Authors Note: The song in this is Tightrope from Greatest Showman. I own nothing.

Lullaby

Present Mic's classes sometimes got a little weird. Today was no exception.

"As heroes you're going to go through a lot of things. Not all of them are gonna be good. You need a way to cope with that listeners! Music is an outlet a lot of pros use to deal with the stress of their jobs!"

That was how they found themselves in a room full of different instruments. Bakugou had taken possession of the drum set at once. Izumi had known he would. He'd been playing drums for years, his mother had thought it would help him get his energy out in a more healthy way. She lingered on the edges of the room for a while before she wandered over to a large grand piano. None of her classmates had gone near it, favoring the guitars and more conventional school band instruments over the classical piece. It was a well cared for piano. Izumi let her fingers trail over the ivory keys for a moment before gently pushing a key. The clear note rang from the instrument sparking a memory she'd forgotten she had.

'Papa! Papa! Are you going to show me how to play?' Someone lifted her up into his lap and carefully arranged tiny fingers on the keys.

'If that's what you want little Izu. Here we'll play your lullaby.'

Izumi slid onto the bench and arranged her fingers. She'd forgotten the rest of the class was even there, lost in a pleasant memory of her father, something she didn't have a lot of. Her fingers started a bit clumsy on the keys, it had been so long since she played after all but after a few sour notes the memory slotted into place and the notes came easily.

"Some people long for a life that is simple and planned. Tied with a ribbon." Bakugou's drumming faltered then stopped. Jiro, who'd been playing along with him frowned. He was looking around.

"Some people won't sail the sea cause they're safer on land. To follow what's written." His eyes locked on the grand piano and the girl sitting there. God it had been years since he'd heard that song. He had a vague memory of a man he knew to be Deku's father singing it to her.

"But I'd follow you to the great unknown. Off to a world we call our own." Iida slowly lowered the bow for the violin he'd been testing out. Uraraka had both hands over her mouth as Izumi kept singing, seemingly oblivious to the world around her.

"Hand in my hand, and we promise to never let go. We're walking a tightrope." Her voice wasn't perfect, her high notes wavered slightly but the emotion behind the song had all other sound falling to a stop. Present Mic had raised an eyebrow. Mineta was filming, everyone else was just watching as slightly crocked fingers caressed the keys.

"High in the sky, we can see the whole world down below. We're walking a tightrope." Izumi was still caught in that memory. It was like she could still feel his hands guiding her fingers, his base voice rumbling the words along with her.

"Never sure, never know how far we could fall. But it's all an adventure that comes with a breathtaking view. Walking a tightrope with you."

'A breathtaking view, that's what this is.' Todoroki thought as she began the second verse. He'd had some time to contemplate Izumi Midoriya since the sports festival and she still fascinated him. That someone so small and seeming so insecure and so fragile could hold so much power inside her, he was still stunned. Her kindness shone so bright he would swear she glowed with it. She poured herself heart and soul into everything she did. This was no different he mused as the chorus fell from her lips once more.

"Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall?" Her words faltered for on the crescendo, the previous note from the piano keys nearly fading into silence before she put her fingers back to the keys, her voice sounding so small as she kept going.

"Well it's all an adventure that comes with a breathtaking view." Ashido and Hagakure were sniffling. Jiro was looking a Midoriya with her head tilted to the side as if she was seeing the girl in a whole new light.

"Walking a tightrope, with you." The piano played out the last few notes and the room fell silent for a moment before Sero and Kaminari burst out into applause. They were quickly joined by most of the rest of the class as Mineta scrambled to hide his phone. Midoriya jumped so badly she almost fell off the bench. Iida leapt forwards to help her but it was Todoroki who got there first. She was beet red as she tried to hide behind her hair.

"That was beautiful Midoriya. I didn't know you played." Todoroki said helping her to her feet. She stuttered and stammered but didn't actually manage actual words as several of the girls crowded around them to compliment Izumi and pepper her with a million questions. Present Mic was about to step in, he could practically see All Might's protégé wishing the floor would open up and swallow her, but Iida beat him to it.

"That's enough. Midoriya clearly isn't comfortable with this many questions at once." He said waving his hands at his classmates in reprimand. Most of them apologized and slipped easily back into the activities they had forgotten. Todoroki stayed though.

"I didn't know you played." Todoroki said again drawing Izumi's attention back to him. She rubbed the back of her head and let out a huff.

"I don't. Not anymore. I hadn't played in a long time. Hadn't even seen a piano in a while." He raised an eyebrow. She let out a breath. "When I was little my dad would sometimes take me out, when my mom was working. One of our favorite places was this little music studio the company he works for owned. He used to play piano for hours. That's the only song he taught me, before he started working abroad." Her face fell slightly. Todoroki gently pushed her hair back from her face.

"For not having played in a long time that was really impressive. Maybe you should try to get back into it." Midoriya laughed.

"I wouldn't have the space to. The studio got bought out years ago. I think it's dancer space now." Present Mic stepped forward.

"Actually you would have a place, listener!" She blinked at him and the other students paused in their activities too. "This room and the several other rooms in this hall are the music department at UA. You all have access to this space and a few others at select times and after school! Just like you have select access to the gyms!" The class cheered as Bakugou and Jiro picked back up their jam session. Midoriya blushed slightly as she realized that she and Todoroki were still standing very close to each other.

"Maybe I will pick it back up after all then." She grinned and Todoroki felt his heart do flip flops in his chest. Present Mic smiled to himself and shot Midnight a text.

'I want in on the 1-A pool. 2,000 yen on Todoroki and Midoriya.' His phone buzzed immediately.

'You sure? The odds favor Bakugou and Midoriya more. He's got the childhood friend thing going for him.'

'I'm sure.' Midnight rolled her eyes at her phone. All Might raised an eyebrow.

"Everything alright?" She nodded and stepped over to a whiteboard in the corner.

"Yes. Mic is just making a risky bet." Aizawa glared up at her from his sleeping bag in the corner as she changed a few numbers on the board and added Mic's name to a column.

"Might not be as risky as you think." She rolled her eyes at him and All Might shook his head. He was never going to get used to this teaching thing.