Don’t Tell The Boys, Chapter 5
"No, you were backed into a corner. You are always in a corner. Now you have a choice."
Kevin took his hand back. "Which is?"
"You will either be brave or you will be a coward."
He didn't reply, just held Jean's gaze. This was what he meant. Jean's words were not loud, but they had a bite. It wasn't that he was being cruel. It was just all he knew. Kevin understood that if Jean didn't care, if there wasn't love between them, then he wouldn't bother being honest with him.
"You say that like it's so easy."
Jean shook his head. "No. I know what it takes from you to be brave."
"And you think it's worth it?"
Jean stared at him. There was something about his stare that seemed to take something from Kevin. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him feel lighter somehow. "I think... I think you deserve to find out."
He digested those words. Let them roll around in his mind and find a place to settle before he replied.
"And if it isn't?"
Jean turned to face the sky again. Then, in English once more, this time with a shrug, "You are Kevin Day. You have endured worse." Then, "I will be here with you."
https://archiveofourown.org/works/64375339/chapters/166815979#workskin
