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Simon and Wilhelm didn't "officially" start dating until they were twenty, about three years after they met. It took a lot of strategic media manipulation to introduce the public to their relationship.
Christmas arrived two weeks after their big announcement. The public was still flipping out over them and had swarmed the Erikson residence. Wilhelm offered to take them away for the holidays to the palace. Who can resist Christmas with a prince?
Wilhelm's mother and father spend Christmas making public appearances, leaving the palace to the Erikson's, Wilhelm, and Erik. The day starts with Wilhelm waking up in Simon's arms. If he could, he would never leave. There's something about Simon being in his bed- his bed, in the palace. He closes his eyes to fall back asleep when Simon nuzzles into the back of Wilhelm's neck.
"M'rry Christmas, Wilhelm" he murmurs. He hugs his boyfriend closer for a moment before sitting up. Wilhelm groans, reaching for him.
Simon yawns. "We'll have time for cuddling later. Time for presents is now"
"Cuddling later?" This gets Wilhelm to sit up.
Simon smiles knowingly. He kicks the plush duvet off of them both. The morning air is too cold and the bed is so warm, why would he try to leave? Wilhelm can't help but pout at the chill. Simon touches his face with a soft smile. He tilts up his head and kisses him quickly. Wilhelm chases his lips and steals another one.
"Come on. You gotta get up and take me to Mom and Sara"
Simon clamors off the bed and slips into a soft bathrobe and slippers (they're both Wilhelm's- Simon claimed them as soon as he stepped into Wilhelm's room). Wilhelm gets to his feet with a stretch.
"Is that what I am to you? I glorified tour guide that takes you around the palace"
"Yes" Simon teases. "I'd get lost in this maze by myself"
"Thank goodness you have me"
"Thank goodness indeed"
They find Linda, Sara, and Erik, and Wilhelm leads them to a modest living room at the back of the palace. It's covered with decorations; Homemade garlands, blinking lights, homemade stockings, the works. In the center stands a Christmas tree atop a pile of presents. They spent Christmas Eve decorating it with the Erikson's ornaments. All their work was definitely worth it. The Erikson's light up when the see the room put together.
They spend the day in the living room. They tell old Christmas stories, exchange presents, and stuff their faces with Christmas sweets. At some point, a servant brings them a simple breakfast of eggs and sausages and that's the only other person they see that day.
Why would they need to see other people? They have Sara teaching Erik a game of cards on the floor. They have Linda telling stories of Simon as a kid. They have Simon in Wilhelm's arms moaning about how embarrassing Linda's stories are.
Erik sits next to Wilhelm on the couch as the Erikson's talk over each other to retell an old story. He nudges him and whispers in his ear, "This definitely beats our other Christmases, huh?"
"Yeah" Wilhelm smiles as Simon snorts into his hot chocolate over some bad joke. Huh. This is what it feels like. This is what it feels like to celebrate with an actual family. This is that 'Christmas spirit' that movies drone on about. He can't believe he spend 20 years missing out on this.
He can't believe he missed out on the most wonderful boy in the world.
Wilhelm doesn't believe in Christmas wishes, but in this moment, he makes one. He wishes to spend next Christmas with Simon. And, if he's lucky, the Christmas after that
❅ ❅ ❅
Their second Christmas was at a charity gala in London- he'll never admit it, but Wilhelm can't stand London. The beautiful old buildings are converted into tacky shops. The traffic is unbearable. The people- the posh people that is, are fucking unbearable. Maybe it's the accents. Every word they speak wears away at a bit of Wilhelm's soul.
The champagne seems to be getting to his head.
He's sipping bubbles as he chats to the only bearable person in the room, the son of the President of The United States. It's stifling in this room. His suit fits a bit too well and it's painfully uncomfortable. He's finally able to breathe when a hand slips into his.
"Mind if I steal him for a moment?" Simon asks. He still gets nervous at big events but he's truly a natural. They slip onto an empty balcony as Wilhelm downs the last of his drink.
The night air is cold because it's always freezing in England. Though Wilhelm moans and groans about London, it truly is stunning like this. The lights, the cars, the people laughing in the street. Although his new positive opinion is probably prompted by the boy hugging him from behind.
"How are you feeling?" Simon asks into Wilhelm's back.
"Better now. It was getting stuffy in there" Wilhelm strokes the hands that wrap around his waist. He turns to face Simon, pushing away a stray curl on his forehead.
"You know it passed midnight"
"It did?"
"Mmm hmm" Wilhelm nods. "It is officially Christmas Day"
Simon gasps with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Wille"
Wilhelm gently cups Simon's face, rubbing his thumbs across his warm cheekbones. He's delectable in his purple and silver suit, even more so in the soft light of the balcony lanterns. He kisses him. And, just because he feels like it, he kisses him so more.
He chases Simon's lips as he pulls away, stealing a chaste kiss before Simon turns to get something from his pocket. "I was going to give you this back at the hotel, but now seems like a good time"
He produces a present. It's wrapped poorly with slabs of sellotape keeping scraps of paper together. A purple bow clashes with red wrapping. It's the most beautiful gift Wilhelm has ever seen.
"My present for you is in my suitcase . . ." He takes it carefully.
"Staying in a five star hotel and going to a royal gala is enough of a present. Now shut up and open it"
It's a watch. The face is simple- two hands pointing to roman numerals to tell the time. Wilhelm rubs the strap. It's a beautifully familiar pattern and- yep, it feels the same too.
"Did you . . . turn my scarf into a watch?"
Simon laughs. "No! No I would never. I turned a replica of your scarf into a watch"
Wilhelm slips it onto his wrist. It fits perfectly. He flexes his fingers and smiles as his boyfriend- his thoughtful, kind, and outrageously sexy boyfriend. Simon watches him carefully, trying to determine what he thinks of the gift.
He gets his answer when Wilhelm takes his face in his hands and kisses him. He kisses him until they're both dizzy and they figure they should reappear inside.
❅ ❅ ❅
Their third Christmas is their first one apart. Wilhelm calls Simon as soon as he gets the chance.
Hey Wille
Si, your voice has never sounded so good
I take it the meeting went well
It's still going. No one is able to agree or compromise on anything. And I'm not allowed have any input! II just have to sit there and look pretty as the country gets divided even further
Well, you are good at looking pretty
Wilhelm laughs. As exhausted as he is, it feels good to smile.
How's Linda and Sara?
They're good. They miss you
I miss them too. Please give them my love and my apologies
You don't have to apologise for missing Christmas. They understand that royal duties wait for no one
I know. I just . . . I wish I was with all of you right now instead of fifty stuffy politicians
I wish I was there too
No no no, you're not coming here. I'm coming to you. If I spend one more minute here I'm going to go insane
Wait a little bit longer before going insane. We don't want you spending next Christmas institutionalised
Ha ha
. . .
What are you up to?
I'm wrapping your Christmas present, actually
Are you? What is it?
I'm not going to say! That'll ruin the surprise and then you'll have no reason to come home
You could set the present on fire and I'd still come home . . . I really miss you, Simon
You saw me three days ago
It's been the longest three days of my life
Wilhelm can hear Simon smile over the phone. He checks his watch with a moan.
Fuck. The meeting is resuming
Go. Fix our country
I'll try. I love you, Si
Love you too, and merry Christmas Wilhelm
❅ ❅ ❅
Their fourth Christmas, last years Christmas, is the first they celebrate in their home. Their home, as in Wilhelm and Simon's. It's a rather modest apartment considering their potential budget. They didn't want something too flashy, they wanted a home.
"-and no home is complete without a tree" Wilhelm said a few days earlier. Freshly moved in, they didn't have any Christmas decorations of their own to put up.
House warming presents supplied them with tinsel, lights, and wreaths but they were still missing the pièce de résistance. Unfortunately, everywhere seemed to be sold out of trees. Wilhelm's bodyguard drove them to every tree farm in the area. They scoured high and low but their last minute shopping proved fruitless, much to Wilhelm's disappointment.
Wilhelm's post-tree-hunting sleep is broken by a small crash. He shoots up, already alert. In the dim light of his bedroom, his watch tells him it's 3am. He feels for Simon under the covers. He's not there. Okay, either Simon got kidnapped and is going to be held ransom, or he got up in the night and knocked something over.
Wilhelm isn't taking any chances.
He takes a bat from under the bed, holding it above his head as he slips out of the room. There's a low light coming from the living room. He turns the corner to hear Simon swear "shit shit shit shit shit" under his breath.
He's frantically grabbing something off the floor as quietly as he can. Wilhelm lowers his bat.
"You're not Santa Claus"
Simon snaps around. He sighs, a hand to his chest. "Fuck Wille, you scared me"
"You scared me first. I thought someone broke in" He throws his bat on the couch, and that's when he sees why Simon got up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.
Their boxes are piled up in a pyramid, covered in a glee blanket. Glasses and electric candles are placed on the tops of the boxes as makeshift ornaments. Fairy lights are spiraled around. A picture frame sits on the top as a makeshift angel. It's a picture of Simon and Wilhelm at their first official Christmas together three years ago.
"You . . . you made a Christmas tree" he says softly.
"Yeah" Simon rubs the back of his neck. "It was going to be a surprise for the morning- I know how much you wanted a tree and I felt bad that I couldn't find you one especially since it's our first Christmas in our apartment so I made you one" Simon winces. "Then I broke one of the glasses and woke you up"
Wilhelm has already moved across the room and kisses Simon. He takes his face in his hands and kisses him with all the love he feels (which truly is a lot). Simon is surprised but melts quickly into the kiss. They kiss with fire, passion, intent. The kiss with the spark that never died between them. They kiss with love because Simon made a Christmas tree because Wilhelm couldn't find one.
"I don't deserve you" Wilhelm says between kisses.
Simon chuckles against his lips. "You deserve someone who wont wake you up at night"
"It's only 3 am"
"Then let me be the first to say merry Christmas, Wille"
"Or you could kiss me again"
"Or we could go to bed"
"Or both?"
"Let's do both"
They do both.
Their fourth Christmas, their first Christmas together, was the day Wilhelm decided that he was going to marry Simon.
❅ ❅ ❅
Their fifth Christmas arrives. Wilhelm spent the year searching for the perfect ring. It's now wrapped and burning a hole in his coat pocket. The ring and the proposal, have both been blessed by Linda and Sara. Linda cried when Wilhelm told her. Sara laughed triumphantly.
Wilhelm sits on the edge of his bed. He's dressed in his finest suit he owns, complete with his signature scarf. He's a mess- a nervous, panicking mess. To pass the time until he leaves to meet Simon, he cleans the apartment over and over. The bed looks like it's from a hotel. The countertop could be in a showroom. The living room is immaculate.
He can only procrastinate for so long. Nervousness brews in his stomach. God, he wants to be sick. Just to feel something other than dread. He checks his pocket once again for the ring and takes a bouquet of lilac flowers off the counter.
His bodyguard drives him to Simon. The drive, though Wilhelm has taken it many times before, feels eternally long. It's just nerves. It's just anxiety. He squeezes the ring box to calm him.
He originally planned to propose to Simon at home. One of those mornings where they're half-asleep and lying in bed. In each other's arms. The world going by around them. He imagined producing the box from under his pillow and asking him, asking Simon to marry him.
But here's a good place to propose too. The trees are bare and covered in snow. Despite the cold, there are flowers everywhere.
Wilhelm sits on a bench opposite Simon. He takes a deep, shaking breath, tapping his suit pocket to feel the square box.
"Si, I . . ." he takes another breath. "You've saved me a hundred times. You saved me from Hillerska, from August- fucking August, from the public, from the . . . soul crushing pressure of the crown, you saved me from myself. Every moment I broke down and self destructed, you were there to put me back together. You saved me with your kindness, unwavering morals, unconditional love- your family saved me. You gave me a real family with Linda and Sara, and I'd love nothing more than to start a family with you"
Wilhelm is crying. He leans his elbows on his knees as he tries to compose himself. He runs his hand through his hair and takes a breath.
"I've loved you since I met you and I'll love you till I die. If soulmates exist you are undeniably mine. You saved me a hundred times, Simon Erikson . . ." He pulls out the ring box, popping it open. ". . . and I'm sorry I couldn't even save you once"
He takes the ring in his hand. The ring perfectly sized for a perfect husband. He kneels in front of Simon, placing the bouquet on the dirt.
"I picked out the ring" his voice is thick with tears. He places the ring carefully on Simon's gravestone. "I wish you were here to see it"
He stays there for a while- he doesn't know how long. Eventually, his straightens his stiff knees and straightens his suit jacket. Simon's grave is adorned with flowers of all colours, it's truly beautiful. In the week since he was buried, his friends and family have been visiting him every day, leaving gifts and flowers. Though it wasn't his original plan, the graveyard really is a beautiful place to propose.
He places his hand on the smooth gravestone. He squeezes it and- for a moment, it's like he's holding Simon's hand again. He smiles fondly and walks away.
"Merry Christmas, Simon"