AN: This story contains spoilers from chapters 170 onwards (from the manga) where the Cultural Festival takes place. I don't remember where did the band rehearsed, but for the convenience of this story, let's make them rehearse in the common room of the Heights Alliance.
Kyoka finished the rehearsal and everyone was happy to finally rest. Momo observed the keyboard with nostalgia;. It was not the same as the piano she used to play as a child. The keys of this instrument were smooth to the touch and more sensitive, in addition the music they were rehearsing was a far cry from the melodies that she used to practice back at home. She didn't complain, she also liked the song that her friend was teaching them, but it's just that …
Her fingers slid delicately over the black and white keys, caressing them as her mind submerged itself into a distant memory. She hadn't played in a long time, and doing it again made her want to listen to those songs that had cost her so much effort to learn years ago. She looked around. The common room was empty. She had lost herself for so long in the memory that she hadn't noticed when the others left. Momo smiled, more determined, and settled down in her seat. She stretched her fingers, preparing to start.
Momo inhaled deeply, lifting her hands slightly and then beginning to play. She closed her eyes, hearing the first notes, imagining that she was in the music room of the mansion, alone, letting herself be carried away by a familiar melody, which she practiced tirelessly to perfection. Her fingers knew the path between the keys and they played with perfection. The music invaded her mind, her soul, her body. She felt her chest swell with emotion and her skin tingle with the impact of the melody. Her mind wandered in memories and sensations that the music inspired. Momo's body began to move in tune with the sound, and she soon forgot that she was in the common room of Heights Alliance. She let her muscles relax, letting herself be carried away by the harmony.
When her fingers played the final notes, and the vibration of the music left her ears, Yaoyorozu opened her eyes slowly, exhaling the air in a sigh, and smiled broadly. She identified with the melody, which began slowly and sweetly, but progressively changed to a more aggressive and deep tone, then returned to a soft calm. It was herself, but in the form of a song.
She was going to get up from the seat when she noticed that she was not alone as she had thought, just a few steps away Todoroki was watching her intently with a glass of ice tea in his hand.
"Todoroki, I didn't realize you were here," she said, somewhat embarrassed. She wondered how much of the song he had heard.
"That song..." Todoroki trailed off. "I've never heard it before."
"Oh, well maybe it's not very well known. I learned to play it when I was a kid," she commented looking away with some embarrassment, her cheeks coloring as she turned her eyes to the keys.
"The song... it's very pretty."
She looked up at the boy in front of her, smiling at him. Todoroki returned the smile.
"I never learned to play an instrument," he said, growing serious. His eyes scanned the array of instruments that rested around her from the rehearsal.
"There is always time to learn," Momo responded. She felt a rush of helpfulness come over her. "I can teach you."
Todoroki looked at her surprised and seemed to meditate on her words for a moment.
"Come, sit next to me. I'll explain the basics."
Before he could decide if he wanted to learn or not, Momo reached the bank of the battery and invited him to sit in her place. She would use Bakugo's seat.
Shoto set his glass down on the table between the chairs and walked over, taking the seat she had been using. Momo smiled broadly at him, happy to be able to teach him a new skill.
"We'll start with one hand alone," she said, placing her hand in the area of the keyboard in front of her.
Shoto imitated her.
"The fingers should go over this set of keys. Of the black pair, the first white is the DO." She indicated, pointing his finger at the key. "Then to the right the scale rises, so DO-RE-MI-FA ..."
Shoto followed her instructions with his fingers.
Momo nodded enthusiastically. "You're doing great, Todoroki!" she encouraged. She repeated the scale on the keys. "Let's do it together."
They both began to play the scale, but in different octaves. At first they did not synchronize, but after a couple of attempts, they managed to start at the same point and the simple notes harmonized.
"It is easy," Todoroki said, clearly surprised.
"Yes it is! Now let's try a simple melody." Momo improvised a melody, mixing the notes together in different ways. Shoto watched her fingers intently. When she finished, he ran through the keys in front of him in the same order she had shown him. He smiled when he heard the music that flowed from the piano.
"You learn fast, Todoroki."
A quiet "thank you" was said, looking steadily at the keys.
After a long moment he looked up and their eyes met. Momo felt a little nervous when she felt his intense eyes inquire in to her own. She tried to look away, but at the same time, she did not want to stop looking at him. An internal struggle was debated in her mind, as she decided whether to break the moment or let herself be carried away by the magnetism of the situation.
"Can you teach me a song? Like the one you were playing." It was him who broke the moment, taking his eyes back to the keyboard.
Momo shook her head. "That song is a bit difficult. It took me a long time to learn it. Maybe we can try something simpler."
"Alright." Shoto placed both hands on the keys. "But I'm supposed to use both, right?"
She cocked her head. "Yes, that's right ... but in the first class, using both hands is difficult."
"We'll try it," he said with a small smile.
With patience, Yaoyorozu continued to teach him increasingly complex piano elements. Todoroki seemed to have a voracious curiosity and with every thing he incorporated, he asked for more. So between the lesson and some improvisation, a new melody began to emerge.
Combining what was learned with the piano sectors that had been shared, both repeated the exercise, resulting in a song born of the union of their practice and dedication.
They had started with something soft, almost shy, while Todoroki's hands became familiar with the keys and the notes. Soon Momo pressed his skills, including some rhythm, to which he obediently followed. The tender and soft melody began to climb in intensity, while both were carried away by the music and their hands ran through the keyboard and without so many fears. The bass and treble melted creating a personal, passionate, unique music. Both so absorbed in the task did not realize that their bodies accompanied the sound, moving to the beat of the intensity, losing themselves in harmony, shaking by the vigor of their melody.
At the end of the song, the two felt exhausted. They looked at each other, their faces red from agitation. Their excited hearts beat strongly inside their chests, their minds still overwhelmed by the intensity of the music and their actions.
"That was very good, Todoroki." - Her words came out in a whisper.
Shoto stared at her and showed a smile. Then he got up from his seat. "Thank you for the lesson, Yaoyorozu. I think I like the piano," he commented, without looking away from her.
"Whenever you like... we can have another class," Momo responded, loosing herself in his eyes.
"That will be nice."
Shoto did not add anything else and started on his way to his bedroom. He felt strange, his heart was still racing and his hands were trembling (the latter he supposed that it was due to being so long playing the piano). The song they had created together rumbled in his mind, the music ruffling his skin and running through his body like a pleasant chill.
He wished he could have the opportunity to play with her again, to make music together. Perhaps, the next lesson can create a new song.
Thanks for reading!
This is the translation of a fanfic I wrote in spanish. I hope you all liked it!
Thanks to Bajo la Sombra del Velo who helped with the translation! And to IAmTheQueenOfMe who made the beta reading of the story correcting all the Grammar and Spelling mistakes and helped with the vocabulary! (I can't make all this without their help ^^)