Chapter Text
“Mama, papa is Christmas day!” A specific pink haired girl dashed into the room dressed up with the largest smile. Τhe dark haired assassin in the room was filled with warmth for the day.
“Good morning, Miss Anya.” Yor replied, placing the dishes on the table. “You are right, it's Christmas.” It was Christmas Eve indeed. From outside you could hear the children that played with the snow outside the window. Adults would join the fun after all, not everyone was working that day.
The assassin had already prepared a simple breakfast dish for each member of the family along with a breakfast for Bond, the dog of the family.
Note: Yor’s breakfast wasn’t as bad as it usually was. Christmas magic may have been real all along.
Loid greeted the two girls as he too entered the kitchen half asleep, half awake and full exhausted. He sat down on the chair, and his head leaned over the table, but he tried with all his might to hide it behind a fake smile as he entered the conversation, his thoughts wandering around to Operation Strix, as Anya heard him.
Yor notices her (fake) husband's fatigued expression and couldn't help but wonder how much he must be working to be so tired. Especially on a day like this. Psychiatry must be a very demanding job like any other jobs, but she thought that Loid must be overworking himself again for his family.
“Don’t feel so down, Mr Loid. I’m sure work won’t bother you today. You can relax and enjoy today’s celebration with your day off.” Yor reassured Loid with a warm smile.
Loid took a sip of his coffee, before he nodded affirmatively to his (fake) wifes reassurance. The caffeine in his system already took charge making him already feel a tad better. it wasn’t much but he had handled worse things in the past for his body to pass out of.
Leaving the cup on the side, Loid revisioned the things planned for the day. Initially, he was hoping to bond with Anya, maybe with his knowledge and intellect could influence Anya a bit on her behavior even the slightest. But he knew that Anya had a very difficult mouth to face. With a heart of steel, convinced himself that the young girl deserved some rest.
Anya at first confused why she couldn't find the mink on the table, stood up and took the milk from the fridge. Cereals without milk are very crunchy to eat. Loid noticing that, he disclosed the nurse's advice. “The nurse advised avoiding dairy products for a while, Anya.”
“Just this once. Pretty please?” Anya poke her button lip. Loid didn’t fall for Anya’s pleas. And the next one. And the next one after. Eventually the young girl gave up leaving the carton milk back in the fridge. She could use the usage of the “A good father would …” but the young girl knew that it would backfire horribly. (A good father would make sure his child is healthy.) The second her papas toughts was heared, she gave up every hope for the milk on her cereals.Huffing in disappointment Anya sat back and kept on eating her specialized breakfast. Pondering how things could have played out differently if she was honest rather than resorting to lying again…
Back to Loid, what else could he do for the day? He could check if W.I.S.E. had any missions he should accomplish, clean the car or maybe the house. Not that it was dirty in that regard. It was mostly cleaned up thanks to both of the adults. Further cleaning was unrequired and a time and energy consuming process. What else should I do, he thought? Check the home supplies, possibly go shopping for the groceries, maybe finally go and get the “stuff” from the crafting boy for Yor, Anya and Bond he has been -
Yor! He had completely forgotten about her! What if she had other plans for today. Was Yuri gonna come for dinner or something for the day? Was there any kind of possibility of that? Should he prepare the bed, the decoration or should he prepare a dinner in that case? How could he forget that detail? But what if she had other plans for today and he was holding her back?
Discreatingly he questioned, “Do you have any plans for today, Yor-san?” If it was the case then he should ask further questions, to be preparing the matters accordingly for this day.
“Well?” Yor pondered for a moment.
Yor was originally planning on heading to Camille’s house and getting some tips for improving her cooking skills. She had been struggling much less with each attempt to cook and she tried to make breakfast each morning after. In spite of that, she was desperate inside these days to continue to improve her tastes on how to handle other ingredients to cook them. After all one stew wasn’t enough if a simple breakfast could send a person to the hospital.
However, a few days prior she changed her mind, thinking of something else for this special day. This was her first Cristmass as a member of the Forgers so she spent quality time together. Loid was from the very beginning of their fake marriage, the one working tirelessly, taking extra time off his schedule and working longer hours to make ends meet for everyone in that apartment. This time Yor wanted to make the most of those hard earned resources her way.
“I had, at first.” Yor admits. “Although I was thinking of postponing it for something much more interesting.”
“What is that interesting thing, mama?” Anya asked with a scripted gaze expressing to the other two her curiosity. She had by mistake heard Yor planning. So the surprise was more of a blunder than anything. But regardless of her knowing beforehand the young girl was excited for the announcement.
Yor’s hand clapped with a slight clapping sound coming out of it taking everyone's attention, including Bond’s. “We will all go for a Christmass trip all over the city!” Yor announced enthusiastically.
The moment his ears registered the words “trip", "all the city ", "starting today” by Yor’s mouth, of all people, panic crept into Loid’s heart. That isn’t because Twilight thought that Yor was incompetent at anything (mercy on his soul if he ever did). Yor proved time and time again that even though she isn’t academically knowledgeable, she is a very mature, enduring and very, VERY strong individual. Even so, his fear surely was kind of justified by the expenses he would have to pay for the trip, even though Yor advised him not to and that she would be the one to pay any expenses.
With some convincing by an embarrassed Yor and an angry pink haired girl, Loid fianlly accepted.
“But what about Yuri? Isn’t he gonna come for any family gathering or -?”
“Unfortunately no. He is to spending the Cristmass and New Years Eve abroad. He was chosen there for a special case. He was very excited when we last talked about going to Nerhtland, and he couldn't let such an opportunity go to waste." Yor explained, "I don't remeber excactly the city in Nerthland he would be staying but -" That's what worried him. He better ask Handler if they have any intel of where in Nerhtland and on what undercover mission was Yuri on again. Regardless if it was a real undercover mission or not he had to keep up the act of the good civilian named Loid Forger for any case necessary.
"But I am sure you would love to spend the day with whoever he chooses. Not just family.” Yor finishes promissing that their trip around town would be great. And with that discussion out of the way everyone kept on eating their breakfast.
Deep down, Twilight, wished it was a simple day like any other day, focusing more on the forged family dynamics for the Operation. The nature of the day, weather it was a annual festive mattered to him very little. He saw this as advantagerous opportunity to make his job a lot more easier, accomplishing his task and semmplessly excecuting his role as a loving husband and a donting fatheer. He invisioned scenarios spreading few good, well - choosen words here and there, a nice crismassy environment and the icing on the cake excanging presents to each other. That's all it was needed, he thought.
For the first time in a decade or more, Twilight, found himself experienceing the Crismass Eve in an unfamiliar, new light. It had been so many years ever since his last Cristmass with his parets. Memories of his last Cristmass with his parents were faint, ie existent ata ll. Doupts crept in, making him question of he ever had spend Cristmass with them. Now as Loid Forger the emmotios he grapped were both new and foreign feeling; mixed with, terror, self doupt. What was he doing? What if he messes everything up, espessialy given the days plan?
It's not like it would have to genuaenly matter for him. His spying mission. His undying spying work and relentless dedication to the mission overshadowd any prospects of unwindind, making the approaching trip Yor had planed more an enigma and potential landmine in the intricate web of his double life.
As for what Anya is thinking? What else could she be saying excitedly? “Waku waku~!” The litttle esper was excited for the trip, this had been in the back of her mind for weeks now. Ok, maybe she forgot it at some point until her mama's thoughs reminded it to her that morning. But she was expecting this outing. Knew this was her chance to assist her (fake) parents, exloring them once again. And maybe protect them from bad guys. However, very valid reason laied behind her shear eagerness.
Soon after they finished cleaning up the dishes, they got prepared to leave the house and follow Yor’s day out on the Crissmass trip.
At most, he focus more on his inevitable departure. Someday. When everything is over. What ever happens in the end, then Yor would be Anya only guardian and he would be ... ?
Until then, he would enjoy the trip Yor had in store for them.
Wrong!!
Yor gets them to the Ostonian Museum of War where the adults lost Anya on the way, they later get sort of Yor's incapacity and get a reservation on a restorant, they end up on another small one instead. Then, as their luck couldn't get any worse while driving, someone must have damaged the only car of the Forgers owned. A large puddle protrudes from the inside of the car door.
Loid could forgive Yor for getting lost with Anya or anything else. However, he just couldn’t even react to that sight when he noticed it. His cold face stared continuously on the puddle wondering how on earth he was going to fix this? Should he ask Franky for help? After the fortune he spent reserving the castle for Anya's gift for entering Eden Entrance Exams, Handler with a lot of reassurance and only ONE warning she allowed him use this old car. The only warning she told him was to pay any damages from his own pocket till they could compensate the dept. And now what he could do?
Yor felt really bad for this luck, and more so for her actions as she was the one both the responsible for the trip but also the one causing the family’s misfortunes.
Getting out a pack of tissues trying to ease her embarrassment, a flier fell down from her purse. And then is when the alternative idea emerged, and her expression softened.