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Illya has to acknowledge that Napoleon is a deeper person than he is on the surface—and on the surface, he appears to be a somewhat vain, worldly man with a taste for the finer things in life.
It hasn't taken long for Illya to learn that it is partially true—but that Napoleon is far from just another pretty face.
More than everything on the surface, he is devoted to U.N.C.L.E.’s cause of maintaining peace throughout the world.
…And he is devoted to Illya.
Illya has never had any reason to doubt it, but going through the unexpected explosion of a THRUSH satrap—and being shielded by debris by Napoleon’s own body without a second thought from the man has provided a reminder.
Subsequently, they are both alive—Illya doesn’t know what providence to thank for that, being agnostic, but if there was some sort of outside influence, he is grateful for it. Illya has come through the affair unscathed thanks to Napoleon’s selfless act; Napoleon, however, has endured several cuts and scrapes.
“Give it to me straight, Illya…” he says, wryly, as Illya patches up his wounds. “This is yet another suit that can’t be saved, huh?”
Illya knows that Napoleon is trying to reassure him that all will be well; he is grateful for that, too.
“I am afraid that, yes, this is far beyond the miracles that Del Floria can perform,” Illya returns, holding up the cuff of the shirt that had ripped off.
Napoleon winces in response—using it to cover up the real wincing as Illya disinfects the wounds. But he doesn’t even betray any other evidence of pain as Illya’s work continues, ending with fresh bandages.
“Thank you for the patch-up, Tovarisch,” Napoleon says, once he is through. “Now, we have more work to do.”
“I believe your role in this affair has come to an end,” Illya informs him. “Those bandages are only a temporary fix—Medical will want some of those to be stitched.”
“Medical will have to wait,” Napoleon insists. “We can’t let this trail go cold—”
“And I cannot let you go cold, either,” Illya retorts. “I have already called for the extraction team to get you out of here—they should be here within ten minutes.” Napoleon looks miffed, but Illya knows how to placate him. “…I shall pick up the trail myself.”
Just as there is no one else other than Illya that Napoleon would trust with his wounds, there is also no one else he would trust to pick up his work where he left off.
“Keep me informed.”
“Da, I will.”
Synergy is one of their biggest strengths—today, it will win the day.