The Hero and the Damsel

Flowers

            I stayed in the hospital for a few days. Doctors came in and out checking on my bandages and on my legs. Nurses brought me food and other such things. They never stayed long enough to chat. At one point I was surprised to see the mother of the young boy I had saved come to my hospital room. She stood there, holding her son's hand tightly. As she entered, she bowed to me. "I wanted to thank you for saving my son."

I watched her and smiled gently at her and her child. "It was no problem. Someone had to do something." She nodded to me as her son went over to my bedside table and placed a flower on the table for me. I smiled at him as he took his mother's hand and left the room.

I had made a difference in someone's life. I had allowed another life to flourish. I was more just pleased that the child was okay. As I watched them leave, I turned my attention back to the book I was reading, enthralled in the world of the characters. A young woman, a daring swashbuckler, romance of the most mysterious and tempting – "Yamane!"

I jolted as I glanced up from my book. The familiar low bass of the superhero who had been coming to visit me regularly to ensure my health boomed through my hospital room. He grinned at me with his plastered and fake smile. I closed my book, setting it to the side, deciding that I would read of the romantic swashbuckling rogue at a later date and turn my attentions to this hero who insisted on speaking with me regularly. I sighed audibly for him to hear as I watched him take his usual seat next to my bed. "Hello All Might, what brings you here today?"

He continued to grin at me as he took in his surroundings and the emptiness of my room. "Simply checking on my recently rescued civilian who has yet to leave the hospital." He laughed with that boisterous and exuberant laugh of his. The one I had actual come to find rather annoying. I didn't like that he forced himself to laugh.

Nonetheless, I ignored it and watched him as he gazed around my room. "Right...and why exactly are you scanning my room All Might? Are you looking for something?"

He laughed again, grating on my nerves. "Not at all, just noticing that for someone such as you, you lack any color or gifts in this room."

I shrugged as I moved my book from my side to the bedside table. All Might watched me do this before he reached his hand out and took the book from me, placing it on the table and noticing the flower. "Ah! You have a flower, and what handsome suitor bestowed this upon you?"

I snorted with a laugh before coughing, much more gently than I had been. "God, it's not a suitor you idiot. The kid I tried to save gave it to me." I wiped a tear from my eye as I kept laughing.

All Might watched me carefully, his gaze focused upon me. Those piercing and brilliant blue eyes boring deep into my green ones. He spoke with a less booming voice, gentler, as though trying to keep his statement a secret. "You have a nice laugh. You don't smile or laugh much, do you?"

I was taken aback by his statement. I hadn't expected him to say anything of the sort to that effect. I blushed and covered my mouth, now becoming embarrassed as I felt heat in my cheeks. Great. I was blushing like a school girl in front of one of the most popular heroes at the current time. What was I? A fangirl? God. I tried to compose myself as I turned my gaze away from him and out the window. "Thanks..." I was attempting to hide my blush and most likely doing a horrendous job at it.

He continued to talk as he looked down at the flower. "You deserve that flower. You did save that boy. I've been doing some thinking on your 'reprimand' of me. Perhaps I did underestimate you. I didn't do it intentionally. I say you in danger, all I wanted was to help you stay safe. You...you staggered towards me and had I not caught you, you probably would have passed out and..."

He trailed off. I turned my focus back to him again. I staggered? "What do you mean I staggered towards you? I was pushing the boy to you. I wanted you to save him."

All Might nodded as he leaned back, crossed his massive, muscular arms, and closed his eyes. "Yes, you did, but then you staggered forward as if trying to follow me."

I didn't remember doing that. I guess I inhaled a lot of smoke, more than I hate thought. I analyzed him, taking in his appearance. He really was an attractive man. Certainly deserving of the attention he got. I wondered if that had a tendency to go to his head. He peeked his eyes open and smirked, playfully at me. "Yamane?"

I jolted, completely unaware he was looking at me. "Sorry. I was thinking to myself about how you are one of the most popular heroes and yet you are spending your time here talking to me. Any particular reason as to why?"

He went back into thought. Contemplating his answer most likely. After a moment or two he leaned forward to answer. "I enjoy talking to you Yamane. You have interesting thoughts. You aren't afraid to put me in my place." He laughed, that terrible fake laugh.

It was so annoying. So grating. I glared at me, which made him stop as he focused his blue eyes on me, his blonde hair resting after his pretend laughing fit. I could see him open his mouth to ask a question, but I cut in before he could. "Your laugh."

He seemed perplexed by my statement. "My...my laugh?"

I nodded with affirmation, but held aggression in my eyes as I stared into those blue crystal eyes of his. "Yes, your laugh. It's fake and annoying."

He dropped the guise, almost surprised and offended. He didn't seem to know what to say to me. He just sat there watching me before looking down, with...sadness? He could feel sadness. Well now I felt guilt. He shook his head. "Sorry, I laugh when I am afraid or nervous. It gives me fake confidence."

Well that was shocking. A hero feeling fear or nervousness. I reached a hand out to him, in a poor attempt to comfort him. I placed my hand on his massive shoulder. My hands small size demonstrating how much this man could dwarf me in height comparisons. "Sorry...I didn't mean to upset you All Might. It's just, I've heard that laugh you gave before when we first talked. I liked that one a lot better than this cheap one you're giving me now. What reason do you have to be nervous at the moment? You can't seriously be scared of girls, I'm sure you've been getting hounded by them constantly. Plenty of girls beckoning for your bedroom."

The next moment, I saw the most incredible thing. All Might immediately looked up at me, his bright blue eyes darting at me and then around as his sun-blessed complexion changed to bright red. I embarrassed him. He very quickly raised his hands and started waving them in a frantic attempt to quell confusion. "I-I-I never taken a woman to b-bed! I'm terrible around women! N-Not really m-my...skill. I-I never know what to say!" That boisterous and obnoxious laugh came back as he rubbed the back of his head, messing up his sun-golden locks.

I just watched him behave this way. This massive, giant superhero. Best of the best here in Japan, act like a complete and utter...dork. He was flustered, embarrassed. He was acting...small. I started laughing again as I watched him, he turned his attention to me and started laughing as well, a real laugh this time. He relaxed. He was human. If anything, I was underestimating his abilities to be a normal man.

As I wiped more tears from my eyes, I caught my breath and smiled up at him. "Forgive me All Might. It seems I underestimated you this time. I didn't think you were an actual man, and I never thought to treat you as one."

He didn't seem to mind, he simple smiled calmly and sweetly at me. "All is forgiven Yamane!" He placed his hand on my head as he looked down at me. I stared up at him with a blush dusting my cheeks. He merely smiled before removing his hand from atop my head and placing something on my bedside table. With that, he waved his farewells to me and dipped down to avoid hitting the top of the threshold. I watched him leave and close the door behind him before I leaned over the bed and grabbed the note he had left. It was crumpled, as if he had been messing with it frequently and grasping it firmly in his hand. It had one phrase one thing written on it in bolded, firm handwriting I could only guess was his. Yamane Ayano – Room 98 – Ask about flowers.