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“Anya! Stop running around carelessly, you're going to get hurt!” The man shouted after his child, who continued to giggle and play around in the snow, clearly having no desire to heed his warning.
“One of these days she has to learn more discipline…” He sighed, making Yor giggle. It shouldn't amuse her to see her husband in distress, but watching him be so intense about Anya somehow never failed to bring a smile to her face.
The two watched their daughter happily playing in the snow. Bond lets out a bark and Yor looks down to see the dog trying to shake off the leash held by Loid.
“Alright, alright… stay still Bond, I'll get this off you.” Loid kneeled to unleash him, and Yor watched her husband unclasp the collar to the leash. In a second, Bond was dashing off in Anya’s direction, crashing into her and sending her into another fit of giggles.
Loid mumbled something about them having too much energy, but something else distracted Yor. She hadn't realized this before, but…
Her husband’s hands were extremely red.
His hands had always captivated her. In her rough line of work, she dealt with so much dirt and blood that she had to take extra care of her hands and nails, and even then she struggled.
But Loid… His hands were fair and unblemished. They were smooth to the touch (Which she knew from the many times he had gently held hers while they played pretend), and he had neatly trimmed fingernails and pristine palms, free of the scars that marred her own.
Yet now, his skin showed a light crimson tint from the base of his palms to his fingertips. It looked terribly uncomfortable.
“Loid-san,” she began, trying to find her voice. “Are you cold?”
The man in question diverted his attention from his child to her, blinking in surprise. “Uh…no, I'm not. Is there a reason you're asking?” he asked politely, a small smile on his face.
Yor fidgeted with the end of her scarf. “Nothing, it's just… your hands, they're a little red.”
He looked down, only just noticing it. “Ah… I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, Yor. I’m quite used to the feeling of winter, but it seems my body still has a physical reaction to the cold.”
“Would you like me to run home and grab a pair of gloves?”
“No! No, it's not worth the trouble. It's 15 minutes away.”
“I’d be back in 5.”
“That…Should surprise me more than it does, but really, don't stress over it. Besides, my only pair is… not fit to wear today.” He put his hands in his pocket, suddenly self-conscious. “But seriously, thank you for worrying about me” He gave her a full-blown smile, and Yor felt her heart flutter a little.
It was always a treat to be acknowledged by Loid. After all, he was just so great…She’d never met a man as smart, dedicated, and kind as he was. He was already doing her a favor by treating her as his equal. Her gaze fell back to his pocketed hands.
Shouldn't she offer something back?
The two turned back to their daughter, watching as she threw snowballs at Bond, pretending he was a snow monster. Loid promptly went to chide her.
“I’m out.”
“You’re probably the only person who thinks of presents after Christmas, Yor.”
“Why don't you just buy a pair instead?” Camilla questioned, bringing the teacup to her lips.
Yor had pleaded with her coworkers to help her learn how to knit a pair of gloves for Loid; An idea that had occurred to her the night before. She felt a little guilty about bothering them with her requests, but she had no one else to go to for these things. She tapped the side of her teacup as she formed a response in her head.
“Loid-san has done so much for me this past year…Shouldn't I give him something meaningful in return?”
“Gee, I almost miss the times when you didn't say a peep about that husband of yours…”
Millie came up to put a hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry about it so much, Yor! If your husband willingly settles for you, then he probably doesn't expect much from you in the first place!” She reassured her brightly.
Yor frowned at that. “Well, I guess that’s true…” she trailed off, looking into the distance. Her co-workers exchanged odd looks.
“Ugh…fine! Damn, you’re pitiful, Forger. I’ll teach you how to knit. But if you can't get it within a day then I’m not bothering anymore, you hear me?” Camilla relented, irritated.
Yor’s face lit up at that. Camilla was just so sweet! Everyone here was so nice to her. “Thank you so much! I’ll promise I’ll–”
She held up a finger to her face. “Uh-uh, zip it. Worry about not somehow poking a hole into my new table…”
Over. Under. Through the–Oh, the yarn snagged again. Control your strength, Yor! She scolded herself. Camilla rested opposite of her on the couch, holding a fresh cup of hot cocoa as she criticized Yor’s clumsy movements. The raven-haired woman bit her lip in concentration as she listened diligently to her instructions.
She struggled with the needles initially, gripping them like she would her signature weapons. With a little guidance, she started to get the hang of it, slowly but surely finishing the cuffs. They were a little wonky, with clumps in certain areas, but far better than her previous tragic attempts. Yor grinned as she held up her progress for Camilla to see, to which she scoffed.
As Yor walked home, she couldn't help feeling a little giddy at the idea of continuing her project in the comfort of her room. Knitting was surprisingly fun! She never considered that poking weapons through yarn would be so therapeutic! Camilla even relented and admitted that Yor was a fast learner at one point. She beamed at the memory.
She hummed an upbeat tune as she sat on the couch that night, Anya’s head resting on her lap as she resumed her work, keeping in mind the instructions Camille had told her. Anya lifted her head to watch her mother in fascination. “Mama, what are you doing?”
Yor smiled at her. “A friend of mine has been teaching me how to knit! I was thinking of making something for Loid-san…” She trailed off, heat rushing through her cheeks. She hoped Anya wouldn't get the wrong idea…
“Mama, you have friends?”
“Anya-san…”
She looked back down at the half-finished gloves. “So Papa likes pink?” She asked, pointing at the rouge-colored yarn. “Like Anya's hair?!” she added, her eyes twinkling.
Yor looked back down at her work, contemplating. This was the only color of yarn that was available at Camilla's house, (Rather, the only one she was willing to give Yor) But Loid never really wore such bright colors, did he? Her face paled. What if he refused to wear them?? Or worse, what if he takes this as proof that she isn’t fit to be his wife and leaves her??
How could you think that I’d wear something so tacky? This was a mistake. I'm divorcing you and running away with Fiona(??) Goodbye, Yor.
She dropped her needles and put her hands to her mouth in horror. No… He wouldn't! Loid-san would never do that!! Would he?? Arghhh!!!!
Anya watched her mother lose her mind and scoot away from her to the other side of the couch.
“C’mon, Bond. Mama’s acting crazy again.”
Yor sighed as she stared at her finished work. She’d stayed up all night trying to perfect it, questioning if it was worth her time or if she really should have just bought a pair instead. She… Thinks she did a good job. But then again, she also thought she was a good cook before becoming a Forger. What mattered was what Loid thought about it. She paced her room, scrutinizing the gloves. Maybe the color really was too vibrant? Maybe he’ll think it's unnecessary. Will the bumps at the cuff bother him?
Should she just throw it away and forget about it?
She shook off her thoughts. No. She was going to do this. If not for her, then at least so that Camilla’s efforts weren't in vain. She clutched the gloves in her hands and placed them behind her back as she opened the room door.
She walked out to see her family in their normal morning routine. Anya groggily rubbed her eyes as she shoved her toast into her mouth. Bond eagerly waited at the foot of the table for the little girl to sneak some food for him while her dad wasn't looking. Meanwhile loid quickly went around the living room to grab his things for work. He caught sight of Yor and smiled.
“Good morning, Yor! We thought you might’ve wanted to sleep in, so we had our breakfast first. There's some left on the counter for you. I have to go–Something urgent came up in the hospital. Enjoy your day off!” He turned to Anya, his face hardening. “Dont do anything you know you shouldn't.”
“Ah–Wait! Before you go…” Yor called out to him, making him turn back in surprise.
“Yes, Yor?”
She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking of backing out. Her worries from earlier started to resurface and felt her cheeks redden. “U-Um…”
“... Yor? You can talk to me.” He reassured her, fully turning to face her.
Well, it’s now or never.
She approached him and hesitantly held out the gloves. She examined his face, trying to gauge his reaction. Loid blinked in confusion, and she realized she should probably explain.
“Well—That day, you told me that you didn't have a good pair of gloves to wear, so…” She felt more heat rush up to her face. “I thought that I could make a pair for you.”
Loid's eyes widened in surprise. “For me?”
“Your hands—Well, they looked uncomfortable, so I thought it would be best that you keep them warm, even if you said that you were fine.”
Loid tentatively grabbed the pair of gloves from her, and she fidgeted with her now empty hands, waiting for his response.
“You made these…yourself? In two days?” He asked, his eyes still glued to them.
“Y-Yes and I know the color might be too childish for you, and I'm sorry about that—Camille said it was all she had left and there are a lot of clumps everywhere and I'm sorry if that's uncomfortable and I could throw them away and just buy a new one if you’d–” Her ramble was cut off by Loids laugh.
A real, hearty laugh. The kind that made her heart flutter. She hoped that it was a sign that he liked them.
Loid looked at her with a soft smile. “Thank you, yor. This was incredibly thoughtful of you.” He expressed, making her heart soar again with his praise.
“It was a lot of work…” she added, quietly.
“I’m sure! This is impressive for a beginner!” He encouraged.
“You know how to knit?”
“I'm no expert, but I have picked up the basics in the past.”
“That's amazing!” She replied in awe.
“You know, I could teach you sometime.” He offered, and her face brightened.
“I’d love that!” she clapped her hands together. She looked back down at the gloves in his hand. “...May I?”
He nodded and Yor reached out to help put the gloves on him, trying not to flinch from the fleeting contact with his skin. Was this intimate? She felt her face grow an even deeper shade of crimson. Calm down yor! Don't make this weird… But it was hard not to when she could feel his gaze boring into her.
She stepped back when she was done and winced as she noticed how odd the color looked against his green suit. She opened her mouth to suggest throwing them away again before catching sight of his face and faltering.
He was staring at his covered hands, deep in thought. The tips of his ears were tinged pink as he clasped and unclasped his hands, getting used to the feel of them. He looked back at her after a while with an expression filled with so much fondness it made her heart ache.
“Thank you, Yor. They’re very warm.”
She stood a little straighter, proud of herself for doing something of use. “I’m Glad.”
“It’s a kind of warmth I don't think I've felt in years.”
She tilted her head slightly, not quite sure what that meant. The two stared at each other for a moment before a certain pink-haired child interrupted their moment.
“Are Mama and Papa going to kissy-kiss?!”
“No we are not!” The two chided her.