Work Text:
Jean Moreau was still getting used to the Trojans. They were so much different than the Ravens. His health and safety were actually a priority to his teammates and his coaches instead of a burden. They never caused him pain on purpose, not like Riko and The Master had. In the rush of life and Exy, he sometimes forgot these people wanted him to be okay, to rest, to not push himself.
It’s how he’d ended up playing during tonight’s Exy game with an injured knee. He’d told himself and everyone around him that he’d be okay. He didn’t need Coach Rheman to bench him. The team’s nurse had been skeptical, but she’d agreed after a few short examinations. Jean had had worse. He’d lied through worse. He could grit his teeth and pretend his knee didn’t hurt when he put weight on it.
Honestly, he should have seen the injury coming. Jeremy had decided the team should participate in a little bit of team bonding, and they’d ended up deciding to take a hike. In the snow. They were on their way back to their cars when Jean had slipped and fell, twisting his knee in an uncomfortable position.
He’d brushed it off after Jeremy had threatened to carry him back to their vehicles. He’d done his best to hide his limp, using the guise of brushing off the white flakes on his pants to feel for any broken bones. It didn’t feel like there were.
Jean’s knee was swelling, though. He wasn’t entirely pleased when he realized that. It was never fun to play Exy with a sprain. Deep down, he knew Coach Rheman and the Trojans’ nurse would tell him to sit out if the injury was severe enough, but the requirements to play through the pain had turned from a requirement to an ingrained habit. It would take a lot of convincing to keep Jean off the field.
“Are you sure you don’t need one of us to carry you?” Jeremy asked, concerned.
“I’m sure,” Jean said. “It’s just sore.”
“No one’ll judge you if you need help,” Alvarez reminded him, gently nudging her arm around his waist. “The least you can do is let one of us support you.”
Jean tensed a little at the foreign feeling of receiving help, but he knew he couldn't get out of this. He never could. Instead, he slowly lifted his arm and slung it over Alvarez’s shoulder.
The hiking trip had been earlier this week, and his knee definitely didn’t feel much better. He wasn’t going to say that to anyone, though. He had already sat out of practices the entire week. When she’d benched him for a sprain, just as Jean had suspected, the nurse had told him they’d reevaluate it before the game on Friday.
By the time Friday rolled around, Jean was filled with so much restless energy that he knew he needed to get on court. His knee still hurt, though. Oh, well. It’s not like this was the first time he pretended to be okay during a pregame check-up.
“How is your knee feeling, Jean?” the nurse asked, smiling at him.
“It’s good. It doesn’t really hurt anymore,” Jean replied easily.
The nurse looked skeptical. “Just in case, I’d like to do a few tests before I let you on the court, okay?”
He nodded. Once she had his permission, she bent down until she was level with his knee.The first thing she did was look for swelling.
Jean had done everything he could think of to reduce it before he’d come to his checkup. He’d spent the week taking over the counter anti-inflammatory medicine, icing his knee constantly, and keeping it elevated whenever he could. He’d even snuck to the computer lab and researched whether or not there were foods that could help reduce swelling. He didn’t know if the things he’d found were actually true or not, but he’d incorporated some of the different options into his diet. His attempts didn’t stop her from giving him an unsure look.
“The swelling has gone down,” she conceded, and Jean almost smiled, until she continued speaking. “ But , it hasn’t gone down completely. I’m nervous to let you onto the court.”
“I’ll be okay,” Jean tried to reassure her. “It stopped hurting a couple days ago. I can play.”
“Jean, I wouldn’t bench you if I didn’t think it was necessary,” she reminded him. “It is my job to make sure you don’t worsen your injuries because you played Exy before it healed.”
“You don’t have to,” Jean tried. “Really.”
“I want you to do a few more things for me before I let you out on the court. It won’t take long.”
Jean sighed. “I’m telling you. I’m okay.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it. Go ahead and stand up for me, walk around for a moment.”
Jean nodded. This would be easy. It wouldn’t be the first time he pretended something didn’t hurt when it really, really did. With his intentions set, – don’t get caught in the lie – he stood up and started to walk around the room. It hurt, but he did a good job schooling his expression. The only emotion he portrayed was indifference. Eventually, the nurse called him back over to her examination table and told him to sit down.
“So?”
She didn’t answer right away, thinking through her choices. After a moment, she let out a sigh. “I’m going to let you play. Do not make me regret this, Jean. If your knee starts to hurt, motion to James to sub you out, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The examination had been thirty minutes before the team had gotten together before the game. Now, they were all standing over him, guarding him, as he laid on the court floor. He wasn’t entirely sure when he’d fallen, but it was obvious he had. His knee hurt worse than before. Instead of hearing the roar of excited Exy fans, he heard complete silence, instead.
Suddenly, the sea of his teammates parted as Coach Rheman and the team’s nurse walked towards them. They might have scolded him if they weren’t so worried. Jean gave them both a blank-faced stare. He needed to hide the pain. If The Master found out–
“Jean, can you stand, or do you need someone to help you?”
The sound of Rheman’s voice cut through the haze of memories threatening to send him overboard. He frowned a little. Right, he was at USC. He wasn’t at Evermore, anymore. He didn’t have to hide things from his coaches and teammates.
Jean tried to stand up, but it didn’t work. The second he put a little weight on his leg, he felt a jolt of white hot pain race through it. He got the same result with every other attempt he made.
“I think I need help,” Jean finally admitted.
Jeremy immediately leaned down, carefully wrapping an arm around his shoulders like he had when Jean had initially injured himself. Jean just let it happen. When Jean was finally on his feet, the stadium broke its silence and started cheering. Jean grit his teeth into a smile as Jeremy helped him limp towards the bench.
His nurse gave him a scolding look once they got there. “I thought I told you to get off the court if your knee started hurting.”
“It didn’t hurt,” Jean lied. “It flared up when I got bodychecked.”
“I never should have let you back on the court,” she grumbled as she made quick work of icing it. He knew she’d grab the crutches and a brace before they left the stadium. “We could have prevented this from happening.”
***
The Trojans had lost their game, but none of them seemed very worried about it except Jean. He wondered if their concern for his injury was the reason they’d ended up losing. He brought it up to Jeremy. Jeremy simply shrugged it off and reminded him losses happen. He wanted to apologize to the rest of them for ruining their game, but the others never gave him a chance.
Instead, they all crowded into the dorm room he shared with Jeremy (much to his dismay) to watch a movie. They made sure Jean was comfortable on the couch with his knee outstretched before settling around him on the floor. He could hear a few people, including Jeremy, in their kitchenette making something in the microwave. Jean realized it was popcorn the second he heard something pop.
“What movie do you want to watch?” Alvarez asked him.
“What?” Jean asked, a little confused by the question.
“You got hurt during the game,” Alvarez said, as if he needed the reminder. “We can tell you’re blaming yourself for our loss, and we want to distract you.”
“Huh?” Jean tried again.
“We’re going to watch a movie to get your mind off of the game and your knee,” Jeremy said from behind him. Jean jumped a little. He hadn’t realized Jeremy was already back from the kitchen. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You’re okay,” Jean managed. “I don’t really know a lot of movies. They weren’t really my top priority at Evermore.”
“Hmm, good point,” Laila hummed thoughtfully. “What about Forrest Gump or Mrs. Doubtfire?”
“I vote for Forrest Gump,” Alvarez offered. “If Jean is okay with that, of course.”
“I guess?” Jean shrugged.
Laila moved to find the movie in Jeremy’s stack of DVDs, grinning triumphantly when she found it. She turned on their television and DVD player, slipped the disc in, and grabbed the remote control. She started moving through the films menu as she settled back against her girlfriend.
Jean wanted to say he managed to stay away the entire movie, but the lull of safety and comfort had him dozing off on the couch. As his eyes fluttered shut, he felt someone place a blanket over him. He wondered who it was. Before he could ask, he fell asleep.
He knew his teammates, his friends, if he dared say it, would keep him safe. Their company would protect him from the nightmares. He was really starting to think he would be a-okay.