BNHA: I am Reiji Toga

Reiji opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he noticed was the ray of light shining through the window. The second detail was her naked body pressed completely against his.

He sighed.

He turned his head slightly. Himiko was sleeping soundly, tangled up with him under the sheets. Her loose hair covered part of his face, her leg still draped over his, and her arm wrapped around his torso like a blanket.

He could feel the softness of her features against him, and now, unlike before, he wasn't bothered in the least by her presence.

"What time is it...?" He murmured softly. Looking out the window, things had dragged on yesterday due to his high regeneration and Himiko's stubbornness in not falling behind.

However, even with that extreme fatigue and the ache throughout his body, I don't need many hours of sleep to be at my best again. Many parts of his body hurt much less than the night before, and other new ones had more noticeable sensations.

He sat up slowly, careful not to wake her. He had practice: she had been acting so often in his bed. Still, the pain in his bandaged ribs didn't go unnoticed, even though he was feeling better than the day before.

He turned his head carefully, seeing the clock read 6:18 AM.

It was still early. But not so early that he wasn't worried.

"Reiji…" Himiko's sleepy voice made him turn around. He opened one eye, barely awake. "Are you awake yet?"

"Someone has to take care of the mess," he replied dryly, nodding at the obvious situation. In addition to their clothes scattered on the floor, many areas were stained with substances not quite appropriate for the given environment.

The night had been long, and at one point, the stretcher wasn't enough to test the limits of both hormonal teenagers.

It took her a couple of seconds to process. Then she looked down at her naked body, her chest covered by the sheet, and gave a sly smile, as if she'd finally fulfilled a whim or something.

"What does the mess matter? It doesn't bother me," she said, her mind still replaying every sensation she'd experienced the night before, completely forgetting about the current situation.

"That's not what I meant. I meant you're naked in a hospital bed that isn't yours, about to be discovered by some hysterical nurse."

"Ugh... way to ruin the morning magic," Himiko huffed, stretching under the sheets.

"Morning magic means there are no cameras in this room," Reiji replied playfully, slowly getting up. Things had happened so fast yesterday, and precisely because of the heat of the moment.

Thinking back, Reiji knew his actions had been quite reckless.

"You don't look like someone who'd been unconscious for a week," she said, sitting up with the sheet tangled. "It took me longer to catch my breath last night," she continued, unconcerned about the situation. She climbed back on top of Reiji's naked body.

"And once I'm fully recovered, it'll take you even longer," she said before Himiko buried her lips in his, her hands lightly running over his body. Before he realized what she was doing, he pulled away again. "But time will tell, so now's the time for you to go."

Himiko just tilted her head with a mischievous smile.

"You could at least pretend you don't want me to leave so quickly."

"I could," he replied, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "But you know that if they discover us, there's no way this will be understood as something... normal."

"And since when do we care about what seems normal?" she asked, tilting her head mischievously.

Reiji didn't respond. He just looked at her for a few seconds, with that expression of his that always seemed to gauge the situation as if it were a threat or just another variable. Finally, he sighed and took her by the waist to help her up.

"Come on, get up. You have to get dressed. If someone comes in and sees you like this, I'll be in more pain than just physical pain..."

Himiko sat down with the sheet still on her shoulders, letting the weight of the moment linger in the air.

"Don't worry, no one's coming in. They're busy in other rooms, and it's still too early anyway. Their shifts start at 7 am. Between 1 and 7, that's the time with the fewest staff," the girl blurted out casually, making Reiji feel a little confused by the information Himiko had given.

"You... You planned it quite a bit, didn't you?" Reiji asked, not moving from the edge of the bed, barely covered by the sheet.

Himiko turned around while buttoning one of her blouse buttons and winked at him.

"Planned? I don't know... maybe I researched schedules, doors without cameras, nurses who are easily distracted..."

Reiji let out a low laugh, somewhat tired but real.

"Himiko Toga... you're a potential emotional criminal."

"And you let yourself get caught!" she replied, crooning as she approached him again and poked him in the chest with a finger. "So that makes you an accomplice. Or a victim, depending on how you look at it."

"What if I say I was a hostage?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Then you should have screamed. Or at least called for backup. But you were too comfortable for that."

"Nah... it was too late for that," he replied, letting a faint smile cross his face. "Besides... you weren't that bad as a captor."

She leaned down until she was in front of his face, her nose barely touching his. Reiji's hands slid lightly down her body, resting gently on her hips.

"Are you that bad?"

"That's right. Maybe next time, you'll be much better," he said as they kissed again, but briefly and only as a goodbye.

They both stood like that for a moment, sharing the same air, until Himiko pulled away with a satisfied smile. Reiji sat up, his body still a little sore but already steady. Things had gone on too long, and it was finally time to return to harsh reality.

***

Reiji was already dressed in clean clothes that Himiko had brought him earlier, along with his parents. He feigned believable surprise when she entered the room with a worried expression, throwing herself at him as if they hadn't seen each other in days. Even his mother smiled tenderly at the devotion of his "big sister." He just let himself be hugged, without saying much, as always. No one suspected a thing.

The rest of the morning passed calmly. Shinso and Izuku had stopped by to see him, then his family, both with different faces. Midoriya was nervous, as if he wanted to conduct a secret interview. Shinso, on the other hand, left him only a bag of snacks and a scathing comment:

"You're still a problem even lying down."

But now in the afternoon, things were different. The infirmary was about to become a small improvised meeting area.

The door swung open, with no respect for the supposedly calm atmosphere. Kirishima entered first, with a smile so bright he seemed to forget they were in a hospital.

"Reiji! Dude! They told us you were awake. We had to come," he announced, followed closely by Kaminari, who was carrying a plastic bag of energy drinks and candy.

"We brought these for you, in case the IVs don't lift you enough," Kaminari joked, placing them on the nightstand. "Though with that face, I doubt you're suffering that much."

Reiji looked at them without moving much. Leaning against the pillow, still bandaged, he raised an eyebrow.

"You do know this is a medical room, right? Not a meeting place for sponsored parties."

"Uh, if you knew what they say out there..." Kirishima commented, pulling up a chair. "You took on that thing one-on-one, and you almost won!"

"I almost won?" Reiji repeated, with an eyebrow raised. Aizawa had told him a few details that helped his memory, but to say he almost won is a bit of an exaggeration. "I ended up unconscious. The only thing I won was a stay in this bed. It was Melissa who beat him."

"But you were there, man!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Although I must admit, that punch from Melissa was so brutal. It was like All Might himself had taken over!"

"At least everyone's okay..."

Kirishima laughed. "That's you! Always so practical. But really, among us, you're already something of a legend. You fought their boss, one of those creatures, recovered from a wound that would kill anyone, and you're still as normal as ever!"

Before Reiji could respond, a soft knocking was heard at the door. It slowly opened, revealing Tsuyu Asui, who walked in with her backpack half-zipped.

"Reiji…" he said simply, approaching with calm steps. "We're very worried."

He just nodded. Tsuyu placed something on the table, a cloth-wrapped box, and sat down without another word.

Almost immediately, Mina Ashido appeared, peeking cautiously.

"Can we come in?"

Kirishima gestured broadly with his arm. "Sure! Looks like this is turning into an official meeting."

Mina entered accompanied by Sero and Jiro, each carrying a bag or something. Jiro had his headphones wrapped around his neck.

"Can we come in?" Mina asked, smiling a little nervously.

Kirishima gestured broadly with his arm.

"Sure! This already looks like an official meeting."

"Sorry if it's too chaotic," Jiro murmured, placing a drink on the nightstand. "We just wanted to check on you."

"In one piece," Reiji replied. "More or less."

The group laughed softly. As if, despite the disaster, everyone had found a moment to breathe.

Just as the conversation was beginning to flow, the door opened again. Kinoko Komori appeared with a small vial in her hands, which she held with great care.

"Hi..." she said softly. "Uh... I brought this. It's symbolic, not medicinal... just a mushroom... well, decorative."

Reiji watched her with a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

"Thanks. It's... interesting."

And so, one by one his classmates began to arrive. Some with strange gifts, or with well-practiced apologies for having thrown an enemy in the face. But the atmosphere was quite lively, almost like a social gathering or something, where Reiji was the center of attention.

It's not as if he'd never been that in class anyway.

***

When the clock struck five o'clock, most of the students had already left. Some did so with gentle excuses, others with forced smiles. The nurse even poked her head out to remind them that visiting hours were over. Camie was the last to leave, blowing a kiss in the air before disappearing with an exaggerated wink.

Reiji was alone again. Or almost.

Not even five minutes had passed when the door opened with a soft click, without anyone knocking.

A figure wearing a cap and long coat entered with silent steps, closing it behind him. The coat shook for a second, revealing discreet red feathers that quickly retracted. Hawks took off his cap, revealing his most serious expression, the one he only wore when no one was looking.

"Nice fan club you've put together," he murmured as he settled into a chair next to the bed. "Even Kinoko brought you a mushroom. Do you know how hard it is to surpass that level of tenderness?"

Reiji didn't respond immediately. He was lying back, staring at the ceiling, as if assessing the air before speaking.

"Are you coming as a visitor or as an agent of the Commission?"

Hawks smiled. Not mockingly, but with a certain... melancholy.

"Today, I'm eating both. But don't worry, there's no lecture. I'm just stopping by to see if you're all right."

"All right isn't the word. But functional, yes." Reiji shifted his gaze to him. "It was a total disaster."

"You can't even say it, I read the report. It was a brutal fight," Hawks replied, shrugging as if he were talking about the weather, although his eyes said otherwise. They always did.

"I lost control, you know..." Reiji lowered his voice. "If it weren't for my system recognizing that thing as prey..."

He didn't finish the sentence. The air thickened for a second.

Hawks looked at him, without interrupting. His silence was odd, but deliberate.

"...it could have been any of them. If that thing didn't trigger my defensive instinct, if I didn't sense it as the enemy... I would have gone for blood. For the closest one." His jaw tightened. "What kind of hero is afraid of being the villain when it's all over?"

Hawks scratched the back of his neck and sighed in resignation.

"A real one, I suppose."

He leaned closer, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I can't say I know how you feel, since I don't have that problem myself. But I reckon if, even in that state, your system recognized the real threat as a danger, then it must mean something."

Reiji lowered his gaze.

"That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"Neither is the world, Reiji. And yet, we live day after day, searching for a purpose, something that makes us happy. Don't torment yourself so much over things you can't control. Besides, your suit worked to suppress you before you self-destructed."

Reiji nodded slowly, the last sentence sinking in his head. He didn't recall his suit ever activating its emergency system; Mei had undoubtedly saved him from doing anything worse, if that was the case.

Hawks sighed, lightening the burden with his carefree tone.

"Anyway. You're not alone, even if it sometimes feels like it. There are people watching your back. Even if you don't ask for it."

Hawks observed the heavy silence that followed. Then he sighed, softening his tone with a somewhat forced smile.

"Anyway. You're not alone, even if it sometimes feels like it. There are people watching your back. Even if you don't ask for it."

He stood up from the chair, stretching lazily, as if the conversation hadn't been a burden to them both.

"And speaking of which, I have some news to give you... straight from the Commission."

Reiji looked up with slight tension.

"Calm down. They're not threats, this time. But... officially, you're out of circulation. You've been discharged as an active agent. It's not a punishment, or so they say. Just... a temporary suspension. Until 'your physical and mental state is evaluated comprehensively.'" He made quotation marks with his fingers, imitating the robotic voice of some bureaucrat.

"For how long?"

"Undetermined. They'll be monitoring you from a distance. And I'm going to be part of it, so you can't hide."

"And what do they expect me to do in the meantime?"

"Live. Rest. Recover. Maybe pretend you're an ordinary student for a while."

Reiji looked away, all the agency he'd mustered dismantled in that instant.

Hawks, as if reading him, added:

"Listen... I know all of this makes you angry. But it's a pause. And if you don't use it to stabilize yourself, to love yourself, then everything you did will have been for nothing."

He leaned a little closer, his voice lower.

"And between us... they're afraid of you. They don't say it, but they feel it. And they respect it. What you did there, what you endured, not just anyone could."

Silence.

"So when you're ready, you'll come back. Not because they asked you to... but because you want to."

And before Reiji could answer, Hawks turned toward the door. He opened it and, just before leaving, said:

"Oh, and by the way... I don't know who's been here, but those walls are pretty dirty. Kind of odd for someone who said they weren't going to 'Fall in Love.'"

The door closed with a soft click.