Soooo! This chapter will be a cute one (I hope) :3

For those who did not read chapter 92 and after, I tried to be as vague as possible as regards All Might predicament.

Thanks for the reviews, I hope you will enjoy this chapter :D

CHAPTER 4 – Smiles and comfort

Philae shuffled to the small sofa and sat down awkwardly. Her legs felt weak and made of jelly, and exhaustion seized her completely. She was always like that when her burst of emotions led to the summon of a dragon, for it was kind of a forced process that never failed to drain her of her energy. She bent forward and her shaky hands gripped her knees, her eyes cast downwards as she was waiting for the real scolding to come. She was no idiot, she knew she would be punished. She was always punished when she behaved badly.

Anubis trotted to her feet and rested his head on her hands, his black eyes and soft whine conveying his worry. She stroked his soft fur absent-mindedly, trying to suppress her anxiety. Aizawa made his way next to the sofa and his body plopped down on the floor, in a sleeping position. He looked determined to resume what he was undoubtedly doing before the wyvern had awoken him rudely. He closed his eyes and did not move anymore.

It was up to the blonde man to make the scolding, then.

Philae found him rummaging through the cupboard of a small kitchenette, putting a kettle full of water to heat with one hand, and searching for cups with the other. He made slow, calculated movements, as if not to tire himself too much. He then turned to her with the same kind, reassuring smile that said everything's alright, don't worry. She wished she could be so sure.

"I'm making herbal tea," he said, "would you like some?"

She hesitantly accepted and went to stand up to help him, uneasy with her idling, but he waved her off.

"No, no, let me do this, you look like you need to rest a bit."

So do you, she wanted to reply, thinking of his sunken eyes and frail body, but silencing her thoughts and leaning back in her seat. Infuriae's rude comments had been enough and she did not want to put fuel on this fire. So, she bit on her lower lip and forced herself to stay put, even though it bothered her to let him do everything.

The man finally sat down on a chair across her with two steaming cups of tea and, putting them on the small table between them and joining his hands on his lap, he looked up to gaze at her. He wanted to catch her eyes, but did not succeed. She avoided looking at him.

"I believe we were not introduced to each other yet," he began softly, his voice down so as not to bother Aizawa, who had seemingly fallen back asleep. "My name's Toshinori Yagi, but maybe you've known me as All Might, when I was still a hero."

So, he's really the blonde Hercules? Philae could hardly believe it. What happened to him, to be reduced to such a state?

Her head snapped up in surprise. The retired hero caught her incredulous look and elaborated.

"This is my true form," he said opening his arms wide. "As you can see, I'm not in my best shape. I heard you had arrived not so long ago in our world, so you may have not seen my last encounter with villains. Short story is, I cannot go on being a hero. I'm... too unfit for that, now."

Too unfit was an understatement, but the truth was that he did not want to wallow in self-pity just now. He was not the important individual here, at the moment.

He paused, then continued, "But I'm still a teacher, and in a few weeks I'll take care of your training for some time, if you accept, of course. Your classmates have an internship coming soon and it was agreed that, given your coming in too late for this, and having no experience whatsoever as an aspiring hero, you'll stay at U.A when the others will be away, and be under my supervision until class resumes. Aizawa will keep your Quirk in check and I'll help you follow a custom training programme, so that you're confident enough to use your Quirk in practical exercises with the class and take the rest of the curriculum in stride. Hopefully, incidents like tonight will never occur again."

Incident. This word sounded so derisive, so carefree, that Philae almost wanted to laugh. But the lump in her throat prevented her from doing so. She had behaved like a temperamental toddler. She should not have agreed to this. Who was she kidding? She did not even have basic control over her moods!

Unwanted memories flooded back, along with a deeply rooted anguish that her slip-up might cost her more than the teacher implied. Aizawa had looked way angrier. Her link with the dragons vibrated nervously. A wave of some sort came up the strong connection she shared with them, forcing some reason into her. She was safe, was she not? The blonde was trustful, right? He would not have been a hero if he was not. Still, Philae doubted he was accustomed to such foul language, and she was responsible for her creatures. That ought to be punished, right...?

The flash of guilt and self-deprecation in her eyes did not get unnoticed by Toshinori. He had got wind of her having immense powers, which she did not master yet. Naomasa had briefly explained her story to him, and mentioned a possible heavy background, too. Now, he could see that his new student had serious confidence issues, among other depressing, incomprehensible thoughts. She was almost trembling from fear, for God's sake! Did she truly believed he was going to yell at her, or worse? That was unacceptable.

The former hero sipped his tea and took a deep breath, showing his kindest smile.

"Please," he said as reassuringly as he could, "relax. Aizawa's back asleep, so he won't be a total gruff and scolding you anytime soon. I even think he's not that mad at you. He wouldn't have agreed to keep an eye on you if he had the slightest doubt you weren't promising."

"Th-that's not..." she stuttered, "well, yes, I expect to be p-punished, that's fine, but... I just don't think I'll be up to the task. Being a hero, I mean. That was stupid on my part for hoping the contrary."

"Eh? Why is that?" he asked, a little surprised.

Philae wanted to cry. She could not, she had to remain strong for Kai and her mission, but oh, how she wanted to. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes.

"I... you saw the fiasco for yourself. Infuriae's just insulted you and Professor Aizawa, and I couldn't stop him. I couldn't prevent him from summoning himself, from roaring at Bakugou, and I felt so helpless then..."

Her link, dormant since the wyvern had warped away, came back to life and shivered slightly in response to her upset state of mind. Toshinori hummed and bent slightly forward.

"Well, I must say your Quirk will need a lot of work. But you do have potential, and I don't doubt you'll be capable of handling things smoothly enough. Besides," he added in a tone he wanted to sound lighter, "he didn't harm anyone, did he?"

He realised too late it was a mistake to say that. He saw her grip her knees so hard they must hurt, and tears began falling silently down her cheeks. She bit back a sob.

How pathetic, Philae thought, with a voice that was not quite her own but that of a distant past, what a shameful, weak girl I am.

"No," she squeaked, "he didn't... I wouldn't have allowed it, I swear he wouldn't even dare. But... you don't know me, you didn't know what he could do, and thinking that the others could hate me... they would be right, if they did. But I'm... I'm so sorry!"

She blurted out a string of endless apologies, so engrossed in her anguish that she did not see Toshinori get up and bend over the table to approach her. She flinched almost imperceptibly when she felt his fingers brush her tears away gently, then lift her chin to meet his warm gaze.

His clear blue orbs conveyed so much kindness, so much understanding in them, with an intensity that only her brother or stepfather had ever directed to her. He did not look angered or impatient at her tears, merely concerned. He was waiting for her to gain back her composure, trying to help her with his own calm countenance. How could someone so fragile hold so much strength in himself, she could not fathom, but she could see what had made him a hero – and still did –.

Toshinori, for his part, noticed the way she almost shied away from his touch, as if some deeply ingrained instinct of hers had expected a blow and acted out of self-preservation. Maybe it was his imagination, maybe she was just intimidated by him, but he could not help feeling a familiar pang in his chest. He had the strange feeling that this was part of what Naomasa had meant with the term heavy background. He would have to determine what exactly the girl had experienced before she came here. But not now. Now, she needed to feel safe and trusted, and Toshinori would offer just that.

"I know he wouldn't have," he stated firmly, "otherwise, we would have intervened. The safety of our students is always top priority, never doubt that. But," he added with a confident smile, "we could see there was no danger. Except for young Bakugou's ears, that is, but I know he has quite the temper. Only his pride seemed wounded, anyway."

He stepped back and let out a forced chuckle, in an attempt to lighten the mood, but it turned into a coughing fit. Fortunately, he had time to shield his mouth with his hand, so that he would not spit blood on his student. Some scarlet drops trickled down his fingers, and he put his other hand under them to stop them from falling on the table. Shit!

Philae noticed his sudden movements and the blood. She jumped, worried, and looked frantically around for towels. She spotted some paper napkins next to the kettle, and nearly knocked the table over when she reached out for them. Anubis, disturbed in his sleep, jumped in surprise and ran to snuggle safely against Aizawa's mid-section, huffing and a little distraught.

Toshinori could only stare in disbelief as she fussed around him, focusing on not coughing again. It was difficult to remain calm. His eyes widened when she began to wet the napkins on the tip of her tongue and wiped away the blood from his chin with them, without even realising what she was doing.

He did his best not to blush, but failed miserably. Not many people had ever taken care of him like she did, and she did it without a second thought. She proceeded to clean his face meticulously, then went to throw the sullied napkins into the bin while he awkwardly washed his hands.

Once both had finished and resumed their places, Philae finally registered what had happened. Her face flared. My fudging gosh, was she one to act on impulse. She was about to bow so low she would bump her head on the floor, but the blonde interrupted her.

"Don't," he blurted hurriedly, "er, I mean, it's not necessary. I'm not offended. It's fine, really."

She found it hard to comply. She did not think she could look at him ever again. He tried to keep the conversation going.

"Sorry about that," he began sheepishly, "it's part of the reason why I cannot be All Might anymore. It's... frustrating, and embarrassing. Sorry you had to see that."

He was sorry? Philae blushed a new shade of red. This man was too considerate for his own good.

"No problem," she mumbled, "given what you had to hear earlier."

"Mh. I must say your wyvern speaks his mind quite freely, but I guess he's not exactly wrong..."

"Don't say that," she looked up forcefully, "power's not only in muscles. He had no right to judge you, when you're this..."

She fumbled with her words to find the right adjective. The blonde watched her, puzzled at her outburst, until she eventually let out the word "strong." He arched a brow and raised one of his thin arms.

"Strong?" he asked with a amused smile, pointing to his invisible biceps.

She nodded firmly.

"Yes. Strong. Maybe not in the way you think, but you cannot deny it. I know you know where your strength resides."

In your heart. She did not say it out loud, but she got the impression he understood.

His smile got more genuine.

"Well, thank you, I guess." A pause, during which he listened to Aizawa stir slightly in his deep sleep, then, "back to your wyvern, to conclude the summary of what happened, I can assure you he's not done anything harmful. If anything, his behaviour was... out of place. But as you're still a student in training, we'll consider you're not totally responsible of the way he addressed us. We'll let it pass, but just this once. And whatever Aizawa said," he concluded with a knowing look, "you won't be punished."

That last sentence, as the teacher had expected, echoed endlessly in Philae's head, as she let out a breath she did not know she was holding. She was not punished. She was not going to be punished. That was a blessing in itself.

Hope bubbled again in her chest. Her teacher believed she deserved a second chance. This meant she was trusted. He was going to help her. She was safe. Safe. It had been a while since she had felt this with any stranger. And if she thought about it, she had felt that way with Naomasa, even if he was from the police, and Nedzu, too. She was stupid to even have been thinking that she could be treated like she had been before.

She could not totally prevent her old ghosts from hovering over her thoughts and dreams, but this time, she will try her best not to let them get to her anymore.

She was safe. Full point. Fresh start.

"I... I won't let it happen again," she promised.

Toshinori nodded and decided to push a little further, just to be sure she would not doubt herself anytime soon. She needed that to be able to work on her Quirk. He wanted her to succeed.

"We know that. We also knew that you," he said pointing at her, "wouldn't have let your wyvern harm anyone, anyway. He cares about what you feels, despite his overly loud mouth. And I can see it in your eyes, that you already care deeply for the others, so he would not have made anything to contradict this. You got to the hospital because you wanted to protect a child, didn't you?"

Dazed, Philae could only nod. All Might hummed in satisfaction and poked her forehead.

"Then, you have everything in you to become a great hero. You just need to work on your Quirk, so that you don't scare us like you did tonight. We teachers are here to ensure that you reveal your full potential. The only thing needed for that, is your will. Do you want to be a hero? Do you want to master your Quirk to help people, to protect them?"

Did she? Philae did not know. She thought it would be fun, that it could be a way to make herself useful while she looked for a way to save her brother. But was it a career she could dream of, when her powers could destroy and kill?

She thought about the child under the rubble. She thought about the faces of her new classmates. She remembered the pained face of Kai, wriggling in suffering as his powers consumed his body little by little, when she could not do anything against it.

She remembered the cries, the helplessness, the vulnerability and guilt she had felt so long ago, when her home had been attacked and later when she had been strapped on the table of the lab. She had wanted to do something so badly, that her powerlessness had nearly driven her mad. And when she had done something, it had been a disaster. She still smelt the blood.

Toshinori observed her while she was debating with herself. She was like an open book to him, showing naked emotions he could easily relate to: guilt, grief, uncertainty, fear of herself. He knew she had seen the thin line between good and bad for herself, that she had experience with crossing it. It was written all over her.

He examined her further. Philae looked so young, despite the fact that her file indicated around a century of existence. She had long, brown hair cascading around her shoulders, a glowing, healthy tanned skin, and expressive brown eyes that at the moment were veiled by different, conflictual emotions. Her arms were bandaged, showing only a portion of a serpentine red tattoo slithering around her left forearm and up to the back of her elbow. She looked athletic, as if she had already undergone physical training in the past. Here and there, he caught glimpses of small old scars, drawing a strange pattern of a past he knew scarcely about. Apart from these, nothing gave the impression that she was any different from her classmates.

Had she really been born in the middle of the twentieth century? He hardly believed it. If her physical appearance and psyche were any indication, she was more around seventeen. Had she been artificially preserved? Did it have to do with her Quirk? What had she lived since then? What caused her to shudder at the mere thought of punishment, and panic at the mere view of needles?

What happened to her, really?, All Might wondered. All those questions bothered him. He was not a hero anymore, but habits die hard. He wanted to know, to try and lift this burden off her shoulders. He wanted to help her more than he could just now. Thinking that despite everything, he had to let her go with some nightmares clutching her, was frustrating. He almost groaned from irritation. But he had to make do for now, as he certainly could not resolve everything in the blink of an eye. This needed time. He hoped he had enough of it left to do something, really.

He shook his head imperceptibly. No, he would not think about that. In his head, Izuku's voice rang and reminded him that he had promised not to give up on life. He wanted to see his successor become a great hero, and if he could help it, he decided, he would also do everything to help all his students achieve their dreams.

Some time passed, during which he observed the succession of emotions on Philae's face. Then, slowly, steadily, determination bloomed over her features, and set her eyes alight with renewed vigour.

The retired hero smiled. There. He knew she could do it. He did not know her, and yet, he felt he could tell she was going to be a great person. He wanted to put his faith in her. There was a genuine, pure want to help others in her, that reminded him of young Midoriya. The thought made him chuckle inwardly. His students never ceased to make him wonder. The one in front of him, with all her mysteries and potential, now joined them on their way to greatness. The curious side of him was piqued. He could not die before he saw all of them fully grown up, now could he?

Philae had made her decision. She wanted to make sure her skills were put to good use, to the better good of others that did not possess such powers. That was why she had accepted the offer of Naomasa, she realised. That was why she was here. Yes, she wanted to be a hero, someone others could rely on. She wanted to be the kind of person her teacher was.

She locked eyes with Toshinori – All Might – again. She had only met him a few minutes ago, and yet, she had the feeling that she could trust him with her life. He was a hero still, despise what he seemed to believe. She wanted to make him see that. She wanted him to train her.

Her mind set, she took a long breath and said, "Thank you."

There was no need of further words. The blonde only nodded in return, his whole face beaming with relief.

"I take it you accept my humble help, then."

She nodded a little more energetically, her lips slowly curving into a grin of her own. Anubis sensed the change in his sleep, and his tail wagged against the sleeping bag. Both watched him, amused, and soon Philae's smile got as bright and warm as the sun, literally. Imperceptibly, her draconic link purred and sang in sync with her new state of mind. She radiated warmth, so much that Toshinori found himself drawn to the comforting sensation she emitted. How could she do that?

Philae picked up her cup and sipped her tea, her heart a little lighter. Satisfied to see that she looked more okay than before, but surprised to find that he already missed her radiant grin, the former hero did the same. He largely preferred when she smiled, like... Stop thinking about Midoriya, you old man!, he scolded himself. They fell into a comfortable silence, neither of them ready to stop the peace yet. Aizawa was sleeping soundly, his quiet breathing almost inaudible. Anubis was keeping him company, snoring softly, his ears twitching to sounds heard by him only.

After some time, her cup half empty, Philae finally spoke again.

"I should go," she announced, "you must be tired, and I've already taken too much of your time as it is..."

Toshinori did not think so, happy as he was to be of some use again, but he knew it was quite late, and he was going to regret it later if he did not get at least a few hours of sleep. So would his student, and he would hate being the reason she got dark circles under her eyes the next day. He nodded briefly, watching her get up, gulp down the last of her tea, and rinse her cup quickly. She hesitated a millisecond, then bowed and thanked him.

"Thank you, Professor All Might... for everything."

He waved and got up himself.

"Just All Might is fine. And don't mention it, that's my job."

Philae smiled.

"Have a good night, then."

She left without a sound. Anubis, sensing her departure, opened an eye and got up lazily. The small dog sniffed Aizawa's face, giving it a little lick, before he followed his mistress and disappeared into the corridor. The dark-haired teacher stirred in his sleep and groaned as his face got a little wet with dog slobber, but did not wake up. The door closed with a soft click.

Now alone with his passed out caterpillar of a colleague – for that too, the wyvern was quite right –, Toshinori rubbed his face sighing, and decided sleep sounded nice indeed.

I tried not to be too OOC ^^ and I promise it will not fall into Mary Sue if I can help it XD

Have a nice day!