Izuku sat at his desk, his knees to his chest and chin on his knees, his eyes drooped dangerously as he scrolled through the reel. He startled himself awake when his head fell suddenly. Shouto's soft breathing behind him made him look at the time in the bottom right corner.
2 am.
Shit. Izuku thought. It was way too late and he probably wasn't doing a good job at sorting the shots anyway. He glanced at Katsuki's eyes that stared piercingly down the lens and turned the monitor off. He climbed into bed beside Shouto and snuggled into him. Shouto's arms sleepily wrapped around him and he hummed softly as their bodies fit together. Izuku's eyes shut and he was asleep before he noticed.
The week flowed by and the photos from the days' photoshoots piled up. We really need an editor, Izuku thought. Every night, starting at 10 pm, he allotted time for Katsuki's shoots. They weren't due for another two weeks, but he wanted them to be perfect. It wouldn't take much, Katsuki's skin was perfect. He was perfect. But time was nonexistent.
Izuku flicked past the picture with Katsuki's middle finger center frame and his tongue pinching on his incisor. His gut lurched and ignored it.
"How were the shoots?" Shouto asked and balanced his chin atop Izuku's head. "I realised I haven't seen you at all this week to ask."
"They were great. He's a natural." Izuku said. "Not like with you, I had to tell you exactly how to move." Izuku laughed and Shouto sucked his teeth. Izuku looked up and smiled a wide, bright smile, Shouto leaned in for a kiss.
"You coming to bed before 2 am tonight?" Shouto asked and kissed his forehead.
"I can." Izuku said. He noticed a gleam in Shouto's eyes he hadn't seen in a while. They were so wrapped up in work and family that time between them was spent mostly cuddling and asleep. Shouto encircled Izuku's throat with his hand, softly. He tilted Izuku's chin up and kissed him slowly.
"Oh, I see how it is." Izuku said against Shouto's mouth.
"Come to bed." Shouto instructed. Izuku stood from his chair, their lips never leaving each other's. Wrapped in each other's arms, they dropped into bed.
Izuku watched as the upload counted to 100% and smiled sleepily. His whole body had a tender achiness about it and he had finally wrapped up Katsuki's portfolio. He hoped Ochako had no qualms with it and was semi happy for it to be over with. He had dreamed Katsuki more nights this past week than he was comfortable with.
It was always those piercing ruby eyes and the wetness of his tongue. Izuku shook his head and turned the monitor off. He climbed into bed beside Shouto and snuggled his face into Shouto's chest, inhaling his scent of spring and crystal pools. He drifted to sleep, and again, Katsuki was his visitor.
Now that he had time for himself again, not working overtime to push Katsuki's photos to its deadline, Izuku thought about returning to the gym. He and Shouto held a gym membership for a place nearby, their own apartment was too small for a whole room of gym things. Shouto used to remark on Izuku's weird obsession with muscle toning and building when they had dated and it had been a couple months since he had visited his meditative space. A couple months since their studio had built in popularity and time itself was disappearing before his eyes.
He dressed in his gym clothes and took a cool cycle in the early morning, coming to the gym and securing his bike to a stand. Izuku pushed at the door, looking down at his gym bag and the door didn't budge. He looked at the handle and tried again, it rocked but didn't open. He looked up at the door and a bright pink paper stated they had moved.
"You have to be fucking kidding me." Izuku muttered under his breath. He read further down and his stomach flipped when he saw the address. No, there's no way I'd see him there, Izuku thought. He released his bike and cycled toward the studio. The gym had moved opposite his studio, the one Katsuki had come from that one morning. The gym that didn't have a name yet because they had newly occupied the space.
What are the odds, Izuku thought as his stomach did little lurches that had nothing to do with the cracks in the road as his tires glided over them.
He secured his bike to the space outside his studio instead of by the gym and walked across the street. The gym's name was now proudly displayed across the front above the door and Izuku wondered how long it had been there. And how long he'd been a zombie to stop noticing things around him.
Izuku was unnecessarily nervous about trying his gym card to get in and sighed in relief when it worked. He smiled at the unfamiliar faces at the help stations and looked around quickly to find the changing rooms. He walked briskly to it and looked for a free locker space. Dropping his gym bag, he sat and secured his shoelaces. They had a knack for coming undone when he was at the gym. He must have fallen twice before in full view of other members.
"Still tripping over your shoelaces, Deku?" a sharp voice said from behind him. Izuku's stomach flipped and he almost felt nauseous. He stiffened and didn't look behind him. He heard a locker open, glanced on either side of him and they were alone.
"Do you live here?" Izuku asked.
"What kind of stupid fucking question is that?" Katsuki said. "I don't fucking live in the gym, idiot."
"I meant nearby. Not here." Izuku shot back. "You're the idiot." Izuku felt his face burn. He called Katsuki and idiot.
"You can't talk to me however anymore. Ochako said you sent the photos last night for review." Katsuki said.
"So that means you get to go back to bullying me, Kacchan?" Izuku asked. He was aware he was having this entire conversation with his back exposed to Katsuki, but he couldn't look at him. The air was filling with a smoked wood smell, like cider or burnt maple. Was that Katsuki?
Katsuki made a sound like sucking his teeth. Izuku felt relief unwind the knot in his stomach. No bullying.
"What are ya doing here anyway." Katsuki said. "Following me or something?"
"This is my gym!" Izuku said and swivelled in incredulity. He met Katsuki's eyes, he was leaning with one shoulder to his locker and his arms were folded across his chest. He was shimmering with sweat, and that smoked woody scent was definitely all Katsuki because it hit Izuku in the face full blast. Katsuki narrowed his eyes.
"I haven't seen you here in the two months I've been coming here." It was a seething observation. "Back to being obsessed with me." he muttered that under his breath but he knew he said it loud enough for Izuku to hear him.
"I was never obsessed with you, you egotistical jerk." Izuku said. His hands gripped the bench he was sitting on. "We shared the same idol and we wanted to be like him. I admired my friend . Also, I've had a membership here for years, but the gym moved. Not that I owe you an explanation. Plus your ass kept me busy for a month, and before that we had gotten busy"
"We ain't friends." Katsuki said. "And you still talk too much."
"I know." Izuku said. "But we were." Katsuki made a tch sound and turned his back to Izuku and pulled his tank off. Izuku watched his muscles ripple as he dug through the locker for a towel. He had seen Katsuki naked, but he felt heat rising in his chest and creeping up his neck.
He turned his back to Katsuki to hide his face, but mainly because he thought the conversation was over.
"You tried modellin' too?" Katsuki asked so quietly, Izuku thought he was hearing a voice in his head.
"Modelling?" Izuku asked. Katsuki made a sound in his throat and Izuku took that to mean he heard it out loud. "I did, but I can't shoot myself the way Mr Yagi does. I don't look like you."
"'S funny." Katsuki said. Izuku heard the locker click close behind him. He didn't look around. "You can take photos that I ca-" Izuku heard him suck in a breath and footsteps recede.
"Kacchan!" Izuku said and he looked around in time to see Katsuki's heel disappear toward the shower. Was he about to say he can't? Izuku wondered. Kacchan admitting he can't do something? Izuku felt the world spin for a second and he smiled.
"I guess you grew up a little." Izuku muttered.
"I can hear you muttering, nerd!" Katsuki's voice yelled, then the shower splashed and drowned out Izuku's chuckle.
Izuku pushed the idea of seeing Katsuki often out of his mind. He convinced himself it was a coincidence and that it couldn't be that bad. When he had finished his sets and returned to the locker room, Katsuki had long gone, the smokey smell dissipated. He cycled home slowly, his muscles sore from overuse for the first time in a couple months.
Shouto had laid out lunch across their table and smiled when Izuku met his eyes and shut the door.
"Yum! It smells great!" Izuku said, the aroma of sweet onion and broth filling the air.
"Sis sent some over." Shouto said with a smile. "She says hi."
"I'll message her thanks." Izuku said as he sat next to Shouto, their shoulders bumping comfortably.
"How was the gym?" Shouto asked.
"They moved!" Izuku said as he put some noodles into a bowl of broth.
"I hope it wasn't far. I saw the email they had sent, but I forgot to tell you." Shouto said.
"Oh man, they sent out an email and I missed that?" Izuku said after swallowing a mouthful of food. "I've been missing so much details lately."
"Well, to be fair. I said I didn't like the working overtime thing. You turn into Zombie Izuku and he's no fun." Shouto said and slurped some soba.
"Yea, well, I have time now. And we can probably get Iida to take up some editing duties, free my time up some more." Izuku said. "Probably get another person in to edit so I can focus on shooting."
"Like if you could give up editing completely!" Shouto said with a laugh.
"Hey, I can try." Izuku said bumping his shoulder into Shouto. "I miss the gym and doing things that aren't One for All studio related."
"I know, love." Shouto said. "Okay, we'll train Iida and find an editor." He looked at Izuku who shot him a bright smile. "Was the gym better at the new location?"
"It's by the studio!" Izuku said realising he had forgot to mention that part. "It's the new gym they opened in the building across the intersection."
"Oh, brilliant!" Shouto said. "You can gym after work if you can't do mornings."
"You know me so well." Izuku said and sipped at the light broth. He didn't know why he didn't mention Katsuki, it wasn't like he intended to hide it. It wasn't a big deal. He smiled at Shouto who had reached for a second serving of soba.