The whole day cast a strange feeling over Aki that she tried to shake off on the way home. She ruminated on it a lot, and came to the conclusion that she'd probably just been uncomfortable because she hadn't had any experience with these things before. By the time she was walking inside, she had decided that maybe she just needed to try again, and get used to these things eventually. As she entered her apartment and Makkachin came over to greet her, her otousan looked up from where he was watching TV and smiled fondly.

"Aki, okaeri."

"Tadaima. What are you watching?"

Yuuri flicked the TV off and stood up. "Oh, not really anything. I'm just kind of stalling because I don't feel like starting dinner." He smiled sheepishly at his daughter.

She laughed. "If that's the case, how about we make dinner together?" Shaking her shoes off, she headed to the kitchen, followed by her otousan. He began pulling ingredients out of the fridge.

As they settled into a familiar pattern of working together, Yuuri asked, "How was your friend's house?"

Aki flicked her eyes over at her otousan, taking in the calm lines of his body. She decided that if either parent could handle this news, it would be him. She took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I went to a boy's house."

Yuuri's hands twitched, but all he said was, "Oh?"

Encouraged, Aki continued, "Well, actually, he's sort of my boyfriend."

She saw her otousan's eyebrows raise. "A boyfriend, huh?"

"Yeah, the first one. Well, I guess you'd have known if I had one before. Anyway, I went to his house, and we watched a movie, and then he...kinda kissed me."

Yuuri's back straightened at this proclamation, but he replied in a mild voice, "Did he?"

She sighed. "Yeah, but Otousan, I'm...not really sure if I liked it." She put down the knife she was using, feeling her emotions starting to spill out. "He was the one I went to that movie with last week, too, and that was the first time he kissed me. I wasn't really sure I liked that, either, but then today he kissed me more, and it just felt...weird? I don't know, Otousan. I just thought that kisses were supposed to be this magical thing, and I guess I'm still waiting for the magic to kick in?" She stopped her tirade, looking helplessly at her otousan for guidance.

He put his utensils down, turning the heat on the stove as low as it would go so he could give her his full attention. "Aki, listen to me. You're right, kisses and everything else that goes with them should be magical. They should be an extension of how you feel about the person you're with. And if you're not feeling right, then it means that you should slow down. Either the person isn't right for you, or you're not ready to do those things with them yet. You should talk to this boyfriend and let him know you need to take a break on those things for now."

Aki listened carefully. "But, Otousan, what if he doesn't want to wait? I don't know how these things work. What if he isn't willing to wait for me?" She felt a small tear leak out of her eye, and brushed it away angrily. She wasn't used to feeling unsure of herself, and found that she very deeply disliked the emotion.

Her otousan gently placed a hand on the back of her head, drawing her to him to kiss her forehead. "If he doesn't respect you enough to do that, then he's not worth your time. You might not see it, but you are a beautiful young lady, and lots of people would be interested in dating you if you wanted them." He smiled at her, swiping his thumb under her eye to wipe away the excess moisture gathered there. "In the meantime, why don't you invite him over here? We'll make sure that you're not left alone with him unless you're comfortable, and you can get to know him better and figure out what you want."

He turned back around to rescue their dinner, but Aki still took comfort in his back. She nodded, and then realized he couldn't see the motion. "Da, Otousan, I think that's a good idea. Do you mind if I invite him over for dinner tomorrow?"

Her otousan paused before responding. "That should be fine. It gives me a night to get your papa used to the idea." He laughed, but Aki could hear the tightness in his voice that foretold the turbulent night he was in for on her behalf. She was overcome with a surge of emotion, and hugged her otousan tightly from behind, keeping it brief so she wouldn't get him injured during cooking.

"Ya tebya lyublyu, Otousan," she whispered.

In a soft voice that demanded nothing from her, he replied back, "Daisuki, Aki."