Work Text:
1.
Love is a drug and you are my cigarette
Love is addiction and you are my Nicorette
Even is lip-sincing the lyrics and Isak is getting flashbacks from that day Even serenaded Gabrielle's song to him. They are even sitting in a kitchen like back then. Well, Isak is sitting on the counter while Even is making pancakes.
Love is a drug, like chocolate, like cigarettes
I'm feeling sick I gotta medicate myself
Even continues and Isak rolls his eyes but he has a dopey smile and half-lidded eyes and his heart feels full of love.
You are the sun and the light
You are the freedom I fight
God will do nothing to stop it
Even leaves the spatula he was holding and moves to stay between Isak's legs.
The origin is you
You're the origin of love
'Me?' Isak asks with his eyes and Even kisses him as a response.
Isak pulls apart for a moment to whisper:
"I love you."
"I love you more." Even says as he goes to kiss him again, but Isak stops him, a frown forming on his face.
"Why do you always say that?" And way to ruin the moment, but he can't help it.
"Say what?"
"That you love me 'more'. You don't think that I love you? Because I do. So much you have no idea. Is it because I don't say it as much as you do? Or do I not show it enough? Becuase-" Isak is rambling and Even stops him, lifting a hand and bringing a finger in front of his lips, while he uses the other hand to caress Isak's face softly.
Isak looks at him with wide green eyes and a question written deep inside them.
“When I say I love you more, I don’t mean I love you more than you love me. I mean I love you more than the bad days ahead of us. I love you more than any fight we will ever have. I love you more than the distance between us. I love you more than any obstacle that could ever try and come between us. I love you the most.”
Isak looks at him for a while, but then realisation dawns on him and he snorts.
"Did you just quote pinterest to me?"
"Nei!" Even denies, trying to pull a serious expression, but Isak only raises his eyebrows.
"You totally did!" Isak takes his hands off him and brings them to his face. "I can't believe you? You are such a fucking dork oh my god" he says and then breaks into histerical laughter, clutching his stomach.
"Maybe I did." Even is laughing too. "But you love me. And I really meant it."
"Yes. I do and I know." Isak says as he places a soft peck on Even's lips and then presses his forehead against his. "And I love you 'more' too."
***
2.
Isak is not feeling well today. He is upset because he got a 4 in a chemistry test today and his mom is spiralling again. All the bible quotes that she has been sending him for the past days are doing nothing to ease his worries. He is very stressed and sad and he can't hold it in anymore, so he cries. He cries and sobs, face muffled on the pillow until his eyes are red and puffy and his chest is aching like the pain he feels in his soul.
When Even sees him, he doesn't say anything. He just wraps his arms around him, maneuvering him on the bed so Isak's head is resting on Even's chest and he rubs circles on his back in a soothing movement.
After a while Isak stops crying and he feels like he can breathe a little easier. He sniffs. Even peppers his face with kisses and then says, his voice low, not louder than a whisper: "You know? They say that the best thing to hold onto in life is each other"
Isak looks at him, tears still stuck to his eyelashes, but his face softens a little: "And who says that?"
"Audrey Hepburn actually."
"Mhm. Nice. I see that you evolved from pinterest to an actress. This is character development."
Even raises his eyebrows. "Actress? That is all Audrey Hepburn is to you? Just an actress?"
"Yeah?" Isak looks confused. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Oh my god. You are so uncultured."
"Fuck you!" Isak spits, but he is smiling and Even considers that a victory.
***
3.
Even could tell that something was wrong the minute he saw Isak pacing around the room when he woke up that morning.
"Good morning" Even greeted, voice hoarse as he had just woken up. But when Isak only hummed as he was getting dressed, Even asked full of concern: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Isak almost shouted as he took his backpack and then slammed the door behind him.
So now, when he came to pick Isak from school and he witnessed him snapping at something Magnus said and storming off the scene, he is certain that something is not right. They don't exchange a word on their way home and are already close to their apartment when Even asks again:
"Seriously, what's the matter?" The older boy puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave me alone Even!" Isak pushes him away and rushes upstairs.
Even wants to scream in frustration because even after all this time, Isak is still refusing to talk about his problems and keeps everything bottled up. Can't he see that Even only wants to help?!
As he opens the door, he wants to call Isak out on his stubbornness, but when he sees him, curled up on the bed and crying in his palms, his heart breaks.
"Baby..." he tries as he sits next to him.
"I'm sorry." Isak says."I'm sorry for acting the way I did. And I'm sorry that you had to see this ugly part of me...the anger that I can't control sometimes." He sighs and seems on the verge of tears again.
"Baby. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day. And when I say all of you, I mean the ugly parts too. And your problems as well. We are in this together. I want to be here for you and help you, but I can't do that if you don't let me in. Do you understand?"
Isak nods and smiles weakly. "Yeah. Thank you"
"Any time Iss." Even kisses his cheek. "So. What happened?"
"It's about my dad..."
***
4.
They are sitting side by side on the bed, still panting and chests rising and falling frantically.
"That was..." Isak says.
"Yeah." Even continues and they both break into laughter.
"So what is the quote for today?" Isak asks as he pulls a t-shirt of the drawer and puts it on.
"Hm?" Even asks confused, his mind still a little cloudy from the afterglow.
"The quote. You haven't told me one in a while."
Oh yeah right. Even has almost forgotten about that.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
Isak looks at him in amazement. "Woah that was pretty long. Did it take you long to memorize it?"
Even chuckles. "Really? You are asking me that? You should say Oh Even you are such a great boyfriend and I love you so much." he says imitating Isak's voice.
"I don't sound like that!" Isak says getting on top of Even again.
"Yes you do."
"No. I don't."
They are kissing and kissing and Isak shoves his tongue in his mouth and Even wants to moan but Isak pulls away.
"I have a problem with the quote though."
"Oh yeah?" Even asks raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah." Isak gets closer to Even's ear and whispers: "It got me hard."
Even snorts. "I was not expecting it to have that kind of effect on you but I can't complain." He smirks. "Round two then?"
***
5.
They had a fight. It was nothing too bad. All about who forgot to do the dishes and the laundry. About Even's friends coming over when Isak wanted to study in silence. About some other things they shouted at each other that Isak has already forgotten.
Even stormed off. It always happened when they fought because their apartament was tiny and it was impossible for them to get some space to calm down in such a crowded place. Usually it is the other way around and Isak is the one who goes out becuase of his big ego.
Isak is sitting on a chair and looking at the clock, tapping his fingers on the hard table.
Not even 20 minutes later, he hears the sound of the door unlocking and he sighs happily.
Even comes into the room and they stare at each other.
"I am sorry." They say in unison and Isak smiles. "Come here" he says opening his arms in a sign of surrender. So they hug and hold each other for a while, rocking their bodies back and forth.
"Are you still mad?" Isak asks after a while.
"No. Because I love you, I knew it the minute I met you." Even responds.
Isak smiles as they go and lie on the mattress.
"Oh yeah. You never told be about that though.You said you saw me on the first day of school, really?"
"Mhm. So I was just minding my own business, trying to find my class when I saw this angel passing by."
"Angel?" Isak snorts. "For real?"
"Let me finish. He had golden curls and gorgeous green eyes and the most beautiful cupid's bow I have ever seen. Oh and his laughter oh my god. Music to my ears."
Isak's cheeks turn pink.
"Elsker deg"
"Elsker deg"
***
+1
Even is depressed and has been for the past 2 weeks or so and Isak is worried. Because even though he went back to uni and work a week ago, he didn't do more than crawl into bed when he came home. Isak tried his best and made sure he ate every once in a while, but Even barely spoke to him and he had no idea what more he could do.
When he gets home and finds Even under the duvet again, he sighs because he still had hope that one day he'll find him up and about and everything would be okay again, but not today apparently. He takes his shoes out and sits next to Even who doesn't even blink at the movement of the mattress.
"Can I hold you?" Isak asks and Even nods weakly.
After a few minutes of silence Even speaks up: "Sometimes I think that you shouldn't have fallen in love with me."
"What do you mean?" Isak asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Even sighs. "It's just that...You are just...amazing and I feel like you deserve better than me. You deserve someone who doesn't stay in bed for weeks, doing nothing and being a burden and a pain in the ass." He closes his eyes and looks as if he was holding back tears.
Isak eyes him up and down for a few minutes, but then gets closer and closer and places a hand in Even's hair to stroke it gently.
"Even look at me" Isak demands and Even obeys.
"I didn't fall in love with you."
Even's eyes are so wide that they seem ready to pop out of his head.
Isak licks his lips. "I didn't fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway. And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you”
The corners of Even's moth lift slowly and then he says: "The chaos of the stars...You managed to outsand my sappines." He laughs and Isak thinks it is the most beautiful sound he has heard in weeks. It sounds like a miracle.
"Ha? You thought you were the cheesy one in this relationship? Well find out that nobody is sappier than me. I am the master of sappines."
Even laughs louder.
"Yes. Yes you are."