(I’m sorry today wasn’t great for responses, starting to get busy again aha-)
Melissa kept him close for a long time, rubbing his back and playing with his hair as she tried to calm him down. She didn’t bother to try and talk to him much, only occasionally speaking up.
(Np aha)
Lucas didn't talk much either after a while, falling almost eerily silent. He kept his face hidden while Melissa pet him, and he still seemed to be pretty uneasy.
Melissa let this go on for about half an hour before shifting underneath him. “You okay…?” She asked softly, nuzzling against his face a bit.
Lucas looked up at Melissa weakly, his face pale and his cheeks blotched with pink. "I'm sorry…" He murmured softly.
"You don't have to be sorry, babe…" Melissa whispered in return, kissing his forehead before pulling him back to herself. "You're okay."
"Mm…" Lucas closed his eyes, limp and defeated in Melissa's arms. He hadn't taken his meds yet, which definitely wasn't helping his situation. "I'm… I-I'm really lucky to have you…" He whispered.
Melissa nodded a little, starting to sit up with him in her arms. "I love you…" She hummed, rubbing his shoulder gently as she rested her head on his. "You know that right?"
"I love you too…" Lucas murmured in reply, still limp as Melissa sat up with him. "And… a-and I know you love me, even if I don't think you should…"
"Good." Melissa hummed a bit, kissing his head. "Remember that I love you because it's important. I don't want you to forget it."
Lucas nodded weakly, burying his face back into Melissa's shoulder. "M'sorry, love…" He mumbled.
Melissa kept him close, kissing his shoulder. "Don't be, honey…" She hummed softly, rubbing his cheek.
"But I am…" Lucas coughed weakly and huddled closer. "I'm really sorry, Mel… for everything…"
Melissa sat up, tipping his chin up some. "Lucas, it's okay. I love you, so so much." She whispered, pulling him closer to herself.
"I love you too…" He whispered weakly in reply. "I-I just… I feel really bad about it, Mel… all of it."
"Bad about what?" Melissa whispered in return, holding his face in her hands. "What do you feel bad about? There's nothing to feel bad about."
"Everything… I've been nothing but a burden, Mel." Lucas sighed shakily. "You guys have to keep taking me to the hospital and talking me down from panic attacks and all sorts of other stuff…"
Melissa gently fiddled with her hands some before letting out a soft sigh. "Alright, listen, I can't pretend that that's not a problem some of the time. But it's not something I mind doing. I want to be here for you whenever you need me."
Lucas held tighter to Melissa, hiding his face again. "I-I feel like… like I shouldn't be bothering you guys with this kinda thing. M-My dad always used to-…" He paused, stopping himself and swallowing nervously. "Nevermind…"
"Would talking about it make things worse?" Melissa asked softly, tipping his chin back up. "Because if you're stopping because of me, please don't. Talk to me all you want or need."
"I-I just… I dunno… I shouldn't be thinking about things my dad said or did…" Lucas replied weakly. "He's… he's in jail for a reason. He's in jail for a reason." He said firmly to himself, as though trying to convince himself. I'm the reason.
"But sometimes to stop thinking about it, you need to get it out. You can talk to me if you want to." Melissa hummed softly, kissing his cheek. "I'm here if you need to talk to me."
Lucas sighed shakily. "I-I dunno… my dad always said that… that boys shouldn't cry. We weren't allowed to really show emotion around him or he would hurt us… That's one reason he hated me so much."
Melissa nodded a little, pulling him closer to herself. "But he's not right, you know that, don't you?" She whispered, resting her head on his shoulder as she rubbed his arm.
"…R-Right…" Lucas replied weakly, not sounding very convinced. "I don't remember ever seeing him show any emotion other than anger… I've never seen him cry, and I haven't seen him smile in years."
“And how is he at dealing with other people? Horrible, right?” Melissa stated, kissing his forehead. “So you shouldn’t feel bad for needing to cry, or feel anything.” She whispered, tracing circles into his back.
Lucas nodded a bit, fidgeting uneasily. It was hard to get his father's words out of his head. "He… h-he called me horrible things whenever I cried…" He whispered.
“But they’re not true.” Melissa whispered still, gently titling his chin up. “Have I ever said anything that your father did when you cry? Or anyone other than him, for that matter?”
Lucas shook his head weakly, a couple tears rolling down his cheeks. "He… h-he called me slurs and stuff…" He whispered.
Wiping his tears off, she gave him a weak look, kissing his forehead before tucking it under her chin. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed help. I wish I could take it all away…" She stated softly, rubbing his back still.
Lucas held tighter to Melissa, hiccuping a couple times. "It's… it's not your fault…" He whispered. "I didn't tell you… I-I shouldn't be bothering you with this anyway…"