Work Text:
…
Sunday.
6:00 PM..
Wise.
….
“It looks like you've been really busy, Twilight. Could you tell me the reason for such a thing..?”
The red headed woman asked.
She, Sylvia, always had this… feigned politeness when it came to demand answers, the only times Twilight's heard her shouting an order to him were when he was still a novice (a.k.a., when he still hadn't completed his camp training and was nothing more than a civilian with a badge of “spy in training”). And when he was in life threatening situations, he didn't like to remember those occasions.
He hadn't turned in any of his reports and he hadn't answered any of the calls he received
And how could he?!
His wife couldn't eat, walk, or even drink water without his aid! How was he supposed to let her be there all helpless and ill!
“Well, my wife's been ill for the past week and she would be completely helpless without my supervision. She was vulnerable and could not exert any mundane tasks by herself. And as a central piece of operation Strix, Yor needs to be taken care of.
Although I could've reported our bi-weekly records instead of sleeping as I usually do, in this case I got exceptionally tired and preferred to nap so I could be at my best help.”
Nap. That's all he did, because when Yor was asleep Loid couldn't close his eyes for fifteen minutes.
When he was sure Yor wasn't too cold or too hot, when he was sure she had drunk water in the last hour and that her medications were on time, and when he heard her breathe peacefully, then, just then, his heart could rest.
And he would sleep by the side of her door, right there, by her side where he promised he would stay (but not inside her room… what would she think?).
There was a small pause.
“I see…” the woman raised her eyebrows as the carpet seemed to look intriguing.
Loid was quite curious… Why was she looking down before answering him? Sylvia wasn't someone to dilly dally… she always had an answer on the tip of her tongue.
“Twilight…” she said in a tone that he couldn't decipher.
“You know very well this isn't the first time you've dismissed work because of your family…”
Twilight assented with his head.
“And I've been thinking about how we are losing one of our best agents to one single high cost and slow gain operation…”
What was she talking about? He still could do whatever she asked him… well, just not when his family needed him. Because of the mission.
“No. Losing our best agent… and starting to think that… we may have to remove you from this operation…”
“...”
Twilight felt like his ground fell beneath him and suddenly it was really hot.
“Hum?”
Was the sound he could produce when he felt a sweat falling from his forehead down to his cheek.
“Which part didn't you understand? You're not going to be jobless, you're just not going to be involved in Operation Strix as it requires too much of you.”
“…”
“The cat got your tongue? Weren't you the one asking for days off? Then, you now have plenty of them.
Oh, and don't worry about the operation. We found another way to have contact with Desmond's. And you need not to worry because we won't need you in this new operation.”
Twilight could hear his heartbeats racing faster and faster.
Heck. He couldn't even breathe properly, think properly.
Damn. Damn my words. I won't ever say that again.
The only urge he had was to Sprint through Wise's corridors and hug his family.
But he couldn't.
“C’mon! Take a break from being Loid, won't you?”
He couldn't pretend anymore. He was strongly disturbed by the thought of not being Loid anymore, not seeing his family anymore.
“No.” He said. Weakly as he could.
“I can't leave…”
Strix? Westalis? Wise?
My family.
He never finished that sentence.
But deep down, both of them knew there was no other answer.
“That's all I needed to know…” she smirked —
“It was a joke. Dismissed” she announced.
…
That was the longest commuting Loid had ever done.
He couldn't wait to get home and hug his (still a bit I'll but surely healthier) Yor (even if she kicked him in the face) and give Anya lots of kisses (he had been missing Anya in so many moments this weekend! Thank God next weekend Becky's the one supposed to sleep there).
…
Why would she do that?
Why would Sylvia say something so…