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“I want you to take me out.”
Simon narrowed his eyes as he turned around in Wilhelm’s desk chair, looking at his boyfriend who was sprawled out on his own bed, class-book forgotten next to him and nearly fallen on the floor. Wille was staring at the ceiling, arms starfished out from his sides as he looked as bored as Simon had ever seen him.
“Like. . . on a date? Or are we talking murder?”
Wille sighed, “Surprise me.”
Simon rolled his eyes, abandoning his own work to wheel the chair over to his boyfriend. He stopped on the edge of the bed next to Wille’s head, leaning over so his face was hovering over Wille’s.
“You’re dramatic as fuck, you know that?”
Wille gave a hum, eyes trailing over Simon’s face with a smitten look that was unfitting for their subject topic but still had Simon’s heart melting.
“I’ve taken you on dates before,” Simon whispered, reaching his hand to stroke back Wille’s hair.
Wille hummed again, “Well, yeah, but. . .”
Simon laughed under his breath, teasing, “What? The coffee shop on the end of my block isn’t cutting it for you anymore? Sick of Rosh’s games?”
Simon pushed himself off the chair and rested on the edge of the bed instead, continuing to look down at Wille. Beneath him, his boyfriend frowned.
“I’m not saying that,” he was quick to respond, sounding almost guilty about it. “I love hanging out in Bjärstad-”
“Wille, baby, I was kidding,” Simon leaned down to kiss Wille’s forehead placatingly. “You’re right- we always end up doing the same things. So what are you thinking? You want to go on a date in Stockholm or something?”
Wille gave a tug to Simon’s shirt, and Simon rolled his eyes as he interpreted his boyfriend’s signal for him to lie down next to him, but he went willingly. He maneuvered himself to lay on his back next to Wille, his head coming to rest on top of Wille’s arm, which was still stretched out sideways. He curled into Wille’s side a little bit, cuddling up to his boyfriend as both of them now looked at the white ceiling of Wille’s bedroom.
“Would you want to go on a date in Stockholm?”
Simon thought for a second, letting a long breath out through his nose before shrugging.
“Sure. But really- wouldn’t that be you taking me out? Other than the palace, I really don’t know anything around Stockholm. It’s your hometown.”
The arm under Simon’s head moved, curling so that it was now around Simon, which caused him to roll onto his side, his head now on Wille’s shoulder. He settled happily into the new position, throwing an arm of his own across Wille’s abdomen and wiggling a little more so his head was more so on Wille’s chest, right near his heart. Laying like this, where he could hear Wille’s heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his chest under his head and arm, was one of the most comfortable positions Simon had ever experienced.
“I suppose,” Wille hummed out, and Simon could feel the vibrations of his chest underneath him.
“Yeah,” Wille spoke again, sounding more sure of himself this time, “Yeah, let’s do it. I’ll take you out on a date in Stockholm.”
Simon turned his face into Wille’s chest, hiding the smile that was involuntarily forming. They’d been together for months now, but actual dates for them were few and far between. It wasn’t exactly easy to go on dates when your relationship was a secret, and it hadn’t really gotten easier since they went public. The people in Bjärstad were fairly decent to them; a lot of them had known Simon since he was a little boy, whether through actual interaction or hearing through the grapevine all the things that had happened with his father. They could still get bombarded every once in a while in Bjärstad, but for the most part- thankfully- the town had gotten used to them or simply didn’t care. Even still, there was a reason why they tended to stick to going to the same coffee shop or hanging out at a football game. It was simple and noninvasive.
And admittedly, it was always Simon planning their actual dates, or being the one to ask Wille to go out with him. So the idea that this one would be in Wille’s hands, in his hometown, and that it was his idea had Simon’s heart skipping a few beats. It wasn’t that Simon had an issue with being the one to work out the details of their dates so far or anything- he truly didn’t mind. But it didn’t stop the warmth filling him as he cuddled into his boyfriend.
“Yeah?” Simon asked, sighing out when he felt Wille’s hand move into his hair.
“Mhmm. I’ll have to decide where to take you, though. I’ll probably have to clear it with security if we’re in Stockholm.”
Wille finished his words with a sigh; Simon knew how much Wille hated the protocols and required check-ins that came with being a prince. Simon hated it all, too, but he knew there would always be a part of him that was glad for it. Glad that Wille was protected. A lot of people hated the monarchy, and not in the same way Simon hated it.
“I’m sure whatever you decide will be great, Wille,” Simon pressed a kiss to his boyfriend’s breast bone.
They were silent for a few minutes, laying together on the bed. The feeling of Wille’s hand in his hair was lulling Simon into a state of quiet peacefulness, his eyelids becoming heavier. Simon laughed to himself, swatting Wille’s hip with his hand.
“How do you do this every fucking time?” Simon asked with feign sternness in his voice. He felt Wille’s hand still in his hair.
“Do what?”
“We’re supposed to be studying , you sneaky bastard. And just like always, you managed to get me to completely ignore my stuff to cuddle with you instead. We didn’t even make it an hour today.”
Wille laughed underneath him, his body relaxing and his hand resuming its carding through Simon’s curls.
“How do you keep such good grades?” Simon teased.
“Why would I study when I have you sitting next to me looking all pretty?” Wille teased right back, and Simon felt his face warm.
“Oh, fuck off,” Simon laughed, turning over and propping himself up on an elbow so he was leaning over Wille. “You’re a flirt.”
Wille smirked at him, looking entirely pleased with himself.
“And you fall for it every time.”
Simon scoffed, using his free hand to gently push at Wille’s face, hoping to wipe that smirk off it. Unfortunately, all he seemed to succeed in doing was putting his hand within kissing distance, and Wille scattered a few pecks across his palm.
Cheesy bastard knew just how to make Simon’s heart melt.
“That’s it,” Simon said, trying to be stern and coming across sounding a little weak. “I’m never studying with you again.”
Wille rolled his eyes, “You’ve said that every week since we started dating.”
“Well. . . I mean it this time.”
“Okay,” Wille responded placatingly, shifting his body so he was positioned more under Simon. Simon didn’t fight it when his boyfriend nudged and moved him so that he had one leg on either side of Wille’s hips, his hands on either side of his head. His body was hovering over Wille’s now, and Simon bit his lip to fight back his smile, shaking his head with exasperation.
“This is cheating.”
Wille lifted his hands to rest on Simon’s hips, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Whatever you say, mi cielo,” Simon whispered as he moved one hand to cup Wille’s jaw, lips hovering just a hair’s breadth above the prince’s.
“Will you just kiss me already?” Wille whispered, bumping his nose against Simon’s. Simon didn’t get a chance to answer as Wille moved an arm around Simon’s waist and pulled him down so their mouths met sweetly.
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"You know, I think Peter is more uncomfortable in public than either of us," Simon whispered, bumping his arm into Wille's. Wille glanced behind him and then let out a quiet snort. Simon followed his boyfriend’s gaze to look back at the bodyguard once again. Sure enough, his bodyguard still looked more on edge than usual, his eyes scanning each and every person around carefully. Simon knew that Wille was, as usual, appreciative of his guards' devotion, but he could tell by the set of his prince’s jaw that he thought it may have been a bit over the top.
Peter is what they had taken to calling Wille's second designated bodyguard. The man was as large and silent a presence as always, and even after all these months, they still barely ever heard him say a word. He was kind to them, and he was dedicated to both of their safety, but it would at least be nice to know the name of the man whose job it was to jump in front of a bullet for you. Although, admittedly, they'd never actually asked him. How embarrassing it was to tell someone who'd been in your life so long that you didn't know their name. They'd asked Malin once, but she'd just given them a raise of her eyebrow and an amused glint in her eye, reminding them that they needed to be in class in five minutes.
They had to call him something.
So Peter it was.
And Peter was not a very big fan of wandering around behind his teenage charges on their first real public date.
It was about two weeks after their conversation about a date in Stockholm, and the two of them were staying at the palace for the weekend so that they could actually go on said date. Kristina and Ludwig were out of the country on some diplomatic something or other that Simon hadn’t really listened to a word of explanation of, but Erik and Nathalie were both around when they’d arrived in Stockholm Friday evening after school. Both had a list of duties that ensured the four of them would barely be seeing each other over the weekend, but it was still nice to be able to talk with them a little bit. Simon could tell how much Wille was glad to see his brother and future sister-in-law; there was a part of him that always lit up when he was talking to Erik, and it shone even brighter when he actually got to see his older brother in person. The two of them had fallen into a tight hug the moment Simon and Wille had arrived, talking too fast to properly keep up with, like they didn’t FaceTime each other at least once a day. Simon had just rolled his eyes fondly at the two princes, greeting Nathalie warmly. Simon had gotten the opportunity to really get to know her after her and Erik’s engagement ball, and she was fantastic. Plus the two of them could certainly bond over their idiot princes.
Like he said he would, Wille took over planning for everything involving their date in Stockholm. He’d made sure with Linda that Simon was okay to spend the weekend at the palace, he’d cleared everything with security, he’d talked to the PR team, and he’d chosen where they were going. Wille had been adoringly considerate with this whole thing; he’d checked with Simon about every place in the city he thought to take him. Wille had been worried that some places may be a little too crowded- the idea of cameras being shoved in their faces or not knowing that someone around them might be filming them was still a little too anxiety-inducing for them to handle- or that Simon wouldn’t be interested, or it would be something he could have experienced if they’d just stayed in the area of Hillerska and Bjärstad.
Simon had found himself falling for his boyfriend all over again watching the way he treated this like it was their first ever date, the way he had this constant dusting of pink on his cheeks when he talked about it that told Simon he was adorably nervous. Simon had learned the easiest tactic to calm the unnecessary nerves his boyfriend was feeling was to give into the desire to press a kiss to Wille’s cheek whenever he had that cute blush on his cheeks, watching as his face grew a darker red not because of anxiety but because after all this time, Simon throwing out casual affection like that still reduced him to a stuttering mess.
Simon’s affections did, however, mean it took a lot longer for Wille to plan the date than he’d expected because the prince couldn’t help but get distracted making sure Simon’s next kiss landed on his lips instead of his cheek.
It was things like that that had Sara, Felice, Rosh, Ayub, Erik, Madison, and yeah, okay, pretty much everyone in their lives calling them the grossest, cheesiest, or most disgustingly in love couple Sweden had ever seen. Not that the two of them cared all that much or did anything to curb their need to always be close to each other. But, hey, they’d been through a lot together in the past months. They deserved to be disgustingly sweet.
So, yeah, it may or may not have ended up taking almost two whole weeks to plan their Stockholm date. But eventually Wille had decided on an art museum in the city. The prince had only been there once himself, as part of a charity event that Erik had participated in years prior. The museum wouldn’t likely be too crowded, it was something of a new experience for both of them, and since the museum already had its own security, it was easy to get it cleared for the young prince and his boyfriend to visit.
Not that that had stopped the tense set of Peter’s jaw as he stood a respectable distance behind them as they entered a new room full of bright colored paintings. To be fair to their guard, this room was more full than previous exhibits had been, and yeah, maybe the two of them tended to give both Peter and Malin ulcers by messing around or trying to find hiding spots on the Hillerska campus away from the two of them like they were kids playing hide-and-seek or getting themselves put in the national news again because Wille accidentally posted to his public instagram rather than his secret, private one.
Even still, Simon thought Peter could probably relax a little bit. Around them were a few harmless looking families, a small group on a guided tour, a few other couples who looked about their age, and a girl with bright purple hair who was sat on a bench in front of one of the paintings, sketching it on a small art pad in her lap. There were turned heads and a few not-so-quiet whispers when they entered the room, but no one tried to talk to them or move closer. Frankly, Simon thought the biggest threat to them in this room might be one of the paintings magically flying off the wall and smacking Wille in the face. Simon supposed that Peter had just gotten used to the familiar, physically harmless atmospheres of Hillerska and Bjärstad when it came to looking after them.
That he could understand. There was a reason Wille had aimed for something that wasn’t going to be as crowded as something like a restaurant would have been; they too had grown used to the atmospheres of being somewhere where everyone knew who they were, and they both still experienced panic attacks or breakdowns remembering what the outcome was of other people witnesses their private moments. Between the news after the video, Wille’s interview, and the many subsequent news articles written about them using every possible image of Simon or of Simon and Wille together that the press could get their hands on, they truly didn’t venture outside of their comfort zones when it came to being in public.
That’s why this date was actually kind of a big deal, though both of them were trying to act like it wasn’t. They were truly on their first public date.
They both knew there was a possibility and frankly a high likelihood that they’d end up somewhere on the internet today. They’d be trending on Twitter again or make an appearance in some online tabloid. Neither Simon nor Wille had really talked about it, despite the fact that it was in the forefront of their minds. One of those “if we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist” things.
Not because they were in denial, but because it wasn’t what they wanted to be thinking about today. Today was about them , about being out together as a couple, pretending to be just like all the rest of the couples in this museum right now. The media, the monarchy, and everything else didn’t matter today.
Simon moved away from Wille, who was still glancing at Peter as if he could simply manifest the guard losing the tension in his posture, and towards a bright, wispy looking landscape painting hanging near the corner of the wall. Simon’s eyes trailed over the painted field, smiling at the sight of the little flowers peeking out between the strands of tall grass. It wasn’t the most complex piece they’d see today, but it was beautiful and calming to look at, in a way. Simon soon felt his boyfriend coming up behind him, soon paired with the feel of Wille's chest against his back and the prince's arms snaking around his waist. Instinctively, Simon relaxed into the embrace, leaning his body back against Wille's and tilting his head to the side so Wille had more room to rest his chin on Simon's shoulder. He covered Wille's hands with his own, smiling to himself.
"Wille, you really should let me go," he whispered, biting his lip to try and stop his smile. He could practically feel the frown Wille surely now wore, and he fought back the urge to laugh when Wille's arms tightened around him.
"No," was all the prince replied, sounding not dissimilar to a toddler who wasn't getting their way.
"Yes," Simon said, though truly he made no move to get away, rubbing his thumb over one of Wille's wrists. With his other hand, he pointed to a small plaque on the wall. "You may be a prince, but that doesn't mean you get to break all the rules. It says no touching the art."
The sound of Wille's laughter rang in his ear loudly, and Simon tried to shush him through his own giggles when he noticed all the heads turning their way in the otherwise nearly silent room. Wille stifled his laughs- the true, unabashedly joyful ones Simon frequently made it his life mission to get out of him- by tucking his face into the crook of Simon's neck. Simon knew he was grinning wildly as his boyfriend did so, squeezing Wille's arms and swaying them back and forth ever so slightly. It really was nice, being like this.
Out on a date like normal people.
Somewhere they could pretend the bodyguard following them was just another member of the museum security, where people were more interested in the beautiful things around them than they were in the prince and his boyfriend.
They could pretend they were just two completely average, everyday teenagers out on a date.
It made Simon want the two of them to become glued to this spot so that they could never stop feeling like this.
He turned his head, finding the most comfortable angle he could to press a kiss to Wille's temple.
"I love you," he murmured.
Wille lifted his head up, releasing his hold on Simon just enough to shift them so their eyes could meet. The prince had a faint blush on his cheeks, and Simon loved that after all this time of saying those words, he could still make Wille look like that.
"Yeah?" his boyfriend whispered, a dopey look on his face.
Simon rolled his eyes, though the effect was ruined by the matching look of adoration still adorning his face.
"You know I do."
Wille always had this look of awe on his face when it came to Simon that the other barely knew how to deal with. This look that frequently said "how did I get so lucky" or like he couldn't believe Simon was quite real or held this glint that Simon could only recognize as something akin to pride. It made Simon want to cry, at times, knowing how achingly in love with him this boy was. How achingly in love with him that Simon was. It didn't seem possible- to feel this way about another person at this young an age. He’d meant wholeheartedly what he’d told Wille at Erik and Nathalie’s engagement party. He really did want to marry this boy someday. He’d spent years thinking marriage was bullshit, that romance wasn’t even worth it.
But now he was stood in a museum with his boyfriend, who was wrapped around him like a koala, still looking at him like he was art himself- like he was absolutely the only art in the room.
Sappy motherfucker.
“I love you, too, sunflower,” Wille smiled, and Simon felt his own blush rise high on his cheeks.
That pet name was truly unfair, what the fuck.
It was Simon who was supposed to be the one reducing his boyfriend to a melted mess with adorable nicknames and terms of endearment.
"Just look at the painting," Simon mumbled, ducking his gaze away from Wille's.
“I am,” Wille tried to defend himself, but Simon could feel how Wille barely spared a glance at the landscape in front of them before his gaze turned right back to Simon.
“You’re such a cliché, you know that?” Simon tried and failed to force down his smile, and he could feel how warm his own cheek was when Wille tucked his chin back over Simon’s shoulder, pressing their faces together. “Staring at your significant other instead of the beautiful thing in front of us.”
Wille just chuckled, the rumble of his chest a comfortable vibration against Simon’s back, “You are the beautiful thing in front of me.”
Simon closed his eyes, trying to ignore the way his breath hitched. He tightened his grip on Wille’s hands, which still rested over his stomach.
“If you make me cry in the middle of this museum I’m breaking up with you,” Simon threatened, immediately falling into his boyfriend’s rhythm when Wille began ever so slightly swaying them side to side.
“You started it,” Wille responded matter-of-factly, and Simon opened his eyes, turning his body in Wille’s arms just enough to give his boyfriend an incredulous look.
“How did I start it?”
Wille gave him an unimpressed look, “You made the joke about not touching the art and then expected me to not act like you’re the most beautiful thing in here? Which you are, by the way. Plus, you’re the one who decided to dress like this today.”
And that. . . Was actually a good point. Simon may or may not have purposefully worn one of his boyfriend’s sweaters today, and he may or may not have full knowledge of the fact that him wearing Wille’s clothes drove his boyfriend a little crazy. The sweater was a deep red, soft to the touch, and it was a little too big for Wille, which meant it was too big for Simon, and it hung loosely off his frame, the sleeves falling just past his fingertips. Simon was fully aware that he looked adorable, and he was fully aware that stealing the sweater out of Wille’s closet would be a great way to get him lots and lots of affection today. And yeah, he did make the joke about touching the art.
So, in short, Simon had no argument to make here. He hated it when that happened.
In lieu of response, he twisted his way out of Wille’s hold, but immediately connected their hands when his boyfriend gave a pout. He stayed in Wille’s space, though, leaning up to press a kiss to Wille’s cheek before saying, “I think you’re a work of art, too, baby.”
His words were quiet, and intentionally dripping with sweetness, but he made sure the genuine truth behind his words was evident for Wille to hear, and he relished in the bright smile that took over his boyfriend’s face, paired with a blush to match Simon’s own.
“Now come on, you sap,” Simon said, taking a step away and tugging on Wille’s hand to get him to follow. “Time to actually go look at the paintings.”