Chapter Text
Cat and Laila are across the table and two seconds away from sucking face as they keep going back and forth between “I love you” and “no, I love you” too many times to count and Jeremy’s saint-like patience is waning.
In reality, he doesn’t mind but he’s been trying to get a word in for the past five minutes while the girls talk amongst themselves and he’s beginning to feel like a third wheel that’s missing a few bolts and about to come flying off into discard somewhere along the road.
“I love you so much I literally cannot express it in English,” Cat says and the sap is getting to Jeremy.
“Okay, girls, I’m painfully single, emphasis on ‘painfully’,” he says.
The two of them turn to look at Jeremy like he’s grown two heads, more accurately like they’ve just remembered he is there at all. For emphasis he smiles and waves and Laila at least has the decency to look embarrassed. Cat gives him a grin that’s all teeth.
Before anyone else can get a word in, Jeremy’s phone starts ringing.
He considers letting it go to voicemail before he checks the screen and sees that it is Shane who is ringing him. Still, voicemail is tempting, until he remembers that Shane is with Jean in a class right now.
Picking up the phone, his breath catches in his throat. “Hello, Jeremy Knox speaking.”
“Heya, Cap, I uh–ow! Can you come pick up your favourite Frenchie?”
There’s something indecipherable on the other line. “I’m at lunch right now so I can come right away,” he says, picking up his keys from where they sit next to his water bottle that he scoops awkwardly into the crook of his elbow. “Is he okay?”
“He uhhh–Jean, stop trying to get up! He passed out and needs someone to take him to the medical centre.”
“Passed out?” Jeremy echoes, meeting the worried gazes of his two best friends who have stopped their fussing to study Jeremy carefully as he stands up from his seat. “Jean,” he mouths and that doesn’t make either of them look less concerned.
“Yeah, I think it’s just warm today and he’s probably dehydrated. He’s up now and adamant that he’s fine but he should get checked out.”
“I’m on my way. Get him to lie down until I get there. Or get him something to eat. Are you sure he’s okay?”
“He’ll live. I’ll pass on the message but he’s not in much of a listening mood right now.”
Jeremy cringes in sympathy and offers an awkward wave to the girls. “Just hang tight, I’m almost at my car.” In reality he’s probably a few minutes away but if he runs once he hangs up he can probably make it in close to a minute. His stomach twists uncomfortably thinking about Jean fainting for any reason, heat or otherwise. “Alright, hanging up now, see you soon.”
“See ya, Cap,” Shane says.
True to his assumption, running means Jeremy makes it to his car in record time and he fumbles with his keys a little, scratching the paint around the keyhole of his car but oh well. The air inside his car is swelteringly hot and the California sun beating down through the windscreen stings against his skin.
Tossing his water bottle on the passenger seat, Jeremy puts his keys in the ignition, turns the car on, and throws it in reverse. He wasn’t far from the building Jean’s lecture is in to begin with but he makes it there probably a little too fast to have been entirely safe but his veins are buzzing with worry as sweat beads along his brow.
Thankfully, there is a park close to the building and Jeremy is out the door before remembering to put on the handbrake. Best not to have his car roll away.
Jeremy jogs his way up the ramp to the door to the building and finds his way inside to the sweet relief of air conditioning and the corridor to Jean’s classroom. He doesn’t bother to knock and just pushes the door open to find a crowding of activity in the centre of the room.
Jean is sitting on the floor with his head hung and one of his classmates is fanning him with her workbook. The desks are a mess and there’s textbooks and paper on the floor around Jean. The desks at least look like they were pushed to make room for patient zero but the papers indicate that Jean’s fall may not have been one from grace.
Shane looks up as Jeremy enters the room and elbows Jean from where he is sitting next to him on the floor. Jean looks up and even from across the class Jeremy can tell how sickly pale he looks. There’s no healthy flush to his skin or the deeper red he turns when Jeremy occasionally catches him lingering with his glances. Just ghostly white and deep dark hollows under his eyes.
He’s very pale and his skin is shiny with sweat. He looks dreadful but he perks up when Jeremy comes closer.
“You good?” Jeremy asks and Jean doesn’t speak but just nods his head before screwing his eyes shut with a groan. He lifts a hand to massage his temple but takes Jeremy’s water bottle when it is held out in offering.
Jean takes a long sip before putting the bottle down and turning his steely eyes on Jeremy. “I am okay. You do not need to fuss.”
Crossing his arms, Jeremy looks down at Jean. He’s pale and sweaty and slightly green. “You look like shit. I’ll take you to the medical centre and we can get you a clean bill of health.”
“We have practice, that’ll take too long.”
“Rhemann will kill me if I let you within a mile of the court after passing out. I’m sure the backline can manage without you for one day.”
Jean doesn’t humour him with a response, instead just taking another sip from Jeremy’s water bottle. He must feel pretty ratchet if he’s not putting up more of a fight.
“Come on,” Jeremy says, holding out his hand for Jean to grab. “I parked close.”
Jean takes his hand and lets himself be pulled to his feet where he teeters unsteadily for a moment before turning to Jeremy. “Might as well.”
“I’ve got him from here,” Jeremy promises Shane who just nods and climbs to his feet.
The classmate who was fanning Jean bids them farewell with a “feel better, Jean!” and they’re off. Jean drags his feet but Jeremy’s not in a hurry and just falls into pace beside him, a hand hovering behind his back in case he dares to topple.
Eventually they make it out into the heat and Jean groans again at the change in temperature.
“You okay?” Jeremy asks.
“Yes,” Jean replies simply but Jeremy can see that his jaw is clenched.
Jeremy starts towards where he left his car and beckons Jean after him. “This way.”
They get to the car with little fuss and Jeremy unlocks it for his patient to climb in. Jean tumbles heavily into the passenger seat and struggles with the seatbelt, Jeremy’s oversized water bottle in his hand. After a few moments there’s a click and the backliner is secure. Jeremy fastens his own seatbelt and sets out to drive across campus.
“Please don’t throw up in my car–Actually do, my mom owes me a detailing,” Jeremy says.
Jean just grumbles something affirmative in response.
The trip across campus isn’t terrible and they make it to the medical centre easily. Jeremy pulls up into a park that is less than ideally distanced from the entrance but oh well there’s nothing they can do about the parking situation anywhere at USC. It is a lively and busy campus and finding somewhere to park is always a headache.
Jeremy crosses to the other side of the car to help Jean up and the other man must be feeling pretty dreadful because he does not even protest as Jeremy scoops an arm under his shoulders and hauls him to his feet.
They cross the parking lot and into the much cooler lobby of the medical centre. The receptionist looks up as they enter and beckons them over, “Hi there, how can I help?”
“Hiya,” Jeremy says. “He passed out in class and we just want to make sure he’s alright.”
“Oh no, that’s dreadful,” the receptionist says as she pushes a clipboard across the desk where Jeremy easily grabs it. “Just fill this out and have a seat and someone will be with you shortly.”
The waiting room is packed but Jeremy scribbles in the answers to the form and ticks all the applicable boxes, before handing it back to the receptionist and leading Jean over to two empty seats right next to the vending machine.
As soon as he sits, Jean presses his head to the vending machine and looks a little bit at peace from the cold metal. Jeremy puts his wealth to good use and buys Jean a cold bottle of water that he presses into the backliner’s hands, taking his empty water bottle back from him.
As it turns out, “shortly” is a lot longer than Jeremy expected. The nurse doesn’t call for Jean until close to two hours have passed and Jean is already looking more lively. Still, once they get into one of the rooms, she takes his vitals and a few vials of blood.
“Your vitals look good,” she says, filling out her own clipboard. She asks Jean a few more questions before saying she’ll talk with the doctor and she sends them back out into the waiting room with a “We should get the results from your blood tests in a few days.”
They end up having to sit away from the vending machine this time because someone else had come in and taken their seats but there’s three vacant spots in the corner next to a big pot plant and they sit there and wait to hear more about Jean’s wellbeing.
“I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have to wait here with me,” Jean says after a few long minutes.
“I’ve got nowhere else to be,” Jeremy promises. Which is only partially a lie, Jeremy had a LSAT study session he’s missing out on so maybe it’s a good thing that Jean Moreau just goes around passing out at random.
They sit for a while longer before the nurse comes back out to see them and says the receptionist will schedule Jean to see the doctor in a few days as a follow up and his blood tests should be back by then so maybe they’ll get down to why he fainted today.
Jeremy bids her goodbye and he and Jean finally get to leave.