Chapter Text
Damian Desmond laid in bed, his Eden Academy dorm room empty, as anxiety bounced around in his stomach.
Yesterday, Becky Blackbell had invited him to a lake trip with their class during Summer break. She had invited everyone, especially Anya Forger, which Becky had put on rather thick.
Always poking her head in things that don’t concern her. He thought, recalling the conversation.
“Am I going to continue hiding from this until graduation?” He grumbled, mirroring Becky’s very words from the other day.
He turned over and looked at the picture frame on his bed side table. A photograph, already over a decade old, was safe behind glass. It pictured, among other people, a 6 year old Damian and Anya.
Damian sat up, pulling at his hair, cheeks warm remembering the awkward exchange he and Anya had shared during gym class that morning. He wasn’t sure when he had finally deciphered his feelings regarding her but when he saved her from tripping head first into the floor, his arms wrapped around her waist, he could do nothing to stop the scarlet hue his face took on.
He had been left speechless, unable to muster up a sarcastic remark or eye roll. He did nothing but struggle under the nearness of her as Anya smiled and poked his cheek playfully. He loved her, in the honest kind of way. Her mischievous facial expressions when a chaotic and equally bad idea came to mind was especially his favorite, though he’d never tell her that.
Anya’s bright green eyes flashed before his eyes, sending butterflies through his stomach. “I’m going to do it! I am going to tell her how I feel.” He announced proudly as he stood in the middle of his room, back turned from the door.
“Way to go Boss-man! We believe in you!”
“Gah!” Nearly throwing himself out the window before him, Damian turned with embarrassment that made his skin hot. “You didn’t hear any of that, got it!” He stammered at Emile and Ewen.
The duo held their hands up in a show of submission, “Of course Boss-man.” They both said, nodding.
Satisfied, Damian began to formulate a plan on how to lay his feelings bare to the pink haired dim whit who had stolen his heart. He had to do it during the lake trip, or there was no hope of telling her at all before graduation!
“So what’s the plan exactly?” Grace Fein, one of Anya and Becky’s friends from Class One, asked as she leaned across the lunch table to look at the duo sitting to her right.
Today was the last day before vacation and the campus of Eden Academy was empty. Only a handful of students were walking the grounds, opting to finish up their final examinations the day before to jump start their two-month long break.
Most of Anya’s classmates were not in class but her father insisted on perfect attendance, especially if she wanted to join him at work at the “hospital” when she graduated next year. To the outside world Anya strived to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a psychologist. In reality he was a spy who had saved countless lives without so much as a ‘thank you’.
Anya idolized him.
Once her telepathic powers were out in the open, back when Operation Strix was nearing its final act, she was finally able to be honest with her adopted mother and father. It took some getting use to for both her parents, but they had eventually came around. WISE even agreed that she could be an integral part of their agency once she got a few years of field experience in.
“Father has rented out two houses at the lake. One for us girls, and another for the boys!” Which I made sure shared a breezeway so we can easily go back and forth! Perfect execution by yours truly!, Anya heard Becky exclaim mentally. “Martha and a few of the house staff have already gone ahead this morning to stock the place up with food so it’ll be ready for the festivities by tonight!” As Becky relayed the information she stood up, hands on her hips and her uniform cape flapping in a mysterious wind, adding to the dramatic pose.
Anya laughed, and silently applauded her friend who then mock bowed to the mostly empty lunch hall. “Papa wants to know who all is planning on being there.” She asked as Becky went to sit back down and stir the herbal tea from her lunch.
Her father, Loid Forger, was protective of Anya and her mother Yor. His protectiveness translated into normal parent things like that, to the more extreme like punching solid wood furniture to bits.
Becky gave a shrug in response, “I’m not sure honestly. I invited everyone in our graduating class, all 8 halls. The only people I know will be there for sure are us three, George, Damian and his two shadows.” At the mention of Damian, Anya felt her cheeks flush slightly. Hoping neither of her companions noticed, she nodded her head attentively, hands busy with an orange. “If your father wants to drive you down to the lake himself, everyone that will be there this weekend is supposed to be at the lake by 6.” She added with great emphasis on Anya’s father being in attendance.
“Sorry, mama and papa are going on a trip.” They are going to gather intel on a foreign representative who is scheduled to come to the peace ceremony next month in Westalis. Papa thinks she’s trying to come and stir up trouble. “Uncle Franky is driving me over tonight.”
Frowning, Becky accepted defeat but quickly shook it off to coordinate outfits with Grace for that night.
Saying her goodbyes, Anya left her companions to clear her tray and take a walk outside before their next class. She did this to help clear her mind and not get overwhelmed by her powers as she had an exam and she needed all the help she could get.
Alright, Mission: Biology Exam, is a go! She exclaimed to herself, walking out into the lush green space outside.
Damian was not paying attention to the exam in front of him.
How could he when right before the papers were handed out, the brightest, warmest person in his life came bursting through the doors narrowly avoiding being reprimanded by their teacher and instead of being embarrassed, met eyes with him from across the classroom and gave him a smile and thumbs up. His heart did cartwheels at the sight of her.
Anya Forger, the big conundrum of his life, and yet the only thing that had stayed true and consistent through all these years. Not to say she hadn’t grown and changed in the Twelve years they’d known each other. Hell, he had went through his fair share of growing up.
Just the thought of her urked him to no end during their First Year. If he had to admit it to himself, six year old Damian had been full of himself, desperate for his fathers approval and willing to put anyone down for it, including himself. One of the people that helped show him the error in his actions, was Anya.
What is the ultimate source of energy for nearly all ecosystems? For Damian, the only right answer was Anya Forger.
“Sooooo, how’d it go?”
Groaning, Anya let her face hit the desk, allowing herself to wallow in self pity. Mission Failed, she thought sorrowfully. Despite being prepared to use her abilities to ace the exam, the fear of reading Damian’s thoughts had hindered her reach and none of her row-mates had been the slightest bit prepared.
Becky patted her on the back. “It’s okay Anya, I’m sure it didn’t go as bad as you think.”
Anya sensed as someone sat in the empty seat beside her. Peeking through the fingers she had over her eyes, she locked eyes with Damian.
“You know if you actually studied for these things you wouldn’t be so miserable.”
Letting out a ‘hmph’, Anya sat up, and crossed her arms over her chest. “If you were nicer to me Sy-on then maybe I’d ask you to help me!” She grumbled, turning her body towards him slightly but not daring to look at his face.
She waited for the inevitable sarcastic come back. The easy back and forth banter that the two of them had perfected over the years. However, it took him a beat longer than usual to snap back. “You couldn’t afford me even if I did agree to help you!”
Curious, but afraid of what she might learn if she peered into his thoughts, Anya pushed away the desire to read his mind. Instead, she put the slyest smile she could muster on her face and turned fully toward him. “I’m sure I could find something to blackmail you with to make something happen!”
To her surprise, Damian’s cheeks turned red and he couldn’t meet her eyes. Now I really want to look!
“Hey, maybe once the next year starts, we can all meet up together to study regularly!” Becky offered as she brought her hands together and clapped excitedly.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you! Take advantage of Boss-man to improve your scores.” Emile, one of Damian’s friends said as he walked down from the top row of the lecture hall.
Becky scoffed loudly, “You know Emile, I thought we’d gotten past you acting like a little ass, guess some things never change.”
Ewen, the other part of Damian’s trio joined in on the argument. Anya knew Becky didn’t actually hate them, they were friends and got along together fairly well, but Emile and Ewen’s protectiveness of Damian had always rubbed her friend the wrong way.
“I hope this weekend doesn’t go like this.” Damian confessed to Anya. He still wouldn’t meet her eyes, instead he seemed to be heavily fixated on the chalk board in front of them.
Getting up from her seat, the melancholy of her most likely failed exam forgotten, Anya gave Damian a smile as she went to grab Becky’s arm to pull her from the nonsensical argument. “I know we will have a great time, so don’t you worry!”
“Oh!” Becky exclaimed, “Yes we will! Don’t forget to be at the lake by 6 boys or I won’t let you into the house!”
And with that, the air was clear of all hostility, the argument quickly forgotten for excited chatter about their plans for the weekend.
“Boss-man, don’t forget to bring your swimsuit!” Ewen added, after he and Emile were done discussing plans for a midnight dip in the lake that night.
Anya watched Damian get up from his seat and adjust the collar of his cape, then run his fingers through his hair. Her eyes caught on a tuft of his hair, sticking up in the back, that he had pushed out of place. He said something about a bon fire on the lake side, which Becky agreed was a great idea but her mind was looped on the smooth motions of Damian paired with a swimsuit.
She felt her cheeks go hot at the idea of Damian bare save for a pair of swim trunks. Was she expected to also bring swim wear? Did Damian have to be present while she was in said attire? Would he think she looked weird and awkward? Would she be able to stomach reading his mind and him being disgusted by her?
“Anya, you’ve got your swimsuit packed too, right?” Becky asked, bringing the attention of everyone including Damian onto her.
She darted her eyes across the group, which got caught on Damian’s like always. He was making a weird face, one that she couldn’t properly place.
“I- uh, well you see-” Flee! Closing her eyes, Anya bowed deeply to her classmates. “I’ve got to go! I want to catch mama and papa before they leave!” She started toward the door, turned back around again cheeks burning hot, “See you all later tonight!” Then she took off in a mad dash down the halls, cape billowing behind her.
After a short bus ride back to her family’s apartment, Anya was still out of breath and thinking genuinely that the coming weekend would bring about her demise.
She couldn’t act normal around Damian to save her life because he kept acting weird with her! And she was too afraid to read his mind in case it meant the end of their friendship. What if he was trying to find the right words to tell her she was too weird for him and he needed to drop their friendship to focus on his future career after graduation?
“I’m home!” Anya yelled as she walked through the front door. Bond, in a large, white flash came bounding down the main hall toward her. She awarded his enthusiasm with a head pat, belly scratches and a treat from the container kept by the door.
Yor, Anya’s adopted mom and retired assassin turned spy, peeked her head out into the hallway from the kitchen. “Anya, dear, are you all packed for your trip? Franky will be here to pick you up in a little over an hour.”
Bond let out a huff, which Anya mirrored when she straightened. “Yeahhhhh, but what if I have decided I don’t want to go?”
“Out of the question, I don’t trust you to stay home alone after last time and Franky can’t stay with you.” Loid Forger stated calmly, walking in from behind his wife, a dish and drying rag in hand. “Besides, you haven’t shut up about this trip for months. I won’t let you back out now after the hell you put us through listening to you brag about it for so long.”
Bending her body forward in an unnatural position to pout, Anya swayed her arms back and forth as she walked toward her room.
As she was finishing up her packing, she sulkily held up the bathing suit she would be expected to wear in front of everyone. Last week, when she and Yor had picked it out, she hadn’t thought twice about it. Now all she felt was immense dread, like a giant ball in the pit of her stomach that bounced around threatening to drown her.
There was a small knock on her door and Yor poked her head in. “Do you want to talk?” She asked simply.
Sitting in the floor beside her bed, Anya bunched up her school uniform in her fists. “I want to go, I want to spend time with all my classmates, with my friends, but I’m worried that Damian is upset with me.”
Kneeling beside her in the floor, Yor placed her hand on Anya’s leg near her ankle and rubbed it gently. “Okay, so why do you think he’s upset with you?”
“I don’t know, I’m so afraid to look at his thoughts and see something that will hurt me, but he’s not been the same for a few weeks now. What can I do about it? I asked Becky and she didn’t think he’d been acting weird at all!”
Yor nodded her head in understanding. “Well maybe you could use this trip as an excuse to ask him about it. It’s up to you what you do next, however I don’t believe that the Desmond boy would decide to be cruel to you without reason.”
Anya laughed at that, even though her heart was racing with anxiety, “But that’s the thing mama, he’s been too nice! He doesn’t get frustrated with me like usual, he takes forever to throw come backs my way… it’s all so different.”
Yor’s lips quirked into a small smile, despite her clear efforts to suppress it. “Go on your trip, have a fun time, enjoy being with your friends. I expect to hear all about it when we get back.” She then gave Anya a kiss on the forehead and left her to finish packing.
Anya and Bond waited outside the apartment after Yor and Loid, on time as always, left to go to their extraction point.
Franky, late as always, was still not there.
Worrying the inside of her mouth with nerves, Anya looked down at her wristwatch again. 5:30.
She couldn’t give Franky a hard time, she was never on time for anything either, but damn it didn’t make waiting any easier. Sensing her anxiety, Bond placed his big fluffy head in Anya’s lap and gently licked the top of her hand.
Eventually the loud honk of a car horn grabbed Anya’s attention toward the side of the road, where Franky shoddily and illegally parked his small green car. “Hey kid! Hurry up or we’ll be late!”
Scoffing but listening nonetheless, Anya grabbed her bags and carried them to the rear of the car with a bit of a struggle, Bond close behind.
Once settled in with Bond happily snoozing in the back seat, and Anya strapped in at the front, Franky tore off into traffic. He had to have been speeding, and with good reason, they only had 15 minutes to make it to the lake houses.