*Izuku*

"I never want to do that again." Izuku dragged a hand over his face but it did nothing to the redness there, and Katsuki pulled Izuku to his chest and kissed the crown of his head.

"You were great, babe." Katsuki was grinning, Izuku could feel his teeth against his scalp, but he couldn't blame Katsuki. He was brilliant in front of cameras; it probably had to do with being a model and everything. Izuku on the other hand had clammed up and became a stuttering mess.

"Oh," Izuku groaned when a sudden realisation hit him like a newly refreshed wave of embarrassment, his eyes widened, "Mr Yagi might see that mess!" Izuku buried his face into Katsuki's chest some more. He was fine doing it back in the safety of their hotel room; relying on Katsuki to make him feel safe had become second nature to him, and Katsuki was just so good at it.

"Wouldn't that be somethin'." Katsuki gave a little growl and kissed Izuku's head again. "Do you want somethin' to eat? I can order room service." Izuku whimpered and Katsuki chuckled into his hair.

By the time the food was being devoured by Katsuki and untouched by Izuku, Izuku's phone rang.

"It's the PR firm!" Katsuki said with his mouth full of food. Izuku answered due to his boyfriend's preoccupied mouth and stepped away from Katsuki's clinking dishes and chopsticks.

"Hello? Izuku Midoriya." Izuku whispered into the receiver.

"Toshinori Yagi on hold for Katsuki Bakugou and Izuku Midoriya." The woman sounded bored or disinterested, probably both so Izuku didn't hear her. He heard her but he wasn't understanding. He allowed himself to lull into silence. "Hello? Mr Midoriya?"

"Yes? Did you say Mr Yagi?" Izuku cupped his hand to the phone, he didn't know why. Katsuki narrowed his eyes and swallowed his food, abandoning the spread of food and coming up beside Izuku.

"Yes, this is Katsuki Bakugou, what's happening?" Katsuki put the phone on loudspeaker and held it between them.

"Mr Toshinori Yagi is on the phone, should I patch him through?" Izuku's eyes widened. He shook his head and Katsuki was grinning. The woman's bored tone was the exact opposite to the wild thrashing in his chest, his heart pumped furiously with excitement.

"Hell yea, put him through." Katsuki threw himself back onto the bed, his hand behind his head with the widest grin and Izuku just stared; all the blood in his body just stopped flowing, he was paralyzed.

They had a meeting with him because of their interview (well, mostly because of the photos apparently, and Izuku's and Katsuki's reputation before they did their leaked photoshoot). A meeting with Toshinori Yagi. Their studio wasn't even open yet, they hadn't had time to prepare the studio at all, but they were being called out to meet him. Katsuki said yes, of course, while Izuku stood in a puddle of his happy tears.

Before they left, they enlisted Eijirou's help and briefed him on what a team of people were supposed to be doing, asked him if he could check in and make sure it was being done, and with overly enthusiastic butt slaps from the red head they were off.

Tokyo was beautiful at night, and it had so many faces in the crowd, no one noticed them. It was refreshing after leaving a town where they were both at the head of a scandal and famous in their respective fields. Katsuki saw an ad with his face on the side of a building and Izuku couldn't help but pinch at his sides. He was so handsome with his glaring eyes and fuck me mouth.

Nothing prepared them for Toshinori Yagi. The tall frame of a man shook their hands with a strength his skinny body gave no indication of. They didn't talk about photography for an hour, instead sipped on sake and ate food, course after course, while spilling random details about themselves. Izuku felt like he was watching a recording of himself in the scenario, he didn't feel like he existed right this second. Even Katsuki's usually charming self had sort of dimmed, except, it hadn't really because by the time he was done with his first cup of sake, he wouldn't shut up.

That was about the extent of where business talk and mutual awe for each other's work went. At the end of their evening, Mr Yagi promised to keep in touch as he was very interested in their futures, and saw them both as a pair that could do nothing but grow once their relationship went on. Izuku was a blushing mess and Katsuki looked proud and satisfied.

They got back to their hotel around 9 pm and, being the nice hotel it was, Izuku coaxed Katsuki into having a nightcap at the very expensive looking bar with low light, soft stools lining the mahogany bar with mirror lined walls and shelves of alcohol with their own individual spotlights shimmering on the glass. Izuku had a glass of rose, the bubbles like glitter in the frosting glass, while Katsuki sipped on whiskey.

They had fallen into an excited rehashing of their conversation with Mr Yagi; neither noticed someone in a fine suit approaching them.

"Izuku?"

Izuku's blood stopped in his chest, his heart stuttered. His fingers had gone cold and he was frozen, staring at Katsuki whose eyes had gone narrow and dangerous. It was that familiar but strange voice, but this time not over a phone call. He turned in his stool and met Shouto's eyes.

"Shouto." Izuku swallowed and his throat was dry, or had a lump, or just didn't function at all because his voice was hoarse.

"Zu," Katsuki's voice was soft, like he was afraid to spook Izuku. "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

Izuku slid off the stool and walked up to Katsuki, fitting between his legs slightly so he could plant a soft kiss on his mouth. "I'm okay, Kacchan. Be right back, okay?"

"I'll be here." Katsuki's eyes flashed at Shouto warningly who was standing stoically and defensive, his body had gone rigid after seeing their interaction. Izuku squeezed Katsuki's hand and walked past Shouto without brushing against him, expecting him to follow. He did.

Izuku didn't go far, being physically close to Shouto but not next to Katsuki felt wrong, it made his skin feel uncomfortably unlike his own. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at Shouto properly now; his suit was charcoal grey with a light blue shirt and a loosened tie around his neck, but not completely undone. He looked good, healthy, like he was sleeping just fine without Izuku. But his eyes were flickering between him and Katsuki and Izuku knew he was piecing it together. Shouto figured it out in their conversation before, but it seemed like seeing them had hit him over the head like a hammer to the temple.

"What are you doing here, Shouto?" Izuku's hands tightened involuntarily and his knuckles went white. He breathed in deeply and relaxed. Shouto's eyes had stopped his obvious staring at Katsuki over Izuku's shoulder and finally settled on Izuku's.

"I thought it was you and wanted to…say hi." He wasn't very convincing. His eyes darted away for a second and his feet fidgeted slightly. Izuku felt a pang of familiarity and a dull, distant ache spread from his sternum. He swallowed it and narrowed his eyes.

"Hi?" Izuku tilted his head. "What do you really want, Shouto?"

Shouto sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. Katsuki glanced over his shoulder and Izuku felt a thrill go up his spine, the electric shock that came with being under his gaze lit a fire inside him; he needed to protect Katsuki from whatever Shouto was here for. "I saw you, and I saw him. I couldn't believe it. It was actually him, you're still with him."

"He's not a rebound, if that's what you were hoping for." Izuku lifted his hand and he squeezed the back of his neck trying to relieve the tension there.

"No- uh, I mean," Shouto glanced back at Katsuki. "Izuku, I miss you."

Izuku went still.

"I love you. Please, I can't do this without you." Shouto took a half step toward Izuku, Izuku didn't move and Shouto took it as compliance and he stepped forward again. "You don't have to put up with his shit. I've heard how he is in shoots, he's a diva. He can't be great to work with. We're the better team, you and I."

"Shouto-"

"I'm here for a board meeting, and they gave me funds for another studio! It'll be independent of One for All, not like All for One, so if you want to come back and have a blank slate, it's there. It's yours. I won't interfere. Please."

"Are you done?" Izuku's jaw hurt from clenching his words back. Shouto looked startled by the coldness in his voice. "I have a question." Izuku had wondered why Ochako stole their photos and released it, what she hoped it would accomplish. He wondered what the worst case scenario was ever since it had happened. It had clicked, confirmation from Shouto's plight came like a wave that bowled him over but he was angry enough that tears didn't prickle his eyes.

Shouto's eyes had widened like he was slapped across his face. Izuku wondered if he expected Izuku to cave and just fall back into his arms.

"Was it you?" Izuku stepped back. His voice was quiet and he knew Katsuki would strain to hear him because Izuku felt as intimidating as Katsuki could be.

"Me?" Shouto asked weakly.

"Did you pay Ochako to leak the photos?" Izuku's words seared with the venom in the question. Shouto's face drained of blood.

"I-" Shouto was stammering and he looked about ready to flee. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, she called me to tell me that you both bought a place together, not just any place but All for One! I didn't know she would have found the photos, let alone leak them."

"Liar." Izuku wanted to end the conversation now. He wanted to honour their years-long relationship and entertain one conversation with Shouto, but not if it was this.

"She texted me, she texted me alright!" Shouto rubbed his eyes. "While she was there, all she said was she was going to see the place. I just wanted you back! I thought if it strained your relationship with him, you'd come back!"

"And Ochako would try to get Katsuki back." Izuku finished for him because Shouto was panting like he had run away, but his feet were firmly on the ground. "That was stupid. I don't need to defend Katsuki to you, but he's pretty amazing. Always had been. He's talented and kind, he's strong and motivated, he's a fucking human being, too, could you imagine?"

Shouto swallowed. Izuku's voice had risen but he didn't care, the bar was mostly empty anyway. Only two heads had turned curiously to listen, and one was the bartender who stood wiping a glass like a robot on a loop.

"You need to move on, Shouto. I love him. I'm in love with him. There's nothing changing that right now, and I suspect ever." Izuku's heart swelled in his chest as he glanced over at Katsuki's face which had gone soft, well the half Izuku could see anyway. His shoulder hand relaxed instead of the tense statue he was moments ago. "You helped me become who I am today. I love you too, Shouto, but it's not the same. I can't be who you want me to be for you anymore."

"Izuku-" Shouto's eyes looked terrified. His hand had flexed like he wanted to grasp at something, anything.

"I'm going back to him now. And you're going to leave him and I alone so we can be happy. You're not this sneaky person, Shouto. You're a hard worker, you're valuable to your family despite how they might treat you. You know how to manage a studio and spot talent. Just, one step at a time, alright? You don't need me."

Izuku stepped up to him and squeezed his forearm reassuringly. "Bye Shouto."

Katsuki was standing at the bar having already paid the bill. Not caring if Shouto was still looking at them, Izuku stepped into Katsuki's arms and inhaled the calming scent of maple and smoke with a hint of spice; Katsuki kissed the crown of his head and rested his chin there until Izuku's pounding heart matched Katsuki's calm rhythm.