Archive of Our Own ^beta

Two shots rang out, echoing across the concrete walls, deafening in the tight hallway of the sewer. Pain exploded in Yuri’s thigh. As he fell to his knees, Twilight grabbed his gun arm and twisted it, forcing the gun out of his hand and sending it clattering to the ground. Twilight kicked it away and into the sewage with a soft splash before Yuri could even think to move for it.

I can’t let Twilight get the upper hand here! This is my chance to catch him and put an end to this! Yuri grit his teeth, ignoring the burning pain in his leg to push himself up and throwing his shoulder into Twilight with all his strength, causing the other to stumble.

Yuri seized his opportunity, shoving Twilight against the wall, the collar of his shirt balled up in one fist and the other reaching up to tear the mask off his face. Of course it couldn’t be that simple; Twilight shoved his knee hard into Yuri’s wounded thigh. He cried out in pain as his leg gave out. That was all Twilight needed to turn their positions around, pinning Yuri face first into the wall, arms held up against his back. The bastard fought dirty. Yuri was sure he got a shot in, could’ve sworn he at least clipped his shoulder. There was no way he should be able to move with such speed and hold him down so firmly. It made no sense. But no matter how he struggled against the dirty concrete, Twilight kept him in an iron grip. He was wounded, how can he pin him down so effortlessly?

As his thoughts raced, frantically trying to come up with a plan to overpower Twilight once again, he felt the cold metal of a gun pressing against his back. He froze.

"Yuri Briar," Twilight spoke low, breath hot on his ear. The two of them were alone in the sewer system, and yet he talked as if they were exchanging secrets in a crowded room.

Yuri shuddered at the uncanny feeling of hearing his own voice coming out of Twilight’s mouth. "How do you know my name?"

"I have a proposal for you." Twilight kept talking as if Yuri didn't say a word at all. "We don't have long before the SSS swarms the place and catches us, so we gotta make this fast."

"Why would I listen to a word you say, Westalian scum?" Yuri spat, voice dripping with venom.

"Because I have reason to believe that if I'm taken by the SSS, your sister, Yor Forger, is going to get caught up in the crossfire."

Yuri’s blood ran cold at the mention of his sister. "W-what are you saying? My sister has nothing to do with this! I should kill you for even insinuating that she has anything to do with you lot!” He moved to elbow Twilight in the stomach in an attempt to get the gun out of his hand or loosen his grip, anything, but he didn’t budge. If anything, Twilight only pressed more of his body against him, pinning him to the wall still more. “And no matter what, I’ll protect her!"

"Would you really want to risk putting your dearest sister through the sort of hardship and stress trials like that bring? Do you really think you can protect her? Even as a lieutenant, they won't take your word for it if they have proof she's been associating with a spy. I assure you, the best way to protect her is by coming with me." Twilight’s confidence and low tone of voice drove Yuri crazy. How dare he make such outrageous accusations like that?!

"What the hell are you talking about? She would never do anything like that! You're talking about her like you know her! How do you even know her name?!"

"If you come with me, I'll answer all your questions," he replied coolly.

"Like hell I will! We have ways of making spies talk." Yuri’s mouth twisted into a crooked smile at the thought of getting him to fess up everything he knows in the interrogation room.

"I've gone through all sorts of torture during my time as a spy. You won't get a peep out of me. The only way you're going to get any answers is if you come with me. And need I remind you your sister’s safety is on the line here as well?" Twilight pressed the gun harder into his back.

Twilight had to be bluffing about his sister. There was no possible way she could be wrapped up in any of this. Yor would never do anything that would threaten their home. At least, not willingly. Spies are crafty smooth talkers, and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that she could've been tricked into serving as an accomplice for some sort of scheme. If he went along with this, he could see exactly how Yor was involved, if at all, and use the evidence he obtained to prove her innocence and protect her. As much as he hated to admit it, it was the best option he had. If he didn’t go, Twilight would just kill him before he made a run for it. Even if he tried to stall for time, it’d likely only backfire on him. But how could Yuri trust him?

"If we leave now, we'll be able to get out of here before this place is swarmed by the SSS. Are you coming or not?"

"How do I know you're not lying to me, just to make an escape later?"

"You would already be dead.”

The blunt statement sent a shiver up Yuri's spine. “Then why not shoot me and make a clean escape? Why even tell me anything?” Everything about this screamed suspicious. What did Twilight have to gain by making this offer?

“There’s no reason for you to know that if you’re not coming.” 

"Take off your mask." The words came out of his mouth before he even knew what he was saying.

Twilight fell silent for a moment, breaking the rhythm of his quick replies, each one given as if he anticipated Yuri’s every question. But he hadn’t been expecting this one.

"If you take off your mask and show me your true face, I'll come with you." Yuri said, more firmly. Truly, he couldn’t believe he was even entertaining the thought of going at all. Spies weren't to be trusted. Twilight could easily be manipulating him with twisted lies.

But even so. Even though what he said had to be false, the fact that he knew his sister meant she could be in danger. And if his cooperation, even for this moment, ensured her safety, Yuri would do anything. Besides, if he played his cards right, maybe he could get enough information to catch Twilight for good.

Twilight remained silent, weighing his options in much the same way Yuri had moments ago. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but it felt like time stretched on for an eternity. The only sound that filled the empty air was Yuri’s heavy breathing from the pain and exertion and Twilight’s own steady breath in his ear. It irritated him that Twilight didn’t seem to exert himself at all. What kind of boundless stamina did this guy have? What would it take to run him ragged, to grind him into the dirt until he couldn’t move?

Before Yuri could follow that train of thought any further, Twilight must have arrived at some decision, because he finally relented. He released Yuri from his vice grip, allowing him to turn around. Not that he could relax, as Twilight continued to hold his gun at Yuri’s heart. "Okay. But only if you come with me, after we're somewhere safer. We don’t have any time to lose.”

If his internal count was correct, he had maybe five seconds before Twilight ran off on his own. Yuri cursed under his breath and looked to the dingy ceiling of the sewer as if he’d find the answers there. Four seconds. He wished for some higher power that could tell him how he got into this situation in the first place. Three seconds. He looked at Twilight, who only raised his eyebrows slightly. Even with his trained neutral expression, Yuri could tell he eagerly awaited his answer, just as keenly aware of the wasted seconds as Yuri was. Two seconds.

“ Fine ,” Yuri ground out. Twilight lowered the gun and his mouth quirked up, flashing into a small smile. A familiar one, but not like Yuri’s own. Twilight regained his composure and returned to the same stone cold expression before Yuri could place where he had seen that irritating smile. Every movement Twilight made felt so calculated, he couldn’t tell if this was just another one of his tricks to gain his trust or if he really did slip up for a second. “I'm going to regret this," he muttered.

"Can you run?" Twilight asked, glancing at Yuri’s bleeding leg. Without waiting for an answer, he wrapped his arm around Yuri’s waist and took his arm over his shoulders. Under ordinary circumstances, Yuri might shove him off or raise a fuss, but instead he simply let out a small annoyed, "Tch" and reluctantly accepted his help. If one could even call it that— with Twilight’s height and speed he practically dragged Yuri to their destination.

~*~*~

"Okay, you said you'd take off your mask and answer my questions. So who are you? And how do you know my sister?" Yuri asked from his spot on the hastily acquired hotel room's bed. The staff didn't even blink at the blood and their identical appearances so it must be one that Twilight's agency worked with often. He made a mental note to come back here and investigate later.

"Getting right into it, huh?" Twilight asked cordially, in a way that reminded Yuri of a certain man. He bristled.

"Don't try to dance around the subject," Yuri bit back.

The spy paused for a long moment before asking, "I can trust you, right?"

"That’s a stupid question after coming this far," Yuri scoffed.

"Even if I’m the last person in the world you would want to see?" Twilight asked, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. Which was to say, very slightly, but the lack of complete confidence that Yuri was used to from Twilight made it that much more apparent. A flash of... doubt? …crossed his face but it vanished before Yuri was certain.

"What are you talking about? You’re already the last person I want to see," Yuri replied, tired of whatever weird mind games he was playing. The only other person he'd hate to see more in this moment would be Loidy , but that wasn't even in the realm of possibility, so there wasn't any point entertaining the thought.

"I can’t believe I’m going to do this but… Perhaps it would be easier if I just took the mask off first and showed you."

"Yeah, that's what I've been asking you to do, get on with it." Yuri rolled his eyes.

"Very well. You asked for this." With those last words, Twilight unceremoniously removed his disguise.

And well. It was a good thing Yuri was already sitting, because the sight before him would surely cause his legs to give out. There was something particularly uncanny about seeing one’s own face being ripped off to reveal one’s greatest personal enemy.

“L- Loi-Loi? ” Yuri squinted at the other man, his voice barely above a whisper. “You’re fucking with me.” He shook his head slowly. It was all just too simple. There was no way.

Oh, that had to be it. Of course.

“You … You are fucking with me. You have to be. Like hell you’re – that Twilight is Loidy. Drop the act already. Who are you, really?”

Twilight simply stared back at him with that usual friendly smile Loid always greeted him with. To think that this guy could impersonate someone so thoroughly made his skin crawl. This was all a mistake. He should never have trusted this guy. He took a quick glance to the door, calculating the likelihood of getting out of here and alerting the closest SSS member that he found Twilight. No… he had to keep an eye on him. If he left him alone for even a second he'd escape.

Twilight seemed to notice his thought process (Of course he did, the bastard.) He quickly reassured him.

“I’m honored you think I’m skilled enough to have two separate masks on, but unfortunately for both of us, this is the truth. Here,” Twilight crossed the room to him and Yuri instinctively stood up, defensive as he approached. He took Yuri’s hand and held it to his face.

“See for yourself. There is no other mask.”

Yuri frowned at him incredulously, resisting the urge to take his hand back. Instead he pulled at Twilight’s cheek. Then his ear. Then he grabbed at the other cheek. Pulled at his neck looking for any sort of seams or uneven skin. Tugged at his hair to see if it was a wig. Which. Was surprisingly soft. Surprisingly real. All of it. He let his hands rest on his fluffy locks for maybe a second too long before he let them fall back to his side.

“What the hell…” His mind was blank. His sweet, smiling sister’s face came to mind, as it often did when he needed to ground himself. Yor. Loid. Twilight! In that instant, he realized what Twilight must have done to his sister and his body moved on its own, punching him straight across the face. Twilight could have easily defended himself, but he just… took it. 

“Yeah… Yeah I guess I deserve that,” he said, giving Yuri that same stupidly fake smile, touching his cheek tenderly. Yuri felt sick.

“What the hell! So you did trick my sister into marrying you, didn’t you?! You bastard! Taking advantage of my sweet innocent sister!! You’re worse than a two timing cheat, you stole her heart with no intention of ever returning her feelings!” Yuri yelled, white hot rage coursing through his veins. 

Loid winced, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of his volume or his cutting remarks. “Well… It’s not my place to say but, our marriage was never real, in the first place.” He said gingerly, like this news would be worse than learning who he really was.

“Yeah, obviously!” Yuri sneered.

“No, not like that. Yor didn’t want you to worry about her anymore and our circumstances matched up in a way that met both our needs. So really, in a way, you’re partially to blame for this, Yuri.”

“I... what? No! I had nothing to do with this! You’re the one who tricked her! I wanted her to be happy, not marry some… some spy!”

“Yor’s actually the one who asked me, if you can believe it.” Loid said a bit bashfully, as if he were telling a cute story of how they met and not describing a web of lies and deceit. Yuri was disgusted.

“She loves you so much, Yuri.” Twilight continued. “She wanted to set your mind at ease. And she has been happy. She loves Anya and has told me often how grateful she is for our arrangement.”

“So you say!” Yuri shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “But just this morning Yor was talking about how upset she was with you!”

“That’s…” Loid faltered for a moment, “I don’t know exactly what happened to upset her so deeply, but I plan to do everything in my power to set her mind at ease. I only want what’s best for her. We’re the same, in that way. Can I ask for your cooperation, even if only for the sake of keeping her safe?”

“If you wanted what was best for her, she wouldn’t be involved with you at all,” Yuri said pointedly, crossing his arms.

“I know. Listen, you don’t have to trust me. I certainly don’t trust you. But Wheeler has important information about me, including details on my current mission. My current address. My known associates. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why it’s dangerous for Yor and Anya if the SSS gets their hands on that information.”

Yuri bit his lip. This could all be an elaborate trap. However, Yor’s potential arrest worried him. The concept of Yor getting taken in for harboring a spy sounded ludicrous to him, but it wasn’t unlikely, either. As much as he hated to admit it, Twilight was right. There was no knowing how much Yuri would actually be able to protect Yor in a situation like that. Spies and other enemies of the state were taken seriously, regardless of their relationship to a member of the SSS. “Fine. But I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

“Likewise.” Loid smiled that irritatingly bright smile and reached out his hand for Yuri so they could shake on it.

Yuri frowned at his hand, but took it anyway.

“Great! I look forward to working with you.” Loid said cheerfully. “Now, you’ve been trying to hide it, but your leg is giving you trouble, right? We should take care of that before we leave.”

Yuri only stared back wearily as he let Loid gently push him to sit down on the bed. “What exactly do you have in mind?” He asked as the other man busied himself with a first aid kit and pulled out a change of clothes for the two of them from the closet. Yuri was amazed at the kind of planning that led Twilight to have three different replicas of the same outfit. This sort of forethought must have been how he’s slipped away so many times in the past.

“Take off your pants.” 

Yuri opened his mouth to protest. “I need to clean out the wound, and I might need to give you stitches,” Twilight said, overriding any protest Yuri could make. “Unless you want me to take them off for you?” Twilight gave him a sly smile, reaching for the makeshift bandage on Yuri’s leg.

Yuri shifted away from him, lip curled in disgust despite the blush rising to his cheeks. “I don’t need your help,” He snapped, a little too defensively.

It took some difficulty, but he finally managed to get his pants off from his position, revealing his boxer briefs and the oozing bullet wound on his thigh. He refused to look up, pretending to examine his wound, but he could feel Loid’s eyes on him. He probably enjoyed watching him struggle, the bastard.

Twilight wasted no time and knelt on the ground before Yuri, spreading his legs to let him get in closer and take a better look at Yuri’s injury. The smell of blood and disinfectant hung heavy in the air as he cleaned the wound, causing Yuri to hiss in pain. He didn’t want to give Twilight the satisfaction of showing he was in pain, but he couldn’t help but groan when he started suturing his wound closed. The only sound that could be heard was Yuri’s heavy breathing as Twilight worked. Yuri fisted the bedsheets and groaned at a particularly hard pull. “Fuck, Loidy! Could you be any rougher?”

“Only if you ask nicely.” Yuri swore he saw a hint of a smirk for an instant and glared at Twilight with all the venom he could muster. “Sorry, I’ll try to go a little easier on you,” Twilight said apologetically, giving Yuri’s thigh a not-so-light pat, just a little too close to his wound.

Yuri inhaled sharply and gritted out, “You fucking. Bastard.”

“Starting… now,” Twilight said, flashing that irritatingly bright fake smile at him. Oh how Yuri wanted to punch that look off his face.

Yuri bit his lip to bite back a grunt of pain. “You’re the worst doctor I’ve ever met.”

Loid simply hummed in response as he kept working. But a bit gentler now. 

Yuri couldn’t be sure how much time had passed, or how many stitches he was given, but it felt like it would never end. He didn’t dare look down at him, either. Something about seeing Loid on his knees before him made his heart beat uncontrollably. Everywhere Loid’s fingers touched felt like fire just beneath his skin, even outside the wounded area. None of it made sense, considering the circumstances, so Yuri figured it must have been a weird side effect.

Finally, Yuri heard the snip of scissors on thread and felt a proper bandage wrapping up around his thigh. “There! All better. Now that wasn’t so bad, right?”

“Sure, maybe from where you’re sitting,” Yuri said, rolling his eyes. He chanced a look down, just in time to catch Twilight planting the gentlest kiss where his wound was, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Loid realized what he did immediately and stiffened. His shoulders tensed and gaze fixed firmly on the floor. Still, despite his best attempts at hiding his embarrassment, Yuri could still see the faintest red dusting the tips of his ears. Loid always seemed so unflappable, every movement carefully accounted for. And yet here he was, blushing and muttering in horror.

“I don’t know why I did that.”

It was almost, in some ways, kind of, a little bit… cute. After everything that happened today he thought nothing could phase him, but Twilight was apparently full of surprises. Yuri couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the surreal display of affection he just witnessed from Westalis’ master spy. Never mind the way he felt his own face heating up from something probably totally unrelated.

“What was all that about?” Yuri asked between bouts of laughter.

“Anya… If I don’t kiss Anya’s boo-boos better then she won’t stop crying,” he answered, as if he were thinking aloud and coming to this conclusion himself.

This only launched Yuri back into hysterics, “Her boo-boos, huh? You give your daughter stitches often, Loi-Loi?”

“Of course I don’t!” Twilight sounded equally exasperated and offended at the very notion. He got up and quickly retreated to the desk across the room, then sat down at the desk to begin inspecting the makeshift bandage on his arm.

“Hey, get back over here. Let me do it.”

Loid only stared back at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “I… didn’t think you would want to.” The words came out slowly, almost uncertain.

“And have to owe you a favor? Not a chance." Yuri sneered contemptuously. “Besides, there’s no way you’re going to do that right all by yourself.”

Twilight shook his head in disbelief, but complied, sitting next to Yuri on the bed. Having threaded the needle and knotted it, Yuri looked up to see a very shirtless Loid. Sitting very close to him. On a bed. He startled so hard he almost dropped the needle. “What, a member of the SSS can’t stand the sight of blood? I saw how you had to look away when I was doing your stitches.” Loid teased, the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.

Sure, the sight of blood, the shock of an open wound staring you in the face, yeah, that was it. “Sh- shut up, it’s not that.” Yuri cursed his stutter as he tried to will away the blush he could feel rising to his cheeks. This was nothing. He’d seen shirtless men countless times at work. There was absolutely nothing to get excited about here. Loidy just took off his shirt so he wouldn’t have to deal with the fabric while sewing his wound closed. Same as Yuri taking off his pants so Loidy could stitch up his leg. Simple. Easy.

He was a member of the SSS. He couldn’t let something so simple get to him like this. Especially not about Twilight . Not that that mattered at this point. If the SSS found out he was hiding him, much less treating his wounds with the intention of letting him go… He didn’t want to think about his fate. But he had to do this. To prevent Yor from getting involved in all this. Yes. To protect Yor, he had to focus on the task at hand.

With this in mind, Yuri applied disinfectant to Loid’s wound, taking no small delight in the pained noise it earned him. Then he set to work on stitching him up, willing himself to not get distracted. Or at least, less obviously distracted.

But try as he might, he just couldn’t help his gaze straying to Loid’s bare chest. He was just surprised, is all. Yes, that was it. Loid was always covered up by those cozy looking sweaters and button ups. Sure Yuri always thought he must have be stronger than he let on, but imagination was a pitiful thing next to the real deal . Not that he ever imagined anything. He never thought about Loid like that. At all. Ever.

It was the expanse of scars stretching across soft muscle that surprised him most and drew his eyes in with a magnetic quality. So even the infamous spy Twilight got his fair share of wounds. So many others had tried to kill him. And failed. Jagged slashes littered his chest and abdomen, including two slightly cleaner scars just under his pecs. He wondered where each one came from, what their stories were. Maybe one day he’d have the time to ask about them.

They all looked fairly old too, like he hadn’t gotten seriously wounded in a while. The thought made Yuri’s chest swell with pride. Even for all of Twilight’s experience, Yuri got a shot in. That, no matter where they go from here, Twilight would see the scar he inflicted and remember their shootout, and this moment. That Yuri was the one to get this close to catching the Twilight, and the only reason he got to walk free was by Yuri’s own mercy and love for his sister.

Yuri had hoped Loid had a lower pain tolerance, but as he began bandaging up the stitched wound he realized that the most he got out of him was that pained hiss from the disinfectant. It was frustrating, to say the least. Perhaps he knew Yuri took some sadistic pleasure out of it and didn’t want to entertain it. Maybe he wasn’t bluffing when he said torture wouldn’t work on him. He’d like to try it someday. Push him to his absolute limits until he was a heaving mess of a man. He felt his face flush just at the thought of it. He shook his head to dispel the image from his mind as he finished off the bandage. Now wasn’t the time.

"Alright, that’s it!” Yuri said, patting the bandage lightly. "Do you want me to kiss your boo-boo better, Loidy?" Yuri snickered.

"Oh, shut up." Loid frowned, but the dusting of pink on his cheeks and ears betrayed his embarrassment.

Once again Yuri felt his heart beat faster at seeing Loid flustered. For all his cool nature, it was surprisingly easy to embarrass him. Yuri found his mind wandering to how many other ways he could get a rise out of him like this. He’d have to test them out in the future.

“Alright. We don’t have time to wait around. Let’s go catch Wheeler, or at least ensure his information doesn’t fall into the SSS’s hands,” Twilight said as he got ready to leave. Yuri refrained from pointing out the irony that he was still a part of the SSS.

“I still can’t believe I’m doing this.” Yuri grumbled. “So you have a plan, or what?” He got up and followed Twilight to the door.

“Of course I do,” Twilight said. Then he turned back, as if he almost forgot something. “Oh, and Yuri?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.” Instead of the annoying cheerful fake smile he’s grown accustomed to, Loid wore the most genuine smile Yuri had ever seen on him. The sort he only saw Loid direct at Yor.

Yuri startled and looked away as he tried to hide the blush rising to his face, “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for my sister.”

“I know, but even so. Thank you.” Loid’s smile shined with sincerity, and it blinded him.