Chapter 20 Why am I on Fire? by Yojimbra

Oi, you're that Endeavour bloke, I 'eard so much about right? I have a wee bit of a proposition for a man of your talents, seein' as how you can control flames an' all. How 'bout some seasonal work? Aussie's Fire Force could always use some more backburners when the whole country turns into a barbie again, just say the word and we can get ya to Sydney before ya can even say g'day."

I stared at what looked like a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Irwin, and Crocodile Dundee, complete with a shark tooth cowboy hat and an open vest that showed off some abs that I could cook bacon on with how much oil he had on them. Of all the people I expected to see at the I-Island banquet dinner, this guy wasn't exactly on the top of the list. I stared at the man for a few more moments as I slowly processed what exactly he had just said in an accent I vaguely understood as english.

"Uhh." I blinked, probably one eye at a time, and then shrugged. "I'd have to ask my wife."

I glanced over my shoulder, still expecting to see Rei come through the doors. We had parted at about noon today; she had mentioned something about wanting to get a dress with Sarah, while I had hero duties with All Might to do. About half the heroes were in their costumes, while the other half were in suits.

I wore a suit.

The logic was simple: Rei saw me in my hero suit a lot, hell sometimes she ended up washing it for me, but she never saw me wearing a suit that fit this good. Seriously, I felt more powerful in this thing than I ever did wearing my spandex pajamas in public. And I couldn't wait to see how Rei looked in her dress.

"I getcha' I getcha', I couldn't even come here without bringing my own Sheila. Happy wife, happy life am I right? Well don'tcha worry there Bluey, if ya ever feel the need to come to the outback, just holler for ol' Boomerang Jack."

I blinked again, and then shrugged. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

That had to be the most stereotypically Australian hero name I had ever heard. And I might have absolutely loved everything about it.

I moved past Boomerang Jack and talked to a few more heroes, including a woman from Germany that I could barely understand who was apparently a phoenix, and was dating a pink-haired goth woman. I also spoke to a white and blue haired woman that looked like a little girl and apparently had a shark based quirk that really just liked to say 'a'. There were inventors and investors as well, but for the most part I kept my eyes on that door, waiting for Rei to come up and join the party.

Finally after my elbows felt like they had been rubbed raw from the amount of elbow rubbing I was forced to do, I saw Rei appear.

And she was worth the wait.

How many times could I fall in love with the same person? How many times could I fall in love with someone in a single glance? In less than a breath, she had made the entire world vanish around me so that she was all I could focus on. That ring felt like a burning star in my pocket, demanding that I put it on her finger now. The timid look on her face made her look even more beautiful.

Then.

Our eyes met.

And her smile made even my brightest flames look like a candle in the fog.

Her hair was straight, pulled back behind her shoulders and allowing her pure white locks to contrast with the sheer blackness of her dress. With open shoulders, exposed arms, and a plunging neckline that was just the right mix between modest and sexy, Rei's dress hugged her body tight, paying tribute to her curves while magnifying her petite frame. A slit in the dress gave a tantalizing peek at Rei's right leg from the knee down and showed off the black heels she was wearing.

Maybe history had a point about ankles.

The sight of Rei fast walking towards me, all but skipping, made my heart feel really funny. Suddenly I felt like a child wearing an ill-fitted suit demanding a sippy cup of the fizzy juice mom was drinking.

"Enji," Rei walked up to me, hands going for my collar as she made a slight adjustment purely because she could, "you'd look a lot more handsome if you picked your jaw up off the floor."

I snapped my mouth shut and smiled. I could feel my cheeks burning so much that I wondered if I had accidentally sat myself on fire again. Luckly, nothing was actually on fire, so I just looked at Rei, my heart pounding in my chest as she smiled up at me looking just so completely and utterly beautiful that I couldn't even speak.

But I had to.

I swallowed and forced myself to smile. "You look amazing, Rei."

Her smile brightened and she hugged me, pulling me down to pull herself up and whisper in my ear. "I wanted to make sure I looked good on your birthday. I'm glad you liked it."

I hugged her back lightly, before being reminded that we were in a public place as the flash of a camera drew my attention towards a reporter. Hopefully that didn't go viral or anything. Then again, apparently I was memeable as hell in Japan, so who knew?

But Rei didn't pay anyone else any mind. I might have been here because I was invited, but Rei was here purely for me.

And considering how we were both introverts, that was saying a lot.

"So, anything happen while I was gone?" Rei asked, grabbing onto one of the champagne flutes as a server passed by. This party felt rich as hell.

I shrugged and gestured at some of the heroes. "I got invited to fight fires in Australia, and had several confusing conversations with people I could barely understand, and also finally talked a guy into making me some new shoes. So overall it's been productive."

Rei hummed, "Are you sure you don't want to see about getting your hero costume updated?"

I shrugged. "Not especially, besides I don't really have an idea for a new design."

"Oh!" She took a drink, and slapped my chest a few times in excitement, "What if I design your costume, at least the concept stage of it? Would that work?"

"That'd be amazing, just don't make it too edgy."

"So pink with bunnies on it. Oh, and fuzzy slippers."

"That's how I roll."

The fact that we were at a party came up every few moments, brief reminders that we weren't alone as people came to talk to us, mostly Sarah, who was wearing a red dress that went with her blonde hair that had David staring at her the same way that I was staring at Rei. And a few times All Might, who was in his hero costume.

"Alright, my friend, I have a speech to give!" All Might clapped a hand on my shoulder and marched towards the stage with the kind of dignity that could only be had by someone unaware that they were wearing high tech pajamas.

"Good luck!"

All Might gave us a thumbs up without looking back.

"You know, I've been wondering," Rei leaned against me ever so slightly, finger on her lip, eyes half closed. "Has All Might ever dated anyone?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Maybe when he was younger, but I think he's afraid."

"Afraid?" Rei asked.

"Yeah," David nodded coming up to join us. "A relationship is the one thing that really scares All Might. He's worried that people might try to get him through her, he's also worried about his image if he's seen as anything other than All Might. He's dedicated his whole life towards bringing peace."

"Well that's stupid." Rei snorted, glaring at All Might.

How many of those champagne glasses had she had at this point?

"I mean, not the whole peace thing, that's great, but, he deserves his own happiness." Rei took another drink of champagne and gave a sour glare towards All Might then looked up at me with large pleading eyes. "Help me set him up."

"I…" I paused. I understood why All Might was afraid, right now All for One was out there, and the man would seek to destroy everything All Might loved. Once he was dealt with though, then maybe we could work on All Might opening up a bit. "Maybe in a few years, let some of the weight get lifted off his shoulders."

"I guess, but he's already a christmas cake."

"He's All Might."

"And to anyone that matters that won't matter."

"Damn, you're just laying down the wisdom huh?"

"Don't I always?"

David groaned. "Oh my, I think you two need to get a room."

I blinked, and looked towards the elevator. "That's actually not too bad of an idea. Rei, you done here?"

She downed her glass and placed it down before nodding. "I've been looking forward to this all night."

"What."

"Leaving."

I loved my wife.

"Huh?" David asked, his glasses nearly falling off his face. "Aren't you going to stick around for All Might's speech?"

"I wrote the speech."

Besides, All Might knew I was there for him in spirit.

Probably.

Regardless, I had something important I needed to do right now.

I had scouted this place out earlier, a hidden nook in the botanical gardens that took up the 80th floor of the central tower. Nestled at the very edge near some large glass windows was a row of floors that ranged from every kind of color in the world, and it was beyond private. The light here was low, with much of it coming from the city lights below and the moon above.

It might not be the most perfect place to propose, but it really did beat our bedroom.

A lump formed in my throat as I walked with Rei through the gardens, I could feel my nervousness spiking from time to time as I kept sneaking glances at her in that dress. "So, did you buy that dress or rent it?"

"Hmm," Rei hummed looking down at herself. "Are you asking that because you want me to wear it around the house?"

"Hey, it's not like we never go out, and if I get to see you wear that more often I'd probably try to go out more." I grabbed her by the waist and kissed her cheek. "Besides, we could even just have a fancy dinner at home.

Rei laughed, "You know all my buttons don't you, but yes, Sarah convinced me to buy it, I'm sure I'll find some excuse to wear it more often though."

"That's good." I paused, still holding onto her as I glanced out at the city through a field of multicolored flowers that despite their beauty were all used for some kind of an experiment. I took a breath. Grabbed the box that had been in my pocket all day and turned to look Rei right in the eyes.

She knew what was coming. She was smiling, blushing and trying so hard not to just start laughing about what was about to happen. I wouldn't even be mad if she did. Rei glanced from side to side, not finding another person on the entire floor with everyone lining up to hear All Might talk.

Which was perfect.

Time to ask my wife to marry me.

"Rei," I said slowly, pulling out the box and hearing her gasp the moment I opened the lid, hands flying to her mouth. She stomped her feet and let out a light squeal, her hands barely able to contain her smile. "I know this is a bit strange considering how we're already married, but, I want to be the one to ask you."

"Will you marry me?"

Rei nodded eagerly, letting out a few cute and excited noises as she extended a hand down towards me. "Yes. God yes. Enji, I just… Yes."

Seeing her be so happy over this was worth more than anything else in that moment. That smile, those tears, that blush, every look on her face was seared into my mind and etched into my very soul. I placed the ring on her finger and looked at it for a moment. It was official.

Rei was my wife.

"You have no idea how much I want to go tell everyone about this." Rei laughed and pushed a tear out of her eye. "I want to go brag to Sarah about this ring, I want to call my mom and scream, that I'm now happily married. Though she might already know."

"I was actually thinking about that." I smiled at her, still holding her hand as I stood up. "But, it'd be easy to just say that I asked to renew our vows, or, you know, actually say our vows, or umm, something, I really didn't think this through beyond just wanting to marry you super bad."

"Super bad, huh?" Rei pulled on my collar and dragged me into a kiss that had my toes curling. Rei pulled back all smiles and giggles. "Well, there's something I want from you super bad. So, why don't we head back to the hotel room?"

"The only reason I'm not picking you up and jetting us there right now is I don't want to ruin the dress. Or your hair."

"How romantic." She placed a hand on my chest and smiled. "But you're right, we should leave quietly."

XXXX

I sat on the edge of our hotel bed, the jacket of my suit resting on a chair while the tie had been pulled free and tossed somewhere on the floor. My shoes were scattered on the ground next to Rei's heels as I felt the still wet kisses she had placed on my cheeks. I stared at the washroom door that Rei had entered moments ago to freshen up. I still had no idea what that actually meant, but I was excited.

After a moment she appeared, looking just as gorgeous as she had when I first saw her tonight, though her hair was now a bit more wild and loose. She walked over to me with her hips swaying side to side, and ran a hand through her hair one last time. She placed a knee on the bed, and a hand on my cheek, luring me into another brief kiss.

"So, what did you want from me?" I asked, smiling at her feeling equal parts happy and dopey.

"Well," Rei let that word drip off her tongue like it was honey, "You know how I've been spending time with Sarah? And how she's rather pregnant?"

"Yeah-oh!"

Rei stood up, backing away from me and reaching behind her back to pull the straps of her dress over her head. The dress hit the floor, and Rei was in some very fancy underwear I don't remember her owning. They were black. She looked good in black. "I want another child."

That was when I discovered that going for a child meant sex. A lot of sex.