Chapter Text
It was the middle of summer. The playground was a five-minute walk from the apartment complex Izuku lived in with his mom. Inko brought her little boy to the playground for the second time this week. Izuku was practically jumping up and down. She held his hand all the way there. Even as they arrived she kept a firm grip. Once they got there, she began walking towards one of the benches. Inko sat down, looking at her son. "Go play, have fun. I'll be here if you need me," she said, then kissed his cheek. Izuku wore a smile as he ran to find someone to play with.
Izuku roamed the area, searching for others. The swings were empty. There was no one at the top of the slide. Izuku went to the sandbox where Katsuki had been the other day. When he was close enough he noticed there was someone else in the sandbox. Just at the opposite end, a girl was playing quietly by herself. She had brown hair and a cute, round face. She also had a red bucket and shovel. It seemed like she was around five. She paid no attention to the blond boy on the other side. Despite being alone, she seemed content. Izuku came over curious about the new girl, but he went straight to Katsuki. He was surrounded by scattered dinosaur toys and sat with one leg stretched out.
"Hi, kacchan, can I play with you?" Izuku asked, hoping he would finally say yes.
Katsuki raised his head, wrinkling his nose. "Ew no go away loser"
Izuku felt tears sting his eyes. Immediately, he blamed himself for expecting anything different. He should’ve asked the girl. Then again, Katsuki could have just said no instead of being so mean. He didn’t understand why every time he tried to talk him he was rejected. "You always say that."
"Then why don't you ever take the hint?" Katsuki snapped, standing up and getting right in his face.
Izuku took a step back. Katsuki was right, but the angry look in his eyes made him put his head down. Before he could react, he felt his hands shove him into the ground. Izuku fell into the sand, closing his eyes in shame. He didn't mean to make him mad. He just wanted a friend. This was all his fault. His whole body was trembling. "I'm sorry"
"Leave him alone," a voice spoke up. Her tone was kind but it was almost too sweet. Something about it makes Izuku realize it was a threat.
"Huh? Who do you think you are? Don't tell me what to do"
Izuku opened his eyes when he heard a yelp. The girl stood in front of him with her shovel-like tool, ready to hit the blond.
Katsuki stared up at her. Izuku was surprised by how wide his eyes got. "This was none of your business. You'll pay for that," he said slowly, getting back on his feet.
Izuku's body moved on its own. One second he was on the ground, then all of a sudden he was standing right next to the new girl. Hurting him was one thing. Hurting a girl was another. For the first time, he wasn't afraid of what Katsuki might do.
The both of them look at Katsuki waiting for him to make a move. Izuku held his breath.
Katsuki swung his head back and forth, staring at Izuku and then back at her. Both of his hands were balled into fists. Instead of moving he just stood there glaring at them. He bit his cheek then turned and ran off.
From that day on, Izuku and Ochaco were inseparable.
That was also the last time he spoke to Katsuki.
Thank God it's Friday. For the first Friday in a month, Izuku midoriya has the day off work. So where does he go? Right back to where he works, of course. The roller rink, to be exact. Roller Magic about what you would expect was small; the carpet had neon colors. It was best to be there at night when the disco lights turned on. Izuku tied up his laces and pushed himself onto the hardwood floor with ease.
Roller Magic was one of the few things that was ten minutes away from his high school. Izuku had just started working there part-time. It was mainly middle schools and high schoolers who came to the rink. Although he saw some adults. Roller skating was for everyone, after all.
Three young men swaggered past confidently, heads held high, eyes focused on their destination. Izuku looked over, curious to find out where they were going. Their confidence lagged as they approached a large group of peers, including several young ladies except for one. The guy was a bit taller than the others. he smiles, saying something that Izuku couldn't hear. All the girls smile and bat their eyes . They laugh way too loud at whatever joke he made. Izuku rolled his eyes.
Skates became a blur of color: green, purple, blue, pink, red--speeding by fast and furious. Skaters that have been at the rink for a long time are weary and tired. They enter the bleachers and sit. The air is a musky scent of cologne mixed with sweat. As the rink started to close, couples started to take over the rink. Eye contact was prevalent. Most skaters continually scanned the rink, found the one they were looking, eyes quickly darted away. This testing of emotional waters went on for several hours; boys and girls trying to find a person to skate with. Izuku watches until everyone starts to pack their things up and leave the rink. He and the rest of the workers clean up then leave.
. Roller magic smells like popcorn. Until you get to the rink, you walk past an ugly multi-colored carpet. Once you get past skinny, hard benches, lined one wall. Occasionally people stopped to read the sign; white, block letters on a black background warned, "Skate at Your Own Risk."
While it's nothing special like so many others in town. Izuku is fond of the place.
So there was no better place to go on a Friday night. The lights shone brightly above him. He's been going to the rink for years, so he's a pro at roller skating. It was one of the few things he was good at.
As he goes around in a circle, it brings him a sense of freedom.
Izuku noticed when Katsuki entered the rink.
A girl with pink hair and a boy with red also came into the rink. He was pretty sure he had seen her before. Her name was Mina. The one with red hair was kirishima he was on the basketball team with Katsuki. Everyone knew the guys on the basketball team.
Katsuki did not look happy. He was looking at kirishima, they probably came together. Izuku watched him enter the rink. He held his hands out, his legs kept stretching out too far. He looked like a fish out of water. Mina and Kirishima held each other's hands then went on without him.
Izuku looked away after that. They had not spoken in years. He did not care that he was here. It would not make a difference he would still enjoy his night. Izuku keeps moving in a circle, getting closer to passing him.
Katsuki was not moving that fast. As Izuku came behind him, he wobbled on the roller skates and then fell.
Izuku slowed down as he got closer to him. He came to a complete stop beside him. "Are you alright?" He asked, holding out his hand for him to take. The boy saw his lips move, but he couldn't hear a thing.
The chorus of Total Eclipse of the Heart drowned out whatever Katsuki was saying.
'I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever.'
"Huh?" Izuku asked, waiting for the blonde to accept his help. He watched Katsuki's eyebrows furrow together when he realized he didn't hear him.
"I said I don't need your help!" Katsuki repeated.
Izuku let his hand drop back to his side. He was only trying to be nice. "Oh okay, suit yourself"
He went past him only to hear a thud a second later. First, a huge grin appeared on his face. He took a moment to compose himself before turning around. Just like he thought, Katsuki was once again on the ground. He purposely moved backward, showing off just a bit. He came to a stop beside him. "Need a hand?" He teased, holding out his arm for the second time in a row.
Katsuki had his eyes closed, taking a deep breath. He grabbed onto Izuku's hand. "Can you help me get to a bench?" He asked through gritted teeth. He was trying not to stumble.
Izuku nodded. "Yeah, we'll go nice and slow" he assured, then took a couple of steps forward Katsuki's leg was too outstretched, and his movement threw him off guard for a second. It took all of his might to stay upright.
"Relax, I got you. Come on, I won't let you fall" he promised while holding him steady.
Katsuki dug his fingers into his hand. Izuku tried not to show his discomfort. Although after a couple of seconds, the pressure lifted just enough that it no longer hurt. The blond was practically leaning against him the extra weight was difficult but he managed. He slowly pulled him forward.
By some miracle, they made it. Katsuki flopped down on the bench finally looking comfortable.
"Is this your first-time roller skating?"
"Yeah, it is. It's never been my thing my friends dragged me here. They probably assumed I knew how to roller skate"
"Oh it's not that hard I can teach you," he suggested, mostly as a joke. Of course, he would say no.
Katsuki snorted. "I'll figure it out"
Izuku laughed. "Of course," he mumbled.
Katsuki looked up at him. "What the fuck does that mean?"
Izuku stared at him. Instead of admitting he was joking, he rolled his eyes."You just can't admit when you need help, can you?" he said, referring to earlier when he refused to take his hand. Anyone could see how stubborn he was.
Katsuki's eyes narrowed. He might have wanted to stand although that would probably end with him falling again. "Little quick to be passing judgment"
Izuku stopped laughing. He was saying he didn't know him well enough. That was true. They weren't friends because he never wanted to be. He had never given him a chance to truly get to know him. Izuku swallows avoiding eye contact.
Mina came over to them. He had seen her a couple of times in class. She seemed nice. "Hey, Katsuki we saw that fall by the way. Also, hi Izuku, how are you?"
Izuku was surprised she knew his name. He often felt invisible at school. He wasn't popular like Katsuki. "I'm good. I was just going to get food," he said, leaving them.
James was standing behind the counter. When he saw Izuku he shook his head. "Even on your day off you're here. " He said, smiling. "What can I get you? He asked.
Izuku looks up at the menu, thinking about the amount of money in his pocket. He had about ten bucks, which was enough for a meal, but he wanted something small. "Can I get popcorn?"
James nodded, ringing him up on the cash register. "That will be 2.50"
Izuku watched his co-worker turn around. He opened the machine and then scooped the popcorn into a large bag. Once he was done, he came back holding the popcorn.
Izuku took it from him and then handed over a five-dollar bill. He got his change back and left. As he left, he felt eyes staring into the back of his head. Yet when he turned around, no one seemed to be looking at him.