*Izuku*

Izuku came home in the chilly evening, his muscles sore after a particularly long gym session. He draggedhis hand through his mailbox, found a fat stack of letters and held it in his palm as he fumbled with the key.

Shouto wasn't home.

He never was. That's when Izuku found himself out at the gym longer than his body would usually handle. With his muscles throbbing from every step, he made a protein shake. After, he filled the dirty blender with hot water and left it there, too tired to take it apart and wash the thick slimy substance from the blades.

He put the letters beside Shouto's computer, knowing none of them would be for him and then sunk into bed. Izuku avoided WhatsApp now, using texts to communicate with Shouto was the new norm.

With a big gulp, he finished the last of his protein shake and he used his free hand to text Shouto that he was home. He fell asleep before Shouto's response came in, lights on, clothes on, covers under him.

The following morning, Izuku found himself tucked safely under the covers, the blender washed, and his empty protein shake glass was gone. Shouto was gone again, before he even woke. It had become their typical day. They had dinner together maybe twice a week now, if they were lucky.

The Idea of opening another branch was completely avoided by Shouto to Izuku's relief. He couldn't stand another fight like that again. So they lived together now, and yet, apart. Not intentionally.

Shouto explained that his family was pulling his attention and skills more and more, grooming him to have a bigger role in the company. Izuku understood, family was important. And the Todorokis were their main backing in the studio, so having their support and sparing Shouto's time made sense.

So when Shouto wasn't home, Izuku would try not to be either. Being in the empty space made him feel so entirely alone that he couldn't bear it most times. At the gym, when his body was being pushed to its limits, was at least mind numbingly wonderful.

The stack of letters were gone when Izuku glanced at where he had placed it. He grabbed his gym bag and cycled to work. It had become a cycle that his body had gotten used to now, something familiar. But there was something wrong or off about the whole thing. And he did it anyway.

When he got to the studio and went through the automatic motions of getting things ready, Iida came in at 8 am and worked quietly at his station. Izuku thought he heard him mutter a greeting, but he couldn't be sure.

Iida was acting strange, scared, hesitant around Izuku and as it continued through the day, Izuku couldn't understand it. Had he been inside his own head for so long he had pushed his staff away? No one else was treating him differently. Iida was acting as though he had caught one of his parents being unfaithful and was afraid to interact because he didn't want to have an uncomfortable conversation.

When Iida bumped into Izuku and jumped so high that he bumped against everything around him, like being jump scared in a haunted house, Izuku had had enough.

"Iida, did I do something wrong?" Izuku asked. Iida turned bright red, his shoulders rose high as his eyes widened and he lifted his hands to wave Izuku's concerns away.

"No! No, Izuku, you've done nothing wrong." Iida said.

"So what's happening? What's happened between yesterday and today that you're so quiet, scared even, to be around me?" Izuku asked.

"Did Mr Todoroki talk to you?" Iida asked, choosing his words carefully and immediately regretting it. Izuku felt the room go cold.

"What would Shouto have to talk to me about?" Izuku asked.

"I think you should talk to him. I can't-" Iida stuttered.

"Spit it out Iida, I can't work with you holding this so close to your chest that your communication and relationship with me has completely been halted." Izuku said. "I won't hate you."

Iida didn't look reassured, but he swallowed. "I'm the head photographer at the second branch-"

"Oh." Izuku said. He couldn't breathe. The second branch? Shouto has been busy.

"Izuku, are you okay?" Iida asked. Izuku felt his hands on his shoulders, steadying him. Izuku managed a nod.

"Sorry, Iida, I didn't eat yet." Izuku said. It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't why he felt red flash across his vision or his blood rush to his head.

"I'll order in some lunch!" Iida said and disappeared after he was sure Izuku was sitting and wouldn't get to his feet again. Izuku took a calming breath. One, two, three, four, five, in. One, two, three, four, five, out. Repeat.

Second branch.

He ate slowly, fighting the bile that rose in his throat, fueled by his sheer anger. By the time he had run for an hour on the treadmill after work, then he felt cool headed enough to go home. He found another heavy stack of letters in their mailbox, something that was a new occurrence. He rifled through them.

And, like he remembered, none of the letters bore his name.

But there was one. Just one, bearing the name One for All. But not the address of Izuku's studio.

They were about to have that fight, the one Izuku was happy to avoid.

He was exhausted, not just physically, but emotionally. He had played out the fight in his head maybe ten times before finally, the door clicked and shut, there was a thud of boots, a shuffle of feet, the crinkle of a bag Izuku knew was filled with dinner.

"Izuku, you're up." Shouto said. He paused when he saw his partner in bed, clothes on, sheets undisturbed. He followed Izuku's hand that had gone to a letter that was on the bed beside him.

Even the birthmark across his left eye had blanched.

"Yea, I thought so." Izuku said to himself.

"I can explain." Shouto said, his voice almost lost in his throat.

"Is it that you thought, 'hey, Izuku isn't up to this, but it doesn't mean I can't still stab him in the back and do the one thing I agreed I wouldn't'?" Izuku asked. He was past venom and into quiet fury. He was determined at least to hear what Shouto had to say. But, Izuku wasn't even sure what he wanted to hear.

"I- no, I didn't -" Shouto stumbled across his own tongue. "Please, just listen." he said to the completely still and quiet Izuku who seemed more to him like a cat laying still, their eyes fixed on their prey.

"Yea, I am." Izuku said when Shouto didn't continue. Shouto slumped against the door frame and closed his eyes. He shuddered, his chest heaved as he tried to inhale oxygen for his brain. It was like he was caught cheating and was about to beg Izuku to stay. Izuku had a feeling he was about to hear all about what a mistake it was, and it was just one time. Like in movies, that's what Izuku had to go on.

'They backed me into it. I said no." Shouto said finally. His face was now a splotchy pink. Izuku felt the urge to ask him to sit, but being nice right now was something he was fighting.

"Backed you into it?" Izuku asked. He didn't understand. "Shouto, you're part of the board. You have a vote."

"Dad bullied Touya into voting for, and Fuyumi voted for. Then, before I knew it, so was mom and Natsuo and I were outvoted." A tea trickled down his cheek. "I didn't know how to tell you, I didn't want you to think I betrayed you."

Izuku felt his own coldness melt away and he called Shouto to bed by opening his arms. Shouto sank into them and Izuku combed his fingers through his hair.

"Could you have told me about Iida, at least?" Izuku asked as he inhaled the scent of Shouto's shampoo - mint - and tried to shake the remainder of his anger away. It wasn't Shouto's fault, it wasn't his fault, this was unavoidable.

"Iida saw the job posting and applied. Fuyumi recognised him from our studio and that's how he was chosen. I was supposed to tell you today." Shouto said.

"While I was asleep?" Izuku asked.

"I'll make more effort to get home early. So we can actually have dinner together." Shouto said. "Have you eaten?"

Izuku shook his head and made a sound in his throat.

"I brought home dinner, do you want to have dinner with me?" Shouto said. Izuku could feel him smiling against his chest. He kissed the crown of Shouto's hair, where it met as white and red, in approval. They shifted out of bed and to the dining table.

Izuku still felt uneasy, but he swallowed it with his food.

*Katsuki*

He was meticulous, Katsuki. He liked things in their places, he liked a clean apartment, he liked having food to cook and enjoyed having his knives back. He didn't care much for space, he just liked having a place to sleep, cook, shower, and he was fine.

Katsuki was also grateful for paying for that empty parking spot that came with his apartment, even if he didn't use it all the time. Now that he was back here, the parking spot was occupied and the payments didn't feel so useless anymore.

Money, the one thing Katsuki had a lot of from all his hard work. In his mind, he patted himself on the back for having the business sense to not let a girlfriend of an agent share his bank account. It was his and only his, and she had more than enough money to survive without him for right now anyway.

He lay back on his newly fitted bed and his hair prickled at his neck. He hated it, it felt like tiny pieces of hay sticking him through the sheet, like one photoshoot he had where it was farmer themed - stupid, Katsuki thought - and the bag he had to sit on was actually hay filled.

Katsuki lifted his head and slid his palm onto his skin as a barrier between his hair and the skin of his neck. It irritated his fingers. He sat up in frustration and looked at his phone. It was 7:03 pm. Kirishima would have closed up, but if he hurried, maybe he would still be in there doing whatever it is that Kirishima did.

On his way to Red Riot, when he realised he was getting nearer the studio and the gym, was when he decided he would no longer go in the afternoon. Izuku didn't need to be there for him, or ask him about Ochako, or show him pity or sympathy with his too big green eyes and I want to make you feel better attitude. He'll go during the day, which should at least occupy him. Maybe even, he could just travel and forget about this city for a while.

Red Riot's lights were off. Katsuki glanced at his phone again and saw it was 7:22. He didn't take that long to get here, so he peered through the door. He saw a slit of light seep from under a closed door in the back, and his face broke into a smirk.

With a fist, he banged on the door, unafraid of breaking it.

The light went off and Katsuki groaned. He took his phone out and dialled Kirishima's number.

"Eijiro, you idiot, it's me. Open up." Katsuki said before Kirishima could say hello. Katsuki heard a loud sigh before he hung up and the light under the door in the shop flicked back on.

Katsuki looked up and down the street, soaking in the blue moonlight around him before Kirishima got to the storefront and opened the door, intentionally hitting Katsuki with it.

Katsuki shot him a glare before he bounced on the ball of his feet through the door and into the dark shop, shadows of chairs lining the walls like silent sentinels.

"What?" Kirishima said grumpily.

"You and Mina fighting?" Katsuki teased. Kirishima stiffened as he locked the door and Katsuki felt instant regret drain the blood from the surface of his skin. "Sorry, bro. I didn't know."

"You were going to be right about that stupid joke eventually," Kirishima said. "What do you want? Like a fucking monster comin' into my shop after closing hours."

"I need a cut." Katsuki said. "My hair's irritatin' the shit outta me." He dragged his hand through his hair for emphasis and still hated the prickliness of it.

"Oh, you and Ochako fightin'." Kirishima teased. He was easily over Katsuki's uninformed but right on target jab. He was also unaware of his own misstep. Katsuki had stiffened and when Krisihima blinked, he almost lost him in the dark of the shop. He flicked the lights on.

"Dude, you okay?" Kirishima asked.

"She and I are over." Katsuki said. And without another word he flung himself into a chair and spun, his facial expression contemplative.

"Oh." Kirishim said. He pulled on an apron and pumped the pedal until Katsuki's head was at a good level. Kirishima met his eyes in the mirror and they both silently acknowledged each other's pain.

"Cut it off." Katsuki said. "And first round's on me at that stupid club you like."

"You still gotta pay me for the cut, bro." Kirishima said.

"I will, asshole. I didn't say I wouldn't!" Katsuki said. Kirishima tilted Katsuki's head and got a good look at it.

"You sure you want it off off, or?" Kirishima asked. Katsuki only allowed one person to touch his head like this - it was two, but not Ochako anymore - so just Kirishima.

"Do what you think would look best, man. I still have time before I have to go back to work anyway, so it'll grow out." Katsuki said.

"Okay, here goes." Kirishima said. The machine buzzed, replacing Katsuki's thoughts of someone else's fingers in his hair.