Her eyes immediately look down at his hand and her own twitches. She noticed it moved slightly before stopping completely. Nina wants to hold it. To feel the chill of his hand in comparison to her warm ones. Would he find it weird? Would he yank his hand away? Would he even care? She ignores her thoughts as she looks him in the eye.
Who was she to be scared- this was her father. She could do what she pleased and if that meant she wanted to hold his hand then she would. Quickly, she grabbed his hand and looked away. “Lead the way.”
She doesn’t say anything as they walk. The sounds of the carnival were loud- too loud. It reminded her of something. Loud noises, healing, death. Her grip on his hand tightens and she’s thankful for when he speaks.
If only he asked something else–
The deep blush spreads across her face at his question. She hesitates but speaks. “No its not homework,” she pauses. Now what if he says your weird? It wouldn’t make sense though cause she got it from him. Not the writing but the language in it. She sighs- there would be no point in lying to him.
“Fanfiction. I can show you if you want. Just to stay pure- not that you are, skip the following pages. 23, 30, 45, 65, i think 76, 116, 154, and 200.” She pulls out a small red journal. She couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped her. It wasn’t any ordinary journal, it was one dedicated to stories about Niles.
She saw a black stuffed bear at one of the stations. It was cute. She didn’t even realize how long she stared at it until she remembered that Niles had her journal. She turned to him with a smirk. “Do you like it?”
He remembers when her entire hand used to fit in his palm. He’d marveled at her for hours, unable to believe how small she was, afraid to even breathe in case it’d startle her. Look at her now.
Niles can’t help the smile on his face as he squeezes her hand. He might’ve missed years of her life, including all the firsts and celebrations and pains that he swore to see her through, but she’s given him a second chance. This time, he won’t waste it—no matter the reason or the threat.
“That’s a lot of pages to skip,” Niles chuckles, but he’s more than happy to take her journal. He flips to a random page, careful not to land on one that she’d advised he skip, but the truth of the matter is that he’s terrible at reading. In his youth, he’d never had reason to learn; what mattered was how quickly he could break in and swipe away valuables, not how well he could read the signs that undoubtedly warned against trespassing. And in his servitude to Leo, what had mattered, again, were his more practical skills; there had never been any need to learn, not really.
He regrets it now. He’d love to read his daughter’s works and thoughts and understand them for what they are, instead of just being able to catch bits and pieces—like this one. Niles.
His smile widens. (…So she’s been writing about him, has she? Well, he doesn’t doubt there’s not many good things to write, but in time, he hopes to fix that. Perhaps after tonight, she’ll have cause for a new entry: my father and I went to the carnival, and I had fun. Something like that.)
“I love it,” Niles says instead, gently closing the journal and returning it to her. “And I wouldn’t mind if you showed me more some other time. Maybe when the lights are a little brighter?” And maybe after he’s had some time to extract a favor or two to learn how to actually read.
“But for now…” They’ve arrived at the carnival, and it’s in full swing. Niles even has to raise his voice a little to be heard over the din of the crowd and the music constantly playing. “…I saw you stare at something. Lead the way; tonight, we’ll do anything you want.”
And maybe for once, he’ll get to act like a proper father.