Chapter Text
It could have been an ordinary spring day, like any other.
But that was no ordinary day. It was a Monday morning. The secret service had obtained documents from Project Apple, where experiments were being conducted on animals. WISE had already done its investigation and found official documents. But the secret police had been investigating for longer. For those who don't know that both institutions are from enemy countries, one might consider the possibility that they were collaborating with each other.
But something unexpected happened. Both WISE and the secret service discovered that another project had been interrupted. It was Project <C>. Experiments were being done on people. It was a secret matter that could never come to light. The information hadn't yet reached Twilight, but his handler already knew about the project.
The secret service had access to a few files with information about the test subjects. And there was the file for test subject "007". Yuri was shocked by the incomplete information about a girl with pink hair and green eyes, his niece, Anya.
"It can't be! Not the chihuahua girl!" – he thought, in shock.
He had to gather those documents and write an investigation report. But his first instinct was to take the file out of the folder.
“This could disturb Yor’s peace,” the young man reflected. That’s why that document was kept in the locker.
During lunch, Yuri seemed quite spaced out.
"What’s occupying your mind? Thinking about your sister again?", asked the captain Curtis, with a certain disinterest in his gaze.
Yuri was startled by his superior’s question, his eyes widening.
"I’m fine. Just thinking that I need to stop by my sister’s house after work. I have to tell her something interesting", he said, with a look that announced Loid Forger’s execution. "How could he deceive my sister like that?", he whispered.
"What did your brother-in-law do?", Chloe questioned.
Chloe was Yuri’s coworker, and also his classmate in college. She was irritated by the fact that Yuri was so attached to his sister, to the point of seeming obsessed with protecting her even if it cost him his life.
"It doesn't matter! It's personal, I have to confront him. He has to clarify something", Yuri replied.
At the end of that day, Loid arrived home after a day's work at the hospital, and he arrived later than usual.
"I'm home!", he announced as he walked through the door.
"Welcome home, Loid", Yor replied with a comforting smile.
Her smile warmed him in a way he didn't even understand. Two months ago, their marriage became something real for both of them when they admitted their love for each other.
"Thank you, Yor. Where's Anya?", he asked.
"She's in the bedroom sleeping. You look tired. Do you want me to prepare a bath for you?", she continued, helping him take off his overcoat.
"That would be very nice, thank you", he said, smiling warmly. "I don't know what I would do without you, Yor."
At that very moment, a loud bang was heard: Yuri opened the living room door, which slammed against the wall, and burst in shouting:
"Sisss, I have something to tell you! Something that will surprise you."
"Yuri?!", she said, surprised.
"Welcome, Yuri", said Loid.
"I'll prepare your bath right away, Loid. Yuri, talk to Loid for a bit, I'll be right back and you can tell me the news."
Yor went to the bathroom and closed the door. The sound of the water filling the bathtub muffled any sound coming from outside.
In the living room, Yuri looked at Loid with such anger that he almost growled.
"I know your secret, LoiLoi", he whispered.
Twilight froze, even trying to hide it. The fear was rising in his eyes.
"What secret? I don't know what you're talking about", he said.
Yuri took a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and pressed it against Twilight's chest, who was shocked by what he saw. Anya had been a subject in a secret experiment, and WISE had never passed this information on to him.
"Where did you get this?" he said, terror gripping him.
"It doesn't matter where I got it. What matters is that Anya isn't your daughter. You deceived my sister, and you'll pay dearly for it," Yuri replied.
"Yuri, I can explain why I lied," Loid said, trying to calm Yuri down.
"There’s nothing to explain, you tricked sis, and you just admitted it."
"Yuri, please listen to me. I didn’t know about this", Loid replied, pointing to the paper. Yuri was surprised.
"How could you not know?", the sarcasm was evident in Yuri’s voice. He didn’t believe anything Loid said.
"I adopted Anya, it’s true. And I also lied to Yor."
"You still have the nerve to admit that?"
"I’m an orphan, just like you and Yor. I lost my family during the war, and I wanted to have the chance to give some child what I lost, so I had the desire to adopt", he replied, entering Twilight mode. He began to use true elements to bring to life the lie he would invent.
"Couldn’t you just marry some woman and have a baby?"Yuri asked.
"I know it seems easier that way, but adoption can make all the difference in someone’s life. The orphanage where I adopted Anya was in terrible condition, and they certainly didn't give her the attention she deserved."
"So, why did you lie to Yor? You could have just told her."
"Do you think anyone would want to marry a single father, by choice, on top of everything else? I felt bad for lying to Yor, but it was the only way to make her not think my situation was strange. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her, so it was the only way out."
"Look, I don't care much about your reason. I don't want you to keep deceiving my sister", said Yuri, feeling a little confused after hearing the story Twilight could come up with as quickly as possible.
"Look, Yuri, I love your sister. And I love Anya. I really didn't know she went through this. In fact, knowing this makes me want to take even better care of her. Yor loves her very much too. Don't you think revealing this to her will make her sad?" He paused, observing the expressions on Yuri's face.
"And Anya, how will she feel? It's quite likely she doesn't even remember what she went through, because she never told me anything about it", said Twilight. He wasn't entirely lying. They had become his family, and he loved them.
Two months had passed since he and Yuri confessed their feelings. And Anya never told him about her past.
After thinking for a while, Yuri said:
"I hate to admit it, but you're right. I don't want my sister to be sad and lose everything she has. Look, I don't even want to imagine what the little chihuahua girl went through, being so young. She's only 6 years old, the same age I was when I lost my parents. She also deserves to have a family.
"Thank you, Yuri. But, how did you get that document?"
"I already told you it's none of your business. But I'll do whatever it takes to protect her, if it means keeping my sister happy."
"Thank you, Yuri, I'm counting on you to help me protect my family", said Twilight, looking at the paper again. Knowing that Anya lived through something so terrible at such a young age makes me love her even more.
"You can keep this paper. If you want, you can even destroy it. I've already destroyed everything else that connected her to this experiment. I need to make sure no one knows. I just wanted my sister to know so she would leave you, but the chihuahua girl can't lose her family", said Yuri, her voice calmer.
At that moment, Yor returned from the bathroom to the living room. Twilight instantly folded the paper and discreetly put it in his pocket.
"I've already prepared your bath, Loid", she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "What was the news, Yuri?"
Loid and Yuri looked at each other, trying to invent some story.
"Well, Yor… "
Loid was interrupted by Yuri
"I'm dating, sis."
Silence filled the house. Loid and Yor stared at Yuri with wide eyes.
"What? Y-you, dating?", said Yor, incredulous at the news.
"Yes, sis. Don't you believe me? I would never lie to you", he said, giving Loid a half-closed look.
"No, that's not it. It's because you say it's indecent for me to hug Loid, even though we're both married."
"Tell Yor who your girlfriend is", interrupted Loid, clearing his throat and putting his closed hand in front of his mouth, under his nose.
"Remember I had a classmate named Chloe?", said Yuri, blushing.
"The one who was your college classmate?", replied Yor.
" Yes, her. I ran into her the other day, and…" He paused briefly, and with his cheeks turning red, continued "We started dating. That’s it.
That was the first thing that crossed Yuri’s mind the moment Yor interrupted the conversation. Yor couldn’t know what they had discovered about Anya. And because of this story that Yuri had made up at the last minute, Yor was very happy. This relieved him quite a bit.
While Loid was taking a bath, she made tea for herself and Yuri, and they drank it while talking about his “girlfriend.”
At one point, Yuri left. And he had a commitment scheduled for the following week: to take Chloe to their house to meet the family. Yuri's biggest concern at that moment was how he would manage to convince Chloe to pretend to be his girlfriend in a week.