Epilogue

6 years later

The Takao-Midorima apartment had changed. It was no longer the sparse bachelor pad with only a minimal amount of furnishings, but instead, was decorated with family pictures, a few knickknacks from the few vacations they had taken and the things most ten year old girls tend to scatter around. A schoolbag was laid on the dining table with a school uniform jacket slung over the chair and the large TV in the living room played a random show just for some background noise while the one in the kitchen worked to clean up the dishes from dinner. All was quiet in the family apartment, but when a horrified yelp sounded from the bedroom halfway down the hall, that peace was shattered.

"Crap!"

The sudden outburst made Takao jump with a start, dropping the dish and sponge into the sink with a splash that sprayed soapy water up into his face. He flinched, closing his eyes to protect them as he felt around for the dish towel and when he found it, he dried his face and hands before going to find the source of the panicked yelp.

"Miki? Is everything alright? Are you almost ready to go?" Takao asked once he got close to the door and peered inside.

Over the years, his baby girl's room had changed, having gone from bears everywhere, to a mix of bears, idols and surprisingly enough, her favorite basketball player; Kiyoshi Miyaji. Her bed was adorned with a few stuffed bear toys, including the long standing favorite, Mr. Fuzz, and sitting on the bed was that very girl, having grown into a beautiful ten year old with good grades and a love for the performing arts.

She was in the process of getting ready for her school play, sitting on the edge of her bed wearing the black slacks she had bought for her part of playing a doctor. She had scored a small doctor's coat from her papa and had even gone as far as to ask for his help with some of the terminology. She was ready, but instead of having an excited look on her face, like she had had all week, she had a look of horror as she gazed down at a piece of paper in her hands.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Takao asked as he stepped into her room and went to sit next to her on the bed.

"Dad... I forgot." Miki said with a glimmering shine beginning to build across her slate blue eyes.

Takao sat up straighter and lightly furrowed his brows, "Forgot?... What did we forget? Something with your costume?"

Miki just shook her head, but he could clearly see the building tears from her fear that she was about to get yelled at. He had seen the same look time and time again, but where she thought she was the worst child in existence at times, she always thought it worse than it actually was.

"Sweetie... What did we forget? Tell me now, so we can fix it before we have to be at the school." Takao said kindly as he rested a hand on his daughter's back.

Miki sniffled, "I don't think we can fix it in time." She dared to show him the piece of paper.

Takao shifted his gaze to the paper, seeing that it was a check sheet for those participating in the school's play. She had her costume and her copy of the script, but the one thing, located at the bottom, was unchecked and it dropped the smile from his face in an instant.

"A hundred?.. By tonight?" Takao yelped, his eyes wide with shock as Miki started to pout.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I forgot with all my trying to memorize my lines and pronounce those terms that Papa taught me." She sniffled again as she looked up at him and slouched forward with her realization that she had messed up.

Takao gulped despite his mouth hanging open with shock, but it soon clicked that they had two hours till her play was supposed to start to attempt to scrounge up a hundred. He was good, very good, but he wasn't that good, let alone had the ingredients in the pantry for them.

However, he knew how to fix it and knew someone who did.

"Know what?... I've got an idea, Pumpkin. Finish getting ready and get your things. We're out the door in five." Takao said as he stood up from her bed.

Miki's eyes widened, "What?... You're not mad?"

"Oh heavens no, Honey. You forgot. We've all had our moments, but we don't have time to waste. Get ready and lets go, okay?" Takao said with a reassuring smile.

In a burst, Miki shot to her feet and rushed to finish getting ready, throwing on her borrowed doctor's coat, snatching up her script and prop file folders before running out of her room where her father had already tossed off his apron and put on his shoes. They both hurried to put on their coats and just as Takao grabbed the car keys, both rushed from the apartment, locked the door and ran down the hall.

"Where're we going, Dad?" Miki called after him as she ran, arriving just as the elevator opened to allow them to walk in.

"Sweet Justice. Atsushi'll have a hundred cupcakes." Takao said, tapping his foot anxiously as the elevator took them down to the parking garage.

Miki's eyes lit up, "Cake pops!"

Takao laughed low in his throat, "Maybe, but we've gotta hurry."

Miki just gave him a curt nod as the elevator slowed and opened the door, springing from the gate as if they were horses in the same race. They darted down the aisle of parked cars and arriving at the mid sized SUV that they had had for the last six years, Takao unlocked the car and both jumped inside. Before Miki could even finish buckling herself in the front passenger seat, Takao had buckled and started the car. He backed out with ease, but the moment he shifted the car into drive, all bets were off.

The SUV roared forward towards the exit, where Takao barely slowed enough to see that fortune had smiled upon him and gave him an enormous gap in order to pull out. He raced down the road, but knew, above all that he needed to at least be safe, because if both he and their daughter arrived at the hospital from being in a car accident, he wouldn't hear the end of it from his husband. That thought alone made him, mostly, behave, but not all the traffic lights wanted to cooperate.

"Dad?... Is Papa gonna make it even if we left early?" Miki asked, looking over at her father whom was softly smiling despite their rush.

"He'll be there, Honey. He's never missed an event." Takao said, widening his smile as he reached over and fixed a lock of her hair that had mussed from their run.

"I know. I just don't want him to miss it. I really want him to see my part." Miki said in a near mumble.

"He'll be there... Here, send him a text and tell him." Takao said, taking a second to dig out his cell phone and handing it to her.

Miki took the phone and without hesitation, opened it up and brought up the proper menu. She expertly typed out the message and sent it, dropping it into the cup holder as Takao started off again with the flow of traffic. He wound his way through the lines without being adversely dangerous, and when the phone chimed with a new message, Miki picked it up and looked at it.

Shin-Chan: Understood. I'll leave here in 30.

Miki just smiled before setting the phone back into the cup holder and as Takao slowed and pulled into a freshly vacated spot, right in front of the Sweet Justice bakery, he threw it in park and shut off the car.

"Lets go!" Takao hurried as both got out and rushed for the bakery entrance.

Luck was on their side, as told to him that morning when he awoke to Shintarō reading his day's horoscope. Scorpios were meant to be met with the greatest of luck that day, and it seemed to ringing true; The Sweet Justice bakery was empty.

"Atsushi! Emergency!" Takao called out as he yanked the door open and let Miki step through first.

"Huh?... What emergency?" Atsushi asked with a popped brow as he poked his head out from the back.

"I need a hundred cupcakes in the next two hours." Takao said as he and Miki walked up to the counter.

Atsushi's eyes widened, "How many by when?" He asked in disbelief.

"Hi, Mura." Miki smiled and waved up at him.

"Munchkin!... These for you?" Atsushi asked, smiling as he fully stepped out from the back and revealing the lump of bread dough in his flour covered hands.

Miki nodded, "Mmhmm... They're for after my play tonight, but I forgot to tell Dad about it." She frowned.

"No frowns!... Here." Atsushi said, holding the ball of dough in one hand while he plucked a cake pop from the case and handed it to her.

"Thanks, Mura!" Miki immediately smiled and stuffed the treat into her mouth.

Atsushi nodded, "So a hundred cupcakes in two hours. Where are they going?"

"The school. The play starts in two hours." Takao said, pulling out his wallet from his pocket to prepare to pay for the treats.

"Starts in two?... So that actually gives me," he looked up at the ceiling as he thought, "four hours?" He asked.

Takao nodded, "Around there."

"What kind?" Atsushi asked, shifting his gaze down to Miki.

"Um... Strawberry shortcake!" Miki smiled wide.

"One hundred strawberry shortcake cupcakes in four hours to be delivered to the school... Won't even break a sweat." Atsushi said, setting the dough down on the counter and dusting off his hands on his apron.

"You're a lifesaver, Atsushi. How much?" Takao asked as both he and Miki breathed sighs of relief.

Atsushi rather quickly typed in the order into the register, "Not too bad. I gave you a break on the price since you're ordering in bulk."

"Thank you, Atsushi. Really... You're a lifesaver." Takao said, not even batting an eye as he pulled out his card to pay.

"I hear that a lot."

Both laughed and with their order placed, their rush slowed as they got back into the car and Takao pulled back out into traffic. He headed for Miki's school at a leisurely pace, not hurrying to get around cars, or to make the lights. They were both calm and quiet, so when Takao's phone chimed again with another message, Miki picked it up to look.

Shin-Chan: Heading out. See you soon.

"Papa's leaving the hospital now." Miki said, putting the phone back into the cup holder.

"See? I told you he wouldn't miss this for the world, Honey. What made you think he would?" Takao asked with a brief glance at her before looking back out at the road.

Miki shrugged, "I don't know." She mumbled.

"Sweetie... He's never missed anything he's promised to be there for. Something made you think that." Takao said.

Miki sighed, "One of my friends at school had her dad skip out on her soccer game." She admitted.

"For?"

"She said he just got caught up at work and couldn't make it. She said it was okay, but I could tell it really bothered her." Miki said, looking down at her lap as she examined her nails.

"Well, I can see both points, but I can still imagine she was upset about it." Takao said.

Miki nodded, "Yeah. I just don't ever wanna feel like that with Papa."

"You won't, Sweetheart. I know without a doubt you won't. He loves you so much and couldn't dream of breaking your heart like that." Takao said, softly smiling at her as he slowed for a red light.

"I know. I love Papa too." Miki said with her own smile.

"Good. Because if you didn't, you'd actually see him pout."

At the thought, both chuckled and waved it off as they waited for the light to change so they could continue heading towards the school. The evening was in twilight, lighting the sky with golds and sepia that streaked with blues from the remaining day. It was a chilled fall evening, beautiful even and as Takao pulled into the school parking lot and parked, Miki's nerves began to rumble in her stomach.

This was her first speaking part and she was, without a doubt, nervous.

Blowing out a nervous breath that Takao caught, they got out and headed inside, following the small crowd of students participating in the play, their parents, and those there strictly to watch the show. All were headed for the gym, but just before Miki could head backstage to really get ready, Takao placed his hand on her shoulder to keep her next to him for just another moment.

"Don't worry. Papa'll be here. You'll see." He smiled down at her, brushing his hand down her soft hair that he had helped to pull back into a ponytail.

Miki smiled, "I know he will be. And he'll be so proud of me."

"Too late. We're already proud." Takao said.

Miki beamed and plowed into her father for a warm hug, squeezing him tight to make him groan before trotting off backstage where all the others were waiting to begin. He watched her go, smiling the whole time as the years raced through his mind. She had grown so much, learned so much and even though her family was different that what would be considered normal, she was the happiest girl he had ever seen. He loved that girl, loved raising her and watching her grow, and having gotten to experience it with the man he loved, his husband of six years, every second was worth it.

Snapping out of his musings, Takao returned to the present as he started for the gym, waiting outside as he pulled out his and Shintarō's tickets. They had been looking forward to going to see the play, if at all for some kind of date since they hadn't been on one for quite some time. Neither minded however, as they were just as happy with Miki with them, but come nightfall, when Miki had gone to bed, they had still found time to embrace each other, which had gotten a lot easier now that Miki was out of the habit of waking up in the middle of the night. The thought made Takao huff a crooked smile, and when a tall shadow appeared in front of him, shading the tickets and making him look up, he wasn't at all surprised at what he saw.

"You made it." Takao said quietly and with an endearing smile.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss our daughter's play for the world." Shintarō said with a returned smile.

"She was worried you wouldn't make it in time." Takao said, trying to hold back his giggle.

"That's preposterous." Shintarō rolled his eyes and pushed up his glasses.

"Funny... That's what I said." Takao chuckled.

"Shall we?" Shintarō asked, offering his husband his hand.

"Lets."

Taking his husband's hand, they headed inside the gym, giving their tickets to the lady in front before finding their chairs in the middle and on the left side of the aisle. The gym was already filling up, but they didn't care as they sat to wait for the curtain to rise. These were the moments both had come to love, even more than getting to spend time alone. Where they still did, Miki was their world, their reason for being, and even though she only belonged to one of them through blood, she was theirs and even she would proclaim that.

With the gym full, the lights finally turned low and the curtain rose. It was showtime and Kazunari Takao-Midorima and Shintarō Midorima couldn't be more proud of their daughter.