#1 Kevin Day Defender

Like what do you mean even Kevjean/Kerejean shippers lowkey think Kevin so deserves to be punished for. Checks notes. Escaping an extremely abusive situation after 10 years. That theyre willing to completely assassinate Jean's character to do it. Yes they have a fraught history but if theyve worked enough to be sleeping with each other I cannot imagine them being anything but careful and reverent with each other. Certainly not actively violent and mean.

People forget that Jean is hurting. He has only interacted with Kevin a few times since everything happened back in Evermore. The way he acts with Kevin is largely affected by that betrayal and no one can damn him for being more brash towards him.

This does not equate to Jean wanting harm or distress to come to Kevin. At most, Jean wants him to feel guilty because of course Kevin escaping had direct consequences for Jean.

Yes, Jean grew up in a violent environment and has partaken in violence himself but it was largely beaten into him as a survival mechanism rather than out of any intention. We see again & again that Jean is not an inherently violent person and especially as he's learning to heal, he leans back into his natural empathy more & more. He was hurt by Kevin leaving but he doesn't blame him for it either.

They both endured unimaginable pain and violence. They were each other's reprieve from that very violence and I doubt whilst being in a healthier environment, actively undergoing therapy and having more support than he's ever had before, would suddenly flip those dynamics on their heads.

To say that Jean would ever enjoy inflicting harm on Kevin or believing him to be deserving of such completely goes against Jean's character.

As you said, Jean was brutally raped. What happened, happened in a very violent manner even when he didn't 'fight it'. We know Grayson liked to bite, Jean mentions Grayson almost dislocating his arm and that he was resorted to crying so hard he almost threw up. I directly quote "He set out to hurt Jean as badly as he could that fourth night", followed by Jean describing Grayson's actions and even the way he spoke to Jean during it. This in particular leaves a bad taste in my mouth because the way Grayson spoke to him is the same way I've often seen this dynamic written before and if people don't believe he'd have a problem with speaking to Kevin in that kind of manner regardless of Kevin giving consent then I don't know what to say.

I'm not saying that Jean won't ever heal from those memories. Nor am I saying that he won't ever be able to take part in certain kinks as a result of his trauma, but I can't see any situation where Jean could get off on hurting Kevin through sex without it also hurting Jean in the process. If anything, these books are demonstrating the importance of Jean separating the behaviours in the nest from himself in order to heal. This applies to his sex life too. I truly think the means in which Jean heals best comes from the proof that he isn't like them.

even if we only look at kevin's life pre-canon, we know that he grew up in a murder sports cult with extremely toxic views around sex and sexuality.

he was expected to always be in the same room as his obsessive, possessive, abusive adopted brother, riko. riko is shown to take great enjoyment from inflicting sexual violence upon others. kevin was considered riko's possession, his pet, and riko was allowed to inflict whatever violence he saw fit, as long as it didn't hinder kevin's ability to play. kevin also cannot refuse riko.

the coaches, nurses, and other adults in evermore had similar access to the players, and they, too, were allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as it could be explained. jean outright tells us that he witnessed a freshman being killed due to not performing to expectations.

kevin was also raised as a child celebrity and child athlete, both of which are very sexualized, especially in the early 2000s, which is when kevin would have been a teenager. he was expected to perform perfectly in front of the cameras no matter what was done to him behind the scenes.

and then we have what the books and kevin himself tell us. kevin distrusts betsy because 'she's andrew's', kevin says coaches specifically have no honour, kevin is very aware of the prejudices around queer athletes, kevin has a visceral reaction to luther telling andrew he didn't understand normal brotherly love. his conversation with jeremy regarding jean's assault also has hints of this.

When he finds out, the first thing he does, as soon as he is able to talk to Neil in private, is tell him to RUN, bolt, save his life. They are going to lose the season, yes, It is going to suck, but Neil needs to run before It is too late.

Neil tells him he doesnt want to. Explains his decision to him. And Kevin....respects it. Because there is no good choice for Neil in the moment. He can stay and die or he can run and maybe delay his death in a few years. This is not a easy choice to make and Kevin respects and accepts whatever Neil has decided.

This doesn't mean he likes It or that he is fine with losing Neil. Just means that there is nothing either of them can do about the fact there are way too powerful people who want Neil's head on a silver platter.

Then Neil asks Kevin to not tell Andrew, and Kevin immediately understands why. He says with all the words: "Andrew wouldnt respect your choice"

Because Kevin understands there is no good or safe choice for Neil and he understands the least he can do is allow Neil to autonomy to decide.

Most of all, Kevin keeps Neil's secret. Not because he wants to keep It, but because Neil asked him to. Kevin understands this is the most he can do for Neil in that situation.

He cannot fight the Butcher, much less the Moriyamas (neither can Andrew). He cannot make Neil stop being Nathaniel. He cannot stop the people that are after him

But he can respect Neil's choice and keep his secret. So he does. Even If he knows this will make Andrew mas at him. Because for most of Kevin's life, he had all his choices made for him, because where Kevin comes from, keeping secrets was the most power he could ever have.

We know from Jean's narration* that when it came to Kevin's abuse in the Nest it was often more psychological than physical. He was made to watch Jean's torture at Riko's hand, tend to his wounds, and keep it a secret from the other Ravens. Living his life like this while in constant space / presence of his abuser meant Kevin's ability to shut off his own emotions was one of the few ways he could protect himself.

This also let Kevin in some small way protect Jean as any closeness between them would be seen as a slight against Riko. Why I think Riko breaking Kevin's hand had less to do with Kevin outplaying him but about the two of them learning French behind his back.

Even the "bitchy" side of Kevin is part performance as Jean explains he used it to distract the other Ravens from Jean's trauma & Riko's abuse. It also allowed him to have distance from the other Ravens and their own ways to taunt / tease / harm each other. Their words cannot hurt him because they are so far beneath him they're not worth listening to.

even if we only look at kevin's life pre-canon, we know that he grew up in a murder sports cult with extremely toxic views around sex and sexuality.

he was expected to always be in the same room as his obsessive, possessive, abusive adopted brother, riko. riko is shown to take great enjoyment from inflicting sexual violence upon others. kevin was considered riko's possession, his pet, and riko was allowed to inflict whatever violence he saw fit, as long as it didn't hinder kevin's ability to play. kevin also cannot refuse riko.

the coaches, nurses, and other adults in evermore had similar access to the players, and they, too, were allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as it could be explained. jean outright tells us that he witnessed a freshman being killed due to not performing to expectations.

kevin was also raised as a child celebrity and child athlete, both of which are very sexualized, especially in the early 2000s, which is when kevin would have been a teenager. he was expected to perform perfectly in front of the cameras no matter what was done to him behind the scenes.

and then we have what the books and kevin himself tell us. kevin distrusts betsy because 'she's andrew's', kevin says coaches specifically have no honour, kevin is very aware of the prejudices around queer athletes, kevin has a visceral reaction to luther telling andrew he didn't understand normal brotherly love. his conversation with jeremy regarding jean's assault also has hints of this.

Jean discovers the truth when he's sent to California. Kevin trusts no one but his boyfriend to look after him, and Jean is completely thrown off by the revelation. Of course, he knows why he's jealous of Jeremy, he's dating the boy Jean has been pining after for years. However, with every day that passes, that jealousy becomes harder to understand as Jean starts to fall unintentionally for Jeremy too.

Having a crush on a boy who's already taken is difficult enough. Imagine having a crush on two boys who are dating each other.