i feel like putting Bernard "bisexual disaster" Rieux in a college au would be great to explore the disaster part because in canon he's usually so collected and focused on doing the right thing and all. in college he'd be doing SO bad. he barely eats and doesn't sleep and cries roughly thrice a day because he can't emotionally regulate. he wouldn't know flirting if it punched him in the face. he's the most introverted man alive and he keeps getting stuck in conversations because he doesn't know how to tell someone that he can't talk right now without sounding mean and he doesn't wanna be mean. he has nightmares about exams. he treats having a crush like having a terminal illness. he's the saddest most tired man alive and i love him dearly
