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Dr. Loid Forger, a.k.a. Twilight, the man of a thousand faces, Westalis' greatest spy, is bored.
It had been a usual morning - he'd woken way too early, run through his daily workout and a few overdue mission reports until six a.m., then showered and gone out to the kitchen to prep for the day's meals, and to make and pack lunch for his daughter and his w- Yor. Yor. Not his actual wife.
Because Anya had been good at school - and by that, he means: because she hadn't tried to play sick to get out of having to go for a week straight - he'd made her a special peanut-themed sweet and savory meal for lunch, and carefully packed it in the new insulated lunchbox he'd bought the other day for no reason.
Okay, so maybe it had been because he loved her very much and wanted to get her something nice and useful. That's what fathers do, right? It was no big deal.
He had kept it a surprise, and their lunches had been packed and breakfast about to be served by the time Anya had bust out of Yor's room wide awake and very late because Mama was very snuggly and kept falling for Anya's five more minutes shtick.
He had absolutely not gone weak in the knees when Yor had followed, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes, her hair messed up ten ways to heaven and feet unconsciously following a hyper Anya wherever she went.
And when Anya had rushed in to hug her father's legs, he was totally prepared for Yor walking right into him like he was a street lamp and hugging him close, too.
("Goob morning, Loid," Yor had mumbled, and then turned her head and left a little kiss on his cheek.
Anya had taken one look up at him, squirmed out from between them, and run away giggling.
Loid had let out a strangled little sound in response, and watched helplessly as Yor grinned sleepily at him and walked away again.
It had turned out, sleepy Yor was just as adorable perfect beautiful unpredictable as drunk Yor.)
Loid had snapped himself out of it, and within twenty minutes, Anya had been on her way to school and Yor on her own way to work - and now, hours later, Loid lays curled up on the sofa, idly watching Bond nose at his knees.
Take a day off, they said. It'll do you good, they said.
He gently pets Bond, who starts nosing at his stomach instead.
"What do you say we go for a walk when it's time for my daughter to come home from school?"
"Boof!"
-
A few hours later, Loid walks up to the bus stop with Bond puttering next to him. There's still five minutes before Anya's bus arrives, so he gazes around - and freezes for a moment when he sees a familiar figure walk up to where they are.
"Oh, Loid!" Yor chirps, waving happily. She quickens her steps. "I got off early, so I was going to pick Anya up! I forgot you had the day off," she grins.
Loid can't help his little smile. "I brought Bond. I thought she'd like that."
"I'm sure she would! But I think she'd be even happier because you're here. You're usually at work around this time."
"I suppose so. I'm glad we're here, though - I think it will be quite the pleasant walk home."
It comes as instinctively as breathing, and so Loid doesn't question himself when he leans forward, wraps an arm around Yor's shoulders, and plants a tender kiss on her forehead.
And because he doesn't step away again, (because he wants to stay close to her all evening and maybe hug her if she is okay with that is sure that makes for a good image for the passerbys of how normal a family they are) he is all the more aware of the moment Yor goes completely rigid in his hold.
Oh no.
He instantly puts a good five feet of distance between them, and quietly murmurs a soft I'm sorry as he does.
The bus is a welcome distraction, and Anya is the first child to spill out of it. She screams in delight at the sight of her parents and her dog, and Yor immediately scoops her up in her arms for a carefully tight hug.
Loid breathes deep to calm his nerves, and watches his daughter bounce in her mother's arms. His smile is soft, and only a little wistful.
You two are the sweetest people I know.
I wish I could be the one carrying you home. But it's okay, I love when you spend time with your mother.
Anya immediately turns to him, and tries to jump out of Yor's arms to go to him before Yor walks over herself. Anya happily climbs right over into Loid's waiting arms, and hugs his face.
He smiles broad and wide with his face hidden this way, and pats his daughter's back. "Did you have fun at school?"
"Anya did!" She peels herself off his face to snuggle into his arms, ready to be carried. "Do you like mama?"
Loid promptly chokes on air. Next to him, Yor doesn't sound as though she's doing great, either.
"What?"
Anya only grins. "You were all red when Mama kissed you this morning! I asked Becky and-"
Loid quickly boops her nose, and Anya interrupts herself with a sneeze.
Please, you are a baby. Becky is a baby. Why are you thinking about these things?!
"Papa, look! Mama's gone all red!"
Loid pinches the bridge of his nose.
This was going to be a long evening.
-
It turns out, the evening goes decently well.
Anya rushes to freshen up the moment they get home, and brings her books to the coffee table when she comes back. She gives her father a sunshine-bright grin, and sweetly asks him for help with her math homework.
Loid channels his years of experience in espionage, and processes his utter shock at the idea of Anya starting on homework on her own at the same time he sits with her in his arms and breaks down every concept in her lesson to rebuild for her in a manner that fits into her beautiful little brain, with a dash of Spy Wars to season the exercises perfectly to her taste.
The tea Yor brings is exquisite, and his frayed nerves from the bus stop collect themselves fast enough - even though he discovers that they threaten to unravel again if he gazes at Yor for more than 0.7 second.
"Seven-tenths!"
"What?"
"The answer!"
"Right, of course."
Anya stands on Loid's hands and hits his nose with a tiny kiss. "Done with homework! I'm done with homework! Can Anya watch Spy Wars now?"
"Sure. Will you be ready for dinner in an hour?"
"Is it more peanuts? Anya loved lunch today!" She hugs his face again. "I ate it all myself! Becky wanted some, but I'd finished it all by then..."
"Mm. I'll make more for tomorrow."
"I have the bestest papa in the world!" she screams right into his face, and runs off to switch the TV on, before planting herself in Yor's lap.
Loid huffs, fond and warm, and hums a soft tune as he clears up the coffee table and wanders off to pack her homework in her schoolbag.
An hour later, Yor joins him in the kitchen.
"Loid," she quietly tries, and he immediately turns to her.
"I'm- I'm sorry if I- I don't remember what I did this morning but if I made you uncomfortable, please try to forgive me," she nervously picks at her sleeve. "I'm always so bleary when I wake up - did I really- did I really kiss you? I'm- I do have a good sense of boundaries, so I'm a little baffled - I would never have kissed you on...on the..."
She gestures in the general direction of his face, and Loid instantly knows she thinks she kissed his lips.
"A-and even if I did, I don't know - I wouldn't have- it wouldn't have meant anything, so- so... agh, I'm just sorry!" She wrings her hands, guilt plastered all over her face.
Loid raises a hand to pat her head, even as he feels as though his heart is about to snap in two.
So it didn't mean anything, he nods to himself, as though taking a mental note. Yor relaxes under the headpats he gives her.
"It's all right, Yor," he hears himself say. "You kissed my cheek, was all. And it did not make me uncomfortable in the least. Try not to worry yourself over this, hmm?"
Yor meets his gaze with her large, red, gleaming eyes, and Loid almost winces at the solid yank it gives his heartstrings. "Are you sure? You- you aren't lying to make me feel better, right? I really am sorry if I-"
"Really, Yor," he smiles, and hopes it hides his sinking heart. "Speaking of, though - I'm sorry I invaded your space the way I did at the bus stop. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"O-oh, you didn't! I just didn't expect it, you know? I promise I don't mind- I mean, didn't mind. Don't feel bad about it, okay?"
Loid tilts his head at her, smiling a little wider. "Only if you promise not to feel bad about this morning."
Yor's mouth makes a small 'o' at that, and Loid gives her shoulder a friendly pat. "It wasn't something I'm used to with you either, was all. It's nothing to worry about. So, do we have a deal?"
Red rushes to her cheeks again, and Yor nods once. She grabs Loid's hand to give it a firm shake. "Deal."
Loid forgets to take back his hand.
Dinner is mostly peaceful - Loid tries to lose himself in the stories Anya fills the air with of everything that happened at school that day, and regularly tries to sneak little bits of greens to Bond. Yor smoothly thwarts her attempts, and keeps her little girl distracted with her own stories of her brother when he was a child until her plate is clean and empty.
Anya squeaks when she realizes dinner is over.
"Wow, would you look at the time, I'm so tired! Today was a looong day!" She dramatically wipes invisible sweat off her forehead, then hops off her chair. Loid raises a suspicious eyebrow.
"I'm going to bed-"
"Brush your teeth."
'-brush my teeth and change into pajamas! Mama!"
"Yeah?"
"Can you tuck me in please?"
"Of course, my darling," Yor giggles, before she follows Loid to help with the cleaning.
Anya grins up at her mother. "Thank you for the story, mama," she squeals, burrowing into her blankets.
"Anytime, Anya," Yor bends to give her daughter a goodnight kiss on her nose.
Anya catches her sleeve in a tiny fist, and Yor stops short of straightening back up. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"Papa is sad," she says conspiratorially, but Yor only reads the sprinkling of sorrow in her tone. "He was quiet all through dinner and he kept looking at you."
"He did?" Oh no, was he lying? Did I hurt him? What do I do?! He's a quiet person in general but I should've picked up on it - then again, Anya probably knows him better - even so...
Anya nods, solemn. "I think you should talk to him, Mama."
"I will, I will! I promise, I'll do everything I can to make sure he feels better, okay?"
Anya brightens up in an instant, and nods hard. "Okay, mama!"
"Okay," Yor gives her another nose-kiss. "You go to sleep now, okay? And if you need anything, just call for me and I'll come straight back."
Anya nods again, and closes her eyes when Yor switches off the lamp.
When Yor closes Anya's room door behind her, she spots Loid walking toward his room.
"Are- are you going to sleep already?"
Loid stops and turns, and immediately dismisses his blank expression. "Oh," he scratches the back of his head, sheepish. "I thought I'd just read for a while, maybe catch up on some of my notes for tomorrow before I went to bed. Did you need anything?"
Yor nods, twiddling her thumbs. "Would you care for some tea? I'd have it ready in five minutes if you want to wait on the sofa," she offers.
He feels himself relax at the suggestion, and ignores the pain in his chest. "I'd love that. May I help?"
"Of course!"
They work like adjacent parts of a well-used machine, and it lets Loid relax further. "I've never really liked company in the kitchen," he muses, and Yor listens. "I like to take as much space to myself as I can get while I cook. But it's quite pleasant to work with you, somehow."
"Really? I'm glad for that," she grins up at him, then turns and perches on the countertop as they wait for the kettle to boil. "I think it's strange that you feel this way given how much of a disaster I am in the kitchen, though."
Loid lets out a warm little chuckle, and another blush spreads across Yor's cheeks at the sound. "Strange is good, sometimes," he shrugs, a soft smile playing on his lips.
Yor watches him lean back on the countertop next to her, his arms crossed over his chest, and lets his smile fade in its own time.
"Anya said something while I tucked her in," she starts, quietly.
"Oh?"
"She uh..." Yor curls up on herself a little. "She said you were sad. And...and that during dinner, you kept looking at me. Is everything okay?"
Loid stares, his mouth slightly ajar, then shakes his head. "Yes, I'm okay," he assures. "Maybe she assumed so because I was quiet. I usually just watch the two of you at dinner, anyway."
"You're always quiet, Loid," she smiles. "I think you know your daughter well enough to know she's never wrong about these things. At least not when it comes to you, I suppose."
He blinks, then lowers his gaze. "I suppose you're right," he nods, but doesn't meet her eyes. "But I promise I didn't lie to you about this morning, if you're worried that I did. I really did not mind."
"Oh," she picks at a nail. "Then...what is it that you're sad about?"
"I'm not sad," he looks up at her, and gives her a bright smile. "It's been a long day - longer because I haven't had much to do. I'm not used to just sitting around. Maybe I'm just tired."
Yor tilts her head at him - the same way he does when he tries to figure her out, he realizes - and shakes her head. "You never smile like that even when you're happy," she says, and Loid's breath hitches when she rests her hand on his cheek. "I know I'm a little oblivious and- I suppose slow about a lot of things-" Loid instantly shakes his head - "-but I think Anya is right, because I can see it. You're sad, and it has something to do with me, and you're trying to hide it."
Loid remains silent, and only gazes at her.
"I really wouldn't press you about this if it were anything other than me bothering you," she almost pleads. "If you need anything from me, just tell me. I get- I really do get that we aren't really together, but maybe the least I can do is be a good friend, if you would like that." She tentatively touches his arm, and flushes with relief when he makes no move to pull away. "I remember you telling Anya the other day that it was okay to be sad, but that she should never be afraid to let it out when she's around people that truly love her. I know it isn't that simple for us because we've been through things when we were her age, but...if you could give me a chance, I promise I wouldn't let you down," Yor gently caresses his arm down to his hand, and grips it in a solid, grounding hold. Her eyes never leave Loid's face, and she breathes sharply when he closes his eyes and grips her hand back.
"You haven't done anything wrong, Yor, and you certainly have been doing more than enough; please just know that," he says. "I'm not upset at you, or because of you - not at all. It's nothing you should be worried about, really. I'll handle it."
Yor shakes her head again. "You don't have to, though," she rests her other hand over the one interlinked with his. "It's okay if you don't trust me yet, but if you're holding back for any other reason-"
"I trust you," he whispers, and raises her hands to his lips. "I just don't want to make anything difficult."
"I don't think you could make anything more difficult if you tried, Loid," she offers, kindly.
Loid smirks and shakes his head in disagreement, but kisses her hand again anyway. Yor closes her eyes, and lets the silence hang - she does not move to push him away or create any distance, and strokes the skin of his hand with her rough, calloused thumb.
"Yor?" he murmurs, and his anxiety is reflected clearer than ever before in his quiet voice.
"Yes, Loid?"
"Would it make things more difficult if I said I liked the little kiss you gave me this morning?"
Yor gasps, and stills when she sees him resting his forehead on her hand.
"I suppose..." he takes a breath, and lets it out. "I suppose 'like' would be inaccurate. I loved it. Would that make you uncomfortable?"
Yor, stunned into silence, does not respond.
Loid curls in on himself, and is about to step away when-
"I- I loved it when you kissed me at the bus stop, too."
Loid stops, and turns back. "You did?"
Yor nods almost desperately. "Like I said, I just- it isn't something I'm used to at all, so I think I just shut down for a moment," she lets out a nervous little laugh. "But I had to stop myself from dragging you back when you stepped away from me- I'm sorry!"
Loid blinks. "What for?"
"I don't know!"
He blinks again, then smiles - something soft, ethereal, and Yor loses herself hopelessly to the sight.
"Yor?"
It snaps her back to earth. "Yeah?"
He chuckles. "Where did you go?"
Yor cannot stop staring - into his eyes, at his sweet, open, kind expression.
She brings up her hands to rest them tenderly on either side of his face.
"I'm just letting myself look," she whispers.
"At what?" he asks, gently.
"At-..." She feels her face heat up, all the way to her ears, and swallows.
"At the man I might be in love with."
Loid's eyes go wide, and he forgets to breathe.
Weakly, he tries: "What?"
Yor's heart squeezes in on itself, and she tries her hardest to play it off with a shrug. "I love you," she smiles. "And I think it's okay if you don't feel that way. I think I just need you to know I've got your back."
Loid raises his eyebrows, and it as though the mask has crumbled - he makes no effort to hide his shock from Yor, and cannot find it in himself to look away, even though he feels like the fools that stare directly at the sun.
"Just- let me do this, just this once," he hears her say, and he instinctively closes his eyes when she leans forward, and presses her lips to his in a tender, chaste little kiss.
Yor tries to pull away, but two warm hands hold her back.
"Do that again."
"W-what?"
Loid opens his eyes, and meets her gaze. "Kiss me again."
Yor stares at him, then - and with a baffled little giggle, she snakes her hand behind his neck, and pulls him into a kiss that she pours her all into, loses herself in; she feels his hands wrap behind her head and the small of her back, and lets herself fall into his arms when he tugs her closer to himself.
The kitchen and the long-boiled kettle disappear with the rest of the world, and for once, Twilight lets himself go, gives up his restraints, his fears, his anxiety to this beautiful human being in his arms that gave him her love for his sake and her own, and lets his own love flow against her lips and into the air they breathe together.
They close their lips on each other's, and hold each other close as they breathe their empty lungs back to life. Loid lets his genuine little smile blossom over Yor's lips, and pulls himself closer.
"I need some time," he whispers, and kisses her again. "I can't say it back yet. There are things I need to figure out. But I've got your back too, Yor. I always will, and nothing will change that."
Yor crumples in the relief and the joy of it, and burrows into his arms, resting her face in the crook of his neck. "Don't rush yourself, Loid. That's the whole point."
"I won't, but will you promise me something?"
"Anything."
"When I do say it-"
"Don't you mean if-"
"When I say it, will you believe that I did not rush myself into it?"
Yor squeaks. "O-okay!"
Loid huffs a warm laugh into her hair. "Thank you," he kisses her ear.
Yor curls up in his arms, but then bolts upright. "Wait- do you want the tea? I'm so sorry!"
Loid blinks. "Do you?"
Yor giggles, nervous. "I never really did. I just...bribed you with it so we could talk."
"I figured," he shakes his head, fondly, and steps back. "How about we just get some rest?"
Yor nods, and hops off the countertop, and Loid follows her to her room.
"Yor," he blurts out, and she stops with her hand on the doorknob.
"Would you like to join me, instead?"
Yor whirls around, eyes wide and gleaming, and she nods.
Minutes later, once they have curled up against each other under a blanket, and Yor is fast asleep, Loid lets himself fall.
-
Yor helps Anya onto the bus, and she quickly climbs around and into a window seat just in time to catch her mother walking back into her father's arms.
"Take care of yourself, Anya," Loid calls, his eyes gentle and bright at once.
"I will!" she squeals as the bus pulls away.
Yor watches until it turns a corner, then looks up at Loid. "Time to go to work," she pecks him on the lips.
"Okay," he smiles. "By the way, I love you."
Yor's jaw drops, and his smile grows.
"I..." she stumbles over her words.
"You...love me too?"
"I'm taking the day off."
"What?"
"With you."
"But I-"
Yor grabs his wrist, and drags him away in the direction of home.
Twilight lets her, not just because he knows he couldn't get out of that grip if he tried-
-but because he doesn't want to try.