This chapter shouldn't break anyone's brains on any level. If it does, relax; go get some lavender and eucalyptus or something. Also, I don't think anyone has ever written from this kid's POV before...? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, for those in the back: "JAN" IS A MISTRANSLATION OF JEAN. I don't care if he's referred to as Jan in the American releases. SNK took its mistake and ran with it to save face. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

Onward~

A loud heavy metal song blasted from the pocket of Jean Levasseur's older sister, which startled him and nearly caused him to jump out of his seat. He watched as his sibling fished her phone from her pocket: the music was drawing stares from the people at the next table over (who looked very offended) but she didn't seem to notice or care as she absently stared down at the screen, which displayed a photo of one of the most beautiful women Jean had the pleasure of being acquainted with.

"Are you gonna get that, or…?"

Without a word, his sister, who had been acting a little strangely, reluctantly answered the call.

"...What's up?"

Jean watched her carefully; she looked so pale and exhausted: He knew she worked the closing shift at her bar the night before, but the paleness of her skin and the dark circles under her eyes told him that she had barely slept after work; hell, she might not have slept at all. He was honestly surprised that she hadn't crashed the car on the way to the restaurant because, despite their conversations, it was damn obvious that her thoughts were somewhere else. As he continued to observe her she further proved his musings correct when she pressed her lips together in a thin line, which she always did when something was bothering her — or if something was just on her mind in general, really — and drew in a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the salt shaker.

"I've been better," she told the caller flatly. There was a very brief pause before she said, a little more animatedly, "But I'm with Jean right now, so can we just talk later?"

Another pause.

"Thanks..."

Just like that, the call was over. She stowed her phone, placed her elbows on the table (Aunt Maddy would have a fit if she saw that), and rested her chin in her hands.

"So," she said with a smile that wasn't quite earnest, "where were we?"
"We were at the part where you tell me what the fresh hell is going on with you," Jean huffed while crossing his arms.
"Nothing's going on. I'm fine."
"Céc."
"Jean," his sister responded without even the tiniest bit of emotion.

The siblings fell quiet as they stared at one another, Jean's expression determined while his sister's was just… not. He squinted at her (she squinted back), plucked a french fry from his plate, and threw it at her. Her reflexes instantly kicked in and she quickly moved her head so that the starchy missile flew past her face — and bounced off the shoulder of one of the people seated at the table behind her.

"Oh, shit," Jean blurted: He sunk down in his seat while the random stranger let out a startled gasp.

"I am so sorry," Céc started as she turned around. The other customer assured her that it was fine — no harm, no foul — but she apologized profusely anyway. Finally, she turned back to Jean… and let out a quiet giggle that she had clearly been holding in, which made him feel accomplished. Whatever was bothering her couldn't be too bad if he managed to make her laugh.

At least, he hoped, because she was a really good liar, and though he did possess an almost uncanny ability to see straight through her, she had fooled him a few times before. However, in this case it was very clear that something was on her mind. He started to think of ways to get her to just talk to him, but she spoke up first.

"I asked about school but you never told me how it was going."

Jean made a face; he had managed to avoid this subject earlier, but maybe if he answered her questions honestly she would be more willing to answer his…? He took a deep breath; his sister wasn't like Aunt Maddy or Uncle Gary so she wouldn't get too mad. Maybe...

"I have a D in science, and I got an F on my last math quiz."

Céc narrowed her eyes, her expression stern.

"I know that middle school is bullshit," she started, her tone almost uncharacteristically harsh, "but you need to bring those grades up! Got it?!"
"I will," Jean assured her. "...if you tell me what's wrong with you."
"Um, no. That's not how this works."
"How does it work, then?"
"You leave it alone."

Not one to just drop things — especially when it came to his sibling — Jean stared at her from across the table, his jaw set while he thought of what to say to get her to open up. Maybe reverse psychology would work?

"Fine then. Don't tell me," he remarked.
"Okay."

Jean raised his eyebrows (man, was that was a failure) as Céc took one bite of her salad; she chewed slowly as she began using her fork to haphazardly poke at the food. She wasn't attempting to take more: she was just... stabbing random bits of lettuce and croutons, her face unreadable as she did her lip thing again. Finally she stopped and let out a sigh.

"Fine."
"Fine what?"
"I'll tell you," Céc stated with a shrug.
"Really?!"
"Sure. I mean... why not."

Pleased with himself for somehow managing to get her to give in, Jean flashed a smile that instantly faded when something very off-putting occurred to him. He wrinkled his nose and asked, "...Is it a weird sex thing?"

The face Céc made could only be described as "epic." Her eyes went wider than Jean had seen them in a long time and her cheeks flushed a violent shade of pink.

"NO," she yelled, drawing the attention of the next table once more. He was pretty sure he heard one of the patrons whisper something about nannies (people always thought Céc was his nanny) but he couldn't be too sure. He made a face at the person whispering before turning his attention back to his kin, who cleared her throat and said, much quieter, "No."

Unable to keep himself from laughing a little, Jean cleared his own throat.

"Good," he said. "Because if it is I don't wanna know."
"You mean you don't want to know about all about the things I do in my weird sex dungeon?"
"Ew," Jean shuddered before throwing another french fry, intensely repulsed by the thought of his sister doing anything sexual in any capacity ever. (It was bad enough that he knew about… that one really jacked up thing...)

Instead of dodging the soaring fry Céc caught it and ate it, a genuine smile on her face. Jean narrowed his eyes as she laughed from her place on the other side of the table.

"So is it a weird sex thing?" He asked bluntly.
"Of course not!"
"So…?"
"Someone thinks that I'm…" she trailed off then, her eyes suddenly full of sadness.
"Céc…?"
"You know what? Maybe it is kind of a weird sex thing after all…"

Jean quirked a brow, curious about what was going on. Confident that Céc wouldn't dare tell him anything gross, he tilted his head to the side and shot her a sympathetic look.

"You can still tell me," he asserted, though he was a little hesitant.
"It's nothing… explicit," his sister mumbled. "It's just… a friend… said something to me — thinks something about me — that's really fucked up. Even though… I saw this coming it still hurts to actually hear. And it's still pretty fresh."
"What'd they say?" Jean inquired, now incredibly curious.
"It doesn't matter. I'll get over it."
"Okay, well, who was it? Do I know them?"
"Don't worry about it, nosy."

At that, Jean furrowed his brow. Whatever was said must have been really upsetting if it was making Céc act so odd. He wanted to ask more questions, but he had a feeling that doing so would just make things worse instead of better, so the two finished their respective meals, though curiosity lingered in the back of Jean's mind. Céc had been through a lot of things... a lot of things that seriously messed her up for awhile. He really, truly hoped that what was bothering her didn't have anything to do with what happened to her all those months ago because, if it did, it could make her have a relapse, and he hated seeing her like… that. Nevertheless, he took mental notes on every single one of her mannerisms and decided that it was probably better if he didn't pry.

As always, you know the drill:

First off, trying to nail Jean's perspective was a little tricky, as I have never been a 12-year old boy, nor have I really been around that many (girls on the other hand...). So, hopefully he came off as genuine and believable. And referring to King as, well, NOT King was also a little challenging as well. I really hope I won't have to retcon this ever LOL

* Mai's ringtone in King's phone is Lotion by Deftones. The band itself isn't metal, but Chino screaming for four minutes can totally be put in that category...
* Aunt Maddy and Uncle Gary: Jean's legal guardians; Maddy is his (and King's) biological aunt; Gary is the uncle by marriage (both are HC'd by me of course)
* Before you say anything about kids: YES, they know what reverse psychology is. I asked a group in this age range and they all thought I was a stupid asshole for asking them in the first place.
* Jean knows about the rape, as he found King's medical records (and a pamphlet about sexual assault) among her belongings in Oxygen to Breathe (in case you're new or forgot)

Okay! I think that covers this chapter! Two more to go (unless I get any other ideas...)! Who else has been affected by Ryo's thoughts/feels about King? Any guesses? Let me know in that nice little rectangular box below (or Tweet at me if that's more your speed). Cheers!