Chapter Text
[3rd POV]
Izuku had been bullied as a kid. His escape had always been ice skating. He often went with his mum as a young boy, but before he went to school, he decided he wanted to do it competitively.
By middle school, Izuku's competition winnings were paying for his coaching. He was going to be doing his seniors test, next year, then he planned to coach. Quirks never seemed to matter in the world of skating, one of the many reasons the sport was his escape.
Even when Izuku had fresh bruises, cuts and burns, he'd go to their local rink. During the summer holidays, he'd gotten a job there, often helping teach young kids skate. Despite wanting to go to UA and become a hero, he knew that dream was unrealistic, so he didn't bother training for the exams.
[Izuku's POV]
I was on my way to the rink, shoulder still stinging from my earlier confrontation with Kacchan. He didn't seem to under that the world didn't revolve around heroes for everyone. He was still convinced I wanted to be one. Utter nonsense, A Quirkless hero. So I was going to go skating, so forget about the world.
I walked into a back alley, under a tunnel. There was the rattle of metal behind me, a soft mumble about 'skinsuit', and suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I kicked against thick slime, muffled screams echoed in my head. I felt a rush of wind and my body slamming into the hard concrete wall. Everything moved too fast, too fast to comprehend before things started to blur.
[3rd POV]
Izuku was woken by a firm tap against his cheek, groaning and rubbing his head. He looked around, eyes landing on All Might. All Might! Izuku sputtered, flailing to get his notebook. "A-Autograph!" He said, unable to get much more out of his mouth. All Might chuckled, just like on TV, deeply with a bright smile. "All ready done, young boy! Fair well!" He said, leaping off.
Izuku went on his way. He'd wanted to ask All Might if he could ever be a hero, but he knew the answer. He knew that all might would tell him he'd never amount to anything more that a police officer. He'd heard it from other heroes, 'you can still help your community'. It was all bullshit, he didn't want his favourite hero to represent that too.
He was walking for about half an hour, when he heard a loud explosion, only a block away. He jogged up, interested by the commotion. When he saw green slime, the same slime that had encased him earlier. His eyes widened when he saw red eyes, desperate red eyes.
He started to sprint, swinging his bag into the slime's eye. His backpack hit the things eye, Izuku pulling Katsuki out and away from the slime, panting and out of breath. "K-Kacchan! Are you okay?" He asked, patting Katsuki's back as he coughed and huffed. "F-Fuck off, Deku!" He growled, pushing Izuku back, flaring up the burn in his shoulder. Katsuki hesitated. "This doesn't change anything." He snarled, stalking off.
Despite Katsuki's statement, it did, change things. After a scolding from all might, the number one hero offered to train Izuku to inherit his quirk. Katsuki no longer hurt Izuku, didn't let others get close either, but they were far from friendly. Izuku continued going to competitions, always placing in the top three. When the UA entrance exams came, Izuku was overjoyed, confident he'd get in.
[Izuku's POV]
Kacchan and I were seated by each other after the test, he was seething that I came, but I'd prove I could be a hero. I headed to ground Beta. Running in when the gate opened. I ended up scoring roughly 60 points. I was proud of myself. Mum took me to get icecream and go skating to celebrate.
[3rd POV]
After a month, Izuku got his acceptance letter. He was overjoyed, packing his bags. UA had gotten dorms when All Might started teaching there, figuring it's best their students stay on the grounds, out of trouble.
He moved in a few days before classes, speaking with his home room teacher about his figure skating and that he'd need to leave campus often. The teacher said it was fine, as long as he had Izuku's mobile and was messaged when he left campus for skating.
The first night everyone stayed in the dorms, one of their classmates, Iida, organised a movie night. Izuku had training, trying to slip out, only for Iida to cause a commotion.
"You must obey the rules that are set in place to keep us safe! You must go speak to a teacher about leaving campus and get a pass!" He ranted on, Izuku huffing and looking at his phone. He didn't want to make his trainer wait. "I got permission to leave earlier." He snarled, surprising Katsuki, who had never seen Izuku angry. Izuku stood, skates clattering in his duffle, and left, ignoring his new classmate calling out.