Closed Overdue Talks

Melanie Holland

Melanie Holland

James' sister | Estranged | Fun | Chaotic
 
Messages
83
OOC First Name
Daphne
Blood Status
Mixed Blood
Relationship Status
Engaged
Sexual Orientation
Bi (Eva)
Age
5/2011 (50)
Melanie wasn't oblivious to the tension between Connor and Eric lately, which was slightly helped by Eric moving out but only slightly. She also wasn't oblivious to Connor's... less-than-perfect mental state lately, which worried her. At first she thought it was just graduating and getting used to life after Hogwarts, but it had been a year now and Connor still seemed very sad and confused. She silently blamed Ryan for it, but she knew she would be the one to do something about it. Or at least the one to talk about it. So on a day Connor didn't have to work, Melanie brewed them a pot of tea and put Connor's favorite biscuits on a tray, placing both on the little end table near the couch. "Connor, darling!" She called to his room. "I have biscuits calling your name!" She paused. "And I want to talk!" She added, wanting Connor to be somewhat prepared for a serious conversation.
 
Connor had been an... okay student at Hogwarts. He had tanked the NEWTs, but that was because of how everything with Kas and Lysander fell apart. Studying was something he was good at... should be good at. But he'd been staring at the same page of his textbook for what felt like hours, not taking in a single word as he reread them over and over again. This was hard, much harder than it should be, and he did his best to ignore the gnawing pit of fear in his stomach - had he just forgotten how to study entirely? Had it been stupid to start studying again so soon after finishing at Hogwarts? He didn't know, but he bit his lip hard to keep from crying as he started at the top of the page again.

It was a relief when he was pulled out of the struggle by his mum's voice - he couldn't be expected to study when his mum needed him, right? He hardly listened to anything she said beyond calling for him, jumping out of his seat quickly. "COMING!" He called out, leaving the textbook abandoned on his desk and heading out to the living room. "Oh choice, thanks Mum." He smiled, taking a biscuit and hoping she wouldn't notice the redness of his eyes.
 
Amber walked past their house and doesn't have ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS THREAD
 
Melanie immediately noticed Connor looked like he had been crying, and it hurt her heart. She sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to her. "Come sit with me, honey." She said gently. "Let's have some tea and chat for a little while, alright?" She asked, searching his face. Connor had been such a happy child growing up, but she was starting to wonder if that had been a cover for his true feelings. Maybe it would have been better for him to just throw it all out the way Eric had. Though that had come with its own problems.
 
Connor's heart sank as soon as he picked up on the gentle pity in his mum's voice. "'M fine." He mumbled through a mouthful of biscuit, feeling a few crumbs fall as he spoke. He had been planning to sit down right until she patted the seat, suddenly wishing he was anywhere else at all. Trying and failing to remember the growing season for calendulas had to be easier than whatever this was.
 
Melanie sighed at her son's hesitation. "I just want to talk, sweetie." She said softly. "And cuddle you while I can still fit my arms around you." She added with a fond roll of her eyes. "You've gotten so big." She added softly. "Please?" She added, giving him a pleading look.
 
Connor had to fight not to physically cringe at his mum's tone. A feelings talk was the last thing he felt up to right now. But it was obvious his mum wasn't taking no for an answer so he slumped into the seat, as far away as possible. "I'm fine." He repeated a little too loudly before cramming the rest of the biscuit into his mouth, pulling his knees up and resting his arms on them to make himself harder to touch. He didn't really want to find out what would happen if she actually hugged him.
 
Melanie let out a small sigh as Connor sat down as far away from her as possible. She gave him an unimpressed look, then poured him a cup of tea and sliding it over to his side of the table. "You don't seem fine." She said softly. "You know you can talk to me, right?"
 
Connor's face twisted in discomfort as she went on, eyes following the cup of tea, but he made no move to grab it. "I know." He mumbled, wishing he had grabbed another biscuit so he could keep his mouth full. "I'm fine."
 
Melanie sighed again and reached over, putting a hand on his knee as she met his eyes. "Talking about it will help." She said softly. "Even if it feels like it won't, believe me." She said, giving him a sympathetic look. "I wish I could just make it all better with a hug and a kiss like I used to when you were small, but just because that won't work anymore doesn't mean I can't help you." She said softly. "Can I ask why you were upset? Was it... your dad?" She asked, taking a guess.
 
Connor couldn't help a small groan as she spoke, covering his eyes so she couldn't look in them. "I'm fine!" He repeated, cringing even more as she mentioned when he had been a kid. Of course everyone still saw him as a kid, no matter how hard he tried. He had spent years being made fun of for being a crybaby, and he wasn't gonna go back to that now. He balked slightly at her next suggestion, actually looking at her for the first time. "What?!" He snapped. "No! Dad's great!"
 
Melanie held up her hands defensively as Connor snapped at her, face twisting a bit as he said his dad was great. That hurt more than it should have. "Alright, that's good." She said, losing her patience a bit. "Connor, I'm trying to help you." She added with a frown. "Please just talk to me."
 
Connor groaned loudly, looking away and pressing his face into his hands again. "I'm fine, Mum! I don't need anybody's help!" He hunched over more, wondering what Eric would do in this situation. Throw something, probably.
 
Melanie watched Connor and pushed down her own feelings of frustration. He needed her to stay calm now, even if it would be easier to snap back at him. Though, maybe that would snap him out of it. She knew how to deal with Eric when he got like this, but Connor was new territory. Melanie scooted over on the couch and put an arm around him. "Alright." She said softly. "But if you did, that would be okay."
 
Connor flinched hard at the feeling of his mum's arm around him, tensing at once. No, this was exactly what he had been afraid of. If she started hugging him she would expect a hug back, and then he would cry, and then he would talk, and what good would that do? All crying and talking ever got him was trouble. "I don't." He repeated, but even Connor could hear the frog in his throat, tears threatening to break the dam at any moment.
 
Melanie could hear the emotion in Connor's voice and tightened her arm around him. "It's okay." She repeated. "I know you want to be strong, but it's okay to let yourself feel things." She whispered. "I'm the only one here, and it's okay." She added, kissing the top of his head. "I love you, baby. Let me help."
 
Connor pressed his face more firmly into his hands, fighting back the shudders of a sob as his mum spoke. "I don't want to feel things!" He snapped, shaking slightly as the dam started to break. "I hate feeling things! I'm sick of being the one who's always weak and crying and feeling things!"
 
Melanie squeezed his shoulders. "Sorry honey, everyone has to feel things." She said, soft but firm. "And you're not weak for crying. It is good to let those feelings out. It's much better than keeping it all in, I promise." She said, stroking his hair back. "It's just me here." She repeated softly. "It's okay to cry with your mum."
 
Connor gritted his teeth as she spoke, pressing hard on his eyes with the heels of his hands. "I'm not a little kid!" He snapped, shoulders hunching even as tears managed to smear their way out from under his hands. "Just leave me alone!"
 
Melanie took a deep breath. Maybe this was more like dealing with Eric than she had thought. Maybe her kids really weren't all that different. "I know you're not." She said, voice steady and firm. "But you're upset. I'm not going to leave you alone, so you can either tell me or we can both just sit here until I'm old and grey." She said simply, still holding him close to her.
 
Connor recognised the tone his mum was taking, and it was a bit of a shock to hear. He'd heard it thousands of times, of course, but never directed at him before. He almost looked at her to see what her face was doing, but that would mean the possibility of eye contact, and Connor didn't feel up to risking that. "I'm fine. I'm just not sleeping well. School is stressful." He lied, hoping she would accept that and leave him alone.
 
Melanie nodded as Connor spoke, even though he wasn't looking at her. "Uh-huh." She said. "Alright, that's a start." She added, clearly waiting for more. "What else?"
 
Connor groaned in frustration, trying to wiggle away. "That's it! I sucked at Hogwarts and now I suck at this too, you saw my NEWT grades!"
 
Melanie let Connor create a bit more distance between them, but didn't let him go entirely. "I did." She said calmly. "I also saw your grades every other year you were at school, and I know you went through a lot your final year." She told him evenly. "So I know objectively that you don't suck at school."
 
Connor groaned in frustration, scrubbing at his eyes. "Well things change..." He mumbled.
 
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