences definitely were not in the same league as Max and Siobhan’s.
“So how long are you there for?” He asked taking a bite of the cake, which, unsurprisingly, tasted as delicious as it looked.
--
Siobhan smiled, hoping that the term of endearment wouldn't annoy Max much. She also noticed the small slice of cake that he placed on her plate and gave him an appreciative look when he did so. She was fairly sure she could at least push through that without leaving too much on her plate.
"We always try to take at least a week," Siobhan told Higgs as she picked up her fork to take a bite of the cake. "If you don't take at least that long, it's just not enough time to relax and wind down. Don't you agree, Max?"
--
Max enjoyed being right, especially about his role as fiancé, enough that he could overlook the endearment. If Higgs absolutely had to pepper his speech with the damn things, Max would prefer they be aimed at Siobhan. It was far from appropriate, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. “Chalets are nice,” Max said. “Even though you don’t do anything in them you couldn’t do in a house, they just - well, they remind you that are are on holiday, I suppose. You don’t look at a chalet and think about how you have to get back to work. At least, I don’t.”
Taking a spoonful of cake, Max hummed appreciatively. “I’m going to have to flatter you again,” he said, reaching out to squeeze Siobhan’s hand. “This is lovely.” He nodded to confirm that he did, indeed, agree with Siobhan’s assessment. “Two weeks is better,” he said, “but obviously that’s not always possible.”
--
“I must agree,” Higgs nodded when Max complimented the cake. It was very nice. “Thank you,” Higgs added. “Both for this and for coming,” he clarified. Higgs wasn’t under any impression that Max enjoyed himself, though he did suspect that perhaps at times that Max forgot he didn’t enjoy himself, he was quite alright with the situation. Siobhan, though, Higgs wanted to have a nice time, and her lack of appetite worried him somewhat. He didn’t want to have accidentally forced upon her something she didn’t enjoy. He did make a mental note, though, to ensure that the food was lighter, and perhaps littler, next time. If they had a next time, which Higgs hoped they would.
Higgs gave a small laugh when Max said that two weeks would be better. “Yes, I imagine the longer you can get away on holiday the better,” Higgs agreed. “Though, is there such a thing as being away on holiday for too long?” He wondered. He’d teased Pippa about it plenty when she’d gone off with Krum for what felt like months. Higgs had got to visit her in Belize, though, so he could hardly complain.
--
Siobhan smiled at the appreciation. She enjoyed being flattered, especially when it came to something she'd made. When that thing happened to be food, it helped a little to know that food wasn't always a negative thing in her life. An obstacle. Sometimes it could be quite nice. "Thank you," she replied. "I'm pleased that you both are enjoying it."
She grinned again at the thanks for coming. While there had been a rough patch in the dinner, she was happy that they'd gotten past that and could move on to conversations about holidays. Taking a small bite of her cake, she nodded her head a little. "I suppose that there could be a such thing as being away for too long," she agreed. "But I certainly haven't experienced it yet."