Chapter 1

They were at Jonas's place. Eva, Chris, Vilde, Sana and some of the others had started hanging around with Isak and his friends more often, but, today, it was just him, Mahdi, Magnus, Jonas and Even.

All the boys except Isak and Magnus were enthralled in their game of FIFA, shouting out to each other and getting overly excited at a goal or a great save. Magnus was equally enthralled in the conversation he was having, mostly with himself, about Vilde.

"She's just so, like, perfect, you know? Like her skin is so pretty and milky and soft and she's so funny and sexy, just everything about her is-" here he made vague hand gestures before exclaiming, again, "perfect!"

"Ach, dude, you're going to make me sick!" Mahdi muttered, eyes glued to the screen.

"Seriously, you have taken desperate beyond a new level," added Jonas. "This is toxic desperate. If Vilde asked you to move planets, you'd give it a go."

"What, so Isak is allowed to be sickeningly in love, but not me?" Magnus sputtered.

Isak, who had, before this point, been laying on the couch with his head in Even's lap, staring up at the older boy's face as he concentrated on the game, now looked towards Magnus. "Sickeningly?" he asked with mock-anger. "I think you're more in love with Even than I am! You do ask him for advice about everything... Maybe you two are having a secret relationship and I'm just sleuthing it out." He shrugged.

"Wh-I don't ask- we are not-" Magnus stuttered, face red, but Even only chuckled.

"You've caught us," he said, glancing down at Isak, who smirked and drew in his brows. God, that boy is exquisite, thought Even. Instead of voicing his thought, however, he continued, "Magnus and I have been seeing each other for months now. We only, er, created his relationship with Vilde, and mine with you, to hide it."

"Yeah," Magnus agreed, going along with it now. "We're getting married soon, and, like, you aren't even invited." He seemed unable to smoothly keep up a joke, always fumbling it into something no longer plausible.

Isak didn't mind. He just laughed and said, "No? I'm not invited?" His eyes were on Even, who shook his head with a small smile.

Suddenly, a whistle blew from the TV, signaling the end of the game. Jonas and Even let out cheers while Mahdi swore and tossed his controller onto the couch.

"Did you see that?" Even said quietly to Isak, while Jonas got up to grab some beer. "Did you see me win that for you?"

"Hm, for me?" Isak replied, raising his eyebrows. "I thought it was for Brazzzilll!" He whispered the last word like a cheering crowd.

"No," Even said back, grinning so much his eyes were almost slits, "it was for you." He leaned down, almost but not quite bumping noses with Isak, who propped himself up on his elbows.

"That was nice," he said, rubbing their noses together.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're so nice." Isak sighed the last sentence and tilted his chin towards Even, asking for his lips. The older boy smiled impossibly wider and complied, giving Isak a long, lingering kiss.

"Ugh, Magnus is right," groaned Mahdi, "you two are gross."

"Don't be jealous, Mahdi," Isak mumbled, pulling Even down by the back of his neck, fingers tangled in his hair, for a second kiss.

Jonas returned with the beer and Isak and Even pulled apart. For the rest of the evening, the boys talked and laughed. They gave Magnus their best relationship advice and told Even all sorts of stories of dumb things Isak had done before they knew each other. When it was dark and the other boys were filing out, Even looked down at the smaller boy in his lap. "Home?" he asked.

Isak nodded. "Home."

After the New Year, Even had gone into a depression. It wasn't as bad as they could be, but he ended up spending much more time than not at the flat, lying in Isak's bed and hardly speaking. Isak would bring him whatever he needed, sometimes even coax him out from under the covers to watch a movie on the couch. He would ask questions and try to understand sometimes, others he would just be quiet. He was always there, though. Always with the right touch, the right whisper of love. Always there.

Once the darkness passed, Even went back to his parent's house, but it didn't feel like home anymore. Mrs. Bech Næsheim was sad when Even told her he was moving out again, but she adored Isak and wished only for her son's happiness. Eskild didn't make him pay rent- he claimed it was because he and Isak shared a room anyway, but everyone knew it was because he had a soft spot for Even. Everyone did.

And, so, when the two boys got home from Jonas's around nine at night on a warm, late-spring evening, they went to their room and fell into their bed.

"I'm wiped out from this week," Isak said, staring up at the ceiling and referring to the rough week of testing they just had.

"I'm sorry," Even said softly, scooching over to smooth back Isak's curls. The younger, smaller boy, glanced at him and tried to hide his smile.

"I love you," he whispered, rolling onto his side and curling into Even's waiting embrace.

Even kissed the top of his head. "I love you, too."

They stayed like that for a while. After ten minutes or so, though, Eskild was pounding on their door.

"Isak! Even!" he shouted. "You two better not be having sex in there because I'm coming in!"

Isak let out a soft groan and buried his face in Even's shoulder as the door opened. "Okay, good," Eskild said upon seeing that they were not, indeed, having sex. "We're going to watch a movie, and you two need to get out of this room because it still stinks, even though Even bought you air freshener."

Isak moaned, flopping onto his back. But Even only chuckled and began to get up, holding out one hand for his grumpy boyfriend. "I'll spoon you on the couch, too, don't worry," he laughed when Isak didn't move. This got the younger boy's attention, and he hopped up, giving Eskild a reason to roll his eyes.

"Don't be so needy!" he complained, making Isak huff. Eskild stormed out of their sight with a "Linn! We're watching a family movie, get out of bed!"

"I am not needy," Isak brooded, following Even to the living room, where Noora was waiting with a bowl of popcorn and, of course, a smile. Isak worried she was too sweet for her own good.

The movie was old but good. Linn and Eskild spent its entirety making comments on unrealistic parts, while Noora shushed them and asked if they could do better. Even, of course, had seen it already, and was adorably excited to discuss every minor detail, from random tidbits of fact he knew about it to the score to the camera work. Isak was content to watch all this go down, butting in occasionally with comment of his own, but he eventually dozed off while the others continued to enjoy the film.

At the end of the night, Noora, Linn and Eskild filed back to their rooms while Even sat on the couch and fiddled with Isak's curls, simultaneously trying to wake him and trying not to. No matter, though, after a couple minutes Isak's eyes fluttered open and he looked at his boyfriend. "What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Almost midnight. Let's go to bed, baby," Even responded quietly. Isak groaned.

"It's so warm," he whimpered, not wanting to move.

"It'll be warmer in bed," Even argued, but Isak just groaned again. Suddenly, Even smiled hugely and stood with Isak still in his arms, picking him up newly-wed style. This shocked the younger boy completely awake and he gripped Even's neck for dear life.

"Wh-Even?! You could have killed me!" Isak sputtered. Even smiled and raised his eyebrows.

"Killed you? How frail are you?"

"That's beside the point, you can't just fling me around-" Isak was in the middle of his complaint when Even cut him off with a kiss. The younger boy quickly responded.

When they pulled apart, their foreheads still touching, Isak was smiling. "Come on," he said. "Take me to bed, and, for the next minute, we'll kiss more."

Even nodded and carried his boyfriend to their bedroom, where they did kiss for the next minute. Isak layed on his back beneath the older boy, who hovered slightly above, and they wrestled tongues. Even traced Isak's hips under his shirt and Isak ran his hands across Even's smooth abs. After their minute, or few minutes, were up, they pulled away from each other and both smiled. It was late, and so, for the next several hours, they cuddled and spooned and slept.