Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“That wife of yours is definitely cheating on you.”

Loid gripped his own arm tightly and nearly glared.

As much as he thought Franky as his best intel supplier—and maybe sometimes, even a good friend—there was no denying that right at this second, his face just turned slightly more punch-able. But a spy or not, punching someone who was manning a tobacco stand was a recipe for trouble. Someone would bound to call the police if he were to beat a supposed “stranger” for no reason.

In this case, however, he had a reason.

This bastard just told him that his wife was cheating on him. Fake wife technically, but still, he’d known Yor for about a good six years for them to earn mutual respect towards one another. The image of her, cheating and—God forbid—committing adultery with another man was preposterous.

Calm down, Twilight, he thought to himself. One breath in, and one breath out.

“Why is that any of your concern?” Loid replied calmly, but that calmness inside of him threatened to change into something akin to “shooting-a-man-straight-in-the-head”.

But once again, Franky was a trusted comrade. And the best one he knew.

“You’re gonna tell me that you don’t suspect a thing? I mean, I know it isn’t any of my business prying into your love life but come on! Something is fishy here. Those late-night “meetings” she told you she had? You know what it sounds like to me?” He cupped his hand beside his mouth. “Bullshit~”

Loid took the newspaper off the counter. “Yor is nothing like that. I can assure you.”

“Hey, don’t take it the wrong way, pal. I’m only looking out for you. Divorce rates are getting way higher in this country than before! I don’t want to see you turn into one of those sulky old fools who eats ice cream and watch soap operas for six months, just waiting for their sadness to melt away.”

Loid lifted a brow at him.

“Which I don’t do,” Franky added with a scowl. “And neither will you, if you just call her out for it.”

“And if you’re wrong, and she isn’t cheating?”

Franky shrugged and leaned his head lazily against his hand. “Then she’s probably just pregnant and is trying to avoid seeing you.”

The newspaper in Loid’s hand crumpled slightly, but his composure returned before Franky could notice.

“You should really stop watching those soap operas, Franky,” Loid said as he dropped off his change on the counter. “And stop eating ice creams for dinner.”

As he walked away from the stand, he heard Franky shout at him from behind, insisting that he did not watch any trashy dramas or eat desserts as his dinner.

Like Loid cared to reply after that.

The sun was just about to set, and the streetlamps had begun to light up, the road clearing up as the cars lessened. Dusk would fall soon. Loid walked at his usual pace with the newspaper in his hand.

Operation Strix was still ongoing, even after six years—the longest and most mentally-draining mission he’d ever been assigned to yet. Anya’s studies had…improved, to say the least. She could score better than failing marks, but it wasn’t high enough for an imperial scholar. Though her academic performance wasn’t as he would’ve liked, he could give her some credit for getting on a friendlier term with that Damian. But too friendly could also be harmful.

…For the mission.

Nonetheless, he’d have to keep a closer eye on that boy whenever he was around.

For now though, a short rest would do him good. From all the missions he had had today, from the constant thinking of alternatives to bring Operation Strix to success; from everything. But apparently not everything as Franky’s words hit him more than he realized.

That wife of yours is definitely cheating on you.

And he emphasized on the ‘definitely’ as though he knew for certain. Franky even had dared say to him that he hadn’t suspected a thing.

Of course he had suspected something.

Yor had never acted this weird.

It all started last week when she, out of the blue, refused to talk or look at him for three days straight. Now as a family man himself, Loid understood that a marriage—be it a fake one—had its ups and downs, but seriously, he didn’t even do anything to upset her. Not that he knew of, at least. Still, he figured it could just be that time of the month for her.

Though, she didn’t seem like she was angry at him per se. She just seemed…unlike herself. Plus extremely nervous whenever, he especially, was around. She wouldn’t make eye contact, and would disregard any conversation he tried to start with her, and then lock herself in her room, as if she didn’t want to deal with him. It bothered him even more when she began to skip dinners and breakfasts, staying cooped up in her room doing God knows what.

And when she did come out, after he and Anya pointed it out to her once, there was that excuse she started telling just so she could leave the house, further avoiding him.

The office just called me in, she had said.

I think I’ll be home very late, she had said.

There was a mix-up in the paperwork, and I have to work all night to settle it, she had said.

All of it. Lies.

Franky might’ve been right about Yor doing something fishy, but as far as to conclude that she was cheating on him?

After the years they spent living together, helping each other raise Anya, that handful child? After the all-too-genuine kiss they’d shared one fateful night that soon became a norm in their daily life? As well as the...unspoken things they did after?

Shouldn’t that supposed to make her stay? Weren’t those things supposed to make her want to stay?

Listen to yourself. You’re losing sight of the real goal here.

Right.

The mission.

He merely needed Yor to stay for the sake of their family image; that was all. Nothing more, nothing less. A cheating wife would bring that image—he constantly tried to perfect—down as quick as a snap of a finger. Rumors weren’t hard to spread in this town, and Yor leaving almost every night would, without a doubt, have the neighbors start their gossiping spree.

So, it had to be decided.

Tonight was the night he stopped giving Yor chances to come clean. Tonight was the night Twilight questioned her; not Loid Forger anymore. Enough was enough. After dinner, whether Yor would join them or not, after Anya had gone to bed, Loid—Twilight would find out the truth. 

Loid entered the house and closed the door behind him.

The living room was empty, same goes for the kitchen. Anya’s door was closed, and so was Yor’s, but he knew both of them were home. It was the weekend after all. No one had to go to school or work today—him excluded since the Handler mostly dumped everything on him.

He could already expect Yor coming out after he and Anya finished dinner to go to, based on her words, an “important meeting” at the City Hall. Only this time, he wouldn’t let her slip out so easily.

He hung his hat on the rack and took off his coat. Loid was all about to enter his room when he heard a questionable thud coming from behind Anya’s door.

As well as a short and muffled cry that followed…5 seconds later.

Initially Loid didn’t think much of it, just assuming Anya probably had dropped something or possibly tripped, despite the strangely delayed cry.

But...

Just in case.

“Anya, is everything…” He opened her door and paused blankly when his daughter stared back. And she sat oh-so-formally on her chair with a— terribly hidden—forced smile.

“What are you doing?” he asked after a beat.

“Nothing.” His brows furrowed, and she added, “Just studying.”

“What was that sound I heard?”

“Oh. Oh, um. I dropped my…my book. And then I fell off my chair…trying to get it?”

Loid narrowed his eyes, carefully studying her face for hints that she was lying to him.

He did, however, got the hint he needed.

That being there wasn’t even a single book on her desk.

He sighed heavily. But not like this little liar could harm anything. It was the mother that he had to handle first.

“Okay then,” he said instead. “I’ll start on dinner in a bit. You mind helping me set up the table later?”

“S-sure, but…will mama join us this time?”

That. That nearly made him frown genuinely. Not only because a child like her could already notice the tension that’d been in their household for the whole week, but also because he could’ve sworn  he heard the disappointment in her voice. As if she already knew the answer to her own question. He knew it as well.

Yor would most likely skip today’s dinner too. Like the day before that, and the day before that.

And sadly, also the day before that.

“I can try and knock on her door again. See if she wants to eat with us tonight?”

Anya slowly nodded, albeit her head lowered more and more. “Okay,” she said, rather despondently. “Thanks, papa.”

Again, he almost faltered. Almost. Wasn’t a spy for nothing if he couldn’t act his way through it, especially in front of a kid. Though, some part of him already had the feeling Anya saw right through his calm face and saw all of the stress and tension that was beneath it. A perceptive girl she could be sometimes. And sometimes he even felt as though she could read his mind.

Closing Anya’s door felt like pulling a heavy weight. And he casted a glance to the room beside it—Yor’s bedroom. Her door was shut and undoubtedly locked.

Later, he thought. I’ll put an end to this later. And she will tell me everything I want to know.

But now, he just wanted to get himself cleaned. The smell of gunsmoke still lingered on his pants and shirt regardless if he’d done all that he could to make it unnoticeable for the people around him. Unless they were a neat freak and had an incredible sense of smell, he was sure no one could’ve known where he’d actually been.

Well, except for him, of course. And the Handler.

Loid turned on the faucet and let the water run hot, the steam eventually clouding the bathroom and the mirror above the sink. He was retrieving the towel when his foot hit the little trash can beside the tub.

“Damn it,” he muttered as he kneeled over the mess on the floor—a lot of used toilet paper, floss strings, peanut wrappings for some reason, an empty bottle and a…

Loid’s hands hesitated when he saw it.

A pregnancy test.

Used and with clear results.

He took the stick into his hands and held it firmly below the light, hoping that he’d made a mistake, hoping that his eyes were playing tricks on him and what he saw wasn’t real.

It couldn’t be real.

And yet it so was.

Two lines were there on the center of the stick. Not one, but two. Loid knew the indication behind those lines; what it meant for him now, and selfishly, for the mission. For the whole fake family thing.

Because Franky had been right all along, and Loid just didn’t—refused to—believe it since the very beginning, assuming Franky had merely been watching too much of those overly-dramatic shows during his heartbreak season.

Loid was wrong about that, because damn it, Franky was right. He had been right about what he said to him before.

Not about Yor having an affair, no.

But about her being pregnant.

Chapter Text

Anya waited a few seconds after Loid left her room.

She sat in her same seat, her eyes burning holes through her door as if she could detect her father’s movements. Her fake smile was long gone since he closed the door, and he most likely saw through her face and did nothing despite so.

Regardless, she let herself breathe once she heard him enter the bathroom, and a click right after. That puff of sigh, one could hear just how much relief she’d released through a short exhale, because she knew if she’d been a second late, Loid would’ve caught her.

That was indeed so, so close.

“Alright, coast is clear. You can come out now,” Anya all but whispered.

Bond’s head peeked out first from under her bed, the bed covers touching the floor lifted slightly as the rest of his white fur revealed itself out.

And later, so did the boy who had hid alongside it.

His facial expression, however, could be classified as pure annoyance wrapped under another layer of annoyance.

Or in a simpler term, he wasn’t happy.

Anya grimaced when he pointed her a glare. “Sorry…sy-on boy.”

“I swear to God, Forger. One day, I will sue you.”

Damian Desmond, the second son of Donovan Desmond—the evil man her father had been trying to get close to for his mission.

For about six years, Anya had managed to get…somewhat along with him. But that didn’t just happen magically and overnight, of course. Befriending someone who was kind of an ass to her was no easy work, but with a father whose career revolved around deceiving, emotion-playing, and false faces, Anya learned to secretly pick up on a few things. Although, most of them had failed at first when she tried to apply it on Damian, because who knew sy-on boy was a tough egg to crack. But once she did, he was…actually okay to hang around with. He was kind of nice. Even let her have that whole bag of mashuga nuts he got from out of town once.

But that was beside the point.

Because now the point was Damian , the boy whom she had not-so-softly punched upon their first ever encounter, was in her room.

Why?

Simple story.

Even she had no idea.

It was a casual Saturday evening. The outside sky had turned from baby blue to a deep orange; the sun would set in less than half an hour or so.

Anya was on the couch, laying on her side along with Bond sleeping beside her, albeit he was taking most of the space if it weren’t for his fluffy fur, and his big belly.

The television played Spy Wars; her foremost favorite cartoon series of all time. In this week’s episode—yes, six years going strong—Bondman was parachuting off a burning helicopter with a beautiful woman in his arms. The woman, like many other women in this show, dramatically clung to her knight-in-shining-armor. A great fire explosion erupted behind them, bits of the helicopter flying in the background, wreaking havoc to the abandoned factory below as it all crashed.

Bondman landed them safely, and in a rather dramatic pose, with such ease.

“My hero,” the woman said in awe. “What would I ever do without you, Mr. Bondman?”

“No, Priscilla. The real question is: what would I ever do without you…as my wife?” He opened a red box and revealed the diamond ring.

The episode ended. To be continued, it wrote at the bottom.

Anya gaped at the cliffhanger. Not because of the fact that the main character just took out a ring out of nowhere, but because…okay, yes she didn’t see it coming.

“Did you see that Bond?” she asked her dog, despite him being half-asleep the whole time. She shook her head at the TV. “I guess next week’s episode is about him getting married. But man, think about all of the other girls he’d piss off.”

Suddenly, Bond cocked his head.

No, not at what she’d said, but rather…to stare intently at the front door. Out of the blue. So suddenly, his sleepiness disappeared into thin air, and now he was on guard for some reason.

Anya tilted her head when he stayed that way for a bit longer. Maybe he’d heard something? Footsteps of someone approaching their apartment? She did read somewhere about dogs having better hearing than humans, so maybe it was the neighbors he’d heard. Either that or it was just her father returning after a long day of his “totally normal” job.

Yeah, that was probably it. And the one ringing the doorbell now must be him, she figured.

Relieved it was only Loid coming back home, Anya sat back on the couch—relaxed and glad.

Until something finally clicked in her brain.

Wait.

Just wait a second.

Papa has a key. Logically, he wouldn’t even need to ring the…

Anya hurriedly switched the TV off, letting the room fall into a pin-drop silence. Bond had already left the couch, beelining straight to the front door as though he could begin his silent attack to whoever was on the other side. Because whoever was on the other side …

It wasn’t her father.

It wasn’t her mother, definitely.

Maybe…Uncle Yuri? Or Franky? Or that scary lady that wanted to replace Yor?

Whoever it was, she had to be careful. Just like Bondman was when he’d approached an enemy’s base. Except this was nothing like that, and more real.

“Bond,” Anya whispered, “who do you see out there?”

Now unlike her, Bond acted nowhere close to being careful or wary. In fact, he even gave her a soft woof, one that she recognized when he was in a calm, and happy state. Why in God’s name was Bond happy when a total stranger was outside right now, waiting to infiltrate their home to find a man called Twilight? Although, that was merely an assumption. Probably a bit exaggerated, but not impossible. A professional spy like Loid—plus with his reputation and name—was bound to be targeted. But a mother who kills dozens of people without mercy could also be targeted by some bad people.

Speaking of which.

“Should I call mama, just in case? It’s safer to have some backup to kick ass.”

Once again, Bond gave her the same soft woof, and he shook his head. He then kissed the doorknob, pawing at it. He was telling her to open the door. And let the stranger in.

Loid did say to never open the door if anyone were to ring the bell. Basic, common rule established by a parent to a child. Never let a stranger in. If her father were here, he’d give her an earful about it.

Because here she was, opening the front door.

Hesitance did etch itself at the back of her mind at first. But a second later, when the door revealed who it was standing on the welcome mat, Anya’s mind just went….

Temporarily blank .

Like super blank.

Especially when the person she least expected to show up, showed up.

“Sy-on boy?”

Damian had his hand raised, just about to ring the doorbell again. His face flushed, but he hid it with his resting-scowl-face. “Took you long enough.”

“Wait—what are you doing here?”

“I’m here because you haven’t returned that history book I lent to you. Weeks ago. So, yeah, time’s up; I’d like to have it back.”

“You came all the way just to ask me for that book?”

“It’s not a compliment, stupid. I only let you borrow it because your history sucks. And also because you…sort of helped me with that Classical Language test the last time—but that is all. Don’t think I’m doing you favors for free, Forger.”

“Still, though. You do know you could’ve just asked me when school re-opens right?”

If Damian wasn’t such a grumpy, short-tempered kid, she would’ve pointed out how flushed he looked right now. Because if she looked closely, he almost seemed as if he’d been holding his breath for a minute.

But with that scowl he had, Anya dared not. So, instead, she snickered lightly, “Calm down, sy-on boy; I’m kidding. It’s in my room. I can go and get it if you want.” She opened the door wider. “You want to wait inside?”

“…Inside?” he asked, as though reluctant for certain reasons. To some people, it might’ve even looked like he was appalled by the mere idea of entering a house of a lower class.

Anya knew it wasn’t that, though.

“Yeah. Unless…you want to stay out here and talk to my papa when he comes back later?”

His scowl dropped. Genuinely. “Are you home alone right now?”

“Mama is in her room, but she’s sleeping.” She hesitated and repeated slowly, “I think she should be in the house at least.”

“You don’t even know if your mother is home?”

“Look, do you want to come in or not?”

Damian tutted annoyedly, but eventually stepped into the apartment, nonetheless. Anya left a glance outside in the hallway before closing the door behind her.

“So…” Anya started, “how did you get here?”

He raised a brow at her, as though it was obvious. Well, technically it was pretty obvious. She wouldn’t expect the son of a high status man to cycle his way here.

“By car. The book. Where is it?”

Anya huffed. “You really want it back that bad, huh?” She almost rolled her eyes and turned on her heel. “Well, come on then.”

Damian made a face when she gestured for him to follow—her dog included, and obviously with much more confidence than he had. Not to say that he didn’t follow suit, but he was fairly hesitant.

When he finally entered her room, Anya was already by her desk, going through her drawers looking for the book he wanted back. The history book he’d lent her in hopes she’d get a “better grade” next time.

She had better pass her paper, Damian’s thoughts spoke to her. If not, stealing Demetrius’s book was for nothing.

Anya gulped secretly at that.

Well, crap.

“I-I found it,” Anya said. She held the book and showed him, as if to prove to him that under her care the book was taken care of. At least there weren’t any missing pages or scribblings inside them. Anya was glad she’d fought her urges back then to leave silly drawings in Damian’s book. Or based on what she found out, his brother’s book. She wondered why he’d lied to her about that.

Damian took the book from her, instantly flipping the pages himself. So much for “trust”.

After he was done, deeming that the book was just as it was given on the first day, he shut the book with a sigh.

Anya clasped her hands behind her back as the room fell silent.

“So…are you relieved? That you got your book back?” Anya asked.

“Relieved?”

“I just imagined you would feel uneasy the past few weeks, leaving your book with me; trusting the book with me. I mean, it must’ve been expensive, wasn’t it?”

Damian glanced down at the book in his hands, pausing to think, his face holding nothing of the mean boy who would, most of the time, glare at her.

“It…it was,” he finally said. “But to be fair, I wasn’t uneasy…leaving it with you.”

Genuinely, Anya was surprised. Her brows were raised. “Really? You actually trusted me?”

“Sh-shut up!” There it is. The scowl came back, as if it was his defense mechanism or something. His mean side came back along with his false temper. “Just because I said I wasn’t uneasy, it doesn’t mean I trusted you completely. This book came from generations after generations in my family. It means something. Unlike your life, Anya.”

Anya laughed. “I’m so not offended by that.”

His face flushed again when she wore a small smile. Damian had to scoff in annoyance just to keep up with his “I hate Anya” façade.

If she wasn’t an Esper, she would’ve believed his acting.

“Yeah, whatever,” Damian mumbled as he turned away. “I’m going home.”

Anya nodded and watched as his back faced her. This little surprise visit of his had been nice. She was quite surprised that Yor didn’t come out of her room even after hearing the doorbell. Perhaps she already heard Damian’s voice, and thought it wasn’t…dangerous? Maybe it was the assassin's instinct. Regardless, it was weird that she didn’t come out at all.

Bond barked at Damian.

It caused everyone to stop, her included. Seeing Damian's wary reaction as her dog continued to bark, Anya turned to him.

“Bond? What’s wrong—?”

The room around her disappeared. Bond was gone, and so was Damian.

Now all that replaced them was the sight of Loid, looking by the window, glaring dangerously to whatever was out in the road. He was still in his work clothes that he wore this morning. And that look on his face, Anya could tell it was somewhere close to hatred. Like personal hatred more than the calculating spy look he usually had when he was thinking deeply. The corner of his lips had twisted into a snarl.

Anya, slightly afraid yet curious enough, walked to his side to look out the window too. Loid didn’t— couldn’t acknowledge her presence. She was in Bond’s vision after all, wasn’t she?

It was already dark outside, and the lamps on the streets had been turned on, glowing a dim white. There was a black, shiny car on the side of the road, just parked by their apartment. Three people were beside the expensive looking vehicle: Herself, Damian, and his driver. The man was dressed to the nines, holding out the door for him to enter.

Damian didn’t go in straight away. Instead, he gave a final glance at her future-self. And he bid her goodbye. He waved at her with the tiniest, but realest smile she’d ever seen on him. After that, only then did he let the man close the car’s door.

Meanwhile inside the apartment, Loid was fuming. She saw how his face twisted under poor control. And she could’ve sworn that all of it became worse when the future Anya, downstairs by the side of the road, giddily waved back.

A heavy sigh left Loid. The kind of sigh that anyone could tell was exhaled out of frustration and anger.

“He’s just a boy,” Loid whispered to himself, albeit still wearing that disgusted look. “Just. A boy.”

He repeated that as he turned away from the window, as though saying it would calm him down.

Yet Loid’s temper wasn’t what scared her; his face, his almost death glares wasn’t what made her heart race in trepidation.

It was the fact that he disliked Damian.

This. This was bad. Damian was her father’s target’s son! Her befriending Damian was his idea in the first place!

And now…he hated him?

It was ironic how Loid was the one who had made her apologize to Damian when she’d punched him, but now it seemed like he was the one close to punching the same guy.

Could it be that he came home and saw Damian in his house, afraid that the boy might find out about all of the spy equipment in his room? Ruin the whole mission?

Or…

Or did he see Damian in her room, together with the doors closed? And she’d just done every father’s nightmare: being alone with a boy.

Oh, no.

Keys jingled at the front door. Anya blinked and everything returned to the way it was before, back in her room, with Bond there and—

Damian. He was leaving.

But her father was outside at the door.

If Damian leaves now, he’d have to get past Loid. Then Loid would find out that he’d come from her room. And then he’d slowly grow to dislike him. And then Loid would hate him. And then he’d ruin his own mission for threatening his target’s kid. And then Loid’s target would hate Loid. And then Damian’s father would proceed with his plan to start a war. And then world peace would be gone, their house would be bombed, and everyone would starve and die in a slow, painful death—

The front door slammed closed.

“Wait!” Anya lunged after him, which in hindsight, something she should’ve thought a little bit more before practically tackling him until he—unintentionally, herself too—fell forward to the floor.

Bad idea, that was as her knees and front now hurt. Damian was probably more shocked than pissed, given she literally took him down with her, despite her intention was to stop him from leaving her room. Although, it certainly was not her intention to be this close to him, to the point where their bodies touched, and to the point where her arm was over his back and holding him down.

She realized it. Damian realized it. But in these 5 seconds, she actually realized it.

Anya shrieked and recoiled.

Though, her hands quickly clamped over her mouth. That was the moment she knew how much she’d screwed up.

An instant, biggest bad mistake she’d made.

Her father’s footsteps. He was coming their way. He was approaching her door!

And Damian was still here, right next to her, too much in his own shock to even see what was about to come!

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.

“Hide!” Anya scream-whispered to him. “Under the bed! Go!”

“What the hell just happened—?”

There was no time for it. With the help of Bond, they dragged Damian and forced him to roll under her bed. Of course, Damian didn’t just willingly allow himself to be shoved under someone’s bed where dust was collected, no. That was where Bond had to hide along with him, as though to make sure he stayed put and not come out. Although, Anya had a feeling the dog’s method was to just sit on top of him. Paralyze his movements, basically.

Was there a chance Bond’s fur might suffocate him? Definitely.

But for just a short minute, it was fine.

With what few seconds she had left, Anya dropped the bed cover and plopped onto her chair.

Just in time before Loid opened her door.

“Anya, is everything…” Loid paused. Anya felt the top of her head sweat as though rain was falling. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Anya gulped in secret. Her mouth spoke on its own, meanwhile she fought the urge to glance over her bed.

Where Bond and Damian were hiding.

She could hear the latter’s thoughts from here, so loud and cluttered and confused and embarrassed. And she didn’t like this heavy feeling building up inside of her. Probably most of it came from the rush of hiding someone in just mere seconds, but could the rest come from…guilt? From having to push him into a dusty, cramped space by force? Maybe. Although, she hadn’t a choice. This was for Loid’s sake. If he found out Damian was here, in the same room he was breathing in right now, he’d start developing something that would affect his mission.

Hating the target’s son, who could be a great asset in the long run to him, would be an instant failure.

Just a few seconds more. And it would all be over.

Soon after Loid deemed her “unsuspicious enough”, he finally left her alone. The moment she confirmed he was gone from sight and hearing, Anya released the biggest sigh.

“Alright, coast is clear. You can come out now.”

The guilt in her stomach rose and came to her face, just as soon as she saw him, dust etching itself on his hair, and clothes.

“Sorry…sy-on boy.” And that was an apology she really meant. No mockery, honest to God. Though, Damian wasn’t convinced in his anger.

“I swear to God, Forger. One day, I will sue you,” he spat. “What the hell was that all about, huh?” His voice was seriously controlled though, like he was holding himself back from screaming at her. Anya appreciated that.

Guess I’m not the only one scared of being caught.

“I panicked! You can’t honestly tell me you’ve never just…done something without thinking, right?”

With that, his scowl softened, even if just slightly. He understood the feeling.

But Damian being Damian, he averted his head and scoffed. “Still. You could’ve just had me hide under there by myself. Your dog almost killed me with his fur.”

“Don’t be a drama queen. It was only a second.”

“A second? You, talking with Mr. Forger about dinner was just a second? For your information I couldn’t breathe with all the dust you kept under there. It’s like…you’re against vacuum cleaners or something. Seriously, when was the last time you cleaned your room?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, I clean my room just fine. I may not be some neat freak who orders someone else to vacuum my room, but yes. I clean from time to time. But back to the original issue, now if you want to leave…” She walked over to the window above her desk and pushed the handle upwards. The wind came ambushing them, blowing their hairs and clothes.

“You may a-go,” she said, playfully mocking his voice.

 “What?”

“You can go. I mean, here’s your exit.”

Damian’s face dropped as he approached her. Reluctance and some bit of fear appeared on his face when he craned his neck towards the ridiculous exit she presented to him.

“Through the window? You want me to jump out and kill myself?”

“We’re on the first floor. Plus there’s a fire escape you can use if you’re that scared of heights.”

“You’re kidding me.” Anya only raised a brow in response. Because no, she wasn’t kidding him. “Can’t I just make a run for the front door? It’s not like your dad’s going to notice—”

“Nope,” Anya said. “It’s too risky. Papa hears everything in this house. Including the smallest of feet running from across his room. So come on; chop-chop. Be a man and climb down the fire escape.”

Once more, Damian didn’t hide the reluctance on his face. Who wouldn’t be reluctant when asked to climb down quite the height. At most, he could break an arm with that fall. But…

Anya was watching him.

He wasn’t going to let a puny girl witness him cower in such a humiliating way. She’d no doubt tease him for years to come. She’d spill everything to that obnoxious best friend of hers, Blackbell, about how cowardly he’d been for refusing to climb down a very short flight of stairs.

For the sake of your pride, man up. She’s watching you. That stupid, smug, pink-haired weirdo is watching, Damian thought. Anya heard. Rather, she even couldn’t fight herself from lifting a smile.

That and the fact that he was actually doing it.

Damian had climbed her desk and went out through the window. Impressed was what Anya was. She didn’t think he had the balls for it.

“Hey, wait.” Damian turned around to her call, kneeling just so he could see her without the window frame blocking.

“What?” He showed how annoyed he was at her. Fake or real, Anya didn’t bother to read his mind to find out.

“I…thank you.” Anya blushed and looked away. “For the book and…for putting up with all of the shenanigans today. I really appreciate it, Damian. If I haven’t said that already.”

He looked at her for what felt like a long time. Regardless, the annoyance in his eyes faded when she spoke his name, when she even thanked him.

He returned a smile, nonetheless.

The same exact smile she’d seen him give her in Bond’s vision. Tiny, but real.

So, utterly real.

“See you around,” he replied, then made his climb down.

Anya bit the inside of her cheek as she watched his silhouette disappear below. It was weird how something funny lingered in her stomach.

His car drove off not soon after.

Anya looked out from the living room window, waving a little at him before he got into his fancy vehicle. What surprised her was that he’d waved back. Not an energetic one though. He merely raised his hand at her. But a goodbye was still a goodbye. She wouldn’t deny how sad the feeling was.

Sad yet, incredibly, fantastically the good kind of sad.

Especially when they exchanged that smile earlier.

“What are you looking at?”

Anya whipped her head behind her, and her blush intensified. Loid was there in the kitchen, and he‘d been keeping an eye on her for who knows how long.

She yanked the drapes closed. “I-I-I saw a pigeon outside. It was looking at me funny.”

“A pigeon?”

Anya quickly hummed in affirmation and walked to the table. “So, what’s for dinner?”

“Anything but peanuts, that’s for certain,” he replied as he switched on the stove.

Anya frowned. Why does Papa look so troubled—?

“What did you do today while I was at work?”

She sighed internally. No way could she tell him she’d been watching Spy Wars and the reruns of it since noon. So, like him, she had to lie.

“Studying. Our test is starting next month, and I thought I’d prepare myself for it in advance,” she said as though she believed it too. That was the trick in lying she’d learned from him.

“Good. It’s good that you’re following your own schedule, Anya. Here I thought you might’ve been watching TV the whole day.” Loid’s tone towards that last sentence sounded a little too sarcastic for him to have actually believed her words.

Anya blinked.

Okay, he knows I’m lying.

But again, he didn’t call her out for it. Which was…a bit strange.

Usually he would’ve said something or asked her a bit more in detail of her statement if she ever lied. But this time, he only shrugged it off. Just like he did earlier when he was at her door.

Was papa fired from his job or something? Is that why he seems tense? Or is he tense because of…mama? He also didn’t ask what she was doing. Which is unlike him not to keep himself updated with the status of his family. Maybe I should try and read his mind later…

Dinner was the same as yesterday. Just her and Loid. Yor wasn’t there—again, unfortunately. As they eat, Anya couldn’t help but listen to a little bit of her father’s thoughts.

Enough is enough, she heard him think. I’m not letting her leave tonight when she comes out.

Anya wondered a lot about that as she ate. Everything he thought of after was too vague for her to solve the puzzle. As though the equation wasn’t yet finished.

Maybe…Loid had found out about why mama kept herself cooped up in her room, and always skipped a family meal?

She’d love to know the reason behind that too.

Ever since that one morning Anya read her mother’s mind, it was safe to say she became a tad traumatized after…what Yor thought of the things Loid did to her the night before. Ever since that day, she’d become extremely careful when it came to reading someone’s mind. Yor’s mind, in particular. Her thinking of those…stuff was worse than her reminiscing on slicing someone’s guts open. Anya could barely look at her parents the same way that morning.

“Do you think mama’s angry at us?” Anya asked as she played with her food, her head hung low.

Before she ever got an answer from him, a creak sounded in the hallway. And came the footsteps in heels.

There Yor was making her appearance just like the days before, although just for a short-time as she beelined towards the front door in a rush. She was dressed neatly, her pink coat hugging her frame, and her hair in a lower bun. Anya felt a twinge of disappointment when her mother gave her usual excuses without stopping at all. Even Bond had lowered his head and whimpered, just as disappointed too.

But Loid…

He felt something else.

“Yor, take a seat.”

Yor halted at the door, her back facing them. Though, Anya knew from her mind that her mother was caught off-guard with Loid’s firm tone. Everyone was caught off-guard.

A second. Then two seconds. Then a few more.

“I…I told you, Loid,” Yor said, voice shaky and so the opposite of her husband’s. “I have to get going. My boss will—”

“I’ll give him a call and tell him why you’re late. You don't need to worry. Besides, you can’t leave without your house key, can you?”

She glanced at the key holder by the door, her eyes widening when she realized what he had done.

All of the keys were gone. As though he’d expected this. He knew he couldn’t stop her from leaving by force, so he took away her exit.

“Like I said, I’ll give your boss a call. So, please,” he said. His eyes grew cold. “Take a seat, Yor.”

Anya looked between the two adults, seeing how both were staring down at each other with such intensity. The silence was painful, and being caught in the middle of it was bad luck.

One thing’s for sure, though.

This wasn’t going to be pretty.

Chapter Text

“Take a seat, Yor.”

His words were as cold as his eyes. Not the words itself, but the way he’d said it, as though she was in trouble.

Not to say that she wasn’t.

She was in so much trouble now.

Yor did nothing but freeze in her place, fearing that if she moved even an inch, she might say things she didn’t mean to everyone; and that wouldn’t be good. None of this was good. Everything that was happening as of now spelt anything but good!

And…oh God; they were staring.

Loid and Anya were staring at her so intensely, although the latter looked at her as if she were a stranger who’d broken into their home, unlike her father who’d been watching her like a hawk. And every movement she made next—approaching the dinner table and taking a seat—his eyes followed.

Once she took her place, however, was when the anxiety really kicked in. She realized she might need more than will power to pull this off calmly.

“Alright; I’m seated. Now what is it you want that is so important?” That was not supposed to sound harsh, and Yor regretted every word of it, especially when it made Anya’s eyes widen. She had to take a sip of her drink just to hide her own reaction.

Loid, though?

He didn’t even move a muscle. He wasn’t phased—if he was, then he hid it like a pro.

If she could go back in time, would she have used better wordings and tone? Most definitely. But lately, even her emotions were a piece of work. Not to mention, the pressure that’s put on you when you were supposed to be somewhere at a specific time was quite un-ignorable. She had places she promised someone she’d show up.

Please, oh please let this be quick.

…Actually, she could make this quick. There was a way. If she could just get behind him and press a finger just below his ear, then he’d pass out and maybe she could slip away—

Yor stopped herself immediately.

No! I can’t do that to him; he’s my husband! If he finds out that I was even thinking about taking him out like that, he’d be afraid of me. Although, it would be somewhat an irony since I’ve literally seen him hit his patient with a pipe before. But then again, that was for therapy, he said. He has a license to do that. I don’t. If I knock him out right now, even if painlessly, I might actually get in trouble by law.

Anya choked on her drink, taking the attention of everybody in the room—Bond included.

“I—I’m fine,” Anya assured hoarsely as she cleared her throat.

“Anya, do you mind giving us a moment?” Loid asked.

Anya then gaped. “Seriously? But everyone is finally here! Mama is out and sitting with us and I—” She paused as Loid gave her a certain look. “—I just remembered I’ve got an assignment I haven’t finished yet. Excuse me.” Anya scooched out from her chair and left the dining area as she was told to do.

Which left Yor absolutely alone with him. Just as soon as Anya closed her door, her heart took pace.

Honestly, she didn’t know which was worse: having Anya there or without her presence at all. But considering the tension that was added right after she left, and the most long few seconds of silence she ever had to endure, maybe it would’ve been less stressful if the girl was there. Though, Loid must have sent her away for a reason. He wanted to talk. And it had to be something serious, serious; something she had a feeling she knew about yet denied ever since she was stopped at the door.

“I know you’ve been avoiding me.”

Her head cocked to look at him, and her heart beat faster.

His voice almost sounded foreign. Unrecognizable. Like he was a different man from the nice, loving father and husband.

“…That’s not true. I—I don’t—"  

“Yor, we both know that that is, in fact, the truth. You’ve been ignoring me ever since last week; refusing to look at me, and rarely talking with Anya; skipping every meal you possibly can; leaving at such late hours, saying it’s for work. It’s just unusual, is all. And it’s definitely enough to make everyone worry about you. I’m worried about you. I know I shouldn’t pry given the nature of our relationship, but I think we’ve known and lived with each other long enough for me to have the right to ask you a question. So, when I ask you this, I hope you’ll answer me honestly.”

Loid leaned in a little and clasped his hands.

“What is going on with you, Yor?”

A second.

Then another.

She took in a heavy breath and looked down.

“Nothing.”

Loid paused. Then his eyes narrowed. “Nothing? Nothing at all?”

She shook her head, repeating her answer. And once more, he just looked at her, studied her as she stood her ground like a stubborn child.

“I see,” he said after a moment. He then leaned back on his chair, and his hand was off the table.

Although, it didn’t come back up empty-handed.

He placed a bag—one that was air-tight and sealed—onto the table before sliding it to her.

Yor caught it on instinct. Which was a big mistake. This particular moment was proof of how sometimes what a con it is to have such sharp reflexes. Because what was inside the bag was something she never thought he’d have. At all.

The pregnancy test she’d thrown out was still showing its result even after a week. She thought she had disposed of it, but clearly she had been wrong. Because now, here it was, being given back to her and presented as though it was a crime evidence, at the same time reminding her of what she’d found out herself at the most awful time.

The two lines that truly would change her life forever.

Her mouth left agape as she took the bag in her hands, really inspecting it herself just as she had the first time she’d seen its results. But what was a more worrying matter was the fact that Loid, her fake husband, now knew.

Heck, he found the damn thing himself.

“Does that count as nothing to you?”

Yor had no words to her aid. She literally had nothing.

Because, right now, all she could think of was how stupid she’d been for throwing the test in the bathroom trash can.

Yor let out a shaky sigh.

It was positive.

It came back positive, and she…

She couldn’t understand it.

How could this have happened? She was certain they had used protection that night. She was certain they had been so utterly careful every time they decided to…do it. That night was no different; and they had used protection. She was sure of it. She was 100% definitely sure.

So, how could the test have come back positive instead of negative? Why was the test telling her she was pregnant?

This couldn’t be real. And yet…

It made sense. It would explain a lot that had been going on with her.

The feeling of nausea the past few weeks for every morning without fail, certain foods having a weird smell that wasn’t there before. And worse of all; the effect of blood on her now. The sight of it, heck, even just by smell of it she couldn’t stand or hold herself back from throwing up there on the spot. And she had never had any problem with anything, much less with blood. She was an assassin, for God’s sake. Having to deal with a lot of blood was part of her paycheck.

She started to realize it when the last two jobs she did shared a similar experience—the feeling of bile rising at the back of her throat out of the blue that only became worse when the smell of blood entered her nose.

Yor had thrown up then and there. In the middle of the job. In the middle of finishing the last person alive.

Fortunately, the man didn’t live to tell the story of how the Thorn Princess threw up right before slicing her target’s throat.

As embarrassing as it’d been, the vomiting part was only a fraction of her worries.

What in the world was she going to tell Loid?

It’d been a few days since she’d taken the test.

Knowing the cause of her own strange behavior only added more stress within her mind. So much worry and fear clouded over her that she could barely face him. The husband in question. Whenever he was there, she’d avoid him like a plague, and perhaps she’d done that a little too much for it to be obvious. But considering how much she had going on, Yor didn’t really realize this mistake.

Still, all she could think of was how she’d tell him; and how his reaction would be, whether he’d want the baby or…if he’d ask her to get rid of it. The latter was less likely, but just the thought of it scared her. Really scared her. Regardless she’d taken lives as quick as flipping a coin, she didn’t have it in her to take an innocent life the same way. She couldn’t bear to do it.

This baby was hers just as it was his.

Which was why…she needed help.

From someone who had had experiences.

“You want me to tell your husband that you’re pregnant?”

Camilla had looked at Yor with a raised brow, her arms folded across her chest. It’d been their break-time at the City Hall, and Yor had found the perfect opportunity when her co-worker left the group to use the restroom.

It was her window.

Her only chance.

“Yes,” Yor had said with a strong nod.

Camilla had laughed. “No.” She’d made her way to the door.

“But—but wait!” Yor rushed to her side. Camilla seemed annoyed already, but indulged her by listening, regardless. “Please, Camilla. I…I don’t know what to do. You’re the only one I know who has been pregnant most recently! You’ve told Dominic when you first found out, and you knew what to say! I don’t know anything. Please, help me do the same with Loid. I really need your help because I just…I just—can’t—I really …I don’t know what to do.” Her voice came out broken, her tears gathering more and more to the point where she had to hide her face as it shifted into a mess.

And Yor truly couldn’t control herself. Once the first tear fell, the rest followed along streaming down her eyes like a turned-on faucet.

The bathroom fell silent then, save for her soft sobs.

And until she heard a sigh from Camilla.

“Fine.”

Yor pried her hands away, and despite her blurry vision, she’d stared at Camilla with wide eyes.

“You…you’ll do it? You’ll help me?”

“Not the part where I tell your husband about your pregnancy. That is just inappropriate. But sure; I’ll help you… prepare mentally before you tell him yourself—ack!” Camilla scowled instantly when she was pulled into a tight embrace. And by the second, it seemed to just have grown tighter and tighter.

Yor smiled with tears still in her eyes.

Ever since then, Camilla invited Yor to her house—that somehow became a temporary yet frequent meet-up thing—to start with her “mental-training-to-tell-Loid-the-truth”, as well as an additional lesson on what to do when the baby actually comes. The latter took the most time out of all. Yor was utterly grateful for it, nonetheless. She wanted to be prepared; she wanted to be a good mother. But hearing how Camilla said Dominic had been elated about the former’s pregnancy, Yor couldn’t shake her nerves and fears away.

What if…Loid wasn’t happy as Dominic had been for Camilla?

What if he blamed her for this “accident”?

After all, he still considered their marriage as a false one, regardless of the fact they’d slept with each other on occasion. Even Yor dared not say she was starting to harbor some feelings towards him, dared not say the treacherous ‘L’ word that she’d heard couples used—genuinely— to one another.

Because for her and Loid?

It was mostly for show, only done just to convince the others that what they had was real. For six years, everyone around them believed it.

And for six years, Yor did too.

…Sometimes.

Saturday came, and Yor’s day had already been spoiled. Not only because of the fact that she still hadn’t told anyone of her news, or the fact that she spent her morning throwing up over the toilet bowl, or the fact that she felt horrible mentally and physically.

But also because she’d just gotten off the phone with the Shopkeeper.

He’d given her a job to do: to assassinate an Ostanian traitor. And that could only mean one dreadful thing.

Blood would definitely be involved.

Besides keeping this pregnancy away from her family, she also hadn’t told the Shopkeeper a thing. Not a word about how there was a living being inside of her now, or her uncontrollable urge to puke when she was exposed to blood, or how she might need to take a long vacation soon. But while the baby thing was still unnoticeable, she had to do the job. Although, very carefully now that she was surviving for two.

Regardless, Yor was a professional.

She’d taken down a dozen people in 12 seconds once, so obviously assassinating a man who was alone in his office during a lunch break was no piece of work for her.

Yor had dropped down from the ceiling the second the man closed his door. One stab was all it took before the man dropped dead, his body twitching, then stilling completely in front of her.

As well as…his blood pooling beneath her shoes.

Oh, God.

Yor gagged, a hand clamped over her mouth and the other on her stomach.

She hated today.

After she exited the building, the Sun was already close to setting. But luckily for her, she’d managed to get to her neighborhood just in time before dusk fell.

Truth be told, this little murder-job was unexpected. By the time the Shopkeeper had given her that call, Loid had already left the house—presumably because he had to be at the hospital, or maybe there was something important that required his attention there. She could only hope he didn’t have to hit any more of his patients for therapy.

But anyway, Yor missed her opportunity to inform him. And she had a strong feeling a phone call would’ve made this whole thing into a big deal. Plus, everybody’s suspicions on her would’ve only gotten worse.

So, what was the one easy solution she thought was not at all stupid?

Leave without anyone’s notice.

Yor had left through the window and had used the fire escape to slip out of her home that afternoon. It was the simplest way. And by simplest it meant the way that required the least effort to explain, or more accurately, required no explanation at all.

If Anya didn’t know, then Loid wouldn’t know either. It’d be like she never even left the house to them.

Genius.

“Hey, wait.”

Yor halted her climb down the fire escape. She’d just come from her building’s roof and nearly panicked when she heard a voice.

Anya’s voice.

But before that panic could develop into a bad decision, say answering back, Yor realized it wasn’t her that the girl was talking to. Meaning somebody else was there.

Yor listened as she looked down through the gap between the bars. A couple floors down was her room. Since hers and Anya’s were right next to each other, the fire escape was connected.

And that allowed her to see the figure sitting right in front of Anya’s window right now.

“What?” It was a boy from what Yor could hear. And he too sounded way too familiar.

“I…thank you. For the book and…for putting up with all of the shenanigans today. I really appreciate it, Damian. If I hadn’t said that already.”

Yor’s brow furrowed.

Damian? Isn’t that…the name of Melinda’s kid?

She squinted her eyes at the boy. Black hair, expensive clothes, a fancy car waiting just by the curb and…yep, it was Melinda’s kid.

But the real question was: what was he doing there?

What is he doing, leaving through Anya’s window? How long has this been going on? Are his parents aware of this? Is Loid aware of this?

So many questions ambushed Yor the more she witnessed it all from above. And she just had a certain gut-feeling that even Loid didn’t know about this little rendezvous of theirs either. As Anya’s mother, she ought to have a girl-to-girl talk with her and question her why a boy had to sneak out through her window.

Although, no matter how much Yor wanted to call her out for that…

She couldn’t.

Busting Anya for having a boy over meant that she’d be busting herself for sneaking out.

Because why was she out climbing the fire escape when the front door was perfectly accessible for her? Why was she outside here, wearing a perfectly fancy dress that might’ve had a spot of blood or two?

Indeed, the only thing she could do was keep this to herself forever and wait until Damian had left. As well as to not to make any sound lest both of them look up and see her eavesdropping on them.

Yor was patient to wait. And until she was certain that Damian was gone, as well as Anya too when she closed her window shut, Yor finally resumed her climb down to her window.

It was just slightly open, just as she had left it.

Good. That meant no one had entered her room. Which meant neither Loid nor Anya would ever know now that she had left the house.

Yor let out a tired sigh and dropped on top of her bed almost instantly .

It was incredible how exhausting her work now became. Before she found out about the baby, she’d barely sweat over it, barely felt any ache on her entire body. Now, though? She could barely get up.

But get up she must.

She still had promised Camilla that she’d come over to her house tonight for one more mental preparation, albeit Camilla had told her tonight would be the last for obvious reasons. Frustration being one of the main reasons. Yor didn’t blame her for that. It had been a couple days straight, and it was a miracle Camilla didn’t give up on her. Suppose Yor would have to give her her thanks again, because tomorrow marked as the day she’d tell everyone. That is, if she didn’t back out last minute like the previous days throughout this whole week. There was no guarantee she wouldn’t, unfortunately.

But like Camilla had told her once:

There is no hiding this forever, Yor. That belly of yours is going to grow. Your husband will find out either way, so you might as well just tell him.

Yor sighed into her pillow.

“Might as well just tell him,” she mumbled.

Easier said than done.

She turned to look at the clock by her bedside. 20:45, it read . It’d been at least an hour since she got back. Right now, she could already hear Anya and Loid outside at the dining table, having dinner without her. The thought of it bothered Yor, that there was an empty seat left specifically for her, but…

Not like it wasn’t her choice not to join them. She chose this herself.

Regardless, it was about time she got a move on to Camilla’s house. She’d already taken enough rest, so might as well.

With her coat ready along with her purse, Yor took a deep breath before repeating what she’d done every other night.

Practically speed-walking to the front door with an excuse ready on the edge of her tongue.

For these past few nights, she’d left her room at the exact same time, and she’d always left her family while they were at the table, eating. And every time, her excuses had worked. Every time, they let her slip past through the front door with a disappointed look across their faces.

However.

Yor should’ve known how her final night of running away would come to an end sooner.

She should’ve known tonight was bound to be different than the rest.

“Yor, take a seat.”

Those were the words that initiated the beginning of the end.

And now, here was where the story picked up where it left off.

Yor sat in pure shock, all the while holding the sealed bag in her hands. Because this. This was her pregnancy test that Loid returned back to her. It was never supposed to be found. She didn’t want anyone to find it.

But somehow, someway, Loid had found it. How, she didn’t dare ask him.

“Well?” he said when she kept her gaze on the bag. “Does it? Does that count as nothing to you?”

Yor hesitated. But as her hesitations caused her mind to go blank as paper, she said the only thing that her brain could come up with. Despite it being the stupidest answer there was.

“It isn’t mine.”

Internally, Yor wanted to kick herself.

Loid gave her a strange look.

One, because of the obvious lie itself. Two, because she was actually going with this lie.

“Not…yours?” he asked, giving her a chance to rethink her answer. Although, it was a chance Yor did not take.

Because she only shook her head.

“So what you’re saying is: this pregnancy test, which I found in our bathroom, doesn’t belong to you? That this test does not belong to the only adult woman living in this household?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes stung with something she refused to believe were tears. Because why was her vision blurry now? Why did she feel her breathing become uneven so suddenly? Why did the lump behind her throat become harder, and more painful to ignore?

…Why was she even crying?

She was crying.

She knew that she was.

And everything that she did next all happened automatically, because even she knew there was no way out of this.

“I’m sorry!” she cried, wiping at her eyes regardless of its futility. “I’m so sorry, Loid. I’m sorry that I lied to you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this and avoided you and Anya for a week. And I’m sorry if you didn’t want this to happen. I understand if you’re angry at me and want me to leave by morning. I—I’ll even start packing my bags tonight!” Yor quickly got up from her chair and stormed to her room.

Leaving the poor man all by himself in the kitchen with the loudest silence.

Because in all honesty, Loid was stumped.

Literally, he lost all of his calm, “interrogation” face, to the point where all that was left was complete, and utter genuine confusion. And possibly, a little bit of panic too when Yor mentioned something about packing her bags.

“Y-Yor, wait!”

Loid rushed after her and followed into her room. And honestly, his face drained of color seeing Yor actually going through her closet to get her suitcase .

“What are you doing?” he asked, still so utterly confused as to what just happened.

Because what the hell just happened?

“This is me getting out of the way. I’m not going to be a burden to you.” She stuffed her clothes into her suitcase in the midst of all her crying, not minding whether it was folded or not. “But if there’s a chance you’re asking me to get rid of this baby, that is just something I cannot—and will not —do. I’m sorry, but that is just the way I feel. If you can’t accept that, if you hate me for my decision, then I’ll just—"

“I don’t want you to abort it.”

“Yes, I know you—” Yor stilled as his words slowly reached her brain. “You…what?”

“I said I don’t want you to abort it.”

Once more, she looked at him as though he was speaking gibberish. Was she hearing him right? Or was all the crying making her hear what she wanted to hear?

“Why?”

Loid came closer and took her hands into his—though, it was more to keep them away from panic-packing any more clothes. Nonetheless, he held them gently as his thumb brushed the back of her hand.

“This baby…” he said as his eyes lowered to her stomach. “It’s mine, isn’t it?”

She nodded, but there was no telling whether it was the right or the wrong answer. She could neither decipher his reaction nor read his face.

So, imagine how much it was for her to understand him when a sudden smile graced his lips.

Why. Was. He. Smiling?

Why was he looking at her like that? So genuine and true as if he wanted this from the start? And why did it make her heart flutter, and her worries shrink?

But then, he asked, “How long have you known about this?” Again, that soft smile of his was there, along with the well-hidden excitement and curiosity in his voice and his sudden shift in demeanor.

“I…I found out last week. While I was at work.”

“Really?”

…Okay, this was starting to scare her a little bit.

Her tears already stopped, but the “being scared by his happy reaction” part was getting real-er by the second.

Yor gulped. “Y-yeah. I kept on feeling nauseous and unwell every morning. You’re not…angry at me?”

“Why would I be?”

“Well, because…!”

Loid raised a brow when she fell into a long silence. “Because?”

Yor only stared back as not a single answer came to her. Her mind was a complete blank . Even if he’d given her a full 10 minutes to think, she still wouldn’t be able to come up with anything to finish her earlier sentence.

“Tell me, Yor,” Loid then said as he wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. “Why did you think I’d even be angry at you in the first place?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Come on now,” he all but whispered as he assured. “You were just about to leave us forever because you were afraid of me finding out. Surely, there must be a reason behind that; I know there is.”

Yor felt his hand squeeze hers when she looked at him still in hesitation. But at the end of the day, this was still Loid.

This was still her husband. So, she sucked in a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

“I thought…you were going to blame me.” Her voice was so quiet that she wasn’t sure he’d heard her.

But bless his ears; Loid heard her perfectly well.

“Blame you? For what?”

“For the baby,” she said and sighed. “Look it’s just—I’ve heard about those cases once where a man blames his wife for conceiving a child, even if it wasn’t planned. And then how their marriage turns downhill because they couldn’t afford to support the baby financially. I was scared that you…would blame me for this; that you’d hate me and be angry at me; and that you’d want me to, you know, either terminate the pregnancy or…leave.”

“But I never said any of those things to you.”

“I know you didn’t!” She pulled her hands away and covered her reddened face. One more breath in. And another out. “It’s just that…people always change their minds, Loid. And I…I don’t want to be the reason this family falls apart.”

As all became quiet, and no other words were exchanged after what she said, Yor thought he had agreed with her when he did nothing.

But that was the thing, wasn’t it?

To her, he did nothing because she didn’t want to see anything. She kept her eyes hidden behind her hands, feeling her tears start up again the more her brain reminded her.

It was just a shame, really.

If she had allowed herself to see, she would’ve expected the arms that enclosed her smaller frame. She would’ve expected the smell of his cologne as he pulled her body to him. Yor didn’t fight it.

However, from not wanting to speak anymore, Yor became entirely speechless because of this, her voice actually caught in her throat.

“Yor,” Loid then said. “Do you know why I proposed to you on the first day I met you?”

She huffed into his shirt and mumbled, “Because you needed me to get Anya a scholarship in that Eden school. Because it was your late wife’s dying wish.”

“Well, yes, but…there was another reason.”

Yor looked up at him almost instantly after that.

“You seemed like a good mother figure,” he said. “It’s true that I needed someone to play the role of Anya’s mother for that interview, but what I wanted most after my late wife died was for Anya to have the comfort of a mother. Something I can’t give her. But you, Yor”—He gently held her face in his hands—“You’ve given Anya and me enough proof that shows how much you were born to be a mother. Your kindness, your attentiveness, your selflessness; you don’t find that in just anybody. That’s what makes you different—special even. So, believe me when I say this, Yor: you won’t be the reason if this family falls apart. I’ll give you my word on that.”

Yor became more and more speechless. All she could do was hold on to his hands that held her cheeks, all she could do was stare into his blue eyes with her glistening ones.

Because that speech he gave?

It dissolved 98% of her worries.

Except for the 2% saved specifically for her doubts whether all that he said were true or if he was only saying these things just so she’d stay. But that 2% did not matter to her anymore. Not after all of the touching things he’d said.

“So, you really don’t…hate me? You’re not mad?” Yor asked one last time.

Loid chuckled as his smile widened. “Of course not. If anything, it’s quite the opposite. I’m happy for you, Yor. For both of us.”

Yor nearly wanted to cry again. She wanted to cry just so he’d pull her into his arms, and kiss her, and whisper loving words into her ear.

Was that bad? Was that bad if it was all she wanted right now?

Not while she was still his wife.

Yor went and pushed herself to him this time. And without being told twice, he complied by wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly just as he had moments ago. She buried her face into his shirt, and she didn’t want to ever let go as she was ashamed and afraid.

Ashamed, for even thinking him as someone who’d want her to terminate her pregnancy, despite the fact that he'd proven himself to be the best father and husband countless of times.

Afraid, because her face was a crying mess.

“Thank you. For making me feel better,” Yor said, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt. “And for also stopping me from packing any more clothes.”

Loid laughed and brushed his fingers through her hair. Just as she’d hoped he would

“Well, you’re technically still my wife. What would all the neighbors think if they saw you crying while holding your suitcase outside of our doorstep?”

She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. It felt good, laughing. She hadn’t had much of those ever since she’d excluded herself from her family, her excuse being that nagging fear of them knowing she was pregnant. This whole week had been the most stressful she’d ever been in a long while—stressing over the news, stressing over what to tell Loid, and also her discretion when heading to Camilla’s every time. It was a lot to handle in just over a short span of time.

Suppose she’d have to give Camilla a call and cancel tonight. And also, maybe thank her again for all of the help she’d given her.

Because in the end, everything worked out just fine, like she’d said.

Until.

Until the silence returned to them.

And soon Yor realized, Loid was staring at her. She stared back. In comparison, this silence felt somewhat similar from when she and Loid were left alone in the kitchen, and yet it was entirely different now.

For one, there wasn’t any of that dreadful tension lingering between them anymore.

And two, his blue eyes didn’t intimidate her no longer. Instead, it made her lost, as though he had her under a magic spell bound forever without a way to break it. And she didn’t hate it. She didn’t dare look away from him.

Just as he dared not look away from her.

He was pulling her closer to him, she noticed. Until to that point where their distances between one another felt as though there had never even been one. Yor held in her breath, despite knowing now would be time to catch some before it happened.

Because the more he leaned in…

The more she did the same.

Yor had long closed her eyes as she anticipated the moment their lips would touch. Even if this was not their first one, there was no ignoring the rapid beating of her heart, or how many butterflies her stomach filled in.

Because out of all the men she’d kissed—okay, the only man she’d ever kissed—Loid’s was one she would never tire of.

It was his kiss that promised her long-term comfort and assurance. It was his kiss that she dared say was worth waiting for.

It was his kiss that…never came had it not been for the person standing in Yor’s doorway.

“WHAT THE HECK?!”

Instantly, both their eyes snapped open, their cheeks reddened madly, and it was safe to say that the mood was gone.

For Anya’s voice was like a splash from a cold bucket of water.

“A-Anya!” Loid stammered. It was a rare thing when he did so, but in this situation, it was understandable.

Well, who wouldn’t panic a little when your daughter catches you about to make out with your partner?

Nevertheless, Anya only stared at them with a face that could only be described as…well, it wasn’t exactly disgusted. But more on to…

Slight frustration.

Because this wasn’t the first time she’d caught them acting all lovey-dovey with each other. Correction: acting dangerously lovey-dovey with each other. For even Yor and Loid knew if her door had been closed, things might’ve gone a bit further. Or to phrase it differently, Anya was close to seeing them do the “Forbidden Act to Be Witnessed”.

Thank Goodness, she never saw anything.

Yor stepped back a little from Loid, setting some appropriate distance between them. He did the same, as though to say “it’s safe now” for the little girl in this room.

“How—how long have you been standing there?” Yor asked in the friendliest way she possibly could. But hiding the blush on her face was a wasted effort.

“Uh, since I heard you crying. And yelling. You do know these walls are pretty thin, right?”

In unison, their red cheeks only became redder.

Loid cleared his throat and looked away. “R-right. The walls are pretty thin.”

“But wait, hold on. Is it…is it really true, though? What you said?” Anya asked as she approached them. Her curiosity was strong, yet the hesitation in her voice and manner was ostensible.

“Is mama really pregnant?”

Yor and Loid looked at each other. And they both agreed silently.

It was only right if Anya knew too. After all, what are families for if secrets were kept from one another.

…Okay, maybe it was alright to keep a secret or two.

Regardless, Yor took Anya’s hands in hers and sent her soft smile before explaining to her what she had told Loid. Or at least, the calmer version of what she’d told Loid, the version she had wanted to tell everyone but didn’t because of her blow-up panic. To add on, Yor also answered questions regarding what she’d actually been up to when it came to her disappearing every night. She told them about going to Camilla’s place for the mental training.

Anya made an understanding sound as she connected the dots herself. Loid seemed…like he believed her, at least.

“Woah,” Anya whispered, incredulous yet excited all the same. “I can’t believe you’re pregnant. I mean, all this while I thought you were just sick or something.”

“I thought so too at some point. But as it turns out, it wasn’t a fever I caught,” Yor said as she looked at Loid knowingly with a smile.

Loid smiled back.

Anya cleared her throat when they stared at each other a little too long.

“So, does this mean I have to start becoming responsible now?”

Loid laughed. “The same way Yor was for her brother.”

Yor’s smile dropped slowly at the mention of her brother. It was only now that it occurred to her that she never really told Yuri anything yet. And as far as she could tell, Yuri knew nothing either.

“Yor? Is everything alright?” Loid asked, a hand on her shoulder.

“Huh? Oh, no; everything’s fine! It’s just that…you reminded me that I haven’t told Yuri about the pregnancy yet. The last time he had to hear about a big news from a friend, he panicked real bad. I don’t want him to go through the same thing this time.” Yor pondered to herself, and added, “Is it okay if I invite him over tomorrow? So he could hear it from me first?”

“Well, he’s your brother! Of course he can come over. Besides, we’ve all got nothing to do tomorrow, so why not?” Loid said with a smile.

Anya nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, mama. It’s totally okay! It’s been a while since he last visited anyway, so it’s fine by me. I don’t mind at all.”

At their agreement, Yor’s face lit up almost instantly, her smile widening into a toothy one. And with this strong excitement coursing through her body now, Yor pulled both Loid and Anya into a group hug, thanking them more than once as though allowing Yuri to come over was a rare thing.

Well, provided if Yuri hadn’t barged into their home a lot of times, it wouldn’t even be a problem to consider.

Nevertheless, Yor was glad her family had accepted her request this time. She was so glad that neither Anya nor Loid went against the idea of her dear brother coming over.

But little did Yor know, Loid was clenching his teeth together, biting his own tongue to stop himself from saying “hell no” to his wife. Having Yuri near him meant trouble and risk for Operation Strix. Add on with how hard the man always tried to beat him in every little thing just to prove that he was better, or smarter, or stronger than him, it annoyed Loid about 5 years ago.

And little did Yor know, Anya’s eye twitched at the thought of her future tomorrow, where her Uncle Yuri would be involved in. Because sometimes, Yuri could be…a little mean to her. In terms of the name-calling, it was straight up petty. But it didn’t mean she was fine with him calling her chihuahua girl for six years whenever he came to visit.

Indeed, if only Yor knew.

Chapter Text

Yuri slammed Loid’s head against the table.

…Okay, it wasn’t Loid.

But he really, seriously, wished that it was, though. Sitting in that chair, cuffed and bloodied, face broken and possibly ugly-crying, Yuri wanted nothing more for that bastard of a man to be in this pathetic guy’s place he had under interrogation.

It was no secret to anyone how much Yuri hated his “brother-in-law”. And his hatred worsened when praises for that scum came from his sister’s mouth. Despite it having been over 6 years since their marriage.

Stupid. Ugly. Sister-stealing. Son of a bitch—

“That’s quite enough, Lieutenant.” The voice of the Captain brought him back from his rage-dreaming. He was sitting across the blonde man, fingers clasped as he waited in patience.

Yuri released the man’s hair harshly, sneering at his lack of cooperation—or more like because of the resemblance the man had with Loid Forger. And Yuri, being the opportunistic man that he was, simply took this chance to let out some of his pent-up anger. Even if it meant releasing it on some other dude that looked like him.

Sucks to be this guy now, though. After hours of being beaten up, he finally fell unconscious.

Yuri looked at the blood splattered all over the metal table, slightly regretting that he’d let his emotions get the best of him.

I might’ve gone a bit too hard on this guy.

“You’re inviting me over to your house this afternoon?!”

It was a Sunday morning. And Yuri…

Yuri was practically screaming in his own home. So loud that it wouldn’t be a shock if his neighbors had heard him. All because of the excitement, disbelief, and a psycho-level of exhilaration rushed throughout his whole body when Yor, his perfect sister, called him and asked him this wonderful question.

“I know it’s a little sudden,” Yor said, sounding apologetic. “ But if you have other plans already, and can’t make it, I perfectly understand—"

“NO!” Yuri paused as he realized he was, once again, making her deaf. He cleared his throat. “I mean, I can come this afternoon. I’ll be there.”

“Oh, that’s great to hear! It really has been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it? I miss you a lot, Yuri.”

“Ah, me too, sis!” His cheeks warmed as his smile softened. “Though…I have to ask. Is everything alright there? You sound a bit different.” Scared, more like it. Loi-Loi must be right beside her, guarding her every move and speech like the controlling-psycho husband that he is.

Yor laughed sheepishly, which could or couldn’t have been good. He’d take the latter if Loid was home with her.

“Everything is fine, Yuri. You always worry too much for me,” she assured him.

Yuri smiled. “Well, you always tend to—”

Another voice rudely interjected their conversation. A certain little girl’s voice—that chihuahua girl, no doubt—spoke in the background, telling Yor something along the lines of, “something is burning on the stove”. A panic gasp left Yor as she pulled herself away from the receiver.

“Sis?” Yuri said as silence came on the other line briefly. “Uh, are you okay—?”

“Ah, I’m so sorry, Yuri! I have to go now, but I’ll see you this afternoon, right?”

Slight disappointment washed over him, although just the reminder he’d be seeing her in a couple of hours was enough to lift his mood right back up.

“Of course. I’ll see you soon, Yor.”

With that, he hung up the phone.

The next few hours were tiring to wait—Yuri didn’t really have much to do aside from getting ready to meet his sister. Seeing his sister was becoming…a not-as-common-anymore occasion now ever since that one time he visited Yor and…the people he had the misfortune of calling his “family”. But that mostly just applied to Loid Forger.

Yuri had come to their house that one day, and he supposed someone made a complaint because someone just couldn’t handle him dropping unannounced visits anymore. Either the sister-thief or the smug kid made that complaint, he didn’t know.

But one thing’s for sure; Yuri couldn’t care less of what they thought of him.

However, it was when they dared to use Yor as their medium to get that complaint across that Yuri had no choice but to listen. Reluctantly too.

Because how dare that chihuahua girl and Loid-stupid-Forger turned his own sister against him!

His own, real, and by blood family!

So, yes, it was truly heart-breaking that he had to stop. He even had to tell Yor that he was getting busy with work anyway when she’d felt bad!

Nevertheless, now that she had asked him to come over to catch up, Yuri would not miss it for the world. This was, like, a rare opportunity given to him—in his defense, it wouldn’t have been rare if that Loid wasn’t such stuck-up.

Yuri looked over at his watch one more time, making sure he hadn’t arrived too early or too late as he stood there at the front door of the Forger household with a wide smile saved for his sister and his sister alone.

He rang the doorbell, at the same time fighting the urge to ring it again and again until someone opened it for him. It would give him the pleasure of annoying Loid, but he’d shoot his foot if he accidentally annoyed Yor. So, instead he waited.

And waited.

And still waited.

And waited again.

His brows furrowed. Huh. Shouldn’t sis be home right now? Yuri thought about ringing the doorbell once more but halted when he got his answer. Because that was when he heard the beautiful indication.

Footsteps approaching.

Voices speaking on the other side.

The lock unlocking, and the doorknob twisting.

This is it! This is the moment!

Yuri calmed his growing excitement and made sure his appearance was tidy one last time. His cheeks were starting to hurt from just how hard he was smiling; and that smile only seemed to widen when the door finally opened.

Except.

He realized that smile was for naught. And his signature sneer quickly became its replacement.

“Oh. It’s you.” Yuri didn’t bother hiding his disappointment, let alone hide his scowl.

“Hello, Yuri,” Loid greeted politely. And with a smile.

Now unlike Yuri, Loid still put up with that innocent, I’m-such-a-good-husband-and-everybody’s-friend act, even after all these years. He put on a fake smile—so masterfully worn that even Yuri had a hard time telling if it was fake or not—as he opened the door wider.

“Come on in; Yor is inside.”

Yuri scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Obviously,” he muttered.

If Loid heard that, he sure did an amazing job of holding back himself from snapping back. Although, Yuri did hear him sigh very, very quietly through his nose.

Good. Let him be annoyed already.

Yuri pushed past him and glanced over the whole place. One, just to see whether this house was still under a good condition and worthy enough for his dear sister to live in. And two, to find the one and only person he ever truly cared about—

“Yuri!”

And that was how joy returned to him. How his emotions flipped from wanting to murder a man in his sleep into becoming the happiest and friendliest man on Earth. All because of the sight of his big sister that he missed so, so badly.

He wanted to cry.

With Yor’s kind smile and eyes filled with utter warmth and love for him, Yuri could seriously cry like a 7-year-old kid.

“SIS!” He walked—more like, ran—to her and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Yor returned the hug with just as much vigor, apparently having missed him too, even though it hadn’t even been that long to elicit such reactions.

“Oh man, it feels like it’s been forever since I last saw you!” he exclaimed.

Basically, that was when the two delved into a somewhat long conversation, Yuri purposely excluding anyone else other than Yor.

Meanwhile, as the Briars were reunited after…not even half a year, Loid and Anya stood beside each other in the kitchen, each hiding a tired look beneath their faces.

Anya nudged Loid discreetly, but as if those two siblings would even notice that. It was likely everything else was irrelevant to Yuri now that Yor was here holding his attention; and also considering how engrossed they were in their catching-up session—one of them, though, loud and uncharacteristically hyperactive as if sugar was all he’d eaten for the last month.

“Papa, how long are we supposed to let them catch up?” Anya all but whispered.

“Not too long, I hope,” Loid said, watching those two converse in the living room. 

“Okay.” Anya followed Loid's gaze. “Wait, didn’t he just come here like a month ago—?”

“Oi you! Chihuahua girl!”

Anya tensed and sighed. “Great,” she mumbled in dread, dragging herself to the living room with a somewhat happy face.

“H-hey…Uncle Yuri.”

And that Uncle Yuri only hummed with narrowed eyes.

This is Lottie’s kid, he reminded himself. As much as I’d rather talk to sis right now, she always says to be nice, because Anya’s still a child. And children tend to be more sensitive compared to adults. Though, I sincerely doubt this kid even has the capability of being sensitive.

“I can be sensitive when I want!” Anya deadpanned.

The whole room became quiet. All heads already turned to the child whose face blanked immediately after it dawned on her.

Weird was one word Yuri always described this kid as, but…even he had to admit that that was a bit coincidental.

Well. Whatever.

“So anyway. My sister just told me you’ve managed to pass all of your papers in your latest examination. Congrats on the improvement.”

Anya’s eyes widened a little. “Oh. Uhm, thanks…I guess?”

“Ah, but of course, Anya wouldn’t have done it alone without your help, Yuri,” Loid joined in not a second later with a tray of food and drinks. As he set it down, Yuri took his chance and rolled his eyes.

This guy again.

“I’ll have to thank you personally for tutoring her with her studies when I’m unable to,” Loid added as he took a seat next to Yor.

Truthfully, Yuri wanted to vomit.

“Well, before you go and flatter yourself, I didn’t do it for you, Loi-Loi. I did it for my sister, and only because your kid really needed my help.” But honestly, it’s only because of Yor.

Anya gulped and nervously took one of the snacks on the coffee table as Loid continued their forced conversation between each other. Besides, her knowing their true thoughts wasn’t exactly doing her any favors right now.

Yor, on the other hand, felt the different kind of nervous that Anya was feeling. Even as she had tuned out their voices already, her anxieties went higher by the second. As much as she was thrilled to have her brother here today, she knew he was invited for a reason . That being said, there was a particular topic she’d been meaning to get around to yet kept on avoiding by bringing up other things, i.e. mentioning Anya’s improving grades earlier.

It worked to delay the inevitable, but for how much longer? What else could she possibly say until Yuri decided to take his leave?

Her hand trembled as those thoughts gnawed at her brain. However, it was when she made a foolish move to glance at the clock, seeing as it had barely been half an hour, her shaking became worse.

And noticeable by the man sitting next to her.

Because before she could hide her own trembling hands, Loid’s was already there doing it for her—holding her, gently squeezing her hand.

She looked at him in surprise, but the man’s gaze was fixated on her brother’s scowling one, the latter arguing about something she had no idea what. Regardless, she was not as afraid as she was before.

She wasn’t alone in this.

“—So, technically, you haven’t been doing a very good job all this while, have you Loi—?”

“Yuri.”

At the sound of Yor’s voice, Yuri froze in the middle of his speech. He was half standing, just about to tell the sister-thief off in regard to his sister’s happiness—something Loid had already got himself accustomed to every time Yuri visited.

“Yeah, sis?” Yuri said with a tone that was the polar opposite of what he’d used before. He sat back down, face worried. “What’s up?”

“I…I want to…I have to tell you something,” Yor stammered as all eyes were now on her.

However, only the Forgers knew what she was about to say next.

Anya stood up straighter and looked at her expectantly, whereas Loid gave her a nod, and squeezed her hand again, encouraging her to just say it out.

Honestly, it pissed Yuri off that these people knew something was up while he didn’t know crap.

Yuri felt his face harden a little.

“Well? What is it?” he asked.

Yor bit the inside of her cheek, one of her feet tapping below the table. “It’s…it’s...”

“It’s…?”

Yor suddenly stood up from her place, shocking not only him but also Anya and Loid.

“I BOUGHT A NEW COFFEE MACHINE!”

Silence took over the room.

Literally, everybody blanked. Everybody but the brother in question, that is.

Not a moment later, Yuri stood up too. And his eyes were sparkling with awe, as though that was the best thing he’d ever heard.

“NO FREAKING WAY! I JUST BOUGHT ONE TOO LAST WEEK!”

In unison, Loid and Anya gaped.

This wasn’t how the conversation was supposed to go.

“You...you did? No way!” Yor said, half surprised and half glad Yuri bought into her lie.

Yuri placed a hand on her shoulder, excited over this mere coincidence. 

“Yes, Yor. My old one broke down right before I was heading off to work! I was—hold on, what brand did you get? Ah, you should’ve told me you were buying one! I would’ve helped you shop.”

“Oh, no; I wouldn’t want to trouble you over a coffee machine!”

“But still! There was this one store that I thought sold their merchandise at a reasonable price, and the dealer also said I’d have a 5-year warranty for my coffee machine. But you know what happened after a few weeks? Bam. It exploded. Turns out, it was just some cheap pieces of junk that could’ve set my house on fire if I hadn’t been—”

“MAMA’S PREGNANT!”

Instantly, Loid snapped his attention to Anya, Yor shot the girl a wide-eyed stare as every little inch of her faltered in trepidation, and Yuri…

Yuri slowly turned his head to Anya.

However, by the time they locked eyes, he was already a different man. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t scowling either. And if anyone were to say he had a terrifying scowl, those people would’ve died in fear when they see his face now.

“What did you say?” Yuri seethed.

Anya took a step back when her uncle continued giving her this glare. She glanced over to her papa, who quickly rose to his feet with a clear dreadful face. Concerned even. Not because of what Anya’s next words might do to him, but because of what it might do to herself.

For from the way Yuri’s behavior shifted, there was a chance Anya might be the person he unleashed his wrath to.

Loid cleared his throat. “Yuri? What she meant by that—"

“You shut up,” he spat at Loid, and turned back to Anya with that same threatening stare. “And you. Repeat to me what you just said.”

I have to have misheard her.

She has to be telling lies.

As he waited, Anya looked over to the person behind him again, but he already knew that it was Loid she was looking at.

At most times, Yuri prided himself as a patient, and well-composed man. But when it involved his sister, he knew he was never much for any of those.

“Tell me that that isn’t true! Tell me you’re lying!” His glare softened bit by bit, yet his anger was still there. Only to be replaced by the stinginess in his eyes when someone else answered.

“…She isn’t,” Yor said.

And that felt like the last nail to the coffin.

Yuri hadn’t misheard earlier. It wasn’t a lie that Anya told him.

He turned to his sister, and instantly dropped his deadly stare, suddenly feeling a terrible ache in his chest the moment those words leave Yor herself.

“Huh?” he whispered.

Yor, however, kept her head high and nodded. Her face was almost stoic had it not been for her trembling lower lip.

“Yes, Yuri. What she said… is true. I am pregnant. The reason I…I called you here today was to tell you that myself.” Ever-so-slightly, Yor shrunk more and more. She looked away, face flushed. “I wanted you to know from me first before anyone else told you. I didn’t want you to panic like last time.”

Yuri felt his shoulders sink, his heart heavier than any rock as he scanned Yor’s face for the truth. But who was he kidding?

Yor would never lie to him.

“You…you’re p-pregnant?”

Yor nodded, but to him it felt like he was being crushed by a boulder. Because if she was pregnant, then that meant she and Loid…

No.

This can’t be real.

This just can’t.

In an instant, Yuri held Yor’s arms, but his hands were trembling beyond control.

“Yor, did he…did he do this to you?” he asked, voice shaky and accusing.

 “Wh-what?”

“He—he—he forced himself on you, didn’t he? That has to be the only reason why you sounded so scared this morning! This monster forced himself on you and you couldn’t tell anyone, so you called me! I freaking knew it. He did this to you!”

Yuri then turned his gaze to the man next to her, and felt his rage grow.

“And you.” His eyes narrowed into slits, lips curling into a snarl. “You did this to her.”

Loid eyed him carefully, hands raised. “Yuri, we can talk this out. Let’s just take a step back, okay—?”

“YOU DID THIS LOTTIE!”

Yuri attacked.

He already had his fist up and ready to connect to Loid’s sadistic face. He wanted nothing more than for this sucker to feel his wrath for what he’d done to his innocent sister. It would indeed bring him the biggest satisfaction to punch this guy in the face so hard until he lost a tooth or two. Make his co-workers wonder the next time he goes to work.

Yes, all Yuri wanted was to punch him. Ever since they met.

However, his dream, his desire to protect his sister fell apart into a black hole when a hand blocked his so-called punch. But to his dismay, it was that same sister who stopped him from doing the deed.

Yuri felt his jaw drop.

Has she lost her mind?! Why is she protecting this guy?! What did Loid say to brainwash her this bad?!

“Yuri, calm down!” Yor pleaded as she held his wrist still from going anywhere near her husband—who seemed quite surprised by her fast reflexes. Yuri struggled against her iron grip, of course.

Because why the heck was she so freakishly strong?

“But sis! Your husband is a clear red flag! You can’t go anywhere near this guy!” Yuri snatched his wrist back and pointed his death glare back to the blonde man. “You hear that, Loid? You stay away from my sister. You stay away before I knock the hell out of you, you pervert son of a bitch!”

He raised his fist again, feeling the rage pump through his heart and blood once more. He yelled angry words that were too indistinct for calm people to decipher, although distinct enough for anyone to know they were insults.

Loid dodged Yuri’s hit without hesitation or fear—just like what he would’ve done if Yor hadn’t done anything earlier. And that only angered the diplomat even more as he nearly lost his footing.

Nobody escapes my punch!

Nobody knocks up my sister and gets away with it!

“LET’S GO, LOTTIE! YOU AND ME; OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW! I WILL BEAT YOU TO PULP AND DESTROY YOU!”

Yor stepped in between them before things could escalate further. She had to push him back as he continued to hurl insults and threats at Loid. And despite him yelling so, Loid did not display any fear whatsoever, and instead only showed the one thing that made Yuri hate him even more.

Concern.

This man seriously was portraying him as the bad guy as he became the worried, caring brother-in-law, and played victim. Loid eyed him with so much concern that made him want to puke for the rest of his life.

Yuri didn’t want his pity. Not from him, or from that chihuahua girl— who, by the way, was spectating this whole ordeal so quietly at the side as though this was a drama TV show.

And of course, like every drama show, there’d be that one scene where everybody just mellowed down after a heated argument—the main characters hugging, crying into each other’s shoulders as they begin their angsty lines and also make the audiences cry.

Embarassing to say, that was exactly what happened with Yuri next.

Yor pulled him into a hug, and it nearly made him burst into tears—perhaps the dam was already seconds away from breaking, but that wasn’t important. What was important, however, was Yor’s gesture reminding him of the time when he was a child, when he had cried like this.

She hugged him so tightly and rubbed circles behind his back the first few seconds as his anger died down, his breathing soon becoming steady, his shoulders sinking in despair and—dare he admit—acceptance.

Or at least something close to acceptance.

“Shh, Yuri; it’s alright. Take a deep breath, and just…calm down, okay?” Yor whispered. Yuri hid his flushed face as he returned the hug rather dejectedly.

Honestly, he didn’t want to calm down.

But hearing her soothing voice, and feeling her gentle touch, had its own immediate effect on him that forced him to listen anyway; forced his anger to shrink down; forced his scowl to soften as his eyes stung more and more.

It literally took everything in him not to sob like a wimp little kid right now. And as the silence dragged on, with everybody waiting for him to calm down, Yuri felt embarrassment creep over his back.

“...Are you really pregnant, sis?” Yuri finally mumbled, despondent.

“Yes, Yuri. I really am pregnant. But…but please remember that it’s not Loid’s fault, okay? He didn’t force himself on me.” She turned to Loid and exchanged a soft smile. “I know he would never do that.”

Yuri pulled away to look at her, regardless if his eyes were puffy.

“Then…how come you sounded so scared this morning when you called?”

Yor hesitated and fiddled with her hands. “W-well, I was. But for an entirely different reason, you see! I was, uhm, actually nervous to tell… you.”

“Me?! But—but why? I’m your brother! I’m the last person you should be nervous to share anything with! It’s not like I’d get angry and—” Yuri stopped himself when everyone pointed him with a deadpanned look.

“Alright. Fair point,” he admitted. “B-but still, you have to understand from my point of view as well! You’re my only sister, Yor. You're the most important person to me in the entire world. But you being pregnant...I just worry that you’ll have to go through…a lot of pain in the future. And I…I don’t want you to be in that pain, sis! I can’t bear to see you like that!” He teared up again as his voice cracked. He harshly wiped his eyes, and cried, “If I could, I’d take the pain for you!”

As the tears burst out from his eyes, he could feel Yor’s hands patting his back in comfort again, hushing his pathetic sobs.

Nevertheless, Yuri was utterly grateful in that moment; grateful that he was blessed with such a kind and loving sister; one who truly cared for him and loved him for who he was.

But then came the third hand that placed itself on his shoulder. The third hand that ruined everything.

Instantly, his whole body tensed up. Because who else was around the same height as him and had a deep, male voice?

Lottie had the audacity to touch him. To comfort him the same way Yor was doing.

Yuri looked at the cursed hand pointedly but did nothing to remove it no matter how much he wanted to shove it away—for Yor’s sake, he wouldn’t freak out like a fool again.

So instead, he finally listened.

He listened to what Loid Forger had to say.

“I understand how you feel, Yuri. As a husband, I wouldn’t want to see my wife in pain either. If it meant having her safe from any sufferings, I would sacrifice myself for her. I’d even sacrifice the whole planet if I have to.”

Yuri wanted to gape in awe.

The whole planet?! No way this guy is for real!

“Although, I’m afraid this is just one of those situations where I have no control over,” Loid added, his voice unwavering. And his eyes narrowed. “I can’t take away whatever pain Yor may experience throughout her pregnancy; I can’t guarantee she wouldn’t feel any for that matter. But if there is one thing I can and will do is be by her side for every moment of it. I love her as much as you do, and I won’t ever let her go through with this alone. I will give her my all. That is my promise.”

Yuri’s jaw finally dropped.

So moved by his words and beautiful promises for his sister, Yuri couldn’t even bring himself to do anything at that moment. His eyes still glistened, but those fresh tears made out of sadness and his extreme worry for Yor’s well-being were long gone.

Instead, astonishment became of him.

For Loid once again had impressed him. He’d successfully impressed him till he was rendered speechless—although, to a degree where Yuri would rather eat his own shoe than admit that.

How could this man be so true?

How could he look at her so caring and so…

So in love?

Instantly, his brows formed a scowl.

Yuri pushed away Loid’s hand and rushed to get his coat. Both the couple looked at each other in confusion before turning back to their guest.

Anya too was there confused when he had to walk past her to get to the front door, and frankly, Yuri felt a strong surge of guilt course through him when they made eye-contact, even if it was brief. Given he’d literally snapped at her just moments before for something that wasn’t even her fault, he was right to feel a guilt as big as this.

But an apology was something he’d owe her—and maybe Loid too—some other day, because right now…

Right now, he was storming off.

“Yuri?” Yor called. “Are you—?”

“I LEFT MY STOVE ON AT HOME!” 

An obvious lie on his part. But he just had to get out of here.

Yuri put on his coat, and harshly opened the door for himself. However, he did turn back around at the doorstep, only to shoot Loid one last cold scowl.

Directed to him and him alone.

“You better not run out on my sister while she’s pregnant, Lottie,” he spat out, although shakily. And the tears returned to gather in his eyes. “YOU—YOU—YOU BETTER NOT MAKE HER CRY AT ALL, YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

Yuri slammed the door shut, leaving the Forger family blank, surprised and worried. 

If he could help it, he didn’t want to leave this way, though this heavy feeling—this terrible ache in his chest pounding inside him like drums—became more unbearable the longer he stayed in there. The not-knowing of what was to come for Yor’s future became all the scarier for him to imagine. Even just the news of her pregnancy brought an awful shock to him, and also a little bit of ire and a lot of him losing his cool too.

However, there was one more thing he failed to acknowledge sooner regarding all of this. Something that should’ve been clear to him from the very start.

Yor having a baby meant another addition to, not only the Forgers, but the Briars as well. Aside from Yor, he would soon have someone actually related to him by blood. Someone he could call his real niece or nephew—no offense to Anya, really.

Oh, God. This is really happening.

Yuri held back a sniffle and soon felt his cheeks wet again, his vision becoming unclear as his faucet of tears was turned on once more.

He wasn’t even sure if these were happy tears or not. Yet somewhere deep, deep, like really deep inside of him, he felt as though he already knew.

Perhaps he already knew just how happy he was for her.

Chapter Text

Silence overwhelmed their usually loud home filled with lively conversations and laughter or even the happy barks of a certain dog.

Each of the three had their gazes glued to the front door with wide eyes—two of which shared the same blankness in their features whereas only one showed guilt and utter worry for her brother.

The same brother who had snapped at his own niece for merely spilling the truth out of impatience, the one who had wanted to initiate an unreasonable fistfight with a spy who definitely had years of experience in that field, and it was the same brother bawling out in the hallway right now, crying as though he’d just lost someone dear to him when in reality all that he lost were his sense of respect and literal common sense.

Such as not screaming like that in public, especially in a housing area where neighbors lived above and below them—left, right, across the street even.

It’s a wonder that we haven’t received any complaints. And Yuri’s been coming here for years, Loid thought.

Actually, they were lucky that the people in the building were respectful enough to mind their own business, yet unlucky at the same time with some of the gossipers keeping an eye on everything that anyone did, merely for the reason to satisfy their need to be entertained at the prospect of other’s domestic drama.

Loid always made sure their family were spared from the bad gossips, i.e. he was cheating on Yor, or Yor was cheating on him, their marriage was unhappy, him and Yor might divorce soon because Yor was “infertile”, one of them was getting bored with the other; things like that. The gossip he eavesdropped on always revolved around the same topic, and every time he’d be sure to do something to rid their suspicions before rumor spread to his own family.

Not that he purposely got Yor pregnant because of the infertile comment, God no.

Although he was willing to do almost anything in his power to get the outcome he needed for his missions—like threaten important people with their child, seduce targets for information, memorizing other languages until fluent in a short amount of time, breaking his finger to get a handcuff off—he wasn’t some sicko who would actually get someone pregnant for the sake of it! There were certain lines he would not cross.

And this…this whole thing was a real accident.

Yor being pregnant was, by all means, not part of the plan.

Nevertheless, this could easily be an advantage to Operation Strix as much as it could harm it. With a baby that was…part him and Yor, there’d be little suspicions whether they were a real family, better yet zero. Not even the SSS (directed to Yuri, mostly) would put him in their suspected-for-espionage list, considering he was only a family man with his wife expecting. And even if his name was put on the list, Yuri would think twice now to have him arrested as Yor would be worried sick. And from the years Loid observed his brother-in-law, Yuri insanely cared about the well-being of his sister. The man wouldn’t dare see the tears in her eyes when the father of her children was taken away because of him.

So, that part was a plus.

And as a bonus too, people—as in nosy neighbors—would finally stop talking. Naturally, after a few years of marriage, children would be mostly expected from the beautiful union. And considering how these people would think him as a cheating husband just for working out late that one time, it wasn’t far-fetched that they’d assume bad things about him and Yor for not having kids after six years.

Sure, now they couldn’t spread such rumors anymore, but he would still be targeted if he didn’t act like happy fathers would upon hearing this joyful news. Meaning he’d have to tend to Yor’s needs, maybe share it with others despite how reluctant he was as a discreet man who wanted to lay low since the beginning of this mission. But the latter could wait.

Now, however, he must do the most expected and natural action after hearing of your wife’s pregnancy.

Bring her for a check-up.

From what he had deduced, Yor had been pregnant for at least a month. She’d taken a pregnancy test on her own last week, and had been feeling its symptoms long before, to which he was ashamed to admit, was something that he stupidly hadn’t noticed.

Her strangely pale face every morning? Her locking herself in the bathroom at untimely hours?

And what did he assume?

A stupid affair.

Indeed, he wasn’t proud of himself for not realizing it sooner rather than having evidence shoved up right at his face.

Nevertheless, at least he was able to get an appointment for Yor in short’s notice. Using his position and reputation as the “popular” doctor at his workplace, he managed to get one with one of his doctor friend’s friend that worked in a different department specifically for pregnant women.

Berlint General Hospital was by far one of the biggest medical establishments in Ostania, and closest to their home—add on with the fact that he could receive his mission details there as well, this was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Loid led his wife by her hand as they traveled inside the hospital, heading straight to where they should be. Despite it already being work hours, the halls were silent, save for the clacking of shoes against the marble floors and soft whispers of conversation between the staff. Loid appreciated this kind of quiet, and since it was still morning and all, he could understand why it was the way it was.

There were patients staying here, sleeping, and recovering from whatever they had gone through—surgery, sickness, childbirth; you name it.

It was just weird to think how Yor would soon be here like these people too, laying on the bed with her hospital gown, exhausted and recovering for days.

…Guess Yuri’s outburst was a little reasonable.

“Is it bad that I feel nervous?”

Loid turned to Yor, who was sitting beside him, her hands clasped neatly on her lap. Or perhaps it was to hide her trembling hands.

“For the check-up?” he asked. She nodded after a beat, her smile as tense as her whole body. Loid didn’t blame her for feeling so. This was, after all, her first time experiencing this. Heck, it was even his too, but he was merely a better liar than she was. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, Yor. I’ll be with you the whole time. Besides, we’re only here so that the doctor can inform us if anything’s wrong with the baby—"

“Something’s wrong with the baby?!”

As her tone went a pitch higher, her face coming close at his side, Loid could only back a little.

“N-no, of course not!” he quickly said. “I mean—I don’t know myself, but…”

“You’re saying my body isn’t safe enough, aren’t you?”

“What?”

Her brows furrowed even more. And its effect on him was questionably strong. “If something is wrong with the baby, then what if my body can’t keep it safe? What if it’s suffering in there? What if it’s screaming for help and no one can know it other than me but I’m too incompetent enough not to notice until it’s too late—?!”

“Alright, slow down for me, Yor. Just take a deep breath.” Loid held on to her hands before she spiraled further into her panic mode.

Honestly, her and Yuri could be so similar sometimes with how they deal with certain emotions and news. At least Yor listened to him though, taking a long breath and sighing shakily. Her palms were sweaty and cold, but the latter might be because of the A/C.

Unless he was also unconsciously freaking out like her, the low temperature left him slightly shivering too.

“First of all, it’s only been a month. The baby is practically the size of Anya’s peanut snack right now,” he said, caressing his thumb over her hand. Yor continued to listen, a frown still etched to her as she controlled her breathing. “Second of all, it’s okay for you to be nervous. This is your first time, and you’re allowed to feel as such.”

“But what if you’re right about the baby having problems?”

“Just a tiny probability, Yor. Most of the time they always turn out healthy in the end.”

“Then what if this time—?”

“Shh.” He hushed as he laid her head against his shoulder.

And he hushed her again when she tried to continue her sentence. Despite being silenced that way, he could still sense that loud mind of hers, overthinking things and questioning her own self-worth when in truth her worth was far greater than anyone else’s.

Loid gently ran his finger through her hair—a method he’d learned over the years to calm her down in just a few minutes.

And then a quick kiss on her head and breathing in her scent a little—also another method he had learned to make the first one more effective.

Or so he’d like to believe.

“Everything will be okay, Yor. I’m sure of it.”

She sighed in defeat. “…You really think so?”

“I’m still a doctor, aren’t I?”

“A psychiatrist.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re a psychiatrist, Loid,” she corrected quietly. Regardless, he noticed how her voice was lighter, no longer brimming with a sense of dread and impatience of the unknown, and instead almost sounding to tease him. Her once tensed shoulders also relaxed. And he could feel how her head leaned more against him as though enjoying the warmth and comfort, at the same time proving all the more that his little affection trick had worked. Yet again.

He scoffed in amusement. ‘ You’re a psychiatrist’? I’m not even a real doctor.

Nonetheless, he replied with a feigned frown, “That hurt.”

Yor laughed. That short answer alone, it was enough to lift a little smile on her face again, to get that beautiful laugh out of her, to see her eyes twinkling with joy because of him.

It made his heart flutter, filling his stomach with butterflies to a risky point where his throat began to seize up like a little boy after his crush had smiled at him.

Which was kind of ironic and funny for a man like him.

He truly never expected for any happiness or this dangerous, long-lasting warmth from anyone when he was first assigned to this mission. Never did he once want anything back other than improvements for Operation Strix. The mission was all that mattered to him. And yet, as he sat here with an arm draped over her shoulder like this, such a simple gesture yet intimate as though he was a man in love – which he was not – he realized how much he was receiving what he never asked for.

It was easy to get carried away sometimes with Yor, especially after six years. So extremely easy that shame splashed over him like cold water every time the very thought of love crossed his mind, reminding him of who he was and what he was here to do in the first place.

However, that reminder also came in another form – a far greater, the more physical kind.

“Good morning, Dr. Forger.”

Alertness returned to him in a matter of seconds, his attention immediately shifting to the woman standing behind them. And slowly, he found himself parting away from Yor, as if to save face from the sharp, icy glare the woman pointed at him.

Despite this, he knew it was the only expression she ever bore as she rarely displayed any emotion at all. Her eyes were cold, but even your average freezer was no match to her purplish pairs. Some would even say – behind her back – that she lacked blood as her skin was so pale. While the other lots would simply say – still not to her face – that she was probably not even human.

Oh, she was human alright, regardless of her monotone demeanor and the way she carried herself as if she was hunting people for sport 24/7. Loid knew it was simply a spy thing to cut off your emotions so as to not get attached  –  but in her case, a bit too far.

After all, he should know.

He was the one who’d told her that.

As quickly as his eyes had hardened, he put on a bright face to her, wearing an innocent smile for Yor’s sake as he greeted the woman.

“Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here; good morning!” He got up from his seat and turned to his flustered wife who was smiling nervously back-to-back. “And Yor, you remember my co-worker, Miss…”

“Fiona Frost,” the said co-worker finished for him. She bowed slightly. “A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Forger.”

Love was a liability.

A mere tool used in an investigative method, and a leverage to gain information or blackmail for it.

It could be advantageous to receive from the other party while conducting a mission, yet at the same time utterly destructive when that same “love” catches you by the neck, trapping you in its honey that you have foolishly dived into all just for a moment of sweet promises and bliss – hence the name, The Honey Trap.

However, things were a bit different for Fiona.

She wasn’t lured into this so-called “honey” trap. No one had set up the trap for her to fall into. Instead, all that she’d been was a careless fool.

And she had fallen in love.

So deeply in love with a man she never thought that it was possible to love someone this hard. This man – this beautiful, talented, and impossibly handsome man – made her heart hammer against her chest like a drum beating non-stop; this man, who she utterly respects and would do anything for, got her so weak in the knees just by being in his debonair presence.

Because Twilight was like no other she’d ever met.

He was perfect in a sense that she could not describe with words without exploding into a giant, blushing mess. He was the one for her, and she had made plans – daydreamed of the day she soon would call him her own husband.

…Until someone came and messed it all.

Introduce: Yor Briar.

Yor was your normal, somewhat pretty citizen but shy girl that worked in an average job as an average clerk at the City Hall. She was the mother of Twilight’s adoptive daughter and had played the role of the dedicated wife for six years. But from what Fiona observed through her experienced eyes, those six years only indicated how much Operation Strix was delaying its success. And certainly, it told Fiona of the incompetent woman that took her place hadn’t been much help for the mission.

Or to put it on a simpler term: Fiona wasn’t a fan of Yor Briar.

Sure, her good appearance may be the only good thing about her but looks would only get you so far. Yor Briar was holding Twilight back, and Fiona knew it herself.

Hell, she’d even seen it with her very eyes the moment she saw them enter the hospital grounds.

The handholding, the touching of their shoulders, the little blush exchange, the soft whispering into each other’s ears, the freaking cuddling session – it took literally every willpower not to punch the wall beside her.

Regardless, Fiona couldn’t just bear with the sight of them like that. She couldn’t stand it anymore to see them continue doing things that she and Twilight were meant to do together.

So, she interrupted them for a good cause, saving Twilight from the trouble of having to act all lovey-dovey with this woman he had to marry.

I won’t lose you, Twilight. I swear it on my soul.

“Fiona Frost,” she introduced herself, bowing politely. “A pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Forger.”

Yor’s eyes widened and followed suit, saying, “It’s my pleasure to see you too! A-and please, call me Yor.”

Fiona didn’t care for it, honestly. She only came here to be with Twilight.

Speaking of which, his smile never quite reached up to his eyes as she had noticed.

As though a fake smile wasn’t always what he had on for show, even this was getting a bit obvious for her level as his jaw clenched in silent – albeit ostensible – tension. And Twilight was always above these things. He was always the pro when it came to masking his emotions.

So it merely was strange to the spy.

Could Yor be the reason? Could this woman’s presence have influenced him to be less on guard as he used to?

Fiona opened her mouth to speak, yet the man she was worried for beat her to it.

“So, Fiona, what brings you here today at work?” Fiona stood up straighter. Oh my god. Twilight’s talking to me. I love you. “I heard that you were taking a few days off to tend to your sick mother. How is she doing, by the way?”

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU—!

She muted that thought and hardened her eyes.

“Better than before. She’s no longer showing any serious symptoms for now, but the doctor said that she still needs to be resting at home. I’m only here at the hospital today to pick up her medications.”

His eyes, too, hardened.

“I see. You must be a very good daughter to do so.”

“I’m glad you think that, sir. I always try my best. After all, my mother has always taken care of me whenever I was sick as a child. I only hope to do the same for her now.”

“Wish I could do the same thing too. Unfortunately, mine already passed a long time ago.”

To anyone listening in on their conversation or passersby accidentally – or purposely – eavesdropping on them as they continued on, they would think this conversation was literally about someone’s sick mother whose daughter came to the hospital to get some more medication for. They would think that it was a simple conversation between co-workers about a family problem that most would be bored about after the first 10 seconds, which would then encourage them to carry on with their business as their story wasn’t interesting enough to hold their attention any longer than that.

That was the full intention of this technique.

It was meant to sound like a normal conversation, to be perceived as how its users wanted it to be. But in truth, the real conversation hid underneath its false words and topics; and it was only ever apparent to those who had years of training and experience of using such ways of communication.

In this case, however, in which both the undercover spies had.

Unbeknownst to Yor, her husband had been giving Fiona a hidden message even from the start of this “sick mother” talk.

“Why are you making contact, Nightfall?” he said.

Fiona had caught it instantly and answered with a code of her own.

“I’m simply making a few assessments based on my observations. Was all of that cuddling really necessary for the mission?”

“I’m only improvising for the sake of appearance. Image is always important when being watched; you know that.”

“I do,” she said. “However, I also know how important it is not to get attached. Which from what I’m seeing, you’re seemingly getting carried away.”

“I am not.”

“Face it, Twilight; you are. Which brings me to my next assessment. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: your wife is not suitable for this mission.” Fiona held the urge to directly glare at Yor, and continued, “Operation Strix has been prolonging for six years, and despite the improvements made, we both know it’d take at least another few more years until this mission actually ends. But that doesn’t have to happen. I can help you speed the process all up if you’d just let me—”

“No,” he interrupted. “What you’re suggesting is too risky. It will harm the Forger image if you involve yourself more than necessary. I can’t be accused of having an affair.”

Wouldn’t be the worst thing if we were, Fiona thought.

“Then let me pick Anya up from her school. If I have a reason to be in the school premises, you’ll have double the intel you do now with my help.”

Just say yes. Say yes, so that I can prove myself to you.

Eager for his answer, despite the hesitance that briefly appeared in his eyes and the way his jaw clenched and unclenched as though there was a war in his mind, Fiona only waited in those few milliseconds.

And yet it wasn’t even him who answered her.

“That must be hard for you.”

Yor’s voice pulled everyone’s attention as her brows knitted into a frown, displaying pity and concern.

No one answered.

Heck, even the man was surprised that the “sick mother” lie stuck to her until now.

At that, Yor’s face instantly flushed. “U-uh, I-I mean I didn’t mean to interrupt!” She raised her hands apologetically. “It’s just that…the way you said how your mother used to go all the way across town just to buy ingredients for your favorite soup, it was really…really nice of her to do that.”

Right. She must’ve droned on about that during her secret conversation.

Fiona only eyed her with an empty stare, wanting to say:

If you were competent enough for Twilight, you would’ve known how obvious of a lie that was. I hated soup.

“I suppose it was,” she said instead. “Mothers know their children best, no?”

Suddenly came the little whimper from Yor, her hand then pressed to her eyes.

Of course, that instantly raised their alarm, one thinking something had made his wife emotional and was considering whether panicking was a viable option, whereas the other nearly assumed that a masked man had been standing behind them with a gun pointed to their heads. It was what Yor’s reaction seemed like to her, at least.

But seemingly, Twilight was the right one here.

Fiona felt her brow raise at the sight of Yor’s glistening eyes – tears gathering at the corners of them, threatening to slip yet strongly held back.

“Ah, I’m so sorry, Miss Fiona.” Yor sniffled as her fingers swiped under her eyes before those tears could fall, a nervous chuckle escaping her. “I guess I’m just a little bit emotional lately. It’s so silly, isn’t it?”

Over soup?

Fiona’s mind couldn’t go any more blank.

Even so…something about this felt a bit off now that she wasn’t as fully driven by jealousy some unknown emotion as she was before.

Because truly, why was Yor even here in the first place? She had no reason to be at the hospital, so why did Twilight bring her along with him today?

“It is perfectly normal, Yor. Don’t sweat over it.” Twilight – or she supposed, Loid – offered her a gentle smile and a handkerchief from his shirt pocket, to which she gladly took as she murmured a quiet thanks.

As much as that little exchange irked Fiona, something about what he said irked her further.

Her brows furrowed, adding change to her constant face.

“Normal?” The question left her faster before she could think it through herself.

A short pause then as Twilight and Yor glanced at one another, communicating through their eyes so skillfully that it irritated Fiona to a certain extent, feeling as if she were the one being left out now.

And boy…she wished she had been left out.

She wished she never had to hear the words that would soon leave her cold heart in shambles – broken, mangled and in utter despair that no human on Earth could ever fix it. So beyond repair that for once her composure slipped, her ever constant poker face revealing her true surprise as her eyes widened, the corner of her lips sagging lower and lower the more it hit her like the suddenness of the attack in Westalis years ago, the cold war that had happened like the war between her heart and mind.

All of it with just four words.

“My wife is pregnant.”

Fiona did not listen to whatever he said after and neither did she listen to what Yor was saying too, their mouths only moving but without voices as all she could hear was her rapid heartbeat in her ears.

She searched for the hidden message behind that sentence, used her brain to the best of its ability to decipher as if the fate of the whole city was in her hands. She tried attempts after attempts, and yet, it only gave her nothing in the end.

There wasn’t a code at all to decipher.

Meaning, his remark meant exactly as it was. Meaning…Twilight was telling a mere truth.

Say something, you idiot! Fiona scolded herself. He’ll see right through you if you stay silent! So just say something!

Fiona forced herself to swallow the growing lump in her throat.

“C…Congratulations,” she said, struggling just to keep her voice level and her demeanor unaffected. But if only they knew how destroyed she was on the inside; and how ruined her whole day, if not her whole year, was. “Is this why you’re here today…Mrs. Forger?”

Yor nodded shyly. “Loid’s bringing me in for a check-up. Although, I just hope I don’t take too much time from his work, which I’m sure I have taken a lot already,” she said, laughing along with her husband who seemed more and more comfortable.

Fiona chuckled too.

But more so done out of pain and only to keep herself from falling apart any further – her fake laugh was already as hollow as it was. Everything about the cold agent Nightfall was falling apart. So close to the edge that with just one more nudge she feared she could land rock-bottom in the sea of heartaches and never come back up. And this awful process of her slowly losing composure only proceeded to its next level without mercy.

Her eyes were the next to sting after her heart.

In the matters of blocking tears and emotional feelings, she was one of the best in that field; and she even had proven to Twilight of her skills countless of times with her unreadable expression. She could hide everything about herself to everyone. Furthermore, she never failed.

And yet, she was failing now.

Fiona hid her teary eyes under her long bangs and turned on her heels. “I have to go,” she said.

Given her usual standoffish attitude, no one questioned her sudden leave or stopped her for it, one of them merely deciding she had other important matters to attend to, while the other still thinking that she would be returning to her poor, sick mother.

The truth, however, Fiona only needed some time to regain her composure, merely following the halls she’d long memorized.

And the walk back truly helped her distract her mind, suppressing her unwelcomed tears before it could fall from her eyes and reveal to everyone how the cold, aloof woman who was known to only intimidate others around her was crying like a high school girl after getting rejected – even though it felt exactly like that right now.

And Twilight announcing to her how his fake wife was pregnant was the worst way of saying how her love was being unrequited, despite him never knowing of her feelings now to begin with.

Nevertheless, she still clung to her silly hope, only dreaming that one day, when the world no longer needed spies like them to ensure peace, they would be together like real lovers that everyone envied.

Hell, the only dream she ever wanted true was for her love to be reciprocated by—

“Loid. Forger.”

Fiona halted in her steps, every muscle in her body tensing at a known name. Yet her mind instantly switched to Nightfall mode when it came from a foreign man.

Apparently, while she’d been busy wallowing herself in self pity and her fantasies of becoming Twilight’s wife, there happened to be a commotion in the Psychiatry Department where she and Twilight was assigned to “work” in, involving a certain young man and a staff member. But Fiona only set her eyes on this man.

One, because he was loud. This was a hospital and it seemed like he had lost all shame and patience with the way he kept slamming his hand on the counter, rudely demanding something Fiona had yet to know. Two, he was a stranger. Like a literal stranger that was neither a patient nor a visitor in this department. If this were any day, Fiona wouldn’t pay much mind to this fact, probably keep an eye or two in case of any suspicious behaviors, but other than that it wouldn’t be much her problem, and definitely not something she’d put on the top of her “Things To Care About” list.

But this man.

This black-haired man, with his red eyes screaming murder and promising violence every time he spewed out the name “Loid Forger” – it gave Fiona more than enough reasons to put this guy on her radar.

He must be treated as a threat.

“—His name is Loid Forger. I need you to get him right now,"  the man continued to say to the receptionist with the most apparent frustration anyone could ever show, as if this was his fourth time repeating it. 

“Y-yes, sir. I understand your urgency to meet with Dr. Forger, but without an appointment there’s nothing much I can do—”

He slammed a hand on the counter. The receptionist flinched.

“To hell with your appointments! I don’t care whether he’s in with a patient, in a meeting with the president, or even taking a shit right now. You tell him he better come out here right now before I sue him. I’ve got real money, you know; and I will sue him big. Then once he’s lost everything in court and goes bankrupt, I’m coming after you. You’re next on my list, you hear me? I will sue you, your mom, and I’ll go after your dog too. I’ll make you regret for ever saying I need an appointment to see Loid Forger—"

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

Both, the man and the terrified receptionist, turned to her. Unlike the look on the receptionist’s face – relieved as though she was her savior – the man only re-directed his scowl, mirroring Fiona’s death glare once their eyes met.

“Who the hell are you?” he spat.

“My name is Fiona Frost. I’m a staff member here in the hospital, and I work with Dr. Forger,” she said coldly. “May I ask the same question to you, sir?”

Fiona maintained eye-contact and so did the man, neither wanting to lose by letting even a muscle falter from the most intense staring contest that was ever held on Earth. The ultra-tension also did nothing to deter them, each equally burning holes into each other as they tried to upped one another for every second passed with their sharp gazes, competing to be the better intimidator.

But if this were a competition, it wouldn't even be close.

There’d be no winners or losers. Instead, just two random strangers who suddenly found mutual hate towards one another at first sight.

The man deepened his scowl and rudely scoffed, much to her chagrin.

Still, though.

For some reason – aside from him seething Twilight’s name like an insult – Fiona didn’t fully understand why she felt this ire in her chest burn a little brighter the more she studied his face. A very, punch-able face that is. But regardless of his pitiful excuse of an attitude and determination to intimidate her like she was some pathetic, cowardly woman, at least he still had the decency to answer her question back, his voice full of venom that could kill a grown man.

“Yuri Briar,” he said. “And I’m here to find my sister.”

Fiona clenched her fist.

Ah.

So that’s why.

Chapter Text

They say patience is a virtue, and kindness is a weapon. You deal with certain unlikable people life throws at you, and your patience will be rewarded; your kindness would be acknowledged and repaid.

Now, see, Yuri wasn’t a patient man like he made himself out to be, nor was he ever genuinely kind like some people would see him as. Deep down, he’d always known just how far his cruelty goes; the monster that came up to surface when he identified a threat to his sister. Which to say, he loved Yor with every fiber of his being. He was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure her safety and happiness for as long as he lived. Becoming an SSS officer and climbing up to be where he was now – that was all done to protect Yor. He’d become the person that he was now for Yor.

So, in the end could you blame him?

Could you blame him for wanting to be a good brother and make sure Yor was always alright? Could you blame him for wanting to use his day-off to apologize so that she wouldn’t think him as a bad person for trying to punch her good-for-nothing husband? Could you blame him for rushing straight to the hospital the second a certain child told him her papa took her mama there? Could you blame him for panicking just a little and scaring the receptionist in Loid’s department because she wasn’t cooperative enough?

Yuri wasn’t exactly proud about that last part. But in his defense, he was desperate. All that filled his mind was about finding Yor and making sure that nothing wrong had happened to her – he didn’t know much about pregnancy but from what he’d known, things could go wrong. People have died because of it.

So just imagine his frustration, while he was in the middle of his crisis dealing with the receptionist, and then out of nowhere life decided then and there it was the perfect moment to throw another rock at him.

The rock being Fiona Frost.

The woman, who was said to be a colleague of Loid Forger, was all another reason for him to want to flip a table and hurl it out the window. Just the fact that she’d spoken “Dr. Forger” in such a respectable way – as if he was some kind of God she worshiped – just brought enough ire that could last him the whole day.

Her face was the epitome of 24/7 annoyance. Cold. She looked at him as though he was some pest that parasites her house, or some punk kid who’d just egged her front door. Her eyes were a constant glare, but something about the look she shot at him – Yuri had seen it enough at work to know they were close to hatred.

Which was funny since they were practically strangers.

And yet, for some reason, he felt the same way.

Maybe it was that condescending look she wore, maybe it was the way she stood there with the most well-composed stance he’d ever seen, and clearly lacked now. Or maybe it was the unreadable face and how she held her ground so strongly in the battle of glares – he didn’t know.

But one thing was clear: Yuri didn’t like Fiona. Whatever the reason was, his mind and soul refused to act nice in front of her.

Her vibe was just too similar to Loid’s.

“Yuri Briar,” he said. “And I’m here to find my sister.”

Fiona didn’t break eye-contact. And neither did he. However, when she spoke, she didn’t speak to him.

“I’ll take it from here,” she told the frightened receptionist, her voice unwavering and bold as expected. “I’m sure I can assist Mr. Briar here with what he needs.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes, not liking the way she referred to him as trouble. He was a damn SSS Lieutenant! For her to subtly insult him was a bold move that if she knew just who he was, she’d quit her job and move out of the country.

Regardless.

This woman said she would help him. So, despite his prior frustrations and anger he had, he couldn’t deny this feeling of relief that bloomed in his chest like a flower; and how it slowly calmed the storm within his mind, his inner turmoil wiped away little by little. He could breathe finally, knowing that this torturous feeling of not knowing Yor’s condition would soon come to an end. Just as soon as he sees her.

…But boy was he wrong.

His eyes widened in horror as he stood inside a foreign room. Now there wasn’t anything wrong with the room, per se, but years of working in the SSS taught him enough to know what was about to come – an interrogation of some sort.

And the dead giveaway?

The table and the two chairs in the center.

Son of a…

“OI! YOU LIED TO ME! YOU SAID YOU WERE TAKING ME TO MY SISTER!”

Fiona barely even reacted, merely taking her seat at the table. The seat he’d usually take when he was the one doing the questioning.

“I do apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Briar. I promise this won’t take you long. If you will?” She gestured to the chair in front of her. But when Yuri shot her the same unyielding glare, she sighed. “This is only a small procedure. I understand your weariness, but it’s just something we’re trained to carry out. It’s my job, you see.”

He scoffed loudly, earning a scowl from her.

“Then, why am I here? Just because I bluffed about suing Loid, you’re kidnapping me and locking me in this room? That seems pretty hardcore, even by hospital standards. Didn’t you doctors take an oath or something?”

“Of course, but by all means I am not a doctor. I’ve even said before that I’m a staff member here. I make sure everything runs smoothly and I give support to my fellow colleagues,” she said. “Though, since your “bluff” involved a doctor in this hospital, as well as the newly employed receptionist you’ve just threatened—not only her but her mother and her nonexistent dog too—I cannot take this lightly like you think, sir. It might harm the image of this hospital’s security and reputation if I just let you go and pretend as if you never threatened someone.”

“But I wasn’t threatening her,” he insisted.

“Then what is it were you doing, Mr. Briar? Aside from wanting to sue?”

At that, Yuri spoke no more, his frown as deep as his desire to threaten this woman and use her fear to his advantage. But had he listened to the little devil inside his mind, Fiona would’ve been proven right.

God damn it, he seethed internally. Why can’t things just be easy for once?

As though his thoughts were heard, Fiona continued, “Here’s the deal then. I’m assuming Dr. Forger is related to your reason being here today, and you’re in a rush to find your sister. So, how about we make this quick for the both of us?” she asked. His brow raised as he listened. “I ask you the few mandatory questions I’ve got for you, you answer them truthfully and cooperate with me until the procedure is done. And then after, I take you directly to where you need to be like I said I would before; that is, to your sister. How does that sound?”

“…What kind of questions?” he grumbled eventually.

A little smirk ghosted over her lips. “None that you should feel worried about if you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“And you’re really taking me to her after this? Like seriously this time?”

“I swear it.”

Yeah. So did those scums that lied about betraying their own country.

A loud, defeated sigh escaped him.

Even so…

Like it or not, he probably didn’t have much of a choice here since Fiona was a literal staff member at this hospital. There was a good chance security might be involved in all of this, which was something he sincerely hoped they wouldn’t. But…just to avoid that outcome, he knew had to do this. He had to do this useless thing for Yor. All to make sure she was alright in this hospital and find out what had landed her here in the first place.

So with that in mind, Yuri forced himself to that God awful chair he’d be sitting on for the next who knows how many minutes long – though this was just some stupid hospital rule, he doubted it’d break his own record for the interrogations he’d done.

Fiona opened up her folder once he was sat, albeit he still didn't seem the slightest bit cooperative. Obviously.

“State your full name, please,” she began to say.

He huffed. “I told you that already. You even said it a couple of times before—”

“State. Your name,” she repeated, a bit firmer.

Yuri gave her a look, one that subtly screamed: “calm the hell down”, “why are you snapping at me?”.

“Yuri Briar,” he said after a moment. As well as after a good number of seconds of contemplating whether he should just snap back at the woman.

“Age?”

“26.”

A short silence went on between them as she wrote it down.

“Do you have any other family members, Mr. Briar?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Just me and my sister.”

“Does your family have a history of mental illness? Anything you might have?”

He sighed and folded his arms. “No, and like I told you, it was only me and my sister. There isn’t much I could tell you even if I wanted to.”

“Well, then how about your sister?”

“What about my sister?”

“Does she suffer from any mental disorders that you know of? Maybe something you’ve seen during your childhood—?”

“Absolutely not.” He sent a barely controlled glare her way. “That is out of the question. She’s the sanest person I’ve ever known! There’s no comparison as to how far her strength goes, mentally and physically; and that’s fact. Period. I bet she’s probably even stronger than you, lady. You don’t even know half of it.”

For a split second, Yuri could’ve sworn her left eye had twitched, and how her grip on her pen tightened to a point where it could snap in half. But then again, Yuri never confirmed the reaction as her whole demeanor returned to its right state. Composed. Controlled. Calm. As if those 3Cs were her everyday motto.

“I see…” Fiona whispered, looking down. She only took a breath before flipping a new page in her folder. “And what is your relationship with Dr. Forger?”

Silence drowned the room for a second. And then maybe five more.

“Sorry, what?” Yuri said, not believing his own ears.

“Your relationship with Dr. Loid Forger. How do you know him?”

The pause he gave her was utterly painful, the silence all too deafening. He didn’t even know why it took him so long to even answer this simple question.

“Uh, through my sister. She’s…married to him.”

“So, you’re his brother-in-law?”

“Sure.” Like I’d ever admit that.

“Mr. Briar, have you ever threatened Dr. Forger like you did just now—?”

“Wait a second, I don’t see how that’s any of your business .”

“If it concerns the safety of our patients, or our doctors, you’ll see it is very much my business. Have you or have you not threatened Dr. Forger?”

“…No,” he lied.

“Have you ever acted in a hostile manner towards Dr. Forger before? Say, doing anything that might lead to harm him directly or indirectly?”

“I haven’t, no.” At least, not successfully. Yet.

“Have you ever had thoughts of harming Dr. Forger, or tried to hurt him in any way that could ruin his reputation and career?”

Why is that asshole suddenly the topic for all of the questions?

Yuri held back his anger, which by the way, was hanging by a very, loose, hair-like thin thread. His silent seethes were becoming less and less silent the more Fiona Frost directed him questions after questions about the man he hated most. The sister thief.

“No.”

“Do you often see Dr. Forger as a competition—?”

“Okay, lady, this is getting ridiculous—”

“Fiona.”

He paused with an opened mouth, eyes almost wide. “What?”

“My name is Fiona,” she repeated. “If you cannot remember my last name, then the least thing you can do is address me by my first one. Or even just a simple ‘Ms.’ would be good enough if you have trouble with remembering it. I don’t appreciate being called ‘lady’ in such an insulting tone like yours is right now. Would you?”

“To be called a lady?” he mocked.

“To be treated by someone without any basic manners.”

Then and there, the tension spiked.

Yuri stared at her; Fiona stared at him. However, the former felt his nerves go haywire, and something within him snapped finally. As if the string – that last ultra-thin string that had been holding his impatient monster taut – was cut off by, the none other, Fiona Frost.

So there was no denying it now; he had had enough. A shame it took him this long to realize it.

He was, quite frankly, done.

With the last soft exhale he let out through his nose as his heart continued to pump – at this point – boiling blood, Yuri shot the woman the look equivalent to a middle finger.

“You know what? I’m out.”

Yuri pushed himself out of that cold chair, not caring to put it back in its place as he zoomed out of there with whatever remaining “calm façade” he had left. Though, anyone with eyes could literally tell he was fuming inside.

All because he’d been stupid to even waste his time with this Fiona.

“Yor Briar is your sister, correct?” the woman in question said. And believe him when he said that he swore, his soul almost left his body at the name of his dear one leaving the woman he’d just decided to hate for life– along with her colleague, Loi-loi.

Yuri was stumped. No, that wasn’t exactly the right word to describe him. Was there even one to indicate this feeling now? Shock? Elated? Relief? Furious? Maximum level of impatience? Sheer desperation?

He couldn’t even look at her. For the love of God, his body froze against his will. His voice was barely above whisper, and his eyes were locked at the door and the door only.

And yet, he still knew her reaction. Regardless his back was turned, he could practically see the smirk under that icy exterior of hers, the smug look she wore as though she’d gotten him right where she wanted him.

As though she’d won.

“What…did you say?” he asked slowly.

“Yor Briar. She’s here in the hospital, you know. I saw her this morning alongside Dr. Forger.”

His frozen spell broke, and he felt himself move right back to the table with a speed that was so intimidating, and his stance straight up threatening. But even the harsh slam of his hand against the table, and the way he looked at her with the deadliest scowl he ever pointed to anyone, did little to make the stone-faced woman falter.

In fact, she even seemed expectant of it. Like she saw it coming miles away. She knew he’d act this way. Freaking psychiatrists.

“Tell me where she is,” he said – threatened. Yuri towered over her sitting frame, but again, Fiona only looked up at him as though he was a nobody. As if he wasn’t someone who could potentially ruin her life with just a simple use of his real job. Which, as of now, he was really tempted to reach the back of his pocket and reveal his badge.

“I will. But just as soon as you’ve answered all of my questions.”

“To hell with all your questions!” he yelled. “I’ve had enough of this damn procedure, Fiona. If you’re not telling me where my sister is right now, I swear to God, I will actually do something to your Dr. Forger—”

“Don’t you even dare,” She’d sprung from her chair and glowered, not even bothering to hide the way her upper lip curled in contempt. “Or else I will guarantee you: you won’t only lose the chance to see your sister today.”

Yuri raised his brows, surprised to even see a real emotion aside from her constantly aloof poker face. Yet, that surprise could only last for so long. Especially when her words were spoken with nothing but malice that it reminded him of something far more important.

“Are you threatening me?”

“Of course not. I’m only warning you, sir, that your actions do have its consequences, especially considering when you’re about to depend on someone who would help you find your sister. And by the way? I don’t think you should feel offended at all if I even were.”

“I’ll feel whatever the hell I want to. Heck, I am offended,” he said. “You’ve already tricked me into following you under the pretense of you wanting to ‘assist’ me; you’ve offended and insulted me by even asking if my sister was mentally ill; forced me to sit in that cold-ass chair for almost 10 minutes; and your questions are just plain stupid.”

“Excuse me?” she said, appalled.

“Yeah. Accept it. Procedure or not, I’m not answering anymore of your bullshit questions about Loid.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Briar, this isn’t optional in neither my part nor yours. Your behavior that you portrayed out there and in this room just showed how necessary it is for me to carry this procedure out.”

“And? What exactly have you really got on me from your ridiculous questions – just aside from my name, age, and the fact that I’m not sick in the head? Nothing. I didn’t hurt that useless receptionist, I didn’t hurt your precious Dr. Forger, I didn’t hurt anyone. My ‘threats’ that you oh-so-claim could potentially harm the security of this hospital, are all just – like I said – bluffs to get things to move faster because it’s urgent for me, and only that. Mind you, I would never harm an innocent civilian.” Minus Loid. “I wouldn’t touch a single hair on their heads if they’ve done nothing to hurt my sister or me. So there. Is that all enough information for your stupid staff-trained procedure? Or are you still going to ask me whether I’ve ever pranked Loid before?”

There was a looming silence that came afterwards. With her glare, still locked onto his own as if she was mentally dissecting his brain for the truth herself, and his strong feeling of “never wanted to get out of a room so fast” building up from within, it was safe to say he was starting to become a little antsy after he’d released his rage. The fact that he was still so desperate to make sure Yor was okay was one thing. But Fiona’s face now was a whole other.

As frustrated and pissed he was, he still had no idea what she could be thinking about. He could take a class and master the arts of body language and faces, and still fail when it came to reading hers.

This is the longest I’ve ever had to look someone in the eye. What the hell is wrong with this woman?

His cheeks began to warm the longer it went.

Fiona didn’t go easy with the glare. Unrelenting.

Come on. Give up already. I’ve already won this battle, he told her silently.

Her eyes narrowed then, and Yuri realized his scowl was faltering.

Give up!

But Fiona did not. Instead, she went straight for the kill with only a few words.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Briar, but I am not convinced.”

Yuri never felt his frown deepened any more than it did now, his cockiness easily overruled by this insanely composed woman – who he was certain by now, was a devil in disguise.

“Huh?” he blurted out, frustrated even.

“I said I am not convinced with your points, sir. I don’t believe you as you said you are. I don’t even think you’re telling me the truth at all when I asked you whether you’ve threatened Dr. Forger before.”

Yuri stared at her, disbelieving and tired. This was going in circles.

“I don’t…what is up with you and that question?”

“Excuse me—?”

“No, explain to me your obsession with that. Because I’ve already said no the first time, yet you’re still asking me the same thing. What is your problem?”

“Oh, I have no problem, whatsoever. The only thing that has been bothering me, though, is how you continue to act as if you are innocent. You are not at all convincing, as I've said. And your answers—maybe more to the way you answer—just sounded way too off.”

“So, then what? You think I actually did it then? You think I threatened him?”

“Yes.”

Yuri raised a brow and couldn't help but backed away a little. Seemingly, now was his turn to say, “Excuse me?”

“It's true. I do think so, honestly. As a matter of fact, I know it even before you stepped foot inside this room.”

A pause. “What…?”

“That’s right,” she said, rather condescending. Always. “If you think I don’t know anything about you or how you dislike Dr. Forger, then you’re just sadly mistaken. Because you’re quite an open book, Mr. Briar. More than you realize it.” Fiona then walked away from the table, approaching the little stand that held a certain rotary phone – one he was certain was connected to all sorts of lines to communicate with the rest of the hospital. And Yuri could just guess who she was about to make a phone call for.

“S-so...wait, you—you said you knew?” he stammered as he too stepped away from the table, his frantic eyes glued to the phone – how it was picked up and soon placed right between her ear and shoulder. He could hear how his heart raced faster than it normally should, thumping in his chest so loudly that he couldn’t even focus on his own breathing.

Fiona, on the other hand, was nonchalant. Like she couldn’t care less of his fate now as she began to slowly – sadistically – dial the numbers.

“Of course, I knew. I’ve been working with Dr. Forger for six years.”

“Then why? Why did you even have me answer all of those questions if you already knew?” he asked, still angered, yet not daring to release everything like before. The stakes were already too high. It was one wrong move, and he could be removed from this hospital for life.

Fiona adjusted the phone in her hand. He didn’t realize how he’d taken another small step.

“Well, it’s like I said. It’s all just part of the procedure. Whether I knew or not, I still have to carry it out if I see someone threatening. It’s a shame for you, though. Had you not lied and just explained yourself, I would’ve considered actually helping you.” She clicked her tongue. “I guess it’s just not meant to be.”

His blood ran cold. Both at her words and the opportunity he had apparently missed. As well as at the sound of the last number being dialed in. The line that might as well just spell his doom. Fiona pressed the phone close to her ear and spoke to its receiver, her voice enough to send shivers down his spine. More so because something he hoped wouldn’t happen, happened.

“Hello, security?” Fiona said. “I—” Her speech was cut short as her hand suddenly recoiled from her face.

But to say it had moved all by itself, however, would be a blantant lie.

Fiona knew it. Yuri knew it.

Nevertheless, it had happened all too quick for either one to even comprehend it; too fast that it might as well have been a shared imagination for each of them.

And yet, Yuri knew it was nothing of such. There was no imagination shared between them. It wasn’t some hallucination that struck them both by coincidence.

So, how was he sure it had happened, might you ask?

Easy.

He was still holding her hand.

Chapter Text

If tension was a flammable gas, there was no denying that the whole hospital would’ve been up in flames by now, spreading the untamed fire further throughout the whole block like a tsunami. Despite how exaggerated and ridiculous and dangerous and deadly that sounded, Fiona wanted that rather than being close with him. Him – the suspicious, ill-tempered sister maniac who dared to touch her hand that she reserved for Twilight and Twilight only!

Fiona snatched herself away from his – unsurprisingly sweaty hands – and hugged it to her chest, the phone held on a death grip, and still very much, on the line. But the funny thing was, in scenarios like this involving skin contact, Fiona never considered it as something that was…worth the bother. After all, spies never failed at emotions. Which she – most of the time in her life, if not all – never even expressed one.

She was a closed book. A human statue. A rock that had no means of breaking. 

She was Nightfall. 

So why on Earth was she reacting? Over this accidental, meaningless, worthless touch?

Was she defective? Had Twilight’s reveal of his wife’s pregnancy truly did a number on her stoic demeanor? Was this the end of her spy career and the beginning of Nightfall’s downfall?

“I-I-I’m so sorry!” Yuri raised both his hands and took multiple steps back. And much to her surprise, throughout the last 10 minutes or so, this was the first time she received a genuine apology. Fiona was frozen on the spot.

“I didn’t mean to—I’m so, so sorry!” Yuri continued to throw his apologies, albeit in hushed voices that reminded Fiona of his reason for doing so.

The phone in her hand. The security, waiting on the other line. The muffled “Hello, hello?”. 

He was still wary of her next move. Most likely thinking of ways to make her hang up.

Fiona was right when his next words were, “Please. Can we…can we start over?” His personality was flipped 360°. Gone was the psycho that had just daringly threatened her and possibly more than three staff members in this hospital. And here, out of nowhere, was the person that spoke in such a gentle tone that it wouldn’t be hard to believe if he said he was a man of God.

Something was clearly off with this one.

Yet…for some reason, Fiona held the phone a little tighter; pressed its head a little closer to her chest.

“Start over?” Fiona asked, like the idea was poppycock.

“Yes,” he nodded, “I-I think we started off on the wrong foot, and if it’s possible…I’d like to re-do the procedure.”

A contemplative hum left her. But she wasn’t at all contemplating, was she? This man had given her more than enough reasons to cut him out of Twilight’s life and ease the spy’s burdens. There shouldn’t be a second to doubt.

“...Alright.”

There you go. 

She was defective after all.

But seeing how the man sighed – in what must be beyond relief – once the phone was put back to its place, Fiona glared right through his soul.

Yuri sat quickly back to his seat with a new, profound determination for the “procedure” he’d hated seconds ago. Though given he had an agenda behind his sudden willingness, Fiona couldn’t be all that surprised. This man seemed to be weaker than she’d imagined. One threat to remove him from the hospital premises – stop him from knowing if his sister was alright then and there – and he caved. 

“So, I take it you know about my…slight dislike towards Loid. And how I might have been a little mean whenever he’s around.” Every confession sounded forced. Fiona didn’t miss how his eyes darkened at every mention of the fake doctor’s name. 

She nodded firmly.

“Well, then you’re not wrong,” he said, “about that. But before you make your judgements about me, let me tell you why I did it—”

“If you’re only justifying your actions of threatening Dr. Forger, then I’m having none of that—"

“Of course not, lady—” Her eyes narrowed. “I mean—Ms. Fiona. Of course I’m not trying to justify what I did. I know it wasn’t technically right for that matter.” Her glare deepened further. “Okay, it wasn’t right at all, but still you do have to understand exactly why I did it. You have to understand it from my point of view in all of this.”

“And that being?”

Yuri stayed quiet as he contemplated his next words. It seemed he might've regretted even saying anything until he said, “Have you…ever had someone you loved taken away from you?”

Fiona stared at him. He stared back at her. 

Yes.

“Why do you say so, Mr. Briar?” she asked instead, crossing her legs, her voice cool and composed like her entire being. On the inside, though, was a screaming mess.

“My sister and I…are very close, you see. We didn’t have our parents growing up so back then it was just the two of us. We never stayed in an orphanage at the time. And since there was no one to support two kids like us, Yor had to. She worked herself to the bone just so she could get us food and the roof over our heads. So in a way, she's practically a parent to me, and we always made sure to look out for each other. Have each other's backs. Learn things the other one doesn't. Trust no one but only us two—only family. And it's been that way for years until…" Yuri leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Until… you know,” he muttered.

"So, is that your reason then? Is jealousy what drives you to dislike him so badly?" she asked.

"Okay, first of all, I am not jealous," he deadpanned. "Second of all, I just…It’s not that I’m against my sister’s marriage, only that I don't trust the guy enough for her to be around with—let alone live together. I always get a bad vibe around him and that makes me concerned. I mean, yeah, he probably has an… okay personality overall. Knows his way around the house—based on what my sister tells me. Responsible for an average guy. Always punctual. A freaking pro at cooking.” Fiona raised a brow, and Yuri stopped, realizing what he’d just admitted. 

Yuri cleared his throat and looked at his hands. “But yeah, something is just way off about that dude. He seems too perfect.”

Because he is, you jealous son of a—

“Perhaps,” she said, muting her inner rage, “you’re just catching him at his best. Not saying that you should seek him at his worst, but Dr. Forger is good at managing himself. It’s one of his best qualities.”

Yuri paused, looked back up to her, and this time his eyes lingered a little longer. 

"Do you really look up to him that much?"

"Of course we do. The doctors here respect him—"

“No, no, I mean— you …really look up to him, don’t you?” he asked, not in that usual snarky tone or one that made Fiona want to shove a pen right up his nose. 

He genuinely asked her like he knew. As if he caught a glimpse inside her mental diary about her undying love for the man who loved another. As if Yuri saw the chaos within her mind, a thunderstorm that continuously raged on yet forcefully contained inside a sorry-excuse shell of a human body. As if he’d already felt what she now called something new - the untreatable pain residing in her weak heart, ugly jealousy at its purest form. A hypocrite's heartache.

And that caught her off guard, way too distracted with her stupid emotions until she’d begin to lose sight of her goal.

It felt like suddenly the tables had been turned.

And the interrogator became the interrogated. 

She felt exposed. 

Offended. 

Ashamed. 

Embarrassed.

“Ms. Fiona?”

His voice brought her back. Back into reality, and into the persona she was supposed to play. 

Yet she never regained it fully as her mouth gaped still, words stuck in her throat like the knife in her stone heart. 

Say something, Nightfall! 

The ticks of a clock reverberated around her brain, reminding her that time was moving - a second was turning two. And two became three. Three became—

SAY SOMETHING NOW!

“I respect him as a colleague and a mentor.”

3.89 seconds.

How did she deteriorate into this?

Fiona swallowed her shame as she added, “So, yes, you could say…I do look up to him.”

“I see,” he said, strangely understanding out of the blue. Why did he sound so understanding? “Then, would I be wrong to assume that…you wouldn’t like to see anything bad happen to him? Out of respect as a good colleague, you wouldn't let him fail, or suffer, right?"

I will sacrifice myself if it means protecting him. “Correct.”

Yuri nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. 

Somehow hearing him less screaming, and antagonizing, he was harder to read. 

“Same case with me,” he finally said, his voice low. “I also wouldn’t want to see anything bad happen to my sister. Guess you and I aren't so different."

Something about that hit a little button in Fiona, a small voice coaxing her to listen and understand, sympathize and relate to it.

No, she mustn't.

"I ensure someone's safety by removing the threat away from the person in question. You become the threat itself. We're not the same, Mr. Briar."

He scowled softly. "I mean if you put it in that sort of context, obviously. But what I meant was," he said, "we both care about the people we…look up to. Me, my sister; and you, that guy. And deny this if you want, but if it was the other way around - if you were in my shoes today instead - you know you'd do the same thing I did." He crossed his arms and leaned back again. Two seconds of silence, and him adding quietly, "although, minus the, um, threats of suing and the yelling."

Fiona said nothing. Expressed nothing, much to Yuri's chagrin. He really thought those points would tug some strings inside Fiona, or at the very least make her give out an argument since he'd just taken a shot in the dark—perhaps he'd missed entirely, perhaps he didn't. 

But Fiona, being the ever-human robot, shot him an unamused look.

That elicited a sigh out of Yuri.

“Listen, Ms. Fiona, I am,” he said, hands clasped on the table, “incredibly sorry for today. There is no justifying me making a scene out there, or—or threatening to sue an innocent person and your colleague just because I couldn’t wait any longer. I let my temper get the best of me, and it affected other people. That’s not the slightest of my intentions. I didn’t mean to ruin anyone’s day or make yours any difficult. It's just that….” He stopped for a sigh, a hand dragged across his face, his voice quiet again. “I’m just… really worried for my sister. I’ve never been any more worried than I am for her until recently—until I found out…that she got pregnant .

“I went to her house this morning to check up on her because of that, but she wasn't home. I went to find Loid for that; and he wasn't home either. Then my niece, Loid’s kid, told me that her parents had to go to the hospital. I don’t know what for, but I sure as hell wasn't going to risk it by just assuming everything was fine. Yor wouldn’t have gone to the hospital if it was.”

So, all of this has been a misunderstanding , Fiona mused to herself. What a waste of my time if he wasn't such a big nuisance to Twilight.

Nevertheless, there was a big part of her that couldn’t forget the way his lips curled slightly as he’d mentioned Yor’s pregnancy. And it wasn’t a smile or a grin, or any type of reaction that showed a positive emotion whatsoever. 

It almost looked like he was repulsed instead.

Which was strange.

Was he also not happy about Yor’s news? Like she too?

No. That couldn’t be right. 

"That's why I'm eager, Ms. Fiona," he continued, again sounding so utterly defeated. "That's why I'm impatient; why I even went ballistic on the receptionist and let my frustration out on everybody else. I have to see my sister because that's all I could think of. I need to know why she's here—I need to know if she's okay ." 

Fiona remained unfazed. Unmoving. Cold and emotionless.

Yuri's head lowered then, as though in beg.

"Please," he uttered one last time. "She's all I've got."

Alas, it did nothing to the spy's heart.

How pathetic, Fiona thought to herself. For him to think that those words - those apologies, weak voice, those fake dejected and desperate eyes - would deter her in the slightest was a sad, sad fact. 

Fiona couldn't care less about this man or his lover-thief of a sister. Yuri was a nuisance to Operation Strix, and only proved himself to be nothing but a mere headache to Twilight. 

And that alone was enough to convince her. 

There shouldn't be anything else that could change her mind. Yuri Briar was to stay away from Twilight, and Fiona would do all her power to make sure it'd stay that way.

Even if his desperation was so strong and his feelings were beyond relatable to her current situation.

Even if a tinge of guilt spread through her entire body, coursing through her veins in milliseconds like lightning, making her heart heavier and heavier as though they were tugged by his words since the very start.

Even if she felt like the world's top hypocrite and broke all of its records just by denying that he had some bit of truth in his points.

Fiona wouldn't bring him to where Twilight was. She wouldn't get him to his sister.

And that was final.

The ticks of the clock continued on, drowning out the heavy silence as seconds moved slower.

But her soft sigh cut through it like a blade. Her fingers tapping against the clipboard. Her mind going over and over her final decision.

Then her chair moved back.

It’d been nearly half an hour since they were let inside the doctor’s office. 

10 minutes since the doctor asked Yor questions regarding her pregnancy and health overall. 

5 minutes since Yor was asked to lie down on the chair for the ultrasound. 

3 minutes since the doctor left the room.

Loid, the masterful manipulator of emotions that he was, had long manipulated his very own nerves to chill the hell out. Like he’d told Yor and assured her, this check-up thing was normal; that the process would be quick and smooth; and there was nothing for them to worry about.

But that was one of the main skills he had to master as a spy: the ability to boldly and convincingly lie to someone's face.

Because never - in his life - had he ever wanted to get out of a room so badly.

He eyed the boards hung on the pink walls, each filled to the brim with information about childbirth and pregnancy; he studied the female reproductive system model displayed just right beside him; he turned back around and gulped silently, concern itching at the back of his mind. 

Was he feeling slightly for Yor now that the whole thing had hit him full blast in the head? Or was he finally understanding how serious this moment was and the fact that he would soon father a child that was not part of the operation?

Possibly both.

Definitely both.

But that emotion…was only felt by Loid Forger . Twilight, on the other hand, only worries himself over the betterment of this world. The goal to ensure an everlasting peace between two countries that could still be on the verge of a violent war should he fail this mission.

He couldn't fail.

“Loid?” A soft voice called him. And he came up close to her with a smile.

“Yes, Yor?” he said. “What is it?”

Yor looked up at him, brows furrowed, lips drawn into a tight frown. And then a breath. “I just got a weird feeling all of a sudden. Is that normal?”

“Oh. That's, uh, what,” he cleared his throat, “what kind of feeling, though? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just felt like someone I know is here. It doesn’t feel wrong, but not…right either? Does that make sense?”

“I suppose—?”

The door creaked.

“Apologies for the delay! Shall we proceed with the ultrasound?” 

Dr. Andrea Wilson, the obstetrician who was a friend of his associates, was a young woman with big, rounded glasses and a short stature. Naturally, Loid had done some research over the woman’s background ‐ one could never be too sure about someone's real identity - and luckily all that he found were nothing of suspicion. She was just another average citizen working to get by.

Nothing he should keep an eye on.

Dr. Wilson closed the door and set her files on the table. Yor’s shoulders tensed as she sat behind the machine.

“I believe this is your first time using an ultrasound, correct Mrs. Forger?” Her eyes were glued to the screen, hands busy with equipment.

“I, uh, yes. This—this is my first time,” Yor said. She hesitated as she glanced between her husband and the machine. She sat up, her elbows propped. 

“I’m sorry, but…is this thing safe?” Yor asked.

The doctor smiled and laughed softly. “Of course, it is, Mrs. Forger. You have absolutely nothing to worry about; and besides, a ton of pregnant women have used this before too.” She finally turned away from the monitor, her smile still there as if to assure. “I promise you; you’ll be fine.”

“See? I told you,” Loid whispered into her ear. 

Yor nodded and laid back down. Her expression, however…she didn't seem like she was fully assured. 

Understandable, I suppose. Yor, after all, has never exactly been through this sort of experience or anything close to this.

Neither had Twilight or Loid.

But now, as the caring, attentive husband character, he had a role to play. 

Loid closed a hand around Yor's, caressing the back of it until her breath finally calmed. It worked like a charm every damn time.

Until it didn't.

“Good God—” Loid blurted as her nails dug straight into his skin. He bit his tongue, fighting through the pain Yor had shocked him with. He never truly understood how his wife possessed such raw strength on par with—if not stronger than—a steel bullet. And Loid had been shot multiple times before. The woman was capable of taking him down if she wanted to, no matter if it was always in her drunken state.

Still he never really questioned it. 

After all, this was all just a result of her yoga classes. 

Loid clenched his teeth, already accepting the fact that the ring on his finger surely wouldn't come off for months at this rate.

Regardless, he hid his pain behind a smile on his face and calming words as the doctor worked her magic. At some point, he wished she could do it faster because he could feel his finger bones cracking and quite literally on the brink of shattering beyond healing—

"And here we are, Dr. and Mrs. Forger."

All snapped their attention to the screen, and his eyes widened. His heart stopped as if his life had already flatlined. An emotion he couldn’t quite name lingering in his chest. All pain be damned and long forgotten. And Twilight Loid Forger couldn’t begin to fathom the actual reality of this.

“Oh my god,” Yor then whispered. “I see it. I see it, and it’s so…it’s so beautiful.”

Truly.

Loid could only watch the screen in the same manner, marveled at sight and the future it would soon promise.

Because there it was. His child. Unplanned yet constantly remembered as a supposed advantage for Operation Strix. 

This was actually happening, he told himself again. And whether he was ready or not, he knew he’d have to leave everything when it came down to it. For WISE’s sake, and for the family he’d grown to love feel something for.

The thought pained him—scared him.

As silence became louder in these short yet long seconds, Dr. Wilson quietly got out of her chair and made her way to the door. 

“I’ll give you both some time alone,” she told them before closing the door shut.

And indeed they were alone now. Still holding hands like it actually meant something, like they were a real couple, like she was his only support and someone to hold on to to keep him from falling on his knees and having a serious mental breakdown. And for her, he was her only tether to reality, a clear reminder that whatever she would soon face, he'd face too.

All until a sob broke the silence.

For the first time in that moment, Loid’s attention shifted away from the screen and to his wife.

“Yor?” he said. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s perfectly normal to get emotional over these things—”

“I can’t see it.” 

He paused. Face blank as paper.

“What?”

“I can’t see it!” Yor cried, now in tears. He followed her gaze then, realizing that her eyes never left the monitor.

“You…you can’t see the baby?” he asked. 

She immediately fell backwards on the backrest, crying into her hand as though his question was an arrow shot straight to her heart.

Her reaction alone, however, was enough to answer him.

“Y-Yor!” He helped her sit back up, meeting her teary eyes. “Yor, it’s alright! There’s nothing for you to be upset about!”

“No I should be! I don’t—I don’t even understand what the hell she just showed me!”

He brushed his thumb under her eyes, barely able to hold back a laugh. “But you just told the doctor you could see it. You even said it looked beautiful.”

“WELL I LIED. I DIDN’T WANT HER TO THINK I WAS A TERRIBLE MOTHER. THAT—THAT I CAN’T EVEN SEE MY OWN BABY!”

Yor pressed her eyes into her palms, sobbing louder now. Loid glanced at the door, then back to her, half praying no one heard them and half hoping the doctor would help him calm Yor down. But he knew the latter was not an option. At least a bad one.

And so he decided the only way he knew how.

Loid dragged the monitor closer to them, and took Yor’s hand again, this time holding it firmly to stop her from hiding and crying into them.

“Look, Yor”—he pointed to the screen—“Do you see it? It’s right there, I promise you. There.”

Yor sniffled and stared at the said spot. 

“Oh,” she finally said, nodding, soon smiling. “Oh, you’re right; it is there, Loid. I'm so sorry, I see it now.”

Relief bloomed in his chest.

Loid wanted to smile with her until—

“Do you,” he said, slowly turning to her, “do you really?”

A second or two. Then her eyes watered again, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“No, I can't see it!” She fell back again on the backrest, resigned and seemingly had accepted the title of ‘Worst Mother of The Decade’.

But Loid was not about to let her confidence as a mother shatter over this, quickly helping her sit up before her back could even hit the chair, and unconsciously, his fingers intertwining with hers. Shoulders pressed against each other, leaving no room in between. 

And this time, he made sure to let Yor see what he was seeing. He made sure to let Yor know what her child looked like.

"Here, Yor," he said, once more pointing to the same spot on the screen again. "Do you see the tiny dot here that sort of looks like Anya's peanuts?" Yor sniffled and nodded. "Honey, that's it. That's the baby."

Yor instantly leaned closer towards the screen. Her brows furrowed deeper. Eyes filled with so much focus that it was unmatched with her current puffy ones.

"That's it?"

This time, Loid couldn't hold his laugh in. "That's it," he repeated.

"Well I saw that!" Yor grabbed the edge of the monitor and pulled it even closer to them. Loid watched in amusement as her eyes sparkled all the while, gaping in awe as though it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

Because whether she'd lied about it the first time, her lie still carried a truth in it. The same way it carried a truth in his heart.

As if he could embrace such a thing as a spy.

"Wow," Yor breathed out. "I can't believe this is happening."

He inhaled deeply, the heavy feeling within him weighing further.

"Me too," he said.

Then voices interrupted from outside.

Both Loid and Yor turned their heads to the only door there was, listening warily as heavy footsteps thumped the hallway floor. The sound of tired and intimidated employees, pleading for someone to not barge in. A desperate, albeit familiar voice rising above it all without effort, protesting and insisting all the while that he had been given permission from their colleagues to see someone, to see his sister—

His sister .

Oh god.

Just as his horror set in, the door slammed opened, revealing the one man that could both ruin his peace without trying, and put him in line for execution without any valid reason just because he wanted to.

But in this moment, with Yor's eyes still red, and her cheeks still wet and tear-stained, face flushed like she'd just cried for hours and hours—Loid figured execution from his brother-in-law might be sooner than anticipated. And it was too late to hide it all now from him. Yuri Briar already noticed his sister's state. His concerned face quickly took an ugly turn—murderous, spiteful and completely hostile to the man sitting next to her. 

"You."

Loid sighed quietly. Not this again.

"Yuri—"

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO HER LOTTIE? WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST TELL YOU?" Yuri ran in between them, going straight to Yor's side, shielding her from the man he believed to be her 'psycho-husband'. 

But as quickly as his demeanour had changed, his attention too shifted to Yor completely, ignoring the man behind him like he never existed.

Yor said, "Yuri? What are you doing here—?" 

"SIS!" He held on to her hands. "Tell me what happened? Did he hurt you? Did he hit you anywhere? Was he the one that made you cry like this? IS HE THE REASON YOU'RE IN A HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW—?"

"Yuri, Yuri!" Yor placed both her hands on his shoulders, shaking him out of his panic mode. "I'm fine. I'm only here at the hospital for an ultrasound."

Yuri said nothing. And for a long time he continued on saying nothing.

"Huh?"

Yor wiped at her nose before pointing at the monitor in front of them. Yuri followed her finger, his confusion soon turning into a realization that brought Loid the amount of relief he never thought he could feel.

"S…so, he didn't hurt you?" Yuri asked softly.

"Of—of course not!" Yor said, nearly scowling. "I told you Loid would never do such a thing! In fact, Yuri, I'm quite hurt that you always think Loid is capable of doing something so awful. It’s like you don’t believe me or something."

Then and there, Loid felt proud. So, so proud of her.

Taken aback by the disappointment in her voice, Yuri took a step back, hands raised apologetically.

"Ah sis, I didn't mean—I'm so sorry! I just meant that—"

"What? What could you possibly have meant then?"

So new to this side of Yor, Yuri could only turn to Loid, wondering if he was also surprised by this change of behavior in her—or perhaps rather, if he was the cause of this change.

Loid offered him a pat on the shoulder and said, "It's really fine, Yor. I'm sure he means well. After all, your brother only acted the way he did because he was showing concern for you. Isn't that right, Yuri?"

Yuri's eyes glanced at him in pure disgust. Yet he reeled in some of it and lifted a forced smile. For Yor’s sake.

"Y…yeah. That's true. I've just been so worried, is all." He took a wary step closer to Yor and softened his gaze to her. "But really, I am relieved now that you're okay. And that…you're only here with him because of an appointment."

Yor's sour face, too, softened. 

"In that case, I'm glad you're here, Yuri," she said, smiling. 

At her smile, Yuri followed suit, easily influenced by her emotions.

"Then…then I'm glad too!" Yuri said and laughed. "Boy, and to think I went with all that trouble to actually get here. You wouldn't believe what happened, sis."

"If I may ask," Loid interrupted. Yuri turned to him, brow raised and a small frown. "How did you know about Yor's appointment today?" he asked.

Reluctant as ever, Yuri gave an annoyed sigh before saying, "I went by your house to check up on my sister, Loi-Loi . It’s not a big deal. Just that—” he hesitated. Looked away. “If you could, maybe tell Anya…I’m a little sorry. If I accidentally scared her this morning.”

"So, you found out this morning? How come it took you all afternoon to find us here?" Yor asked, tugging on his sleeve.

Then another sigh, however, this time he sounded genuinely exhausted.

"Long story short, there's this lady who thought I was some suspicious guy lurking in the hospital. She kept on asking me these stupid questions, saying it's for some stupid procedure she's been trained to carry out on people like me." He rubbed his head. "And she really took her time before I got to convince her that I was not the criminal she thought I was."

Then he looked over to Loid. “You know her, Loi-Loi? Your colleague wouldn’t stop interrogating me like I'm some criminal!”

Loid smirked mentally.

Good.

His colleague truly helped him spare a good two hours of headache that is Yuri’s presence overall. It was unplanned and unexpected that Fiona’s assistance came in the form of this, however, very much appreciated. Perhaps he should consider her offer in wanting to play a part in Operation Strix. However, that would be an unlikely occurrence, nevermind her request to pick up Anya from school when she was someone the girl barely see. Having a mere friend from work hanging around his family, too, often would result in even more suspicious behavior. Put a bigger target on his head, no matter if it came with rewards of thrice the useful intel and assistance he had now.

It just wouldn’t work, he decided.

“Wait, Loid’s colleague? Was her name by chance Fiona? Fiona Frost?” Yor asked.

Loid was pulled out of his thoughts; and Yuri’s attention turned to her entirely, too.

“Uh, yeah?” Yuri said. His eyes widened. “Wait—you know her, sis?”

“Of course! I’ve met her once or twice before. I remember she has quite fierce and pretty eyes, isn’t that right?”

Yuri blinked. Hesitated. Blushed right in front of everyone.

He cleared his throat and for once, looked away from his sister, avoiding meeting her eyes as though she could read his secrets out loud - read his face like a book. But if there was anyone that could read faces, it was anyone but Yor.

While she was naturally oblivious to certain things, and by certain, a lot of things - in this case, including the flush in Yuri’s cheeks - Loid already noticed his slight change in behavior the second his voice became softer.

“Yeah, sure I guess,” Yuri agreed almost reluctantly. Then he scowled. “Whoever she was, though, I hope I don’t ever have to run into her again. She’s a real pain.”

Yor laughed and comforted her brother with her gentle words, telling him that Fiona wasn’t that bad of a person, trying to assure him that she probably had to be intimidating as it was her job to do so.

Oh, Loid knew it was - if not then her personality all in all. 

Cold. Unfeeling. Straightforward and bold. 

That was Nightfall, indeed. All that she’d ever been in her entire career.

Yuri may have had the right reaction to feel irritated after being interrogated, considering his job required him to be the one to interrogate someone. It was understandable if he were to be in his position. By now, Loid could already predict Yuri would even start to develop a certain emotion should he ever cross paths with Fiona Frost by simple fate. Be it embarrassment, annoyance, pure dislike - you name it. Yet one thing Loid still couldn’t understand was why did Yuri blush?

Why would he clear his throat, and avoid eye-contact with literally everything in this room—

It clicked.

He figured it out. He understood why. And less than a second, a brilliant idea popped into his head.

So remember when he’d decided Nightfall’s involvement wouldn’t work at all for Operation Strix?

Scratch that. 

Agent Nightfall would actually be a great distraction for Yuri Briar.