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“Stop looking at me like that.”
“I will when you stop looking like you’re going to shit yourself,” she combats in a deadpan tone, and Simon snaps his mouth shut, glaring at her.
His heart is undoubtedly racing, his palms already sweating unreasonably, and he hasn’t even left the house yet. He thinks he’s being a bit over the top, or as Sara would call it, overdramatic, whiny, probably borderline a drama queen. But who can blame him honestly, considering it’s his and Wille’s first official date night out on the town.
They’ve had plenty of at-home dates, right in the comfort of his home, his living room, or his personal favorite—his bedroom. Privacy is Simon’s favorite thing, knowing no one can see through his thick-ass light blocking curtains, and maybe it makes him feel a little happier too, knowing that this time is their own and no one else’s.
And yet, Wilhelm was the one to suggest a movie theater date and dinner afterwards, much to Simon’s honest surprise because he probably figured they’d never leave the house again if they could help it.
After all, their relationship has only been out in the public for about two months now, and even if their names are no longer trending on Twitter, Simon sometimes still can’t go to the store without being stared at. It’s funny if he looks at it from an outsider’s perspective, but it doesn’t bother him as much anymore. He just wasn’t sure Wilhelm felt the same.
“This is too much, Sara,” Simon complains as she continues straightening his navy button-up, even though he thought a hoodie would perfectly suffice. Comfy and casual.
“It isn’t! This is your first real date outside of these four walls, so you’ve got to be a little fancy, yes?” She gives him an encouraging but mostly forceful punch on the shoulder and he rolls his eyes. “Show the prince what you’re made of.”
“He already knows what I’m made of,” he says with a little smirk, and she punches his shoulder again. “Sara!”
Before she can respond, not that he didn’t already know what she was going to say, three resounding knocks echo from the door and around the living room. His heart somehow freezes in his chest, despite them having done this before, despite getting numerous date nights with him. This one feels different, and he’s suddenly glad he’s a little more dressed up, if only to fit the mood.
Simon takes a deep breath before going over to the door, shoving his hands in his back pockets the moment that he opens it. He opens his mouth and snaps it back shut, eyes raking his boyfriend up and down.
Wille’s standing there wearing a striped button up tucked into some trousers, his hair lacking gel, a little looser and longer than it ever has been before. Good. Easier for Simon to run his hands through, or whatever.
“You look…”
“Handsome,” Simon finishes with a little smirk to hide his breathlessness, because yeah, his prince does look really fucking good. No surprise there.
“Are you calling yourself handsome?” Wilhelm says with a snort, his eyes lighting up in amusement as he rubs his lips together, an action Simon notices right away and memorizes.
“Might as well, right? But you look pretty handsome too,” he teases, enjoying the sudden flustered cheeks of his boyfriend. The two of them head inside, only for Wilhelm to be greeted by Sara and her eyebrow-raise.
“Have him home by ten.”
“My god, Sara—”
“I make no promises,” Wilhelm simply hums with a cheeky smile, a single lift of his shoulder. She blinks at him slowly before giving him a ‘better watch yourself, Prince’ kind of look. He clears his throat. “Ahem. Anyway, are you ready to go?”
“Perfectly ready,” Simon says after a moment, shoving his hands into his pockets after gesturing for Wille to lead the way. They have to take the bus, which isn’t so bad when they’re able to pick the back corner where no one can stare at them without making it obvious.
Which means Simon can openly rest his head on Wille’s shoulder, their hands interlocked in his lap. He likes it like this, the domesticity and the ease of being public without being too out there.
“I know horror movies are your favorite,” Wilhelm whispers, ducking his head, lips close enough that Simon can feel his warm breath against his skin and a shiver runs down his spine.
“Fuck off. I know why you chose this one.”
“Do you?” he asks with a laugh, loud enough to turn a few heads, but no one bothers them.
“Because you want me to hold your hand the whole time,” Simon hums with a slight smirk, heat lacing up and down his neck. “Using my fears to your benefit, mi amor.”
Wilhelm snorts and matches his smirk. “I like it when you’re clingy, what can I say?”
“Oh, shut up. I’m, like…never clingy.”
“Then let go of my hand?”
“ You’re the one holding on.”
Simon merely grins when Wilhelm lets out a dramatic sigh of defeat, their positions switching as he flops his head onto his shoulder. He can see all of the details of his face, the smattering of freckles and the small scar under his eye, the waves of blond throughout his hair from the sun as it progresses into summertime. He likes to think Wille is like art, an abstract painting, someone who’s hard to figure out, but he loves to try.
The bus arrives at their stop a few moments later and the two of them get off, Wille already surprising Simon by slipping their hands together, swinging their arms dramatically and making him laugh at the notion.
The movie theater isn’t completely empty, but it’s empty enough for them to get a few seats in the back, tucked away from everyone. There’s a bucket of popcorn tucked between them that chocolate gets added to by Wille, Simon’s nose wrinkling.
“Oh, nah. That’s not—”
“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, Mr. I-Eat-Ketchup-With-Everything,” Wilhelm merely responds, and Simon snorts because truly, he’s lucky he didn’t bring ketchup with him. Truly a delicacy.
Simon takes a handful, pursing his lips, but his focus is less on the food at that point and more on the fact that Wille is hooking his ankle around his own in the darkness of the theater, his eyes still glued to the screen. He smirks a little, eating the popcorn and turning his head to face his boyfriend.
“Pretty sweet.”
Wilhelm laughs, like what did i tell you, a sound that could be drowned out by the sound of the trailers playing in the background if it weren’t for the fact that Simon would always be able to hear it like a siren song.
He then leans forward to press his lips to Simon’s, and god, if that doesn’t make it feel like he’s on a sugar rush, he isn’t sure what else would. It’s definitely not because of the popcorn.
“I agree,” Wille says in a hushed voice, grinning ever so slightly before falling back in his seat.
The movie is shockingly not as scary as Simon thought it would be, and he can’t even say he hated it. Not because he liked the movie, but because Wille wouldn’t stop giggling throughout the entire thing. Horror makes some people hysterical it seems, but it made the experience all the more enjoyable.
If only because he couldn’t take the movie seriously even when it did start becoming scary—not when his boyfriend was over there, laughing into the popcorn. It was contagious if anything, even if he did have to hush him a few times…with varying methods.
“Admit it, you liked the movie,” Wille teases as they leave the cinema—the easier of their two-part date. Their arms are linked whilst walking down the street, keeping Simon a bit warmer in the mild spring weather.
“No, I don’t think I will.”
“Wow. I see how it is.” And he’s pouting, which makes Simon want to kiss it away. So he does, right there on the sidewalk, tugging him down by the shirt collar to meet his lips. He doesn’t think twice about it, knowing that people might be staring, but it won’t make any bit of a difference when the only person that matters right now is in front of him. When he opens his eyes again, he can’t help but smile at the dazed look from Wille. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Wilhelm rubs his lips together, wetting them slightly, before smirking, his pretty pink flush evident. “Before you take me right here on the sidewalk, we should get to dinner.”
“Catch up then, Prince,” Simon chuckles as he starts walking ahead, feeling pleased with himself when Wille does just that. They walk side by side, pinkies occasionally brushing, and it makes him feel giddy—thrilled even—that they’re able to do this.
And more importantly, that Wilhelm looks so relaxed in public for the first time since the video had been released. His lips constantly being curled into a little smile, even with his gaze latched onto the ground as if he’s shy about it. Being open like this is really all they’ve wanted, and it feels nice to finally be able to do it, comfortably and confidently.
“Hey,” Simon eventually speaks up, Wille looking over at him with an expectant expression. “Thank you…for asking me on this date.”
“Well, who else would I have asked?” Wilhelm jokes, but there’s an understanding behind his eyes. “I’m really happy here with you.”
“The way you make me swoon,” he replies with a smile, batting his lashes, and Wille playfully shoves at his shoulder, snorting out a laugh of disbelief.
“I hate you.”
“You sure about that?”
“There’s a fine line,” Wille says with a click of his tongue and a smile that makes Simon snicker a bit as they make their way towards the restaurant.
It’s not too particularly fancy, but it’s still fancy enough for Simon to wonder if he’s dressed appropriately or if he has enough money in his pocket. But the nerves are fleeting as they’re brought to their table in a more private sector, specifically requested by Wille.
Sometimes it’s better to take advantage of special treatment—as they should. Simon clears his throat as he looks at his menu, wondering if they have spaghetti as his stomach growls.
“Oh, I know they do. That’s the very reason why I chose this place,” Wilhelm says, Simon realizing he asked that out loud. He presses his lips into a small smirk, wondering if it’s appropriate to blush simply at the fact that his boyfriend knows exactly what he would order. Or maybe he’s just predictable.
So they end up both getting the same thing because Wilhelm wanted to try ketchup on his spaghetti—if only because the royal family had never been much for condiments on their pasta. He enjoys it of course because he has taste , and it gives Simon the perfect picture opportunity.
So he snaps one of the prince staring with those crinkled eyes of his and a mouth half full of spaghetti, caught in the middle of a laugh.
It’s perfect. Everything about the moment and their dinner and the entire evening is perfect—not at all how Simon would’ve imagined it. He knew he would enjoy himself, but he figured there would be a few bumps in the road. And yet, here they are.
“I love this,” Simon eventually says quietly, moving his hand across the table so it’s folded over Wille’s, thumb brushing across his knuckles.
“The food? Or the…”
“Just everything.”
“Everything?” Wilhelm breaks into a tiny grin and tilts his head slightly, the apples of his cheeks painted pink. “I like to think that we deserve it.”
“We do. For sure, we do.” Simon leans forward slightly in his seat so that he can press a closed-mouth kiss to Wille’s lips, easily accepting and pliable and forever ingrained in his memory. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Wille replies in turn with a sort of indescribable happiness in his eyes, the kind that comes with not having to hide anymore. He drops another peck to his lips before pulling back slightly, wearing a cheeky smile. “You know, it’s almost past ten. Sara’s going to kill me.”
“Oh, well. She can hold off until tomorrow, at the very least.” Just so Simon can have the chance to kiss his boyfriend again right now, and for the rest of their long night.