Chapter Text
Wilhelm opened the door to his bedroom and tugged Simon over the threshold. He pulled his boyfriend to his chest, kicked the door shut behind them with his foot, and finally took a deep breath to try to calm his racing heart and thoughts. Simon wrapped his arms around Wille’s back and crushed him into a grounding hug before turning his head to kiss his neck lightly. He pulled back to look into Wille’s eyes to gauge just how upset he was to find them closed, but his breathing was more even than before.
“Do you want to talk about it, or do you want a distraction?” Simon asked quietly.
Wille took another deep breath before responding, “We should talk about it. I know we haven’t been able to check in as much as we needed with exams right before the break.”
Simon hummed in acknowledgment, leading Wille further into the space. A benefit of being at Drottningholm slott was that there was no guard stationed outside Wille’s room as there had been at Hillerska. There was still no reason to have this conversation against a door when there were three terribly uncomfortable antique couches in the sitting room to choose from.
“Let’s at least change out of our dinner clothes first,” Wille said.
Simon smirked over his shoulder, “I thought you didn’t want a distraction?”
Wille cracked a smile, “Fair, that's always distracting. But if you’ll recall, that is why I insisted on personally bringing your bags up before dinner.”
Simon did recall. Wille was waiting for him in the hall, right where palace security let him through a side entrance to the castle away from public view. He immediately took Simon’s bag, grabbed his hand, and set a brisk pace to his private rooms.
He stuttered, laughing, and said, “Uh, hello. I haven’t seen you move this fast since you chased down our car.”
“Hello to you, too. Hilarious. It’s been a month and a half since I’ve seen you – you should be happy I’m not sprinting. Like you said, I already proved I can and will for you.”
“Well, that’s adorable and embarrassing for you. But seriously, your legs are so much longer than mine that I can barely keep up.”
Wille stopped in the middle of the hallway, turned, and yanked Simon forward into a heated, albeit sloppy, kiss. He broke the kiss and then nosed his way to Simon’s ear.
“I’d carry you, but who would take your bag?” He whispered.
Simon’s breath hitched, and he saw the smug look on Wille’s face before he turned and started dragging him through the halls of the castle at breakneck speed yet again.
“We should definitely revisit the carrying thing sometime, though,” Simon practically panted – though he wasn’t sure if it was from running to keep up with his boyfriend or said boyfriend’s audacity.
“Oh, we definitely will, älskling.”
Audacity then.
They reached the doors to Wille’s rooms faster than Simon thought possible, and no sooner were they through the sitting room and into the bedroom before Wille tossed Simon’s duffle bag to the ground with all the care of someone who had never seen the price of luggage. Before he had time to process, Simon was being tossed, roughly but with more care than the poor duffle bag received, onto Wille’s bed.
Wille wasted no time climbing over his boyfriend, immediately aligning their bodies, threading his hands through his curls, and bringing their lips together in a bruising kiss. Simon wrapped his arms behind Wille’s back and pulled him down with his hands clutching his shoulder blades. He pressed his hips up, causing Wille to press down and detach his lips from Simon’s so he could reattach them to his throat.
“How long before dinner?” Simon breathed out while running one hand up into Wille’s hair.
“Only 30 minutes,” Wille said against his neck.
“Urgh,” Simon groaned. “That’s not nearly long enough.”
“I can work with it,” Wille said casually, pulling off his sweater before grabbing at Simon’s.
Once free from their shirts, Wille nipped at Simon’s neck again before starting a long, slow trail of open-mouth kisses from his collarbone to his chest, to his stomach, and down. His hands slowly followed along Simon’s sides until they reached the top of his jeans. He looked up to catch Simon’s eyes, pleased to find them halfway closed and his chest heaving. Simon nodded slightly, and Wille smiled into the kiss he placed on Simon’s happy trail while he undid his jeans, pulling them and his boxers down his legs.
Fucking audacity.
Simon heard Wille clearing his throat and shook himself from the earlier memory. “And I’m the one who gets easily distracted,” he chuckled.
He couldn’t argue with that since he realized he was still standing in the middle of the room, and Wille was already out of his dress pants and sweater and into sweatpants. They smiled at each other again, and Simon moved to his bag to change while Wille crawled up the bed and sat against the headboard. This conversation wouldn’t happen on a terribly uncomfortable antique couch after all. Small victories.
Simon finished changing and then sat on his knees next to Wille. His boyfriend smiled at him, held his arms out, and pulled his knees up to his chest, but spread them apart, leaving the perfect spot for Simon to fall back against him. Simon obliged, of course, and Wille wrapped his arms around his torso and pulled him back tighter against his chest. Simon leaned back on Wille’s left shoulder and turned his head slightly to look up into his face.
“I’m so sorry,” Wille started with a sigh.
“None of that was your fault. I –,”
“But I told you he wouldn’t be here. They told me he wouldn’t still be here.”
“Wille,” Simon stopped him. “That dinner sucked for a lot of reasons, but it was because you were blindsided, and your parents pulled shit again. Thank you for worrying about me, and I love you for it; I do, but I’m only worried about you right now.”
Instinctively, Wille tightened his hold on Simon and took a deep breath. Deep breaths were becoming a constant in his life in the last six months of living with his parents again. They were trying to be there for Wille in ways he hadn’t experienced in years, even before Erik died, but there was still a deep divide between them that was proving to take a lot of time and effort to bridge. And nights like tonight were doing anything but help.
“Thank you. Yeah, it was really shitty. He was supposed to leave after we taped the New Year’s message earlier today. I would have never walked you into the dining room knowing he and his stupid parents would be sitting there.”
“I mean, I was definitely surprised. But more so angry on your behalf because I knew your parents cornered you with them.”
“Yeah, but Simon, they only did because you were here. I mean, August is bad enough. But his fucking stepdad? Who, up until tonight, had only ever spoken to you as his lawyer when claiming the video was ‘relatively harmless ’? What the fuck were my parents thinking?”
Simon sighed. “I know. And I’m mad at them, trust me, but I know seeing August around is just part of this. It’s the price we agreed to pay for you to be free. And I’ll keep paying it forever.”
He leaned up and kissed Wille’s cheek quickly. “Now stop hiding your feelings behind worry for me. How has it really been since break started?”
“I – what…forever?” Wille sputtered.
“Yeah, now stop avoiding the question.”
“Speaking of things we’re going to revisit…”
“Oh, we definitely will, mi alma,” Simon said, the smile evident in his voice.
“Alma? That one’s new. What does it mean?”
“I’ll tell you after you tell me how it’s been having Royal Duties Lite with August the past couple of weeks.”
Having August in the castle had been an adjustment for Wille, his parents, and the entire Royal Court. But when the Royal Court announced right after August’s graduation last June that he would be a working member of the family and be granted a title and spot in the line of succession, they also announced that both the Queen and Crown Prince Wilhelm would take a step back from royal duties to focus on their wellbeing and grief after losing Erik, and so that Wilhelm could finish his schooling without distractions. So far, it had worked well for everyone, and as the Queen said, it would make the transition to August easier for the public when they announced that Wilhelm was renouncing his title on his 18th birthday.
Wille raised his right hand and ran it roughly down his face before wrapping it around Simon. “Obviously, I knew he’d be here leading up to Christmas for all the events and press. And I didn’t want to hang out or anything, but I could, like, deal with it if it meant not having to do anything except stand in two video messages as my parents had agreed.
It wasn’t terrible, so maybe I should have seen tonight coming because my parents noticed that we were ignoring each other, and after I dismissed their first few comments about it, they dropped it. They never drop anything.
Mamma said she was happy he and I weren’t fighting, but asked how long before I would talk to him. I just kind of stepped back and was like, well, why do we have to talk? There’s no press inside the castle to see that we’re not speaking to each other, so why does it matter? And she said she was worried about leaks from staff – that the gossip sites would say there’s a rift in the Royal Family.”
Simon noticed Wille’s heart rate increasing underneath him and started rubbing his hands over Wille’s wrists to soothe him.
“And I tried to say that’s not my problem. That I took a public step back from the Royal Family and hadn’t said or done a thing against August since he became a working royal and that was more than enough cooperation on my part. Then she got pretty irritated and said if I was comfortable giving him my job then I should be able to be family with him again, and it was selfish and hypocritical to use him as an out from being Crown Prince but still ignore him.”
“Wille,” Simon started softly, “None of that is right. You’re protecting yourself by stepping down and by only interacting with August in the way you’re comfortable doing right now. He wanted this job. Giving it to him didn’t mean giving him a pass on everything else.”
Wille sighed heavily again. “I know. And that’s what I was trying to say but I was just getting so frustrated and felt like she wasn’t listening to me again. And then…,” he paused, “I just…”
“Take your time. But you can tell me anything.”
“I lost my cool, and I’ve been working so hard to keep it in check when dealing with my parents. And all it does is make them see me as an impulsive kid and I hate that they’re right to think that sometimes.”
Simon turned in his arms and straddled his lap. He brought his hands up to either side of Wille’s neck and kissed his forehead before pulling back to look him in his eyes.
“Hey. Getting mad is not a moral failing. Especially in such a warranted moment. And I know how hard you’ve been working on your anger, and I’m still so proud of you for wanting to address it. No one said never get mad again, right? What did Boris say?”
After Hillerska closed, Boris moved to a cottage in a small town outside of Linköping. Wille couldn’t imagine bringing another therapist up to speed, nor did he think he could be as comfortable with someone as he was with Boris. He called the man himself about a week before he was set to start his second year of gymnasieskola and asked if he’d be willing to keep Wille as a patient virtually, at least until he officially renounced his title in May.
“Of course, Crown Prince,” Boris said happily over the phone. “I gave you my personal number hoping you would use it.” So, he and Boris resumed their weekly appointments, via secure link the Royal Court actually seemed eager to utilize, and Wille felt good about the progress they were making on his temper, anxiety, and communication.
Wille sniffled and leaned up to peck Simon’s lips before settling back against the headboard again. “Thank you, Simon. I know you’re right. I just hate that it made me feel so guilty. And Boris said pretty much what you did.”
“Well of course he did – I am so smart,” Simon said smiling and laughing.
“Yes, yes you really are,” Wille said, mirroring his smile.
“What else is there?”
“In a love/hate relationship with how well you can read me, by the way.”
“It’s a gift.”
Wille smiled and started to open his mouth.
“And don’t even say I’m a gift. That is the cheesiest thing you could possibly say, and I will get up off your lap immediately.”
“I – what…excuse you,” Wille gaped.
“You were absolutely about to say that, don't even lie.”
“Yeah, I absolutely was but damn…called me out.”
Simon smiled and leaned in to kiss him. He lingered probably a second too long for the seriousness of the conversation then pulled back.
“What else?”
“Fine,” Wille breathed out, “Mamma said I’ve been so good at controlling my emotions recently so if I couldn’t handle talking about August it must be because I’m not defending how I really feel…but how you do.”
“Ah. That’s why you said they only did this because I was here.”
“Yeah, she thinks I don’t actually have an issue with August anymore but I’m keeping him at arm’s length because you still hate him. Which, for the record, is not even true. I have conflicting feelings about August but I’m still nowhere close to wanting him back in my life.”
“I get that. But you know I’m following your lead with when and how, or if, you let him back in. Yes, I’ll never forgive him. But he is your family. And you supported me forgiving Sara and so I’ll support you too. I can still ignore him.”
“I know. And I really do appreciate it. But honestly, I’m so far from crossing that bridge that you don’t even have to worry about that right now. And Sara was your best friend and sister; of course I wanted you to make up. I never liked August to begin with.”
Simon let out a short laugh. “Okay true. So, is this why you think your parents had them stay for dinner because I was here? To force him and me to speak and what? Become BFFs? Then you’d want him as your bestie too?” Simon continued laughing.
“Honestly yeah, that’s all I can think of. But, of course, I was so surprised they should have known I’d just not speak.”
“Yes, thanks for that - I loved playing 20 questions with Rickard and Ludvig while the moms sat in uncomfortable silence.”
Wille tipped his forehead onto Simon’s chest and grunted. “Urgh, I know I’m so sorry I just froze.”
Simon carded his fingers through Wille’s hair. “It’s okay. You came back online when August asked about Sara at least.”
With that Wille’s head snapped up. “I wanted to punch him. He doesn’t get to speak to you or about her.”
“Have I mentioned I like protective Wille?”
“Yeah? How much?” Wille said with a smirk.
Simon leaned in and kissed him again. Their lips moved with a practiced ease, calm but loving. After a minute they broke the kiss and looked at each other with matching soft smiles.
“Feel better? Is there more to talk about?” Simon asked.
“A lot better, thank you. And I want to hear about the end of term for you and everything else. And we need to make sure we have everything covered for going to the cabin. And if we need to bring anything to Maddie and Felice’s tomorrow night? But, maybe in the morning?”
Simon nodded. “Definitely, it’s late,” he said as he rolled off Wille’s lap and laid down next to him. Wille reached over to turn the bedside lamp off, so the only light was filtering in through the lace curtains. He laid down next to Simon and pulled him close for another kiss.
“Thank you for being here. I’ve really missed you,” Wille whispered into the dark room.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. And you’ll be so sick of me after a whole week locked in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with me,” Simon whispered back.
“I absolutely will not. That’s my five-year plan actually.”
“Tell me all about it in the morning?”
“Deal. I love you.”
“I love you too. Good night, Wille.”
“Good night, Simon.”
Wille placed a quick kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead then settled back against his pillow. Simon turned in his arms so they were spooning and scooted back so they were touching from shoulder to toes. A few minutes passed where they both soaked in being in each other’s arms again after weeks apart. Simon was nearly asleep when he heard Wille whisper, “Hey Simon?”
“Yeah?”
“What does mi alma mean?”
“My soul.”
The next afternoon Simon and Wille were bundled up and walking through the private back gardens. They had slept in and woken slowly with soft touches and gentle kisses in the warm light of the midmorning sun. Wille typically hated waking up to his room being too bright. He was technically a morning person, mostly because he was always forced up, if not for school, then for meetings or Princely duties. He always found the brightness too jarring and had requested thicker curtains in his room several times over the years.
This morning, and any morning he was lucky enough to wake with Simon at his side, he was thanking every God or Goddess of the Sun that he got to bear witness to Simon bathed in light. He was beautiful in every situation. He was resplendent in the sun. It was like every cell of Simon’s body was created to be cast in a golden glow. The sun revealed the multifaceted layers to his hair, uncovered the depths of his eyes, and set his skin ablaze in a way Wille could hardly comprehend, but worshiped all the same.
Simon, a true night owl, hated waking up in any capacity, but Wille being there made it arguably the best part of his day. His house was always loud and hectic, especially in the mornings. Sharing such a small space meant always being woken up by Sara in their bathroom, Linda rushing for breakfast in the kitchen, or the two shouting in mixed Spanish and Swedish before heading out to school and work. Simon rarely was awoken peacefully or with care.
If there was one thing Wille was going to do, it was care for Simon. So, despite being before eleven and far too bright, Simon smiled and nuzzled closer into Wille’s side as he felt his boyfriend’s hands skating over his arms, back, and chest. He could feel the love and devotion radiating from Wille. He started planting light kisses over his face, then moved down to his neck and collarbone, causing Simon to giggle and squirm. Twenty minutes and two mouths mapping each other’s bodies later, they finally emerged for a – very – late breakfast.
Thankfully, the late start meant they didn’t run into the Queen or Duke in the private family kitchen. They ate slowly, feet intertwined beneath the table, and Simon updated Wille all about how the end of term had gone.
Simon and Sara had gone back to Marieburg after Hillerska shut down. For a while they thought Linda would move them to Göteborg, and for a while Simon thought that would be for the best, but after their summer trip with Wille and Felice neither sibling wanted to be even further away from Stockholm. Rosh and Ayub also made the excellent point that Simon would be the Crown Prince’s boyfriend anywhere he went. While a new city sounded like a fresh start, it would just be a lonely place with no friends and a lot of people to gawk at him. At least in Bjärstad he had his lifelong best friends to keep him company and buffer from the weirdos wanting to ask deeply personal questions in the middle of the cafeteria.
The transition could have gone worse. Really. However, after his first day back he did seriously consider the ethics of keeping fish for pets. All he could imagine as he stood by his locker and watched every person aged 16-19 in Bjärstad watch him even more closely was him being trapped in a glass cage, on display for the masses, never to be unknown again. It calmed down a little after Rosh asked the entire hallway what they were staring at and Ayub looked at Simon with wide eyes and said, “Oh shit, should I know you from somewhere?”
Sara adjusted better than Simon could have hoped. Their year at Hillerska gave her confidence and the art of not giving a fuck, so the bullies that hadn’t graduated the previous year either moved on when they realized they didn’t bother her anymore, or just ignored her from the beginning. She had her brother, Rosh, and Ayub with her almost all the time anyway, and no one was all too eager to get on Rosh’s bad side. Much to her amusement.
People were still weird with Simon though. They either openly hated him for being with the Crown Prince and made constant remarks, or desperately didn’t want the Crown Prince to have reason to hate them, resulting in either people he never spoke to before trying to suck up to him, or people he knew hated him biting back their sneers on the off chance they ever needed an in with the Royal Family.
Worst though were the two random guys he didn’t even know also liked boys who incessantly hit on him or tried to flirt for the first few weeks of school. One guy got the message after he cornered Simon in front of all his Year 12 friends and asked him to the movies yet again. When Simon said he already had a date that weekend the guy sneered, “Oh, with who?” and Simon deadpanned, “The Queen.”
The second guy was harder to shake. He popped up all around the school to try and talk to or just hover near him. He sent countless DMs, and after Simon blocked him, he created another account and tried again. Finally, Wille handled it after an exasperated Simon slammed his phone down on the bed one weekend when they were together in Simon’s room.
“Here just let me respond,” Wille said, holding his hand out for Simon’s phone.
“Um, absolutely not – we don’t need screenshots of you scaring random teenagers going viral.”
His phone buzzed yet again, so sighing he caved and gave it to Wille.
“Can I send this picture?” Wille asked, showing the phone to Simon.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind, but you know it won’t stay in that message if you send it.”
“I’m counting on that,” Wille said slyly. “Done!” he added proudly after a couple of minutes.
“God do I even want to know?” Simon groaned.
Wille handed the phone back and Simon looked at the messages, laughing. The boy from school’s last message said if Simon got bored playing princess, he was always available to show him a good time. Wille responded with a picture Felice had taken of them over the summer on the dock of her parent’s lake house. They didn’t post it on their accounts at the time because it was oddly intimate and after the past year, they really did value their privacy. But Wille was comfortable with it, so Simon was too.
The sun was behind them, they were both only in swimsuits, and were glistening with lake water in their hair and on their skin. Simon was laughing and looking up at Wille, and Wille was standing behind him doing his “soul stare,” as Sara had named it, into Simon’s eyes, with his arms wrapped tightly around his waist and a look of pure adoration on his face. He sent a message with it: “Many men have gone to war for less. Don’t think I won’t. Also don’t fact check that. I totally have the authority. But really stop being creepy. – Wille of Sweden”
The guy did post it, of course, and the screenshot went viral within two hours. The internet flayed the poor kid alive for not respecting boundaries. “Wilmon” fan accounts went crazy over the picture, but especially over Wille threatening a modern-day Trojan War, actually showing his personality, and that being the only recorded time outside of official duties Wille acknowledged he was a Prince. The Royal Court scheduled a meeting about social media etiquette for the next day.
So, while reintegrating into Marieburg was almost as normal as could be, two big things had changed in Simon and Sara’s lives in Bjärstad.
First, their house really wasn’t safe for them anymore. It was too accessible and too many people knew where they lived. Linda used some of the settlement money from August and got them a nicer, but still modest, apartment in a brand new complex closer to her job and the school. Simon and Sara still shared a bathroom, but everyone had their own room, the communal spaces were larger and more open, and the kitchen and bathrooms were far more modern than their previous home. They were on the top floor, and one of only three units on that level, so the privacy was much better without journalists camped outside at all hours. Better yet, their new address hadn’t been leaked yet, and the Royal Court was monitoring it to keep it from getting out after the rock incident, and because of how often you could find the Crown Prince hiding out in the smallest bedroom.
The second thing wasn't as good, but thankfully the Royal Court was working hard to keep it from leaking too, but for the Crown and Wille’s sake, not because they suddenly cared about Simon. The family knew Micke had begun drinking again when Sara moved back home and he gifted her the car as an apology. Unfortunately, while Simon and Sara were gone a lot that summer Micke spiraled again. He was arrested once for public intoxication in June, and again in July when he got sloppy dealing alcohol to minors. He was sentenced to 16 months in jail and was set to be released in November of their third and final school year, just in time for Simon’s 19th birthday.
Simon still had a hard time talking about it. The weekend the Royal Court told him of Micke’s sentencing he shut down for a day and barely looked at Wille. No matter what Wille did, Simon just wanted to be alone, until he finally snapped at Wille to give him “some fucking space.” It wasn’t a fight, not really. But it was the tensest time in their relationship since they got back together after graduation.
The next day Simon stood awkwardly in front of Wille trying to hide all of his emotions, and Wille sat in front of Simon scared to do or say the wrong thing. Wille, on the verge of tears, apologized to Simon – just a blanket apology he hoped wouldn’t make matters worse – and Simon, seeing the strain it was putting on his favorite person, finally broke down and cried. Wille was on his feet immediately and pulled Simon into a bear hug, and Simon buried his face in Wille’s chest and clawed into his back repeating, “I’m so sorry,” in between sobs. They stayed clutching another and bearing their worst thoughts and fears to each other for hours, until both of their throats were raw and their eyes red.
Now it was two days after Christmas, and they bundled up to walk in the gardens, far away from the public grounds. They checked with Farima and Malin that all the plans were set for them to go to the family cabin the next day, and were enjoying a pretty winter’s afternoon with each other before their plans that night.
“Do we need to bring anything to Felice’s?” Simon asked, lacing their fingers back together after detaching to take some pictures of Wille in the snow.
“I asked but she said they have everything covered. It’s not really a party, just ‘a friend get together,’ her words, so she and Maddie covered all the food and drinks. I think Ayub is bringing some games, and Alex is bringing the puppy his family got for Christmas - so really what else do we need?”
“A puppy?! That’s definitely a party then,” Simon chuckled. “It’s really good of Felice to invite my friends. I told her too, but it means a lot that they want to get to know each other.”
“Without the rest of Hillerska there this time you mean?” Wille jokeed.
“Ugh, yeah, that did not go well…Mr. I’m Working This Summer Too.”
Wille glared at him.
“What? Hopefully this time will be a lot better. More natural. Less judge-y.”
“I’m sure it will. We lost the dead weight. All that’s left are our actual friends,” Wille said with a small smile.
“Hm, very true. Well, I’m just glad we could have the whole group get together. It has been since the camping trip that we all hung out, and Sara wasn’t even at that - and I don’t remember Alex being around the campfire at all.”
This “low-key friend get together” was definitely a sort of milestone, finally combining the most important people to both Wille and Simon in hopes everyone would blend into one larger friend group, or at the very least tolerate each other. And since Hillerska closed, it had been since that awkward camping trip last April that everyone would be together, everyone being: Felice, Maddie, Rosh, Ayub, Sara, and Alexander.
Or really it was merging to very distinct friend groups, since Simon, Sara, Ayub, and Rosh still went to Marieburg together, and through a little bit of begging and happenstance, Wille, Felice, Maddie, and Alex went to the same school in Stockholm.
After their impromptu trip to Felice’s family lake house over the summer, plus a week hiding at at the Eriksson's, Wille went back to Drottningholm to face his parents, plan how to announce his reduced royal role, and where he was going to school come mid-August. His parents and the Royal Court already had plans to ship him to Switzerland to École Chantecler. Wille told them in no uncertain terms that fancy Swiss boarding schools attended by other various levels of European royalty was where a Crown Prince went, and just Wilhelm would be staying in Stockholm, so they better find a school nearby they deemed “worthy” enough.
Ultimately it was agreed that while he would technically still be the Crown Prince until he could legally renounce his title at age 18, he could fully step back from the role except for certain full family holiday appearances and attend Stockholm International School. The school battle was hard fought. The Queen and Jan Olof argued that he should attend a very small, private school outside of the city because it would be easier to control security and have staff and students bound by NDAs, the way it had been at Hillerska.
Naturally, Wille was really fucking against that idea. He argued that he wanted to go somewhere more diverse, and that part of living a life away from the crown meant giving up control. He desperately wanted to surround himself with less children of nobles and more “regular” people. After all, he fully planned on attending university and having a career now and learning more about the real world would only help him succeed on his own.
Farima suggested Stockholm International, saying there was a year’s long waitlist to get in with high fees still, so it wasn’t as if they would be sending him to the regular public school he tried and failed spectacularly at already. She provided a list of notable people’s children currently enrolled and explained that the international crowd would be good exposure for Wilhelm, and they might be less likely to care about him being a prince.
Eventually everyone agreed, a call was made to jump the list, and Wille added this to his list of reasons Farima was the only member of the Royal Court he liked. He called Felice that night.
“Do you know where you’re going to school yet?”
“No. Smysan is still pushing for SSHL, but I really don’t want to board again. My dad is trying to talk her into letting me stay at our Östermalm apartment and go public since she doesn’t want to leave the estate house.”
“Oh no, which multi-million-kronor house should I live in so I can go to the right school?” Wille joked in a whiny voice.
“Okay, Mr. Eriksson, dial it back,” she scoffed while laughing.
Wille tried to ignore what being called by Simon’s last name did to his heart and stomach and throat.
“Rude but accurate,” he sputtered. “Okay, well what if you stayed in Östermalm and went to Stockholm International, maybe with your best friend ever and we can face the wolves together?”
“Wait. That could work. I bet Maddie would be in too! She’s trying to get her parents to let her come back Sweden instead of staying in NYC.”
Felice wasn’t sure where her friendship with Maddie stood when she left her with Stella and Fredericka and ditched out on their New York trip. She was ready to cut her losses with Stella and Fredericka. She explained how they hadn’t been good or understanding friends – it just took until Sara told her she did the right thing by being honest with the school inspectors for her to realize it.
Maddie had been supportive though, and frequently put Stella and Fredericka in their places, she was just a little guilty by association in Felice’s mind, and when her body was screaming at her to make a break for it after graduation, she went one way and Maddie went the other.
For five days. Two of which were spent on planes. Barely four days into their New York trip Maddie kicked Stella and Fredericka out for all of the shit they were talking about Felice and Sara. They had even started blasting Wille and Simon, which Maddie thought was rich considering she knew they were sneaking around with each other. After one comment too many Maddie snapped and yelled at them to get out of her house and called Felice from the taxi apologizing and saying she was flying back to Sweden, and they were working this out. So, Maddie joined them for the tail end of their lake house trip and patched things up with Felice, and more impressively with Sara.
And when Felice told Maddie about Wille’s idea, Maddie jumped at the chance to be able to stay in Sweden to finish school. The two of them moved into Felice’s family apartment in the city, shockingly close to their new school, and resumed their roommate routine. Wille also tried not to think about just how much money all three families threw at the school to get their kids in on a month’s notice, not if it meant having two people he adored with him for the next two years.
That’s how the three friends found themselves walking into Stockholm International School for the first day of third year. People gawked at them still. How could they not openly stare at the Crown Prince who recently outed himself and his relationship to the world, his best friend who was an Instagram star in her own right, and a girl who apparently was holding back her craziest outfits, hairstyles, and makeup while at Hillerska - based on what she opted for as her first impression look at this school? They couldn’t not look at them, so everyone did.
They were expecting everyone’s eyes to be on them that first day though. What they weren’t expecting was to find another exiled Hillis among their fellow third years. They didn’t see each other during the school wide welcome assembly, but when they broke to a smaller room with only the rest of their grade they quickly found a shocked face and pair of wide eyes staring up at them from the front row of desks: Alexander Bragé, decidedly not at a Swiss boarding school like he had been during his brief expulsion from Hillerska.
“Hey Alex!” Maddie said happily while taking the seat next to him.
“Um, hey Maddie…Felice…Crown Prince,” Alex said hesitantly.
Wille gave him a small smile and head nod and then sat with Felice at the desk behind Alex and Maddie. He honestly wasn’t sure how Alex felt about him post-Hillerska, but being called by his title and not Wille did suggest not being on good terms. Plus, he wasn’t sure if he wanted them to be freinds at all after Alex agreed to help August. But still, before that happened Alex had been the only other first-year boy besides Simon that Wille thought was actually his friend, and not the Crown Prince’s friend.
It’s why he still felt guilty about throwing him under the bus for the drugs, and probably why Alex felt betrayed enough by it to side with August. Despite the shitty things they did to each other he wanted to believe the months they were friends were real.
The four stuck together though, singled out by their new classmates as fleeing that scandalous closed school, despite Alex and Wille barely speaking. Maddie knew something was up and finally asked Wille about it one afternoon a couple of weeks into the school year while doing homework with Felice at their apartment.
“Okay. Spill. Something is up with you and Alex, and the vibes are actually killing me.”
Wille blew out a long breath and stared across the table at Felice.
“Obviously I haven’t told her anything,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender.
“Yeah no one has,” Maddie huffed, “and if you don’t want to say anything I’ll understand. But you used to be friends and I guess I didn’t notice the change with everything happening at the end of last term, but it’s clear you aren’t anymore, and I need to know whose side I’m on in the divorce.”
“Good God, Americans are so dramatic,” Felice said, exasperated.
“No, no, I’ll tell you. Honestly, I’ve been meaning to because I want us to all be able to talk about anything openly, among ourselves of course. It’s just a lot. And part of it isn’t just my story to tell. And parts are me at my absolute worst. And most of it I’m not even legally allowed to talk about.”
“Yeah, but Americans are dramatic,” Maddie deadpanned. “But also, that’s juicy as fuck.”
“Girl brace yourself – it is.” Felice said.
Wille covered the whole story. Maddie knew parts, like that Simon and Wille were together long before anyone had any clue, Alex was caught with and expelled because of drugs, and there was a giant rift between Wille and August. But he filled in the rest: August manipulating Simon into bringing the drugs because he refused to pay him back, Wille throwing Alex under the bus to protect Simon and throwing August under the bus with The Society to do it, August retaliating by releasing the video, Felice figuring it out and the Royal Court covering it up, Alex agreeing to take the fall for August when he found out it was Wille he betrayed him, Wille threatening August at the shooting range, and finally that all of this was settled with August out of court by the crown.
It took him about 15 minutes straight to cover everything. At some point Felice held his hand over the table and he was so anxious he hadn’t even noticed. When he was done Maddie stared at him, unblinking.
“Holy. Shit. What. The. Actual. Goddamn. Fuck.”
“Pretty much what I said.”
“Excellently put,” Felice and Wille said at the same time.
“Okay we’re going to take this point by point because oh my god,” Maddie said, standing up to pace around the room. “First, despite hurting my boy Alex, it’s actually kind of adorable how far you’ll go for Simon, especially considering that was before the video and anyone even knowing you were together.”
“I mean I literally held a gun to August’s head to protect him.”
“Not your finest moment though,” Felice murmured.
“Yeah, that’s some batshit, American behavior - but dare I say warranted?” Maddie said. “Okay, but the biggest reveal. IT WAS AUGUST ALL ALONG? AND YOU BOTH KNEW? AND NOW YOU’RE LETTING HIM BE KING??”
“It wasn’t my information to share,” Felice told her friend.
“No, babes, not upset about you not telling me at all. And thank you, Wille, for trusting me with all of this. I get how serious Royal Court settlements and NDAs are. I’m just so sorry you had to know this, and watch your family protect him, and still deal with him every day. Jesus Christ.”
“Thank you. It hasn’t been easy.”
“So that’s why you staged a coup in Forest Ridge and propped Vincent up, of all people.”
“Ha, yeah. I almost regretted giving him that much power there at the end, but it was worth it to punish August the only way I could at the time.”
“But now you’re going to let him become Crown Prince? And the King?”
Wille exhaled slowly again. Felice squeezed his hand. “I have to, Mads. I never wanted this. Deep down I never agreed with it either - I just didn’t know I was allowed to think that. It’s been slowly killing me my whole life. It just started rapidly killing me once I became Crown Prince. I had to save myself.”
“And Simon?” Maddie asked.
“I did it for me. I told my parents while we were still broken up. But yeah, I knew there wasn’t a scenario where I was King and had him. I picked me and just prayed he would too.”
“Oh, so you’re like in love in love with him. Forever kind of shit.”
“Eloquent as always, boo,” Felice chided.
“Yes,” Wille said, still serious. “I know we’re 17, but yeah, for me it’s forever. Hopefully it is for him too.”
“I wouldn’t be worried about that based on what I saw at the lake house,” Maddie laughed, sitting back down at the table.
“And you missed the worst of it that first week,” Felice said, patting Wille’s hand then letting go.
“Sorry not sorry,” Wille grinned.
“Okay, back to the topic that started all of this before we got understandably sidetracked: Alex,” Maddie said.
“Alex,” Wille repeated.
“I definitely see why there’s so much tension now. Something still feels off to me though.”
“Why’s that?”
“Even being mad at you about the drug stuff, agreeing to take the fall for potential child porn, especially since you and him were friends, it just feels like we’re missing something. Obviously it’s up to you, but I think you should talk to him. Do you want to be friends again?”
“I’d be willing to hear him out. And I do miss being friends. But Simon and I have been betrayed by enough people. So, I’m not sure if I can get over him helping August.”
“And that’s totally fair. Just think about it?” Maddie asked.
“I will.”
It took another week before Alex approached him between classes and asked if they could talk during their free period. Wille agreed, and an hour later he found himself sitting across from Alex at a small table in a private study room.
Alex took a breath before diving right in. “I was hurt and mad, still am a little even though I’ve had time to get over it and understand, but I also owe you a massive apology.”
“Okay. I’m listening,” Wille said, folding his arms across his chest.
“What August did to you, to both of you, was unforgivable. And as your friend I hate him for it and should never have agreed to help him. So, for that I really am sorry. And, I understand if you hate me for it forever.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure yet if I can move past that. I’m just so confused. Even if you hated me back for the drug thing…just, why? Why agree to take the blame for something so terrible?”
Alex looked up to the ceiling and hummed under his breath. Finally he looked back to Wille, his eyes betraying just how conflicted he felt. “If I tell you I didn’t want to, and was forced, would you believe me?”
“Like he blackmailed you into it? Of course I’d believe that. He blackmailed me and Simon into not pressing charges, as you probably pieced together.”
“Yeah, I did. And yes, he did,”
“Alex, what does he have on you?”
“I promise I’ll tell you one day. I really will. I would have anyway, just in my own time and because I wanted to. But I’m not there right now.”
“I get that. Believe me,” Wille said with a self-deprecating smile.
“Yeah, you would,” Alex grimaced. “It was really shitty of you to blame me for the drugs. But I can’t say I don’t understand why you did now that I know everything with you and Simon. I just knew everyone was lying to me at that god forsaken place. I thought you were the one person being honest.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, truly. I still hate myself for doing it. And if it helps, Simon hated me for it too.”
Alex smiled a little at that. “He would. I think he’s good for you."
Wille's lips twitched up, then he remembered there was something else he was curious about.
"Is that why you're here and not back at that Swiss school you went to?"
"How about I promise to tell you that reason eventually too?"
"Okay, that's fair."
"You know I meant what I said when I told you you were good and protected the people who were different.”
“You still think so?”
“Of course. I was just wrapped up in worrying about myself. I was the only non-white guy in our year, and was new money, so all the other guys still looked down on me because - hierarchy - or some bullshit. I thought if I tried hard enough I’d be one of them. But that was my mistake. Someone is always at the bottom of the food chain. And I forgot about Simon. Also not white. Working class. Openly gay. I didn’t think anyone would care about him over me. No one imagined you caring about him over everyone else.”
Wille couldn't help but smile at someone recognizing Simon's place in his life. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest though when he remembered the rest of what Alex said. “Yeah, but I still hurt you.”
“You did. And I’m not giving you a pass on it. But even though I was low on the Hillerska hierarchy, the Me’s of the world still win. The Simon’s don’t. And you protected him. You did protect the different ones; it just wasn’t me. So it took a while, but once I got my head out of my ass I realized you were actually better than I originally gave you credit for being.”
“Wow. Um, thank you? Id on't know about all that, but you kinda sounded like Simon just then.”
“Now that’s a compliment,” Alex said with a smile.
“Can I ask you something?” Wille said tentatively.
“Shoot.”
“If you knew all The Society guys turned on you, why just be mad at me for the betrayal? How were you still friends with people you knew looked down on you?”
Alex held his gaze for a minute and drummed his fingers against the table. “Come on, Wille. Simon’s taught you this.”
“He has?”
“I was a minority in a racist and classist system. I was just trying to survive it.”
From there, their friendship and trust slowly returned. They both let go of any residual anger or resentment, and though Wille wondered what August was holding over Alex’s head, he did believe his friend that he would tell him eventually. They, plus Felice and Madison, were a tight knit group of four, and once people got over the shock of having royalty around, everyone left them alone. They sat together in classes, hung out at breaks, and studied together after school. It was honestly a lot like Hillerska, just without the ancient traditions and Vincent breathing down everyone’s neck about every little thing.
When Felice mentioned them getting together over winter break with Simon and Sara and their friends Rosh and Ayub, everyone agreed it would be great to reunite and get to know Simon’s friends beyond their Twitter and Instagram interactions. Alex was a little nervous to see Simon though. They hadn’t talked much at Hillerska, and while Alex admired Simon for his convictions and wanted to be friends, he wasn’t sure if the feeling was mutual.
Wille explained Alex's trepidation to Simon as they headed in from the gardens to go get ready for the Not-A-Party get together at Felice and Maddie’s. They had definitely stayed outside too long if their scratchy, red cheeks and noses were any indication, and they needed to leave in an hour to get across town in time.
“Why would he think I don’t want to be friends?” Simon asked Wille with a tilt of his head.
“Probably thinks you’ll be mad about him and August still, and he mentioned that you haven’t really spoken much to each other.”
“Yeah, I don’t love it, but I understood his reasons, and like you said, August clearly was blackmailing him.”
“He probably just needs to hear that from you. The same way Rosh and Ayub needed me to tell them I was all in and they could trust me with you.”
“Okay, you work on integrating my friends, and I’ll work on becoming friends with yours.”
“Solid plan, älskling.”
An hour and a half later, Wille and Simon were standing outside of Felice’s family’s apartment door with Malin in tow, their plan for the evening in mind. Wille raised his hand to knock, but before he could Maddie flung the door open to greet them, happily yelling, “If it isn’t Sweden’s hottest and latest power couple!”
“Hi Maddie, sorry we’re a few minutes late. Malin had to sweep the entry before we could come up,” Wille said, rolling his eyes at his friend.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t care, move out of the way,” she said, bodily shoving the current heir to the throne out of her way to tackle Simon in a bear hug. “My darling, dearest Simme, I am SO sorry we weren’t there for your birthday last month. It’s just that SOMEONE said we weren’t invited.”
Simon giggled into her shoulder while she twirled them around in the foyer.
“That is not what I said,” Wille huffed fondly.
“Birthdays are boyfriends only means the same thing,” Maddie replied in a sing-song voice.
“Maddie, stop hogging them and get in here,” Felice yelled from inside the apartment.
They stepped out of their shoes and Maddie helped them hang up their coats before the three friends made their way into the open living room and kitchen, Malin shutting the door from the hall as they went. Rosh, Ayub, and Sara were already there, and everyone quickly made the rounds of hugging and saying hello.
“Wille! Hey man, long time no see. Since Simme’s birthday dinner I guess?” Ayub asked while giving Wille a bro tap.
“WHAT?” Maddie screeched. “I THOUGHT BIRTHDAYS WERE BOYFRIENDS ONLY?!”
Simon just laughed and looked at Wille expectantly while Ayub had the decency to look apologetic while laughing his ass off.
“They live in the same place; of course we saw his best friends. No, you cannot get mad at me over this one!” Wille yelped pointing at Maddie.
“All I’m hearing is we aren’t also Simon’s best friends, and you gatekept your boyfriend’s birthday, and honestly that’s extremely rude.”
“Maddie...” Wille started.
“Loser boyfriend behavior.”
“MADISON…”
Rosh’s eyes bounced back and forth between Maddie and Wille before she grinned, “God, I really like you.”
“I know,” Maddie said with a wink.
“Absolutely not, we’re changing the subject. Is Alex not here yet?” Wille said, looking around.
“No, he is, he just ran the puppy outside really quick. He should be back in a minute.” Felice said.
Everyone settled around the large kitchen island and started making plates of appetizers and catching the group up on how the holidays went. Madison celebrated with her grandparents in Malmö and was flying home to NYC for the last couple weeks of break day after next. Simon and Sara shared some of their Venezuelan traditions they had with Linda. Ayub had just started explaining how his family celebrated a secular holiday season but not Christmas, blending their Swedish roots and Islamic faith, when the door reopened and Alex came in with a tiny Swedish Vallhund puppy on leash.
“Hey everyone!” Alex greeted while bending down to unleash the dog.
“Oh my God, stop; it’s so cute,” Simon mused. He bent down to pet the puppy that had run over to his feet.
“This is Junjie. He’s a handful. But I mean look at his little face,” Alex said, joining everyone at the island.
“Wait, Junjie like Kung Fu Panda Junjie?” Simon asked.
“YES, thank you - someone else with taste!” Alex exclaimed.
“Oh, Simon and I still watch cartoons like every Saturday.” Ayub added.
“Well, I’m officially inviting myself along. I’ll bring Junjie.”
“Oh no, another one,” Rosh deadpanned. “Why Kung Fu Panda though?”
“Because he’s clearly part Swedish and part Chinese like me?”
Everyone laughed at that, and Felice called everyone into the living room to get comfortable and start playing games. Alex was still in the kitchen getting a bowl of water for Junjie, and Simon hesitated while everyone else left for the couches. Alex noticed his hovering and cleared his throat. “Hey, Simon, what’s up?”
“Hey. Can we talk for a minute?”
“Yeah, I think we should. Want one?” Alex asked, holding out a soda.
“Sure, thanks,” Simon said, taking the drink and popping the top. He took a breath. “I wanted to say –“
At that moment the front door opened forcefully and Malin stepped inside the apartment, body tense, eyes sweeping the room and alert. She had her phone against her ear, and everyone fell quiet enough to hear her murmur, “Yes I understand,” before hanging up.
Wille was on his feet instantly and sought Simon's eyes before looking back to Malin. “What is…” he started.
“Crown Prince, I’m sorry, but I’ve been instructed to take you back to Drottningholm at once.”
“Malin, what’s happened?” Wille said with authority, but an edge of fear lined his voice.
Simon crossed the room and held onto Wille’s arm. Wille grabbed back, seeking the support and steadiness of his boyfriend.
“I truly don’t know, sir. All I was told is there is an emergency, and you need to return immediately.”
The room went still, but faintly they heard Junjie whining.