Dear Old Dad

Dear Old Dad is the seventh chapter of the second season of The Two Cats and the nineteeth chapter of the series overall. It was released on January 16, 2021.

Intro
Expi is feeling sad that her dad still hadn't responded to her message over a month after she sent it. It had been so long since she had seen him last, and Expi wanted to see if he had changed or still cared about them at all, but there was no way she could know this as she still had yet to receive a response. One morning, Mariko decides to comfort Expi as she is feeling sad, insisting that it wasn't Expi's fault for her parents splitting up and her dad not talking to her. She then reminds Expi that her sister is coming, and that she should brighten up. Expi remembers she needs to start preparing for that.

A Long-Waited Call Back
As Expi is about to fall asleep that night, she gets a call. Based off the unknown caller ID and assumes it's a scam call (which is revealed she had been getting a lot of lately), but realizes that her dad has called her back. Expi shoots up in bed, and after her dad asks, she decides to tell him that she is living in Anibi with a girlfriend, which her dad shows acceptance towards. Expi then asks if he is still mad over what happened, but her dad insists that he was to blame, and that he should have been both a better husband and father, apologizing that he wasn't there for the rest of her high school years, including her graduation - and in general, just not being there for her and letting the family drift apart. Expi starts to cry, and her dad tells her about how thankful he is that she called. Expi tells him that he can be there now, to which he agrees to.

Expi then gets the idea to invite him over to her apartment if he has time off, and in response he checks his calendar and states he has the next week off, and promises to look out for a cheap plane ticket and get back to her in the morning. Realizing how late it is, Expi wishes her dad a good night and goes to sleep - sleeping well during the night.

Two's Company
The next morning, Expi tells Mariko that her dad finally called, and Mariko is happy for her. She also tells her that she invited her dad over, and Mariko brings up that'll be a "little family reunion" with her sister coming over around the same time. Expi then realizes this and starts to worry, as Nicki had not been around her father since what had happened and feels that she may not be happy to see him. Her dad then texts her telling her that he is able to come visit Wednesday afternoon. After explaining why she's worried to Mariko, Mariko tells her she could ask her dad not to come over, but Expi doesn't, reminding Mariko he had already paid for his plane ticket, on top of the fact that telling him that would probably just make him feel worse. Expi then simply hopes that Nicki isn't too upset, but dreads having both her sister and father over at the same time, feeling it could potentially cause a rift. At the same time, however, she doesn't want to call off either of their visits and disappoint them, and doesn't really have a chance to get more time off for their two separate visits.

Regardless, her dad comes over, and Expi is happy to see him. Steve expresses that he is happy to see his daughter again, and Expi once again apologizes for what she did - to which her dad responds saying there's nothing for her to be sorry about. Steve goes over to talk to Mariko, who he is happy to meet, and thanks her for making his daughter happy. Expi then tells Steve that Nicki is coming over, and expresses her worry that she won't be happy to see him. Steve understands, but feels bad, but Expi reassures him.

An Awkward Family Reunion
The next day, Nicki arrives in Anibi. Expi meets up with her at the airport and they both take the bus home. During the ride home, Expi asks Nicki about how she feels about dad, to which she responds, citing that she hadn't seen him for years, disapproving of his treatment of their mom and saying that she did not feel he really cared about them. Expi's anxiety gets worse as they approach their apartment, and despite attempts to stall, they make it home. As Nicki opens the door, she finds her dad there and becomes slightly infuriated when she sees Steve. She does not express this towards him, but whispers to Expi, asking her why he is there. Expi responds telling her that she had wanted to give him another chance, but Nicki feels that Expi shouldn't have after what he did to their mom. It is made clear that Nicki still holds a grudge towards Steve. Expi and Nicki go into Expi's room, where it is planned for Nicki to sleep next to Expi's bed. Nicki talks to Expi about how she doesn't hold the "most positive image" of her dad, and Expi understands, but insists that her dad has changed after telling her why she chose to reach out to him again and discussing Expi's guilt over what happened.

Over the next few days, Expi spends time with sister and father, and while it seems they have a good time, Expi gets the impression that Nicki is uncomfortable around Steve. Her mother messages her asking why she didn't tell her about dad being there, worrying that Steve will start a fight with her or Nicki. After their brief conversation, Expi starts to wonder if reaching out to her dad and inviting him over was a mistake, and if this wasn't the best time to accept her dad back into her life. Her dad walks into her room, asking if Nicki doesn't like him. Expi chooses to be honest - saying that she feels like Nicki is uncomfortable around him after what he did. Her dad understands, and reveals that he had been going to therapy ever since those events occured, and tells her after reflecting on his behavior, he realizes he shouldn't have acted that way and should've been a better husband and father. Expi then suggests Steve to talk to Nicki, which he does.

The Talk
Steve decides to talk to Nicki, telling her that he understands that what he did back then was awful, and feels that he should've at least tried to reach out to them, yet failed to do so. Nicki is at first irritated by him being around, but starts to listen more to what he is saying. Steve then explains how he understands he can't go back and fix everything, and feels that up until Expi contacted him again, he felt like they had forgotten about him entirely. He admits that he was "far from" the greatest father ever, but Expi contacting him reminded him that they did have good times together, and that "three of the most exciting moments of his life was seeing his kids be born." He goes on to apologize for what happened, and not being a part in his kids' lives for the past six years, and tells Nicki that he fully understands and accepts it if she does not forgive him. Nicki affirms that she can't exactly forgive him for what he did, but is happy that he understands what he did was wrong and is glad to know that her father does actually care about them despite of what she thought. She then hugs her dad.

Epilogue
Both her sister and father return home. Steve takes his flight back to Peakroll the following Monday, and Nicki returns to New Yolk City to her mother a few days later. Her mother apologizes if she felt uncomfortable around Steve, but Nicki insists it is fine. Once they return home, Nicki runs up to her room, and fixes the drawing Expi had drew for her.

Characters

 * Expi
 * Mariko
 * Steve Feliton
 * Nicki Feliton
 * Teresa Feliton
 * Spike Feliton (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This is the first chapter released in 2021.
 * This is the longest chapter of The Two Cats to date.
 * As his face is "ripped off" in the cover of Moving Out, this is the first chapter to show Steve Feliton (Expi's dad)'s face.
 * Although this chapter was released after Christmas with the Cats, it takes place before said chapter - during the summer of the same year. The following chapter, Mariko the Fequine, is the first to take place after Christmas with the Cats.
 * This is due to ExpitheCat wanting to create a holiday-themed chapter in time for Christmas of 2020.