Chapter Text
Ochako could feel her face starting to hurt. Not from anything serious. There were no injuries or freak quirk accidents, but there was smiling. Too much smiling. The kind that had to look effortless under cameras and flashing lights.
It had been a few years since she and her class graduated from U.A. Since then, she had learned a lot about the media, with media training and from her own experience. What she didn’t learn was how many events she would be invited to. Recently, she has been getting invited to a lot of events whether it be for fund raising, awards, or just for the sake of gathering heroes together. With her rising ranking as a hero, she has been gaining a lot more popularity.
The venue for this one was massive. Elegant in a way that it didnt just look expensive, it felt expensive. It was so over the top in a way that made her feel like she didn’t belong, like the place was too fancy for her. Everything gleamed. These types of events were the type of events that she’d watch on her worn down TV as a tween, and judge the heroes’ outfits. Now she was walking down a hallway in heels that were killing her feet, where chandeliers glowed overhead, reflecting off floors that were so clean they almost reflected back at her. Although she had gotten used to it, it still felt off being in such fancy settings like this from time to time. It was like something out of a movie.
It was a lot.
Too much, maybe.
Ochako made sure to keep her posture straight as she walked, trying not to look like she was taking in everything at once. She’d gotten better at that over time— at pretending she belonged in such sophisticated places like this. At pretending she wasn’t mentally wowed by the food, by the venues, by everything.
She resisted the urge to tug at her sleeve. She’d picked this outfit carefully. With help, obviously. Mina had opinions. Yaoyorozu had… more refined opinions. There had been an entire group chat discussion about it. Even though their class graduated a few years ago, the girls still get together every now and then.
Her reflection briefly caught in one of the tall glass panels along the wall. For a split second, she slowed.
Pink cheeks. Soft expression. Hair styled just enough to look intentional but not overdone.
“Uravity! Over here!”
She turned automatically, her smile already in place as an interviewer, one of the familiar faces, began to ask a question.
“Hero Uravity— Nano Kanzaki, from Koyo Weekly. You’ve risen eight spots in the rankings this year alone—how does it feel?”
As she got interviewed more and more, she recognized and got to know more people. This specific girl, a little younger than her, had a clear fire in her eyes and a genuine passion for journaling. Ochako could tell she genuinely enjoyed her career as a journalist and worked hard to get there. She gave a light smile as Kanzaki’s left eye blinked red— an indicator she was being recorded. “It still feels unreal,” she replied. “I’m just trying to do my best everyday.”
That answer always worked. It was safe and reusable.
“Your rescue efficiency rates have skyrocketed—especially after the Hosu incident. Would you say you’ve found your specialty?”
The Hosu incident had been when a rich family’s house caught on fire, and Ochako teamed up with Kamui Woods to save the people involved in the accident. Kamui Woods brought her into the burning house while other heroes worked to stop the fire, and she evacuated the people there using her Zero Gravity Quirk on them, while the tree-man brought them down to safety. It was like any other day, however, one of the daughters of that family she saved was an influencer, and that had gotten her agency a lot of traction. There were multiple stories on it, including a very emotional one where Ochako had saved their senior dog. It was a lot more tame than the Hosu incident that she knew of.
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I think… helping people feel safe in chaotic situations is what I want to focus on.”
The questions kept coming, from different journalists. They were easy at first. Hero work. Missions. Rankings. The kind of things she could answer without thinking too hard. She had big amount of practice for these questions. But then, there was a shift. Kanzaki leaned forward, just a little more than the others, her glasses falling forward the slightest bit. Her voice carried enough curiosity to stand out.
“And with all this attention,” she said, “fans are getting more curious about your personal life as well.”
Ochako’s smile didn’t falter.
Outwardly.
Inside, though, she sighed.
Here we go.
“Do you find it difficult balancing your hero work with relationships?”
“Oh—um,” she let out a small laugh, brushing it off, “I think being a hero keeps me pretty busy.”
Another reporter jumped in immediately. “Speaking of relationships—there have been long-standing rumors about you and Izuku Midoriya. Any truth to those?”
Ochako blinked once, then smiled again, softer this time. “We did date,” she said simply. “But it was just for a short time during our last year.”
That part at least, felt easy.
It was true. Her and Deku were still friends, while not as close as before, back when everything felt like it was happening all at once and their whole class was running on adrenaline and shared goals. But still, it was stable. Familiar in a way that it didn’t hurt to think about.
They tried out dating, but broke up after a year. It was a simple breakup, not dramatic at all. There was no betrayal nor messy ending that people would expect when they hear the word breakup. They had kept things private, but just realized they weren’t right for each other, and wanted different things.
She was sad for a while, but it made her realize there should be no battle between her career and love life. She stopped dating for a while, and then just didn’t have time for it. Since then, she has always been prioritizing her career.
There was a brief pause, then—
“Oh!”
“So it was real?”
“Are you still close?”
Ochako nodded. “Yeah, we’re still friends.”
Another voice cut through.
“What about Hitoshi Shinso? You two have worked together frequently.”
Ochako let out a small laugh, this one more genuine.
“No, no—Shinso’s just a friend.”
“Just a friend?” someone echoed, clearly unsatisfied.
“Yes,” she said, still smiling. “Just a friend.”
There was a ripple of murmurs. Then, that same girl, Kanzaki, with oval-shaped glasses and her hair tied back in a loose ponytail, who was constantly asking the right questions to put the everyone into a frenzy, asked, “Uravity, what about Katsuki Bakugo?”
And everything in Ochako’s head stopped. It wasn’t even the question itself. It was how casually it was asked. Like it belonged in the same category as the others. Like it made sense.
She barely considered Bakugo a friend, they just worked together sometimes, that was all. She didn’t like him at the start. He was… A lot of words crossed her mind. Full of rage. Mean. Arrogant. She’d admit to herself, she’s thought of it before, he was really cute. Hardworking, and had a really good discipline and drive.
Ochako opened her mouth to speak. Her mind went completely blank.
“Uh,” She stuttered for the first time that night, “We work well together.”
The words came out fast. Too fast. She heard it the moment it left her mouth. It sounded weird, but it was too late. She could see the reporters light up, and the ever so slightest smirk on Kanzaki’s face.
“Oh?”
“‘Work well together’—how so?”
“Is there something more there?”
“Fans have noticed your coordination during joint missions—would you say there’s chemistry?”
Chemistry?! Her and Bakugo??
Ochako’s smile snapped back into place like a reflex.
“No, I just mean—we’re both efficient in the field,” she said quickly. “That’s all.”
__
By the time the event ended, Ochako was exhausted. She barely remembered how she got home— All she knew that one second she was under almost blinding lights and constant questions coming her way—and the next, she was laying in the comfort of her bed, makeup still on, a habit she was always scolded by her friends for, saying it was bad for her skin.
She stared at the ceiling for a full five seconds, then her brain started. Why did she say that? Work well together? She could have just said they were friends, like with Shinsou.
She groaned and rolled over. “It’s fine,” she told herself. “It’s normal. That was a normal answer.”
No it wasn’t. Articles were so gonna be made about it. Oh god. Articles. Next thing she knows she’s grabbing her phone, googling her name. Her phone’s bright screen light made her squint.
URAVITY CONFIRMS PAST RELATIONSHIP WITH DEKU—OPENS UP ABOUT DYNAMIGHT PARTNERSHIP
ARE URAVITY AND DYNAMIGHT MORE THAN TEAMMATES?
‘WE WORK WELL TOGETHER’ — FANS SPECULATE ON NEW HERO DUO
She put her head in her pillow, wishing she didn’t have to go to these events ever again.