Work Text:
Jean had thought it stupid when Cat suggested borrowing her phrase. “ Have a winning day! ” Why would he want to say something so asinine on the court to an opponent? It was silly, ridiculous, pointless. But the more he thought about it, the more he kind of…wanted to try it out. Just to see the reactions it could receive. He had seen how others responded to the Trojans saying increasingly nice things to shitty opponents, saw how it would throw off their game, and decided it was just strategic to try something out.
He couldn’t decide on what he wanted to try, though. It needed to be original, not something he had heard his teammates say. It would be more effective that way, right? But what to say…
There were the very obvious options:
- Good job
- Great shot
But no, not effective enough. It needed to really throw off their game or it wasn’t worth it.
So, research. He wasn’t going to ask Jeremy, Cat, or Laila just in case he tried it on them in scrimmages. It had to be a surprise .
He started googling encouraging phrases .
- Stay strong!
- Keep fighting!
- Stay in there!
- Don’t give up!
Not the right ring to it. It wasn’t shocking enough, he was going for that real shock factor, here.
Just as Jean started to think he should give up, he finally got it.
It was one of the times he had called Kevin. Kevin had been calling to bitch about not receiving one of his patented Jean’s Ceramics Class Mug, as Neil had dubbed them. Kevin had been on speaker phone and in the background he heard the most passive aggressive voice on the other end.
“Oh, bless your heart,” the voice drawled, southern accent played up for emphasis. And that was perfect. Jean was pretty sure it was Andrew saying it, judging by the low voice and the following laugh that was so clearly Neil.
“I fucking hate it here,” Kevin whined. Jean found himself smiling despite himself. “You assholes are using your mugs in front of me to spite me.”
“Aw, you know us so well,” Neil said. “Of course it’s out of spite. Jean, thank you for the mugs. They are riling Kevin up perfectly.”
“You are welcome. Did Betsy like her new one?” Jean asked politely, relishing in the strangled gasp from Kevin.
“You gave her another one but not me?” Kevin asked, incredulous.
“Yes, Kevin, keep up,” Andrew deadpanned. He came closer to the phone, as his next words were more clear. “She loved it.”
“Thank you for your contribution,” Jean said seriously. It really was a great gift, perfect for the woman who helped fucked up kids for a living. It was the mug he was most proud of by far.
“What do you mean your contribution?” Kevin asked Andrew. Jean decided he was done listening to the squabbling and sighed.
“Bye,” Jean said and only waited long enough to hear Neil’s farewell before hanging up, not waiting for Kevin. He couldn’t help smiling to himself. If there was anything that could bring joy to him, it was being an asshole to Kevin. Because Kevin deserved it immensely. His phone dinged with a text and Jean picked it up to read.
Red Devil: thank you
Jean : For?
Red Devil : bullying kevin with us
Jean : happy to help
Jean put his phone down and sighed, thinking. The call was productive, not only for bullying Kevin, but he finally had his phrase.
***
The first time Jean implements his new phrase is during a scrimmage.
Jean is paired against Jeremy, which is the perfect subject for his experiment. He plays as normal, finally getting the hang of playing without hurting the striker he is against. It is strangely gratifying, being able to beat opponents without borderline illegal checks that could cause harm. It felt almost…nice to win without needless violence.
Jeremy did not get irritated easily against him, but after he avoided getting around him for the tenth time, Jean could spot the slight irritation in the furrow of his brow, the harder grip on his stick, and the tiniest grunt of annoyance that no, was not cute. Shut up, Neil .
So, perfect timing.
After the next time he made Jeremy fumble the ball, he immediately tossed it up the court to Ashton and stopped moving enough to lightly jostle Jeremy. He dropped his voice, only loud enough for Jeremy to hear.
“Oh, bless your heart,” Jean drawled. His attempt at a southern accent was surely a fail, it should be embarrassing to fail at something so silly, but Jeremy’s expression is so worth it. His mouth drops open in shock and he comes to a full stop in the middle of the court. Then, he is laughing. It’s a bright laugh, it sounds like bells chiming to Jean’s ears. It is one of the most beautiful things Jean has ever heard. Being the cause of it feels a bit like a drug.
Around them, the scrimmage came to a halt as their captain doubled over laughing. Jean stood awkwardly at his side but couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.
“Are you okay?” Cat called from across the court. She took off her helmet, head tilted in consideration of them. Jeremy tried to speak and just let out a little pathetic wheeze.
“He needs a moment,” Jean deadpanned to some faint snickers around the court. Jeremy took a deep breath and stood up fully, hands on his hips and a blinding smile on his face.
“Jean has a new catchphrase,” Jeremy told them. Laila and Cat gasped in unison.
“Ohhh,” Cat smiled brightly. “What is it?”
“Find out for yourself,” Jeremy said. He waved towards the rest of the team. “Let him get some practice with it. Let’s start this again.”
Jeremy leaned gently into his shoulder as he walked past to his starting position. Jean felt instantly gratified and the bit of embarrassment was worth it.
***
Jean didn’t try it in a game for a bit. They were in the middle of spring championships, so it wasn’t the time to rattle his game. Instead, he practices against the other Trojans. Thus far, the only ones to not get the catchphrase have been the backliners.
The funniest moment was after a goal, surprising everyone when he intercepted from a rebound from one of the strikers fumbling. He had ended close to the goal, so was in perfect range to use it on Laila. She cursed loudly at the miss and Jean stepped back away, stick over his shoulder.
“Oh, bless your heart,” Jean drawled and Laila barked a loud laugh.
“Jean, you glorious bastard, where the hell did you learn that?” She came closer to him to gently pull him down by the helmet, knocking their heads together.
“Andrew Minyard,” Jean said plainly. That made Laila laugh even harder.
“Andrew fucking Minyard?” She nearly shouted. That drew the attention of Jeremy, who had been near the goal as well.
“You learned that from Andrew Minyard?” Jeremy asked incredulously. “The same Andrew Minyard that glares even more than you do?”
Jean proved Jeremy right by glaring at him.
“He said it to Kevin on the phone,” Jean explained. “I had been trying to come up with a phrase, and he was the one who said it.”
“Honey, that is beautiful,” Laila said. “Please use that on the Foxes when we play them.”
“Of course, I have to fuck with Kevin,” Jean assured her in full seriousness. “I have a gift for him too, it will be perfect.”
“What is it?” Jeremy asked and Jean just smacked him on the top of his helmet.
“You’ll see.”
***
It wasn’t unexpected for them to end up against the Foxes for the championship match.
The Foxes had kept up their winning streak among the southeastern districts, and with more bodies on the court, it was only logical that they would be the ones to meet the Trojans at finals.
Jean was…surprisingly excited for this game. He had only played the Foxes once, in November the previous year with the Ravens. It would be nice to face them on more kind standing. He was strangely jittery, with the Foxes at USC for the game. He was in his home turf and he had multiple things to do today that weren’t kicking the Foxes asses to next week.
Okay, maybe Jean had been looking up more southern phrases. Who could blame him? They were perfectly suited for his brand of antagonistic.
The first quarter had Jean marking Kevin. It was interesting to compare their playing style. Last time, Kevin was playing right handed, still not fully used to it. Kevin was playing full games. Now, he was on court left handed again and was better than Jean remembered him ever being. It made him proud, to see how far he had come after leaving the Ravens.
And Jean was different himself too. He had gained weight and could more easily bowl people over. He was very excited to try that on Kevin, within the legal checking bounds, of course. His game was aimed to beat, not hurt, so he had no reservations about going all in against Kevin.
The game was going well. They were on even footing, Kevin was keeping a level head about everything. He took his mistakes in stride, didn’t bitch even once when Jean accidentally checked him a bit too hard. It was the most fun Jean had ever had playing against Kevin Day.
Jean had the perfect opening to say it when Kevin turned to pass to Jack, the Foxes freshman striker. He had just raised his racquet to pass the ball when Jean kicked his shoe, knocking him off balance.
At the same time, he dropped his voice to mutter, “Oh, bless your heart, Kevin.”
And the reaction was glorious.
Kevin immediately fumbled the ball, enough for Jean to snag it out of his net and lob it up the court to Jeremy, who scored a goal against Renee. Kevin was staring at Jean in surprise, completely unconcerned for the ball being out of his hands and across the court.
“You asshole,” Kevin said softly. “What the hell?”
“Sorry, did you get distracted? Are the Foxes getting your guard down?” Jean asked cheerily. “Bless your heart, Kevin.”
“You are the worst,” Kevin complained. He held his stick out to clack them together. “Glad to see you having fun out here.”
“Get back to your position,” Jean deflected. Kevin just smiled at him and went back to his starting position for the ball to be served again. Half time came soon after and they went into their locker rooms. Jeremy fell onto the bench beside him and grinned.
“You said it to Kevin, didn’t you?” Jeremy asked happily.
Jean sniffed the air superiorly. “Who do you take me for?”
“Dork,” Cat snorted as she took a seat beside him as well. She chugged water and gatorade in preparation for the next half. “Think you’ll be up against Neil next turn. You ready for it?”
“Always,” Jean smirked down at her. “I can take the tiny bastard.”
“Ooh,” Laila cooed behind him. “Big scary backliner going to beat up the tiny striker.”
“I’m not going to beat him up ,” Jean said. “Just trip him a little.”
“Sure,” Jeremy said, clearly not believing him one bit. And Jean couldn’t really deny it. No matter how much of an asshole Neil could be, he’d always have a soft spot for him. He’d rather die than admit that out loud, though.
They filed back onto the court after the half rejuvenated and ready to take on the Foxes. The scores were tied and it was going to be a hard push. The Foxes were still known for having stronger finishes, while the Trojans had a stronger start. It put them at opposites but that was fine. Both teams had their best goalies in, Laila and Andrew. Their strongest backliners were off the court as it was a given that the Foxes would put Neil and Kevin on together for the end. Jean sat back and watched Jack and Kevin on the court again, picking apart the differences between the strikers and seeing the clear distinction between the partnership of them compared to Kevin and Neil.
The final quarter started with substitutions. Neil was traded in for Jack and Jean was placed up against him. The height difference between them was still a little jarring, being over a foot taller than the striker and much broader. He had seen Neil outmaneuver many large backliners though so he knew to give it his all.
“Ready?” Neil asked. He grinned up at him, a sharp smile that usually spelled trouble. Jean was not concerned. He knew that there would be mostly fair play between the two.
“Ready to beat your Foxes,” Jean answered back. He returned the grin, which seemed to give Neil a renewed competitive streak.
“Dinner after?” Neil asked, as if it was such a normal thing for them to do. They had not seen one another in months, though they had talked on the phone more than he had anticipated. He found himself nodding before he thought against it. “You should bring your striker.”
Jean reared back in shock, mouth dropped open in a denial before he thought better of it. This was Neil, who himself had a teammate to call his partner. Not as Raven partners, but chosen to have each other’s backs. It was as he and Jeremy were. Jeremy had offered to have his back and be his partner, and maybe would want to be his partner in other ways too.
“Shut up, cockroach,” Jean grumbled. Neil held a hand out for a handshake.
“Only if you play your hardest, show me what the Trojans have been teaching you.”
Jean shook his head just as the rest of the substitutes settled into position. The crowd seemed to cheer even louder at the sportsmanlike display, and Jean wasn’t sure if it was because they were former Perfect Court members or if it was because they were both antisocial and seemed like assholes to the general public. Granted, both were true, so it could be either reasoning.
“Only if you do as well,” Jean said, stepping away to get into his own position. When Allison Reynolds served the ball back towards Andrew, Neil bolted down the court to catch the ball. Jean cursed under his breath, having nearly forgotten how fucking fast Neil was on the court. They fought for the ball hard, borderline illegal checks but nothing that could cause real injury. They stayed tied until the last few minutes of the game, both teams pushing hard to get the final point needed to win. Neither team wanted to go into overtime, so they pushed harder to finish it.
The ball was thrown to Neil by Matt, Jean behind him just after. He knocked him off balance and snatched the ball away, shooting it hard back towards Laila to hit it down the court to Jeremy The ball hit just past where Andrew could deflect, the first goal of the second half, the only ball to make it past Andrew. Jean caught Neil’s arm before he could topple to the ground, and it was the perfect opportunity.
“Bless your heart, tiny red,” Jean smiled condescendingly, letting go of Neil’s arm once he had steadied him. Neil’s eyes widened almost comically and cracked up laughing.
“Oh my god, is this because of Andrew saying it to Kevin while we were on the phone?” Neil asked. Jean didn’t deny it and that sent Neil into a fit of laughter. “I am telling Andrew after the game, he’ll find this hilarious.”
“I didn’t think he had a sense of humor,” Jean mused. Neil snorted and shook his head.
“If it’s to make fun of someone on the team, he’ll find it hilarious,” Neil punched him in the shoulder on his way back to reset the play. Neil switched to French as he yelled out, “I’ll tell him at dinner.”
“Looking forward to it,” Jean called back in French. He caught some confused looks from other Trojans and didn’t bother answering.
The rest of the game went much of the same way, with Neil managing a goal after slipping under Jean’s arm after feinting the other direction. He grinned sharply at Jean after.
“If that were a snake it would have bit you, nouille ,” Neil called over his shoulder as he ran past. Jean cursed him under his breath. He saw that one while researching phrases, why hadn’t he thought of using that one?
“ Wait, did you just call me a noodle ?” Jean called back in French, glad that the ball was no longer in play. Neil just laughed and flashed him a peace sign. Jean muttered to himself. “ Fucking bastard .”
The game ended when Aaron fumbled the ball and Cody threw it back down the court, right into Jeremy’s net. He snuck it in at the bottom right corner, the opposite of where he usually shot. It was the perfect shot to slip past Andrew’s defenses and the final buzzer rang just a few seconds after. Jean expected some antagonism from the Foxes, but as he glanced around, he saw mostly smiling faces. There was disappointment of course, it was impossible not to be, but they were considerably more happy to lose to the Trojans than any other team.
“Good game,” Neil said. He held a fist up until Jean took the bait and fist bumped him, rolling his eyes to show how aggrieved he is to do so. Neil nodded across the court towards Jeremy, who was running his way. He nudged Jean in the ribs just under his padding. He whispered in French, just for Jean, “ Go meet your boy.”
“Go meet yours,” Jean shot back. He sounded more than a little petty and whiny, but he didn’t care. Neil just laughed and jogged across the court. He was intercepted at half court by an excited Matt Boyd, who had snatched him up and was holding him up above his head. They were both laughing, Neil wiggling to try to get out of the taller man’s grip, and Jean found himself smiling fondly at the display. When Andrew met up with them, a gentle hand at Neil’s back to steady him after Matt dropped him unceremoniously, he felt just a bit more brave.
Jeremy caught up to him just after, drawing his attention away from the pair to look down at him. He was grinning, out of breath, a bright twinkling in his eyes as he looked up into Jean’s eyes. It was an expression he had never thought could be directed at him, and it made him feel warm and soft in his chest. Jean removed his helmet and dropped it to the court floor beside him.
“You did amazing,” Jeremy breathed. He didn’t make a move to touch him, so Jean initiated. Jeremy let out a startled squeak when Jean grabbed him, hauling him into a hug. The chest pads were bulky between them, but Jean didn’t mind. He pulled Jeremy close enough that his cheek rested against Jeremy’s, heart soaring at the tinkling laughter right by his ear. Jeremy wrapped his arms around Jean’s waist, squeezing gently. “Oh, this is nice.”
“You are so lame,” Jean complained. The insult didn’t land at all, as he hugged Jeremy even tighter. Jeremy didn’t let go until Jean did. Cat and Laila were by their side by then, smiling teasingly.
“Do we get to hug Frenchie too?” Cat asked, delighted when Jean rolled his eyes and released Jeremy fully to offer his arms towards Cat. She launched herself into his arms, yelling, “Yes!”
Jean found himself laughing, not even complaining when Laila requested a turn after. She hugged him hard enough to pop a few vertebrae. Jeremy stood aside and watched proudly. They lined up after to shake the Foxes hands, cheerful congratulations on both sides. It was the nicest end to a game Jean had ever experienced. They broke off to the locker rooms to clean up. Jean’s phone buzzed in his bag and he took it out to see a text from Neil.
Red Devil: did you ask jeremy about dinner? ;)
Jean shook his head, trying and failing not to groan. Jeremy looked at him curiously.
“Everything alright?” He asked, head tilted in the way that reminds Jean of a dog. It was strangely endearing.
“Neil wants us to have dinner with them,” Jean said simply.
“Oh?” Jeremy asked, a smile teasing at the corner of his lips. “Dinner with the Foxes, huh?”
“Guess so.” Jean shrugged. Jean scrambled a bit with what to say, as he didn’t want to say, Neil said to make sure you come , so instead he said, “I don’t know who all he meant but he said to at least invite you, Laila, and Cat.”
Jeremy raised a brow but didn’t argue. Whether he believed him or not, Jean didn’t know.
“Should be fun,” he finished changing into his clean clothes, his hair dripping water onto the shoulders. It was an annoying habit, one Jean wished he’d break. He grabbed the man’s towel off the bench and threw it at his face, silently telling him to dry his hair. He did as Jean demanded without complaint.
Jean: who is coming?
Red Devil: i think everyone. Coach reserved a dining room at a restaurant, so bring whoever
Jean relayed the information to Jeremy, who asked the team at large if they were cool with getting dinner with the Foxes. Everyone agreed without complaint, the only negative reaction from Lucas, who wrinkled his nose but didn’t say anything. Jean took it as a win. They confirmed with the girls after and made sure everyone was on board. The coaches seemed pleased with the plan, easily agreeing to go as well.
The team finished dressing up in nicer clothes and left to the join the Foxes for the award ceremony, smiling brightly as they accepted the NCAA Exy Championship trophy. Jeremy stood in the middle holding it up and Jean had to fight to keep his eyes on the camera and not the wonderful man standing alongside him. It was a perfect end to an amazing season, and Jean was more excited for another year of Exy than he had ever been.
***
Neil texted an address to Jean after they filed out into the lobby, agreeing to meet there. The Trojans as a whole didn’t know what to expect when meeting up with the scrappy team, but the energy in the restaurant was exuberant. Jean had thought there would be some animosity, but the only ones who had anything to say were two of the freshmen, Jack and Sheena, though everyone seemed to collectively decide they weren’t worth the effort to acknowledge.
The teams split up to intermingle so as not to just group together on opposite ends. Unsurprisingly, Jeremy and Jean ended up sat across from Neil and Andrew at the end of a long table. Kevin sat at the end, across from Jeremy, with Jean across from Neil, Laila and Cat across from Andrew and Matt. It felt like an odd bunch, but it strangely worked. Kevin kept up a stream of Exy talk until Andrew threatened to eat his weight in ice cream after dinner which was…an odd threat but effective. Jean shouldn’t be surprised after seeing the candy in their silverware drawer.
“Andrew,” Neil said suddenly, interrupting Kevin’s tirade about Andrew and Neil’s eating habits and about how they needed to eat healthier. Jean didn’t know where Neil’s bad eating habits originated until he looked down at his plate, which had chicken, a side of fruit, and no vegetables. Neil ignored him in favor of his tiny goalkeeper. He glanced over at Jean then back to Andrew, whisper-shouting loud enough for everyone to hear him, “you will never guess what Jean said to me on the court.”
“When you nearly fell on your ass?” Andrew deadpanned. Neil merely grinned, knocking their elbows together lightly.
“Yes,” Neil answered as if Andrew had not insulted him. “He quoted you .”
Andrew’s eyebrows twitched in surprise, the slightest change in expression but from an expressionless man, it was obvious. Neil grinned when Jean groaned. By then, Laila, Cat, and Kevin had all caught on to where this was going. Matt looked on in rapt interest at their side grinning.
“He quoted Andrew?” Matt asked excitedly.
“Yep,” Neil said, slipping into a theatrical recollection of the events. “He checked me, knocking my poor self off balance and trying to throw me to the floor–”
“That is absolutely not what happened,” Jean interjected drily. Neil ignored him.
“He so cruelly tried to kill me,” Neil sighed dramatically. “But what a gentleman, he caught me before I could fall.”
“You are making this way more dramatic than necessary,” Jean complained, Neil ignored him again, only having eyes for Andrew. Jean broke his attention away to see how Andrew was reacting, seeing the softest expression in the goalkeeper’s eyes that he had ever seen. He watched Neil with rapt interest, the faintest pull at the corner of his mouth.
Neil shushed Jean. “Hush, I’m telling a story.”
The others snickered at their banter and listened intently.
“Anyways, he catches me like the gentleman he is. He pulls me upright and says, in a southern accent no less, ‘oh, bless your heart’ ” Neil finished, hand to his heart. “He southern grandma-ed me.”
“You are ridiculous,” Andrew sighed. Jean saw his hand move under the table and he was sure it was to take Neil’s hand that was also under the table. “Utterly ridiculous.”
“But you see, he learned it from you,” Neil smiled. “How sweet.”
Jean and Andrew gagged in unison, stirring more laughter than before.
“Then Neil called me a noodle,” Jean said blankly, heart soaring a little when Jeremy laughed at his side. Kevin nearly spit out his sprite out of surprise, while Neil just grinned.
“Of course I did,” Neil smirked. “You’re too long for your own good. Like a noodle.”
“For fucks sake,” Jean grumbled, sipping his water to avoid having to respond further to the raucous laughter.
Eventually, their laughter died down into polite conversation, silly banter traded as if between old friends and not three people owned by the yakuza and their teammates. Towards the end of dinner, Jean decided it was the perfect time to give Kevin his gift.
“Kevin,” Jean said to catch his attention. When Kevin looked up, he continued, “I have a gift for you.”
“A gift?” Kevin asked in confusion, then delight as he realized. “Did you…?”
Jean rolled his eyes but pulled the box out of his bag, sliding it across the table to Kevin. Kevin opened it and was truly delighted at the mug that sat in the box. It had chess pieces on them, not a king piece in sight, with the queen centered and in orange. He had made it early in the semester but didn’t send it, and by the time Kevin found out about the mugs, it was more fun to deny him than admit he had one made for him.
“You finally made me one?” Jeremy looked at the mug in confusion.
“That mug has been in our room since, like, August,” he said thoughtfully. “It was for Kevin?”
“You asshole,” Kevin said, switching immediately to offense. “You made it and didn’t give it to me sooner? You gave them ones before me?”
“Wait, you gave them mugs too?” Laila asked, gesturing to Andrew and Neil, who nodded in perfect unison.
“I got one too,” Renee said from where she sat beside Matt.
“Bee got two,” Andrew added.
“Wymack and Abby got them too,” Neil interjected. Jeremy, Cat, and Laila were absolutely delighted.
“So that’s where all your mugs were going!” Jeremy facepalmed. “I was so confused why they were all going missing.”
“And you didn’t ask?” Jean raised an eyebrow, amused.
“No! I wanted to figure it out on my own,” Jeremy said defensively. “I didn’t consider you were gifting them to anyone but us…”
“You got some too?” Matt asked. The three Trojans nodded. “And you denied Kevin his?”
“He complained about it too much. Kevin can’t always get what he wants,” Jean said in answer.
“I like this one,” Matt decided.
“He is like Neil,” Andrew said. “And you like Neil.”
“Wrong!” Matt said firmly. “I love Neil.”
“Love you too, buddy,” Neil smiled over at the tall man.
“Oh my god,” Matt said excitedly.
“Baby, your crush is showing,” Dan called from down the table where she sat with the coaches. All the Trojans and Foxes laughed, aside from Jack and Sheena, and Matt didn’t look the least bit embarrassed. Jean watched Andrew to see his response but he looked completely unsurprised, so Jean figured it was just a Foxes thing. Jeremy elbowed him in the side until Jean turned to him.
“You have a soft spot for the Foxes, huh?” he asked quietly into Jean’s ear. He couldn’t hide the slight shiver at the feel of Jeremy’s breath on his ear.
“Be quiet,” Jean hissed. “I hate them.”
“Sure,” Jeremy agreed easily. “I believe you.”
“You better,” Jean said. He met Neil’s eye and rolled his own at the smug look on his face.
“ I’m happy for you ,” he said softly in French. Kevin looked between Jean and Jeremy as well, smirking slightly. He took a pointed sip of his sprite and didn’t say anything, but he saw Kevin’s faint smile hidden behind the glass.
“ At least you chose a skilled Exy player,” he finally said. The three laughed and refused to explain to the others at the table, though Jean was sure the hushed German was an explanation for Andrew.
“You three have a type,” he said blandly, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
“What?” Laila asked, leaning across the table. “What’d you say?”
None of them bothered to explain.
The rest of dinner was a nice affair, filled with laughter and jokes. Nearly every Trojan had traded numbers with at least one Fox, promises of a tough rematch for the next year. Neil and Kevin followed behind Jean as they went to the parking lot, the rest of their small groups following.
“It was good to play you,” Kevin said. He shook all of their hands politely, while Andrew stayed silent.
“Take care.” Neil diplomatically shook all of their hands but patted Jean on the arm kindly before leaving to join the Foxes on their bus. After, once it was just the Trojans, he sighed heavily.
“The Foxes are so annoying.”
Laila, Cat, and Jeremy all watched him in that way that only best friends could do, full of judgment.
“Sure, Jean.” Cat took his hand in hers and grabbed Laila’s with her other. Jean rolled his eyes but reached for Jeremy as well. “Let’s go home.”
As they left to climb into their bus, Laila giggled. “I can’t believe you learned bless your heart from Andrew Minyard.”
“And that you used it on Kevin and Neil,” Cat said, flopping into the seat beside her girlfriend. “You, Jean, are an icon.”
“I can’t believe it made Queen Day fumble the ball,” Jeremy chimed in. “It was beautiful.”
Jean’s mind betrayed him by inputting you’re beautiful . Jean shook the thought out of his head.
“He needs to be humbled,” Jean finally said. “And Andrew simply gave me good ammunition to do so.”
Jeremy shook his head fondly. He leaned into Jean’s side slowly, giving him ample time to move away. But Jean gave in, lifting his arm to drop over his shoulder. It was nice, sitting like this. The happy glow from the win hung in the air all through the night, infectious joy overflowing from their home. Once they finally went to bed, locked away in their room, Jean turned to Jeremy.
“Thank you,” he said softly. He didn’t clarify, but Jeremy didn’t seem to need him to. He met him in the middle of the room to pull him into a tight hug.
“Of course,” Jeremy buried his face in Jean’s shoulder, holding tight. After a long moment, much too long to pass off as strictly friendly, Jeremy pulled back. Their faces were close, barely a breath between them. Jeremy’s eyes were open and vulnerable, seeing straight through to Jean’s heart.
“Can I?” Jean whispered softly. Jeremy smiled slightly, fondly.
“Yes,” Jeremy said, laughing. “Yes, Jean.”
Jean leaned in and kissed him softly, slowly, melting into the embrace. It was the perfect kiss after a perfect night. A year ago, Jean spent championships alone in a dorm room in South Carolina and watching his former team lose. This year, he was in a home with a boy who meant everything to him, after winning against the Foxes in a purely competitive game. No violence, no hatred, just some mild mannered insults and an amicable win.
Jean pulled away from the kiss, just far enough to press their foreheads together. They breathed slowly together for a long moment. Jean found himself smiling.
“I like you,” Jean whispered. Jeremy snorted unattractively.
“Yeah, I gathered that,” Jeremy teased. Jean lightly pinched his side in admonishment, only working to make Jeremy’s smile widen. “I really like you too.”
“I gathered that,” Jean repeated sarcastically. “You’re an asshole.”
“Oh, honey, bless your heart,” Jeremy drawled in a terrible mix between Jean’s French accent and a southern one.
Jean rolled his eyes, face heating up at the nickname, and hauled Jeremy into another, longer kiss.