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There is a magical muffin at the café where Isak’s buddy Jonas works. It’s blueberry and spongy and so perfect that Isak who never wakes up before he absolutely must gets up an hour before his first class to walk across the University of Oslo’ campus from his dorm to get to it. It’s become a custom to get there, get one of the last muffins since he’s not the only one on campus addicted to the blueberry goodness, drink his coffee and catch up with Jonas for a while before heading to class.
It’s routine that Isak has gotten used to and it’s when that routine is broken that Isak truly realizes how much a creature of habit he really is. He doesn’t like the break in his routine.
“Sorry man, we’re out of blueberry today, want a banana nut?”
Isak blinks at his friend, one, twice, three times, he’s not at his best in the morning and he’s having trouble focusing on the horrible words coming out of Jonas’ mouth.
“Isak?” Jonas prompts. “Banana nut?”
“What?” Isak grunts, frowning in confusion. “No, blueberry.”
Jonas stares at him for a moment and Isak returns the look before his friend rolls his eyes at him. “Like I already said, we’re out. I just sold the last one a few minutes before you came in.”
“But,” Isak starts and he can hear the whine in his voice, he cringes at it, but it doesn’t mean he can stop it, it’s early, way too early for him and his sole reason for not being in bed has been taken from him, he’s allowed to whine, damn it. “You always have enough, where is my muffin Jonas, I need it.”
His so call friend instead of feeling sympathy for him just rolls his eyes at him again. “You have a problem, might want to look into it, but like I already said twice sold the last blueberry muffin,” Jonas continues, his tone couldn’t be more patronizing if he tried and Isak resents him for it.
“That guy in the jean jacket bought it,” Jonas says pointing with his chin behind and to the left of Isak, Isak turns to look, ready to hate the person who dared take away Isak’s joy this early in the morning. By the window sits a guy who like Jonas said is wearing a jean jacket over multiple layers, he’s tall, the way his legs clad in snug Demin stretched out in front of him lets Isak know that. His hair a darker shade of blond than Isak’s is artfully swept up. He has a drawing pad leaning against the table and what looks like a piece of charcoal in his hand. The guy is hot, no way around that but as Isak’s eyes leave the boy to the blueberry muffin sitting on a plate untouched Isak remembers that he’s a muffin thief.
He’s a hot muffin thief.
Isak isn’t sure how hard he’s staring but obvious he is, the guy feels the intensity of his stare because he looks up from his pad and locks eyes with Isak. Even from where he’s standing Isak can see they are a clear blue. The muffin thief raises an eyebrow in question and Isak startles so hard he bumps into the counter behind him and Isak feels the blood rush to his face as the guy’s pouty mouth quirks upward and Jonas lets out a snort behind him.
He swirls around to face his best friend, eyes narrowing when he finds Jonas smirking at him.
“You let some art hipster steal my muffin?” Isak hisses out, his eyes in slits when Jonas dares laugh at him.
“He paid for it.”
“Not the point,” Isak argues. “What am I supposed to eat now?”
“Banana nut?” Jonas suggests one more time, letting out another laugh when Isak makes a disgusted face.
“Some friend you are,” Isak grumbles as he heads for the door without making a purchase.
“Come again,” Jonas calls out because he’s an absolute shit sometimes. Isak doesn’t feel bad about flipping him off as he goes, especially because Jonas’ hearty laugh follows him out the door.
*
The next day the same thing, no muffin, Jonas shrugging at him unconcerned, hot muffin thief is at his usual table with Isak’s muffin, untouched.
The pattern holds, doesn’t matter that Isak gets to the café 15 minutes before his usual time, 20 the next day, half an hour the day after that. When Isak walks in, his muffins are gone and the culprit is sitting calmly by the window oblivious to how he’s destroying Isak’s life.
“Jonas,” Isak starts on the fifth day and he knows he sounds crazy and desperate, but he’s up almost two hours before his 9 am class for the chance at a muffin and Jonas is shaking his head at him. “What kind of friend are you? You are letting him steal my muffin every morning.”
Jonas looks at him with that calm expression on his face that makes Isak even crazier. “Yeah he’s stealing by being a paying customer and I’m letting him in the way that it's my job to serve him."
“Don’t use logic against me,” Isak hisses. “It’s barely seven in the morning, it’s mean.”
Jonas shakes his head at him and looks over his shoulder to the muffin thief, he looks back at Isak and lifts a shoulder. “He hasn’t bitten into it, if you’re so desperate for it, go ask him if he’s willing to sell it to you.”
Isak scoffs, looking over his own shoulder that the guy, he’s removed his coat and has a dark plaid shirt over a red tee, his hair as always styled attractively. It annoys Isak how good looking the guy is, every time he looks at him Isak has to remind himself that the guy is while unwittingly, making Isak’s life miserable and therefore Isak does not like him. “I can’t do that, that’s crazy.”
“You look on the verge of a nervous breakdown over a muffin, Isak” Jonas answers dryly as he passes him a cup of coffee. “I think we left crazy a few days back, go ask him.”
Isak wants to protest but he knows Jonas is right and it’s been five days since he’s had his favorite treat, so he sucks it up, grabs his coffee and makes his way over to the guy. He comes to stand behind the empty chair at the guy’s table and waits to be acknowledged, he doesn’t have to wait long.
“I’m not selling you my muffin,” the guy says as he draws in his art book like every morning, he pauses for a moment to look up at Isak, his blue eyes full of amusement as Isak stares at him with his mouth open. “You and your buddy don’t exactly speak in hush tones and this place isn’t full right now, voices carry.”
Isak hears Jonas let out a chuckle from behind the counter, proving the guy’s statement.
“I won’t sell my muffin,” the hot muffin thief repeats letting out a smile when Isak makes a sad noise. “But if you sit down, I’ll share it.”
Isak sits down.
*
The hot muffin thief’s name is Even, he’s a 2nd-year film student who draws on the side.
The first bite into the muffin after days of not having it, Isak lets out a sound of pure bliss, closing his eyes to savor it.
“Wow,” Even laughs causing Isak to open his eyes to look at him, he looks amused but there is also something else there on his face. “That’s a very interesting sound to make for a muffin.”
“It’s the best muffin ever,” Isak answers around a mouthful.
“It’s good,” Even agrees. “I just don’t think I have enjoyed it as much as you are enjoying it right now.”
“That’s because you haven’t had it stolen for a week by a muffin thief,” Isak retorts, smiling when Even lets out a laugh at that.
“It that me?” Even points at himself, a wide smile on his face, his pretty blue eyes dancing, looking like he’s enjoying himself greatly. “Am I the muffin thief?”
“The hot muffin thief,” Isak answers without thinking, his eyes widening when he realizes what he’s just said, he feels his cheeks heat up in embarrassment and he finds himself looking down at his coffee cup.
“Well,” Even says softly and Isak peeks under his eyelashes to look at him, his breath catching when he sees the sweet smile playing on Even’s lips. “I’m okay with being called a thief if I’m a hot one.”
Isak gives him a small smile, it grows when Even pushes the rest of the muffin his way.
*
A new pattern takes hold, every morning Isak walks into the café, heads for the counter, orders his coffee from Jonas who smirks at him amused and knowing, Isak rolls his eyes at him through his blush and then he heads over to where Even sits with a blueberry muffin untouched on his table. They talk about anything and everything, Even’s film classes, Isak’s biology, movies Even loves and Isak has never seen, music. Sometimes they sit quietly as Even draws and Isak eats, more often than not eating the whole muffin, not that Even seems to mind.
The first time Even shows him a drawing, Isak’s breath catches as he stares at himself, his face partly in profile as he stares out the window. Isak studies the drawing, the attention to detail, from his wayward curls to each mole or slight imperfection. Isak has never thought himself to be particularly attractive, he knows he’s not ugly, men and women have been known to check him out, but he’s not like Even who is beautiful to anyone with eyes. And yet that’s the only word he can think of as he looks at the drawing of himself. Beautiful.
“Is this how you see me?” He asks quietly, his heart pounding so loud he’s sure Even and everyone in the café can hear it.
It skips a beat when Even looks at him, with warm eyes and simply says. “Yes.”
*
The next day after Isak has collected his coffee from an even more amused Jonas, Isak turns to his and Even’s table to find that on it is the usual blueberry muffin in front of his usual seat but a half-eaten banana nut in front of Even.
Isak gives Even a questioning look as he sits down. “Why are you eating that abomination?” he asks, smiling when Even laughs.
He watches as Even lets the laugh trail off and gives him an unsure look, biting down on that bottom lip of his that has been getting more and more distracting for Isak.
“I have a confession to make Isak,” Even starts, still looking uncertain but with a small hopeful smile on his face. “The first is that I hate blueberry muffins, I mean I really hate them.”
Isak stares at Even confused. “But-“
“Which leads me to my second confession,” Even continues not letting Isak ask his question. “I have been buying the last muffin every day in the hopes that eventually you would talk to me.”
Isak stares at Even some more at a loss for words, he’s sure he looks like an idiot with his mouth opened.
Even shrugs at him. “I had seen you come in here every day for a muffin and I wanted to talk to you but I didn’t know how and then Jonas said to buy your muffin-“
“Jonas,” he squeaks, turning in his chair to look at his friend who has the nerve to give him a cheeky grin and mocking salute, Isak turns around in his chair again, letting out a huff.
“Yeah,” Even says with a contrite smile. “We have Social Media together, I have probably been driving him crazy with my crush on you.”
“You have,” Jonas calls out, laughing when Isak throws a glare at him.
He turns back to look at Even. “You stole my muffin to get me to talk to you, because you like me,” Isak confirms, trying to sound annoyed, but he knows he doesn’t quite pull it off, even he can hear the fondness in his voice.
Even rolls his eyes at him. “I didn’t steal it, I bought them.”
“You didn’t eat them!” Isak exclaims remembering the days before he started sitting down with Even, how the muffin laid on the table untouched. “Did you throw those muffins out, Even?”
Even shrugs at him again.
Isak shakes his head. “These are magical muffins Even, you’re going to have to make up for this offense,” Isak teases, feeling giddy when Even grins at him.
“How am I going to do that?” Even questions, a playful look on his face.
“You’re going to have to buy me my muffins in the morning.”
Even grins. “I already do that.”
“I’m not done,” Isak says biting down on his lip to keep a grin from breaking through. “Muffins in the morning and dinner tonight when you take me out on a date.”
Even’s grin grows. “Is this relationship going to be based on food?”
Isak lifts a shoulder and waits for Even to take a sip of his coffee before he answers. “And hopefully sex.”
He smirks as Even chokes on his drink in response. A start for stealing his muffins.