"Oi, quite crying."
A rough male voice demanded. The man who spoke shoving his hands into his white pockets, black hat that offsetted his white themed clothing lowering just a bit to shield the view of the crying child in front of him from his harsh gaze.
To some people, the clothing would seem... Bizarre. A weird choice of fashion. But to those who knew this man, referred to him as Jotaro Kujo. The man who could take on anyone and everyone. And what was that man thinking?
That brats were absolutely annoying.
Why? Well, there were a multitude of reasons;They could be bratty, case in point that stowaway who's name he forgot when he was teenager. She even pulled a knife out on him! Two, they could have the wildest ideas, example being the fact that this blonde kid who could make explosions in his hands thinking it was perfectly okay to use it on other kids who didn't want to be used as test dummies.
If there was one thing he hated more than brats, it was bullies, preying on the weak.
Speaking of weak, it came to the last reason. They could be complete spineless shits. The example being right in front of him. A green haired kid, one of the two kids he saved, crying his eyes out after being glared at. It was just a glare! It was irritating to say the least that he couldn't leave right away, or risk the kid getting targeted again. The shit he did for good.
As the crying child, whose tears seemed to escape like a fireman's hose, continued to drone on, a vein ticked in his forehead.
Having had enough, he shouted, "Shut the hell up!" Finally managing to stop the kid.
Though, when he took one small look from under the edge of his hat, he felt a pang of regret when he noticed how scared the kid was. Staring deeply into a pair of emerald hues with his hazel colored ones, he could see the fear inside them as the young boy shook on the ground. The boy looked no older than five. Kind of like how old Jolyne was back then before he left.
Great, now he felt guilty for two different reasons. With a sigh, the man did what his mom used to do for him when he was scared as a little boy and knelt down to the boy's level. To the child, he could see the features of the man clearly now and with that, thought he wasn't that scary looking when he wasn't glaring and relaxed a bit.
"I'm sorry for glaring." The Joestar descendant said awkwardly, not used to saying those words. Well, 'I'm sorry' being the ones he didn't frequently use.
"I was just annoyed at those other brats. Thinking they could bully anyone and get away with it." He explained to the boy, forcing himself not to scowl as to not scare him. "That wasn't playing right?" He hoped it wasn't. If it was, he should book it before those brats come back with their teachers or worse, heroes, for a simple misunderstanding.
"Kaachan was hurting him..." Good, it wasn't playing. Or should he say bad since it was bullying?
"Kaachan? Would this Kaachan be that blondie?" Jotaro repeated, brow raising at the name. "That can't be his real name. What kind of parent would be stupid enough to name their kid that?
"Ah! It's a nickname! I can't say his name right... So Kaachan is what I call him. But he calls me Deku for me... I don't like that name at all." Clearly seeing the pained emotion within the small features of the kid, he understood the relationship between this Kaachan and this Deku.
"I won't call you Deku then. After all, you aren't useless. You saved that kid from getting a beating." Hearing that made the greenette perk up slightly. Something he noticed right away when he saw the upturn of his lips and his eyes sparkling with something that wasn't tears.
"Although, you have no common sense whatsoever. You were outnumbered and still tried to stop them. I have to know why you'd do something so utterly stupid." He wasn't one to talk since he got into way crazier fights himself in his teenage years.
"Because... Because it's what a hero would do. Save others when the odds are against them." The boy would muttered under his breath, too self-conscious about looking at the man at the moment.
Either This kid was really mature with his ideals or he was too big of a hero fan to understand situations like those, he kind of respected it.
"You got a name then, hero?" Jotaro teased, standing up straight so he could dust off the knees of his pants after beginning to feel his legs ache from kneeling for so long.
"Izuku... Izuku Midoriya.." The green haired boy introduced himself with less hesitance, beginning to feel less scared around the scary looking man.
Izuku Midoriya
Age: 5
Height: 2'2
Quirkless
"Jotaro. Jotaro Kujo." The older man said in return, pulling Midoriya up to his feet with ease since he was quite small for his age.
Jotaro Kujo
Age: 28
Height: 6'5
Unknown ability
"Jotajo Kuro... Jorojo Kuko..." Midoriya tried to pronounce his saviour's full name but due to the fact that it had many syllables, too many for him at least, he messed up which brought a silent chuckle out of Jotaro who was beginning to think that maybe not all kids were brats.
"Gimme a break... You weren't kidding when you said you couldn't say names right." Jotaro said under his breath. "You can't say my last name right at least?" He said feigning disappointment but his smirk was on full display.
"Yare Yare Daze" Was the next words out of Midoriya's mouth, thinking it would be fun to say himself after hearing Jotaro say it, even if he didn't know what it meant yet.
"Fine, fine. People who know me call me 'JoJo.' Think you can say that at least?"
"JoJo" The name was easy to say and incredibly fun too! "JoJo!" Midoriya said enthusiastically, smiling widely as he began to shout the name louder and louder with increasing happiness.
"Don't wear it out." That had shut up Izuku's too excited display of excitement at the prospect of friendship. After a sorry from the broccoli haired boy, a sudden question popped into his mind.
"JoJo. Um, I have a question." The toddler asked meekly, feeling incredibly worried that he might scare off his potential new friend off.
"Really now? Ask it and if it isn't stupid, I'll answer." Replied the older man who walked away from Izuku in order to sit down on a bench that was in the shade, deciding that he could hold off the reason why he was passing through this city for tomorrow.
After all, maybe interacting with this kid could help him back home.
"How come you saved me from Kaachan earlier?" The action really perplexed Izuku. Ever since he was diagnosed as "Quirkless", adults who knew would turn a blind eye to the bullying Izuku would receive. So for one to suddenly stop it was just too out of place for the boy who was beginning to grow used to it.
"Oh! Oh! JoJo, JoJo! I have another question!" Midoriya said, bouncing in front of the bench where Jotaro sat with his hands clenching tightly together.
Raising a brow with amusement, Jotaro pocketed his hands, leaned back into the wood and nodded.
"Ask it then."
"What was that person that appeared out of nowhere! He was so cool looking! Was it your quirk? What's its name? Does it's colors match what you wear right now or does it change at random?" As Midoriya bombarded Jotaro with question after question, the man couldn't help but to sit up in shock.
This boy... He could see his power? How was that possible?
"Oi. How did you-"
Before Jotaro could ask his question, a female voice yelled the boy's name. The voice must have been familiar because in the next second, Midoriya had ceased his questioning and bolted as quick as possible to whoever was calling for him with a scream of 'Mommy!'.
"Hello Izuku! Mommy is here to pick you up from school." The voice was gentle and sweet, reminding Jotaro of his own Mother who was at home with his father, who he had not spoken to ever since he had returned from his musical tour. He was going to give her a call later.
"Oh dear, you have snot all over your shirt. Oh! And you have dirt all over your pants! Did someone bully you?" The question made the boy hesitate, which was the chance Jotaro needed to integrate himself into the conversation.
"He wasn't getting bullied, but he was gonna get hurt by these other kids." Jotaro said abruptly as he approached. Hat tilted down which blocked his view of her, sun shining onto it, white jacket opened to show off his black undershirt.
To Izuku's Mother, this man was the definition of a hooligan (Delinquent was considered too mean of a word to her), so it came to no shock to Izuku when his Mother took a shaky step back.
"Mommy, Mommy! This is JoJo! He helped me save Hatake from bullies!" Izuku said quickly after getting out of his Mother's arms to stand in front of Jotaro, not wanting his Mother to call the men in blue uniform who helped the heroes to come and take his new friend to the bad boy school his mother said villains go to.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me for assuming-" Her apology was cut off by a raised hand belonging to Jotaro.
"You aren't wrong. I cause trouble where I go, but only to those who mess with people like this brat here."
"That sounds like a hero to me!" Izuku suddenly shouted, now beginning to ask Jotaro if he was a hero which reminded him of his previous question, or questions.
"You gotta get going. Maybe next time I'll answer that question of yours." Those words had caused Izuku to bubble and smile.
"There's a next time?" He asked with such innocence and hopefulness. It didn't help his Mother's case of being weary of strangers when Izuku looked at her for permission, even if this JoJo helped her son.
"Only if your Mom agrees. Otherwise, I'll have to listen to her. She knows what's best for you after all." That sent Izuku's excitement spiraling downwards.
"Well, I don't suppose it would hurt..." Excited again, Midoriya beamed happily at the prospect of meeting his friend again. Were they friends?
"See? A next time then." Jotaro said, reaching down to pet the hair of the excited boy who was beginning to hyperventilate from happiness, tears spilling from his eyes in a violent way that worried the man.
"I think you should get him home. He seems..." Tired was the only word Jotaro had to describe what he thought of Izuku who now resided in his Mother's protective arms, who giggled at the behaviour her son displayed.
"I haven't seen him this happy in a while... Thank you JoJo... for making him happy."
"I didn't do shit but just talk to a kid." Jotaro huffed out. "And it isn't JoJo. It's Jotaro Kujo."
The man in white said, flicking the brim of his cap with his finger to tilt it upwards, finally able to take in the appearance of Izuku's mother. She was skinny, her long green hair framing her face perfectly, her pink cardigan hugging her body nicely with her pencil skirt wrapping around her legs which made them look long.
Needless to say, Jotaro now felt a little less angry and understood one of his fallen friend's mindset much more better.
"Forgive me Kujo. My name is Inko Midoriya, but please call me Inko."
Inko Midoriya
Age: 28
Height: 5'3
Quirk: Telekinesis
"Then call me Jotaro." A bit shocked at the forwardness, Inko couldn't help but gasp before nodding.
"Well, Jotaro. Little Izuku and I were going home but… If you have time to spare, why not come visit our home? Dinner is livelier with more people and I know Izuku would love it if you were there. Think of it as a reward for being a knight for my little baby.."
The proposition troubled Jotaro. He had his fair share of treats with women like these. He had a wife too! Well, he wouldn't in a few days, but it would still feel sleazy if he messed around during the last few days of marriage. But it took one sight of the ring on her finger to calm Jotaro down enough to nod.
"My old geezer taught me to never turn down free food." He said whilst pocketing his hands.
"Then please, this way." Inko began to walk away and that's how Jotaro found himself in a small apartment that seemed just right for a family of three. Though, the Joestar descendant noticed a lack of the third person being here at all. No photos of a husband, or wife (he wouldn't judge). Just Inko and little Midoriya smiling in every picture that was visible from the table he sat at. Other than that, what wasn't normal furniture was hero themed merchandise, most notably All Might based memorabilia.
"Say, Inko. I don't want to pry but I got this nagging question." Jotaro said suddenly to interrupt the silence that wasn't filled by the TV that was turned on by a napping Izuku who would immediately be caught up in the program that was showing when he woke up or the sound of running water at the sink Inko was at.
"What is it, Jotaro? If it's about the food, it's katsudon. It's Izuku's favorite." Katsudon, huh? He hadn't had that in a long while. He was slowly missing his mother more and more than he already did.
"I don't see pictures of your husband anywhere." Jotaro explained, unable to see the way Inko's hand froze underneath the faucet head.
"Er... If it isn't a husband, I don't judge." He followed up after a long unexpected silence that seemed to unnerve the usually stoic man. "If the topic is something you want to avoid, I under-"
"It's okay, Jotaro. I just didn't expect you to be so bold in your questions." Inko giggled with her answer, though he sensed the tension in her voice. It definitely wasn't okay.
"Don't you mean you weren't expecting to talk about such a topic with a man you just met?"
"I suppose that's also correct. I thought today was going to be the typical everyday Izuku and I have. It started out that way."
It always began with the both of them waking up early in the morning, Inko being more early due to the fact that she had to make breakfast for two. What followed next was getting the both of them dressed for the day before leaving their apartment. She would drop off Izuku at daycare before heading to work and when the day would end, she would come pick up her son who was littered with dirt, excuse ready at hand. She would pretend to buy it and bring them home.
"I guess a delinquent like me would really ruin a young mother's day that easily, huh?" Jotaro remarked at the end, drawing a small laugh out of the older Midoriya.
"You aren't a delinquent, Jotaro. You just look like one with those clothes."
"Ha? Never had someone judge my sense of fashion." The Joestar descendant said, pulling the collar of his white coat a bit forward for him to see.
"Ah! No, no! You look perfectly fine in those clothes! You look handsome in them."
"So that's what you think, huh?" Realizing what had slipped, Inko pouted and whined, playfully flicking her wet hands towards the Kujo who swatted the droplets away while holding back a chuckle which seemed to be happening more frequently today ever since meeting this family. Could he really be missing out on this much with Jolyne and his own wife at home?
"That didn't answer my question." Jotaro said before silence could take over again.
With watchful eyes, he noted the expressions Inko had as she sighed, moving from the sink to a cutting board situated next to the stove. And then she released her pent up thoughts; All of them about how cowardly her ex-Husband was about their son. How Hisashi wasn't a man for running from a child who had no choice in whether getting a quirk or not. That the child support checks she would get every month was a reminder of what Izuku was missing in his life and that she couldn't fill in the void of a father by herself.
"That's incredibly shitty." Was all Jotaro could say at the end. He had way more thoughts and words to say, but they would probably give this saint of a mother a heart attack.
"It is, but I have to be strong. For both Izuku and me."
He frowned at her mindset, no one should think like that. It reminded himself too much of how he grew up. From a sweet child before he learned the rules of the world and grew up into a delinquent before learning new lessons on his quest to save his mother from her illness.
"If he continues to live and grow up like this, no doubt will the kid have issues once he hits Primary School." Inko looked up from the pot she was stirring, having been done with cutting up the ingredients a long while ago. She had a questioning look on her face, evident of confusion and wanting to learn more of what he meant. "If it's alright with you, let me teach the kid a few things. Maybe bonding with a male figure will give him a spine. Help him gain some confidence he's obviously lacking." Now her confused look was now that of surprise.
"What? You want to teach my Izuku? Why would you care so much? I mean, I'm glad you care, you're the first person other than me in a long while to care and I'm grateful but-" Inko began to mumble and seeing where the small brat had gotten the trait, Jotaro ended up chuckling.
"Yeah, I can see why you'd be curious. Why I want to teach Izuku... Are because of two things."
"Two things?" Inko repeated.
"Reason one is because Izuku has the world against him. I've seen people declared quirkless get shitted on for no reason but their genetics and I absolutely hate it. I saved Izuku from a potential lesson today and I want him to learn it in a different way."
"What lesson is that?" Izuku's tired voice strained to interject. Both adult's heads turned to the couch to spot the child rubbing his eyes out sleepily.
"Ah, you're awake Izuku!" Said Inko who wanted to give her baby a warm hug, but not spotting the small puddle of oil that had popped from the pot she was cooking in, her foot gave out from under her and she was falling to meet the floor face first.
...
...
...
Which would have happened if Inko didn't see that the floor was inches from her face.
"Wha... Huh? I'm floating?" Eyes flying in every direction, the skinny mother immediately saw the back of her cardigan was being pulled up by some unknown forth, but for the life of her she swore she could see the indents of fingers. "Is this your quirk, Jotaro? Some sort of telekinesis?" Her question however, was answered by an excited screech.
"There's the purple man again!" Yelled the very much awake child who bounced from the couch cushions to where his mother was floating.
"Purple man?" Inko's face scrunched up in confusion once more as she was set. What purple man was Izuku seeing? Why can't she see it?
"So I was right, you really can see Stands." After dusting and fixing her sweater, Izuku was picked up by her mother so he could be seated all while Inko stared at the man in white.
"See stands?" Jotaro nodded.
"You may not believe this, but I'm actually quirkless." Both Inko's and Izuku's eyes widened. No way could Jotaro be quirkless!
"I actually am." Responded the man they thought of simultaneously, blushing in embarrassment since they didn't expect to have said that out loud.
"I have a question, JoJo!" Eager to learn about the man, Izuku piped up.
"You never seem to run out of questions, do you?" The sudden tease caused the little boy to shy away for a moment. Looking away as a shifted in place.
"Well... I just wanted to ask how you could be Quirkless? You have that strange man who comes out of nowhere... And why was he green this time?" Jotaro was amused at how hungry for information this kid was. So curious. It was... It was adorable, he admitted.
"Because my power is different. And why he was green... I can't even begin to tell you."
"You have a power that differs from Quirks? Is such a thing possible?" Inko pondered.
"It can. Right now, my Stand is out. He's this humanoid figure who fights with me." Answered Jotaro, head tilting back to the space behind him, exactly where Izuku was staring at.
"He's out? But I can't see him?" Maybe Inko was just too tired today to see it?
"You can't see him because you don't possess a stand like Izuku and I do."
"What is this whole stand business you keep talking about? You said it's different from quirks and that my son has one. How exactly?" Asked Inko, too curious about this revelation to let this topic die down or to hear Izuku softly say to himself 'I have a power like JoJo?'
"Stands... Are powerful representations of one's spirit. They are our spirit put into an astral form that posses abilities like Quirks. My old geezer had a Stand ability that could produce images or videos foretelling the future if he broke a camera or TV. My friend who passed a long while ago could create and manipulate fire. Another friend who is no longer with me could manipulate sand into constructs."
"What's your ability?" Izuku seemed to ask the Jotaro's Stand, who in turn flexed his muscles.
"Some stands don't possess abilities but powerful strengths. A Frenchman I know, his Stand is fast, nearly matching mine." Jotaro explained.
"Oh, so you don't have one?" Inko said, sitting down as she took in all this information.
"I never said that. My power... is a secret." Mother and son alike frowned at the tease. Their curiosity demanded an answer, but thought against pressing the man for it.
"Back to what I was saying. Stands are representations of the spirits. Izuku has a strong spirit like I do. He's had life thrown him around and he still stands strong. I can see how he has the potential to develop a Stand."
"Stands... So you want to teach my Izuku how to control his..?" Inko worded carefully her thoughts, not wanting to let her more... Sane thoughts out.
"You wanna teach me?" Izuku repeated in disbelief. This man he just met... Not only became his friend, now he wanted to teach him things? Tears threatened to spill as Jotaro got up to kneel beside the boy's chair. Hand falling to the younger's shoulder as the elder stand user gave Izuku a determined look.
"I do. You have potential that can't be wasted. Both as a Stand user and as an individual." Tears ended up falling, but not in the violent spray like before. They fell in droplets that were caught by the man.
"Lesson one, no more crying just because people are nice. In all honesty, people will be weirded out. Why not... I don't know- smile? It's a better alternative than crying."
And Izuku did just that. He wiped the tears furiously into his arms as he gave a strong smile that reached his cheeks.
"That's good."
"Hehe... But how come you make a scary face instead of smiling?" Izuku gleefully asked.
"So I can look tough."
"Can I do it too?" Jotaro hesitated on his answer, having had to look away from the child to his mother who stood by watching the scene unfold.
"I might not be a good influence kid. So no, you can't." After a small 'oh' and a pout, Izuku's attention was called back by Jotaro standing, stand disappearing back into his body as he reached into his coat pocket to pull a card out.
"This is my number, Inko. That way, you can reach me when I start teaching Izuku tomorrow." Jotaro couldn't see it, but Inko had been a little pink around the ears as she accepted his number so easily.
But while Inko had been embarrassed, her son was the opposite. A determined look wormed onto the freckled boy's face as a questioned bubbled in his mind.
"If I learn to control my stand… Can I.. Can I be a hero?"
Inko paused at the question, remembering the dark room that had been filled with tears when she had given him her answer. She looked up at the tall man, wondering if he would give the answer her son needed to hear that she failed to give. To right her wrong doing.
Jotaro stared hard at Izuku, brows furrowed into a frown as he came to stand in front of the bow who had been gazing back.
"I won't lie to you kid. Stands are a tricky thing. I've faced stands before that weren't suited for fighting." Jotaro could clearly remember having to gamble to win against a pair of stand users. Imagining Izuku with a stand like that trying to be a hero… Only ended in seeing a corpse.
"You might have a stand suited for support or not at all for the life of a hero." Feeling like he was getting the same answer like before, Izuku slowly looked down. The same crestfallen, empty look he had before appearing once again.
But before he could completely look away, Jotaro knelt down again for the umpteenth time that day. Hand grasping Izuku's shoulder to get his attention.
"But that doesn't mean you can't be a one. Whatever your stand is, I'll help you develop it into a a stand others could only dream of. And if we can't do that… We'll find another way. I'll find another way if I have to because I believe in you. I see a fire I have burning inside me that tells me that you, you little brat, can become a hero too."
That was it… Those were the words Izuku needed to hear. If he hadn't met Jotaro before, Izuku would have cried. Cried hard probably, but remembering the lesson he was given no later than three minutes ago, he furrowed his brows and tried to give Jotaro the meanest scowl he could make.
All while Inko cried. She felt so relieved to finally see the unseen weight of her words be lifted off her son. With it gone, she could see the long forgotten rays of light that her son beamed many times before he was diagnosed as quirkless. However, that didn't mean her own misgivings were forgiven. And in turn, her shoulders remained as heavy as the always did.
In response to Izuku's scowl, which strangely looked like he was about to cry, Jotaro smiled. Lifting his cap off and placing it atop Izuku's head. It was too large and hung in front of his face. So much so that Izuku had to use both hands to lift the visor up to be able to see it fully.
It was black with a gold rim around the base. A handprint embellished into a rectangular golden piece that sat next to an untouched circular gold piece.
Altogether, the hat weighed heavily in the young boy's head. Izuku lifted his head, only for his head to droop. However, he persevered and pushed the brim of the hat up with his hands, wanting to ask his friend why he left his hat only to see Jotaro's back as he headed for the door.
"Where are you going, JoJo?" Izuku asked, panicking that maybe his friend was changing his mind.
"Lesson Two, think highly of yourself. I'm not changing my mind or anything. That was what you were thinking right?"
Embarrassed, Izuku nodded.
"Well, you don't have to worry. I left my cap to you because that's what you'll be wearing as I teach you." Izuku beamed, nodding enthusiastically.
"I've also been meaning to buy a new hat so… Think of it as a welcoming gift to the Kujo Dojo or whatever. Jotaro said before waving towards Inko and Izuku as he left through the door.
All men aren't created equal was the lesson Jotaro wanted Izuku to learn. In a world of Quirks and Stands, some would be more powerful than others while some would be left with nothing to defend themselves with. But Jotaro believed that everyone could achieve power if they were given the proper push. Izuku learned this lesson with the help of his new mentor. This is the story of how Izuku Midoriya became the most powerful man in history. Surpassing the stories told of a Vampire who lived over one hundred years, the legacy of a Symbol that was touted to represent peace, and the untold legend of Jotaro Kujo. Follow along as the story unfolds of how Izuku slowly matures through hardships, enemies, and unfortunately for him, romance.