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They look like the picture book example of a proper Ostanian family.
He has a well-paying traditional job, she's a capable housewife who also contributes to the finances, something that was almost a rule after the war, and they have a beautiful baby daughter. However, if one tried to dig deeper, they would find out this was his second marriage, or that she couldn't cook well even if it was a wife's responsibility. If they knew too much, they would find out the baby was adopted. It didn't stop them from being loving and doting parents.
It definitely didn't stop them from having the same struggles of new parents everywhere.
It's a chilly day and Loid doesn't waste efforts in dressing Anya in the fluffiest and warmest clothes she had, the knitted cap covering practically her whole fluffy pink hair. It's not a family outing in all of its glory; they just chose to take a walk for some groceries down the street, and it looked like a good opportunity for fresh air. Yor doesn't get the baby carriage, she likes to carry Anya in her own arms, it feels safer. Anya doesn't mind, looking around curiously while holding Mr. Chimera while her parents chatted without a care in the world, Loid holding Bond's leash. It was such a beautiful and peaceful day.
So beautiful, it wasn't a surprise if there was a parade happening.
They turn a corner and immediately notice their predicament. It's a block away, and what one would expect from this event. A band, balloons and lots of people. Anya is still okay, but Yor looks at Loid with unease. He gives her an understanding smile and says they could go home and he would get the groceries later.
They turn around without much commotion, not willing to take part in the festivities, even if it looked like a good experience for a child.
It was a special thing for her, but Anya doesn't like crowds.
-*-
As it is imperative for Operation Stryx, Loid takes the girls for a day out, complete with coordinated outfits and the promise of dessert later. As a habit, they came out a bit late because Yor just couldn't decide on an outfit for Anya, because her baby was just that cute. In the end, the polka dot dress and the pigtails won.
They found themselves crossing paths with a student protest. They were peaceful, mostly, but still rather loud.
It didn't take long for Anya to start getting fussy in the carriage.
"Anya?" Loid checked on her and found her kicking her legs under the blanket. "Is there something wrong?"
The question practically triggered her into crying, the sound making even Bond sniff the carriage in worry, looking for his youngest human friend.
"Oh, dear." Yor was the one to pick her up, massaging her head with a frown. "Maybe she was scared by the noise?"
"It can be. Let's sit down at a quieter place." Loid suggested while watching with a grave face as Anya's cheeks became wet and pink from the tears. He was probably overthinking it, but this didn't look like her usual scared cries.
They picked a table outside of a cafeteria to sit down at, far away from the commotion and much quieter. It was still very crowded, but tolerable.
Anya didn't calm down, her tears staining Yor's dress with no sign of stopping. They tried to sooth her with her favorite toys, juice and a pacifier, but she just refused all of those. As a last resource, Loid tried to block the noises around her with cotton balls in her ears as muffs. They of course, checked if she needed to change or be fed. Anya still cried with a grimace marring her little face, as if she were pained.
When they finally went home, Anya was exhausted and fell asleep still sobbing. At night, she had a fever.
Yor panics as the thermometer shows 39°C and Loid has to calm her down while also reassuring himself that this was nothing serious. It's not his first time at the rodeo, he knows how to deal with a sick Anya, but it still makes him anxious. Anything concerning Anya's health could go from normal to a national security matter in a couple of seconds.
Loid manages to convince Yor to go to sleep as he takes the night shift with a still quite warm Anya in his arms. He dials up the WISE's doctor's number with his free hand and waits impatiently.
"Good evening, Dr. Harvey on the line."
"I got your recommendation from Mr. Laslow." Twilight said as part of the code.
"What can I help you with?" Dr. Harvey answered, knowing this patient of hers well.
"Anya has a fever." He explains, looking down at her. "39°C, for five hours now. I gave her some tylenol two hours ago and it didn't go down."
"Try to feed her liquids and to not bundle her too much." The doctor explained calmly. "It's not the first time she gets sick, is it?"
"It's not." Twilight admits it with a sigh. "It's just that it came so suddenly. We were walking outside and she started to cry out of nowhere. We thought she was scared of the noise, but she looked like she was crying from pain."
"Babies can really get a small infection out of nowhere, Mr. Forger. I assure you that Anya will be okay." She tried to reassure him. "If you notice anything out of the normal, you can come to my clinic to examine her."
Twilight honestly had no problems with Dr. Harvey, but he usually hated how well she could read him and how scared he was of anything that could happen to Anya as a result of her past as an experiment. When they first found her, she went through every examination and test possible and it honestly made him feel bad and want to just take her and not let WISE or anyone else bother her ever again. She was so small and defenseless, she had been through so much. Yet he couldn't forget there was always the possibility of Anya being different.
Their baby was okay the next day, so they blamed it on some average illness that any child was susceptible to. Yet, the night they were invited to a dinner party at Sharon's, she was fussy again and the cries returned. The same happened when they were at the mall.
The parents found the pattern in crowds. For some reason, Anya hated them, no matter if they were silent or loud. Yor was now wary of taking her outside, because she didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, but she also didn't want Anya to be so isolated.
They tested the waters with small reunions among friends and their children, and, fortunately, Anya didn't seem to mind. But they wouldn't dare bring her to big crowds again, at least until she was a bit older. The safety of their little girl was more important than everything.
-*-
Yor has some problems with being a mother. Most of them came from her tendency to be "too much".
Yor loves Anya. Was charmed by her when Loid introduced her for the first time and fell in love in an instant when she was first brought to the Forger house after her and Loid agreed to a marriage.
And because she loves Anya, she overthinks a lot. Is this too many layers of clothes or not enough? Should she insist that Anya eat carrots even though she knows very well that carrots are her least favorite vegetables? Should Yor stop being so overprotective and actually pass the baby to friendly acquaintances when they ask for it?
(Loid says it's not a problem, so Yor is allowed to hold Anya to her heart's content.)
Yor has also developed a small paranoia tied to her secret job. She knows babies can be very sensitive to bad energies, so she can only imagine what coming home to murderous intents can do to them. She could never tell Loid this, but Yor swears that when she absentmindedly thought about the despicable crime boss she had to kill off the next day while giving Anya dinner, Anya started to cry. It was as if she knew exactly what Yor was thinking, and it made her upset.
Yor then swore to herself that she wouldn't think about work or unsavory things around Anya, because her baby was very perceptive to these feelings. So, she would only be on her best behavior around her.
It worked like a glove and it had the fun side effect of Anya even more hyper when Yor was her giggly self. A bubbly vicious circle, as Yor was happy that Anya was happy and this made Anya even happier, bouncing in her Mama's lap and babbling in her own language.
Loid watches from a distance with a smile, as he's washing the dishes from their latest meal. It's a peaceful sight, one that puts his mind at ease. At times, he admits, he's jealous that Anya is always so joyful with Yor, but when it's him coming from a long day of work, she gets fussy when he's holding her or falls asleep without missing a beat, as if all the stress and exhaustion from the day seeped through her. It's a hard pill to swallow, because maybe the one thing he was looking out for the whole day was her little smile while looking up at him.
He confesses it to Yor and she promptly says that Anya is just very perceptive of one's humor, so it would help if he had a clear mind when approaching her.
"It may look silly, but I was having the same trouble after a long day at the office." She explained with a soft smile. "Anya knows when we're not fine and it upsets her. She's very smart, in her own way."
Loid blinks and contemplates. He didn't know the science behind it, but babies sure were very sensitive to the smallest things. Could Anya perhaps be stressed by his own mood after a long day as a spy?
-*-
He decided to give it a try. After finishing all his tasks, he took an hour for himself to just clean out his mind of any lingering thoughts about missions, assassinations, paperwork and anything else that could bring a grimace to his face. His only thoughts were of going home, eating a warm meal and seeing his baby. Good, peaceful thoughts.
He opens the door and Bond greets him with his usual deep barks. His eyes scan the room to find Anya in her playpen with her toys. She takes one look at him and kicks her feet excitedly at the idea of being with Papa.
"Welcome home, Loid!" Yor says coming from the kitchen and helping him with his coat and briefcase. "How was work today?"
"It was okay." He said with a small grin, his eyes still fixated on their little bundle of joy. "Did you two play a lot?"
"We sure did." She giggled, turning to the baby in the playpen, picking her up. "I was actually going to give her a bath."
"I can give her a bath later, you worked hard enough today..." He said motioning to take Anya.
Yor had the audacity to turn away.
"It is my turn with the bath, Loid." Yor said raising eyebrows. "It's lavender day."
Loid's smile closed abruptly, an unimpressed look in his face. It was so silly, how their marital gripes were not about their relationship, but about what baby shampoo fitted Anya the best.
Of course it was strawberry, and Loid was willing to fight wars for it.
"I'm pretty sure you are mistaken." He lied half-heartedly, raising his hands again to get his baby. "Now hand me the strawberry- I mean, Anya."
Yor gave one step behind again, Loid registering how she slipped out of her shoes to stand barefoot on the floor. More stability, he realized way too late.
Yor giggled mischievously, in her best redemption of a cartoon villainess, and Anya kicked her little feet in her grasp from excitement.
"Oh, you silly Loidman." She said adjusting Anya's hold against her chest, ready for the run. "I'm not returning princess Anya so easily to your poorly chosen shampoo scent."
"You're so wicked, Yorticia." Loid said with a hint of a smile, loosening his tie. "Give back princess Anya or you will pay the price by putting away the toys."
"Only if you can catch me." She dared and Anya giggled, ready for their little play.
Loid made a move to start his hunt and she ran out of the living room, securing the baby's head properly against her shoulder so she wouldn't bump on anything. Yorticia was evil, but she would kill someone before allowing princess Anya to be hurt.
The apartment was a bit small for this kind of play, but Yor, athletic as she was, still managed to lose Loid a couple of times, with Anya babbling joyfully all the way during the commotion.
At some point, though, she tripped on a poor napping Bond and her only alternative was falling down on the couch, Anya coming out unscathed and just kicking her little legs at the excitement of the run.
Loid caught up with them, a little breathless he had to admit. He sat down on the couch, caging the evil witch with his arms while a babbling princess stuck between them.
They look into each other's eyes for a a few quiet, breathless seconds, saved by Anya's sounds. If Loid came even an inch closer, their noses would touch and even their lips. It was something they had yet to acknowledge, the possibility of becoming more intimate as a couple, it could be mean something good for Anya, as well.
Yet, the only one to receive a kiss is Anya, on the crown of her head and he closes his eyes, allowing this moment of vulnerability in front of Yor.
"Please, give her back." He said softly. "I'm physically craving it, actually."
"Sorry." She says sincerely, not having noticed how bad he needed his time with Anya. "There will be sometime until dinner. I'm making my mother's stew."
"Thank you." He says as he has Anya handled back to him and her initial excitement tones down to simple contentment, enjoying the warmth of her Papa's broad chest.
They stay there on the couch while Yor finishes cooking, in a small change of roles from their usual routine. Loid makes silly voices as he's holding her toys and she seems delighted by it. At some point, his exhausted mind plays enough tricks on him that he thinks she just said "Pa!".
Loid makes sure to commit all these little moments to memory. The way she laughs, the way her big green eyes light up when seeing something she likes or the way her pink hair is growing long enough to one day reach her shoulders.
He makes sure to remember all of this, because he knows that if he has to go, she'll forget him very easily, with how young she is.
I love you, he thinks, and with the way Anya looks at him, he's almost inclined to believe she heard it. Again, that's only his tired mind playing tricks.
In fact, Anya did hear it. It was the first time she did, actually, to hear words not from people's mouths, but in her own head. It was different and she was too small to understand what they meant, but she knew it was a good thing when Papa held her so closely.