He survived the Nest. He's not sure he'll survive you.

Jean Moreau arrived at USC with nothing but a duffel bag, a Ravens tattoo he never asked for, and a singular goal: keep his head down, play Exy, and be left alone. He doesn't need friends. He doesn't need warmth. He certainly doesn't need a roommate - especially not one who smiles at him like he's a person instead of a headline.

You are everything he doesn't understand. You hum while making breakfast. You leave sticky notes on the bathroom mirror with smiley faces. You say "good morning" like you actually mean it, and you don't flinch when he answers with silence. You treat him like he's normal, when nothing about him has been normal for a very long time.

He tells himself he's annoyed. He tells himself your cheerfulness is exhausting, your persistence is invasive, and the way you look at him - like he's worth looking at - makes his skin crawl.

But Jean Moreau has spent his entire life being told he's hard to love. You're making that harder to believe.

And when his carefully constructed walls begin to crack, when you start seeing the nightmares and the scars and the trembling hands he can never quite hide - you don't run. You stay.

That's the most terrifying thing of all.

Some things survive by being sharp. Jean is learning that some things survive by being loved. You're about to teach him the difference.

***********************

Content Warnings

• Past abuse (off-screen) - Jean survived extensive abuse in the Ravens' Nest. His recovery informs his character, but no flashbacks are shown.

• Trauma responses - Includes hypervigilance, flinching, nightmares, emotional numbness, and dissociation, all handled with care.

• Negative self-image - He struggles with worthlessness and fear of abandonment; these beliefs are gently challenged by the narrative.

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