Work Text:
Professor Choi was yapping on and on about who knows what and whatever.
Johan had tuned him out after one word. He was just hungry, man... couldn't they eat as Choi droned on about whatever spiel he gave every year?
It's not like anyone actually paid attention to him aside from the newly sorted first years, and also Dumb and Dumber aka Gun and Goo.
The only thing keeping Johan sane and calm was the many ridiculous faces his former Potions partner, Jace Park, made at him from his seat at the Ravenclaw table.
'Sloooooooow', Jace mouthed at Johan.
'Yeah, can this old geezer hurry up already??' Johan rolled his eyes.
'He still has about five minutes left, Johan.'
'That's five thousand fucking years!'
Jace bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing. Even Vasco who was sitting behind Jace at the Hufflepuff table sent a worried look to his best friend.
Johan's lips jutted out slightly in a pout. Best friends… Jace and Vasco. They didn't even have to read each other's lips to communicate.
Johan's gaze switched to the podium, feeling out of the loop. Distracting himself didn't fix the heavy weight on his chest. He didn't like this lonely feeling.
Being that close to Jace… Johan wanted that. If Johan told his 5th year self that he would be pining this hard for a Ravenclaw, his 5th year self would have hexed him into oblivion for saying such absurd nonsense.
It was the peak of his teenage rebellion. Neither Zack nor Mira and their interventions had stopped Johan from joining the ranks of the Slytherin gang.
All it took was beating up his bully, Jin Jang, and Johan was in.
He scoffed. Looking back at it now, it was pathetic… joining the very group that had taunted him relentlessly for being a muggle born.
How life quickly changed
'Earth to Johan. Are you okay?' Jace's hand discreetly waved at him. 'Lost in your thoughts?'
Then again, Johan found it endearing how Jace had trouble sometimes figuring out what went on through Johan's mind. Was Jace like that with Vasco? Nope.
The corner of his lips pulled into a sly smile.
'Maybe,' Johan mouthed.
'At least pretend to pay attention. Gun looks like he's gonna beat the shit out of you right now.'
That was too many quick words for Johan to lip read.
"Johan, stop squabbling with your boyfriend before I beat the shit outta you."
Before he could retort, Goo cooed at him… "Aww, you finally asked out that ravenclaw? How cute!"
He managed to flip off the two Slytherins before they went back to listening to that old man.
Though the word boyfriend sounded nice, it wasn't true, no matter how bad Johan wanted it to be. And he wanted it bad.
Damn. He hoped no one saw his ghost of a smile.
Not even Jace.
'Johan Seong's rare smiles today? What did Gun say?' Jace asked, perked up in his seat.
Of course Jace would notice. There were a lot of details the great detective Jace Park caught that went unnoticed by anyone else.
Johan's mouth struggled to form words.
Too soon. It was too soon to confess to Jace. Just last month he made the realization that he liked Jace Park in a more than friends way. In a very, I'd like to take you out and kiss you under the stars type of cheesy way.
Confessing at the start of the school year terrified Johan. What if he got rejected and Jace never talked to him again?
Johan couldn't bear that type of teenage angst.
He caught Zack and Mira's intrigued stares across from the Gryffindor table.
'Tell him!' Mira mouthed excitedly.
'Dumbass, just confess,' were Zack's very inspiring words.
Johan made a mental note to annoy Zack later on. The audacity to tell Johan to confess while Zack had yet to make his ten year crush blossom… Hypocrite.
Johan had taken too long to respond to Jace, yet Professor Choi was still droning on! Damn! Wasn't that guy self aware?! Johan thought.
Jace was worried, and Johan felt a pang of guilt for making him feel like that. Maybe Johan will tell him soon.
'I'll tell you after Choi is done.'
'That's going to be in five thousand years...'
'Don't jinx it.'
'Well, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.'
It gave Johan hope that Jace seemed thrilled to speak to Johan. If Johan did get rejected, he was sure it wouldn't hurt their friendship.
Of course that wasn't to say that Johan didn't want a romantic relationship with Jace! He was all for that! And he wished Jace felt the same way.
'I hope so.'