Aelise keeps Harley in her room, and allows visits - mostly Corona, sometimes Tima - but doesn't let him run around being obnoxious to anyone. Chelsa avoids him. Corona is home, after all, and he's just as warm and isn't horrible to her. And now she can invite more friends in. There's that girl she rotated out to make room for Tima, still alive, in Wales - there's that pleasantly sparky boy she met on her trip to Egypt - Chelsa is able to content herself with the situation.
floofcoaster
Wolves react to the name "Chelsea" about like Jewish people react to the name "Hitler".
"Harley."
"Harley."
floofcoaster
Zeus doesn't stop hugging him, but he's now much more confused about why he's doing it. "My Harley," he murmurs.
floofcoaster
"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."
floofcoaster
"I can be me," agrees Zeus. "I love you, I love you, I love you."
her_imperial_radiance
[Mama would like to speak to you at your earliest convenience,] says Elspeth to Harley.
floofcoaster
"Yeah," says Zeus hoarsely, and he arranges himself to be carrying Harley, close and snuggly-like. "I'll go wherever you go if you want me."
her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth pops into Harley's room, and then brings them all to the Safesun throne room.
"I was falling asleep and I fell out of bed and the next thing I knew I was staring at an alt of Chelsea," he says. "I didn't realize it really was until she said her name - it's Chelsa - and then she, she made me love her—"
He bites his lip and presses his face against Zeus's shoulder, hugging him tight.
He bites his lip and presses his face against Zeus's shoulder, hugging him tight.
He takes a deep breath.
"And there was an empress, named Aelise, she's an alt of Elsie's grandma. And Chelsa had a bunch of pets, one of them was a Joker called Corona. I asked him to kill me but I just torched. Aelise got curious, she came and asked me if I'd mind if she killed me some more - they've got superpowers there, they call them Gifts - that place is so fucked up, it's a fucking empire of dead babies and mind control, I hate it - "
And he bursts into tears again, and hugs Zeus even tighter, and
vanishes.
"And there was an empress, named Aelise, she's an alt of Elsie's grandma. And Chelsa had a bunch of pets, one of them was a Joker called Corona. I asked him to kill me but I just torched. Aelise got curious, she came and asked me if I'd mind if she killed me some more - they've got superpowers there, they call them Gifts - that place is so fucked up, it's a fucking empire of dead babies and mind control, I hate it - "
And he bursts into tears again, and hugs Zeus even tighter, and
vanishes.