Disclaimer: Don't own Spy X Family, nor any of its characters.
Rating: T
A series of connected one-shots, where the duo have come to realize a certain reality they've been trying to deny, and gradually move forward from there.
Park; noon
Let's see...
Hmm, yes, that checks out...
All the details of his mission looked to be in order, though he had some time to kill before he needed to meet up with the contact - he was sitting on a bench waiting for just that, but was dressed as if this were a casual day off. Then he started mentally running simulations, in case any details deviated - of course it'd be best if everything went perfectly, but he needed to be prepared for anything.
He'd gotten through a fair number before he sensed footsteps, faint yet unmistakably those of a trained spy- one he knew, at that.
Mmm.
"Good day, Mr. Forger."
Twilight looked up. "Ms. Frost" he greeted appropriately, as publicly she is one of his psychiatrist coworkers - there weren't many people around, and most weren't nearby or paying attention to them, but he took no chances. "This is a lovely surprise." [What brings you here?]
"Likewise" Fiona spoke, inclining her head. "I'm getting in some exercise." [Chance. How goes Operation Strix?]
"It's definitely a good spot for running." [Slow, but consistent. As was to be expected.]
"Indeed, the park's paths are perfect for it." [I hope you're not going easy on Anya. She needs more Stella Stars soon.]
Though he a surge of irritation, he kept it off his expression (for the most part). "Good thing the weather has been great lately. It makes it easier to to not overheat" he spoke, briefly waving a hand around the air to showcase his point. [Forcing Anya to purely study makes her progress actively worse, Fiona. Being a loving father makes her work hard.]
Even though he saw the subtle shifts in her expression, discerning what she's thinking was still difficult.
Moreover, Handler's words of caution were still on his mind...
"Of course. I'm grateful for that as well" she spoke, briefly looking up at the sky - her eyes stayed on him though, seeming entirely unconvinced. [If you say so. The results will speak for themselves, Twilight.]
To that, he raised an eyebrow.
"Well then, here's hoping that the weather stays as such." [I've yet to fail at delivering excellent results, and I won't start now.]
"Yes. But it can be quite fickle as well." [Good. After Operation Strix is over though, you won't need those two anymore, or the dog.]
"Those two, or the dog"- it took an effort not to tense up. Of course she's speaking from the perspective of a spy who saw them as purely part of his cover, another aspect of the mask 'Loid Forger', and therefore they're no different than the countless disguises they all did as part of this line of work.
He knew that, but his internal reactions were quite different.
After a few seconds:
"You don't have to tell me twice" Twilight spoke, even enough. [Maybe not, but when that time comes, it will be my choice to remain with them regardless.]
Even if it was subtle, those words had an immediate effect upon Fiona, as it seemed like every muscle in her body tensed just a bit. Twilight looked at her, with a gaze that was dead serious to show that he'll stand by those words - almost irritatingly, Fiona was still difficult to read even now, but he still saw flickers of surprise (and shock?).
But for what, beyond the obvious? Even if she purely is thinking in terms of practicality and effectiveness, she knows he gets the job done regardless, so it shouldn't matter...
Rather abruptly, Fiona turned away from him so he couldn't see her face-
-he raised an eyebrow, confused yet still calculating.
"...But why?"
No code; just the query - if not for the tension, she would've sounded perfectly normal too. This most definitely wasn't just about his effectiveness as a spy; this seemed more of a personal thing to Fiona, though for what reason still wasn't entirely clear.
Though it felt like it should be, yet was maddeningly out of reach...
"Because that's how it is" Twilight spoke, low yet utterly certain. "After all this time, it's the only choice I can live with."
A long time passed in utter silence, other than the wind and general noise of the park itself...
Fiona - still turned away from him - lifted her head, and started walking away.
"I should be on my way, Mr. Forger. Sorry to have taken your time." [You really have grown soft, Twilight.]
To that, he outwardly nodded and made the appropriate gestures, but his tone was a different matter.
"It was no problem, Ms Frost. Have a good day." [Why thank you. It's nice to have family worth fighting for.]
Though she didn't stop walking, there was an unmistakable hitch in her stride, if but for a moment- Twilight briefly smirked a bit. Whether intended as an observation or an insult, his answer had taken it and turned it around completely... but more than that, he'd made himself perfectly clear to Fiona.
Whatever her issue may be, if she can't accept this, that's her problem.
Even as he had this thought, Twilight glanced at his watch - still a few minutes before his contact is supposed to show up, but they might be early.
So he shifted gears and prepared himself for his task.
Home; nighttime
"Loid seems a bit late" Yor breathed, glancing at the time.
Maybe work had some last-minute things to take care of, but she hoped he wouldn't be much longer; Anya was really excited for their movie night. Or well, it would be playing on the TV soon - it wasn't yet time, but she started to worry about what to do if Loid doesn't show.
Mmm... most likely they should start watching it regardless, rather than cancel outright.
Even if Loid's late, better that then never, as he said sometimes - she could agree with why he thought that too, as she remembered back to that day when they first met. Although she'd initially been sad at being stood up, the moment he arrived late at the party and (mistakenly) said he was her husband, he'd fulfilled his promise to her despite having his own share of troubles. Between that and what he said afterward, believing that the lengths she's gone to for her brother were admirable, rather than shameful... it'd really struck a chord with her. In fact, when running from those patients of his and she'd saved him from one, she'd initially worried that she just outed herself or that he'd find her weird, but Loid merely chuckled and gratefully thanked her.
Yor smiled as she remembered, feeling warm... and speaking of, she briefly wondered how those patients were doing nowadays.
*Ring ring*
"Ah?" she wondered, moving over to the phone - she didn't see, but Anya looked over from the couch, curious. "Hello, this is the Forger residence."
"Good evening, Yor."
Ah- Yor lowered her voice, holding a hand near her mouth. "Shopkeeper? This is unexpected..."
"Indeed. Particularly since this is not a job offering on my part, but rather maintenance of a sort."
Inwardly she was relieved, as this would've been a bad time to be assigned work- she really is looking forward to the movie night, even if Loid might be late. "Um, what maintenance sir? Oh, wait, do you mean me?"
"Quite. You've proven before that your physical skills have not dulled, but lately I've been wondering about your mental branches. Are they growing in an undesired direction? Or perhaps, is family life making you reconsider this job?"
Yor shifted a bit; he'd told her long ago that if she ever chose to give up this job, he would allow it. He knew she'd taken up this work purely for her brother's sake, and not necessarily for the greater good (though that is a bonus)... even so, she felt that she owed Shopkeeper for all he's done, and so the thought of giving up her assassin work wasn't an easy one.
But even beyond that, she felt that he needed to know about recent events.
"At least for now, I'm not planning on giving up my job, sir" she whispered, heart beating faster. "But things have been changing between Loid and me, in a good way. Even though we agreed to marry as a cover, lately he's told me that if it needed to end... he couldn't live with that happening. After I realized that I felt the same way, he told me that we don't have to think of it as pretend anymore, t- though of course he's fine with us not doing anything we're unwilling to. I've felt really nervous since then, but also determined to do the best I can, both for myself and this family."
A few moments passed in silence.
"Well, your flower is blooming quite nicely" Shopkeeper mused, rather mild- she nearly jolted. "Were you expecting me to douse it?"
"Ah... I wasn't sure how you'd react, sir."
"As long as you continue to keep your skills honed and complete contracts well, for however long you may remain in this work, I have no issues with your arrangement becoming what you've described. If you were to leave because of this family, I would be sad to see you go, but willing; you've done plenty for us already, and it would be parasitic to keep you all to ourselves if it's no longer your desire. But until such time, next we speak will be for another job."
Relieved that he's okay with this, Yor nodded vigorously. "Of course, sir. I'll do my best!"
"See to it. And, good fortune to your growing relationship."
Then he hung up- Yor let out a breath as she put the phone back, feeling more at ease now. The Shopkeeper had always seemed reasonable enough to her, but this was also the first time she'd ever told him about something this important - she hadn't even thought to ask about the lives of her co-workers, and so the thought of what they might do regarding their covers had slipped her mind.
But it was okay- this marriage, this family, and little Anya are all okay with him!
From the couch, Anya was looking at her with open-mouthed curiosity and excitement, even holding her little fists up. She stayed that way for a bit until the TV's program changed a bit, drawing her attention back to it, only for her to gasp a little-
-"Mama" she called.
"Ah?" Yor breathed, jolted out of her thoughts as she turned. "What is it, Anya?"
Anya glanced at the TV, twiddling her fingers. "The- the movie's about to start" she said, shifting in place. "It's playing commercells now... is Papa gonna be home in time?"
Letting out a breath, Yor immediately went over to Anya, making sure to sit down beside the little girl before gently moving her arm around her back.
She smiled. "I hope he will, Anya" she assured, gentle. "But even if your father is late, I know that he'll make it anyway. We'll have fun together, wait and see."
Anya suddenly hugged her, which despite a little surprise, made her feel warmer as she hugged her back. And after a second, she remembered to lean down and kiss the top of her head - Anya only hugged her even harder, which made her smile.
...
Fifteen minutes into the movie, Loid still wasn't home yet.
"There's still time though" Yor thought, if mainly worried for Anya. "Right now, she seems interested in the movie, so that's good."
For her part, Yor knew that this Bondman character was a cool spy, but other than a few things she's picked up on from the cartoon, she was mostly just trying to follow along. There'd been some setup for the overall situation, and who she thought might be villain... but he seemed obvious, so maybe there's a hidden villain somewhere?
Just then, the door opened- Yor jolted, and Anya gasped as she whirled.
"Papa!" she called, happy.
Loid let out a breath. "I'm terribly sorry for being late" he quickly said, moving fast to take care of his things. "Has the movie started yet?"
"A little!"
"I see. Then, just give me a minute; I'll be right there."
Even as Anya cheered, Yor smiled as she watched Loid hurry; she's so relieved that he made it. Even as he asked what he missed, and Yor did her best to fill him in, she couldn't have imagined what she would've said to Anya if he missed their movie night... mostly because the idea of Anya being sad made her heart feel heavy.
But thankfully, she didn't have to linger upon those thoughts for long: Loid soon moved over toward the couch, and Yor made room for him. He idly grabbed the small bowl of popcorn beside her (not that she minded) and made himself comfy, watching the movie beside her.
"I'm glad you made it, Loid" she whispered to him.
Glancing at her, he dipped his head. "As am I, Yor."
"Was work that busy?"
"Sort of. I'll mention why afterward."
"Alright."
As they spoke, without either of them realizing what's happening, Loid's adjustments getting comfy involved putting one arm over her back, the hand resting on her shoulder. During this adjustment, it lightly pulled her closer to Loid, and Yor naturally rested against his side as if it were the most normal thing in the world, and he had no problems with that.
Afterward, they were just watching the movie as a family.
Though, ten minutes later...
"Ahaha! Go Bondman, go!" Anya cheered, even raising her little fists.
"Oh wow" Yor thought, a bit surprised by the sudden twist in the story. "The action was so cool and intense, but I didn't see that coming at all. Maybe Loid did, though?"
It wouldn't surprise her, as he is a psychologist; it's his job to know about people's emotions, thoughts and stuff like that. The thought made her smile, almost wondering if she should ask him now - quietly of course - but resolved to wait till after the movie, when she wouldn't take any focus away from Loid (or Anya, as she could probably hear them whispering from so close, and didn't want to spoil the story for her).
And though it's unrelated, this was really nice, her feeling warm from leaning against him and his hand resting on her arm...
...Huh?
Yor hitched, her heart suddenly beating really fast as she realized; she quickly looked at his hand on her arm, then almost jerked as she glanced toward Loid. It was true; she's leaning against his side, and he's holding her really close to him!
She barely noticed, but Loid had noticed her sudden hitch and glanced toward her-
-only to take in their situation, and pretty much do the same as she did, if more low-key.
When Loid looked at her and their eyes met, Yor nearly let out a breath... she didn't understand why, but he looked surprised too. Unless- unless he also just realized how they're sitting together?
Every second felt much longer than it was, thanks to her heart beating against her chest-
-and more than that, she couldn't look away from Loid.
But eventually, something changed; Loid let out a small breath, his expression a bit wondering before his gaze moved back to his hand on her arm. Yor almost wanted to hitch, glancing there too as she realized that he- he's not making any attempt to remove his hand... w-wait, is he thinking that he'll only do that if she doesn't feel like it?
D... Did she?
Even with this surprise, it... it does feel really nice...
She didn't entirely notice till later, but Loid seemed to take her silence as a good sign; he gave a little smile, and then slowly relaxed again before looking back at the TV. Yor was left wondering, her heart still beating really fast, before she eventually tried to do the same... but the entire time, she felt so many things as she unconsciously focused on the feeling of them sitting this close, repeatedly glancing at his hands.
Enough in fact, that she honestly lost all focus on the TV for awhile, and felt really warm all over.
...Yet in the end, after she managed to settle into things, she thought that she wouldn't mind it happening again.
Unnoticed by either of them, Anya was amazed yet excited, though her attention kept flickering from the TV to them (if not turning her head, because they might get distracted if she did!). She even did little fist-pumps, smiling brightly as she felt that mama and papa are liking each other more and more... though she couldn't make sense of all their emotions, it still made her really happy!
What's there to say here? Loid and Yor were already 'masters' of accidentally doing stuff like a married couple, and this is just an extension of that hehe.
Well, there was also Fiona, but mostly the above.