Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first time around, they found the house empty. Its insides destroyed with Bond laying still in its ruins.

All without Anya. 

The first time around, Loid and Yor ran through the streets of a quiet night. Their footsteps barely coordinated in their shared panic, and in the distance they heard something familiar ring through the air. A gunshot.

The first time around, they find Anya on the ground red, red, RED-

So still. 

Then it's dark- 

-- 

The second time around Loid had pondered over how his dream had been unnervingly vivid. Body rigid with the tense muscles that remained stiff after waking up, as he stood in the hallway with his door agape. Mind lost as he tried to analyze the lingering wisps of his dreams, confused as to what to do now.

"Papa? Mama?"  Small green eyes watched them, naive with youth and wide with its own curiosities. Had he been that obvious? Gaze travelling up, up, up. Loid slowly realized that Yor had been standing at her door as well, flushed as if she had just come out of her own nightmares. How long had she been standing there? It felt like his mind was in a fog…-did Yor get a bad dream as well?

Yor is the quicker of the two of them to reply for them both, red eyes softening into thin crescents as she dipped low to press a kiss into Anya's hair. "It's alright, Anya-san. How about you get ready? Your papa promised a walk in the park right?" Loid wondered if it could be any other woman in her place as Anya stood on her toes to bump her forehead softly into Yor's cheek. A giggle passing between the two at the silly gesture.

The answer is no- but it would not matter, this is all for the mission. Never mind the warmth that made him feel dizzy in its unfamiliar comfort-

The bathroom door eventually shuts with its new occupant, leaving Loid alone with Yor in the small hallway. Loid had a reason for the walk today, and now that they were alone he chose to take his chance. In two deep breaths he willed the fogginess in his mind to fade and turned determinedly to the other with as soft of a smile as he could pull, and a small fidget to convey nervousness. "Yor, would you like to go on a date tonight?"

He had asked the exact same thing before-

"Oh!" Long black strands of hair still mussed with sleep swayed as Yor's head swiveled in a frantic search for a reply as if it were written on the walls for her to see. For a moment Loid noticed her brows pinching like something had snagged in her mind, vivid expressions so much like an open book to Loid's practiced observation skills despite how quickly it was cleared away. "Okay! Yes!" Yor's face had become red, reminiscent to one of her sweaters. 

"Y-yes! I would love to!" Yor's face had been the same shade of red.

Perhaps she was just caught off guard, he reasons to himself, nodding back with an excited grin. There's a heavy weight the leaned into his leg, the familiar whisper of a bark catching his attention to the joining member in the small hallway. Bond looked back up at him with his small ears raised, reminding Loid of the drooping ears of a bunny. "Hungry?"

"Anya will do it!" In one swift pull the bathroom swung open as the small child ran down the hallway, dressed clumsily in only the way a child or a drunken person could accomplish. "Bond, we have a speshal mission today! Reconsans at the park!" Bond reflected her energy and bound behind her, still, he never barked louder than what was allowed. The bathroom door clicks again, announcing Yor’s current actions. Loid decided then to get breakfast started, keeping track of Anya's actions to ensure she didn’t overfeed the dog. Together, they all reconvene over their own plates of eggs and pancakes. Loid's own thoughts mulling over the plans for that night. 

Loid had taken her to an Italian restaurant he had noticed how her gaze had lingered on every time they walked as a family. It was a success and they both enjoyed the meal.

"Anya-san?" Blinking hard, Loid lifted his head from where his fork had been stabbed into the pancake piece. 

"Anya?" Loid looked over his coffee in confusion as Anya momentarily forgot about her pancakes and stared at the front door. 

Anya had stopped at some point, a half-bitten egg hovering in the air, forgotten as her attention had turned to the front door. Loid fought a jolt of deja vu, mind racing against the fading memory of his recent dream. "Is something wrong?" Perhaps he was overthinking things. Her attention startled to his voice, fork flying into her mouth with the last bite of egg as if to stop herself from saying anything.

They sit in silence, waiting for Anya's response. Yor's own attention had moved on from the front door to Bond who paced the dining room impatiently, head drooping now and then as if looking for a scent. Loid sipped at his cooled coffee; nerves increasingly frayed the longer they sat in the silence.

"Nothing, Papa. I was just thinking Bond wants to go on the ooting now."

What tension has built over those few seconds had immediately dropped in relief to the clear answer. "Then finish your food and get ready.” Of course she’d be excited, Loid laughed to himself as he watched Anya speed through the rest of her breakfast, face set into something determined as she stumbled out of her chair. Though, it’s a surprise to see how determined she looked to leave early. Yor is next to leave the table before Loid could finish the rest of his coffee, ready to wash Anya’s half washed plate abandoned in her rush to grab her shoes and Bond’s leash.

---

They hear a knock, just as they’ve reconvened in the living room with everything they needed for the walk. Anya's hands hung in the air as she awaited the sweater Yor had rolled up to help her wear. Loid’s own attention stuck on the problematic knot the child's shoes would always somehow conjure despite how neatly he had tied it the day prior. It was a nice excuse to drop the task anyways, lest he gave in to his growing want to use the kitchen scissors on the small knot his nails couldn’t quite grasp. 

"Papa," small hands pull on the edge of his shirt just as Loid had gotten to full height, ready to see which telemarketer would be waiting at their door. "Papa, what about Anya's shoes?"

The knocking interrupts his answer and pulls their attention back to the door. "Just give me a moment Anya. I just have to answer the door." 

"Papa," she whined despite her head halfway through the neck of the sweater. Yor's hushed reassurances picked up from behind in response, perhaps to distract Anya from further whining. Loid ignored her protests and opened the door.

It was not a marketer, to Loid's surprise. Rather, it was an elderly woman who stood at the other side of the door. Far smaller than Loid by a good head, with her hunched back and smaller stature that looked like the scarf on her shoulders were a heavier burden than what knitted wool weighed. A new neighbor, which made sense given the recent vacancy down the hall. They don’t talk much outside of quick pleasantries and late welcomes before she turned away with a gentle wave goodbye to all three of them.

"She seemed nice," Yor hummed from behind, having approached him as he closed the door, with a squirming Anya who finally had both shoes and her blue sweater on. "I feel like I've seen her before," she mumbled to herself, yet Loid couldn't help but overhear and agree as he evened out his blue vest from where it had been tugged askew by Anya’s impatient hands. They were all matching, and Yor looked beautiful especially in this shade of blue on her long coat.

"Papa, Mama, let's go!" Alternating between feet, Anya looked just about ready to leave the apartment without them. Bond barks from behind, walking circles around the pink haired girl. Sometimes they seemed too in sync with each other and Loid had to wonder if they were twins in some other life. 

---

It felt like someone is watching him, or rather, the whole family. But anytime Loid tried to look around under the guise of casual observation he'd come up empty each time. There wasn't much he could do, however, not with Anya constantly pulling on either him or Yor at random moments. A shout at the ready with her next thought from the forefront of her mind. 

"Papa, a cat!" It was a stray calico.

"Papa, I want that- no! That!" Loid was not at all surprised that she had pointed at the peanut stand.

"Mama! Watch how fast Anya can run!" She tripped five steps in her attempt to outrun Bond.

"Mama, Papa, I'm hungry!" Impossible. How c9uld she be hungry with peanuts filling half her mouth like a greedy chipmunk.

"Mama!" She tugged on Yor's hand.

"Papa!" She clung to Loid's leg.

"Anya,” Loid was beginning to wear thin, what with his mind split between trying to pinpoint the location of whomever is watching them and humoring Anya's unusual amount of demands. She was more energetic today and he couldn’t quite catch up with how much the child moved in the span of their time at the park. Standing at attention, wide green eyes watched Loid at the call of her name. "Is there a reason why you're so excited today?"

"No, Anya just wants to be with Mama and Papa before you go out flirting." Anya's voice tittered from a withheld giggle, small hands raised to cover a childishly knowing smile. 

A squeak jolts Yor's shoulders, her face lowering to bury into her jacket's collars as if to hide from the world. "Anya-san, we are not flirting. It's simply for our cover."

Loid himself reeled at the claim, watching in slight amusement as Anya continued to poke fun at Yor's embarrassment. 

The back of his neck itched.

They're being watched again, but still he couldn't see anyone.

"Papa, come on!" Anya called impatiently as she ran over and pulled him along, Yor already dragged around by Anya's other hand.

"Coming," he relents, looking back one more time and still seeing no one.

---

"Anya, listen." Patiently they stood at the door of the apartment, both Loid and Yor were well dressed in comparison to their usual outfits. The date was more important than it was this morning, since he now had given himself the extra task of looking for just who had been watching them since they'd gone to the park, to the moment they returned home. Loid didn't want to alert either Anya or Yor to the possible danger, and so the date was the perfect time to check things out discreetly.

"What if Papa and Mama just flirt in the living room instead?" Bottom lips trembled as Anya looked back at them miserably, and Loid wasn’t sure how to convince the child to allow them to go on a date.

Yor crouched low enough to reach the same eye level as Anya, a kind smile softening her features. Such a perfect person for the role of mother. "It's okay Anya-san. We'll be back before you know it, I promise." Red eyes darted up his way before falling back to the distraught child. "Make sure to listen to what your father told you, okay? Franky should be here in about ten to twenty minutes. He should have a key to the apartment so do not open the door to anyone who knocks. None at all! Can you promise me that Agent Anya?"

There's a doubtful pout, cheeks puffed in the last bit of Anya's defiance before she gave in and returned the small salute Yor gave her. "Aye!"

They leave together, and halfway down the street, Yor pulled his hand into hers. Parts of Loid didn't know what to do, other parts of him felt a wave of fondness. The rest of him looked over in surprise when he felt Yor's hand shake just a little bit, squeezing his hand as if to look for comfort.

Loid found himself squeezing her hand back as well, chest hollowing from something unknown.

---

"Loid. I have a bad feeling." Yor had stopped halfway through their meal. Though Loid should play the calm role and assure Yor of her sudden anxiety, he couldn’t help but agree. His stomach twisted in its telltale anxiety. For what, he couldn't say.

They heard a gunshot in the distance and his stomach lurched-

"What's wrong?" Loid placed his utensils down and looked around, feeling none of the presence he had felt while they were at the park.

Yor twisted her fingers together as if to wring the worry that had begun to twist her previously joyful demeanor. "I feel like something bad is about to happen."

"You too?" Because no matter how much Loid backtracked and tried to follow the deep gnawing of anxiety, he couldn't quite name it despite his effort. "What would you like to do?"

There’s guilt in her eyes as she looked down at the half-eaten meal, along with it was a determination that burned and sharpened her gaze. The meal for the both of them could wait for another day. "We need to go home."

They heard a gunshot in the distance, and Loid hoped it was something completely unrelated.

The waiter was kind enough not to question them as they asked for their check so early despite their dinner hardly being over. They rushed out of the restaurant together and down the path they had taken there. 

The house had been empty-

The house is empty when they return- Loid's skin felt like it was on fire. As if just struck by lightning as he nearly broke each door in his desperate search. It felt like everything in him were ablaze as he nearly tore their home apart in his desperate search.

"We- we need to hurry." Breathy, Yor rushed past Loid and down the hallway, and out of the building. She didn’t even need to say why they needed to hurry as he followed in the same rush. Each of his breaths threatened to make him gag, as maybe the adrenaline alone had allowed Loid to catch up to Yor's punishing pace.

They heard a gunshot in the distance-

Where was Franky? Bond? Where's Anya? Where's their daughter?

They heard a gunshot-

There's a gunshot and the alleyways rushed past them in a blur, the both of them following the sound-

They saw-

They saw red, red, RED. In that alleyway, they watched the familiar red freshly splatter the wall and floor, the impossibly loud thud of a body falling. It's Anya- his daughter.

They heard a gunshot-

They saw red-

She's so still-

Then it's dark.

-----

Loid woke with a sharp breath in and hands shaking with either adrenaline or something else that he didn’t bother to name. The world around him muffled as he tried to sort his own thoughts through the incessant ringing of leftover adrenaline in his ears.

It was just a dream, he laughed at himself. Fingers twisted into his sheets as he evened out his breaths.

It was just a dream of Anya dying-It was just a dream. It was just a dream…

This could be listed as one of Twilight’s weirdest dreams to have, and yet he couldn’t quite help but blame his innate need to over plan and think of any and every possibility to a situation. Franky had told him that he was too meticulous at times. It was just a bit of a mood killer for his mind to settle on one of the most unrealistic possibilities. Why would Anya be targeted and killed while he and Yor were out together? Perhaps he had grown far more attached to the child than he had thought.

Twilight pushed himself out of bed and stretched, ignoring the small part of him that couldn’t quite get past his dream. A gnawing dread frayed the edges of his resolve as he opened his bedroom door to greet a newly waken family.

---

They didn’t even make it to their seats before they chose to turn back.

Twilight was wrong-

Loid was wrong-

“Papa?” small hands held his arm as Loid tried so hard to press down on her wound. His pants, once pristine and newly pressed were now drenched with blood-

Anya’s blood.

“Pa…pa?” Loid didn’t know what to do, a harsh gasp leaving him instead of some kind of reassurance. What could he even say in this situation? He didn’t know what to do-

Yor’s crying beside him, hands gripping Anya’s other hand. She looked just as lost as him. The ambulance is too slow. Loid couldn’t run with Anya in his arms, he’d only make it worse.

The ambulance was too slow.

They were too slow-

“Anya.” Yor keened, head bent to touch her head against Anya’s. “Anya please-“ she sobbed her words, unrecognizable to anyone who was listening.

Please don’t die.

Loid couldn’t think. Fuck, how did this happen? He failed.

Twilight failed the miss-

Loid failed his daughter-

The hand on his arm faltered, fingers weak with every second that passed. “Pap-…Ma…” Anya somehow smiled up at him despite how slow she had become, voice slurred though not from lack of effort. “..-ve you.”

Then she’s still-

Then it didn’t matter how red everything had become.

How slow the ambulance had been.

Anya was dead and Yor wailed in the aftermath.

Loid wished he could make any noise at all.

-----

When Loid opened his eyes next it was to the loud thuds of someone's frantic steps abruptly stopping in the bathroom, only for the rough chokes as Yor vomited. His own stomach had rolled the moment he sat up with a disturbed gasp, his mouth salivating in warning as he fought back the reaction.

"Papa?" A small cold hand interrupted his attempts at breathing, and there Anya stood unnoticed by him as she gazed back at him in worry. Her brows furrowing further the longer he stared at her in silence. 

“Pap-…Ma…”

"Papa?"

It was just a dream. Just a dream.

Anya's distress visibly increased as she pushed herself onto his bed and into his lap, her small hands a welcomed cool temperature against Loid's face as he tried to ground himself. Twilight had seen countless corpses like those shot between the eyes with stilled chests. He's failed a few missions as well while he was still training and knew what failure tasted like. Knew its bitter aftertaste and unbearable weight of disappointment, but never like this. Never like this crushing pressure that made him feel so weak in the presence of someone who had been dead not too long ago.

It was just a dream. Just a dream.

No, this couldn't really be measured against the lives of adults and those who were actually willing to die for a cause. Anya is young. So young. She never signed up to put her life at risk for her country. She's just supposed to be a daughter, someone who only has to worry about going to school. 

Yet she was so still under his hands-

It was just a dream-

"Papa!" 

Just a dream. Twilight returned to himself so abruptly, breath stuttering and mind reeling as he pulled it all back together. Right, he still had a role to play as the father, and as Twilight he must find a way out of this situation. Having anyone die on his watch would be a problem for Operation Strix.

Having Anya die would kill Loid. Had killed Loid-

The bathroom toilet flushed in the background as Twilight finally smiled down at a frowning Anya, a lie naturally forming at the tip of his tongue. “It’s alright Anya. I just had a bad dream.” Twilight could hear his bedroom door open a beat later, Yor’s presence a familiar feeling to have nearby.

“And Mama?” Anya looked unconvinced as she clenched Twilght’s shirt as if to hold herself back from a comment. Had Twilight slipped too much in front of her?

The corner of Twilight’s bed dipped slightly as Yor sat slowly and leaned closer to them both with a comforting smile tugging at her lips. Though it trembled just so every other beat. “No worries, Anya-san. Mama just had a bad dream as well.” Twilight himself would fall for the excuse, if not for the fact that she had vomited at the toilet the moment she woke. Or in the fact that he was pretty sure that Yor had been witness to what had happened in both of their ‘dreams’. It was almost sickening how Loid could see both the current Yor who had pulled Anya into a hug, and the vivid image of a crying mother clinging to her dead child. “Since the bathroom is open now, why don’t you get dressed? Mama just needs to talk with your Papa for a moment,” her voice cracked and no one chose to mention it.

“…okay.” Still unconvinced, Anya at least complied with the request and made her way out of the room. Glancing back at them one more time before closing the door behind her.

With the lack of Anya’s presence in the room, Loid couldn’t seem to breathe anymore. A part of him still expected to see her dead if he chose to get up and follow her to the hallway. His attention fell onto Yor who was staring right back at him with a determined gaze. “You,” her lips pursed with indecision before parting again with a broken sigh. “Loid, you had that dream too, right?”

What should he say? Should he lie? But there would be no advantage in lying in this situation. Both he and Yor are stuck in a situation far beyond them. Future vision? Shared dreams? These were too nonsensical and far more fitting in a children’s storybook than Loid’s life. “Yes.” He needed the support of at least one other person in this situation, and if it had to be Yor then so be it. After all, having two sets of eyes and a confidant at this moment would perhaps make things run much more smoothly.

“So, you saw…” she looked so sick now that he looked closer, her fingers curled into his bed sheets. Skin still pale from her violent sickness upon waking, and the shock of their vivid nightmare.

“I saw my daughter die three times now,” he finished for her. Loid’s own voice was heavy with an alarmingly natural weight of worry. Twilight should not let his emotions distract him from the matter, especially not when such a complicated dilemma is in play.

“What do we do? How is it even possible for time loops to exist?” Yor leaned forward into her hands, cupping her face, her voice muffled against open palms. “Do we have to watch her- …watch her die again?”

Twilight would rather not have to live the same day over and over again.

Loid would rather not see his daughter die over and over and over again-

“If this really is a time loop then there should be a way to break it perhaps.” How ridiculous is it that he’s actually debated on the possibility of time loops at all? It would be more probable to say that Twilight was under some form of hallucinogen. That this was all just some convoluted plot his mind had conjured while his body is nonfunctional. "...can I have some time to myself?"

"Of course," Yor easily acquiesced to his request. Her own expression lost as she seemed to need time for herself as well. The door clicked behind her not long after, and Twilight allowed himself to sink into a mental list.

Scenario 503c , code 47. In situations of psychedelic exposures, perform these steps in order to verify state of consciousness. 1.) Look at 5 objects and confirm their authenticity and logical placements. 

The bookmarked Bondman comic he had left at his bedside last night. The lamp at his bedside still had the chip mark left there when Anya had knocked it over during their move in. His half-finished cup of black tea, cold after sitting throughout the night. The family photo of their patchwork family, each of their faces a different emotion from nervousness, indifference, and awkwardness. Anya's small attempt to make Bond out of craft materials, it's odd crinkles and near unrecognizable shape a well memorized thing in his mind.

2. Verify your senses. What can you feel, what can you see, what do you hear? Lick the stick of cinnamon locates in your kit, it’s sterile. Then smell it.

Running through each category, Twilight breathed deeply and looked for any oddity in his environment. There were none. He grimaced, mouth tasting like cinnamon as he placed away the cinnamon stick at his bedside for now. These tests tend to be ridiculous to him sometimes.

3. Recite to yourself the current location, the current time, and day. Does it make sense?

"128 Park Avenue. West Berlint, Ostania," he glanced at the nearby clock. "9 AM on a Saturday." So far so good, though he really couldn’t tell if it were a good thing that the test was passing clear so far.

If there’s been a discrepancy, that’s ok. However, too many will prove that you’re in a state of nonfunctional consciousness. A sharp physical pain is last resort for verification, it has been proven to work.

It's not hard to get his hands on a needle, pricking his calloused finger and frowning at the sharp pain. Twilight felt somewhat stupid at the moment, mind still struggling to understand everything.

Twilight is awake.

It wasn’t a dream. Why couldn’t it have just been a dream?

What does this mean? That both he and Yor are stuck in a loop? That time loops were possible at all? Was anyone else stuck in it as well? How would he even go about breaking it? He’d have to assume that no one but him and Yor were part of the loops, and the common occurrence before each loop were Anya’s deaths. So, would that mean her death is the trigger to the loops? That somehow they could end them if he were to save Anya?

Someone knocked on his door, and belatedly Twilight could hear the water in the shower running. “Loid?” from the other side, Yor sounded nervous. “Can I come back in? I brought coffee.”

“Come in.” Twilight called back.

The door softly creaked open, engineered to alert him of anyone opening his door. Yor walked in with a steaming mug in each hand, a shy smile on her face as she slowly pushed the door closed with her foot. “I hope you don’t mind milk. I know you tend to enjoy it more when you’re thinking hard.”

Loid blinked back in surprise; hand already raised to free her hand of his mug as he processed her observation. It is true that he does find the milk to help his stomach when it was acting too much to anxieties. It was a surprise that Yor would find such a correlation in his tastes and moods, given that on most days he’d hide such moods. “Thank you.”

“Um…” Yor settled into his usual reading chair, mindful of where she placed her mug down. “About the time loops.”

“Right.” He took a quick sip before pushing aside the old mug of tea, facing the other fully as pulled together what he’s concluded so far. “I’ve figured out a few things about the loops, including the fact that this is somehow our current state in reality. However this phenomenon is happening, it all centers around Anya’s…death.”  Twilight could only taste the bitterness of the coffee when he admits that theory, “which means that perhaps in order for us to get out of this loop we have to stop her from dying.” Who were those men that keep attacking Anya? It couldn’t be that they were after Twilight, or else they wouldn’t have gone to kill her twice now without him even being there. Then again, maybe they were there to interfere with Operation Strix?

“Should we call the police?” there’s a bit of hesitance in Yor’s words, though Twilight could guess that it was because of the situation they were in. Who would believe their case without any proof? Though, the idea wasn’t half bad either.

Twilight sighed and tilted his head as he considered their options, “I’d rather not be reckless with our choices, perhaps we should cancel tonight’s plans and just stay home? It would be better to not leave Anya alone at all until this is all solved.” The echoes of the previous loop left its curling chills around his chest, like some sick reminder of his failings. “We can also call the police around the time of our date, even if there’s nothing to show for it, maybe having police nearby will deter those men from coming back.” He’d have to call in to the Handler and request for extra eyes around their home, maybe they’d be able to catch some details he was unable to see from his spot.

Relief bled into Yor’s expression as she seemed to absorb the plan rather well, nodding along and rising to her feet afterwards. The water in the bathroom had stopped running at some point and both of their attention fell to the childish humming that came from the other room. Yor rose from his bed with a new resolve and a determined face as she left his room. “I’ll go ahead and start breakfast!”

Loid couldn’t help but laugh just a bit, the tension in him bleeding away just a little bit.

---

“Anya?” Just as before, Anya had stopped midbite to stare at the door. Bond not that far with his own pacing up and down the hall, head dipping down and sniffing as if he were looking for a scent.

Yor leaned closer to him, brows furrowed in a similar confusion as they both watched the child and family dog’s odd behavior. “Loid-san, has Anya done this the last few times too?”

She has, and that’s what’s stumping Twilight at the moment as another minute passed before Anya’s attention returned back to her eggs. The fork shoved into her mouth as he expression had all but melted back to absentminded glee at the good food. That is, everything but the small bit of tension that remained in her shoulders and little pinch in her brows. What was going through his head?

"Nothing, Papa. I was just thinking Bond wants to go on the ooting now."

“The last time I asked she said that it was just about how Bond couldn’t wait to go to the park.” The reply had made sense at the time, and still does now as well. Bond looked impatient as he continued to pace the hall, though now mainly pausing near the front door. Anya herself had sped up her pace of eating, her face a mess by the end of it with bits of food stuck to her cheeks.

Yor had a contemplative look, her own mind probably running through its own conclusions as she finished her own plate. “Then I guess it would be best we get to the park then. We’re already dressed this time so all that’s left are the dishes which we can do later. Better to do the outing earlier. I’d rather not stay outside for too long.”

This was an understandable reason, though Twilight felt some discomfort in veering too far from their original path. Too many changes at once would mean far more variables to factor in, and a much harder time in trying to predict things. “The last few times we were greeted by the new neighbor. It would be good to try and not change too many things for now. We should at least wait for her, or greet her on our way out.” How would greeting the new neighbor change anything? There was no true way to say, but still there was the whole butterfly theory that Twilight would rather not have to deal with. This whole situation was already a pain to think about and process at all.

---

They wait for the elderly neighbor before heading out, and just like clockwork Anya began her unending calls for attention as she ran circles around them. Small hands insistingly cling to each or both of their hands as she tugged them this way and that. Twilight had done his best this time around to play along with her and look around them just a little bit harder. From the corner of his vision Yor had also been looking around, a frown pulling down on her lips whenever Anya’s attention had moved away from her.

Their vigilance brought about a result eventually, however, as they turn to finally go home. There, just far enough to almost slip their sight is a man who hid himself well within a small café across the street. His head dipped just low enough to look as if he were drinking his coffee rather than watching them over it’s rim. Twilight’s skin prickled with goosebumps, as his mind wandered to a new question: just how many people were watching them?

Spies are supposed to be hidden from attention. Never watched as closely as they are now. So why were they now being watched so fiercely-?

“Papa!” Anya’s giggling voice interrupted him as she crashed into his leg with excitement, gripping hands tugged on his shirt impatiently and dislodging it from where it had been neatly tucked before. Unaware of her own body, Anya stepped on Twilight’s shoe multiple times in her rush for his attention. “Papa, papa! Push Anya on the swing!”

From behind her, Yor’s smile had slipped again as her searching eyes followed the previous path of his gaze, brows furrowing as she looked for what he had caught sight of. Unable to find anything, her red gaze turned to him in confusion and an unsaid question.

‘Later,’ he mouthed. Following Anya who had begun to pull him away to the swing set.

---

Handler had taken his request somewhat fine, though her suspicion was justified. What with him requesting for several surveillance around their home without any explanation as to why. Twilight couldn’t really explain it all anyways. Not with how unrealistic this was all in the moment.

“I called the police.” Yor sighed as she returned to the couch where Twilight had been watching Spy Wars with a somewhat sleepy Anya. “I told them that we had seen some suspicious persons follow us home. They said that they’d send people to investigate and keep an eye out for us.”

Twilight knew what that entailed. Especially with her brother being part of the secret police, it wouldn’t be too hard to guess that Yuri would be part of the group who would look through their streets. These kinds of cases were too suspicious to leave to the police alone so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to expect the secret police’s involvement. Having their attention on their family was a gamble, however, as this investigation could just lead to them digging in places they shouldn’t be. Thankfully, he had warned the Handler about this possibility beforehand, so his worries won’t have as high of a possibility as he may think.

“That’s good to hear,” he smiled back, attention returning to Anya’s drooping head. Most of her energy near empty with how much she had run around their entire walk. It almost felt like she was using far more energy now than in the last few loops. “It looks like Anya’s about to sleep anyways. We might as well let her go to sleep now since we’ll be staying home for tonight.”

Green eyes blurrily turn back to them, “Papa and Mama were going on an ooting?”

“We were,” he amended. Twilight couldn’t quite put a finger on what Anya was feeling at the moment, her usually easy to read expressions now muddled by drooping eyes and tired pout. “But some things came up and we will be staying home tonight.”

“Oh, okay.” Anya nodded back at him, showing her own approval to their choices before slumping into Bond’s sleeping form beside her. Her breaths evening out not too long after as she curled into the dog’s white coat.

There’s an amused laugh from the other couch where Yor had been sipping at her own mug of tea, expression finally relaxed after standing vigilant all day. “I remember Anya-san being so clingy the last few loops as well. Not wanting us to go out. That or wanting to join us.”

"What if Papa and Mama just flirt in the living room instead?" Bottom lips trembled as Anya looked back at them miserably.

Loid couldn’t help but smile at the small pout that would pull on just the right strings for both of them to relent to the small child’s wishes. There’s an abrupt sound of shattering ceramic from beside him, and there Yor had lost her fond smile to something much more somber. Her tea leaked between clenched fingers, and the remains of her cup raining from what little space is left between her trembling hands.

“Yor?”

Watery eyes lifted to meet him so quickly, Yor’s hair whipping in its momentum yet ignored and left to stick to the wet streaks of her cheeks. “I can’t, Loid. What if she dies again? What if we keep her safe and we still loop?”

Twilight pulled her closer, though refused to dwell on the questions. They had backup this time and he wasn’t going to allow some random men to ruin his mission. To kill Anya. “It’ll be fine,” he hugged her tighter as Yor’s body heaved in his arms. Their laps a new mess of leftover ceramic shards finally released as she moved to clench his hugging arms instead.

Loid took a breath and did his best to ease the anxiety that curdled his insides.

---

Twilight shouldn’t have left the house. He shouldn’t have, fuck.

But all his mind could conjure while he lied in bed were the questions as to whether any of the extra agents have caught anyone. So he left the house in the silence of night, and with caution at the knowledge of there being secret police lingering around. Or, there was supposed to be but the sidewalks were empty, and there were no signs of any form of surveillance.

Then there was a commotion just down a nearby alley. Of a struggle and an ongoing fight.

Did they leave to catch someone?

The secret police were there in their conspicuous easy to see from where he had stopped at the beginnings of the alley. Thankfully their backs were turned his way. Five men were cuffed on the floor, some battered and held at gunpoint by equally bruised military officials. Nasty glares swapped between each group, and at the head of their lead stands a red-faced Yuri who fisted the long hair of one of the five men. Twilight strained his ears from where he was pressed against the building’s wall.

“What is your goal in stalking that apartment building? Were you after Yor Br- Yor Forger? One of the Forgers?” their voices were barely casual volume, bordering that of whispering. The moon that lit the alleyway was a perfect reminder that there really shouldn’t be any yelling at this hour of the night.

The man in his grips didn’t reply, instead rather content to remain hanging by his hair alone, mouth firmly shut. The rest of the men seemed to be of equal mindsets as well, bodies obviously limp by choice as if catching a nap from where they laid. One, however, caught Twilight’s attention as his eyes tracked something down the alley before turning his head just so to face the man hanging in Yuri’s grip. A small nod, and a responding twitch to the man’s lip.

Twilight turned and ran back, his limbs cold and chest hot as he turned the last few corners to finally catch sight of his building. It wasn’t hard to dart up to their apartment, mind racing as he noticed the sounds of scuffling from inside and the cut off whimper of a dog. Twilight barged in to the sight of Yor being thrown to the side, but his attention had caught something else altogether.

Anya’s door was open-

A gunshot-

Twilight shouldn’t have left the house.

He shouldn’t have- fuck

This time he was able to make a noise, and it was the unhinged scream that he could barely recognize as his. Loid’s fist so violently connecting the jaw of the man before him, just as the world turned black.

None of this is a dream. But Loid sure wished it was.

Chapter Text

“Where were you?” Twilight’s bedroom door is locked behind Yor’s back before he could even sit up properly. It sent a wave of goosebumps down his arms from how smoothly she had done so, though that didn’t distract much from the putrid taste of bile that made his mouth water and want to gag at his every breath. His hand still felt the resounding shock of punching something solid, despite there being no physical remainder of his previous actions. Twilight didn’t answer immediately, not when Yor’s eyes watched him so focused from the other side of the room. It surprised him, that as suspicious as it was for him not to be there when their home was invaded, her gaze only showed anger and confusion rather than the expected suspicion and caution. "Loid, where were you last night?"

“Sorry,” what else could his mind focus on right now? Loid’s chest felt heavier every loop and now was no different. Neither of them had seen Anya’s death this time around, but that just seemed to make it worse. Had she been awake when she was shot? Asleep? Did Anya have time to panic and wonder just why she was looking down at a real gun when no child should ever be put in such situations? 

Did she call for them? 

For Loid? 

“Shit,” he hissed at himself, fingers painfully clutched at the blanket that had pooled into his lap after sitting up. 

“Loid?” Yor didn’t sound any less angry, though her tone bled with her instinctual need to worry. It was genuine as most of her reactions were to any of their distress, and grounding to his quickly spiraling mind.

Shaking his head, Twilight pulled a guilty expression, shoulders shrugging as he tussled his hair just a bit to convey nervousness. He fixed sure eyes on her with the full intention of coming off as genuine and getting the proper reaction he wanted, instantly rewarded as Yor’s brows lost a little of their tension. “I heard a scuffle outside and couldn’t sit still, so I went out to take a peak. I just wanted to make sure that they got the right guys from the last loop we saw. I wasn’t expecting there to be any to actually get inside.”

Yor minutely relaxed, sitting slowly on the nearby reading chair. “What did you find outside?” This question was an olive branch, and he gratefully took it.

“There were five men caught by the police, and one more that signaled to them that their mission was underway,” shaking his head, Twilight turned to Yor and took her hand into his, knowing that action would help melt the rest of the tension that she held onto. He pinched his brows together in a show of worry and shifted the topic, “I saw them receive the signal, and that's why I ran home immediately. When I got back I remember you being thrown aside and Anya’s door was open. What happened?”

Red bled in and pinkened Yor’s ears just a little bit, her jaw tensed in an unconscious tell of embarrassment and frustration. “I actually heard them come in, and it would’ve been fine if Anya-san didn’t come out with Bond while I was fending them off. I got distracted-“

Loid muscles tensed.

Anya had been awake when she was-

“-Bond tried to help and was going after them but so many things were happening all at once. The next thing I know Anya had run back into her room with one of the men chasing her. Bond yelped and the door suddenly opened- which I know now was you- but at the time I was distracted by the assassin and his one henchman-“

“Assassin?” he could read the frustration that heated her words, as they sped up and grew just a bit louder. But the mention of there being a professional killer caught his notice anyways. “Yor, there was an assassin? Are you sure?”

“Oh! Oh, uh-“ fluster broke her concentration, “I mean I assume he was an assassin since he was more adept in fighting and he looked, ah, more capable? More equipped for killing? Not that the others weren’t!”

So three more men had entered, and one of them was a hired assassin? Though…now that he ran through the entire event again, he remembered the men looking like mercenaries, more militaristic than some other organization or mafia that may come after him. These men were repeatedly going after Anya or were at least successful in killing Anya first every time. So again, this all begs the question: who are these men and what is their goal?

By now, Yor had quieted from her ramblings, her head tilted in thought and eyes wandered as she pondered something herself. “So there are now nine men that we know of who are responsible for this situation. What do we do now?”

They needed to learn what the intention behind these men are. They’ve been fully armed each time, and for them to hire a professional killer means that they were expecting some form of difficulty in their mission. “For now we don’t really have a way to actually learn what their intentions are, but we can see if perhaps their attention will move to us if we leave this afternoon. Maybe they’re after me for my work at the hospital. There have been several cases of more dangerous characters who land within our facilities.” though none of those occasions would ever escalate to this intense of a scenario.

“It’s possible for me too- I mean that, because I’m part of the government offices they may want something?” at that, Loid wanted to laugh a little bit at the not so completely convinced look that Yor let slip at her suggestion. Truthfully, Loid could get about anything he wanted from that government office without so much as a drop of blood drawn. Much less the planned murder of a little girl.

“It’s a plan then. We can call on Franky to come and look after Anya when we leave this afternoon instead of evening. See if we take their attention by being out of the house far earlier than before.” Franky being there would maybe be a good variable to add to the equation as well.

Satisfied with the current plan, Yor nodded, though Twilight could still see the tension barely hidden in the way her jaw remained set. It made sense for her to be reluctant with everything at the moment, and so he didn’t comment on the way she’d space out for a moment in thought. Neither of them move until they hear sluggish footsteps leading into the bathroom, Yor jumped into action as she moved to the closed door. “Alright! Then, I’ll go ahead and make food while you call Franky.” Her grin was strained just a little too tight, while her voice had regained its chipper tone.

---

The apartment smelt like smoke by the time Loid placed down the phone. Franky hadn’t been the happiest person in the world at the demand for him to come over earlier than planned, going on about having prior plans with other informants. Though when given the right information, such as the fact that Loid’s family was being followed in some way, the other changed his tune fast enough. 

The Handler had been as graceful as usual to accept his request for extra people to watch the apartment building, though she did not sound convinced when he refused to explain to her just how he had known the number of men, and the fact that there was an assassin in their mix.

There’s a hurried clattering, an obvious tell to Twilight on the state of their kitchen, as Anya knocked on his room’s door with a chipper, “Mama’s burning the kitchen again!” Yor’s own yelled reassurances not at all convincing to Twilight who couldn’t help but huff in amusement at the situation. The living room windows were immediately opened once the state of their apartment had become apparent. Yor’s guilty expression was all the more apparent as she attempted to wash the pans while Loid started on a new set of eggs and pancakes.

Twilight was already heavily geared up to notice any look his way, prior loops already getting him to raise his awareness. So it wasn’t hard to see Anya’s held gaze from his left as she watched him from the kitchen’s main entrance. A confused frown tugged on her lips as she moved her gaze between him and Yor. “Anya?”

“Papa, what…” Anya loses her voice, locked away by pinched lips as visible frustration grew on her face as she continued to glance between the two of them. As if she couldn’t make up who she wanted to pay more attention to.

Twilight felt Yor raise her gaze from the sink at Anya's voice, “Is something wrong Anya?”

In the previous loops, this had happened as well. Unconvinced looks and hesitations screwed Anya's face to their combined excuses and reassurances. Each time they had brushed it off as the intuition of a child and natural observation of simply living together for so long. It made sense if she noticed that they were both just a little out of it.

Anya eventually responded with a shake of her head, though she very much looked like she wanted to ask them something. It was obvious enough when she turned to run back to her room with the excuse of getting ready thrown behind her, and Yor then looked back at him with the quirk of an eyebrow and a darting glance toward the fleeing child.

Twilight shrugged in response, unsure of the child’s behavior.

---

“Bring Anya with you!”

For a moment Twilight felt the beginning stings of embarrassment as Anya’s voice carried down the hall. Thankfully the only people really there to witness her tantrum were the moving men and the new neighbor who had yet to introduce herself to them. Thankfully Yor was already there to wave in apology to the curious gazes as Twilight ducked low to try and meet Anya’s gaze from her spot atop his foot. Both of the movers headed out and passed them sympathetic smiles in response, while the new neighbor waved back to Yor and closed the door behind her. Anya's small legs stubbornly hooked around his right leg, as her hands clung to each other as if glued together. Puffed cheeks pressed against his knee as wide eyes stared back up at him in continued defiance.

Franky arrived not long after all eyes were gone and Twilight could finally relax for just a moment. The informant's own familiarity with handling Anya shined through as he somehow detached the child from Twilight’s leg.

“Papa and Mama have to bring Anya on the cool ooting!”

“We’ll bring you later, I promise. It’s only for a few minutes. You have Franky to play with while we’re gone.” Maintaining a patient tone, Twilight ruffled Anya’s hair in hopes that the playful action would help in convincing her. It did not. Which meant small limbs, renewed in vigor, flailed in their attempt to reattach to his leg.

By the time Twilight and Yor were standing well away from the door of the apartment, Franky had become a barrier between them and a squirming Anya. His face twisted in an unpleased grimace as he gave Twilight a meaningful glare, voice low in a mumbled demand. “Just come back quickly. I don’t know how long I can keep her distracted.”

"Anya wants to go too!" Small hands scrambled at the door frame yet remained unsuccessful in passing through Franky's block.

Twilight passed one more nod to Franky, well aware that the other was properly armed for any invasion while they were gone. They needed to keep Anya safe at any cost.

No matter the cost.

---

They don't wait for too long to start backtracking. Sharp eyes knowing what to look for, both their determined gazes ready to catch any sign of them being followed. 

Twilight had to wonder just how much he'd get away with if a fight broke off in front of Yor. She barely batted an eye before when he had thrown a grenade at other men. Would she be surprised by a gun held by a protective father? No, it would be better to avoid fighting in front of her. 

No one followed them, and Twilight doesn't see any of the men until they reached a block away from their apartment building. In a phone booth, the man whose long hair had been pulled on by Yuri caught sight of them and spoke into the phone-

"We need to hurry back-"

They hear three gunshots-

It's like deja vu at this point. There's a fear that tore at his common sense as Loid and Yor bolted up the stairs and down the hallway's turns. Neither allowed themselves pause at the simple sight of their apartment door left open-

There's blood-

But it's not Anya's.

Franky lays still, face down against the staining wood with no sign of life.

Three men lay in their own blood, bullets nailed in vital areas, though that wasn't important.

There's a terrified cry across from them-

One more man stands alive across the room, right at the window of their living room with Anya fighting in his grip and getting closer to the open window-

The wind whipped beside him, though Loid knew that to be from Yor's inhumane speed. Like a living bullet that shot forward with an angered yell, and that seemed to be the moment things got worse.

The man startled, head snapping back just in time to meet Yor's fist. 

At the same time, the man lost his grip on Anya, and so silently her head of pink hair vanished over the ledge of the living room window…

Yor shot forward to catch her-

There's a thud from outside, and Loid moved before he could understand what had happened, looking down at-

Red, RED-

Limbs askew

Her head had hit the fence-

There's this searing rage- and a sick feeling that overpowered the heat and made him wonder why Anya was missing a shoe.

Yor stared at something in her hand with a look of shattered guilt and grief-

Anya's shoe…

Dark

----- 

"We know some more things now," Twilight's voice came out cold, and yet Yor paid no mind to it. Her eyes stuck to the wall beside her as she remained in bed, unmoving. It had been Twilight this time to visit the other’s bedroom after a few beats of inactivity from both their sides. "We need a new plan."

Yor remained silent. 

It’s fine, he can figure it out while she rested.

Did the men really choose to attack so early in the day? In broad daylight? Why haven't they before? What changed? They didn't go on a walk together. That was the most glaring difference from all the other loops. They had left Anya alone sooner, which meant that the men's goal was only really to kill Anya…

Yor finally turned to him, body rising from the depths of her blankets in a sluggish manner. "You told Franky about the men?" 

"I did." Right, Franky had protected Anya from at least three men. It wouldn't make sense that he would somehow be more prepared in protecting Anya than Yor, a civilian, had been when she was caught off guard. "We served in the war." Not on the same sides, but that fact didn't really matter. It's enough to convince Yor, who nodded along slowly. "I told him what to expect so he wouldn't be caught off guard.”

"What changed?" Yor remained somewhat detached, tone light and airy as if she'd float with the wind given a small breeze. Yet far better than the silent state that he had first walked into.

"I'm not sure." If they knew about Twilight they would've sent someone to tail them. Instead, they chose to post someone not too far from the building. What had changed from before-?

Franky.

Did they not know that Franky would be there? It would explain why he was able to take down three of them: the men weren't aware that someone would be armed in the apartment. 

"The assassin wasn't there," Yor mumbled in response, and it took Twilight a moment to realize that he had been voicing his thoughts out loud. An unusual mistake for Twilight to make.

"Right. That means that he didn't expect himself to be needed in the mission." Or perhaps he had expected himself to be needed somewhere else? Why was the assassin present in the other loop? None of this made sense… "we need more information."

Dull red eyes roamed to meet his, and with it came the scraping weight of anxiety. Of the unsure waning and waxing in his own deductions to the entire scenario.

"We need to collect information," Twilight concluded.

"You mean letting Anya die again." Yor frowned at him, voice almost accusing.

That's not what he- "that’s not what I mean." Loid's throat tightened, parched at the thought of seeing Anya die again. 

"Then what-" Yor bared her teeth. 

"Papa? Mama?" A knock at the door halted whatever scathing reply that had barely made its way out of Yor.

“Yor.” There’s this tension that made him feel like some of his chest had emptied, yet all Yor did was pause at the door, facing the painted wood in silence.

Anya knocked again, sitting through enough of their awkward silence.

"Yor," he couldn't help the awkward doubt that started to weigh on his shoulders. How else were they going to fix this? “I need to fix this somehow.”

Deep red eyes pinned him in place, but Yor still refused to say anything else as she opened the bedroom door to a confused Anya, who looked at them both with a small frown.

"Mama and Papa were fighting?"

Twilight schooled himself, smiled half-heartedly at the girl, and shook his head to reinforce Yor's quick denials. Though his mind began running through hundreds of possible scenarios that he could encounter today. Twilight will make it up to Yor after all of this.

He ignored the way his chest hollowed further in his next breath.

--- 

Everything goes as it had done so in the first loop, and throughout it all Twilight kept his eyes peeled for the men he could remember seeing in the moonlit alley. Finding out a few things along the way even as Anya seemed to sense his vigilance and had made it her plan to distract him.

A child's intuition could be scary sometimes.

They made it through the trip just as before and reached their apartment at about the same time. By then he knew that five of the known men and the assassin had been watching their every move. The tension crawling through him never gave way until the apartment door had closed behind them, each of them separating into different parts of the apartment to settle what they needed to do. It was easy to make an excuse well enough to leave the building for a few minutes, a bouquet of flowers already laid out on his lap as he sat beside the Handler, both dressed in rather old disguises of an old married couple sitting in a park.

"There are nine known men who are a part of the group, I need backup to keep an eye on our apartment to delay their movements," there's a surety in his tone from the knowledge that the Handler had agreed before, she would not take any risks for their mission, and Twilight knew full well that she trusted his judgment on the matters of threat and gauging situations. 

"What do they want?" Twilight knew she'd ask that.

"I'm not sure." Twilight had been so unsure of what he could say without sounding maddened.

"To kill Anya, however, I do not know why yet." He had time now to curate the perfect answers.

"How do you know this?" she sounded skeptical as before.

"It's hard to explain."

"I spotted six men following us on our way back to the apartment. One of them looked like a trained at evading notice, I barely caught his trail." Truthfully Twilight really did struggle to catch sight of the man, though having seen him once before was enough to eventually aid him in finding the assassin who had found a perfect hiding place in plain sight.  No one else would look twice at a stranger's face, but Twilight triple-checked every person he passed in mere seconds. "They’re not aware of my status, or else he would've hidden a lot smarter." The assassin’s actions were only good for a civilian, not an experienced spy after all.

“How are you sure?”

Twilight couldn’t fight the small twitch at the corner of his lip, eyes traveling across the clear park. “They would have sent someone out here to watch me if they knew.”

The Handler remained silent as she had done before and from his peripheral, he could see her observe their surroundings for a moment- "What are you hiding from me Twilight?" spoken in a monotone, cold and uncaring tone, her voice held no room for lies. Still, her eyes remained fixed on the park, not at all trying to meet his as if sure she could read him from his voice alone. He had stepped on a mine somewhere.

The Handler had caught on.

"Do you believe I’m lying to you?" he turned to her slowly, neither of their expressions readable under the layer of sagging skin.

"Through fabrication? No," there’s something amused in her voice, her tone lilting near the end before dropping back down to the indifferent monotone that had carried the conversation so far. False green eyes met his under the thick-framed glasses, narrowed and unwavering as they held him in place. “Through omission? Agent Twilight, I can tell that you are keeping something from me, and I'd rather know now than when another agent reports for you." It was a threat, and nothing else. 

"Your agent will report to you what I’ve already told you," he replied, tone smooth and the same monotone as she had used. As the Handler had taught him. This conversation had become a test of loyalty, and Twilight knew it. She’s never doubted what he chose to share and hold secrets, especially not after all this time they’d worked together. That, of course, did not really hold any weight when their line of business is added to the context. Betrayals and lies were common and rather in comparison to finding someone who spoke the absolute truth. Telling her about the time loops would only lower his possibility of her agreeing to help, and instead get her to assume that he’s under the influence of a hallucinogen.

There's a long pause from the other before a sigh broke the tension. "Fine then. I will send some men to assess the situation. Do not act recklessly, Twilight."

"Yes ma'am."

They separated promptly after and on his walk home sans his disguise with only the bouquet in hand, Twilight couldn’t get rid of the bitter taste that lingered on his tongue. A deep sigh caught in him as he opened the apartment door to the bright, almost beaming, smile that stretched Anya’s cheeks as she danced around Bond in imitation of what she was seeing on the television. Yor watching her with a fondness that softened her recently saddened gaze as she watched the child from her place on the larger couch.

"Do not act recklessly, Twilight."

Twilight is calculating, and anything but reckless. Years upon years of experience had taught him everything he needed to know. Had hardened his heart to every kind of scene and situation. Yet, as he watched the small girl tumble over her foot and into Bond's thick fur, Loid wondered just how much longer he'd be able to hold that promise.

--- 

Yor seemed to like the flowers, though she didn’t let the smile linger as they walked out of the apartment, leaving Anya behind with Franky who was on his way as everything had gone in the first time loop. If anything, her expression darkened the longer the night went, and Twilight couldn't help but feel the same way. Throughout the short walk, he felt no presence or gaze following them, and just as they reached the restaurant neither bothered to enter, already turning around to run back home to arrive earlier than before. There’s the growing weight of dread that had become more familiar with each loop, his throat closed and his mind raced despite how much he focused on the present.

They reached their street in a record new time, catching sight of a hurried Anya who rode Bond down the alley beside theirs. Yor sped up further, reaching the turn before Twilight could but when he does Anya had just turned her head their way-

A gunshot. But this time it wasn't Anya who was shot.

White fur soaked red too quickly, further spread by panicked hands as Anya wailed at the Bond’s side.

"BOND-" Anya’s voice held grief and fear that froze Twilight further into place.

Why did he keep freezing?! Move!

Three gunshots rang in succession, just as Yor had reached the other end of the alley where the assassin and one man stood. His shoulder burned, but that didn’t matter to him.

Anya's dead- just like before.

Twilight couldn’t move.

Again.

----- 

They try again, this time Twilight stayed home while the secret police and the extra men did their part. It had worked, nine men apprehended, though the assassin had apparently been a handful from what had been reported to him briefly through the private signals. The men who made it through in a previous loop were stopped before they could enter the building’s doors. WISE men ready to intercept them with the shared insight that Twilight refused to indulge his source of.

They went to sleep but Twilight still didn’t feel right. Forcing himself to relax despite the dread that somehow made his room darker than it was.

-----

Twilight woke up to and came out to a just as confused Yor who stared at the same date, as all the other loops, stared back at them through the flawless glass of their living room television. The morning news dully reported the same news they’ve heard too many times now-

Anya had died in their sleep.

The thought of it made him nauseous…

That was the only possibility. The men somehow escaped and slipped through his notice.

Again

---

Twilight asked Franky over once more, and this time ensured the smaller man arrived earlier than the other times before. They greeted him as they arrived back to their apartment door after their walk to the park. Franky had been rather annoyed at having to wait, exclaiming about having to awkwardly wave to those who entered and left their apartments while standing at the door awkwardly. “You better pay me back for this!” Franky wailed. “At least having movers come in and out made having a stranger stand at your door less awkward.”

They found him dead in the living room when they returned. The bullet had gone straight through his forehead and into the wall behind him as the burnt edges of the hole told Twilight that the barrel showed just how much of a surprise their appearance was. Franky was caught off guard this time, unlike the loop where he had at least nailed some of the men before going down. Something had changed enough to place Franky at a disadvantage unlike the loop before.

What changed?

Anya was shot in the living room and died mere seconds after their entrance.

Yor looked so lost but Twilight could help her after this was solved.

It’s getting harder to breathe.

Again

-----

"You don't look well," Franky openly examined him, shoulders raised as he rested his elbows against the counter of the newsstand. "Work catching up to you?"

"I need your help," there was no point in adding ceremony, they didn't have much time to begin with. Twilight needed to get back to Anya. In his hand the newspaper he bought crumpled under white knuckled hands, trembling from the excess effort.

Outwardly Franky’s uninterested eyes widened slightly, breaking the illusion of a simple conversation between customer and cashier, though Twilight could care less. "Help with what?" the informant leaned back as if to brace himself. As if he knew what Twilight was going to say next.

"There are nine counted men, one identified as an assassin, and the rest identified as hired merchants, who are going to try to kill Anya tonight. Four, maybe five will appear at the apartment and break in while Yor and I are gone. I need you to look after Anya."

"No." Cold sweat dotted Franky's forehead, head shaking insistingly. "I'm not a spy, Twilight. Don't mistake my previous favors as permission to place me into the thick of whatever you just said." Twilight's gaze almost seemed to pierce right through him as the other man squirmed in place, head eventually thrown back in frustration as he packed the stand up. "Fine! But you have to tell me how you know all of this first. What’s your source?”

“Me,” Twilight answered gravely. “I am my source.”

It felt like there should be a punchline somewhere.

---

Twilight told Franky everything this time, and surprisingly Franky was willing to listen despite the look of doubt that would pass his face every now and then. The other man took too long to arrive in order to prepare, an apologetic smile falling at the sight of his and Yor’s expressions. By then it felt like his body was alight with a constant static endlessly running under his skin but he pushed on. They left quickly, and by now had found a perfect place to hide and allow the illusion of them completely leaving the block. It’s hard to see from where they chose, however, and so when they saw movement it was to the sight of Anya on Bond, and Franky being chased down an alleyway further down the street.

They find Franky first, two bullet wounds nailed into his back with four men dead around him-

“Anya!” Yor sounded panicked, though Loid was close with his own rattled yell as they watched Anya’s left side light up with the incoming headlight as she escaped the man behind her-

A car screeched; the smell of hot rubber filled the air.

There’s a harsh thud of two bodies hitting the metal bumper before rolling with the transferred momentum.

She looked back, eyes wide with confusion and surprise at the sight of them.

Then she’s gone.

Again.

-----

They tried again, and this time Yor remained in her room while he and Anya went to the park. It’s fine.

He can fix it later.

Anya had been odd, giving him long looks he couldn’t quite understand despite his experience.

Anya, and Bond died.

Again

-----

They try again, Twilight telling Franky again about their situation and tips of what had failed in previous loops.

Yor stopped speaking to him directly at some point…

Anya died.

Again

-----

They try again.

How long have they been doing this now?

He rose to his feet and fell back on his bed, nausea and an irritating ringing left him immobile.

Twilight couldn’t get himself to move until Anya knocked-

Anya died- she keeps dying.

How is he supposed to fix this?

Again.

-----

They tried again…

Twilight tried-

Anya’s blood is warm on his hands.

Again.

-----

They tried…

Yor stopped talking…

Again.

-----

They-

Again.

-----

Again.

Again.

Again.

Agai-

Twilight’s throat felt as if it had been set ablaze, which didn’t make sense when it felt like liquid ran down his chest not long after. He couldn’t breathe. Yet the only thing that truly registered to him was the swollen crimson eyes of Yor- the same person who he had caught crying in bed that same morning before he left- as a golden pike was driven into his neck without mercy.

Twilight saw her coming, in the same dress he hadn't seen since the dinner party they went to during their initial agreements and wondered why she chose to wear it tonight. In the moment he had questioned why she had looked so angered, and figured it was because of the men around them. Nowhere had his mind tried to comprehend the fact that she shouldn't be here in the first place.

At the sight of her, Twilight had relaxed and forgotten the fact that he was in disguise.

Twilight sank to the floor, mouth gaping, mind running faster than ever as his hands slicked and warmed under the coating of blood, despite the fact that it was his own. The mask felt suffocating.

At least he didn't have to see Anya's death this time.

The pain intensified as the golden stiletto was brutally ripped out, and thrown at the guy not far from him, their killer honed and deadly with the sharp blades and fluid movements. Each strike calculated, and flawlessly executed to kill them almost instantaneously.

Twilight has only heard of one person ever fighting with golden stilettos-

She looked so beautiful, almost dancing under the moonlight.

His head grew lighter…

----- 

Yor slipped into his room, as silently as he expected her to be, though not enough for his trained ears. The click of his door’s lock was his only signal before his vision was whipped to the ceiling, and a weight pressed him flat onto his back. Without a doubt, Yor is the fastest of them both, but he didn’t need to be fast. Twilight only needed to be smart. So, when the world stilled and his vision was invaded by cold, dark, crimson eyes, the cold prick of what he could guess to be a golden stiletto bit into just the right place below his jaw and held him in place. The click of a gun followed a moment after, almost imperceptible despite the jarring silence…

“Thorn Princess,” he greeted, body forced to breathe as evenly as he could. All of him fell into previous training to resist intimidation and to retain some modicum of an aloof reaction to anything. 

“Twilight,” her voice didn’t waver, tone not at all an inquiring, but a statement of fact and acknowledgment. Ice crawled down and throughout his body at the name he would never expect to hear from her, though Thorn Princess showed no care for the gun barrel pressed right into the side of her neck or at the sound of her name.

“We need to talk.”