Restore (Sequel to Purge: Larry au)

Chapter 19

TW: fighting, violence, mentions of substance abuse

The next morning

Harry's sitting on the couch reading a book. Darcy's playing around on the floor doing god knows what, and Louis is nowhere to be found. 

"Papa look!" Darcy giggles, running up to him. 

Harry doesn't glance up from his book. "What's up Darce?"

"I'm like Daddy!" Darcy declares, putting her little hands on Harry's knee and bouncing up and down. 

Harry closes his book and looks down at her with a smile that quickly falters when he sees what she means. 

"Darcy take that out of your mouth right now!" he orders, panic settling into his bones. 

Darcy's eyes widen and she steps back, clearly scared. She drops the cigarette from her mouth and her bottom lip starts to quiver. 

"I'm sorry," she whimpers. "I'm sorry, Papa."

Harry stares at the cigarette on the floor. How had she gotten ahold of that. And how had she known it goes in her mouth. A million thoughts and questions are running through his head but the sound of his baby girl crying shakes him out of his initial shock. 

"Oh baby," he says softly, going to kneel on the floor beside her. "Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. You're not in trouble, you just scared me, okay? You didn't do anything wrong."

Darcy rubs at her eyes and allows Harry to pull her into a hug. "You not mad?" she sniffles. 

"I'm not mad, darling," Harry says. "I was a little scared so I raised my voice, but I'm not mad at you. I couldn't never be mad at you darling girl."

"Okay, Papa."

Harry sighs and pulls back, looking into his daughter's big, blue eyes, so much like Louis's. He reaches out to wipe the tears from her cheeks and kisses the top of her head. "I love you Darcy Lou," he says. 

"Love you Papa."

"Sweetheart," Harry says softly after a bit. Darcy at least deserves to know why he got so panicked. "Do you know what this is?"

He holds up the cigarette and Darcy shakes her head. "Daddy has them," she says. 

Harry sighs. How does she know that?  "He does. But they're very bad for you."

"What are they?"

"They're called cigarettes. They make smoke that's very bad for you," Harry says. "They're dangerous when you put them in your mouth. I yelled because I didn't want you to get hurt."

"But why Daddy have them, then?" Darcy asks. 

Harry looks at her sadly. That's a good question, he thinks. "When you use them too much, it makes it hard to stop. Daddy used them a few times, and now it's hard for him to stop using them."

"Like tea and coffee," Darcy declares, knowing that's the reason her parents won't let her drink any yet.  

"Yeah," Harry chuckles a little. "Like tea and coffee. It's called addiction."

"Ad-ic-ton?"

"Yes, addiction. Daddy's addicted to cigarettes."

"Even though they bad for him?"

Harry nods. "Even though they're bad for him."

"Why?"

"I don't know, baby," Harry sighs. "It's just how it is."