With Father's Day coming up, I decided to write a little something to celebrate the occasion. I decided that I wanted to try to do something a little wholesome with Natsuki's father. It's always been my headcanon that, while not physically abusive, he is overworked, overburdened, and unsure of how to connect with his daughter. So I thought: "What if Dadsuki saw how MC made his daughter feel, and what if it prompted him to make some changes in his own outlook on life?" This story was created as a result.

Happy Father's Day to everyone out there. I hope I did good with this story. I know it's been a bit since I made anything; life does what it always does. I apologize, however, if I'm a little rusty with this one.

It was fairly late into the evening when MC's jalopy pulled into Natsuki's driveway. Stepping out, the pair's hands met as they made their away across the front yard. Having returned from a bowling date gone horribly right, they were laughing and chatting among themselves.

"I had an absolute blast tonight, MC!" Natsuki declared with a sly, somewhat mischievous grin. "I totally kicked your ass in that last game, too!"

"Well, maybe you did, but I don't see you mentioning how I beat you the first three games in a row."

"Eh, I guess there's just a steep learning curve in bowling, that's all. But I've mastered it, so prepare to get whipped next time we play."

"We'll see about that," MC stated matter-of-factly as he matched her smirk with his own. Their eyes met. Halfway across the yard, they stopped, gazing into one another.

"Seriously, though, I had a great time," Natsuki offered more sweetly. "Thank you for taking me; it's not often that I get to do things like this."

"You're welcome," MC offered, running a finger along her pink locks. "And don't worry, I understand. I'm just glad I got to spend a night with you."

Natsuki stood up on her tiptoes and offered him a kiss on the cheek. When she pulled back, both of them were blushing. Natsuki's hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and her eyes were aglow with absolute joy.

Because he was with her. Because he loved her. To him, she was special.

"Glad to see the lovebirds are back home," came a voice from the front door.

The pair jumped, for they both knew that voice. Turning to face the source of the noise, their eyes locked with Natsuki's father. He flashed them a small smile, nodded his head, and offered a meek wave. "Did you two have fun?"

"Papa, don't scare us like that!" Natsuki huffed while crossing her arms.

"Just wanted to make sure everything went well," Dadsuki offered with a shrug.

"Well, it did," Natsuki replied. "I mean, I guess you saw how well it went, didn't you?"

"We had a fun time, I believe," MC added.

"Glad to hear it," Dadsuki assured.

MC yawned, and stretched, and did his best to appear as though he was all tuckered out. In all actuality, he was wide awake. However, he didn't want to be around Natsuki's dad any longer than he had to. He had heard the stories, the distrust laced in Natsuki's tone whenever she spoke about him. And though she said he had been acting much better lately, even giving up alcohol in its entirety, MC still found himself disliking the man.

"Well, I guess I need to get going," he stated after finishing his fake yawn. "Got a big day planned tomorrow with my dad. What, with Father's Day coming and all. I'll see you later, Natsuki."

"Oh, MC," Dadsuki spoke up. "Can I talk to you for a second, man-to-man?"

MC froze. Him, alone with Dadsuki? That sounded like a recipe for pain.

"Uh, I really should get going. I have, er, potatoes to peel!" he offered.

Dadsuki did not laugh, but his smile did not falter. "Just stay here for a second. I just want to talk to you."

"Papa, don't-" Natsuki started.

"I just want to talk to him about something," Dadsuki insisted, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nothing bad is going to happen. Please trust me on that.

"Just don't bash his face in or anything," Natsuki pleaded.

MC had expected him to grumble something rude to her for her backtalk. He expected his face to contort into a scowl as he scolded poor little Natsuki for merely expressing what was likely legitimate concern for MC's own safety. Instead, to MC's surprise, Dadsuki only chuckled. His lips curled up into a smile that, while smaller and wrinkled with frown lines, seemed no less genuine than the one Natsuki had flashed a few moments ago.

"I promise," Dadsuki replied, placing a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I'll only be a few minutes, anyway."

Natsuki hesitated, but ultimately seemed to decide that his word was trustworthy enough. Turning to face MC one last time, she offered him a meek little smile.

"See you tomorrow."

And with that, she disappeared into the house. Even though Dadsuki's behavior was friendly and lighthearted, it didn't stop his heart from pounding in a new, frightening way once he was alone.

There was painful moment of silence as Dadsuki stared intently at the closed door. He seemed to be thinking, perhaps wishing. At last, however, he shook his head. His smile dropped, but instead of his face contorting into some grumpy grimace, there was a deep sadness in his eyes.

"She doesn't trust me yet," Dadsuki commented, more to himself than to MC. "I suppose I wouldn't either, if I was in her shoes."

"S-sir?" MC stammered awkwardly.

With a grunt, Dadsuki took a seat on the welcome mat. His wide, slightly fat frame meant there wasn't much room left. Even so, he gestured to the spot next to him.

"Could I trouble you to sit down with me for a while?" He inquired politely. "I really do mean you no trouble; I just wanna talk."

MC's heart began to pound faster. There was no indication that this man was lying, but judging by how Natsuki spoke about him, he couldn't help but feel as though he'd fly into a rage at any moment. However, he found himself instinctively taking a seat beside Dadsuki, who turned his gaze to the night sky.

The crickets chirped, a gentle breeze blew, and the world was peaceful for a little while. Dadsuki's eyebrow furrowed as he stared above. MC matched his gaze and just simply watched the stars, for the sky was incredibly clear tonight.

"She really loves you, you know that?"

MC snapped out of his impromptu stargazing to face Dadsuki. His eyes were weary, but there was a tiny amount of warmth in them.

And still, MC, remembering the stories of yelling and neglect that Natsuki told, only quivered a little. "Well, I should hope so, because I love her too."

"You know, I truly mean you no harm," Dadsuki reassured. "I know Natsuki must have told you a lot of bad things about me, and she has reason to. I haven't been a good father to her at all."

MC hesitated. "Well, you're not wrong, sir."

Dadsuki turned to face MC now, his eyes watery through tears. He sniffled, wiped his eyes, and laboriously choked back a sob. "If anything, I should be on my hands and knees thanking you for bringing so much joy in her life."

MC raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I can see it in her attitude," Dadsuki explained. "She's always had trust issues, you know? I've reflected on it, and I think that's mostly my fault. She's never really had a father who loved her like a parent should, and her mother. . . Well, the accident took her away far too soon."

He sniffled again, closed his eyes, and made a pitiful, mournful noise.

"She never had many friends in school, let alone a boyfriend. I was s-so worried she'd grow up bitter at the entire world. But then, she came home one day with the biggest smile I've ever seen on her cute little face, and she actually talked to me happily for the first time in a long time. That was the day you asked her to the festival dance, you know?"

MC felt a blow to his chest as emotion overwhelmed him. He had truly loved Natsuki with all of his heart, and he knew she was the same with him. However, to hear about how impactful he had been in her life? That made him feel special, feel important in quantities unimaginable.

"And every day she came home, in spite of my awful attitude. . . She was happy. She was happy because you made her gave her love for the first time since she was a little girl. And you know what? Seeing her happy. . . It gave me an epiphany. Today's the one-hundred and fifth day since I went sober, and I'm starting to not even miss beer anymore. I'm happier at work, my boss is considering giving me a promotion, even. I can talk to my daughter again without thinking of. . . Her mother. . ."

MC placed a comforting hand on Dadsuki's shoulder as the man began to sob. "I m-m-miss her e-e-everyday. Everyone told me it would get easier as t-t-time went on, but. . . My wife's been dead for 14 years and n-n-not one day has passed w-w-without me thinking about her in some capacity."

"But she loved you, right?"

Dadsuki collected himself to the best of his ability. "I think she did. You have to understand, after she died, the bills became hard to pay on my salary alone. I tried dating other women, but I never felt that same spark as I did with my wife, so I just gave up. I turned to alcohol when nothing else worked, hoping that maybe it would make me happy. It never did. It just made me hate everything. I've spent too long hating myself, MC. Now that I'm sober, now that I want to make my daughter happy, I just want to be a better man. I want to be a man that my daughter's children can hug and feel pride in calling me Grandpa. I want what's left of my family to still care for me, and I want to care for them. So, can I ask you to promise me something?"

He shakily raised his right hand out. MC, feeling touched, feeling welcomed, wasted no time in meeting in with a handshake.

"Anything. As long as it makes Natsuki happy, I'll do anything you ask."

"Then you've already made the promise," Dadsuki said with a big, genuine grin. "Thank you, MC. Thank you for making my daughter happy, for helping me realize just how trashy I've been to her for most of her life."

"And thank you for taking the steps to better yourself, Mr. Natsuki. I'm sure it means more to her than either of us can possibly imagine."

Dadsuki chuckled as he rose to his feet. "Well, you got that right. Anyway, if you want to go now, you can. I just wanted you to know how I felt. If you ever want to come over, though, then feel free to. You're welcome here.

MC nodded, and he returned Dadsuki's beaming smile with one of his own. "I think I'll head out, but I accept your offer with pride."

"And I appreciate it. Good night, son."

"Good night!" MC called out as he began to head back for his car. He hopped in, started the engine, and pulled out into the streets. In a few seconds, his car sped off into the night, and then it became nothing more but an indistinguishable set of red lights far off into the distance.

Dadsuki watched those red lights until they faded. Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he turned away and headed back into his house. There sat Natsuki, relaxing to herself, re-reading an old copy of Parfait Girls on the couch. In Dadsuki's honest opinion, he didn't quite understand the appeal of cutesy manga like Parfait Girls, but it made Natsuki happy, so it didn't matter anymore if it was in the house. He wouldn't take it away from her, not if she loved it that much.

"Hey, kiddo," he greeted as he sat next to her.

"Hey," she replied, offering him a small, cautious smile. "You didn't kick his face in, did you?"

"Of course not," Dadsuki grinned. "Your boyfriend is still in one piece."

"Ah, that's good," Natsuki replied awkwardly. "Very good."

There was a palpable tension in the air as both Natsuki and her father struggled to add more to the conversation. Finally, Dadsuki placed an arm around his daughter, held her close to him, and patted her gently on the back.

"I love you, Natsuki. I know I haven't been the best father to you by a longshot, but I hope you understand that I'm trying to better myself. You mean a lot to me, and I'm sorry that I was too blind to treat you the way you deserved."

Natsuki's words froze in her throat. She hesitated, then looked into her father's eyes. They were red and stained with tears. Even now, they looked like they were about to spill at any moment.

She sniffled. "P-p-papa!"

Then, she threw herself onto him, hugging him tightly as she began to cry. Dadsuki soon followed, and father and daughter, for the first time in their whole lives, truly understood one another.