Cloaked Heart {fundylive}

23

hey just a reminder, voting and comments
definitely keep me motivated
so you should
DEFINITELY do that

tw mention of drugs, and abandonment

***

His lips were in the odd shape of a smile she could barely recognize. He didny look like how he used to, he looked tamed, and not high off of an unknown drug. He helped her to her feet not saying a word. He stood in a suit, and had slight stubble forming on his jawline.

"Ellie," his smile widened as he looked down at his daughter. Celaine only took a step back in a state of shock as she looked up at him. Her mouth gaped open slightly as she noticed all of his differences, he looked clean, but that was just by the looks.

"Wh.. why are you here?" she took another step back, the rain still poured around them. "I was on Milas emergency call list, they called me after you stopped responding. I just flew in from Paris," she watched as he swiped the rain off of his face, only for more to pile in. "Why did you come?" she barely got her sentance out as she looked up at him.

"Can we go inside?" he looked up at the sky as a strike of lighting was sent through the sky, a loud roar of thunder appearing right after. She looked at him as if he was insane, "I gu-guess," she mumbled, walking to her front door.

She opened the door and gestured him to come inside, he removed his shoes and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dried his hands in face. Celaine quickly walked to her closet and grabbed two towels and quickly laying them on the couch. "What happened to you?" was all she said as she watched him take a seat, Willow quickly ran for Celaines room.

"I know Celaine, I fucked up. I don't expect you to forgive me. But i wanna show you that i'm not the same man i was all those years ago. After your mom..." his words became hesitant as he took a large gulp. "after she passed, i moved to Paris, and enrolled myself in a rehabilitation facility. After they let me go, I started to better myself. I got my own bakery out in Paris, just like me and her wanted," he could barely make eye contact with Celaine as another tear rolled off her cheek.

"What'd you call the bakery?" she felt as a small smile grew on her face. "Ça s'ameliore, or It Gets Better, in french. I promote mental health growth, It's really successful actually. I bet Sarah would be proud," he smiled over at his daughter, as his eyes pricked with tears. "Why didn't you reach out sooner?" she mumbled, her hands crossed in her lap. "I saw how well you were doing. I didn't wanna get in the way," he placed his hands on hers.

"But there was never a day where I didn't regret leaving you. Especially when I didn't come back after  Sarah's funeral. You needed me, but in a way maybe it was better I wasn't around. I got better, i was in rehab for three years, and constantly re-admitted myself because i was scared of a relapse. I wasn't completely secure with myself until five years ago. I still go to sessions today actually," Celaine looked up at him in a state of distraught.

Not knowing how to feel as her father chose drugs instead of her when she was just a child, and couldn't even better himself until after her mom passed away. Leaving her to only have Sapnap, Dream and George to confide in, along with her Oma.

"That's great," she finally said, looking up at the man she called her father. "I'm proud of you, I bet mom would be too," she bit her lip in a state of confusion of not knowing how to feel. "I'm sorry I just barged in. But when they told me Mila wasn't doing well, it just felt like my gut told me coming back to the Netherlands would be right," he now had his hands crossed as well.

"Oma isn't doing so well. She's in a coma, they don't know if she's coming out this time," she rubbed the back of her neck keeping her eyes at the ground. "Celaine if you want me to go, just say so," he laughed awkwardly. "Would it be rude if I did?" she looked up at the man who only nodded a simple no. "It's not you, I just had a bad day. Wasn't really expecting you here," she mumbled getting up from her seat, and walking towards her kitchen.