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As the extraction team from U.N.C.L.E. stormed the THRUSH headquarters and scoured the building for the last agent left inside, Gaby and Napoleon waited with bated breath in the nearby truck with Waverly.
They were expecting at least some sort of torture, at the very least. Maybe a few broken ribs or limbs, and hopefully their partner would still be alive after a few days since his tracker was destroyed.
What they were not expecting was for Illya to not only be fully whole and unharmed, but to come out of the situation looking younger than expected.
Much, much, younger.
The extraction team brought out a blond teenage boy about Gaby's height, clothed in a too large turtleneck and jacket which hung off his small frame comically. As they approached, Napoleon and Gaby ran to meet them.
The teenager lifts his head to look Napoleon squarely in the eyes, and even though his appearance had changed drastically, the steely look he gives has remained unchanged.
"Are you alright? What do you remember?" Gaby asks.
"I am fine. They used me as test subject for their latest version of their deaging chemical. Thankfully I didn't lose any of my memories of the past years, " said Illya.
Napoleon heaved a sigh of relief.
"Right. Let's get back to the safehouse then."
"Why? Our things are still in the hotel."
Napoleon gave him a pointed look. "I don't think they'll let you in looking like this. It would be easier if we arrange your stuff to be brought over to the safe house."
Illya made a face that looked like a pout, except Illya most certainly does not pout. Gaby tries to conceal her laughter at this.
Gaby has shared a bed with Illya before, both out of necessity during their missions when it was part of their cover, and when off duty just because she and Illya felt like it. By now she's used to letting Illya be the big spoon as they curl up in bed, but now that Illya is practically the same height as her, they have to find a way to readjust to the situation.
Illya climbs into their shared bed first and looks at Gaby expectantly. He looks so young, nestled in the sheets and ready for bed, and Gaby gets a glimpse of how young - how innocent - Illya had been when his father was sent off to the gulag and the nightmares began.
She climbs into bed too and simply holds him, being the big spoon for once, just because they can. He makes a small sound of contentment and puts his hands over hers as they lay down to sleep. Gaby realizes that even at his teenage years his hands are bigger than hers, a sign about his impending growth spurt.
And she really doesn't mind this at all.
Except that him aging back isn't a quick and painless process. From the notes that the U.N.C.L.E. extraction team dug out from the THRUSH labs, the deaging treatment would wear off within a week, but the change is anything but gradual.
In fact, the scientists at THRUSH deemed the reaging process to be a serendipitous discovery of a new means of torture. While the reaging process does not cause any physical injury and thus has little to no risk of death, the physical pain can be excruciating, and thus they were on their way to using it as a new means of torture.
What this means for Illya is that the medical staff have been informed to be on the watch for him, should he show any sign of the reaging process. All three of the agents have also been informed of the process and the pain that would follow, and Gaby and Napoleon keep a careful watch on Illya as well.
When it starts Illya falls to the ground and lets out a shout. Immediately the medical doctor on standby rushes to his help. Gaby and Napoleon watch from the sidelines as more doctors arrive on the scene. Illya screams and screams until one of the doctors anesthetize him. It hurts Gaby to see him like this.
The doctors continue their work, eventually hoisting him on a stretcher and moving him to the in house ward where they can observe his condition.
The next few hours were the longest hours that Gaby had to wait through.
Finally, Gaby and Napoleon were informed that their partner has regained consciousness and wanted to see them. They rush into the ward to find Illya back to his usual height, but with bandages and casts on his joints.
"Welcome back, Peril, " says Napoleon.
"Cowboy. Chop Shop Girl. Good to see you again." Illya manages to mumble.
He's not entirely lucid yet, and his joints would take several days to completely heal. But in time he will be alright.