Julien tries to shift his brain around to prepare for this suddenly happening.  Aaaaaa.

"...if you don't want me to do that I won't but we may have to investigate alternate nap positions if you dislike it too much even for that."

"It seems fine?"  ...He's not acting like a fine person, is he.  "I mean, it's very scary, that - it might happen suddenly, or something, but.  It doesn't not seem fine.  Fundamentally."

"I will avoid surprising you with it when you're awake."

"Yeah.  Thanks."

"Mm-hm."

Les Mis.

Snuggle.  The fact that there's music really doesn't fundamentally change anything about the situation, but it is nicer than not.  And now Julien maybe has a better idea of where things are going, here.

Ren comes home and makes spaghetti and meatballs! She is innocently curious about Julien but doesn't pry.

"I was working at Tim Horton's and Haru bumped into me and noticed I was awakening," Julien explains.  Helpfully?  He'll find out.

"You hadn't even noticed? My goodness! I know it's rude to ask what someone's backlash is but I can't think of many that would pass you by like that. Haru woke up with nightmares when he started."

"I am worried about turning into some sort of beast or creature.  It gives pretty bad nightmares but I could work through it."

"I think maybe sort of like the clinical lycanthropy backlash, but I never interviewed that person so I don't know much more about it," Haru volunteers.

"Well, that sounds quite distressing and it's lucky you're compatible with Haru!"

"It really is."  The spaghetti doesn't seem to be nerves or anything, which is good and maybe a sign that his strategy is working.

"Ice cream?" Ren asks when people are winding down on the pasta.

Whhhhat could ice cream be, in terms of turning him into a monster.  ...Maybe nothing, maybe just his strategy is working and they're giving ice cream to him to signal that it's a good idea.  Then again - "What kind?"

"I got a pint of black cherry chip on the way home but we've also got, let me check," she checks, "cookie dough and coconut."

"I'd take a scoop of coconut."

Black cherry is maybe like blood or something; the other two are... hm.  "Coconut as well.  Thank you!"

Ren divides the remaining coconut ice cream between two dishes and gets black cherry chip for herself. She holds up her dish at Haru and he clinks it with her cheers-style.

That's really cute assuming it doesn't turn into blood or something halfway through.

It doesn't! Or blood looks a lot like black cherry chip ice cream.

Julien notices he's been way more fixated on other things turning into stuff or turning him into something than thinking about perceiving himself being the thing that does it.  Hard to say whether he's been slacking about a real threat, or accurately responding to a changing situation, or if they're really simulating guiding by directly affecting what things he's scared of.  In any case the ice cream is fine taste-wise and nice signal-wise.

"Couch?" Haru asks after the ice cream is all eaten.

"Yes."