"...if walking is bad I can carry you?"

"- No -"

"Okay. Just offering. Whenever you're ready."

Fuck.  ...But - "Should I talk for logistics reasons, and then shut up the rest of the time?  Or always be silent."

"- I have no idea what your symptoms are or why talking is sometimes bad. I think we can get through the week on nodding and shaking your head if that's what you need and I think we can still do that if you want more guiding than I can do on no backlash."

"...It did not seem like you wanted me to talk."

"I'm not very talkative when I'm not backlashed, and when I am backlashed I need conversation at a clip that seemed like it was going to be hard for you to sustain so I was focusing on Cricket. But I have no underlying wish for you to not talk."

...Okay, so, maybe the monster is the one in charge here.

"I'm still really hungry."

"Oh! More eggs or do you wanna have a look in the pantry? - or have me recite the contents of the pantry if this is an eyes closed time."

"Either is fine.  I have my eyes open."

"Pantry's this way."

They've got various snacks, a range of aggressively pedestrian things and weird hippie stuff.

Potato chips, then.  He'll follow Haru's lead on whether to take them back to the table or to the couch.

Couch is good. Haru's got Les Mis to read.

Julien is going to scarf down quite a lot of potatoes and then do his slow, careful snuggleup-ing, out of the way of the book, and then - doze off.  Food coma style.

Although... not quite enough like a coma that he doesn't have dreams.  Sometimes there are little variously-unhappy noises, too quiet to carry through walls but definitely noticeable now that he's right on Haru.

Poor guy. Once he's asleep Haru risks repositioning a little for more surface area, very gently.

"-Nn?"

Whoops. "Everything's fine, you can nap."

..........Right, everything is awful but this is in line with what he knows about the awful situation.

Back asleep.

Haru does his best not to move for the rest of the nap. Poor Julien.

After not too long the noises get denser and unhappier until Julien wakes up, gasping.

"Whoa, hey. Bad dream, I take it."

What - Right.  "Yeah."

"Hell week is the fucking worst."

"Yeah."  Sure.  Whatever this is certainly sucks.  And he can't even bite himself to calm down because he's right in front of Haru, and then one of them will turn into a beast with big teeth and eat the other one, probably.