HIGGS, terence. (higgles) wrote in reduxpitch, @ 2016-12-06 14:32:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: max davies, character: terence higgs |
who ? max davies and terence higgs
when ? tuesday evening, 6th december
where ? higgs’ house
what ? dinner, again
part ? one
status ? complete
After his conversation with Siobhan, Higgs had sat down with some cookbooks, trying to figure out what might be easy and delicious to make, but also wouldn’t be difficult for Siobhan to eat. Once he’d made a list of the sort of foods that were high in nutrition but low in fact, picking out recipes became a lot easier. Lean meats, lots of non-root vegetables and so such. For tonight, though, Higgs had made tapas, as he had told Siobhan he would. It had turned out to be a bit more work than he had necessarily expected, which was pretty stupid seeing how tapas involved like eight different dishes. For next dinner, Higgs was going to go with one of the oven dishes he’d found a recipe for, at least that was just sticking shit in a pot and cooking it.
By the time the doorbell went, Higgs had most of the dishes laid out on the table, with only a few things yet to come out of the oven. As a spread of choices, Higgs thought it looked rather well. Opening the door, Higgs smiled at Max, before his smile faltered a little realising Siobhan wasn’t there. “Hey,” he greeted, stepping back to let Max in. “Is Siobhan okay?” He asked presuming that she probably was nothing but busy, since Max would hardly be here if something serious had happened. Frankly, Higgs was surprised Max was there at all on his own.
--
Max was not at all impressed that he’d been roped into a third meal with Higgs. Siobhan had been supposed to see what kind of person Higgs was at their first dinner, and henceforth refuse to socialise with him. What had happened instead was that she seemed to genuinely like the man, which only made Max more annoyed with Higgs than ever. He couldn’t blame Siobhan - she liked almost everyone. Max was far more picky about who he spent his free time with. Usually, Max acknowledged it as a good thing that Siobhan forced him to spend time with people, but Higgs was a different case entirely. The more times they saw him, the closer Max was certain they came to Higgs saying something unforgivable. He took comfort in knowing that when he did, he’d never have to see the man again. Of course, first they had to get there.
Just as they were about to leave, the floo fire in Siobhan’s flat had flared into life. Max had thought this would be his reprieve - they’d have to cancel dinner (how sad). But Siobhan had insisted that Higgs would have already cooked, and that there was absolutely no reason Max couldn’t show up alone. Max seriously considered fetching Roger and making him come, but Roger could be unbearably bratty and would only make things worse. Instead, he apparated over to Ireland with the usual bottle of wine.
“Siobhan’s well,” Max answered, hesitating before stepping inside. Surely, Higgs would rather not go through with this either? Max was certain it was Siobhan’s company he wanted. “She was called into work. She said we could have dinner without her, but if you’d rather reschedule, I’m sure we can find a time.”
--
“Well, that’s a shame,” Higgs commented honestly upon learning that Siobhan had to work. “I hope it’s nothing serious,” he added. Presumably, being a healer, Siobhan often got called in when things got busy or if someone fell ill. Higgs certainly got called in plenty for similar reasons. Taking the bottle from Max, Higgs shook his head. “No, stay,” he told the other man. “The foods already ready, so there’s no point in wasting it. I’ll just put some in takeaway boxes for you to take to Siobhan after,” he said leading them through to the kitchen-slash dining room.
Nodding towards the table so Max would sit, Higgs went to fetch the last bits of the food from the oven. Once setting them down carefully on the table, Higgs reached to open the wine, filling both his and Max’s glasses. “To Siobhan,” he said raising his glass. “Have you had a good week?” Higgs asked after taking a sip of the wine, which was very pleasant.
--
As Max hadn’t eavesdropped on the floo call, he couldn’t actually say whether it was something serious or not - but Siobhan had seemed more irritated at having her plans ruined than anxious about a colleague or work problem, so Max assumed it was probably just a scheduling thing. Someone was ill, or someone’s child was ill, or someone couldn’t work because their previous shift had run longer than expected. “She didn’t have time to give me the details,” he said. Because they’d spent what time Siobhan had had talking about whether or not Max could just owl Higgs that they weren’t coming.
“That’s very kind,” Max said, the forced nature of the politeness obvious from his tone. Honestly, did Higgs not know any charms to preserve leftover food? Max would gladly have taught him one, if he knew any. Household charms had never been something he’d bothered with. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” he said, his expression softening slightly. “I don’t think she had time to pack a meal for her shift, and the food they serve at St Mungo’s is really awful. If you have an owl, we could send them to her. Then she’d have something to eat whenever she gets a break.” Which, honestly, would make Max happier. He knew Siobhan could very easily ‘forget’ to eat.
He returned Higgs’ toast, taking a sip as well. He’d known the wine would be good, because Siobhan had picked it. “It’s been quite long,” he answered. His work was much the same as ever, but he’d supplemented time in the office with time spent Christmas shopping. Some would say it was early, but Max would far rather get it done now than wait until all the shops were full of people. “You?”
--
“Good idea,” Higgs nodded when Max suggested they owl Siobhan the food directly so she could eat it at work. “And yes,” Higgs added. “I had a first hand experience with St Mungo’s coffee the other week,” he explained. “My sister was in the hospital for a bit because of quidditch,” Higgs told Max, before adding: “Nothing serious, but they did keep her overnight.” Which had been how Higgs had ended up drinking the awful, awful coffee. “Luckily, I ran into Siobhan, who took me to the closest coffee shop for some decent beverages,” which had been very kind of Siobhan, Higgs and his need for coffee had certainly appreciated it.
Reaching to fill his plate with all the different foods nearest to him, Higgs gave a small shrug. “It hasn’t been a terribly eventful week, I don’t think,” he admitted, before taking a bite. The food, Higgs was pleased to discover, tasted really well. “Do your weeks tend to be similar in their scheduling or is there much of a change?” Higgs asked curiously as he didn’t particularly know whether case law offered vast amounts of variety. “My dad’s a judge in the Wizengamot,” Higgs noted. “As is yours, I believe?” Higgs added to clarify. He was quite sure he was right in remembering what Max’s father did. “Nonetheless, so I grew up seeing him go through cases,” Higgs explained. “Always seemed very repetitive to me as a kid,” which wasn’t to say that it actually was.
--
Max managed a genuinely sympathetic expression when Higgs mentioned his sister had been in hospital. He wouldn’t quite go so far as to say he was glad Roger had followed their father’s advice and gone into the Ministry rather than quidditch, but he knew he’d have hated to get that emergency owl. It had been bad enough while Siobhan had been dancing, where sprains and even breaks were not unheard of, and could end a career. At least those could be easily fixed by magic. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I take it she’s out now?” Higgs had said overnight, which did imply she was no longer in hospital. “I think everyone who works there knows directions to the nearest three coffee shops by heart,” he said. “Only one of them is open all night.”
Examining the food, Max selected small spoonfuls of things that looked safe, and not too spicy. He could go back to whichever of them he actually liked once he’d worked out what they were. “I work the same hours,” he answered. “But whether I’m in the office with my team or visiting people who want us to draw up documents or visiting other law firms changes according to what exactly I’m doing.” He nodded to confirm Maximilian was also a judge. “I don’t find it repetitive,” he added, a little defensively. “The personalities of the people you’re working with make a huge difference.” It was why Max very definitely had favourite clients, ones he would go see himself even if someone more junior could have managed it. “You mentioned your work life is probably closer to Siobhan’s, with shifts? I’d think that if she and I both worked like that, we’d never see each other.” Frowning, Max took a bite of something, surprised to find it was actually delicious. “Are you - seeing anyone?”
--
There was no doubt in Higgs’ mind that Max was right in saying that everyone who had to spend any length of time in St Mungo’s not as a patient, knew the quickest way to get to a coffee shop. Higgs did also nod when Max asked if Gemma was now out of the hospital. It had been a, thankfully, short stay. The way Max told Higgs that he didn’t find it repetitive, a tone just a touch too defensive, Higgs grinned. “I wasn’t suggesting that you do,” Higgs replied, the word ‘darling’ being stopped just a touch before it could escape Higgs’ lips. With Siobhan here, Higgs felt more comfortable in teasing Max, but seeing how they were currently lacking Siobhan’s evidently calming presence, Higgs was glad for his self-control in what and how he said things.
“Yeah, it is similar, but I think Siobhan’s shifts are probably more sporadic, as we’re not often required to work nights,” Higgs explained. There were, of course, at times, he got called in for raids and thing during the night, but by majority, Higgs was never required to work nights. Max’s last question caught Higgs’ midway through a bite and he gave a small shake of his head, before reaching for the wine to wash the food down. “No,” he replied finally. “But I did get divorced last week,” Higgs told Max honestly. It wasn’t something Higgs felt he should not talk about, even if it did set Higgs up for more questions than answers.
--
Max had definitely not been expecting Higgs to tell him about his divorce. If he could have predicted it, he would never have asked the question. It wasn’t something Max wanted to talk about. Higgs’ personal life in general wasn’t something Max wanted to talk about, and Max had only asked if Higgs was seeing someone in the first place because if he was, they could include her in future dinners. He didn’t know what to say in response, because he didn’t know enough to guess whether Higgs was sad about the divorce, or relieved, or pleased. Max’s first thought was that Higgs was awfully young to be divorced, but he recognised that was hardly a helpful thing to say. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, quite stiffly. “I didn’t know.” And he hoped that they could leave it there.
“You’re on the journal network, aren’t you?” Max asked, sure Siobhan had said she’d communicated with Higgs over it about dinner. “What do you make of these birds that keep appearing in people’s houses?” At first, Max had assumed it was some prank, but by now it seemed to have hit so many different people that it would have made a very expensive - and very ineffectual - joke. “I wondered if perhaps it was an invented spell gone wrong.” Max found the creation of spells very interesting, especially since in many cases it was an area intellectual property law couldn’t touch. If someone invented a charmed object, they could patent that, but you couldn’t protect the spell itself - there was no way to stop anyone from using it, once they heard about it. And yet all spells were invented. Most professions, especially the older ones, had ‘secret’ spells that were only passed down from master to apprentice.
--
To Higgs it seemed almost ridiculous how visibly uncomfortable Max got when Higgs told him that he’d gotten divorced. There was something so incredibly fascinating, to Higgs, about the way Max seemingly tried to fit a reaction he felt was appropriate, rather than offering the one he meant. “So am I,” Higgs commented when Max said he was sorry, he also dismissed the ‘I don’t know’ with a small wave, since he would hardly have expected Max to know. “You can ask whatever it is you want to know,” Higgs commented. “I am somewhat doubtful that you honestly care for offending me by saying the wrong thing,” he added. There was that, plus the fact that Higgs was not a man who in any way was easy to offend. If he didn’t want to talk about something, he would say as much.
At the question about birds, Higgs groaned rather loudly, before frowning. “Sorry,” he offered since it was a touch rude. “We’ve just had so many ridiculous complaints lately. The birds not in the least,” Higgs explained. “You’d think that people would have the good senses to realise that a specialist auror force, like the hitwitches and wizards, hardly should be called upon because of birds,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “They’re not even dangerous,” which if they had been pecking people’s eyes out or something, Higgs would get, but as it was, so far he had only heard of them being bothersome. Being bothered was not a good reason to call hitwiches to deal with them.
--
Max frowned, puzzled. While it was true that he didn’t particularly care if he offended Higgs - it might make the man stop inviting him to dinner, which could only be a positive - he also wasn’t going to do it deliberately. For a start, Siobhan would be disappointed in him if he did, and more importantly he just hadn’t been brought up that way. Moreover, there was nothing Max particularly wanted to know about Higgs’ divorce. It was something personal, and while Max would have preferred to know it was happening so he wouldn’t ask Higgs awkward questions about seeing someone, he didn’t actually care about the specifics. “It’s not my place to ask,” he said, but that didn’t really tell Higgs there was nothing he wanted, or needed to ask. Siobhan would be so much better at this. “Really,” Max added. “It’s no concern of mine.”
When Higgs said they’d been getting complaints about the birds, Max raised an eyebrow. He would never have thought people would complain to the Hitwizards. “Would your department head sanction a message in the journals?” he asked. “It wouldn’t catch everyone, but it might at least reduce the number of complaints you’re getting. You could tell them who it would be better to contact, or what to do with the birds.”
--
At times, Higgs really struggled to tell whether Max was actually incredibly easy to read, or whether Higgs felt he was. He was tempted to presume the latter, since Max was so painfully well put together. There were quite obvious choices made in what he said and how he reacted to things. Probably in what he wore and how he behaved, too. Higgs wondered why. He’d met people like Max before. Or similar in their wish to be seen a particular way, but Higgs didn’t know Max well enough to quite pinpoint the reason for why Max chose to be the way he was.
“What makes you uncomfortable about it?” Higgs asked because he couldn’t tell. “Is it my being married?” He questioned but then shook his head. “No, not that,” Higgs dismissed before Max had a chance to reply. “The divorce?” Higgs said but again dismissed. Then, suddenly he gave a sharp laugh. “Oh, god, it’s me telling you, isn’t it?” He said with amusement. “Christ, Davies, is the potential of a conversation involving emotions really that frightening?” That, was mostly a rhetorical question, since Higgs was quite sure he knew the answer.
--
“I am not uncomfortable,” Max said, enunciating every word carefully. “I just don’t care.” His tone was harsher than he thought Siobhan would let him get away with, but it was also true. He had no opinion on Higgs’ marriage, or his divorce, and no idea why he should want to talk about them. And if Higgs wanted to talk, presumably he had other friends for that. If not, he could hire a therapist. Max seriously doubted with Higgs would actually pick him as a confidante. “I would rather talk about something that interests me.” Max didn’t add, ‘if I have to be here at all’, but it was obvious in his expression that he’d rather be anywhere else.
The problem, or one of the problems, was that Max had yet to discover anything he felt that both he and Higgs were interested in. There was none of the talking about travel, or law, or sport, that Max was used to with his various circles of acquaintances. And yet also there was none of the more relaxed teasing Max could only indulge in when alone with Roger. Max didn’t know what topic to move on to, because he didn’t know what Higgs was interested in. Not quidditch, not with his sister so recently injured. So, at an uncomfortable loss for words, Max focused intently on refilling his plate from the various options on the table.
--
Max’s proclamation that he simply didn’t care about Higgs’ marriage or its short lived faith, made Higgs give a deep, honest laugh. “Then why offer your condolences?” Higgs asked almost teasingly, before reaching for one of the dishes. “Try this,” he told Max pushing it towards him. “It’s honey chicken, nothing too dangerous,” he assured Max. Higgs had made sure not to put much spice on any of the foods he’d cooked.
Leaning back in his chair, Higgs reached for the glass of wine, taking a slow sip. “Do you think we don’t get on, Max?” Higgs asked curiously. Siobhan had apologised to Higgs for the way Max could be and Higgs had told her she shouldn’t. Which was something he still stood by. Higgs was, however, also curious whether Max perceived the way him and Higgs talked differently from Siobhan. And differently from Higgs. In a way, Higgs realised, talking to Max was like solving a very slow puzzle, that might or might not have pieces missing.
--
“I wasn’t,” Max said shortly. He probably should have, that would be the polite and socially accepted thing to do, but without knowing more about the situation, Max had been afraid that condolences would not be appropriate. If Higgs was relieved to get out of a terrible marriage, Max should hardly say he was sorry it was happening. “I was apologising for bringing it up accidentally. In case it caused you - discomfort.” Pain, awkwardness, feelings. Max couldn’t help thinking that this was the same tension they’d had before. In life, Max aimed not to accidentally force people to say things, or discuss topics, that they would rather not, and he felt that others should have the same courtesy. Too many times he’d been asked ‘and what does your mother do?’ only to have to explain that she didn’t do anything, because she had passed away. It had one of two results - to bring conversation to a screeching halt or to oblige the person in question to offer Max sympathy that he neither wanted nor needed.
Max considered telling the truth. It would be, on one level, very satisfying to say to Higgs, ‘I don’t like you’. Except then he’d have to explain why, even though Higgs must already know. And then, worse, he’d have to explain to Siobhan. No. It simply wasn’t an option, as much as Max might wish it were. “I think we hardly know each other,” he said instead, reaching for the chicken Higgs had suggested, because it would be rude to do otherwise. “We weren’t close at school, and that was years ago. I think we have very little in common.”
--
Higgs was perfectly happy to accept that Max had apologised for asking, as he did not wish to cause Higgs discomfort. What he didn’t really get was why Max would care. Personally, Higgs went to great lengths to ensure people felt comfortable, but he didn’t skirt around topics to do so. It was hard to tell, Higgs thought, whether Max recognised why he did particular things. If he did, Higgs was very curious what the key was. Then, when Max went on to assure (or, at least, that’s what it sounded like) Higgs that it was not that Max disliked him but rather that they had little in common and didn’t know each other well, Higgs reached for his wine, taking a sip.
“I think we know each other quite well, actually,” Higgs suggested in return. “For instance, I know that you only come to these dinners because you don’t want to upset Siobhan, who enjoys my company,” he said putting the glass back down, following it up with a bite of his food. “I know that sometimes, when you forget to dislike these dinners, we actually have a nice conversation,” Higgs added after chewing his food. “And,” he said, this time with a small smirk playing on his lips. “I know you dislike me, even if you’re too polite to say as much,” not that it truly mattered, because Higgs didn’t think Max liked anyone. Except for Siobhan. “Have you tried to like me?” Higgs asked almost too curious of the answer, as if he hadn’t considered the question until it was already asked.
--
As he listened to Higgs list of ways they knew each other, his frown deepened. “That’s three examples of how you think you know me,” he pointed out, “and none of how I know you.” It wasn’t that he expected Higgs to provide examples of how Max might know him, but he had started out with the premise that the two of them knew each other, and then only offered evidence for one half of that. It was, in the most generous interpretation, an imprecise use of language, and it irritated Max. The fact that two of Higgs’ guesses were broadly correct irritated him almost as much. All Max knew about Higgs, beyond the concrete facts the man had shared, was that he was unpleasant. The kind of person who would make wild accusations based on nothing and then use them to get what he wanted.
Max didn’t deny that he disliked Higgs. They both knew that. Max had disliked Higgs since school. The concept of trying to like someone did bring him up short, however. Max had never tried to like anyone. He either did, or didn’t. Usually he didn’t, until he’d been around them often enough for some kind of connection to form. His attitude towards a lot of people was just neutral. He didn’t dislike them, but nor did he care enough to like them. On top of that, why would he try to like Higgs, of all people? He didn’t want to like Higgs. “I’m not about to start trying to like people,” he said, hoping that would forestall whatever life advice Higgs might be about to offer. “Either it comes naturally or it doesn’t.”
--
“Yes,” Higgs agreed with a nod when Max said all of his examples were of how Higgs knew Max rather than the other way around. Reaching for his food, Higgs took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. “I am not stopping you from knowing these things about me,” he told Max before taking a sip of his wine. To Higgs that seemed quite obvious. He felt like he at least a little knew Max because Max was just so obvious. Higgs, on the other hand, put out exactly how he wanted to be seen, and unlike with Max, there wasn’t a great deal of complexity with it. Higgs was straightforward and confident in the choices he made. Happy to be judged for them. The only reason Max didn’t know those things about Higgs was his own choice not to see them.
The announcement that liking people either came naturally or it didn’t at all, made Higgs laugh. “It’s no wonder, then, that you don’t like most people,” he commented. Higgs didn’t think he necessarily put a lot of effort into liking people, but he certainly tried. There was a degree of an exchange in that, though. People had to be willing to try in order for Higgs to return that. Max, as far as Higgs was concerned, didn’t actually seem to know how to try. “How do you decide what comes naturally?” Higgs asked since he wondered whether Max’s definition of something coming naturally would even remotely match Higgs’.
--
“But that’s not the same.” Whether Higgs was stopping Max from knowing things about him was irrelevant. “You said that we already know each other quite well, but you have no evidence that I do.” Max certainly didn’t feel he knew Higgs well, nor that he cared to do so. He knew he should let the point drop. His tendency to become argumentative over tiny points of semantics was not his best quality. Of course, he didn’t particularly care about hiding his worst qualities from Higgs, because there was no advantage to Higgs forming a good opinion of him.
Feeling himself being laughed at, Max stiffened. “I don’t dislike most people,” he said, with some annoyance. It was a misunderstanding that Max had faced on multiple occasions. There was, in Max’s opinion, a vast space between like and dislike that people seemed not to address. There needed to be a better word for it. “There’s a difference between not liking someone and disliking someone.” He frowned, again, at Higgs question. “What do you mean?” Whether or not something came naturally wasn’t something Max had ever had to decide.
--
“We’ve dined together on multiple occasions now,” Higgs said. “I’ve told you things about me. Or I’ve demonstrated inclinations towards particular mindset,” he explained, deliberately choosing the words he used. “You know me perfectly fine if you pick out that information,” Higgs told Max. It seemed so obvious to Higgs. But it had taken him years to realise that not everyone saw people the way he did. To Higgs, picking up how someone reacted to something was so easy. The way their body movement changed, the way their words switched one way or another, the pauses people took before responding to something. It was so easy that Higgs hadn’t realised he even did that for years. As a kid, Higgs had always assumed everyone could see other people like that. Army had taught him many things, including just how different people were.
Higgs hummed slightly against his glass when Max told him that there was a difference between not liking someone and disliking them. Higgs supposed that there was, but he found that almost too complex, especially since he had no idea why it was necessary to make it so complicated. Putting his glass down, Higgs gave a small shrug as he took another bite of his food. “I mean,” he replied slowly. “How do you know something is natural? Don’t you have to understand what that means in order to identify it?”
--
That still wasn’t the point, but Max decided finally to drop it. Some people just weren’t able to understand the points he tried to make when he insisted on accurate and logical arguments, and trying to explain always felt like talking to a brick wall. He had absolutely no idea what Higgs meant when he said he’d ‘demonstrated inclinations towards particular mindset’. Why couldn’t he just speak plainly if he wanted Max to know him? Not that it would really work unless Max was willing to put in the effort of knowing him, which he wasn’t. “Why do you care?” he asked. Clearly, there was absolutely no way Max and Higgs were ever going to like each other, so why did Higgs keep inviting him? Not that Max would have been very happy with the idea of Siobhan and Higgs having dinner alone. He was essentially obliged to come along so it didn’t look like his finacée was dating someone else.
Max was growing very tired of this conversation. Why couldn’t they just have stuck to civil small talk? Maybe he should have opened up a conversation about the weather, or some more dramatic piece of current affairs than the strange birds as presents epidemic. “If it comes easily, without having to work at it or consciously think about it, then it comes naturally.” Making friends - with the right sort of person - did come that way to Max. He hadn’t had to try to make friends with Siobhan, or try to make the transition to a romantic relationship. Those things had just happened. He did try, at least a little, with Roger, who’d expressed (though not in words) that he didn’t like the way Max naturally was. But Roger was family, and so worth making that effort for. Higgs was not.
--
Why did Higgs care? That was a good question. Especially since he wasn’t quite sure what the answer was. So he took a sip of his wine, thinking of what the answer might be. He definitely did care. Higgs recognised that. Or rather, he found Max fascinating, and at times amusing. But those weren’t reasons to care. “I like Siobhan,” Higgs said because that was definitely a start. “She’s a great company, much nicer than you,” he explained before smirking at Max. “Which I’m sure you won’t disagree with,” because he hardly could. Max loved Siobhan, that much was clear to Higgs. “So part of it, I guess, is not making her uncomfortable,” which Higgs knew they had done at the previous dinner because she had said as much. But that wasn’t the whole reason, Higgs thought.
“I’m good with people,” he said setting his wine glass down before reaching for the bottle to top it up. “I find it quite easy to figure out what people are like?” Higgs offered. “You’re not easy to read,” he informed Max. “Well, not necessarily,” he admitted, because actually, Higgs didn’t think Max was difficult to read. Just confusing. “So I guess, perhaps I care because I find you fascinating,” he finally settled on, pausing to consider whether that was it. Higgs certainly did find it very interesting to see just how put together Max tried to be. How his answers to things seemed so well held together. There had to be an edge, and Higgs just wanted to know what it was.
--
Max wasn’t surprised at all to hear that Higgs liked Siobhan. Everyone liked Siobhan, because there was nothing not to like. Max adored her, and he expected everyone else to like her too - he’d rarely, if ever, been proved wrong. Evan Maximilian Snr liked Siobhan, and that wasn’t an easy thing to manage. For Max, though, since Siobhan wasn’t here he hadn’t been worrying about whether or not she would be uncomfortable. But Higgs was evidently looking to the future, to more dinners, where it would obviously be nicer for Siobhan if the two men did get along. Max frowned, annoyed with himself for not having thought of that. It wasn’t right that Higgs should take more care for his finacée’s happiness than he did. “That’s… nice of you,” Max said, unwillingly. Siobhan had told him how nice Higgs had been about her eating disorder, but then Max had no personal experience of how awkward other people could be. Surely, everyone would want to be nice about someone struggling?
If Higgs had left it there, Max could have understood it. Instead, he carried on, talking about how Max was difficult - but not necessarily - to read. Max was reaching for the bottle Higgs had just replaced, to fill up his own glass, to Higgs announced he found Max fascinating. It was the last thing Max expected. His self-control was too good to do anything overdramatic like gasp or drop the bottle, but he did jerk backwards ever so slightly, spilling a drop or two of wine on the table by his glass. He swallowed while he reached for his wand, evaporating the liquid before it could stain the wood. He didn’t know what to say - his mind seemed quite blank. “You seemed to think you’d read me well enough a moment ago,” he pointed out, hoping he didn’t sound like a petulant child.
Could it all be a trick? Higgs was an attractive man, was he trying to bait Max into - Max shied away from that thought. He knew he wasn’t the most open person - there were a lot of things he didn’t think it necessary to talk to people about, especially people he didn’t know or particularly trust. His family, and his mother’s death. He honestly didn’t believe the atmosphere would be any more comfortable for Siobhan if he started talking about those things. If anything, it would be worse. “You should come to us next,” Max offered, rather than talk about any of those things. “We can’t let you keep doing all the hosting.”
--
When Max told Higgs it was nice of him to care for whether Siobhan felt comfortable or not, he couldn’t help but give a small chuckle. “Well, I am very nice,” he assured Max, who clearly did not believe that. Higgs had no idea why, though. Sure, they borderline-argued but Higgs didn’t actually think either of them particularly felt that it was anything but an argument. Apart from that, Higgs supposed he might’ve been a bit too pushy at times. It was hard not to be when Max reacted in ways Higgs didn’t anticipate. But in general, Higgs really wasn’t sure why Max would be surprised that Higgs was nice.
The spillage of wine made Higgs frown for the shortest of seconds before he gave a shake of his head when Max told him that he’d seemingly been fine to read Max a moment ago. “Perhaps at a superficial level,” Higgs commented, deciding that there was very little point in questioning what in his earlier comment had made Max falter so visibly. It was becoming very clear to Higgs that Max had little to no intention at telling Higgs what it was Higgs seemed to do wrong. “I like seeing you with Siobhan,” he admitted after a bite of his food. “You’re much more pleasant then,” he added with a smirk that was almost teasing.
There seemed to be as much ease as there was hope, when Max switched the conversation to them having dinner at Max or Siobhan’s places the next time. “Are you any closer to settling on a house?” Higgs asked since perhaps Max meant their house rather than one or the other.
--
Max was still extremely skeptical that Higgs was very nice. Nice to Siobhan, yes, but Higgs certainly hadn’t been nice to Max in school. Siobhan would probably say that Max should give Higgs another chance to make an impression. A lot could change in years outside Hogwarts, and no doubt being in the army had an effect as well.
When Higgs said he liked seeing Max with Siobhan, Max nodded slowly. Perhaps Higgs had seen the error of his ways - had seen how wrong he had been, and was now trying to make up for it without directly addressing it. That didn’t quite seem like the route Higgs would take. If anything, it was much more like what Max would do himself. It would be comforting, though, if that was what Higgs was trying to do. “We’ve been together a long time,” he said. “Since before we left school.” If anyone truly knew Max well, it was Siobhan. It wasn’t terribly surprising that she made him pleasanter, when she was such a nice person.
Max sighed on being asked about the house. “No,” he admitted. “We’ve looked at more places, but that doesn’t seem to bring us any closer to actually making a decision.” Max pushed some of the food remaining of his plate away, still feeling uncomfortable in a vague way, as if he had an itch it wasn’t polite to scratch in public. “Where did you grow up?” he asked. He’d asked Daphne, he might as well ask Higgs. “You said your grandmother lived in Wales. Is that where you lived?”
--
“Right,” Higgs nodded when Max said how him and Siobhan had been together for a long time, since before they’d left school. Higgs didn’t really recall Siobhan from school, though he was sure he must’ve met her back then, seeing how she was Pippa’s cousin. Max, he did remember, but that was easier since they’d been in the same house and played quidditch together for a while. “When in school did you start dating?” Higgs asked. “Must’ve been after you quit quidditch?” Higgs guessed. He didn’t think any of them really had had time to date people whilst playing quidditch. Not seriously anyway. Then again, Higgs also wouldn’t have presumed you could not have a serious relationship at that age anyway, and yet Max and Siobhan were clearly doing very well for themselves.
Reaching for his glass, Higgs offered a sympathetic hum when Max said they were yet to settle on a house. “I grew up in Godric’s Hollow,” Higgs replied. “Outskirts of it. It was lovely, my sister and I played in the fields a lot,” he commented before giving a small smile at the thought of how they still went to walk the dogs across the fields they had used to play in as kids. “I think it’s a great place to raise kids,” Higgs told Max honestly. He had gathered that Siobhan and Max both wanted kids, but Higgs hadn’t got the impression that they had quite decided when yet. Buying a house and getting married would come first on their list, Higgs presumed.
ooc: link to part two