Work Text:
It started with a high-pitched scream at about 2 in the morning. Loid woke with a start at the sound coming from the other side of the bedroom wall, and he knew there was only one possible source for such a sound of distress. Anya.
At speeds Loid didn’t even know he could move, he rocketed out of bed and out of his bedroom door, only to find the bedroom door next to his own wide open, and Anya’s scream were suddenly silenced. No, no, no, no, no, she can’t get kidnapped, how could I let this happen—?!
Loid’s fears were halted as he raced into her bedroom and flicked the lights on. He didn’t find any kidnappers. He didn’t find any shattered window or signs of a struggle. No blood, no weapons, no rope or duct tape, nothing of the sort. All he found was a familiar form with raven hair, clutching Anya for dear life. The little girl’s pastel pink head of hair was shaking, and Loid heard muffled crying coming from his little girl as she sobbed into her mother’s shoulder. Yor shushed the little girl slightly as she rocked her back and forth, whispering sweet little nothings for only her baby to hear, letting her know that it was okay, Anya was safe, her mother was there.
Loid wasn’t at all surprised that Yor outpaced him so easily. In the time he’d known her, Yor had performed feats well past the qualified range of being superhuman. Kicking men through steel ceilings, serving tennis balls faster than Mach 1, shattering “test your strength” carnival attractions with one hand, the list went on. Hell, WISE even informed him of a time when she hit a volleyball hard enough for it to rocket upwards into the mesosphere. The only thing that surprised him was that he hadn’t heard a peep of her movement. How could she be so fast and so silent?
Loid let the thought stop him for a microsecond before he banished it from his mind and moved towards the center of the universe. His universe, anyhow. Yor silently looked back up at him, and the grief stricken on her face made it hard for Loid to breathe as he stepped closer. Yor had a big heart, the biggest Twilight had ever known, and it was aching for their young ward. Wordlessly, Loid sat down on the bed next to his girls and wrapped his arms around them as gently and as tightly as he could, balancing the two opposite traits as he pulled his wife and child close.
Anya was shaking like a leaf, and Loid realized At that moment just how small and delicate she was. She had claimed to be six years old when he adopted her, but he knew now that it was a white lie he let himself believe for the sake of convenience. The vibrating bundle sandwiched between Yor and himself couldn’t be more than five at the oldest, and someone so young, so full of life and joy and witty awareness had no place in the world being this afraid, this scared, this trapped by whatever plagued her at night. Loid remembered the mission for just long enough to damn himself for it. Success or failure meant nothing then and there, only the shame of what he had done. He put the weight of the world on someone so young and fragile, and whether Agent Twilight would admit it or not, Anya clearly knew what was at stake for her father. Twilight had put such a burden on this little girl to bear alone, and Loid Forger wanted to rip the spy from his being and beat him within an inch of his life for doing such a thing to a child. To his child. To Yor’s child. To their little girl. The greatest sin he had ever committed, and one that would never be forgiven. Not by Loid, not by Yor if she ever knew, and not by Anya if the gravity of it all ever revealed itself to her.
Loid set that self-hatred aside for now, though. He could hate himself on his own time. Right now, he was there for Anya. Loid Forger remained as still as a mountain, cradling his wife and child like the world would end if they didn’t feel safe in his arms. Anya’s sobs faltered slightly, and slowly began to die down, and Loid made a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever god gave him their blessing in the form of this little cherub. Yor was just as still as he was, never moving from her right hand cupped the back of Anya’s head and her left hand made small circles in Anya’s back. In the spot, Loid imagined little angels wings grew out of when he wasn’t looking. Yor’s own presence shined to the other Forgers like a lighthouse guiding ships home from the sea in the dead of night.
Loid’s right hand cupped the small of her exposed back, his calloused palm feeling soft, smooth skin that Loid had spent coveted seconds staring at from day to day, all the while still lying to himself that his relationship with Yor was merely one of soft but platonic cooperation. His left hand sat higher, covering the toned muscles nestled around Yor’s shoulder blades, locked in place with an essential purpose. It was as if the strength Yor possessed had been divinely ordained for this singular moment, for defending a life so innocent and pure that the heavens would bless Yor with their power to fulfill this labor of love. Loid didn’t have to imagine what that might have looked like to a theologian. The heavens themselves could never sculpt a more beautiful vision of such divine providence than the guardian angel shielding their child with her motherly wings.
Loid held tight to this guardian angel. His world orbited around his wife and daughter. They were a focal point for everything that mattered. Everything Twilight loved that he had left in this world leaned into him for support, and Loid knew that Atlas was a coward for wanting to not wanting to carry the heavens. Loid held his own little heaven tight, and he knew then and there that he would never let them go. Not now, not when Operation Strix was over, not even when death itself came knocking at his door with its harvesting scythe at the ready. Loid Forger would tear the world down brick by brick if it meant he held his everything close for just a second longer.
Eventually, Anya’s crying dissolved into quiet sniffs, and Loid opened his eyes for the first time in what felt like a lifetime to look down and tend to the little girl. Anya eased back from her mother’s damp shoulder just enough to wipe tears and snot from her face with her pajama sleeve. Most would probably find such a display hard to look at, and Loid would normally chastise her for ruining her clothes like that. But that hardly registered to Loid right now. She was safe. Anya knew that she was safe, now and forever, and Loid selfishly hoped that the little girl would never forget that fact. So long as there was air in his lungs, he would never let a soul hurt his baby. Loid took a moment to glance back up at his wife, and that grief on her face from before was ever present, and tears threatened to burst from the corners of her eyes at any moment. She was every bit as concerned for their daughter as Loid was. Loid just knew how to hide it better from years of deceit and concealment.
Loid took the initiative to speak first, knowing the answer right away. “Did you have a nightmare, Anya?” The pink head of hair nodded in affirmation, still looking towards her mother and away from him. The spy didn’t want to ask the next question, wanting to not force Anya to remember such an awful dream. But he knew that if he wanted to prevent such dreams from haunting her in the future, he’d have to resolve this dream now. Gulping on his own spit hesitantly, Loid broached the topic with “could you tell us about it, sweetheart?”
Anya shifted slightly about 90 degrees, facing outward from her bed so that both parents could see her expression. Loid saw her face caked with dried tears and mucus. She looked pitiful, but Loid set that aside as Anya spoke up. “Anya was back in the labs. Bad guys in white cloaks kept poking me with needles, and they kept hitting me, and they kept making me see mean things and if Anya tried to stop them, they would shock me,” Anya confided. Loid let his stomach sink further and further with each detail. “They kept calling Anya mean things and telling me they’d hurt me more if Anya didn’t do what they said, and they kept making me drink weird things or kept putting other weird things in me with other needles. It was so s-scary, a-and Anya c-couldn’t get out.” Anya’s voice began to shake more and more, and her body trembled again. She looked back up at her father, and her little green eyes stare into the depths of Loid’s soul. “Please don’t make Anya ever go back, Papa!! I promise I’ll be good, I promise, I promise—!!”
Anya didn’t have time to finish her plea. This time, Loid himself pulled her into his chest, and he felt tiny hands clench against his shirt and latch on for dear life. Her body shook and shook, and it took everything in Loid not to let hot, salty tears fall on her from his face. “I will never let them take you. Not now. Not ever, Anya. I will never let you go. I promise.” Loid spoke those words with all the conviction he had gained in his life, and with all the truth he had left that he hadn’t lost along the way. And Anya knew those words to ring true. She could read her Papa like an open book, and her shaking dissipated far faster than before. “I know,” Anya replied in the quietest voice Loid had ever heard come from the boisterous little girl.
Eventually, their grip on each other slacked, and Yor reached out a hand to wipe away the dried tears and snot from Anya’s face. Loid could see an air of confusion on her face, as she didn’t quite understand Anya and Loid’s brief exchange. Comforting words rang out as best they could, though. “I’m so sorry you had a bad dream, Miss Anya. I’m just glad that you know you’re safe now, and always will be.”
Yor didn’t know the error of the mistake. Loid wanted to tell her, but he hesitated to admit that he’d lied to her before. Anya had no such filter. “It wasn’t a dream, Mama. It was a memory.”
Confusion transformed into abject horror on Yor’s face, and Loid wished he could take Anya’s words back and give Yor some made-up story about a bad trip to the doctor’s office or something like that, but the cruel reality came crashing down on the woman he denied loving as Anya’s clarification strangled her. What Anya woke up from wasn’t some sick joke of the subconscious. It was a lived experience. It was Anya’s lived experience. She looked at Loid, and Loid could see a thousand questions forming.
What is she talking about? What scientists? I thought you always raised her, what is she talking about? What about her birth mother? Were you responsible for this? Was she responsible for this? What did you do to her? Why is she pleading for you not to send her back? Did you send her there yourself? Are you capable of something like that? Or was she taken? Is she even your birth daughter? What haven’t you been telling me? Who did this to my baby, and where do they live? How could you let this happen to our little girl, you monster?!
Loid gave her a defeated look back. His eyes conveyed an unspoken message of I’ll explain everything in just a moment.
Yor’s quiet interrogation halted, and she shot back a small I’m holding you to that before turning back towards Anya. “Even if it was a memory, you’re safe now, Anya. And regardless of what happened, we will never let anyone hurt you from now on. We’ll always be there for you, Anya, and whoever tries to lay a finger on you will have to answer to us,” she reassured their daughter with a kiss on the forehead.
“Can… Can Anya sleep with Mama and Papa tonight?” Anya’s voice was hesitant, but pleading. It was never a choice for Loid and Yor.
“Of course,” “Absolutely,” they answered in unison, and Yor looked back at Loid with an emotion Loid couldn’t place. Like some form of relief that he wasn’t a heartless monster like she feared just seconds ago. But he was still on thin ice until she got that promised explanation. Quietly, Yor picked the little girl up and stood up, her eyes beckoning Loid to follow as she led them to her room. Gently, Yor set the little girl down in her bed, and tucked her in. “We will come back in and snuggle with you for the rest of the night in just a moment, sweetie. Mama and Papa just need to talk for a bit, okay?” Anya’s green eyes lit up at the promise, and she nodded as hard as her tiny head and neck could manage. Yor giggled slightly at Anya’s enthusiasm before turning towards Loid at the doorway and strutting up to him with fire in her crimson eyes, angled in such a way that Anya wouldn’t see her fury. Loid backed up slowly, just enough to let Yor out and let her close the door softly, never once breaking eye contact with him.
Loid started with a whisper, saying “Y-Yor, I can explain every—!” But just as he started, Yor pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. Loid saw fury in Yor’s eyes that he had never known before, and he knew to brace himself for what she was about to say.
“Loid, I want to believe you. You’ve been nothing but kind, caring, incredible to me, and as far as I have seen, you’ve been nothing but a great father to Anya. So, I am taking a risk. A stupid, stupid risk. And I’m going to trust you. Every fiber of my being wants to punch and kick and stab you because what it sounds like to me is that you and your first wife let everything Anya just described happen to her. You sent her somewhere, and she was tortured by scientists, and I want to know why. I want to know everything. No lies, no half-truths, no stone left unturned. Because Loid… I swear to every god humans have put a name to, if you hurt that child, if you let someone else hurt that child, or if you lie to me ever again, I will leave you. I will take Anya, take Bond, take the money we’ve been saving up, take our car, take everything I can fit in our car, and I will never let you see my daughter ever again, and I will report your vile, sick, evil actions to every single authority in the country. I want answers. And you’re going to give them to me. Right. Now.”
Yor never raised her voice above a whisper only he could ever register, but if Anya wasn’t just a few feet away behind the closed door, Loid knew she would have shouted those words so loudly that all of Berlint would hear them. Loid’s heart shattered. Yor thought he was responsible for this. For all of this. And if she smelled a whiff of dishonesty from him, she would take his whole world from him, sink Operation Strix so low that worms would help it decompose, and probably come back to make Vlad The Impaler look like a kitten compared to what she’d do to him. Loid knew that the time for lies and secrecy and espionage was over. He had to fess up everything he knew, or Yor would destroy him then and there.
“I’ll tell you everything. I promise,” Loid started, throat nearly catching on every word.
“You better,” Yor replied, her eyes narrowing like a bird of prey about to crush a rat in its talons.
Loid closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Loid was about to leave him. Twilight had to report for duty. “Anya is not my biological daughter. I adopted her only about a week before I met you.” Twilight opened his eyes to read Yor’s expressions. Fury gave way to shock and relief in equal measure. If Loid had adopted Anya just a week before he met her, he couldn’t be the one behind her traumatic past. It even made some sense with how inexperienced he seemed to be as a father, and how little he and Anya ever discussed her birth mother. “What about your first wife?”
“… I’m sorry, Yor. There was no first wife. It was something I made up on the spot when Anya was… courting you? As a mother? If that makes sense?” Twilight himself still didn’t quite understand what Anya had been doing in the tailor’s shop that day, but she was clearly magnetized to Yor, and she had every right to be. “I’m so sorry for lying to you about that. I know… I know you put her on a pedestal of sorts, to try to live up to that. But everything you did, you did as the first mother Anya ever truly had.” The weight of months of guilt piled onto Twilight all at once. Yor had been so insecure about how much of an outsider she was in Loid and Anya’s world. He saw that moment of clarity, that all of those insecurities and doubts were based on a fiction of a woman who never was, hit Yor like a semi-truck. He could only watch as the love of his life swallowed the concoction of mixed feelings, from revelation to despair to anger to betrayal to self-assurance, all in one gulp.
“Why? Why would you lie about something like that? And make Anya go along with that lie too?” Yor tried her best to keep an even tone in her whisper, but her voice cracked, letting the visceral mixture froth out while she tried to keep calm and restrain herself. Twilight almost wanted her to let it all out. To shout, even if Anya heard. To let all the hurt and betrayal come out and rip him to pieces like a shark catching a seal in its jaws. Twilight deserved far worse. But he had to answer for his crimes first.
The man with a thousand faces confessed his sins before the red-eyed angel. “Because… because I’m not real either. Loid Forger, I mean. Loid Forger is just a cover… Yor, I’m a spy. I’m a spy working for Westalis, and I’m on a mission to prevent war between my country and Ostania. My mission was to find a wife, adopt a child, send the child to Eden Academy, and coax the child into getting close with the son of Donovan Desmond. That way, I could inch into his inner circle and prevent him from enacting any radical policies or military movements that could lead to war.”
Twilight looked back at Yor, and that dangerous mixture rose to the surface at record speeds. “Y-You’re telling me… that you used Anya? Our daughter? As just some tool to gain political power?” Yor raised a fist, and Twilight anticipated it punching a lethal hole in his head or torso. He flinched as Yor moved… but opened his eyes again when he saw the fist hover just centimeters away from his face. If Yor hadn’t pulled her punch, he would probably be dead right then and there, but he looked past the fist and saw the raven-haired beauty’s eyes flowing with tears. It took everything in Yor not to rip her husband’s internal organs out or cry as hard as their daughter had. Her daughter, anyhow. “You know what? Everything makes sense now. The half-truths you kept telling me, the odd hours you worked, the cuts and scratches and bruises you had as a psychiatrist. I had a few suspicions, but spy? That was one I didn’t see coming.”
Twilight stood there, not knowing what else to say. Yor wiped the tears from her eyes, and Twilight wanted to pull her close and tell her everything would be okay. Instead, he just waited for her next question. “When Anya said not to take her back, what did she mean by that? And what was with all the scientists she was talking about?”
Twilight took another breath, readying himself to recount everything he knew about Anya. “When I went to the orphanage to adopt a child, I was looking for a smart child who could become an Imperial Scholar. Anya solved a crossword puzzle in a matter of seconds. I knew I needed a six-year-old, and Anya claimed to be that age,” he paused for a moment, knowing now that Anya had lied herself. Not that she could be held to the same guilt that he was. “The caregiver at the orphanage said that she had been returned by previous families many times. That people saw her as a freak or something along those lines. No one else wanted her. When I took her home that day, she was nearly kidnapped by a group of thugs, claiming that they were going to take her back to where she belonged. I’ve done some digging, and there are several missing children’s cases that seem to all link back to some… underground cabal here in Berlint. Some sort of organization involved in human experimentation. And apparently Anya escaped from them somehow. That’s likely why she had pink hair, and why she’s so bright despite not doing well in school.”
Yor covered her mouth at the horrifying truth behind Anya. The little girl she loved so much had been used for human testing for god knows what or why. And to make matters worse, other families looking to adopt a child had thrown her baby away like trash. Treated her worse than Yor’s coworkers did to her when they treated her like a freak. Red-hot tears stung Yor’s eyes, and she held back sobs with her hands as best she could. Anya had only ever been a lab rat, a freak, or a tool, and Yor wanted to run back into her bedroom and take Anya away from this vile city, away from these bad memories, away to somewhere where her angel could live peacefully, away from the cruelty she was born into. She couldn’t just yet, though. She needed to know more.
“I guess you didn’t care about that, though, did you?” Yor whispered back accusingly. “What have you done to fix this? To make this right for our daughter? Or is she just a tool to you?” Twilight wanted to be angry at the accusation. He was hurt, no doubt about that, and sad, but he couldn’t be angry. Yor had the right to be angry, not him. But she needed to know how he truly felt. That there was more than just the mission now.
“I’ve been trying to track the scientists for months now. I’m getting close, but I’m not certain yet. And… that was the original intention, yes. But things became… complicated.” Twilight lowered his gaze to not look back at his wife. He didn’t expect her to believe what he was about to say, but he had to plead his case. “I never intended to care about this family. Loid Forger was just supposed to be a temporary identity that I would dispose of as soon as this mission was over. I’ve been a spy for the better part of a decade now, and I was used to living a lie and letting the lie go over and over like clockwork. But this is different. Anya is different… you are different, Yor.” He looked back up at Yor and saw her looking both hopeful and incredulous at the same time. He had to lay it all out if he hoped to keep this family together. “When I was assigned to complete Operation Strix, I was only supposed to focus on making sure Anya fulfilled her purpose. Become an Imperial Scholar, or befriend Damien Desmond. But things changed. I nearly ended the mission at the interview alone when that bastard made Anya cry. And that was just Phase One of the operation. The mission nearly ended before it had begun… because I was compromised from the start. That fat cow of a housemaster made my daughter cry… and he insulted my wife right in front of me. I nearly punched him.”
Yor knew that he was speaking the truth. She remembered Housemaster Murdoch Swan’s words as clear as the day they were spoken. It’s not my fault that she loves you less. Those words had hung heavy on Yor ever since. Always nipping at the back of her mind that she wasn’t enough for Anya, that she couldn’t be enough. But every time it did, the image of Loid nearly punching the daylights out of that man in response to those words resurfaced, with fury showing with every feature on Loid’s body. He redirected his fist to a table beneath him at the last second, but he made it clear that he had little intention of letting Anya attend Eden Academy after that. In his own words, ‘they chose the wrong school.’ Loid nearly destroyed any chance of completing in his mission for Anya… and for Yor.
“And as Operation Strix continued, I kept trying to tell myself that it was all ‘for the mission’ and just that. I didn’t mean to get attached to you and Anya. It could prove detrimental to the mission and impair my judgement. But I never had a choice in the matter. I found myself realizing that I don’t want to be a spy anymore. And that when Operation Strix is over… I want to remain Loid Forger for the rest of my life. I want to give that life to Anya… and to you, Yor. I know we only agreed to a marriage of mutual interest…” Twilight nearly stopped, but he couldn’t hide it anymore. Not from Yor. “… but I think I’ve fallen for you. You’re the single most compassionate, most caring person I’ve ever met. I never could have asked for a better person to care for the little girl I call my daughter. And I never could have asked for a better partner, a better companion… or a better wife. You have every right to hate me for using you and Anya the way I did, but as selfish as this is going to sound, I have to ask you to stay. I need you, Yor. I….. I love—“
Loid Forger’s words were silenced in an instant. His eyes shot open to see Yor’s face directly across from his, and her lips pressed desperately against his own. Loid expected hate and vitriol from her, but instead he was met with a kiss to shut him up. Loid kissed her back and ensnared his arms around her, pulling Yor up to reach his height without standing on her toes. Yor reached up with her arms and pulled Loid down more by the scruff of his collar, and the two embraced each other with all the love they had left unsaid for so, so long.
Eventually, Yor broke the kiss and looked back into Loid’s eyes. “I knew… ever since I moved in, I knew how much you loved Anya. I saw the way you looked at her, the way you looked after her, and the bond you two shared. I always knew you loved her. I couldn’t understand why… with the scientists, the exploitation, everything, none of it made sense for the man I knew was in there. Damn you, I knew you had a heart. And that it beat with nothing but love for that child. You worried me so much that it was all just for show, but I knew that couldn’t be true. And I… I hoped that there might be something more between us. I had a feeling, for the longest time, that there was a chance for us. I was so hurt when you told me you were using me… but that was our arrangement from the beginning. We used each other to our ends, and I was just afraid… that there wasn’t anything more than that. You can say that Loid Forger is a front all you want, but I know better. I’ve seen the real you behind your act. And that man… that’s the man I fell for.” Yor was tearing up again, and Loid gently cupped her cheek and stroked the tears of joy away. Yor planted a small kiss against his hand, and she looked back to see the man she knew was always there, behind the calm composure and the thousand lies and half-truths. Loid did love them. He loved Anya… and he loved her, too.
“When this is over, Yor, and Ostania and Westalis are at peace, I promise you, I will never use you or Anya ever again. We can leave Berlint and go wherever we want. Be whoever we want to be. As long as the three of us are together, I will never ask anything of you ever again, Yor,” Loid assured his wife with sincerity.
“I believe you… I really, truly believe you,” Yor whispered back. She planted another kiss on Loid’s lips before they heard a small voice call for them. “Mama? Papa? Is everything okay?” Remembering their daughter, Loid and Yor opened Yor’s bedroom door and walked to either side of the bed. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Mama and Papa finished their talk, and we’re not leaving you alone for the rest of the night,” Yor reassured her gently. Anya stared back at them inquisitively, her bright-green eyes practically glowing in the dark as she looked between her adopted family with what Loid could only describe as a knowing smirk.
“Papa told Mama everything, didn’t he?”
Loid and Yor’s eyes went wide with shock. “Did… Did you tell Anya about all of this?” Yor asked dumbfounded. Loid shook his head rigorously, replying, “not at all! Anya, how did you—?”
“Anya could just tell,” Anya quickly replied. She looked between them and seemed to pick up on even more, continuing with “so is Mama gonna tell Papa everything?”
“Wait, how do you—??” Yor was completely speechless at the realization that Anya was smart enough to figure out that she was an assassin. How the hell Anya did that was completely beyond her, but she turned back to Loid and started to blush slightly. “Well, it would only be fair, honestly… Loid, I’m—!”
“Let’s wait until tomorrow. Is that okay? I think we’ve all had enough revelations for one night,” Loid yawned through his clear exhaustion. His emotional confession had taken the wind out of his sails.
“A-Are you sure? It would only be fair for me to tell you everything now that I know you’re a spy,” Yor’s sense of fairness was winning out over her need for cover.
“It’s okay for now, honey… I just wanna hold my girls and never let you go,” Loid confided, wrapping his arms around Yor and Anya once again. Yor eep-ed in surprise, but she settled into Loid’s arms without any further fussing. Anya cuddled up to her Mama and Papa and fell into a dreamless sleep. No bad memories, no scary scientists. Just her Mama and Papa right there, keeping her safe from anyone who would try to hurt her. Anya had never felt safer.
Yor’s alarm woke the family up early in the morning. She moved quickly and hit the snooze button, but worming out of Loid’s grip caused him and Anya to stir as well. None of them especially wanted to leave each other’s side that morning, but Anya had to go to school, and Yor knew now why her education was so important to Loid. They moved about slowly compared to normal, but there was a new sense of trust between them. Almost everything was laid bare about the arrangement, and Loid and Yor stole longing glances at one another that they didn’t want to capitalize on in front of Anya. Eventually, the three got ready, walked Bond after the big lug decided to wake up, and the Forgers stood at the bus stop as Anya got ready for the day.
“Mama’s gonna tell Papa her secret too, right? Anya will be able to tell if you did or not,” the pink-haired girl spoke with an air of authority that told Yor that she really knew about Yor’s real job. “Yes, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of telling your Papa the truth about my job anymore.” The little girl nodded approvingly at her mother’s words, and then marched forward as the bus pulled up to them.
As she climbed in, Anya found a seat next to a window and shouted out “love you!!” as the bus began to drive away. Loid and Yor shouted a “love you” back to her simultaneously. They looked back at each other and chuckled at their perfect timing. As they made their way back to their apartment, Yor broached last night gently. “So… last night, you mentioned that you’ve been tracking the scientists, right?”
Loid looked over at his wife and nodded solemnly. “Yes. I’ve narrowed down their possible locations to three, but I want to avoid making a move until I’m certain which one it is.”
Yor hesitated for a split second, but she prodded just a little further. “Could… could you show me where?” Loid was surprised that Yor would want to get involved, but as they closed in on the apartment building, he knew that he couldn’t turn her down. “Of course. I’ll show you as soon as we are inside.” They made their way inside, up the stairwell to their apartment, and just as Loid unlocked the door—
Loid didn’t even process the motion until it was over, but Yor had shoved him inside, closed and locked the door again, and had practically pounced on him, shoving him down into the couch and kissing him mercilessly. Loid was completely taken aback by how forward Yor was, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t enjoy it.
Eventually, Yor relented, leaving them both panting for air as a trail of spit still connected their mouths together. “That was for telling me the truth. And for loving me and Anya even when you weren’t supposed to,” Yor announced through heavy breaths. Loid decided that if it earned him a kiss like that every day, he needed to tell her the truth a lot more often. “And here I thought you wanted to look at maps,” Loid replied with mirth.
“I do, I just had to do that when no one could see us,” Yor admitted shyly. “I’d like to see them now, actually. Before either of us have to go to work. Well, before I did, at least. Are you an actual psychiatrist?”
“I practice as one, but I have no certificates or credentials. WISE fudged the records for me so that I apparently got my doctorate at Municht University,” Loid conceded. Yor giggled at this, seeming to find his spy work… cute? Loid didn’t pay that too much mind as he went and brought out his working map of Berlint. Three thumbtacks pointed to three possible locations. Yor studied the map with her crimson eyes, and Loid caught himself staring at her confident, determined expression. “These are my three working locations right now. I don’t know which they’re hiding in, but I don’t want to raid one just yet. I haven’t cased the joints, and I might be walking into a death trap.”
Yor took his words in stride, but she quickly pipped up with “well, if you tried to case the joint here,” she plucked one thumbtack out, “or here,” she plucked another in rapid succession, “you would be dead. Those don’t belong to a cabal of human trafficking scientists. They belong to The Garden.”
Loid froze at the mention. “Garden is real?” Slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it, and Yor giggled in that way that made Loid’s heart flutter… and pound with anxiety. His wife flicked strands of hair behind her eyes, and looked back at him with a dangerous sense of pride that Loid had never seen the kind woman wear before. “Yes, Loid, we are real. I can get in touch with them to verify any info they have on the third location you have, and I'll keep your real job a secret from them.”
Loid couldn’t tell if what he was feeling was fear… or allure. Both? Both. He broached his wife’s ever-so dangerous secret that rivaled his own with a singular “we?”
Yor’s eyes fluttered half open, and her fingers cupped Loid’s chin as she inched closer and closer to him. “Yes, we. I hope you didn’t think I was going to let you go in there all on your own, Mr. Secret Agent. You’re good, but your wife… your wife is better suited for the whole ‘killing’ business.”
Ah. So Yor was actually an assassin. That explained… countless questions, honestly. Her feats of superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, not to mention moving so quietly that even Loid himself couldn’t detect her. Her lack of social grace may have stemmed from being trained early as a child, and while she might not be confident at social functions, Loid had never known someone so confident in their martial abilities. And yeah… Loid might have been the best agent in WISE, but Yor was in an entirely different league compared to him. “I guess you’re right, honestly. I just didn’t want to risk getting you hurt in my revenge plot.”
“Loid, I love you, but you’re not keeping me out of this. They hurt our baby. I won’t rest easy until I’ve ripped those monsters apart. Limb. By. Limb.” Yor’s words dripped with a similar fury to what she had last night, but it wasn’t directed at Loid this time. Loid could see the blood in the water, and Yor was ready to sink her teeth into the vile scientists who experimented on Anya. And there’d be Hell on Earth when Yor Forger came for their heads. Loid smirked at the thought. He was falling deeper in love with this woman every day, and she always had her way of surprising the decorated spy.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, beautiful,” Loid replied as he closed the distance between them. A spy from Westalis and an assassin from Ostania. They made an odd pair, but they would make it work all the same. And they’d make sure that their little girl, or any child like her that the world had forgetten, would never be hurt by these monsters again. Yor and Loid would make sure of that. The Thorn Princess and Agent Twilight.