Chapter Text
The beautiful painted ceiling was the first thing Simon saw that morning. Contrary to popular belief - both of the general public and their close friends - Wille was, most of the time, the little spoon, which meant Simon was more than used to waking up and staring at the ceiling until his boyfriend woke up.
His bedroom ceiling wasn’t as entertaining as the ones at Drottningholm, nor as the twinkling lights they hung up at Wille’s dorm, but waking up facing them was good. It meant the two of them had fallen asleep together, a rarer occurrence nowadays, and that he would soon have a very sleepy prince in his hands.
He noticed when Wille’s breath picked up, looking down at the sleeping figure laying on his chest. Wille’s growth spurt at the beginning of third year meant he had to scrunch and tangle his legs around Simon’s to be even remotely comfortable, but still he swore it was his favorite place to be.
As the blond slowly blinked his eyes open into Simon’s chest, he smiled. He loved slow mornings with his boyfriend, and this moment would be one of the only ones they would have on this date - he wasn’t about to throw it away.
“Morning” he whispered, finally looking up, only to catch Simon turning to him
“Good morning, principito” he smiled. “Slept well?”
“I always do when you’re with me” Wille hummed, kissing their joined hands
“Sap”
“You love it” he teased back, cranking his neck to spy on the numbers at the digital clock on his bedside table “I thought it was later”
“As if your staff would let us be late today of any days” Simon hummed, “I bet they’re counting down the seconds to come barging down the door”
“I would normally disagree but” the prince sighed “It is a pretty big day”
“You’re nervous” it wasn’t a question
“As hell” he rubbed his eyes “I won’t be able to live with myself if I ruin Erik’s wedding”
“You won’t, principito” Simon chuckled “It’s not like you never delivered a high-profiled speech before”
“It’s different” Wille whined “I actually wrote this one alone, for one”
“And you had me and Fey and Maddie read it, not counting the people in the PR team” the boy pulled his prince closer “It’s a great speech, love. Erik and Marie will love it”
“You sound so sure”
“I am extremely sure”
“So you’re not nervous at all?”
“That’s not what I said” this time, Wille chuckled, getting a stare from Simon “Oh, I’m sorry if I’m not used to having dinner with half of the world’s monarchs. I don’t even support monarchies”
“They’re not that bad, just really stuck up” Wille sat up, “Besides, I’ll be with you all the time” he kissed the back of Simon’s hand while locking their eyes “I promise”
Simon smiled, sitting up without letting Wille’s hand go, “C’mon, let’s get your teeth brushed. I want to kiss you”
Wille’s fingers carefully and expertly fixed Simon’s cufflinks, stroking his thumb against the engraving. It was a nice touch by Erik, always thinking about the small details. Although Simon couldn’t exactly sit in the front pews along with the bride and groom’s close friends and families, he could still be matching with his boyfriend.
The cufflinks were custom-made too, one of them encrusted with Erik’s and Marie’s joined coat of arms, while the other depicted Luke and Leia - the dog and cat duo they adopted during their engagement. Even in the frozen image, the little black cat still seemed to judge their every moment, while the golden retriever was happy to be slightly involved.
“There you go” Wille’s lower voice ringed “You clean up nicely”
“Better than you do, for sure” Simon rolled his eyes, hands fixing Wille’s pulled-out tie “Do you have your speech?”
“I memorized it” the prince dutifully said “And I have a copy in my coat pocket, and on my phone, and in your phone and I’m pretty sure Anna has a back-up somewhere”
“I was kidding, mi amor ” Simon chuckled, rising to his tiptoes to plant a kiss on his nose “You will do amazing, like you always do”
“I hope so” Wille smiled “I just wish you’d be up there with me today”
“Four more months,” Simon whispered with a smile. Their graduation was in two months, finals crawling closer and closer, and then…
They were calling it a soft-launch. Simon would slowly make his way to public life as both he and Wille went off to college together. They wouldn’t come out with a bang, just not hide from the press anymore. It had worked with Marie once the engagement news went out, and the PR team was positive it would work for Simon and Wille too.
His mom was apprehensive, of course, but Simon was all in and of legal age to decide for himself. Linda’s and Sara’s lives would still be kept as tightly hidden as they’ve always been for as long as he could help, but he wanted to be known as Wille’s boyfriend, to go with him to events and support his work as a patron. It would surely turn his life upside down, but for a greater cause.
“Speaking of which” Wille cleared his throat, stepping back from Simon’s hold, but still with linked hands “I got us something”
“You did?” he raised an eyebrow, watching as his boyfriend dug in his bag, a small box coming up, plain white with a blue ribbon around it. “What’s that?”
“Wait a minute, will you?” the blond chuckled nervously, his fingers twitching. Simon knew that all too well.
“ Principito ?” he cocked his head, “You can show me later. I won’t judge you”
“I know” he cleared his throat, looking at his boyfriend “And I really want you to have it for the ceremony”
“Alright” he nodded “Take your time”
“God, I didn’t think I’d be so nervous” Wille giggled at himself, taking a deep breath before handing Simon the box “Open it”
Simon frowned, but acquiesced. He had to let go of Wille’s hand to untie the ribbon, but the second the lid was off, Wille’s hands were back on him.
“ Love ” he sucked in a sharp breath
“It’s not - We’re not there yet” Wille said quickly, Simon’s widened eyes locked on his “We’re too young and stupid for that. Plus, it would be a higher class asshole move to propose at my brother wedding”
“Yeah, it would,” the boy glanced back down at the rings, the silver glinting in the morning light, “What is it, then? If not That ?”
“It’s a promise” the prince piped up, his shoulders relaxing a little, “A promise to us. To have each other’s back like we did back then, to keep fighting for us even when it gets too though” he smiled softly “And it’s a promise that, one day, it will be That . Whenever we’re ready to take that step”
“They’re beautiful” Simon closed the distance between them and pecked Wille’s lips “Are you sure, though? It’s going to be a very visible declaration”
“Yes” he nodded firmly “You don’t have to wear it now, but I… I want the world to know that I’m yours and that I am extremely serious when it comes to us”
“Well, jokes on you, I’m never taking it off” Simon giggled, “Which one is mine?”
“Turns out they’re almost the same size” Wille looked down, thinking for a second before picking up the ring on the right “I think this is yours”
“What are you waiting for, then?” Simon gave him his left hand “Put it on”
“Bossy” the prince snorted, sliding the thin band onto Simon’s ring finger. It did fit just right, and he didn’t think twice before kissing it, even though it caused his boyfriend to full-belly laugh at him. “Excuse you, I’m trying to be romantic here”
“I love you” Simon said in place of an answer. He picked up the other ring, sliding it in place and kissing it too. “ Te amo ”
“Wow” the prince breathed out, Erik’s eyes meeting his through the mirror. They both smiled, “You look beautiful, Erik”
“You flatter me too much, Gubben ” the king turned, his hands smoothing unexisting wrinkles “What do you think? Royal enough?”
“Screw that” Wille stepped closer, straightening one of the medals “You do look good. Better than your elopement outfit”
“That was not planned months in advance” the man chuckled, looking at his bodyguards and giving them the slightest nod. It didn’t take a minute for the two of them to be completely alone.
“I can’t believe you’re actually marrying her” Wille whispered after a couple seconds, crossing his hands behind his back “How does it feel?”
“Full honesty?” Erik sighed at his little brother’s nodding, “Like one of the few right decisions I have ever made”
“Good thing you don’t fully run the country then”
The king huffed, looking down at his shoes, polished to perfection, “I do wonder” he cleared his throat “If Mamma ever felt like this”
Wille’s eyes softened, shooting out a hand to hold Erik’s arm, “I am sure she did, even if she didn’t show it. And” he tightened his grip a little, making his brother look at him, “I too am sure she would be proud to watch you walk down the aisle. Both as King and as her son”
“That’s all I can hope for” the man smiled, his eyes teary “Although I don’t think she would be too happy with my choice of wife”
“As if that would ever stop you” Wille rolled his eyes “You’re far too stubborn”
“If I’m stubborn, what are you?”
“I just happen to be right a lot of the time” the prince chuckled, letting go of his brother “I mean it, though”
“That I’m stubborn as hell?”
“No” he huffed with a smile “Mamma and Pappa would be ecstatic, overjoyed just like I am. Even with whatever caveats they may have had”
“Thank you” Erik finally said, after a couple beats of silence “Truly, thank you for everything, Gubben ”
“Why are you thanking me?” Wille shook his head “You did it all on your own, I just got to tag along”
“And only the Lord knows where I would be without you” he fixed a stray piece of Wille’s hair with gentle hands “However, I do have to ask - What is this speech I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Wille laughed, blinking away some tears, “That, big brother, is for me to know, and for you to find out”
The reception was not the event Simon was expecting.
He might have not been a public figure at the time, but it didn’t mean he hadn't been introduced to no one. Over the past months of tagging along with Wille from time to time, he had met a fair share of heads-of-state and dignities, and Wille had called way too many of them by the title of cousin. His boyfriend had once joked about his family tree being more of a circle than a line, but it only took one dinner with another royal family for Simon to fully grasp the truthness of that statement.
Still, the reception was the first time he would be surrounded by royals. He wasn’t exaggerating when stating his nervousness earlier.
Thankfully, the younger generation of Royals seemed grounded enough in reality for Simon to actually speak to tem. It helped that Felice was there, accompanying her father, and that Wille - true to his promise - never left his side.
Currently, the prince was involved in a heated debate over heritage laws with an older duke while Simon talked to his wife. Somehow (he blamed Felice), everyone in the room seemed to know his status as soloist in the choir and his plans to try and continue in singing after graduating Hillerska.
(He still hadn't checked his email, not ever since sending over the documentation. It was still too early for an answer anyway)
“You must sing to us one day, my dear” the duchess told him, a sincere smile on her lips “Mayhaps you two could join us for dinner sometime soon”
“Trust me when I say we’ll try, milady” he smiled back, Wille’s hand in his waist tightening in support “But we’ll be back at Hillerska as soon as tonight’s over”
“So soon?”
“I’m afraid so” he sighed softly “Our final exams won’t wait any longer, and I’m already behind schedule in my studies”
“If you’re behind schedule, I’m off of schedule completely” Wille stated, using a pause in his debate to change the topic “I haven’t even started”
“That’s because you are better at algebra than me” Simon responded easily, feeling the duke’s heavy stare on him
“Is Your Highness close to graduating?” the man asked
“Only two months to go, thankfully” the prince answer swiftly, “I will admit, I cannot wait to be done, but I think I’ll miss Hillerska”
“Oh, I certainly do” the duchess agreed, “Our daughter is starting next year”
“How is Ella doing?” Wille seemed genuinely interested, and Simon made a mental note to ask later. The duchess had barely uttered a word before one of the staff approached them.
“I’m sorry to interrupt” he said, bowing his head slightly “It’s almost time for Your Highness’ speech”
“Thank you” Wille nodded, turning back to the couple “I would love to continue this conversation later, if possible?”
“Of course, Your Highness” the duke bowed his head too, followed right behind by his wife
“And, if we don’t see each other again tonight, please send Ella a hug for me”
“Will do, Your Highness” the duchess smiled again
Wille took that as his cue, pulling Simon by the hand away from the main crowd and into one of the siderooms. As soon as they were out of view, Simon turned Wille to face him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands holding Wille’s hips “There’s a lot of people out there”
“Just another sunday” Wille joked, his hand coming up to caress his boyfriend’s face, leaning forward to deposit a kiss on Simon’s forehead “You’re doing amazing, baby. How are you feeling?”
“Better than I thought” Simon took a deep breath, “I couldn’t for the life of me remember their names, though”
“Don’t worry about it” the prince chuckled “I don’t think they can remember their own names sometimes”
“That’s mean” Simon laughed
“Not if it’s true” Wille rolled his eyes “Can I get you anything before we go back there?”
“Another kiss?”
“As if you have to ask” they closed the gap and kissed again, Simon’s hands tightening around Wille and the prince’s hand traveling down to his boy’s back
“You sure we have to go back?” Simon whispered into Wille’s lips as they pulled apart
“Scandalous” Wille snorted. “I worked too hard on that speech not to use it” he hummed, pecking the other’s lips “Later?”
“Later” Simon hummed too, kissing him one last time.
They eventually made their way back to the ballroom, and Wille was quickly whipped away to give his speech, while Simon quietly made his way to the right side of the room, to watch it with Felice.
“Simme!” the girl said as he approached her “Finally decided to grace me with your presence?”
“I am quite busy these days” he shrugged, getting a subtle nudge for that.
“Wait, what is this?” the girl picked his left hand up, “Simme…”
“I’ll tell you later” he winked, laughing at the way her eyes widened.
Drinks came over just in time for Wille to make his way to the small stage at the front of the room, Erik and Marie sitting just to the right of him at the sweetheart table.
“His Highness sent this glass only for you, sir” the server told Simon, handing him a clear liquid in the same flute everyone had.
“Thank you” he accepted it with a small fond huff. Water .
“I thought your birthday was last month” Felice frowned at his drink
“It was,” he hummed, taking a sip. Up on stage, Wille had just picked his speech out of his pocket and was theatrically shuffling around its pages. It got some giggles from the younger royals, especially with his exaggerated worried face.
“Ah, here we go!” he announced happily, finally looking out into the audience “I’m sorry for that, allow me to start over” he cleared his throat, looking down at the papers. When the prince looked back up, there was a small smile on his lips. “I know there are expectations that I’ll speak on Erik’s acts as King in the past three years and in the future, and how Marie will dutifully fill her role as Queen and go unimaginably beyond it. Fret not, I will get there. But before I do it, I’m asking for your permission to talk about my brother and sister-in-law.
Firstly, my brother” he waved over at Erik “My older brother, the man that made me who I am today. I don’t say it lightly: Erik has always been my greatest inspiration, ever since we were little kids running around this very room. He’s been my hero ever since I can remember, so kind and genuine and good and smart. There was no question he didn’t knew the answer to, no situation he couldn’t find a way out of, no trouble in the world he couldn’t solve. And even though my words sound like the ones of a child, I can say with firmness they still hold up. I could swear he would never find anyone that could be a match to him. Obviously, I was wrong.
My first impression of Marie was simple: Wow” he smiled at the woman “I didn’t realize someone could be so alive . Marie was fiery and bright and even smarter than Erik. She is kind and caring, stands her ground like nothing else, a true force to be reckoned with. I knew, right then and there, Erik had somehow found his match.”
I won’t lie to you, they’re not perfect, but they make it work. Their dedication to meet in the middle whenever possible, and sometimes when impossible too, speaks volumes to their commitment to each other. And, allow me to share with you, watching Marie debate the stubbornness out of my brother is extremely amusing to watch” a loud laugh from Erik initiated some chuckles in the audience “See, he agrees”
“Watch it, Wilhelm” the man called jokingly
“You’re the one who told me to write a speech” Wille sassed back, “As I was saying - Marie and Erik, you’re still some of my biggest inspirations. You showed me what love looks like when there’s willingness to fight for it, and I’ll forever be thankful I could watch your love grow and bloom. I know, with a certainty not usual of me, that it will only get better from here.”
I know I said this to you earlier today, brother, but I must say it again: Mamma and Pappa would be so, so overjoyed. They would be extremely proud, just like I am right now.”
Wille turned back to the audience, “And then there’s King Erik and Queen Marie” he smiled “I meant every word then, and I mean it now. My brother had been an exceptional ruler, despite all the situations surrounding it. I am sure he’ll continue to surprise us. And Marie - Well, I can’t wait to see how Queen Marie will blow us all away “He raised his flute “To the King and Queen!”
The room responded to the call, but Wille’s eyes were stuck on Erik, who had gotten up in a second to hug him tight.
“I love you, Gubben ” he whispered
“Love you too”
Simon looked stupidly beautiful under the twinkling lights, his graduation cap sitting crooked on top of his head as he threw it back in laughter. Rosh had probably told a joke, but Wille was too busy watching his boyfriend to register it.
Simon had lost the suit jacket as soon as they arrived at his home, but kept the hat by Linda’s insistence. It was the same reason why Wille himself still wore his own cap through the night, even when helping in the kitchen. Allegedly, they needed to take many pictures still, and the graduates needed to have their hats in all of them.
Sara was the only one who had kept her graduation look intact, somehow not dirtying up the white dress during their ride through town. She had layered up as the sun set, but other than that, it was as if the day had just begun.
With a little help from Erik and Marie, the Eriksson’s backyard had been transformed. Twinkling lights twisted up the tree and illuminated the side of the house, while a couple bigger lights illuminated the long table Linda had pulled out of storage just for the occasion. There were balloons and a commemorative banner and a little photo section that the teens had thoroughly used while there was still daylight. And there was Linda’s delicious cooking, with a little side of Erik’s recipes.
Currently, the plates were mostly empty, Erik and Marie moving back to the kitchen for refills. Simon was happily chatting away with Ayub and Rosh, leaning over the table to get closer to his friends. Linda and Sara were also conversating, though in a smaller volume. Wille had never realized how similar the two of them were, but seeing them side by side changed that. He had been quiet for most of the night, just observing the people around him. There was a strange feeling on his chest, but there was no urge to try and rub it away. He just didn’t feel talkative.
“Wille?” he snapped his head around, seeing Marie looking at him, a full casserole in her hands “Erik asked if you could help bring some of the other stuff out”
“Of course” he nodded, smiling and untangling his hands from Simon’s “I’ll be right back” he said mostly to his boyfriend and walked inside.
For hosting a graduation dinner, the kitchen was tidy, and Erik somehow fit right in the picture. His brother had also lost most of his previous outfit, his sleeves in his shirt rolled up as he platted some brownies. He smiled when Wille entered, silently calling him closer.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Erik asked once the prince had stopped beside him, and that made Wille sigh.
“I’m not sure what it is” he shrugged “Just regular post-graduation feelings, I guess”
“It seems like nothing will ever be the same” the king supplied, getting a hum in agreement “Here, finish plating these”
Wille did, thankful to have something to do with his already jittery hands
“Did you feel like that too? After your graduation?”
“Not only then” Erik pulled another baking sheet from the fridge, more brownies to cut, “But it was the first time it really hit me that… This was it” he looked at Wille, who himself was staring at the brownies, mind elsewhere. The man gulped, letting go of the sheet to side-hug his brother. “I can’t see the future, Gubben , and so I’d be lying to say nothing will go wrong. What I can say is that I’ll be right there with you wherever life takes you, and I’ll have your back no matter what”
“Thanks, brother” the corners of Wille’s lips twitched up “You know, this wasn’t how I’d pictured my graduation a few years ago”
Erik snorted, “It’s pretty far from the whole fanfare mine was”
“I like it, though” he looked up through the window, Rosh having just pulled out a deck of cards from her bag and passed it around the table “I wish Mamma and Pappa were here, I do, but… This isn’t bad at all”
“We did pretty well for ourselves” the man agreed, a fond smile as his wife put her poker face on. He glanced back at his baby brother, almost as tall as him now “And I couldn’t be prouder of you”
“Don’t you start-”
“Ah, let me! My baby brother is all grown up!” the king snatched the hat out of his head, messing the hair under it as Wille struggled to escape it
“You’re annoying” Wille snatched his cap back,”C’mon, let’s take these outside before Simme comes looking for us”
The brownies were a hit, barely lasting the first round of card games. The night was long, and by the end of it, only Simon and Wille were still awake. Rosh and Ayub had left early, their own graduation day just two days away; Erik and Marie had returned to the hotel, leaving Lars and Malin behind to watch over the prince; Linda and Sara had long gone to bed, both claiming to be tired from a long day.
The table lamp was turned down to its lowest setting and, for once, Simon was the one laying on Wille’s chest. Their hands were joined on top of the prince’s heart, rings tinkling softly with their movements. It was quiet but loud at the same time, the only sound coming from the tank’s filter.
“The truck is going to get here next week” Simon finally whispered, making Wille look at him, “We’ll load Ayub first, then me, then Rosh”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”
“Don’t you have a coronation to attend?”
“Wedding. And I could talk to the team”
“I don’t think having our movers distracted by you is a great idea”
“I guess not” Wille giggled, “I’ll help you unpack, then”
“Sure” the boy breathed deeply, “I can’t believe it’s finally happening. I mean, we’ve been talking about it for ages, but… We’re actually doing it. We’re moving”
“You are” the prince smiled, “You should celebrate it too, you guys worked your asses off for it”
“That’s putting it lightly” Simon laughed, but rapidly sobered up “Do you… Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”
“Hey, where's that coming from?” Wille twisted so they were laying both on their sides, facing each other “You were so excited yesterday”
“I still am, but” Simon closed his eyes, the feeling of his boyfriend’s hand on his grounding him, “I’m eighteen. I’ve never left Bjärstad for more than a month. And now I’m moving to Stockholm. I mean, it’s craziness”
“It’s a little crazy,” the blond hummed. “But you have a plan, for the most part. And Rosh has her contract already, right? Plus Ayub’s streams are doing well. You guys will be fine”
“I guess”
“Besides that, you have me” Wille kissed Simme’s forehead, the boy finally opening his eyes again “I’m the fucking Crown Prince of Sweden, baby. I’ll do anything for you, just say the word”
“You like showing your power around, don’t you?” Simon teased
“Don’t pretend you don’t like it too” Wille winked, “And, if everything else fails, you can always come back home”
Simon didn’t answer, just cuddled back into Wille’s chest. It didn’t take long for sleep to come over the two, not when they were so comfortable. When morning came, Wille would need to pack up and leave Bjärstad for a good while, called away to his duties. Simon would continue to pack his room, stopping at every picture taken down from the walls. Life would go on and they would have to adjust, making planes and ditching them just as fast.
But, for now, there was no Crown nor move. There were no royal duties or college classes. There were no scandals nor worries.
There was just Wille and Simme. And that was enough.