"Hmm? Do you need more scratches?" Jean cooed as he ran a hand through the massive creature's thick fur. "Aren't you affectionate today?"
Napoleon grimaced at the sight of Jean trying to circle his arm around the monster's neck. The younger man was a dwarf compared to the container truck-sized prehistoric white tiger with elongated canines.
To Monarch, the monster was Titanus gevaudan, named after the legendary beast that rampaged through south-central France in medieval France. To Jean, she was simply Cherie, his darling cat.
An oversized one, Napoleon observed.
This was the third time he escorted Jean to see his nonhuman friend. Or probably his only friend, period. The man seemed to be having trouble adjusting to his new social surroundings at the containment site.
Maybe he had no intentions to be buddy-buddy with anyone at Monarch at all. If his stiff interactions with their resident behavior expert, Satsuki, were anything to go by.
"Maybe, try talking to him like you're his squad captain or something?" She approached him one day. "He's...hard to approach, yes, but we need him to get Titanus gevaudan in control. You were both in the military, so maybe you can get through him?"
"But Satsuki," Napoleon smiled. "I was in the Army, and Jean's a fighter pilot."
And the former officer wasn't entirely sure he could talk about their respective military careers without accidentally bringing up Jean's....scar. For all Napoleon knew, there could've been an empty socket underneath that eyepatch.
So they talked about Cherie, even if Napoleon knew the predator (tiger? giant cat? Man eater?) wasn't warming up to him. Yet. The creature would hardly come approaching whenever he stood in front of the cage from where Jean called to her.
Fair enough, he was in the frontlines when they cornered her in Paris. Jean was there too, stretching his arms in front of the beast to protect her from the firing squad.
The young titan seemed to cherish Jean as much, bending down to nuzzle and lick him before entering her carrier.
Satsuki said there was "some sort of an emotional, if not telepathic bond” between them. Some joked Jean was the titan's manager, while others agreed that he was simply her Papa.
"But titans had been worshipped as gods, hadn't they?" Sebastian, their historian, suggested. "Does that make Jean Cherie's priest?" Napoleon laughed at the notion, having found out that Jean had been raised in a devout Catholic family.
Now serving a different god, then, The older man smirked. Jean did act like a Templar when he tried to fight off Monarch, thinking they'd hurt his furry friend.
Suddenly, a loud purr emanated from the enclosure.
"Did —did she just do that?" He pointed at Cherie, bewildered. "I thought only housecats can do that."
Jean let out a low 'hmm' in response and allowed Cherie's giant paw to press him against her face. The creature's belly was flattened against the floor now, her limbs tucked under her body.
"Look at her loafing. Loafing!" Satsuki waved excitedly upon seeing Cherie do it for the first time.
Napoleon couldn't help but agree. The beast looked so incredibly adorable it was hard to believe she was the same monster who rampaged through Paris. Although to her credit, Cherie did refrain from intentionally harming humans.
But the collateral damage, well....at least it was nothing like a MUTO's attack.
Napoleon stared as the titan stood to tenderly lick along Jean's body like she was grooming him. Wait, shouldn't her tongue be rough to the point where it could lick Jean's entire skin off?
But Jean didn't seem to be uncomfortable, so maybe monster tongues were nothing like a normal tiger's, after all. Oh well.
And boy, did Jean seem to enjoy her ministrations. He looked —did Napoleon dare say it? —soft. Jean was undoubtedly a pretty man, but his indifferent demeanor made him more intimidating. And Jeans'....straightforwardness certainly didn't help.
But Napoleon was glad to bear witness to this scene. Who knew the man was secretly an affection hog And towards a gigantic physical goddess, no less!
Jean d'Arc was one of a kind.
"My Cherie," Napoleon could hear him mutter. "I'm so glad I still have you."
Napoleon stood still as Jean buried his face in Cherie's coat, clinging to the titan like she was his security blanket.
The former captain smiled at both man and beast.
"I won't let these people bring any harm to you," Jean whispered, rather audibly.
"She's still growing," Jean spoke in the elevator.
Napoleon turned his head at his companion, a part of him surprised that the stoic man would initiate a conversation.
"Cherie's still growing. She might grow to be the size of a building, they say." The younger man murmured. "Would she still recognize me then?"
Will she finally start posing a threat to humanity?
It was a conversation Jean never involved himself in, because should that time arrive—
Should that time arrive, then Jean would finally be truly alone. Helpless as he watched the creature he once nurtured turning against humans. Against him.
Napoleon doubted that time would arrive soon. But then again, there was always room for surprises with these titans and their otherworldly physiology.
"Don't worry about it," Napoleon assured. "We'll think of a way before that happens."
Jean cast him a doubtful glance.
If it were Satsuki, Napoleon would no doubt ruffle her hair and tell her it's okay, we'll get through this together. If it were Sebastian, he'd hug the historian to his side until he calmed down.
Napoleon's arm stuck to his side. He couldn't simply reach out for Jean's shoulder, could he?
"Well, whatever happens...." Napoleon managed. "Whatever happens, just remember that we will be there for you."
my favorite headcanon is that jean, who died a 19-year-old french peasant in the 15th century........ has no idea what cherie really is. napoleon dragged him to the zoo like 2 months before mc showed up and by that time everyone else had pets and he saw lil' cherie and went "i want this strange house cat" and (after napoleon - proud eagle-owner who thinks this is all perfectly good and normal - orchestrated a prison break to steal his boyfriend a cute new pet) nobody had the heart to say "um jean that's a tiger cub" because it's jean d'arc. who's going to be the one to crush the 19-year-old martyr's dreams? would YOU want to break that news to him? of course not. jean keeps cherie, and everyone else keeps their mouths shut.
