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Jeremy can do handstands and Jean is impressed. It’s an interesting thing- a handstand. In real life, it is practically useless- when would you need to do a handstand? In Raven Life, it would have been frivolous and ridiculous. Jean reckons that Riko would have sooner used it as a form of torture than as a form of enjoyment.
And yet here was Jeremy Knox, laughing his ass off as he crawled away legs sticking straight into the air. Sara and Laila were chasing after him, attempting to push and topple him over, but he stayed steady and quick. It wasn’t as if Jean couldn’t do a handstand, but having never done one, Jeremy’s willingness to accept Alvarez’s bet was jarring.
One moment, Sara had said, “I bet you $5 you can’t stay in a handstand for a whole minute,” and the next Jeremy was yelling, “Challenge accepted!” while throwing his hands onto the ground.
“C’mon guys, this is nothing!” Jeremy laughed after 10 seconds. “You know I used to be a gymnast in high school.”
“Shit, how do we always forget? He’s certainly short enough.” Jean laughed at that. Even propped up on his hands fully extended, Jeremy’s feet barely came to eye level for Jean.
“Maybe he needs a little challenge,” Laila interjected, “since this is soooooo easy for him.”
“Hey, wait-” Jeremy called, tilting his chin to his chest to get a look at Laila running at him before quickly moving away.
“Aww, c’mon, Cap. Can’t handle a little hand walking?”
Jean was standing off to the side watching this unravel. He watched intently, silently cheering on Jeremy while keeping his face neutral and his emotions hidden behind a stoic expression. Jeremy’s moves on the court were impressive, but this was much more so- his precise hand placements showed just how adept he was at fine motor controls. It was the same precision that lead him to be the Trojan’s top goal scorer.
A year ago, Jean could never have fathomed this would be his life. He would have thought following Riko blindly and practice where ideal. But now, Riko is dead, and Jeremy was there to show him exactly what an exy captain should be. Between the carrot and the stick, Riko had always chosen he latter. But as Jeremy flopped onto the ground when Sara finally called time, he couldn’t help but be grateful that Jeremy’s laugh was the perfect alternative. Why would anyone choose otherwise?