Chapter Text
Twilight has been a spy for a decade. All this time, he’s only known how to work, which consists of going undercover, manipulations, information gathering, and occasionally engaging in battle. In all those missions, Twilight didn't need any emotions, let alone attachments.
His latest mission, Operation Strix, has forced him to start utilizing them, despite his reservations. Maybe the internal conflict is the reason he’s so exhausted as of late.
Emotions and attachments involve the secretion of unnecessary hormones by the brain, affecting all the organs in the human body. It makes him worry over trivial things, such as what to cook for tomorrow's breakfast, would the family love the idea of an outing, would the kid be able to befriend the target's son, would the mother loved the new cleaning kits, would the dog be freed from lice using the new shampoo, etcetera.
Twilight takes a deep breath as he shifts through the kitchen drawers, cupboards, and even chillers of those who are suspected of playing a part in a drug-dealing circle. For the day's extra mission, he has disguised himself as a comish, a job that reminds him of when he was still in the army.
A slab of something in the fridge suddenly catches the spy's eyes. Judging by the color and consistency, it’s a high-quality tuna.
"Hmm…I think it's about time I introduce Anya to fresh seafood ingredients. She will need extra proteins and iron as she ages."
The blond man continues his search meticulously, pretending he is trying to adapt to his new workstation, and stops near the sink.
"Oh? I’ve never seen this cleaning chemical before. It looks like it could clean even the dirtiest dishes. Yor is going to love this."
Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, Loid calculates that he could still make a detour to the nearest supermarket to buy groceries and extras before returning to the apartment.
.
Thorn Princess has been an effective killing machine since before she hit puberty. She diligently practiced every training over and over again until she had honed almost all the skills needed to spare her targets from pain when she had to take their lives, simultaneously teaching her to avoid or endure any possible injuries that could result from her job.
After all, the very reason she took this job was to provide a carefree life for Yuri. It wouldn't do if all the money she made failed to bring a smile to Yuri's face because he had to worry over her.
That’s why she’s always motivated to leave her missions spotless, leave no witness that could endanger her family, and do it with little to no injury. Should she receive any minor injuries, she endures it with a smile on her face, so that people around her don’t need to worry. She had always managed to endure it before, and she would manage to do it now.
Sure, the Forgers are a bit different from Yuri. Sometimes Anya asks a question a bit too close to the truth of her job, Loid states his observations of her with a bit too much detail, and Bond sniffs her as if he is able to recognize the smell of blood.
But they have accepted her for who she is, and her life has never been happier. That is why she makes sure she can give them something in return and always looks forward to immediately returning to the apartment after each job.
As she finishes cleaning the warehouse, a base for human traffickers, something catches her eye; a pristine suit hanging in a cupboard that might belong to one of the ring leaders.
"Ah! I have to pick up Loid's suit from the laundry, and on the way I can also buy the special peanut cake from the bakery that Anya has been wanting for weeks!"
She then returns to work and doesn’t waste any more time daydreaming.
.
"I'm home!" Yor calls out as she walks into the apartment.
"Mama, mama, look!! Anya made a pah-pper-craft today!" The pink-haired girl proudly shows her creation.
"Oooh!!! This is beautiful, Anya! Amazing job!" Yor lifts the bag in her hand, "A perfect reason to celebrate with a special peanut cake!"
"Whooaaaahhh!! Gimme!! Gimme!!"
Big, round green eyes full of excitement make Yor giggle with glee.
"Anya, at least let Yor take off her coat first."
Loid turns off the stove and approaches her, taking the paper bag from her hands before turning back towards the kitchen, most likely to serve the cakes.
"I also bought a coffee dessert for you."
“Oh? Thank you!” comes Loid’s reply amidst the clinging of plates.
A nudge at her leg makes her look down. She chuckles at the pleading eyes of their faithful hound. She pats the dog's head and whispers, “Don’t worry, Bond. I’ll add your favorite snack after dinner.”
Bond responds by wagging his tail faster.
She looks to Anya and puts her index finger up to her mouth, and Anya clamps her hand over her own mouth in response, a silent promise to keep their little secret.
She smiles and turns her attention briefly towards her husband, as she hangs his suit on a hanger, pointing to the lapels.
"They also did a great job in removing the stainings here."
"Oh?" Loid curiously approaches his suit. "They really did! Amazing. I thought this suit was ruined for good."
"Told you I know the best laundry in town." Yor grins at him.
She is actually the one who cleaned his suit using one of her special cleaning tools, before dropping the suit at the laundry. Now that she owns different colors of clothes (not just black and red) at Loid’s behest, she’s learned a method to remove any blood stains from any kind of fabric. Wine stains are nowhere near as difficult to clean as blood, after all. But of course, she will never tell her husband that.
"Mind if I have the address of the laundry, so I can go there myself if I ever need it?"
Yor flinches. "You can just leave it to me."
"I can't always bother you for this kind of mundane thing."
"It’s not a problem at all. It's the least I can do. Besides…I get a special discount if I go there myself."
Loid raises his brow. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Yor pushes her facial muscles to form a grin, hoping that Loid will believe her.
He sighs and smiles sheepishly. "Okay then. I'll leave it to you. Doesn't mean that I'll be sloppy next time."
Yor can finally relax and return the smile for real.
"Papa and Mama are gonna kiss?"
"We're not!"
Their daughter just raises her brows with a smug face Yor didn’t know she was capable of making.
When did she learn to do that?
A waft of something nice makes Yor sniff. A perfect chance to change the topic. "What's for dinner?"
Loid's face brightens immediately. "A simple Steckerlfisch with mashed potato and salad."
"Eeewww, Papa…" Anya visibly grimaces at the mention of fish as their dinner.
"You need your proteins, young miss." He speaks sternly to his daughter. "Besides, fish are one of Ostania's best products."
"But fishes are yucky..," Anya whines, pouting.
Yor intercepts. "Are you sure? Don't these smell delicious?" She kneels down to whisper in her daughter's ear. "And if you finish your meal, I'll give you my share of peanut cake."
The change in Anya's face is astounding as her pout turns to a grin. "Let's eat dinner, Papa. I'm starved!"
Yor chuckles. Bribery is not a good thing, but if it’s to spoil her family, sometimes (many times) Yor does it anyway.
She looks to her husband for approval, who can only sigh in defeat before turning to prepare their meal.
.
It’s a bit astounding for Loid, but seeing the satisfied faces, especially from his daughter, when they gulp down his new creation, feels …nice. Moments like this remind him of one of his rare passions incidentally discovered during a previous mission, which is cooking.
He makes a mental note of the ingredients he used that night, to recreate some other time.
I could probably add more types of seafood, as long as Anya doesn’t have any allergies. He ponders absentmindedly as he brings their dirty dishes to the sink.
He notices how hard Yor is scrubbing the mesh that he’d used to grill the fish. Seeing the amount of force she needs to use to remove the stains, Loid immediately grabs the cleaner he bought earlier. "Hey, look what I found."
"What's this?"
"New type of cleaner. Apparently it’s meant to clean cooking utensils faster."
He sees the bright face of his wife and can feel himself smiling in turn.
"Woah?! Really? I guess this is the perfect time to try it!!"
"Yup. Oh, but always use these rubber gloves. Stronger chemicals might cause harm to your hands."
"Always so thoughtful. Thank you."
Loid shouldn't feel the swell of pride blooming in his chest.
.
Loid hangs his favorite suit on the door of his armoire. He squints, and is again amazed that the blood stains are truly gone, while the color of the suit remains pristine. He had seriously thought that his favorite suit was gone for good.
He clicks his tongue. It would be much easier for him if he could just go to the laundry himself. It would only be a matter of time until Yor became suspicious if his suit had a 'wine stain' over and over again. He needs to be more careful during future missions.
The man stretches his stiff shoulder, before sitting in front of his desk. His desk clock shows it is 11 PM, meaning he has more than enough time to write his reports.
Yor's chamomile tea always manages to relax him and clear his mind. While for other people it might help them sleep, which he is sure was the exact reason his wife chose the tea to brew as their midnight tea in the first place, it works a bit differently in Loid's case. Still, he appreciates the gesture, as he always does.
Spies never have the luxury of routine. He is one of those lucky ones to get a mission that provides him with one. So he better make full use of it and finish his reports.