CHAPTER FORTY-NINE - ADVICE AND ADVOCATES

~Shigaraki~

Shigaraki slammed his phone screen side down on the table and then buried his face into the palms of his hands. Dabi was calling him again, over and over the cheating bastard was jamming his phone with incessant calls and text messages which Shigaraki had and would continue to ignore. He wasn't ready to face Dabi yet, not over the phone or in person, and he was half inclined to destroy his cell, so he didn't have that temptation right at his fingertips. Nothing good would come out of a conversation with him right now. Nothing.

"Give me that." Kai demanded, reaching for Shigaraki's phone.

"Just fucking take it." Shigaraki grumbled, not even wanting to touch it again. Having Kai hold onto it for the unforeseeable future was a much better option than downright destroying it.

Kai frowned and slid the iPhone across the table towards him. He flipped it over and shook his head as he took a quick count of all the calls and messages Dabi had left. The kiss between him and Rumi was completely out now, shared throughout the entire third year and was gaining traction along with the condemning picture - which was being resent and reposted at an alarming rate. There was just no way for Shigaraki to get away from it unless he completely gave up his phone and isolated himself far from UA High.

Which was exactly what the two boys were attempting to do.

"You should eat something." Kai suggested, pushing Shigaraki's untouched plate of food closer to him.

Shigaraki sighed and dropped his hands away from his face, the dark bags under his eyes more apparent now thanks to a sleepless night and a wretched morning. He looked down at the once hot food and his stomach turned, he literally felt ill.

"What am I going to do?" Shigaraki said, ignoring Kai's recommendation to eat.

Food wasn't going to help him at that moment, all he could think about was what would happen next. He couldn't go back to school, not after the humiliation that Dabi and that photo had put him through. He was probably the laughingstock of the entire third year right now. And there was absolutely no way he was going back to the dorms where Dabi would surely be waiting for him.

He didn't want to confront any of that, but he had nowhere else to go.

"I have… something." Kai said, somewhat hesitantly.

He knew what he was about to say was ill-advised, and he shouldn't even be entertaining the invitation, but this was Shigaraki. They were… friends. Good friends. And he would do anything for Shigaraki even if that meant contravening his Grandfather's wishes for their privacy.

"What is it?" Shigaraki asked, his pretty red eyes watery and looking back at Kai dolefully.

Kai's eyes darted quickly around the little restaurant they were sitting in, making sure no one was within hearing range before he deemed it safe enough to speak.

"You can come to my house." He said softly and swiftly, like the very words might get him into a whole lot of trouble. He picked up his teacup and pressed the rim to his lips, still glancing about with paranoia.

Shigaraki lifted his chin abruptly, his back straightening out. "Your house?"

"Yeah." Kai nodded.

"What about your Grandfather? You said he didn't like visitors."

"He'll understand."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It'll be fine. Extenuating circumstances and all." Kai said, smiling genuinely. Surer of it now.

"I just need, like, the weekend. To think and sort some things out." Shigaraki explained, feeling like a small amount of weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Having a place to stay away from the dorms was huge, one of his biggest concerns was being stranded.

"You can stay as long as you want to or need to. Whatever. No big deal."

"Thanks." Shigaraki said, reaching over the table and touching Kai's forearm. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "I can't go back to that fucking school right now."

"I know. I don't want you to go back." He replied, not realizing what he was actually saying. His mouth, and his heart, were obviously thinking a lot faster than his head. He felt his cheeks flush, warm, and he cleared his throat before he added. "Until you're ready, I mean."

Shigaraki nodded and drew his hand back. Thankfully, he didn't seem to pick up on Kai's legitimate desire to keep Shigaraki to himself and away from UA High, and obviously away from Dabi too.

"Cool." Shigaraki nodded and finally for the first time that morning, smiled, just slightly, before his current heartache returned to his face.

Kai was just about to offer to call a car to take them to his house when Shigaraki's phone again began to vibrate violently against the table with an incoming call.

"Tch." Shigaraki scowled and scratched frantically at his neck. "Just turn it off."

Kai's brow pinched together in annoyance but when he looked down, he was surprised to see that it wasn't Dabi's name flashing across the screen. It was their teacher, and it looked like his personal phone number.

"Ah, Mr. Aizawa is calling you." Kai said, showing Shigaraki his phone. "Do you want to answer it?"

Shigaraki thought silently about it for a second, staring at the generic silhouetted image on the screen. He was probably going to be in a whole lot of trouble for playing hooky, especially on an exam day, but that was the least of his concerns at that moment.

"I don't know." Shigaraki said, reaching for his phone.

The call disconnected before he came to a decision and he chewed on his lower lip, wondering if talking to him would be helpful or harmful. He wasn't so sure, but Mr. Aizawa had shown him a whole lot of empathy recently so maybe he would understand. And he really was the only adult Shigaraki had in his life that he could talk to. Ignoring him might be a mistake. And maybe even more so, disrespectful.

"I think you should talk to him. At least to let him know what's going on." Kai offered, answering his wavering choice for him.

"You're right." Shigaraki said with a little sigh, pushing his chair out as he stood up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Shigaraki left the restaurant, with his phone clutched anxiously in his hand. He waited until the sidewalk was clear before he hit the little icon to connect him to his teacher. The phone rang only once before a deep, male voice responded on the other side of the line.

"Shigaraki."

"Hi."

"Where are you? Are you okay?"

Shigaraki didn't respond right away. Was Mr. Aizawa concerned because he hadn't shown up for school that day or did he know what was going on between him, Dabi and Rumi? He had to have known, right? The whole class knew.

"I'm… okay. I guess. I'm with Kai."

There was a brief pause of silence before Mr. Aizawa said anything further, like he was carefully contemplating his words.

"What's going on Shigaraki? Talk to me."

Shigaraki drew his phone away from his ear and took a deep, calming breath.

"I'm not coming back to school today. I can't." He said, his eyes closing tightly, stinging with unfallen tears.

"I'm not going to ask you to do that."

Shigaraki sniffled and vacantly kicked at some loose gravel on the ground. He didn't know how to respond to that, he was thankful that Mr. Aizawa seemed to comprehend what he was going through, but what he did know for certain now was that Mr. Aizawa had seen the photo evidence of Dabi's betrayal and of Shigaraki's indignity and that made him even more foolish - if that were even possible.

"I feel like a fucking idiot." Shigaraki sniveled, rubbing a hand roughly over his face.

"You have every right to be upset but you're not an… idiot. This is not your fault."

Shigaraki clamped his mouth shut. The next thing that came out of his mouth was either going to be a full-on breakdown or some obscene language that he knew his teacher did not care for. He was desperately trying to keep it together.

Sensing that his student was on the verge of an emotional collapse, Mr. Aizawa spoke again, hoping he could lessen some of his distress.

"Shigaraki, take tomorrow and the weekend. Get some rest. You'll feel all the better for it."

"Like I am going to be able to do that." More sniffling ensued.

"I don't expect you to neglect or discount what has happened to you because I know what you are going through is very… hard. But I want you to think selfishly for a change and not worry about anyone or anything else. Get some rest."

"You want me to think about myself?"

"Yes, of course I do. Shigaraki, I care about you and I don't want to see you go down a path that you cannot recover from just because of a…. troubled relationship. You need a break."

"I just… I don't know what to do." Shigaraki said sincerely, his voice quivering. Dabi was going to be everywhere Shigaraki was whether he wanted it that way or not. There was no getting away from it.

"No one can tell you what to do or how to feel. Just take this time I am giving you to really think about how you are going to move forward. One step at a time."

"One step at a time." Shigaraki repeated.

"I know it's difficult but you're not alone in this. You have your friends, and you have me. If you need any help or if you want to talk to someone, I am just a phone call away. Okay?"

"Okay." Shigaraki nodded, still sniffling, trying to hold back his tears.

"Shigaraki?"

"Mm?"

"Do you have somewhere to stay?"

"Yeah, with Kai. At his house."

"Good, good." Aizawa sighed with relief, or that was what it sounded like to Shigaraki. "Call me anytime, otherwise, I will see you on Monday. Remember, we are meeting with Juzo News that day, I don't want you to miss that. It's going to be good for you."

Fuck. Shigaraki thought silently. He did completely forget about that with all the shit that had happened throughout the week. How was he going to get through a whole day with only Takami as a buffer between him and Dabi? It was doomed to be a disaster.

"Shigaraki?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"I'm going to be there with you. It's going to be okay."

"What about… Dabi?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll handle him."

"How?"

"I have my ways."

Was that a joke? One corner of Shigaraki's mouth twitched up into a little grin. Talking to Mr. Aizawa had helped. A bit anyway. He felt better, calmer, and he was sure that in three days time he would be ready to face Dabi and UA High again. Maybe. That was still to be seen but he felt just a bit more confident now. His heart still hurt but that was not something he could control. He just needed some space and some time.

"So, Monday at six."

"Yes. I will see you there. Take care, okay? Call me if you need me."

"I will." Shigaraki said and then added. "Thanks."

The call ended and Shigaraki blew out a long, hard breath while simultaneously leaning back against the brick wall behind him. He only got a few seconds repose before his phone began to vibrate again in his hand.

"Tch." He didn't even bother to look at who it was calling him, he knew, and again chose to ignore it. Thankfully, Kai had made an appearance outside, looking for him, and was already asking for Shigaraki to hand it over.

"You good?" He asked, tucking Shigaraki's cell phone into his pocket, out of sight.

"Yeah."

'So, we're not in trouble?"

Shigaraki scoffed. "Nah. Mr. Aizawa was cool about it."

Kai grinned soberly. "Ready to get outta here?"

~Dabi~

For the entire thirty minutes Mr. Aizawa was away from the classroom Dabi had been busily spamming Shigaraki's phone, growing more and more anxious with each unanswered text and phone call. He even tried Kai a few times and when that got him nowhere, he completely gave up on that, knowing there was absolutely no chance Shigaraki's crush would want to speak to him. On a good day Kai was not his biggest admirer or supporter and on a bad day, like today, Kai would likely be spewing all kinds of bullshit about how Dabi was a cheater and a liar. Which was so far from the truth, if only Shigaraki would give him an opportunity to explain.

"Fuck!" Dabi screamed, close to throwing his phone against the blackboard at the front of the classroom.

"Calm down, Dabs." Takami snickered.

"Shut up." Dabi grumbled, knowing his best friend was right. He didn't want to admit it, because that was almost like accepting defeat, but he really was getting nowhere. He did need to calm down.

"Just give it a break already." Takami sneered, tired of Dabi's hysteria. "He probably just needs some space."

Dabi sighed and let his phone slip roughly from his hand onto his desk. He pushed his fingers back through his hair, his blunt nails scratching his scalp as he tried to come up with a game plan. However, being stuck in school and not knowing Shigaraki's current location was a big hindrance to that. What could he do besides send him texts and calling? He could ask Shigaraki to meet him somewhere, but he doubted that was a possibility.

Lost in thought, Dabi didn't notice when Mr. Aizawa returned to the classroom, it was only when their teacher addressed him by name did Dabi finally look up and acknowledge him.

'Dabi. Can I see you for a few minutes outside?"

Dabi swallowed and nodded his head as he got up to his feet. Instantly, the classroom was filled with whispers and quiet chatter.

Mr. Aizawa closed the door behind Dabi who immediately started to interrogate him with questions.

"Did you talk to Shigaraki?"

"Is he okay?"

"When is he coming back to school?"

Their teacher held up his hand and closed his eyes briefly to silence his student before speaking. He wouldn't usually allow himself to get involved in something so personal, however, Shigaraki did not have any parents, he didn't have a family to turn to, so Mr. Aizawa felt compelled, or even more so committed, to defend and protect Shigaraki.

"We are not going to talk about Shigaraki or your relationship with him."

"What? Why? Where is he?"

"I spoke to him. He is… safe. But he won't be coming back to school until after the weekend."

"But-"

"But nothing. Dabi, I am giving you a warning. You have single handily disturbed our class, put our exam schedule off pace and compromised another student's capability to be in school right now."

"I didn't-" Dabi started and then paused so he could reconsider his words. Being angry at Mr. Aizawa was not going to solve anything. "I didn't mean for this to happen. And I didn't take or share that photo with the class. How is this my fault?"

"I know that you didn't do any of this purposely but Dabi, actions have consequences. And I will not tolerate any further disruptions to our class. So that means, no more phones and no more gossip. You need to keep your head down and focus on your studies. The last thing I want is to have to get your parents involved."

"They don't need to get involved." Dabi shook his head.

"I am glad you said that. And I hope that means you can go back into the classroom, keep quiet and finish up your report without any further interruptions to the rest of the students."

"Yes." Dabi sighed, tipping his chin down and away, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to wait even longer to get in touch with his boyfriend. But how could he just stand by and watch the time tick by? He desperately wanted to talk to Shigaraki, he wanted to see him.

"Good. You can g-"

"Where is he?" Dabi interjected, frantic. He looked up at his teacher, eyes full of worry. If he just knew where Shigaraki was, maybe he could focus on school knowing he could go see him afterwards.

"That's not something you need to know." Mr. Aizawa said firmly. And noticing the look of absolute dread in Dabi's face added. "Dabi, I understand how you are feeling right now and trust me when I say this, Shigaraki is feeling it too. Maybe more so. But he is not ready to talk to you. He needs some time. Give him that and I am sure he will come around. Okay?"

Dabi nodded but kept his mouth shut, afraid of what would come out if he did. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry but mostly he just wanted Shigaraki. How could he be so stupid? All of this was his fault. It wasn't just the kiss either. If he had just told his parents that he was dating Shigaraki or corrected Takami when the idiot bird unexpectedly announced that Dabi was going to the prom with Rumi. None of this would have happened. But most importantly, he never should have put Shigaraki in the middle of it all. Dabi knew he wasn't okay with any of it even if he said he was. It was one bad decision after the other.

"Can you tell him…" Dabi started, pausing to swallow back a sob. "That I am sorry?"

Mr. Aizawa leveled an incredulous gaze at Dabi before a soft sigh blew past his lips. "Yes, I can do that."

Dabi half-grinned. "And that I love him?"

"Don't push your luck." Mr. Aizawa said, ushering Dabi back towards the classroom.