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Isak’s never been one to show off about the fact that he can click his fingers to make things appear or disappear at will.
Partly because he doesn’t want that kind of attention, and partly because Magnus does it for him. There isn’t a party that they both go to that Isak doesn’t notice him, out of the corner of his eye, sliding up next to a girl, and saying, “oh, my friend Isak can do magic!” Sometimes he even throws an “and he’s gay!” in there, for good measure.
Isak hates it, but he’s also used to it by now. Used to having to make little fireworks on the roof, or being a human bubble machine to add some excitement to the party. Used to going home at the end of the night, cursing Magnus out for it all, and telling him “next time, I’ll turn your prospective hook up into a fucking cat.”
Magnus, somehow, knows that he won’t. Isak doesn’t want to believe that it’s because he’s not actually very good at being threatening.
Today, though, it's the 21st of december, and Magnus is busy. Finally, Isak can have the relaxing fucking christmas party that he deserves. He can get drunk, he can dance badly, and he can forget that he even knows how to do magic, unless someone else decides to fill Magnus’s shoes.
At least, that’s the plan. And it goes well, to start with.He’s between people he knows, and people he doesn’t, people he loves and people he barely tolerates, and everyone’s happy, because it’s christmas. Isak is pretty happy himself, in fact. Probably because Magnus is nowhere to be seen.
He's not quite drunk enough to dance yet, though, so he's hanging out on the fringes of the party, watching Eskild and Chris dance as though it's the best party either of them have been to. Maybe it is. Maybe it will be.
Sana arrives, half an hour in, and actually, she's the only one of his friends he trusts at parties, not to spill his not-really-secrets to the entire party. Sure, Magnus is the culprit 99% of the time, but it's been Eskild a few times. It's been Eva, too, and even Jonas once - although that was intended to be to help Isak - which it didn't. It never makes people more likely to like him as a person - more as a circus trick. Something to laugh at, sometimes watch in awe. But it's never helped people like him for him.
He waves at Sana from across the room, and watches as she's followed in by a group of boys, a few that he recognises as her brother and his friends.
And one that he recognises as the lead character in the daydreams that he won't admit to. Or, wait, no. He's just a guy that Isak sees around campus sometimes. Whatever.
(His name’s Even, and he likes the library almost as much as Isak does, and he’s always got a coffee in front of him (Isak imagines that it’s something kind of pretentious, he’s definitely smelt pumpkin spice more than once) and more often than not he’s smiling at his phone. So he’s probably taken, and definitely out of Isak’s league either way. But that’s besides the point. Isak doesn’t know him.)
He smiles at Isak on the way in. There’s something of a silent bond that forms between two students that find themselves in the library together at awkward times, cramming for finals.
But finals are over now, and Even is more relaxed and happy than Isak’s seen him in a while. Isak is more relaxed and happy, too, but he doubts Even notices that.
Isak tries to relax into the party after seeing Even, but it’s a little difficult now that he’s hyper aware of his presence. He sees him in the kitchen when he goes to get another beer, and he sees him outside when he goes to find Jonas, and he sees him on the dancefloor when Isak falls in love a little bit more with the completely free way that Even dances.
He’s even more aware of his presence when, a couple of hours into the night, Even comes and leans against the wall next to him, in the space that Eva just vacated.
“Hi,” he says, and Isak does a double take.
“Uh, hey, hi,” he stutters out. “Hi.”
Even grins. “I feel like I know you,” he says. “But we’ve never actually talked, despite the amount of times I’ve seen you in the library.”
“Yeah,” Isak says, laughing self consciously. “Nice to - properly, uh, meet you,” he says, cursing himself for stumbling through his words so awkwardly.
Even smiles, and offers his hand for Isak to shake. “I’m Even,” he says.
I know . “Isak.”
“I know,” Even really says it, and continues, too. “Sana’s told me about you,” he tells Isak, immediately sending his brain into some different dimension, possibly the one in which all his daydreams take place. “As soon as I saw that you knew her, I bugged her relentlessly until she told me your name, and what classes you take - and especially what time you like to study at the library.”
Isak doesn’t really know how to respond to this. He really might be dreaming. “Oh, uh, cool,” he squeaks, and Even smiles at him as though he knows exactly what’s going on inside his head. “That’s, uh, nice of her.”
“It is,” Even says. “But she wouldn’t tell me much else. Apparently I have to get to know you myself, because as soon as I do, I’ll realise how grumpy you are.”
Isak’s hope fades fast. “Oh, yeah,” he laughs to hide his disappointment. “She’s probably right.”
Even shakes his head. “She’s not,” he says. “Because what she doesn’t realise is that I’ve seen you studying last minute before exams, and I’ve seen you forget to eat for hours on end. I already know exactly what you’re like when you’re grumpy.”
The hope comes back slowly. “Oh?” he asks. “So you - you aren’t put off?”
“Actually, I think it just made me like you more,” Even says. “If that’s okay?” He says it as if Isak would answer with a ‘no’.
“It’s okay,” Isak says. Very, very okay. “Uh, I, uh - didn't know you knew Sana,” he says, trying confidence. “Or I would have made her tell me about you, too.”
The confidence works.
“Shame,” says Even. “Maybe we should get to know each other now, then.”
“Yeah,” Isak murmurs distractedly. He feels like he's melting into Even, getting fat too close to him in this party , without knowing anything about him past his own, probably wildly inaccurate observations. And Even doesn't know anything past what Sana told him - which, wait what if she's not the trustworthy friend he always believes her to be? What if Even just wants to see a trick?
“So - you haven’t heard anything else about me?” he asks, trying not to make the desperation obvious. “No one else has told you - anything?”
Even tilts his head to the side. “I don’t know anything else about you, Isak,” he says, and Isak loves the way his name sounds in Even’s voice. “But I’d like to.”
“Okay,” Isak says. “That’s chill.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm,” Isak says, looking down to hide his grin. “I, uh. I’d like to know about you, too.”
Even beams at him.
“But,” Isak says, braver now. “It’s too loud in here. Wanna go somewhere else?”
He holds his breath while he waits for Even’s response. Even smiles wider, if it were possible, and nods, and before Isak knows it they’re on the street in front of the house, bundled up in coats and hats because it’s cold, but they both agree they still want to go somewhere else.
They walk for a while, in the cold, talking about nothing and everything. With every step, every word, the fear that Even isn't here for just Isak , magic or not, gets weaker, until finally, Even says something that makes Isak want to show off, not feel like he has to. Which is new - and awesome.
“I wish it would snow.”
Even looks up at the sky as he speaks, nose cold and red but eyes full of shining excitement and hope.
“Yeah,” Isak agrees, and then it does snow, because Isak makes it happen.
“Oh, shit!” Even exclaims in wonder. “Woah. Hey, do you think people ever don’t know when they’re magic? Maybe it’s snowing because of me.”
Isak shrugs, nearly giving himself away with a laugh about how close Even is to the truth. “Maybe.”
“I should test this theory, what do you think?”
“Absolutely,” Isak says, not even bothering to hide his grin now, but Even is so distracted that he doesn’t even notice.
“What should I wish for?”
Isak shrugs again.
“I wish for… a puppy,” Even says, and Isak hates to disappoint him, especially with that excited hopeful look on his face, but conjuring life - that's some next level shit.
He humours Even for a few seconds, though, joins him in looking around expectantly, and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder when no puppies come.
“Damn it,” mutters Even, still smiling. “I thought it’d work.”
“Maybe you should have started smaller,” Isak suggests. “A puppy seems kind of advanced for a beginner.”
“Yeah, okay,” Even says, and Isak doesn’t know if he genuinely believes him for a moment, “Ok, I wish for…” he looks around for a second. “Hot chocolate.”
Isak can do that, but he kind of wants to have some fun, too. “Maybe we should close our eyes?” he suggests, after Even’s face falls again. When he screws his eyes shut, Isak kind of just wants to kiss him all over his face, but he concentrates instead, making two warm mugs of cocoa appear in his hands. Even opens his eyes a second later, and Isak holds one out to him.
The look on his face is priceless. Isak wants to savour it forever, the shock, the confusion, the joy, and, a couple of seconds later, the realisation.
“Oh my god, you’re - oh my god.”
Isak grins. “I’m...?” he asks one eyebrow raised.
Even gives a disbelieving laugh. “So that’s why you were so convinced that someone would have told me something else about you?”
“Yeah,” Isak nods. “My friends are pretty good at spreading it around.”
“I - I have to be honest,” Even says quietly. “I did kind of wonder.”
“You did?”
“I was sure I’d seen your stuff moving without you touching it in the library,” he says. “But then I thought that was just me being ridiculous.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Woah,” Even says. “That’s - that’s fucking awesome.”
“I don’t usually, like, tell people myself,” Isak confesses. “Usually because my friends get there first, but also just because I - don’t think people would care about me if they knew.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, if they knew about it,” Isak says. “They’d just want me to do tricks for them. They don’t want to get to know me, or some shit. I don’t know.” He flushes slightly as he realises how cliche he sounds, but Even is quick to reassure him.
“I get that,” he says. “But I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to know you.”
“That’s ‘cause you’re weird, and you put up with grumpy fuckers who can do magic.”
“Maybe so,” Even says. “But you’re the one that invited me out here.”
“You’re the one that wanted to get to know me.”
“Best decision I ever made.”
“Yeah,” Isak says, looking down to hide his smile. “Inviting you out here was a pretty good decision, too.”
He glances up, and finds that the sheer happiness on Even’s face is entrancing to look at. Isak gets caught up in just looking for a while, until Even speaks.
“So - you’re sure you can’t make a puppy appear?”
Isak rolls his eyes. “Unfortunately not,” he says, then grins. “But that does mean you’ve only had two of your three wishes.”
He hopes Even’s third wish is the same as his.
“Okay,” Even grins. “I wish for...” he looks at Isak, tilting his head. “Are you any good at creating mistletoe?”