It started with a series of sneezes, early in the morning.

Loid had been barely awake; he had to make the conscious effort of keeping his eyes open, after spending the night gathering intel. He 'd received various coded messages, and the ciphers had only gotten more complex since he 'd shared that Yor 's brother was part of the secret police ' one was never safe enough, after all ' and with a child to take care of, night ended up the only time he was sure to be left unperturbed.

The aroma of coffee was heavenly on his tongue, and it was quick to dissipate the remnants of sleep from his limbs. He allowed himself to close his eyes for just a moment to savor the beverage properly ' and then Anya, who didn 't seem particularly refreshed either, made a high-pitched

achoo

, followed by many others.

He cracked an eye open, just in time to witness Anya 's body recoiling from the repetitive actions, her entire frame shaking. When the sneezing did calm down, eventually, the child sniffled with an expression of utter misery and shining eyes that stared straight at him expectantly.

'Baba ', she calls out, nose so blocked she could as well have been calling for Yor, 'I

donb

feel good. '

He took a proper look at her ' it was much easier, now that he actually felt awake ' and frowned slightly, taking in the reddish blush to her cheeks. 'I see that, ' he said carefully, stepping to the counter to put the back of his hand to her forehead.

It felt warm ' maybe a little more than usual, yet thankfully nowhere close to alarming.

She sneezed again, the noise this time a bit different; he removed his hand from her head, only to see her wiping snot with the back of her hand before reaching for her spoon again. Loid repressed a shudder as he imagined the germs sick children like Anya could spread.

'Let 's go wash your hands, alright? ' he ordered gently, ushering the child out of her seat. She obliged without much complaining, although she did sneeze a couple more times along the way.

Yor was in the bathroom, so it wasn 't exactly the best moment for him to enter the bathroom and check the medical cabinet ' he wasn 't even sure he had any medicine that was child-friendly, and his secret stash of first aid resources certainly didn 't either. Instead, he warmed milk to make Anya another mug of cocoa ' the hot beverage would at least help her feel a little better.

He waited for her to be seated properly before asking: 'How do you feel? '

'My head hurts, ' Anya complained almost flatly, nose still buried in the mug. Her voice distorted as it echoed off the porcelaine. It was as if she didn 't have the stamina to produce any of the cheerful attitude that always seemed to inhabit her. 'I can 't read your ' stuff. '

Her stumbling on her words, as if catching herself to say something else than the words she originally intended, wasn 't unusual ' but her looking so tired and dejected, though? It was an absolute novelty.

And not one Loid liked, either.

Anya stared up at him. 'Can you make it better, since you 're a feelings doctor? '

He sent her a small smile, and reached out to pat her head.

If only that was that easy

. 'I 'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, I 'll call your school to tell them you 're sick. I doubt you 'll be able to accomplish much today if you 're not resting. '

She nodded, not even the least excited at the prospect of missing school, and Loid felt himself slightly put off by the stark contrast to her usually bright personality.

'Is everything alright? ' Yor called out just as he hung the phone, emerging from the bathroom. She noticed Anya, and tilted her head slightly. 'You don 't look so good, dear. '

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the young girl pull a grimace, shaking her head no; but his mind got side-tracked by the sight of

her

. Her hair was damp from her shower, and he caught sight of a rivulet of water sliding down her bang, catching the end of her jaw and running down her neck.

He realized, then, that he was supposed to answer.

'I think she caught a cold. '

'Oh, no, ' Yor frowned immediately, reaching out to Anya to feel for her forehead as well.

Loid shook his head; now was not the moment to get lost with distractions, no matter how tempting they were.

He looked back to his young charge and found her staring at him, now, eyes comically wide, and cheeks ever redder ' and he wasn 't so sure it was entirely due to her sickness.

He coughed. 'Anyway- I 'll be taking a day off today to stay with Anya at home. You don 't have to worry about missing work, Yor. '

'Are you sure it 's alright for you to miss your appointments? ' Yor asked him, ever so kindly concerned about his work.

Considering his office didn 't even actually exist, Loid sincerely doubted he 'd ever have any trouble ' but for her peace of mind, he shook his head reassuringly, and offered her a smile. 'I don 't have any today, so it should be fine. I 'll let my colleagues take surprise visits, but I doubt it 'll happen. '

Yor nodded in agreement, although reluctantly; she didn 't seem too happy to leave a sick Anya behind, murmuring words of affection and encouragement to the child. It was only then that Loid realized she must have had experience with sick children ' she 'd been taking care of her brother when they were younger, after all. She would never truly cease to impress him; she 'd remained kind and gentle throughout the numerous hardships she had probably encountered during her entire life, and that itself was more of a strength than anything else.

She would probably have been much better than he was to nurse back Anya to health, too; but that had hardly seemed fair to expect her to work even more than she already did for their cover, especially when she was the one who still had to tend to a real job. Still, he asked her for advice with a sheepness that did not even have to be faked, and she all but beamed in gratitude at his request before listing several meals favored by sick people and different ways to cool down a fever, in case Anya 's temperature was to get higher than it already was.

Once again, Loid couldn 't help but smile, although he hid it under the pretense of having to go back into the kitchen to prepare another mug of milk. Yor might have had little trust in her own abilities, but she really did make an amazing mother. He only wished she could see it as clearly as he did.

Once Yor was gone, he glanced at Anya once more, who now seemed to be fighting sleep as her head kept diving down before jerking up, eyelids fluttering in a desperate attempt to remain open.

It wasn 't like he could ask her to study or do homework while she was at home either ' she certainly needed the rest, especially after she 's worked so hard those last weeks to improve her grades.

'You 'll have to rest today, ' Loid finally announced quietly, stepping from behind the kitchen counter with the freshly prepared mug of milk. He held it out to her expectantly, and she reached with tiny arms and a quiet

'thank you '

to sip at it distractedly. 'Do you want to watch Spy Wars? '

The mention of her favorite carton was enough to bring her usual smile onto her face, and she nodded with relieved enthusiasm.

'We can watch all the cartoons, ' she whispered, eyes widening at the realization. 'I 'm going to watch

all

of them. '

She was snoring five minutes later.

Sprawled across Loid 's lap and clutching his jeans tightly, Anya was out cold, and blissfully ignorant of the cartoons still playing on the television, the sound dialed down to a near murmur. He tried not to chuckle at the sight and reached instead for a blanket wrapped over the sofa, covering her with the soft material before diving into his book.

An hour passed, and she showed no signs of waking up, only shifting or mumbling occasionally against the fabric of his clothes. Loid figured it would be better to carry her to bed ' she would rest better there, on a firm mattress rather than his bony knees. Once the door to her room was closed, he took the opportunity to call a doctor, only to be told that he wouldn 't be able to get an appointment before the next morning. He requested it anyway, knowing Anya 's illness was unlikely to disappear in a fingersnap, and thanked them.

Lunch came soon enough, and he pulled the young girl out of bed to eat some soup and bread he 'd prepared after following of the recipes Yor had recommended to him ' and Anya complied groggily, although she was clearly feeling even worse after sleeping.

She then attempted to watch television once more, claiming his soup was helping her feel better already ' but he barely had to wait barely ten minutes into the first episode of Spy Wars she was nodding off again, Loid took her back to bed, making her drink a glass of water before tucking her beneath her blanket. She slept the entire afternoon off like this, only emerging from her bed when she needed to go to the toilets or when Loid would come to check on her, giving her water or warm milk while he 'd take her temperature. Bond hovered even more than usual, laying down near Anya 's bed as if to guard her from invisible enemies and whining softly when the child would sneeze or cough for too long. Even Yor coming back home wasn 't enough to pull the small girl out of her bed.

Loid went to work once more as dinner approached, chopping vegetables and chicken with Yor 's help as they prepared a rich, deep-coloured broth; the regular cooking sessions she 'd requested had significantly improved her skills, and he made sure to compliment her on her progress once again when he offered her to taste what they 'd just prepared.

They poured the broth into a bowl and took it to Anya 's room, figuring she 'd likely still not feel like coming out of bed. Loid knocked softly against the door, his knuckles rasping against the wood, before opening the door slightly.

'Anya? ' he called out, quietly. Bond perked up at the noise, tail wagging slightly, but the bundle under the blanket did not move the least.

'I 'm not hungry, ' she mumbled from the covers, a slight groan escaping her mouth as Loid opened the door further and basked the room in light. Headache, then.

'I made some more soup for you, ' he insisted, unable to help the twinge of concern that twisted at his gut with despicable tenacity. He felt Yor hovering behind him, and moved aside so she 'd be able to peek into the room as well. 'And exceptionally, you 'll be able to get some peanuts for dinner. '

Anya whined. It was weak, tired, and nothing like her usual volume of voice. 'I

don 't

want peanuts. '

Loid almost dropped the bowl in shock ' and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Yor grow visibly concerned, her hands stilling on the doorframe.

They

really

needed to get to the doctor.

Yor and him decided to take turns to keep watch in Anya 's room during the night, in case her fever reached worrying levels ' neither of them

actually

had any experience with the way Anya reacted when she was sick, and Loid refused to take any risk when it came to her health by simply assuming she 'd be fine throughout the night.

As they stood in the kitchen, sharing a warm drink before preparing for the night, he tried to convince Yor that he would do it on his own, and that she could simply go to bed. She certainly needed to rest after her day at work, especially since it was still the middle of the week.

'I don 't want you to feel burdened with this, ' he explained gently, watching as a small frown grew onto her face. 'I 'll take care of her ' you can rest, alright? '

'I know I 'm not as close to Anya as you are, and I don 't wish to overstep ' she answered quietly, a glint of self-doubt dancing in her crimson irises, and it took him a surprising amount of willpower to tell her she most probably

was

. 'But she still matters a lot to me. You both do. And I want to take care of her as much as you do ' it 's not a burden. '

'It 's not about our bonds to Anya, ' he forced out, with more difficulty than he would have liked to admit ' her words had winded him out, for some reason. There was a raging war within his chest, a mission-oriented stoicity fighting against a fiery feeling that was not exactly unknown anymore, but that he wasn 't quite ready to officially name yet.

Still, his heart ached at the idea that she was still considering herself as an impostor. At this exact instant, no mission stood between them ' it was only Loid and Yor Forger, a dog, and a child. And for the sake of no operation but them, he (not as Twilight but as

Loid

) had to make her

understand

.

'We might have met only a few months ago, Yor, but you 're as much part of the family as everyone else under this roof, ' Loid explained. '

You

matter, too, to both Anya and I. I 'm sorry if I happened to say something that made you feel anything less than what you really are to this family: a dedicated, loving mother. I was merely concerned that you would be terribly tired tomorrow if you were to stay up for Anya before going to work. '

Yor blinked at him, once, twice, as if processing his words slowly. And then she blushed,

hard

.

'Oh, I- I 'm terribly sorry, ' she stammered, sounding absolutely mortified. 'I 'm afraid I misunderstood your reason for asking me to let you take care of Anya on your own. '

'Oh, ' he let out, before letting a chuckle that danced between relief and embarrassment escape his mouth. 'It 's alright. I apologize for getting as intense as I did. '

Yor looked down. Even the arch of her nose was painted red from her blushing. 'If anything, I should be the one to apologize for misunderstanding the situation in the first place. And it 's ' it 's alright, I promise. Your words mean a lot, actually. Thank you. '

They finished their drinks in comfortable silence, before she hummed softly.

'I wanted to take a day off, ' Yor started. 'Tomorrow, I mean. I 'd like to join you for Anya's appointment, if you think that 'd be alright. '

'Of course it 's alright. If anything, I think Anya will greatly appreciate you being here too. Won 't you get in trouble at work, though? '

She smiled. 'My colleagues were the one to suggest it, actually. I told them I felt terrible about leaving you and Anya behind to come to the office, and they went to pester our superior until he told me I would be excused if I didn 't come tomorrow. ' Yor paused with a light giggle. 'At least, I seemed to have erased the suspicions they could have had about our family. '

Loid shuddered, remembering the strange women he 'd met upon pretending to be Yor 's husband. 'Your colleagues are certainly a force to be reckoned with. You did an excellent job, Yor. Thank you. '

They washed the mugs, and went to change into clothes more appropriate for the night ' he ended up accepting her help to watch over Anya, since she now seemed twice as determined to take care of the young girl as well.

'I 'll take the first turn, ' he still insisted, firm about her getting some rest first. 'I 'll come wake you up in a few hours. '

Yor smiled at him, then, all simple innocence and affectionate warmth. 'It 's alright. I 'll come to you in three hours. '

He couldn 't help to wonder whether she 'd offered this out of sheer, genuine will to help, or if in spite of her characteristic naivety she 'd still seen straight through him and guessed he had intended to let her sleep as long as possible.

Either way, he had no doubt she would be true to her words.

And she was.

The mere mention of the word 'doctor ' was enough to make Anya shiver from something entirely other than fever. She looked even worse than the day before ' her skin was unhealthily pale, bearing the distinctive glow of sickness and exhaustion, and her temperature had raised even higher during the night, to the point where Loid and Yor had attempted to cool her off with cold, damp clothes on her forehead.

He hated to see her like this ' there was something feral and violent uncurling within him at the sight of her feeling so terrible, something desperate for her to be smiling and babbling again.

'Blease, ' she wailed, nose blocked and voice breaking mid-word, her forehead glistening with sweat and her eyes with tears. 'I donb wanna go. '

'It 'll be fine, ' he assured her as he sat at the edge of the child 's bed, already dressed and ready to leave. His voice was no louder than a murmur as he tentatively reached around her to bring him closer to him ' she took in the cue easily despite her distress, and all but melted against him.

His heart might have melted a little as well.

'I 'll stay with you the entire time, alright? I 'll hold your hand. '

Still buried against him, Anya didn 't give him an answer ' but her sobs had significantly lessened, a sign that she was listening to him.

'They won 't hurt you, ' he continued, rubbing circles around her back with his hand ' she 's so tiny he barely even moves his wrist. 'I won 't let them. '

This seemed like the right thing to say; the child looked up at him, watching him expectantly, visibly torn up between her trust in him and irredeemable fears of anyone wearing a lab coat. He figured a bribe was in order, if he wanted to reach his goal.

'And then we can get whatever food you 'll like. '

That

seemed to be the tipping point of the balance. She spoke up timidly. 'Even ice cream? With peanuts? '

Loid was tempted to make a face ' ice cream for a morning snack hardly seemed ideal. But then again, if it was something she managed to eat without too much trouble, he 'd gladly take it; food was still food, and the happier it made her, the better it would be. Especially if her spirits were back enough for her to crave peanuts again.

He had no choice but to nod. 'Even ice cream. With peanuts. '

The visit itself went rather well; although Anya had been shaking in the waiting room, clinging desperately to him and Yor for comfort, she had partly relaxed when the doctor ' a middle-aged woman with laugh lines around her eyes and mouth ' had led them into her room.

She 'd been infinitely patient with the child, letting her hold Loid 's and Yor 's hands for entire auscultation, even going as far as getting more chairs around the medical bed for them to sit on while she made Anya cough and inspects her throat.

'It 's just a nasty cold, ' the doctor told them reassuringly once she was done. 'It 's quite common at this time of the year. Keep her out of school for the rest of the week, make sure she drinks plenty of water, and she should be back on her feet in no time. I 'll prescribe you some medicine to help with her fever. '

They thanked her profusely, the perfect picture of a couple worried for their child.

Loid sincerely doubted any part of it was faked.

'Do you want to get that ice cream now, Anya? '

'Yes. ' She frowned. 'But I 'm tired. '

'What about we get it once you 're feeling better? ' Yor suggested, patting the young girl 's head. 'That way, you 'll be able to better enjoy it. '

She accepted the counter-offer easily, already half asleep in Loid 's arms as he carried her back to the car. 'Mhm-mhm. Okay. '

'You were very brave today, Anya, ' he told her quietly as he settled her in the backseat, and the child hummed again at the mention of her name.

Yor brushed against his shoulder and he stepped aside, giving her room, as he watched her bend to give a kiss to Anya 's forehead.

It felt strangely intimate, and the way she placed a hand on her hair to keep it tucked behind her ear was terribly endearing.

'Careful not to get sick, ' he reminded her as quietly as he could afford, mindful of the child in the car. He was aware it was maybe slightly hypocritical of him, to tell her to be careful after he 'd carried a sick Anya around, but he also knew that his job had at least given him an exceptional immune system.

'Don 't worry, ' Yor offered kindly in return with the utmost confidence, 'I never fall sick. '

Loid found himself brushing stray hair away from her damp forehead two days later, as she murmured unintelligible words under her feverish state. He placed the cool cloth back onto her skin, then stood up and closed her door quietly.

Bond whined softly at him when he came back into the living room, sitting at the very end of the corridor.

'Don 't tell me you 're going to get sick too, ' Loid pleaded with only the hint of the joke, taking in the dog 's weary attitude.

Bond merely huffed, as if insulted by the mere idea, and turned his snoot in the direction of the fridge.

He let out a sigh, more amused than genuinely exasperated. 'Glad to know you 've still got your priorities in order. '

It was quiet, with only Bond and him moving around in the usually crowded kitchen ; at this hour, Yor and Anya would be setting the table, both of them attempting to steal whatever food he was cooking while they thought he wasn 't looking. It had become some kind of game; he could have easily kept his eyes fixated on the ongoing preparation instead of conjuring excuses to look away, like he always did.

Some spices were missing from the meal? How inconvenient ' it was probably for the best if he rummaged through all the cupboards to look for them.

Forgetting the main in the fridge? What a shame, really.

Unsurprisingly, one of them was much better at this little game than the other ' he actually had yet to catch Yor red-handed, while Anya always ended up being too noisy or giggling too much to actually be efficient. He heavily suspected she was getting exterior help, because she always ended up with a morsel of food anyway.

Anya had actually regained some of her energy during the past two days, enough for her to join Loid for a meal. She still coughed from time to time, and her nose was red from repeatedly blowing her nose, but it was a definite improvement. She even babbled about her cartoons ' or, at least, attempted to with all her might, considering that her voice kept cracking at odd moments.

'Go brush your teeth, ' he told her once they were done eating, gathering more food onto another plate. 'I 'll bring this to your mother. '

It was only when he reached the corridor that he realized his slip. Loid froze, not quite sure with how to proceed; it 's not like he could casually turn around and take back what he 'd just said, when it was exactly what he was supposed to say in public.

He couldn 't take it back. Not when it 'd felt that natural.

Get a grip, Twilight

, he repeated to himself with a frown. He knocked against Yor 's door.

Predictably, it was plunged into darkness, with only the last of the daylight peeking through the curtains. It highlighted Yor 's silhouette, tracing her with gold even as she shifted upon hearing the discreet creak of the door.

'It 's me, ' he announced, waiting for her to turn around and look at him before he entered her room. 'I brought you food. You haven 't eaten all day. '

'Loid, ' she breathed out, voice broken yet exuding such warmth that it seemed to heat his very core. 'Thank you. That 's very kind of you. '

She still sounded tired, but much like Anya, it was a significant improvement; and he was more than pleased that Yor seemed to be fighting off the illness faster, too. The house had really gotten too quiet and empty, lately, and he was actually looking forward to seeing it become as lively as it used to be.

He let her drink down the better part of the soup, and waited for her to put her bowl down before he could ask the very question that had haunted his mind for the better part of the week.

'How 's your back? '

If she was surprised at the question, he didn 't see it in the ambient penumbra.

'It 's healed, now, ' she answered easily, knowing he was referring to the wound he 'd discovered back at Eden 's gala. She sounded hesitant, as if not entirely at ease with him on the subject yet, but there had barely been a pause before she 'd told him. 'Thanks to you. '

'You heal fast, ' he nodded, 'which is good. The healing might have made you more prone to getting sick, though. Your immune system was still weakened. '

He reached out to her, slowly enough as not to startle her, and placed the back of his hand against her forehead. The skin felt warm against his, but it wasn 't outright burning, and he could find a clarity in his eyes that had not been present a few hours ago. Good.

'Loid, ' she called out in a murmur, 'You ' '

The door slammed open, cutting off anything Yor had been about to say, and Anya jumped in, somehow

much

more energetic than she had been mere moments before.

'Mama 's feeling better! Anya 's feeling better! Can we go get ice cream now? You promised! ' Anya asked with overbearing excitement despite having her voice crack every few words, bouncing around him. It was a wonder she wasn 't getting dizzy from her own antics.

Loid reached towards the curtains, and pushed them aside to glance outside. It was pouring, dark clouds swirling past the buildings and bringing a rainfall so violent the water drops form a curtain of mist above ground-level. Hopefully, the closest place to sell ice cream wouldn 't be located too far away.

He bit back a sigh. 'Sure. '

He

had

promised, after all.

But first, Yor.

'You were saying something, I believe, ' he asked, turning back to her. 'Sorry, I didn 't quite catch it. '

She blinked at him, before chuckling awkwardly. 'Oh, that was nothing important. I believe the ice cream is more urgent. '

It felt like a missed opportunity, somehow, but he pushed the feeling aside.

'Any flavor you'd like? '

She hummed quietly. 'I 'll take whatever you chose. '

Anya 's own request was nothing unexpected : peanut-flavored, peanut butter topping, all sprinkled with even more peanuts. She seemed to want to make up for the missed peanut opportunities she 'd let slip between her fingers when she 'd been sicker.

Which was a much more comforting attitude than her exhausted self, he decided.

The hunt for the three portions of desired goods, under the pouring rain, earned him a running nose by the next day ' no fever or coughing followed, thankfully, although the repetitive sneezing had given him a migraine that seemed to be piercing his temples.

It was alright, though ' Anya and Yor were both feeling better, Bond equally back to his usual self since his pink-haired friend had started playing around with him again.

It wasn 't like he could complain either, Loid mused as he accepted a mug of cocoa Anya had prepared him with Yor 's help ' it was way too sweet, the beverage more sugared cocoa than milk, but he swallowed it all down.

He was definitely in good hands.