Scales (discontinued)

by orphan_account

Summary:

Shoto Todoroki, the 19 year old prince of the Todoroki kingdom is miserable with all attempts at relationship. One as high standard as himself is expected to marry a princess from another kingdom, considering he isn’t the heir to the Todoroki throne. Week after week, he is forced into meetings with many gorgeous princesses with riches and wonders. But why isn’t he attracted to any of them?
On a walk to relax after a forced date, he meets one who makes him feel different than all those women do. One man... a creature.

Notes:

HI!!
I’m so excited for y’all to read this, I’ve been thinking of the idea for a while!! I don’t believe there’s any serious trigger warnings? If you believe there should be any, please let me know!
I hope you enjoy! :D

The clinking of fancy china teacups, followed by the laughter of a young woman was the only noise Shoto Todoroki had heard just now. He was spaced out for the last hour and a half and was brought back from the high pitched giggles of the brunette in front of him. Princess Ochaco Uraraka’s rosy pink cheeks accentuated her round face, which was adorned with a giddy expression at her own statement. “Oh, Todoroki, you sure are a looker,” she exclaimed, “you look just as elegant zoned out than you do normally,” the princess giggled through her statement, her honey brown eyes looking over the gorgeous features of the prince.

 

Shoto blinked calmly, looking down at his own dress shirt. He didn't know why she was so giggly and excitable. It almost aggravated him… he tapped his finger against the table, “Thank you, princess,” he replied, knowing he was raised to be respectful. But the voices in his head were arguing with his mannerisms.

 

‘This is so forced!’
‘Run away!’
‘You don’t like her!’
‘Don’t get her hopes up!’
‘Leave while you still can!’

 

He shook his head, trying to ignore the truth being spoken in his own head. Their statements were correct… he didn’t like this princess- nor did he like the tens of princesses before this one. His mismatched eyes set onto the cold tea in his cup- untouched and unflavored. He wasn’t entertained. He wanted no more of this, “are we going to finish up here soon, madame?” he asked the lady.

 

Ochaco seeemed a little shocked that he’d ask something like that. With her hand against her chest in slight offense, she sighed, “Oh, dear, Shoto, could you at least pretend to be interested in me?” She asked politely, “It’s a little painful to be forced into a room with somebody who hates you,” she stated to the man, her dark brown eyelashes fluttering lightly- almost in a butterfly like manner.

 

Shoto made that connection easily.. he looked around the fancy greenhouse where they were forced to have their date. He eyed the gorgeous, mystical butterflies forming their paths through the humid air of the glass house. A bright blue, a dark pink, a glowing green, a bold orange, butterflies in all colors.. even some that mimicked the color of the princesses eyelashes, he noticed. The prince looked at her tea, noticing it was practically empty, “I apologize, dear,” he said softly. He didn’t mean to hurt her feelings.. in fact, he found himself being painfully blunt to the point it hurt the feelings of most women he’d encountered. He wished women were like butterflies, really. You could call a butterfly “uninteresting” and “unappealing,” but it wouldn’t make any sort of whine or tears from the words. Butterflies could handle hurt feelings. He looked back up at the beautiful princess’s face, “I just… find it difficult to make a connection with somebody I’ve been forced with, ma’am,” he spoke.

 

Ochaco sighed, listening to his smooth voice speak, followed by the slightest of echos. She stood and bowed to the prince, “I must be going now,” the woman spoke kindly, her voice laced with pristine mannerism. She was raised to be polite and sweet to anybody blessed enough to cross her path. She bowed gently, her countless items of rich jewelry jingled and clinked.

 

“Thank you for your visit,” Shoto uttered, not sounding too content as he watched the princess walk off. He stared at the mesmerizing motion of her soft pink dress, bouncing gently as she walked. He felt guilty, almost. Why didn’t he like her?

 

She was beautiful, sweet, polite, kind, silly, everything one would want in his princess.. but he couldn’t bring himself to manifest the desire to marry her. He’d have to write an apology to the Uraraka Kingdom for this bust of a date. He sighed deeply, standing up himself as he stared deeply into his full cup. The maid would pick this up. He fixed the collar of his coat and adjusted the pure silver crown on his head. He stepped out of the greenhouse, now making his way back inside the castle.

 

Miss Yaoyorozu was quick to catch up to him, “How did the meeting with Princess Uraraka go?” she asked her prince, hoping she’d receive a positive response. She noticed that Shoto had never taken a liking to any of the wonderful women who entered the kingdom. “I saw her walk off a few moments ago, she didn’t look too disappointed,” the black-haired knight pointed out to her taller prince.

 

Shoto looked at his nails, lightly picking at the edges of them. His hands were perfectly manicured, a treatment lots of royalty had done. “I didn’t like her very much,” he told Momo with pure honesty. “She told me I looked good, but I didn’t feel anything.. Father said I’m supposed to feel happiness in my body when I get a compliment from my wife,” the monotone man spoke to his knight, “But I didn’t feel a single thing… she’s just like every other princess, Momo.”

 

Yaoyorozu sighed- another failure. “I’m sorry, your highness,” she said to Shoto, “but King won’t be very pleased with that news.. you know how hard he’s working to get princesses to meet you,” she spoke in a soft, yet affirmative tone. The true voice of a leader and warrior. “I don’t think I want to marry a princess,” The prince told his knight, true honesty lacing his voice.

 

The knight stayed silent, walking beside Shoto as they headed to his bedroom. She spoke once they were in the correct hallway, “What are you going to do now, sir?”

 

Shoto stayed facing forward, not looking directly at her when he talked, “I’m going on a walk, Yaomomo. I’m gonna go out into the Mush Woods… maybe I’ll go to my fishing spot,” he shrugged.

 

“I’ll never understand what you see in those gross woods, prince,” Yaoyorozu sighed, thinking of the various species of mushrooms in those woods. Lots of muddy substance and gross effects of nature. Someone as strong as her could stomach it, of course, but to walk in there willingly? She couldn’t begin to see why Shoto liked it there. But he always came back safe, and that’s what mattered.

 

“There’s never any people there. And I don't like people.. it’s a perfect match,” Shoto said back to her. He pushed the platinum white double doors to his bedroom open, entering the area. He went to his closet immediately, undressing with no care of Yaoyorozu’s presence. “Could you retrieve my fishing rod?” He asked the knight as he changed in the open closet.

 

Momo nodded, not bothered by his nudity. She didn’t care at all, really, she’d been his knight since they were young children, she’d seen it all multiple times. She went to his tool chest, opening it up to look at all his supplies. Swords, rope, axes, hooks, all of that junk was stored in here. Most of it gone unused. She took out his fishing pole, setting it aside as she waited for him to change.

 

Shoto came out in a much more common outfit. a pair of loose, blandly colored pants accompanied with a white button up shirt, made of baggy and easily washable materials— his typical outside wear. he pulled on his tall, heavy boots to wear outdoors, “Tell Father that I went hunting,” the prince demanded in a quiet tone. “I don’t think he’d be too excited about me going on a walk..”

 

Soft noises of nature was one of the few things that the prince thoroughly enjoyed. He walked along his usual path, watching his boots lightly sink into the brightly colored mud of the forest. Because of the new season, a coat of bright pink powder covered lots of the forest’s surfaces. he knew for himself, though that the pink was simply plant seeds and spores. The forest was growing.. he inhaled deeply, watching the tiny bugs and fairies flutter around in the air. What a gorgeous forest.. he finished his walk, standing at the edge of a medium-sized lake. He sighed, reaching into his pocket to get his small pack of bait.

 

The prince sighed with deep defeat when the pocket was empty. Dammit, nothing was going right today. Shoto bent down, digging up a big, gross insect on his own. He got dirt caked around his perfect nails now! He’d have to get those touched up.. he’d worry about it later. He felt himself cringe as he stuck the big bug on the hook of his fishing rod. ‘Gross,’ he thought to himself as he cast it into the water.

 

The surface of the lake rippled gently as the hook and some fishing link sunk into the water, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to grab on.

 

Shoto patiently waited, catching a rainbow trout on his first try! He felt impressed with himself. He looked at the fish closely, admiring its beautiful natural patterns. The prince was debating on taking it home to eat or not… he decided he’d do that. He set the fish into his basket, shutting the lid. he stood back up to cast again-

 

Until he saw it.

 

A dark, murky outline of a large figure swam beneath the surface. Shoto jumped back in surprise. What was that?! It was huge! There shouldn’t be anything that big in this little lake!

 

He felt his heart pound out of his chest as he struggled to pick up his basket, wanting to get home as soon as he saw that outline.

 

But then, it revealed itself. From the water, a head popped out. A.. human head? Well, kind of.. The creature showed more of himself, causing Shoto to raise a brow. What was this creature?

 

“Hello!” The green creature cheered out immediately. Shoto looked over the other’s appearance. He could only see his upper body.. dark green hair framed a cute round face. An array of black and green speck’s like freckles were beneath his eyes and surrounding patches of scales on his body. He had fin-like attachments where his ears would be, which were basically dark green, thin appendages connected by a pale green translucent layer. much like the webbed feet of a duck. When he smiled, there was an upper row of sharp teeth. And to top it all off, there were two gorgeous gems embedded in his neck. a diamond shape below a circle shape.. they were absolutely beautiful.. they looked like an emerald and a pearl.

 

Shoto caught himself staring at the wonderful creature, “I-“ he didn’t know what to say! The man was at a loss for words. He’d never laid his eyes on one so .. ethereal. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Hello there..”

 

The mermaid type thing got closer, resting his arms on the grassy shore before he looked up at Shoto with a curios expression, “Were you offering me that bug?” He asked softly.

 

Shoto blinked, shaking his head hard, “No! That was for little fish-“ he admitted to the other, “do you eat bugs? Do you like bugs-?”

 

“Nope! I like fish…” he said. He looked back up at Shoto, noticing his super cool hair. He gasped a bit with excitement, it looked just like the peppermint shrimp he used to find at home!! “What’s your name?” he asked suddenly, “Is it shrimp? Or peppermint? Or pep? Or mint?!” He suggested all these wild names.

 

The prince was a little surprised at all those weird suggestions of a name.. “It’s- none of those,” he informed the creature. Why was he talking to this thing? And why was he,, drawn towards it? Something about those gorgeous eyes, that pretty face, that adorable smile made him feel… mushy inside. Something he was supposedly supposed to feel when women complimented him.

 

So why wasn’t he feeling it towards a woman?

 

“My name is Shoto,” he introduced himself, “Prince Shoto Todoroki.”

 

Izuku felt a little bit of surprise. How had he just happened to meet royalty?! He stared at the gorgeous craft of silver and diamond atop the man’s head… it looked absolutely stunning in his opinion. Or maybe the wearer of the crown was the one he found stunning— he swallowed hard, “A prince…? Wow, I never thought I’d meet somebody so important..” He didn’t even think he should feel entitled enough to introduce himself to one so beautiful! “My name is Izuku Midoriya,” he said to the other, his green eyes seemingly taking in the entire attractive sight before him.

 

“Nice to meet you, Izuku…”