managing not to

[warmfeelings]

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.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"You're welcome," says the man. "So, this is Wilmington, Ohio. I can spot you a train ticket if there's somewhere you'd rather be, I think, poor boy."

[pythbox]

Harley shrugs. "I'll be fine," he says. "I'll just... wander."

[alicornucopia]

"All right then, if you're sure."

[pythbox]

"Yeah."

[alicornucopia]

The man shows him out of the house, and gives him a fun-sized candy bar out of a bowl on the windowsill, and bids him goodbye.

[pythbox]

He is a nice guy. Harley eats the candy bar.

And he picks a direction, and he walks.

It's a little lonely. He misses those people, how sick is that? But he just keeps going.

He walks for a long time. When he gets tired he sleeps. When he gets hungry or thirsty he torches. He's not even sure how long it's been, after a while. He's not even sure he's still in Ohio. He's sure that Chelsa isn't in this world, and that's good enough for him. Everything else, he can deal with when he's ready.

[temporal_affairs]

After Harley's been on the road for a week, a confused vampire teleports to within a few hundred feet of him - flares his nostrils - says, "Babe? No, that's... Harley?"

[pythbox]

"...Fuck me, I'm home?" he says incredulously.

[temporal_affairs]

"This is Aurum. If you're some kind of parallel Harley whose world is not named Aurum, speak now," says Nathan, scratching his head. "You've been missing for nearly a year."

[pythbox]

"I - no, it's me, I'm here," he says dazedly. "Fuck. Is - is everyone okay?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Her Highness is worried, your wolf's been asleep in your room since you vanished, everyone else is carrying on more or less acceptably," says Nathan.

[pythbox]

"Elsie." He rubs his face with both hands. "Fuck. I should - she's gonna cry, shit - I should see Elsie, will you take me to Elsie?"

[temporal_affairs]

"'Course."

Port.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Harley," breathes Elspeth, when they appear. She's sitting with Jacob.

This isn't the Québec house; this is her quarters in the Safesun capitol.

[pythbox]

Harley bursts into tears.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth promptly gathers him up into a hug as Nathan teleports away to update his mate. "Harley. What happened?"

[pythbox]

"I went - to another world - I don't know how, I tried to come back and I couldn't, I tried every night - I met someone who is an alt of Chelsea and she has this horrible mind control empire run by an alt of your grandma."

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth's arms do-not-tighten in the manner of someone who is working very hard at not-squeezing.

"Did she get you?"

[pythbox]

He nods miserably.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I should be able to undo anything she added." Elspeth swallows. "If you would like me to. I can't put back anything she took." She lets him go.

[pythbox]

Harley grabs her and clings, sobbing.

[her_imperial_radiance]

She hugs him again, instantly, as soon as it's clear that he wants the hug.

[pythbox]

"Get rid of her, get rid of her," he whimpers. "Get rid of everything she did to me that you can."

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth tries.

It's harder - Chelsa soaks in deeper than Chelsea ever did - but Elspeth does not let up.

She keeps pushing until there is nothing to push against.

[pythbox]

Harley curls up in her lap and cries.