CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - BREAKFAST IN BED
Dabi stared at the ceiling above him. The room was dark, save for the faint light being filtered through his curtained windows, but he knew it was almost dawn. He wasn't sure how long he had been laying there, just like that, but he hadn't been able to get even a small wink of sleep so it felt like an eternity.
He had tossed and turned all night until finally he sighed in defeat and had given up trying to sleep at all, doomed to spend the hours mulling over what a shit show the last day of the weekend had been.
He wondered if Shigaraki was also experiencing the same insomnia considering how badly their plans with his family had backfired. He hadn't said a word on the way back to the dorms and when Dabi asked him to stay in his room, which was a more frequent occurrence than not, Shigaraki had turned him down. He was, understandably, upset.
On the other hand, Takami was probably sleeping like a baby after his - not so - helpful contribution to the whole dating and prom situation. He had tried to make light of the outcome and attempted to find a way to make it reasonable, chatting incessantly the whole car ride back to the dorms. Dabi had shut him up before Shigaraki had really clipped one of his wings.
So, all in all, the worst possible outcome from their Family dinner, this was not how he expected things to turn out. Right now, his parents - his entire family - were supposed to know about his relationship with Shigaraki and be happy that he finally found love. And Shigaraki was supposed to be sleeping in his bed, sated and relaxed after a night of equally happy fucking.
Dabi reached his arm out to his nightstand and blindly searched for his phone. He rubbed at his dry eyes as he brought the smart phone back to life and groaned when he read the time. It was a quarter to five. Too early to get up and start his day yet too late to coerce himself to sleep - which he didn't think he would be able to do anyway.
He frowned as he stared at his lock screen, no new messages, no missed calls and no voicemails.
He chewed on his lower lip as he swiped his thumb up the screen to unlock it and contemplated a text to his boyfriend with a blank message open, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. If Shigaraki was asleep, the text might wake him and if he wasn't asleep, well Dabi would worry if he read the message and didn't text him back - a completely possible scenario.
"Fuck."
He tossed his phone back to its spot on the nightstand and then resumed staring at the ceiling.
He wanted to see Shigaraki. He needed to know he was okay, if they were okay, and also wondered how much trouble he really was in. Maybe he could take Shigaraki out for an early breakfast, just the two of them, somewhere off school grounds. But could he really go to him without some kind of… peace offering?
A few minutes passed before Dabi finally forced himself to get out of bed. He quickly changed, resolved to make something of his morning.
It was quiet in the dorms, no one else was up that god damn early, so it was easy for him to slip outside without being bothered by anyone. The first thing he did when he hit the pavement was light up a cigarette, he needed the nicotine badly to clear his foggy head, and then next on his agenda was coffee and breakfast to go. There was a diner and convenience store located close to the school which catered to most of the UA students at random hours of the day 24/7, he could get there and back before the school returned to life for the day.
The round trip took all of 45 minutes, including the time it took to wait for breakfast to be made. He ordered the works - eggs with buttered toast, bacon and sausage, hash browns and a stack of blueberry pancakes - along with two of the largest coffees they had to offer to go. He also made a pit stop at the convenience store to get orange juice, and water. As he was paying for the drinks, he noticed the carousel of gift cards at the counter, one of which specifically stood out to him. He pulled a few off the hook and added them to his cart before checking out and making his way back to UA High.
He bypassed the hall that would take him to his row of dorm rooms and instead hit the elevator, pushing the glowing button to go up to the fourth floor. When he stepped out onto the floor, a wave of anxiousness washed over him, and his heart began to thump a little faster in his chest. Why was he so god damn nervous? Oh right, Shigaraki was mad at him, because, apparently, he was dating a girl on the side and taking her to their prom. Which was so far from the truth. Well, mostly…
Outside Shigaraki's door, he took a deep, calming breath and then knocked lightly. He stood back and waited for a moment, to give his boyfriend a chance to respond but only silence greeted him. There were no footsteps, no movement at all.
Dabi tried again and had the exact same result. Nothing.
Never one to give up so easily, he carefully deposited his bags down to the floor and then proceeded to break into Shigaraki's room. Which really wasn't all that difficult, the locks in the dorms were not high-tech at all. He had broken into his own room several times after accidentally locking himself out. It took a few jiggles and some careful turning until the lock clicked open.
He pushed open the door carefully. Inside it was dark and quiet, but he could still see that it was perfectly clean and organized - not one piece of clothing or item out of place. The room was purely Shigaraki, and he inhaled deeply his scent, letting it fill his senses. Dabi could never get enough of that smell. It was very comforting for him.
Suddenly remembering why he was there, Dabi turned to the graphite and white coloured tangle of sheets and blankets, spotting the little bit of light hair poking out.
"Tomura." He whispered his boyfriend's name, almost begging him to wake up - somewhat - naturally.
He didn't move of course so Dabi decided to take action into his own hands, gently of course. He placed the bags containing their breakfast on Shigaraki's desk and then padded quietly over to his bed.
"You awake?" He spoke softly as he crawled onto the bed and settled against his boyfriend's back, spooning him.
The blankets shuffled and Shigaraki groaned out at the disruption.
"I am now."
Dabi grinned and buried his face down into the crook of Shigaraki's neck, nuzzling against the sleep-warmed skin between soft kisses.
"I missed you last night." Dabi said, almost pouting, "Did you miss me?"
Finally, Shigaraki freed his arms from his blankets and turned slightly, well as much as he could with Dabi nestled against him.
"No."
"Hm." Dabi knew he probably should have felt dejected by that answer, but he just couldn't find it in him to be sad. Shigaraki looked so fucking good half-awake, his hair an endearing mess against the pillow.
"I probably deserve that." He added before dropping a quick kiss to his boyfriend's sleep flushed cheek.
"Yes." Shigaraki simply replied with a yawn. "Why are you waking me up?"
"I couldn't sleep." Dabi frowned a little, "And I wanted to see you."
"I can't see how that's my problem." Shigaraki huffed. "And how did you get into my room?"
Dabi chuckled softly. He was well within his right to be mad. For several reasons. Probably.
"I unlocked your door."
"You broke in?"
"Well… Kind of."
"Dabi." Shigaraki huffed again. "Don't do that."
"Sorry." Dabi grinned. "But I brought you something."
Shigaraki thought he looked so hopeful. And proud of himself. Despite how moody Shigaraki felt, he was a little curious.
"What?"
"Breakfast. You can have it in bed if you want." Dabi suggested.
There was a dip in the bed as Dabi got up. He retrieved the packages he had brought with him and then returned just as quickly. He held out one of the large coffees first, thinking that would be a good place to start.
With another yawn, Shigaraki shifted until he was sitting up. He rubbed his hands over his face as he accepted the coffee and Dabi took advantage of the small window of opportunity to kiss his boyfriend properly. Unfortunately, it didn't really go as planned. Shigaraki was not open to his affections and as soon as Dabi's lips met his, his boyfriend turned his cheek to him, and instead sipped his coffee.
"I got a bit of everything." Dabi said, trying to not sound too disappointed. He knew he deserved it but it didn't hurt any less. "I wasn't sure what you would want. I think I went a bit overboard but-
"What is this?" Shigaraki asked, interrupting his rambling. He was referring to the gift cards Dabi had purchased and tossed casually off to the side.
"Oh, you mentioned your PS Plus account was expiring. I saw these and thought of you." Dabi explained, gathering the Playstation gift cards up and handing them to Shigaraki. "I didn't know how much it costs to renew so I just got a bunch. You can use whatever is left over for a game or something."
Dabi half-smiled, and Shigaraki eyed him peculiarly before moving them to his nightstand. "Thanks."
"Of course." Dabi lifted his hand to Shigaraki's cheek and gently caressed the skin with his fingers. "You know that I would do anything for you, right?"
Shigaraki's brow furrowed and then he dropped his chin down to his chest. Dabi knew he didn't like getting gifts, but his reaction was still unusual.
"Is there something going on between you and Rumi?" He asked suddenly, without looking up from the cup in his hands. It wasn't an unreasonable question considering the rumors going around school and then the disastrous dinner they had been through.
"What?"
"Just don't lie to me."
Dabi stared at Shigaraki silently for a moment, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of anguish in his voice.
"I'm not-" Dabi started. He paused and took a breath, hoping to make his words seem as sincere as they were, "Tomura, there is nothing going on between Rumi and me. We are friends, but that's it."
Shigaraki lifted his head but his face didn't look any happier or more relieved than it was before hearing Dabi's honest confession.
"What is all this then?" Shigaraki asked, motioning towards all the takeout containers and the gift cards on his bedside stable.
"Breakfast? I wanted to apologize."
"Because you feel guilty."
"Of course I feel fucking guilty." Dabi said, his voice rising. "But not because I am lying to you about anything. I'm sorry, I fucked up. But I just didn't know how to… fix it. It all came out and I didn't know what-"
Shigaraki interrupted his rambling again, "Are you going to the prom with Rumi?"
"I don't know." He replied, and that was the God's honest truth.
Endeavor was now expecting Dabi to go to the prom with Rumi and he wanted to meet her. He had been so unusually excited about it too and had already requested pre-prom photos with the both of them, and Takami and Fuyumi at their house. But Rumi didn't know anything about those plans or about going to the prom with Dabi, it was all still theoretical.
What the hell was he going to do?
Shigaraki didn't ask any more questions and his face remained as impassive as always, his red eyes staring almost blankly at him. Dabi couldn't even begin to think what was going on in his head and he was especially perplexed when Shigaraki started to flip open some of the takeout boxes. He pushed them to the side until he found the one he wanted. Pancakes. He silently began to pick at the food.
"Are we okay?" Dabi asked after quietly watching his boyfriend eat for a moment.
"Yeah." Shigaraki replied, his words sounded flat. "Thanks for the food."
Dabi wasn't convinced, though he absolutely wanted to believe that everything was okay. He had to make it up to Shigaraki, and he would, but at that moment, he would take his word that they were good and enjoy their morning together.
"You're welcome." Dabi smiled and again brushed the side of his boyfriend's face with the palm of his hand, only this time he supplemented the touch with a kiss and then craving another, pressed his lips down against Shigaraki's forehead.