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The first time Jean Moreau meets Jeremy Knox, Kevin looks like he’s going to pass the fuck out. Jean genuinely cannot remember the last time he saw Kevin look this starry-eyed, and it’s more than a little disconcerting. In fact, he’s sure that Kevin has never looked like this. Not around him at least. There have been brief flashes of pride and excitement over a win, but Kevin has never looked this…breathless.
“Get it together,” Jean mumbles. They’ve just won a game against the Trojans– by one point –and he already feels on edge anticipating the backlash from Tetsuji and Riko for such a close call. He doesn’t need Kevin acting crazy now too. Jean tries nudging Kevin forward towards the locker room, but Kevin grabs his arm to stop him.
“We’re going to talk to him.” Kevin is still staring straight at Jeremy Knox, though the longer he looks, the less Jean would use the word ‘straight’ to describe Kevin’s staring. Jean blinks once, then fixes Kevin with a dramatic look that’s somewhere between incredulity and anger.
“Like hell we are. You know what Riko will–” Jean doesn’t finish, stopped short by Kevin jogging away to meet up with Jeremy. Jean curses God for the 10,785th time in his life and then runs over to join Kevin. Ravens don’t go anywhere alone. Not even when their teammates are being idiots.
Jean reaches Kevin and pauses, trying to make sense of what he sees. Jeremy is shorter than he realized. It’s a silly thing to fixate on, he supposes, but it’s still surprising. This is only Knox’s second year with the Trojans, but the press around him has exploded. Jean couldn’t avoid watching footage of him in some form or another, especially not with Kevin constantly playing his interview videos over and over again on his laptop. Jean isn’t sure if it’s the way Jeremy has been portrayed on-screen, or the way Kevin’s fanaticism has built up so much hype around him, but he seriously expected Jeremy to be taller. He supposed that all the exy gear went a long way toward disguising Jeremy’s small stature. During the game, Knox had seemed larger than life, but now with his helmet and gloves off, he seems sort of small and vulnerable. He looks even smaller as he barrels forward to hug Kevin.
“Day! I was just about to try finding you!” Jeremy laughs and steps back from Kevin, keeping one hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “You guys were insane, I loved it. I think that’s the most intense game I’ve ever played.”
Jean has to use all his self-control to keep from rolling his eyes. This isn’t the first time he’s seen people flirt profusely with Kevin, but it is the first time that he’s seen Kevin look this close to swooning over it. It was weird. What the hell made this Knox guy so special? As Kevin enthusiastically discusses the game with Jeremy, Jean stares at the man in front of them and tries to pick out what exactly it is about him that was making Kevin lose his mind like this. He doesn’t realize how intently he’s staring until Jeremy turns to make eye contact with him, taking Jean’s stare as an invitation to greet him. Jean crosses his arms over his chest and shifts back closer to Kevin; inviting was not a trait he wanted anyone, not even Jeremy Knox, to see in him.
“And Moreau! Couldn’t forget about you. Most brutal backliner I’ve ever had to get past.” Jeremy pauses, looking at Jean for a moment before grinning wide. Jean thought he looked like a child with a smile like that. Happiness always made people look younger in Jean’s eyes. “You were incredible.” And…wait, what? Jean’s train of thought falls of the rails, each car ramming into the back of the other and giving Jean a weird sort of mental whiplash. What the fuck was this guy saying? Jean’s shock must have shown, because Jeremy jumps in immediately with a misguided attempt at clarification.
“I mean it! You were great, you all were.” Jeremy looks from Jean back to Kevin, and relaxes when Kevin meets him with a smile. Confidence renewed, he continues. “It’s a shame we’re on opposite coasts. If I had it my way, I’d be practicing with you guys daily.”
That earns a laugh from Kevin, and in under a minute he and Jeremy are back to talking exy. Jean looks at the ground, pointedly not engaging in the conversation. When Jeremy and Kevin finally say their goodbyes, he feels like sighing with relief. Kevin is giddy the entire walk back to the locker room, only getting it under control before they round the corner. He reaches out and grabs Jean’s arm, pulling him over so that they’re face-to-face.
“He’s great, isn’t he?” Kevin has a look in his eyes that Jean doesn’t entirely feel comfortable with. “I think I’m gonna talk to Riko about recruiting him, I–”
“No.” Jean draws up to his full height, taking advantage of the one inch he has over Kevin. “He doesn’t belong here.” He looks at Kevin a second longer, then pushes him forward so they can join the rest of the team.
Jean doesn’t finish the rest of his thought, but it goes unspoken between him and Kevin anyway: why would you bring the Sun down to the one place on Earth where they have managed to stamp out all light? Jeremy Knox isn’t a Raven, and for a minute, Jean hates Kevin for even thinking of making him one.