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It wasn’t even twenty minutes ago when Simon first told Wille that he loves him. Twenty minutes ago, Simon told Wille that it would be okay if they needed to keep it a secret because all Simon wanted was to be with Wille.
Twenty seconds ago, Wille went off script for his jubilee speech and said, “It was me in that video that leaked last term. The one with me and Simon.”
Everything seemed to slow down after that. Time stopped as cameras flashed. Simon looked around at the crowd as they gasped and whispered among themselves. Wille’s words processed in Simon’s head.
Wille just admitted to Sweden that it was him in the video. Simon couldn’t believe what he just heard. His jaw had actually dropped.
“It was a, um,” Wille continues. “A moment I didn’t want to share with anyone else, so I lied about it. But it was me.” Cameras clicked around Simon. He tried to keep a straight face despite wanting to smile.
Simon is so proud of Wille. For admitting that it was him in the video, for basically coming out. No matter how much trouble he was going to get in for going completely off-script.
The façade that Simon was keeping up fades away when Wille turns his head, his eyes finding Simon and he sends a smile toward him. Their eyes meet and an immediate smile forms on Simon’s face.
That’s when he realized -- he was no longer Wille’s secret. Wille had told the entire world about them. No more secret rendezvous in side corridors at Hillerska, no more chaste kisses, no more quick touches or stealing glances at meals or in class. They can be open about their relationship. They can openly love each other. No more hiding.
Wille turns back toward his mother, who does not look very happy. She has a look of shock on her face after her son just admitted it was him in the video after the Royal Court denied it months ago. All their hard work to make the video go away, gone. Washed away in about fifteen seconds.
“Sorry,” is all Wille says before he walks away from the podium.
There’s a moment of dead silence before someone claps once, twice, three times. More people start to join in. The sound of applause fills the area, causing the smile on Simon’s face to grow. Several Hillerska shoots begin to shout and “whoop” as Wille turns on his heels.
Simon watches Wille walk toward him. The sound of applause drowns out when Simon meets Wille’s eyes. “You’re insane,” Simon tells Wille. “Doing that in front of everyone and doing it on instinct.”
“Yeah, well,” Wille begins. “I needed a way to tell you that I love you too because someone interrupted us earlier before I could tell you. What’s a better way to tell someone I love them by admitting it was me in the video and coming out? No matter how much trouble I’m about to be in with my mother and the Royal Court.”
A laugh comes from Simon as Wille grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together. He tugs at Simon’s hand and he leads Simon up the staircase so they’re standing in front of everyone. Cameras click and flash again.
The cheers haven’t let up. Wille, like the Crown Prince he is, turns and waves at the crowd. Simon just smiles and looks at Wille, who looks almost relieved that he was able to come clean about the video. His eyes are soft and he has a hint of a smile on his lips.
Wille looks down at Simon and he watches Wille’s lips turn up into a smile. “Can I kiss you right now?” Wille questions. “It’s okay if things are overwhelming right now and you don’t want a kiss at this moment but I’d really like to-”
“Yes,” Simon interrupts. “Please. Kiss me.”
There is zero hesitation from Wille after that. Wille drops his head and captures Simon’s lips in a very soft kiss. One of Wille’s hands comes up to cup Simon’s jaw as the soft kiss continues for a few seconds longer than it probably should. Simon’s hand is resting on Wille’s waist like it was earlier when Simon told Wille that he loves him.
The crowd is deafening when their lips meet, and Simon doesn’t feel uncomfortable kissing Wille in public. He always thought that he’d be uncomfortable kissing Wille in public when they eventually came out about their relationship. He’s not. He loves being able to kiss Wille in public. And he’ll get to re-live this kiss whenever he wants because it’s going to be on the cover of every magazine in Sweden.
This kiss is something that Simon is willing to re-live.
Wille has to force himself to pull back from the kiss. Just enough to look into Simon’s eyes. He finds Wille’s beautiful. They look golden in the sunlight and Simon falls into their beauty. Wille shakes his head a bit, rubbing the tips of their noses together. Simon laughs and Wille pulls him inside, hidden from the crowd and the cameras.
“How much trouble are you going to get in for doing that?” Simon questions once they’re inside.
He shrugs and looks at Simon, playing with his fingers. “Probably a lot,” Wille replies. “But it’s worth it. I think it’s so worth it to get in trouble so I can be with you without keeping you a secret.”
“I was okay being a secret, Wille,” he tells him. “Seriously. You didn’t have to do that today.”
Wille smiles and brushes Simon’s jaw with his fingers. “I wanted to do that today,” he softly replies. “I didn’t want to wait two years before I was able to hold your hand or kiss you in public. I didn’t want to keep you a secret for two years. I didn’t want to wait to publicly love you.”
Simon looks between Wille’s eyes as Wille leans in closer to him. Simon shakes his head very slightly. “I’m so in love with you,” Simon whispers. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Me too,” he laughs as their lips brush against each other. Simon is grasping the jacket of Wille’s Hillerska uniform, keeping him close. The tip of Simon’s nose catches Wille’s. “At least I got to hear you tell me that you love me before my mother kills me.”
A soft chuckle comes from Simon as a second kiss ensues between them. Wille’s fingers curl in Simon’s hair and Simon pulls Wille closer to him.
Simon smiles into the kiss that follows because their kisses no longer have to be quick and hidden. No more chaste kisses. Simon can enjoy their kisses.
Heels clicking on the floor behind Simon pull the boys apart. “Wilhelm,” the Queen begins to say as she approaches them. “Do you understand what you just did? You just damaged the credibility of the Royal Family because of your admittance of the video. Our reputation is ruined because of some naïve romance that won’t make it past your graduation. You’re so young. You don’t know what you really want.”
“I do,” Wille spits. “I know what I want. I want Simon. I want a relationship with him. I don’t care about any reputation I’ve damaged to be with Simon. I love him, and he loves me. I didn’t want to keep him a secret until I turned 18.”
He turns and is met with a scowl on Kristina’s face. Ludvig stands behind her, an apologetic look on his face. August stands beside Ludvig, visibly surprised. “You admitted that you lied, Wilhelm,” Kristina tells Wille. “Who is going to believe a Crown Prince that lied about such a huge thing.”
“I think I covered why I lied about it pretty well,” Wille retorts. “I could’ve told everyone that the Royal Court told me to lie, but I didn’t. Imagine your reputation if I did that instead. You’re lucky that I said that it was because I didn’t want to share that moment with anyone else. You should be thanking me for not completely destroying your reputation.”
Kristina’s face turns red with anger. Ludvig rests a hand on his wife’s shoulder, trying to keep him calm. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Wilhelm,” she says. “I hope this is not a high school romance that won’t survive post-graduation.”
The boys look at each other. “This is definitely more than just a high school romance,” Wille explains to his mother. “I love him too much to let him get away that easily. Simon’s stuck with me for a while.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Simon replies, eyes never leaving Wille’s.
They found their way back to each other through all the secrets, all the betrayals, all the scandals that kept them apart. Simon finds himself believing that his relationship with Wille is a forever thing.