"That sounds - maybe a little like what Sue does," she murmurs. "If he were accessible - but he isn't." She sighs. "Thank you. I'm sure Mama will want to talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," says Harley. He snuggles up to Zeus again.

"Let me know if you need anything," Elspeth murmurs, and she runs her hand over Harley's hair, and she ports away.

[All right.]

Harley bursts into tears and hugs Zeus as hard as he can.

"Harley, Harley, my Harley - what happened - where did you go, are you all right, you disappeared right out of my arms - how long has it been -"

"It's been like a year," he says, "a month or something for me, I went to another world, I dunno how I did it, I tried again and couldn't, and then I guess I managed it but I ended up in Milliways - lots of awful shit happened but I'm fine now, I love you - I love you," and he dissolves into incoherent sobbing.

"I love you," echoes Zeus, and he holds Harley tight.

Harley just cries.

"There was an alt of Chelsea," he sniffles.

"It was horrible," he says, "she had her whole world done up all lovey, she did it to me too - and the other thing - " He clings, pressing his face against Zeus's shoulder.

Zeus doesn't stop hugging him, but he's now much more confused about why he's doing it. "My Harley," he murmurs.

"I love you," he says helplessly. "But it's like - like she cut off all my feelings and now they're just growing back."

"Can you tell me how to help you?" murmurs Zeus, tucking his face in where Harley's neck and shoulder meet. "I'll do anything to help you."

"Just... be you," he says. "You're good at that, right?" He laughs shakily.

"I can be me," agrees Zeus. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I love you too," Harley says hoarsely. He curls up close and hugs Zeus some more.

Hugs. Silent teary hugs.

[Mama would like to speak to you at your earliest convenience,] says Elspeth to Harley.

[If my earliest convenience can be cuddling Zeus, it's whenever,] he says.