In the entirety of the universe, no being knows tragedy quite like a star. Born to be forever alone. To live a life of eons, only to burn out and collapse under the pressure of their own existence…
A star will shed its life for everything around it, burning too hot to ever be consoled. Shining too bright to ever be looked at… And never finding anything bright enough to see for themselves. Never seeing what destruction they bring. Never seeing what life they give…
They may pull others in. They are strong. But they will never be able to touch them. Planets burn as soon as they get close, and other stars will meet them for but a moment, before they both detonate and collapse forever…
Nothing knows tragedy like a star. For their lives are always cold. Cold until that burst of heat, which is but a reminder that their story is over. There is no one to hear them scream. No one to hear them cry out in anguish and longing. Only those who will watch as they die, and say.
"How beautiful you are…"
Earth, Year x783
From the moment he was born, the world had been cold. Perhaps not by way of emotions, for everyone who looked upon him cooed and gave praise as to how cute of a child he was. No, it started with just being cold.
He remembered that far back, sitting in complete darkness for what felt like forever, before he finally saw a light.
Light
It looked so welcoming. So bright. It called to him with a silent voice of unknown words and lullabies. So he let himself fall, headfirst, becoming smaller and more dull.
And after a lot of squeezing, he was greeted by cold. Cold which was somehow worse than before.
But oh, there was so much light… so much beautiful light. He revelled in it. Basked in it. He was entranced by it.
And through that light he saw so much. Colors, shapes… things were fuzzy, but somehow he understood they would smooth themselves out and become more defined.
"Does he feel a bit warm to you?"
"No, that's simply normal for newborns."
He grew from there. He learned so much. He watched as shapes grew more firm, as he knew they would. He learned of faces, of smiles. He learned to move. To crawl. To walk.
He learned words and songs.
And despite everything, the cold remained.
When he was two, he learned of quirks. And oh, how beautiful they were. They made people so different from one another…
He couldn't wait to get his own.
He grew up so excitedly, hoping for his quirk as he learned of All Might, a great hero who saved so many with such a bright smile.
He wanted to bask in that smile.
He watched that smile until it was burned into his brain, until he could smile just the same and spread that same light. That same joy and laughter.
But it wasn't meant to be…
When his friend turned four, he found that his hands would pop with bright little stardrops that others called 'explosions'. It was an odd word, but still a beautiful one. Something so beautiful had to be given a beautiful name. That meant explosion was beautiful.
It was bright, and jagged, and smelled of burnt sugar. It as a beautiful light that could jump up and die down quickly, cheering loudly with great big pops.
His friend was so proud.
And he couldn't wait for his quirk to be just as bright.
Just as beautiful
And he waited… and waited… and waited…
But alas…
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
The world was colder somehow…
"Oh… are you sure? I mean, all of the others have gotten their quirks by now."
"There are a few ways to tell. Typically, a quirk will present itself in roughly eighty percent of the population. That part has a minor mutation that makes their body more streamlined. See this x-ray?"
"Oh… his toe seems a bit longer…"
"Typically, quirked individual will have only one joint in their pinky toe. There are some that have more, but those are from clear mutations that manifest at birth. With how long it's taken, and the x-ray, I can say that without a doubt he will not manifest a quirk."
The world was so much colder now…
"Could you think of anything abnormal about your son? Anything unique?"
"Well, his temperature has always been high…"
"As a result of his father's fire gene. Most kids with a parent who has a fire quirk have high body temperatures. No, is there anything else?"
"Not that I know of."
"I can give you a few pamphlets on raising a quirkless child, and we have a few support groups. But other than that… I'm sorry. We can talk about this more at his next appointment if you'd like?"
"That would be perfect…"
He was destroyed. Shattered. And when they returned home, he let himself fall before the computer to see that bright smile.
A smile that now taunted him
"I'm so sorry…"
Mom… that's not what I needed you to say…
He grew. He found that the world could be colder still. His friend grew mean and hit him. He would lie in bed with bruises and scrapes from kids at school, and while they did burn, it was still
So
Cold…
His mother began to work more as less money came from overseas. From his father. He was a disappointment. Something that required minimal attention.
So cold…
As the sun set on the world, the boy closed his eyes and fell asleep. Nobody would know that for just a moment, his hair glowed white. Nobody would know that for but a moment, the weather changed and became just a few degrees warmer.
Nobody knew that the boy who had no quirk was something so far greater than they could perceive.
Nothing in the universe knows tragedy quite like a star.
His name was Izuku Midoriya.
And nobody, not even the boy himself, knew that he would be one of the greatest heroes in history.