Chapter Text
Okay, he probably should have come more prepared. Without the probably, actually. He should have come more prepared. It was almost midnight and Isak was freezing his ass off, up on one of Oslo’s hills, just because he’d been too lazy to ask Jonas to lend him a spare blanket thick enough for him to resist the night out. I’m so screwed.
His cheeks were red from the cold, and he kept breathing on his gloves, trying to heat up his hands a bit. Stupid Valtersen. Why had he signed up for this «amazing stargazing event», anyway? It wasn’t like he would have seen the stars better than at the observatory. Just because his astronomy professor was the one organizing the event didn’t mean that he had to go. Yet there he was, freezing to death, just because his astronomy professor was the one organizing the event.
Isak was sure professor Eriksen had a special liking for him, because as soon as he had spotted Isak, he had started talking about how important it was for students who wanted to study astrophysics – aka Isak – to experience a real-life stargazing event. Isak had no idea why it was so important, since they didn’t even install any equipment and had only spyglasses and their very eyes, but he didn’t care much after all. If risking hypothermia meant he would get a higher grade, then he would have risked it. Isak was determined to be the best.
The thing was, Isak was indeed freezing his ass off. Walking wasn’t helping much, nor was staying close to other people. He had met some of his course mates, but he wasn’t in such good terms with them to ask if they had a spare blanket to lend him. Let’s just say it like this: Isak wasn’t the most social person at uni. He usually kept to himself if it wasn’t a matter of hooking up with some guy at a party; he’d rather stay with his old friends from Nissen with whom he shared the flat he was currently living in. So, yeah. I’m screwed.
«We can share my blanket, if you want» someone said behind him. It took Isak a good ten seconds to realize that that deep voice was directed towards him. Isak slowly turned around, brows furrowed and a polite no, thanks already on his lips – because you know, he didn’t recognize that voice, and he would have chosen freezing to death over spending the next few hours with some annoying human being who might have kept saying incorrect astronomical facts – when he stopped. He just stopped: breathing, thinking, heart-beating. Because in front of him… faen, Isak couldn’t find other words to describe him.
In front of him there was a literal angel.
Big baby blue eyes, deep golden hair framed by a burgundy beanie. But most of all, a huge, warm smile that made Isak’s insides twist and twirl. Whoever invented the phrase butterflies in someone’s stomach had obviously never met this guy. Because in that moment, butterflies were the farthest from the things that were actually dancing in Isak’s stomach. No, there were no butterflies. There were pigeons rioting against the human supremacy in the world, pigeons that decided to launch their first attack against humanity right in Isak’s belly.
Isak opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. After two point five seconds – yes, his brain counted them while shouting Mayday mayday abort the mission abort the mission I M M E D I A T E L Y – he closed his mouth again. Shit.
«I’m Even, by the way» the angel said, and extended his glove-covered hand for Isak to shake. Isak shook it automatically, still not breathing, eyes glued to the angel’s face. Angel who had a cute name, too. Cute just like all of him, Isak’s brain shouted in his head, cute like those plump red lips that oh boy they look like they are made just to be kissed and bitten and worshipped and-
«I’m Isak. Isak Valtersen» Isak blinked and took a large gulp of air. His heart was beating frantically, and his head just couldn’t stop screaming. Get a grip, Valtersen, it’s just a boy.
Sure. A boy who happened to be beautiful as fuck, thank you very much.
«So, what do you think?» Even raised the other hand that was holding a big thermos. He shook it, then smiled again «Wanna share my blanket? I have supplies!»
Isak managed a small smile, feeling his cheeks turning red red red. He lowered his gaze, but nodded.
That night was about to become a lot more interesting than how Isak had imagined.
***
Two hours in, and Isak wasn’t sure that surviving the night or Even’s pretty face would have repaid him of all the atrocities Isak’s ears had to hear coming from Even’s mouth. There was a reason why Isak had never seen Even before: he wasn’t a physics student of another year; faen, he wasn’t from another uni either. He just followed another course.
And happened to know everything about fucking mythology.
Mythology.
Mythology!
Isak hated mythology. He didn’t want to know what the Greeks thought was living above their head or up on a clouds-covered mountain. He wanted the facts, facts that only science could give him. Not mythology. Isak pronounced that name in his head with a certain amount of disgust. Fucking mythology.
«So you know, and this is actually pretty cool» Even said, pointing at the sky with a smirk «The Pleiades were in fact seven sisters, very very beautiful, daughters of the titan Atlas who was the one who had to hold up the sky above the ground, and they were turned first into doves to escape the giant hunter Orion, and then into stars. But you know what?»
«No, Even» replied Isak, covering his face with his hands «Please don’t tell me»
«Orion is still chasing them in the sky! That’s why there’s the constellation of the Taurus between Orion and the Pleiades. The Taurus is Zeus, or at least, the bull form he turned into to get to Europa, who was the daughter of the king of Tyre and the mother of Minos, king of Crete. Anyway, the Taurus protects the Pleiades from Orion! Isn’t it amazing? Everything just fits together»
And Even just wouldn’t. Stop. Talking.
The only nice thing was that Even’s green blanket was really really big and really really warm. Isak was surrounded by it, not a single part of him was left exposed to the cold outside, only his eyes so that he could look at the sky. Even was sitting next to him, equally wrapped into the blanket, and sometimes their shoulders brushed together when Even was particularly excited about a certain constellation and had to tell Isak all the stories behind it, because «Isak! This is amazing! Can you believe the Greeks actually believed all of this and forged their history over such wonderful myths?!»
No. Isak couldn’t believe it. Isak didn’t believe in any of the things Even was saying.
And yet, despite all of Even’s outrageous knowledge about mythology, Isak felt weirdly attracted to the guy. Maybe it was his deep deep deep voice – Isak had a thing for deep voices, he had to admit that to himself – or his pretty pretty pretty face – he had a thing for pretty faces, too – or maybe his square square square jaw – oh boy, his jaw. Isak had a thing for his jaw as well – Let’s just say Isak had a thing for guys who looked exactly like Even, okay? Or maybe just for Even. Isak wasn’t sure. His mind was desperately trying to rationalize it over the fact that it had been quite some time since the last time Isak got laid, so he probably would have thought a cactus was cute as well. But deep down, a part of him already knew it.
It was Even’s small smile that just kept getting bigger and bigger whenever Isak told him something he didn’t know about stars and astronomy.
It was Even’s gaze, that most times wasn’t directed towards the sky but straight into Isak’s eyes, heart, soul. Even looked at him with a funny expression. It almost seemed like Even was terrified by Isak, and at the same time in awe because of him. How was that possible, though? Isak had never met the guy, nor done anything wrong to him. He would have certainly remembered if such an angel had come into his life before that night. Still, that gaze went straight into Isak’s bones, making them shiver and long for something Isak didn’t want to express.
It was Even’s mouth, so round and beautiful, that kept moving to tell Isak all those stupid stories about Greek mythology that Isak didn’t really care about. He was a lot more interested in how those lips moved, articulated sounds and words and smiles. Had he closed his eyes for more than a blink, Isak was sure he would have imagined those lips on his own mouth, on his own skin, hot breath and teeth and tongue and– And great. Now I have a boner.
It just was Even, okay? Isak was physically attracted to him. Physically. Because all that knowledge about fucking mythology… well, Isak was a man of science, he couldn’t really stand that. Could he?
Professor Eriksen raised his voice to attract the attention of all the people who had gathered there, to point at a star that was particularly visible that night, Sirius. Isak followed his professor’s indications to look at the star, that from the Earth looked pretty close to the constellation of Orion.
«Do you know who was Sirius?» asked Even, who was looking at the star as well.
«You mean Sirius Black?» Isak replied with a smirk. Even looked at him with a surprised look, smiling broadly.
«Who would have thought, doctor Valtersen is a fan of Harry Potter!»
«I had a childhood too, you know» Isak said with an amused smile.
«I didn’t mean Sirius Black, anyway. Or at least, not completely!»
Isak rolled his eyes, still smiling. Was he ready for another mythology story? He surely wasn’t. He was still awake, but he was starting to feel the tiredness of the previous day. He would have preferred to be in his own bed, all warm and comfortable, ready to sleep.
«So» Even continued «Sirius Black was named after the star, of course. But the star was actually Orion’s loyal dog and companion. That’s why Sirius’ Animagus form is a dog! It’s super fascinating, isn’t it?»
Even was like a child who kept talking about his current obsession. No matter if in a few weeks he would have changed interests, in that moment everything was about that. Isak smiled with fondness. After all, hearing all that stories wasn’t that bad. Especially if he got to see Even’s smile get wider and wider with each second that passed, his passion transpiring through his lips. Maybe that’s what attracted Isak, after all: the passion Even put into what he talked about. It was the same as Isak’s when he talked about science. He could see it in the speed his words came out, in the way his eyes lighted up when he talked about something he particularly liked and was interested in. It was a breathtaking vision, if Isak was being honest. Even was a celestial vision.
«Isak? Are you listening to me?»
Isak shook his head and laughed. He was losing himself a bit looking at Even. «Yeah, yeah, I’m listening to you» How could he not be listening to him? Even wasn’t doing anything except talking, and talking, and talking. «I’m just getting a bit tired»
«Time to fuel up, then!» Even said with a smile. He took the thermos he had put on the ground next to him and opened it. Steam escaped from it, the coffee inside still warm even after all those hours. Must be a damn good thermos, Isak thought, suppressing a yawn. Even turned the cap of the thermos upside down to use it as a mug and poured some of the warm liquid in it. Then he held the makeshift mug towards Isak. Isak took it with a smile and a kind thank you, and took a sip.
And almost spat it out in surprise.
«This isn’t coffee» Isak stated, bewildered.
«Of course it’s not coffee!» replied Even «Who drinks coffee so late at night?»
It was fucking cocoa. Fucking hot cocoa.
«Of course you’re a hot cocoa kind of guy» Isak muttered with a smile, taking another sip. It wasn’t like he hated hot cocoa. He loved hot cocoa; when it was winter and he was tired and felt self-indulgent he would always prepare himself a cup of hot cocoa to cheer himself up a bit.
It just was so… so Even, to have hot cocoa instead of coffee inside of a thermos during a stargazing event. Isak didn’t know why, but it kind of felt like Even and him had been knowing each other for such a long time, despite having met just a couple of hours before.
«Do you believe in parallel universes?» Isak asked, looking at the sky but thinking about Even.
«In what?» Even asked.
«Parallel universes. There’s this theory that says that there are infinite universes parallel to ours, that are mostly just like ours only with small differences. But those differences change everything. Like, for example, in another universe I chose medicine over physics at uni. Or maybe in another one I didn’t go to uni at all, and decided to travel through Europe in a van playing the ukulele» Even burst into laughters, that made Isak turn towards him with a big smile «So, things like that. Anything could happen in these parallel universes, anything that could happen is already happening, just somewhere else.»
«So, yellow blanket?» asked Even with a smile, looking at the green blanket they were wrapped in.
«Yeah, yellow blanket»
Even looked away, a strange expression painted on his face. He looked at the sky, and Isak looked at him. Had he said something wrong? What was that shift?
«You know, I almost changed school on my third year of high school» Even said, gaze held up towards the sky. Isak followed his eyes, and saw that Even was looking at the Pleiades once again «I wasn’t feeling at ease anymore at Bakka. I wanted to go to Nissen, but in the end I chose to stay»
Isak felt his heart pound in his chest. He could have come to Nissen. Isak, making a bold move, shifted closer to Even and bumped his shoulder with his «Then you would have tormented me with more stories about mythology back in those days, too»
Even smiled, a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes «Do you think we would have met anyway?»
That was not an usual question to ask a person that was basically a stranger. And yet, Isak felt it: the same energy and longing that Isak could feel in Even’s voice was running through his own veins. In another universe, we met during high school. What could have happened then? Different scenarios played in Isak’s head in a blink: Isak and Even meeting in the bathroom just by chance, and becoming friends immediately. During his high school years Isak was still deep in the closet; he would probably never had allowed himself to think he might have liked a guy. Or maybe they could have met at Vilde’s terrible Kosegruppa, the revue group he joined just because he needed to get back the weed that Sana took to hide it from the police back in second year, during a party at Eva’s house. Isak could imagine it: Even being all Extra and into that group – because art kids just loved theatre, Isak knew it – and forcing Isak to join all the meetings and parties. It could have been fun.
«Nissen isn’t a big school, after all, we would have certainly met» Isak said with a smile «You know what? In another universe we met on the first day of school, just like this»
That made Even smile a genuine smile. Isak smiled by reflection. «Like this? With me saying we can share my blanket, if you want?» Even laughed, and Isak’s smile grew wider.
«Okay, maybe not exactly like this» Isak admitted «But maybe in a similar way. For example, it was raining heavily and you offered to share your umbrella cause I always forget mine»
Even smiled sweetly, and turned away with his face. Isak furrowed his brows and tried to take a look at him. Is that blush on his cheeks?!
«Then I would have had to take you home, cause I would have never left you half way under the rain» Even murmured.
And well, Isak blushed too.