Ten Years Later

Racing down the freeway from their recent bank heist, an amateurish yet dangerous gang of criminals were all desperately trying to get away with their bounty of hard cash.

"What the fuck are you doin?! Get out there and waste em, you stupid fuck!"

Calling the shots of this ragtag group was a man in his mid twenties, who chose the theme of the group's dynamic as the red riders. His rather simple vision of running a criminal enterprise with his lackeys held little to no creative spark that could make him stand out against those who had some level of creative ability. All he had going for his crew were red uniforms, a red car, and nothing else that was worth mentioning.

"Fucking pigs! Take this!"

The one with the red sweater, jeans, and basketball shoes stuck out half of his body out the sunroof before popping out these strange glass orbs the size of golf balls from out of his mouth. Spitting them at the trailing police cars allowed these strange crystals to explode at their intended time for an effect similar to that of concussion grenades. It stunned the police inside of their chasers enough to cause them to swerve and hit the barricades on the sides of the highway.

Everybody from the red riders were all whooping and cheering in celebration after being able to dodge their first major obstacle in escaping law enforcement. Their leader brought everybody back to their senses as they weren't out of the woods just yet.

Weighing their options, the most sensible direction they could go seemed to be an off ramp leading into an obscure looking part of town. Turning towards their exit, something had suddenly stopped them dead in their tracks.

Everybody in the vehicle lurched violently into the front row as none of them wore their seat belts. About six fully grown men had been violently launched forwards and were now all inspecting the windshield of their getaway vehicle rather intimately.

"Grt… Off of me, you stupid oafs!"

Shoving everybody pinning him to the glass released the leader and the rest of his cronies from their temporary entrapment. Everyone needed a second to collect themselves before they could assess their situation.

First thing that the leader noticed was how the outside scenery looks drastically different from just a moment ago. Everything just appeared to become… shorter, for some reason.

Then came the sudden lurching sensation that everyone in the car started to panic over.

Piecing everything together didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened to the escape vehicle. Taking the initiative to assess his crew's predicament, scanning all around the other windows revealed what had entrapped the getaway car mid escape. Black strands of some sort of strange black substance had suspended the car over the freeway by what looked to be a several story drop.

Before he could round up his men from their panicked state, something solid had landed on the roof of their car. The additional swinging caused by this impact just made the men inside more frantic.

A violent ripping sound followed by the gust of cold air alerted everyone into looking up where their car roof used to be. They couldn't even adjust their eyes to the blinding sun before the red riders were all flung out of the immobilized vehicle all at once.

Being certain that they would all become red stains on the asphalt below; it genuinely surprised the amateurish criminals that they hadn't made any contact with the floor. What they did find was how they were now unable to move around properly as they hung almost fifty meters from the ground.

None of them could see past their immediate panic to notice where their leader was. He was in a much more precarious situation in comparison to them as the one who had captured him and his posse was now lifting him by the front of his red sports jacket with a signature look on their face that he had seen on the news more than enough times to know who had stopped his getaway.

"Sorry to say, but I think this is your stop, guys."

It wasn't ideal, but this sort of outcome seemed to be more ideal than having his teeth knocked out in a brutal melee. He had no choice but to surrender to the one who caught him with no effort on their part.

All the robbers were doing their best to raise both arms into the air without tipping over from the swaying car that was now their temporary prison.

Twenty Minutes Later

The arrest of the criminals was moved off of the freeway in order to prevent unwanted traffic. It certainly seemed to be the correct course of action as over a hundred people were swarming around to get a glimpse of the criminals being arrested by the ESD.

All of them were being loaded into the back of an armored transport one after another for processing. More importantly than that, people wanted to catch a glimpse at their number one hero while he could still be seen giving his interview with the news.

"Such an effortless arrest made by the number one hero in the world, we are here with the Emerald Paragon after his incredible capture of these dangerous criminals who had robbed two banks earlier today. Tell me, how does it feel to be able to take on such dangerous individuals at the rate that you do?"

Standing at a height of over two meters, the once short Midoriya Izuku now stood tall and proud as the world's most cherished hero to date. His posture held all the confidence in the world while his kind demeanor kept what could have been an ego the size of the moon in check.

"Haha, I'm just doing what I can for the public. All I can say is that I wish I had arrived sooner in order to prevent the good officers of our law enforcement from being injured. If anybody deserves praise, it is those who risk their lives on a regular basis in order to keep our cities safe."

His response lacked nothing in terms of painting him as the still capable yet humble hero of Japan. Izuku remained to be a true role model for every aspiring citizen looking to better themselves from his example alone. Heroism now had him as the leading example for those looking for someone who embodied all the right traits of someone worthy of being called a hero.

Every response from Izuku felt genuine for everybody listening in. Nothing about his demeanor betrayed the beliefs he has held for his entire career as a hero. Too many people idolized his actions for any bad publicity against Midoriya to hold any water.

"As we wrap up this interview with Emerald Paragon, we just have one last question for him before he takes off."

What Izuku thought would just be another question that would lead into a quote by him turned into something he hadn't been prepared for at that moment.

"It has been ten years since 'The Bloodsoaked Incident'. As a hero now, what words do you have for the world's most wanted criminal?"

At that moment, all pleasantries dropped for Izuku. Even the reporter saw the errors of her ways when she saw the usually confident smile Midoriya sported disappear without a trace. Her quick thinking and sharp wit helped in keeping the interview from losing its momentum.

"It seems that's all the time we have! We wish you good luck in your future endeavors as our country's pride and joy, Emerald Paragon!"

With that, the broadcast ended for the reporter on the scene as the studio kept the commentary going for the viewers. Being a fan of Izuku's work from her early days, the reporter approached a retreating Izuku with all intentions of apologizing for her seemingly inappropriate questioning.

"Um, excuse me? Emerald Paragon?"

Midoriya turned back to see the same interviewer who had hit a sore spot in his past looking rather apologetic for something he knew wasn't her fault.

"I wasn't aware that the incident was still such a sensitive subject for you. I hope I didn't offend you. You are my role model, after all."

Not wanting to leave her on a sour note, Izuku just gave his usual confident smile and told the reporter that he couldn't possibly be upset for someone who simply was curious about his past. An amicable conversation between them helped diffuse the reporter's concern before she returned to her news van with the rest of her crew. Being alone finally gave Izuku some breathing space to let his actual emotions be allowed to come out. His thoughts returned to the past that he wasn't sure if he wanted to abandon or chase to the ends of the earth.

He used his quirks to leap onto a tall skyscraper, where he found a spot where he could just sit and process his thoughts by his lonesome. Reaching into his hero costume revealed a hidden pouch where he kept some of his most intimate belongings while he performed all his heroic duties.

From under the armor located at his lower back, a pack of cigarettes that looked beaten to death was fished out by the hero.

Izuku stared at the pack of smokes for a few moments before fishing out a single stick and the lighter tucked into the half empty box. Feeling that first hit of nicotine flooding his veins after so long helped ease the mental storm going on in his head. Taking his time with his very rare smoke, Izuku couldn't stop himself from being reminded of the man who now remained to be the greatest criminal at large. A man he once called his own father.

That Evening

Gravity felt like a foreign concept to Izuku as he stumbled to the floor after landing in front of his large estate. He had gone to a hole-in-the-wall bar to drink himself into a numb stupor after he failed to sort his thoughts out earlier that day. Although he hadn't driven, he almost made several impromptu landings at speeds that would have left more than a small bruise.

Looking up at the expensive home caused Izuku to start chuckling bitterly at himself. Step by step, Midoriya approached the front door of his home with a very heavy heart.

Swinging the door open, Izuku stumbled into the entrance and landed onto the hardwood of the hallway with a solid thump. Nothing could affect the wasted young man after all the drinks he had just a short while ago.

Both shoes from his civilian outfit were easily kicked off before he managed to peel his forehead off of the floor. His jacket needed the fitness he lacked currently if he wished to remove it. Tugging and yanking awkwardly at the offending piece of clothing didn't help him much in releasing him from its confines. Only when he suddenly felt a gentle pair of hands catch and pull his outerwear did Midoriya feel himself free from the confines of his own jacket.

"You okay, baby? I saw the news earlier today."

That same sweet scent that captured his heart after years of being familiar with it never failed to excite him everytime he caught a whiff of it. Those soft hands he cherished so much helped stabilize Izuku before he could trip over nothing yet again.

"Heeey, Mina. What're you doin here?"

Being drunk wasn't Izuku's best look. He didn't handle his liquor as well as most other people, so he often avoided the stuff without incident.

It only fell upon days where he was strongly reminded of his father that he became like this.

Still, it certainly helped his loved ones that Izuku's drunk self was nothing but a cuddlebug. While being drunk, he would shower nonstop compliments to those he cared for dearly while trying to snuggle up with them at the same time. The only person this backfired on him was Bakugou during a christmas party that Katsuki was late to attend.

Without warning, Izuku caught Mina in a hug that captured her completely into his much larger physique. His cologne, natural musk, and scent of alcohol drew Mina like a moth into a flame. Her head felt like a bubble bath for just a moment before she managed to regain control of herself in order to get her lover into bed.

"Is that Izuku? Is he home?"

Approaching the entrapped Mina was none other than Jiro.

While the years were more than kind to women like Mina, Kyoka maintained her slim figure over the years. This lack of physical development never seemed to bother the female hero as she had many considerate people who lavished her with affection. Their constant affirmation of her attractiveness kept the young woman from doubting her sex appeal to this very day.

Kyoka then fell into the trap that was Izuku's drunken hug when she got too close. He never failed to make her legs weak whenever he showered her with affection and love.

"Mmmm, you smell so good Kyo."

Although Mina wholeheartedly agreed with him, Midoriya was still too drunk to even stand up straight on his own. Both women helped the inebriated hero up the flight of stairs and through the hallways leading to the master bedroom. Arriving at the designated room, the doors opened up automatically in order to allow the two heroines easy access. Inside of this bedroom was a modern yet stylish room that held a very large bed at its center. Taking the almost passed out Midoriya to the rightmost edge of the bed, Mina and Jiro stripped Izuku of all his clothing so that he could sleep comfortably in his underwear.

Both women heard their man quietly grumble thank you before his soft snoring let them know he was out cold. Mina and Jiro looked over their shoulders in concern over Izuku as he fell into dreamland in a drunken stupor.

All of his partners knew this day was a huge sore spot for Midoriya as he usually would come home completely smashed by himself without anybody else accompanying him, despite past insistence by the others in the past. That day signified something that Izuku would call nothing short of his world crashing down all around him. It took many years and lots of support before he could raise his head like he did now, but there was still the memory of the day that Bloodsoaked shook the world and escaped into the shadows.

Wherever he was, he was never far from the young man's mind as they were seen as the world's greatest forces in the fight for good and evil. What too many people failed to notice was how it was more akin to a child still on the hunt for a parent they wanted answers from. Answers like why they were abandoned by someone they thought the world of.

Since Izuku wasn't able to get his answers, the drinking just helped put the voices in his head on mute until he woke up the next day.