Ochako put down her phone and wanted to go back to sleep. She had only just been up for a few minutes and was already stressed out. The article that Tsuyu had sent from a recent interview she had, made no mention about any of her plans or goals as an astronaut in training. In fact, they chose to publish everything she thought was unnecessary. Instead of all the facts about space travel and its effects on the human body, they chose to focus on her age and how she was becoming the face of JAXA. As if being the face of JAXA was what she wanted. She was an astronaut, not an idol. It didn't even make much sense to her. Compared to Mina, or god forbid, Momo, she might as well have been plain looking in her book. So why her?

After a few more minutes of mindlessly scrolling through twitter, she conceded she needed to get out of bed. Staying in all day wasn't going to help anything. Willing herself, she got up and went to take a shower to wake up and drown out her negative thinking.

A few weeks had passed since she moved into the apartment with Izuku, but so far, he had been the best bodyguard she could have hoped for. In fact, there were times where she forgot he was her bodyguard all together. They had much better chemistry after they had gotten over their rather awkward intro. He was polite and kind, and was never too overbearing. Letting her go out and see Tsuyu and the others without directly being there. Ochako almost wanted to introduce him to them, but she assumed he would be too embarrassed to say anything. Though she admitted it would be rather cute.

She took a pause and let the water flow over her. Where did that come from?

She quickly paid the it no mind, instead focusing on how much time she had spent in the shower. She didn't want to use any more water than she needed to. Even if they weren't paying for it. One of these days she'll have to pay JAXA back somehow. Even after putting her on a pedestal, they still cared about her safety enough to do this. Quickly shutting it off she dried herself up and went back into her room. As she stepped out of the shower she heard some noise coming from the kitchen. Deku must be cooking something, he probably made some for me as well.

After putting on a simple pink shirt and black shorts she walked out of her room to see exactly what she imagined. Izuku was in the kitchen washing the dishes he had just used, and a plates of egg whites were atop the counter. He glanced over when he heard the door open and smiled when he saw Ochako come out of the room. He was already dressed in what she recognized as a UA tracksuit, and assumed that he was about to go for his morning run. While she wasn't exactly in bad shape, quite the contrary, she had been slacking these past few weeks due to adjusting to everything. So, she asked Izuku if she could join him.

"Sure, no problem!" he quickly replied, "It's always nice to run with someone. Let's head out after you eat. The sun should still be rising by then so we won't deal with too much heat."

Ochako nodded her head, and went back into her room to change into her workout clothes. She remembered that she still had some UA uniforms and hoped they still fit. Ruffling through her closet she found her old gym uniform and luckily, they fit perfectly. When Izuku saw her, his mouth went agape for a brief second before he furiously scrubbed the last dish.

She quickly downed their meal and then helped each other stretch in the living room as a warm up. She noticed that Izuku wore weightlifting gloves instead of his usual suit ones and wondered if he had wrist problems. She'd never seen his actual bare hands, so maybe it was severe. Her train of thought was interrupted when she realized how sturdy he was. She could see that he was built from his fitted suit, but she wasn't expecting him to feel like a wall of solid muscle. Her mind almost drifted but she stopped herself before she got any further. This is going to be a long morning…

Once outside they started to tell each other about their weeks. The park was nearby but they still had plenty of time to talk which Ochako appreciated. Since the JAXA facilities had plenty of security, and classified info, Izuku didn't need to be nearby while she worked.

He was never too far away however. He made sure he was within a reasonable distance and always made himself available just in case. Mostly he worked out during the downtime and talked to his friends if they were free. He felt guilty about the relatively lax schedule while Ochako was working so hard. But there was nothing he could do about it. Thankfully, she only had training four days out of the week. Yet by the end of the four days she would find herself so exhausted that she took the fifth day to completely rest her body. The physical aspect wasn't what got her, it was the academics. She thought she had some idea of how aeronautics worked, but once they started she knew that it was nothing compared to what she had to learn now. Formulas and simulations played in her head all night long and she wondered if they'd ever stop.

They arrived at the park before the sun has fully risen, just as Izuku predicted, and start to jog down the track that encompassed the park. They're not the only ones jogging but it was no bother to either of them. The conversations were carried on over, even when they were both at a decent pace. Apparently Izuku had a fondness for old myths and legends. However, Ochako noticed something, whenever UA was brought up, or more specifically, Izuku's experiences, he would dash into a full sprint. She caught up eventually, but her frustration grew after it happened more than once. She decided it's wasn't worth the trouble and continued to run alongside her bodyguard.

After half an hour Ochako began to falter and wasn't as quick to catch up to Izuku on the straightaways. Worse, while she was a panting mess covered with sweat, Izuku hadn't even begun to take deep breaths. Once he took notice, he recommended they take a break.

"Are you even tired?" she breathed out after she downed the last of her water. Izuku chuckled in response.

"Sorry, I'm kinda used to it by now. If you think I'm bad you would hate Iida. He could go on for hours without stopping. It's like he had engines in his legs. Run with him for a few years and you'll build up cardio in no time."

Ochako couldn't imagine running for one hour let alone multiple. She wondered if all the other students in All Might's class were like that. But she thought better than to ask, since she knew it would only lead to another evasive answer. After setting her bottle down, she went to walk back onto the track when Izuku called out behind her, "Hey wait!"

Ochako turned and raised her brow, wondering if something was wrong. But before she could ask what, Izuku continued, "Is everything ok?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" she answered bewildered. Was she lagging behind that much?

"I mean this morning you… looked like something was bothering you. Plus, I've been running for weeks now and you suddenly wanted to join me out of the blue." Izuku said while scratching the back of his head. "Sorry if I'm prying too much, it's a bad habit. At least, that's what my friends tell me."

I really looked like that? I mean I was still mad about the article but I didn't think it'd show Ochako pondered. She waved him off "Nah it's nothing serious, just some silly thing I saw."

As soon as she confirmed it, Izuku's face turned serious. He looked directly at her when he said in a delicate tone, "You can talk to me if you want. I don't mind."

The sincerity in his voice surprised her but it wasn't because he was getting too personal, she was surprised at his willingness to help. She didn't know where to start, as now the worries had surfaced once more. She tried to find the words to describe her feelings and before she knew it she blurted out "Do you think I'm attractive?"

Izuku almost choked even though he hadn't drunk anything. All the intensity he displayed immediately died down and his face turned beet red. Ochako wasn't much better off. She shook her head to focus and tried again, "I saw an article about an interview I had, and all they did was keep mentioning how I was smarter than I looked, and how I'm going to be the face of JAXA. Nothing about the actual science I explained, or my plans for the future." she had calmed down and let out a defeated sigh, "I just wonder if I'm really an astronaut at this point, and not some model for JAXA y'know?"

Izuku had calmed down as well and his face returned to being serious. He took a moment to think and Ochako was worried that she was overreacting. She wanted to tell him to forget about it but then he spoke up, "I know it's not ideal, but sometimes you need a symbol." When she gave him a quizzical look he continued, "What I mean is, yeah it's a shame that they only focus on your looks. But space travel isn't as popular these days. So, to get people behind it they need someone like you as a symbol that they're still going strong. You can use that though! Sure, they'll still ask you questions about your looks and things like that, but how many astronauts nowadays get exposure like you? You can use that to spread your message." He walked up to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"No matter what they might think, you're still an astronaut and that's incredible. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But what if I'm not ready to be a symbol?" she asked while averting her gaze. She was glad that he said all those things but the doubts remained.

"I'm sure you'll do great! All Might told me that he wasn't ready to be one either, but he went with it anyway and look at what he's done. I'm confident you can do the same." he said with his trademark smile. Even if she wasn't his biggest fan, she could see All Might's smile within Izuku's.

"Thanks, Deku. I'm still a little worried, but you've made me feel a lot better." she returned his smile with one of her own.

"I'm glad I could help," a slight blush returned to his cheeks, "If you have anything else on your mind I'm always available to listen. I don't just have to protect you from others." he said. "For what it's worth, I can always ask All Might for some advice when we have our monthly call."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Izuku let go of her shoulder and slapped his hand across his mouth as Ochako's eyes widened.

She bombarded him with questions, "You still talk to All Might!? Isn't he retired? Wasn't he was just your teacher?" She knew Izuku was a bit of a fanboy, he'd admitted as much, but she didn't think they were so close. On top of that, this was the most direct he'd ever been.

"Yeah I do, yes he is, and not really no." Izuku answered nervously. He knew he had blown it and decided there wasn't anything else to say besides the truth. "But it's not like we talk every day! We just check up on each other once a month is all!"

Even through his worried expression, Ochako saw the admiration in his eyes. "He really means a lot to you huh?"

"Of course, I wouldn't be here without him."

"Well then I'll just have to thank him one of these days." she giggled. Izuku's face grew red and he took a swig of water to mask it. "C'mon, let's head back. I think I'm coming down from my runners high and I'm starting to get real hungry." she said while patting him on the shoulder. She sauntered over to get their things and he followed.

Before he could think Izuku whispered, "You know, for what it's worth… I do think you're attractive."

Secretly he hoped she didn't hear him, but when her shoulders tensed up for a brief moment he waited with bated breath. But nothing came of it, and he just assumed she didn't hear him. While Ochako was thankful that she was ahead of him so he wouldn't notice her massive blush.

As they headed back home from the park they stopped by a stall to pick up some crepes. It wasn't the healthiest option, but Ochako had a craving for them and reckoned that all the running she did would make up for it. They mostly walked in silence as they devoured their snack with a few comments here and there about minor things like the weather. They walked past a gym that was closed and saw a boxing ring in the middle of it. Ochako was so excited she almost dropped the crepe from her hands and pressed her face to the glass.

"I didn't know this gym had a ring! I've wanted to practice my martial arts for a long time but I never found a gym with one. This is so close too!"

While Izuku knew that she attended UA and thus had some courses in self-defense, he didn't expect her to be that big a fan. He asked her who she trained with and the name didn't ring any bells. However, when she mentioned his nickname Izuku was shocked, "You trained with Gunhead!? That's amazing! Didn't he invent his own form of martial arts?"

"Yup! Good ol' GMA." she proudly stated. Aside from the aeronautics and astronomy courses, it was her favorite class at UA. He never treated her like a she was fragile and went all out whenever he taught her. She'd end up with bruises and black eyes, yet it was worth it. He even tried to recruit her to his gym and convince her to be a pro fighter. She had to decline him multiple times. Space would always be the main goal. But martial arts would always hold a special place in her heart.

"We should spar sometime! I'd love to take on one of All Might's students." Ochako suggested.

"Yeah… sure…" he muttered under his breath. He was acting the same way as whenever she brought up his past. But this time it had nothing to do with UA.

Ochako was baffled, she knew he must have been a hell of a fighter to be in All Might's class. So why is he so hesitant? Unless…

"Do you have a problem fighting women?" she asked with a hint of bitterness in her voice. She hoped that wasn't the case.

"Oh god no it's not that! I can fight women no problem," he said while shaking his arms, "wait that sounded bad. I mean that's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"It's… personal."

Ochako groaned. You've got to be kidding me, she thought. Just when she had made some progress (albeit accidentally) she finds another sore subject. "You don't like to talk about yourself much, do you?" she said bluntly.

At that Izuku scratched the back of his head once more. "There's not much to talk about."

"Obviously that's not the case Deku." she bit back. She knew she was being unfair, but it felt weird that he most likely knew all about her, and she barely knew anything about him aside from his profession and his time before UA. It was astonishing that a bodyguard with freckles could be so mysterious. "Alright I'll drop it. But one of these days you'll show me what you're made of ok?"

Izuku laughed nervously in response and when he realized that wasn't good enough he nodded his head. Satisfied, Ochako took a picture of the gym's number for later and they went back to the apartment. Izuku promised to cook his katsudon for dinner later to make it up to her and she couldn't wait. She remembered the first time he made it for her and she never wanted to have anyone's katsudon but his. When he mentioned that his mom taught him the recipe, she promised herself that she would thank her if they ever meet in person.

It was late into the night and both had retired to their rooms. Ochako threw herself onto the bed and stared at the ceiling in her room. She had finally put up the glow in the dark stars in her room and named all the galaxies she created before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Izuku was about to fall asleep himself when his phone vibrated with a notification. Izuku kept his eyes shut and tried to ignore it but after repeated notifications he knew who it was. Sure enough, Bakugo was messaging about their annual "meeting". He recalled the gym they had passed by earlier, and he sent Bakugo the address hoping it wasn't too far. A few minutes later Bakugo answered back with confirmation that it was indeed fine and Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. He attempted to message Bakugo some more to catch up, but after being told to 'fuck off' he set his phone down.

Before he faded away he wondered how he was going to explain to Ochako his friendship with Bakugo.

It took a while before he finally managed to sleep.