[ Eri is still nervous, waiting for the acknowledgement of what she just called him... and so she wordlessly nods as he hefts her up into his arms. Then, at last, the acknowledgement comes... ]
U-Um...
[ And she's suddenly WAY more nervous than before. Still, it's something she's thought about for a long time... so even if literally none of her prior-planned words are in her head anymore, she still has to answer. ]
I-I um... I-I thought about it... for a long time...
[ Her small hands grip Dimitri's shirt. ]
I-I wasn't sure at first... b-because... u-um...
[ She feels her voice catch in the back of her throat, unable to speak the words that she wants to say... causing her to have to try and explain in a different way instead. Truth is, the idea of having a "dad" was a stressful one to Eri. Even if it was just a cover story, the closest thing she ever had to a dad was Overhaul himself... and Dimitri knows how well that went. More than that, she scarcely even remembers her blood-related father... the one who she was apparently at fault for having disappeared due to her power.
It's why, despite how long Eri's been here with everyone, Dimitri has determinedly remained "Dimitri-san" and so on. But more time passed, and more people ended up leaving... and the thought arrived in her mind. What if Dimitri disappeared one day as well?
The thought threatened to crush Eri's heart right then and there... but with it also came a new sense of clarity for how she felt about the man who has been taking care of her for so long now. Even longer than when she had been traveling with Ochako. ]
Y-Yeah... I'm serious...
[ She can't get all of that out just yet, it's all just too complicated even for Eri right now... but the important part is that if this isn't what it's like to have a dad... then she really doesn't have any idea what a dad is supposed to be. ]
no subject
U-Um...
[ And she's suddenly WAY more nervous than before. Still, it's something she's thought about for a long time... so even if literally none of her prior-planned words are in her head anymore, she still has to answer. ]
I-I um... I-I thought about it... for a long time...
[ Her small hands grip Dimitri's shirt. ]
I-I wasn't sure at first... b-because... u-um...
[ She feels her voice catch in the back of her throat, unable to speak the words that she wants to say... causing her to have to try and explain in a different way instead. Truth is, the idea of having a "dad" was a stressful one to Eri. Even if it was just a cover story, the closest thing she ever had to a dad was Overhaul himself... and Dimitri knows how well that went. More than that, she scarcely even remembers her blood-related father... the one who she was apparently at fault for having disappeared due to her power.
It's why, despite how long Eri's been here with everyone, Dimitri has determinedly remained "Dimitri-san" and so on. But more time passed, and more people ended up leaving... and the thought arrived in her mind. What if Dimitri disappeared one day as well?
The thought threatened to crush Eri's heart right then and there... but with it also came a new sense of clarity for how she felt about the man who has been taking care of her for so long now. Even longer than when she had been traveling with Ochako. ]
Y-Yeah... I'm serious...
[ She can't get all of that out just yet, it's all just too complicated even for Eri right now... but the important part is that if this isn't what it's like to have a dad... then she really doesn't have any idea what a dad is supposed to be. ]