Chapter Text
When Jehan liked someone, he really liked someone. He sighed over his warm milk and honey in the evenings. Every poem he read had a way of reminding him of his tormented heart. He tossed and turned in bed. He watched romantic comedies and switched the characters for their real life equivalent. He had always been a bit of a dreamer; but when his friend Montparnasse takes a break from his heavy schedule of making himself look good and running about town with his terrifying gang of misfits to comment on Jehan's state of mind, he knows he's well and truly fucked.
It all started a while after he met the love of his life in question, Courfeyrac. A few months afterwards if we are going to be completely truthful. At first, Jehan hadn't really thought about his friend in that way. Simply a fellow student with a mind for social equality and brain for law. Sure, he was rather attractive, but Jehan had a thing for broody bad boys and Courfeyrac certainly wasn't that. In fact, out of their friendship group, Jehan was far more enamored with Grantaire.
So really, it was as surprising as walking down the street and bumping into your literary hero (though what are the chances of crossing paths with Emily Berry?) when Jehan realised that he was completely and utterly under Courfeyrac's spell. One rainy afternoon, Jehan had been sat in the cafeteria on campus, picking apart a sandwhich that tasted the way the word "moist" sounded, when Courfeyrac had sauntered up to him. His curly hair was frizzing as it dried, he had obviously gotten caught out by the bad weather.
"Mind if I sit?" He asked, and Jehan shook his head, offering up a smile and looking away from his lecture notes. Courfeyrac flung off his coat and let it rest on the back of his chair before flopping himself down on the seat. He straightened himself out almost immediately put his feet up on the chair as he crossed his legs underneath him, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "The weather outside is frightful"
"But the cafeteria is so delightful." Jehan responded almost immediately, enjoying the way Courfeyrac's half-pout transformed into his usual easy grin as he threw his head back and laughed.
"But quite overpriced!" Courfeyrac carded his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends slightly as if trying to squeeze out the droplets of water.
"And really not quite worth it." Jehan said loftily, making a face at his half eaten sandwhich. He pushed it to the side.
"Enjolras and I have been talking about setting up a petition for better cafeteria services for ages now." Courfeyrac said thoughtfully. "But 'Ferre is worried that if we bring the lack of service and actual edible things to the faculty then more people will lose their jobs, and we wouldn't really help anyone in the long run." Courfeyrac shrugged as though it was no big deal, but Jehan knew that Courfeyrac probably agreed with Combeferre, and it killed him that he couldn't bring some sort of action to improve everyone's life simultaneously.
"Maybe we should all just find somewhere else to go eat or get coffee in between lectures. Stop funding the grossness." Jehan suggested.
Courfeyrac nodded, and the two sat in loud silence for a bit as Courfeyrac responded to someone's text and Jehan watched him. Jehan liked watching people; not in a creepy way, but it was the best way to pick up on mannerisms, notice small details, that were usually hidden under the pretence of small-talk. Courfeyac's neutral expression was a lazy smile, one corner of his mouth turned up, as though he always had something funny on the edge of his tongue and was ready to share it with whoever was willing to listen. His eyelashes were crazy long, nearly as long as Montparnasse's even. His left leg jigged, despite it being crossed, and Jehan wondered how one earth Courf was comfortable in that position.
"See something you like?" Courfeyrac hadn't even looked up from his phone, but he must have felt Jehan's gaze.
Jehan laughed, not embarrassed at being caught out. "Maybe." he answered coyly. Courfeyrac looked up at that, placing his phone on the table, and raised his eyebrows.
"Of course you do." He winked. "What's not to like?"
"There's the ego, for one." He smiled though, to let Courfeyrac know he was only joking. Conversing with Courfeyrac was always good flirting practice, Jehan reflected, it seemed to be his default mode- the first part of Courfeyrac that everyone saw. Jehan wondered if there was more than politics and lust that went on in his brain. There must be, people were always more than the first impression they gave off. Little did he know.
Courfeyrac pouted anyway. "You love me." he protested.
"I make a point to love all living things. I love worms too, so it's not saying a lot." Jehan smirked, before putting his book into his satchel, making note of the time, but not rushing to get to his next class.
"Watch it, Prouvaire, you could hurt my feeling you know." Courfeyrac grinned. Jehan rolled his eyes and stood up.
"I'd love to stay and tell you all about how fantastic and handsome you are, but I simply must go." he swung his bag over his shoulder.
"But baby, its cold outside!" Courfeyrac countered, giving them both a moment to snigger. "Fine, go on, leave me. I'll just sit here until someone nicer comes along to rescue me."
"You won't find nobody nicer than me!" Jehan sing-songed, before making his way to class, out into the rain he realised that he literally could not stop smiling.
Well, shit.