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A picnic in the park is exactly what the Forgers need.
Not only is it necessary to help keep the facade of a happy family up and running, but it is also a much needed distraction from the countless hours Loid had been putting in at WISE. Too many missions tossed on top of Operation Strix is tiring, exhausting really, and Loid looks forward to spending a warm, cozy afternoon with his girls.
His girls. Since when had he started thinking of Yor and Anya as his, exactly? He’s not sure, but he finds that he quite likes the thought of the two belonging to him and him alone.
Once they reach the park, Anya runs ahead with her arms stretched wide, laughing as Bond trots behind her, barking along with her infectious laughter.
“Don’t run too far ahead, Anya!” Yor calls after her, concern laced in her voice as she watches Anya carefully.
Loid just places his hand on her shoulder, pulling her close to him as they continue to walk.
“Don’t worry,” he assures her gently, guiding her along the path, swinging the picnic basket stuffed with goodies in his free hand. “I think Bond can keep an eye on her if she strolls too far.”
“There’s just so many people here,” Yor states, eyeing the strangers around them, the other happy families who happened to have the same idea as them with their blankets spread out on the grass and glasses of lemonade in their hands.
How adorable, Loid thinks, that Yor worries about Anya as if the girl is her own. Well, Loid isn’t one to talk either.
“Well, it’s a good thing she has two loving parents who are both keeping their eyes on her,” Loid adds, giving Yor’s shoulder a thoughtful squeeze, his eyes trailing towards Anya who is now picking dandelions out of the ground and dramatically presenting them to Bond. The dog just sniffs them warily, sneezing when the scent tickles his nostrils and sending Anya into another fit of giggles.
Loid smiles to himself, dropping his hand from Yor’s shoulder and leading her towards an empty space on the grass close to where Anya is playing.
Yor doesn’t look too convinced, but still, she helps Loid set up the blanket and unpack the basket, spreading out the pitchers of iced tea and water, the veggie and fruit platters, the finger sandwiches that Yor had slaved over that very morning. Loid can’t help but to watch her carefully, noting the way her lithe body moves with grace, the way she brushes her loose hair away from her eyes, the way she blushes when she catches him staring. He feels the heat prickling at his cheeks, averting his gaze towards their spread and admiring their work well done.
“Anya!” he calls, taking his hat off his head and tossing it onto the blanket. “Anya, it’s time to eat!”
“Yes, Papa!” Anya calls back, patting Bond on the head before rushing over to Loid and Yor, her cheeks flushed pink with excitement, her eyes gleaming in the afternoon sun. Bond trails after her, tongue hanging from his mouth as he pants gaily.
Anya is quick to find a spot on the blanket, shoving herself between Yor and Loid as if she cannot get enough of either of them. Then again, Loid assumes that the poor girl yearns for more time with her parents. Between Yor and Loid working and the countless hours Anya spends studying, he’s not surprised that Anya is taking full advantage of having their attention.
As Yor and Anya relax, Loid prepares their dishes, taking care to give them an equal amount of food.
“Now remember, Anya,” he says firmly, handing Anya a plate containing blueberries, strawberries, celery, and a ham and cheese sandwich, “if you finish what’s on your plate, you can have dessert. How does that sound?”
Anya’s eyes widen even more as she takes the plate from her father’s hand, her lips twitching as Loid stares at her evenly.
“Do we have a deal?” he repeats, tapping the edge of the plate for emphasis.
“Yes, Papa!” Anya agrees, nodding fervently before picking up a blueberry and popping it into her mouth.
Beside her, Yor giggles at the interaction, covering her mouth with her hand in such a way that makes Loid’s insides melt.
Ridiculous.
Still, his gaze lingers on Yor, watching as she smooths out her skirt and tucks her legs beneath herself so she can pour herself a glass of iced tea. He can’t help but find it absolutely adorable that she and Anya decided to wear matching outfits, Anya with a blue and white pinstripe dress and Yor with her identical skirt and white blouse. Anya is still wearing the straw hat Loid made her put on before leaving the apartment, but she doesn’t seem to care. If anything, Anya seems more focused on eating all the food on her plate just as Loid asked her to.
He sighs before making himself a plate, though he is sure to also lay out a bowl of water for Bond to lap at. Together, the Forgers eat their food quietly, though Anya’s chewing drowns out the silence.
Not that Loid minds. He’s gotten used to the sounds of a child pattering around the house, her eager prattling nonstop but welcome all the same.
“Done!” Anya announces, holding her plate up and presenting it excitedly to Loid and Yor. “See, Papa! See, Mama!”
“Wow, someone was hungry!” Yor comments, smiling down at Anya and poking her side so that Anya squeals in delight. “Do you want another sandwich or some carrots? Then we can talk about getting you some ice cream. How does that sound?”
Anya considers the veggies lightly before reaching over and grabbing some carrots and depositing them on her plate. Loid shoots Yor a grateful look over Anya’s head; getting the girl to eat more vegetables has been a more recent battle, but it seems that Yor is an excellent motivator. Yor grins timidly before ducking her head and focusing on her own lunch.
Bond lays behind Anya, his eyes closed as he soaks up the afternoon sun. Anya leans back against him, balancing her plate on her lap and enjoying her carrots, giggling to herself whenever she hears the crunch of a carrot between her teeth. Loid can’t help but smirk to himself, glad the girl is having a good time.
“I’m glad we did this,” he says out loud, earning him the attention of his girls. “I think we needed this day together, don’t you?”
“Yes, today has been lovely so far,” Yor agrees, taking a sip from her glass. “Anya, what about you?”
“I’m glad I could spend more time with Papa and Mama,” she pipes up, letting her now empty plate slip off her lap and onto the blanket. “Papa and Mama have been working too much, I think you need to relax.”
Loid blinks, a small frown tugging at his lips. He finds it strange - no, fascinating - how perceptive the girl is, especially at such a young age. Anya just levels a glare at Loid as though challenging him to disagree with her. How can he, though?
“You’re right, Anya,” Yor says before Loid can open his mouth. She places a hand on Anya’s back, tilting her head down so that she can look Anya in the eyes. “Your papa and I have been working too much, so we barely have time for you. It’s not very fair, is it?”
Anya huffs and crosses her arms. With a shake of her head, she adds, “No, not enough time for each other!”
Loid can’t stop the sound that comes out of his throat, an odd sort of coughing fit that has Yor looking over at him with concern. With each other? What on earth does Anya mean?
“I mean,” Anya continues, looking at Loid with her big green eyes, “that Mama and Papa only spend time together when they’re with me.”
Again with the perception of this child!
“So, you’re saying we never spend time… alone?” Yor questions, her cheeks flushing pink.
Anya nods. “Right! Papa and Mama need to flirt -”
“Okay! Anya!” Loid interrupts, raising his hand to stop Anya from speaking any further. “I think you’re all done with lunch. Why don’t you and Bond go play before we have some ice cream, okay?”
Anya levels another look at Loid, her lips curving with mirth, a look Loid has become very familiar with: Anya is scheming something, he just doesn’t know what.
But what does she know? She’s just a child.
“Okay!” Anya stands up and wipes the crumbs off her dress. “Come on, Bond! Let’s go look at the dandelions again!”
“Don’t go too far though!” Yor calls after her and Bond. “Stay in our sight!”
Anya gives a small wave of her hand before she and Bond are flying off together, her laughter echoing in the air.
Loid and Yor sit in an awkward silence, their plates now devoid of food, though Loid seemingly lost his appetite.
“That girl,” he says slowly, letting the words roll off his tongue. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
Yor nods in agreement, though she is unable to look at Loid fully. “Yes, you’re right. She just likes to meddle in things she doesn’t understand.”
“She’s a funny one, isn’t she?” Loid lets out a nervous chuckle, running his hand through his hair as Yor nods again. “What does she know about adult relationships?”
All Yor does is hum in return before looking up, her cheeks fully flushed red, her lips parted. She gives Loid a timid smile, one that causes Loid’s heart to skip a beat.
But before he can get another word in, Yor states, “I saw an ice cream stand on our way over here. Do you think Anya would like an ice cream cone?”
“Oh.” Loid feels himself relaxing somewhat. “Yes, I’m sure she will. Why don’t you go ahead and buy it while I keep an eye on her and Bond.”
Yor gives her agreement and stands up carefully, mirroring Anya from earlier and smoothing wrinkles out of her skirt. Loid watches as she makes her way towards the path, her sight focused on the small stand that lies about twenty meters away from their set up.
Once alone, Loid replays Anya’s words over again in his mind.
Not enough alone time? Of course Loid spends time with Yor!
But, again, do his times sitting with Yor on the couch after a long day or cooking together in the kitchen really count? When have they spent time just the two of them without Anya?
As a married couple, he had assumed they were hitting all the checkmarks. Well… not all of them. But no one else needs to know that!
Then again, if Anya, a mere child, can determine that Loid and Yor aren’t acting enough as a married couple, then surely other adults have taken note of this as well.
He remembers one of Yor’s particularly nasty coworkers, that blond woman Camilla, and shudders at the thought. Has she given Yor trouble about her relationship with Loid? Has she noted that Loid doesn’t treat Yor like a wife, but a mere test subject whose only purpose is to help his missions succeed?
He hopes not.
Loid makes a mental note: spend more one on one time with Yor, specifically outside of the apartment where other adults will see them. Yes, yes that will help.
Still, something coils deep in his gut, a feeling that’s been lingering deep beneath the surface for quite some time now.
Of course Loid has grown fond of Yor, why wouldn’t he? She’s kind and compassionate, calm and gentle, a wonderful partner overall. So, of course, Loid would have grown fond of his wife.
Fake wife.
For the mission.
Spending time alone with Yor is solely for the mission’s success.
Yes, that will do.
He runs his hand through his hair again and looks around to find Yor at the ice cream stand. She’s taking longer than expected and he wonders if the line is too long.
But when he spots her, he realizes the issue at hand: there is Yor, ice cream in hand, standing awkwardly, her shoulders drawn up to her ears, as a man towers over her. He’s standing far too close, a smirk toying on his lips as he talks, seemingly unaware of Yor’s discomfort.
Now, that just won’t do.
Loid stands up, fixes his coat, and strides over to Yor, anger bubbling up inside him at the thought of some stranger flirting with his wife.
When he reaches her, Loid places a hand on Yor’s shoulder and draws her close to his side, feeling the way the tension rolls off her body at the familiarity of Loid’s movements. He give the stranger a tight lipped smile, narrowing his eyes as Yor trembles beside him.
“Is everything all right, dear?” he asks Yor, though his eyes are trained on the man in front of them. He can smell cigarette smoke on his breath, see the grease in his hair.
“Yes,” Yor squeaks, pressing herself even closer to Loid.
“Now, now, who is this?” the man asks, his voice taunting as he slides his hand into his coat pocket and draws out a cigarette box. “Do you know him, doll?”
“Excuse me, is there a reason you’re trying to flirt with my wife,” Loid grits out, barely able to contain his anger at the sheer audacity of the man before him.
“Oh, your wife, huh?” the man drawls, raising a thick eyebrow at Loid as he taps on the box so a cigarette falls into the palm of his hand. “Didn’t see you, so I assumed this beauty was alone.”
“Well, she’s not, thank you,” Loid seethes, his fingers pressing into Yor’s shoulder so hard he’s sure she’ll complain, but he doesn’t care. “Now, excuse me, we will be off. So please, leave my wife alone.”
The man just smirks again, lighting his cigarette and giving a non-committal wave before stalking off, an odd limp in his step. Beside him, Yor lets out a sigh of relief, relaxing against Loid’s body.
Loid, on the other hand, just watches as the man disappears among the crowd, his heart hammering in his chest.
“Loid? I think he’s gone. You can let go now.”
He looks down at Yor, noting the way she’s looking at him, her eyes full of appreciation. He clears his throat and releases his hold on her shoulder, taking a step back to give her room.
“Yes,” he says, gesturing for Yor to follow him back towards their blanket. “Yes, you’re right, I just had to be sure.”
“Of course,” Yor murmurs, following closely behind Loid. “Thank you, Loid.”
Instead of answering, Loid just nods.
“Loid?” Yor asks once they reach the blanket, Anya and Bond still playing off in the distance.
“Yes, Yor?”
“I… I kind of like it when you call me your wife.”
Loid is sure his heart completely stops at that. He just stares at her, watching as she bites her lower lip, the way she tilts her head down so she doesn’t have to look him in the eye. The wind blows gently, and loose pieces of Yor’s hair flow in the wind.
Loid clears his throat. “Well, I mean, you are my wife, aren’t you?”
Yor finally glances up at him. “Yes, I - I do believe I am.”
“Good. I’m glad that’s settled. Why don’t you call Anya over so she can have her ice cream. Once we’re done here, maybe I can call Frankie and see if he can watch Anya for a couple hours while we spend some time together, just the two of us. What do you think?”
Yor beams. “Yes, I think that’s a great idea.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
What Loid doesn’t realize is that Anya is watching this interaction unfold, a sly grin on her face as she pats Bond’s head.
“Mama and Papa are flirting,” she tells Bond happily.