Virgil never left the blanket bundle on top of the couch. He never left after the movie ended, not after Patton urged him to go to bed early. He didn't even move or fight back after Roman insulted him for sitting there like a lump. Because he knew the truth now. They liked him better when he wasn't himself. They liked him better when he lied. Tears welled in his eyes but they never fell. He couldn't find it in him to cry. He wasn't sure how long he stayed buried under his blanket with his face in Vladimir. He didn't care. He was numb and there was nothing here for him.

Virgil didn't hear or see when someone rose in front of him and gently placed their hand on his shoulder. He jolted briefly, but he knew who it was as soon as he felt their familiar touch. Instinctively, he reached out and held them. Virgil needed comfort, but also to not feel so desperately alone. There was a pause as Virgil wrapped his arms around their torso. He felt himself sink out of the common area with them and held on tight, refusing to let go. He couldn't let go if he tried.

Once they arrived, away from prying eyes, once he was away from them all, the dam broke loose. Virgil started sobbing violently with unstoppable tears. Virgil didn't let go and he didn't try to force Virgil to let go. He knew how much he needed this. Like he always did. When Virgil finally let go and he looked up, he felt like he had nothing left to say or give. He watched them tremble for a moment and take a deep breath.

"You shouldn't sleep here," Deceit offered with an even voice. But he standing stiffly with his arms to his sides, like he was hiding something. He probably was. That didn't matter. Virgil nodded and crawled from the ottoman he found himself sitting on and up into the bed. He laid under his blanket at the edge of the bed stiffly on top of the sheets. Virgil faced the wall, still shaking from his tears and feeling empty. There was a despondent sigh as the lights went out and Deceit settled himself into bed. Virgil stared at the wall disconsolately until he was forced to sleep.

— * * * —

When Deceit woke in the morning, he felt a wave of anxiety, doubts tracing his every breath, breaking apart his every plan. Virgil. He blinked away from the sleep in his eyes and looked over to the cause. The wad of blanket next to him was stuffed full of black spider webs, spreading across the bed and over to him. Deceit sighed and brushed them off of himself. Deceit knew this was an eventuality, that Virgil would gather all the lack of tact and finesse of the others and hold it against himself.

Virgil couldn't stop being anxiety, and he couldn't stop doubting his entire life up to this point and beyond. So eventually, he would find himself broken. He would trap himself in his own web. Quite literally. But it hurt Deceit to see every time. There was only so much he could do to protect Anxiety from himself. Just like Deceit was prey to getting entangled into his own lies. Deceit felt like he was the only one who could even help Virgil with this. The others… were not helpful about this particular issue. They were not the cause of the problem, of course, but they certainly didn't help.

The steely smell clawed at his throat and the remnants of Virgil's web ate at the edges of his sense, but Deceit always had to focus on who he was and what he had to do or he could easily lose sight of the truth. And that knowledge and skill made it easier to keep hold of himself despite Virgil's curse trying to wrack Deceit's brain and tear him apart with his own doubts. He took a deep breath and made sure there were no more webs before snapping into his regular outfit.

Deceit gently placed his hand on Virgil's shoulder from over the blanket and applied light pressure. Just enough to feel but not enough to scare. "100. 99. 98," He stared counting, staring at the wall as he kept his pace while counting down. A shuttering sob broke from Virgil at 50. At 25, Virgil joined him in counting and Deceit risked a glance. It was no less distressing to see than before. After they hit zero, Virgil slightly convulsed under Deceit's hand and the burning smell lessened as the bulk of the webs disappeared. Virgil sat up slowly and held Deceit's hand. Virgil stared down at the bed, unblinking. He had a blank expression and empty eyes like all the light were lost in the world.

"Good evening, Virgil," Deceit cooed. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and strength into speaking without lies. Virgil always seemed to understand Deceit, no matter how he spoke, but he always tried to reign it in when there was something important to talk about. Virgil may accidentally internalize something they both would know he didn't mean. So he needed to be careful. Virgil was very delicate right now. Virgil watched Deceit ground himself and nodded, acknowledging his attempts. Deceit conjured a cup of tea in his other hand and tried to pass it over to Virgil, but he just shook his head. His eyes were beginning to well up. Deceit sent it away.

"It's time to talk, Dear," Deceit said with a pointed look.

"You heard them, D, do I really need to repeat it?" Virgil asked bitterly, barely above a sad whisper.

"You seem to have heard something different than me. I didn't hear any reason to cocoon yourself like that," Deceit said, truthfully. Virgil shot him a sour look and let go of Deceit's hand to hug his knees to his chest.

"I can't control my webs as well as you can yours," Virgil muttered sharply. That was perhaps true, but Virgil didn't know how easy it was for him to slip into his own lies. "They… they don't like me," Virgil said with a crack in his voice. "They're always mad at me for being something I can't control! They're always pushing me to be less of myself." He said with a sob. "Not that I don't want that, too! But it hurts so much to hear that if only you could be a little less you that they could love you back. They're my friends, D, and they told me to my face they like me better when I'm less of myself," Virgil said, now curled up and his face in his hands.

Deceit's eyebrows furrowed. "That's not what-" Deceit tried to start refuting him.

"I was the one there, okay?" Virgil snapped, interrupting him. Deceit glowered. Virgil fumed for a moment and then seemed to realize his folly. "S-sorry," He muttered, a look of fear in his eyes and his body tensed. Deceit narrowed his eyes but decided to let it go. Virgil was upset and Deceit's temper wouldn't help that. He gave a brief nod to Virgil who relaxed slightly when he recognized the meaning. Deceit clearly needed to make some changes to his plans for Virgil's sake. And perhaps for Deceit's own sanity's sake.

"I need to go to my office. Will you join me?" He asked, extending a hand towards Virgil. He nodded and took it, and they disappeared from the spot. Deceit left Virgil on the waiting room couch to go sit at his desk. Virgil balled up despondently and stared at the floor as Deceit stepped into his office and close the door behind him. Deceit needed to think clearly. And he needed Virgil to think clearly. He had no interest in messing with someone's option of consent, and Virgil would have been swayed by the atmosphere in his room. Deceit tapped his desk idly as he considered the options.

There were two very clear paths. To offer to remove the memories and let Virgil continue on the mission at his own pace, which has been showing very little progress if any. It opened up very few opportunities for Deceit to even intervene. And then they would hurt him again, and he'd be back to where he was because the other sides just can't seem to get their heads out of their asses. There were also consequences for removing that particular string of memories that could be detrimental to both Virgil and the mission.

Deceit knew he'd be back here in days when he was incapable of writing like Patton and beating himself up for both not being more and wishing he was less. Deceit could easily guess which things he heard that hurt Virgil. Many of the memories hurting him were intertwined with the odd group short storying writing session. If he took the whole evening then he would be distressed over submitting the wrong essay next week. Taking just the part of the evening where they watched the movies wouldn't be enough.

The other was to give them what Virgil thinks they want. What Virgil hated that he wanted for himself. Virgil, but a little less Anxious. Virgil, but easier to deal with. Virgil, but more focused. He wouldn't have to be wadded back up in his own webs, and he would have fewer panic attacks. And if Virgil had less to worry about on his plate, he could have more focus on the important things. Getting to see Virgil more often would be a bonus, though minor.

But, Virgil would have the knowledge that they liked him better this way. Eventually, it would break his heart all over again. No matter how many times Deceit took that memory away it was doomed to come back since it was intrinsically tied with his sense of self. And Deceit couldn't just control Virgil enough to take away his sense of self. Their powers went both ways, no matter the side. If Deceit took over Virgil's sense of self and helped guide him, Deceit would lose control. Virgil's anxiety was stronger and he would win over Deceit in the end. Deceit got up from his desk and began pacing his office.

Virgil's neurotic notion of getting caught lying made this choice extra complex. If he took away the memories and they questioned him about anything that happened, they would catch on. Virgil was willing to dodge questions but he would not want to outright lie, normally. He could possibly get more comfortable with the concept, but Virgil was not the best liar. They would quickly get caught and the mission would be set back for what could possibly be years. And this was important for every side, even if they didn't agree.

If Deceit just took the memory of the way they made them feel away, Virgil would end up being back into a burning cobweb again the next time one of them was even slightly tactless and added a straw to his overburdened camel. It wasn't a sustainable plan and wasn't worth even considering as one of the options, though it would be the easiest route for Deceit.

However, both plans had high risks. But in this instance, it seemed like taking a gamble for the high payoffs was easier. There would be less strain on Virgil, which was a very big factor for Deceit. Also potentially faster completion rate. Deceit paused in his place and tapped his foot. Deceit was very tired of waiting. And if it was done they could put this whole mess behind them. Virgil would have an easier time, then.

But there was a possible wild card. Virgil's erratic behavior when less stressed could be a problem unless the others accepted it as his new 'normal'. That was Deceit's specialty, of course, making things look normal. The problem was if it's his new 'normal' then they couldn't back to the other plan without problems. There would be a setback if Virgil or Deceit changed their minds. Virgil's little half-truth he gave to Logan was a perfect set up, though. Deceit could probably think of a better one, given enough time, but this one was serviceable. Deceit was even slightly proud of Virgil for coming up with it. He recorded both options into files and put them away. Deceit paused to ground himself again before speaking into his gloved hand.

"Come in, Virgil," He said, his voice crackling to life in the other room. Deceit walked around to his desk and sat down. He listened to a shuffling sound for a moment as Virgil very slowly and quietly stepped in, holding himself tightly. "I have an offer for you,"

— * * * —

"Ah, Virgil, you've finally joined us for breakfast," Logan said with a twinge of annoyance as Virgil appeared in his seat. The side was obsessed with schedules. Virgil rolled his eyes and made a face at him.

"Yeah, yeah," He said, waving off Logan's frustration and summoning juice to drink. "What'd I miss?"

"Just padre carving a lion into an omelet," Roman supplied, sipping his coffee. Well damn, that sounded kinda cool. "Here, I took a picture," Roman took out his phone and showed it off.

"Nice, Pop! The scrambled mane was a nice touch." Virgil paused. "I bet you ten valueless dollars I can make an omelet tiger," He bet with Roman, smirking evilly. Roman smiled back, accepting the challenge "Pat, would you summon me a canvas?" Virgil asked. Patton crooned in delight and summoned him a giant omelet to work from. Roman watched with intrigue as he shaped out the body and made slides to reveal the texture for the stripes.

"I double your meaningless bet that I can make an omelet jaguar!" Roman announced, pushing aside his small plate of French toast and summoning an identical omelet.

"Lo, would you like to try your hand at a cheetah?" Patton asked with hope shimmering in his eyes and a slight pout.

"No, Patton, I am not inclined to play with my food," Logan declined with annoyance, but he didn't leave the room. Virgil looked up to see Logan glance at him over the top of his newspaper. He gave a weak smile and went back to his carving, eating the excess pieces absentmindedly.

"Princey, your jaguar spots just look like polka dots," Virgil jeered with a hint of mirth.

"It's hard to do at this scale! You and Patton picked the easy ones!" He objected, trying to carefully cut c-shapes that just became holes.

"The easy one would have been a puma, prince smarming, they don't have a pattern," Virgil said, lightly pushing Roman. His spoon moved and it made a little stripe on his omelet.

"You did that on purpose because you couldn't stand losing!" Roman shouted angrily.

"Whoops, sorry princey. A poka-striped cat is more like a tabby cat," Virgil said, and Roman's eyes widened for a second and he started giving it a tabby design. Virgil smirked at Roman. It looked really good now.

"Aw, Happy trees moment," Patton said lovingly, clapping his hands together delightedly.

"There!" Roman announced. "Pay up!" Roman held out his hand expectantly.

"Nuh-uh dude, you bet you would make a jaguar, not a tabby cat," Virgil protested with a small chuckle.

"But it's such a good kitty!" Roman objected emphatically, pouting slightly.

"You're right, bud! It is a good kitty!" Patton cut a small shape from the leftover eggs that Roman had discarded and slid it on to Roman's plate with a spoon. "I present sir snuggles the brave with a trophy for being a good kitty!" Patton proclaimed proudly. Virgil broke out laughing, and Roman glanced over, slightly alarmed.

"I don't know about you, but I think egg trophy would be better suited for Logan," Virgil quipped and Roman laughed out loud as well after he realized what Virgil meant.

"It is the perfect trophy for an egghead like him!" Roman laughed and angled the plate at Logan. Logan sighed and conjured a spoon and ate the tiny egg trophy. Patton was fake-aghast.

"Eggs are a healthy lean protein. It is a very practical award," Logan provided as an explanation, though he probably just wanted them to stop tittering at him. Virgil gasped.

"Oh, no, we've made him stronger! We shouldn't have given an egghead more egg, he'll be too powerful!" Virgil cried.

"No, the eggening is upon us!" Roman cried in mock horror, dramatically grasping at the air. "Curse our hubris!" That must have been Logan's limit for tomfoolery because he coolly finished his coffee and left the table to rinse his mug as he always did.

Roman and Virgil cackled with each other as Logan muttered an excuse about research or something and left. Virgil bristled slightly at Logan's absence. He really felt like he needed them to acknowledge and like him today. He desperately needed to know if he made the right choice. Even just Logan leaving left a void he couldn't explain. He had to come up with something so no other side would leave.

"Hey Pat, before you head off… Do you want to do a puzzle with me? If you're not busy?" Virgil asked, not looking Patton in the eye and rubbing the back of his head. He really hoped this worked.

"Of course, kiddo!" Patton said, lighting up like a Christmas tree. Virgil exhaled slightly with relief.

"Great!" Virgil said with a sardonic smile. He summoned a 10,000 piece puzzle. "I'll start on the edges," he said, getting up from the table and unceremoniously dumping the puzzle in the middle of the living room floor.

"You are a sad, strange little man and you have my pity," Roman quoted Toy Story while looking disinterested in the puzzle.

"Oh, now Roman, don't be mean. Puzzles are relaxing and can help you think things through!" Patton said, coaxing him.

"That's not it, pops, he just can't beat this big of a challenge, so he's pretending it's beneath him," Virgil goaded Roman on, focusing on the pieces but hoping Roman would take the bait.

"I'll have you know I could finish a puzzle that big with my eyes closed!" Roman declared, clearly peeved at the accusation, and dropped to the floor. Score.

Roman grumbled and started piecing similar cuts together from the pile. Virgil shifted to methodically separating out the edge pieces and tried to pile like-colored pieces for Roman and Patton to place in the square. Virgil sighed with relief. His friends were here, and he felt like he had a grip on himself today. Things were good.

Eventually, perhaps a quarter of the puzzle in, they got in a discussion about the most proactive Disney princesses while piecing things together and snacking on chips and pretzels Roman summoned. There was a debate between Mulan and Tiana being the most proactive about their dreams with Logan reappeared.

"When was a puzzle proposed? Why wasn't I informed?" Logan said, looking baffled and slightly afflicted. Checkmate. And Virgil wasn't even aware he was playing.

"You said you had to get to your unspecified research," Virgil dismissed him while working on finding a piece that fits in the corner from the matching designs. Logan coughed.

"Well, I could have been coaxed to take a break for this kind of activity," Logan said, lowering himself down to the floor and working on sorting more pieces. There was a deep sense of ease in Virgil now. They wanted him here and they were having fun together. They were acting as if they liked him. He just needed a little help to get here. That wasn't a bad thing, right? That can't have been a bad thing. Logan told him help was okay. Virgil absentmindedly ate a pretzel and rubbed his sore side. This had to be the right choice.