When I'm Sixty-Four (Or Perhaps Somewhat Older), Magnum, PI, Magnum/Higgins
Title: When I'm Sixty-Four (Or Perhaps Somewhat Older)
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Magnum/Higgins
Prompt(s): Soulmates - Acting like an old married couple
Notes: For the sake of more of the cast being comfortably alive, I played with the timeline, but not too much. (No more than the show did, IIRC.) Any ignorance of the fine details of Magnum's military service can also probably be blamed on the show.
"You're not allowed to retire," Magnum said, when Higgins first brought up the subject. "The world needs Robin Masters."
"You're not allowed to retire," Magnum said, when Higgins first brought up the subject. "The world needs Robin Masters."
"The world has never needed Robin Masters," Higgins said dismissively, sipping his tea. "And I certainly don't any more. 'Robin' himself wants to retire, and who I am I to stop him? I never wanted all the travel and chaos, I can hardly wish it on him now."
"I still can't believe no one's figured it out," Magnum said. "I mean, it's been decades."
"Why should they?" Higgins got up from the table, more carefully than he once did, as much as Magnum hated to see it. "It took you long enough, and you live here."
The debate continued for months. Higgins would mention that the current novel would be his last, and Magnum would protest, and the stalemate would continue. Round and round in circles, with no clear ending or resolution.
"You two need to work this out," Lily Catherine said, when she'd come home on vacation from her work in D.C. "Whatever it is. I can't even figure out what you're arguing about."
"You're the diplomat," Magnum said, as they dangled their toes in the ocean. "Can't you handle it?"
"Why do you think you never killed each other when I was a kid?" she asked, with Michelle's teasing grin. He still missed Michelle sometimes, wished she'd lived to see the amazing woman her daughter had become and met her grandchildren.
"So can't you fix this one, too?"
She tipped her head onto his shoulder. You need to talk to him," she said. "Tell him what you're really afraid of, instead picking a fight over something stupid. Because whatever this is, it's stupid. It's got stupid written all over it."
She must've sent Higgins a snippy text message after she got home, because he'd just been looking at his phone when he snapped, "All right, Thomas. Out with it."
"Out with what?"
"My bloody retirement, and why you want to curse me to a dotage of pounding out ludicrous pulp novels for the sexually frustrated and baseline literate."
"It's not like that!" Magnum protested.
"Then what is it?" Higgins demanded. "I've had it with your vague, mealy-mouthed objections. Out with it. The truth. Now."
Diana, annoyed that her adults were fighting again, growled from her post by the window. They had both agreed she would be the last of the Dobermans; she was four now, and her puppy years had almost killed them both.
It was hard to put his heart into fighting with Higgins when he got truly angry, and Magnum realized he'd reached that point. "I don't know, Higgins. I just can't imagine you really done with it all. All these people, they quit and they drop dead," Magnum said softly, his hand resting on the kitchen counter. "Bear Bryant. The guy who wrote Peanuts. Andy Rooney."
"As you may recall, Andy Rooney was a douchebag," Higgins said evenly.
Magnum laughed so hard he almost choked.
"At any rate," Higgins said. "I assure you, I'm not planning on dying any time soon."
"Yeah, and who plans on that? You're pushing eighty, Higgins," Magnum said. "What the hell am I going to do without you?"
"You're pushing seventy yourself," Higgins rejoined. "And I'm sure you'll make do. Besides, the Robin Masters novels were never my goal; they were just a means of paying the bills. They were far more successful than I'd anticipated, but they were never my passion."
"So what was your passion? Your memoir?" The damn book never had been finished, probably never would be.
"For many years, that was the case," Higgins said. "And then, of course, there was a handsome private investigator on the estate I could occupy myself with."
Magnum grinned in spite of himself and reached into the fridge. "I always kept you on your toes."
"And vice versa, I'll remind you."
"Yeah, yeah." Magnum got out another beer, ignoring Higgins' raised eyebrow.
Lily had been in her second week of first grade when the dam had finally broken. He'd been on leave, and they'd gotten into another stupid fight about Lily's education. Magnum couldn't remember what the fight had been about. What he did remember was that he'd been asking himself more and more what it meant that he'd refused to stay on base, that Higgins was acting like as much of a father to Lily as Magnum himself. He'd been afraid of what that would mean, and of what it meant that he'd all but decided he wanted Higgins to be Lily's second dad.
They had yelled, and cursed, and somehow in the chaos he'd grabbed Higgins by his shirt collar and pulled him close. And suddenly, after all those years, it came crashing down, Higgins fumbling with Magnum's shirt buttons and Magnum trying to get that stupid short set off, and the damn dogs barking and flailing and trying to protect Higgins' virtue or something.
"Lads," Higgins had finally sputtered. "To your stations!"
Things had improved after that, though the bickering never seemed to stop, especially when it came to the best choices for Lily and her future. Higgins had some particular and undoubtedly English ideas about education, most of which Magnum had mentally labeled as 'completely insane.'
Still, he'd never regretted it. Some days it was the only thing aside from Lily that he hadn't regretted. They'd been happy, and it'd gotten easier when Magnum retired. Lily called them an old married couple, and though they'd never bothered with the 'marriage' half of that, it still felt good. Felt right.
"Believe me, Thomas," Higgins said gently. "I still have more than adequate purpose left in my life. Or did you forget those grandchildren of yours are coming over their summer break?"
Magnum would never forget that. "Ours, Higgins."
"Yes," Higgins said, smiling gently. "If you insist."
"I insist," Magnum said, putting his arms around Higgins and feeling his familiar warmth. "Now shut up, you're upsetting the dog."
"Diana," Higgins corrected, his face in Magnum's chest.
"Diana," Magnum conceded, pulling him tighter. "Of course."
Author: lady_ganesh
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Magnum/Higgins
Prompt(s): Soulmates - Acting like an old married couple
Notes: For the sake of more of the cast being comfortably alive, I played with the timeline, but not too much. (No more than the show did, IIRC.) Any ignorance of the fine details of Magnum's military service can also probably be blamed on the show.
"You're not allowed to retire," Magnum said, when Higgins first brought up the subject. "The world needs Robin Masters."
"You're not allowed to retire," Magnum said, when Higgins first brought up the subject. "The world needs Robin Masters."
"The world has never needed Robin Masters," Higgins said dismissively, sipping his tea. "And I certainly don't any more. 'Robin' himself wants to retire, and who I am I to stop him? I never wanted all the travel and chaos, I can hardly wish it on him now."
"I still can't believe no one's figured it out," Magnum said. "I mean, it's been decades."
"Why should they?" Higgins got up from the table, more carefully than he once did, as much as Magnum hated to see it. "It took you long enough, and you live here."
The debate continued for months. Higgins would mention that the current novel would be his last, and Magnum would protest, and the stalemate would continue. Round and round in circles, with no clear ending or resolution.
"You two need to work this out," Lily Catherine said, when she'd come home on vacation from her work in D.C. "Whatever it is. I can't even figure out what you're arguing about."
"You're the diplomat," Magnum said, as they dangled their toes in the ocean. "Can't you handle it?"
"Why do you think you never killed each other when I was a kid?" she asked, with Michelle's teasing grin. He still missed Michelle sometimes, wished she'd lived to see the amazing woman her daughter had become and met her grandchildren.
"So can't you fix this one, too?"
She tipped her head onto his shoulder. You need to talk to him," she said. "Tell him what you're really afraid of, instead picking a fight over something stupid. Because whatever this is, it's stupid. It's got stupid written all over it."
She must've sent Higgins a snippy text message after she got home, because he'd just been looking at his phone when he snapped, "All right, Thomas. Out with it."
"Out with what?"
"My bloody retirement, and why you want to curse me to a dotage of pounding out ludicrous pulp novels for the sexually frustrated and baseline literate."
"It's not like that!" Magnum protested.
"Then what is it?" Higgins demanded. "I've had it with your vague, mealy-mouthed objections. Out with it. The truth. Now."
Diana, annoyed that her adults were fighting again, growled from her post by the window. They had both agreed she would be the last of the Dobermans; she was four now, and her puppy years had almost killed them both.
It was hard to put his heart into fighting with Higgins when he got truly angry, and Magnum realized he'd reached that point. "I don't know, Higgins. I just can't imagine you really done with it all. All these people, they quit and they drop dead," Magnum said softly, his hand resting on the kitchen counter. "Bear Bryant. The guy who wrote Peanuts. Andy Rooney."
"As you may recall, Andy Rooney was a douchebag," Higgins said evenly.
Magnum laughed so hard he almost choked.
"At any rate," Higgins said. "I assure you, I'm not planning on dying any time soon."
"Yeah, and who plans on that? You're pushing eighty, Higgins," Magnum said. "What the hell am I going to do without you?"
"You're pushing seventy yourself," Higgins rejoined. "And I'm sure you'll make do. Besides, the Robin Masters novels were never my goal; they were just a means of paying the bills. They were far more successful than I'd anticipated, but they were never my passion."
"So what was your passion? Your memoir?" The damn book never had been finished, probably never would be.
"For many years, that was the case," Higgins said. "And then, of course, there was a handsome private investigator on the estate I could occupy myself with."
Magnum grinned in spite of himself and reached into the fridge. "I always kept you on your toes."
"And vice versa, I'll remind you."
"Yeah, yeah." Magnum got out another beer, ignoring Higgins' raised eyebrow.
Lily had been in her second week of first grade when the dam had finally broken. He'd been on leave, and they'd gotten into another stupid fight about Lily's education. Magnum couldn't remember what the fight had been about. What he did remember was that he'd been asking himself more and more what it meant that he'd refused to stay on base, that Higgins was acting like as much of a father to Lily as Magnum himself. He'd been afraid of what that would mean, and of what it meant that he'd all but decided he wanted Higgins to be Lily's second dad.
They had yelled, and cursed, and somehow in the chaos he'd grabbed Higgins by his shirt collar and pulled him close. And suddenly, after all those years, it came crashing down, Higgins fumbling with Magnum's shirt buttons and Magnum trying to get that stupid short set off, and the damn dogs barking and flailing and trying to protect Higgins' virtue or something.
"Lads," Higgins had finally sputtered. "To your stations!"
Things had improved after that, though the bickering never seemed to stop, especially when it came to the best choices for Lily and her future. Higgins had some particular and undoubtedly English ideas about education, most of which Magnum had mentally labeled as 'completely insane.'
Still, he'd never regretted it. Some days it was the only thing aside from Lily that he hadn't regretted. They'd been happy, and it'd gotten easier when Magnum retired. Lily called them an old married couple, and though they'd never bothered with the 'marriage' half of that, it still felt good. Felt right.
"Believe me, Thomas," Higgins said gently. "I still have more than adequate purpose left in my life. Or did you forget those grandchildren of yours are coming over their summer break?"
Magnum would never forget that. "Ours, Higgins."
"Yes," Higgins said, smiling gently. "If you insist."
"I insist," Magnum said, putting his arms around Higgins and feeling his familiar warmth. "Now shut up, you're upsetting the dog."
"Diana," Higgins corrected, his face in Magnum's chest.
"Diana," Magnum conceded, pulling him tighter. "Of course."