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Prince Wilhelm of Sweden was not ok. 

He was not ok, he did not have his shit together, and no matter how much his mother may have wanted him to, he was not handling this situation with grace. 

He kind of maybe felt like he was dying. He probably wasn’t dying. Or having a heart attack. No matter how much his anxiety wanted to convince him that he was. 

He was scrolling through Simon’s instagram account. Again. It was the only place on the internet that was safe. Everywhere else was full of news articles about him, screenshots from that video , and comments sections full of people with opinions about his private life. 

And his DM’s were absolutely disgusting. Ever since the sex tape had been leaked, they’d been filled with dick pics and solicitations from older men and homophobic insults and women ranting about how he’d ruined their daughters lives because they had always dreamed of marrying him. 

And his messages app was full of well-meaning supportive texts from random acquaintances, distant relatives, and old friends suddenly coming out of the woodwork, so many that they were far more overwhelming than comforting. Not to mention that most of them were somewhere along the lines of “I’m so sorry they’re spreading these lies about you, Wilhelm, I hope they get cleared up soon!” which was the opposite of helpful to his emotional state. 

No one actually cared what had been done to him (what had been taken from him) they were only interested in assuring him that the truth would win out in the end, even though he was entirely sure that a good quantity of them were well aware that the truth was already winning out. That was the entire problem. 

What needed to be done was cover up the truth, and all those messages praising truth had the unfortunate effect of making him feel like such a hypocrite and a fraud that the only thing he could do was crumble up into a ball on the floor and try not to cry, wishing he could talk to Eric again, wishing Simon was here to hold him, wishing his mother was a normal mother rather than the Queen of Sweden, wishing he could live a normal life, an entire list of things that any human being was entitled to be granted and yet here he was devoid of even a single one of them. 

His mother always told him that his position in life was a privilege rather than a punishment, but sometimes he felt like he must have done something particularly horrible in a past life to have been reincarnated as a Prince. Fate must really have it out for him. 

As he finally clicked away from Simon’s instagram profile -- going straight home on his phone rather than back to his main feed, hoping to avoid any more commentary on his sex life -- yet another commiserative text message arrived at his phone, this one from Prince Henry of Wales, a disatant cousin of Wilhelm’s that he hadn’t seen in years. 

Hey Wille, I just saw the news. I’m so sorry this has happened to you, and if you need anyone to talk to, know that I’m here. It’s totally ok if you don’t feel up to calling today but need someone to talk to later on. I remember how overwhelming the first day was after my own scandal. Alex and I send our love from New York. 

Wilhelm stared at the message from Prince Henry for several seconds. It wasn’t like the other ones. It didn’t say anything about how the news is always lying, and no one else had really offered to be there for him to talk to. 

Well, some had offered, but he could tell they weren’t being sincere about it. Henry seemed like he was being sincere. 

Also, Wilhelm didn’t know who this “Alex” was. 

He typed “Prince Henry Wales and Alex” into google. He was astonished by the results he got. 

The top result was a news article titled, “Prince Henry of Wales and FSOTUS Alex Claremont-Diaz to host LGBTQ+ Charity Concert ahead of Christmas: see the Star-Studded Lineup Below.” Wilhelm’s heart was in his throat as he read “LGBTQ+”. He clicked on the article. Apparently Elton John and Hayley Kiyoko were confirmed performers, amongst others. 

The second result was a Buzzfeed article titled, “15 Times Prince Henry and ACD made us feel Deeply Single.” Wilhelm’s heart was pounding. 

The third was Wikipedia, which Wilhelm clicked on. This was where he obtained the bulk of his information. Apparently, Wilhelm had somehow missed the biggest gay sex scandal of the century just over two years ago when Prince Henry and his boyfriend Alex Clarement-Diaz, First Son of the United States were publicly outed after emails of a very private nature were leaked by one of Alex’s mother’s political adversaries. The couple had quickly confirmed that the rumors regarding them were 100% true, and have been publicly dating ever since. 

They’d announced their engagement about a month before Wilhelm had begun attending Hillerska. 

Wilhelm had no idea how he’d missed this. 

Maybe his mother had kept him from hearing about it on purpose. And by the time he’d gotten to school here the whole thing had mostly blown over. And besides, English news wasn’t exactly the biggest deal to the people of Wilhelm’s country. 

Wilhelm clicked over to the images. The first one up was a candid photo of a blonde man who Wilhelm recognized as his cousin walking down the street in NYC with a latino man with curly black hair and an easy-going smile who must be Alex. They were holding hands and Henry’s eyes on Alex were deeply love-sick. They were dressed as casually as public figures ever dressed, and they were clearly paying the paparazzi no mind. 

The second was them on the red carpet of some event. Alex had his arm around Henry’s waist, and they were both dressed impeccably in formal suits. 

The third was their official engagement photo, endorsed by the Queen. It was clearly posed, but they both looked happy regardless. 

The fourth was the couple at New York Pride, Henry with rainbow face paint and Alex with a bi flag. They were stepping down from a sort of stage after clearly having given some sort of speech. 

Wilhelm had no idea how to describe the feeling rising up in his chest, filling his entire body, looking at image after image of another prince living boldly out and proud with the love of his life. If he blurred the details a little, Alex kind of looked the way that Wilhelm imagined Simon would look in 7 years. Henry kind of looked like an older version of Wilhelm. 

If he tried hard enough, he could almost imagine he was looking at his own future.
Except there was no way he could possibly do the same thing Henry had done. 

For one thing, Henry wasn’t first in line for the throne. For another, this Alex Claremont-Diaz fellow was clearly already in the public spotlight when he became involved with Henry. He was used to the public life, already a part of it. Henry hadn’t ruined his life the way Wilhelm had ruined Simon’s. 

So, the rising feeling that Wilhelm could barely contain was mixed. On one hand, just look at them: they were the living embodiment of Wilhelm’s craziest fever dreams. On the other hand, just look at them: they had what Wilhelm would never have. 

He went back to his messages app. Henry’s text was still up. What could Wilhelm even say in response? What time even was it in New York right now? 

Was Henry actually being sincere in his offer of someone to talk to, or was Wilhelm just so desperate to have someone to lean on that he would perceive genuine empathy in even the barest hint of possible understanding? 

Wilhelm tapped the text box and his keyboard popped up. 

Thank you so much for reaching out. If you’re not too busy or anything right now, could I maybe call you? I don’t really have anyone else to talk to about this, but if you’re doing something else right now I totally understand.

Wilhelm almost started crying when typing out the fact that no one in his life cared enough to actually talk to him right now. He missed Erik so much he couldn’t breathe. 

After typing out the message, Wilhelm stared at it for a full minute considering whether sending it was really a good idea. Did he really want to look this desperate? His mother would probably be angry with him breaking her “no communications” rule.

Then again, he didn’t really give a damn what his mother thought right now. He hit send. 

Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen. 

His phone lit up with an incoming call from Prince Henry -- Wales.

Wilhelm picked up the phone. “Hello?” He hated how desperate he sounded, his voice choked like he was holding back tears. 

“Wille, thank God.” came Henry’s relieved voice through the phone. “Are you alright? Who’s with you? Where are you?” 

Wilhelm’s strung-out brain took a few seconds to process these questions. “Um, I’m alone. In my room at school. My security team is outside the room, I guess, but that’s about it. They’re keeping all the other students out for now. I haven’t seen anyone. And I’m… I’m fine.” 

Wilhelm thought about this. “Actually, no, sorry, that was a lie, I’m really not fine.” 

“I didn’t expect you to be.” Henry replied, in a calm, measured tone. It was comforting. 

There was a muffled conversation on the other side of the line. 

“Wille, Alex is here, is it alright if I put you on speaker? He wants to talk to you, too.” Henry asked. 

Wilhelm thought about this. “Yeah, I suppose so.” 

“It’s really ok if not. He won’t be offended.” 

“No, really, it’s ok. I don’t mind.” It was nice to have someone care about his boundaries for once, especially after what had just happened to him. 

“Alright, I’m going to speaker now.” Henry said. There was a pause. 

Then another voice came through the phone -- presumably belonging to Alex -- and said, “Hey, kiddo. I just want you to know that what’s happening to you right now is absolutely horrible, what they’ve done is disgusting, and none of it is your fault. You did nothing wrong.” 

Wilhelm had to blink back tears. He spent a few seconds trying to make sure his voice would come out evenly when he spoke, but he wasn’t completely successful anyway. “Thank you. That… thank you.” 

“Of course.” Alex said. 

“Is there anyone that could be there with you right now? Where’s your mother in all this?” Henry asked. 

“No, I -- Erik is gone. He’s the one I would have talked to. There’s no one else. Mother was here, but she left already. She said I’m… I’m not allowed to talk to him.” 

There was a moment of silence across the line. 

“You mean the boy from…” Henry began.

“Yes. Simon.” Wilhelm said. He didn’t want to think too hard about the things his voice betrayed when he said his name. “I’m not going to listen to her, though. I need to see him tomorrow. I just can’t… I wish he was here.” 

“We know how you feel.” Henry said, in a soft voice. “We weren’t allowed to speak to each other at all for almost the entire first day after our emails were leaked.” 

“It was like torture.” Alex added.

“It feels … it feels kind of like I’m dying? I know it’s just my anxiety but I can’t control it, and I don’t know what to do.” Wilhelm said it all in a rush because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to say it all otherwise. 

There was a muffled bit of conversation on the other side of the line. 

“Ok, yeah, panic attacks are definitely me.” That was Alex. Wille wasn’t sure if he was supposed to have heard that. 

“Has this happened to you before?” Alex asked, calm and quiet. 

“Yes. Yeah, I’m fine, I just…” 

“I get it.” Alex sounded like he really did get it. “I had a full-on breakdown when we were outed. Like, collapse on the floor, unable to function, literally losing my mind. Luckily, though, my family was there to comfort me. Is there really…” 

Wilhelm knew the end to that sentence. Is there really no one?  

“Just Simon. He’s the only one I can talk to. He doesn’t… he doesn’t look at me and see the prince, you know?” 

“I do.” Henry said. There was a multi-layered silence for a few seconds. 

“So, you and Simon. You’re… together?” said Alex. 

“I mean, kind of? We’re definitely a thing, but we’re a… secret thing? His friends know about me. Well, I guess the whole world knows about us now, huh?” Wilhelm gave a humorless laugh. He sounded half-crazy. “But I think… I think I’m in l --” he couldn’t finish the sentence without crying. 

“Hey, it’s ok, you don’t have to say it, we understand.” Alex said, and Wilhelm couldn’t stop the sob that forced its way out of him at that. The idea of someone understanding was almost too overwhelming to comprehend. 

“I just can’t stop thinking about the video.” Wilhelm said, crying openly now. “It’s out there and I can’t get rid of it and everyone’s seen it, and -- have you seen it?” A sudden horror rose up in his stomach at the idea that everyone he talked to from now on with have seen him at his most vulnerable. 

“We haven’t. I promise.” Henry said. 

“We’ve only seen the screenshot they’re using on the news. And we’re sorry about that.” Alex added. 

“Anyone who voluntarily watches that thing is disgusting. And the person who recorded it deserves to burn.” That was Henry. 

“Do you know who recorded it? Do you have any leads? Because that video is super fucking illegal, and I can’t believe I haven’t offered this earlier, but I’m a lawyer and so are many of my friends, and I will help you take them down.” Alex. 

“I don’t know who did it. Apparently they’re looking into it, but… I doubt if they’ll tell me even if they do find out. Mom doesn’t care what I think…” 

“I’m on it.” Alex sounded like he was already decided. “The moment this call ends, I am on this, don’t even worry about that part of it.” 

“Thank you.” Wille said again. He wondered how many more times he would say it before this call ended. 

“You’re welcome.” Alex said, firmly, kindly. 

“Do you have a plan for the rest of it? What you’re going to say to the public, I mean.” Henry asked. 

Wilhelm didn’t want to think about that. “Mom wants me to cover it up. She says she thinks we can… make it go away completely. Tell them it was a lie. Everyone who texts me seems to think it was a lie.” 

“And what do you want?” Henry asked, softly. 

“I want to just not say anything. I want to be with him and have no one care. I want to be normal.” Wilhelm knew he was being childish, even as he said it. 

“Wille, you know that’s not going to work.” Henry said. He wasn’t condescending or snide, and his tone was just this side of pitying. Wille thought perhaps when it came from someone who had been in your situation before, it was called sympathy. 

“You asked what I want, not what I’m going to do .” 

“So what are you going to do , then?” Alex said, still gently. They were being so careful with him. He wished he had it in him to be upset at being treated like a child, but instead he found that he was grateful that someone was treating him his age for once. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know.” 

“Hey, breathe, it’s alright.” Alex.

“We’ll support you no matter what you choose to do,” Henry began, “but I want you to know that telling the truth will feel like the biggest weight off your shoulders, like you’ve shed a decade of years in a single second.” 

“But you need to know that there will be no taking it back. Once you’re out, you’re out. When you’re as public as we are, at least.” Alex added. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Wilhelm said again. “I keep going back and forth in my mind and it’s driving me insane.” 

“You need to talk to Simon.” Alex said. “He’s a part of this as well, no matter what you decide.” 

“I’m going to sneak out to visit him tomorrow.” Wilhelm said.

“Make sure you’re careful.” Henry sounded worried. “More people will want to hurt you now than before, especially with it all fresh in the news. Can you trust your PPO’s?” 

Wilhelm thought about it. “I don’t think so. They work for mom. I don’t think they like me very much.” 

“Once they’ve been with you for longer, it will be different. Their loyalty will shift when they realize you’re a good person.” Henry said, as if he was completely confident that Wille was, in fact, a good person. Wilhelm himself wasn’t entirely sure about that. 

“For now, please dress casually and wear a hat or something.” Alex said. 

“I do have experience avoiding the paparazzi.” Wilhelm said.
“You’ve never been in a scandal this big.” Alex said, decisively. 

“Oh God, this is gonna follow me for the rest of my life.” Wille said. 

There was a silence across the line, and Wilhelm knew that meant they agreed with him. 

“I still don’t know what to do.” Wille said, voice barely more than a whisper, when neither of them said anything else for a few more seconds. 

“When we were outed,” Alex began, sounding almost tentative, like he wanted to make sure that what he said was right, “my mom said I had to decide if Henry was ‘forever’. And if he was, then we would tell the world the truth. I suppose… you have to decide if Simon is ‘forever.’” 

“Or, even if he isn’t,” Henry added, “whether you’re truly ready to be out to the entire world. It’s a lot to deal with sometimes.” 

Whether Simon was forever. Wilhelm knew he was in love with Simon now. But now was so much different than forever. He was so young. “I don’t know if Simon is forever. I -- we -- it hasn’t been that long. That video, it was… that was our…. first time. Um. You know.” Wilhelm felt himself blushing and was glad they weren’t on videochat. 

“Oh, Wille.” Henry sounded stricken. Then, muffled, as if Henry was covering the speaker but not well enough: “Alex, he’s sixteen.” “Baby, I know.” 

Then, louder, “We’re coming to Sweden.” That was Henry. 

Wilhelm’s heart leapt. “What?” 

“We’re coming to Sweden.” Henry repeated. 

“We are?” Alex said. 

“Yes.” Henry said. “Wille, my mom will call your mom. It’s a, it’s a, diplomatic mission! International relations. We’re coming to Sweden.” 

“Alright, yeah, fuck yeah, we’re coming to Sweden!” Alex agreed. “I’ll start packing literally right now.” 

There was a noise that Wilhelm guessed was Alex getting up from their bed, followed by the loud boom of a large suitcase being dragged from the top shelf of a closet directly down to the floor. 

Wilhelm literally could not believe this was happening. “Is this really happening?” 

“Yes, this is happening, I promise.” Henry said. Wille believed him. 

Wilhelm heard Alex say in the background, presumably into his own phone, “Zahra? Yes, we’re gonna need a flight to Sweden. As soon as possible. Yeah, no, I’m calling mom next.” 

“We’ll be there in just over twelve hours. Our team is amazing, they can do anything.” Henry assured him. 

“Haven’t you seen the news? There is a gay emergency, and our services are required!” Alex declared in the background. 

Wilhelm snorted a laugh. 

“His team is very discreet, don’t worry.” Henry said. 

“I wasn’t worried. About that, at least.” 

“Good. Talk to Simon. Tell him what’s going on. Sleep. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” 

“Are you actually coming to the school?” Wilhelm wondered what his classmates' faces would be like if Prince Henry of Wales walked in with his boyfriend. He kind of couldn’t wait. 

“Hell yeah, we are.” Alex said, closer to the phone this time. “We have to put the fear of gay jesus into the heart of whichever one of those little motherfuckers did this. Don’t think I forgot, I’ll be working on the plane.” 

“I need to call my mother now,” Henry said, “but we’ll be there as soon as possible, Wille, so hold on, alright?” 

“Alright.” Wilhelm said. “See you soon.” 

“See you soon.” Wille could hear the smile in Henry’s voice. 

“Go get your man.” Alex said. 

The line went dead to the sound of Henry’s fond laughter. 

Wilhelm still could not believe this was happening. 

The next half-day passed in a blur. Wilhelm had gotten off the line with Henry and Alex and had immediately fallen into a fitful -- if slightly more comfortable -- sleep, and when he’d woken he hadn’t been able to stay away from Simon any longer. He’d snuck out to see him and they’d spent a few precious hours wrapped up in each other talking about the situation, Simon imploring Wilhelm to tell the truth about them, and Wilhelm filling Simon in on their support overseas. 

Now he was anxiously waiting in his room for the arrival of Prince Henry of Wales and his fiance from America, the guests that the whole school was now expecting after the announcement at Breakfast. His mother had called him a few hours ago and told him to avoid conspicuous interaction with Prince Henry in public: “They were incredibly determined to visit and I could not refuse without inciting an international incident with one of the most powerful countries in Europe, so they will be arriving for better or for worse, but you are to keep interaction to a minimum. We wouldn’t want to set off any more rumors .” 

Little did she know… 

Wilhelm expected to be called to the Great Hall any minute to greet the guests, so when a knock came on the door he was expecting a messenger from the Headmistress. 

Which is why he was so incredibly surprised to open the door and find Henry and Alex standing there in person, their own personal security standing with his in the hall -- they were able to form a full wall with this many of them -- Henry wearing a travel outfit of head to toe Burberry, Alex wearing an outfit that was probably purchased at Gap, both of them wearing sympathetic grins. 

Wilhelm just stared at them for a moment. They looked so put together and grown up. He supposed they were. Prince Henry was nearly 27 these days, and Alex was around the same age. Wilhelm felt like a child standing next to them, and he wasn’t all that upset about it. 

He was so glad they were here to save him. 

“Am I actually hallucinating?” Wilhelm felt he was justified in asking. 

Henry gave a kind laugh. “That depends, how much sleep did you get last night?” He stepped forward with his arms out, and Wilhelm practically launched himself at him for a hug. 

There was only a second before the time when Henry released him and Alex grabbed him for his own hug, and when he stepped back, Wilhelm almost wished they had held onto him for longer. No one besides Simon had voluntarily hugged him in so long. Since Erik. 

Henry and Alex didn’t hug exactly like Wilhelm’s older brother did, but it was close enough that his eyes nearly teared up. 

“I did sleep, actually.” Wilhelm said, laughing for the first time since this entire mess had begun. He was so glad to see them. 

“I’m glad.” Alex said, “This one,” he gestured at Henry, “rarely sleeps under the best of circumstances, and I wasn’t sure if that was just a Henry thing or if it was a gay royals in general thing. Glad to be disproven!” 

“Well, I wouldn’t say my sleeping patterns are necessarily ideal. ” Wilhelm glanced between them again, so overwhelmed he feared he might cry. “I thought you guys would be going straight to the Great Hall for the official welcome?” 

“We wanted to make sure you were alright, first.” Henry said. “How are you doing?” 

“And be honest. We don’t want any of that ‘the room is literally burning down around me but I’m totally fine’ crap. This is not an overused meme.” Alex added. 

Henry rolled his eyes. “Ignore him. He’s overly excited to be here. And he drank three coffees on the plane. Now, how are you?” 

“I’m… better than I was yesterday.” Wilhelm said, thinking that at least now he wasn’t breaking down into tears every few hours. “I got to speak to Simon. I promised him that I wouldn’t deny the video. That I would tell the truth.” 

Henry and Alex exchanged a look that seemed to communicate more than Wilhelm could understand. He wondered what it would be like to have that kind of connection with someone, that kind of connection with Simon one day. 

“Well, we’re here to do our best to help you keep that promise.” Alex said, “Even if it takes fighting another Queen to do it.” 

Wilhelm raised an eyebrow. 

“We had to take on my Grandmother -- back when she was still on the throne -- before we were allowed to tell the truth about ourselves.” Henry explained. 

“You think my mom’s gonna put up a fight?” Wilhelm was suddenly very nervous about confronting her. “She can’t make me say anything I don’t want to, right? They won’t believe anything besides visual proof of me denying it, and I have to be willing to record that kind of video. Right?” 

Wilhelm realized he was pacing and forced himself to stop. He looked up at his saviors. The expressions on their faces did not comfort him. “Oh, God, there’s no way I can do this.” 

Wilhelm sat back on his bed and covered his face with both hands. He didn’t want to know what their faces thought of that. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find Henry kneeling in front of him, Alex sitting off to his side. “Yes, you can.” Henry said. “Don’t give up before you’ve even tried.” 

“After all, we won the same battle once already, didn’t we?” Alex encouraged. 

“But you’re adults. And you had people on your side. ” 

“ We’re on your side.” Henry said. “And from what you’ve told us, so is Simon. Don’t forget about that.” 

“Speaking of Simon, are we about to meet him at this Welcome thing?” Alex asked, wearing a mischievous grin. 

Wilhelm blushed. “M-maybe? If he’s brave enough to show up today.” 

Sympathetic looks from both men. “Well, just in case, may we see a picture? Just so we recognize him when we see him.” Alex said. 

Wilhelm waited to see if he was serious. He was dead serious. “Yeah, alright.” Wilhelm said, pulling up Simon’s instagram on his phone. He handed it over. Henry leaned against Alex’s shoulder so he could see too. 

“Oh, he’s adorable, Wille.” said Henry, at the same time that Alex said, “You didn’t tell me he was Latino! I’m so excited! He speaks Spanish?” 

Wilhelm nodded. 

“Nice!” Alex said. Wille had a feeling Alex and Simon would be talking about him right in front of him the first time they met each other. 

They were interrupted by one of Wilhelm’s guards. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but the formal welcome and assembly begins in five minutes. You should all promptly begin making your way to the Great Hall.” 

Alex groaned. “There’s an assembly now, too?” 

“Oh, love, you’ll be perfectly fine.” Henry said, leaning in to kiss his cheek before standing and brushing off his pressed trousers. “It’ll be two hours at most.” 

“And then photos for the news on the front steps.” Wilhelm added helpfully.

“Oh, why must I always?” Alex lamented. 

Henry didn’t reply verbally, but he did rub Alex’s arm in comfort. “Are we going to be asked to speak?” 

“Most likely.” 

Henry nodded. “Good to be prepared.” 

And wasn’t that the truth. 

From his spot in the line-up (close to the Headmistress, a prime location) Wilhelm watched his classmates whisper furtively and purposefully about these latest guests, who had astonished everyone present by walking in holding hands after they’d been announced. Everyone had known they were together, but they hadn’t expected them to be so bold about it. 

On top of that, Alex had been staring down every single person whose hand he shook, examining their faces and body language as if looking for tells, holding eye-contact for just a little bit too long to see who began to squirm. Wilhelm already knew he wouldn’t want to be up against him in a court of law. 

Everyone, that is, except Simon, who had, in fact, braved school today just to meet Henry and Alex. To him, Alex gave the brightest smile Wilhelm had seen on him all day, and an unashamed greeting in Spanish, which Simon lit up as he returned. Moving along the line after him, Henry pulled Simon into a quick formal hug, and when he pulled back he held him by the arms just for a second in reassurance. 

This set off another round of whispers so loud the Headmistress had to clear her throat purposefully to get them to die down. Wilhelm received a hug from each of them when they finally reached him in the line, along with a steadying hand on the shoulder from Henry and a conspiratorial grin from Alex. 

When they took their seats for the assembly, Henry and Alex seated themselves unceremoniously on either side of Wilhelm, literally boxing him in against the stares of his classmates. 

The Headmistress gave a speech that Wilhelm was far too anxious to pay any attention to. The Dean of Students gave another. There was a thanking of the donors. There was a praising of the British and Swedish monarchies. There was a lot of ado about public relations. There was absolutely no mention of the real reason Alex and Henry were here, even though almost everyone there had to have known what it was. 

But then the Choir got up on stage to sing. Wilhelm’s heart dropped as he watched Simon take the stage. He ignored the curious glance from Alex on his right, so intently was he focused on Simon’s face. He waited for Simon to meet his eyes -- and there he was. They were looking at each other. Simon was looking at him, and everything felt alright for the first time since Simon had last held him. 

Then the Choir began to sing, and just as it had happened every single time in the past, everyone was singing, but all Wilhelm could hear was Simon. Except this time, he knew for a fact that Simon was singing directly to him. 

“You didn’t tell us he could sing .” Henry whispered to him with a knowing look. 

Wilhelm blushed, but didn’t answer. He met Simon’s eyes again. He could tell by the look in them that he had witnessed that interaction. And knew exactly what they had been talking about. 

The Choir exited the stage, which was reclaimed by the Headmistress. “And if our guests of honor would like to say a few words?” 

Henry stood with a nod and made his way to the stage, Alex behind him. After shaking hands with the Headmistress, they took their places before the microphone.

“Thank you, Hillerska, for your warm and dignified welcome to Sweden. We are honored to be here.” Henry said in English. He must not have been confident enough in his Sweedish to speak their language. 

“We are delighted to greet my cousin Prince Wilhelm of Sweden as a fellow public leader, and as a friend.” 

Alex stepped forward and added, “And in light of recent events, I, in particular, am delighted to greet him as his lawyer. ” 

This set off another round of whispers. Down the row from Wilhelm, August began shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Wilhelm wondered what exactly that was about. 

“While the circumstances are not ideal,” Henry continued blithely, “we are excited to take in all the picturesque sights of your country, and all the vivid glory of your cities, as well as to take this opportunity to solidify the mutual admiration between our two monarchies. Thank you again for your welcome and for your time.” 

With final, professional smiles, they exited the stage. They retook their seats on either side of Wilhelm to the sound of applause, and before it died down, Henry murmured, “That was risky, darling.” 

“ Striking fear, baby.” Alex returned, and Wilhelm couldn’t help but laugh. 

It wasn’t long after that before they were released to the front green for pictures and conversation. Wilhelm was photographed for the news with just Henry, then with Henry and Alex, then with Henry and Alex and the Headmistress, then with the same people, except, could Mr. Claremont-Diaz please swap places with the Headmistress? Finally, they were released, and the three of them made their way directly over to Simon, who was waiting for them in a corner. 

Now, usually, Wilhelm would not have done what he did next, but Henry and Alex must have made him brave, because he walked directly up to Simon and pulled him into a hug. They were in the back of the crowd, and it wasn’t like he kissed him, but all the same, if his mother was here, she would not have approved. 

Everyone in the school was probably watching. Wilhelm didn’t care. 

“What was that for?” Simon asked softly in Sweedish. 

“Because I missed you.” Wilhelm answered. He turned around to find Alex and Henry watching them with the kinds of soppy expressions that only people who are in love can give to people who are also in love. 

Wilhelm dragged Simon forward by his sleeve. “This is Prince Henry of Wales and FSOTUS Alex Claremont-Diaz.” he introduced in English. 

“Nice to meet you.” Simon murmured in heavily accented English, leaning subconsciously into Wille’s side. Henry smiled, and Alex launched immediately into Spanish: “¿Podemos hablar Español, de verdad? Estos dos pueden aguantarlo por unos minutos. ¿Qué pasa? ¿Estás bien? Sé que todo esto es muy abrumador.” 

Wilhelm thought he caught a few words of that, but the rest of it went completely over his head. Simon responded eagerly, though, and pretty soon the two of them were caught up in a rush of Spanish that neither he nor Henry had any hope of understanding. They exchanged a knowing look. 

“I’m so glad Alex speaks Spanish,” Henry murmured, “He’s saved my ass multiple times when I had no way to communicate with someone.” 

“Me too.” Wilhelm said, “I’m sure Simon already feels overwhelmed enough without having to deal with everyone speaking a language he barely knows all day.” 

Wille meant to say it casually, but there must have been something in his tone, because Henry looked at him in concern. “What’s wrong?” 

“Oh, I just…” Wilhelm stared at the ground, “I feel like I’m dragging him into this. Like, his life was normal, and then I crashed into it and now it’s ruined.” 

Henry took a deep breath. “He said he wanted to go public with you, right? When you last spoke?” 

Wilhelm nodded. 

“Then you should trust that he knows what he wants. He wouldn’t have said that if he was afraid of the attention that comes with being with you.” Henry said.
Wilhelm had a feeling that this was wise advice, and that he should take it. All the same, “He can’t fully understand the scope of the attention he’ll receive as my partner.” 

“Maybe not.” Henry admitted, “But you have to trust that he’ll be able to handle it all the same. And trust yourself: I don’t think you would have liked him in the first place if you didn’t think he was strong enough to stand up to you.” 

Wille smiled. “The first class we had together, he went on a rant about how the monarchy is a waste of taxes while looking right at me. It was…” he blushed and looked away. 

Henry smirked looking at him. “See? He’s more than strong enough to handle this life. Just like Alex is.” 

Wille glanced over at the two of them, still chatting rapidly in Spanish, paying no attention to what Wilhelm and Henry were talking about. “He reminds me of Simon a little bit. Alex, I mean.” 

“In what way?” Henry asked, curious. 

“I’m not sure, exactly. It’s in the personality though, the… boldness, I suppose you could call it.” 

“Oh, bold is definitely one word for it.” Henry said, a smile in his voice. 

“What would you call it?” Wilhelm asked, playfully. 

“Just this side of recklessness.” Henry said, and then without giving Wilhelm a chance to answer, “Love, don’t we need to make a plan?” 

“No, we’re far too busy talking about you behind your backs.” Alex teased. 

“And what do you think we’re doing?” Henry teased back. 

“Ah, but we can understand what you’re saying about us. ” Alex said, which was true. Simon understood English far better than he spoke it. 

“Touché.” Henry said, flatly. Then, “Really, though.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Alex said, with a smirk, “I think both of you,” he gestured to Wilhelm and Simon, “come with us to Drottningholm Palace to speak to Queen Kristina, to show that you’re serious.” 

“I agree.” Henry said, “We can take you. Or, our car can, rather. You can come with us.” 

Simon was considering this with wide eyes. “But, my mother…” 

“She’s Latina, ¿de verdad?” Alex asked. 

“Sí.” 

“I’ve got this. I know Latine mothers.” Alex got his phone out. “What’s her number?” 

Simon held his hand out for Alex’s phone, and Alex willingly passed it over so he could type the number in. Alex took it back and hit dial immediately. “Buenos días, Señora. Estás hablando con Alex Claremont-Diaz, el Primer Hijo de Los Estados Unidos. Quiero hablar sobre su hijo, Simon…” 

He stepped far enough away that Wilhelm couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation. He and Simon glanced at each other and then at Henry, radiating deep skepticism. 

“He really does ‘got this’” Henry said, “I have full confidence in his ability to charm mothers. Is yours easy to charm?” he addressed this last bit to Simon. 

“I think so, yes.” Simon said. 

“Well, lovely! Should be a walk in the park.” Henry said, then caught sight of the look on Wilhelm’s face. “Really, we can do this.” 

Wilhelm knew he was talking about more than just Alex’s conversation with Simon’s mom. “Are you sure?” 

Henry turned to face him completely. “Sure as I am about anything. We’ll do our damned best.” 

Wilhelm nodded. He supposed he could accept that. 

Alex walked back up to them waving his phone in victory. “Got it!” he turned to Simon, “¡Vas al palacio!” 

“Oh. My God.” Simon said, clearly overwhelmed. 

Alex pointed at Wilhelm. “Does he have any clothes in your room?” 

Wille froze in a sudden wave of embarrassment. “Um.” 

Alex grimaced in abashed apology. “Sorry, kiddo, forgot you were sixteen for a second.” he said, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder, “Just meant so that we don’t have to stop at his place as well. No intention to embarrass.” 

“In that case, um, probably, yeah.” Wilhelm said, still looking at the floor. 

“Excellent! You two go pack, and Henry and I will wander through campus taking in the scenery and seeing if any of these little monsters seem particularly wary of us.” Alex decided. 

“Honestly, darling, there’s no need to scare them overmuch, it’ll all come out eventually.” Henry said, taking his hand. 

“Striking fear, baby, striking fear.” Alex said. “Stay on task, even though we’re leaving you alone, kids.” 

Wille and Simon looked at each other for a second, then looked away. 

“Now he does intend to embarrass you.” Henry added, more to drive the point home than anything else. 

“We know.” Wille said. 

“As long as you know.” Henry answered, as he and Alex waved goodbye, for now. 

The moment they were gone Wilhelm and Simon looked at each other in shared disbelief that any of this was truly happening, then both dissolved into giggles. “Can you believe that they’re actually real?” Wilhelm asked, in Sweedish. 

“No. I’m half convinced they’re literally a figment of my imagination.” Simon answered. 

“Right? I felt the same way.” 

“I think they can really help us, though. Maybe it’s not as hopeless as we thought.” 

Wilhelm looked at him, really looked, and what he saw in his eyes was hope. “I think so, too.” 

In the car, Wilhelm tried not to think about what they were about to do. They were in the backseat of one of the cars his mother gave to visiting ambassadors, with enough seating for ten people. Wilhelm and Simon were sitting next to each other, but they weren’t touching. Simon looked incredibly nervous. Wille wanted to comfort him, but wasn’t sure if he would be welcome to. 

He glanced at Henry and Alex across from them. They were paying the other boys absolutely no mind, wrapped up in some video on Alex’s phone, sharing a set of air-pods and leaning against each other. Henry had his head on Alex’s shoulder, and Alex had his arm around Henry’s waist. Their thighs were pressed together even though there was plenty of room for them to move. 

Wilhelm glanced at Simon, who was staring out the window at the countryside they were passing by. If he didn’t know him so well, he might not have known how close he was to completely freaking out. But he did know him. He knew the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands were clenched together in his lap, the tightness in his eyebrows. 

He wanted to reach out to him.

Wilhelm glanced up at Henry and Alex again. Henry laughed at something in the video they were watching, and Alex glanced over at him with a fond smile. He brushed a fallen strand of hair off Henry’s forehead. Before he could pull his arm back, Henry caught his wrist with his free hand and brought it to his lips to kiss the back of his hand. They smiled at each other. They didn’t even seem to notice Wilhelm watching them, or if they did, they didn’t care. 

Wilhelm tried to take a deep breath without looking like he was taking a deep breath. He reached out slowly, and placed his hand on top of Simons’ where they were resting clenched together on his thigh. Simon looked over at him in surprise. Wilhelm smiled and made to extract Simon’s right hand to hold in his left. 

Simon looked down at their hands, then turned his over so Wille could thread their fingers together. Wilhelm scooted closer to him so that he could place their intertwined hands comfortably on his own thigh. He switched their hands so that Simon’s was on top, and began drawing patterns on the back of his hand with his other one. 

“Are you nervous?” he asked in Sweedish, even though he already knew the answer. 

“Yes.” Simon said, glancing back out the window for a few seconds before looking back to Wille. “I have no idea how to address a Queen, much less have a conversation with one. I have no idea how to act in a palace.” 

“Well.” Wilhelm said, and waited for Simon to meet his eyes. “Luckily for you, you have me.” 

Simon gave him a small smile. “I do?” 

“You do.” Wille said, firmly. “I promise.” 

Simon’s eyes scanned his face. He was looking for something, and if only Wilhelm knew what it was, he could be sure to give it to him. Anything he wanted. 

Simon must have found it anyway, because he hesitated just a second, then leaned in to press his lips to Wilhelm’s in a chaste kiss. Wilhelm smiled at him after he pulled back until the eye-contact became too overwhelming and he had to look away. 

He accidentally met Henry’s eyes across the car from them. Henry smiled at him, and it felt almost the same as it had whenever Erik was proud of him. 

Upon arrival at the palace, Wilhelm’s mother was not waiting for them. Instead, they were greeted by his mother’s equerry, a stern faced white man named Elias and several guards. Wilhelm, Henry, and Alex’s guards followed behind them from the car to the doors. Henry approached first, Alex a step behind him. 

Elias bowed his head respectfully. “Your Royal Highness. Mr. Claremont-Diaz.” 

Henry smiled politely and said, “Will Her Majesty see us?” 

“Her Majesty will.” Elias said, “If Your Highness will follow me?” with a gesture into the palace. 

Henry nodded and took Alex’s arm. Wilhelm and Simon exchanged a glance. Apparently, Wilhelm’s recent behavior didn’t merit even a greeting from his own mother’s equerry. Alex glanced back over his shoulder and met Wilhelm’s eyes. He gestured with his head that they should follow. After a second’s hesitation, Wilhelm grabbed Simon’s hand and tugged him after him down the hall. Simon glanced at him in surprise. Wilhelm tightened his grip. 

In the reception room, Queen Kristina was standing. As Henry and Alex approached she held her arms out for a hug. “Prince Henry.” 

“Queen Kristina.” Henry said, accepting her hug and leaning in for a cheek kiss. “It’s been far too long.” 

“It truly has. When was the last time I saw you?” Kristina was smiling warmly. Somehow, Wilhelm had expected her greeting to be colder. But that was foolish. His mother would never jeopardize the friendly relations between the British and Swedish royal families, especially not over something as trivial as this. 

“It must have been years.” Henry replied, politely. “Prince Philip’s wedding, perhaps?” 

“Oh yes.” Kristina said, “The two of you caused quite a scene at that event, if I remember correctly.” She glanced at Alex for the first time since the conversation began. 

Alex bowed his head respectfully and said, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty.” 

“And yours, Mr. Claremont-Diaz.” the Queen held her hand out for Alex to shake. Wilhelm raised an eyebrow. She was being very careful not to offend Henry. “I was delighted to hear the news of your engagement. Hopefully you don’t intend to destroy any cakes at your own wedding?” 

Henry laughed politely. “We intend to keep our own cake fully intact, thank you.” Wilhelm remembered reading about this on Wikipedia a few days ago: Henry and Alex had started out rivals, and had gotten into such an outrageous argument at Henry’s brother’s wedding that they’d accidentally knocked the wedding cake over onto themselves, and ended up making first-page news. In the end, the incident had brought them together, which Wilhelm thought was quite romantic. 

“I see you’ve taken my son under your wing.” Kristina went on, and there it was. The coldness. Wilhelm froze, and Simon must have felt him tighten his grip, because he reached over with his other hand to rub Wilhelm’s arm comfortingly. Kristina’s eyes caught the movement. She frowned. “And you’ve brought the other boy.” 

“With all due respect, ma’am,” Henry said, and Kristina’s eyes snapped back to him. Wilhelm sighed in relief. “Simon is just as much a part of this as Wilhelm is.” 

“Perhaps.” Kristina said, as if she personally did not think so, “But it’s not his international reputation that’s at stake here.” 

“Perhaps not,” Henry countered, “but it’s his life all the same.” 

It was clear that Henry and Kristina disagreed on just how much Simon’s life was worth. 

Kristina nodded in acceptance, but not agreement. “And you’ve come here to advocate for my son and his… companion, is that right, Henry?” 

“We have.” Henry said, and by the twitch of Kristina’s eyebrows, Wilhelm knew she had caught the way Henry had subtly included Alex in the conversation. 

Kristina turned to Alex. “I hear you’ve announced to the entire student body of Hillerska that you are now acting as Wilhelm’s lawyer.” 

“I have, Your Majesty.” Alex said. He did not look abashed. 

“Well, you’ll be surprised to hear that I already have a lawyer.” Kristina said.
“I actually find myself unsurprised to hear this.” Alex said. He didn’t break eye contact. It was clear that Wilhelm’s mom wanted him to. 

“Then why do you think I’m in need of a lawyer?” Kristina asked. This was dangerous territory. 

“I don’t think you need a lawyer. I think your son does.” Alex said, and Wilhelm felt his stomach drop. 

Henry placed a hand on Alex’s arm. Kristina said nothing for several seconds. 

“I see.” She finally said, and Wilhelm could see that she did. And she was not happy about it. “And what demands does my son have to make?” 

His mother was looking at Wilhelm when she said this last bit. Wilhelm had the feeling that she expected him to answer for himself. He glanced at Henry. Henry nodded encouragingly. Simon increased the strength of his grip on Wilhelm’s hand. 

Wilhelm looked at him. He could tell that Simon was worried. He could see it in his eyes; he hoped Wille would be able to stand up to his mother, but he didn’t expect anything. After all the times Wilhelm had failed him in the past, he couldn’t afford to. 

Wilhelm wanted nothing more in the world than to prove to his love that he could trust him. 

“I will not deny the video, Mother. I want to tell the world the truth.” Wilhelm said, with more confidence than he felt. 

“You do, do you?” Kristina said, still looking at him. “I thought that might be it. One gay prince come to defend another. It’s all very sweet, really.” 

Wilhelm watched Alex tense up and Henry subtly wrap an arm around him to rub his back. Kristina had not insulted Henry. She would never dare. But the way she had said “gay” was insult enough on its own. 

“But the problem is,” Kristina went on, walking past Henry and Alex to stand before Wilhelm and Simon, “You were an adult when you decided to make your sexual preference a subject of public knowledge. My son is still legally a child. And he’s the Crown Prince of Sweden. He will be expected to produce heirs.” 

“This may be the truth.” Henry said, “But Wilhelm is still a person, and he has the right to make his own choice. And you know there are alternative ways to produce heirs, don’t pretend that you don’t.” 

“What, through a surrogate mother?” Kristina asked. “Will those children even be legitimate? What high-born woman would be willing to participate in such a scheme?” 

“Given that the children would legally belong to Wilhelm and his husband,” Alex said, “they would be just as legitimate as any other Prince or Princess.” 

“And I think you’ll find that there are more women willing to carry the child of a King than you’d think.” Henry added, “If for nothing besides the privilege of saying they did so.” 

“Be that as it is.” Kristina said, looking down at Wilhelm with intense eyes, the ones she made whenever she fully expected Wilhelm to cave to her will. The kind that she made when she said being royalty was a privilege, not a punishment. The kind that Wilhelm associated with the absolute destruction of everything he’d ever held dear in his life. “The public will find the entire idea atrocious. It will cause a national scandal. Other countries will be appalled.” 

“I think you’ll find that England’s reaction to our own coming out is more than enough proof that what you’re saying is outdated and untrue.” Henry said. 

“Not to mention the international support we’ve received in years since.” Alex said. “Face it, the world is changing. There’s no reason to believe Wilhelm will not be accepted with the same public exhilaration and grace that we were.” 

It felt like his mother was staring directly into his soul, now. “Be that as it may, the most important reason to deny this video is as follows: Wilhelm is a child. He may very well change his mind.” 

Wilhelm felt a rage boil up within him that he’d rarely felt before in his life. He’d spent years watching his mother talk about him and talk at him and talk down to him. He was sick of it. “I will not change my mind. Not about this.” 

His mother raised an eyebrow. “Are you so sure? What about this boy is so special that you can see yourself spending forever with him?” 

Wilhelm looked at Simon, and he thought about it. He’d told Alex just yesterday that he wasn’t sure if Simon was “forever,” but right now, right here, he found his mind had changed. 

He didn’t know exactly what it was. It was airy and ever-changing and beautiful, and Wille didn’t think he could pin it down if he tried. It was the sound of Simon’s beautiful voice, the feeling that filled his chest when he felt Simon’s skin against his own, the look in his eyes when Wilhelm told him he was his. It was how happy and free Alex and Henry looked every time they smiled at each other and didn’t have to hide from anyone’s eyes just how much they loved each other. 

It was that. It was love.
“Because I’m in love with him. The kind of love that I’m not going to fall out of. Ever.” Wilhelm said, and when he said it, he was looking at Simon. 

He watched Simon’s eyes fill with tears. 

“I love you.” he said, pretending no one else was in the room. 

“I love you, too.” Simon whispered, blinking to keep himself from crying. 

Wilhelm smiled wider than he’d ever smiled in his life. “I’d hoped you did.” 

“You weren’t sure?” Simon asked. 

“I’ve never once been sure about you.” Wilhelm said, “It’s what I love most about you.” 

Simon laughed in delight at the casual way Wille said that he loved him. “Well I do. I love you so much.” 

Wilhelm wouldn’t have cared if every camera in the country of Sweden was pointed at him at that moment. He still would have done the exact same thing. He pulled Simon into the tightest hug he’d ever given anyone in his entire life. 

It felt like forever and no time at all until he was forced to release him. He turned back to his mother. He was astonished to see something in her eyes he’d never seen there before: his mother was genuinely surprised. He looked her dead in the eye, and said, with a determination that had been lacking the first time he’d said it, the kind that came with being sure of yourself, what you want, and who you are -- the kind that came with being an adult -- the words he’d come here to say: “Mother, I will not deny the video. I refuse.” 

He could see in her eyes that she knew that he meant it. 

“You can’t force him to say anything he doesn’t want to. Not even you have the power to control your son’s mind.” Henry said, from behind her. 

“And legally, I’m sure the public would be appalled ,” Alex smirked as he threw her own word back in her face, “to hear that you attempted to. Doesn’t your country pride itself on freedom of speech? Didn’t you pioneer the end of censorship?” 

The tight line of Kristina’s mouth said, “Yes, yes we did.” 

“I’d suggest you give up now,” Henry added, “Before your only son, the Crown Prince of Sweden, is forced to abdicate.” 

Kristina looked at Wilhelm as if demanding he assure her that he would never dare. Wilhelm provided no such assurance. 

Kristina looked between the various faces in the room. She found no support. She looked at her own equerry. He said nothing. 

Wilhelm recognized the very moment she admitted defeat. He had never seen that particular expression on her face before, but he’d seen it every day for months on his own. And she was his mother, after all. 

“Very well. You may confirm that the video is legitimate.” Kristina said, her disapproval still quite clear in her voice. “But you will deal with any consequences of your actions yourself. And don’t come crying to me when it all blows up in your face.” She stalked towards the door without a backwards look, gesturing for her equerry to follow her. He did so, with a final bow of the head to Henry and Wilhelm before closing the door. 

Simon and Wilhelm looked at each other in absolute disbelief this was happening. Their surprise lasted only until Alex let out a very American whoop of victory, and then Simon and Wilhelm were both crying, and they were in each other's arms, and before they knew it, they were kissing. Simon kissed him like Wilhelm had just given him the world, and in a way, Wilhelm supposed he had. 

When they broke apart, Wilhelm let out a laugh of delighted disbelief. “We did it!” 

“ You did it.” Simon corrected, with the biggest grin Wille had ever seen him wear. “You were amazing .” he whispered against his lips. Wilhelm kissed him again, just quickly, because he couldn’t resist. 

“It’s not like I did it myself.” Wilhelm said, breathlessly. He turned to Henry and Alex who were watching them with fond smiles. “Thank you. So much. I don’t think I could have done this alone.” 

“You’re welcome.” Henry said, walking over to pull Wilhelm into a hug. “I am so proud of you.” 

“And your mom was wrong, you know.” Alex said, when it was his turn for a hug. “When she said you’d be dealing with the consequences alone. You won’t. Because no matter what happens, you’ll always have us. Remember that.” 

Wilhelm nodded, blinking tears out of his eyes. “I will.” 

Alex clapped him on the shoulder. “And besides, you’ll be seeing a lot of us in the next few weeks.” he smiled roguishly, “I have a case to win for you.” 

“As long as we can find out who posted the video.” Wilhelm couldn’t help but point out. 

“We will.” Henry said. “Surely someone at that school knows something.” 

“And even if not, when whoever did this realizes how high-stakes the whole thing is getting, they’re sure to fess up.” Alex said, with a confidence that Wilhelm wished he could match. 

Perhaps, now that he was free to come out, he could spend the next little while trying to learn how to do so for himself. And for Simon. He had more than just himself to fight for, now. 

“I hope so.” Wilhelm said, and Alex smiled. 

“So, are you ready to set up an interview?” Henry asked. 

Wilhelm took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” 

“I know you’re nervous.” Alex said, “But just remember why you’re doing this. You’ll feel so much better once it’s done.” 

Wilhelm nodded. “Alright. Let’s call the SVT.” He smiled. He was ready to tell the world the truth. 

Crown Prince Wilhelm of Sweden confirms legitimacy of Sex Tape in Exclusive Interview

“Simon is the love of my life,” says the Prince, “and of that I will not be made to feel ashamed.”