Chapter Text
The first time Katsuki met Todoroki Shouto, he had thought that the boy with the red and white hair was rather meek.
Maybe it was a harsh observation to make on Katsuki’s part—Shouto was several years younger than him after all—but Katsuki had outgrown the childish habit of clinging to his mother’s legs by the time he was three-and-a-half.
Shouto was five and going on six when they first met, and had said fewer than ten words to Katsuki before he left, still hiding behind Todoroki Rei’s skirts and making himself as small as physically possible.
While Katsuki had found the boy utterly unremarkable for most of their encounter, he does remember thinking to himself that he had striking eyes. One glacial blue, one slate grey—sparkling like precious gemstones when the child had summoned the courage to lift his chin and meet Katsuki’s gaze.
So it came as a shock to Katsuki to see how those eyes had dulled the next time he came face-to-face with the third son of the Todoroki family.
Todoroki Shouto had just presented as an Alpha at the tender age of thirteen. It was rare, but not unheard of for someone to present so young. Presenting young as Alpha was a good omen, the mark of a strong Alpha, an immense source of pride for a family.
Todoroki Enji himself had presented young, but at fifteen instead of thirteen, bested by his own son. The man had been ecstatic. A grand celebration had been swiftly arranged, invitations sent out to every neighbouring tribe head. It was the perfect opportunity for Enji to boast and gloat, to bask in the limelight afforded to him by his youngest son. It was also a chance for other tribes to forge new alliances—Shouto may not be of age yet but arrangements can be made early. The Todorokis were a powerful family after all, from old blood with roots dug deep into the earth and spanning back hundreds of years.
Katsuki had hoped to avoid meeting Shouto in person during the celebrations and could not stop himself from groaning under his breath when he caught sight of Shouto and the back of his signature head of red and white in the secluded corner of the gardens he had snuck away to. Shouto was sitting on a bench with his back to Katsuki, head hung low between raised shoulders, his fringe concealing his eyes.
Having no desire to engage the newly-presented Alpha, Katsuki prepared to turn on his heel and leave. The Todoroki estate was massive and Katsuki was certain that he could find another hiding spot to spend the rest of the evening, away from the festivities.
Except—
“Katsuki.”
The singular word pierced through the silence of the cool evening, rooting Katsuki to the spot. Shouto still had his back turned to Katsuki, and they were not familiar enough to know each other by the sound of their footfalls. Shouto should not have known that it was him.
Shouto turned his head to glance over his shoulder. It was late evening and the lighting in the gardens was dim but the exhaustion on Shouto’s young face was evident—and so was the large scar marring the right side of his face.
Katsuki sucked in a sharp breath. He had heard of what happened through the grapevine but it was his first time seeing the results in person. A tragic accident of an ailing mother disfiguring her child in a bout of madness.
Katsuki thought back to the small, shy child clinging to his mother’s skirts. The light in those once brilliant eyes are nowhere to be seen. Todoroki Rei had been sent away to recover from whatever ailment had caused her to throw boiling water on her youngest son and the innocence in Shouto’s eyes had gone away with her.
“Katsuki?” Shouto called again, snapping Katsuki out of his thoughts and back to the present.
“The fuck are you doing here?” Katsuki grumbled, annoyance returning in full force now that the little boy in his thoughts had melted away, replaced by the slightly older one before him. His window of escape had closed with Shouto sitting up straighter and turning to face him fully.
Shouto’s eyes swept downwards, “Needed some fresh air. It was…overwhelming, being surrounded by so many people.”
Katsuki guessed as much. Shouto never struck him as much of a people person, that trait belonged to the eldest Todoroki son, Touya, whose name was never far from people’s mouths, always involved in one sensationalized scandal or another.
“Must smell like ass in there.”
His insult drew out a muffled snicker from the boy. A small grin pulled at Katsuki’s lips. He expected Shouto to be scandalized by his comment, maybe even try to reprimand him. He looked so uptight on the surface with his frilly dress shirts and tailored trousers. Who knew the kid had a sense of humour?
“I’ve heard that you haven’t presented. How do you know?”
All goodwill fled from Katsuki in an instant. His mouth flattened into a thin, tight line and Katsuki had to fight the instinctual reflex to sock the kid in the mouth. Shouto’s eyes widened, the panic clear in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” the boy hurried to say, even standing from his seat on the stone bench. “That was inappropriate, I shouldn’t have said that.”
Just as Shouto’s presentation had been announced to the entire lands and beyond, Katsuki’s lack of one despite already approaching the age of nineteen was an open secret amongst the different tribes.
Presenting late was not uncommon, but Katsuki was notorious in his own right, for reasons that made his own kin proud but others feared and criticized. He had a certain image, a certain reputation that pushed the idea that he would present earlier rather than later. So when his sixteenth nameday passed with his secondary gender still shrouded in mystery, tongues began to wag.
Katsuki couldn’t care less what the outsiders thought of him, but the fact that his presentation was not forthcoming had and still was a sore spot for him.
Not that Shouto knew any of that. He had not said what he said with any malicious intent, for that Katsuki was certain.
Katsuki heaved a heavy sigh before stomping over to where Shouto was standing. To his credit, the boy did not falter where he stood when Katsuki reached out a hand to him, though Katsuki did catch the way his eyes fluttered rapidly, as if in anticipation of something unpleasant.
“Don’t need no fucking enhanced nose to know how it must stink in there,” Katsuki ruffled Shouto’s hair roughly, ruining the fine strands that had been perfectly parted into a chaotic mess. “Everyone’s probably having a pissing contest to see who’s the biggest and baddest Alpha in the room. Fuck, I’m fucking glad I don’t gotta be subjected to that.”
Instead of being annoyed like Katsuki had expected—most people, especially Alphas, did not appreciate their personal space being breached—Shouto looked pensive when Katsuki retracted his hand. He stared up at Katsuki with those mismatched eyes, and for a moment, Katsuki thought he saw a flicker of light in them.
A long moment of silence passed before, “My father…he’s the worst one of the lot.”
The grin returned to Katsuki’s lips, “No shit?”
“Yes,” mirth crinkled Shouto’s eyes into crescents, breathing life back into those dulled eyes. “Like an uncontained forest fire. He doesn’t smell bad, per se, but his scent is the most overpowering one. It’s like choking on smoke.”
“Fuck, now I’m really glad I can’t smell him.”
“Not at all?” Shouto’s head tilted to the side. The curiosity was plain to see on his face.
“Not even a whiff,” Katsuki affirmed with a nod of his head. “Can’t smell nothing and don’t smell like nothing.”
Shouto blinked, head tilting to the other side, expression thoughtful.
“That’s strange, I thought I…” The boy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, leaving Katsuki to wonder what the fuck he was doing. A furrow had formed between his brows when he opened his eyes again. “Never mind.”
Katsuki didn’t have a chance to press the topic. A feminine voice rang out from the distance, calling Shouto’s name. Probably a maid sent to fetch the runaway star of the festivities.
Shouto looked so obviously miserable at the thought of having to rejoin the party. His expression was so comical that Katsuki couldn’t hold back a snort of amusement. “Tough luck, kid.”
“I could pretend that I’m not here…” Shouto turned his gaze on Katsuki. “You wouldn’t expose me, right?”
“And potentially start a huge commotion and misunderstanding that the beloved third son of the Todoroki family has gone missing? On his big day no less? No fucking thanks,” Katsuki said, barking out a short laugh.
The deep pout that appeared on Shouto’s face following Katsuki’s rejection only made Katsuki laugh harder.
“Guess you’re still a child after all, Alpha or not,” Katsuki smirked, reaching out and ruffling Shouto’s hair once more. This time, the boy did react as expected, using one hand to bat Katsuki’s hand away and taking a few steps away from Katsuki.
Katsuki chortled merrily, thoroughly amused by the predictable reaction. Teasing the young Alpha was the most fun he has had all evening. Katsuki had thought he’d be miserable throughout the celebrations, thinking of it as nothing but a tiresome ordeal even before his family had departed from their homeland for Todoroki territory.
He was glad to be proven wrong.
“Alright, you brat. Come here,” Katsuki beckoned Shouto forward as he slipped a small pouch out of his pants pocket, keeping it hidden in his closed fist.
Despite the suspicion that was written all over Shouto’s face, he still did as Katsuki asked, moving close enough until he could peer at what Katsuki was holding. Katsuki unfurled his fingers and revealed the small scent pouch. Its fragrance was immediately apparent, permeating the air around them with a pleasant mixture of floral notes. Katsuki was intimately familiar with the contents of the scent pouch; he had packed it himself after all—Red carnation, white gardenia, and the sunset lily that was native only to Katsuki’s homeland.
“Here,” Katsuki tucked the scent pouch in between Shouto’s shirt and vest. It was small enough to sit snugly in the space without showing any obvious bumps. “Everyone in my tribe carries one of these with them at all times. It’ll help with the smell.”
“Oh,” Shouto took in a deep breath, eyes fluttering close. He held his breath for a long moment before slowly exhaling, “It smells really nice.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Katsuki snorted, shaking his head. “Now get the fuck outta here.”
Seemingly appeased by Katsuki’s gift, Shouto did not object this time. He strode past Katsuki but turned around after a few steps. He did not hesitate when meeting Katsuki’s eyes.
“Thank you,” Shouto touched two fingers gently over the spot where the pouch was. “For your time and your company. I enjoyed speaking with you.”
A small, shy smile curved the boy’s lips upwards. It looked a little awkward on Shouto, as if his facial muscles weren’t used to the movement.
Katsuki waved him off, a little stiff and awkward himself. He certainly wasn’t used to such polite pleasantries, especially not for something so small.