They continue living in the safe house in London together. Gaby stays in the house behind theirs. She comes over often, seemingly just to give Napoleon a hard time – she is overly critical of his cooking (even though she eats it), his clothing, and even the layout of the house at times. She plays chess with Illya (occasionally even wins) and sometimes drags along an errant, unlucky who suitor who Illya and Napoleon are far too happy to vet for her. (So far, none have been good enough for their Gaby, but Napoleon is not sure anyone ever could be.)

Illya amends his choice to work alone with Waverly – only to get a slightly annoying smile that reeks of an I thought so that Waverly is too professional to actually voice. The trio continue working together, maintaining their position as one of U.N.C.L.E.'s most effective units. The camaraderie between them is easier than Napoleon ever could have hoped for.

Napoleon moves his essentials into Illya's room and spends all of the nights they're home there. He leaves most of his belongings in the other bedroom to keep their relationship hidden from prying eyes. Illya grumbles a little, but really, the closet in his bedroom wasn't large enough for all of Napoleon's suits anyways.

Thomas's notebooks live in the top drawer of the table next to Napoleon's side of the bed – the side furthest from the door but closest to the window. He doesn't look at them every night, but close to. Sometimes on his own, sometimes with Illya sprawled out on his chest, taking in the pictures with him. It feels good to share that with someone, finally, to let someone see how talented Thomas was, how much he was loved, how much Napoleon was loved in return.

There are sketches of Napoleon in one of the notebooks – some chaste and sweet, some outlined dark and harsh against the grim backdrop of war, and some far from modest. Most of the latter are purely fabrications of Thomas's imagination (there was only so much privacy at war) but there is still a certain fondness in the way Illya looks them over. Like he's somehow jealous and not at the same time. He says he likes seeing his lover from that different perspective, and Napoleon would believe him, but Illya is always a bit extra greedy in bed after he's been pressed on the matter. But that's all right. There's room enough in their lives for all the complications those many emotions breed.

They manage to strike balance with each other – between the fears of losing one another and the frustrations of living with each other, the places their personalities mesh or grate. There's a harmony to them that feels like it might've been there all along, thrumming under the surface, waiting to be uncovered. Like they both knew the steps and were merely waiting for the song to come around again.

They make love at a slightly higher ratio than they fight; spend more time in hotels, feigning relationships with marks, assets or Gaby than they do at home with each other and yet never run out of reasons to bother each other or kiss each other. The balance feels natural and lighthearted. The way their lives should have been all along.

Every year, when possible, they celebrate Christmas in New York, but New Years in London with Gaby. Illya turns out to be a bit more of a hopeless sentimentalist than Napoleon anticipated, and he never forgets their anniversary – no matter where in the world they are.

But, perhaps even more sentimental than that, every fall, he takes Napoleon back to the States, back to Arlington, back to Thomas's grave.

Every year, Napoleon brings flowers to the grave and doesn't know what to say, feels foolish for wanting to say something at all. Until one year he just starts talking. He tells Thomas everything. That he became an art thief, that he got pressured into the CIA, into UNCLE. That he fell in love with someone else and denied it for too long.

That it worked out, in the end – it only took a kidnapping and a harrowing rescue to get them to a place they could be together. But it worked out.

That he's happy, in spite of everything, he's happy.

It's far more than he ever expected out of life.