Back to Life;

M E L ★ ❝Miserably happy in the lives we've chosen.❞

[melaniewillicms]

libbybreyer.

The morning after Libby and Finley had spent that romantic night alone in her empty house had been a big shock to Libby - but she was angry with herself for letting it be a surprise to her in the first place. She should have known, she shouldn’t have been so dumb and so naive to assume that suddenly out of no where, after months, after a year of cruelty and dominance Finley would return to the loving way he’d been previous years - her Finley. He had made Libby feel dumb and small for assuming him to do the simplest of tasks for her - being kind, staying around the morning after, doing really anything that would be considered normal in any other relationship.  But Libby should have known better. It had been however many months since she’d seen any resemblance of that type of old Finley behavior, how could she truly think anything had just changed over night? But in the blonde’s defense, he had acted differently the night before. It had been weeks - no - months since he’d even given her a choice to pick really, well, anything. What they did that night, what food they ordered, what movie to watch. They were four simple decisions but they were four decisions that she had not been given the privilege to pick in a long, long time. And at the end of the night the most important thing to Libby was that was happy. She felt like he was finally coming to terms with how things were, that his parents were gone, that he was almost, in the most possible way, free. Free from the abuse of his parents, free from their constant putting him down. He could be himself again, not the person they’ve molded him to be. She should have known it was all too good to be true.

The rest of the day Libby felt useless. She felt played and stupid for falling for it, but did she even second guess that feeling stupid and played by her own boyfriend might not be okay? No, she did not. For Libby being made out to feel that way was normal. It happened on a near daily basis. If she accidentally said something wrong - said something in even the slightest manner that might warrant a ‘dumb blonde’ remark, Finley had every one laughing at her. Not with her, but at her. Libby knew it wasn’t right but yet she never did anything to stop it. So that day, after she let Finley ‘put her in her place’, make her feel stupid for assuming that her boyfriend of nearly four years might stay the night without having to sneak out the next morning, without having to berate her for simply wanting him to be sweet with her for the first time in too long, Libby spent the rest of the day laying in bed, re-writing her college essay over and over. She needed something to distract her although even that couldn’t truly take her mind off of the boy she loved dearly, and the amount of worry she had for him at all times - but especially then. She had tried to text him multiple times a few hours later, apologizing, telling him that she loved him. That she was sorry. As much as Libby knew deep down that she had nothing at all to apologize for, on the surface and in her conscience she felt otherwise. For whatever reason Libby felt like she had been the one in the wrong. She had pushed him away this morning, she’d been too clingy, too needy the night before. She didn’t blame him for wanting to leave.

But he didn’t reply, not to one single text. She’d pissed him off far too much. So the next day when she went into school she thought she’d surprise him, write a rough draft for the assignment they had due in history that she knew he hadn’t written, and wear the shirt he always loved on her so much. But he wasn’t there, yet again. Her boyfriend had begun skipping school more often now than ever before. His weekends were becoming longer than the school week itself - to nobody’s surprise. She’d texted him multiple times throughout the day, gave him a few calls, left a few voicemail but still nothing in return. She was almost worried even though deep down she knew that he was just ignoring her. After the final school bell rang Libby found herself sitting at the wheel of her car, dialing his phone one last time to see if she could finally get him. She wanted to see him and make up, see him and apologize for being so clingy and overbearing and offer to make it up to him somehow. But still, after two more calls, no answer. Sighing heavily, Libby turned the keys in her ignition and drove straight past her house towards Finley’s. Upon pulling into the driveway the girl swallowed nervously before letting out a heavy exhale and grabbing her keys, walking up to the door. The young blonde knocked on the door a few soft times before wrapping her arms over her body, pulling her cardigan sweater tight over her as the chilly wind blew around her. After a few moments of nothing Libby lifted her hand to knock a second time but her mouth parted, cheeks instantly brightening a shade of pink when the door opened to reveal Finley’s older brother’s girlfriend. Melanie, was it? Nervously, Libby lifted her already lifted hand and brought it to her blonde mess, brushing a wind-blown strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh,” she greeted, surprised to see her. Without her needing to even say anything Melanie answered the question that Libby really didn’t want to ask. She felt awkward, not knowing her at all, not really having ever said more than a few words to her at the memorial service.

Libby nodded her head as if to agree, or say thank you for answering the question she didn’t even need to ask. She mused a light nod, acknowledging what the older female was saying while kind of adverting her eyes, too timid to keep looking her straight in the eyes. What Libby knew of Melanie was minimal as Finn himself seemed not to know very much. She knew that Melanie was a lawyer and that apparently things with her and Patrick were pretty serious, but that was about it. She also knew that Melanie didn’t care for Finley, that much was obvious. “Umm,” she hummed nervously as she glanced around, as if Finn might be somewhere watching, testing to see if she’d align with the other side. Did she want to go in and wait? Wouldn’t Finley just be pissed to see her there, saying something about how ‘she was hanging out with them now’ or something of the sort. But he was ignoring her and she was worried. “Yeah, okay,” she nodded softly with a hushed down, her voice always being more on the quiet side. Keeping her arms crossed, Libby slowly stepped past Melanie and into the house. She lingered awkwardly in the foyer. Should she just go up and wait in his room or should she stay down her with Melanie. She was almost too embarrassed to do the latter. She figured someone like Melanie - a lawyer, or one in the making - would probably judge her for being with someone like Finn. Most people did. But most people were wrong and most people just didn’t get it. Swallowing as she cleared her throat lightly Libby turned a bit on her heels to look at Melanie. “Thanks,” she offered meekly in regards to letting her come in and wait. “I can just go up to his room if you’d like. I don’t want to be in your way,” she offered, motioning towards towards the stairs with her finger. She glanced around anxiously trying to come up with things to say, her anxiety causing her to feel the need to talk to fill up time and space in the room around them. “I um - I’m sorry that you have to deal with this. Finley taking Patrick’s time away from you. He’s just going through a rough time..”

Melanie wasn’t sure what she was expecting Libby to be, besides a doting and silent girlfriend whom she had only ever seen glued to Finley’s side. She wondered if Libby ever detached from him, if she went off to do her own thing and hang out with her own friends, or if she was the kind of girlfriend who was so fixated on her boyfriend that she would only be around him and his friends, even if they weren’t nice people. Melanie, of course, had met Finley, albeit briefly and not in the best circumstances, and she had been told first hand what he was like from Patrick and she knew that if Libby was the latter - which definitely seemed to be the case - then there would be more to it than Libby being attached to him. From the very few instances Melanie had met and seen Libby, she had showcased a personality that was very gentle, she was a soft spoken girl, and she was exactly the kind of person people like Finley ruined. Melanie wasn’t being biased or going off her already formed opinion - which, yeah, she totally was but you couldn’t blame her for that - but she had seen this kind of thing before, mock cases and even some real cases she had managed to shoe horn her way into, that these kinds of things usually never ended with a happy ending. If Patrick’s parents were anything to go by, it was something that always had a negative impact. Of course, this wasn’t something Melanie had brought up to Patrick. She had seen the way he’d gotten hopeful that he could have rebuilt a relationship with his brother, she’d seen the way that that had been ruined because of Finley. She was sure that if she voiced her opinion on him, if she told Patrick that she didn’t like him - hated him, almost - that that would cause problems between them. It was something she hoped Patrick would be able to figure out and see for himself, she didn’t want to jeopardised their relationship because of Finley.

But just because Melanie wasn’t going to talk to Patrick about it, didn’t mean she couldn’t speak to other people about it. She was thanking whatever higher power there was for the perfect opportunity that had presented itself to her. It was almost a miracle that Libby had shown up and that she wasn’t with Finley or coming to see him. It was good thing that Finley wasn’t here for once - it was always a good thing for Melanie but once again, that was something she didn’t say. She was interested in Libby, interested in the way she allowed herself to be pushed around, although that was something Melanie didn’t blame her for. The Griffin men had a weird way of being able to pull people in, Melanie could attest to that. She would never have expected herself to be where she was now when she had first met Patrick but he’d drawn her in and after their first real moment of intimacy, she had realised too late that he’d gotten her hook, line, and sinker and there was no way she would have been able to walk away from him. But Melanie wasn’t naive and if Finley had the same pull that his brother did, then she knew he’d done the same to Libby. The only real difference was how they had both changed, how they treated the ones they loved and Melanie was forever grateful that she had found the brother who hadn’t been turned into someone he wasn’t. She was so incredibly in love with Patrick and she was beyond happy that she had managed to make him hers.

Libby’s first response to her invitation to come in and wait instantly struck a chord with Melanie. It seemed as if she were hesitant because of somebody who wasn’t even here. Melanie doubted that Patrick would be able to find Finley and that he wouldn’t come home; he never did anymore. She offered Libby a small smile as the younger girl came into the house and she gently shut the door behind her. She wondered how many times Libby had actually been in the house, it’d been the place where Patrick’s parents had spent their days getting wasted and neglecting their children and it definitely wasn’t a place you would bring your significant other, Melanie was sure about that. “I’m sorry about the mess,” she said off handedly. “Trying to keep on top of the house and everything is a little difficult at times.” There was no real reason for Melanie to divulge that information to Libby except for the fact that she was trying to make small talk. She couldn’t exactly dive into any real conversation when they had barely talked and she was getting rather strong timid vibes from Libby. They’d have to build a rapport if Melanie wanted to get anywhere. Her eyebrow raised when Libby suggested that she go elsewhere, almost as if she didn’t want to be around her. But Melanie understood that, she knew it must have been difficult for Libby to be around someone she didn’t know, someone her boyfriend had probably spat out endless hateful words about. Melanie didn’t care about that stuff but she didn’t care about the way it hurt Patrick. “No, don’t be silly, you wouldn’t be in my way.” Melanie said, half shrugging. “I wasn’t doing anything too important anyway. I was just trying to pass the time, really.” 

The apology was surprising to Melanie, it wasn’t something she had expected to hear and it only made her wonder how many times Libby apologised on Finley’s behalf, how many times he’d gotten into trouble and Libby had been the one who had to pick up the pieces. It was a natural thing to pick up the pieces of the person you loved, it was a natural instinct to want to take care of them, and it was fine to do it, so long as it was done in return. Relationships were mutual and Melanie had the sinking suspicion that Libby didn’t get to experience that mutuality. “Don’t apologise.” she said. “I might be a little upset that I no longer get Patrick all to myself now but Patrick wanted to come here and deal with this, I was more than happy to come and help him. God knows he needs the help.” It was another spiteful dig at Libby’s boyfriend and Melanie should probably have watched her words but Libby wasn’t giving off the impression that she was the kind of person who liked confrontation, not that Melanie wanted to argue with her. “Why don’t we go into the living room? It’ll be much better than standing around in the foyer and we can wait for our men together.” Even though she posed the question, Melanie didn’t leave much room for argument as she turned around and made her way into the living room. She only glanced back once to make sure that Libby was following her. The living room always carried an aura of disuse about it, it was a room that had been used for something other than friendly gatherings and a place that only positive things happened in. The house itself often felt like a bad place to be, the wall carrying untold things within them, things that the people who had once lived here did and what others had to suffer. Whenever Melanie thought about that, she always reminded herself that she was here for Patrick and she wasn’t going to leave him. She sat down on one of the crappy sofas, a leg tucked underneath her and she watched, almost expectantly for Libby to do the same. She knew she was asking too much from her already, they were still strangers after all. “When Patrick first told me about his parents, I never expected they would live in such a nice house.” For perhaps the first time, Melanie had found herself in the presence of something who had also vicariously experienced what the Griffin parents had been like. It felt like a safe starting point. “I shouldn’t have been too surprised, however, it’s always the assholes who get the best places. I’m going to change that.” The last part of her words was her own aspirations slipping into the conversation. It was things she had told Patrick many times before, it was things she had added onto her list of things to achieve when he told her everything. “Did Finley ever bring you around here when they were alive?”

[melaniewillicms]

Melanie wasn’t entirely sure how she could describe everything that was going on in their lives at the moment. It was definitely different from how she had imagined her life with Patrick would have gone. They had had plans for their own future, plans that had been dismantled the moment they had had to come back to Patrick’s home town and help with the mess that had been left in his parents’ wake. Melanie loved Patrick, more than she could put into words, which meant that having to see him go through this was just as painful for her as it was for him. There was too much to do for one person who’s parents had been the epitome of terrible and he was, in a way, doing it alone. Melanie helped whenever and wherever she could. There was a lot of legal matter she helped decipher and deal with but that wasn’t the point. The point was that Patrick should have been getting help from his brother, his brother who had seemingly disappeared off of the face of the Earth. Melanie had been an ear for Patrick to talk to, he’d let her know that he was worried about his brother, and that this really wasn’t the way things should have been. The latter Melanie could agree with, things should have been different between them but it wasn’t, it wasn’t because Patrick hadn’t come back home to the eight year old he’d left and they had both gotten to witness, first hand, exactly what happened when someone had terrible parents. She wouldn’t tell him about it, but Melanie had stayed up a little too late some nights and had thought about how Patrick could have become the same. She couldn’t see her Patrick turning in some vile monster but she wasn’t naive, she knew he could have ended up like that too. She was just relieved that he hadn’t.

But Patrick always seemed to be on some other planet, they were on different pages of different books. He was hopeful, in a way, that his brother would return to him and Melanie didn’t want to tell him that it could be a lost cause, learned actions were always hard to break out of and Finley didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would admit his mistakes and work on his behaviour. There was so many times that Melanie wanted to suggest that they just leave, they had no reason to stay here and if Finley kept refusing Patrick’s help, then Patrick shouldn’t have been breaking his back to try and help his brother. She didn’t, however, because she knew how much his brother meant to Patrick and she knew running away wouldn’t solve anything. They would stay here, work this out, and then figure out their lives from that. She didn’t mind having to rework everything, she wasn’t the kind of person who stuck to a plan and then refused to break it. She’d do that for Patrick. She’d do it for Patrick who had been out of the house for a few hours now, searching the streets for his brother who had been long gone by the time the week had started. She could only imagine what Patrick would find if he ever did find his brother. She, herself, had been at work for a majority at the day but had somehow managed to get off early and she had returned to the house they now called home. It didn’t feel like home to her but it did feel nice to see the place Patrick had grown up in, it felt like she was learning a part of him she never would have got to. The problem was, she didn’t like this place. It couldn’t have been a good place for Patrick to be right now and it broke her heart to think of the neglect that had taken place. Neglect it was still seeing at the hands of his brother.

Melanie would have been lying to herself if she said she hadn’t been thinking about Finley’s girlfriend, Libby. She’d seen her once before, at the funeral, but had never actually gotten the chance to talk to her. She did seem like a nice girl, far too nice for a person like Finley. It would have been another lie if Melanie said she hadn’t thought about the way Finley had yelled at her and how Libby had accepted it, as if she were used to. And she probably was. That alone made Melanie angry and perhaps she did want to talk to Libby about it, to try and get her to open up to her about it, but every time Melanie had seen Libby, she had been glued to Finley’s side. Melanie had accepted the fact that she might never get the chance to talk to her, albeit reluctantly. For now, however, she was focused on her current task at hand that was attempting to sort out the mess the house had become. It wasn’t as bad when they had first moved in; she’d managed to get rid of the awful smell the house carried and she wondered why the neighbours had never complained. Perhaps they had but no one cared enough to actually do anything. That just seemed to be how the world worked now. The house was somewhat clean and Melanie had grown tired of still finding remnants of the people who had once lived here, so she was on the brink of giving up. Whatever higher force there was seemed to hear her mental complaints because she heard a knock on the door, a light sound that could have gone unheard had she not been paying close attention. She raised an eyebrow because she knew that neither Patrick or Finley would knock and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to open the door to the police right now, she knew the trouble that could come from this family. She went over to the door anyway, dusting her hands on her black jeans and shaking her hair out, just in case it was some official and she had to look somewhat presentable. Looking decent on the fly was something she was good at. When she did open the door, however, she saw that it wasn’t the kind of people she had been worried about but Libby. It was a pleasant surprise and Melanie leaned against the door, smiling slightly. “Hey,” she said, hoping her demeanour was friendly enough that Libby wouldn’t be too worried about talking to her. She did seem kind of timid. “He’s not here.” Melanie said, second guessing why Libby had shown up here. Why else would she be here if not for Finley? “I also have no idea where he is, Patrick left to go look for him an hour ago. If you ask me, I say that it’s a good thing.” Melanie had momentarily forgotten that this girl was Finley’s girlfriend and she might not take too kindly to her words. She opened the door wider then, giving her enough room to come in. “Do you want to come in and wait? I’m sure Patrick will drag his ass home at some point today.”

[patgrif]

Patrick still could not understand why Finley could not differentiate between him ‘fucking off the first chance he could’ and going to college to make a better life for himself and ultimately Finley too. How could Finley not realize that he didn’t leave because of him? That was the hardest part about leaving. He tormented himself over it all the time but he knew nothing would get better for either of them if he just stayed there and worked serving tables until Finley was old enough to leave himself. But he was getting real tired of hearing him call him out for it. He did however understand why it was so hard for Finley to handle being disciplined. He knew how it was with their parents, it had been the same way for him. They didn’t care. They didn’t lecture unless you did something that directly influenced them, like maybe if they’d eaten the leftovers from the night before that Dad wanted, or tried to speak up for their mom when he was close to making her black and blue all over. Patrick swallowed to himself when he heard his brother ask Libby not to go - hardly even ask really. He hoped she wouldn’t stay because that would just continue to build Finley’s ego and he needed to know that he didn’t get to control everything. He grew relieved when she finally did leave. Patrick crossed his arms over his chest as she took his stance, ready for the shit storm that his younger sibling was about to unleash. “Watch your mouth,” he snapped back after Finley cursed at him. He shouldn’t be able to get away with just saying that to him. He was going to make sure he didn’t.

He knew comparing him to their deceased father would get underneath of FInley’s skin, but he was only doing it because it was true. After growing up and witnessing the dysfunction of their parents marriage - if you’d even call it that - Patrick was still utterly amazed at how Finley could allow himself to ever treat anyone, woman or man the way their dad did. He should have been worshiping the ground that Libby walked on. He should have made it his mission to do the very opposite of everything he ever saw happen with his parents. Patrick never raised his voice with Melanie. He never snapped at her or demanding things from her, he never expected her to act as if she belonged to him. He treated her with respect and it blew his mind that Finley could even allow himself to act that way towards the girl he supposedly loved. It angered him the way it angered him to watch his mom get abused all of his life up until the point where she no longer became a mother and let what their father did to her take over and create a monster. “If you don’t want me to compare you to him then don’t act like him. Don’t be controlling, don’t be smart with her. You don’t talk to any woman like that, especially not one who has been so good to you throughout all of this.” He barked back. He’d noticed at the funeral how she spoke to family and friends for Finley on his behalf because he wanted nothing to do with it. “You don’t get to make decisions for her, and her leaving was the right thing to do. In fact she won’t be coming back for a while because as of now you can no longer have visitors through the rest of the week because I’m in charge here now. That’s that.” He barked loudly, his face growing red as his veins started to protrude.

He scoffed, getting angrier by the minute as Finley barked how sick he was of him and pushed past towards the stairs. “Well get used it because I’m not going anywhere!” He yelled up the stairs, gripping the rail as his brother fled the scene. “Jesus,” he groaned out angrily, throwing his hands to his head as he took a backwards step towards, breathing heavily as he dropped his hands and shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to control that.” He confessed, his heart rate going through the roof as he pointing a finger towards the stairs, looking at Melanie. He felt so guilty for making her witness that. For making her have to see him say those things. “This doesn’t seem like a phase. I don’t think I can do this.”

[melaniewillicms]

To say seeing the two of them fight like that was shocking wasn’t far from an understatement. Melanie knew that Patrick was having trouble with Finley and she’d only ever witnessed it second hand when Patrick spoke to her about it. But to see it was a whole new story. Melanie wasn’t sure how she felt. Disgusted? Angry? Disappointed? Really, it was an amalgamation of all three. There was no way she would ever hold any sympathy for someone who treated their family like that. She wasn’t even going to touch on how Finley spoke to his girlfriend because that was a whole new thing to be enraged over. She did, however, feel bad for Libby. She didn’t deserve what had just happened - and whatever else had happened between her and Finley but Melanie didn’t want to think about that, she was almost shaking from rage as it was. So, she made a mental note to get in touch with Libby at some point in the near feature and instead focussed on Patrick. The lack of faith he had in himself made her push aside the angry feelings for the time being and she tilted her head to the side, listening to him vent for a few moments. Melanie pursed her lips for a second before she reached down and took his hand, guiding him into the living room where she made him sit down with her on the sofa.

“Listen to me,” she said, taking one of his hands in both of hers. “You’re better than this, better than that little brat. You can’t give up now, we’ve just started all of this.” Moving one hand from his, she reached up and gently brushed her fingers against his cheek before resting her hand against it. “For the most part, it’s grief. However, there’s something else going on, that’s much bigger than the grief. If he doesn’t want to seek your help, when you’re offering it no less, then it’s not worth getting all up in arms over.” She shook her head a little as she spoke before she sighed, leaning over to gently peck his lips. When she pulled back, she kept a small distance between them but remained close to him. “You also need to remember to take care of yourself too. It’s not just Finley who lost his parents, you did too. I know they weren’t great, they were the kind of people I would fight to get their kids taken off of, but they were still your parents and I know you, I know this isn’t easy for you.” She leaned forward, resting her forehead on his, looking into his eyes. “I’m not telling you to give up, nor am I telling you to keep fighting this beast, but I will stick by you for whatever you choose. If you want to leave this place behind again, I’ll drive. If you want to stay and break through the walls that are between you two, I’ll give you a hammer.” 

Once more, she leaned over and kissed him again. This time, however, she kissed him for a little longer, moving her hands to brush against the hair at the nape of his neck. When she did pull back, she glanced towards the doorway, to the stairs. “I don’t mean to go all feminist on you -” she rolled her eyes. “Okay, I kind of do, you know me, but I really don’t like the way he spoke to that girl. Libby, right?” She sighed and shook her head. She too had seen them at the funeral. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have been convinced that they were glued to each other’s side. Now, it just seemed wrong. “If you really think he’s going to end up like your father, which I kind of do, then I don’t want to sit back and let something like that happen.” She bit her lip, knowing what she was about to say might cause a rift between them. “I’ve sat in courts with people like that, I’ve seen the way their wives are, the amount of make up the wear to hide the bruises. I’ve watched men like that walk free no matter how hard we fought. If that’s what your brother is going to become, then I really don’t want to be around someone like that.”

[patgrif]

There was nothing that calmed Patrick like the touch of his girlfriend’s hands if even in the slightest, most non-intimate way. However the anxiety coursing his veins due to whatever relationship he had left with his brother seemingly diminishing before his eyes was causing even her touch not to soothe his feelings. Of course he knew she would be supportive and try to feed him so excuse because it was late and because she knew him and knew he was hurting and the best thing for the time was an excuse, but what was he supposed to do when he knew far too well that the excuse was exactly that - an excuse. No, Finley truly hated Patrick. The younger brother had been anything but shy with letting Patrick know earlier that night. But it was all starting to make sense. From the moment he and Melanie had arrived he’d done nothing but give them the cold shoulder. At first he had chalked it up to the mourning, and that maybe his way of coping ws to just not be around the home in which he grew up with his parents in. He understood his brother was a teenager so he wasn’t all that surprised to assume that maybe he was out drinking or getting high because that was what kids his age did, especially when trying to cope with things such as loss because unfortunately, that was what society instilled as the answer. He’d been that age once before too. But there was a difference.

The difference was that Patrick started doing all of that in college. Their parents hadn’t gone to college, no, and they sure as hell hadn’t instilled the need or desire or encouragement for Pat to go when he graduated either. But that didn’t mean Pat didn’t have goals for himself. He wanted more than anything to go to college if even to just prove his deadbeat parents wrong for never believing he’d ever amount to anything. Why didn’t Finley want that too? Why would he let them dictate his success? Had Patrick not been enough of a role model for him? Sure he wasn’t home but Finley hated their parents too - why wouldn’t he be doing everything in his power to get away from them like Patrick had? Without looking to his side at Melanie, Patrick shrugged a bit. “It’s not ridiculous. He told me. He’s not mourning, he’s not grieving. He said it isn’t hard for him at all,” he shared, replaying the conversation that had occurred a mere few hours prior. “In fact, he’s pissed that we even had a funeral at all.” He shrugged, glancing to Melanie with a small frown and a heavy sigh. His eyes fell shut when he felt her soft, delicate hand press against his cheek. He knew he could rely on her and he knew that even had he begged her to stay back at home for the duration of all of this that she would have insisted on coming along anyway. She was his godsend and he wanted to ensure that she would always be. Patrick had had plans on proposing for weeks now. He’d asked her father’s permission, he had the ring picked out, and all he needed was the right moment to do it. The death of his parents seemed to derail his plans indefinitely.  He was able to breathe out a soft laugh at her comment. Her family was a little loud, sure, but at least they loved her. In the few short years that the pair had been together her parents had been more of parents than his had been in twenty-eight years. There was a reason why in the amount of time they had been a couple Patrick had never brought Melanie back home with him, or why she hadn’t ever met his parents or even Finn.

However the absence of communication with his brother never made a difference on how the older Griffin felt towards him. He didn’t speak of FInley often but when he did he only had the best of things to say about him. He still loved his brother and he didn’t need physical communication to make that true. Patrick tried again to muse a smile as he reached his free hand up and cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb against the soft skin. “I don’t know how to even begin to thank you,” he admitted softly before leaning in and pressing his forehead to hers. After holding it there for a moment, Patrick pulled back and stood up. “Why don’t you get in bed. I know you’re tired,” he suggested, cocking his head towards the top of the bed from the foot he’d been situated at. “I’ll brush up and join you in a second, alright?” He smiled this time, leaning in again to press yet another kiss to her temple before he took her place in the bathroom as he assembled the toothpaste onto his toothbrush and began to brush. He kept the door open as he did so, glancing back into his room as Melanie undid the bed, leaning his back against the door. “He’s smoking too,” Patrick announced rather suddenly through his brushing. Pausing to spit in the sink, Patrick shrugged towards his girlfriend. “In the middle of talking he just pulled out a cigarette and lit it up and proceeded to smoke it in the house,” he finished, this time turning on the water and rinsing his brush and his mouth before splashing his face with cold water and drying it on the towel. He shut off the light and stepped out into the room, pulling the shirt over his head and folding it neatly before tossing it onto his desk chair and walking around to the other side of the bed. “When we were younger he would always complain about how bad the house always smelled because of our parents smoking. I purposely would take him outside and play soccer with him until it got dark out just by means of keeping him out of the nasty secondhand smoke,” he started, not really meaning for all of this to come out as he pulled the comforter down on his side and climbed into the bed, instinctively just wrapping his arm behind his girlfriend and pulling her into his side. “I couldn’t even get him to help load the dishwasher. How the hell am I supposed to break it to him that now I’ve got to find some sort of living arrangement for him? He can’t be here by himself.”

[melaniewillicms]

Melanie let out a soft sigh. She had expected Patrick and his brother to have some difficulties with each other but to out right say he hated Patrick? That just wasn’t right. They should have been banding together right now, not causing each other more problems. Melanie, although she would never tell anyone, felt particularly protective of Patrick and it was moments like these that it showed. She knew he could handle himself but that wouldn’t have stopped her from stepping in should she have to. If she had to give this kid a piece of her mind, than she would, though she highly doubted that Patrick would want that. She knew he would have seen her excuse as an excuse. She had just wanted to provide him with some comfort although, in hindsight, she should have let him explain the entire situation to her. Understanding it better now, she knew there had to be more to it than what Patrick was saying. How could Finley just hate him like that? She’d been told of what Patrick had done for him, being a role model and doing his best to provide Finley with footsteps to follow in. Melanie would have been more than grateful if her brother had done all of that while sacrificing his childhood and more to do the things Patrick had. It made her angry but right now wasn’t the time for her angry. She’d deal with that at a later date.

Melanie shook her head, an array of insults going through her mind as she listened to Patrick recount what had happened when she had been out. It did nothing to distil her anger. “People mourn in different ways.” She offered but knew that there was no way to excuse what had happened. “Look, he’s a teenager. He probably has no idea how to handle what’s going on right now. But, in saying that, he has no right to say he hates you. You’re doing and you have done so much for him.” she said. “It’s not your fault he’s being an ungrateful brat.” Melanie scoffed lightly at the mention of the funeral. It was the most ridiculous sentence she’d ever heard. Funerals weren’t for just one person and their opinion. “So what if that wasn’t what he wanted? The funeral wasn’t about him, the funeral was for your parents, and it was the chance to finally bury any and all feelings you have for them.” she explained. “You could just imagine what people would say if you didn’t have one.” She let her thumb brush against his cheekbone. There was nothing more she hated than seeing him frown. Patrick was a genuinely nice person and that was one of the many reasons why she fell for him. He was something the world lacked and she’d be damned if she let someone ruin him. He’d gone through so much and he was still a nice person, that it hurt to think that he was sad. “I love you,” she said. “I know you and I knew you’ll blame yourself for all of this but it’s not your fault. It couldn’t be your fault. You didn’t make your brother day those things, he said them and was idiot all on his own accord.” Melanie could see now why Patrick hadn’t taken her to meet his family. She had asked a handful of times if he was ever going to introduce her to his family but after finding out the truth, she understood why he had wanted to keep his distance. She would have understood if he wanted to keep his distance now too. The Griffin’s certainly weren’t a nice family. 

With his forehead against hers, Melanie shut her eyes for a few seconds, taking in the moment. “Don’t thank me.” she said. “I’m happy to be here for you.” She nodded in agreement to his suggestion and got up along with him but headed towards the top of the bed. He was right, she was tired and they both deserved some sleep after the long day they had had. Things would probably be different in the morning. She hoped that whatever had happened between Patrick and his brother had just been because of the highly emotional day - though she was beginning to doubt that now - and they would be able to fix things. As she undid the bed, Melanie glanced back at Patrick, frowning at what he said. Melanie had known the moment they had walked into the house that Patrick’s parents had been smokers. The house reeked and she was glad the smell was mostly gone. She had also assumed that growing up in a house filled with smoke would have put anyone off smoking, so hearing that was definitely a surprise. “That’s disgusting.” she said, shaking her head. “He should know better.” She slipped into the bed, pulling the covers up a little while she waited for him to return. It definitely felt weird being in this bed, seeing as she was so used to their usual one. She nodded slowly as he spoke. It could have been a fond memory if it weren’t plagued with so much negativity given the circumstances. What he was saying only made her more surprised. How someone could go from hating the smell of smoke to actively smoking made no sense to her. Of course, she understood the need for someone to help relax but it just seemed weird to her. She couldn’t help but smile a little when Patrick pulled her close and her body instantly relaxed against his. As cliché as it was, it felt like being home. That feeling was quickly diminished when he again and she placed her hand over his. “He’ll have to listen to you. He has no choice.” she said. “There would be so many legal repercussions if you just let him live here alone. He’ll just have to understand that you’re trying to help him.” Looking at him, Melanie wrapped her hand around his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be okay. We’ll make it work, even if he makes it hard, we’ll make it work. I promise you we will.”

[patgrif]

There were no words to describe how confused Patrick felt after that encounter with his younger brother. Or at least the person he called a brother when apparently the name was one-sided in affection. All he had asked for was a simple hand in throwing away some trash and all hell broke loose. He had no idea that Finley had been harboring these feelings - although how would he have? He wasn’t around. Maybe Finley was right in all of it. Patrick had been more of a stranger than any type of family since the day he moved out ten years back. But just because his presence was gone and he hadn’t been as vocal with communication.. it meant nothing to him. He still loved Finley. He still had those memories from way back when and he still cherished those moments they shared together. At the end of the day he didn’t need to talk to Finley at all for him to have such an admiration and love for him because he was his brother and his blood and that actually meant something to the older Griffin. He hated hearing the words that left his brother’s mouth. Finley had him to count on, he did then and he did now. He wasn’t going to abandon the only family he had left especially in the wake of what was happening right then. Maybe it was all chalked up to Finley’s grieving style despite the younger brother adamantly insisting he wasn’t mourning at all.

Finley had left in such a hurried state that Patrick didn’t know how to stop him even if he wanted to - which he did. He wanted to sit down and air it all out because this was not the Finley that he’d grown up with and he knew that if that Finley could see who he’d become then he would be ashamed too. Feeling devastated and even emptier than he was already feeling due to the loss of his parents, Patrick continued to clean up the house after his had fled merely because there was nothing else to do. He was stuck with his thoughts if he chose to just sit down and cry about it, and someone had to clean the house and he would be damned if he threw any more of his family’s shit on his girlfriend. He took out the trash and started soaking some of the dishes they’d used to put out food for their guests, trying to do anything he could to kill time until his girlfriend returned. It felt like she’d gone out on her errand decades ago with all of the time Patrick had in silence while waiting on her return. Eventually when Melanie did return there was a large sigh of relief that escaped the man’s mouth. “Hey,” he greeted softly as he tried to turn the corners of his lips upward but barely succeeded. She approached and Patrick shook his hands of the suds from the sink before leaning over and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Why don’t you head on upstairs, get yourself ready for bed?” He suggested, cocking his head towards the stairs. She’d done enough for him already that day and every other. “I’ll just finish up these dishes and be right up,” he promised, this time the smile actually coming through slightly clearer because he knew if it didn’t she’d be concerned and adamant on not leaving him.

It didn’t take Patrick long for him to finish with the few plates he had soaking in the sink. After drying his hands on a dish towel, Pat flicked off the kitchen lights but only after staring towards the door just as if looking at it would bring his little brother home. It didn’t. Sighing to himself, Patrick shook his head lightly before turning and finally ascending the stairs. Upon reaching the top of the stairs Patrick rubbed his hands together as he glanced towards his parents’ old room. In the next few days he’d get around to cleaning it out and deciding where to sort out their belongings. He had hopes that his brother might help with it, just in case there were things he wanted to keep but he was no longer sensing that that would happen. For the mean time, Patrick and Melanie were sleeping in the room he’d left behind ten years ago, clad in all of his sports posters and trophies and boyish blue bedding. He entered the room with a soft sigh as he glanced at his girlfriend who was finishing up in the joint bathroom that his room shared with his brother’s. He was more than embarrassed to see the condition it had been kept in when the pair arrived. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Patrick folded his hands out before reaching them back onto the back of his neck, stretching. “So uh, Finn hates me,” he stated before looking over towards his girlfriend. “I’m so sorry you ever had to get dragged into coming with me. You know you don’t have to stay,” he offered. While Patrick was ever so thankful that his girlfriend was his support system and was here with him, he felt bad enough taking her away from home just so she could be subjected to his younger brother’s verbal abuse.

[melaniewillicms]

This whole thing was an entire mess in Melanie’s eyes. She’d been dating Patrick for a while and had known him even longer than that and if there was anything she could say about his parents it would be that she felt nothing but contempt for them. She had been so angry when she found out about them and she was sure that if he hadn’t convinced her otherwise, she’d have gone back to his childhood home and yelled at them. That, however, didn’t stop her from feeling bad for Patrick when they found out they had died. At the end of the day, they had still been his parents and he was allowed to be upset about them no longer being here. She, herself, had never experienced the loss of a parent and had no idea what he was going through but she had decided - a long time ago actually - that she would stay by his side through thick and thin. That meant when he’d asked her to come back to his parent’s old house, she said nothing but yes. Melanie wasn’t going to let him go through this alone, even if he had his brother, he would need someone who wasn’t letting grief effect their thoughts and actions to help him deal with this and Melanie was more than ready to be that person.

Funerals were never fun and Melanie had helped Patrick through most of it, knowing the toll it would have on him. It didn’t help that his brother didn’t bother to help them which pissed her off. Why wouldn’t he help them? Weren’t they his parents too? She had tried not to be that bothered by it and besides, Patrick would probably talk to him about it anyway. She’d had some things she had to take care of once they’d finished, just a few things to do with the law firm she worked at, nothing too bad, before she was going to return. The truth was, Melanie was extremely worried about Patrick. Of course, she didn’t want to tell him that she was worried because then he would try to reassure her that everything was fine but Melanie knew him better than that. She could barely focus on what she was doing because her mind was preoccupied by him. She hoped everything would work out between him and his brother - she was sure he mentioned something about talking to him - but with them both grieving, it certainly wouldn’t go too pleasantly. In fact, she could tell something had gone on simply from the atmosphere in the house as she walked back in. When he greeted her, Melanie couldn’t help but frown. His demeanour didn’t match the emotions he was trying to trick her into thinking he felt right now. “Hi.” she replied, going over to him and putting her hand on his back. When he kissed her, she shut her eyes and her frown turned into a small smile for a moment. She always liked his kisses. Just as she was about to ask him if he was okay, he spoke first and she shook her head. “Patrick...” Stopping herself, Melanie thought about it for a second and decided that waiting would be a good idea. “Okay. Don’t take too long.” she said. Despite the fact that his smile reassured her some more, she wanted to tell him just to leave the dishes and they could go together but decided that if he needed some space for now, that she would give him that.

Smiling back at him, she left the room and made her way upstairs. She felt odd about being in this house, that probably had something to do with being in the place that now belonged to someone who was deceased but she brushed off the feeling as she entered his room. It was boyish and that made Melanie smile a little. It definitely belonged to her boyfriend, she could pick out minor things in the room that translated to his personality now. She wasn’t sure if she should have been relieved or saddened by the fact that it had remained the same for the entire ten years that he’d been gone. Normal parents would have changed something at some point. It was just yet another thing she knew she shouldn’t dwell on, so she tried not to. She picked up her things and went into the bathroom, ignoring the mess. She didn’t expect the house to be perfect, considering a teenager and two dead beats had lived in it. She just brushed whatever didn’t belong to her or Patrick to the side and set about getting ready for bed. Glancing over to him as he came into the room, she could tell that he was probably tired. If the day had worn her out, then she could barely begin to think about how it was effecting him. Leaving the bathroom and going into the bedroom, she began to smile at him but that look was quickly wiped from her face when she heard what he had to say. “What?” she asked, genuinely shocked. It wasn’t hard to not like Patrick, he was a nice guy and she didn’t have one complaint about him. “That’s ridiculous.” she said. Shaking her head, she took a seat next to him and took one of his hands in both of hers. “He’s probably acting like that because he’s grieving.” Melanie knew her words weren’t exactly true. She’d seen the way Finley had acted from afar and it wasn’t exactly the nicest but she didn’t want Patrick to feel bad because of it. “Don’t apologize. None of this is your fault.” She reached up and put her hand on his cheek, gently. “I’m staying by your side, okay? You need someone right now and I’m more than happy for you to lean on me for now.” She smiled softly, trying her best to cheer him up. “Besides, you’ve seen how crazy my family is, I can handle whatever happens here, okay?”