"Z! Sweetie! I wasn't expecting you back so soon."
“...yeah, I get that.”
He leans against the doorframe.
“That whole thing must’ve been hard as fuck.”
He doesn't quite smile, but he manages something approximately smile-like.
"Thank you."
He makes a quiet noise that might be affirmative and keeps holding Z.
His breath is shaky.
He keeps petting him.
"...won't tell anybody if you have to let it out. It's okay."
Deep breaths into Marlo's shoulder.
...fuck, would it have killed the writers to traumatize them all on different days?
He adjusts his posture, so he's holding Z rather than being held. "Do you want to sit down?"
"Can't get out of this that easy," he mumbles. "I'm gonna comfort the fuck out of you."
That's a yes, then. Hugging Z when they're both sitting down — on the bed, there's nowhere else for two people to sit — is also very good.
"...I feel like I've got to disclose something at this point but it's seriously awkward and I kind of don't want to mess up the hug."
"I don't think you appreciate just how fuckin' bad this thing was."
Lean.
"And now I'm pretty sure it's the normal kind, which is worse, and I swear I didn't come up here all 'hey Marlo knows he's gay now time for some intimate personal contact," you just really needed a hug."