"I just feel like you deserve to know the truth. Especially you, Iida-kun." He nodded, intently staring at me, along with the rest of the group.

"So when I was kidnapped, the villains tried to recruit me into the league. They said things about being rejected from society, being shunned and hurt by heroes, just being different in general.

"And I got angry. They thought that they could persuade me because I'd just been hurt, and it made me mad to think that they viewed me in such a shallow manner. So I threw a chair at Shigaraki and then almost started fighting them until All Might and other heroes came and detained them." 

"But that's where it should have stopped," Deku commented, furrowing his eyebrows. "But why did you end up in the middle of the battle?" I sighed and looked to the ground.

"After the heroes arrived, I let my guard down," I mumbled, my voice cracking. "I thought I had been saved, but then black wormholes appeared and sucked me and the villains up. I could remember All Might's face as he failed to catch me.

"Then I popped back up in the field after what had seemed like ages of falling in the pitch-black darkness. I saw Tomura Shigaraki, and a man who had a black helmet covering his entire head. He introduced himself as All For One, and said he wanted to offer something to me.

"Of course, I declined, not wanting to side with the villains. But..." I stopped, my breaths becoming more and more heavy. 

"But what?" Uraraka whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder. "(L/N)-kun, what happened?" I gave her a sad smile, then looked at everyone with the same expression.

"He offered me something I'd always wanted. It was like he knew everything about me, all my darkest secrets, all my thoughts and what I'd imagined my life would be like if it was different," I admitted, a hand clasped around my wrist as I fidgeted. 

"What did he offer you?" Tokoyami murmured, his face twisted in worry, like he already knew. I gave a chuckle, full of pity.

"He gave me the chance to finally have a quirk. He wanted to give me something in return for my loyalty. He said that we weren't that much different, that we'd both been bashed by society. He wanted to make a world without heroes, without the stigma that they carried along with them."

"Did you decline the offer?" Iida asked, stern.

"Of course I did, but never in my life had I ever felt so scared. It felt like I was weightless, and he could knock me down with a single flick. I lost my voice and he taunted me, saying that I was considering the proposal." 

"You... were you?" I felt like crying for the millionth time.

"No matter how many times I say to myself that I wasn't, that I was good... I think I know the truth deep inside me. For years and years I'd been bullied, been laughed at for not having a quirk, for being quirkless. I went to a school with people that would claim to be heroes just because they had something that I didn't, that I couldn't control. At that time, I wanted to just scream because I was just so conflicted with myself. I didn't know who I really was."

I took a breath, leaving us in the silence of the night for a few seconds, crickets chirping in the grass, the stars singing overhead.

"And then I heard Bakugo's voice. I heard his voice in my head, calling me an idiot. I thought, 'Why? Why now?' and he kept talking, saying to me that I wasn't weak, that my effort actually had results. I thought he was teasing me as well, so I shouted at him, not even caring to listen to his words. 

"I was then left alone, wallowing in my own self-destruction, unaware of my surroundings. The rest of the league had me surrounded. I just couldn't take all the stress, the trauma of the situation, as they pitied me, saying that they didn't want to hurt me while I was so weak.

"Voices started to ring in my head, telling me that I shouldn't have become a hero, and I shouldn't have gone here, and I shouldn't have had such stupid dreams." Everyone was stunned, not expecting the rawness of the story, the realness of my emotions.

"Then everything came out. All the stress, anxiety, the hatred all came spilling out as I released this... shockwave and knocked the villains down. I was horrified. Had I been lying to myself, saying I didn't have a quirk? I was confused, I was mortified at my own strength. Thoughts started to race in my head, images of me and my hero name, the moments where I'd told Iida-san that I didn't have a quirk, where I told everyone I didn't have one.

"I thought to myself, 'What will they say now? You're a cheater and a liar.' I stood there, until I heard a deeper voice in my head. One that was clearer than every single one I'd ever heard before." 

"What did he say?" Midoriya asked gently, his voice growing softer. "We'd just like to know." I took in a breath shakily, then let go, steadying myself.

"He said, 'Doesn't having power feel so good?'" If it was possible, everyone grew even quieter. I'd felt like their breaths ceased, and their minds paused. I kept on going with the story, my voice growing faint, ridden with anguish.

"And. It. Did," I cried quietly. "It felt so good. I could feel the power and adrenaline racing through my veins, a sensation that I'd never, ever had felt before, even when training my hardest. It felt like I could rule the world with a flick of my hands.

"I was disgusted with myself, I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. I was so uncomfortable that he had merged one of his quirks with me. I felt so invaded. I didn't even ask for it, he just gave it to me. But as soon as it came, it was gone. I had only a taste of the power that felt like a drug, knowing that I'd never get it again." I dryly laughed at myself, eyes burning.

"I really did feel just like a villain. I let my feelings influence the lives of others. I felt so greedy. Then Midoriya came to save me, and then we had the fight with Iida. All For One is dividing everyone, and I don't want us to drift apart as friends just because of him." I sighed, crossing my arms and looking down.

"I started to blame myself for All Might's flame dying. When he pointed to the camera recording him, when I saw the screen, I went deaf for a second. I didn't hear anything, I only saw his mouth move and his expression. It felt like he was blaming me. Then I started to really think about whether I should become a hero or not.

"I doubted my abilities and wanted to quit. It was more complicated than I had anticipated, but after All Might had come to my house to talk about the dorms, we had a chat separately. I spilled my real feelings and he assured me that I was on the right path, and reasoned with me on why I should continue. After that, I didn't really have any doubts, until I heard Tsuyu apologize. 

"I... I felt bad. If I hadn't even gone to UA, I wouldn't have caused any harm. I've done nothing but expose my friends to danger, and had heroes risk their lives for me. And now, I don't know what to do again. I don't want to disappoint All Might and go against his words, but I also don't want to cause any more harm." Tears finally broke through as my eyes crinkled, my nose scrunching up as sniffles came out, my hands furiously wiping at my falling tears.

"I just want everything to be normal again," I sobbed, voice cracking. "I just want everyone to be happy again. I want to finally feel okay." A pair of arms wrapped around me, engulfing me with warmth.

"(L/N)-san..." 

"Oh, don't cry-" Everyone started to crowd around me, whispering "sorry's" and comforting words.

"It's not your fault, it's human nature to fall to temptations," Tokoyami muttered, placing a hand on my shoulder. "If anything, it was normal." 

"I agree," Todoroki chipped in, "You shouldn't be to blame for the villains' actions. Your mind isn't bad, it was something that you couldn't control."

"(L/N)-kun, you're so brave for telling us," Ochako said in a hushed tone. "I know you're going to become a great hero in the future." 

"Just tell us if you need anything, alright? We promise we'll try our best to be close, and we'll eventually recover," Midoriya said, wiping his eyes. "We'll become stronger, together." 

"Midoriya-san is right," Iida chimed, leaning towards me. "We'll do our best as UA students and thrive!" I smiled, trying to stop crying, and nodded. After that, we were all determined to become better people. We were all more connected, and thanks to trauma, our relationships blossomed and bonds strengthened between all of us.

The night wore on as we headed back to the dorms, going in separate directions, but minds all thinking about the experience we shared as one big family.