*Izuku*

Once Izuku had made it back inside, he plugged the SD card into his port and waited patiently for his computer to boot up. Shouto was out.

He wasn't sure if he needed to punch something, fuck something, or sleep. He settled on studying the five frames they had taken. He didn't like any of them, his eyes looked scared. Izuku stroked his own hair, enjoying the shortness of it against his skin. He liked his hair and his face certainly had improved.

But he groaned because his body wasn't doing what he thought it was doing. He saw where his face had not captured the light and he could have tilted his head more. He had to work past Katsuki being there if he wanted his help. But he didn't actually want Katsuki to be there and that frustrated Izuku, he wanted the man's experience without him being physically present.

If there was only a way to learn by osmosis.

A sudden idea popped into Izuku's head. He would actually imitate Katsuki's photos that he had done for him. Copy directly the lighting and the pose and by doing exactly what Katsuki was doing, he would be able to do the same. Right? Izuku thought.

He pulled the photos he thought were doable from Katsuki's session and mindlessly clicked through them. When he heard the front door, he closed everything quickly and moved to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Shouto joined him, touching Izuku's waist and looking at him in the mirror.

"Had a good day?" Shouto said, meeting Izuku's green eyes. He smiled his soft, small smile and Izuku could see he was tired.

"I did. Did you have another Todoroki Board meeting?" Izuku asked. Shouto nodded. He started unbuttoning his shirt, Izuku assumed he had discarded his tie somewhere in the bedroom already. "Do you want to shower? Or I can run you a warm bath."

"Mmm." Shouto said. He came up behind Izuku and wrapped his arms around him, bending his chin so that it touched his shoulder. He took a deep breath, the sound of it tickling Izuku's ear. Shouto was always so much taller than Izuku that his hugs made him feel like he was drowning, and he loved it.

"I need to sleep." Shouto said. "But I'll take a quick shower."

Izuku turned around and helped undress Shouto, leaving the clothes in a pile on the floor. He knew he'd get it later, in the morning maybe. He didn't even remember what day it was, Izuku was exhausted too. He turned the shower on to a warm, soothing temperature and gestured for Shouto to get in as he stripped.

Izuku had a vague memory of helping Shouto soap with the help of a loofa and they both ducked their head under the shower's stream, letting the water seep to their scalps as they held each other close.

The sound of water and their breathing filled Izuku's ears and he felt like he could sleep right then and there. When their bodies felt too heavy to hold up, Izuku kissed Shouto's wet neck and turned to take off the shower.

"Let's get you to bed." Izuku said. He towelled them dry and pulled on a clean pair of boxers. Shouto followed suit and they climbed into bed, exhausted, warm, and ready to sleep.

Izuku didn't know how many hours he got to sleep, but he woke the next morning feeling completely unrested. Everything ached, even his mind. It wasn't like a headache, but like a fog that didn't want to be blown away.

The day passed in a blur, and Izuku had forgotten his plan to imitate Katsuki altogether. Did they make plans to meet again? Izuku couldn't remember. He couldn't deal with it anyway, he didn't have the mental energy. He wasn't ready. He'd just go home after the work day and hope Katsuki wouldn't show up.

Izuku had the foresight to take a taxi to work that morning, so he planned to take a taxi home as well. He was happy to not have to physically exert himself. His phone buzzed in his pocket just as he locked the studio door and turned to look for his car.

"It must be my ride." Izuku said, digging for his phone in his pocket. It was Shouto.

'Hey, what time will you be home today?'
-Todo

'I'm on my way right now.'
-Izuku

"Wonder what that's about." Izuku mumbled as he closed WhatsApp and opened the taxi app. The car was on the corner by the gym and Izuku crossed the road to get into it, hoping he wouldn't see spikey blond hair or burning red eyes anywhere. He didn't. When he got into the safety of the car, relief washed over him and he closed his eyes as the car drove him home.

In what felt like two minutes, the driver pulled to an abrupt stop. Izuku opened his eyes to see the steps leading up to their apartment and groaned.

"Thanks, have a good day." Izuku groaned as he tried to pry himself from the back seat. By the time he had jingled his keys and tried carefully to put the key in without dropping it, he remembered Shouto's message.

His hand froze, he dropped the key, and his mind went into a full blown panic. He was suddenly wide awake. He bent to pick the keys up and almost fell over when the door open and he saw Shouto's knees at his eye level.

"What are you doing down there?" Shouto laughed.

"Dropped the keys." Izuku said with a nervous pass of his hand through his hair. He stood up and tried not to wobble.

"You're home so early today, which is great." Shouto said.

"Oh yea?" Izuku said. He wondered if he had hid the photos of Katsuki he was putting together last night before Shouto got home. Then he remembered it was all professional interest and he swatted at his own guilt like a fly. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was learning to model.

"Yea. Come, sit." Shouto said. He gestured to the table and take-out was neatly placed onto plates with a tall glass of pink wine accompanying it.

"I-" Izuku said in confusion. He wasn't sure what was happening.

"Oh! Did you want to shower first?" Shouto said, his hands up in an awkward waving motion. "I wasn't thinking, I'm just excited."

"No, I'm just confused. I don't know what's happening." Izuku said. His hand flew to his head again and he dropped it when he realised it was becoming a habit. He got to the chair and looked at the food, it was a red curry that Shouto recently started liking and eating a lot of.

Shouto took his place as well, excitement on every inch of his face.

"Should I just say it, or do you want to eat first?" Shouto said.

Izuku had lost any appetite, nerves completely knotted his stomach.

"Just tell me." Izuku said. He felt a looming doom type of shadow sink in around him. The opposite of Shouto's delighted face.

"The Todoroki board has decided we need to expand One for All." Shouto said in a rushed breath.

Izuku choked on air and started coughing to clear his throat. Shouto's face went from glee to panic as he rose to his feet to get to Izuku to begin thumping on his back.. Izuku raised his arm as he gasped for breath and looked up at Shouto with watering eyes.

"I'm- cough- okay." Izuku said. He grabbed the rose and gulped it back, soothing the itchy part of his throat that had tried to kill him.

"I'll get some water." Shouto said. Izuku felt him disappear from his side and he returned with a glass of water that he lay on the table. Izuku didn't touch it but he steadied his breathing and stared at the glass as water beaded on the cold surface.

After what felt like minutes, and Izuku wished it would go on forever, Shouto made a nervous noise with his throat.

"Mido?" Shouto said. His voice shook a little. Izuku was pleased that at least Shouto knew when he was mad, or angry, or whatever this emotion was.

"Shouto." Izuku said. He didn't know where his venom was coming from. Maybe he spent too much time with Katsuki. Izuku swallowed that thought and looked up, angry anyway. It was his own anger.

"You- what do you think?" Shouto said. His hands were on the table, his fingers fiddled with the plastic fork and the edge of the placemat.

"I don't think we need another studio." Izuku said flatly. He kept his eyes steadily on Shouto's, dead and serious.

"But, it means we're doing really well and we could make more money!" Shouto said gently. He was using his 'logical' tone of voice to plead.

"Since when are we in this for the money, Shouto?" Izuku said. Shouto's eyes widened, like he couldn't believe the words coming from Izuku's mouth.

"My family trusted us to turn their investment into a profit!" Shouto said. He didn't hide his disbelief and Izuku felt bile rise in his throat.

"Oh!" Izuku said, his anger bubbling now to an explosive boil. "So, when you told me this was a no strings attached, us, our future together plan, that meant I was tied to your family and I was just dumb enough to believe you?"

Shouto exhaled sharply and clenched his jaw, Izuku's words stung him. The food stared innocently from their plates up at the two seething men above them, forgotten. Izuku eyed the bottle of rose and thought better of it.

"I thought you'd be happy." Shouto said, so soft that Izuku strained to hear it over the blood that thumped in his ears. "I thought you wanted to be the greatest photographer in the world, like Yagi."

"I want to be the best, Shouto. But when did being the best mean I have to also be fucking rich?" Izuku seethed. His mind was racing. Weren't they on the same train about their business plans? When did they split apart? What made Shouto ever think Izuku wanted more money?

"It-" Shouto stuttered, stopping himself so he could compose the words. He struggled and Izuku continued.

"I want All for One to stay as is, that's non-negotiable. What happens if we get a second place? Then a third, a fourth? We rake in money and then I get to retire at the ripe old age of 30?" Izuku said. It was a ridiculous thought. There was no logical reason to convince Izuku to change their life from the way it was now. All he wanted to do was learn to model. That was his one goal. And Shouto was ruining it.

"No, you get to focus on doing projects you want to do." Shouto said. Izuku replayed the words in his mind. Yes, of course, it would give him time to work on projects he wanted to do, but then he wouldn't have people coming to him with their ideas, so how would he get to work on them? Izuku didn't do well with free time.

"I like what I'm doing now." Izuku said. He thought about it and he knew it was true. He liked how involved he was with everything that was happening right now, in the studio, one on one with clients. "I like having my small team of people and working on these amazing projects with people who genuinely like our studio."

"We have to do this before we lose the momentum that- him- that he gave us. We need to use the exposure." Shouto said with insistent gestures at nothing.

"Kacchan?" Izuku asked. He was lost. What did Katsuki have to do with anything?

"Ugh! Are you a child? You don't know him! How can you still call him that and he's still a fucking monster." Shouto said.

"A monster you seem to have no problem using to do whatever it is your family thinks will make them more money." Izuku said. He folded his arms and his heart thumped painfully against his forearms.

"He's beside the point. So what if we use him? Can't we just do this, it could be good for us, for you." Shouto said.

"What we have is good for me." Izuku said. He clenched his hands into painful fists where they were buried, then he let go and flexed his fingers. He took a deep breath and it did nothing for his overly active heart.

"But you're so fucking stressed. What's the point in training Iida if we weren't going to expand?" Shouto argued. His hand had clenched firmly around the plastic fork now, and Izuku could see he was about to bend it in frustration.

"That was to give me time during the week to spend with you, you idiot." Izuku said.

"And I've seen you maybe three times since then, where we actually spent time together." Shouto said. "Before you run off to the studio to do that stupid selfie shit-"

Izuku flinched. The words coming from Shouto's mouth abruptly stopped as he realised what he was saying.

"Just so you know, I've been home and you've been with your family. I know how important they are to you, especially since Touya needed rehab and he's finally back home with your mom. But you were also at your board meetings, and now I see what was more important than spending time with me." Izuku said bitterly. He got to his feet, leaned forward and grabbed the wine bottle by the neck. He stood up and inhaled, fighting the burning in his throat that threatened to reach his eyes.

"Izuku, it is for you! It's for us!" Shouto said, desperation peppering his voice as he watched Izuku turn to leave. He held a hand toward Izuku, as though trying to catch him. "Wait-"

Izuku paused, the bottle heavy in his hand. He looked over his shoulder.

"What?" Izuku asked. Shouto winced.

"You can't leave." Shouto said.

"I'll be at the studio. The one I love so much." Izuku said. Shouto's eyes looked glassy in the light, but no tears fell.

"You can't ride your bike, you've been dr-" Shouto said. Shouto could see his pulse throbbing painfully in his neck, the way it did when Shouto was so stressed he would shut down, recluse so far into himself that it sometimes took days for him to come back to Izuku, his normal aloof self, but tender toward Izuku.

"I'll walk. Thanks for the concern." Izuku said. He grabbed his phone and wallet, then his keys that hung on the wall beside the door. He placed the bottle in a bag so he wouldn't get caught for public drinking, stepped onto the landing, and into the hazy evening, the sun had already set and tinged the sky with a deep purple and peppered the sky with cotton candy pink clouds that flew too high.

Izuku shut the door behind him and brought the wine bottle to his mouth, letting it dribble down his chin and he swallowed two mouthfuls. A lonely bird called out, not yet ready to sleep.

Izuku let the wine get warm in the bag, focused on getting to the studio in one piece. It was a fifteen minute bike ride to the studio, but it was a twenty five minute walk. He opened the door, disarmed the alarm, then rearmed it once he was safely inside. He stood with his back to the cool door and stared at the dark studio, the lights from outside the only thing lighting his way.

Izuku's phone lit up in his hand and he realised with a groan that the battery was almost dead. He took two more mouthfuls of the wine and it lightened significantly. With a little stumbling, he found his way to the office and fell into his chair. It was only 7 pm.

The bag had dropped from the bottle somewhere along the way, Izuku hoped it was in the studio. He didn't want to add littering on top of public drinking to his guilty conscience. The bottle had at least half to go. Izuku looked at it and his head swam. He didn't have much and he was already on his way to being drunk. He groaned in embarrassment and was glad no one was here to witness it.

He opened WhatsApp on his desktop and logged in. Who was he going to message again?

Right. Work. He was in two minds about telling everyone the studio was closed tomorrow for personal health reasons. But then Shouto would see it. Izuku took another mouthful of wine and typed furiously.

'Hey guys, something's come up. I won't be able to work tomorrow, so if Iida can take over the photoshoots, that would be great. If not, I totally understand because this is so last minute. I can reschedule the appointments.'
-Izuku

There was silence for a bit, and Izuku hoped they would see the message. It wasn't too late in the evening yet. He clicked on the message and opened it to see who had read it and saw two blue ticks beside 'Todo'. Residual anger bubbled forth at his name and he clicked away.

Not a minute passed and finally messages flooded in.

'We got it boss! Don't worry about a thing.'
-Iida

'Hope you feel better!'
-Tsuyu

'No worries, Izuku.'
-Yuga

'I'll send you a report on the day and their behaviours, boss.'
-Kyoka

Izuku watched their messages of support and his vision swam. He pressed his palms to his face and let the full emotions of his fight with Shouto wash over him in waves. His tears slid thickly down his hands and dotted the table top where they fell freely from his hands instead.

He took a sobering breath, pulled his t-shirt to his eyes and swiped away the tears so he could see and placed his fingers to the keyboard.

'Thanks guys. See you on Thursday.'
-Izuku

Now what? Izuku sat there and realised he would have to leave the studio before anyone came into work and saw his state. He was sure if he were to finish the rest of the wine, he would be fully hung over by tomorrow.

He had one person that Shouto didn't know he had. Did Izuku want to use him?

So what if we use him?, Shouto's words reverberated in his mind. Izuku cringed. He didn't want to use Katsuki. He wanted him to be his friend. He'd always wanted to be his friend.

Izuku's desktop notified him that his phone was dying and he groaned. Had he not put it to charge this entire time? He fidgeted with a cord that hung from the computer tower and plugged it in. He put it on his desk and refocused on the computer.

He found Katsuki's name and opened the chat.

What was he going to type?

"Not 'I need you" again." Izuku cringed at the memory. He was talking out loud to himself again, He also felt slightly sobered from his crying. He glanced at the bottle that was now completely warm and Izuku could feel the bitterness of it on his tongue by just looking at it.

He gulped back two mouthfuls again anyway, and he watched in dismay at the level of wine only lessened by an inch. There was a third of it left.

Forcing himself to clear his mind and not think too hard, he typed.

'I need a place to stay and you're the only one I know.'
-Izuku

He pressed enter before he reread it and he couldn't decide what was more embarrassing. I need you, or that.

'I'm drunk, ignore me. I don't need your help'
-Izuku

Izuku watched the message and put his head down. His eyes were heavy. He woke up to his phone vibrating loudly on the metal casing. He groaned and looked around in confusion. He was in the office. He didn't know how long he had been out. His neck hurt from the awkward angle of it being on the desk.

The desktop said it was only 9 pm. Izuku picked up the phone and saw Kacchan across the screen. Izuku was confused, why was he calling?

He answered.

"Deku?" Katsuki's voice asked forcefully from the other end.

"Kacchan, what's happened?" Izuku asked. He rubbed his eyes.

"You idiot. Where are you?" Katsuki said. "You in the studio?"

"I am. But what's happening?" Izuku said. His eyes met the messages on his screen and he hiccuped in surprise. What the fuck did I do?

"I'm outside. Get your shit. You're crashin' with me." Katsuki said.

"Oh." Izuku said as the memories of the night events flooded back to him.