Virgil's heart was racing, his eyes blurred with tears and his breath shallow and stuttering as he huddled deeper into his hoodie as he anxiously made his way back to the place where he hadn't been in so long. He tried desperately to get his breathing under control, which only served to make things worse, as he approached his destination. The door to the dark sides mind space. With a trembling hand Virgil knocked as loudly as he dared. As the seconds ticked by, his anxiety grew.

What if they reject me? What if they send me back? What if they hate me? It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my-

"Virgil, what a surprise seeing you here." Deceit's haughty, familiar drawl somehow managed to calm him and make him more anxious all at once. When Deceit got no response he took a longer look at the side before him. He was hunched over, his face hidden and his shoulders shaking, hugging himself tightly. He knew these signs all too well. Voice turning soft and posture relaxing he quietly spoke again, "Virgil?"

The smaller side looked up to him, his eyes glassy and wet, tear tracks new and old staining his cheeks. Deceit internally flared with anger but fought to keep his calm demeanour firmly in place. "Come inside with me little spider, it's okay, I've got you, you're safe here." Slowly, so slowly, Deceit reached out to wrap an arm around the shaking side's shoulders, cringing when Virgil flinched away momentarily, and gently guided him through the door, back into the home that had once been so familiar to him.

Virgil moved shakily through the space, letting Deceit guide him as he looked around, eyes darting over everything, seeking anything that could hurt him. He barely noticed as he was pulled down onto a couch. As Deceit began to slowly pull his arm away Virgil furiously shook his head, "No…" he muttered, pressing himself into Deceit's side, ignoring the panic at possibly being rejected.

"It's okay, Virg, I'm here." Deceit reassured, trying to figure out a way to get Virgil to open up about what had sent him into such an attack. He hadn't seen one this bad in a long time… then again, he hadn't seen Virgil properly in a long time either…

"Ooh did somebody say, Virrrrgil?" Remus squealed, bouncing down the stairs and throwing himself onto the couch right next to the already skittish side. Virgil jumped back into Deceit and looked around wildly until his eyes locked onto Remus and he let out the breathe he hadn't realised he'd been holding in.

"Remus…" He sighed, eyeing the other sceptically, only to be met with a large grin from the other side. Deceit shot a warning glance over Virgil's head causing Remus to back down slightly with a pout but he too slung an arm around Virgil's shoulders. Deceit would've said something if not for how it seemed to further calm Virgil.

"So the creepy crawly's back, hmm?" Remus sing songed, twisting so he could drop his head into Virgil's lap and see his face. The Duke grinned with pride as that elicited a small huff of amusement from the other side. He may be, well, him, but he still knew how to handle Virgil properly after doing it for so long, even if he was a little rusty.

"Maybe for good this time too, if you'll have me back that is," Virgil mumbled trailing off, both of the others clocking the fear in his voice.

Glancing at each other Deceit spoke as Remus grabbed onto Virgil's hand, "Of course, Virgil. We would never turn you away, but could you tell us what happened?"

Virgil had slowly relaxed significantly since he'd re-entered this part of the mindscape. The question still caused him fear but with Deceit at his side and Remus' hand to hold he took a breath and answered. "After…after Remus and everyone else left…I stayed behind to talk to Thomas." Scrunching his eyes shut he continued, "I told him I'm a dark side." Remus' grip on his hand tightened accompanied by a small gasp from Deceit. Neither missed how Virgil had said am a dark side as opposed to was. Telling the host about this was a very big step. It took courage. Deceit found himself feeling strangely proud of the other side.

Virgil risked a glance at the other two and continued at their looks. "We talked for a while, it didn't go too bad but…but then I went back to the common room and they were all there," Virgil's words sped up and his voice became shakier and more panicked as he kept talking, "and they looked so betrayed! They told me they didn't know and that I had to leave and that I'd lied to them all and I-I-" he stuttered before arms gently wrapped around him, calming him.

"Shh, they're not worth you tears little spider." Deceit soothed. Virgil hadn't even realised his eyes had filled with tears again until it was pointed out.

Remus, who had been uncharacteristically silent offered, "I knew I made a mistake only knocking Roman out." With a snap, his morningstar crashed loudly to the floor after appearing from thin air.

Deceit gave a smirk and Virgil a small grin at the Duke's antics, even though they both knew he was deadly serious. "So you two don't hate me even…after I left you? After all I've done?" He was answered with a soft smile from Deceit and a wide grin from Remus, both of them shaking their heads, and a chorus of 'of course not' and 'never'.

Virgil had never felt so guilty as he did now. The people he had abandoned, the one's he'd turned his back on and vilified were the only ones here for him, the only ones who seemed to truly care. "I'm so sorry, for everything, you must've been so angry." He mumbled looking away to hide his face.

Remus sat up and squirmed his way between the others, pulling Virgil onto his lap and rocking the other side to side, despite the laughed protests. "Oh quit moping!" He joked loudly, "We weren't mad at you!"

"We were just sad you'd lost your way." Deceit added, sharing a smile with him.

There was a comfortable silence that lasted only a moment until Remus' arm shot out, grabbing Deceit and pulling him onto his lap with Virgil, holding them both in a crushing hug. "You too, Snake!"

The three laughed as Virgil and Deceit pretended to struggle as Remus held on tightly, all of them feeling more whole than they had in a while.

Virgil grinned widely. He was back where he belonged.

He was home.