"Yuri… what is this?" Hawks breathed. Her entire arm was covered in the white gauze.

"You should go, Hawks," Yuri whispered, "You have no business here."

"Of course I have fucking business here!" Hawks shouted, wincing when he saw Yuri flinch away from him, "I know you don't want my help, Yuri but you disappeared for days! We didn't think we would see you again."

"You probably wouldn't but your persistence at the office made the president rethink her decision," Yuri yanked her arm away and walked into the kitchen.

"Her decision?" Hawks questioned as he followed behind her.

"Yes," Yuri answered, putting a tea kettle on the stove, "I was to be reassigned, but the president decided it would be more of a distraction should I not be there. So, thank you." Yuri went into a slight bow.

"Reassigned? You would've disappeared without saying anything?!"

"It wasn't my idea! I like working for you but the president has the ultimate power over where I go and what I do." He watched as Yuri snatched the kettle off the stove before it began to whistle too loudly.

"Why? Why are they doing this to you!" Hawks pressed.

"It really is none of your business, Hawks," Yuri slid a cup of tea over to him but made no move to serve herself some. His talons clinked against the porcelain mug.

"Tell me what is going on!" Hawks shouted, "Yuri! Tell me why-"

"They own me, Hawks!" Yuri snapped, slamming her hands on the kitchen island, "They've owned me for as long as I can remember, drittsekk"

"D- what? No one can own you, Yuri. It's the 22nd century," Hawks denied.

"You're too close to see anything," Yuri said harshly, "You don't understand the power the Hero Commission has over this country." A sharp ring pierced the air interrupting Hawks' comeback. Yuri shot a twisted look at him before hastily grabbing a phone that way sitting on the couch.

"Hello?... Yes… Of course… I'll leave the door unlocked…" Hawks stared at her back as she spoke on the phone until she had walked out of view. Her face had been so haunted at the idea of a phone call.

"You need to leave," Hawks' jumped when Yuri appeared before him. No one had been able to sneak up on him like that in years.

"What are you talking about?" Hawks reached for her shoulders only for Yuri to grip his elbow and spin him around, "Whoa! When did you get so strong?"

"You need to get out of here," Yuri insisted, pushing him out onto the balcony. When had she become so strong? She was pushing him around like he weighed nothing more than a grain of salt. Hawks stumbled as he was shoved out onto the patio. His shredded glove was pushed into his hands as he looked down at his secretary. Her whole body screamed fear and the shaking of her hands only added to his suspicion.

"That was the president, wasn't it?" Yuri froze as she lifted her gaze up to him. Her eyes were alight with fear and made them seem impossibly large to him. Part of him wanted to grab her and take her away while the other part wanted her to run so he could chase. Hawks shook his head violently. Now, was not the time.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you need to leave," A knock on the door pulled both of their attention, "Coming! Leave now!" Yuri spun on the balls of her feet and quietly shut the sliding door leaving Hawks to stare at her retreating back. Hawks spread his wings as he soared off the balcony. He circled the complex twice seeing no suspicious vehicles or personnel waiting in the streets below before he balanced himself precariously on a ledge just underneath the window into Yuri's living room.

-With Yuri-

"Welcome back, ma'am," Yuri greeted as the door opened, "What brings you back so soon?"

"We've decided to finish up your remedial lessons sooner rather than later," The president explained, taking a seat on Yuri's couch. One of the agents dragged one of her dining room chairs into the center of the living room; moving her coffee table and any other furniture items out of the way. Yuri nodded as she silently made her way to the chair.

"Looks like this will be the last time we see each other for a while," The agent that had brought over the chair sneered. The agent removed his mask as his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Crusher," Yuri acknowledged.

"We're going to miss our time together, little angel," Crusher cooed as he caressed his face, "Isn't that right Receptor?"

"Yes," The other agent stepped forward grazing her arm with his fingers, "I will most definitely miss this one."

"Enough chit chat, gentleman," The president snapped, "Let's get this over with. Yuri, this round will last in two 2 hour intervals with a 10-minute break. Understood? We also brought you a new quirk collar to wear. This one should be more sturdy and less likely to bend."

"Yes, ma'am," Yuri agreed.

"Alright. Echo, let's begin," The president gestured to the petite female agent that had been hiding in the corner. With a silent nod and a wave of her hand the room went silent. Yuri's heart raced but she couldn't even hear that. Echo nullified the echo of sounds within an eardrum within a 2 miles radius. Any type of sound including internal which made it so perfect for when you were torturing people in public. Yuri kept her head held high as Crusher cracked his now steel knuckles and Receptor slit a small hole in her left sleeve. The split went through her sweater material and gaze revealing her skin. She was never held down or tied up as Yuri had learned long ago what it meant to run away from these lessons and the outcome was so much worse than what could happen now.

Pain and silence was an overwhelming feeling when it was all you had. Your body begs you to scream and even though you are since you can't hear it it doesn't register. Yuri could vaguely feel the sensation of her throat being torn apart from her screams and she desperately wanted to flee to run away, but the new collar had been placed around her neck with no visible lock. A thin piece of steel that took away the very thing that could save her. Time ticked by slowly as Crusher propelled his fist into various parts of her body and Receptor had his nails dug into her arm overloading the affected areas with pain. Yuri could feel the sickening crunch as bones crumbled under his steel knuckles. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she attempted to stay conscious.

"Alright, that does it for the first round," The president's voice made Yuri flinch at how loud it was, "You remember why we are doing this correct?" Yuri nodded.

"Speak out loud, little angel," Crusher gripped her hair forcing her to look at the president.

"Yes, ma'am. I have failed as a secretary to the Hero Commission by not focusing on my duties and distracted a hero from his work due to my selfishness."

"Very good," The president purred, "I was really hoping you would die that night but it looks like Lady Luck just hasn't been a fan of me lately. Especially with that whelp constantly asking about you. I would much rather send someone who isn't as useless as you back to him. No worries, however, you will learn to stay in your place!"

"Isn't that right, little angel?" Receptor growled into her ear. Yuri winced at the volume.

"Yes, sir." Yuri let her head fall when Crusher let go of her hair. She panted trying to rein in her erratic heartbeat. Blood was rushing in her ears and she was on the point of passing out when a flash of red caught her eye. 'No, he wouldn't,' Yuri thought as she turned to focus on the window. She stared for a while but the red never came again. She was disappointed. 'I must be going crazy to want him to actually be there,' Yuri slumped further into the chair. Taking a deep breath as the president motioned for the next part to continue, Yuri felt her world go quiet. The clock on her wall ticked away slowly as the lesson progressed. Tears had dried against her cheeks making them itch uncomfortably as no more would fall from her eyes. The sun had started to set as the orange rays settled on the wall of her kitchen reflecting off her refrigerator. A buzzing numbness had overcome her body and she couldn't concentrate on anything.

"And that concludes our lessons, this time around." The president's blurred figure walked up to her, "Now hopefully you've learned your lesson. Now, what do you say and do?"

"Thank you, ma'am, for the opportunity to redeem myself," Yuri mumbled into the floor as she sank to her knees into a low bow.

"Very good, Herja," The president praised as she walked towards the door, "Come along agents, our little angel needs time to heal. Your collar will deplete all but your illusions here in about 10 minutes so heal up the best you can." Yuri slumped to her side as she heard her front door shut. She couldn't move. She slid her eyes shut and began to focus on spreading her energy across her body. The least she could do was get rid of the broken bones as she could live with the bruises. Thankfully, Crusher kept most of his punches to less obvious areas and the places that were could be easily hidden by long sleeves or pants. Thank the gods, it was getting close to winter. Yuri laid on her floor gasping for air as the bones snapped back into place. She buried her face into her rug to muffle her agony.

Yuri hissed as she felt her body being moved. 'Who?' She cracked open an eye only to have a brilliant crimson fill her field of vision. Her body trembled as she was shifted into a lying position with her back against something warm and hard but it still had a strange softness to it. Yuri's head lulled side to side at the maneuvering.

"Hey, just look at me okay? You're going to be alright, little feather," Hawks' voice was like a balm to her broken soul, "How long have you been covering for this?"

"Hawks?" Yuri choked out, "Ek'm reisiligr."

"Yuri, stay with me." Hawks wrapped his arms around her lifting her up, "Keep those beautiful eyes of yours on me."

"láta fram," Yuri mumbled against his chest, weakly struggling to get out of his arms.

"I have no idea what you're saying but the answer is no. You're speaking gibberish." A cool hand pressed against Yuri's forehead making her sighed in relief at the change in temperature, "Jesus, you're burning up. Don't worry, I'm going to take care of you." Yuri felt the softness of her bed contour to her body as Hawks gently set her down. Her collar beeped. Time was up. The feeling was like someone sitting on her chest and never getting up. The power that built up inside of her, begging to be released, but had nowhere else to go but to ball itself into her body. Yuri's breath hitched.

"We are going to have a serious discussion when you are better," Hawks reeled as he looked around for a washcloth to use. Yuri let out a gasp as the cold cloth touched her forehead sending shivers down her spine at the temperature change. A warm hand caressed the top of her head as it brushed her damp hair out of her face allowing the cold compress to sit completely flush to her forehead.

"Friðr," Yuri muttered as her heated gaze fell upon his face. Yuri raised a shaky hand reaching out toward his cheek only to be stopped short at Hawks gripping her wrist, "Ást, Hawks."

"You need to save your strength, little feather," Hawks said as he curled his hand around her wrist. Her cheeks flushed as his thumb rubbed her wrist soothingly. Yuri's eyes fluttered shut and she moaned as a wave of pain washed through her. This was the worst part of Receptor's quirk. It overstimulated the nerves which leave them raw and throbbing at the slightest touch to the affected area. Her stomach flipped as the pain built up in her system and her world tilted on its axis. The furniture spun and Hawks was no longer a clear image before her, causing Yuri to roll onto her stomach and reach blindly for her trash can that was typically situated next to her bed.

"Shit!" The can was lifted up to her face just in time for Yuri to feel the acid of her stomach burn her throat up into her mouth, "That's it, feather, let it all out." Hawk's hand brushed through her hair keeping it from ending up in the disgusting mess that was now her trash can. She was so throwing it out after this. Yuri heaved as her stomach purged itself of anything and everything it possibly could. Tears burned in her eyes at her body's effort to keep heaving even after there was nothing left.

"Breathe through it, kid. Follow my breath," Hawks cooed as he made exaggerated breaths. Yuri collapsed bonelessly on the side of her bed. She vaguely felt the trash can be moved but she was too exhausted to care. Yuri shut her eyes and welcomed Nótt.

Translations:

Norwegian to English:

Drittsekk- asshole

Nordic to English

k'm reisiligr- I'm fine

láta fram- let go

Friðr- handsome

Ást- love, affection