Chapter Text
“I don’t want to do this,” said Isak, adjusting his snapback on top of his messy hair.
I need a trim.
“What do you mean you don’t want to do this? Are you gay or what?” said Magnus.
Fuck you.
“Yeah, what’s your deal, man? We’re in Stockholm!” said Mahdi.
“Exactly! We’re in Stockholm! Can we do something else other than bar hopping and looking for girls?” said Isak.
“Who are you, man?” said Magnus.
“Oh piss off,” Isak huffed before bending over behind the couch looking for his socks.
“Socks? They’re behind the other bed,” said Jonas.
“Fuck this. Why did we decide to go with a hostel again?” said Isak.
“Because we’re broke eighteen year olds?” said Mahdi.
“Right.”
“What’s up with you?” said Jonas. “Why are you in such a pissy mood?”
“Pissy mood?!” Isak scoffed. “What?”
.
Isak was in a mood. It was Easter and the boys had convinced him to take a trip to Stockholm. He had no money and he was so embarrassed about having to find an excuse after ditching their previous trip that he ended up borrowing some from Eskild.
“I’ll pay you back. I promise,” said Isak, a blush creeping its way to his cheeks. He hated it.
“It’s okay my little child kitten,” said Eskild, hands reaching up to cup Isak’s face if it weren’t for his fast reflexes. “Take your time.”
.
Isak was in a mood because he had to pretend he wasn’t hungry and because he had to pretend he was tired and couldn’t make it to the bars when the truth was that he didn't want to spend any money.
He was in a mood because the boys didn’t seem to realize that he lived alone in a kollektiv and had to pay rent. They didn’t realize that it wasn’t as easy for him, that he had to literally beg his dad for a few bills. They didn’t realize that when he ate Linn’s food, it wasn’t by mistake. The boys didn’t realize that.
The boys also didn’t realize that the last thing he wanted to do was spend money on buying drinks for girls in bars in freaking Stockholm.
Isak was in a mood.
.
“Can’t we do something interesting that we can’t do back home? Like take a walk along Gamla Stan or go to Djurgården or Slussen or something?” said Isak.
“Djurgården? Djurgården?!” Magnus all but yelled. “Who are you? Did you die and get replaced by a look alike?”
“Please don’t bring memes from last year into this,” said Jonas, bringing his palm to his face.
“No, but Isak, what’s your deal lately?” said Mahdi.
“Nothing,” Isak shrugged, getting ready to leave their hostel and admitting defeat. Fuck I should have just stayed in Oslo.
He also didn’t mention how most of the places he suggested were actually in Eskild’s ‘List of things to do in Stockholm’ which ended with ‘ Get a Swedish hunk to give you a blowjob ’.
Isak never had the talk with Eskild, but he somehow knew. It was his second year living with Eskild now. He just knew.
.
Isak first saw him in the shared bathroom of their hostel. And sometimes he wished he hadn’t gone into that bathroom. Sometimes, he wished he had just waited until they reached the bar. He wished so many things, but what was the point?
He was tall and blond and gorgeous and his eyes were blue, blue, blue. A towel was wrapped around his waist and he was smiling at Isak through the mirror.
“Enjoying the view?” said the stranger.
“Uh, what? No. What?” Isak stuttered. What the fuck.
But then he laughed and Isak was tempted to say as a matter of fact, yes, I am.
“Kidding,” said the tall stranger, his smile all teeth.
“Uh, you’re uh, Norwegian?” said Isak.
“Yeah.”
“Oh, okay. Cool,” said Isak, before turning around to leave the bathroom altogether.
“You okay there?”
“Excuse me?”
“You can stay here if you don’t want to go with your friends you know,” said the stranger.
“What?”
“Oh sorry,” he smiled. “I promise I didn’t mean to, but I overheard your conversation with your friends. You don’t seem to be into whatever they’re planning tonight.”
Who are you even?
“Uh.”
“You probably think I’m a creep now,” the stranger sighed before extending his hand to Isak. “Hi, I’m Even and I don’t usually walk around in nothing but a towel.”
“Uh, Isak,” he said, taking his hand and trying his best not to narrow his eyes.
“Isak,” said Even. “Mind if I kidnap you for some fun sightseeing activities?”
“What?”
“I was thinking of taking a mindless walk around the Stockholm Metro stations to contemplate the art but I realized I’d really like to have some company.”
Who is this weirdo.
“Uh, sorry but I have to go. My friends are waiting for me,” said Isak.
Even’s face fell a bit, and for some reason Isak found himself caring.
“Oh, it’s okay. Another time maybe.”
“Yeah, maybe,” said Isak.
Their hands were still clasped together when Magnus came through the bathroom door asking about what was taking him so long.
.
Isak sat at the bar and tried his best not to physically shove anyone who came near him. He drank his beer, watched Jonas’ tongue slide against some girl’s, and ignored the aching in his chest.
Isak drank until he no longer thought about how he didn’t have enough money for the following month’s rent, about how his stomach was grumbling, and about how he would rather be in his room binge-watching some tv show in bed.
Fuck.
He drank until he could bear the giggling in his ear and some girl’s hand on his thigh. He drank until having her tongue down his throat felt okay.
Isak drank until everything felt okay.
.
“You okay there?” said the person who opened the door of the hostel for him.
“I’m fantastic!” said Isak, nearly falling over if it weren’t for the strong hands keeping him in place.
“You should have let me kidnap you.”
“Yeah. Should have,” Isak mumbled.
.
Isak woke up with the worst headache, and Jonas yelled at him for a good fifteen minutes for disappearing without telling anyone.
“I’m not a child, Jonas!”
“Isak. We were worried sick,” said Jonas. “You just disappeared.”
“Yeah well, I’m fine. Whatever.”
.
The boys were getting ready for another night of drinking and hooking up with girls while Isak fished through the shared kitchen for something to snack on.
“How are you feeling?” said someone behind him, making him nearly jump.
Even.
“Huh?”
“You were pretty fucked up last night,” said Even.
“Oh, shit. Did you see me when I came in?”
“Yeah. I helped you to your bed,” said Even, beaming.
Isak took him in. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a denim jacket and his hair looked ridiculously perfect in that quiff. He looked good, really good.
“Shit,” Isak muttered under his breath.
“It’s okay. You’re a cute drunk,” said Even, still smiling.
Is he flirting with me.
“Uh sorry, man,” said Isak. “Sorry for ruining your night or something.”
“Not at all,” said Even, staring for a little too long. “My pleasure.”
Isak was flustered and he didn’t know why.
“Uh, how was your walk?” Isak managed.
“Hm?”
“Your walk through the metro stations.”
“Oh, I didn’t go,” said Even.
“No?”
“Yeah, I figured you’d change your mind and I’d kidnap you then.”
“Oh.”
“Any plans tonight?” said Even, walking closer so that he was in Isak’s face.
“Uh, yeah. Just uh, with the boys.”
“I see,” said Even. “I’ll be here if you change your mind.”
He then walked out of the kitchen and took all of the air in the room with him.
.
“How come you get all the girls, Jonas? You’re not even that tall! I’m taller than you,” said Magnus.
“It’s not about height, dumbass,” said Mahdi.
“What he said,” said Jonas. “You gotta make a girl feel appreciated you know. You can’t treat her like an object.”
“What the hell, Jonas?” Magnus scoffed. “I don’t treat girls like objects!”
“Yeah cause no girl even lets you near her in the first place,” said Mahdi.
Isak laughed but his it faded quicker than the others’. He was bored. He was bored and he didn’t want to be there.
.
“You came back,” said Even.
“I did,” said Isak, his whole face flushed, probably.
“Keen on getting kidnapped?”
.
Isak was having the best night of his life.
Even was smart and interesting and charming, so so charming. He was funny and he never stopped smiling. Not even when Isak pretended to know Nas and Even could see right through him.
They spent the night hopping from station to station and looking at the art while Even went over the history and significance of each installation.
Isak didn’t get it. It was just paintings all over a metro station, but Even cared. He cared so much that there were lights dancing in his eyes. Bright and beautiful lights.
Isak stared because he simply couldn’t not stare.
Isak found himself enjoying the company of this stranger he met at a hostel more than that of his own friends, and he felt a bit bad. But only a tad bit because Even still dedicated all of his attention to him.
Isak would never admit it out loud but he liked it. He liked being the center of attention.
Even orbited around him and bumped against him from time to time while Isak walked with his hands in his pockets.
Even smiled at him until Isak met his eyes and smiled back briefly before looking down.
Isak was flustered and he was no longer holding it in. This guy was interested. He had to be.
Suddenly, there wasn’t enough air in his lungs, and Isak’s heart started pounding in his ribcage.
Is this really happening?
.
They were at Stadion station on the red line under the rainbow mural when Even took his hand, making Isak gasp.
“Oh.”
“How old are you, Isak?” said Even, a soft smile on his face.
“Uh, eighteen, nineteen in a few months,” he mumbled.
“Cool. I’m twenty one,” said Even. “Just turned twenty one a few months ago.”
“Uh, okay.”
Isak stood there looking at his hand safely tucked in Even’s. He had never held hands with anyone before.
“Ever kissed a boy before, Isak?”
“Uh.”
“You don’t have to answer if you don't want to.”
But what if I do.
“No,” said Isak.
“No?”
“I’ve never done that.”
Even’s expression softened and Isak’s heart was about to burst inside his chest. Is this really happening.
Even’s hand cupped Isak’s left cheek and he couldn’t help but lean into it.
“Keen on kissing a boy, Isak?” said Even.
.
Even kissed him and Isak could feel fire spreading inside his chest. He had never been kissed like that before. Never.
It was soft, so soft. Lips on lips, asking one, two, three questions.
Yes, yes, yes, Isak answered every single time.
He was overwhelmed and he didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he curled into Even whose right hand was still on his face while his left held Isak’s.
The kiss ended before Isak could properly part his lips, and regret soon came washing over when he finally opened his eyes.
“Hello,” said Even, lights, bright bright lights dancing in his eyes, a soft smile on his lips.
“Hello,” Isak mumbled.
“Wanna head back?”
“Yes.”
.
Even kissed him again on the tube back to their hostel, and Isak managed to curl his fingers around Even’s shirt this time. It was still soft, with a hint of tongue, but nothing overwhelming. Isak couldn’t breathe but it was okay. He was kissing a boy in public in freaking Stockholm but it was okay.
The boys were on the other side of town. There was no way they could run into them.
And the truth was that Isak couldn’t care less with Even’s fingers digging into the skin right below his shirt.
Isak felt braver and brought a hand up to Even’s neck making him break the kiss.
“So sweet,” Even smiled before pressing their lips back together. “You’re so sweet.”
.
They ran to their hostel hand in hand after leaving the metro station, and Isak expected to be pinned to a wall the moment they crossed the door with a little bit of anticipation and fear roaming around his chest.
But Even walked behind him with a hand on his hip, and kissed the back of his hair instead.
Oh.
Even climbed into his bed in the shared room and kissed him again.
Isak was overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed because he had never in a million years expected this when he packed his bag for Sweden. Not even for a second.
But somehow, it still felt right. It felt so right. So he curled into this boy he knew nothing about and parted his lips until he could feel his tongue against his.
It was all too soft and too much and Isak’s head was spinning with all the possibilities.
Is he from Oslo? Does he go to university? Is he here for Easter, too? Oh gosh, what if he’s a prick and outs me to the boys. Oh fuck. Fuck!
But Isak’s worries died down when Even climbed off the bed after the first person made it back to the shared space from their night out.
Isak almost whined at the loss of contact, and when Even pressed a kiss to his forehead, he all but melted in his sheets.
“Goodnight, Isak.”
“Goodnight, Even.”
.
Isak didn’t sleep. His heart was still pounding in his chest by the time the sun rose, his eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.
Fuck.
.
Isak managed to get an hour of sleep, maybe two.
When he woke up, Mahdi was still mad at him for ditching them yet again. But Isak couldn’t care less.
Where is he?
Isak’s initial reaction when he realized that Even hadn’t been around the entire day was to think that he probably freaked out and regretted everything.
His next thought was that Even was a massive douche who found pleasure in playing with boys who weren’t really sure of anything.
Isak remained in an irritable mood the entire day until Linnea, a girl working at the hostel, came looking for him.
“Are you Isak?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Someone left this for you before they checked out,” she said, handing him a note.
May we meet again, in a better life.
(u're hot <3)
- Even
The next time Isak saw Even, he was twenty, alone, and carrying his broken heart all around Argentina.