This AU follows Izuku Midoriya who never meets All Might or saves Bakugo from the sludge villain. He has grown through high school and still does not seem to have a quirk. Class 1-A and B have continued training and the LOV has proceeded to attack just like in the manga. However, everything that happens during the Overhaul arc has not occurred yet. The characters are just older and time has shifted. It's time to find out what Izuku's been up to all these years...

There will be OC's introduced, special chapters dedicated to other characters, but most of all, Izuku's journey to becoming a hero in his own way. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Seven: All Kinds of Jokes

"Absolutely not," Sir Nighteye frowned.

Mirio sat a couple of feet away from him in the pro's office. He had just finished explaining the situation about the problem child he had met last week. But Nighteye didn't seem like he wanted to let him finish.

"Come on, sir! How far in the future are you looking? What if there's more to him than meets the eye?" Mirio pouted slightly as Bubble Girl entered the room holding what looked like a box full of costumes.

"Oh, hi, Mirio! I didn't know you were coming in today. I would've prepared something fun for you too," she called out, a bright pink boa wrapped around her neck. Mirio waved and then looked over at Nighteye with a puzzled smile.

"It's never too early to get ready for Halloween," Nighteye replied coolly, taking a pair of lime green sunglasses from the box and arranging them on his face over his silver ones. Mirio looked away to keep himself from laughing and cleared his throat.

"Whatever you say, sir. But I was serious about that Midoriya kid. He looks like he could be useful–"

Nighteye frowned and lowered both his glasses. "You were serious? There's no need to be serious. It's actually quite funny how pathetic this Izuku Midoriya person really is. Asking a random nobody for help when a bunch of Pros haven't been able to do anything for months? Ha, that's the best joke you've made all week Mirio."

Mirio puffed out air from his cheeks and pouted. "Okay, fine. So what if you try your quirk on him and not me then?"

Nighteye set his glasses down on the desk and then pulled out a huge bow the color of a yellow highlighter. He fastened it tightly around his collar and Bubble Girl gave him two thumbs up. Then he turned back to Mirio and scowled. "As I said, it would be a waste of time. Just because he might have run into them doesn't mean he will be valuable in the future. We'd be better off using that time–"

"To look for Eri, I know, I know," Mirio sighed quietly, looking up at his boss every now and then. After the third blink, Nighteye had put on a clown nose and a rainbow wig too. The glasses were also back on his face.

"But, while I could not hear what it is you are going to talk to him about when you meet, I saw that you are going to defy me. And because of that, I have no choice but to punish you. I'm sure you're aware of what I mean?" Nighteye lowered his voice menacingly.

Mirio let out a long and exaggerated sigh, trying to hide the smile that was starting to form on his face. "Power! Fire up the tickle machine, boss. I can take it."

—

When Lemillion called Izuku's phone, Izuku passed out for a solid five minutes. Or was it more? Kiho said she left his unconscious body for a while to go to the bathroom, so he wasn't sure if she had been paying attention.

Either way, Izuku felt like passing out all over again as he pressed play to hear the voicemail (while he had answered the first call, he had passed out so Lemillion had been forced to hang up. The second time, Izuku was still out cold and couldn't answer so Lemillion had left a message instead).

Hey problem child, it's Lemillion! Remember me? I wanted to know if you were down to get some lunch together this weekend since I'll be in the area. There's something I wanna talk to you about and it's really important. Get back to me whenever ya can, bye!

"What the hell does Lemillion want with someone like you?" Kiho asked as she handed Izuku a cup of cold water, continuing to fan her face with a magazine while she scrolled through her phone with the other hand. It was an English one labeled "Cosmopolitan" and Izuku had given up trying to understand it.

He shot her an annoyed glance but took the water from her hands and mumbled a 'thank you'.

While the kids went home early on Thursdays, one or two staff members always stayed behind to do some last-minute housekeeping things. Lucky for him, this meant Kiho had been around to wake him up, or else he'd still be on the floor half-conscious. They were currently in one of the filing rooms working through some paperwork together. It's where he had passed out in the first place.

"I honestly have no idea," Izuku said after a while, swallowing the chilly liquid and feeling it wake him up.

Kiho looked up from her phone and her eyes widened. "No way."

Izuku frowned and held the cup close to his body defensively. "What?"

"You're not secretly dating him are you?"

Izuku nearly spit the water out. "Excuse me?!"

"Is that why you've been late? Or why you've been acting more flighty and nervous than usual? Oh my god," Kiho covered her mouth and let out a dramatic sigh.

Izuku frowned, feeling his cheeks redden.

Kiho threw her head back as she laughed. "Ugh, please. As if I'd believe in that theory myself. I was only joking," she smirked, reaching over to flick his forehead.

"But seriously though. What's up? Or are you gonna keep that from me too?" she raised an eyebrow at him as the two watched each other.

Izuku was the first to blink and quickly looked away. He didn't know why Kiho cared so much all of a sudden. Was she just that nosy? He peeked over at her from the corner of his eye and noticed she was back to absentmindedly pawing at the magazine. If they had been in a cramped space like this together back in high school, Izuku would have been freaking out. Even a couple of days ago he would have been extremely nervous to be alone with a girl, let alone be so close to one, but now all he could think about was Lemillion's voicemail.

Kiho looked up suddenly and their eyes met. Izuku blushed and looked away again, trying to hide the red on his cheeks with his hands. He swore he heard her laugh.

But Izuku didn't budge. He had decided he wasn't going to tell anyone about what happened in his life ever since the Eri situation. Not until he knew she was safe. The more people that got involved, the more he could possibly be endangering Eri.

"Nothing's up. I honestly don't know what he wants from me," Izuku decided. That much was the truth. How had Lemillion even gotten his number? Yeah, he left it at the station, but that meant Lemillion had gone back to ask for it. That made him even more eager to find out what the sidekick wanted.

"Right. I believe that as much as I believe that you're really dating Lemillion," Kiho sighed. She sounded disappointed though.

"Anyways, are you done fainting now? This is the only place with a carpet and I don't want you to crack your head open once we go outside," Kiho turned back to look at him as she made her way over to the door. When she passed by him, her ponytail whipped his face.

Izuku carefully got up off the floor. "Yeah. Thanks for helping me," he mumbled, rubbing his cheek. Kiho didn't seem to have noticed.

"I should start bribing you, y'know," she called over her shoulder as the two made their way inside the air-conditioned hallway.

Izuku wiped his brow coated with sweat. He didn't even realize how much he had been sweating. "For what?" He asked as he followed.

Kiho stopped suddenly and Izuku ran into her, a mouthful of her orange hair going into his mouth. "Information. Details. I want to know why someone like you suddenly has a much more interesting life than me." She turned around and gave him a blank stare. It was kind of scary.

Izuku blinked. "Was that a compliment?"

"If you want to take it that way, fine. But I meant what I said Izuku Midoriya. And if you don't want to tell me, I'm going to have to find out myself." She turned back around and walked off.

Izuku just stood there, unsure what to say or do.

"Hurry up already!" She called once she was a few feet away. He rushed over to her quickly and Kiho bumped his shoulder slightly while they walked. "You have got to stop taking everything I say so seriously, dude. One day you're going to meet someone who's really funny and they'll be disappointed cuz you're as stiff as a broomstick," Kiho sighed once they arrived at her cubicle.

Izuku gave her a gentle shove back and went to grab his things too.

I'm stiff? He wondered thoughtfully. Maybe he was, but that was only because he was always on the go. He had no time for jokes, especially not now.

Kiho must have noticed his shift in mood and let out a groan. "Okay, okay. Stop moping around and just tell me already."

"Tell you what?" Izuku asked.

"Your plan for this weekend. If you aren't dating Lemillion, you have to show him why you two should be," Kiho winked.

"Kiho," Izuku gave her a warning stare, holding back a smile.

She grinned. "What? You might be as stiff as a broomstick but I'm not convinced you're as straight as one."

"Hey!" Izuku flushed red and she burst out laughing.

"What? Am I wrong? Weren't you the only guy in our class who never dated girls?" she asked, walking over to her desk. It wasn't decorated like everybody else's. The only thing that stood out was a picture frame of her and her dad when she was younger. A toothless, younger Kiho smiled back at him in the picture.

Izuku scoffed. "Oh, please. That's because girls avoided me like I was the plague. I got bullied every day, remember?"

"Yeah but not all of them. Maybe if you weren't such an idiot you would have noticed."

"Was that another joke? I need to get home," Izuku frowned. Sometimes he had to remind himself who he was talking to. Kiho Fujikawa, Miss Rich, and Popular. He didn't know why he bothered to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe she had changed.

"Midoriya," Kiho stepped in front of him. She looked serious, more than she had been earlier.

Izuku stopped. "What?"

"I'm talking about me," she snapped.

"What?" he repeated, shaking his head. She was talking about her? About her, what? Kiho was about to answer him when her phone rang. She let out an exasperated sigh and picked up quickly.

"Hello?! Oh, hi dad," she continued in English, slipping away into the hallway. Izuku sighed, staring up at the clock. He should get home soon, but Kiho looked like she had wanted to say something else.

However, when Izuku walked over to where she was standing, he noticed she was crying. The sound was quiet and he wouldn't have heard it if the air conditioning hadn't cut off all of a sudden. Izuku stepped back before she could see him.

He couldn't understand what she was saying but she sounded in distress. Maybe today wasn't the best time. He should just give her some space.

Izuku also thought about staying behind to comfort her, but he didn't exactly know-how. Plus, he was well aware of how annoying she must have found him. Otherwise, why did she act the way she did whenever he was around?

"See you tomorrow," Izuku mumbled, grabbing his lanyard from the desk and putting it around his neck. Then, he left the building.

He didn't realize what Kiho had meant until he was in bed about to go to sleep, over-analyzing their conversation. By then, it was too late to do anything about it besides freak out of course.

"Oh, I'm an idiot," Izuku groaned, shoving his head into his pillow. He probably wasn't going to get any sleep tonight either. Great.

—

Kiho didn't show up to work the next day. Izuku was kind of glad because he was really embarrassed. She basically confessed to him and he didn't acknowledge her at all. That was worse than a rejection. At the same time though, he was worried about her too. He didn't think she hadn't shown up because of him. Did this have anything to do with the phone call she had received? Was she okay?

The thought of something bad happening to Kiho had never crossed his mind before, but now that it did, it made him a little nervous. He thought back to her confession and buried his face in his hands.

Kiho Fujikawa, liked him? It had to be a joke. It had to. If he would've been alone at the bus stop, he would've screamed. The only other people waiting were a middle-aged man talking on the phone and some kid in a dark hoodie. He had a pair of headphones on and seemed to be half awake.

Izuku looked away, glad that no one had noticed his blushing.

Kiho Fujikawa liked him. But did he feel the same way? She was really pretty, no doubt, but he had always been under the impression that she hated him. Kiho had never said anything to him directly, but she was always with the people who bothered him. If she liked him, why hadn't she stood up for him? Izuku frowned and found himself getting upset.

This was so unfair. Why did she of all people have to like him? And why had she decided to tell him now? Izuku watched as the bus pulled up and he tried to push her out of his head.

It was a normal Saturday afternoon and he was on his way to meet Lemillion. But Izuku was a ball of nerves and Kiho's confession was only making things worse.

He stared back down at his phone screen where he had labeled the reminder and plugged in his earphones, blasting the first song that came up at full volume. Izuku liked using music to distract himself but no matter what he listened to throughout the ride, he could only think about all the things that had happened to him this week.

The encounter with Eri. Kota and Wada's paint fight. Meeting Lemillion at the police station. Throwing a rock at a stranger. Wada losing control of his quirk. Lemillion calling him. Kiho confessing. And everything seemed to be his fault.

Izuku bumped his head against the window and groaned. When did my life become so complicated? He wondered as the bus stopped and he stepped off to board the next one that would take him all the way to Tokyo.

Lemillion and he had agreed to meet up in a regular cafe near the less-populated part of the city. Izuku assumed it was because he didn't want to be spotted, but when he arrived, he noticed the place was sort of empty. The only person who stood out was a tall guy wearing a brown trench coat and sunglasses. He also had on a ridiculous mustache Izuku noticed was fake as he got closer.

"Psst, problem child. Over here, it's me," the stranger whispered as Izuku passed by him.

"Lemillion?" Izuku asked and Lemillion shook his head so fast his fedora almost flew off.

"Shh! I'm undercover today, so just call me by my first name," Lemillion winked.

Izuku stopped. "Uh, okay… Mirio," he gave him an awkward smile.

Lemillion clapped his hands together happily and lowered his sunglasses. "I already ordered you an iced green tea because… well let's just say I had a hunch it's what you would've wanted," Lemillion beamed, handing Izuku the tall glass.

"Ah, thanks," Izuku said quietly, staring at the pieces of ice floating at the top of the glass.

How did he know I love green tea? Izuku wondered, looking up at Lemillion in awe, well Mirio, as he had asked for Izuku to call him.

"So, I bet you have a ton of questions about why I asked you to meet me here!" Mirio said after taking a long sip from his orange juice.

Izuku stopped drinking and nodded slowly. "Yeah… I mean, it isn't everyday people like you want to call someone like me," Izuku laughed quietly, thinking back to what Kiho had asked after she heard the voicemail.

What the hell does Lemillion want with someone like you?

Mirio gave Izuku a puzzled look. "Someone like you?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just Quirkless, you see," Izuku confessed. He thought he heard someone choke behind him but when he turned around to look, the person was already rushing out of the cafe.

Izuku frowned. Was that the guy who had been on the bus with him?

To his surprise, Mirio started laughing. "Oh, you're so funny, problem child! I don't care about that. I mean sure, it's important and it's probably going to make my boss less likely to want to let you help us, but I had a gut feeling about you. And those are usually never wrong," he patted his tummy happily.

"Your boss..?" Izuku asked. Could he be referring to…

"Sir Nighteye!" Mirio cried excitedly. A couple at a nearby table looked over at them curiously and Mirio blushed. "Sorry, I meant Mr. Sasaki," he whispered with a giggle.

"Wait, help you? What are you talking about?" Izuku frowned.

Mirio was still smiling but his eyes turned serious. "Izuku Midoriya, what do you know about the Shie Hassaikai?"

"The Shie, what?"

"It's a Yakuza group but they're not that active anymore. At least, they weren't until recently," Mirio lowered his voice, looking around nervously.

Izuku tried to think about the name. He remembered reading about the group while he studied the hero timeline in high school, but they had gone into hiding after All Might rose to fame. There wasn't much about them in public records anymore.

"Well?" Mirio looked at him hopefully.

"Uh, sorry I guess I don't know much," Izuku stammered. This was not the conversation he had expected. Still, he felt like there was more that Mirio wasn't telling him yet.

Mirio sighed and stood up. "Come on. We've been in here for too long. Let's take a walk."

Izuku followed him outside after they paid and the two moved in silence for a while. Then Mirio stopped suddenly and Izuku almost ran into him.

"The reason why I asked you if you knew about the Hassaikai, was because you met their leader," he explained slowly.

Izuku frowned. "Wait, what?"

"Kai Chisaki. The man with the mask. The man that took Eri."

—

And so, the plot thickens! Thanks for reading everyone. I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow. Until then :)