"Well enough. I think I want coffee though. I can order Tim's when I've guided off the rest of this backlash and visited the bathroom."

"Okay."  Can he - "Should I as well?"

"Yeah, I can add whatever you want to the order."

"Thank you.  ...We can go back to talking about kissing logistics now; I just had to stop thinking about..."

"Yeah. I can - supply painkillers. And hold still. If you're sure."

"I'm pretty sure.  And I don't even know that you would have to stay entirely still forever, it's - predictability.  That's the important part."

"I'm not sure how else to accomplish that?"

"You seemed good enough at holding still that I don't think we have to really worry about it?  But - the issue with touching is that it suddenly makes me pay attention to part of my body, and that's what - it feels like - might turn me into a beast.  That it might be a good time to jumpscare me with a sudden change.  But if I'm already paying attention to, for example my mouth, in the right way, then that's... I don't think we would have to, to choreograph a whole specific thing for it to not be really bad."  Do you like him, directors???  Do you like his funny meta jokes??  "Especially because of.  The guiding."

"So like, you think it's fine if I kiss back as long as I don't also like put my hand on your shoulder or anything. Is that it?"

"I think this is probably true with advance warning.  If there's another middle-of-the-night incident I might appreciate you holding all the way still."

"...okay."

"...Was something about that confusing?"

"...no, not really. I'm assuming that's the default but you might conceivably adjust the plan once you wake us up?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

.....Okay.  Well, Julien will adjust his position so that they're pretty close to each other, and their heads are on the same level, and then attempt to ascertain whether the vibe is to do more than that right now??

Oh this is happening right now right now. Okay. Haru doesn't move his head but makes acquiescent eye contact.

"If you want me to stop so you can say something or whatever, you can, like, hum?  Without moving, probably."

"...yeah seems doable."

"Cool."  Okayyyy.  Kiss?  Time??

Haru kisses him back, quietly and slowly and wetly-for-efficient-guiding-purposes.

Yayyy wowww.  Probably the point of this is so they can alternate between things feeling really nice and torturing him, like with Tobias that one time, but maybe if he just keeps going along with this the torture will fail to manifest.  That would be really nice.  And right now it almost seems like it could happen.

"Hmmmm," Haru eventually hums.

Julien pulls back.  "Yeah?"

"Bathroom," Haru says.