CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT - BOMBSHELL

~Shigaraki & Kai~

Kai stood in the common area of the Alliance Dorm, leaning casually into the back of a couch as he waited for Shigaraki. Ever since the prom committee had started meeting weekly in the mornings leading up to the date, Kai had gotten into the habit of waiting for his friend when he knew Dabi wasn't going to be around, then they would walk to school together.

Today, Shigaraki was running late. Which usually would have been a concern for Kai because Shigaraki was always very punctual, however, more recently, Shigaraki had become increasingly tardy, uninterested in getting to or making sure he was in class on time. Kai was convinced that it had something to do with the school year coming to an end, almost like Shigaraki was trying to delay the inevitable.

A few minutes passed before his friend finally made an appearance looking about as enthusiastic as Kai felt about going to school that day. Though, that wasn't saying much. He would've dropped out weeks ago if not for Shigaraki, he didn't care about finals or becoming a pro-hero like Shigaraki did, he just wanted to stay with his friend.

"Hey." He greeted, tucking his phone away as Shigaraki idled up to him. His friend had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head, hiding what Kai assumed to be a study hungover. He had probably been up all night again.

"Sorry I'm late." Shigaraki yawned out an apology though he remained impassive, like he didn't actually care that he was behind time.

"It's cool." Kai shrugged his shoulders, nonchalant, and then stooped to pick up his backpack. "I'm in no hurry."

"Mind if we make a quick pit-stop for coffee?"

Kai shook his head. "Good with me."

They started to walk, taking their usual route from the dorms towards the main school buildings. Kai liked to refer to it as the scenic route because they never just went from point A to point B. They made detours each and every time which usually led them to the cafeteria but sometimes Shigaraki just preferred to take it slow which didn't bother Kai at all. He enjoyed the alone time with his friend, walking, talking, nobody else around. It felt right.

"I am not ready for another exam today." Shigaraki complained, retrieving his coffee from the pick-up counter. It was extra-large, black, just enough to give him a much-needed wake-up jolt.

"You and me both." Kai agreed, stirring his latte. It was also the largest one they offered, with two additional shots of espresso. He clicked the lid into place before they once again began making their way towards their classroom.

"Why should I care about Math? Like seriously, converting radians to degrees is not going to help me become or be a pro-fucking-hero."

Kai chuckled softly. "All school is mostly bullshit you'll never use again."

"Yeah, right." Shigaraki blew out a breath and scratched absently at his neck. "You know what would be helpful? Combat training. Or even search and rescue. We should be doing more of that and less trigonometric functions. Like way less."

"Like none at all." Kai agreed.

Both boys shared a quiet laugh before they sighed. There was no easy way around passing their exams or avoiding certain subjects even if it did feel like useless information, they just had to get through it and hopefully never have to look at another equation or function ever again.

A few minutes passed in relative silence as they finally resolved to get to class. Their caffeine had started to kick in which improved their morning moods and they walked with more pep in their step; small talk replacing the negative chatter about school and exams. It was a comfortable closeness, a refreshing start to a day that both of the boys would usually be dreading. And perhaps they still were but having a friend by your side definitely made it easier.

"Oh my God. Look at this text from Takami." Shigaraki scowled as he tilted his phone towards Kai to show him.

"Is that from today?"

"Last night." Shigaraki shook his head. "Ever since we met with Juzo News he's been sending me links to his posts. To show me what I should be doing."

"Why?" Kai asked, baffled. Like Shigaraki, he wasn't really into content creation.

"The reporters suggested I set up my socials before the interview next week."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, because the idiot bird tagged me in a few of his videos or pictures or whatever and people were asking about me. Apparently. I don't know. But l am not posting this kind of shit."

Kai snorted a laugh. "Yeah, I don't blame you."

"Maybe I should block him. Problem solv-" Shigaraki's sentence cut off, his light and playful smirk instantly fading from his face. He froze, his blood running cold, like the temperature of the air had suddenly dropped, except it was chilling him from the inside out.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked when his friend stopped talking and walking suddenly. He was taken-aback at the look of absolute horror that had washed over him, his skin ghostly white. "Shigaraki?"

Without uttering a single word, Shigaraki took a few steps forward, faltering slightly, like he was trying to process what he was witnessing, and if what his brain was telling him was the truth. He hoped he was just misinterpreting the movement, the motion, and it wasn't actually happening. Right. In. Front. Of. Him. No. No. No. He blinked. Maybe he was hallucinating, and maybe the extra-large coffee after a sleepless night was a really poor choice.

"Kai?" Shigaraki whispered, so soft his friend barely made out his words. But those words were tight and laced with poison. "Please tell me I'm crazy."

"Wha…t?" Kai replied, his brows pulled together. He turned his head in the direction Shigaraki was looking and then sucked in a harsh breath, gasping audibly.

Shigaraki didn't need to hear him say it. It was as clear as day and his heart sank right down into his stomach. His coffee didn't fare much better and slipped from his now trembling hand, dropping heavily down to the ground, and spilling over the pavement in front of them.

"What the fuck." Shigaraki exclaimed. Up ahead, just outside the main school building, there was Dabi. With Rumi. And they were fucking kissing! There was no mistaking that.

Shigaraki slowly lifted his hands over his face, his eyes fluttering closed until the world went dark. But it didn't remove the image of Dabi leaning into their classmate, their lips locked, those familiar hands framing her waist. He shook his head in pure disbelief, trying to shake it out of his mind.

"Fucking asshole." Kai spat out whilst simultaneously reaching out to his friend as support. He gripped Shigaraki's forearm and without the slightest resistance managed to turn Shigaraki away from the moonlighting display. He wasn't sure what else to do.

"Oh my God." Shigaraki said, dropping his hands away from his face. "I am a fucking idiot." His breaths came heavier as the shock of what he just saw settled deeply into his mind. But that shock immediately started to morph into anger.

This was wrong. No. There was no way Dabi would do this to him. Dabi loved him. Didn't he? Shigaraki wanted to believe that this was all a big joke, a dream even, but the proof was right out in the open now, not just for Kai and him but for everyone to see. He wasn't crazy and in a split second completely shattered the confidence he had in Dabi and in their relationship.

"Hey." Kai consoled him, laying a hand on Shigaraki's shoulders, which were slumped over in defeat. "You're not an idiot."

"Fuck. Me." Shigaraki ground out, pushing his fingers into his hair beneath his hood. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth.

How could he be so naive? This was his fault; he had allowed this to happen by giving Dabi his blessing to ask her to the prom. But they were just supposed to be going to prom together, that's it. Dabi had promised him that nothing else was going on, that they were just friends. What a fucking lie! And God, the warning signs had all been there but because of stupid blind love he had chosen to trust Dabi.

How long had this been going on?

Suddenly, Shigaraki's vision blurred with tears and he angrily swiped them away with the back of his hands. He wouldn't let himself cry. He wasn't sad, he was mad! Dabi had fucking played him like a fiddle. Big time. And all it took was one moment, an instant, and his whole world came crashing down around him. He didn't know how to pick up and put those pieces back together either. He felt like a gullible fool.

Kai frowned. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it firsthand. And he questioned if this was Takami's doing, his plan all along. The rumors had worked, and the interference with the Todoroki family had been successful. But a kiss? How could or did he pull that one off?

There was no way Takami could convince Dabi to cheat on his boyfriend. As much as Kai disliked Dabi, he knew that Dabi did really love Shigaraki. That was more than obvious. So, was that kiss genuine? Was Dabi really sweet on Rumi? He had his doubts because none of it really added up. Either way, Kai did not feel good. Sure, all he ever wanted was Dabi out of the picture but not like this, he didn't want Shigaraki to go through this.

"You know what? We don't need to go to school today." He tugged Shigaraki back in the direction they had just come from, hoping some distance would help the situation. Shigaraki stumbled, like he had suddenly forgotten how to put one foot in front of the other, or maybe he was just numb. "Fuck it."

"I am going to kill him." Shigaraki breathed as Kai started to usher him away. He tried to turn back, his hands balling into fists at his sides, but Kai wouldn't allow it.

"You need to get out of here. Before you do something you might regret later." Kai quickly grabbed Shigaraki's hand, locking their fingers together so his friend wouldn't attempt to turn around.

Shigaraki didn't protest and he didn't argue. He said nothing as they walked hurriedly away. Kai looked quickly back over his shoulder, spotting Takami loitering by Dabi and Rumi and when he caught Kai's gaze, he offered him a tasteless wink and a curt wave. Kai sneered and then jerked his head away, focusing on getting Shigaraki off school rounds as fast as possible.

~Dabi & Takami~

"Well, that was sweet." Takami said, slapping Dabi firmly between his shoulder blades.

"Shut up." Dabi grumbled, rubbing anxiously at the back of his neck as he watched Rumi amble leisurely away, her hips swaying deliberately.

Takami whistled low, his appreciative gaze following every step. "Are you two dating now or what?"

Dabi frowned, shrugging his bag further up his shoulder. "What the fuck do you think?"

"Does it matter what I think? I mean, I know you are dating Shigaraki. But." The edges of Takami's mouth curled upwards, his golden eyes sparkling with impishness. "You two just kissed in front of the whole damn school. So." His words trailed off, leaving the implication open ended.

"Fuck." Dabi cursed and pushed past his best friend, storming towards their classroom. He could hear Takami's light steps right behind him, the sound of his shrewd chuckling following him.

"I wonder what Shigaraki would th-"

Dabi immediately reeled around, almost colliding into Takami who was walking much too close behind him. He lifted one finger in warning, cutting off Takami's derisive words.

"He is not going to think anything. And he is not going to hear it from you, or from anyone else."

Takami bit back a discerning grin. Little did Dabi know the shoe had already dropped. Shigaraki had witnessed Dabi's infidelity and was now in the ardent hands of his best friend Kai - who was probably spouting a whole lot of garbage about Dabi. Too late. Too bad. So sad.

"She kissed me!" Dabi said defensively when Takami didn't respond to his caution. "I just asked her to prom. That's all."

"Sure, okay Dabs." Takami laughed, shaking his head. "Look, I won't say a thing. But I can't guarantee anyone else will keep the same vow of silence."

Dabi sighed and placed his hands agitatedly against his hips. He knew he had fucked up.

"Whatever. I am going to tell him. As soon as I get to class." He took one last deep, calming breath before he turned back around and started walking again.

"Yeah, I doubt that." Takami said under his breath, so soft that Dabi couldn't hear. But he didn't need to be so quiet. Dabi was moving fast, eager to get to class so he could tell his boyfriend about the kiss with Rumi before someone else did. He was already pushing through the doors to the school building and turning down the hall towards their classroom before Takami had started moving at all.

"Ha. Too late, buddy." Takami chuckled to himself.

He let Dabi go, maintaining a leisurely walking pace and enjoying the calm before the storm he knew was coming. And the most brilliant part of it all? Dabi had created the upcoming hurricane all by himself. Takami was the mastermind, the creator, but all he had done was generate a few little rumors and inserted some cleverly placed words at the optimal time to get the ball rolling.

But Dabi. Oh Dabi, his best-friend had been the one to dig his own grave. He ignored the rumors; he didn't acknowledge his real relationship with Shigaraki to his family and ultimately, he had been the one that decided that he was actually going to take Rumi to the promi. After all that shit. The kiss was the icing on the cake and the cherry on top! Rumi had done him a huge favor, unwittingly of course, but she didn't know any better. Rumor had it that Shigaraki and Dabi had broken up already, so she probably thought there was more to it than just getting asked to the prom.

Takami stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and whistled jauntily as he traced Dabi's steps into the school building. He felt good. The sun was shining, and he was about to get his bestfriend back. All was good and right in the world. Finally, and only about a year later. But better late than never.

When Dabi entered the classroom, his tense blue gaze shot straight to the back of the room, to where Shigaraki would usually be sitting, however, his boyfriend was missing. As was the desk right in front where Kai usually sat. Instantly, he felt a sense of relief, that maybe they were just running late and hadn't gotten wind of… anything yet. He had time to make things right before they went way wrong.

Kurogiri was at his desk already though, flipping calmly through a book. He didn't look up or pay any mind when Dabi approached his desk, he simply turned a page and continued his reading.

"Yo."

"Dabi."

"Where's Shigaraki?"

"Not here." He replied without looking up from the pages.

"Obviously." Dabi stated, maybe with a little more agitation than necessary. "You didn't come to school with him today?"

"No, he wasn't ready this morning. Said he would walk with Kai later."

"Okay. Thanks." Dabi knocked on the edge of his desk and then headed back towards his spot at the front of the room, tossing his bag onto the floor beside his chair as he sat down - his eyes glued to the door.

Takami was the next student to come into the classroom, almost skipping happily to his place next to Dabi. As usual, he began to prattle on about this and that, but Dabi was not really listening. He kept glancing up at the door as student after student entered. No sign of his boyfriend or of Kai. And then, the bell rang.

"Fuck." Dabi cursed, checking his phone for the hundredth time. Shigaraki didn't say anything about not coming to school that day and if he was delayed, he would've at least let someone know.

Mr. Aizawa made his appearance shortly afterwards and closed the door behind him, expecting that all the students would be in their seats by now. Anyone that wasn't present would be forced to knock and explain their absence.

"Morning, class." He greeted, dropping his usual papers and books onto his desk before turning to face his students. "I see we are missing some faces today." He observed with disappointment. "Mr. Shirakumo?"

When Kuorgiri didn't respond, Mr. Aizawa tried again. "Kurogiri."

"Yes, sir?"

"Where is Shigaraki?" He asked. "And Kai?"

"I don't know. They said they were coming."

Aizawa leveled a weary gaze at his student before looking over at Dabi. "Dabi, any ideas?"

Dabi shook his head but didn't say a word. He didn't need to though. As if right on cue, the answer was about to present itself. Somewhat. Almost every single cell phone in their class simultaneously chimed with a text message.

Soft chatter immediately filled the room as all the students began retrieving their phones from their bags and their pockets and their purses until seconds later, a collective chorus of gasps could be heard.

"How weird." Takami said, feigning ignorance, like he had no idea what this was about. But oh, how he knew. He may or may not have snapped a picture of Dabi and Rumi smooching and asked some rando to anonymously spread it around the school. Just like he may or may not have started those rumors many months ago.

"Uh oh." Takami said, and then a trickle of soft laughter followed until it got louder and louder. "You are in the doghouse, my friend."

Dabi closed his eyes and breathed a quiet, "Fuck." Like he knew exactly what he would see when he opened up the message. And it was also the reason he did not touch his phone. "How bad is it?" He mumbled.

"See for yourself." Takami turned his screen over so Dabi could view the image he knew Dabi didn't want to see, but Takami really wanted him to witness his own destruction.

"Oh God." A dismal sigh immediately rushed past Dabi's lips and then a string of profanity followed it. He dropped his face into hands and shook his head. This was a hundred times worse than he expected.

"What is going on?" Mr. Aizawa asked, dumbfounded that whatever had just come in had managed to distract the entire class. "Anyone?"

Nobody volunteered the information, in fact, all the students went deadly silent. And Dabi could feel all those eyes on him without having to look up.

"Give me your phone." Mr. Aizawa demanded, holding his hand out to Takami who did not hesitate in relinquishing it. He was having his best day.

Mr. Aizawa looked at the photo on Takami's screen, his face static. He didn't acknowledge or deliver a speech about what he saw and how inappropriate it was, he simply handed the phone back to Takami and then turned away, promptly starting to explain what was on their agenda for their school day.

Dabi didn't know what to do and a sense of panic was starting to wash over him. There was no way he could just sit there and go on with his day knowing that Shigaraki had likely seen the image and was out there somewhere with the misconception that Dabi was cheating on him.

Without context, yeah, the photo looked bad, he would admit that, but it was all just a big misunderstanding. He didn't kiss Rumi; she had kissed him! Dabi needed to find Shigaraki, he needed to explain.

With a start, Dabi shot up out of his chair, the rubber feet screeching shrilly against the floor as he did. But he didn't get much further than that, Mr. Aizawa was on him like white on rice. Almost as if he expected Dabi to cause a commotion.

"Dabi, sit down." Mr. Aizawa requested a lot more level-headed than usual.

"I need to find Shi-"

"Sit down." Mr. Aizawa interjected, though his voice remained cool and calm and collected. "Everyone, take out your books, section thirteen."

"I need to talk to Shigaraki." Dabi continued to plead. "I just wan-"

"I will deal with Shigaraki."

Dabi teetered backwards, surprised by his teacher's composure considering the situation and the ongoing distractions to his class. It was a false coolness though. Even though Mr. Aizawa seemed calm and poised, his eyes told a different story. They held a level of disappointment, probably for Dabi, but even more clear was the concern highlighted in those dark orbs. He was worried about Shigaraki. And Dabi felt the full force of that because he too was worried about his boyfriend.

"Read chapters one through five. You have the next hour to study the text and then I want a one-page report describing the differences between justice and fairness in today's society. And please cite relevant examples from the course to elaborate on."

After Mr. Aizawa finished relaying his directions to the class, he lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch and sighed. "Takami?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I am going to be stepping out for a while. Please let me know if anyone misbehaves."

"You got it." He beamed, flashing his most winning smile. No further explanation was required. Takami was their class President so it was normal for him to have some responsibility put on his shoulders.

Aizawa nodded his head in thanks and then shifted his gaze over to Dabi. "You won't leave this room."

"But-"

"No but's. You won't even leave this chair." Aizawa affirmed, cutting him off. "We will talk about this when I get back."

Dabi sighed. He didn't argue, there was no point in that. Mr. Aizawa could stop anyone in their tracks if he wanted to, so instead, Dabi just nodded his head. Though he couldn't help the feeling of helplessness and anxiousness that came along with the resignation that he was not going to be able to see Shigaraki. He feared the longer he waited, the harder it would be to get through to his boyfriend.

Aizawa left the classroom shortly after. And as soon as the door shut behind him, Dabi whipped out his phone.

"What are you doing, Dabs?" Takami asked, grinning wickedly.

"Shut up." Dabi hissed, already calling his boyfriend. He tapped his fingers against his desk, nervous.

"As class President, I am going to have to report this."

"I said shut up."

The phone rang and rang with no answer. Dabi cursed and then hung up, choosing not to leave a voicemail when the beep sounded. He tried again but had the same maddening result.

"Fuck!"

"You know, maybe he needs some time. To like, process." Takami said in a way of offering some advice. "Plus, you don't even know if he saw the picture."

"Takami, I swear to God." Dabi shook his head and then opened up a new text, tapping out a message to Shigaraki. And then another. Neither of which yielded any response.

"It's going to be a long day for you, Dabs."