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“Can we go for a walk?” Cat asks, and though the words are light and breezy, both Laila and Jeremy turn toward each other and share a brief moment of silent communication. Jeremy throws a glance down the hallway, where Jean had muttered a stiff and awkward, Goodnight, about an hour ago, shutting himself in his room.
Can we go for a walk has become their code since Jean moved in. It’s probably bad-mannered to blatantly talk about him behind his back, but there’s no denying that he’s stirred things up far more than any of them had possibly anticipated. Their dynamic has irrevocably shifted, and while the three of them have tried earnestly to incorporate Jean into their little group, it’s necessary to get away every once in a while to debrief.
It’s been happening more and more often as of late, though, as each and every new revelation about Jean seems to make things worse.
Cat knows Jer has a heart of gold, and that very few things would’ve prevented him from accepting Jean onto their line, but Jesus fucking Christ. Jean Moreau is way more than they bargained for.
Her heart aches for the quiet way he’d asked Is Cody safe? earlier, though, and if she doesn’t share her thoughts on that exchange within the next five minutes, she might actually explode.
They shuffle out of the house, leaving the TV on and playing some terrible medical drama on their way out even though it’s a waste of electricity. No matter; for now, the more pressing matter is getting out of earshot.
“Oh my god,” Cat exhales in a rush as the evening breeze rustles her hair. She spins on her heel accusatorily, jabbing a finger into Jeremy’s chest. “Promise me that you will protect that man with your fucking life.”
“Of course,” he agrees easily, because he’s clearly come to the same conclusion. “What happened?”
Laila sidles up to her, hooking their arms together. “Did he say something to you?”
Cat is prone to blurting out what’s on her mind without thinking, but she takes a moment to figure out how to say this. “Those rumors about him sleeping around,” she says slowly. “They’re beyond demented, especially knowing now that he couldn’t have possibly consented to any of it.”
Jeremy grimaces. “Yeah. I don’t — he doesn’t want to talk about it. I can’t even imagine what he’s gone through.”
She nods, tipping her head to rest against Laila’s as they meander through the neighborhood. “I don’t think he knows how to advocate for himself,” she continues, “but when we were in the kitchen, he asked me if Cody was alright. He would’ve fought Pat and Ananya, I think, if I told him that they weren’t safe.”
Laila makes a wounded noise. “Wait, he thought—”
“Ugh. Yeah. And I’m not convinced what happened to him was about a lack of understanding boundaries or consent, not when he was clearly worried about whether or not Cody was interested.”
There’s something stormy in Jeremy’s expression as he processes that. “And has anyone ever advocated for him like that?” he asks quietly, the words deceptively calm. Cat knows him well enough to detect the fury underpinning them, though. She doesn’t know what to say, opting for looping her arm through his so at least they’re all three daisy-chained together.
It feels a bit hopeless sometimes, trying to tackle any of Jean’s trauma. If everything he’s experienced is an inhospitable, treacherous mountain to climb, then the three of them are ill-equipped hikers, craning their necks to try and spot even a single entry point to a hazardous, risky trail.
“He’s a good man for worrying in the first place,” Laila murmurs, brushing a kiss against Cat’s cheekbone. “What did you tell him?”
“Exactly that,” Cat says. Humiliatingly, she feels tears prick at the corners of her eyes at Laila’s simple, easy affection, and she blinks rapidly to prevent them from falling. “But he trusted me enough to ask, and believed what I had to say about Cody wanting it but being afraid. That feels important, right?”
Surely it has to mean something.
“You’re good with him,” Jeremy adds. He squeezes her arm comfortingly. “It’s definitely important. If he opened up to you, it’s because he believed you would side with him if he needed to confront all of us for being complicit in Cody’s lack of consent.”
Cat knows Jeremy well enough to understand that this is a precursor to him entering a fit of self-deprecation, so she says, loudly, “And he’s opened up to both of you, too. Maybe we all serve different purposes for his recovery, which means he comes to us for different things. But he needs us all, yeah?”
Laila nods, catching onto Cat’s subtle intervention with ease. God, Cat loves her. She hopes that she never takes Laila’s perceptiveness and emotional intelligence for granted. “Yeah,” she agrees. “More than anything, I think Jean needs us to support him unconditionally and show him what healthy relationships, boundaries, and interactions can look like. The more we can demonstrate, the better.”
Jeremy shakes his head a bit like the dog he wishes Barkbark could be, snapping himself out of the funk. God, Cat loves him, too. “Mhm,” he mumbles, a bit sheepishly. “It’s just hard. What if we aren’t enough?”
“That’s not very captain-like of you,” Cat chides him lightly. “I want to hear approximately four more motivational speeches, stat.”
“As the bestest captain the Trojans have ever seen,” Laila starts, deepening her voice into a startlingly-accurate impression of Jeremy.
He giggles, and then cracks up, and Cat feels her own face lighting up in an amused grin, too, as she joins in.
“And also the gayest,” she adds, “which, if you didn’t know and I will gladly explain to you as an English major, is also synonymous with happy and carefree—”
“Stop, you absolute brats,” he laughs, shoving at both of them with his elbows. “I get it, I get it. Jean needs us to be strong for him. He needs good role models. And we’re some of the best, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Cat coos, pressing a kiss to the crown of his hair. Laila makes an affirmative noise, too, and Cat finally feels herself start to relax.
With her best friends at her side, anything is possible. Jean has experienced some horrific things, but he’s safe now. They have all the time in the world to present a united front and teach him how to be okay.