Yuri's eyes fluttered open as the smell of food wafted to her nose. She moaned as her stomach growled in protest at the lack of food within it. Her head felt like it had a thousand tiny jackhammers hammering away at all sides of her brain and her mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert. Yuri stumbled out of her bed towards her bathroom. She looked atrocious. The her in the mirror looked like they had gone to war, died, and then came back. Gaunt and ghastly. The dark circles were even more prominent against her almost translucent skin and her freckles stood stark across her face as being the only source of pigment. Her red hair was plastered to her forehead and cheeks, sticky with dried sweat. Her cheekbones- Yuri turned sharply away from her reflection. It would be of no help to her to pick herself apart. She was alive and that is what matters. What also matters is that her apartment smelled of food. Who was cooking? Yuri quietly made her way back into the bedroom towards her nightstand.

"Good morning, little feather. I hope you like-" Hawks stood there blinking at her as a knife embedded itself in the molding of the door just a hair's breadth away from his cheek. He looked like he belonged in her apartment being out of his hero costume and leaning against the door frame so nonchalantly like Yuri hadn't just thrown a knife at him. Hawks stood in a simple Endeavor t-shirt and black sweatpants. 'Damn he looks good in anything,' Yuri thought with a light blush.

"Hawks?" Yuri brow furrowed, "What on Earth…" Her voice died out as the events of yesterday came rushing back to her. She cradled her head as the pounding intensified as the memories of the last week resurfaced. Her body ached as her limbs protested at being used.

"Hey, hey, easy there, kid," Hawks said, guiding her to sit down on her bed.

"Shit, Hawks! I could've killed you!" Yuri slapped his outreaching hands away, "What are you doing here?"

"Cooking breakfast, obviously," Hawks said, as he knelt in front of her, "And taking care of you."

"Hawks. You can't be here." Yuri glared down at him.

"Who says I can't be? I am simply helping a damsel in distress. That is what a hero does," Hawks teased as a sly smirk crossed his face.

"I'm saying you can't be here!" Yuri made to get up but his hands on her thighs stopped any movement, "If they found out you were here, we-I- would be in so much trouble."

"Yuri, you are going to clean yourself up and meet me in the kitchen." Yuri blinked at the uncharacteristically serious tone of voice, "Then you're going to eat something and we will be having a discussion of what has been occurring." Hawks left no room for argument as he walked out of the room before she could reply. Yuri clenched her fists in frustration. Why was he doing this? Didn't he understand that she was already in enough trouble as it was?

"Now, Yuri!" Hawks shouted, "If I don't hear the shower going in the next couple of seconds, I will drag you in there and wash you myself." Yuri let out a sharp breath, frozen in her spot on the bed. She let her head fall into her hands. This was outrageous.

Yuri's legs shook as she attempted to stand again. Usually, she wouldn't leave her bed for at least a day or so after a remedial lesson but he wasn't going to let her wallow in her pain. Yuri inhaled deeply as she struggled to push her body to move, but the numbness she had felt when she first woke up had worn off. Every bruise throbbed like Crusher was still hitting her with his steel knuckles and she could feel her nerve endings pulsating with each muscle movement having been fried from overstimulation.

"Dammit!" Yuri swore through clenched teeth, "C'mon, Yuri, you can do this!" She rocked back and forth trying to get some momentum to propel her forward but each time she thought she had it she ended up falling back onto the bed. Bitter tears sprang into Yuri's eyes at the thought of being this weak in front of her boss for a second time. She propelled herself forward again gaining just enough a shaky standing position. Yuri hunched over making small, careful steps as she willed her legs to move.

"Yuri, what did I say?" Yuri jumped at the sound of his voice, losing the precarious footing she had, "Get your ass into that shower."

"I can't," Yuri mumbled, keeping her eyes on his feet.

"Excuse me?"

"I-I can't get up," she muttered.

"You're going to have to speak up." She didn't have to look up to see his eyebrow was raised and his arms crossed.

"I can't get up," Yuri said a little louder.

"Are you asking for help?"

"Yes," Yuri ground out.

"Now, was that so hard?" Hawks enclosed her arm around his shoulders forcing her to lean against him as he pulled her up.

"It's not hard," Yuri muttered angrily, "It's humiliating." She glared at the floor as they made the short distance to her bathroom. He gently set her down on the toilet and moved to start the shower only to pause.

"It might be easier to take a bath. That way you don't have to stand," Hawks surmised. Yuri nodded along with what he was saying, not paying all that much attention to the situation, pointing out where she kept her bath supplies. She wanted to be anywhere but here. They sat in relative silence as Hawks began to draw the bath. The smell of eucalyptus and mint permeated through the air.

"I keep epsom salt under the sink. It should help with any muscle damage," Yuri pointed toward the small cabinet door.

"Are you expecting muscle damage?" Hawks questioned. Yuri stared at him. It didn't take long for the bath to fill and Yuri could feel her heart begin to stutter in her chest.

"Alright, let's get you in," Hawks said, reaching for the hem of her sweater.

"I-I can undress myself!" Yuri stuttered, a bright red flush blooming on her cheeks.

"I'm well aware of that," Hawks deadpanned, still gripping the hem of her sweater to lift it. Yuri shoved the hemline down.

"You got me in here. I can do the rest," Yuri protested. Hawks simply shook his head and yanked the piece of clothing up but Yuri wouldn't relent, "Stop it, Hawks! I am not completely hopeless!"

"Please, just let me do this!" Their eyes met. His golden eyes were dulled into an amber color glistening with unshed tears and swirling with pain, frustration, and sadness. Yuri felt her arms go lax falling away from her grip on her sweater.

"Hawks," Yuri whispered, "You're not going to like what you see."

"As cute as you look in that sweater, I know you will look even better without it." Hawks gave her a sly wink as he tugged her sweater off in one swift movement.

"No, that's not-" Yuri stopped as Hawk's expression began to shift. She knew she might be a mess but it couldn't be that bad. Yuri glanced down. By the looks of it, her stomach and chest had taken the worst of the bruising being an abstract mess of purple and black but the bruising presumably scattered out down the tops of her thighs. There were the two slight holes from where Receptor had stuck his fingertips in were caked in dried blood, but it wasn't the worst she had ever seen. Yuri jumped at the sensation of Hawks' fingertip tracing something on her collarbone.

"Yuri, what?" Hawks asked in disbelief. Yuri couldn't help the giggle that escaped.

"I'm covered in bruises and you're focusing on my birthmark?"

"That's not a birthmark," Hawks said seriously, "It's a branding."

"I mean I guess it is," Yuri shrugged, wincing at the action, "I've had it for all my life. As far as I know, I was born with it." Hawks let his arm fall but continued to stare at her mark as though nothing else mattered. Yuri began to fidget under his intense gaze feeling very self conscious and exposed.

"Let's get you in the bath," Hawks said slowly. Yuri nodded frantically. He hooked his fingers under the waistband of her sweatpants being mindful of his talons as he pulled them down. Yuri steadily avoided looking at him. Her eyes dancing around the now seemingly too small bathroom every so often landing on him briefly. She was pleased to note he had a slight hue of red dancing across his cheeks although she was sure her face was as red as a ripe tomato. She shifted on the toilet seat cover; her thighs spilling over the edge as she tried to preserve some modesty in the situation. Hawks seemed to have noticed her discomfort and grabbed a thin yellow towel from the linen closet that was attached to the bathroom.

The water was warm and comforting as Hawks gently lowered her down. Her body melted like butter in the sun as the warmth lapped at her tense, aching body letting it relax for the first time in a week. Yuri leaned back letting the top half of her body submerge as her legs came to rest on the edge of the tub. She inhaled deeply letting the eucalyptus and mint flood her senses. 'Gods this feels amazing,' she moaned to herself, 'I am so never going to leave.' Yuri blushed as she heard Hawks deep chuckle next to her.

"I'm going to assume the bath was a good idea?" Yuri shot up to a seating position, blushing profusely, "Hey!" Hawks held his arms up as the water splashed from her sudden movements. 'Serves him right,' Yuri smirked at the slight triumph.

"You win. It was a good idea. Now leave." Yuri stuck her tongue out at him as she reached for her shampoo bottle. She could feel Hawks' eyes on her as her arm began to shake from holding a simple bottle. Yuri huffed as she pushed through bringing the bottle closer to her only for it to slip from her grasp and into the water making a loud plopping sound as it drifted to the bottom of the tub.

"I'm not going anywhere, little feather," Hawks said as he reached down for the bottle, "Not until we get this figured out."

"There's nothing to figure out," Yuri groaned as she brought her knees up to her chest.

"After what I witnessed yesterday, I think we do," Hawks retorted, running the soap through her hair, "I know the Commission can be brutal, but that was something else."

"Yeah, sure," Yuri hummed leaning back into his hands. Gods, how long had it been since she had felt this kind of human contact?

"Are you going to tell me the truth this time?"

"Yeah, sure." Her eyes rolled back as he started to scrub her scalp. 'Why is he so good at this?' Yuri pondered. The suds from the shampoo lazily slid down her back making her shiver.

"Am I the best hero you ever met?"

"Yeah, sure." Yuri slid her eyes shut.

"You're not listening to me, are you?"

"Yeah, su-hmph!" Yuri moaned sharply as Hawks gave a harsh tug at the hair residing at the back of her head. Her eyes snapped open and she blushed. Hard.

"Glad to know someone is enjoying themselves," He chuckled.

"Shut up," Yuri mumbled, turning to face away from him. Hawks smiled down at her as he continued to wash her hair. Using an empty soap bottle, he rinsed her hair as he gently combed all the suds out. Yuri slowly turned to look back at Hawks as he carded the conditioner through the ends of her long hair. She watched his face as he went to work detangling the knots that had formed from sleeping. His expression was soft as he focused with a tinge of sadness and frustration still present around the edges. Yuri hated to be the reason he wasn't his usually boastful, confident self.

"It's known as a Valknut," Yuri said as she stared down into the now milky water, "The brand on my collar bone."

"It's a what?" Hawks leaned forward against the rim of the tub gazing at her curiously.

"A Valknut meaning 'knot of the slain warriors'. It's a symbol from the era of the Vikings that was most commonly used on memorial and rune stones. My family immigrated to Japan from Norway when I was 3 from a very small village in the northern part of the country. This symbol is known to appear on the woman of my family," Yuri explained, "It was said that women who possessed this mark, this branding, had supernatural powers. Looking back, it could have been the only explanation they could think of to explain quirks but one can ever really know since the boys of my family historically never had any such power."

"You're Norwegian?" Hawks asked.

"Ja," Yuri affirmed, "Ser jeg virkelig japansk ut for ou?"

"You are just full of surprises, aren't you?" Hawks smiled proudly at her. Yuri couldn't help the warmth that bloomed in her chest, "Did your parents teach you to speak the language?"

"Oh, uh, no," Yuri said looking away, "I don't remember my parents. I found a journal when I was 16 while visiting the house I supposably grew up in. It was nothing more than a shell having been burnt to the ground a couple of years prior but that book somehow survived. It was the only thing that survived."

"I'm sorry," Hawks said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not," Yuri shrugged, "From what little I remember they were not nice people." They sat in a heavy silence as Hawks processed the information Yuri had just laid onto him but at least he didn't look as sad as before. He rinsed her hair out but turned his back to her when she went to wash her body. Allowing her to remove the towel to clean away the events stained on her skin.

"Do you remember your parents?" Yuri asked as Hawks lifted her out of the tub. His eyes flashed, "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"It's alright," Hawks chucked, "No not really, but what I do remember is nothing good." Yuri nodded in understanding letting him dress her one of her summer nightgowns she rarely wore.

"Now that is something I could get used to seeing you in," Hawks smirked, causing Yuri to blush once more.

"Stop saying such inappropriate things! I am still your secretary!" Yuri protested. Hawks chuckled but didn't make a retort. They slowly made their way to the kitchen with Yuri stumbling a few times but they eventually made it with Yuri seated at the kitchen island. Hawks slid a plate of eggs and toast over to her before making himself comfortable in the chair next to her. Yuri glanced at him but started to eat the food he had prepared. It was surprisingly very good.

"Like it?" Yuri nodded, "Good because it is one of the few things I can actually make."

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Yuri snorted.

"Well, I've taken care of you, given you food, and am taking your sarcasm. I think I deserve an explanation for all this." Yuri's fork froze before her mouth.

"I don't owe you anything nor did I ask for any of this." Yuri glared at him.

"No, you didn't but an eye for an eye and all that." Hawks narrowed his eyes at her.

"You think a little bit of kindness will break me?" Yuri pushed the plate of food away.

"No, but it might soften you up." Hawks pushed it back to her.

"Nice try, but not going to work." Yuri pushed it back to him.

"I'll make it work. You know once I see something I want I can't help but get it." Hawks pushed it back.

"Yeah, that birdbrain would make you justify it in such a manner." Yuri shoved it back.

"Goddamn it, Yuri," Hawks slammed his hand down, rattling the plate with his force, "Give me something here! And don't you dare fucking lie to me this time because I witnessed it all! It might be normal to you but it took all my willpower not to barge in there and take you away."

"Then you should've left when I told you to instead of spying!" Yuri shouted back.

"And left you to fend for yourself? You can barely even walk on your own!" he argued.

"I would've been fine! It's not the first time and I doubt it will be the last!"

"So this has happened before? How long have you been hiding this? Hiding that you have a quirk?"

"I haven't hidden anything! You all made an assumption and I ran with it!"

"That's right, blame the people around you and not yourself for being dishonest!"

"Do you think I wanted it to be this way? I had no choice in the matter!"

"Everyone has a choice! You just chose to lie to us!" Hawks roared, "How are we supposed to trust anything you do when you lie to us about everything!?"

"Do you think so little of me?" Yuri whispered, her anger deflating instantly.

"I don't know what to think of you," Hawks replied honestly, "Anything I do know about you seems to be twisted into something else with every incident involving you."

"Then you should just leave me be," Yuri stressed, "I am not worth the time nor the effort. I am simply a secretary. I hold no real importance to keep you in this regard." Yuri turned back toward the plate of food he had made for her. It had long since gone cold. She didn't deserve such kindness.

"Yuri, you don't honestly believe that, do you?" Hawks ask in disbelief. Yuri forced herself to stand and walk to where her phone had been abandoned in the living room. 40 missed calls from Aiko, 20 from Mockingbird, 10 from Jay, over a hundred texts between the three, 20 voicemails, and one missed call from an unknown number along with a voicemail. She didn't understand why Aiko and the rest of them had called. She vaguely remembered Jay saying something about paperwork back in the hospital so they must be fed up with dealing with her work. Yuri blinked back tears. She really was skirting her duties to make them this outraged. The president had been right.

"You should leave, Hawks," Yuri turned into a low bow, "I thank you for all that you've done for me but I have some affairs that need to be settled before next week. My replacement should be there by the end of the week. You needn't worry about training as they should be able to start right away."

"Replacement? Yuri, you're not going anywhere." Hawks furrowed his brow.

"I need you to understand that I have been forbidden from telling you anything. Least my punishment be worse than what you saw yesterday," Yuri pushed on, "I would want nothing more than to tell you but I do value my life to an extent. Just know that what I do I do to keep you in the sky so please just let it drop." Yuri felt a tickle on her cheek as a tear rolled down. She made to wipe it away but a large tan hand beat her to the action. His hand cupped her cheek as his thumb swiped the wetness away causing his talon to lightly graze just below her eye. Yuri flinched back at the sudden contact.

"You're not going anywhere. You will stay where I can keep an eye on you." Hawks drew her head up forcing her to look him in the eye. Brown eyes locked with gold.

"You want me to stay?"

"Of course! I wouldn't want anyone else by my side in all this." Hawks curled his lips into a large grin as he gazed down at her, "I couldn't imagine any better than the gorgeous woman I have right in front of me." Yuri blushed.

"You can't possibly mean that," Yuri denied, her cheeks a light pink, "You'll be fine. It'll be like I was never even there."

"I don't want someone else!" Hawks took a step toward her, "I want you there."

"I don't understand. Why would you keep someone around that you don't trust?" Yuri stuttered, "Especially given the position I hold."

"Like I said, to keep an eye on you," Hawks said, "Besides you're doing this for me right? That counts for something. And something is telling me to trust you on that."

"Something is telling you?" Yuri questioned.

"Yeah, like a gut feeling."

"You are the strangest person I have ever met."

"Does that mean you'll stay?" Hawks smiled so brightly and genuinely, there was no way Yuri could say no.

Translations: Norwegian to English

Ja- Yes

Ser jeg virkelig japansk ut for ou - Do I really look Japanese to you?