"Midoriya!" Izuku snapped out of his daze. His mind had wandered into nothingness as he cleaned his camera lens. He looked up and smiled.
"Sorry!" Izuku said. He put his lens cap on with a soft click and stood up.
"It's funny that you only ever hear me when I say your last name." Shouto brushed his hair from his eyes with his fingertips. Izuku leaned in and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "Are you done? Can I help?"
"Nope, all done. Just to lock the door and leave." Izuku said. He looked back at the studio and smiled. Then he looked forward at Shouto's red and white hair and he felt warmth spread from his chest through to his fingertips.
Izuku had found his life as a photographer much easier than he anticipated. He had graduated and was lucky enough to have found a partner, professionally and romantically, in Shouto. His family, the Todorokis were rich and helped fund the studio's launch. Because they had rented in the middle of the city, business boomed, with Izuku's portraits of Shouto being the hook, line, and sinker for people who hired him for his skills.
Shouto was also a great manager. The staff was small and consisted of some people he had gone to the University with. He was head photographer, Iida was second photographer and assistant, Yuga did make-up and wardrobe whenever clients didn't have their own, and set assistants for lights were Tsuyu and Kyoka; two girls who needed work while they made their way through the same Photography program they themselves had graduated from a couple years ago.
And thus was born One for All, the photo studio in the middle of the city. Izuku always had an affection for the Three Musketeers and adored the phrase. He knew it was just him and Shouto as partners and technically there wasn't a third musketeer. Not truly anyway. Iida didn't quite count as yet.
When Izuku and Shouto got to their apartment, Shouto stripped for a shower and Izuku sat at his desk that occupied a corner of their bedroom. He opened his laptop and checked his email. The white noise of the shower drowned out the string of thoughts that chugged like a train through his brain.
There were seven unread emails, three were suspicious 'offers' for up and coming photographers, three were confirming their appointments for shoots the following day, and one stopped his heart in his chest.
Katsuki Bakugou.
That was the subject line. He immediately wanted to call out to Shouto and placed his hand over his mouth instead. His blood pumped furiously to his brain and he took a steadying breath. I haven't seen Kacchan since… since we were 18, Izuku thought, six years ago.
The white noise of the shower stopped abruptly and Izuku shook his head. He flashed a smile on his face when Shouto came from the bathroom, his hands worked vigorously through his hair with a towel to dry it, little splashes of water shook off him. He paused when he saw Izuku's face.
"What's the matter?" Shouto asked and slung the towel over his shoulders.
"We have a new client tomorrow." Izuku said. He knew his cheeks burned a bright pink as it usually would when he had a rush of emotion. Shouto looked at him expectantly.
"And?" Shouto stooped beside him and put his hand on Izuku's lap.
"It's Kacchan." Izuku said softly.
"That kid who bullied you all through high school?" Shouto's hand squeezed Izuku's forearm very slightly.
"He's…" Izuku sighed. "I suppose he did bully me, but he's also the reason I wanted to be a photographer. The best I could be. He pushed me to want to become one of the greats."
Shouto got to his feet and closed the laptop.
"Go take a shower, cool off, come to bed." he instructed Izuku. "We won't be taking him as a client."
"But-" Izuku started. Shouto pulled at his hand and to his feet. "It's just a meeting with his agent, we won't know if he even wants us."
"I won't let him see you to just bully you some more." Shouto said in a pained voice.
"It's been years! We don't know if he's changed. And I've -" Izuku stalled. Shouto squeezed his hand and raised his eyebrows. Izuku sighed and continued, "I've followed his work since we graduated and he's been an amazing model!"
"You want to shoot him?" Shouto asked.
"Well, it would be a waste. He's been on everyone's billboards since he was 16, and he's just gotten better." Izuku said in a rush.
"So this is about business?" Shouto said.
"Yes! Yes, business. Think about if he needs some work done, and we can use him to get a leg up in the industry!" Izuku said, a smile spanned across his face. Shouto pushed him gently through the bathroom door.
"Go shower, then bed." Shouto said with a laugh. Izuku watched him as he pulled on a t-shirt and pajama pants and felt a rush of affection. He turned the cold water on and steeled his nerves for tomorrow's reunion with Katsuki.
Izuku pained himself the following morning over his clothing. He had piled seven shirts on the bed before he settled on a plain white long sleeved shirt that he rolled three-quarter's way up his forearm, and black suspenders that held soft jeans to his hips. By the time he and Shouto had gotten to the studio though, he had pulled them off his shoulders as he found they pinched his shoulders.
"You're way too freaked out about this." Shouto said after he eyed Izuku carefully. "We still have the whole day to get through before we meet them at 4pm."
"Yea, you're right. My head's here. Let's get going." Izuku said with a smile. Shouto squeezed his shoulders and pecked his forehead with a soft kiss.
The air conditioning hardly worked throughout the day and the large glass panes served like a greenhouse, the black out curtains hardly did anything to contain it. The hot air had nowhere to go and Izuku's white shirt was damp on his chest and back by 3:45 pm. He knew better than to wear one layer, that skipping the t-shirt would potentially lead to this, but had glanced at the weather for the day and knew he was going to be hot. Two layers seemed too much. And the studio lights added to that. He was miserable.
Izuku unbuttoned the shirt, slipped it off, and left Shouto in the main office so he could browse the clothes outside. They had clothes for clients in case what they had brought wasn't cooperating with the shoot. His back was to the door when he heard it open. Izuku spun around and half hid behind the clothes rack.
"Deku." Katsuki said. He wore a sneer and Izuku's heart dropped. He hasn't changed.
"Kacchan." Izuku said. Katsuki's face remained impassive as he surveyed Izuku, half hidden behind a mix matched array of clothing and light streamed in behind him, lighting his spiky ash blond hair in a crown on his head.
"Well? Where's the office?" Katsuki said and glanced around impatiently. His eyes maintained a penetrating stare and Izuku felt exposed. "My agent's just behind me." Izuku pointed to his right and pulled at a blazer and shrugged it on. His chest peeped through the ungodly low v-neck and he tried to keep his head held high. A girl Izuku kind of recognized came in as Katsuki walked to where Izuku instructed and it took him a moment to realise he had seen them together in tabloid photos.
Katsuki Bakugou was dating his agent, Ochako Ururaka. Seeing him in public displays of affection when all he had known him as was a bully and incredibly loud made Izuku uncomfortable, but he wasn't quite sure why. They look great together , Izuku mused.
Shouto's eyebrows lifted slightly when he saw Izuku in the buttoned blazer and his glistening chest peeking through. He stood at Izuku's right hand as Izuku sat in his chair because he saw that Katsuki neglected a seat and instead leaned against the wall behind Ochako who sat to face Izuku, a folder in her arms. She radiated joy, a complete opposite to Katsuki's dark cloudy moodiness.
"I need to get Katsuki signed to another agent. Not just another one. A great one." Ochako said with a broad smile.
"Okay." Izuku said. He had no idea where this was going.
"We need to bolster his portfolio in a different direction to his usual portfolio, which I have here," Ochako slid the folder across the desk toward Izuku who opened it without looking down. "And I found you had a studio! Katsu had mentioned an Izuku Midoriya from his childhood, and when I found out you did such great work, I thought you could push each other."
"Are you sure you want us to do this?" Shouto said before Izuku could formulate a question. "We are fairly new and Bakugou has been around for years. We want the contract, but we're unsure what we can bring to such a grand career." Shouto's voice hinted at bitterness. Izuku reached back to him and squeezed his hand.
"What he means to say is, what about our work has brought you to us today?" Izuku smiled at Ochako. Katsuki had been staring out of the office window at the bright sunshine and hot breeze shaking the leaves. Izuku was aware he was listening though, he did the same clenched jaw whenever he heard Izuku speak. Izuku always thought it was because Katsuki hated his muttering, or just generally the sound of his voice.
"You're absolutely breathtaking. The work you did with Shouto! We need similar photos like that and maybe more intimate ones. I need people to go away from just selling products using him, to more people wanting him first, knowing that he would sell." Ochako looked back at Katsuki with a glimmer in her eyes. Pride. "He's amazing as he is, but it's all very local. I want him everywhere."
Katsuki made a noise like a suck through his teeth and didn't look at the three pairs of eyes that now looked at him.
"Don't mind his grumpy attitude!" Ochako said. "So what do you say?"
"About us trying to stylize Kacchan like Shouto?" Izuku started. "Yea! Sure. We can do that." Izuku was aware that Shouto shifted abruptly as though to step forward in protest, but he didn't.
"We'll pay up front of course. And can you get it done in a month?" Ochako said as she got to her feet. The sun caught something on her hand and refracted light directly into Izuku's eyes. "We're getting married in a few months and I can't be married to a client. Not good for business."
"That would cost extra, as we're booked for the month already and would require overtime hours." Shouto said. He didn't sound annoyed or curt, but Izuku knew when Shouto was being pressured and felt uncomfortable with something. He looked at Shouto and smiled, it's fine , he tried to say with his eyes.
"Yes of course!" Ochako said. She hugged Katsuki and pecked him on the cheek. "I'll email you a contract, you email me yours? Can't be too safe with each other's services." and she laughed, tugging playfully at Katsuki's large hands and lanky arms. Shouto walked out behind them and Izuku heard the alarm arm with a beep.
"It's extra money!" Izuku said before Shouto could say anything.
"And extra stress." Shouto said. He walked up to Izuku and pulled him into a hug. "You look absolutely ridiculous in this, but a low v-neck certainly suits you." Shouto tugged at the lapels of the blazer, his forehead pressed against Izuku's, and Izuku kissed him.
The contract was pretty straightforward. No unauthorized use of Katsuki's images. Preview images the studio wished to use on their website and social media pages to get approval. Privacy agreements. Non Disclosure agreements. Shouto instructed Izuku on which file he should send in return and send a quote of the possible costs.
Izuku snuggled warmly into Shouto's arms that night and didn't dream of Katsuki Bakugou.