Izuku spent the Saturday combing through photos and edits to meet the Monday deadline. Shouto managed the paperwork and accounts. They shared the space in comfortable silence with Izuku asking Shouto's opinion on a couple edits he had been uncertain about. Izuku was pushing himself to do as much as he could before his full day shoot with Katsuki in the morning.
He climbed into bed at 3 am and snuggled into Shouto's chest who wrapped his arms around him and kissed Izuku's head sleepily.
6 am came too early. Izuku's entire body ached from his bad posture in his office chair while he worked on the photos. He did some stretches before he showered and pulled on a comfy tee and blue jeans. He grabbed his camera bag and stooped low over the bed.
"Hey babe, I'm off. Let me know how the family lunch goes." Izuku whispered and kissed Shouto on the cheek. Shouto lifted his hand sleepily and pulled Izuku back in for a peck on the lips. "See you later."
He got on his bicycle and cycled to the studio which was only 15 minutes away. It was early enough that the air was cool and Izuku didn't get sweaty along the way. The roads were clear too, so the wind felt fresh for city breeze. He locked his bike to the stand and entered the code at the door of the building, then slid the key in and opened the door. He left the sign on ' Closed ' and busied himself in the studio powering up the laptop and ensuring the lights worked.
He opened the blinds and light flooded in and bounced off the white backdrop. Izuku rubbed his eyes and he heard the door open. He looked up blearily and it was Katsuki.
"Hey." Izuku said and yawned.
"We gonna do this or not?" Katsuki asked.
"Yea?" Izuku said in confusion. He glanced at the desktop time. 6:55 am. "It's really early, what are you doing here?"
"My gym is over there," Katsuki gestured outside. "And I saw you arrive before I could start. I thought we could start this sooner so I can get this shit over with faster."
"Right," Izuku said. "That explains the-." Izuku stopped himself. Katsuki had on a bright red vest and very fitted pants and sneakers. "You know where the bathroom is, you can change."
"Aren't Todoroki's photos of him nude?" Katsuki said, looking down at Izuku where he sat, his chin resting on his knee. Izuku's face shone red.
"Yea, but you don't have to-" Izuku said, his hands held up to stop Katsuki who had already stripped his vest and was tugging at his pants.
"You idiot, Ochako wants what you did with Todoroki and I have to give her what she wants so I don't have to see your fucking face if she says 'this isn't what we wanted'." Katsuki said, his face contorted to the 18 year old Katsuki Izuku remembered well.
"Okay, Kacchan." Izuku said in defeat. He looked away when Katsuki dropped his boxers and walked to the set. Katsuki grabbed a stool from off the side and brought it to the backdrop. He glanced at the glass window where the blinds had rolled up. Izuku had made sure the building they rented their studio from came with reflective and privacy tinting so that his clients had their peace of mind. He knew Katsuki was an observant guy so he didn't address it out loud.
Izuku got off his chair and stood about ten feet from Katsuki's position and framed him up. The background glowed in a pastel yellow light from the morning sun, cutting the backdrop's white in half as the sun had risen to cast a 45 degree angle. Katsuki looked like a painting.
Izuku stared at the shot for a moment and he heard Katsuki suck at his teeth in a sharp click from his impatience.
"Sorry." Izuku mumbled. He took a step forward and Katsuki moved his hand. And with every other shutter click, Katsuki would move, and Izuku took gradual steps toward him. The anger that had existed in Katsuki's eyes yesterday weren't present today. The darker lighting and bloodlust from the shoot was a big contrast to Katsuki's softness and brightness in the morning sun. His features were sharp and angular in opposition to the brightness and softness of the reflected light that danced everywhere.
"Holy shit, Kacchan." Izuku said when he returned to the laptop to view a particular shot. "You're giving Shouto a run for his money."
"I'm a professional model, you nerd." Katsuki said. Izuku grinned. He hadn't heard Nerd like that in years and a rush of fond memories rushed back to him.
"Hey, what happened to you wanting to be a photographer like Yagi. You're only doing the modelling?" Izuku asked.
"Can I go get breakfast?" Katsuki asked. He had gotten off the stool and was already pulling on a sweatpants and tee.
"I ordered on my phone, it should be here in a bit. I assume you'd want eggs or something with pepper so I ordered some spicy omelettes."
"You remember what I eat?" Katsuki asked.
"I looked up to you!" Izuku said and spun in his chair to look at Katsuki who had sat on a little square seat meant for the set. "You're the reason I became a photographer! Well you and Mr. Yagi."
Katsuki stayed silent. He blinked and then dug his phone from his pocket and Izuku watched as he got lost in its contents. Izuku spun around to the laptop and started sorting what he could as they waited for food. Katsuki didn't say a word to Izuku as he ate his eggs. The light had faded now as the sun rose higher into the sky.
"What now, Deku?" Katsuki asked and threw his container into a bin.
"I'm going to cover you in glitter." Izuku said through a mouthful of his own eggs. Katsuki's face contorted into a snarl and his fists clenched. Izuku saw him take a deep breath and with some effort, Katsuki opened his mouth and kept his voice level.
"Do I need to take everything off again?" Izuku saw his jaw clench as he swallowed.
"You can leave the boxer briefs on." Izuku said. He realised he was enjoying the struggle of Katsuki having to calm himself and conduct himself normally.
"Are you still this angry in general or is it just me, Kacchan?" Izuku asked with a wide smile.
"Fuck you, nerd. Like if you have any power over my life!" Katsuki growled as he pulled his tee off and dropped his sweatpants. He pulled on briefs and looked at Izuku.
"Yea, stand there, on that mat." Izuku gestured to a bright red plastic mat that had a lip. "It's for when we cover models in paint or glitter and stuff, keeps mess from getting everywhere."
Izuku threw his container into the bin and grabbed a one pound bag of silver glitter that refracted rainbows under the studio lights.
"This is going to ruin my fucking week." Katsuki hissed under his breath.
"At least when you see one of these stuck to your skin or your clothes you'd think of our fun today!" Izuku said. His voice was half littered with sarcasm.
"Deku!" Katsuki growled. Izuku looked up at him and smiled. Don't let him bully you, Izuku thought on repeat in his head. "What the fuck are you smiling at?"
"I gotta lather you up, so the glitter sticks." Izuku smiled. He grabbed a tub of vaseline and held it up.
"Do not touch me." Katsuki said. He snatched the vaseline from his hands. "Where?"
"Everywhere." Izuku smiled. Katsuki's incisors showed in a silent snarl and he uncovered it. He slathered himself with the vaseline and Izuku watched. When his arms, neck, chest and face were shining, Izuku sat up.
"I have to do your back." Izuku said. He truly was getting a kick out of making Katsuki bend to his will without the repercussions. Katsuki's words were not painful anymore. He was happy with where he was and Katsuki could not bring him down. He watched as Katsuki struggled to agree to Izuku's hand on his bare skin and the eventual cave in.
Izuku pressed his fingers into the tub and then hesitated before he pressed a glob onto Katsuki's back. His muscles rippled on reception and Katsuki's neck muscles tensed. Izuku pressed his palms to his back and slid the vaseline across his skin all the way to his lower back. Izuku's eyes drifted to the dimples that nestled there.
"You done?" Katsuki asked. He didn't even look back at Izuku. His muscles had not relaxed.
"Yea, just the glitter now." Izuku said and he wiped his hands in a studio towel. He grabbed the bag of glitter and pinched a hole in the corner. He poured the glitter onto his body and the excess fell to the plastic mat below with the sound of light rain. It crossed Izuku's mind to command Katsuki to his knees to pour the glitter onto his face but he shook the thought from his head.
"I have to press this to your face with a brush, we don't want any in your eyes." Izuku said. Katsuki didn't move. Izuku placed his index finger to Katsuki's chin and pivoted his head as he needed to dab the glitter to his face carefully from the tip of a brush. Katsuki watched Izuku carefully with one eye open.
Izuku hadn't remembered how red they were. He knew they were red, but they shone like rubies. He blushed. Both of Katsuki's eyes were closed and he turned away quickly.
"Done!" Izuku said and he pinched his cheeks. Stop that, he scolded himself. "You can just sit on the floor." he instructed. He saw Katsuki from the corner of his eye shift to the backdrop that now was black. He directed studio lights without any dispersers directly at Katsuki's position. Izuku heaved a deep breath.
I can do this, Izuku convinced himself. It's just Kacchan.
He looked at Katsuki and he glimmered tiny rainbows. His disgruntled expression melted away when the camera lens met him. He shifted his chin up and out and slouched his shoulders as Izuku clicked away and drew in closer. Izuku looked for his anger in his expression and was pleased to not see it.
"You're beautiful," Izuku said as he looked at the little camera display screen. "Comb your hair off your face, hold your head." Izuku told him. Katsuki obliged, and even as he did what Izuku had said, his lines were inexplicably breathtaking as Izuku pressed the shutter button. He knew Katsuki was good, he didn't know he was this good.
"Just one more, and you can go shower." Izuku said, "I'll order lunch."
Izuku looked through the viewfinder and Katsuki lifted his middle finger and stuck his tongue out, his incisor indented his tongue and Izuku blushed.
"Yep! All done." Izuku scrambled back to the laptop and ducked his face behind the laptop screen. He hit the controls for the studio lights and the studio went dark until his eyes adjusted. The black backdrop always felt like a void when the lights turned off.
"Is Ochako coming today?" Izuku asked as Katsuki grabbed a towel from his bag and walked barefoot down the corridor to the bathroom. He didn't answer. Izuku ordered spicy ramen for Katsuki and a pork cutlet bowl for himself.
He thought that Shouto would be proud. He wasn't allowing Katsuki to bully him. Katsuki was still rude, but he wasn't hurting Izuku in any way. He couldn't. Izuku flipped through the reel and starred his favourites. Many of them were 4s and 5s. He groaned. It was going to be difficult to pick the best.
He was acutely aware of Katsuki in the shower just at the end of the corridor; washing the glitter off his body in what had to be hot water to melt the greasy vaseline off of his skin. He had tried successfully not to watch Katsuki's completely naked body this morning. But when it came to the detail shots, he did come close. Maybe he wouldn't tell Shouto he still admired Katsuki. That might come across the wrong way.
They ate their food in silence and when they were finished, it was 2 pm.
"Can you style your hair any other way?" Izuku asked Katsuki. He had actually reached out to run his fingers through his hair and Katsuki dodged him.
"What are you doing?" he yelled. "Do not tou -"
"Touch you," Izuku sighed, "Yea. Idiot." Izuku shook his head.
"No, the hair sticks up and you don't have a stylist here." Katsuki grumbled.
"You'd look great with an undercut." Izuku said, his back to Katsuki as he watched the last photo he had taken of Katsuki grin wickedly with a peek of his tongue and teeth.
"I won't be cutting anything until Ochako says otherwise." Katsuki said. "What do we do now?"
"Come here, I have to do your makeup." Izuku said.
"You what?" Katsuki said.
"Your foundation, I have to put this on you and some highlighter." Izuku said with his head buried in the makeup drawer.
"You know how to put on makeup?" Katsuki asked. He was annoyed and didn't hide it.
"I had to learn when we started. Couldn't afford a makeup artist." Izuku said.
"Of fucking course." Katsuki said. "I can do it myself, thanks."
"Oh! You can do your own makeup too!" Izuku said and a smile ripped across his face. "Of course Kacchan knows."
"I had to learn too, in the earlies. Couldn't afford a makeup artist either." Katsuki said. He turned to a small mirror and he sponged foundation on and then some highlighter. "You didn't want me to do anything else? I'll look like a ghost."
"The lighting is gonna be good and most shots would be black and white anyway." Izuku said. He busied himself with the lights and diffusers as Katsuki finished brushing on the highlights. He pulled out some of Shouto's clothes he suspected would fit Katsuki's frame and laid them out in the order he wanted Katsuki to wear them. Katsuki again hid his disdain for being ordered around very well.
And Izuku made sure to give him plenty of orders.
