Jonah tilted his head to one side, thinking over Kelvin's statement. "It makes perfect sense. You're smart, you can figure it out. You may not be trying to play but you're still scoring points, like it or not." It made perfect sense to Jonah, at least.

He smiled to himself as Kelvin grabbed his hand. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. Since you asked so nicely." And he did, stilling his fingers against his classmate's knee. He guessed by the way the sentence trailed off what effect it was having, and he was satisfied by what it was. Game won. He didn't take his hand off Kelvin's knee, though, even though the game was over. Somewhere along the line the purpose of the game had changed from just messing around to something more like actual flirting without him realizing.

"If you're screwing with me, I'll hex you. Better yet, I'll get Esther to hex you. In your sleep."

Jonah's expression changed to one of horror. "You wouldn't... And I'm not screwing with you. Mostly." Well, I am, but I mean it? That didn't make sense. "Besides, I take games very seriously," he added, though it wasn't quite the right way to say it.

Kelvin sighed, "Thanks."  Though he didn't comment when the hand didn't move.  But that was what he'd asked really.  He didn't tell  Jonah to move, just to stop.  His eyes narrowed as he looked at the other boy.  He wasn't sure he was losing but he was pretty sure he wasn't winning either.  But then again, beyond the most obvious, he really didn't know what was going on.  Despite the Slytherin's protestations that he was smart and could figure it out, Kelvin was feeling particularly clueless.  Not unlike a particularly poor potions lesson.

And it seemed as likely to blow up in his face too.  Though hopefully it wouldn't involve a trip to the hospital wing.

"Mostly?  What...UGH." 

Kelvin pushed himself up off the floor, unable to keep sitting there, he stepping over his bag and put some distance between them.  "You are impossible."  And infuriating.  And I like holding your hand...or whatever it was we were doing.  But he kept those last two thoughts to himself.

"You're welcome," Jonah answered. He smiled to himself as Kelvin's eyes narrowed, pleased that the other boy was actually thinking over his words instead of disregarding them as nonsense. When he said Kelvin was smart, he meant it - he was certain the Ravenclaw could puzzle out the meaning behind the cryptic words. It might take longer than they had at the moment, though. The third years would be out at any minute, and then their classmates would arrive.

"Mostly? You are impossible."

Despite a twinge of disappointment as Kelvin moved away, Jonah had to laugh at his outburst. "You like a challenge, don't you?" he countered, brushing off his knees as he stood. "And I'm not impossible, I just require patience. I wouldn't be fun if I were easy."

I want you to try and figure me out, he didn't say.

Kelvin just shook his head.  This was crazy.  And they were in the hall outside the classroom of the one professor most likely to hex them.  Patience.  Ha!  Jonah required the patience of a rock.  And Kelvin was definitely not a rock.  He'd always been confused by Jonah.  Nearly five years of dealing with the sometimes friend, sometimes arse.  And now whatever this latest game was. 

No Kelvin didn't like it.  But for whatever masochistic reason, he liked the other boy.  At least when he wasn't being an dick.  "No, actually I don't.  And potions isn't easy or  fun, and its probably less likely to blow up in my face next week."  Or in the middle of the Great Hall to add humiliation on top of everything else.

"I don't want to be the butt of your next joke. Again," Kelvin admitted quietly.  It was probably too honest for whatever game they were playing.  But friendship with Jonah was like dealing with a mimbulus mimbletonia, eventually you got covered in stinksap.

Jonah raised his hands in surrender. His game was over, and though he had been playing with his words, it was more because that was the way he knew to communicate than out of spite. He just didn't know how to be straightforward, or something. Or he was so out of practice that speaking plainly made him feel...

Vulnerable. Probably how Kelvin was feeling right now. Oh. He felt surprisingly bad about that, for some reason. Taking a moment to sort things out in his head, he tried to pin down why Kelvin, a boy he'd known for almost five years, was now causing empathy in him. He thought the Ravenclaw was fun to play with. And interesting, and clever, and kind of cute, but he couldn't understand why he suddenly cared about something like his feelings.

All the same, Kelvin's honesty left a bad taste in Jonah's mouth and an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. "I." I'm sorry? I didn't realize it bothered you that much? I thought... What? He wasn't sure what he was feeling, or what to say, and he didn't like it. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he muttered, "Game over, Watkins. You win."

Right then, Kelvin wished he was a legilimens.  Anything to figure out what Jonah was thinking.  To figure out this mess.  Because now apparently he'd won.  And yet, he didn't feel like he'd won anything.  The Slytherin looked as bad as he felt. 

All he'd wanted to do was get ahead on homework.  He wondered where Lua was, she might be able to explain what the hell had just happened.  There's been flirting, that was for sure.  He just didn't know why.   The only thing certain was that Jonah was never all the friendly for very long.  But, Kelvin wasn't sure how that applied to flirty Jonah.  Assuming any of it was sincere in the first place.

"I'm not sure I like winning then," Kelvin said finally. 

"Just—no.  Nevermind."  He moved back to where he'd been sitting originally and sat back down.  Pulling his legs up to his chest.  Silence.  Silence until the third years got out.  That was definitely the solution.

Jonah had never felt discontent with his way of communication. He had always felt like, as long as he knew what he meant, anyone who couldn’t figure him out wasn’t worth spending time on anyway. Usually at this point, he’d laugh, make a quip, walk away. End of conversation. But this time felt markedly different.

Maybe it was because he wanted Kelvin to figure him out. He wanted the other boy to understand what he was saying, but he couldn’t say it in a way that would be understood. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it in frustration. For the first time, Jonah was dissatisfied with where his words had taken him.

"I'm not sure I like winning, then."

Jonah shot Kelvin a sideways look, apologies caught in his chest. Since when did he apologize for anything? So he bit his tongue, tapping his fingers idly against his knee as he waited in silence for the third years to arrive and end this awkward... whatever it was.