"So, today's the big day, eh?" Grace chimed as she helped you pack the last of your things. Today was the day you were moving out. The day you found your own feet. The day you became an adult.
You were moving in with Isaiah, your boyfriend of almost five years. Aged twenty-one, the time had come to be yourself. To live your life with the man you loved.
Grace, your step mum, was excited for you. She loved Isaiah as much as you did, and although the thought of you moving out scared her a little bit, she was more than happy for you.
Your dad, on the other hand, wasn't as excited.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shitting myself," you laughed nervously as you folded the last of your clothes. You had been avoiding this day like it was the plague, any conversation about it had you rippling with anxiety. Not because you were nervous about what was to come as such, but more due to the fact you hadn't lived without your father for twenty-one years (bar the war).
The thought of living without him was enough to set you off crying, but the talk about it was something you'd dreaded.
Telling him was tough, you cried and you cried and you cried. He, of course, knew that you were more than capable of looking after yourself, but being the man he was, and the father he was, he too was dreading it. That was the first time you'd seen him cry for years, he never cried and if he knew he was about too, he'd leave the room and cry on his own.
Watching your father cry was something you never, ever wanted to see again.
He was the strongest and most courageous man you knew. Not just because of what he had been through in the war, but what he'd been through outside of that. Losing his mother, his father walking out on him and his siblings, everything that happened with Grace, losing Freddie, losing Greta before the war, almost losing Charlie and losing John. He had been through the war and back already in France, yet he had to endure it when he came home. He had a level head on his shoulders but you knew what he faced with his trauma from the war and you'd seen it enough times to convince you to never leave him.
Which is why it was so hard.
"Don't worry about your dad, he's okay," Grace smiled lightly before taking out boxes to the car.
Sighing to yourself and sitting down on your bed, you held your head in your hands and cried. You loved Isaiah but your father was the only man in your life who you truly, truly loved.
Wiping away any stray tears, you looked up to see a picture of you and your dad when you were five. He was a dad at fifteen and your mother had never been in the picture, you were his true pride and joy.
It was almost shocking to see the plastered smile on his face. Grinning ear to ear with you sat comfortably in his lap, smiling away at the camera. Your dad never smiled anymore, and you couldn't remember the last time you'd seen him smile like that.
"That's my favourite," you heard your dad speak from the doorway, the man stood in his suit attire looking like he always did, his hair perfectly shaven and his face closely cut, but the bags under his eyes and the tired skin spoke a thousand words.
"I'll leave it here," you smiled back, setting the frame back down to where it was before. "Look, dad," you started, nervousness pricking in your stomach, "if you want me to stay here, I can. Isaiah will understand."
"Do you want to stay here?" He asked in his scarily calm voice.
"Well-"
"There's your answer," he smiled lightly. "Listen, Y/N... I won't deny that I'm fucking scared, but you're not that little girl in the picture anymore. You're twenty-one, you have to find your own way, as much as I don't want you too."
"I don't want you on your own," you admitted, looking to the floor.
Those dreaded tears were about to make an appearance.
"Baby, I won't be on my own. I've got Grace. Charlie, Ruby... the boys."
"But you won't have me here to help you, and I want to help you, dad."
"Y/N I went mad alright? And I know it scared you, I hate myself for that, but I'm okay now," he lied.
"Don't fucking lie to me, dad," you groaned in frustration. "I know you're not okay, I know you're not sleeping, eating, talking, anything. Your head is fucked and you won't get help because you're too fucking stubborn!"
"It's just the war playing on my mind, sweetheart. It always has, you know that."
"Yes, I fucking know that," you sighed, your eyes welling with tears.
"Hey," he sighed, walking over to you. He hated seeing you cry. "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. You're not far, I can come and see you whenever, which I will, by the way, to make sure no funny business is going on in that flat," he raised an eyebrow.
You smacked him in return.
"You know that door is always open, and your room will stay the same. This will always be your home, I promise."
The tears were flowing uncontrollably. Even at the age of twenty-one, you were still such a daddy's girl.
"Don't get upset now, you have a man waiting for you and I know this is what you want," he sighed into your hair as you cried into his chest.
"I just want you to be okay," you cried.
"I'll always be okay when I have you by my side, Y/N."
"I don't want you doing anything stupid again," you groaned as you wiped your tears with your sleeve.
He cupped your face in his hands, his blue eyes glazing. "I promise you, I won't."
He pulled your face towards him before pressing a kiss to your forehead, shushing you gently.
"Come on," he smiled as he took your hand in his and lead you outside to the car. Charlie and Ruby stood with Grace while Polly stood with Ada, Arthur, and Finn. You still couldn't wrap your head around that John was gone, and a massive part of you refused to believe it.
As you said goodbye to your uncles and aunts, your father had disappeared back into the house to grab a leaving present. Now he had money he spoilt you rotten, his reasoning being that he couldn't when you were a little girl, wearing nothing but one of Michael's old t-shirts on your back. Nevertheless, you didn't care. You had an amazing upbringing, surrounded by the most amazing of people and you had nothing but happy memories.
"Bye, Y/N!" Charlie exclaimed as you picked him up and gave him a cuddle. He was starting to look more and more like your father, the resemblance freakishly scary.
Ruby was next who cried and cried because she didn't want you to go. She had the kindest of hearts and once she loved someone, there was no going back. Honestly, she was your best friend. Although there was a nineteen year age gap, she still made you smile and laugh the most.
"You come home all the time, okay?" Grace smiled as she cupped your face. "I love you, sweet girl, stay safe and have fun. This is your time now."
"I love you too," you smiled as she gave you one of the biggest and most comforting motherly hugs. She was always good at those.
Now was the time.
The time to say goodbye to your dad.
"I won't say much because I'll cry but, come home all the time and make sure you stay warm I don't want you ill, and if you need any help just ring I'll be right there and if you need a chat pick up the phone an-"
"Dad, it's okay," you chuckled lightly at his rambling. "He'll take good care of me, you know that."
"I do," he sighed, looking at Isaiah before shaking his hand. "You look after my baby," he spoke as the two hugged it out.
"On my heart Tom," Isaiah smiled, kissing your cheek and going to wait in the car.
The two of you stood there with nothing left to say, tears falling from both of your eyes. "I'll miss you," you sniffed trying to get rid of the tears.
"I'll miss you so much more, this will always be your home."
You nodded before stepping into his arms, savoring the moment as best as you could. "You're the best dad ever," you smiled into his chest.
The words were like music to his ears. Hearing it settled his heart and calmed him down.
"Proud of you," he tapped your chin with his finger.
"I love you," you spoke through tears as he pressed a final kiss to your forehead.
He handed you a velvet box, inside the most beautiful of gold chains with a gold butterfly on it. They were your favourite growing up, always chasing them around the garden when you were little and being so fascinated by their colours.
"Time for you to spread your wings and fly, princess. I'll always be here."
The two of you cried uncontrollably.
"I love you... now get the fuck off my property," he joked.
"Love you more," you smiled before kissing his cheek and finally letting go of his hand.
He watched as his little girl, his best friend, his pride and joy, drove away to start her new life with her future in her hands. Although the tears continued to flow, he knew she wasn't far, and he knew that his little girl was in there fighting away.
It was time for his butterfly to finally fly away.