Work Text:
Wilhelm and Simon’s first year at Hillerska has finally come to an end. A year that Wilhelm is glad is over, but this year gave him Simon so maybe it wasn’t the worst year ever. He still has a lot to make up for when it comes to Simon, and that’s what he plans on doing over the summer.
Starting with a little picnic date at the palace.
Wille makes sure his parents are gone. They’re on some kind of state trip in another country so he has the entire palace to himself and no duties until Kristina and Ludvig get back. He’s using that to his advantage.
It’s a nice Tuesday in the middle of June when Wille invites Simon to the palace. First, Simon is reluctant, but then Wille tells him that his parents are going to be gone and Simon tells him he’ll be there that afternoon.
With Malin’s help, Wille gets a little picnic set up on the grass by one of the fountains. Checkered blanket and all. He made some sandwiches and put them in the basket. There are some smaller snacks like popcorn, cookies, and the mandarin orange slices that Wille knows Simon likes. He asks Malin to bring water bottles for them while he goes to get Simon when Simon texts Wille that he’s at the palace.
He runs his fingers through his hair, nervous. He’s not as nervous as he was when he showed up at Simon’s house for the first time and they went to his room but he’s still nervous because it’s their first date since they talked and decided to give their relationship a try again.
Simon is standing in one of his usual graphic t-shirts and a pair of jeans. His curls have grown a little bit since they met a few months ago. He has a shy little smile on his face. “Hey,” he breathes out.
Wille returns the smile and lets Simon walk into the palace. “I hope the ride here wasn’t too bad,” Wille comments as he shuts the door. Simon turns and looks back at Wille with a shake of his head.
“It wasn’t terrible,” Simon replies. “You should come see me sometime in Bjärstad though.”
With a laugh, Wille grabs one of Simon’s hands and pulls his curly-haired boyfriend close to him. He laces their fingers together loosely and Simon leans his head up, knowing what’s coming next. Wille smiles and leans into Simon, capturing his lips in a very soft kiss filled with smiles and giggles.
“I promised to come see you in Bjärstad some day and I will,” Wille reminds Simon between kisses.
A soft hum comes from Simon before the boys slowly and reluctantly pull back from the kiss. Wille smiles when he meets Simon’s warm brown eyes. “Now, I know you didn’t invite me to the palace just to kiss me so what’s going on?” Simon questions.
Wille laughs and says, “I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes and come with me.”
Simon raises his eyebrows in question before he closes his eyes and lets Wille guide him back to the little picnic area outside. Wille smiles as he pulls Simon along behind him, careful not to run into any walls or trip down the steps going to the little picnic spot Wille had set up for them.
When they get outside, the heat hits both of them and Simon asks, “Did you just bring me outside?”
“Maybe,” Wille laughs. “A little further.”
It’s another maybe thirty feet before Wille approaches the little picnic spot on the grass by the fountain. He stops walking and lets go of Simon’s hand. “Okay, you can open your eyes now,” he tells Simon.
He watches as Simon slowly opens his eyes, blinking so he gets used to the sunlight. Simon’s eyes land on the little picnic set up on the ground. “Wille, oh my God,” Simon breathes out, a smile on his face. “You did this?”
“I had some help,” Wille admits. “Malin helped me set it up.”
Simon laughs and goes to sit on the blanket. Wille stands back and watches as Simon leans back on his hands, letting his head drop backward. His skin almost glows in the sunlight. There is a smile on Simon’s lips. The smile that Wille fell in love with in the first place.
Eventually, Wille does join Simon on the blanket. Simon looks over at Wille and asks, “What’s in the basket?”
Wille grabs it and opens it. “Sandwiches,” Wille begins to say, pulling out everything he mentions. “Popcorn, cookies, orange slices. Water bottles. I made the sandwiches myself.”
Simon smiles and looks at the food in front of them. “This is amazing,” Simon tells Wille. “Very romantic.”
“Only the best for you, Simon,” Wille replies.
Their eyes meet and Wille smiles as he finds himself looking into Simon’s chocolate brown eyes. Simon sits up and leans over to Wille, capturing Wille’s lips in a very slow kiss. Wille leans into it, deepening it in the process. One of Wille’s hands comes up to cup Simon’s jaw as their lips continue to move against each other.
The sound of a stomach grumbling causes Simon to pull back from the kiss. Wille lets out a laugh. “You hungry?” he asks Simon.
“Very,” Simon replies. “Let me try one of those sandwiches you made.”
Wille happily hands Simon one of the sandwiches, grabbing one of his own. They both take a bite. Simon lets out a light groan as he chews his bite. Wille smiles and takes a second.
They eat in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Wille does spare several glances at Simon while they eat. Simon just smiles every time he catches Wille looking at him.
After they’re done eating, the boys lay on their backs on the blanket and look up at the sky. Simon’s head rests on Wille’s shoulder. Their interlocked fingers rest on Wille’s stomach as they look at the fluffy white clouds above them.
Wille finds himself wishing he could just pause this moment forever. He wishes he could just live in this moment with Simon forever. There’s nothing to worry about. This moment is just Wille and Simon. They’re just Wille and Simon.
This didn’t seem very possible for them at Christmas break. Being in this moment didn’t seem like a possibility for them after Wille had denied the video. They spent all break not talking to each other. It almost felt like Wille’s “I love you” the last day at Hillerska before the winter break was a goodbye. Maybe it was for a while. But sometimes goodbye is a second chance.
That break let Wille figure out what he wanted without anyone helping him. He took the break to realize that he wanted Simon. He wanted them to be together. He made it his mission to regain Simon’s trust so they can have moments like these, and slowly, he got Simon’s trust back. He moved at Simon’s speed.
A month ago was their first kiss in a little over five months when Simon came to Wille one night and said that he wanted to try again at a relationship. Wille promised that he would make up for denying the video, said he loved Simon again, and Simon kissed him for the first time since right before Christmas.
A week later, Simon told Wille that he called him his boyfriend when he told Rosh and Ayub. Since then, they haven’t been able to stop calling each other “boyfriend”. Wille loves his new title as Simon’s boyfriend.
Wille looks down at his boyfriend and smiles. Simon must get the feeling of being watched because he turns his head up and looks at Wille. “Hi,” Simon giggles.
“Hi,” Wille replies. “Was this little surprise picnic okay?”
Simon rolls so he’s laying on his side, getting a better look at Wille. “It was perfect,” Simon assures him. “Thank you for doing this.”
“I wouldn’t want to do this for anyone else,” Wille honestly tells Simon.
It earns a smile from Simon. Wille dips his head down and captures Simon’s smile in a soft kiss. His free hand runs through Simon’s curls, pulling the smaller boy closer to him. Simon’s chest is pressed against Wille’s side.
The kiss stays slow, neither of them rushing it. They have all the time in the world right now. Time almost seems to stop.
Wille feels a drop on his arm, then a second, then a third. He pulls back from the kiss and looks up at the sky to see that darker clouds have formed above them. Simon looks up as the rain gets a little heavier. Wille laughs as they scramble to get up. It starts downpouring as Malin comes running out to grab the blanket and basket full of food.
As Wille goes to follow Malin, he turns and looks at Simon. He’s drenched from head to toe from being out in the rain. “Simon, you’re going to catch a cold,” Wille tells him, reaching for his hand.
“Come here for a second,” Simon retorts, pulling at Wille’s hand. Wille takes two steps closer to Simon, who leans up and crashes his lips to Wille’s.
Water streams down their faces and between their lips in between kisses. Simon’s hands rest on the nape of Wille’s neck, his fingers running through his hair occasionally. Wille’s hands rest on Simon’s waist over his soaked t-shirt.
This kiss is different than the other kisses they’ve shared today. There’s passion behind this kiss. There’s a sense of want behind this kiss.
Thunder rumbles above them and Wille pulls back from the kiss. “It’s not safe out here-”
“I love you too,” Simon blurts out, interrupting Wille and making his heart beat out of his chest. “I have for months but I’ve been so scared of saying it, but I’m not scared anymore. I love you, Wille. I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you from the day we met. I loved you when I told you that you needed to figure out things on your own. I loved you when you first told me you loved me before Christmas. I loved you while we were apart. I loved you when we started to make up. And I love you now. I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I should have.”
Wille smiles as Simon talks, letting him say what he has to say before he does anything. He ends up not being able to form words so he just leans in and kisses Simon again so Simon knows that even though he’s not saying anything, he loves Simon too.
They stand in the rain for what seems like forever, neither of them breaking away from the kiss. Neither of them wants to break away from the kiss. Eventually, Malin does come to get them because they will catch a cold if they stand in the rain any longer.
While they change into some dry clothes in Wille’s room, Wille’s eyes don’t leave Simon. His eyes never leave the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen and he makes a promise to himself that Simon won’t be his secret for much longer. He’s not going to mess up this chance that Simon has given him. He’s going to do this the right way this time.
Sometimes goodbye really is a second chance.