Chapter Text
The first thing you have to understand is that Damian Desmond does NOT like Anya Forger.
How could he? Anya Forger and her stupid little horns. Or that stupid pretty smug grin of hers. Or that stupid twinkle in her eyes whenever she gets excited. Or her stupid pink hair that smelled like strawberries and looked like cotton candy.
Nope. He does not like Anya Forger. He could never like such a weirdo like her.
The only reason he was contemplating on giving her a Valentine's Day gift was because he was convinced no one else would give her one and he felt sorry for the poor peasant.
That's all.
But first, he needed to find out her favorite color. So he could make sure that whatever flower he got would be her favorite color.
What? Don't look at him like that! He just likes attention to detail, that's all. Besides, wouldn't it be funny if little Anya Forger fell in love with him?
Hahaha, hilarious...
Anyways, a few desks across, Anya was upset.
She didn't know much about Valentine's Day. What she does know is that it's a day where Mamas and Papas love each other extra and do everything they can to show it.
But...
Did Sy-on Boy really think she was such a weirdo that no one would think to give her a Valentine?
Her entire mood darkened and she immediately drowned out everyone's thoughts. Since starting Eden, she'd gotten much better at honing her abilities. Not to mention she's learned that sometimes it's best not to listen to everyone's thoughts.
"Anya? You seem down...what's wrong?" Her bestest friend in the whole world, Becky, asked.
Anya frowned, "Is Anya a weirdo?"
"Yes." Becky didn't even blink or hesitate.
Anya gave a shocked gasp, then immediately her mood darkened again and she sunk down to her chair.
Now, Becky was only six, but even she could recognise when she'd said the wrong thing. "B-But that's not bad! That's good!"
In a split second, Anya brightened and looked up at Becky with hopeful green eyes, "Really?"
"Yes! Weirdos are funny and nice...and you're the biggest weirdo I know!" Becky said with a cheeky grin. Thing is, she really did mean it and she didn't even realise it until she said it: it was the best compliment she could ever give. It was true: Anya Forger was weird, impulsive, and precocious. And Becky wouldn't trade her for all the friends in the world.
"Oh, that's good!" Anya smiled, Damian's words completely disappearing from her mind.
"Since when are you worried about being a weirdo anyway?" Becky asked, curious about her best friend's sudden insecurity.
"I'm not! I just don't want to be such a weirdo that no one would give me a Valentine..."
Okay, yes, Anya has been watching Berlint in Love with Becky lately and while she still preferred the epic action-y romances of Spy Wars, she still liked to think that she wasn't like Bruno, the boy in the romance drama that was always the butt of the joke and nobody really liked because he was ugly and mean.
"I'm sure someone will! You're perfectly cute, Anya!" Becky defended, suddenly surprised at this. "And one day you're going to find your true love, just like Vincent and Allegra in Berlint in Love!"
Anya smiled, grateful for her friend, who was always willing to cheer her up. "Speaking of Valentine's, so does Loid have any plans?!" Becky asked hopefully.
Anya deadpanned, "You know Papa's in love with Mama!"
Her best friend sighed dramatically, "I know, I know...I can't blame him, your Mama's so strong and cool and beautiful. I could never compete."
Not to mention she could stop a car with her bare hands and run at the speed of light. And was so caring and sweet that she didn't care that Becky was trying to steal Loid away.
But while Becky ruminated about her unrequited love, Anya's thoughts flocked towards her parents...what were they doing for Valentine's?
Now, Anya knew that the only reason they were together is because she brought them together. At the same time, she often wondered if Papa and Mama truly did love each other. Every once in a while, she could hear their thoughts and all she heard from Mama was how kind and caring Papa was. All she ever heard from Papa was how strong and what a great mother Mama was. They were both completely right.
She's heard a few times that the two seemed to struggle with their emotions: neither are willing to tell each other they love the other because of how everything started.
Which is silly, because this is exactly what happened in Berlint In Love: Vincent and Allegra got married to please their parents and they didn't really love each other, they were just friends, like Mama and Papa. But unlike Mama and Papa, they ended up confessing their feelings for each other.
Anya remembered that the reason they ended up confessing in the show was because Thomas, Allegra's former lover, came back and declared his undying love for Allegra. Vincent was so jealous that he admitted he's truly fallen in love with her.
She began chewing on her pencil, as she was so prone to do (to the point where the Headmaster berated her for the inelegant act). She wondered if she egged Papa on to believing someone else loved Mama, maybe he would...
"Good morning, class." Henry Henderson's soft but commanding voice walked into the classroom and every kid perked up, immediately sitting straight and acting like they weren't all close to falling asleep a minute ago. They weren't use to their headmaster coming to greet them like this, so they were all on high alert. "We have a new student. A late addition to our beloved school. I trust you will welcome him with the utmost elegance."
Beside him was a boy with smooth red hair, gray eyes, and a kind smile that immediately had the girls in the class smile excitedly at the new arrival.
"This is Charles Charleton. I trust you all recognise the last name from your history lessons." Henry explained.
Multiple gasps were heard as they all realised who he was.
Except for Anya, who had a tendency to fall asleep very easily during both math and history. But not wanting to feel left out, she decided to listen into everyone's thoughts.
'The son of King William Charleton?!'
'Daddy told me that the Prince would be coming to Eden but I didn't think he would be in my class!'
'Oh, wow, he's so cute! Maybe I could be his Cinderella?'
"Prince Charles?!" Becky's eyes widened, snapping Anya out of her thought-eavesdropping, "Wow! A real prince! That means if you marry him, you'll be a princess, Anya!"
"Me? A princess?!" Anya could feel the stars in her eyes. A princess! She could go live in a castle. Her Mama and Papa could play Princesses and Spies for real with her! Mama could teach her how to fight and Papa would give her a pistol with a silencer! Then maybe Mama and Papa would admit they want to be in love for real! And they'd all be happy forever and ever...
Just then, a familiar voice snapped Anya out of her little fantasy.
'Her? Marry him?!
She can't!
...Because she's not good enough to be a noble! That's why! '
Once again, Anya shrunk down to her seat.
Did Sy-On boy really hate her that much? He must, because she always looks so red with anger and he's always thinking about her in class and how much he hates her.
If Sy-On boy and her didn't get along, then Papa's mission would be ruined and there would be no world peace...
"Hi."
The class was shocked to see that Prince Charles had sat next to Anya, of all people.
There's a reason no one wanted to sit next to Becky or Anya. Both were scary in their own way, but at least Becky was a Blackwell. Being scary when you're somebody was one thing. But Anya was just a brutish commoner. To see a prince choose to sit next to her of all people had everyone whispering.
In ordinary circumstances, Henry Henderson would have told them to be silent and that their behaviour lacked a great amount of elegance, especially in front of a prince.
But this was one of the moments that he thought could be a fascinating study: how would a Prince react when learning that he had just sat next to someone who everyone else thought was a 'commoner'?
Especially Anya Forger. Though a bit rough around the edges, Henry believed that the young girl had a unique elegance to her. To smile despite being constantly teased, to shamelessly defend her friend and to act in a way that was true to herself, yet able to adapt to certain situations when needed...Yes, Anya Forger was a very interesting addition to Eden College. Given her elegant parents, Henry had no doubt that Anya would grow up to be a fine young lady.
"You have nice hair. It looks like cotton candy." Charles smiled.
"Thanks! Your hair looks like....erm..." Anya struggled to find something. Anything! "Oranges?"
...Then again, perhaps Henry spoke too soon.
Beside her, Becky slapped her own forehead. 'Oh, Anya. Just when I think I've taught you well...'
'I WAS THE ONE WHO THOUGHT ABOUT THE COTTON CANDY HAIR FIRST! Damian could hear himself scream.
Not that it mattered, of course. Luckily for him, Anya was too busy focusing on the prince next to her to hear what Damian had thought.
But to their surprise, Charles laughed. "You're funny. Can I sit with you for lunch?"
"Sure!"
"You can't!" Damian suddenly stood up, face red with anger. "You can't sit with her!"
Charles blinked, confused, "Why not?"
"B-B-Because..." Damian was suddenly very aware that everyone, including the teacher and Headmaster, had been staring at him. "Because she's a peasant!"
It was then Henry decided that he could not let this go on. "Damian Desmond! Such a thing to say out loud is most inelegant! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"I agree." Charles nodded with the air of maturity far superior than that of a six-year-old. "My father taught me to respect everyone, with little or a lot of money. He says that diamonds come in all forms, some are hidden in rocks, some are on crowns, but they're all just as beautiful."
The girls in the class sighed dreamily. Charles' accent and grown-up words made them all weak in the knees and they were all already planning their Valentine's presents to him. First crushes were blooming everywhere in that classroom.
"Well-said, Prince Charleton." Henry nods. Clearly, the infamous reputation of the Charleton education (and charisma) was well-founded. This boy showed more maturity than most people three times his age. "Now, I will hear nothing of this nonsense. I trust you will all be elegant and respectful towards Prince Charles, and each other."
He said, that last part directed towards Damian. He was more than aware that the Desmond boy had attitude issues. If he wasn't a Desmond or if Henry wasn't already on thin ice with Eden, he would have disciplined the boy a long time ago.
Damian grumbled, crossing his arms stubbornly and looking away, annoyed at the sudden turn of events.
So, no, Damian Desmond did not like Anya Forger.
He just doesn't trust Charles Charleton.
The first thing you have to understand is that Loid Forger does not love Yor Forger.
She is just his wife, nothing more.
Oh, sure, he likes her. He definitely admires her in many ways: she was a very kind and patient woman. Despite being tired, she keeps a smile and does everything she can to make sure her family is happy. Not to mention, she packs a mean punch. Sometimes, Loid thinks that if it was a one-on-one fight with no prep whatsoever, Yor would definitely kick his ass.
Loid liked that in a woman.
But no, he does not love her because he is a spy and spies do not love. He couldn't afford to. Even less in this particular situation.
He tried not to think about it too much, which was very unusual: he was always trained to think ahead. Think of a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, all the way up to the Plan Z. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to think of what would happen after the end of Operation Strix.
'It's because this mission is difficult and it requires my undivided attention', he tells himself. But he knows deep down it's a lie.
Going against his nature to analyse things and look for a solution straight away, Agent Twilight found himself unable to when it came to his family. His focus was the mission and anytime he began to even think about what would happen after, he immediately forced himself to think back to the mission.
In short, he was committing the worst sin a spy could make: sensing a danger, and ignoring it.
So, despite Valentine's Day approaching soon, Loid still had no intention to address to very real danger of him growing far too fond and attached to his family.
The fact that he was purposely coming home early had nothing to do with him wanting to go to the bakery before it closes and getting that peanut cake and apple tart his family loved so much. It was, after all, for the good of the mission that his wife and daughter were happy and indulged in the occasional sweets.
But as he approached the school's entrance, he sensed a disturbance in the air.
So instead of walking up to the gates of Eden to join his wife, he opted to hide in the bushes and began to listen in on a peculiar conversation he was witnessing.
It was one his wife was having with a strange man in sunglasses and a hat. Further away, a group of guardsmen were watching his wife and this man.
'What was happening...?'
You see, five minutes ago, Yor Forger had been waiting eagerly for her daughter to arrive. On Mondays, she always finished work early so she could meet Anya at the school. She thought it was important that Anya would have something to look forward to every Monday, so often Yor would pick her up and instead of having her take the bus, Yor would walk her to a nearby café so they'd have tea, hot cocoa, and cakes and Anya could tell her all about her day. It was especially a nice treat considering the weather was pretty cold lately with all the January snow.
Usually, Yor waited alone at the front entrance. Eden kids often had parents who either worked late (the case of her husband) or parents who simply didn't care enough to pick up their kids.
To her surprise, someone did show up. A man in a very expensive-looking royal blue coat, sunglasses and a nice hat.
"Oh, hello." He said, his voice having a pleasant accent to it. "Are you waiting for your child, as well?"
Yor was surprised that a stranger was here, but even more so that he was speaking to her. Still, she found it rude not to answer. "Hello, and yes, I am. I'm waiting for my daughter, Anya. She's in her first year and school is a bit difficult for her, so I try to cheer her up whenever I can."
Loid, listening afar, couldn't help but smile. It took him weeks until he found out about Yor and Anya's little Monday cake traditions and he did find it sweet that Yor would go through so much trouble. Technically speaking, she didn't have to, after all. She only had to pretend to be her mother on paper, but she didn't actually have to be one, so it often amazed him just how much she cared about her little family.
'Ahem. Fake family...' He thought was a slight frown.
The Man in the Hat smiled, "You're a good mother, Ms...?"
"Mrs Yor Forger." She smiled, "Pleasure to meet you."
"Pleasure's all mine." He said, but Loid did not miss that slight downward turn of his smile once she corrected him on the 'Mrs'. "Pardon me, Mrs Forger, I should have assumed a woman as lovely as you are would have been married."
Instantly, Yor blushed. She was never used to compliments and honestly she was never too sure on how to react when she got them.
To Loid's surprise, he felt irked. He'd seen Yor blush very often, mostly when Loid paid her a compliment. But here some stranger was, being the one to make her blush instead. How dare he?
"O-Oh, I'm...thank you very much. Please call me Yor. Oh! I didn't catch your name, Mr...?" She said.
"I'm picking up my son, Charles." The man explained, "My name is William. William Charleton."
Loid froze.
Did he hear that right?!
"Pleasure to meet you." Yor bowed, "If you don't mind, sir, you do sound familiar..."
William chuckled, "I suppose I am rather familiar to everyone."
Loid's mind was racing, confused at it all. Donovan Desmond wouldn't even come out, but no way would the William Charleton be coming to pick his son up!
But then again, the guards...
Loid's train of thought stopped as the bell rang and soon, Eden's students came pouring out, excited to end a long day at school.
As soon as they did, the guardsmen immediately surrounded Yor and William.
Yor's fight or flight (or really just 'fight') instinct kicked in and she immediately got into a defensive stance, "What is this? Are you attacking us?! I won't let you!"
"Aha, Yor, they're-" William began but Yor immediately stepped in front of him, "Don't worry, Mr Charleton! Get behind me, and I'll deal with them..."
"Step away from his Majesty at once!" The taller guardsmen demanded.
Yor blinked. "'Majesty'?"
Suddenly it clicked in her head. Why his name sounded so familiar. No, he couldn't be...
"Ah, it's my fault, I'm afraid, I didn't introduce myself too properly." William said.
As Yor turned to see him, he had removed his hat and sunglasses, revealing piercing grey eyes and sleek red hair. At the sight of him, it was unmistakeable, and suddenly the guardsmen who surrounded him began to make more sense...
"Oh...your Majesty! I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" Yor said, immediately bowing. Out of respect, too, but mostly to conceal her tomato-red face.
To his credit, King William laughed, "Don't be sorry! You were willing to protect a complete stranger, even without knowing who I really was. That's incredibly admirable."
Yor then turned to the guardsmen surrounding them, "Please forgive me, I thought you meant to attack us!"
"It's alright, gentlemen. Now please, try to not make a big fuss, I'd like my son to see me when he gets out of his first day of school." William told them, and immediately the guardsmen relaxed their stance. He then turned his attention back to Yor, "I meant what I said, Mrs F-I mean, Yor. That was formidable. I truly believed you were capable of actually attacking eight grown men all at once!"
He laughed, and Yor gave a nervous laughter back, knowing fully well that not only could she attack them, she could kill them, bury them, and make sure their loved ones never ever question their disappearance.
But the King, of all people, didn't need to know that.
"I suppose I'm a very cautious person. You see, a few months ago, my daughter nearly got kidnapped just because someone saw she was from Eden. You can see why I'd be a bit worried." She explained.
William nodded. He wasn't what Yor expected in a king. She often heard about King Charleton and the infamous red hair and gray eyes. She was told that the Charletons were one of the more impressive monarch families: attractive, educated, charismatic, and overall, kind towards their people.
It shocked her just how young the King actually was. He looked only a few years older than her, perhaps 4 years older at most. He was awfully handsome as well, with his diamond-shaped face and brilliant eyes, though not as handsome as-
"If it's any consolation, I don't doubt after what I've seen from you, your daughter is more than safe. If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you do? You must be some sort of military official, surely, although if I were to judge purely based on appearance, I'd say you're a Lady? Is your husband a Lord?" He said.
"Oh, no. I'm no Lady or anything of the sort." Yor blushed, suddenly a bit embarrassed, "I'm just a clerk at Berlint City Hall..."
"'Just a clerk'? You're already the most impressive woman here. Most of them have never lifted a finger to work. You have and there is nothing more admirable." William smiled at her, "You know, diamonds come in all forms: some are hidden in stones, some are on crowns, but they're all just as beautiful. Personally, I find the ones hidden in stones to be much more valuable."
Further behind, Loid Forger was about to lose his shit.
'WHAT?!'
Okay, that's it.
"Hello, darling." Yor heard Loid's voice behind her and she almost jumped. Between being complimented by a king and having her husband show up out of nowhere, Yor's heart was beating so fast, she considered applying her infamous technique to block all pressure points in the body and eventually blocking the heart's blood flow.
"Loid!" She said, shocked, but still smiling at the pleasant surprise, "Are you here to pick up Anya, too?"
"Yes, I got off work early and decided to spend time with my girls." He smiled at Yor, then gave a forced smile when he looked at William, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met, Mr...?"
"Um, your Majesty, this is my husband, Dr. Loid Forger. Loid, this is-"
"King Charleton." Loid gave a polite bow, "It's a pleasure."
"Likewise, Mr. Forger. I must say, your wife is quite a formidable woman! You're a very lucky man." He complimented.
"I am." Loid said, nudging closer to Yor and putting an arm around her waist.
Yor tried her best not to jump at the touch. Over the past few months (and especially after the Yuri incident), Yor and Loid had grown accustomed to touching each other without it being awkward. And true, it was no longer awkward. But it was...something else. An odd feeling Yor had specifically whenever Loid put his arm around her, held her hand, or hugged her.
In short, whenever he touched her the way a husband would touch his wife.
"If you don't mind me asking, your Majesty, I'm quite surprised you’re here to pick up your child, I presume?" Loid said, pretending he didn't hear their conversation earlier.
William nodded, "Quite right. And I know, I know, I've been told by my advisors that it wasn't safe. But I disagree: there is no war and Eden is perfectly safe. What's more, I have my guardsmen with me, so I needn't worry. Besides, king or not, I insisted on being here for my son's first day."
"That's so thoughtful." Yor felt her heart soar. She always did love seeing how parents loved their children and did everything for them. It's a sentiment she grew to love even more the more she noticed how the children of Eden rarely seemed to be loved by their own parents.
"I could say the same about you two. You mentioned your daughter just started her first year?" He asked.
Before they could answer, Anya immediately ran up to them and hugged their legs, "Mama! Papa!"
Both Loid and Yor smiled as they saw the pink-haired girl running up to them. Loid immediately bent down and scooped Anya in his arms, putting her between him and Yor and wrapping them in a hug. This was something he often did anyway, but he made extra sure that the King could see...
So the King would buy them as a family, for the mission, of course.
Why was it important to convince the King that they were a loving and genuine family?
...Well, Loid couldn't think of why, but he knew it was best for the mission, anyway.
At the same time, a little boy who looked like the King's spitting image ran up to him, "Father!"
"Ah, and here's my boy! This is Charles, and Charles, this is-"
"Mr and Mrs Forger! Anya's parents!" Charles smiled at them, giving a bow, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard many good things about you from Anya."
"Oh!" Yor said, surprised at the young boy's impeccable manners. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Charles. Your Majesty, this is-"
"Anya!" She presented herself. From Loid's arms, she put her tiny little hand out, "Nice to meet'cha!"
"Anya..." Loid said, knowing shaking a King's hand isn't exactly 'elegant', as Henry Henderson would put it.
To his surprise, the King smiled and shook her little hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Anya. And I'm glad to see you've been treating my boy well."
Interesting development. Anya and the little Prince?
Inside, Loid could hear himself sigh. She can get a prince besotted with her on the first day, yet when it comes to the actual target's son, she literally punched him away?
"I like Charles. He's really nice!" Anya smiled at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the little Prince blush.
Huh. Why did he feel a sudden urge to kick both the father and the son now?
"Well, I'm glad. I did teach my son to be a gentlemen." William said, rubbing the top of his son's head. "I'd love to keep chatting, but I'm afraid we should be heading off soon. My son has other after-school activities."
With that, William and Charles Charleton left. The Forger women felt a bit sad that they left. After all, the Charletons were rather good company.
Loid, however, couldn't be more relieved to have them far, far, far away from his girls as much as possible.
"So, do you mind if Papa joins in on you and your Mama's cafe date?" He asked Anya, who only seemed excited, "Papa's always welcome! It's always better when we're all together!"
Yes, just them. No boyfriends, ever. For either Yor or Anya.
For the good of the mission, of course.
As he put Anya back on the ground, he took one of her hands and Yor took the other. They all talked about their day, laughed at a few of Anya's antics and enjoyed the bright and sunny Monday.
When they were at the café and while Anya was eating (or rather inhaling) the cake that Loid brought her, he couldn't help but stare at his wife.
Well, if he was being honest, he was prone to staring at his wife a lot. From the beginning, he chocked it up to trying to analyse if she was a danger or a potential threat to his mission. Then, it was just out of curiousity for who Yor Briar was. She was, after all, a very strange person. Some might even say a weirdo. Yet the more he learned about her, the more he was intrigued by her.
So, no, Loid Forger did not love Yor Forger.
He just doesn't trust William Charleton.