#I'm so upset because they have the whole manga so far at my library per my request lol but 3's arrival is delayed sob

[katana-no-neko]

The “secret’s out” fic that everyone in this fandom has written lol

rated T

~~~

"Thorn Princess," Twilight repeated. "I'm familiar with the name."

"As you should be," Franky nodded. "She's the deadliest assassin you can find in Ostania." Twilight flipped through the assignment file. "She's a contract killer; gets her job and takes care of it, so to speak. She doesn't seem to have any political motives of her own, but the same can't be said for her clientele. Intel says her target tonight is a Westalis politician in Berlint for a diplomatic conference."

"And my assignment is to stop his assassination before it can happen, I see." Twilight skimmed through the pages again. "No visuals on the Thorn Princess?"

"She's quite good at going unseen. All the agency knows is that she's got dark hair, reportedly."

Twilight nodded, not bothering to question the odd stress Franky had placed on 'the agency'. He gave one last look before closing the case file and moving to leave.

"Last thing," Franky said, pausing to formulate his words. "Just... Make sure you look before you leap on this mission."

Twilight quirked an eyebrow. "Of course I will, it's always tactically advantageous to assess the situation before jumping into the fray, if it can be helped."

Franky let out a short laugh. "Of course, Twilight." The spy handed the case file back over and turned to head home and prepare for the mission. "Hey, I lied, one last thing!" Twilight paused, quirking his eyebrow again. "How's it going with your wife?" Franky snickered with a wink.

Loid's cheeks took on a slight tinge. Franky had found out that the Forger couple had recently discovered each other intimately, and he took every chance he could to tease the spy about it. Loid supposed he could deal with it though, as Franky had given his word that the agency wouldn't find out through him.

The spy coughed, "Everything is quite alright with her." And Franky didn't need to be a spy to understand that that was Twilight code for "Yor and I are still madly in love".

~~~

As Twilight mopped a hallway in his custodial disguise, he kept his eyes and ears closely attached to room 508 of the luxurious hotel the politician was staying at. The spy glanced at his watch. 21:56. Thorn Princess's target was due back in his room at 22:00, according to the itinerary the agency had procured. The entire rest of the day, the politician would be tailed by highly trained bodyguards and surrounded by civilians, so the only time Thorn Princess would have to attack would be at the end of the day in the privacy of his room.

At 22:03, Twilight began to wonder if Plan B (the plan he'd put together should the politician fail to arrive at his room) would need to be set in motion, before he heard a tipsy laugh from the stairwell, as well as a more feminine chuckle, most likely from the politician and the assassin, respectively. No doubt she was disguising herself as a 'lady friend'. Showtime. He ducked into a corner to remain out of their line of sight and pulled his cap lower to hide his already masked face and got to work mopping again. As the source of the laugh came through the stairwell and into the hallway, Twilight spared a glance to confirm it was his politician, and then took a look at the woman.

Oh my god.

Oh my god!

It took every ounce of self-control not to break character.

He listened carefully as he heard his wife laugh at something the politician said. Very fakely, he might add, though it must not be obvious to the other man, because soon he was unlocking his suite's door and leading Yor Briar Forger inside.

Twilight's mind was racing as he analyzed the situation.

Yor was here, with the politician, in his bedroom. She was either cheating on him, or she was the Thorn Princess. And somehow, he just knew there was no chance in hell it was the former, even trying to push aside personal feelings to look at the situation through a logical lens. Puzzle pieces began clicking into place. Her occasional long nights out 'with girls from work', whom he knew she disliked. The blood stains he'd seen on some of her clothing. The scars he'd seen on her body.

Loid wondered how his life had gotten to the point that it was more logical for his wife to be an assassin than having an affair.

And that was when he remembered he was supposed to be stopping the Thorn Princess (his wife!!) from assassinating her target.

Twilight immediately dashed to the room, not bothering to drop the mop, and slammed the door open with a powerful kick.

What greeted the spy was a wide eyed, stunned Yor standing in front of the window, bathed in moonlight, blade poised to take the life of the (currently unconscious, passed out drunk?) politician he was meant to protect.

Beautiful was his first thought. Shit was his second, because he remembered he was still in disguise, and it didn't take long for Yor's instincts to kick in and attempt to silence the, what she assumed was, janitor who was witnessing her crime.

Fortunately for Loid, he was quite skilled at self defense and managed to deflect her blade with the mop he was still holding. The sharp blade nearly sliced right through the wooden handle and Twilight set to disarm her as soon as he could, using every ounce of agency training he had to grapple with his wife, heat pulsing through his veins in an odd way. He would worry about that little tidbit later though.

She had him backed against a wall, but he managed to swipe a kick at her, causing Yor to stumble and giving him the chance to hit her raised wrist with a strong jab of the mop. Her hand spasmed, she dropped the blade, and Twilight took the moment to reach his hands around her, grab each end of the mop handle and pull it against her back, pressing her against himself. Both assassin and spy were breathing heavily.

She only took a moment to be surprised by the action before she was grabbing another, much smaller knife out of her garter belt and moving to swipe against his neck, her mouth opening to say her line.

"Wait-" Loid gasped out in between his pants, dropping the mop and grabbing the hand of hers that was poised to end his life. Her eyes widened at the voice. He finally tore his mask off, gazing at her while she stared back at him, recognition swimming into her eyes as she dropped the knife, it stabbing into the ground with a thud.

"Loid?" she whispered, confusion laced in her voice.

The spy turned them around so that her back was against the wall before he grasped her lips in a feverish kiss, adrenaline (and arousal??) still pumping through his veins. She eagerly returned it, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. It was after Loid broke the kiss to catch his breath again that Yor finally spoke again. "Why are you here? What's going on exactly?"

"You're the Thorn Princess," he stated matter-of-factly. She looked away from him in shame and nodded shortly. He gently took her chin and turned her back to look at him. "And I'm Twilight the Spy." Her eyes widened and her brows furrowed. "And I'm going to have to ask you not to assassinate him." Loid used his head to gesture toward the floor where the politician (who yes, was still breathing, he confirmed with a glance) was still laying after passing out.

She jumped slightly at the reminder of her target before shaking her head and looking back at him. "You're a spy. That makes a surprising amount of sense..." she said quietly, pondering in much the same way as Loid had done upon his own realization from earlier. "Master spy and deadly assassin... What a pair we make..." she paused, collecting her thoughts. "What does this mean for us?"

"I still love you very very much, Yor. It would be illogical to condemn you for the blood on your hands when I have plenty on mine. So as long as you're okay... Nothing much has to change."

She paused for a moment, heart telling her to return his sentiment, but anxiety still lingering plenty. "Can I ask... Why are you a spy?" Yor asked.

"You can," Loid nodded. "I..." He paused, not used to admitting his backstory out loud. "I grew up in a world torn apart by war and conflict. My family was killed when I was still a child because of it. Now that Westalis is beginning to see peace again, I'm doing what I can to keep it that way. To keep another Ostania-Westalis war from breaking out." He paused again, thoughts going to his daughter. "To make sure no child ever has to cry like I did."

Yor could see the raw sincerity in his eyes. As good a liar as he seemed to be, something told her he was being truthful at this moment. She leaned up and pressed her lips softly against his again. "I love you too," she assured, stepping back. "And I'll trust you. I won't kill him," she decided, picking up one of the knives that she'd dropped earlier. "If you say he shouldn't be killed, then I'll trust you."

Loid picked up her other blade and handed it to her. "Thank you. I know how being a Westalian spy probably looks to an Ostanian, but I promise, I'm trying to do the right thing, the good thing, through the work I do. I want to make the world a better place."

Yor smiled. "That sounds just like you. And if it means anything, you've definitely made it better for at least two people - Anya and I."

Loid kissed her. "That means everything." His heart thumped loudly with the overwhelming love he felt for Yor in that moment. "Because you two mean everything." They both smiled as they kissed again, before Yor suddenly went rigid under him. "Yor? Are you okay?"

"If you're here, and I'm here... Who's with Anya!?"

~~~

The pair rushed away from the crime scene (banking that the politician wouldn't recall anything he may have seen before passing out) and darted to their apartment. The speed at which Yor yanked the door open nearly took it off its hinges, and they ran in to find Franky on the couch watching some cartoon, with Anya curled up beside him, sleeping soundly.

The informant laughed when he saw the couple's faces. "You guys should really start coordinating your jobs," he commented, standing up carefully to not wake the child. "Cuz I ain't a babysitter."

Yor and Loid both sighed in relief that Anya hadn't been left home alone. "Thank you, Franky. We appreciate it," Yor told him, deciding not to question how much he knew about tonight as she moved to bring Anya to bed.

Franky nodded in response to her, then unabashedly held his hand in front of Loid for some cash. Loid rolled his eyes, but dug his wallet out nonetheless. "Hey," he started, while Franky counted his payment and decided it was sufficient. "You could have warned me my wife was my target tonight."

"Heh," Franky smirked. "That woulda taken the fun out of it."