Work Text:
Fiona held the hood open as Twilight fumbled with loose strings and wires inside the engine. He kept mumbling this and that fitfully as if he had any clue what he was doing. A performance. Fiona watched intently.
***
Twilight slumped down against the car, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. Fiona hovered a few feet in front of him with an expectant look. He blinked slowly and sighed.
“I’ll see if I can get us some roadside assistance.”
He hauled himself up and headed in no particular direction, just away from the car, away from Fiona. Her heart flared.
“I’ll join you.”
He brushed her off coolly. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just be a minute.”
***
Fiona settled in the driver’s seat, but it was just as warm as outside, if not warmer. She wrapped her hands around the steering wheel tentatively, and she could feel the ghost of Twilight’s grasp.
It’d been an hour since he wandered off; she began to suspect he’d just trekked home and left her alone in this nebulous field. “Home”...he seems to be getting comfortable. She held the wheel more firmly, so resolutely, in fact, that it began to dent–-
“What’re you doing?" He leaned over into her window with a palpable grimace.
Her hands jerked away from the wheel and fell to her sides.
“Any luck?”
“Nothing.”
He dragged himself to the front and leaned against the car, arms crossed and eyes narrowed pensively.
***
She knew he was probably still irritable from the mission–-it could be the heat, but this wasn’t characteristic of Twilight. He was taking turns brooding at different stations of the car, but never did he lean on her side. Fiona remained seated.
***
The sun was beginning to set and he hadn’t exchanged so much as a word to her. If anything, they needed to do something productive before night set in. She silently cursed herself for being so passive in the recent hours, helpless in the face of this predicament. Fiona rose precariously from her seat and approached him-–he was slouched against the taillights at the moment.
“I’ll go search for a payphone.”
“You won’t find anything.”
He seemed to be perpetually frowning, eyes set on the ground.
“Do you suggest we wallow around all night?” There was a performative edge to her voice.
“I don’t know, Fiona.” He rubbed his eyes and exhaled. “There was-–”
“...What?”
“Nothing.”
***
There was a pile of workbooks on the kitchen counter Loid had purchased that morning for Anya, but he’d forgotten to mention it to Yor so she could supply her with them before he left for work. Oh...and it was midterms week–-
“Twilight.”
“Huh?”
“I found a payphone.”
***
Nightfall. The onset of night; dusk.
***
They rummaged through their respective pockets until they could muster up a few coins. Fiona dropped her share into his palm. They had to squint through the darkness to see. The stars shone so dimly tonight.
Fiona had to hold the telephone cord just so to allow Twilight to dial. He cautioned her that she was at serious risk of electrocution, but she insisted (the phone booth was small enough so that she was pressed up against his side). He only really managed to get two or three digits punched in before they were forced to start over.
***
Twilight was beginning to feel frustrated-–unsuccessful attempt after unsuccessful attempt. Not much of a catharsis after a failed mission (it was more his fault than hers, but he had yet to admit that to himself), and a forthcoming scolding from Sylvia. But the overriding guilt from...Anya’s workbooks...seemed to motivate him.
***
“Let’s take a break.” Twilight eyed Fiona with concern as she flinched away from his shoulder. “We got up to six digits.” He smiled slightly. “That’s progress.”
She blinked at him numbly. “You want to stop? Already?”
He frowned. “You were falling asleep.”
“I’m awake,” she said defiantly.
“Nonsense. We'll–-”
“I’m awake.”
“...Fine.”
***
They dozed, backs against one another, sitting on the filth of the booth. It’d been so long, the sun would reach them before they caught sight of another car. Twilight stirred briefly, glancing at the telephone, swinging idly from his knee to hers. The cord began to tear.
***
Twilight. The soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere.
***
Fiona stirred, blinking away the weight in her eyes. She could tell Twilight had been asleep by the pattern of his breathing against her back. She had a lingering doubt that Twilight had in fact subsided, and this was the only reason as to why he’d allow her to get so close to him--because there was no one else around. She had never been more grateful in her life. What part of him was this…Loid Forger? That was what Yor Briar perceived him as. Loid. She could taste it on her mouth.
“...Loid...”
Loid shifted against her back, turning to face her with knitted brows.
“...”
She blinked. He hadn’t moved. It was still too dark for twilight, it seemed. She went back to sleep.
***
She really likes you, you know.
But...conditionally. That comes with authority.
It would be good if you were nice to her.
I am nice to her.
You’re her mentor.
I am nice to her.
She really needs you, you know...
***
Sylvia never made decisions for Loid. He had the right to refuse. He'd usually end up following through anyway. Blinking away the fatigue wouldn’t make the sun rise any faster, but the sky didn’t have the same gloom as before. It’d been a while since he’d dreamt. He only seemed to dream up old memories.