Work Text:
When Courfeyrac entered their flat he didn't stumble over Oscar, which was always a bad sign. Usually, their cat was lying spread out, next to the heater in their hallway. They had no idea why he preferred the hallway when there was a perfectly fine working heater in the living room, where he could lie on the sofa.
Somebody understand that cat. He surely didn't.
More often than not Courfeyrac only barely managed to not fall over him and it was thanked with an angry hiss. He still wasn't sure, why Jehan even liked Oscar, because he was sure the fat tabby held a vendetta against him.
"Ah, you just don't understand his extraordinary lifestyle!", Jehan always tutted and then heaved Oscar away from him, like he was the light of his life, while Courfeyrac was robbed yet another 'welcome-home-kiss'.
But Oscar wasn't here today.
When Courfeyrac entered their living room, he could see why. More or less buried under a pile of books and a bunch of blankets lay Jehan fast asleep. And Oscar was lying on his stomach, eyeing Courfeyrac with mistrust.
The cat's eyes were clearly telling Courfeyrac to stay away and not wake up the other man. Jehan was on his back, spread over the small sofa, his feet dangling over the sides and snoring quietly. His usual braid was loose, and stray strands were hanging in his face. Even asleep he looked terribly exhausted, where he usually had a cheery expression a frown had taken over.
Finals week really was a bitch.
Being three years older Courfeyrac didn't have to struggle through those weeks of horror, but he still knew hoe Jehan must feel.
Quietly Courfeyrac walked over to him, not tearing his eyes away from the cat, that was purring. He put the books down, marking the pages that had been open. "Introduction to Romantic Poetry", "Classic Philosophy", "Plato's Politeia".
Yeah, none of that sounded like fun. Courfeyrac snorted when he found not only one but three different notebooks, between the heavy literature, all of them filled with short poems, drabbles and his boyfriend's thoughts.
Jehan had always been a creative kind of procrastinator.
He stroked Jehan's hair shortly, noticing how Oscar had stopped purring and was eyeing him, surely ready to kill him.
Shaking his head Courfeyrac let the man alone and busied himself unpacking his luggage. There was no use in waking him up anyway, he definitely needed the sleep.
*
It wasn't much later after he had had a shower and had changed into comfier clothes, that he heard the rustling of the blankets and a quiet groan, followed by a shriek.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Then a thump and Oscar, who had apparently fallen down from the sofa, when Jehan had sat up; was hissing before he ran out the living room. Now he was probably back to his place in the hallway.
"Are you awake?" Courfeyrac asked from where he was putting on clothes in their room.
"Yes! I am now! How late is it? How long was I asleep? Why didn't you wake me??" Jehan's questions had gotten more and more hectic and Courfeyrac could hear him shuffling around in the chaos of books and papers.
Sighing he went over into the living room.
"Hey.", he touched Jehan on the shoulder and the other man jumped at the touch before he took a deep breath and then finally looked at Courfeyrac. He still looked dead on his feet, this wasn't healthy.
"Hi.", Jehan gave back. He let himself more or less fall into Courfeyrac's arms, hugging him tightly. Courfeyrac hummed contentedly.
"I missed you.", Jehan murmured into the crook of his neck, before pressing a kiss on the sliver of skin right over the collar of his jumper. It made Courfeyrac chuckle. He had only been away for one week to visit his sister and her newborn son, his godson.
"I missed you, too." Courfeyrac kissed the top of his head, before he ended the hug, grabbing Jehan by his shoulders and taking a closer look at his face.
"And I am sorry, but you look like shit, love. What's up?"
Jehan sighed and pointed at the books and papers. "Finals. I don't know what's wrong this year, there's just so much to do. Two essays and the exams and I am behind on my reading in philosophy and I just don't get it!"
He let himself fall onto the sofa.
"And I feel like I don't get anything! They told me philosophy would be a good elective, but I am too stupid or whatever. I am going to fail all the courses this term." His voice had gotten higher at the end and he was talking so fast, it was to catch what he even said.
Courfeyrac was speechless. Never in their years of friendship or during their relationship had he ever seen Jehan in such a state of panic.
"When was the last time you had more than three hours of sleep?", he asked tentatively.
He could deal with this, he hoped. Enjolras had been quite similar, during his finals.
"I just had, because you didn't wake me!", Jehan countered and jumped up from the sofa. "I don't know. Sunday?"
His face was an expression of anger and pure panic. Yeah, okay no this was different than Enjolras Coffee-highs. It was Friday, what meant Jehan hadn't slept much for almost a week. He was now pacing around the room.
"Hey stop for a second please!", Courfeyrac got up to him, not quite daring to touch the man in this state.
"Come on Jehan, look at me."
He just now noticed that his boyfriend was visibly shivering and his breaths were coming short and hectic.
"I am fine I just need to get this stuff done I am so far behind. I... I need to... I can't!", he swayed and Courfeyrac could just keep him from collapsing.
"Shhh. Take a breath. Come on focus on my voice and breath with me. Breath in. Breath out. Nothing else. Just breathe, please."
*
It had taken Jehan some time to calm down, he was still shivering slightly, but Courfeyrac was at least assured he wouldn't faint again.
"Okay, you sit down on the sofa, I'll make us hot chocolate.", he decided.
"But I...", Jehan started but was cut off with a kiss on his forehead.
"You need to do that reading, you don't understand, I know. Look, I actually had to deal with the 'Politeia' some years ago, so how about I am going to read it to you and explain it?"
He really wanted Jehan to relax, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to persuade him into doing nothing.
After a short moment, Jehan nodded and got back onto the sofa burying himself under the blankets.
"Can I have marshmallows on my hot chocolate?", he called as Courfeyrac took out the mugs.
His mug was almost overflowing with them.
*
Thirty minutes later they were laying on the sofa comfortably, Jehan leaned against Courfeyracs chest, with his notes on his lap, listening to his boyfriends going on about Greek Philosophy. "Okay so, in general, he says there are three classes of free citizens, the rest of the people aren't free and therefore not part of the Politeia, okay?"
Jehan nodded. That sounded familiar at least, he might have heard it in the lecture before. Courfeyrac's explanations had made the whole ordeal much more bearable and he felt the panic from earlier dwindle. With a content sigh, he snuggled up closer and searched for Courfeyrac's hand under the blankets intertwining their fingers.
"You are born into the groups and... Are you fine?", Courfeyrac murmured close to his ear. Jehan only hummed in agreement. "Come on, let me get over their policy on killing babies and then we are more than done for today and can watch 'Love Actually'. Are you feeling better?"
"Much better, thank you... And I am sorry for freaking out..."
Courfeyrac tugged on his braid lightly. While he knew, that they probably neede to talk about this, now wasn't the time for it, not when Jehan had finally calmed down.
"It's no nothing you need to be sorry for. Just please take care of yourself during exam season." he kissed the spot behind Jehan's ear that always made him giggle and went on with his explanation.
"So as I said, on the topic of killing infants."
*
Three hours later, after they had gotten some more hot chocolate and watched 'Love Actually', discussing which roles their friends would play (they only agreed on Enjolras as the Prime Minister) they lay on the sofa fast asleep.
With Courfeyrac's arms around him, Jehan felt like even the worst exam season couldn't be so bad.