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Izuku Midoriya never expected to live a double life. That was only for criminals, right? Well, technically he was a criminal. He doubted the police appreciated him breaking the speed limit every night. Oh well.
It had all started when he was 13. He had been out on a walk on Dagobah beach. The place had lots of interesting trash and the view of the ocean it provided was unbelievable. Izuku had looked among the trash for any items to ease his curiosity when he spotted a car among the piles of trash. He went over to investigate.
Looking at the car up close Izuku noticed it was black and white and not the most expensive looking car, though that was to be expected. Izuku inspected the boxy hatchback further. It had no license plates and was lightly dented on the front. None of the windows were broken and the windshield was still intact.
Izuku pulled on the driver's door handle, not expecting it to actually open. As Izuku looked inside he questioned ever more why anyone had thrown this car away. Unless there was something wrong with the car's internal parts, it seemed perfectly serviceable. The slight damages on the front of the car could've been easily repaired.
Wait. The car was unlocked. That meant he could check the engine. Izuku walked around to the front of the car and opened the hood. It was fairly heavy for his 13 year old arms. He took a quick peek at the engine and saw no fault with it before shutting the hood.
It was getting pretty dark and Izuku knew his mother would be worried if he didn't return soon. He took one last look inside the car. Just as he was about to close the car door he saw the car keys laying on the passenger seat. Whoever had left them here was either stupid or careless. Izuku quickly pocketed the keys and vowed to return tomorrow to explore the hatchback further.
Izuku couldn't sleep. He had too many questions about the car. Did it work? Why was it left there? Who left it there? If it did work then how did it feel to drive? The questions were eating at him and his mind was going wild with the possibilities. Had it been a getaway car? Had a bank robber left it there? It felt like he had all questions and none of the answers.
He debated just sneaking out and getting the answers he so desperately wanted. At least that way he'd be able to get some sleep once he'd acquired his answers. Getting answers and some sleep was better than getting no answers and no sleep, right? Getting spotted would be an issue though, if somebody saw a child messing with someone else's car they would undoubtedly call the police. He put on a black hoodie from his wardrobe and a pair of old sunglasses just to be safe. He looked out the window only to see it was pitch black. Maybe a light would be a good idea. He grabbed his phone and put it in the hoodie pocket along with the car keys.
After sneaking out of the house, the rest of the walk over to the beach was an anxiety-filled mess. What if his mom woke up and noticed he was gone? What if some mugger saw him as an easy target and decided to mug him? Oh god, what if despite all his precautions someone called the police on him?
As soon as he saw the car his worries lessened. Finally he could get his answers, go home and pretend this never happened. He slowly walked over to the car, all the while checking if anyone else was at the trash-filled beach at 2am. Fortunately for Izuku there wasn't.
He didn't even bother checking the outside, instead delving right into exploring the inside of the car. Turning on the flashlight on his phone, he saw the two seats were completely empty. Feeling his curiosity grow ever bigger, he opened the glove compartment only to find... some old maps. Disappointing, really.
He moved onto exploring the backseat. Once again, empty. Sighing in disappointment, he exited the car and checked the trunk. He opened it up and... empty. Completely empty. Izuku groaned in frustration. Looks like he wouldn't be getting any answers tonight.
The only question left that could be answered was whether it worked. Izuku sat down in the driver's seat. Right, now to figure out how to start a car. After watching a couple of internet tutorials he felt like he understood how to start it. Though the tutorials did say it depended on whether the car was 'automatic' or 'manual' , whatever that meant.
After looking the car up on the internet, he was able to deduce that it was a manual, which essentially meant he'd have to use the clutch when shifting gears. That would be good to know if he ever decided to drive this thing.
He did all the necessary preparations to start the car. Time for the moment of truth. He turned the key and the engine roared. Izuku jumped in his seat, not because the engine was particularly loud but because everything else was so quiet. Once he'd calmed down, he turned the key again and yanked it out of the lock.
So... what now? Izuku had confirmed that the car worked, but he still wasn't fully satisfied. He still wanted to test how it felt to drive, but that would almost certainly get him arrested, not to mention how dangerous it was. Maybe he should just go home and try to sleep.
The next night Izuku was back on the beach, regretting every life decision he'd ever made that had lead up to this. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to commit a crime just to satisfy his curiosity? The answer was apparently yes, judging by the fact that he was inside the car. He already felt guilty and he hadn't even done anything yet.
He'd watched a couple tutorials on how to drive a car. Hopefully those would be good enough to make him seem inconspicuous. He really, really, didn't want to get arrested.
Izuku took a deep breath and turned the key to start the car. He just wanted to get this over with. He shifted into first gear and gently put his foot on the gas pedal.
He drove off the beach and onto the road next to it. Before driving off into the streets of Musutafu he did a couple of checks. First he looked at the fuel gauge, only to see it almost completely full. The previous owner of the vehicle still baffled him. Then he tried the reverse gear and the headlights, both of which worked.
15 minutes of driving around Musutafu later Izuku found himself at a red light. The driving was pretty fun, though the fun was far outweighed by the anxiety of thinking he was going to get arrested. But the driving by itself was definitely enjoyable.
He was staring at the red light, hoping it would turn green sometime within the next century, when he heard a knock on his window. Izuku's heart jumped into his throat. What if it was a policeman about to arrest him? He glanced at the window. Outside was a man in an ugly purple suit. Izuku let out a deep exhale.
He rolled down the window slowly. "Could i ask for a favo-" the man stopped mid-sentence as he saw Izuku "How old are you?"
Izuku put on the deepest voice he could. "Uhh... Sixteen."
The man gave him a disbelieving look. "...Right. Listen, kid, I won't snitch if you do a favor for me. I just need to get somewhere and the taxi service is apparently too busy." The man reached inside his suit and pulled out a stack of cash. "I'll give you some money for the trouble. How 'bout it?"
Izuku wasn't concerned with the money, he was more concerned about not getting arrested. If he refused there was a big chance he'd get arrested and then his hero career would've been over before it started. On the other hand, if he accepted there was a small chance of him getting murdered, but there was also a big chance of nothing happening and him getting some money. "S-sure, I'll drive you there."
The man climbed into the back of the car, putting his briefcase on his lap. The suit-wearing man then rattled off some directions to Izuku. They weren't very clear but Izuku understood the general direction of where he was supposed to go.
The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence, the only thing breaking it being Izuku occasionally asking for directions. While his driving wasn't perfect by any means, it was still better than he expected.
When they finally arrived at their destination, the man handed him the stack of cash. "You're not half bad, kid. You would be a good delivery driver." While Izuku was getting flustered from all the praise, the man handed him a business card. It was simple and plain. The man's name, which was apparently Giran, at the top, and a phone number below that. "If you're ever in need of some extra cash, give me a call and I'm sure I can find you a job that's similar to this."
"By the way, you got a name?" said Giran. At Izuku's hesitant face, Giran clarified. "Not your real name, of course. Just an alias so that if you decide to call, I'll know that it's you."
Izuku didn't want to have an alias. He wanted to go home and forget this ever happened. He wanted to be invisible. And in a brilliant game of word association, he blurted out "Ghost!" before he could even think about it.
"Alright then, Ghost. If you do decide to call, I look forward to seeing you and your panda again." Izuku raised an eyebrow. Giran noticed it and decided to clarify. "Your car. It's black and white, like a panda."
Giran stepped out of the car, closed the door and started to walk away. Izuku drove the car all the way back to the beach and walked the rest of the journey home. He needed to get some sleep.
It had been a couple of weeks since Izuku had driven the car. He still occasionally thought about driving it again. That thought was especially prominent in his mind as he walked home, nursing a burn on his arm. Kacchan had burned his school uniform again. It had several holes down his arm and one on the shoulder.
It was times like this that he pondered whether heroes were really all that they were made out to be. He looked up to heroes, don't get him wrong. They did great work and saved a lot of people. But there were also people like Kacchan and Endeavor who saved a lot of people but also hurt a lot of people. Did he really want to become colleagues with people like Kacchan and Endeavor? He wasn't quite sure, if he was being honest.
He cleared his thoughts. He could think about whether his dreams were worth it later. The problem currently at hand was what to do about his uniform. He'd have to get a new one, obviously, but with what money? He knew his mom was already picking up extra shifts in order to pay the bills.
Maybe he should take Giran up on his offer? He knew it was a bad idea and would probably get him arrested. Although, he hadn't gotten arrested last time. So maybe, just maybe it would be alright.
As soon as he got home, he searched for the business card and dialed Giran. The phone rang a couple of times before it was picked up.
"Hello. Is this Giran?"
"Who's calling?"
"This is Ghost. If the offer's still on the table, I'll take you up on it."
"I think I might have a delivery job available for you."
Izuku took a deep breath as he started the car. He had been driving errands for Giran for a couple weeks now and he always took a deep breath before starting his car. He used to do it to make him less anxious about getting arrested but now he did it to calm his excitement. Izuku had discovered that the thrill of driving a car mixed with the thrill of it being illegal that got his adrenaline pumping. He just loved the thrill of it all.
Shifting the car into first gear, he drove off. Along the way, he checked the address on the package. This one was for flame guy. He didn't know the guy's name, but Izuku had had a good conversation with him the two times he'd delivered to the guy. Well, a good conversation in comparison to other people he delivered to, at least. He couldn't blame them though. They were probably anxious about getting arrested, just like he was. Well, technically, he didn't know that they were criminals, but he had his suspicions that what Giran was doing wasn't exactly legal.
His brain latched onto that thought. He'd sort of passively ignored the thought up until now, but now the more he thought about it the more wrong it felt. Wasn't he supposed to become a hero? Izuku knew that he would certainly feel betrayed if his favorite hero turned out to be a night-time criminal. But he also knew he'd be willing to forgive them if they were doing it to support their family. And it wasn't like he was actively hurting anyone. He was just a delivery driver. As long as no-one found out that he was doing it, it was fine, right?
He arrived at the address sooner than he expected. Had he driven faster while he was lost in thought? That seemed like the only reasonable explanation. Hopefully, he hadn't driven so recklessly as to put anyone in danger.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and then knocked on the door. Flame guy opened it, a blue flame in his hand, though it was quickly extinguished as soon he recognized Izuku.
Izuku took that as his cue to speak "I- I've got another package for you." He hurriedly handed the package over to flame guy, who then checked the contents of the package.
As the man closed the package again a confident smirk grew on his face. "It's still intact. And it was delivered quicker than expected. Good job kid."
"T-thanks, flame guy." As soon as the words left Izuku's mouth he regretted them. He just hoped the man wouldn't be offended by the nickname.
Instead, flame guy huffed a laugh. "The name's Dabi. What's yours?"
Izuku responded quickly. "Ghost."
Just as he was about turn around and end the incredibly awkward conversation, Dabi called out to him. "Wait. You're a driver, right?"
Izuku furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Where was Dabi going with this? "Yeah? Why do you ask?"
Dabi completely ignored his question. "How fast can you drive?"
"Pretty fast." He'd tested his car on the long road next to the beach and it turned out to be decently fast. It wasn't a supercar, obviously, but it was still much faster than he'd expected. As for cornering, he'd made a game where he tried to go around corners as quickly as possible while not breaking speed limit. If he wanted to he could probably go pretty fast.
Dabi's eyes lit up with interest. "Could i hire you for a job?" Ohhhhhh. So that's what these questions were about.
Izuku shrugged. "I- I don't know. Maybe ask Giran?"
Izuku saw Dabi scowl for a moment before turning around and shutting the door.
"Last chance to back out, kid. I know you're not that comfortable breaking the law, so if you want to back out this is your last chance." explained Giran.
"I don't really have a reason to back out. It's not like I'll be actively hurting anyone, right? And the panda is definitely fast enough to outrun any police car." reasoned Izuku.
While Giran was lighting another cigarette, Dabi piped up. "I'm still not sure about this. You sure that it's fast enough? It doesn't look very fast."
Giran's lighter seemed to have run out of lighter fluid, so he pushed the cigarette closer to Dabi. Dabi sighed before lighting up the cigarette with a tiny blue flame. Giran took another drag of the cigarette before answering Dabi's earlier question. "Trust me, it's definitely fast enough. Me and Ghost took the new engine out for a spin yesterday and," Giran slapped the roof of Izuku's car "This bad boy can fit so much speed in it."
In preparation for the plan Izuku had upgraded his car a bit. He'd bought a new engine through one of Giran's associates, because the old one had some issues that weren't a problem at lower speeds, but that made the car nearly impossible to drive at top speed. The new engine was also much faster than the old one.
In addition to the new engine he'd also bought fake license plates in order to seem more inconspicuous. The license plates were all customized so Izuku made the ones on his car have the code GH-057.
Izuku looked at the car. To any normal person it would seem like any other car, but under the hood was a beast of an engine and behind the wheel was a reckless teen with surprisingly good driving skills.
Izuku shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't get distracted now, the mission was going to start in a couple minutes.
"Hey Giran, do you mind repeating the plan for the final time before we get this show on the road?" requested Dabi, breaking the awkward silence.
Giran sighed and took another drag of the cigarette before answering. "Fine. Once you arrive at the bank, Ghost will send me a message so that I know nothing has gone wrong. Dabi will then go inside the bank and threaten the employees. If your quirk isn't enough to scare them, remember that you have a knife." Dabi nodded sharply.
"Once Dabi has got the money and himself into the car, you drive back to this warehouse using the route I showed you earlier. Ghost, do you remember the route?" Izuku nodded slowly. "Good. Remember to shake off anyone following you before coming back here. I'll stay here. In case something goes wrong, text me and I'll figure something out."
"Alright. Let's go." said Izuku, motioning for Dabi to follow him towards the car. On the way to the car Izuku adjusted his aviator sunglasses and pulled up the hood of his hoodie. As Izuku got into the driver's seat, he felt pure excitement wash over him. It wasn't excitement about committing crimes or getting lots of money, It was excitement about getting to push the car to its limits.
Once they arrived at the bank, Dabi ran inside, knife in one hand and flame in the other. Meanwhile, Izuku was sending the text to Giran and nervously keeping the car running.
A few minutes later he heard the distant sound of sirens. At that moment Dabi sprinted out of the bank, holding the bag of cash in his hand. As soon as he got to the car Dabi yanked the door open and threw the bag of cash into the backseat.
Izuku didn't even wait for Dabi to fully close the door before setting off. Shifting into first gear, he drove off.
Izuku started sweating as he heard the police sirens come ever closer. These first few corners would have to be near perfect or else he and Dabi would be caught.
Straight pieces of the road were simple to drive fast on. All he had to do was press down on the gas pedal and shift gears at the right time.
Corners, on the other hand, were a completely different beast. Not only did he have to regulate his speed so that he wouldn't crash, he also had to keep the car in control. In addition to that, if he braked too much he would lose significant time not only in the corner but also in the acceleration after it.
Izuku was accustomed to these problems. That's why he entered the corner while lightly tapping the brake pedal. Turning his wheel just enough to not crash, he slammed his foot down on the accelerator as soon he'd made sure that he wasn't going to hit the wall.
Izuku grit his teeth as he saw the police cars enter his rearview mirror. That turn had been almost perfect, how had they caught up to him?
The car was quickly approaching its top speed. Izuku sighed in relief at that. At least the cops would soon no longer have an advantage.
In preparation for the next corner Izuku braked lightly. He cleared the corner with most of his speed and then as soon as he was out of it he accelerated sharply.
As Izuku accelerated out of the corner he still saw the police cars in his rearview mirror. How was he going to shake off the cops? Unless he could think of some kind of plan then they were screwed.
Just as he was about to ask Dabi for ideas he remembered the map of the route that Giran had shown him. A devilish smirk grew on his sunglass-wearing face as a plan formed in his head. It was a risky plan, sure, but when had that ever stopped him before?
As they approached the next corner Izuku pressed on the brake pedal a little more than necessary. As he accelerated out of the corner he saw that the police cars had gotten a little bit closer.
Izuku repeated this for the next few turns until Dabi finally snapped at him. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU LETTING THE COPS GET CLOSER? HAVE YOU GONE FUCKING INSANE?"
"I have a plan. It's a risky plan but it's the only one we've got. This is the only way i can think of to shake them off." They weren't the most confident of words but they seemed to be enough to calm Dabi down.
As he cleared the penultimate corner he saw the police car get right behind him. Izuku felt his smirk grow wider. This was perfect. Now all he needed to do was hope that he could pull the plan off.
Right before entering the final corner Izuku braked just enough so that the police vehicle could get next to him on the inside lane. They were almost neck and neck, with Izuku and Dabi being only a half car-length ahead.
Izuku turned the wheel so that the front of the panda was in front of the police car. The only way the police could get ahead was by crashing into the panda. But if they gave into their instincts and braked like Izuku hoped they would, then Izuku would have a considerable advantage in speed after exiting the corner.
Izuku's hopes weren't met with disappointment. Izuku's smirk formed into a full grin as he saw the police car brake.
As Izuku pushed down on the gas pedal and saw the cops disappear from rearview mirror, he felt like a true speed demon.
Giran and Izuku were talking at Kurogiri's bar. It was a regular meeting place for them because Giran was often doing business with the League. Despite that, Izuku didn't expect Giran to reveal that he was joining the League of Villains.
"Wait, seriously? You're going to be the league's informant? Even I'm not crazy enough to join the League and I get chased by police daily. " stated Izuku.
An amused smile grew on Giran's face. "Heh. When did you gain a mouth? It seemed like just yesterday that you were a stuttering little kid trying to convince me you're sixteen. Hard to believe that it's been over two years."
Izuku grew embarrassed as he heard how he'd started. Despite the blush on his face, he still tried to be snarky towards Giran. "B-Better to be youthful than be an old geezer like you."
Looking towards Kurogiri while taking a drag of a cigarette, Giran answered. "Tch. This old geezer might need another whiskey."
Kurogiri got the not so subtle hint and got to work on making another whiskey. While he was delivering the finished drink to Giran, he asked Izuku whether he wanted anything.
"Could i have one of Shigaraki's energy drinks? I'm really tired right now."
Kurogiri sighed and walked over to the mini-fridge where the energy drinks were. Pulling one of them out, he poured the drink into a glass and handed it to Izuku.
As Izuku said his thanks, Giran commented on Izuku's earlier statement. "If you're tired you should do these deliveries soon." Giran dug into his bag and pulled out three items: a katana and two knives. He handed them and a piece of paper to Izuku.
Izuku inspected the piece of paper. It was an address somewhere in Hosu. He chugged down the rest of his drink, pulled his sunglasses down from his forehead, and excitedly walked over to his car.
Once Izuku had delivered the objects to the address, he got back into his car. It was around 3am so if he got home fast he'd be able to get maybe four hours of sleep.
He started the engine and pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head. Shifting the car into first gear, he drove off.
He gained speed very quickly and he was quickly at the edge of the city. He always drove casually inside cities, unless he was spotted. He'd been doing just that when he saw Ingenium in his side mirror.
Beads of sweat quickly appeared on his forehead. Hopefully Ingenium wouldn't recognize his car, though that was unlikely since almost every hero had been given a description of it.
Izuku slammed his foot down on the gas pedal as he saw the hero approach his car. Unfortunately for Izuku, Ingenium was faster at accelerating than the panda.
As they approached the entrance to the highway Ingenium was right behind him. Izuku was about to shift into fifth gear when the hero came up next to him and grabbed the door handle of his car.
Ingenium started to smash Izuku's window with his quirk. This was bad. Really bad. It would only take a couple more punches before his window would break.
Thinking quickly, he did the only thing he could which was swerving the car left and right in hopes of shaking Ingenium off. While it did stop the hero from smashing his windows, Ingenium still hanged on to his door handle.
Izuku grit his teeth in frustration. Time for plan B. He pressed the button to roll down the window while simultaneously keeping one hand on the steering wheel. He acted before Ingenium could react, using his free hand to punch Ingenium in the face.
The hero quickly recoiled and let go of the handle. Izuku winced as he saw Ingenium fall down onto the hard asphalt. At least the man had armor so he wouldn't be hurt too badly.
As soon as he was certain that Ingenium couldn't catch up to him, he let out a big sigh in relief. Had that gone wrong, he would've been screwed. Ingenium would've been able to grab him through the window if he wasn't fast enough.
Oh well. No point in thinking about what could've happened. He'd need to be on guard since Ingenium probably reported his location.
He drove at top speed, constantly being on guard in case of a surprise attack. He also decided to drive on the edge of the road, next to the guardrail, just in case he needed an escape route.
He was almost halfway on the way to Musutafu when he saw a single red feather heading down towards him. Izuku immediately understood what red feathers meant and so he swerved to left to avoid it. The feather missed his tire by only a couple centimeters.
He probably looked like a maniac as he rapidly turned the wheel back and forth in order to avoid the barrage of red feathers headed for his wheels.
This was bad. If one of these feathers were to hit his tires then he'd be stuck in the middle of the highway and he'd be captured by Hawks. He needed to end this quickly, because he wouldn't be able to avoid Hawks' feathers forever.
The main question was how to get away. He was already at full speed so speed alone wouldn't be enough. He would need to outsmart Hawks if he wanted to not be caught.
He looked around for anything that could help him. He didn't find anything except for a tunnel that was coming up soon. As a plan formed in his head, he grimaced. This was a risky plan, but it was the only one he could think of.
Just before he entered the tunnel, he lifted his feet from both pedals. The plan was to make Hawks think that one of his feathers had hit Izuku's tires. Then, using his remaining speed, Izuku avoided the rest of Hawks' feathers.
Once Izuku was inside the tunnel he waited. Hawks would have come inside the tunnel in order to capture him.
As soon as Hawks entered the tunnel, Izuku floored the gas pedal. Almost immediately he shifted into second gear, at which point Hawks finally realized he'd been had. Hawks, angry at being duped, sent out a barrage of razor-sharp red feathers headed straight for Izuku's tires.
Izuku knew that the feathers were faster than the panda. He knew that the only way out of this was controlling the car better than his own two feet. Which is exactly what he did. He displayed immaculate control of his car as he dodged every single one of the feathers headed for his tires.
Once Izuku exited the tunnel, there were no more feathers headed towards him. Izuku sighed in relief, knowing that he'd finally left Hawks in the dust. His relieved expression slowly morphed into one of pride and joy as a happy, almost smug smile appeared on his face.
He'd done it. He'd left two professional heroes in the dust using nothing except his driving skills. He was unbeatable. Nothing would be able to stop him.
Little did Izuku know that his newfound confidence and happiness wouldn't last long.
As Izuku was getting close to Musutafu, he was suddenly ambushed when three shadows jumped onto the road in front of him. With the help of his headlights he was just barely able to make out the three heroes in front of him: Eraserhead, Rock Lock, and most crucially Cementoss.
As soon as Izuku realized what was happening, Rock Lock jumped forward, trying to touch the car and subsequently activate his quirk. Izuku panickedly yanked the steering wheel to the left, desperately trying to avoid contact with Rock Lock.
He just barely managed avoid touching Rock Lock before a giant wall of cement rose up about 25 meters in front of him. Izuku's expression was that of a deer in the headlights. He was fucked. There wasn't enough room to brake and even if there was he'd still get caught.
There was only one thing for it then. Making a hasty, split-second decision, he yanked the door open and got out of his seat. "I'm sorry." were the two words he said as he jumped out of the car. His momentum carried him over the guardrail and he landed on the rough ground next to the road.
He ran. He wasn't even sure if the heroes were pursuing him but he still ran. It was difficult because the friction burns from falling covered his entire body but despite that he still ran. He wasn't sure where his feet were leading him but as soon as he was there he recognized it.
It was the only place other than his home that he kept dear in his heart. Kurogiri's bar. Still running, he made his way over to the one couch in the entire establishment.
As soon as he settled down, the tears started flooding. The crash sound he'd heard as his car smashed into the cement wall still resonated in his ears. If only he'd been quicker to react, if only he'd been better then maybe his car wouldn't have been destroyed.
He might be able to buy another car, but nothing would ever be able to replace the panda.