4

Hawks ended up staying well into the night and almost until morning. He carefully tended to the blackened flesh around her neck before wrapping it in gauze. His eyes were dull again. Yuri didn't like this one bit. She wanted to help him not make things worse for him.

"Yuri, how long have you been covering for this?" Hawks asked as he wrapped her up in his arms. They laid on her couch with the TV quietly going on in the background with some TV show or other.

"How long?" Yuri hummed. Her body was so relaxed, and her brain was practically mush with the stress of the President's visit, and the care Hawks had given to her. "Since college? So, six years give or take. It was never consistent as the president always shifted the standards she wants me at." Yuri's voice died down as she slowly lulled to sleep. The sound of Hawks' heartbeat and the warmth of his body was too much for her healing body.

-With Hawks-

Hawks watched as his secretary fell asleep in his arms. She looked so vulnerable, being so unguarded as she slept. She was beautiful. His eyes hardened as he looked at the gauze around her neck. Once again, he had caused her pain, maybe even permanent damage if the burns were any consolation, and that didn't even begin to cover the mental damage from being tortured for so long. Six years. 6 years she has endured the pain caused by the Commission. Hawks swore as long as he was around she would never feel anything but happiness and peace.

Hawks let his eyes wander around the living room, taking in the sparse decorations and almost Spartan-like appearance the place had. Thinking back, didn't she call this 'the apartment' not home, Hawks thought as he continued to look around. The closer he looked at the place, the more it seemed like no one lived there. Like the person could up and leave, and no one would ever be the wiser. Hawks shook his head at the idea. Yuri was staying, and she would stay for him even if he had to beg. She was his, after all.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Hawks shook his head, frantically, "She is her own person." Using a few of his larger feathers, Hawks gently lifted Yuri up and floated her to the bedroom. Hawks tucked her in before coming deciding that now was as good as ever to take a look around. The last time Hawks had been here he had been too worried to really take a look around but now was the perfect opportunity. Where to start? He quietly made his way through the apartment looking for anything that could tell him what his secretary was involved in.

"There has to be something! Anything!" Hawks whispered to himself in frustration. There was nothing here. Not a single photo, bills, or any sort of evidence that someone actually lived here. There were no personal items anywhere. Hawks dug his way through the coat closet in the hallway, clearing away the meager items that could be found there but one box, in particular, caught his attention. It was a file box that appeared to be worn out like it had been handled a lot causing the edges to fray. Something felt wrong. Almost as if something was pushing him away from it. Hawks' hand reached to open it up fighting against every instinct that was welling up in him. He blinked. Once. Twice. A few more times. The box was gone. Had he been imagining the whole thing or was he going crazy and the box just disappeared right before him? Shit, he was getting nowhere with this.

Hawks let his wings take him up in the air as he jumped off Yuri's balcony. A few of his feathers wondering the area below him, helping as many as they could while he was airborne. The night air was cold as he flew further up. His secretary was something else but how was he to help her and for that to happen he needed to understand the situation better which he was slowly doing. The Commission was really something else. Whether it was good or bad only time would tell and he wasn't all that great at being patient.

Hawks swooped down into his office perhaps doing some digging would do him some good; although, this migraine that had begun to form was becoming troublesome. It was similar to the one he had at the festival.

"C'mon Keigo! We have to go!" A female voice called out to him.

"Where are we going?" Hawks asked.

"To get help! They'll kill us!" she said, "I want you to live!"

Hawks shook his head as the voice faded. It sounded so familiar but he couldn't for the life of him place it. He strode over to his desk when something glinting in the light caught his eye. Under the chair that was displaced in the center of the room was a hairpin. The very hairpin he had gifted to Yuri. Damn. This was so messed up.

-With Yuri-

Yuri let out a breath of relief as she heard Hawks leave. That had been way too close. Her back twitched and Yuri jumped when her bedside lamp hit the ground, shattering to pieces. It has been way too long since she had had to focus on putting illusions elsewhere. Yuri pushed herself out of bed and checked on her box. The box that could make or break everything she has strived for so far. All the evidence they had collected, personal photos, everything that made her a person, and to remind her of her past was in there. It was too soon to let him see it.

Yuri took her time walking to the agency. She could feel it in her gut that it was going to be an unreasonable day. The air seemed stale and cold as it swirled around her. Winter was reaching them fast and Yuri was dreading the dark winter ahead of her; however, it was through that darkness they might be able to fly under the radar. No one would be expecting a tail when there are freezing temperatures and snow on the ground. She would have to discuss this with Phoenix but she had a feeling he wouldn't protest too much seeing as they would need to do it at some point. Yuri shifted the dark turtleneck sweater as she prepared to enter the building. Thankfully, the weather was a good excuse to use clothing as a means for covering up the less savory parts of her job.

"Good morning, sunshine!~" Aiko sang, joyfully. "You ready for another busy day ahead of us?"

"How do you have so much energy?" Yuri groaned. "It's 7 o'clock in the morning."

"Someone didn't sleep at all. Had a certain someone over?" Aiko wiggled her eyebrows at her. Yuri sighed.

"No, sleep was just hard to come by."

"I'm sure it was with those wings next to you." Yuri rolled her eyes as she made her way up the stairs.

"There were no wings next to me, Aiko, nor was there any man next to me," Yuri droned, "Catch me up to speed."

"We have a multitude of requests from around the city that range from security details to a couple of school visits for a presentation. Most have requested a specific sidekick and most have been made aware that Hawks will not be taking any of them due to a very important mission," Aiko explained as she handed Yuri a small stack of forms. "No push back yet but the schools have shown their displeasure at not having the hero himself."

"What do they expect? He's the Number 2 hero now." Yuri thumbed through the different forms, her eyes scanning each page briefly. "Have we already assigned patrols?"

"Mockingbird and Jay are both taking turns leading the rookies."

"Good. Hopefully, we don't get too many attacks today. I know we're staffed but it feels like we always need more."

"Given the times, it's not that surprising. Villains are becoming bolder and it's hard to keep up with how many keep popping up."

"We'll make it through this. Keep on top of requests and make sure everyone has what they need to get through the day. I have a feeling I'll be leading the phones and any reports to go through today."

"Sounds like your normal routine!" Aiko winked at her. "Holler if you need anything." Yuri waved at the retreating woman before turning to her computer. It was going to be a long day.

A long day it was. The phones never stopped ringing. Between reporters and other requests from around the city, Yuri barely had time to catch her breath and before she knew it, the evening had arrived. Yuri sighed heavily as she hid her face in the crux of her arms. The phone was still ringing but thankfully the support staff had finally arrived. A sharp ting had her bringing her attention back. Another email to filter through. Yuri rolled her eyes as she opened the program.

From: Phoenix

To: Snow Angel

Subject: Meeting

N 12°11'34.40" W 19°38'11.98" ASAP

Why was everyone so demanding today? Yuri raked her hand through her now disheveled hair before pulling it back into a low ponytail. No time like the present. She finished her last few reports off before grabbing her coating and heading out.

A/N: Happy Holidays everyone! May your days be filled with joy and happiness!