Daddy Issues

Love

Nico's POV) 

Today was the first day in a while that I woke up before Hazel, mostly because I was so excited. Finally, after a month and a half, my dad would be coming back home! 

I made breakfast for us, eggs and bacon and toasted pop tarts, knowing her alarm would go off in a while. In the meantime, I got dressed in my Ramones shirt and my same ripped black skinny jeans, which were actually... Y'know, skinny on me now. I'd need new ones soon. 

I wore his old jacket too, given new life and color from my hands. I didn't expect him to notice, but I was proud of it, of the new shoulder seam, especially. Where the rip from the hospital once was, now a thick, thorny blackberry vine stood in its place. 

By the time I put on my shoes and got back out there, Hazel was already at the breakfast table. We were both in a bit of a hurry, so we didn't talk much, but as I gathered the dirty dishes up, a thought occurred to me; I'm actually looking forward to doing them now. I haven't cut since Christmas, it's not gonna hurt when I plunge my wrists into the warm, soapy water. And she knows now, so I can roll my sleeves up, or take the jacket off entirely. 

"Frere?" Hazel asked sweetly behind me. "Is... Is everything alright? You've been staring at the dirty dishes for a while now." 

I turned to her. "Oh, yeah. Just, um... Lost in thought, I guess." 

She nodded. "... I love you." She smiled. "Please don't forget that." 

"I won't." I was about to ask her where that came from, but Alecto's car beeped outside. Both of us jumped, and I took her hand, leading her out to our ride to the rehab center dad was staying at. 

"Ok, pile in kids." She commanded around her cigarette. "Jesus, the things I do for your father." 

"Nice to see you too, ma'am." I deadpanned, wanting to speak with her as little as possible as we got in the backseat. 

-

When we pulled up and got out of the car, dad was already waiting for us with a box of his stuff, but he drops it in surprise. "Oh... You came to see me. I thought... I thought you'd be at school." 

Hazel grinned up at him. "I guess we just couldn't wait another second. Nico called and got us the day off." 

He looked over to me, confused, and I shrugged. "I've, uh, gotten good at mimicking you over the phone." I cleared my throat. "Y'know, for doctor's appointments and stuff." 

I saw guilt wash over his face, as if he was just now realizing the extent of his neglect, though I knew he must've realized that long before now. "... Right." 

I felt my hand move to my shoulder, the one he tore open, yanking it open to get me closer so he could... There's no better word for it than outing. It may not be exact, but that's the best word I can think of. And he yelled at me. He yelled at me too, when he relapsed, he yelled at me. Somehow, none of that had really settled in until now, at this very moment, when he's standing in front of us as a new man. 

"... Nico?" He asked. 

I jumped. "Right, sorry. Let's um... You two go ahead." I picked up the box he dropped while they went to the car, being careful not to drop anything at the cost of catching up to them, settling for watching Hazel get in the backseat as I took her place beside him.

"Oh great," Alecto snarled. "you finally got off booze. I wonder how long this is gonna last, two, maybe even three hours?" 

Dad's eye twitched. "Alecto, if you make one more comment like that, you're fired." 

Her entire demeanor changed, and she seemed to actually be afraid of him. "... Yes sir." She got into the drivers' seat without a word. 

For some reason, dad got in the back seat, and I knew Hazel wouldn't wanna sit next to Alecto, so I bit the bullet and rode shotgun.