Chapter Text
Twilight watched as his family were bundled into a police car and taken home, whilst he stood there in disguise as the bomb disposal expert, wanting and just staring. He had only just got there, too late to do anything, but observe, and he hated every fibre of his being for it.
Loid Forger was at a conference, and Twilight was meant to be on a mission, but no one had any issues with him leaving.
Any threat to Ostania, both externally and internally, was to be taken seriously, but Loid Forger and Twilight, two separate identities, kept bringing themselves closer together.
Twilight felt his heart ripping in two at the scattered information coming through from a group of traumatised children, and Anya, Becky, Bill, and Damien being at the heart of it.
Anya only existed in his life to get closer to Damian Desmond, and now that the mission could be over forever? Would Operation Strix be done, and then what?
No Twilight, he assured himself. He had already made provisions for his family, if he was killed in battle, a pension to Yor, with the promise she’d raise Anya as her own.
With a very generous trust for his child, to be released when she turned twenty-one. Loid had already wondered about that. Someone else was with his wife and daughter after he died, and the thought angered him, before he remembered that the entire thing was fake.
Fake wife, fake daughter, fake name. fake life.
Returning to Headquarters, Handler was waiting for him, and as he stepped out of the car, he wasted no time,
“As Loid Forger, the Hospital has got in touch with the school, offering any psychiatric help for any students and adults who were present. Some even mentioned you by name, and Anya too”. Handler was impressed by all of this, “Well, good way to get some Intel into the parents”.
Loid was wise enough that anything, even a child, said in confidence meant nothing to the cause of World Peace. But wasn’t going to be a hypocrite to point this out, even though, as Loid Forger, he was always excellence in everything.
Yet, right now, that right chip on his emotion was beginning to slip away.
“So, you’ll be here for a bit, before you head home, but I thought you should have a heads up, at what to expect. We managed to get these before the actual authorities”.
Twilight walked into the room to see the boxed devices, disassembled, and spread out on a table, “All fakes, apparently. Anya knew that, but we’re not sure if she was just saying that to calm them down”.
Loid looked at the device, and due to having no fingerprints, there was no contamination. Loid picked one up which felt heavy in his hands, and knew it weighed at least twelve pounds.
“This was placed around Anya’s neck, quite intense for a six-year-old”. Handler said quickly, whilst Twilight felt the flames of horror rising in his chest.
“This was around my daughter’s neck?” To this, Handler nodded.
“Anya…well, she’s a tenacious little girl, but expect the unexpected with this. Trama shows with children in a lot of ways, we’re giving you a few days off. Right now, the world needs Loid Forger more than it needs Twilight…for the mission, of course”.
Loid would never admit that, as he looked at the device, he didn’t give a flying fuck about the mission, as he thanked Handler, who pushed her glasses back onto her nose, and Loid noted with a sad smile as he left HQ and headed home.
Every mile felt like an age, and it was in the middle of the night as he pulled up and flew up the stairs, two, three at a time. Twilight was all patience, but Loid, Loid was, he was.
He didn’t know what to expect as he opened the door, expecting to hear Bond barking. Instead, from the protector of the home was a whimper from the floor.
Yor was pacing the room, with Anya in her arms, the little girl sobbing on Yor’s shoulder, who both looked up. Yor smiling with relief, and so did Anya, which followed into a fresh wave of sobs.
“Papa”, Anya cried, and Loid’s arms were suddenly filled with his sweet daughter, as she cried some more.
Bond, the family dog, went up to them and gave a little whine, perhaps sensing the family's distress, and then lay down once more.
“Why were you late?” she cried some more, and Loid swore he heard, “you were there”, but dismissed that since he was in a disguise.
“I was held up, the hospital contacted me…about the children, I’m so sorry, Anya” The last part was true, and Anya nodded, accepting the response whilst Biond wined.
“There was a Bomb on the bus, Papa, it was around my neck”, Anya sobbed, deep in her distress.
“I know, they told me. It must have been terrible; I’m so sorry, Anya”.
Even though the words were sincere, Loid realised that he wasn’t faking this feeling, which surprised him.
“It’s ok, it’s ok, why don’t we give you a bath, and we’ll make you something nice to eat”.
Anya’s sobs seemed to cease for a moment, and she whispered, “Hamburg Steak”.
At the sound of Anya’s request, Loid smiled, “And some ice cream with peanut butter on top for afterwards, ok”.
The idea of her favourite foods seemed to calm Anya down, but the trembling in her body hadn’t stopped, which was beginning to concern Loid, and Yor picked up on.
“They said, it was just shock and adrenaline, and it will go away in time”. His fake wife reassured him, though Loid wasn’t convinced, as Anya just looked at him, with her eyes just wide open and crying.
“How about we give you a bath, and then dinner?” Loid asked Anya, who just nodded and stayed quiet. Too quiet in a home which always contained her laughter and unabashed happiness.
Loid quickly put the Hamburg steak and some potatoes in the oven, and fed Bond, who practically inhaled it.
Then he went to the bathroom door, as Loid heard water being run, along with his daughter whimpering, along with Yor’s soothing words.
“Want papa”. Anya shakily said, and Loid, thinking he should keep an eye on the food, instead, his feet turned in the direction of the bathroom. where Yor was checking the temperature, before lowering his, no their daughter.
In this relationship, he was as much of a fake parent as Yor, only she had no idea the truth.
Loid thought and swore. At that moment, the thought entered his head, Anya, just turned and looked at him blankly, as if she was reading his thoughts, but then whispered once more for her papa.
Between them, Yor and Loid washed their daughter's body and hair. Anya would have played with her ducks, but today she was trembling too hard, and both of them were hoping the hot water would be more soothing.
Loid washed her hair gently, and pausing at the sight of the red welts on Anya’s neck, which were turning into bruises. Loid’s heart clenched once more, and he could feel his anger rise.
“It’s ok, Papa, it doesn’t hurt as much”. Anya’s bright eyes turned and looked at Loid like they were looking into his soul. Noticing that Anya had stopped shaking so much, Yor said her gently soothing words to her daughter.
Which, for some reason, Loid felt out of place at this touching and humble gesture; he was Anya’s fake father, but to the world real father.
However, even though Loid was a first-class spy who felt like he was faking it, even now, he was overcome with a sudden urge to hug his daughter, Loid’s daughter…his daughter.
With the debris of the day being washed out of Anya's pink hair, the little girl suddenly whispered, “I’m sorry papa” Which caused Loid to blink.
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Anya. I’m very proud of you”, with Anya all washed, wrapped up in a blanket and Bond tagging behind them.
“I’ll get her dressed, while you make dinner, Loid” Yor said smoothy, as Anya’s little head peeped from the fluffiest towel they had, and got to work in the kitchen, with with the door open, and Bond standing like a guard and a barrier, instead of looking for scraps, whilst Loid turned the meat and prepared the rest.
“We’re all done, Yor said, carrying Anya, who was dressed in her favourite blue star pyjamas, but still wrapped in a blanket, her small fingers gripped her Chimaera toy, which she had brought with her from the orphanage.
Anya held out her hand and, to her own distress, could see it was still shaking before looking up at Loid, almost guiltily.
Apparently, everyone in the Forger home needed some special care that night when Yor whispered.
“Bond needs a quick walk; I’ll be gone for a few minutes. I’ll be back soon, Anya, I promise”. Since the responsibilities of being a dog, especially for a dog like Bond, could not be ignored.
“Ok”, Anya said in a whisper, since she knew her mother was truly apologetic about this, and, grabbing Bond’s lead, left the home. But not before Yor, in a moment of darkness, thought to herself, “I failed this family, maybe I should leave”
Hearing the footsteps fading, and it was just Loid and Anya, and no word needed to be said, aside from Loid trying to soothe his daughter, whose eyes suddenly widened.
However, every single idea of what could have happened was going through Loid’s mind. Anya had no idea that the bomb was truly fake, an explosion on the bus, the scattered limbs of what was the class of Eden, it was a sick thought, but it gave Loid some clarity.
“Always imagine the worst, Twilight”, he told himself, desensitise yourself to it”
It was an old mantra, but it had served him well over the years; he didn’t notice for a moment Anya’s growing distress.
“Want Mama”, Anya whispered to herself.
To be contunied