Yesss I think there's a lot of potential that Connor and Marianne interacted quite a bit, back when it was just them as the newest generation of the Roys. Maybe they bonded over the feeling that they were gradually feeling out of place in their families as well?
I have a lot of thoughts about Connor constantly being the father figure, first to his own siblings, then with Greg, after he picks up on the signs that Greg's dad is his own brand of unloving.
Connor not being able to tell which is worse: his own dad seeing him and his siblings as moving pieces in a chess game, or Greg's dad seeing Greg as no more than a mistake that he can move on from
Made myself sad while considering a post I was making about a Connor and Marianne potentially being close once and
“It was probably one of the few times he’d [Connor] seen Ewan smile.” (referring to him holding newborn Greg)
Also thinking about how Marianne seemingly might have mental health issues and then thinking about how Connor’s mom did too.
Connor holding baby Greg and wanting to think maybe Marianne will be okay now. Maybe she’ll get her life together now but he thinks of his own mother and all he feels a gut wrenching pang of sympathy for the baby in his arms.
He loved his mom but she wasn’t capable of being the mom he needed. He hopes this won’t be the case for little Greg.
Also decided a Connor didn’t like Greg’s dad. Not because he’s gay of course but because he’s married to his cousin and has been cheating on her the entire time. Why marry her and have a baby with her if you don’t love her, man? Just to hide your secret?
Caroline’s phrasing made me wonder if it was something maybe a lot of people knew but Marianne herself wasn’t picking up on. (Denial maybe?)
Connor doesn’t say anything. No one does.
There are a lot of things in his life Connor doesn’t say that he wishes he was brave enough say.
13 notes
·
View notes
Wrote a quick vignette of Connor, young Roy siblings and baby Greg based on a tweet I saw!
-----
"Needy little bastards, aren't they?" Caroline laughs, like it's a pretty good joke.
"Greg's fine," Marianne says, not laughing. "I know what makes him freak out - Connor, careful - "
"You know I'm careful, Annie. Hey, little buddy!" Connor's attention becomes fully entangled in the bundle that passes from Marianne's arms to his, pitching his voice to a cheery, friendly cadence as he nudges little Gregory's forehead with his own. "Hey, did you talk to my guy?" he asks, back at Marianne. "The one with the organic formula?"
"I'm not feeding stimulants to my baby, Connor," Marianne says.
"Just a tip." Connor backsteps so that Marianne can at least have the reassurance of watching her baby get taken away from her by a strange man. "Kid could use some of that early brain power."
He rocks little Greg gently as he goes; this isn't his first baby rodeo.
"Congratulations, Con! Dad would be so proud," Roman mock-gasps when he returns, then makes a motion with his mouth and fingers that thankfully will go over most babies' heads.
"This is Marianne's kid," Connor clarifies. "Say hi to Gregory." He presents the swaddle of blankets like he's revealing the baby Jesus, and three scary-looking kids peer down so they can get a good look at him. Little Greg is fast asleep, a doughy little thing with slightly mismatched proportions.
"Who names their kid Greg?" Kendall is mildly concerned.
"Not when you say it like that," says Connor. "But 'Gregor' ? 'Gregorius'? Maybe Marianne wants to break the stigma around the name 'Greg'."
"Cool," Kendall notes. "Can I have my bag back?"
"Those things make you miserable," Connor doesn't miss a beat. "Forget about it."
As Kendall groans like he's about to pass out, Roman screws up his face at baby Greg. "Why's his head so big?"
"He looks like one of those toys that grow when you put them in water, but if you got impatient and took it out too early," Shiv observes thoughtfully.
"I can't imagine what the three of you can say when Marianne's around," Connor sighs, shifting Greg's weight in his arms.
At the movement, Greg squirms and blinks his eyes open. They're a pretty blue, just like Connor's and Shiv's and Roman's and Kendall's.
"Hey, little man," Connor greets him warmly. "Who's up? Is Greg up?"
Greg gurgles in response, not at all fazed that the face he's staring up at isn't his mom's, big blue eyes roving and exploring his surroundings. Shiv watches him with fascination despite her earlier jab. She reaches out a hand to poke at his bald head where thin wisps of hair are beginning to grow, and Greg bats a gummy hand at her wrist.
"This is Siobhan, but you can call her Shiv," Connor explains. "This is Kendall."
Greg coos when he sees Kendall, but that's probably because he's never seen a sad sack of an adolescent human being in all his months of being born.
Kendall realises Connor's signalling for him to hold Greg and immediately seizes up. "Uh, I don't -"
Connor accepts his resignation and moves on. "And this is Roman."
It's Roman's turn to get stared at by Greg, and Roman takes this chance to pull a very unattractive face, eyes and mouth and tongue twisting in cartoonishly impossible directions like he always does when he wants the other 10-year-olds to get off his ass.
Greg's face goes a blotchy red and he bursts into tears.
Connor nearly drops him from the whiplash. "Rome!" he manages to yell in between shushing Greg, but Greg won't stop crying. "What's wrong, bud? It's okay, look at me, look at me," he says frantically, but the rising panic in his own voice isn't helping matters, and Greg's wails are have already cut through the ambience of the apartment.
"Rome, you cumbucket," Kendall spits.
"Yeah, Rome, you shitbrain," Shiv parrots, mirroring Kendall's dead-eyed glare.
"What?" Roman flinches from being bombarded from both sides. "I didn't do anything, I just looked at him!"
"Greg? Oh my God, Greg?"
Marianne comes flying into the room, equal parts meltdown and murderous intent. Connor's clinging to Greg like he's holding a bomb, looking like he could evaporate on the spot.
"I'm sorry, Annie, it's all on me." He graciously gifts the screaming bundle of blankets back to his mother, flashing Roman a quick side-eye.
"It's fine," Marianne strains, practically clawing to get Greg back from him. "Maybe I'll hold on to him for tonight." She bounces Greg in the crook of her arm.
"Hey, honey. Mommy's here." She presses her cheek against his, muffling the sound of his screams, as the younger Roys get increasingly physical with each other in the background.
"See? Mommy's here," she hums, and Greg's wails die down into sniffles, and then he's resting his head on Marianne's shoulder, face still kind of pink but no longer crying.
"Mommy's here," Connor affirms as a peace offering, rubbing a hand on the small of Marianne's back.
Later on, Shiv gives Greg one of her old stuffed toys as a second peace offering (from him and his three siblings, Connor tells Marianne, though this isn't very accurate as Roman refused to plead guilty, and by default refused to give up any of his possessions).
"If you don't apologise, Marianne's never inviting you to her house again," Kendall says lightly, out of earshot enough that only Roman can hear him.
"Who cares?" Roman says, but he's biting really hard into his lip and his fists are balled and trembling.
"No one is getting banned from Marianne's house," Connor hovers over them before anything else can escalate. "Count yourselves lucky that she's nice enough to do that."
The mood lightens a little when they start betting on what Greg will look like when he's older, and they joke that he'll just be a bigger-sized baby the next time they see him.
19 notes
·
View notes