Another massive thanks to Shishou for being this chapter's beta!
As a spy, you're going to have to come to terms with the fact that you're going to fuck up eventually. No matter how skilled you are, it's impossible to avoid making a mistake. Nobody is infallible, and to suggest otherwise would be the height of arrogance.
Agent Twilight is no exception. Though some of his colleagues may not believe it, he has indeed fucked up multiple times in various points of his career. Fortunately, up until now, all his fuck-ups were within his abilities to manage. He originally attributed this to his expertise and skill at crisis management, but in retrospect, it was probably just a case of the universe storing up all his bad luck and karma to unleash against him in a singular strike at some point in the future. And that time appears to be now, because... well.
His current situation is so unbelievably FUBAR, Twilight is honestly surprised he hasn't woken up yet to discover that it was just a nightmare. This is hands-down the biggest mistake he has ever made. And unlike his other mistakes, he has no contingency plans or even a tentative improvised scheme to help ameliorate things. He has no doubt that were his Handler here, she would be staring in abject disbelief at just how quickly and irredeemably things had gone up in flames.
And it is all his fault.
If only he wasn't so paranoid, if only he didn't assume things, if only he didn't leap to conclusions, then perhaps it would be fine. But no, he just had to overthink everything and perform a mental gymnastics routine so complex he may have strained several nerves in the process, and as a result, he hurt Yor.
God, he is an idiot.
Yor betrayed the Garden for him. She disobeyed direct orders and brought him to a safehouse. Sure, she tied him to a chair – but can he blame her? She just discovered that her husband was an enemy superspy who was lying to her the entire time. Some caution isn't just understandable, it's expected.
Then, when she tried to talk to him to clear things up, he practically spat in her face. He briefly considers the possibility that she was lying to him about betraying the Garden and was only using this ploy to get him to trust her, but... He has replayed their conversation multiple times already in his mind, and every time, he arrives at the same conclusion.
He knows Yor, her tells, her mannerisms, her quirks. She was telling the truth – she has to be. Instead of believing her, however, he spun up this convoluted plot in his mind and misinterpreted her every action. She was playing checkers while he was performing a speedrun on how to irrevocably damage her feelings.
If only he had the ability of time travel. Sadly, he doesn't, which means he must come up with a way to correct the current state of affairs. Which is a lot easier said than done.
Ideally, he would just break free of his bonds right now and chase after Yor, explaining everything to her and begging for her forgiveness.
In fact, he almost does do that, until he remembers the existence of the Garden.
They... complicate things somewhat.
As things stand, Yor has turned her back on the Garden by sparing him. This isn't some small case of insubordination or disrespect, but outright treason. And... well, shadowy assasination organizations typically tend to not react very well to acts of betrayal.
Twilight is fairly certain that the Garden has already placed a hit on Yor. Best case scenario, she will be captured, tortured, then locked in a dark cell somewhere for the rest of her life. Worst case scenario, she will be captured, tortured, then executed.
Her peaceful days are over. She would have to be on the run for what remains of the rest of her life, and there was no guarantee she would remain free for long. The Garden managed to capture him, after all. Since she used to work for them, their psychological profile of her would naturally be more developed, which would make it significantly easier for them to track her down and make her disappear.
There is only one way to make things right.
Yor must turn him over to the Garden.
She could give the excuse that he used a trick or ruse on her, or that he managed to escape, which was why she fell off the grid as she was hunting him down. If she does this, then she would be back in the good graces of the Garden. With the mission being successfully accomplished, Yor would be safe.
It would be dangerous for him, of course, but since Yor was sent on a capture mission instead of a kill mission, he can cautiously venture a guess that the Garden wouldn't execute him immediately. They would probably attempt to imprison him to interrogate him for information, which should provide him with plenty of opportunities to escape. Even if he falls into the clutches of the Garden, he should be fine.
And if it turns out to be another mistake... then oh well. With the treaty, peace will be achieved. Operation Strix will be a success. His job is already finished. If the price to pay for Yor's continued safety is his own life, then so be it. This is his fuck-up, so it's his responsibility to make things right, even if he needs to sacrifice himself to do so. Perhaps if this whole thing happened even a month earlier, he would be more hesitant, but now... peace is essentially guaranteed. There is no longer a need for Twilight anymore. He'll soon be nothing more than a relic of the past. He can afford to make this sacrifice..
However, Twilight knows Yor. He's fully aware that she would likely never agree to his plan of letting her turn him over to the Garden. He's confident enough in himself that he can escape, but the odds are definitely against him. With the risk being so high, his Handler would probably classify it as a suicide mission if she were here.
Of course, that's only if he tells Yor the truth. If he sticks with his facade though, of being the cold and emotionless Twilight who only sees her and Anya as tools, then she'll be much more receptive to the idea of handing him over. If he can maneuver the conversation just right, plant the idea into her subconscious...
Yes, that would work. He would continue the act, make her hate him, think him to be a heartless villain, so that she would finish her mission and turn him over to the Garden.
It will undoubtedly be painful, possibly the most painful thing he'll ever experience, but he will grit his teeth and endure. Such is the life of a spy.
Perhaps it's ridiculous, the length he's willing to go for her, and it is absolutely not protocol, but...
Twilight chuckles to himself.
He can pretend all he wants, but it doesn't take a genius to see he's hopelessly compromised when it comes to Yor Forger.
With that, Twilight gives a single firm, determined nod, steeling himself.
It's time for him to lie, lie like he never has before.
「」
It is safe to say that things hadn't gone according to plan.
As Yor furiously paces around another room in the abandoned building, she can't help but wonder where she went wrong. How did she misjudge him so much? She thought she knew him, knew Loid Forger, the kind hearted man who loved his daughter and would protect his family at any cost, but now...
Were we just assets to you?
Yes.
Her mind is still reeling from the exchange they just had. The coldness in his voice, the detached expression on his face, the casual indifference he displayed...
Damnit. She's losing her temper. She attempts to calm herself down, utilizing several different breathing techniques, but none of them work. She's too angry, too enraged, too incensed.
Too hurt.
While she knew their relationship was fake, she thought that Loid at least held some degree of affection toward her. The moments and laughs they've shared... She truly believed she meant something to him. But now, she knows the harsh reality.
It was all just an act. Loid Forger does not exist. The man tied to the chair in the other room is the real Loid. Twilight.
The relationship they had... it was nothing but a lie.
Letting out a growl, she whirls around and punches straight through another wall. Dust and debris crumble to the ground as she withdraws her hand. Fortunately, this building is abandoned and in an isolated part of the city, so nobody should hear.
She leans against the wall and slumps forward, one hand held up to her head as she tries to quell her emotions. It isn't working. She shifts her position slightly, and her shoe brushes up against something. She glances down to see a small, old waterproof bag on the ground.
Slowly, she leans down and picks it up. Her eyes flicker slightly as she gazes at it. The bag was filled with emergency supplies – water purification tablets, bandages, medicine, rations. She had placed similar bags like this all around the city in case of a crisis, and after getting Loid to this safehouse, she had gone back out and quickly grabbed this bag for him, risking getting caught by the Garden.
She did it for him, and yet...
Another wave of anger surges through her, a blend of hurt and betrayal and rage, of just how stupid she was for believing him, for falling for his lies, for caring for him –
The bag smashes into the grey concrete ground, sending more dust up. She stands over it, her arm outstretched, breathing heavily.
What should she do now? She betrayed the Garden, the organization that gave her everything, for a man who turned out to be a fake. She doesn't even know what they will do to her – she has never heard of anyone betraying the Garden before. Though she supposes that in itself is rather telling.
Her life as she knows it is over. And – oh gods. What if the Garden retaliates by hurting her coworkers? Yuri? Anya?
Unless...
A thought enters her mind, and though it makes her recoil slightly, she doesn't immediately reject it. The more she thinks about it, the more it makes sense, until finally, her eyes harden. A veneer of calm settles over her mind.
She was a fool, but no longer. Even if it may hurt, she will turn him over to the Garden. She was willing to give up everything for Loid Forger, but for Twilight? She'll be damned if she sacrifices even a single breath for him. She'll complete her original mission, and after that... she'll decide how to move on from there.
Turning around, Yor is about to head back to where she left Loid and finish what she started –
When she catches sight of something in the corner of her eye.
Her brows furrow as she looks down to see that the bag had torn under the force and its contents had spilled out onto the ground. A roll of bandages, some pills and capsules, a few tasteless bars, and –
Yor freezes as her eyes come to rest on a packet of peanuts laying innocuously in the middle of the pile.
The same brand of peanuts that Anya loves.
And suddenly, a cascade of memories floods through her, and it's as if she was just struck by a bolt of lightning, the fog of anger and hurt finally lifting as a startling clarity fills her mind, revealing a truth she always knew but only realized consciously at this moment.
Twilight is a spy, and spies lie. She already knows that he lied to her. The difference from before, however, is that she now knows where he lied to her.
Her heart burns with a newfound intensity as she whirls around and begins making her way back to his room. She's going to confront him properly, and this time, he'll tell her the truth. She will make sure of it.
It's time for the lies to come to an end.
Loid: alright it's time to commit, let's do this, they call me itachi uchiha
Yor: yeah... about that...
Thanks for reading!
