Jeremy Knox and Jean Moreau's Protection and Defense Team

[elene78-blog]

Jeremy, half asleep, opens the bedroom door when Jean knocks.

Jean catches a glimpse of a red and blue flash before Jeremy slams the door in his face with a sharp "No!" upon recognizing him.

Seconds later, Jeremy opens the door, now dressed in sweats, a forced smile on his face and his biceps flexing against the frame.

"Good morning, big guy."

Jean is silent for a few seconds.

"Were you wearing Spider-Man underwear?"

Jeremy's smile fades slightly.

"Please don't break up with me…"

[tswizzlesfan]

yes jean was pure evil at the fall banquet in the raven king but have you also considered that he was serving soooo much cunt. he insulted everyone, exposed neil, insulted andrew's existence, traumatized kevin, went off in english, french, and japanese, checked renee out, all while being weird and hostile and off-putting. and gorgeous!

he is so done with everyone. and this is literally his entrance scene. he is The diva.

[anxiouslyandmessily]

not having an ounce of empathy for the only aftg character currently stuck in an abusive home because he's desperate for his mother's love and respect, stuck in an abusive, controlling, homophobic family who despises him because of his sexuality, and who have conditioned him since birth that there's something fundamentally wrong with him and that the only way he can earn that love and respect is by being infallible, by literally bleeding himself dry for them, isn't that great of a hot take imo

[sereblue]

Jeremy Knox your Exy favourite golden ass 🍑

[rederiss]

We don’t talk about Jeremy Knox enough.

[whatthebleep]

Let's put one thing to bed, real quick, yeah?

"LOL Jeremy is the only character not under the thumb and eye and control of organized crime. He is going to be so shocken when..."

Babes. Jeremy Knox is controlled by a family of corrupt, conservative politicians. The patriarch of whom is a United States fucking Senator.

Babes. Jeremy Knox is controlled by a bribed and corrupt police force.

Babes. Jeremy Knox is controlled by those who could very well control the FBI.

Babes. Jeremy Knox is controlled by the highest echelon of organized crime in America.

It may not be the same, but it sure as hell isn't different.

[elene78-blog]

Someday in the future, when Jean, Kevin, and Jeremy have to play together in the Olympics or something, and Jeremy and Jean are married, a conversation like this might take place:

"Are you okay? About Thea…" Jeremy will ask, worried about his friend's divorce.

Kevin won't think much of it.

"It was to be expected. The exy couldn't keep us together forever."

Jeremy will offer support, a conversation Kevin doesn't want to have. Jean will simply look at him with a raised eyebrow, because he knows Kevin and Thea well. The idea that the exy couldn't keep them together forever is nonsense, and they both know it.

Perhaps that's why Kevin angrily avoids Jean's gaze.

"I never thought the exy would end up separating you," Jean finally interjects. "As if there were anything more important in your world."

Kevin looks up from his glass (no alcohol, which also sets off alarm bells for Jean) for just a few seconds to glance at him.

"That's not how it is. There have always been things as important as the exy."

Jeremy smiles smugly. Jean would too… if he didn't know how to detect Kevin's lies by omission.

"Do we know this person?" he asks bluntly.

Kevin tenses immediately, his gaze hardening. Jeremy raises an eyebrow at Jean but says nothing. They've been gossiping about it. Jeremy has just as many suspicions as Jean, but Jean isn't afraid to be rude to Kevin.

"Are you implying I've been unfaithful to Thea? No. Don't go there," Kevin cuts him off immediately.

So Jean knows. Oh, he knows.

"I don't care who it is. It'll come out sooner or later anyway."

Kevin pales. The way Kevin clenches his left hand for a second reveals everything Jean needed to know.

He's stunned.

"…He's a man," Jean ventures.

Kevin immediately gets up and gives him a look that could freeze hell.

"Fuck you, Jean."

And he leaves.

"I told you so," says Jeremy, the bastard.

"Heterosexual… my ass."

[elene78-blog]

I can't imagine Jean using pet names in French, but… Jeremy?

Jeremy is learning French, and he and Jean start speaking it. Jean corrects his pronunciation, and Jeremy shows him his progress.

Jeremy tells Jean the vocabulary he learned that day.

And Jeremy says:

"I've learned more words and expressions. Mon amour?"

Jean stares at him, frozen. Jeremy is delighted by Jean's expression of astonishment. He senses a hint of curiosity and longing in his eyes.

Jeremy moves a little closer, testing the waters. Never intrusively. Jean doesn't complain. Jeremy smiles.

"Mom coeur?"

Jean closes his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath.

"Am I saying it right, mon cheri?"

Jean raises his hand and immediately covers Jeremy's mouth. Jeremy continues smiling, his hand in his own.

"Damn it."

But Jean never tells him to shut up.

[rainpeacetea]

Nora with Jean really just said, make him extremely traumatized, family problems, then getting sold away, and you know what, let’s kill his sister, hand him over to Riko, and give him sexual trauma plus a sprinkle of eating disorder. But…make him French, 6,3, made of pure muscle, give him a deep attractive accent, protective and possessive of the ones he loves, give him a motorcycle, aaaaaannnnnddddd he cooks. And is besties with lesbians.

[elene78-blog]

It cracks me up that in older fanfics, the writers used to write Jean as gay.

Girl, Jean literally walked out of The Nest because he stared at Renee with such intense desire that he was speechless. Or do you think he admired her clothes?

Actually, Neil planned for Renee to talk to Jean hoping Jean would be attracted to Renee's impeccable fashion sense 🤣 He was tired of black and red and he wanted that dress in his closet.

It's so funny...

[elene78-blog]

A girl approaches the Flozzies, who are gathered off the court chatting, waiting for the rookies and Jean to finish their extra practice.

"Excuse me, is it true that one of the guys on your team is French?" she asks, absentmindedly twirling a finger in a long, beautiful braid. "I'm learning the language, and it would be great to practice with a native speaker."

Cat, Laila, Pat, and Xavier give her appreciative looks. None of them can deny that the girl is beautiful.

Cat opens her mouth, but Jeremy speaks quickly with a wide grin.

"Yes, one of our teammates is French, but he doesn't teach French to anyone."

The girl is a little taken aback.

"Oh, that's a shame… Maybe if I…"

"Yes, it's a pity. Many of us have tried, but he prefers not to, so…" Jeremy quickly interrupts her.

Despite her smile, the girl is obviously uncomfortable. She leaves, utterly ashamed.

Laughter of disbelief erupts, loud and unstoppable. Jeremy turns to his friends in indignation, when he sees Jean leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, a curious… and arrogant… expression on his face.

Jeremy wants to jump off a bridge.

[kindof-amess]

Feel however you want about Jeremy's freshman banquet, but Noah never should have been Jeremy's responsibility in the first place. Noah needed actual help, help that his mother refused to give him. All of them did.

Even if they had made it through the banquet, even if Jeremy had glued himself to Noah's side, he couldn't stay there forever. The problem wouldn't have gone away. Odds are, Noah would've killed himself anyway.

[elene78-blog]

Kevin, Andrew, and Neil go to see the championship final: Trojans vs. Penn State. They watch the game from the stands. Neil analyzes, grumbles, and studies the entire game with a critical eye. He cheers for the Trojans, yelling at the opposing team for their illegal plays. Andrew feigns boredom.

Kevin remains strangely silent throughout the game.

Jean has his best game. He blocks everything without a foul, and the offense barely gets near the goal. Not even in his prime with the Ravens did he ever play this well.

At mid-game, the crowd starts chanting "Moreau! Moreau!" while clapping and shouting. They even improvise a chant, and there are some French flags.

It's very emotional.

When the Trojans win against a team that has increased its aggression to the point of being a crude copy of the Ravens, Neil and Kevin jump out of the stands, shouting.

It was a magnificent game.

The Trojans hug, shout, cry, jump… Jean takes off his helmet, and he's crushed by all the Trojans in frenzied hugs and tears. Jean smiles and returns every hug with great enthusiasm, for those who know him.

Jeremy carries the cup to his team, and he hands it to Jean. The two of them lift it, along with everyone else, and then with the coaches. Jean and Jeremy lifting the cup together is a rather unsubtle statement.

The screens show the radiant joy of all the Trojans, but Jean's smile stands out above them all.

Kevin adjusts his cap and starts walking out of the stands to leave the stadium. Neil complains because they were supposed to talk to Jean and Jeremy… But then Neil sees Kevin's face.

Andrew and Kevin leave.

Neil waits for Jean before he goes into the locker room. He raises his fist, and Jean bumps it with his, wincing.

"That was a good game."

"It was, wasn't it?"

Jeremy approaches Jean, all smiles and joy.

"Hey, Neil. Did you enjoy it? We watched you from the court. Want to join the celebration?" Jeremy looks behind Neil. His expression turns doubtful when he doesn't see Kevin or Andrew.

Jean and Neil stare at each other for a long few seconds.

"Kevin isn't going to introduce himself in front of you guys… like that," Neil declares.

Jean has the courtesy not to laugh.

"Dramatic."

Neil says goodbye to them both. He goes back outside the stadium with Andrew and Kevin. They get into a rental car to go to the airport.

Kevin readjusts his sunglasses and cap twenty times, but no matter how hard he tries, he doesn't stop crying until they arrive at the airport.

[elene78-blog]

These two have been hanging around for a long time, and this is something they both know, but Jeremy will never make the first move, and Jean tries to maintain his sanity every day, all the time.

Jean's defenses are getting weaker, because he's getting a little better every day.

Jean won't deny that an incentive to be better about himself is the possibility of having Jeremy by his side forever.

He knows that Jeremy wants to be with him now, but Jeremy won't cross that line. Jean knows this without needing words.

Jean fights like crazy to get better, even on the worst days… But he can't remain impassive forever.

At some point, they are alone, Jeremy says the right words that completely thaw Jean's heart, and Jean simply takes him gently by the nape of his neck and kisses him.

It's a sweet kiss, but also a determined one, like a gasp of air coming up from underwater, a feeling of relief flooding his lungs and spreading throughout his body.

He and Jeremy barely separate when Jeremy murmurs, his eyes filled with emotion and his lips smiling:

"I was afraid you'd never do it…"

And they kiss again, this time both taking the initiative.

And this time it's a volcano erupting.

[elene78-blog]

Cat, Jeremy, and Laila take Jean to an "Anger Room."

Jean insists it's pointless and a waste of time because he doesn't have any repressed anger.

Jean eventually gives in because the Trojans, the coach, and even Dobson think it's a good idea.

Cat, Jeremy, and Laila wait for Jean to finish, but after 15 minutes, he bursts out of the room.

Jean stares at the ground as he absentmindedly kicks a rock.

"I've been kicked out."

The group looks toward the door of the room just as part of the wall collapses. The staff look startled as they stare at them.

This is the third time Jean has been kicked out of the Anger Room.

[elene78-blog]

There's a heatwave and the air conditioning isn't working, so Cat, Laila, and Jeremy agree to sleep together in the living room with a fan.

Jean is VERY reluctant when he sees the girls in shorts and VERY SHORT tank tops.

"No," he immediately dismisses.

"Don't be silly, Jean. You won't be able to sleep in this heat," Cat complains. "Besides, we put on shorts for you. When it's this hot, we sleep in our underwear."

Jean doesn't want to hear any more about it and goes to his room… when he sees Jeremy wearing a jockstrap.

A. freaking. jockstrap.

"Hi," Jeremy says with a huge grin.

Jean is so horrified he can't even speak.

Laila appears in the doorway, savior of the situation.

"You're not sleeping with us in that thing, you filthy pig. Besides, you hate jockstraps. You're always saying they're 'too gay.'"

"Well, here's some news for you, Laila, I'm gay!"

Cat enters the room at that moment. Her disgusted expression says it all.

"If I feel anything hard in the morning, Jeremy, I swear I'll set you on fire with gasoline." She turns to Jean. "Don't worry, darling. We'll forgive you. We know you don't mean any harm."

"Does nobody in this house have any shame?!" Jean shouts, storming out of the room and into the living room.

And that's where he finds Jaberwocky licking his balls on the floor.

[elene78-blog]

Jeremy gets worried when someone tries to flirt with Jean. They approach him and say, "You have beautiful eyes."

Jeremy is consumed by jealousy until Jean turns to that person with a tense and disgusted expression.

"Who are you? No, I don't really care. Leave me alone and get out of my sight."

And that's the most polite thing Jean can say.

Clearly, Jeremy has nothing to worry about.